New Year!

It’s almost the new year, and that means it’s time for us to reflect upon what we have achieved and accomplished in 2012.  It has been quite the year, the only year that I have ever completely dedicated 100% of the year to missionary work.  What a blessing that has been and will be as I finish my mission this upcoming year.  In this last year I have had only 3 areas meaning I have had such great opportunity to get close to the members of each of the 3 branches I have gotten to serve in.  It’s kind of crazy to think that in my entire 19 months of my mission I have only had 4 areas!  Each one has been so special and so rich in memories that I have no complaints or regrets.  Every time I get on a plane or a bus it hits me again and again, "I’m on Borneo, in Malaysia, and I’m a missionary!"  I have counted the number of plane rides I have taken on my mission and the number of long distant bus rides I have taken.  As of the end of 2012 I have taken 43 plane rides and 21 bus rides and entered Singapore 9 times.  I have eaten strange animals and animal parts (chicken butt anyone?).  I have lived next to the ocean.  I have sweated more and felt hotter than I ever have in my entire life.  So, when it comes to living life, it has been the best.  But more importantly, I have made lifelong friends that cannot be forgotten.  I have shared the gospel and watched it work (like magic) in the lives of countless people.  It has solidified my testimony that we are all sons and daughters of God.  We all share a divine potential to have eternal families and eternal like in the life to come.

I hope we all had a great year and will continue to make each year meaningful and positive! Happy New Year

A Christmas Message

Its Christmas season now and that is just so special.  It gives people the opportunity, or I like to think, the motivation to think about Christ.  Even though we should be thinking of Christ always, it is nice to see others doing the same for a change. In a world where Christ is often taken out of Christmas, each of us individually can ponder on the importance and splendor of this joyous holiday.  We can be the example to others by showing them what Christmas is all about. 

I love being a missionary because that is what I do.  I get to share a very simple yet profound message about Christ and invite others to follow his example and find renewed happiness in this life and the life to come.  Every day of the last year and a half has been like Christmas.  In serving others both temporally and spiritually I have a new respect and a stronger appreciation for Jesus Christ.  I hope that Christmas is special and happy for everyone!  

Shoe Thief

Micah is busy right now dealing with a robbery of his home.  His shoes, camera, and about $100 in local currency was stolen in addition to a few other minor things.  I doubt that he will spend time writing this week.  He and his companion were not home at the time and he had thoughtfully kept a backup of his photos on a thumb drive that was with him and so he still has that information and his ATM card.  We are working right now to ensure that he has sufficient funds in his bank account to withdraw enough to buy new shoes, another thumb drive (to now backup the backup) and a new camera.  -- just thought the rest of you would like to know.

P Day

Today was preparation day which meant that we went on a little trip.  Today we went to Lambir National Park near Miri.  It is said to be the most diverse rain forest Eco-system on earth!  It was a very rigorous hike in a steamy jungle, so naturally everyone was soaked head to toe... after the first 5 minutes.  The hike had some very interesting foliage, but the most exciting, and frightening thing would have to be the leaches!  They were everywhere you walked.  If you stood still for more than like 10 seconds you would have like 5 on your feet.  My feet are bloody with little suction marks.  It is so gross.  From what I know of leech anatomy, they excrete a blood thinner that just makes you bleed out, so yes, very gross.  We took two hikes that day, one to a water fall and the other to the summit of one of the small, very small, "mountains."  After living in the Rockies, nothing is a mountain.  Anyway, they were surprisingly difficult.  It made me realize how out of shape I am!  All in all we had a great experience and the summit was so worth it, I hope that the pictures do it justice!

Elder Chong from Malaysia with Micah

Micah with his companion Elder Bodhaine

Today was preparation day which meant that we went on a little trip.  Today we went to Lambir National Park near Miri.  It is said to be the most diverse rain forest Eco-system on earth!  It was a very rigorous hike in a steamy jungle, so naturally everyone was soaked head to toe... after the first 5 minutes.  The hike had some very interesting foliage, but the most exciting, and frightening thing would have to be the leaches!  They were everywhere you walked.  If you stood still for more than like 10 seconds you would have like 5 on your feet.  My feet are bloody with little suction marks.  It is so gross.  From what I know of leech anatomy, they excrete a blood thinner that just makes you bleed out, so yes, very gross.  We took two hikes that day, one to a water fall and the other to the summit of one of the small, very small, "mountains."  After living in the Rockies, nothing is a mountain.  Anyway, they were surprisingly difficult.  It made me realize how out of shape I am!  All in all we had a great experience and the summit was so worth it, I hope that the pictures do it justice!

