Making Choices

This last week included August 17th. August 17th was the day I reported to the MTC last year. It was fun to be here in Singapore for it, because four or five of the Elders who were in the MTC with me were also there. We all talked about it, about how FAST this last year has gone and how different we all are now.

I remember the day I went into the MTC as if it were four months ago instead of twelve. I had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself into. I had no idea what a mission was even like. But I was excited and I felt that God wanted me there. I can't believe that was a year ago. 

At the same time, though, so much has happened. I feel I have aged (matured) at three or four times the normal speed. On my 22nd birthday, it felt strange to be turning 22 because I feel that internally I have been 24 all year. I still have a lot to learn, of course, but I have seen and experienced things this past year that I never knew existed. Feelings I didn't know I could feel... people in live situations that I never knew about. People in spiritual places I never knew anyone could be in (good and also very bad). I am still growing up but I feel that in many ways my mission has made me an adult, made me a woman. It's given me a chance to see the world through spiritual eyes, to see the world for what it really is. 

This week we visited an inactive part-member family... the husband is an American and hasn't been to church in at least 15 years, probably more like 20+. He married a Catholic Singaporean. She passed away earlier this year, but their three children are still Catholic and are brought to church every week, from what I understand, by their relatives. He told us that he wants to wait until the kids are old enough, and he'll let them follow whatever religion they want when they're old enough to make the decision. It was interesting to spend some time with them. They have a good relationship with each other, from what I can see. They joke around that seem to like spending time with each other. He says that sometimes he tells them Book of Mormon stories, and he keeps the Book of Mormon by his bed. I started to ask him questions about what his concerns are why he is not living the Gospel. I wanted to ask him more questions... but he said he felt gloom in the room so he was going to change the topic, which he did. That gloom was the Spirit (or absence of the Spirit) teaching us about how we should not let others' sins or mistakes lead to our own personal apostasy. I didn't say that to him, but it was a good learning experience for me. I wonder what will happen with this family. We want to teach his children so that they CAN make that choice, and make it with an understanding of what they are choosing. We'll see how it goes.

I know that the Gospel is true and that God is real and loves us. He gives us commandments so we can be happy and have His Spirit with us. I've experienced that firsthand in my life--that obedience brings the Spirit of the Lord into our lives.

Love,
Sister Gopinath

A Time of Adjustment

​I have now been in Singapore for over a week. I'm starting to adjust, and I'm liking it more and more. I think it's been the hardest adjustment I've had to make since getting in the mission field. I am with new people--new companion, new room mates, new house, new wards, big expensive city. I think God is, once again, trying to teach me patience and resilience. Also, Filipinos here speak very good English--they are taught American English too. So it's been a language adjustment as well. My spoken English got very poor in Malaysia--I even would mix Malay words in and almost never say the English word/could not remember the English word, because the Malay word better described the thing. So I am re-learning English. It's exciting.

Last week we had a lesson with people who are of the Baha'i faith. There is more than one point in my telling you this story, but I'll start with one that is relevant to my bad English. To the lesson, we brought two of the Elders in our Zone because there were some people there who live in their area. So it was four missionaries and four people who came to meet us. Two were Singaporean, one was Canadian, and one was Moroccan. All of them had really good English... and I have been in Malaysia for the past 10 months. So anyway we had a really good discussion and I participated quite a bit, and afterwards as we were walking home, Elder Shone came and was talking to me. He said something like, "I really appreciate the way that you teach, and the spirit that you invite as you teach. Also I can tell that English isn't your normal teaching language." I laughed. He is a Linguistics major, so he was paying attention to my sentence structure and the way I expressed certain ideas which apparently was heavily influenced by Malaysia. I thought that was interesting and amusing. Maybe someday I'll get good English again...

Some other points of telling about that lesson was to mention how the woman from Canada has read the Book of Mormon for education purposes. But she didn't get the point of it and doesn't know it's true yet. It's funny that someone can miss the message of the Book of Mormon if the Holy Ghost and real intent isn't a big part of your study.

