Week 57 --HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELDER EARL!!!

This week was an excellent one. Nothing really major happened, however. We only did one exchange, and it was with the elders who live with us. We got to be in our area for most of the time! The first big hurdle we got over was our zone meeting. They can be quite stressful to prepare for, and so I'm glad it's over. One highlight of the meeting was hearing from two of my favorite elders in the mission, Elder Toney and Elder Crum, who presented us with the wisdom they have gained on their missions. It was their last zone meeting. Interestingly enough, they were my zone leaders when I first arrived in Sibu and two of the most influential people in my entire mission. We also spent a significant portion of our zone meeting on working with members. The members need to understand that finding is primarily their duty, not the missionaries'! I remember back in Utah, thinking that I was somehow exempt from that particular duty, perhaps because most my friends were LDS. However, that's just one of Satan's tools. None of us are exempt from the commandments of the Lord. We all can do something in this Work of Salvation. Another fun aspect of this week has been I've been on my bike a lot. One day, when I exchanged with Elder McCarthy, we rode around 3-4 hours around JB, notorious for the mission's largest hills. It was a lot of fun, but I did drink several liters of beverages throughout the day to replace the buckets of sweat I lost. We also had a fun kite-flying activity this week as a branch. No wind was there, so we had to run really fast. It was a great way for the branch to bond, and many brought friends and family. Good times. The next few weeks have a lot of fun in store for them. We have two exchanges outside of our area, zone conference, and transfers, all within the next two and a half weeks. It should be fun. I hope you all know that I love being a missionary! And the best part is, you can all be missionaries to! Pray to know what opportunities you have to be missionaries, whether it be working for the deceased, serving others, or actually inviting friends, I know you can do it! Love, Elder Earl