Week #63: Make the Sabbath Your Temple: September 19, 2017 – September 25, 2017 (Miri)

Sisters in Miri.

It's the last week of the transfer and it has flown by! At the beginning of the week, we had Zone Conference in Miri with outpost elders from Bintulu.  Our focus was baptizing converts. There were many great aspects of this conference. One we focused on was recognizing a convert. We reviewed these things from Preach My Gospel (a book we use to become better at teaching), and hoped to become converted ourselves. As it is well said, "You can't convert past your own conversion"--meaning you can't teach what you don't know. This is true on so many levels.

The rest of the week was a roller coaster. In the middle of the week, we attended a baptism, because I was asked to play piano for them. It's definitely been a useful talent to have on a mission. I can't tell you how many times they've needed a pianist on my mission. I counted I've played at 15 baptisms, let alone how many times I've played in church, for English Class, and how many other things I can't count! Thank you mom and dad for putting me in piano lessons! There is nothing better on a mission than witnessing the baptism of a fellow brother or sister who has decided to follow the covenant path and example of Jesus Christ. Thanks to this skill, I've been able to constantly witness this beautiful moment, and the joy, peace, and cleanliness only the Gospel can bring into their lives.

After the baptism, my companion got ill and we had to stay in a day or two. When we finally got out of the house, it was the weekend and there was plenty to do. On Saturday, as we were heading out to bike 45+ minutes to an appointment, and my companion got two flat tires. We started riding when we noticed her back tire was flat. We pumped it up and started again when "pop!" her front tire is flat. We walked back to the home and got an uber. We never got out of the gated community we were in! We figured it was a sign, especially since my companion was still getting over her cold. It was all good though. We got to hand out a Book of Mormon, so miracles!

 

Sister Vranes eating a Cookies n' Cream milkshake.

Sunday was definitely a highlight of the week. Many of the usuals weren't at church, but many of the less active members filled those seats instead. It was a miracle! One of the less actives was up and choristering the whole time. We got to definitely see how Miri branch used to be and the potential it has. Miri is definitely amazing!

One of the things that stood out to me this week was the sacrament. When Elder Christofferson, from the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, came to Singapore, he did a Q&A session with the missionaries. One of the questions asked was: "How can we, the members, continue to feel the blessings of the temple while it is quite far away?" Malaysia and Singapore do not have a temple. The closest temples are Manilla, Phillippines temple, Hong Kong temple, and soon to be the Bangkok, Thailand temple. Most members in Malaysia have to sacrifice a lot to travel to the temple. Many do not have the luxury of traveling to the temple all the time. Many have to sacrifice a lot if they want to go at all. Very few members have the means, but make the necessary sacrifices, to attend the temple once a year. These members are amazing! We, as missionaries, cannot attend the temple for the duration of our missions (that is anywhere between 18 months and 2 years). Feeling the blessings of the temple is sometimes hard. Elder Christofferson replied, "Make the Sabbath your temple." He told us to have a proper Sabbath Day and to sanctify and set it apart from the rest. To have a proper Sabbath Day, preparation is the key. Make Saturday night the day to reflect on the week--to meditate, repent, and resolve to do better.

 

Sister Vranes eating lunch.

This was definitely a deep thought that was further studied out and addressed this past Zone Conference. Our mission president's wife was giving us a training about pride, (humility is our Christ-like attribute we have been studying and focusing on as a mission this past transfer) when she told us something interesting about the Sabbath. In the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we learn that it is a way of life. We start with our faith in Jesus Christ, then we repent, when we've repented, we get baptized, and God will promise us His gift of the Holy Ghost. Afterwards, we endure to the end, where we start this cycle, this way of life, all over again until the end (which death is not the end). We also teach that when we repeat this cycle, we don't get baptized again if we've messed up. We come to church and partake of the Sacrament. This must mean the sacrament is really special, and it is. It must mean it is so special it can take the place of having to get baptized all over again. This Sacrament symbolizes the renewing of covenants, all covenants. Think of how many times we mess up and are NOT perfect within the week. I think of this quite a bit. That is the beauty of the sacrament, repentance, and the plan Heavenly Father has set for you, and for me. Because of the sacrifice Jesus Christ made for us, we don't have to be perfect. We may mess up big time, or even small. We may feel we can never be forgiven. We may feel we are past the point of no return. That is a lie! It is Satan's favorite lie. The sacrament, if taken properly, is all the chances we need. We can come to church every week and partake of it. We can be clean and set free. There is no limit to the times you can partake of the sacrament, and ALL covenants, including baptism and temple covenants, are renewed. This is one of the most wonderful thoughts and revelations of my mission. Partake of the Sacrament. Repent daily. Worship freely. Become whole through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.