12 April 2013

 Marie Moulder passed away on Friday, April 12, 2013.  She is now having a wonderful reunion with her husband, Mal, and daughter Ellen.  We are sure they are very happy.

25 March 2013 - Sarawak Cultural Center Visit

25 March 2013

Since Sister Trottier is being transferred to Singapore this week she wanted to be sure and see the Sarawak Cultural Center before leaving the island.  We were flattered when they invited us to go with them even though they probably were hoping for us drive so they didn't have to get other transport.  It was a fun afternoon.

Lots of cultures meet in the state of Sarawak in Malaysia so it was fun to see many of them represented in this place at the foot of one of the island mountains.

When we first arrived and parked the car across from the entrance was this large sculpture of the national bird, the hornbill, taking flight from the island to the sea.  I watched for a few minutes as this little family walked down to see it and I wondered what they might be thinking.  So many of the island people will never have the chance to leave the island.  Were they wishing they too had wings and could fly across the South China Sea to Singapore or Thailand or even further?  Maybe the children will someday have the chance.

These great photos were on the wall of the gift shop at the entrance.  I thought they were fabulous.  I think these are Bidayu people but they could also be Iban.

First thing in the park we were introduced to the stairs.....fortunately they had other  steps if you wanted to but of course we had to try the real local way.  

This guy came out carrying this block of wood.  He set it down and danced around it and then as part of the dance he knelt down, bit into the side and stood up with it in his teeth.  I don't remember how much they said it weighed, but it is a heavy piece of wood.  This dance was to show the strength of the warrior.

After walking around in the heat it was very cute that the Sisters wanted to treat us to a Magnum bar at the little restaurant on the site. 

This cute man was surprised at all these "orang puti" (white people) taking the steps!

This cracked me up.....an Iban house with Iban dancer and instruments with electricity and a Peavy amplifier!   What????

Can't seem to get the rest of the pictures uploaded right now but I will add them later.

Mission Tour and Other Exciting Events

Greeting our "Sad Puppy"

Everyday we walk by the owner's little puppy as he lays in the same spot.  We have only seen him move twice since we arrived.  His little face just looks so sad that I call him "sad puppy" every time I see him.  Every once in a while he will raise his head just a little to acknowledge me but most of the time he doesn't move even to flick his ear.

 Last Monday began a wonderfully full week once again.  We have had all kinds of spiritual lifting over the past three weeks between the Sibu Chapel dedication, Zone Conferences in Singapore and then this week we had missionary training and a YSA Fireside by a member of the Area Presidency who came to Kuching.  Missionaries from Sibu and Mukah joined the Kuching missionaries for the training this week. E knew we had a full week with people coming in and dinner to serve and snack bags to prepare, trips to the airport, etc. 

The first thing we did on Monday, however, was to have lunch with a lovely couple from Australia who are finished with their mission are doing a little touring before the return.  They came to Kuching for just one night and we had lunch with them on Monday.  It was very fun.  They have served in West Malaysia and we never had an opportunity to meet them before the senior conference in Singapore.  Sister Beard and I clicked right away and Elder Beard pulled me aside on Monday and told me that he was so happy to have met me and that he really like how I was not a shy, retiring person, but fun to be with.  Both of them told me separately that I reminded them of Sis. Beard’s cousin with whom she is very close.  It’s an interesting thing to find people from different parts of the world that you connect with and feel a kinship to.  I told Ed we were going to go visit Darwin after our mission!   Just add it to the list……

Little by little we are receiving more material and information about other assignments that will be turned over to us by Elder and Sister Nielson who are across the hall from us and leaving April 9^th.  She has already turned over the music program information to me, effective after the final concert on April 6^th.  (We are doing that on General Conference weekend because it takes us two weeks to have Conference sent to us to show at the chapel.  They get a live feed in Singapore, but not in East Malaysia.)  The next thing they have turned over to us is the Temple Preparation Classes and organizing the trips for all those who want to attend the temple.  We had a meeting on Monday night giving us the temple information.  I found out I had to email the Manila Temple first thing on Tuesday morning to reserve Patron Housing at the Temple and to let the Temple Recorder know they are coming.  Nothing like getting right into it!

Going to the temple is such a sacrifice for most of these people.  Many will have only one opportunity to get there and receive their endowments and be sealed to their family.  It is wonderful to see the dedication of these sweet saints.  I am grateful for the many who have donated money to the Temple Patron Assistance Fund which helps to subsidize these wonderful people who would not be able to attend any other way.