I know by the power of the Holy Ghost that the Book of Mormon is true, and the Jesus Christ is the Son of God and Savior of the world. I know that not from logic or reasoning or my own opinion, but I know it because I have received personal revelation directly from God through His Spirit. What a priceless gift. I know He lives.

I am out of time, but Singapore is great. I'll write more next week.

Love,
Sister Gopinath

An Entire Country Is My Area!

Today is my 3rd day in Singapore. I was really sad to leave KL--especially sad to leave Sister Noorda, who I love, and Jack, who has been really struggling lately and has been on his way back up. He's been an investigator I've been able to connect with in a really good way, and teach him just the way he needed to be taught. I care for him a lot. My last lesson with him was one of the hardest things I've done on my mission. Everyone held back tears until after we parted--ripped the bandaid off. It was one of those times when "God Be With You 'til We Meet Again" doesn't seem cheesy at all. I really do pray that God with be with him and my other investigators who I love as well. I feel nervous that I won't be there to keep teaching them and talking with them but I know that actually, they were never MY investigators to begin with. They belong to God. I would never have even met any of those people in the first place if it weren't for Heavenly Father guiding us and taking care of us and blessing us. I know that He will continue to do that for people like Jack and Deva and Dr. C and Freddy and for me as well. I'm so grateful that God placed me in the paths of these precious people and allowed me to play a small part in their journey back to Him.

So now I'm in Singapore, with Sister Anderson. She was born in Beijing but was adopted by her parents in America when she was a young girl. She is hilarious and great. 

Our area is ALL OF SINGAPORE, but we have a special assignment... we are in charge of two wards: the 1st Ward, which is an ex-patriot ward (Americans, Europeans, random other places), and the 3rd Ward, which is the Filipino Ward. So basically, Sister Anderson and I are in charge of finding and teaching people from the Philippines. Initially I had mixed feelings about not teaching Singaporeans, but I think the conclusion is that I'm pumped. All of the other missionaries are jealous--and they tell that to us. So it's great. Yesterday we met with an investigator named Jesus, we call him Brother Jesse. He's awesome! He's so prepared and going to be baptized in a few short weeks. He is the kind of person who finds it easy to believe the word of God. He is sensitive to the Spirit and very purehearted. I'm excited. I still just got here, really, but I've been told that Filipinos love the missionaries and love the Gospel so I should have a good time. I imagine that it's similar to being in the US, serving a Spanish-speaking mission in a very clean and safe Chicago (or whatever big city you want to pick). I'm excited to see how this goes. Also, in the 1st Ward we have a dinner calendar so we get fed American food 2 or 3x a week. :) So different than Malaysia!

Anyway that's mostly it. I am still adjusting to this change... Singapore is full of wealthy people, and the whole city is kind of like a shopping mall. It's a different mindset, and although it definitely feels Asian here, the mindset is a lot more Western. It's like being in a different mission. But I'm looking forward to serving here.

I know that God takes care of us and our families. He is real and He guides us and loves us. The Book of Mormon is true. We are each in His hands. He sent His Son to pave for us the path to peace and eternal life. 

Sister Gopinath

The Precious Gift

​This week also not much to update, because I've been sick for a few days (headaches, exhaustion, stomach problems) and we've had to stay in for a while. Yesterday was my first day up and running again--I am now fine. But... some stuff that has happened:

Sister Noorda and I both spoke in sacrament meeting on Sunday--about missionary work/preparing for missions. It was cool. I felt like getting that assignment meant that our Branch President trusts us as missionaries. We have a strong group of young men in our branch and so I tried to aim my talk toward them... it reminded me of being at EFY talking to the young men about serving missions. I talked a lot about the necessity of personal worthiness and personal testimony of the Gospel. Anyway, it was a good experience. I love the members in my branch.