Perma-Wet and Old People

Well, this week has seen me getting wet nearly every single day, and then I got sick.  It has very literally rained everyday for long periods of time, and exactly at the moment I have to be out on my bike.  Anyway, Miri had its own very miniature version of Hurricane Sandy.  Tuesday of last week was an incredibly stormy day.  There was ridiculousness strong winds and buckets of water.  My companion and I got stranded in a Mall for a couple of hours.  After waiting, we stepped out and half of all the trees were uprooted and buildings were collapsed.  The weak architecture did not hold up for a lot of people living in wooden shack houses.  It created a lot of service project opportunities though, which was great.  Last week we helped to clear massive trees that had fallen down at a retirement home.  It was really a great experience, especially with a crowd of old people cheering you on. 

All in all things are quite good, I am used to being in a state of "perma-wet"  Its still a little crazy to think that I only have 6 months left!  It is a time warp here, everything in the real world seems to be moving so fast!  So many of my friends are getting married, crazy.  Anyway, have a great day!

Singapore Zoo

So this week was an adventurous one, lots of fun things.  It marked my 7th Singapore trip and by far the best one yet.  This time around we had a lot of free time to go and do whatever.  So a few of us thought it would be fun to go to the Singapore Zoo!  The Singapore zoo is the number 1 ranked zoo in the world and it has a Night Safari attraction, which is the only one of its kind in the world.  The night safari displays the hundreds of different animals that are nocturnal and can normally not be seen at a regular zoo.  The safari opened at 6:30, right before it gets dark.  It was so great!  At the entrance there is this fish tank full of little fish that eat the dead skin off your feet.  It tickles so bad, and takes all your concentration not to pull your feet out of the water.  The feeling is indescribable and very memorable.  After that there was a fire breathing show with some dancing, very interesting and impressive how big they can make the flames.  After that there are a dozen or so trails that you can take in addition to a tram that will take you around the whole park.  I wish we had more time to see everything, but the stuff we were able to see was great!  My favorites had to be the flying squirrel, the jungle cats exhibit, and the wolves!

This trip also marked a significant milestone in my mission, I finally had sushi!  It has almost a year and a half since I have had raw fish, and let me tell you, it was soooooooo good.  I don't trust Malaysia to make me sushi so I waited until Singapore.  And this time around I actually had time to go and eat it!

Included with the blog post are pictures, one of which has me wearing my fanny pack!

Love you guys so much, do something worthwhile, and make sure you are having fun doing it!

Photos

 Branch activity at the beach, I got buried alive and then they got creative...

 This is with Dick and Martha, my 2 most favorite people in Malaysia.  They took us to steamboat BBQ, all you can eat.

 This was the last day I was in Kuching, got to spend it with some of my favorite people ever!  Brother Martin BBQ'd up some wings and pork, so great!

This is the most beautiful  beach ever in Kuching, best 1 hour hike to get there too!

Missionaries!

So this week has me excited for two of my house mate's birthdays!  YES.  It means birthday cake and good food for a couple of days.  Anyway, apart from that, I am just really excited to hear that some of my cousins might be headed out on a mission a little bit earlier than I had previously expected. With 40+ cousins I am confident that at least 1 of them will go to the same mission as me.  Congrats to Britney, Brandon, Kyle, and Kayla that are going to be making that decision very soon!  I hope they choose to serve, greatest thing ever.  So, back to me, nothing much going on.  I get to go to Singapore next week, best paid vacation in the mission (don't tell anyone I said that).  Also, I may or may not be investing in some attack equipment as my companion and I try to fend off this especially ravenous pack of dogs.  One idea that my companion's dad had was to fill pray bottles with ammonia and spray the heck of the mangy dogs.  I like the idea.  I also like kicking them in the face.  Knock on wood, but I have yet to get bitten by one.  Well, send me any ideas that you might have about how I can inflict the most amount of pain with the littlest mess and expense.  For anyone that knows me I never was a softy for animals (I credit this to my animal-hating mother (I love her though)), and that has just gotten stronger as I see the state of animal care in Malaysia.  There are stray dogs everywhere.  And the ones that actually have owners still look disgusting, in fact most of them look like chupacabras, hairless nasty looking things.  

