Malaysia Airlines' Newest Frequent Flyer

Tawau to Kota Kinabalu to Kuala Lumpur to Singapore, and then back the same way 

Elder Coleman spent his weekend flying across Malaysia and then on preparation day making his way to Singapore for Zone Conference. His mission necessitates a lot of flying between areas; this past week alone he flew 2700 miles (2394 nm).  He didn't get time for emailing much this week but sent us this sweet note:

Zone conference took my day for email so sorry maybe email tomorrow or day after, love you!!! (Wooooof.... I fly so much I went and signed up for a frequent flyer account for Malaysia Air.) Your prayers and fasting and putting his name on the temple prayer roll was not in vain. Brother Sagario is healing and walking and is now beginning to learn the Gospel! So sick!!! Love you so much! Keep praying! 

I got the Easter package! BEST THING OF MY LIFE! Every one keeps calling me spoiled, but I just know that every day I'm learning how to love my future kids and show them I really care! Thank you thank you thank you! I always pray and just thank Heavenly Father that I have a mom and dad like you. Thank you for everything you do for me and KEEP DOING MISSIONARY WORK. We've got to get as many people as possible ready for Christ's coming!! Love you again!

Elder Clay Coleman

Healing Blessings

This week we flew to Miri in Sarawak for a training

A shark!! Pretty EPIC!!!

Catch of the Day at a Miri fishmonger's stall 

Hello all!! 

This week FLEW by. It just seems to do that out here - you go out to work, and soon enough it's Monday again and I'm here writing you all!

This week was pretty great. On Monday, we played some basketball for the entire rest of P-day! The four elders in Tawau (Elder Chong, Elder Sutherland [the Chinese Elders] Elder Yang, and I) have some great team unity, and we can play hard and take on mostly anyone. It's pretty fun. 

I kinda forgot to mention this two weeks ago, but I got tonsillitis! I was feeling pretty sketchy at the end of preparation day on 10 March and so I just went to bed early.  In the morning I had a 102.8 degree fever. We called Sister Mains like we are supposed to when we are sick, and then she told me to go to the sketchy Malaysian hospital! So that was interesting. Turns out I just had tonsillitis and I got a couple of antibiotics. The crazy part was that the next day I was basically able to do missionary work, and then  the day after I was completely fine! So I guess missionaries really are healed fast. I'm down with that!

This week, I found out that Elder LaFontaine and I were the tools in the hands of God in healing a man, Brother Adai. Pretty legit. We met him weeks ago - and gave him a blessing that said if he would show the faith to go back to church, he would be healed. He's been coming regularly and about a month later, we visited him again this week and found out that rather than being still sick and close to death, he's completely healed. It's remarkable and miraculous. I know the hand of God was with us that night.

Well, in that same spirit, Elder Yang and I received a call on Tuesday night from Brother Kenneth - a very strong member in our branch who returned in November from his mission in the Philippines. He gave us a call and began to cry. His dad has a pretty bad infection and is getting worse and worse - he hasn't been able to go to work in over a week. We knew there was an issue but not to that extent, so we promised to come over that night. When we got there, I saw perhaps the most heartwrenching thing I have EVER seen. This poor man's leg was just rotting. It's puffed up and swollen and a lot more that I don't care to remember. But it was horrible. Brother Sagario said that he can't sleep because of the pain. I have rarely felt so much pity in my whole life. He is not a member of the church, but has recently decided he wants to learn. This week, we are going to go over and teach him for the first time so he can join his family in the church. We really feel this will strengthen his family, too. In the blessing I gave him, Brother Sagario was promised as he demonstrates to the Lord that he desires to follow Him, the Lord will pour out his blessings and heal him. I know that to be true after seeing Brother Adai healed as well. 