Memorable experience on a train: I was trying to talk to this one Chinese lady, and she was really nice but she was having trouble understanding me because she isn't "English educated" as they say here. She called her sister, who is English educated, to come sit by me to translate but I just started talking to her sister. I told her I am a missionary and she said she'd been to Christian churches a few times before, though her family is Buddhist. I began to share about how through Jesus Christ we can find strength to face our trials. I could tell from her body language that she was listening very intently to everything I said. I shared that Christ had blessed me and my family, and that we share a message about Him and His love for us. She was very quiet. The Spirit was there quite noticeably and I knew she felt it. I felt like she may have gotten goosebumps, which isn't something that happens on the train every day.  I asked if she was interested in learning more, and she paused and said, "...okay. Can..." She paused again and said, "Later lah," brushing aside the spiritual feelings she'd been having. I asked for her phone number, but she smiled and said there was no need for that. I made sure she had our phone number and gave her a pamphlet on the Plan of Salvation, and we parted on a friendly note as she got off the train. She'd decided that now was not the time, and I don't know what will happen to her, but I KNOW she felt the Spirit of God testify to her of Christ, and it was cool thing to be there for that. 

We went and visited the sister of that member who came to District Conference, the one with the husband who doesn't like the church. Her sister took us to her house and we had a nice visit with her. We now know where she lives, which is good news :) We'll be going back there soon.

Everyone else is still doing well. We gave Jack a pocket-sized Book of Mormon for his birthday, so now he can keep it with him all the time and read it during his quiet moments at work (security guards aren't always the busiest people in the world). After we gave it to him, he texted us later that day and said, "Thank you for the precious gift you gave me."

Being a missionary is great. 

Philippians 4:7 -- "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (footnote: guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." I like that verse, and I've felt that in my life as well. As we come closer to God by keeping His commandments and living the Gospel, there is a peace that comes to us that cannot be found anywhere else or through any other way. It is the peace of God. It endures even through test and trial--it lasts forever. Closeness to the Lord--having his Spirit, feeling this peace--is something I really want to have every day of my life here in this world. I'm grateful that Christ marked that path for us to walk.

Sister Gopinath

Lightbulb Moment

It's been a good week! We met President and Sister Mains!!! They are SO nice! I was worried that they wouldn't be the same and President and Sister Clark (who are now home--President Clark already has an injury from water-skiing haha). They are NOT the same, but it's totally fine. The Mainses are wonderful. They are very warm-hearted and loving about everything. President Mains came and did interviews with each of us missionaries the day before district conference, and talked to us a lot about how he is here to serve as our Mission President, and they're also here as our parents for the time being, because we are far from our actual parents right now. They were just so loving toward each of us :) We are all happy and excited that they're here.

District conference was wonderful! Elder Watson of the Seventy came and was with us for a few days. He and I talked about how I have family in Bangalore, which he thought was great and he said the Church is becoming quite strong there. Actually after the conference in KL, he was on his way to visit Bangalore. I told him to tell it hello for me :) It was very neat to talk with him. He is very pure, and very aware of those around him. Also very tall. :)

There were many testimonies that were born by new members that were so touching! One of them was Andi, who is from Puchong and who was baptized while I was there in Puchong :) She is the cutest thing ever... I must have mentioned her. She is probably 16 years old. She shared her conversion story and I wish you could have just been there. She has such a strong and deep and mature spirit already, although she is a cute and happy 16-year-old. She talked about how she was raised Buddhist but as she got older she felt that Jesus was her Savior. She was invited to church by one of the Young Women in the Puchong branch (Raquel), and when she came she felt so happy and realized as she was learning that this gospel was true and that it answered all of her questions. She was so adorable. I can't wait to someday see her with her own family--husband and children. I felt that she is going to have a strong family.