Anyway, on another note, its durian season, and anyone who knows what that means can cringe with me.  If you don't know what a durian is, look it up.  If you ever have to try one, you might vomit.  It has the texture of baby poop and tastes like a rancid onion.  The smell... open to interpretation, just imagine the worst smell in the world.  

On another note, I am contemplating my next lifestyle purchase.  After the fanny pack was such a success I’ve sort of hit a brick wall.  If anyone has any ideas please shoot me an email.  I’m always trying to spice up my life within the confines of missionary conduct ;)

Love you all, have fantastic day!  Jaga diri baik baik!  Tidak lama lagi saya balik, tuju bulan sahaja.  menyediakan hadiah ok? :) main main sahaja.  Wow, I just tried to put that in Google translate and it failed...

Jungle Trekking

So I didn't write a blog post last week because I was on a bus... for 18 hours.  I thought that I was going to die, it was that painfully boring and uncomfortable.  So, this week I got transferred to Miri, the northern city of Sarawak.  Kuching, the area I was previously serving in was the southern city of Sarawak.  If you look at a map you might think that the distance between the two cities is not very much, and you would be right.  But what a map cannot tell you is how undeveloped the road system is.  It is like jungle trekking in a bus.  The roads have so so so so so many pot holes, it’s amazing that the buses can actually function.  But to make things worse, last Monday, the day I took the bus, was a public holiday, so the buses were full.  I think I got one of the last tickets on the bus, and it happened to be the crappiest bus company too.  Anyway, the experience was horrible, I have never been more uncomfortable in my entire life, and did I mention in was 18 hours!

Well, the very next day I have a flight to go back to Kuching!  The only reason that I took a bus to Miri was so that I could drop my stuff off, get 4 hours of sleep and then take off in the morning back to Kuching.  I stayed in Kuching for one day and one night and it was so great. I got to see all the people that I had to give rushed good byes to, and spend some quality time in the city I love!  After that, the following day I had a flight to Singapore to pick up a new missionary and take him back to Miri.  Singapore is always great, love it there, it’s like a mini Tokyo.

So here I am in Miri, a new area, no investigators, a new missionary that doesn't speak the language, and little to no idea what to do.  Love you guys!

Fanny Pack

I bought a fanny pack today.  I know.  But it is so worth it.  Its blue.  Double zipper + internal department zipper.  Nike.  Water resistant cordura technology.  Looked cool on the manikin.  I love it, it takes all the weight off my back, no more sweating back that never dries until you go home and take a shower.  No more sore shoulders or back.  And best of all it forces my companion to take all the teaching materials :)  Day one of ownership=total consumer satisfaction.  I will tell you though, the switch to the fanny pack was not an overnight decision, it took contemplation and eventually a leap into the unknown.  I have had my eye on the particular fanny pack that I purchased for quite some time.  Every time I walk into the store I tell myself that I am going to buy it, but never do.  It turns into a vicious cycle of desire, determination, and then no follow through.  I always walk out of the store empty handed.  Today was a different day, my fanny pack was 25% off, it beckoned me and I answered with a definitive and resounding YES.  For the first time, and not the last, I am the proud owner of a fanny pack.  The versatility and style go hand in hand to create the perfect "stuff" carrier.  I would be doing you all a disservice if I did not recommend the fanny pack to all of you.  It’s not for everyone though, and I think I might have to put a caution label with my father's name on it :) Love you dad, but the fanny is not for you.

Anyway, life is good as always, fun is always within desire's reach, and I desire a lot of it!  Love you guys a lot, hope you guys love life, have a great week.

