Mom

     It’s crazy how fast time is going!  All the sisters in my MTC group gave their "dying" testimonies at our zone conference. (It is their last conference before they go home, so this is their last time to bear their testimony at a zone conference.) I have a zone conference in February and then one more in May and then, BOOM, I am home!

     Lezter is doing well! He stopped smoking and we plan to baptize him on Saturday. We are wayy pumped about that!

     DANG, the Independence Mission there is getting huge. There is talk of a mission split here. We now have 150+ missionaries, but when I first got here we only had 88 missionaries—it’s doubled!! Haha MOM—you can’t remember where I am???  I have been in Kuching for almost 5 months now!! Come on!! Here is a run down of the places I have served:

1.  Melaka (West Malaysia) - 5 months

2. Miri (Sarawak, East Malaysia) - 3 months

                                                

3. Sibu (Sarawak, East Malaysia) – 6 weeks 

                                             

4. Sentosa, Kuching (Sarawak, East Malaysia) - 6 weeks

5. Batu Kawa, Kuching (Sarawak, East Malaysia) - 3 months

     I have served almost my entire mission in Sarawak, which is the poorest area in Malaysia and has all of the tribes like the Ibans.

     All the Elders like to compare themselves to see whose Malay is better. My Malay is one of the best in my group, BUT they call it “trash” Malay because I learned to speak Malay from the Ibans who speak “dirty” Malay. The Ibans don’t pronounce or conjugate verbs; therefore, I have yet to serve in Sabah where all of the tourists go. (Sabah has really nice beaches!) In Sabah, Malay is their first language so it’s nice, pure Malay--not the dirty Malay that the tribes speak. But, I really do love Sarawak and never want to leave!

I love you mom and thanks for everything!

Elder Madsen