There was a talk given by a young man who is going to leave on his mission soon--to serve here with us in the Singapore Mission.  Some of his non-member family was there. We were talking with them after the conference, and we met his aunt, who we discovered really wants to learn! She met with missionaries decades ago, and still has a Book of Mormon and actually keeps it by her bed when she sleeps. She is having trouble with her teenage son, but her nephew who is leaving on his mission (Prince Wei) also has had struggles. He's changed a lot recently, apparently, and that has touched the hearts of many of his family members. So his aunt is one of those prepared people--she is so lovely and so nice! But, her husband is against the church. We're not sure yet as to why, but he wouldn't allow his family to go to church (that day he said yes because their nephew was giving a farewell talk, so he understood it as a family-oriented gathering). So we're trying to figure out how to approach this situation... it should be interesting. This would actually be my first time dealing with a misunderstanding husband. Prayer will have to play a large role.

Jack is having a lot of trials hit his life, just like a lot of people when they are in their conversion process. He is at a point when he feels peace and happiness only when he is close to the Spirit, and he recognizes that and holds on to that. He did a small relapse with his smoking the other day--something very stressful happened at his work, and so at his break he smoked a cigarette. He told us the next day, and told us humbly and admitting that it was wrong. I didn't feel frustrated with him, I just felt love and concern. We talked about it and realized that he literally didn't know what else to turn to in a moment of intense stress. The Spirit said "prayer." It seems maybe an obvious answer, but it was unmistakably put into my heart by the Spirit--it felt like a pocket of light that just popped into my heart. I offered that as a suggestion, and testified of the Spirit that prayer brings--the comfort, the calm, and the power over temptation. Jack had a lightbulb moment and said he would pray the next time he felt stressed. That was a great moment where the Spirit was the real teacher. We're very proud of Jack. He's really progressing and going to be strong. 

Other than that... trying to find more solid investigators... chugging along. Life is good. There's nowhere I'd rather be. The Gospel is true. God loves each of us. Families truly can be together forever, through the ordinances of the holy Temple. I'm grateful for the Restoration of such ordinances and I'm grateful that such blessings have been offered to me and my family. I am here trying to help extend those blessings to the people around me here in Malaysia.

Sister Gopinath

Lows and Highs

So, after I wrote last week, our lives fell a little bit apart. I called Freddy (who was an amazing new Christian who had brought his family to church, who asked us for a church tour, who was reading from the Book of Mormon every day, and is way in-tune with the Spirit) and he said that he's too busy to meet, and his life has been complicated lately (moving to a new house) so he felt it would be easier if he just followed his family to the Methodist church. He wouldn't agree to meet us again, but I invited him again to read the chapter in the Book of Mormon he'd been assigned and to pray about it. He said he would, I told him we'd always be here for him, and we ended the conversation on a friendly note. I then crawled into my bed and cried, and cried. He was so close to the truth. I thought of his wife and children, who I haven't even met yet, but who are looking for truth and for God. I thought of the times he'd felt and recognized the Spirit during our lessons with him. I know it's not over, this isn't the end of his story or his family's story. While I was crying (it'd been a while since I'd cried), it was weird to observe myself. I kept examining or checking myself for selfish motives... was I sad that now we have to figure something else to do on Thursday afternoons instead of teaching him, was I sad because I won't be able to tell people I was there when he and his family were baptized... no. I cried with my heart and I was crying purely out of love and sadness that Freddy and his family are being kept from receiving the blessings of the Gospel that my family and I have received and will receive. I was crying because of charity. I tell you this humbly. It was a purifying and defining experience for me, and it was completely not about me.

We also found out that day that another of our solid investigators left the country suddenly and has no plans to come back anytime soon, which was really a blow. And yet another one of our investigators who has been quitting smoking after it being a lifetime habit.. well, I will have to tell you in person someday.

