Christmas from Miri

Dec 15^th

I am going to go buy a web cam today. And since I don’t have a cord to charge my camera, I will buy one of those as well.  Thanks mom and dad, I am looking forward to Skypeing you on Christmas.

We have been working really hard in getting people back to church, but people are being stubborn.  It is so confusing that they don’t come to church, but they love for us to come to their houses.  Yesterday we had a Christmas party and it was a huge success we had so many people come.  The missionaries sung a song with santa i hope i can get a copy of it!!  We then played with the kids and shared a spiritual thought.  It was really great and there was TONS of food.  It was crazy!!

This week we are going to kuching for friday and Saturday. In order for me to Skype,  I will have to buy a web cam.  Do I have permission?   At the internet kadi there is a ton a swearing but it is all in chinese so i don't think you will understand alot of it so is that ok?? oh that would be so cool to get letters!! Adam Poll wrote me did you get it!! oh and i sent Elysa’s present and a bunch of letters I hope they get there! Let me know about that!! oh it sounds like the quilting business is taking off! good for you!!! Wow you guys sound like your doing so good!! love you all!!! Merrry Christmas!

Dec 23^rd

Kuching was great.   I was able to purchase a web cam and a new camera.  Thanks mom and dad!  I was able to get the extra Christmas package as well.  YA!!!!! i love the Books and the Stickers!! and the Thoughts!! and Everything thank you thank you thankyou thankyou!!! it was so good!!!!!  I look forward to talking to you on Christmas.

Dec 25^th.

From Dad- We were able to have a nice video conversation with Derek through Skype.  He looks very good!  We talked with him on our Christmas eve, which was his Christmas day. He and his companion ended up taking a taxi to the internet café due to bike trouble.  We talked for about an hour.  He was smiling from ear to ear and so were we.  I think we all needed it.  He has grown up and is serving well.

I got my Christmas Package

My week has gone pretty good!! I look forward to buying for my secret Santa person at home.  They should get a pretty nice gift, because that limit I can buy something really nice!  Yes I did eat a lot of pie when I was at home.  So I guess next year you won't have to buy that many.

I have tried to get with the family that said they would make the gingerbread house with me, but they keep cancelling.  So I may not get it done!  Sorry!

I have to take two showers a day over here because we sweat so much.  But it doesn't help.  Plus we never dry out.  I have tried using powder that should help with this, but it hasn't work so far.

 

That is funny about Oscar it sounds like he has a girlfriend!! 

We got 2 new Chinese Elders.  Elder Kong and Elder Chan.  Because of the work we have done.  And Miri is getting a 3rd branch which will be the Chinese branch.  The elders will help get the members to understand that there are several people like themselves that belong to the church.  Also help in setting up the priesthood within the branch.

 

I love my Christmas package.  It was fun to get all the decorations.  I am loving all the dental supplies.  Are you trying to tell me something?  ha-ha I know those are just the small things that could fit in the envelopes.  ha-ha  The bouncy balls have been really fun to throw at my companion! ha-ha just kidding!

 

Hey, Sky wrote me this week!  That was such a great surprise!  It totally made my week!  Will you call him and tell him thank you!

 

Love,

Elder Fletcher

Thanksgiving at Pizza Hut!

Well, I am just going to be emailing you guys today, because I don't have much time!  We went to Batu Niah Caves today.  I hope you have looked them up.  They are super cool.
I took all the pictures you wanted me to this week!  Then guess what happened!!  The Lord is trying my faith.  I lost my camera case and cord at the caves.  So I will for sure buy a card reader this next week!!  It was amazing.  Oh, my car sickness is starting to come back, but I was good just felt really sick!!
Well I do think that is a normal holiday at the Fletcher house! :) jjk Mom I love you!! ha-ha  Because we don't have a senior couple up here we went to Pizza Hut for Thanksgiving!  It was really good!
Well training is good.  We are getting a lot done.  We just found out today that 2 more Chinese elders are coming to help us out!! ha-ha ya ya ya!!!!! Elder Kong and Elder Chan.  They are natives!!  Elder Mitchell knows Elder Kong and says he is a really cool guy!!
Well this week we have had a lot of disappointing things happen, but we moved forward with faith.  We saw the miracles by the end of the week!!
Well I am super sweaty and gross!  But I'm having a lot of fun!!  I will for sure get those pictures to you guys!!
hmm something interesting over here they don't say the word siwang or death in Chinese.  They just take their pointer finger and curl it!!
I am looking at your pictures of the gingerbread houses now!! They look good.  I haven't started my house yet.  I am doing a family night with a family in our group (soon to be a branch) and we are going to make them!!!:)
Ok and as for the Christmas Skype! Well last Christmas they had a senior couple up here.  Everybody went to their house to Skype.  Well this year we don't have a senior couple.  And the internet kadi's here are not exactly family friendly.  So everyone in our district are thinking they will just call home.  But there is another option and that is if a member offers their computer for us to use.  We only have one member that would have the ability to do that. We are really good friends with they, but we also have a rule that we aren't suppose to use members computers.   We could probably get it approved if they offered, but we can't ask them.  So it is up in the air right now.