Identity Crisis

So for those of you that really know me, you know that my nationality has been in question for a long time.  Am I Asian, Jewish, Mexican, Filipino, very difficult to say.  This makes it really easy to fake my nationality here in Malaysia.  Whenever I speak Malay people are always taken aback, they don't know what to think of me being able to speak their language.  According to most people, I almost look Malaysian, but not quite.  As I have been in the sun biking for quite a few months now, I have gotten a lot darker.  The other thing is, there are so many races here in Malaysia, and all of them look so different.  Just to name a few there are; Malays, Ibans, Bidayuh, Penan, Melanau, Sungai, Dusun, Katazan, Chinese, Filipino, Tamil, Nigerian, and so many more!  Anyway, I’ve been getting in the habit of telling people I’m from Sabah, the northern state on the island of Borneo.  I get tired of having to explain my nationality, because Japanese-American is the last thing that people expect me to tell them.  For some reason they just can't see it.  So I tell people I am Katazan or Dusun, it works every single time!  They generally say something like: Patut lah kamu pandai cakap bahasa.  Oh betul, mukah kamu macam orang Sabah lah!  Sometimes people don't really see it.  First they ask me, is your father white?  I say no.  Is your mom white?  I say no.  Then they ask me if there was a scandal in my family... I laugh and tell them no.  In the end though, they always believe that I am a fellow Malaysian.  After that, me being able to speak Malay is normal to them and life is good.

I also have this picture album of my family that I carry around and show my everyone.  The first thing that they always say is wow, your mom looks Chinese!  I say, well, she is Japanese, sort of close.  They then say, oh of course, of course.  Then they see a picture of Misha and they say she looks Korean, they also ask me if she is Korean.  Then they see another picture of my mom and they say she looks Chinese.  It take a few rounds of me telling them that they are both Japanese before it really sinks in with some people.  And EVERY SINGLE TIME people think Misha is my older sister by about 4 years.

Well, that is my life here in Malaysia.  I have officially integrated myself into the culture to the point that people think I am one of them.  Now I just need to ditch my super white companions and the transformation will be complete!  haha  Well have a great day and don't forget to pray!

Rainy Day

So today was my p-day and we had a great zone activity where we played badminton.  Naturally I won, and was crowned badminton champion.  It was a competitive last match, but my competitive nature kicked into gear and there is that.  Anyway, the excitement of the day came after we played.  We were all getting ready to head back when it started to rain, really hard.  Within 10 minutes the streets were an inch in water.  We were waiting it out but it wasn't looking like it was getting any better, so we just got on our bikes and left.  We are a 40 minute bike ride from our house... it was brutal.  By the time we started biking the water level was up to our feet on our bikes.  But the story gets better.  About 10 minutes into biking it starts to thunder and lighting.  As we were pulling out of a stop light, a massive thunderbolt strikes, and I thought I was going to die, because it was so close.  You could feel your hairs rise!  Anyway, the thunder was so loud that all the cars in the parking lot next to the road started going off, it was great!  It never stopped raining as we biked home, in fact it got stronger.  And every time I heard thunder, I thought I was going to die.  The water eventually got too deep for motorcycles, and then for cars.  Lucky us, we had our bikes.  It’s probably the only time I have ever been thankful to have a bike rather than a motorcycle.  Everyday I curse every motorized vehicle that passes me, as I struggle with every hill in this massive sauna called Malaysia.  Riding bikes for 2-4 hours a day is really fun.  Being so sweaty you look like you are wet is really fun.  No one we ever meet has air conditioning, so sometimes we take refuge in the ATM rooms until the police officer tries to tell us to go... but can't speak English.  So we play dumb and stay a few more minutes, it’s actually quite funny, playing the white-man-card is very effective.  Although, I am getting dark enough now that sometimes people think that I’m a native... good thing my companion is the whitest person I’ve ever met :)   Anyway, it was the most enjoyable bike ride I have ever had in my entire life, I was wet, actually felt cold, and the fastest on the road :)  Oh, and the cemetery next to our house flooded, it looks really creepy. And the last 10 minutes of the bike ride I may or may not have taken my shirt off.  I got a lot of strange looks, but I never felt more free, and cold, absolute bliss.

