Last Post

I guess this is it.  This is the last time that I will send in a blog post to my most wonderful Aunt KaraLynne that has been gracious enough to post them for me.  I am grateful for everyone that has been a support for me and especially those who emailed and shared their time.

In regards to my mission I was thinking of describing word to describe it and this is what I have come up with: greatness, beauty, wonder, journey, shock, difficult, worth it, tropical, hot, humid, beaches, ocean, jungle, bestpeopleever, faithful, spiritual, Atonement, Jesus Christ.  All these words go to describe the best two years that I have ever had in my life.  I don’t think that I can overstate the magnitude of benefit this experience has had in my life.

Even though I am almost 15 lbs lighter than I was going out, I have a heavy load of experience and love that outweighs everything that I lost.  Two years of school?  Not a problem.  I can honestly say I have no regrets for going on a mission, and I never will.  I have a book of remembrance that I have passed around to all the people I care about and asked them to write a little and put a picture in it.  I fully intend to read it on the plane ride home.  The book is priceless just like so many of the picture, memories and experiences that I have had.  Would I do it all over again... maybe :)  It was hard!  I won’t sugar coat it, there were challenges along the way.  But the funny thing is, I can hardly remember any of the difficult stuff.  It fades away like a bruise on the knee, after a while, you can’t even remember which leg it was on.  But the happy moments, they're permanent, and difficult to forget.  What a blessing that is!

Words through an email fall short of what I really want to say.  I just hope you all are ready and willing to hear me rant about how great my mission was :).  Looking back I realized that many of my blog posts have left out things of a spiritual nature.  Perhaps that is because I have difficulty sharing them with white people, and maybe through the internet.  But, at any rate, just to make sure I am thorough this time I want to share an experience that has really made a great end to a great mission.

When I first got to Kota Kinabalu I was given the task of teaching a 35 year old lady that was just found the week before.  She was mean, angry, stubborn and confident.  Despite our best efforts, and those of the branch, she seemed set on being a loner.  When we taught her, she would argue.  When we told her we cared about her she didn’t believe us.  But, despite all of this, she continued to go to Church  meet with us, and read from the Book of Mormon.  For the longest time we were confused and unsure of the reasons why she wanted to learn.  Whenever we brought up baptism she  made no promises. We were ready to give up on her.  We thought to ourselves, we are busy and there are other people that need our time.  I’m not sure what changed in her, perhaps it was just the consistent visits or the wonderfully supportive members of the branch.  Regardless of what it was, this sister began to change.  She sounded different on the phone, she didn’t argue and best of all she accepted a baptismal invitation.  Everything was going great, we were so happy!  And then she asked me to baptize her.  And then I was even happier!

And now, I am happy to say that she was baptized just 2 days ago.  The last weekend in my mission and the last baptism in my mission.  It was such a happy day for her.  She bore her testimony afterwards and expressed a sincere and honest account of her conversion and believe in Christ.  I can think of no better end to a mission than to see her be baptized.

I am happy and content.  I hope with all my heart that everyone that is eligible to serve a mission do so.  You won’t regret it, you will be happy, I promise. I know that happiness can be eternal, just as our Heavenly Father's love is eternal.  I know we have a savior that lives and loves all of us, regardless of our faith or circumstances.  I also know that when our love towards Heavenly Father is but a fraction of his love towards us, the blessing are innumerable!  My love for my savior pales in comparison for the love he has for me, but he is merciful, and he still blesses my life.  I am grateful for the blessings he has poured into my life and will forever and ever be in his debt.  I hope this 2 year mission has been a small yet meaningful contribution to the great marvelous work of our Father.

 So, it is with heavy heart that I close this blog.  I love you all and can’t wait to see you!!!!!

Love Elder Putnam

Single Digits

Well the list of things to do never seems to get smaller as I reach the single digits of my mission.  I am not ready to write my dying email, so wait for next week.  I will say that things are not winding down as they say, but in fact moving at a lightning fast pace that has me exhausted. Next week we are planning a last fun trip to one of the more secluded islands off the coast of Kota Kinabalu.  It is called Pulau Gayana.  I will miss the ocean sooo much and jump for joy as I leave the humidity, then hit the ground hard as I realize that DC is just as bad.  Will I ever escape the humidity?!  Perhaps I will curse this blog post 6 months from now when I am in Provo braving the onset of winter.  But, as it is, I will not miss the heat. 