Some of the languages that I'm learning besides Mandarin are Hokkien (from the Han area of China), Hakka (from Taiwan), Cantonese (from Hong Kong), Malay (from Malaysia), Iban (from the Brunei), and some more.  So I guess you could call me Mr. Language! :)
Have a great week!  I will try to send those pictures next week!
Love,
Elder Fletcher

Sorry for no updates

We apologize for no updates for several weeks.  Derek is doing great.  We have been sent several pictures of his journal pages which we translate into his blog.  But for the last two week he has not been able to send us anything but one line answers to questions to we ask on Sunday night.  Here are a few pictures that we have received from him.  Sorry.



Derek Eating Dragon Fruit 

Dragon Fruit

 

 

Crocodile Farm and At the Beach in Miri

The Crocodile Farm



"I think he is hungry"



"Say cheese"



 

My district in Miri

 

By the Ocean

 

 Houses in Miri



2nd Letter from Miri, Mayalsia

This is how Derek's letter came in this week.  Keep in mind it is 10:30 Sunday night.  Shawn has gone to bed and I have take my medicine that knocks me out:  How do you login to Dropbox?  New email:  Are you guys there?  New email:  What is the login for the Dropbox? 
New email I guess he felt he needed to write something:  Sounds like you guys are super busy!! ha-ha That sounds like a lot of fun for Abbi though!!  Dad good job!!  Keep working hard.  Sorry I can't help my arms don't reach that far!  ha-ha  Mom I think your quilts are amazing!!  Ok well I am going to see if I can get this picture thing working.  It is amazing here.  I love it!!  Yes I bought a bike!  I don't get it till Wed!  It is a really good bike and I got it for a steal, cause it was a missionary's who is going home this week and he just put all new parts on it!  A new bike here is about 1100 rm so that is about $325.  I got a great bike for a steal!!!  Hold on a minute!!
New email:  So I made a new one.  I uploaded my letter and pictures to it.  I hope that it works.

This Shar, I woke up for some reason, but it was to late.  He was getting off.  This was the last part I got from him.  I tried to get something from him, but this is what came back:
I wrote my letters in picture form this week and they should have loaded... if they didn't I"m sorry.  I don't have a lot of time I have to go bye... I spent all my time figuring out this picture thing and you guys weren't responding..

So I go to check both Dropbox accounts.  And nothing has uploaded.  I hope that he can work on this a little bit through the week.  I also hope he does not throw the letters he has written.  Even if he has taken pictures of them.  This has been a very hard two weeks not knowing what he is doing or how everything is going.  I know he loves it there.  He works hard.  He puts his heart into everything and never gives up to a challenge.  Give him the biggest mountain and he will climb it.  Give him the hottest desert to cross and he would do that.  This is what is Father in Heaven has asked him to do so he will do it.

I guess we will be staying up late next Sunday night.

1st letter from Miri, Maylaysia

Oh that sounds like a lot of fun!!  You guys sounds busy!!  Abbi be careful!  You are still young!  Ok so I don't have a picture of my comp yet, but I do have a little bit!  I am serving in Miri, East Malaysia!  It is kind of crazy!  We are the only Chinese speaking Elders in this whole area.  The whole city is ours!  Most people don't speak English or Chinese, but there are some!  We teach the English and Chinese lessons. 

I have my first lesson with Christian Kou tonight.  He is investigating different Christian churches.  We are going to teach him the restoration.  Hopefully he will see the difference between our church and others.  We have been knocking the past 2 days and all we have been able to hand out is a pamphlet.  Nobody wants to talk to us.  We have been praying  for members to help us out.  We only have 20 Chinese and English members.  We are planning on doing service for them and hopefully that will open their hearts to our message.  I have been studying about Ammon recently and relating it to Miri.  I am trying to figure out how the spirit wants this work to go in Miri.  We will have to see how this works.

We are actually eating out more then we eat in.  I don't have to cook very much!  The reason why is it is cheaper to eat out then buy groceries here!  The food is fantastic.  I love it!  We are actually going to eat roti canai.  It is fried bread with kari you dip it in too!!  It is so good!!  It is 1 riggot for a thing of bread and that is about 33 cents.!! ha ha!!

Most areas we have to go into are rundown with tin roofs with garbage everywhere!  It is crazy! It is insanely humid here.  I sweat just sitting here!  It looks like there might be no way to stop the yellowing of the shirts, but we will see!

I have a nice Sunday shirt, but that is about it!  Well we have our first lesson in 2 weeks tonight!  Our phone ran out of minutes so hopefully we are able to get some on there by the end of the day!  I have a bike right now that was left, but it has one gear and it always falls off of it.  Elder Conner is leaving in like a month, and I will buy his bike for 600 riggot that is about 200 American.  It is a really nice bike!  Hopefully I can sell it when I leave this area!

I have to go email my president.  I'll send you the pictures that I do have!  I'll take more this week! My companion is Elder Mitchell!  We are going to a Crocodile Farm to day!  It'll be really cool.
 

We live in one of the nicer areas in Miri!!   I'll take more pictures.  I have been super tired.  Our bed time is at 11 instead of 1030  But I was in bed at 10 ready to sleep! Ha Ha!!

Love,
Elder Fletcher

None of his pictures made it through this week!