Jesus Christ Changes Lives

So I thought I would update the blog by saying things are going great here in Malaysia.  There is so much work to be done here that it feels overwhelming at times, but the zone is amazing and I really like interacting with them all.  I think one of the highlights would have to be the life style.  Kuching is a beautiful city with wonderful people.  I love interacting with the members here and teaching people about Jesus Christ.  It has become my life, and will be for the next 9 months more!  The beaches here are sublime.  Just last week we went to a national park called Bako, took a 20 minute speed boat ride and hiked for an hour to get to one of the prettiest beaches I have ever seen!  The food is amazing, take your pick, Chinese, Malay, Iban, and even McDonalds!  Yes I finally live in a place that has a McDonalds!  I love it, never thought I would say that but I do, I love it.  Next week I go to Singapore again and I have my eye set on some Carls Junior and some Subway.

On a more spiritual note, one family that we are teaching has been sober for 1 week!  Record!  It has been so rewarding to be there every step of the way in their conversion process.  We met them 2 months ago and the changes that they have made in their life are HUGE.  I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ does make families happier, no doubt in my mind.  People respect each other more and people make better decisions when Christ is leading the way.  For those of you who are members of the church, cherish it, it is so valuable.  Any for those that are not, go find a guy in a white shirt, tie and name tag and ask him why he is happy doing what he does.

Ramadan

So next week is going to be a very special week.  I get to go back to Bintulu and see all of my recent converts!  We have a zone meeting there so we fly out next Wednesday and are there for three days.  I can't wait!  On another note, the days here have started to get hotter as the dry season is kicking into full swing.  Last Friday Ramadan started so for the next month the Muslims will be fasting.  The good part of this is ever evening at around 6:30 there are amazing street markets that pop up to serve the large number of Muslims observing the fast.  The food is delicious and cheep, what more could you ask for.  But I have to say, I will look forward to not eating fried food when I get back home.  EVERYTHING is fried here, everything.  Good thing I’m not good at getting fat :)  Anyway, my life is quite nice, I really enjoy it, hope you guys love your life too!

"Yay, I have worms!"

So as most of you know I just moved to Kuching, previously being in Bintulu.  Bintulu was a wonderful place, but one of the poorest in all of Malaysia.  As a result, most of the drinks that people offered us were made with non-filtered water.  This wasn't too big a deal until I started losing weight, quite a bit of weight.  So I consulted with the mission doctor and I will be taking de-worming medicine!  Yay, I have worms!  Maybe now I can get fat and not have stomach problems all the time :)  For all you in America that want to lose weight, I’d be more than happy to send you unfiltered water from Malaysia.  I’m sure it will work wonders, as it did with me.  I'll be getting the medicine sometime next week, and I’ll be sure to let you know how it goes.  I will now be taking bets as to how many worms and how long... just kidding, but really, if you want to.

Picture

From another missionary serving with Micah who wrote this home:

"We were sad that Elder Putnam got transferred but he is happy because he was made a zone leader in Kuching (bigger city in E. Malaysia) AND he is happy to be leaving the house they have lived in because it's had problems (like when heavy rains come, sewage water back up into their bath and sometimes kitchen) and they couldn't find another house that the mission could afford. The houses behind them look better than they really are.  He and elder Teh both leaving for Kuching, the other 2 elders stay put."

Zone Leader and Transfer

I am officially a zone leader now!  I just got the call and I will now be transferring to Kuching, the capitol of Sarawak, East Malaysia.  There will be like 14 people in my zone I think.  I am really excited to move there but really sad at the same time because I have so many recent converts that I would have like to spend more time with.  But, it is kind of exciting to be a zone leader.  More of a chance to go to Singapore, monthly travel to Sibu, and apparently my area is way good.  We have this member that lives in the house right behind ours and she cooks for us every day, no lie.  The elders before had to run away from her because it was TOO much food.

I leave on Monday on a 12 hour bus ride to get there!  Ugh.

