Letter #86 - Week of 23 Sep 2009 - Transfer/Combine area with Kelang

Hello,

This last week was another awesome week. I went through sort of a mini transfer. When I was on my visa run, I went in to President Clark's office and asked him when we would get new missionaries to ease the burden of handling two branches which represent probably two million people in population. He made a comment like "It's going to get worse before it'll get better... but you'll probably have some the first week of November." I didn't understand his comment, because I thought there wasn't anyone going home before then. It turns out I was wrong. There is 1 Elder from Sri Lanka that went home on Monday, and it just happened that my companion went to replace him. But who would replace my companion? Since there was no one to fill his shoes, I am now with another set of Elders in Kelang, a different part of KL, and we have responsibility for all three branches. It's been awesome so far. My companions are Elder Judd and Elder Jeffries. Elder Judd has been out a few months less than myself. He is from North Carolina. Elder Jeffries just came to Malaysia 2 weeks ago when I came to KL. So I get to help train him in the work and language.

I think I have mentioned Matthew before. He is from mainland China, and recently got his doctorate and is working for a Chinese firm here in Malaysia. We've taught him a few times during the last week, and he has the glow about him: the glow of happiness of one who is discovering the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the glow of excitement of someone who is becoming converted. He asks a ton of good questions during the lessons, especially about the language of the scriptures "Why does he tell us to cry to God? I thought we should be happy when we pray."

Melchor is still doing well, but is still opposed to the idea of baptism. He's reading the Book of Mormon a ton, so it'll just be a matter of time before he comes around. He's been studying some other church books also.

I've only met one of the other Elder's invesigators, a college age young woman from Korea named Esther. She had us over and made us authentic Korean food. It wasn't complete without kimchi, a kind of spicy fermented cabbage. The one we ate was 6 months old. At first, she tried to shield us from it. She had a little bowl she kept next to herself and her friend and told us we wouldn't like what was in the bowl. I had heard of kimchi, and asked if that was what was in the bowl, and after that she couldn't hold me back. I liked it a lot. Esther also introduced us to a friend, a Malaysian Indian who had spent some time in Korea with the embassy. She also studied in Canada, and talked and acted like an American. She seemed mildly interested in what we had to say. She wasn't opposed to it, anyway.

It's a real exercise of my business and planning skills to be in an area two weeks and then try to take all the plans we had and incorporate them into my companions' plans. I used to hate thinking about that kind of stuff, but I've really started to love it on my mission. That was a hidden strength I had, the ability to plan.

It's good to hear about all the missionary work back home. I do remember visiting the Burgers, but I only remember going the first time. I think I left for BYU after that, or maybe a couple more visits. I also remember Shandy. I remember she was a very good singer and was a part of Grease and a couple other musicals at Sand Creek.
(This past week, John Burger, who Adam and Rick home taught, and Chad Staggs, Shandy's husband, were both baptized here in Colorado.))

I'm not sure I clearly explained, but I did move apartments. We now have two apartments for our companionship. I guess if we're stuck in the wrong part of town and it's late, we can go to the other one. Or we can make it a P-Day home.

I guess BYU is saving their breakthrough year for me when I come back.

Love,
Elder Muffler

(Click on any of the pictures below to see larger)

4 investigators, Elder Muffler, and Elder Murphy


View out the balcony of his apartment in Petaling Jaya - The Petronas Towers, two of the tallest buildings in Kuala Lumpur in the distance


Picking Guava


Picture of Elder Muffler in front of Kelly's Castle near Ipoh - As he stated with the picture: "In Style"

Letter #85 Week of 16 Sep 2009 - Easy entry back to Malaysia

Hello,

I got into Malaysia just fine. Not a question asked. I guess at the KL airport they are just trying to go through as many people as possible so they don't have time to waste on people like me. The lady at the counter did get a little wide-eyed while looking at my passport, but then looked back at the application for a visa I filled out, and seemed content that I was visiting friends, so I got another 90 day stamp.

I appreciate the forwarded emails from Elder Caywood and Elder Bearnson. It gives me a big boost to hear about them.

A lot happened over the last week. Saturday night, we taught the men from mainland China again. It's kind of hard to teach them together, because they are so different from each other. But it was okay. They understood dispensations and the need for a restoration. Right now, they're struggling with giving up four hours of their only day off to go to church. We can help them with that.

Another girl from mainland China came to church. Her name is Mei. I think she was only taught one lesson, and it was a month or two ago. But we see her a lot because she works in the KL central train station, which is very close to our house. Every time we pass by, we can say hello and see how she's doing reading the Book of Mormon and invite her to church and english class on sunday. One of the single sisters in the branch recently returned from a mission on Temple Square chinese speaking, so she helped a lot as a friend and also to explain what was happening during sacrament meeting and class.

