Week #12: Transfer to Penang, September 27, 2016 - October 3, 2016

This week I've been emergency transferred to Penang. When we entered Malaysia, my companion was only allowed

Goodbye party for Sister Vranes and Montague

2 weeks. Due to the chop (Singapore missionary term for having to leave the country), she is now only allowed in East Malaysia and Singapore. She's gone to Singapore, while I was moved to Penang, which is still in West Malaysia. Here, I have two companions, Sister Durham and Sister Larkin. Sister Durham is a Chinese speaking sister who is from Logan, Utah. Sister Larkin is a Malay speaking sister from Australia. She goes home at the end of this transfer. Oh, and there are 4 elders, and guess what? Elder Gould from my MTC district is in this area! Anyway, Penang is awesome!! It's basically like Ipoh, except more humid, because it's on an island. Plus it's a tourist spot with lots of visitors.

So since I've been in Penang, which was Wednesday, my first day we had two lessons. In the second lesson, we have an investigator, M, who actually

Sister Montague and Vranes at the goodbye party

asked to get baptized before we could ask him! He's had a rough life, and is trying to change it around. On Saturday, it wasn't our turn to clean the church, but we were called in to clean it anyway. When we arrived, M was sitting outside of the gate. He had arrived 15 minutes earlier, and had walked an hour by foot from his home to get there. He was very humbled and sought out the help of the Lord. He knew he needed solace, so he sought out the church. I was so very impressed by his choice in the first place. We were able to show him the chapel, and teach him a lesson. This was a tender mercy of the Lord. He knew what M needed and where we needed to be in order to help M. I know the Lord places us in people's paths for a reason, and at the time that they need our help.

Last story, before I left Ipoh, a member, N, has a tradition called The Temple Pic. She asks each missionary to print off a picture of their local temple and write their testimony on the back. Then she puts every one on her fridge. She has never been to a temple before. There is not one here in Malaysia. The closest temple is in Hong Kong, and soon Thailand once it is built.

Penang Island

The members in Ipoh and Penang try to arrange a temple visit every year, but only a handful are able to go. I am amazed by the faith of these members, like N, and so many others here who have never been to a temple let alone seen one in person, but still have the faith that one day they will enter into the Lord's house. It's so very humbling to remember how blessed we are to be so close to a temple. How will you remember the Lord this day?

Sister Vranes, Larkin, Durham, Penang Missionaries