Merry Christmas

Dear all-

This week went by super quick, and was super busy. ME and Elder Polley were completely responsible for getting the whole branch christmas party going. We had to make sure that everyone came, that there was enough food, that the branch had the right budget, everything. it was pretty stressfull, but it all went well, and we had about 100 people come! I have never seen that many people in that building before. A lot of innactives came. They all love the free food, and can make it there for that, but somehow cant find a way to come to church on sunday. I dont get it.

Our branch president just had a stoke, so me and Elder Polley have been doing pretty much everything that needs to be done to keep the church going. The church here is super small and doesnt really know how to be operated properly. So the missionaries here keep everything going. A lot more responsibility than i thought i would have. Thats for sure. haha.

Yesterday was a super exciting day for me and Elder Polley because we confounded the ANTICHRIST! hhahaha. We have this investigator family and one of their daughters is getting baptized this week. ITs Dalsy. I think i have wrote about her a little bit. So i think i was saying last week, that Dalsy's family is now open to the gospel after rejecting it for like 2 years. So Dalsy's dad has a little Brother whos a very smart teacher, and studied religion for like 5 years in college or something like that. WHen this brother heard that we were teaching his older brother, he freaked out and told Dalsy's dad that he cant follow us becuase we are completely false. Anyway, turns out that this brother came to Dalsy's house yesterday when were teaching her family. He refused to speak malay with us. HE would only speak english. Ive never taught any lessons in english yet, and i find it a lot easier to do it in malay. So i was kinda nervous that he wanted to speak in English. But anyway, he kept telling us that we were wrong and everything like that. ANd that he wouldnt let his family follow our church. But we completely stumped him. He kept saying all sorts of stuff, and we would prove it wrong. And he contradicted himself about 30 times in this conversation. Im not even sure he knows what he believes in anymore after that conversation. But by the end of the conversation, he said that his older brother (Dalsy's dad) should choose for himself what is true. Which is exactly what we wanted to hear from him. ANyway, i was kinda nervous, but i was glad the spirit was with us, becuase it definatley guided us with what to say. We had two unlearned 20 year old kids confouding a man that said he had studied religion in college for 5 years. It seems pretty obvious to me where the truth is.

Yesterday was also way cool for another reason. ME and Elder Polley always get calls to come and give blessing in the Hospital. Ive never been to a hospital so many times in my entire life. So i was kinda negative about going there. It will always be some person that doesnt wanna learn from us, but when they get sick, they want a blessing for some reason. I dont get it. But yesterday taught me one of the most valuable lessons i have learned on my mission. So we went to give this blessing to a lady that neither of us knew. She wend to the bedside of an old iban lady that had been in the hospital for a long time. We decided that we would just pray for her instead of giving her a blessing. Its what we both felt was right. SO Elder Polley started to offer a prayer. It was in Malay. We didnt think this lady even understood us becuase we thought she only understood Iban. That usually the case with people her age. Anyway, Elder Polley prayed for her health to return to her and everything and when he said amen, She said amen too. That was super surprising to us. People here dont usually say amen at the end of a prayer unless we told them to say amen. Anyway, she started crying. And we went to shake her hand goodbye and she took our hands and started kissing them and telling us thank you. as we left, she started to hold her hands out to us, like she was reaching for us. Still crying. The spirit was so strong. I felt like us going to the hospital wouldnt matter much. But it mattered to her. it mattered a LOT to her.
That little old, dying Iban lady taught me a lesson. Before i went to her bedside, i didnt even wanna use my time going to the hospital to give a blessing. She made me realize who i am. I am a representative of Jesus Christ. I have no time, or room to be selfish. I have no right to think of myself like that. I represent HIM. HE would have never had negative thoughts about helping someone. Thats the nature of my call. Thats what i do. I help other people come closer to Christ. And every ounce of energy i have in my body for the next to years is dedicated to that purpose. Im not here for myself. Im here for God and his children. Im glad that little old Iban lady was placed in my path to teach me that lesson. I hope i can remember it.

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!
Elder Trotter