There is one boy I have to tell you more about, though, Jack. I talked about him in my last email. He is the highlight of our day every time we see him. He has been through SO much... he is from the capital city of Nepal, and from what he says it sounds like a very sketchy place. He has seen and been involved in many terrible things in his life. He's had a hard life, a lot of it due to his own mistakes. But he has been touched by the love and light of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. He is repenting, sincerely. He prays in his head as he walks to work so that God will be nearby him. He reads the Book of Mormon and has felt it was true from the moment he saw his copy being pulled out of Sister Noorda's bag as we were giving it to him. He wants to memorize every page... he savors it. He is constantly looking forward to Sunday, because that means he gets to come to church. He has sincere questions and he's finding that they're beginning to be answered. A few days ago, we sat down with him for our 2nd formal lesson with a baptism date in our minds that we planned to offer to him that lesson. After the opening prayer, he asked us what the next step was, what he could do to improve besides reading and praying and coming to church. We talked about how baptism is the gate to the path of discipleship, the beginning (not end goal of) our spiritual lives. He got it. He normally talks a lot, but at this moment he was quiet. Sister Noorda invited him to be baptized on August 26.  Jack sat there quietly and thought about it for a few seconds. He then replied, "I think I should," with a grin. I wish you could have been there. It was exhilarating. We asked him a minute later how he felt about this decision, and he said, "I'm excited!" He asked us to give him a list of commandments (and "things to avoid") that he needs to follow before baptism, and that he would obey all of it. We told him we'd teach him the commandments line upon line, but his heart is so contrite and "willing to submit to all things." He is quick to recognize and believe the word of God. The Holy Ghost has guided him and helped him recognize Jesus Christ as the source to which he can look for a remission of his sins. He is a great example to me. We are really excited about him. He is another one of those people whom it is an absolute privilege to be teaching. (You will get to know him a little, President--you will most likely interview him next month before he is baptized).

Also!! I'm not sure if I told you how Devi (the man from Bangalore who wanted baptism) has been insanely busy with work and hasn't been able to meet us, and then we found out he is going back to India for a few months (undefined period of time)? I was SO bummed that he was leaving. His ticket was for last night. But he called us and told us "bad news"--that something with his visa requires him to stay in Malaysia until August, so he had to cancel/postpone his trip back. He was sad because he was supposed to see his cousin's wedding, but he said that we can meet him anytime now because he had already taken a 2 month leave from work. So now we get to teach him again!! I am so happy!!

Other than that... Chinese Anton has been passing the sacrament on most Sundays, and has been called as the Branch Librarian, which warms my heart. In his white shirt and tie :).  Also, Nigerian Anton also got the priesthood and went out to buy a set of white shirts and ties, which he now wears every Sunday at church. As I watch them, I feel like a proud mother, even though both of these guys are in their 30's. It's great.

In other news... at church, Kripala randomly (as in, interrupted a conversation I was having with a member, and) gave me a box of "drink mix." He said sometime to the effect of, "I see you sometimes feel very hot! The other day I was drinking this, I made it with ice, and it was very nice! It was so nice, I felt relaxed and all cooled off. Very nice mah, this is for you." Me and the member both laughed a little and I stuck it in my bag. Later when we got home, I was looking at it and discovered, to my surprise, that it was actually a box of packets of medication for urinary tract infections. (To clarify--I have never experienced such an infection.) I laughed for a very long time. I don't know whether he knew what he was giving me or what he himself had been drinking. He was either being sneaky, or oblivious. Either way, it was hilarious.

Being a missionary is great. I love it. Sister Noorda is amazing and hilarious, which helps. The Gospel is true and is the power of God unto the Salvation of His children. I firmly believe and know that God lives and loves each one of us.

Sister Gopinath

Welcome, Sister Noorda!

Hello! What a week this has been! I had a blast in Singapore picking up Sister Noorda. I got to see President and Sister Clark right before they left, which was a huge blessing. And I got to be there for and participate in the orientation meetings (as well as the trainer orientation meeting), which was a joy. It was kind of surreal to be there as a trainer, and think back on my experiences since I was a new missionary. It made me aware of how much I've changed, because of how differently I felt being in the same type of meeting. I'm really grateful for the experiences I've had, although difficult, for making me the (still-developing) person and missionary I am today. 