Tuesday we made our first trip to the bakery supply store the Nielsons  have found in Kuching.  I decided to make chocolate chip cookies for the snack bags I was responsible for.  Now this may sound like not a big deal, but we are in East Malaysia.  Our oven is outside next to the washing machine with the huge, black ants wandering all over the place.  It is an education just knowing how to turn it on……I had to get one of the Sisters to help me.  Anyway, we went to buy the ingredients.  The store owner was so happy to see us coming.  Bags of chocolate chips (small ones, dark chocolate only), all purpose flour, white sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, baking soda and of course butter and Crisco. 

 
 Now you would think that with all those ingredients the cookies would be a snap, but this is Malaysia and though there are things that are very similar, they are not the same.  I knew I was in trouble when the first batch of cookies came out totally flat…..I adjusted to use all Crisco instead of butter and Crisco which is my norm.  I made a couple of other adjustments and got thicker soft cookies but when the Sisters came to test them for me they wanted to know what the odd taste was.  They were good, but didn’t taste like the memory of a chocolate chip cookie.  (They didn’t taste that good to me either, but I am a snob when it comes to a good cookie)  We tried several things to identify the taste and decided it was a taste like cotton candy.  Well, the sugar is not really granulated (larger sized grains) and the brown sugar didn’t really pack together and taste like brown sugar, but the kicker was the vanilla…..it smelled like cotton candy.  Go figure!  We shaped the cookies and froze the dough and I got up at 4AM to bake them so the cookies would be fresh for the missionaries. 

Cookie dough....we thought about just serving the dough but we decided the risk with the eggs was a little extreme and Sister Mains would not agree.  (We did keep some in the freezer though.....shhhh)

  The  following day I had a young Elder ask me, “It’s been almost 2 years since I tasted a homemade chocolate chip cookie, is that what they taste like?”  I told him no…..  I hope his mother bakes!  ^_^ 

So Wednesday the Gongs flew into Kuching with President and Sister Mains. Elder Gong  is a member of the 1^st Quorum of Seventy.  He and his wife came to teach and lift us and they did a wonderful job.  It was instructional just to watch them organize us. 

Nielsons, Sister Gong, Moulders, Elder Gong

Tuesday night they gave a fireside for the Young Single Adults in the District.  There was late notice for the YSA’s but there was a decent crowd.  The highlight of the evening, however, was the personal delivery of a mission call to one of the YSA sisters.  She is such a wonderful sister and everyone was so excited for her. 

Elder Gong in background, Sister Mains (Mission Pres. wife, Sister Caroline and Sister Nielson

 
 President Mains brought it with him and gave it to her at the beginning of the fireside but she(wisely) held it to open at home with her family.  Thursday morning it was announced that she had been called to the Singapore mission and everyone cheered.  That will make 5 or 6 missionaries from Malaysia to serve in their home country.  It is fabulous and they are all so happy to be doing this work.  We currently have 3 native Elders serving in Kuching.  They are amazing. 

The instruction we received during the training on Thursday was focused on the Atonement but at one point we talked about the growth of the Church in the mission.  Singapore is currently the only place with a stake in the mission.  We learned what the requirements are to form a stake and in that process learned that Kuching is not that far away from meeting those requirements.  It was exciting to see the numbers that have to happen in new members and in strong Melchizedick Priesthood holders.  It is possible very soon, within 5 years I think.  It is thrilling to think of. 

After the training Elder Moulder and I went with two Elders to help teach a lesson on Family History to a new member family.  They are a wonderful family with 3 grown sons.  Mom and Dad joined the Church last year, but their 3 sons joined the first Saturday we were here.  It was great to see them and to be able to bear testimony in Malay about the importance of Family History work and going to the temple as a family.  I invited them to write down their testimonies so that their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren will always know how they felt on their baptism day and why it was so important.  I loved being in their home.

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 We had the opportunity again to do this on Saturday with a cute mom and her young daughter (Bia and Shirley) who were baptized just last week.  They are so cute and they love for the sisters to come and talk with them.  It was our privilege to be with them. We pray that Bia’s husband will someday see the benefits of the gospel and want to join them.

Cute Shirley on the second floor of their apartment building

Bia, Shirley, Moulders

Bia sat on the floor but Shirley sat next to me on the couch during our lesson.  When we came in Shirley hugged me and said, "Oh Sister!  I miss you so much"   There went my heart!!!

