Christmas is a Week Away!

We were not able to do our usual weekly blog 2 weeks ago because we are having computer problems.  When I don''t do it by the week, I forget what I wanted to say!  Two weeks ago, I had to fill out our 1st financial report to church headquarters on the use of church monies with our JPMC credit card.  It requires codes and information on every single item and projects that we have used!  I almost need an accounting degree.  I almost can't believe the Lord trusts seniors to handle this.  We're learning.
I believe that I told you about our new computer the church gave us to use--well, we got the stripped down version.  They have to put CHURCH windows on it and not the regular.  Our computer would not download it, so they sent us a disk to kill everything on the computer and start over.  Dad was having to use our laptop for everything.  Lucky that we had it.  Our old office computer was on the floor in a corner.  We finally got permission to hook it back up as an office computer for me.  Took @ 2 weeks to get permission.  Kate came over last Sunday and connected it for us and decided that she could reset the modem password so that I could use my laptop also while we're wating for the new computer to work.  Welllllllll, that didn't work!  She had to leave and we had no internet service and SLC and Hong Kong wanted Dad to have all of this project info ready on Monday because Dec. 15 was the deadline for ALL new project money this year.  We had Sebastian take us to the store Monday morning to buy a broadband gadget to have internet service!  We had to wait 3 hours for that to work and when it did the signal was so weak that we couldn't download anything of importance to do our work.
Kate got away from work to see if she could fix it.  She has a bunch of half-drunk Russians in town for a week and has to plan and schedule for them!  She could not fix it.  I called TM(Telephone Malaysia) to send a technician to fix the internet service.  That was a joke!  They wanted to talk ME through it in Malay!  HAHA!  While I was on the phone with them, Kate called a technician to come fix it.  His name was Tommie and he's my new hero!  He had our computers up and running in 15 minutes!  He reset the password and now I don't have to connect to our modem to use my laptop.  I was so excited after a day and a half of worry and stress that I almost cried.  I gave him a big hug and when he had my laptop fix where I can use it in any room, I gave him another hug.  I was talking to him later and he told me that his wife is Muslim.  I asked if he is and he said "yes".  I started apologizing profusely and asking his forgiveness for hugging him.  He smiled and said "no problem".  I called Kate and told her that I was hugging a Muslim man in my apartment, and was that an unpardonable sin with them!  She said that Tommie had just becoime a Muslim because he had to when he married his wife.  She said that he really didn't believe it.  Just another day in the life of a senior missionaary couple!
Dad has really beeen under a lot of stress trying to get these new projects submitted by Dec. 15 and he has done quite well.  We took a break yesterday to go downtown and Christmas shop.  We bought a few things, but I could not find anything for the missionaries.  I found a nice department store and I bought me a pair of shoes!  ($23).  We are taking them out for a Christmas buffet at the Promenade Hotel downtown on Christmas morning.  They're coming back to our apartment to use our office phone to call home.  Their cell phones don't work out of Malaysia.  So they are using ours.
This week has been stressful also for our District President.  As he was teaching the general priesthood class on Sunday, family came in and told him that his 29 year old sister in KL had committed suicide by jumping out the 14th floor window of her brother's apartment while they watched.  She was a member of the church also--just not active.  Kate and Mary Anne went to the funeral home to see her.  Kate knew her well but did not even recognize her!  I still can't believe that they had a open casket.  Pres. Ling is a great man.
On Wednesday, we went with the Sisters(on their P-Day) to a little place called Murudu about 4 hours from KK.  There were 2 cars of us --Br. Harun and Adrian(Sebastian's dad and brother), Sis. Lillian(YW's Pres), Bro. Francis(@nd C. In Presidency), Sisters and Dad and me.  We went to a kampung way in the end of nowhere to teach a family @ our church so that their parents would give permission for their sons to be baptized!  Their sons had been living and working in KK when the sisters met them.  It was an all day trip and very rewarding .  The sisters taught 26 people in the parents house.  The Dad gave his permisssion for them to be baptized!  He now wants to know more.  Good Day even if tiring.
We love you and look forward to seeing all of the Christmas pictures!  I have learned that if we do 3 simple things in life that we'll be alright--Pray, Read Scriptures, and Go to Church!  I'm so thankful that ya'll do these things.  The church is true, God Lives, and Jesus is the Christ, Joseph Smith is a prophet of God, and the Bool of Morman is the Word of God!     Love  MOM/DAD