One of the expatriate families took us to dinner on Saturday night. We had some good ribs. They're really a nice family. It was fun to hear them talk about Malaysia. I kind of ignore how different some things are.

Our Filipino friends turned down a baptism date. They gave the usual, I've already been baptised excuse. Sister Rita told us they read the Book of Mormon almost all day. They won't start work for another month. I don't think it'll be long before they give in.

Sunday morning was the best. We got up early to go to a baptism in another branch. An Indonesian lady was getting baptized. It was fun to see her friends in the church who looked forward to that day as much as she did. All 3 of them were gathered excitedly chattering outside the door where the baptismal interview was taking place. When Sister Honi came out, she looked nervous, and pale as though she would faint. But those faithful friends swarmed her with hugs and laughter and a few tears as she passed and would be baptized into the Lord's church a few hours later.

Things are going well here. I'm so much happier than I had been.

We recieved an awesome training from our zone leaders this week on how our calling to serve in an area is really from the Lord, and we should use all of our unique talents and abilties to bless those around us. I think that, more than just being in Ipoh, I was really supposed to be with Elder Hall during that time. He has gone through so much. His parents are divorced. He talks so fondly of his mother and sister, but the only half-sibling or step-sibling he says anything about is one of his half-brothers, a 28 year old dermatologist resident living in Texas. His grandmother will probably pass away within the next couple of months. The doctors have given his mother 3 years to live. He sometimes has a very hard making decisions by himself and fitting in, and sometimes others take advantage of his gentle personality. I was thinking about how it wasn't a coincidence that during the time of his surgery, which was surely one of his most difficult experiences yet on a mission, it was so very lucky that his companion was someone who shared nearly all character attributes with the step-brother that he respects, down to an ambition to be a doctor and a quirky humor. The Lord is involved in the very small details in our lives.

Love,
Elder Muffler

Letter #84 - Week of 9 Sep 2009 - Visa Run to Singapore

Hello,

I'm in Singapore right now on a visa run.

President Clark has changed a few things about our emails. He has attached a 1 hour limit, and has given us some reports to fill out during that time, so we'll have less time than we used to. It should be fine, though.

This last week was awesome. I really enjoy serving in PJ. In the KL area, there are four branches: the Kuala Lumpur branch, PJ 1, PJ 2, and Klang. Our zone leaders and a set of sister missionaries serve in KL, another set of elders serves in Klang, and for now, it's just me and Elder Murphy between PJ 1 and PJ 2.

I actually didn't hear about the BYU game. The only news I heard came from this old white man that interrupted a basketball game this morning (the Elders in Singapore play at the church every morning... I'm so jealous) to tell us that the New York Times ran an article about John Huntsman being the ambassador to China. I didn't quite understand what he was getting at. It seemed like he was leading up to something amazing like China was open to missionaries. But then he just stopped.

I haven't gotten to meet many of the members in PJ 1. The two branches meet in different buildings, and their sacrament meetings start only an hour apart, so we went on exchanges and I went to PJ 2 while Elder Murphy went to PJ 1.

Last Thursday, we had dinner and shared a message with Sister Monique, who began investigating the church with her husband in Taiwan 14 years ago, but haven't been able to get baptized due to their not really being married because the husband couldn't get a legal divorce because of some law there. But other than the fact that she isn't actually baptized, she is a very active member of the church, faithfully serving as a primary teacher and visiting teacher and being a good member-missionary. Before going to the KL branch, I thought members in Ipoh were rich. I hadn't seen anything yet. Sister Monique lives in a penthouse on the 26th (and 27th) story. She drives a Jaguar. Like most missionaries, I have been able to serve with people whose worldly circumstances are far below my own, and have learned the lesson that money does not make happiness. Some of the happiest people I have met have been in the dirt-floor villages where disease is abundant and luxuries few. But I think I have learned another lesson that few missionaries get to see, and that's that money does not prevent happiness, either. Talking with Sister Monique, I feel the same feeling I have with those humble, happy people of Sabah. I suppose a couple of characteristics they share (and many others lack) are that they enjoy work and they enjoy simplicity. I don't imagine Sister Monique busies herself with clubs and cars and condoes and cash. In fact, she shows us what she spends a lot of her time doing. She has a piano and bought a cheap book and is teaching herself how to play. Although she has hired a maid (nearly all the upper class Chinese people do), she does not allow the maid to do all the work. She still enjoys cooking for her family and, as was the case that night, for the Elders.

