Meeting Ivy

Meeting Ivy

27 August 2013

“Are you up for hiking a mountain?”  Asked Elder Loke.  “Well, of course.” we replied as we drove the two Elders to a little village to visit some church members.  We parked our car and started hiking up a steep, deteriorating street way with jungle on both sides. 

 From a distance we could see Ivy high above us on the mountain, hanging clothes on a line that stretched in front of her porch.  Ivy is in her early 30’s and married with two children.  Dogs come out all along the way and warned us not to step into their territory.  Of course we obliged.

There are make-shift homes along the side of this steep hill.  The people buy the property and build a home of some sort on it.  There is no OSHA here!  The cement stairs are steep and narrow with barely room to fit half your foot.  There are no hand rails or walls on either side, you just keep climbing up into heaven, never looking back.  We balanced our huge American bodies on the top step, while respectfully removing our shoes to enter her home.   I've noticed the petite Malaysians giggle as they watch our awkwardness. 

The home was a mixture of different planks of wood and paneling to make walls and ceilings.  A variety of cupboards and drawers with open fronts were filled with books and belongings.  Material is draped to divide one room from another.  School pictures of her children hung on the wall.  There was no kitchen table or chairs.  Her home reminded me of a play house for children who scrounged bits and pieces to make it a hut away from home.  No lights were turned on while we visited in the shadows.  There was a Soni thin-screen TV in the front room.

 

The home had a definite smell, not necessarily bad, but completely foreign to me.  We were invited to sit on the only couch she had, as the Elders and Ivy sat on the floor.  Ivy was shy and apologized for her mismatched and meager furnishings.  We sang “Come Follow Me”, prayed and counted our blessings.  We decided we were all rich, because we had families!   Ivy joined the church several years ago and her daughter was baptized a couple months ago.  Before being baptized she had never had a white person in her home.  She said she noticed white people down on the beaches, but wasn’t too impressed with them. 

Ivy is a beautiful young mother, healthy and strong.  Hard work compensates for money.  Like all Malaysian’s we have met, she was very friendly and offered us ice-cold mineral water.  We loved her instantly.

 

We visited another woman today who didn’t have as much as Ivy.  She literally lived in a wooden box 6’ x 6’.   This box was home for her, her husband, two young boys and a brand new baby girl.  Roselyn, the mother, greeted us through the wooden bars on her door.  Her young son pressed his face against the wooden slats to get a better look at us. She kept the door shut. There really was no room for us anyway.  Their beds were taking up all of the floor space I could see.  As make-shift as her home was, she also                                                                                          had electricity and a TV.   Humble and happy,

 
                                                                               they seem to go together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Singapore

Singapore

21-24 August 2013

Senior couples Conference brings together the 20 couples serving all over Malaysia and Singapore.  Some are helping to train and support the local church branches.  Some are serving to help the young Elders and Sisters with apartments and travel.  Some teach English.  Two of us are doing humanitarian projects with the local charities.  Elder and Sister Howell serve in West Malaysia and we are serving in East Malaysia.  All of the missionaries young and old are making lasting friendships in and out of Church membership.

Malaysia limits their visas for missionaries to three months so ALL missionaries fly into Singapore every three months to renew their visas. They put us up in hotels and serve lunch and dinner.  Here we met with our mission president and received training and instructions.  A lot of the instructions were focused around health and safety.  Many testified of their feelings and experiences of Heavenly Father blessing lives.  We have already felt His blessings. 

It was a great opportunity to meet and hear from others who have served here for months.  A few couples and young missionaries were finishing their missions and on their way home.  It is hard for them to say goodbye to the people they have grown to love.  Many told Dan and I that they were jealous of us because we were just beginning our experience.  So far we are not homesick or discouraged.  Most Malaysians are speaking English and we are well understood. 

We spent an extra day in Singapore with a few couples to site-see.  We visited the famous Bird Park, which was a tropical delight, acres and acres of tropical forest housing birds of all colors and types from coral flamingos to pelicans and canneries.  The park was well kept and groomed.  We also took a boat ride down the Singapore River where you can exit to shop, eat and stroll.  I also toured my first mosque.  A handsome young man had me dress in a long silk robe because I was wearing a short sleeved shirt and I needed to have my arms covered.  I saw several young women drop coins into a donation box and older men gather to pray in the large carpeted room. I could have stayed for hours learning from this young man.   

East meets West in Singapore where there is a blend of science and art.  It is very different to what I am used to.  The buildings are not rectangular or square, they are triangular or dome-shaped with armadillo scales, or shaped like a pyramid with layers of flowers at each window.  There is a large ship atop 3 buildings!  Another structure looks like a lotus blossom with solar panels at the tip of each pedal.  They don’t worry about earthquakes or most natural disasters because they say they don’t have those things here, other than flooding.

 

Beautiful purple and white flowers garnish both sides of the main road.  Trees are abundant, trimmed and shaped.  We were told every tree has a number so they can keep track of when each one needs care.  The city is very clean, modern and attractive.  The airport is huge with extensive waterfalls and flower gardens inside.  The employees are noticeably polite and thoughtful.

The malls and shops are loaded with all kinds of foods such as fish, pork and hotdogs, deep-fried and served on sticks.  Bakeries are abundant with all kinds of breads and delectable desserts of chocolate, puffs, cream cakes, donuts and bars drizzled with frostings.

Below ground people are focused and serious.  Everything moves quickly, the escalator is jacked up to 15 miles per hour, no one stops to chat or stroll.  During the rushes we squeeze into a train, face to ear with some stranger, and never say a word!  I look around at the crowd sweating on each other and it makes me grin.  Although I’m not the only one sweating, I am the only one grinning.  




  

Things I saw or did for the first time.

First Week in Malaysia August 2013 

From my air conditioned apartment I saw people climbing down the mountain with 5 gal buckets to get water out of a spring and pack it back to their make-shift home on the hill just below me.

Ate chicken noodle soup with all the bones chopped up in it.

Saw an LDS church chapel convert into a recreation hall as they cleared away all of the lawn chairs.

Saw the sun rise over Mt. Kinabalu.

Drove on the left side of the road, from the right side of the car!

Ate Kimchi and loved it!

Bought groceries with ringgits (Malaysian money) all by myself.

Danced in the center or a Malaysian dancing circle and thought of Robyn.

Saw shoeprints on a toilet seat.

Carried toilet paper in my purse.

Saw a hose in a ladies restroom stall.

Visited a young man who rents out each tiny room of his apartment to different individuals and sleeps on his floor.

Road the underground subway “MRT” and squished my way in till there was standing room only.

Dressed in a green silk robe to be able to tour a mosque.  My short sleeve shirt wasn’t acceptable.

Ironed white shirts.

Washed my whites in cold water.

Rode in a taxi.

Got a visa stamped in my passport!

Hung up a map of Malaysia in my house.

Received a lot of stares because of my missionary badge.

Spent over an hour driving to church which is only 8 minutes away.