Personal Ancestral File - Families Can be Together Forever

Friday, 24 March 2006
I have been given a CD with PAF (Personal Ancestral File) by a senior missionary couple in 2004 to work on my genealogy. I have collected some information about my grandparents, but I never got around to transferring the data into the PAF system.

Today, I was blessed with Elder Arthur (Hong Kong Mission) to guide me, hands-on, in creating my own PAF file. What a fantastic system! And what a wonderful feeling to see the pedigree chart with my grandparents personal details on - my family tree!

I have wondered, before I knew the full gospel, whether I will be able to see my loved ones (who have passed away) again. I have never met my paternal or maternal grandparents, who died in China. My parents were the first generation in our family that have migrated from China to Malaysia. I wished many times that I could hold their hands and experience the love between grandparents and grandchilden.

I saw and felt the sadness of my father and mother when they announced the death of my respective grandparents and could not afford to return to China to attend their funerals. Dad was the eldest son in his family while mum is the youngest daughter in hers. I am sure they wondered whether they would ever see their parents again.

There is a kind of natural instinct in some people that marriage is for eternity. Look at the Chinese cemeteries and you will see that the tombs are usually built to accommodate 2 persons (husband and wife) unless the deceased is single. I have heard couples quarrelled and remarked that they do not want to be buried together because they don't want each other in the next life. I have also met people, whose spouses have died, and they remarked that they hope they would go quickly and join their spouses. How they must have love each other dearly.

The first time I heard the hymn no. 300 "Families Can Be Together Forever" it brought tears to my eyes. It still does and I cannot help feeling so. It is not a feeling of sadness but an indescribable overwhelming of emotions filling my bosom. I think of my ancestors, my grandparents, my parents, my sister, my brothers and my children. I think of my younger brother, Joseph, who had died in 1999. I think of Betty (a best friend in my 20's), Elizabeth (a good friend of mine) and another friend, Regina, who have all gone before me. I think of all those people who have lost their loved ones through illness, accidents, natural disasters, etc. and my heart goes out to them. I think of the wonderful friends that I have been blessed with. To know that we will be able to see each other again and we can be united forever gives me a sense of peace and a determination to stay on the straight and narrow parth.

With the Personal Ancestral File, we will be able to create, organize and share the genealogical information with our posterity. And we will be able to know whether their temple work have been done.

Miri Chapel is Dedicated Today!

Sunday, 19 March 2006
It was indeed a Beautiful Sunday today! Today the Miri Chapel (the first LDS chapel building in Malaysia) was dedicated! I know all the saints (especially all those wonderful missionaries who have served here - can you recognise the friends you have met here?) around the world share this wonderful moment with us. It was a new spiritual experience for me.

As far as I know, the gospel was brought to Miri sometime in 1995.   I can't find the exact date anywhere.    It is about 11 years since.

When South East Asia Area President, Elder Daryl H. Garn, gave the dedicatory prayer, the hall was amazingly quiet. It was as if Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ was there. There was no sounds or movements from the children either. I could feel every single word, offered in the prayer, entering my soul as I listen. I have no idea what it is like in Heaven, but I think I have a taste of heavenly peace listening to Elder Garn's prayer.


[ 27 March: At last I got a full picture of everyone! It was taken by a proper photographer from the Typhoon Studio. So much better than the previous 2 pictures that I have here before ]


Elder/Sister Bidstrup (senior missionary couple who was here in 2003), Elder/Sister Watts (senior missionary couple who was here in 2001) and visiting couple - Brother/Sister Myler, flew in from US to join us on this historical moment. Standing beside me is Sister Helen, the first member to be baptised in December 1996.

South East Asia Area President, Elder Daryl H. Garn, Singapore Mission President Gary L. Larkins and his beautiful wife, Sister Trudy Smith Larkins, posing with the Brothers and Sisters missionaries.

1 Nephi 14:7 For the time cometh, saith the Lamb of God, that I will work a great and a marvelous work among the children of men;........................................................................ (I wish all the members were there to hear our youth sang this song and the Sisters sang "As Sisters in Zion" during the dedicatory meeting - sooooooooooo touching)

You might want to read this article from http://199.104.95.22/articles/48834/Meetinghouse-for-Malaysia.html

Choir Practice for Dedication Meeting

Saturday, 18 March 2006
Tomorrow (19 March 2006) will see the dedication of our new chapel. Not all the youth turned up for the practice this afternoon, but nevertheless the practice still goes on. Together with Elder Rowley, Elder Gibbons, Elder Glass and Sister Chung, the youth sang "A Marvelous Work".

Sister Serrao will play the piano and Brother Kevin will conduct tomorrow as well.

Sister Helen, Chung and me took the opportunity to practise "As Sisters in Zion" as the Relief Society will be presenting that in the dedication meeting.

