SINGAPORE!

Welp. it happened. I got transferred again. but. this time in an emergency transfer to Singapore! so the sich is that a new zealand elder had problems getting into singapore in the past, but now the mission has gotten him a work permit to enter. he was going to go about a month ago, but the work permit got delayed in the paperwork and other things. so there was a threesome in his area, and also an elder here in singapore who as just bouncing around areas, with no companion. so i came to singapore! his name is E Schone, and he will be dead in Feb. I was told this will only be a temporary transfer, as new missionaries will come in the 12th, and then the new zealander will be coming to singapore. So i will either go back to malaysia in two weeks, or theres a chance i stay in singapore cuz there is an elder in singapore now who will be going home when the newbies come. i would love to stay here cuz its way sweet, and although i dont use malay at all, everything else far outways that fact. 

church in a ward, a very strong ward at that, was so cool. we kind of just melded into the background and were bossed around by our ward mission leader. our ward (woodlands ward) has most of the power players of the stake here. many of the stake leadership[ positions are from our ward. theyre way excited about missionary work, and they do something about it too. so much fun. 

Luckily our house and area is outside the donwtown, and there arent really any mall and shopping areas to distract haha. we moved into a new house, and it is so fantastic. i took pictures but this internet cafe wont allow me to connect my devices... i'll send those as soon as i can though. we are goin to the zoo today with most of the missionaries in singapore. it's often rated the No.1 zoo in the WORLD! E schone has been there before and says it is way sweet. 

the temp stays the same all year. singapore is more humid than malaysia though, but luckily we get around on foot and air-conditioned trains and buses. haha the public transportation here is quite amazing. everything about Singapore is so cool and clean and advanced and just awesome! Elder Schone has been in Singapore for 17 months, moving around areas within singapore. thats a story that i wont tell. but he's the expert of singapore basically. he knows a lot about singapore in general, as he has visited the history museum a few times. he is really smart and we often have deep doctrinal talks or discussion about just about anything. from the legend of zelda to Christ's millennial reign.

As far as sitiawan goes, they will most likely not have Malay speaking elders there anymore after the next big transfer in two weeks. So the few members will just be folded back into the Chinese/English speaking branch. Elder Tyler is with Elder Reeves, the new zealander until the transfer in Sitiawan. It will be tough for the few members, but it is necessary for the missionaries. there just isnt enough work in that small little town for four elders.

Well im running out of time. this has been a very eventful week with transfers but its alllll goooood. 

Love Elder Giblette

Pictures

approx 7 ft tall incense. welcome to china land

shot of the apartment "complex" most of our members live in

kelvin & hazell. again. she's 2 now!

my companion and the the children of the strongest and best member here

Thanksgiving Come and Gone Without a Pause in the Action

happy thanksgiving that happened only in america this past week! haha and maybe in other places. i certainly missed out on Montana and everything else there. it was awesome for everyone to add a little to the email. i thin the best addition was Uncle Thad's hahahaah. 

there probly is a big backup in Salt Lake, but like hailey said, soon there will be many Giblettes runnin around the world. 

This week we have continued to tract out the remaining neighborhoods in town, and we're running out fast! but transfers are in two weeks and we are hoping for a change, not to say we dont like Sitiawan, but we'd just rather be somewhere else haha. the toughest part is that each week we meet people who seem to have a lot of potential, but then they just dont turn out. but what can ya do? 

a funny and disappointing story form this week. in the course of "knocking" houses, we came to one that was Christian (which is always exciting) and when only a young boy came out saying that his dad was sleeping, we told him to give his dad a pamphlet about the restoration later. he said ok and that was the end of it. later that night, while we were back home and just chillin at home, we got a call from a man who had read our pamphlet. he said that he read through, and on the back there are prompting questions such as: "what should i do now?" answering itself: "read the Book Of Mormon" so he saw our number on the bottom and, mispronouncing my name, asked for "eldin girbett" hahah. but we had a good conversation and set up an appointment for the next day. of course we were as excited as could be cuz nobody EVER calls back after taking a pamphlet. we went there the next day and to our great surprise, his son came out and said he was in Kuala Lumpur... (city about 3 hrs drive away) we asked him if he was sure haha and he said ya. so we finally got ahold of this guy, Royes, and he didnt really explain the miscommunication, but agreed to meet next week when he came back in town. so its still a developing story and we hope that we will be able to meet him. 

