---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Braydon Carter <braydon.carter@myldsmail.net>
Date: Sun, Dec 30, 2018 at 10:34 PM
Subject:
Ho Ho Ho! Merry Christmas!
Hello Everyone! I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas. I know mine was a little bit different than normal but it was still an amazing time. And the spirit of the Savior was super strong through out the week!
We have Christmas a day earlier so ha! But it was a really different Christmas. It started off just like any normal day. Besides the fact that when we finished our personal study in the morning my companion came out with a box full of snow and laid it all over the driveway! He asked his parents for snow for Christmas and that's exactly what he got. It was super cute. And we took photos in it as we wished everyone in our zone a very merry Christmas.
We wanted the day be a little special, so we went out with our branch president and a friend that was in town from Singapore. We went to go eat at a place called hot pot, which is so so good. They bring out this bowl of soup and you will cook all of your meats either through the soup, or you can put it on the top where it will slowly cook. Here is some pictures of that place that we went to :)
Aside from just the little things, Christmas was just a normal day. We went out and tried to find people all day and give them the gospel of Jesus Christ. Although that might sound hard and tough, it wasn't too bad. It really, truly helped me remember the true meaning of Christmas, and it really helped me focus on the Christ found in Christmas.
The day after Christmas was also really good! I was able to call my family! It was honestly so special but, in a way, really, really hard. We talked for a little bit, enjoying the sounds of each other's voices, and then, as I was saying goodbye, the tears came on. It's not because it's a sad thing. It's just hard. And when we make sacrifices, God blesses us in ways that are unbelievable, I know that, and I have felt it this Christmas season.
Outside of Christmas, this week was a complete adventure with all sorts of things. Right after we got off the call with our families, two Elders from Butterworth [ Butterworth, Penang, Malaysia ] came to Sitiawan so that we could do exchanges with them. It was a short amount of time, but it is always really nice to work with other Elders and to learn, and grow with them.
I was able to spend two days with Elder Anglin, who is a way good Elder, and is just a transfer younger than I am. But as we went out, it was pretty difficult. It was a rainy night and not a lot of people were walking around the streets that we could talk to. We went from place to place to place, with not a whole lot of success for that night. I have to be honest, it was kind of hard. Especially mentally. I know for me I want to be the absolute best missionary that I can possible be. I want to try and always be engaged in the work. So when we weren't able to find many people it brought me down. I felt like I was failing. But after talking with Elder Anglin, and having some good pondering time, I realized that God knows our efforts. He knows our thoughts, our intentions, our love. Although during that time we didn't see a lot of people, we knew that we were giving God our all. And as members of The Church of Jesus Christ, that's all He asks is for us to give it our all.
Then, as the week went on, we had all sorts of cool stories and things happen. It was an adventure of a week. One of the things that my companion and I realized is that we can be finding in new ways. There's a TON of people that live here. We just have to go find the one who are ready. So we went door knocking. More like gate knocking, and ringing doorbells. As we did, we found and saw parts of Sitiawan I never thought existed. There is full neighborhoods of just new, modernized houses where the business people all live. Here's some examples:
As we were knocking on doors and talking to people in the street, we ran into some of the coolest strangest people. For example, we met a man who has traveled the world horse racing and betting. As we knocked on his door he quickly invited us in for a beer. Of course we told him we don't drink, and he got us some sodas instead. He continued to tell us how he has traveled the world training horses, and just makes tons of money working in that realm of business. He also told us about how he has multiple wives all around the world, and he was just living the high life. In that moment, I realized a very big difference between worldly happiness and happiness that comes from the gospel.
This week, I was also able to eat something called a 皮蛋 which directly translates to a skin egg. Its an egg that is put into concrete for 6 months and then brought out and eaten. It wasn't to bad at all!
That's all that I have for this week. Honestly this week was so good. Sure, there was some emotions that were thrown around here and there, especially with missing people at home, but it helped me step back and realize that I really am sacrificing very little for all the things that God and the Lord has done for me, that has given me life, and has been helping me every step of the way. For that I am eternally grateful. As well as in just 10.5 hours here we will be entering into the New Year. Full of goals, resolutions, and desires for being the new us. I want to challenge all of you this new year to have a goal to really take advantage of the new Come Follow Me that has been sent out. My companion and I are doing it in Chinese and it really has some awesome stuff in there. And I want to encourage you to read The Book of Mormon. I know that as I have been able to read it everyday, I feed off of its power and strength. It's something that I can't describe to you, but that you must find out for yourself.
I love and thank all of you again for the many things you have done for me. I know that I would not be here, or be the person I am today with out all of you.
I love you all so much!
AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Elder Carter
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