-So they are considering moving the sabbath day here to Saturday. Like having sacrament meeting and everything each week on Saturday. Crazy. We will see if it happens. Right now, Friday and Saturday is the weekend because of the Muslim sabbath and the government is all Muslim. 

-There have been revolts and stuff here because of the strange weekend. All the chinese people don't like because it throws off all their business. And it has really thrown our church attendance because none of the kids and some adults cannot come because of school and work on Sunday's. 

-Spent some time burning trash in our investigators yard this week. That is how they get rid of trash here mostly. Everywhere you go you see and smell fire. 

-Happy Birthday Mom! I love you! You are going on 25 years old! 

-Actually on the same day as your birthday (this friday for us) we are having a baptism of a little Indian kid named Daniel! Both of his parents want to get baptized but cannot because of work on Sunday's but their son can! He is only 8! And Indian but speaks Chinese and is really really smart! 

-This week I really focused on trying to recognize the spirit in our missionary work which is difficult sometimes..any tips? 

-Taught a lesson in Malay last night with Elder Lu because there are no Malay speaking elders here so we have to cover both languages. It is totally different. They live in homes with dirt floors called Kampungs. They have have these little shacks that are made with a few pieces of metal and wood and are open to the outside. It is humbling.This Chinese definitely have all the money in this country.

-Got to play my arrangement of "I Know My Redeemer Lives" in sacrament meeting this week. First time every playing since I wrote it a couple months ago. 

-We had a branch bbq this week at our apartment! (see picture) Was awesome! 

-Also found a gym this morning in our area called Green Fitness. They let us in for free today. Super nice and got 7 sets of bench press in. Wow it has been a while but I haven't lost anything! It felt really really good! It was miracle that we found it. It was hidden in the middle of nowhere. 

-Had a crazy member referral this week. This 50 plus aged woman brought her friend. She is a little bit crazy. Anyway it is this like 30 year old man and they are engaged! It is a crazy huge age difference. 25+ years. Pretty weird. But he wants to get baptized and so he is on date and they are going to get married within the next couple weeks. Wild. 

(plus his english isn't very good so she has to translate for us into Punjabi (dialect of Hindi)) -- just another example of the many many many languages we have to deal with here. 

-We have ten investigators on date to be baptized within the next month or so and are way pumped about it! Our area is doing awesome! 

-General Conference is coming up! Get pumped! And I have been reading two talks a day from last conference to get ready! I invite to do the same! 

I had a cool thought when thinking about Jesus Christ during the sacrament this week. Jesus Christ did not have perfect circumstances. That is not what made him perfect. It was his perfect reactions to imperfect circumstances that made him who is he. Focus on the things that you can control. Your reactions to circumstances. Not the circumstance itself.

love you all! 

Mosiah 3:19

Elder Pierce

平长老