Another of the members from PJ1 I have gotten to meet is Sister Rita. She is a Filipino lady, and she is the most stereotypical Filipino member I have met yet. She is bubbly and perky. When we showed up unannounced at her door on Saturday night, she said "Oh! Elders! 2 weeks we have had some men from the Phillipines staying with us, and have been sitting around all day saying to each other, 'I wish the Elders would call today', but you did not call." That may sound extreme, and she probably didn't actually say that out loud, but after meeting her, and knowing how Filipino members are, I'm willing to bet that was a truthful statement. I bet she really had wished we would come over every day for the past few weeks. Well, we did end up there, and met her new friends from the Phillipines, a couple of younger guys. One, named Melchor, came to church Sunday morning and really enjoyed it.

My favorite lesson was with some men from mainland China. It is really interesting to meet men raised in a communist country and talk to them about religion. They will be really good to teach for the next while. I'll keep you posted.

Well, I need to move on and get those reports written. I hope I get back into Malaysia. Please pray for me to get my 90 day visa. If things work out right, this'll be my last one, and I'll be able to get an extension which will bring me just barely to the end. If things don't work out right, well, I guess I'll be coming back to this internet cafe next week. They were giving me a hard time exiting Malaysia, and just let me through because, well, I was leaving their country. I don't imagine tomorrow will be fun at all. I suppose I just need to trust the Lord knows what he's doing, and if he can part the red sea, he can get me through immigration. I still don't think it will be pleasant, no matter how the outcome is.

Love,
Elder Muffler

Letter #83 - Week of 2 Sep 2009 - Transfer to Petaling Jaya, outside of Kuala Lumpur, West Malaysia

Hello,

I'm writing this from a dark, dirty internet cafe in KL that smells heavily of smoke and I supsupect is mostly used for internet gambling. Elder Murphy chose it.

Well, there was a huge influx of missionaries this week. They are arriving in Singapore today. Elder Hall will be getting a brand new companion, but they sent me here to Petaling Jaya, a suburb of KL. It's been kind of crazy with travel and everything, and at first we were supposed to get a third companion, but we found out this morning he is getting redirected. Right now, we're covering two branches, and I suspect that won't last long, but I'm not really sure.

KL is so different than the other areas of the mission. I love it so far. Like Singapore, KL is a very diverse, international place. As an example, the last 5 people baptized here were a Malaysian girl (planning on going to medical school in Russia), a man and woman from mainland China, a Burmese man, and a Nigerian.

Apparently the branch we're focusing on, PJ 1st, consists of about half white people. The last guy I met on the train last night was a Somalian. It's very cool to meet so many different kinds of people. There's even a member of the branch who moved to Colorado Springs last month to get a master's in music education for handicapped children. I'm not sure what school she's going to. I haven't gotten to talk to her parents yet.

Elder Murphy has been out just over a year. He is from the outskirts of Kansas City, Kansas, and went to BYU before his mission. He is very funny. Since Monday, we have also been together with Elder Judd, who I am replacing and who will be fetching his new companion today from Singapore.

It was sad to leave Ipoh. I'm really excited to be here in KL, though. I always knew I would have to face up to my weakness in contacting on Buses and trains. I don't know what it is, I get shy when I'm sitting next to somebody on a moving vehicle.

I would send pictures right now, but I'm afraid of getting a virus on my camera. I've got some cool pictures from off our balcony. You can see a cool cityscape, including the KL towers.

Sister Loh and Sister Chris came to the bus station in Ipoh to see me off. Sister Chris had called the night before and asked if I had any requests for a last breakfast. I asked her to bring my Chinese favorites, char siew pau and siew mei (little pork dumplings). After we had said our goodbyes and I got on the bus, it sunk in how foolish I was to have waited to eat those for breakfast. You see, Monday was Independence Day, and the buses were packed with Malay people going to KL to see family members. I am pretty sure I was the only non-Muslim on the bus. I also realized that it is fasting month, and so the Muslims are not eating from sunrise to sunset this month. So there I was, with a box of pork on a bus full of Muslims who were fasting. I waited until we stopped at a rest station. I would have felt so bad to eat that in front of them. That would have been like someone sitting on the stand during a fast and testimony meeting downing whiskey.

Serving a mission in a huge city like this is fun, because it kind of puts into perspective what you're trying to do as far as sharing the Gospel with everyone in the world. Watching the people rush by on the street or in the train station, I can't help but think how important it is to put forth all my effort, because there is far too much work to do and too little time to do it.
Love,
Elder Muffler