Sister Pinkston and Sister Rhodes did a great job reviewing the Plan of Happiness and where our spirits go when we die.  This set up a discussion of the importance of Family History and Temple work planned by our Father in Heaven to give the blessings of baptism to those who didn't have the opportunity in life.

Shirley saying goodbye....Isn't she adorable?

We had another missionary needing medical help this week.  Elder Giblette, had a toenail problem who had to have some surgery so Elder Moulder took them to the hospital and then brought them back to our apartment for a little recovery.  Elder Giblette's companion is one of the local Elders we have, Elder Loke, who happens to be quite a good artist.  When we went to Sibu we saw the trees he had painted for the Family History Go Green Program there so we asked him to paint another so we could make copies of the tree to put in the Branches around the island.  He was very humble and gracious about it so it was a perfect opportunity for him to paint a tree while we watched Elder Giblette's foot.  After the tree was done we took them to dinner and then back to their apartment.  We are very appreciative for Elder Loke's talent.

Elder Loke painting the tree. Do you like our Texas aprons hanging on the kitchen wall?

Saturday night was another baptism.  Sister Rida and her son Panji, who will be 12 later in the year and is looking forward to passing the sacrament.  We are so happy for them and to be a part of seeing the gospel bring peace, joy and happiness to people we have come to love.  We have had the opportunity to be with the sisters as they have taught Rida and Panji and have felt the Spirit in their humble home.  We have heard Rida pray and felt the sincere love she has for Jesus Christ.  It was a wonderful experience.

Sister Trottier, Elder Moulder, Panji, Rida, me, Sister Tehrani

I love hugging Sister Rida.  We don't easily communicate with words, but hugging is all we need.

After the baptism we had to leave to go out to an event being held by two other Branches to honor the other senior couple in Kuching who will be leaving April 9^th.  They have served here for 22 months and have a great love for their “Malaysian family” here.  It was very tender to see the love the members have for this couple and be part of saying “thank you” and “goodbye”.  I got to take lots of pictures to help them remember the event and the people they love.  I am afraid for the time when it will be us, but I know that these dear friendships will last forever and will be renewed in the next life.  

Elder and Sister Nielson are leaving the mission April 9th.

Lots of speeches and testimonies were given this night, lots of dancing, performing and food, but my favorite and most touching moment was hearing the members and missionaries singing Aku Anak Tuhan..........I Am A Child of God.            We are all children of God.

  

Love and our service to others is the only thing we can actually take with us when we die.   

I am happy to be able to fill my heart with more love from this part of the world. 

Something Special for Aubree

So Aubree, these two photos are for you.  

The first one is an ad that I saw in the Plaza Singapore Mall.  I thought you would enjoy it.  

The second photo was on the housekeeping cart on the way to our hotel room and Dad thought I should get a picture to send to you so you get a special blog post just for you!  ^_^  

We love you!  

Leaving Something in Singapore

So this is a story of leaving something behind wherever we went this week.  I was first.  We had to fly to Singapore this week for a visa run and for Zone/Senior Conference.  As we waited to board the plane for Singapore in the Kuching Airport I pulled out my Samsung Tablet to do language study.  Soon another Senior Couple from Miri showed up at our gate.  We had not met this cute couple from Miri before so we began talking and getting to know them.  They are the Martin’s from Australia and they are so cute.  They are newlyweds, having been married only about 18 months.  Both lost their spouses about the same time and they had known each other for a long time (in fact he had been her Bishop and knew all her kids, etc)so it was a good match.  They are having a splendid time with each other by themselves in Miri.  

Our flight was called and we boarded the plane.  After takeoff I reached down to pull out my tablet and realized I had left it sitting on the bench at the boarding area, forgetting all about it while talking with Sister Martin.  I was frantic, but I had hope because we have found the Malaysian people, at least here in Kuching, to be very honest so as soon as we landed in Singapore and went through customs I located the “Lost and Found” and proceeded to make a report which they faxed to the Kuching Airport.  I could do nothing else about it and there was so much for me to do at the Conference so I just prayed and let the Lord handle it. 

We checked into the V Hotel in Singapore and met up with other senior missionaries who were all staying there.  It is a nice enough hotel, but the smallest room we have ever stayed in.  Our inside room overlooked the pool. 

