Great Week, The End of Transfer 2 Week 1

This week marks the end of my 7th week in Malaysia: it seems so short and yet like such a long time. We saw some cool miracles this week and were able to have a pretty normal week in our area, after having so many consecutive weeks where we spent lots of time on exchanges or other uncommon activities.

The first miracle that I want to talk about happened at the beginning of the week. Last week, we were contacted by a former investigator who said that he wanted to meet! This almost never happens, and we had a great lesson with him. Part of the crazy thing is that when we went to call him to confirm our appointment, he beat us to it, and called us! He made sure that we hadn't forgotten, so that was pretty cool. 

Also, by way of other news, I was rained on for the first time since coming to Malaysia. I am not counting the 3 or 4 small drizzles that I experienced for like 5 minutes that didn't get me wet at all that happened during the first six weeks of my stay in Malaysia. Although I had witnessed many rain storms, all of them were in the morning, and so when we left in the afternoon, the ground was wet but we were perfectly dry. I consider my self a good luck charm - at least I did until this last week. It rained hard not once, but twice this week, and I am so grateful for that great experience :). I love seeing the look on peoples faces who drive past us on cars: two white boys wearing ponchos and riding bikes in the pouring rain, hopelessly searching for a certain street :). We ride through puddles that were probably 6 inches deep, and the "wake" that your front tire makes kicks up water on either side of you and completely soaks your shoes. Needless to say, when we stopped to walk around, I drained my shoes.

Another cool experience this week happened when we taught an investigator, who is the daughter of a less active member. The less active member is mostly less active due to her work, but she reads and prays everyday. Her daughter, who is also a mother,  speaks only Tamil (Indian language), Malay, and very little English. We used the scriptures and read together a part of 1 Nephi: 8. She read her scriptures in Malay and we read in English, taking turns and we explained the tree of life. She was really attentive, and with the help of some artistic additions to the lesson, a pretty crummy sketch of a tree and a path, I think that the message was conveyed pretty well. After the lesson, we asked if we could do anything to help their family. They asked us to give a blessing to our investigator's brother (not a member and speaks no English). He was having trouble sleeping, and so when I had the opportunity to give him a blessing, I was so grateful for the guidance of the spirit to help me to know what to say. Although he may not have understood a single word, I hope and believe that he felt the special spirit that was there.

The Church is True, and I am so grateful for the blessings of the knowledge that I gain from the restored Gospel. I am especially grateful for the lessons that I learn as I apply that knowledge in my life, which I am very imperfect at. But, as we taught in a lesson to a family in our branch this week, the Lord blesses the diligent. One of my favorite scriptures is D&C 58:26, and I know that verse 27 is a scripture mastery, but it is so important for us to be trying to be our best. We are looking to change, and to become better. I have seen so many blessings on my mission as I have decided to put my desire for perfection (or rather perceived perfection) to the side and decided to work hard, even though I knew that I would make mistakes. 

Sincerely

Elder Allen