farewell president and sister clark

So we get a new mission president this next week.  It’s really weird to think about.  We’re so lucky though, President Clark's last Sunday in the mission was spent in kuching.  What can I say…we're a big deal.

I’m really sorry I feel like I’m probably going to keep disappointing with my emails....I’m just tired, mommy.  I don't have too many words left to explain all of this :)

Sister Parker had another bad crash on the bike last night and we were in the hospital till pretty late.  That’s 4x in 3 months of bike riding for her.  I’ve been on the bike for 8 months now and never fallen or had anything happen.  I’m grateful.  I seem to have better luck “knock on wood”.

Acha's family is set for their baptism on Friday of this week.  We had to get two different people to baptize them all because eight might make one man too tired.  I love them so much and am so excited to see their faces as they come out of the waters of baptism.

We had a really sad lesson with Asen.  Something happened, maybe he heard some anti-stuff, he wouldn't say, but basically we had our last lesson with him last week.  He said he doesn't want to be baptized or follow Christ, he wants to continue following his family in praying to Buddha.  It was heart breaking.  Hopefully he'll get another chance sometime in the future and his heart will be able to open again.

There was a big party at the church to send off the Clark’s, lots of traditional dancing and eating :)  I love the iban and bidayuh cultures. Then we had an awesome Sunday for church.  It was district conference with President Clark, and we had more investigators at church than I’ve had in my whole mission. It was an awesome experience for each of them.  

Jung is really shining right now.  SHE invited her husband to be baptized with her...beat us to the punch.  He wants to.  They both loved church on Sunday and recognized that it was different than any other church they've ever been to.  We taught her about the Sabbath day and she quit her job because they wouldn't give her Sundays off to go to church.  It’s no wonder she's feeling the change the gospel is bringing to her, sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven :)

We started teaching the second half of Acha's family this past week also.  We watched the video Finding Faith in Christ and it was awesome to see a full room of people, sitting and gaining a better understanding of who Christ is.  The next day, while we were teaching Jung, I heard a really familiar movie playing from one of the other rooms (she lives in a longhouse, so there are other rooms with other families that just have doors from the outside), and then I realized it was Kapi watching FFIC again.  He lives right next to her and had been at Acha's the night before watching the movie with us.  It was pretty funny trying to figure out how I knew that song coming from the other room....oh duh...it's a church movie I’ve seen over a fifty times in the past year.

So yeah, things are good.  Everything keeps going.  We inherited a second branch this weekend, the newly formed Kuching International Branch.  Basically it's for all English and Chinese speaking members in all of Kuching.  So.....where's my Chinese???  I forgot how to speak it again.

I love you all and hope you have an awesome week!

Sayangi,

Sister Norton

HFI

bangkai bernyawa

So I got my flight plans home.  I cried.  So let's not talk about ok? :)

It’s been a long week with lots of good, busy days, and a few days when everything cancelled and I felt like I was back in Penang or Singapore or something.  Yesterday was the worst.  ALL appointments fell through and an investigator called and dropped us over the phone.  (Plus I was just tired.  I’ve been so tired lately.  Constantly.  I couldn't figure out why, and then I realized it might just be the whole "oh I’ve been on a mission for almost 16 months.  Maybe that's why" deal.)  But, law of compensation....we got a new investigator at the end of the night without even doing anything.  He just walked up to us and said he wants to learn and be baptized.  So not so much a rugi afterall.

Jung is still doing awesome.  She’s coming to church this week.

We had a lesson on the plan of salvation at Acha's house and almost 20 people were there in the room, sitting and listening.  It was awesome.  It’s been cool to see the changes in that family and to see that other members of the family notice it too.  That’s the reason we continue to get more members of the family just coming up to us and saying they want to learn too and be baptized also now.  It’s amazing how the light of the gospel literally shines and brings others in like that.  Seven of them will be getting baptized next weekend.  Then another group in July.  Asen is having problems getting work off to come to church, so we've had to push his date to July also.

I’m sorry i don't have time to share the other cool experiences we've had this week.  Ok…ok maybe have time for one.  So we were faith finding and planning on going to another neighbourhood, but then I felt like we should pray and start before we got there, and find on the way too.  So we prayed and told Heavenly Father our plans.  We turned down the street and started talking to this lady.  She wasn't budging but as we kept getting to know her, she invited us inside.  We were looking at pictures on her book shelf and what do you know, a Book of Mormon was sitting by her bible.  She didn't remember where she got it, but she reads from it occasionally.  We shared a verse with her and she liked it!  So we're headed back at the end of the week to explain more about the book :)  Miracles all around.
I love you all and hope you're doing well.  Cheers!

Sister Norton

HFI

 Sister Norton & Sister Lor with Acha's kids.

Kuching missionaries :)

 She finally received her Mandarin tag!

Personality + ... the Primary will LOVE this bunch!

another one bites the dust

My companion died on Monday.  One of them at least.  It was so weird to be at the airport seeing her off because I was realizing it will be me soon.  Sister Parker was so sad to see her go and I was just like, "see you in a few months!"  So it wasn't that big of a deal I guess.  Sister Parker and I had an area cleanse :)   We went through our apartment and area books and figured out a lot of stuff that missionaries have just been pushing off for the next companionship for years.  We both like organization I think.  So it's working well and we've got a good platform now.  I plan on dying strong :)

They had a big party at the church for Sister Lor on Saturday.  Man they love sister missionaries here.  It was so good because Acha and her whole family came and they got some good fellowshipping time with the members, and they're following the word of wisdom now!  We stopped by their place last night to follow-up and Acha came out to the door and said, "sister, I’m following the word of wisdom.  I want to go to the temple.  We need to pay our tithing right?"  So good lah!!   There are 7 of them for sure getting baptized on June 30th and another 4-6 of them set for the end of July.  What an amazing family.  I know that this has been a crucial time for them.  Acha's son-in-law passed away last week and at a time when they could be shutting everything out, they're opening their hearts to the gospel and letting it heal the pain they're feeling.  Her daughter who just became a widow told us she wants to be baptized and then said that her husband was never baptized, is there a way for people who have already passed on to be baptized also?  Wow!  It was amazing to be able to provide restored gospel truths about ordinances for the dead in a time when it was needed.  We had a funeral basically at their house on Monday night and the branch presidency came along to conduct it.  It was a really amazing experience for everyone that was there I think, even the ones who aren't open to learning yet.

