Monday, February 22, 2016
-We ran into a drug deal this week. legitmately.
-I got to go on exchanges with Elder Lundahl-Wolford in Sibu this week on his birthday. Amazing to be back with him.
-Working on my ball handling everyday. Weights every night.
-Working on memorizing 2100 chinese characters and how to write them.
-our miemar investigator's father is a pastor over two anglican churches and yet he is going to be baptized on march 27th!
We have a goal of 6 baptisms this transfer. the miracles are real. It is going to happen.
On Monday we went to botanic gardens. We felt weird doing so because all of our plans fell through it was a backup plan and we didn't really know why we were supposed to be there. We got there realized it was kind of a waste of time or so we thought. And so we decided to pray. Then we asked God for Filipinos who could be baptized. Then we decided to go to this hut and wow there it was. A Filipino reading the bible. We read with her for 10 minutes or so and then we met with her 3 more times that week. Now she is on date and is one of our 6 baptisms. :) she is ridiculously solid and already has a testimony that this church is the only true church on the entire earth.
Last week we had a really spiritual contact with a Filipino and she promised to come to church this week but then the entire week even on sunday morning she wouldn't answer our calls or texts. We thought for sure she was long gone because that happens all the time with Filipinos and once they don't answer it means they don't want anymore and so we were pretty down about it. But then at 11:50 am on sunday 10 minutes before church we get a text. She is on her way in a taxi. She arrives 5 minutes late to Sacrament. She is put on date for march 20th. Come to find out, she hadn't been answering because she was in Hong Kong with her employer. She told her employer that she needed to come back to Singapore by Sunday morning for church but her boss said no because she had already bought her a ticket on Monday and so (Therisa) that is her name - bought her own plane ticket home on SUnday morning and took a taxi straight from Changi Airport to the church. Her sacrifice is unbelievable. She literally took a plane to church. SHE TOOK A PLANE TO CHURCH. DID YOU HEAR ME? SHE TOOK A PLANE TO CHURCH!
19 And if there were miracles wrought then, why has Godceased to be a God of miracles and yet be an unchangeableBeing? And behold, I say unto you he changeth not; if sohe would cease to be God; and he ceaseth not to be God,and is a God of miracles.
21 Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ,doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father inthe name of Christ it shall be granted him; and thispromise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth.
love you all,
Elder Pierce
So this week, we had an elder who's companion wouldn't wake up and so he took the smoke alarm off the ceiling and put it next to his companion's ear and then hit the "test" button so it would go off. That elder got up pretty darn fast :)
I am working on writing 2100 characters in Chinese this transfer. It is a process. :)
Every morning we play basketball, Elder Spurrier and I, 1 on 1. He is really athletic so it makes it quite fun.
Then at night time, after planning, we have been hitting the downstairs gym. Working on legs and chest a lot. Trying to really get into it. It has been a blast :)
Shoutout to my MIT brothers in mid-season. Looking forward to them making a Conference tournament and NCAA tournament run here in the next few weeks :) Can't wait to get back there on the court but also loving my time here as a representative of Jesus Christ.
Also. We had to book a million and a half flights this week
We were taken this week by a member to an American Club, literally was like America. Ate Pizza and salad. It was ridiculously nice. He is the ambassador for Costa Rica in Singapore. Very cool member.
On Sunday I played my arrangement of "Praise to the Man" for the Sister's baptism. It was the first time I have played that arrangement in public. I was excited for that.
We have a goal to baptize 6 people this transfer. We have one really solid investigator from Miemar that only speaks a little english and a little chinese and is a Filipino's girlfriend. That is why we are teaching him.
But even for his lack of English, his faith makes up the rest. He is reading the picture book of the Book of Mormon. Along with the real Book of Mormon and he is feeling the spirit! Which makes it known that it doesn't take good english to know if the book of mormon is true!
We picked up all the new missionaries this week. 8 of them. It is always fun to do that from the airport and to just feel their energy. We also this week were able to see some really great missionaries at their departing dinner go home.
It is a weird feeling to see missionaries go home one night and see new ones arrive the next morning. And yet Elder Spurrier and I are neither. It is like living a full mission every transfer.
Also, had a couple missionaries come up to me this week and tell me that "I changed their missions," A couple elders that were going home. The zone leaders. That made my week. We had a couple really good zone leaders that I really enjoyed working with go home this week.
I have been studying a lot in the New Testament. I have a goal to finish it and memorize the important scriptures. One of my favorites is the last verse in Romans chapter 2 verse 31:
"Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law."
A lot of people tell us that it only matters what is in their hearts. All churches are the same etc. But unfortunately, like Paul said that is wrong.
Faith does not make the law void. There is a law and as representatives of Jesus Christ we are here to proclaim that restored law that paul is referring to :)
love you all !
Elder Pierce
Monday, February 8, 2016
-on monday for my birthday, some of the zone leaders sang me happy birthday and gave me a cake that was nice! my wish was to baptize a family!
-Two of the other zone leaders told me i was their eternal heros this week which made my week hands down :)
-TRANSFERS! president asked me to stay for one more transfer as an assistant. Should be a good one!
-we sung a song to a family in a first contact "Families can be together forever." right there in public. They were from miemar and I am pretty sure couldn't understand anything that the song was talking about but they felt the spirit and that is all that counts!
-Got held at immigration this week but eventually they let us through (we go in and out of the 2 countries so many times a week that it makes our passports look pretty crazy)
-We went on exchanges in Johor Bahru with Elder South (my old companion in Miri) and then in Bintulu with Elder Lloyd
-Also we got a woman to kneel in public with us in prayer. I thought it was going to be uncomfortable but it was actually a really spiritual experience. This was her first time praying out loud! way cool! people looked at us a little weird but that is ok :) haha
On exchanges with Elder South. We were not seeing any success. Everyone was saying no. Then I told Elder South. We need to stop and pray for families. We need to find kingdom building families right now. We said a really heartfelt prayer asked God to put prepared families in our path. Within 10 seconds we ran into two separate Chinese families that wanted the gospel. I was shocked. I felt like God had slapped me in the face almost. All day we had been trying our best to find people but as soon as we relied on God he gave us who we were looking for. And so Elder South and I decided to say a prayer of gratitude and because we did that as soon as we opened our eyes a little girl came out to the balcony of her apartment and then we said hi and she called her mother out and they were from Miemar and really wanted the gospel. We sang them "Families Can Be Together" right there in the public next to their balcony and then they referred us to the family who lived above them who also came out on the balcony (was from India) and also wanted to learn the gospel. Basically, after we asked God for families we found 4 in a row. We had not seen any the entire day. I KNOW that God answered that prayer. I know that he hears me.
I know he hears you too. Just reach out to him.
love you all,
Elder Pierce
Monday, February 1, 2016
-saw a lady cutting her lawn with scissors this week. little hand held scissors. Chinese people are the best :)
-Stopped several motorcyles this week :0 a couple were pretty prepared!
-played Come Thou Fount in Sacrament meeting on the piano. The YOUTUBE version.
-inviting everyone to read the book of mormon in a week worked! one of our investigators already read to Jacob!! IN one week!
- In penang and KK this week!
Don't have much time but I love you all :)
Elder Pierce
p.s. I love being a missionary. The reward is so tangible and real. I love representing Jesus Christ.
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