Monday, July 7, 2014

First I obey, then I understand

Nama berita kita waaai,

Only in this mission could you see the Kuala Lumpur skyline from your apartment one day and then be transplanted to the middle of the jungle in Sarawak the next. I live in the jungle now. It's serine.



The last week, every aspect of my life has been out of my control, and it's a terrible, humbling feeling, and a good learning experience. Take for example, my flight from KL to Kuching, haha. I prefer to be at the airport 2-3 hours before my flight, but sometimes the stars don't align and I missed a flight for the first time in my life. It was hectic trying to get a flight/trying to transfer the APs' miles to me in a country where customer service isn't really a thing, but speaking Malay as a white kid goes a pretty long way. (Yes for all intents and purposes I'm white here haha).

That was the lowest point of my mission, so I told myself it can only go up from here, right? I was tempted to buy a ticket home to America, but instead I just prayed to be Christlike and kind and patient to all the people who weren't willing to help me. At one point, I heard in my mind, "Ellen, you need to trust me." So I said I will.

When I got transfer news last week, I had this sense of urgency that I'm supposed to work harder in Stampin branch than I have in any of my other areas, and it's pretty daunting but I'll do it. My body aches and there are so many less active members, so many family problems, the biasa Sarawak stuff, but I'm finally starting to get that I'm STILL reserving too much for myself (a year into my mission, aduh) and I've made it a goal to be a consecrated missionary.

Anyway, it's nice to be back. So many of my friends from my old zone are still here. Elders Capener, Allen, and Reynolds are sitting behind me at the internet kedai, Sisters Fonbuena and Hansen are both here, my mission kids! Sister Callor is an angel.

I'm gonna puji Elder Scott for a sec, he's extending and is finishing his mission in Stampin. It's been so nice having him show us more of our area, I've learned SO much about effective, smart missionary work in the 3 days he's been passing off investigators to us.

I'm grateful my bahasa Melayu and Iban came back pretty quick, can't say the same for my biking muscles, haha. I'm gonna tell my grandkids it was uphill both ways in this area, because it's true! The hills burn so good.

Saying goodbye to KL was hard, but we had an incredible last week. We naik the Petronas Towers, and then a member family in Cheras, who's distantly related to the Burrows, had me and Sister Parcell, and the cheras Elders over for dinner.




Life is good. I'm happy. I'm outta time, see you next week (when I'm 22).

-Sister Wynn

P.S. "To believe that weaknesses and deficiencies in your character are unchangeable is to reject the central truth of the plan of salvation."


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