Asen was supposed to get baptized this weekend but he's having to work overtime so it's been pushed to the 30th also, with Acha's family…but he's still doing great.

We have another investigator who has been flying kind of low on the radar, Jung.  Maybe I’ve spoken of her before, I can’t remember.  Anyway, we had a neat lesson with her yesterday when we talked more about Christ and His life.  She understands things extremely well, which isn't always the case with a lot of people here.  So it looks like she's really progressing towards her July baptism also. 

Our other awesome family right now, Rojous and co.  We're frustrated I guess.  They’re potential kingdom builders and such a close-knit family and we can feel the spirit so strong while teaching them.  Rojous and his sister are getting it I think, but the dad still doesn't see the need to search for authority, and we're having a hard time helping him open his mind.

Have I mentioned anything about the fear of dogs that I've developed over the past year or so?  They're terrifying.  I had three try to attack me while we were biking yesterday.  I lost my nametag in one of the scrambles to get away :(

And I think that's about it.  I’m reading in proverbs right now and am learning a lot about how much controlling your words affects your ability to follow the Lord and His commands.  Just thought I’d mention that :)  I love you all and hope you have a great week!

… Oh, and before I go I want to remind you all that Sunday is Father's Day!  And I have the best dad in the world!  HAPPY FATHER'S DAY DADDY!!!  I’m sorry I’m not there to cook or do something for you this Sunday and I’m sorry even more that I didn't know what I could send for Father's Day.  But I do want to thank you for the constant example you set for me with your love and reverence for the Lord, your honesty and charity for others, your sense of humour and positive attitude for life...the list goes on.  Values you've taught me my whole life have become so meaningful to me during this time on my mission.  Thank you so much for that.  I love you to pieces, forever, and too much!!  

Sister Norton

HFI

 Sister Norton, Sister Lor & Sister Parker - 1st day together!

 Brand new meeting house in Kutching.

The saints there have waited a long time for this!

A BEAUTIFUL new day in Kuching.

 An orchid growing wild!

 Yes ... this is the way you buy your chickens!

Just a "little" rain ...

bye bye cinta!

You know that picture of the river on my blog?  Flying into Kuching looks just like that!  I’m SO not in the west anymore!  

TODAY is my sister’s birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SISTER!! I love you :)

And speaking of sisters…so one of the little boys in Acha's family can't say sister like the rest of the kids, so when we're leaving the house and they're all shouting, "Bye sister!" you hear a little voice yelling, "bye bye cinta!"  which means love in bahasa.  It kills me it's so cute.  So yes, I am Cinta Norton to him. 

MS was baptized in Penang last week!!  And his mom came to church the next day and for the baptism!  So awesome!  The work goes on.

Our Gawai houses visited count is now over 12...I think that equates to about 3 kg gained.  Sick. 

Asen is getting baptized next week!  And he brought a friend to church on Sunday.  Because his date was moved up, we had to speed up the lessons and get Word of Wisdom in time last weekend...thankfully he has no problems with it and things are still looking good for the 16th :)

We met an incredible family yesterday.  Last week we were faith finding at Waterfront and there was a boy about our age sitting in front of one of the shoppings carving some masks and stuff.  Rojous.  We talked to him and asked if we could come visit this week.  When we got there yesterday, they had prepared food for us and the whole family sat down in the living room and turned off the tv, then they pulled out a Book of Mormon!!  I think they think it's just a different version of the Bible.  One of the sisters is almost half way through with it.  We had an awesome lesson about what the book really was and where it came from and invited them to be baptized.  Rojous and Mollin (the sister) said yes and the others nodded their heads, but the dad didn't get it and said no need because he can't be baptized twice (he's already baptized into the RC church) and told us that his family will follow him.  He was so nice though, just doesn’t understand yet.  They're coming to church this Sunday and we're meeting with all of them again next week.  We felt so good about it when we walked into their house, so I'm still hopeful that it will go somewhere.

My companion is dying on Monday!  I can't believe it. Other than that all is good...except I’m missing Sister Song and Penang food and Jenny. I love it here though...I feel so comfortable! I love Ibans! The branch is about the same size as Penang’s, but the members help SO much, like a real branch!  And we have a beautiful new chapel that was just dedicated last month.  It’s like a church in the U.S.!  There’s so much work here too, we teach all day.  We just walk through the kampung and the people know us as “the sisters” and you can just walk from “house” to “house.”  I say “house” because they’re more like huts.  It’s crazy.  Some houses don’t even have electricity.  You sit on the wood/dirt floor around one light bulb (sometimes the floor feels like it will break under you because the houses are on stilts). I love it though!  And my bahasa is fine! No problems! I feel so comfortable around Asians.  White people actually make me slightly uncomfortable, so family, please...try not to be too white when I come home.  Really…dye your skin yellow and get rid of all the chairs and silverware in the house.  

I have to run now, but I love you all!  Hope you have a great week! 

Cinta Norton

hfi

Bako National Park - Yeah! P-Day!  It was beautiful!
(Previously posted but we had no idea it had a name.)