This sign in the hotel elevator cracked me up.  The spiny thing is the infamous Durian fruit that is popular in Asia.  You have to acquire a taste for it and the smell is overwhelming....right up there with pets and cigarettes.  It smells like rotten eggs so most westerners who try it have to plug their noses first.  The odor does tend to linger for a long time, hence this sign.

Elder Moulder eating a meal at a food court in Singapore.  We had to find a table where we could so we sat next to the cute many across from him.  He thought we were amusing.

My meal at the same food court.  Yummy broth but these meatballs made of pork were not my favorite.

After unpacking we met the Martin’s to go to a shop she wanted to check out to get some sewing notions.  This was our first experience with the MRT, the local subway/train in Singapore.  We were so impressed!  Speaking with some Singaporians later in the week they made the comment that since they are a new country they were able to take advantage of all the things that the western cultures had learned and apply them to their fledgling country in the 60’s when all these things were planned and built.  They sure did it right! 

Long escalators all over Singpaore.

Crowds gather at the doors of the trains but there is no pushing and shoving really.  There is a green arrow designating the area for passengers to get off the train first and the orange arrows designate the space for passengers to que up to get on the train.  Very well organized and mostly complied with.  We are very impressed.

 We went to the Plaza Singapore Mall and I was in heaven looking at all the fabric available in this store called Spotlight.  Of course they had all the gadgets (I am a gadget person) and such but I restrained myself for now.  I did, however, decide that I would lay claim to the sewing machine left by former missionaries who lived in our apartment.  I had told the other couple that I didn’t care to keep it if they had another plan for it, but now with a baby joining our family I think I should make at least one quilt or so……

At the mall I took some photos of the space, the store and some kids.  Cute, cute kids are everywhere here.  

Plaza Singapore Mall

Inside the Mall

Clothing kiosk at the Mall

Mom's with their children who want to ride the mall toys.

Lots and lots of fabric....this is just one shot.  I was surrounded by tables and walls filled with fabulous fabric.

 

After the mall we headed for the Mission Office for me to practice some music for the evening. By 6PM all the Senior Missionaries had arrived and we had a catered meal in the beautiful Stake Center in front of the Mission Office. 

Missionaries of all ages love to be fed.

Then we had a little program which was fun.  And then we braved the MRT again to return to our hotel, the V.

Up early on Wednesday we returned to the Stake Center and were taught by the President and his Assistants.  We had lunch on our own this day and I had some things to edit on the power point presentation we were making in the afternoon so I pulled out my computer and there it was!  The answer to my prayer….a message from a security guard at the Kuching Airport.  He had found my tablet! I had not closed it or protected it in any way because I was in mid use and then forgot about it, so he got on and found my email and sent me a message asking if I was the one who had left a Samsung.  After that there were several other emails from security people and an arrangement made for me to pick it up on my return to Kuching on Friday.  The woman from the security office was waiting for me in the baggage area and she came to me and asked if I was Mrs. Moulder.  I wanted to meet the man who found it and tell him thank you, but she didn’t know who it was.  I was very happy and felt very blessed.

Our presentation Wednesday afternoon went well and we realize that we have a lot to do in this country and we are not alone.  All the Seniors were so excited to get involved in Family History and to have ways to use Family History as a retention and activation tool.  There is a huge membership number in East Malaysia, enough that they could probably be a stake, but the activation level is so low.  We are not sure why, but with the Lord’s help we can find them and bring them back. 

Thursday evening after the conference ended we went to dinner with two of the couples we had met.  Pictures are below.

It was very weird to get a first glimpse at what appeared to be a single plane structure in the background.  As we walked we could see the other sides to this building and in fact there are two of them built with a different angle depending on where you are looking from.  Very weird.

I think we were along a famous hangout place for nighttime entertainment because when we finished eating our dinner and came out this place was filled with people eating, drinking, chatting and the music was very loud.

Elder Moulder eating his dinner.

This is what he ate.  The Mango drink was very good too.  Lots of wonderful fruit juice drinks here.

 

What happened next is hilarious.  Elder Moulder and I shared a dinner (chicken shish kababs).  After eating Elder Moulder thought he had a piece of food in his teeth so he tried to get it out but instead of food his tooth came out!  

So the second thing we left in Singapore is Elder Moulder’s left front canine tooth!  We are now calling him Toothless…^_^  

Yep.....Toothless!

