You can't buy this card!

23 February 2006
I woke up this morning with the strong desire to help the sister missionaries and I am glad I phoned them. We visited an investigator at the government general hospital. He is only 18 years old and his left leg was broken. His mother, also an investigator, was looking after him. I got to know where a newly baptised sister stay and got to visit/teach her friends. When I dropped the sister missionaries back at their apartment, Sister Serrao (from Hawaii) handed me a card and I want to share it with you. It is simple but it is very special to me because Sister Serrao and Sister Chung had made it with their hands and I am touched by their gesture.

Young Women - New Beginning "Arise and Shine Forth"

18 February 2006
The number 13 is an unlucky number for the Europeans, especially Friday, the 13th, yes? Not tonight in the Miri chapel! Tonight was Friday and there were 13 Young Women (100% of active YW) present, in this annual event that was held at the beginning of each year. Plus the leaders from the YW organisation and the guests, there were about 31 (13 turned around) people attending the function.

Guests (who made up of the girls' parents and friends) were able to view and learn what the YW organisation does from a table that displayed the pictures of the YW activities and their achievements.

Penny played the organ. Hilda was the master of ceremony; Gloria N and Jessica did the opening and closing prayer; Marina - the spiritual thought; YW theme and motto by Priscilla; talks by Chloe and Gloria G; Catherine, Christine, Penny & Fadelia did the skit. Sylviana and Bernadine join the rest in the special musical presentation (the pic did not turn out well, sigh!)

Sister Bray, our YW President, expressed her love for Sister Ivy and Sister Gloria G, the 2 girls that have blossomed into beautiful Young Women and are now in the Relief Society and Primary presidency. They would soon be completing their YW personal progress and therefore completed the requirements necessary to receive the Young Womanhood Recognition in the form of a medallion. One enters the Young Women organisation at 12 and leaves at 18 years.

It was a successful evening. Gloria G gave an excellent talk that touches my heart and brought some tears to my eyes. The skit made us laugh. We had a big delicious rectangular carrot cake to end the wonderful evening - I had 3 pieces! So nice!
I

Valentine's Night

14 February 2006
I don't care about Valentine's Day or Valentine's Night!

Everyday should be Valentine! But since it is set apart for this day people could remember by, I decided to invite the missionaries and some of my 'single' and 'unattached' friends for dinner.

None of us remembered to take pictures before we started eating. Only after the 2 brother missionaries had left for their appointment, the table almost cleared and almost time to disperse, did we took out our cameras.

My Valentine's friends: Elder/Sister Ott, Sister Chung, Sister Serrau, June, Priscilla, Amy, Elisha and Esther

Sleeping Beauties

Monday, 6 February 2006
The afternoon was hot outside, the fan was blowing in their direction while they slept. So peaceful and oblivious of what was going on in the room.

21 months old Doris was sleeping in a 'sarong' or the 'sarung'. 6 years old Agnes, who was also sleeping, had unknowingly rolled underneath the 'sarong'. And 8 years old Ellis, was also sleeping (not in the picture) not far away.

First Baptisms in the Miri Chapel

5 February 2006
We saw 2 baptisms after the block meetings. The baptismal meeting room was packed!

Little Sister Ashley was baptised by his father, Brother Vicente.

Brother Ruddy was baptised by Elder Rowley

First Sunday Meetings in the Miri Chapel

5 February 2006
Another history in the making! Our very first Sunday in our own Church building, the first in East Malaysia! So many people turned up - members, non-members.

Brother Kevin, Elder Gibbons, Brother Clever, Sister Boston and Sister Chung. We are going to miss Sister Boston. She will be leaving us the next day.

Another Brother Kevin with his family and yours truly!

Brother Vincente with his family and yours truly!

It was indeed a Beautiful Sunday! I am so happy to be part of it!

More Pictures of the Miri Chapel

4 February 2006
More pictures of the new chapel, from inside and outside of the fence.

Moving to the New Chapel

4 February 2006
Time to move to the new chapel and clear the existing meeting-house. There was a good turn-up of members to help. Too busy myself, until I forgot to take pictures of the first truck loading/unloading to the new chapel.


Elder Rowley on top of the truck!

Did you visit the Chinese New Year stalls in Miri?

Wednesday, 25 January 2006
I was there on Monday night with Sister Christy, Tzu Zhen and Tzu Jing to see the night scene of the temporary set up stalls. The pictures I took turned out to be lousy even when I edited with the Picasa2 program (I wonder about Adobe). Anyway, since I was in town to collect my CD of scanned dancing photos (see renejenny-dance.blogspot.com) I had the opportunity to take pictures and they turned out alright.