I was nervous to be training, but now having been in it for a week, I realize I didn't need to feel that way. First of all, because Sister Noorda is awesome. She and I have a lot of fun together, and she pushes herself out of her comfort zone on her own, which is really admirable and helpful. Even though she is nervous to talk to people, she still does it. She is going to learn a lot really fast. I am going to learn a lot from her. On Sunday we taught a lesson to a girl we had just met (she came with a member to church), and the lesson was basically about being clean from sin through Jesus Christ. It led perfectly into teaching the doctrine of baptism. To any new missionary, bringing up baptism is intimidating. But there came just the right moment to extend the invitation to follow Christ by being baptized, and I backed off a little. After a second, Sister Noorda stepped in and invited the girl to be baptized, and she accepted, saying that she felt a need and wanted to become clean. It was wonderful. (We will not be the ones to continue teaching that girl, because she lives far away, but she is going to be meeting with the Elders who are near her house.) I was really proud of Sister Noorda.

Dr. C came to church for the first time on Sunday!! It was a great fast and testimony meeting too. He absolutely loved it. Sister Noorda asked him after church if he felt the Holy Ghost, and he said emphatically, "Yes! Did you?!" He was glowing! Then he was telling us how he'd been reading the Book of Mormon last night in Alma and Moroni, and he had been deeply moved and inspired. He is a very spiritual man. He has been trying and looking forward to coming to church, and he finally did and had a really spiritual experience. I am humbled that I get to teach him.

Also, someone new came to church. His name is Jack, and he is from Nepal. He works as a security guard near where the missionaries used to live, so he has met many Sister missionaries in the last few years. He's kind of like a young troubled artist, with many unanswered questions and inner struggles he doesn't tell anyone about. He is a really great guy. Sister Pinkston and I had invited him to church two weeks ago, but he slept in instead of coming, but he told us, "The time is coming. I know I have to go there." He comes from a Hindu background, but finds his heart drawn to Jesus Christ. This Sunday he came to church, and it was his first time in a Christian church. He seemed to enjoy it, and had to leave in a rush but told me, "I will come again! Are you going to visit me later?" Of course we were!

So yesterday we met him (first lesson), and as we were sitting down, we simply asked, "How has your day been today?" He replied, "Excellent. It's been a great day." We asked him why, and he told us, "I haven't smoked or drunk since June 30th (Saturday)." Apparently he has been a chain smoker (25-60 cigarettes a day) and a frequent drinker for the last 14 years (since early teens). But he said that on Saturday, he decided within himself that since he was going to church that Sunday, he didn't want to smoke or drink anymore. And he stopped cold-turkey. We never even told him to do that! It was incredible! I asked him why he did that, and he said he didn't know. But he's tried before and has never been able to overcome his addictions, but now he has found motivation. God's Spirit is so REAL! He is working among us constantly, even when the missionaries are not there. 

He told us that if he could, he would spend hours in church every single day so that he could have his heart and mind in the right place. We talked about daily prayer, to which he committed. He asked us, "So, what's next?" and we taught the doctrine of baptism as the way that Christ has invited us to follow Him. He knows he is going to be baptized, to commit to being a "1000% a disciple of Jesus Christ," as he put it, but he wants to learn and fill his mind with the Savior first so he can be ready to share His testimony of Him to anyone who asks why he became Christian. He is amazing and such a prepared soul. We are really excited about him and hope to help him set a baptismal date very soon.

So as a spiritual thought, go and read Ephesians 6:10-20.

I know that God is real. He lives and loves us. I love being a missionary and sharing the Gospel of Christ. The Spirit of God is real and has incredible, very real power to touch the hearts of God's children. I know that through Christ's sacrifice, we can become completely clean, without spot, eventually even as He is so we can inherit God's kingdom in Heaven.

Sister Gopinath