Wish me luck, I will let you know how things went next Wednesday.

Bathroom Finding

These last few days have been pretty difficult as far as finding new people goes. When you live in an area where 90% of the people are Muslim it makes it really difficult.  And because Malaysian law says that it is illegal to approach or teach Muslims, our pool of potential investigators is small.  We go knocking, we ask people where Christians live, we see people in Pasars and try to talk to them, but most of the time it just doesn't work.  So yesterday my companion and I heard of this brand new way of meeting people.  So revolutionary and so effective that it would work anywhere, even here in Sandakan.  The method is called bathroom finding. It involves, the missionary, me, needing to use the bathroom but having no public restrooms.  We find a nice looking neighborhood and knock on the first promising door.  What happens after than is i make a very pained expression and say "Maaf gangu tapi saya perlu guna tandas! Boleh kah saya gunu tandas mu skejap sajah?"  They look at you like what are you doing, but you keep on talking before they can say no.  You quickly say, "skajap sajah, saya dari Amerika and tak tahu di mana ada tandas, minta!"  Then they say, OK.  You go use their restroom while your companion has a prime time to talk to them.  You take your time take a look around the house to make sure they arn't Muslim and then make your way back to the front door.  If they aren't Muslim its a thumbs up and you continue talking to them for as long as they will let you.  This does work!  We were able to talk to these two ladies for over 30 minutes, and they were Christian!

Gawai and 1 year!

So I thought I would give you a little preview of what my life is going to be like this next week.  This next week is going to be the biggest holiday of the year for the native Iban people.  And because 90% of Bintulu is Iban, everyone is going to be celebrating Gawai.  What does this mean for me?  It means that no one is going to be out of down, and everyone who stays at home is going to be drunk out of their mind.  Everyone in Sarawak has a "kampung" house, which means they ALL have a second house in the jungle.  They are called long houses, the longer, the more prestige.  If  you have time, Google long house in Sarawak and see what comes up.  These houses are just amazing and they are just huge!  Anyway, every year people make their pilgrimage back to the long house to celebrate Gawai.  So it looks like I might be out of a job for the next week or two   I love all you guys!

ps. I almost forgot this Friday marks 1 year out on my mission!  Wow, time flies

May Day

Yesterday in celebration of May Day we had a big BBQ party, it was amazing.  It had rained in the morning so it was a little over cast making it not too hot for a beach outing.  The water was too warm but luckily there was a stream that fed into the ocean with cold water!  

A good turn out

The Beach

It was bring your own rice BBQ, no rice for us, just meat

 Me with Sister Rammy, one of the sweetest ladies you could ever meet 

Trying to keep the sun off  

Me after the Beach, i was so sunburnt!  And so sandy and wet after the water fight. 

Changes

So today I thought I would talk a little about how things have changed since I have been on my mission.  The first would have to be that I actually love bananas.  Anyone who is truly my friend knows that this is an incredible feat because I have never been able to eat a banana without inducing vomiting.  I was absolutely out of my comfort zone when people here just started feeding my bananas and I couldn't just refuse without being really rude.  So I ate banana after banana until one day I actually started liking them.  This same thing has actually happened with mangoes as well.  I am convinced that the mangoes that grow in Malaysia are the best in the world.  They aren't fibery and but instead so smooth and easy to eat, and incredibly cheap!  The second thing that has changed would have to be my definition of cleanliness.  Yes, again to all who know me, I hate dirty things, my OCD is too strong.  But now my eyes have been opened to the fact that a little dirt here and there is not going to kill me.  When you have seen a little girl pee her pants on the floor and then see a man take his shirt off to clean the mess, it changes you.  Today was my 11 month mark with 13 months left to go.  I can only imagine what else could change when so much already has! 

