Joshua's Song of Singapore: Week 16: Butterworth, Malaysia

The Ballad of Butterworth Week Twelve

Hello everyone! Another week has flown by, and I am super excited to be able to write to all of you and read all of your sweet emails!

This week was pretty crazy, but really fun! After we found out that Elder Pack would be leaving, we started Pack-ing (get it? :P) like crazy to get him ready to go to Puchong. And then, on Wednesday, we flew to KL together, and I spent Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday with the Zone Leaders in their area. It was really fun to be with them; KL is such an exciting place, it just feels like New York City to me. It was fun to see how they do missionary work, and see some things that I can do better.

On Friday, we went to the airport to pick up Elder Anglin, who was flying in from Singapore. We were waiting for him at the "Arrivals" section of the airport, but he didn't show up for over an hour. Finally, we decided to call one of the missionaries in the Mission Office and ask what was going on, and he told us that Elder Anglin had probably transferred directly to his next flight, and was waiting at the gate inside. So, I went to get checked in so I could go meet him at the gate, but because the flight was taking off in less than an hour, they wouldn't let me board! So, Elder Anglin was stuck inside the airport with no way to communicate us, and we were stuck outside. After a lot of calling people, we finally got in contact with him and told him to leave the gate. We got put onto another flight that left later that night, so we took a Grab car to another airport that is around an hour away, and then boarded that flight. But, when we got there, his suitcase hadn't arrived, so we spent some time looking for it, until we found out that it was still in KL and they were going to deliver it on Saturday. It was all such a mess, and by the time we got home at around 11PM, we were both pooped!

On Saturday and Sunday, we got to watch General Conference, which was so amazing! I still have not seen the Saturday afternoon session or the Women's Session, but I look forward to reading those talks this week! We also had a great time of introducing Elder Anglin to the members of the branch, showing him a little bit around Butterworth, and just having a blast introducing him to all of the Malaysian foods.

Today, we tried to buy a bicycle, so we drove for an hour to a bicycle shop in Penang, and then we found out it was closed! Ahhhh! I feel so bad, it seems like everything is not going smoothly for Elder Anglin. But, I think that we will be able to buy the bicycle tomorrow, and then everything should be sorted out. Serving with Elder Anglin has really made me remember some of my first days and weeks as a missionary, which is so fun. It was only a few months ago, but it feels like ages. Elder Anglin is a really cool guy; he did a year of college at the Naval Academy, and is originally from Washington state. He didn't really speak any Chinese before his mission, and in the MTC, he was switched from Malay speaking to Chinese speaking three times haha! He is doing really well, and is learning really quickly. It is so fun to serve with him!

I hope you all know how much I love you! I am so grateful to have all of you cheering me on and sending me wonderful inspiring messages. I love you more than words can describe. Have a great week, and don't forget to smile! As they say in Malay, "hati hati, makan nasi" (Be careful and eat rice). :)

Best,

Elder Weatherford

Spiritual Experiences

As you know, this week was General Conference week (a week later for us crazy people who decide to live in Asia), and I loved so many of the talks!

I thought that one of the main focuses of the talks was that trials are a part of life that are deeply woven into God's plan for us. But, because He gives us our trials, He also gives us a way out of them. This is something that I have thought a lot about as a missionary, because my mission has been full of some of my hardest trials, but also some of my happiest moments. It seems to me that whenever I have a trial, in the moment I think that it will never end and I just feel down, but then later once I am out of the trial, I realize the need for having that trial. Just like what was said in General Conference, when the prophet Joseph F. Smith received the revelation for D&C 138, he had experienced a lot of hardships in his life. However, what sticks out to me is that all of his hardships made seeing his dad and others in the spirit world even more meaningful. For me, the trials that I have allow me to appreciate the happier moments even more.

I also have been thinking about growth a lot. Being able to train a new missionary has allowed me to see the immense growth that is possible in all of us. Watching Elder Anglin get used to missionary life has been so fun, and it has reminded me so much of how lost I felt when I first got here. But now, even after just a few months, I have seen a lot of growth in myself, which makes me really happy. On a day to day basis, I can't really see it, but when I step back and look over the weeks, months, and years, it is more apparent.

I love you all to death! I invite you to step back and look at the growth that you have accomplished in the past few months or years. Remember that we are always growing, and always becoming better. Remember this when it seems like life is slow, and when it seems like there is no hope for us. Change is real, but it is slow.

Love,

Elder lovin' life in loco Malaysia Weatherford

Answers to Dad's questions --

Because it is always hot here, it doesn't really feel like it is October already...I keep thinking it is forever July haha. The average temperature here is around 30 degrees (feels like 40 with the humidity), and it rains and thunders super heavily almost every afternoon and night. No wonder Malaysia is so green!

1. Our next zone conference is October 30th in KL, so in a few weeks we will be flying there! Woo hoo!

2. Because KL has a really good LRT (metro) system, it is a walking area, so his bike is just chilling in Butterworth until he goes to a biking area.

3. With all the tsunamis, I am not really sure if Butterworth has any plans. It has been super stormy and rainy, but I am not sure if they have plans in case of emergency. I hope so!

4. I do have another 90 day visa, so I will be okay to stay in West Malaysia until the end of December.

5. Honestly, I use my smart phone all the time to send people scriptures and set up times to meet with them. It is really nice, I am very grateful for the opportunity to be able to use smart phones in the work.