Monday July 27th, 2015
Well, this week was really interesting. It really was. The days are long but the weeks are flying by. So much can be done in one day here and I love it! So many people need to be helped and we are trying to find them.
So on Tuesday we went to Venice Hills, the Nigerian hang out of Malaysia. It is seriously a bunch of flats just full of Nigerians having the time of their lives, one of our investigators lives their named Teddy, the beast!!!! We hitchhiked into the condo, some brothas gave us a ride into the place. They were so freaking cool. like the nicest guys. Black people are the same everywhere I swear. We then went to Teddy's home and started teaching him a lesson. As we were teaching, Teddy's roommate Promise, also from Nigeria, was walking out the door when I decided to ask if he wanted to join. He said he would stay fort he opening prayer and see if he gets back in time. Well, Teddy is one of those rambling investigators, so it took awhile to calm him down. Then Promise walked in and he sat down. We taught him about the Book of Mormon and the power it has to change. Promise loved it, he was sooo happy to be there at that time. He came to church as well, and he was one of the most active participants in Gospel Principles, giving insights that were by the Spirit that we never thought of. Truly a miracle! And he is so cool! I love the Nigerians here, but they are kind of sketchy at times :/
Other than that, we taught a guy from Iraq who was completely atheist. He had no idea what a prayer was and had no idea what God was of any kind. And he didn't know barely any English. So the lesson was great, but I don't know if he knew what was happening. We tried to teach him how to pray but he kept asking what prayer is, like asking what the material used in prayer. We were just like..... um, a soul? It was pretty humorous how clueless we were teaching him. Like seriously we didn't know what to say. But in the end he finally said a prayer and we think it was good, because it was in his head we weren't sure. It was great though, we definitely learned that the Spirit is needed. I don't think I could teach someone prayer with out it. We had to go to the very very basics of it.
I just wanted to share an insight I had in personal study today. Elder Baker and I were really wondering on why this mission is the way it is. Why is it, that everyone in Mexico, Philippines,South America, even Utah, are able to see so many people enter into the font and change their lives? I've seen it once on my mission, and it was one of the best days of my life. Why wouldn't God let His children be baptized and others feel this light and love? Why is the rest of the world seeing great success? Even Paris, they are seeing 30 lessons a week, even in a smaller mission in Australia they are seeing sooooo many people baptized. I've had two areas with over a million people in them and I can't seem to find one person who wants to come. Am I not worthy? What am I doing wrong?????
Well, this morning I went to the Lord. I found a talk from Pres. Utchdorf on Patience. I was prompted not to read it. Why? Because I needed to read the Book of Mormon. So the next chapter was Alma 29. Alma is saying how he wants to be an angel and proclaim the Gospel everywhere he goes. He wants to see everyone be baptized, and see such joy for everyone in the world. Seems like a good goal, right? Well he then says in verse three, I do sin in my wish, for I ought to be content with the Lord hath allotted to me. I was stunned. It then says in verse 4, that we all are able to make a choice of heaven or hell, we all can choose and God will grant unto us whatever we desire. We cannot be harrowed up in our desires as Alma says, because the Lord will allotteth unto men, yea, decreeth unto them decrees which are UNALTERABLE, according to their wills. God is literally promising us, decreeing an unalterable decree that He will let us choose and desire to get what we want. Desire means to do anything necessary to gain. Now, it doesn't specify when it will happen. But I know that I want to see people change their lives for the good and see happiness in their eyes because of this Gospel. And I know that I will see that, either here in Malaysia, back at home, or into the eternities in the halls of heaven, I desire to see people take the gift of repentance and change. I know that I will see it, because God has promised me He would help me. I just have to have patience and a whole lot of it. I will do all that is necessary for it, but to actually see it happen, I know that it is in God's time. It's not for us to reason why, but for us to do and die. In the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.
I love all of you, and I hope and pray you also will desire the souls of others to be full of happiness, never give up on it, keep that desire burning!!!!
Elder Holmes
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