From: Braydon Carter <braydon.carter@myldsmail.net>
Date: Sun, Dec 16, 2018 at 9:15 PM
Subject: I'm baacck! 12/17/2018
大家好!
Well Howdy!
It's been a crazy week. but to sum it all up, I am back in Sitiawan [ Sitiwan ] now. I have been moving all around and it has been way awesome. I have been to four different big areas in the last week and a half. So let me explain :)
Many of you know from last week that I was temporarily put into Puchong [ Puchong ] while some things were getting sorted out which was way awesome. I had a really good, strong, spiritual time with those Elders. We learned a lot from each other, including that time that we were all together I was also able to go on Exchanges in an area called Putra Jaya [ Putrajaya ] ( I'm not sure if the spelling is write ) So it was me, Elder Teng, and a veteran of and Elder named Elder Merkley. He leaves here soon.
It was kind of blessing moving around so much and serving with so many different Elders the last couple weeks. It gave me the opportunity to see how different everyone is and their view towards life and the gospel. It helped me learn a lot about how I can be a better missionary. In all honesty, I kind of love stepping back and watching other missionaries, then learning from how they do things. It was cool to do this as I was moving around a lot!
As we were ending our exchanges that night, we got a way crazy call. It was for Elder Teng who had only been in Puchong for 3 weeks. The call said that we were doing Mini Transfers and that he would be moving to East Malaysia on Thursday. As soon as we heard this news, everyone was like, " No way Elder Carter, your staying in Puchong! Your gonna love it here." Well, to make a long story short, that is not what happened. I ended up calling and talking to the AP's that night and found out that I would be going back to Sitiawan. But with who?
That's where the story get's a little bit exciting. For those of you who have known me pretty well, you will have known that I love Chinese. I love the people, the culture, the language, and I'll probably spend some time there in the future! So, to make another long story short, the first week I got to Singapore I ran into Elder Taylor. A lot of people talk about him and how his Chinese is insane, about how it's the best in the mission. I've always wanted to just sit down with him and ask how he studies and get some ideas from him. Little did I know that my wanting to meet up with him would turn into us being companions.
I was way excited, and we have become really good friends. At least I think we have, and we've been able to do some cool things in Sitiawan.
Before Elder Taylor and I came to Sitiawan, I had to say goodbye to the two companions that I was with for just a short week in Puchong. We actually had a really cool opportunity to go out with a member and I was able to eat my first Hot Pot while being in Malaysia! I learned a lot from them, and made some good friends while being there!
But now I'm back in Sitiawan with an awesome companion,and another start! ( I was afraid I wasn't coming back, but I still have work to do here ) The last couple of days have been really awesome as I have been able to work with Elder Taylor and get some new ideas on how to improve my language skills! But, most importantly, the spirit that we have felt over the last couple days. If there is one thing I have learned this week it's just be a person with people. Elder Taylor and I literally talked with EVERYONE this week. My favorite part from it all is that they would talk to us back, and we would share some good laughs together. Then, like always, we would invite them to come to Christ. It was so different than before but the exact same area. And the reason behind it is just the way we communicated with people. We got to know them and they got to know us. It was a weekend full of smiles, and waves, and talking to everyone. It made missionary work not only fun, but rewarding. It helped me think of how Christ would do missionary work as he walked the streets by just loving and helping all those who are around him. And, even better, Elder Taylor likes taking selfies for his daily journal so I have some pictures of who we were able to visit with this week!
Then, to end this great week, we had an awesome dinner appointment with our members from Australia! We were able to go on the boat with them and eat some awesome bacon pancakes with ice cream.
The best part of the night was being able to sit down and share with them the true meaning of Christmas. The spirit was so strong as we were sharing about the birth of Christ and the sweet experiences that those two have had. As we were sharing with them, the spirit was so strong and I didn't want to move. In all honestly, I didn't want to do anything to distract from that sweet Christmas spirit. Then, I was also taken back when I realized my purpose as a missionary is very similar with the purpose of Jesus Christ as He was here on earth. I really do get the blessing of an opportunity to represent Him, in His glorious work. And as I was able to visit and talk to with so many people this week I felt that sharing spirit so strong!
I just want to end by sharing my testimony that the church is so true. I am so blessed that I am able to be part of this great work and to carry the word of God with me. I also want to say that I hope all of you can go attend a church near you this Sunday. For a special 1 hour church service to learn about and feel the same Christmas spirit I was able to feel as I shared with our members. I love you all so so much. You have all been more than a blessing to me!
I love you all!
Love,
Elder Carter
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From Ranes
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