New Companion and Giant insects

So it’s time I gave you all an update.  I just got a new companion that I will be training.  This last week I got to go to Singapore for a few days to pick him up and show him around.  This is the first time in my mission that I actually had time to go see Singapore and take in all the beautiful urban scenery.  It truly is the cleanest city in the world, no trash, no gum on the sidewalks, gorgeous buildings and all the art that is scattered throughout the city.  Just the other day I counted all the plane rides iv had to take on my mission and it turned out to be 21 plane rides and 8 long bus rides.  With the mission so scattered and will cities so isolated, some sort of traveling is needed nearly every month.  I love it and I love my mission even more.  Second best to preaching the gospel in Malaysia is the opportunity to meet new people and experience culture in a way that is impossible for a tourist.  I cherish every moment of culture shock that I have experienced since being here.  I thought I would share a coupe funny moments of the past few weeks.

1. While Elder Teh and I were contacting we met a man and his name of Rapin John, I kid you not, he even spelled it out for me.  The more I got to know this man the more I thought maybe the name is appropriate for him, after all he did marry his wife at a very young age... she was 14.  Regardless of this he was very nice and we have made plans to teach him and his wife :)

2. There are these giant flying insects called Ninyets, they terrify me.  Even more so they terrify my companion, so the little kids will catch them and terrorize him until he promises to buy them candy.  Because he is so scared of them I don’t get bothered very often :)  They also like to fry the insect up and eat them, mmmm we already received a few dinner invites... we'll see

I love you all, especially my family.  A special shout out to Grandma and Grandpa they are so supportive. I wish you guys the happiest week this fine month of April.  If you can't wait till summer, count your many blessings that you have seasons... cold ones.  Cherish the cold months and pray they last long.

New Companion

So I’m at the Singapore airport right now and I will be heading to Kuching and then on to Bintulu.  It has been a really fun last couple of days here.  I ate Carls Junior, had amazing ice cream and Subway, what more could I ask for right now.  I just got a new companion his name is Elder Tyler, he is very tall and seems to be a cool guy.  I love you!

Niah Caves

So yesterday all the missionaries in Bintulu went to Niah Caves, a cave system near our house.  It was a way cool experience, it was about a 1 hour hike in the jungle to get to the entrance of the caves and then a 40 minute hike in the cave to get to the other entrance of it.  It smelled like bat guano, so not a nice smell.  And, there were these giant crickets the size of mice, that was freaky, not to mention bats, everywhere!  It  was one of the sweatiest hike of my life and absolutely enjoyable.  I managed not to get any mosquito bites, and then we got back to base camp and I got bit twice!  Anyway, here are some pictures of the day.

The cave entrance 

BBQ party the night before the hike 

BBQ party the night before the hike 

The crocodile infested river we had to cross 

The boat ride... 1 minute long 

Hiking through the jungle 

Us on the big rock 

Beginning the DECENT 

The Exit 

Baptism Oops!

(A story as told by another missionary serving with Micah)

This was a funny experience last Saturday evening.  Elder Putnam and his companion, in preparing for 2 baptisms, actually forgot to turn the faucet on in the baptismal font and it takes several hours to fill!

So when they got there, they went into panic mode to get the font filled with enough water to baptize.  Luckily those being baptized were a 13 yr old boy (who looks 10 or 11) and an 11 year old girl, so they didn't need to fill the font to capacity.

Still, they enlisted the kids that were there to help and they all thought it was a fun activity.  

We had just driven 2 1/2 hrs from Miri so we didn't arrive for the 7pm baptism until about 7:20 and this is what we found, so after taking a video, we entered into the rush to get it ready.  If you look closely, you can see one of the kids even dropped his large bowl in the water and had to climb down to retrieve it.

Elder Putnam was practically soaking wet with sweat but at least he had a smile on his face.  He had me use his camera to take a longer video, but I don't know if he'll be able to send that home any time soon.  I thought his family would get a kick out of this.  It was pretty hilarious, but not unusual in East Malaysia!

Mom

PS  I also attached a photo of the 2 who got baptized with the Elders..... after everything calmed down.

