Week 16 - Sometimes You Just Need to Brush the Ants off Your Crackers

Apa Khabar! I have a problem!  The way people show their love here is they feed you. They don't have much, and so when they feed you, it is a big honor, and sign they like you. There is an actual belief that they need to send you home with some extra weight, to show our Mom's we were taken care of here in Malaysia. That's not the problem though. The problem is my last name sounds a lot like skinny. "Sister Skinny" The goal of our ward it to make it so I am NOT skinny. There was a Relief Society activity, and every time they told us to eat more, my companion would say, "Yes, eat more Sister Skinny." And all the members would forget to feed her, and focus on filling my plate back up. She also refused to tell me for the phrase, "I am full".  I am considering putting on a few pounds to get them to stop feeding me for a little bit. I love them to death though. In other news, I am getting very good at riding my bike with no hands. I have so much free time with my hands, I am thinking of picking back up knitting or something. Now when I ride past people on the street, I wave with them with two hands. I think I am cool. They may not. But that's okay. I have an extra hand to throw pass along cards into open car windows. I guess I should actually start with Monday though. This last Pday, all six of us in our district went to a game cafe in the upstairs of a kind of empty building. None of them had played Betrayal at the House on the Hill. So I offered to teach them. Long story short. We are going back to that game cafe today to play it again. So shout out to the Grosland's for teaching me how to play that game and making 6 missionaries Pday awesome in an abandoned building in Miri, Malaysia on the 17th of September. Tuesday, we met with B Joli's family! (The family with seven daughters) We had THEM teach us the plan of salvation. They totally rocked it. At the end they all bore their testimony on it, it was so powerful. We invited them to find why the Plan of Salvation was special to them individually, and come to church this Sunday. AND THEY ALL DID. Even the dad. I was SO dang happy to see them there. I love that family. Also, our bike lights got stolen again. But it's okay, because the Light of Christ is all I really need in my life. Right? Wednesday, Sister Ray and I taught one of the most powerful lessons I have been in so far. Our investigator loves the gospel, and everything we have taught him. But he just got a new job that requires him to work on Sunday. We sat down with him and taught him about receiving personal revelation. I shared with him a the story of how I felt like I was too shy to go on a mission and how I got my answer that I could do it. He opened up after I shared and told us how he feels like God has always been there for him, and helped him when he was shy too! So God can help him find an answer on what to do about church now. With the spirit strong, we tried to leave quickly so he could feel the difference when we left. Except Sister Ray's bike lock broke. So we had to knock on his door again, and ask for wire cutters so we could break our bikes out of the lock to bike to our next appointment. The next ten minutes was full of a lot of pulling and grunting, and it probably looked like we were trying to steal our own bikes. But, we did it. And I feel like our investigator still understood our message. So thank goodness for the Holy Ghost when bike locks break. Thursday, we had a girl that has a baptism share her testimony with us. She was baptized by accident when she was 7, and even though she has been going to church, and is a solid member of now 14, we had to teach her all the lessons again before she could get baptized. But on Thursday she shared how she was so grateful that she was baptized when she was seven, because as she has met with us she said she feels like she has felt like she understands the gospel better now, and now she is not just going through the motions. She shared her desire to go on a mission and help others with that too. It was so sweet. Friday we had a goal to teach one lesson with someone on the spot. But as the day went on, people just were not interested. Finally, at 8 o'clock we had an appointment fall through. So we went to the nearest mall and prayed we would find a person to teach. We walked in, and walked up to the first girl we saw, and she was the sweetest most willing to listen girl I have met so far on the mission! It was a tender mercy. I know God helps us beyond what we even know. Saturday was an adventure. Sister Ray accidentally ordered a soup made in white wine. The cook came up after she had finished it and bragged about her secret ingredient. We weren't too worried about it until we saw the way she made the soup. Which was basically just pouring white wine into the finished soup for the broth. Sis Ray insisted she was fine. But almost fell off her bike, and was not walking straight for a while. But I don't think she knows that. She took a nap on a table in KFC while I did language study and then she was good as new. Sunday, we went to a house of a less active and his non member wife, and sat on the floor, refusing to move until they came to church. (But in a nice, friendly, missionary way). It worked! And we were actually way surprised! But they came! We had so many people come to church yesterday. Before my mission I didn't have the strongest testimony of church. But I sure do now. Church is so important. Of course you should go for the sacrament, and that is SO important. But I also feel like God wants us to go to church for the people, see who you can help and serve there. Grow together. If you aren't excited to go to church this Sunday, I challenge you to find out why you go to church, and get excited! Because I promise it is exciting! Whew. I think that is all seven days, and my highlights this week. I didn't explain the title of this email. But I feel like it explains itself. No pictures this week. Sorry. But. I promise good things are happening here in Malaysia! Remind me one day to tell you what it's like to bike through the rain in Malaysia. It's a fun story. I love you all! Have a good week! Sister Skinner