Tattooed Legs

The legs of a Kayan woman. The feet are tattooed and 3 quarter of the legs are tattooed too (until the inner thighs). The younger generation prefer their legs spotless, no more tattooing!

The Making of Belacan (Shrimp Paste)

Wednesday, 15 March 2006
I could smell dried shrimps in the air. My neighbours had laid out shrimps to dry in the sun. See the pink stuff around Ubong, a grandmother. She is a Kayan, one of the indigenous people in Sarawak, Malaysia. She is wearing a hat that she made herself also.

I was told that there were plenty of shrimps and people are catching them everyday for the past few days. At the time of their purchase, it cost 10MYR for every 6 kgs.

After washing/cleaning, the shrimps were mixed with salt and then laid out to dry in the sun. It has been shining hot for the past week as well as today, just perfect for the purpose.

Two days ago, I had the opportunity to catch Ubong's daughter-in-law, Purai, pounding previous load of dried shrimps.

Today's dried shrimps were pounded as well. I could hear her and another neighbour pounding.

The pounder are carved from some kind of tree trunk.

Thursday, 16 March 2006

Today saw the drying of pounded shrimps. The rectangular blocks are the finished product, which are also laid out to dry before they are stored. They can keep for more than 1 year without refrigeration and longer if refrigerated.

One block of that finished product would cost at least 15MYR at the market! Some of the townfolks, like my neighbour, Purai, would bring that back to their villages and exchange them for rice.

A very simple, cheap, nutritious and popular dish in Malaysia - Fried Water Convolvulus (Kangkon Tumis Belacan). Just add 1 teaspoon belacan (toasted and pounded) to 400g (14 oz) of water convolvulus (kangkong) that is stir-fried with pounded garlic, sliced chillies, sliced onion, sugar, water and oil, covered and briskly cooked for only 5 minutes!

I wanted to take a picture of people catching shrimps at the sea this afternoon but there was nobody there except for one woman, resting. If only I knew I would be there last Friday afternoon. She said she has never seen such a big crowd before " like ants on the seashore".

What a appropriate time to make belacan? The government schools are having their semester break this week! The children can help to pound the shrimps.


Saturday, 18 March 2006
A good friend of mine found a picture of shrimps (garagau) catching by Encik Nazeri Abghani. I like this picture very much and I hope he doesn't mind me displaying it here. Thank you very much, Mr. Nazeri Abghani, wherever you are, for that lovely picture.

Relief Society's 164th Birthday Celebration

Saturday, 11 March 2006
I enjoyed the video on the history of Relief Society, organized on 17 March 1842.

I love Relief Society! When I joined the church in May 1998, I served in the Relief Society until I was called and set apart as counselor in the Young Women on 1 May 2005. Nevertheless, I am and will be a member of the Relief Society - the biggest women organisation in the world - until I die.

Because of time constraint, we could not have any dances (I was supposed to teach 2 dances). That was not important. What really matters was that we had an enjoyable time together as Sisters in Zion. There were 23 of us attending tonight.

We had a delicious cheese cake and there were plenty of food, brought by the Sisters. We also exchange gifts.

Young Women's 137th Birthday Celebration

Saturday, 11 March 2006
The turn out was good.

8 (Gloria G, Penny, Gloria N, Catherine, Fadelia, Chloe, Maria & Jessie) girls turned up! I know why the remaining 5 (Hilda, Christine, Priscilla, Sylviana & Bernadine) could not attend. We had 1 (Sheryl) visiting from the Kuching Branch 2.

Sadly to say, Sister Priscilla and Sylviana could not come, due to an unforeseen circumstance. We would have love to see both of them performing the "Thai Love Song" dance, that I taught them.

They had been practising for the last 2 weeks and were also looking forward to this occasion.

Practice Makes Perfect

Wednesday, 8 March 2006
What dance should I teach the girls to present at the Young Women 137th Birthday celebration on the 11 March?

Sister Priscilla and Sister Sylviana tried the ngajat (Iban-Sarawak) and the Sumajau (Kadazan-Sabah) dance but in the end they decided to perform a Thai dance that I taught them.

To make sure that they are doing the steps correctly, we agreed that I come and see them today. As usual, I am very satisfied when I see any of my students able to dance by themselves to the music, without me leading them in front.

Anyone care for a piece of kuih?

Friday, 3 March 2006
If you want to eat kuih kuih, visit Sister Encha. She operates a stall at Tudan in the afternoon/evening.

I had this opportunity when I accompanied Sister Chung and Sister Serrao to visit Sister Encha at her stall.

There were doughnuts, banana fritters, pancakes, etc. She made them there, assisted by Brother Endah and son Edisen and his wife.