Difficult, Precious, and Grateful

This week was quite fun. The Sister AP's* came to do splits with us, and yesterday I was with Sister Kubota all day (she is known as the most intense, hardcore sister missionary in the mission  :) ). It was great, we had fun. Our appointments canceled so we called some people from the area book who I had never met but had been contacted by missionaries before, and three of them agreed to meet us later this week! Then we went out and explored this part of Cheras I'd never been to before... it was a mostly Muslim area, but we found a place with a few Buddhists and Hindus. I wish I could put a picture here of that neighborhood. It was a really cool place... like a city-village in the rainforest. It was the least civilized part of KL I've been to yet. There might have been a dirt road also. It made me miss KK. :)

After that we went to a member's house for dinner. We shared a message and asked if they had any friends that we could meet, friends that could start learning the Gospel. Brother Kung said that he had a friend who lived nearby who said he would come to church sometime, who we could meet. We then made a plan to go visit that friend later that night, but right at the time we were going to go see him, that very friend showed up at Brother Kung's house! We talked to him and invited him to start learning about Christianity (he is Buddhist). He agreed to meet us next week at Brother Kung's house, already knowing our purpose because of his awesome friend who always talks about the Gospel with him! Missionary work is the best especially when members are doing it!! 

The other Sister AP is now Sister Burtis, who was with me in the MTC! It was so fun to see her again. I love her! I have been reflecting back on my experiences in the MTC and in KK--both of those places seem quite far away, and they were difficult for me at the time but now I look back and I feel only sweetness and happiness and love. I look back on the first half of my mission as a very valuable and meaningful time. Now instead of seeing the hardships, I can see/focus on the things that I've learned, which are precious to me, which I couldn't have learned any other way.

Anton (from Nigeria) is getting baptized on Sunday! :) So excited! He's awesome. The Gospel Doctrine teacher, Brother Renner, is going to baptize him. They are good friends, we are really excited!

(Next week I will write a better email... I will come prepared with stories from the week. There are always stories, but I need to prioritize which ones are the best ones/should make it into the email home.)

The Gospel is true! Jesus Christ lives and is our Savior who satisfied the demands of justice, who paid the price in full, the price we could not pay ourselves. Because of that, if we follow Him, we can be redeemed, cleansed, freed from sin. I'm forever grateful for that, and will be continually more grateful as my life goes on.

Sister Gopinath

*Assistants to the President of the Mission