Our week this week got a little bit kacau-ed, or messed up, because of New Missionary Training in Miri, Sarawak! It was incredible to see tons of Christian people around - in Sabah (where I'm serving), the vast majority is Muslim, but in Sarawak, Christian natives called Ibans are most populous. So it was cool to see all of them. We had a great training meeting, and Elder Yang and I found many ways we can improve as a companionship and help Tawau Branch to grow.

We got back late Saturday night, after following the Miri Elders and the Assistants all day Friday.  We got two referrals from a less-active that Sister Tina, the "missionary mom" in Tawau, helped us find. We didn't see any new investigators this week, and we only have a half week this week because of District Conference in Kota Kinabulu followed by Zone Conference next week in Singapore haha but we are hopeful the break will do us some good. Pray for us to find more people to bring unto Christ!!

Love you all! I really appreciate the verse Doctrine and Covenants 123:17: 

"Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we  stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed."

I especially like this verse because it was given to Joseph Smith while he was in Liberty Jail! He had been suffering so much while staying there, and though his faith began to dwindle a bit, the Lord comforted him and humbled him as well. I know that as we do all we can, we will see the Lord extending His arm and working alongside us. No matter where you are, or if you are member of our faith or not, pray that you can lift people around you up and serve them as Christ would - and I know you will find ways to do just that.

Love you all again!

Elder Clay Coleman

PS: Funny Malaysian find of the week: "Arabian Fried Chicken" instead of KFC. Hahahaha!

Something I sent Elder C to make him laugh. He replied, "I'm dying over here!"

The Hard Work of Missions

With some Tawau members before Elder LaFontaine was transferred

Hello all! 

This week was GREAT!! A lot of work. Missions are definitely a lot of work. Whether it's just jalan kaki (walking by foot) or biking, we work each day and look for people to teach. On the bad side, it's way hot here. You just sweat. On the great (!!!) side, you get dang tan! I'm semakin orang hitam (gradually becoming a dark person). It's fun and there is a crazy watch tan on my wrist. So! There's an upside to everything. My challenge to you is to look for and focus on it!

As I said last week, President Mains has really been focusing on people to teach. I really like and agree with what Cectpa Coleman and Elder Shane Brown have said: When the members aren't with you, and you have no one to teach, you've got to go out and try finding!! So that's what we've been doing. We go knocking and contacting here... We usually just knock on gates!! Most homes have a little gate in front of the house and then we tap it with our keys or a big 50 sen coin (best method) and say "Hellooooo!" Sometimes more than just one person will come out. It always surprises me they can hear the sound of the gate being knocked!! But whatever. It works!! 

This week, we found a couple people willing for us to come back and teach them, but before our next lesson, they called and said "We already have a church. Please don't come back." It's tough. But these are the times you have got to put your head down and just work, work, and work. The Lord will bless us once we have done all we can - so that's what we are doing. Everything we can!! Since we aren't out here to force people, it can get a bit discouraging, but we just keep it up. 

It's pretty interesting - this mission just makes me way more strong in this church. I really have to think about my motivations when it gets tough, and whether or not I really fully believe in this work and church and in the Book of Mormon, but I really do - and that's what keeps me going, even when the tank is dry, or the doors get slammed or whatever else. I truly, truly, TRULY believe it to be true - and that's because I've prayed about it and received an answer it's true.

But we still manage to have a good time and laugh about all the ridiculous nature of stuff. For example, see the picture of my shoes below. It's pretty great. Lots and lots of crazy fun things. Everyone out here thinks I'm a lot older than I am, like the average is probs 23, but I've also gotten 25, 26 before!! They're all SHOCKED when they hear I'm 18. I guess they just can't guess the age of an orang putih!!

To get members going, we've been using Preach My Gospel lessons with them! We teach them  to get them excited about missionary work. I would encourage you with your strongest members to try it and see if anything comes of it for referrals!! 

Coldplay!!!!!! So stoked to hear about the new album. When you hear stuff like that, it makes being obedient to being cut off from the world pretty hard - but I just pray for strength to resist haha and walk it out. That's what this is all about. Discipline yourself. Obedience is the major test of this life!