Fortunately we were at dinner with a missionary couple who had just seen the dentist this week so we got a name and address and directions to the office and decided we needed to just show up the next morning to see if they could fit us in.  We did report to the Mission President’s wife per our instructions and she told us we had better stay in Singapore because the history of dental care for missionaries in Kuching has not been good.  We decided we had too much to do to hang out in Singapore but we would make the final decision in the morning after seeing the dentist.  We did get in to see a cute female specialist who was wonderful and she told us that the tooth had been decaying long enough that it just broke off and she wasn’t able to glue it back in because there wasn’t enough tooth left to glue it to.  It has been happening so long, though, that his body had filled in the space where it broke off so there is no hole and no way bacteria could get in so if we didn’t mind we could just wait until we have more time and return for a root canal, etc. 

The beautiful medical/dental facility we went to Friday morning.

Elder Moulder is now having a lot of fun playing with the space between his teeth and telling everyone that I hit him and knocked his tooth out.  He will return to Singapore later in the month to get a temporary and then we will get the permanent crown when we return for our next conference in June.  

When we returned to our apartment in Kuching on Friday evening we found that before they left for conference (seniors leave a day before the young missionaries because we have a senior conference and then we attend the young missionary conference too) the Sisters had decorated our apartment (they keep a key to both senior apartments) with hearts all over the place. 

Cute Sister Rhodes who just learned (from my email because she couldn't wait until Monday) from her sister that she will have a nephew, not a neice.

Lots of love was shared and we loved it!  Our cute Sisters!  We love them.  We didn’t have too much time to enjoy the hearts because we had a baptism Friday night, three men from the Matang Branch were baptized and the one young many needed a ride because he lives so far away.  It was just past where we took Sister Stephanie that night in the rain (a story from a prior blog post) but there was no rain this time.  It was great to see these men baptized.  

As we were driving there was a motorcycle that crashed into a car right next to us.  I heard it before I saw it but I saw the passenger hit the ground and roll.  We pulled over to help.  Elder Moulder, two young missionaries and our new member got out and found the driver of the motorcycle to be a young many who was very drunk.  His female passenger was obviously in bad shape but he just yelled at her to get back on the bike (I was surprised it was driveable) which I guess she did and they drove away.  The SUV they hit was smashed badly in the back.  Elder Moulder said it was clear a helmet smashed the back windshield.  All he wanted to do was get away but the Elders had picked up the license plate from the bike and before giving it back wrote it down and gave it to the driver of the SUV.  The bike left just as the police arrived and we decided it was time for us to leave.  No one else was injured but it was difficult for our sweet Elder’s to see the girl obviously hurt badly and being yelled at and not cared for by the drunk driver.  Difficult stuff to see as some people make bad choices.  

 

Today at Church (Matang Branch Conference) we met with two little families who are ready to go to the temple.  They want to go in May and the Nielson’s have helped them achieve this goal but will be leaving their mission in April so they are turning the responsibility for Temple Preparation over to us and we will be helping them.  It is such a pleasure to see this.  The one family has a 19 year old daughter who is our Family History Consultant for this Branch.  She wants to serve a mission in a couple of years when she is finished with this part of her schooling so she is considering receiving her endowments now also.   

Sweet Matang families ready for the temple with Elder and Sister Nielson.

They cannot go by themselves because most of them are humble people who have never been on an airplane or in an airport and need to have someone to help them.  We would like to go with them, but we were told by President Mains that senior couples are allowed only one trip during their missions and Elder Moulder has promised to go with someone in November already so we will have to try and find someone else to escort these families if we can.  What a great problem to have! 

We love this work! 

One of the announcements that excited all the missionaries at our Conference was the announcement by President Mains that the Malay Book of Mormon will soon be here.  He told us that he was contacted to ask how many books he wanted to order.  A normal first run order for a new language is 4,000.  Pres. Mains told them he wanted 10,000 and that should last about a year.  He told us that his challenge to the missionaries is to place one Book of Mormon per day per companionship.   He recalled the promised blessings from Ezra Taft Benson when he spoke a number of years ago of “flooding the earth” with the Book of Mormon.  It occurred to me that many of the immigration issues we are facing in Malaysia right now are “fiery darts” from the Adversary to try and hinder the work with the Book of Mormon coming soon.  It will not work.  There is an energy here in this country that we can feel.  The youth here are amazing and we are so happy to be here at this time to see the Lord’s hand in this part of his Vineyard. 

Our Assistants to the Presidents.  They both taught lessons at the Conference and did a great job.  These are such wonderful young men and women out here.  I am so grateful to serve with them.