Seventh Week in Melaka

     Melaka has been very wet this week--it has rained nonstop!  For five straight days, it has just poured down rain; so, every day we have just been drenched because we still have places to go and we have to cycle in the rain for miles and miles!!   Oh, and I need more money.  I hit a coconut and crashed my bike; so, I will have to take it in for repairs sometime this week!

     This week was pretty good.  We taught a Tammil family.  They fed me the spiciest thing I have ever had in my life. They buy four or five small fish from the market and lay them out on the ground with chili pods.   Then they take a huge rock and just smash and grind the fish and the chilies together.  Then we ate it!  I took a small spoon full and instantly I started dripping sweat!

       We also have a couple of investigators that are pretty close to baptism, so hopefully they will remain strong.  One of them is a Chinese girl.  It is hard to teach her because she does not speak Malay.  She only speaks basic English, but sometimes we can get a ward member to translate for her. No one here calls English “English”; they call it, “White Man’s Language”.  This week we tried to talk to a Chinese lady and she called us "bodohs" which means “idiots”.  She said that she doesn’t speak "orang putih" which means “white person”. But, then we started talking to her in Malay and she instantly loved us and even fed us.

Malay Wedding

     This week we also got invited to a Malay wedding, it was a really cool experience. Since we are white and can speak Malay, everyone at the wedding loved us.  Random girls would run up to us and ask for pictures—but, that actually happens a lot!  They gave us the center table and instead of us giving the bride and groom gifts, they gave us gifts; and, instead of us getting in line for the buffet, they brought the buffet to us.  I’ve never eaten so much--all you can eat curry chicken and all the curry puffs you can eat. Way better than white people weddings, haha!  I also bought a baju malay which is what the Muslims wear to pray in. They look like pajamas and are made of a bright blue silk.   We also actually caught two biawak lizards this week.  One story is kinda brutal so I won’t tell you. But don’t worry, these lizards are swamp animals and kill people, so they are bad! (Now that I know the lizards kill people, I feel so much better! – Martha)  How is school?  It’s almost winter break and then you can Skype your favorite son!  I hope all is going well momma.  Love you and miss you and Rick! 

Jumpa Lagi, 

Elder Madsen