I was reading El Libro de Mormon the other day and realized my Spanish isn't completely gone! In fact, this week I gave an entire lesson in Spanish with these two Filipina less actives who speak it!! SOOO funny and great. Also, I can pray in Chinese now... though it's simple and I basically say the same thing every time, I believe I can learn the language if I keep at it. I love the Malay language best of all.

There are tons of miracles around us: this week, we found two members of the church who haven't been back to church in so long! One hasn't come for 7 years. We found them through random, crazy miracles. We know this work to be true. I love you all!! Continue working hard and being awesome!!!

Elder Clay Coleman

Evidence of our hard work!

Another Tawau sunset (I think Elder Coleman is his mother's son haha)

Six Months!

Sister Tina is our pseudo mission mom in Tawau

Hello all!!

This week flew by. I'm grateful for the opportunity to write you again, but missionary work is so great. It seems like there is not enough time in a week to do everything we want/are required to do! That definitely applies to emailing. I wish I had Siri out here! She was basically my best friend back at home because she made texting/emailing so much faster and I probably "talked" to her more than I spoke to any of you (seems impossible, I know). So patience with me as I email you!

Anyways!! This week was great. I'm learning a lot as a trainer - and my trainee is starting to settle into the regular routine of missionary work. Turns out Elder Yang used to be a starter on varsity basketball at 5'4", so that's pretty remarkable. We're actually going to go play some basketball right now, so I'll have a report on how good he actually is in a few hours!

Tomorrow is my 6-month mark. That seems absurd. It hardly feels like any time I've been out here - and it's already a fourth over.

This week we did a lot of work. We visited a lot of members, went contacting a bunch, and saw the ball move a little bit. Here in the Singapore Mission, about 2-5 years ago, the area underwent a massive

explosion. The number of baptisms in a year at its peak was 1200. It was ridiculous, considering the percentage of the population in Malaysia that actually can be taught. (We can't teach people of the I s l a m i c faith.)

Well, in recent years, the focus of the mission has really changed to working with less-active members and bringing back many of the people who were once baptized but have since left their testimonies. It's

necessary work, and rewarding, but what the mission leaders have been realizing lately is that focusing on less-actives has really drained attention from going forward with investigator work. So, they've recently been focusing on working with investigators - whether that's finding, teaching, or whatever else!

In that spirit, this week, Elder Yang and I got out and started wandering around areas, talking to every person we could see - even if they were not Christian! (Don't worry, we don't mention the church until we know for sure if they are Christian.) We found some new people and can't wait to get on the ball and teach! We are trying to work hard first, and find the people the Lord needs us to find and teach them. Pray for us to be successful!!

Love you all! This work is true! Here are some pictures with Elder Yang and Sister Tina, the 'mission mom' here in Tawau.

Malaysia Boleh!

Love,

Elder Coleman

How grateful Clay's family is for wonderful people like Sister Tina who love and care for the missionaries!!

Elder Coleman and Elder Johnson who is his Zone Leader.
(Elder J's grandmother knows Clay's grandmother from the 1950's in Mississippi
when Clay's grandmother's family joined the Church. Small world!)

Training Elder Yang--it's Amazing!

Sunset in Tawau (view from the church building)

My new "son" Elder Hue Yae Yang (pronounced Foo Yea Yang)

Hello everyone!

I know, I know, I should have written last week! Sorry Mom :) But this last week was crazy! So... Transfers got bumped up a little last week because of Mission President Training in Hong Kong - usually, we find out our transfers on Monday, and everyone moves on Thursday! But, because President Mains had to be leaving on Tuesday, we found out the news on Saturday, and Tuesday was moving day. 