I have decided to give away almost all of my cloths to various people that need them.  It feels good to give away cloths that to me are trashed, but to others are very much still usable   I have also decided to give away most of my ties to each of the Priesthood holders in the branch.  These people mean so much to me and I just hope that I have made some sort of difference in their lives.

Well, have a great week, and wait for next week!

Craziness!

Hey it’s been a while!  I just want to update everyone on this last month of CRAZINESS!  About 3 weeks ago I was denied a visa at the border going into Malaysia.  After some long waiting and pleading I was given 30 days to leave the country.  So, yesterday I left the beautiful country of Malaysia for a conference in Singapore with the intention to try to get back into Malaysia after the conference.  I am pleased to say the I was given no problems at the border and that I will be able to finish my mission in Kota Kinabalu, the best place in the world!  Other than that life has been absolutely crazy busy.  As I approach the end of my mission I am in complete astonishment as to how fast it goes!  But at the same time I feel as though I have experienced so many things and cannot believe it all happened in a span of two years.  I have been in denial that its really going to end.  It wasn't until I was given my return ticket home that things started to get serious and sink in.  I will be flying home on the 9th of May and arriving in DC at about 6:30!  I'll be flying through Tokyo and Minneapolis.

Chinese New Year and a Transfer

I am very excited with loads of information this week!  There are three things that have happen, are happening or are going to happen that have really brightened my spirits and made me very happy.  The first is of course Chinese New Year!  It is a mad house here in Malaysia for what is easily the largest and most celebrated holiday in the country.  While Malaysia is a very culturally diverse country, the Chinese tend to be far more wealthy than any other race and therefore spend more money on the holidays that effect them.

For a Chinese person Chinese New Year may have some cultural value to it.  But for me, an onlooker, it is a very different experience all together.  First of all it is the only time of year that businesses close their doors and take a vacation (this is a pain), it is also the time of year when you can find the best deals at the supermarket and other retailers.  But most of all it is the time of year where Chinese people are scrambling around to try and bring as much luck into their lives as they can!  This means that they will give money to children (I’m still considered a child..), giving people oranges, having people over at your house to eat a lot lot lot lot of really really really really great food, and most of all, fireworks!  At midnight of Chinese New Year EVERY house will participate in setting off thousands and thousands and thousands of fireworks.  The noise is deafening!  It was the most in your face experience I have ever had in my entire mission.  The sky is just lit up with color, the streets are filled with fire-cracker smoke and all the Chinese people are having a great time.  It was so loud you could scream at the top of your lungs and not be heard.  This continues for about 2 hours.  There is no point in trying to sleep so I guess you have to join the festivities, even if it is 2 in the morning... :)  Suffice it to say it was a lot of fun!

The second thing that has happened and is going to happen again is the branding of my name here in Miri.  Let me give a little history of the Singapore mission.  Here in Malaysia people are having babies all the time, whether it is your investigator or your member, you are  guaranteed to have someone with a small child or one on the way.  This opens the opportunity of having you name stay in the mission field forever.  Yes, I am talking about having a baby named after you!  It happens on a regular basis, you just need to be in the right place at the right time and close relationship with the family with child.  Now the first baby was actually a girl and was named after my sister Misha.  The couple wanted to use my name but I told them, you can just use my sister's name, and they did!  Coming up in the month of March I am very happy to introduce you all to baby Micah Stewan anak Roni.  I will finally have a baby named after me, and I am very excited about that. :) My name shall live on for generations! ha-ha

The third thing is that I am getting transferred this week, and I could not be happier with where I am going.  I am headed to one of the resort cities of Malaysia, Kota Kinabalu.  Located right on the beach this city is beautiful and home to south-east Asia's tallest mountain, Mnt. Kinabalu!  It is a majestic peak that is the symbol of Sabah!  My apartment is the best part.  It is right on the beach!  We live in a high rise condo that is right up on the beach with a patio that overlooks the ocean and produces the most beautiful sunsets.  Maybe just as good or even better is the fact that for the first time in my mission I have a McDonalds that is within walking distance of my house!!!!!  I am really excited because I will also be zone leader which will allow me to take a monthly visit to my very first area in my mission.  This area travels a lot averaging about 1 plane trip a week, so I will be traveling and visiting old areas and getting to see new ones.  I could not think of a better place to die, I truly am in the Greatest Mission on EARTH!

I love Singapore Mission!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well I hope that everyone at home is safe and healthy!  peace and prosperity to everyone!