also this week we talked to a lady who was Christian, and had a decent conversation with her at her door. we kept trying to explain that our church is led by Jesus Christ through a living prophet (among other things) she was at first put off and thought we just wanted her to switch churches. She also kept saying that "i believe in Jesus Christ, and i dont need anything else" more or less to that effect. we eventually just ave her a pamphlet and invited her to read. she didnt really want to meet and said if she was interested, she would just come to our church. thats code for, go away i dont care about what you have to say haha. it reminded me about very important aspects of this Christ's church; we not only have the true FAITH in Jesus, but we have ALL the ORDINANCES that are required to return to Him. the classic "faith without works is dead" scenario for this woman. It's so hard to meet "christians" here because they really have no idea what christianity is, and therefore are completely shut off to anything their priest doesnt condone. anyways thats that lady's story.

unrelated to missionary work:

i have neglected to tell about all my experiences with DURIAN. aka that stinky fruit that you read so much about before i came out.  it IS as stinky and weird as everything you read mom. haha and each time you eati it is a different experience. My MTC teacher, who was known in the mission as an expert durian chooser, told us that we had to try it 3 times before we never ate it again.

Attempt #1)  and this attempt is recorded on video; hated it. the texture, the smell, the taste. all of it unbearable. all of it indescribable. the taste and texture simply revolting. almost could not swallow. durian flavored burps for the rest of the day...

Attempt#2) approx 1.5 months later; almost the same as #1, but much more bearable as to the texture. taste still quite unpleasant. we ate it right at the vendor and we asked him what is a good durian supposed to taste like, and how do you choose such a durian? he couldnt really describe it, but said that there are more or less two schools of flavor: sweeter and bitterer. we asked him if he could find a sweet one...

Attempt #3) to my great surprise, quite sweet and tasty. the odd and creamy texture added to the sensation of sweetness. i found myself sucking the "flesh" off the seed until it was clean.

I have since had other eatings and one with similar results to #2, and the other even better than #3. i am now starting to recognize which i like, but only once the durian is cut open.

General info about the durian. most are about the size of a like a small volleyball, but can be softball sized, or basketball sized. they are hard and covered in sharp, rigid spikes. a guaranteed kill shot if it falls on you. (but we've heard that this year few people have been killed by this fruit) the smell is really indescribable, except that it smells like durian. the smell is quite strong and spreads wide. there are not really a delicacy, but everyone loves them. they are only in season in like Oct-Dec, and ive also heard like June time. but now is like prime time and the chinese elders get them fairly often. the texture of the flesh is kind of like yogurt, but has like a filmy "skin" that you also eat. i think is the combination of these two things that makes it tough to stomach. it really is hard to describe and you just have to eat it to know. 

um im running out of time but we also celebrated a member's daughter's second birthday. it was awesome. we got her a sock monkey. she loved it. while we were coming back, we passed by the scene of a guy that got hit by a car while likely running a red light on his moto. he died.

i love you all and we continue to work hard here enjoying our tough times

Elder Giblette

Check Me Out!

got a dart gun a while ago, revamped the darts. result

My growing collection of sarongs

Deepavali, "Festival of Lights" Hinddu holiday.

