Dearest Family
This last week has been one of the strangest, most challenging, and gloriously guided weeks of my mission. Here's the discourse.
Last Monday, as you well know, we went to Bako. It was incredible! It was fun! The Zone had a blast, but our Chinese Elder, Elder Wimmer, had taken a fall on the sand. He injured his knee and the next day went to the hospital to get it checked. His companion, Elder Lundahl-Wulford, decided to get an M.R.I. as well after he spoke somewhat with the doctors there. He'd had an accident involving a horse before the mission on his ankle, and they found some issues with his ligaments.
Long story short both the Chinese Elders needed to be sent home for medical attention.
Elder Wimmer was expecting that, so he went to Singapore for medical attention with all his luggage, where Elder Lundahl-Wulford was not. He was sent back for a day or so, and entered our companionship as a threesome. It was very bittersweet, he was not happy to be going home, but the best possible thing for him was to be with Elder Lundquist. They had known each other from previous areas and were already good friends, and they were able to talk it out a lot. It's an added blessing that they are going home together.
Also, there was a mini transfer this week with some missionaries leaving and such. Elder McCown is going to K.L., Elder Stowell will be District Leader in his place for his next two weeks. Elder Ee will be his companion, Elder Call is stepping up to replace Elder Lundquist. That will be strange.
This last weekly planning involved a lot of discussion of his first meal, first date, first trip to the temple, first fruit, first hug with his mom, first day back, first movie (Captain America 2), Kuching will not be the same without him.
I was able also to go on exchanges with Elder Davie in Matang. They are doing work out there, and doing it well! We met an investigator, incredibly smart, named Erwina. She had written in English a summary of each chapter of the Book of Mormon she was reading in Malay, but felt scared to pray. We shared 2nd Ne. 32:8, and she did pray at the end of the lesson, but after the prayer she opened up to us a very hard and sensitive back story, but asked and prayed for guidance.
Bro. Bangga continues to do amazing though. This last Thursday when we came to his house, he had written us a thank you letter. ON HIS OWN he apparently stopped smoking before Zone Conference, and was on track for his own baptism in a couple weeks. Elder and Sister Przybyla had gone with us, and we had a great lesson where they were able to bestow some gifts that they had prepared for this family that they had helped to come to the temple last year. Bro. Bangga asked Elder Przybyla to baptize him, the Przybyla's go home in two weeks.
Other then that, there was a lot of interesting happenstances. Bro. Jihap was able to baptize his sons this last week, and it was a glorious experience. He was so happy. It was just a little struggle before hand, our branch mission leader is literally rebelling against his calling although he told us he would handle it all. Accordingly we had to literally throw together the program, but it was wonderful. Sister Slider bore a beautiful testimony about baptism, and Sister O'Boyle did a great talk on the holy ghost.
It's hard to see Elder Lundquist go. He has changed me forever. We were meant to be together and I am sure we will meet again. If anything else, I have thought over and over again about how much God's hand is in everything, our part is to let it guide us. We've had some amazing discussions about the Second Coming that have brought amazing peace to my soul, and that peace did not leave this week, even when we caught news through the grape vine that the Supreme Court was seeing rainbows this week (by the way,in teachings of the presidents: Joseph Smith it says there will be no rainbows 1 year before the second coming. Significant much?)
