Ambil Hati, Ambil Berat

Ki haal hai,

That's "Hello" in Panjabi. Yup, the Singapore Mission is the best mission because you get to meet SO many interesting people from all over the world. This week was incredible. Sister Parcell and I make a great team. Then, us two combined with Elder Rasmussen and Elder Beckstrand make a great team. Remember that incredible amount of faith we had last week? It's paying off, because as we met with all of the people who were previously dropped, we ran into their friends or family members who wanted to know more about who we are and what we teach. So we got return appointments with them. We went to a birthday party of a church member and talked to their neighbors, a beautiful Indian family (well the mom was stunning, of course, the dad was kind of dorky haha. I love it). The dad works for HP and used to live in Texas. They were sad we had to go home because they were ready to have a lesson right there. We also had so many random people show up at church yesterday, like the sweetest man from Holland who Sister Parcell gave her card to in passing a couple weeks ago, and a couple former investigators, and the Indonesian friends of a recent convert. Elder Rasmussen and I translated for them during church, and afterwards, the two of us taught the restoration lesson to them in our best, albeit a little broken Indonesian.

"Please tell me you know the first vision in Malay." Elder Rasmussen asked me. He's been in KL forever now, but he hasn't needed to recite the first vision in Malay haha. I loved seeing our new investigators' faces soften as I told it to them with all the conviction I had. In the Malay translation, when Joseph Smith says, "I saw two personages whose brightness and glory defy all description," it translates into, "whose brightness and glory I cannot describe." Tidak dapat dilukiskan. E. Rasmussen loves that I'm around now because he said it's been hard teaching a lot of lessons in Malay/Indonesian by himself. That's why we go two by two, so we can testify of the truths our companions say. At first, I felt kind of bad Sister Parcell and Elder Beckstrand don't talk during our lessons, but Sister Parcell keeps busy and Elder Beckstand usually falls asleep because he's always so busy working himself into the ground for his investigators and the zone. Sometimes naps are good. Everyone I serve with is such an incredible example to me. I feel like I learn so much Malay and more importantly, my teaching skills get better from watching Elder Rasmussen teach. When Sister Parcell, Elder Beckstrand, and I were serving in Singapore together, during one of our zone meetings, the ZLs asked Elder Beckstrand why he was so good at contacting and how it seemed like he was ALWAYS talking to someone on the train, or as he was walking to an appointment. He said, "If you love the people enough, you'll want to shout the gospel in their ears." So yeah, that's why they're zone leaders in KL, they're hard working, amazing missionaries.

A lot of the less active members we've reached out to have said things that have hurt my heart. One had her heart broken as the missionaries she became friends with left, and another said, "When I was less active, no one reached out to me, so I'm glad you're here now." Sister Parcell and I have been working hard to get church members to fellowship each other and build friendships, because as much as we love the people here, as much as they're interesting, and kind, we can't be the ones they're friends with because we eventually leave. But I hate how it seems like some of these people were neglected, or on teaching records people wrote, "They're not ready to come back yet" because I feel like a lot of them are.

And God never gave up on me, so why should I give up on other people?

But a happy ending to this story, a handful of our less actives did come back to church after the first time we met with them and asked them to, and we contacted their neighbors/friends/family members as we did so. I went on splits with Sister Fa'aleiua, one of the English speaking sisters I came in with (we shared a hotel room our first night in Singapore, and we bonded over the fact that we were SO far from home), and she is an amazing teacher. She is a poly princess. My Samoan sister from another mister. We found one of our less actives in KL branch, then afterwards, we met with some members/investigators from PJ (Petaling Jaya) branch. She would say things to them like, "We were thinking about you this week, and we thought (this verse) would help you with (this problem)."

I love that. "We were thinking about you." How much love does that convey to a person? I learned so much from her, lessons in humility and in love. She also taught me a little Samoan, macam, "Malo UCE," and "Oute alofa ia oeeee" (I love you).

Ambil hati, ambil berat means "Take heart, take heavy." In other words, you have to win people's hearts so they trust you. So members trust you to teach their loved ones the restored gospel. So investigators trust you enough to change when you plead with them to. And you have to bear their burdens. Serve the saints (even the strong ones need strengthening and love) and serve the people you teach because that's what Christ would do. I love the people more and more quickly with each new area I'm given. I want there to be stakes here, and I want the members to have a temple here.

We went to the Allen's house yesterday for Sunday dinner, can I just say how weird it is to see a branch presidency with white people in it, as well as hearing the sacrament in English again? And Sister Allen made us salad. And chili. I was in heaven. I'm sure as I'm here, I'll tell you about all the wonderful American food I'm eating because that's so interesting. Oh also, I talked to a Brother who works for the embassy here. "I can make problems go away." Why do I keep meeting the most interesting people here?

Last P-Day, we played ultimate frisbee at a really nice stadium at Taman Jaya. It rained and poured. The field was so muddy and slippery and the elders kept falling all over the place. They'd launch the frisbee and I couldn't even catch it because I was laughing too hard at them falling. I couldn't even see because there was rain in every direction. There was a little lightening, at one point, we saw lightening strike one of the skyscrapers that surrounded the field, and the thunder exploded in our ears. I said a little prayer in my heart and was grateful there were so many buildings that were taller than where we were playing. I had the time of my life.

Today, we're going to the Batu Caves. This is my dream. When I found out I'd be a missionary in Malaysia, the first thing that comes up on google is the Batu Caves. I've been waiting for this day forever.

Love you all, see you next week.

-Sister Wynn

P.S. Saturday was my 10-month mark. Apa hal ini?