Toilet warning at McD's

A classy new sarong I got

A classic Terrace house of Malaysia

some weird path with rocks in it. supposed to be therapeutic or something. 

anyways thats E Tyler, bein a goon

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello!

we've had a typically tough n slow week as far as missionary work goes, but good nonetheless. we continue to tract out the few houses that are not chinese or muslim. meaning we talk to indian people who are hinddu, and they seem to think they are exempt because of that. but we always tell them our message is for all of God's children, but they still dont wanna listen haha. contacting is pretty tough here in Sitiawan. there really isnt like a "city center" or place where people are just like walking around.so we just go house to house, and the way the houses are setup make it even harder haha. they are called terrace houses, and are similar to townhomes. but the thing is the driveway in front of the house is like fenced in and has a gate to get in/out. hard to explain but i'll send a picture that will make everything clear. anyways its tough because we cant knock on the actual door, and have to resort to knocking on the metal gate with a coin, or shouting "hello." we get lucky if there is a doorbell. even luckier if it works haha. so as far as language goes. we usually say "how are you" in Malay first, but the indian people usually respond in English, so the we speak in English. usually people here can speak, but have a hard time understanding English. so its tough cuz they dont want to speak malay, which the understand, but they prefer English, cuz they THINK they understand. but we have fun. the best is when people just look at us form the doorway, and literally. say. nothing. until we just awkwardly walk away haha.

there isnt really any public transportation here, just a small bus system that we never use. most people have a car or a "moto" its called a motorcycle, but its like a scooter. hard to explain? but ya there are also way more people on bikes here than in tawau. Tawau had a good bus system so most people use that. no rick-shaws or anything of the like haha. they do not celebrate thanksgiving here, so i dont think we'll do anything for it... turkey isnt even sold here so ya. haha its not a big deal though.

Pres Mains hasnt told us anything about skyping yet, but its still a little early. probly will at zone conference. that package sounds RIDICULOUS. haha but i think i will be able to handle it. i'll just be sure to bring my big suitcase to Singapore. 

Our "apartment" firstly, its not an apartment haha. we live in a really big house. it has three levels, but the third is just a bedroom and a bathroom. its our exercise room. the second floor is where we study and sleep. we all sleep in big bedroom, and have separate study rooms. the downstairs has the kitchen, a living room, and a bedroom used for exercise. so our house is overly large, which is typical in this mission cuz i guess the church has high standards for the missionaries, and therefore we get really nice houses throughout the mission. 

we have a propane stove, Tyler and i have very similar interests, and we always talk about music and movies. we played badminton with some chinese members (know that the chinese LOVE badminton) and we played doubles and only won 2 out of like 7 games. its tough, and my wrist/forearm is still sore. i think fried rice is my favorite thing to cook in the house. we have a propane stove, so its pretty nice. ya sarongs. you like fold it, fold again, then roll it. its almost impossible to explain unless you see someone else do it. 

but E. Tylers family found a way for us to get videos to you guys! go to    www.dropbox.com    and create an account. then give me the account info and i can upload pictures and videos! it looks really easy and i am confident even mom could do it! 

I apologize to hayden for not knowing his age... but im glad he likes his beats. i cant believe hes 5'11" !!! i will be the shortest son after all... 

we keep working hard and trying our best to share the Gospel. things at home do NOT feel distant haha. they are as relevant as ever! so keep me posted. and send some pictures haha. 

Love you all

Elder Giblette

Another Week

Hello family and other people that may read (like there are any of those haha)

So this week has seen more tracting and little success, but we are just pushing along. I feel like either i dont get discouraged, or i've just become numb to the lack of "success" I always think of a quote from Preach My Gospel, which i think is from a general authority or something. "you are expected to give everything you have, and do everything you can, and then expect nothing." its that simple. i am here to serve the Lord, and thats about it. sure i might get a few baptisms here or there, but thats in fact NOT what im here for. haha this sounds like a pretty bleak outlook, but i actually am fine with it. i've found that when you dont expect anything, you arent really ever disappointed haha. Just know that i am happy with what i am doing, whether others or myself see it as success. Plus maybe if a suffer a little bit now, later i'll get transferred to a sweet area with a ton of people to teach!

yes we heard about Obama being re-elected. i dont really care cuz 1) im in Malaysia 2) i dont anything about the economy or stuff like that. probly not good but whatever. so ya the whole thing doesnt really matter to me...yet. i think its a good point that dad makes, and also this is what E tyler's mom said, that if Romney had been elected, and then made a mistake, it could easily bring negativity to the Church. but oh well, it wouldve been too easy maybe if a member of the Church, who knew how to receive revelation running the country.

