Sibu

Mom!

   Your right, I was just thinking the other day of how I didn’t like Miri at first and then by the time I left, I had fallen in love with that place and the members there. I don’t think I will ever be able to forget the people in Miri, but I am getting to love the people in Sibu as well.  The city of Sibu is an interesting place. It is like Miri except Sibu is a lot poorer.  All of our areas are behind big buildings where the people have built little huts and shacks in the alleyways.

     Some parts of Sibu are on fire right now.  I just got back from an area called Sibu Jaya, where my bff from the MTC is serving. I had to give eight baptismal interviews there!!! They are baptizing people by the handfuls in Sibu Jaya. . . but other areas haven’t had a baptism in some years.  

Uno Champ getting baptized!

     We spent most of this week trying to find the less active members in Sibu, but we also found some new people to teach. We are teaching this little boy who loves to play Uno with us.  We told him that if he does his reading, we would play Uno with him!  He is such a good kid.  Every week, he brings his friends to church and teaches them out of his Book of Mormon picture book!

     In the last four months that I have been working with the Iban, I have never felt the presence of the Spirit so strongly in my life; but, I've also never felt the presence of Satan so strongly in my life.  The Iban culture has pagan rituals in which they practice a belief in witches and evil spirits.  We have had some crazy experiences and close calls; but, I have witnessed the power of the Priesthood in dealing with those experiences.  It has made me realize that evil spirits do not stand a chance and they know it. Whenever we meet people who have are possessed, the one thing that those people cannot stand to see is us--they will do anything they can to get as far away from us as possible. It makes me glad that I am on the "winning team" as President Mains always says.

I love you Mom and I loved Skyping with you!!

Elder Madsen