These pictures were taken from an overhead bridge. No cars? I must have snapped when the traffic light was 'red' or 'green'! I like this part of the road because of the greens (trees) and the reds (laterns).


I turned back to the opposite side of the bridge. Looked like any ordinary day!

I turned back again and focus on the temporary stalls that were set up from Monday to Saturday (07:00-2300 hrs, except for Saturday which ended at noon, being Chinese New Year eve). Not all the stalls were fully opened for business at this time. Come evenings and nights the place would be bustling with people.

I decided to walk this street although there are 2 other streets set with stalls and this was what it looked like from the end of the street.

And a big 'dog' standing (with wealth in his hands) in front of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce office. Didn't look like a 'dog' to me!!

To ensure peace and order, here are 2 personnel from the 911 Unit, 24 hours on guard. One thing I am proud of Miri is cleanliness. Did you see it?

Happy Chinese New Year!! May the year of the Dog brings you happiness, good health, wisdom and success in whatever you do.

Visiting Teaching

Friday, 20 January 2006

Life in the church soon teaches us that the Lord does not ask us about our ability, but only about our availability. And then, if we demonstrate our dependability the Lord will increase our capability (Neal A. Maxwell)

That is so true with Visiting Teaching. This afternon I had the opportunity to accompany the Sister missionaries to visit Sister Sundai.


Sister Sundai with daughters, Hanis, Ellis, Agnes and Doris at their humble home.

Sister Sundai has chosen to be baptised on her birthday 2005 and she didn't know it was also my father's birthday.

We met each other for the very first time when both our fathers were hospitalised. Sundai's father's bed was next to my father's bed. We kept each other accompany looking after our fathers during the nights. She could not speak or understand English. I could understand a little Iban. With whatever vocabulary and comprehension that we know of the Iban and the Malay language, coupled with lots of physical and facial expressions, I am glad we were able to understand each other :)

Her father was discharged first and since then there was no recurrence of his sickness. My father was discharged a week later, readmitted and died in the hospital, one month before her baptism. She didn't know that either. Her eldest daughter, Hanis, was baptised the same date. Today, her second daughter, Ellis, was taught the first lesson.

"Visiting Teaching is an Assignment to Love Someone"

Yes, I have learnt to love Sister Sundai and all the other sisters that I have visited. Yes, I love visiting teaching. I know this will uplift the Sisters' spirits and strengthen the Relief Society organisation and the church on the whole.

♥ I met a sister in the night, whose lamp had ceased to shine,

♥ I paused and let her light her lamp from mine.

♥ A tempest sprang up later on, and shook the world about,

♥ And when the wind was gone, my lamp was out.

♥ But back came to me the sister – her lamp was glowing fine;

♥ she held the precious flame and lighted mine.

(by Sister Peggy Loveland)

Hooray! Our Miri Chapel is completed!

Thursday, 19 January 2006
I was so happy today because I saw the completion of a new building. It was not any ordinary building. It is the first chapel building built in East Malaysia as well as the whole of Malaysia! And in Miri, my birthplace! And it is magnificent and beautiful!

Sister Gloria arranging the chairs yesterday (18 January) afternoon.

The Sacarment hall.

Brother Kevin at the pulpit, that could be adjusted to the speaker's height.

Trying out the chairs on the podium stage - Sister Doreen, Leonora & Ivy with Branch President Morgan behind! Sorry the picture is blur!

The Relief Society President, the Primary President and the Relief Society 1st Counselor at the sacrament table.

Entrance to the other building, from the Foyer.

To the Primary and the Young Women rooms.

To the Relief Society and other rooms.

Sister Gloria with her mum, Sister Loreen.

The auxilliary rooms, offices.

The 2 buildings from the back.

One walkway to the foyer.

The flowers!

The Entrance to the Foyer.


Another Entrance/Exit of the Foyer.

The other walkway to the Foyer.

leading out to the car park. Across the fence is the Pujut-Lutong highway.

The Sacrament building, in the day.

The Sacrament building with its distinctive steeple in the evening!


Sister Doreen, Leonora & Ivy at the car park, behind the Sacrament building at night.

1 Nephi 14:7 For the time cometh, saith the Lamb of God, that I will work a great and a marvellous work among the children of men;............................ Yes, a great and marvellous work in Miri.

It took 10 years, from the time the missionaries first came to this town in 1995.