A cool story from this week though! we were contacting a small apartment complex that has been tracted many times by previous elders, and on the last row of doors we knocked, we found an I:ndian man and his mother-in-law who were apparently talking about how hard life was, cuz they invited us in, and then after talking a little bit, asked if we could give them blessings. We gladly gave them both blessings of comfort and after the man, Prakash, received his he immediately said how peaceful he felt. We then had a good discussion as they asked us many questions about our church and about our core beliefs. We have not been able to meet with him again yet, but I am confidant that he will remember what he felt that night, and that he will want more.

this week we will likely start going through the neighborhoods that we have already contacted, and that will be less than fun, but oh well haha. not much else to say this week... I'll be able to send pictures later so send some pictures of hayden enjoying his Beats! and of the basement and of the new tv. and of all you guys

Love

Elder Giblette

Another week has passed

This wekk has been pretty good. we have been contacting for many hours each day, but it paid off cuz Saturday we had a full day of appointments planned. 3/5 happened too, so that was way cool. Lately we've really been playing the part of the sower, cuz like 6/10 of our new investigators are planning on moving OUT of Sitiawan before the end of the year. also a pattern that we've been running into is that our return appointments seem to only be possible to be scheduled a week or two away... but we take anything we can get haha. we have met this past week with three people who speak good English, and it has been weird, and then really great being able to speak English. Not only is english the best language for the gospel, it just happens to be my first language. even though American english is not the same as english anywhere else, its so great to not have to think of what word i want to say, but rather what i want to say, and then just being able to say it. it really would be the best situation if every missionary was able to stay in his native country, using his native tongue. yes two years is enough time to learn and become fluent, but it cannot compare to someone who has been speaking it their whole life. anyways ya its was cool to do that. we have a couple investigators now that would benefit more from going to the English/Chinese branch, so thats kind of a problem we're working on. me n E Tyler continue to work hard and try to meet new people. and we always have fun!

we met with an Anglican pastor and had a kind of good discussion with him. we tracted him out last week and met with him on saturday. he brought up many concerns that are answered by our teachings, and as he was speaking, i was getting excited to share with him all the ways the true church was sitting in front of him. examples include "many men have come here and started churches, but they never last" "the younger generation nowadays is in trouble" "many of the big churches just seem to 'buy' members" he was long winded and as he spoke, E Tyler and i were just ready to share all the restored truths we have that address all of these concerns. as we shared about authority, and the church being led by Jesus Christ though a living prophet, he just didnt really seem to understand what we were telling him... we would ask him questions about these things, and he jsut didnt answer them and kept preaching to US. it was hard to control the conversation, and he dragged on at times haha. by the end of our meeting i was more interested in playing with his very cute 2 year old grand daughter haha. but by the end we both realized that he probly wanted to meet with us to try to strengthen our faith, an teach us. it was sad to see another intelligent person putting his faith in false "christian" traditions. it was cool though cuz he gave us each a Tamil Gospel Worship CD, and also a bunch of little pamphlets promoting his church to hand out. He told us to hand them out to Indian people we met...I think he thought that we are here to help all christian churches or something... he led us in a prayer that was read form Psalms, and he had me read one out loud as he gave praises of hallelujah, and other Tamil mumblings. it was quite an experience, and i'm glad he didnt try to get me to say amen or anything.

we talked to pres mains about our struggling little Malay group, and he really didnt know that his two missionaries were conducting sacrament, and doing everything else. so he proposed that we combine sacrament with the other branch and then split off into Malay speaking classes. This week we will talk with the branch pres and i think this will be a good solution to our little group, and also answer the question of "do we send our enlgish speaking investigators to the branch we dont attend?"

I love you all and i miss you mom :)

Elder Giblette