The Ballad of Butterworth Week Fifteen
Hello everyone! I have kinda forgotten how many weeks I've been in Butterworth and I don't really want to use time to check, so we'll just assume it is week fifteen (if not, maybe mom can fix it for the blog :))! How are you all doing?
This week was great, it really flew by! First, Elder Anglin and I flew to Kuala Lumpur for Zone Conference. We stayed in the house where Elder Pack is staying, so I got to see my "mission dad" again, and he even got to meet his "grandson." It was a really fun time to see him again. And then, all day Tuesday we had meetings. We talked a lot about how to improve our branches, how to improve ourselves as missionaries, and so many other great things. What made it super fun was that I was able to see a lot of missionaries that I haven't seen in a long time. I remember my first zone conference felt awkward because I didn't really know anyone, but this time it was so fun to catch up with all my friends.
When we got home to Butterworth on Wednesday, both Elder Anglin and I got locked out of our phones. Unfortunately, we weren't able to access any of the information of the people we are teaching, we could not contact them (or anyone in the mission office), so he had to do everything on paper (just like the old days!). Finally, we made contact with someone from the mission office, so now my phone is fixed, but Elder Anglin's is still struggling.
On Saturday afternoon, we took a bus down to Ipoh for District Conference. Our District has 4 branches, Butterworth, Ipoh, Sitiawan, and Penang. It was really fun to see all those missionaries, as well as hear from President and Sister Rowley, and meet some of the amazing members there. The District is really small, but the members are strong for sure. We got back from Ipoh on Sunday night.
Because we were out of town so much and our phones were broken, we did not have a lot of contact with the people we are teaching. But, this week we hope to help Jason progress more towards his baptismal date, as well as help a man named Jom Liu from China accept a baptismal date. It should be a fun week!
I love you all so much! I am so grateful for everything that you guys do, and for your amazing example! Have a great week, and remember that you guys are in my thoughts. Love ya!
Spiritual Experiences
This week, having our phones get disabled really made me think a lot about how often things seem to go against what we plan. But, what I think is so cool is that despite all the times we feel like things are going against our plan, often times it is exactly what God needs to happen. And, a lot of times we don't realize that we were the right person at the right place at the right time until long after it happened.
I remember that when I was in high school, I loved to study French and Spanish, but for some reason that I still don't totally understand, I decided to apply for a scholarship to study abroad in China. The timing was really tight, and I ended up getting waitlisted, but in the end it worked out. When I got home from China, I thought "well, that was a cool experience, and now it's over." But, now that I am serving a mission and speaking lots of Chinese, I can see how my trip to China was absolutely a gift from God to help me now. Even when something happens in our life that we are not expecting, I believe that God always has a reason for it. Even if we cannot see it until years later, there is always a reason.
I'm not completely sure what the reason is that we got locked out of our phones (I guess I'll have to go and find a reason), but in God's plan, I'm sure there was some reason.
I love you all so much!
1. The District Missionaries with a cool member from Ipoh (and kitty ears)
2. Elder Pack and his companion with me and Elder Anglin
3. An adorable cat we saw at a pet store (too bad missionaries can't have pets... :P)
4. Us with Brother Tham, a member in Penang.
5. Another picture of the District missionaries.
6. The Ipoh church.
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