Sarawak

So today I thought that I would talk a little about the history of Sarawak, the state that I am currently serving in.  Sarawak is rich in history and is predominantly Iban in nationality.  The Iban race has been on the island of Borneo for longer than anyone can remember.  They are most closely tied to head-hunting that any other native nationality on the island.  Because of this we hear a lot of legend and stories.  One legend is that, when building bridges, the Ibans would use skulls to reinforce the bridges.  They were like good luck charms that protected the bridges.  And, they didn't use just any kind of head, it had to be the head of a beautiful virgin.  So why do I share this with you all?  Well, there is just such a bridge that I walk across quite frequently, and it is sturdy!  It’s a beauty, entirely made of wood and very old, still usable.  So, either the Ibans are just really good at making bridges or America needs to start investing in some virgin heads.  I think this could really lengthen the life expectancy of all our infrastructure.  It’s something to consider.

Photos!

Poison

So I thought today I would share an experience I had this week in the deep depths of the Malaysian jungle.  So, it was just a regular Thursday, we rode our bikes out to this new area and started meeting people.  The place was off the main road and into a really full and dark jungle.  It was a really magical place actually, something you might see in a movie.  Anyway, we get into this lady's house and we are talking with her when all of a sudden she just stops and lets out a little scream.  Then she tells me not to move.  I am super confused and have no idea what’s going on.  Then my companion looks at me and freaks out, telling me not to move.  I see them both looking at my collar so I look down and this Caterpillar drops onto my lap.  They both freak out a little and I'm just confused again.  I'm thinking, Caterpillars are not that big of a deal, let’s not freak out.  Then she goes and tells me that it is highly poisonous and that would paralyze me and then give me a fever that would "boil my pee."  Anyway at that point I don't waste time flicking it off myself and then ushering it out the door.  So that was my encounter with the scary caterpillar.  So, life is never boring and something new is always happening!  Love you guys!

Visit with the Mission President

This week we had a special visit from our mission president, President Clark.  He is quite possibly one of the best speakers I have ever met, and I never fail to gain something from what he says.  This last week his topic for us missionaries was the Atonement of Christ.  I feel strongly that I should share some of my thought concerning this selfless sacrifice. It is the single most important event in history, it affects all mankind and it is our only hope for an eternal life.  I have a new found love for my savior and a new found desire to spread the good news, Christ lives and he loves us all.  It is only by the love of our father in heaven and his son Jesus Christ that our lives have light and joy.  I hope to convey to you all, my friends and family, to renew your relationship with your redeemer, even Jesus Christ!  There is infinite happiness that can come only through Him.  Have a wonderful week!

Love Elder Putnam

Photos



Elvis getting baptized Jan. 28



Car seat... Malaysian style... I dont know if they would sell well in America :)

Tarap, a fruit that is so average in taste people continue to buy it but never say they really like it...

Our favorite Chinese place in Sandakan

LDS Charities, the organization that gave away the wheel chairs

Me by the beach on one of the coldest days in Sandakan!

Roslyn getting baptized, she is so small and sweet Jan. 28





Cheese Cake

So guess what I found last week shopping, instant cheese cake mix.  You, when you live in Malaysia and cream cheese alone cost a fortune, this is exciting news!  Of course I had to buy it and make it as soon as possible.  While it did not come close to mom's cheese cake, it did fill the void of 6 months of no cheese cake.  Oh the little things that make my week.  Things could not be going better as a missionary.  I'm living in the same house as my first companion Elder Brooks and we just have a stellar time. The people are as ever, the greatest, especially during Chinese New Year, gong xi fa chai!  Everybody feeds you and everyone lets you into their home, so good!  And best of all, the language is going so well, I might try my hand at Chinese now, especially because my companion is native born Malaysian Chinese!

New Area

So hello everyone!  I just got transferred this week.  I am now in Bintulu, Sarawak, still in East Malaysia.  It was a difficult move, having been there for almost 6 months, I knew the people, the places and my house was clean to my standards :)  Anyway, the move has proved to be quite good, I really like the area that I am in the people I have met so far are fabulous.  One interesting fact about the two area, Sandakan and Bintulu is that they are both tied for most ghetto area in the mission.  And, because I am the only missionary to serve in both areas it is my responsibly to cast the final vote!  So far it’s a pretty close tie, but I might have to give "Most Ghetto" to Bintulu, only because I am more in the country side, not the city.  I am also training a new missionary!  He is a native born Malaysian and is an excellent missionary.  More to come next week, but just know I love all you guys!