So on Saturday, we found out the crazy news. The Zone Leaders called and the four missionaries in Tawau all huddled up around the phone on speaker phone and just listened anxiously. Picture that hahaha. So, Elder Chong is staying here in Tawau and was going to get Elder Sutherland from Kuching (which has since happened, and he's a great guy). The Zone Leaders didn't say anything about the Malay elders, so Elder LaFontaine goes, "Is there a change with the Malay Elders?!" Elder Johnson was messing with us a little bit so he laughingly says, "Yes! Elder LaFontaine is going to Kuching, Kota Samarahan." He then gave details about that, and FINALLY he gets to me! "Elder Coleman is training in Tawau!" Woooooooo! I was so stoked! Literally the night before I had been praying that all the new missionaries and the missionaries moving would be feeling okay with their transfers and stuff, and I had a feeling I was going to be training - and then it happened. Pretty cool.

Saying goodbye to Elder LaFontaine was sad but also exciting. We had a great companionship, and I really appreciated the perspectives on missionary work and life I gained from him. I love that guy, and I'm grateful to have served with him!!

So, the reason why I couldn't email much last week was that on Monday, I had to fly to Singapore to pick up my new missionary! Pretty funny because my area is nearly 1,000 miles away from my mission home and office. Hahaha. So all day Monday I had to fly to Singapore, and then I got to the mission home about 3:30.  By the time I changed and stuff we barely had any time to email before we had to go back for the Train the Trainers meeting with President and Sister Mains and the APs. Very cool - Elder Robinson (one of the APs) knows all the kids two years older than me who live in our neighborhood! He even slept over at the Brennan's house one time with some college friends! So it was fun to talk with him and talk about mutual friends.

So! Last Tuesday I found out my new companion. Elder Yang! He's Mong (native race from Thailand, raised in America), about 5' 4", hilarious, and a stud. I've got the chillest trainee ever.  He already has pretty good language skills, and is way willing and just wants to do the work. He's from San Francisco, CA and is super legit! We make an interesting companionship and every one here thinks he's Chinese haha but whatever. In Malaysia, if you are any Asian race other than Malaysian, they think you're Chinese. Pretty funny. It's a good time. He speaks somewhat like some of my African American friends back home, so that's legit. I have this thing about absorbing a little bit of the habits of people I'm around a lot - so this is going to be funny. 

Whenever a new missionary comes into the field, he gets a trainer, who shows him the ropes and gets him on his feet. That's my goal with Elder Yang! To teach him how to be a missionary on his own, and then to work with him just like any other companion. Gotta be friends and equals in a companionship, right? Anyways, so I'm stoked to be with him. I've been blessed with the Gift of Tongues so much, it's ridiculous. I can understand basically everything anyone says to me now, unless they are using unusually specific language - eg. when a swarm of bees attacked a kid this week, and someone tried to explain what happened, I understood everything but the word for bee. (Which is penyengat, by the way :) ) So I've been extremely blessed. Advice for any prospective missionaries learning a new language: Be diligent in language study, and in every prayer ask for the Gift of Tongues. Then watch the blessings come.

This week was pretty great. We went all over, visiting members and less-actives and introduced Elder Yang to them. They all called him pandai / skilled at something, in this case Malay / because he can already tahan / survive! We had lots of spiritual experiences studying together and teaching together, but one of the coolest experiences happened yesterday. It was fast Sunday, and we were heading over to Sister Lita's house. She's a Filipina lady who has a soft spot in my heart. She calls God her "My Precious Heavenly Father." Man! Gets me every time! We were planning on teaching her a lesson about prayer, when all of a sudden, while on my bike, the Spirit put a thought and feeling in my heart "You need to teach about fasting." I thought a prayer in my heart "Just making sure, fasting, and NOT prayer?" and sure enough, the thought came stronger and said "Yes, Fasting." I then was like "Okay! Can!" So I yelled back to Elder Yang "We're teaching about fasting today!" We then planned to read Isaiah 58 together which talks a lot about the blessings and importance of fasting. Turns out Sister Lita has been having a ton of problems with stuff, I won't go into details, but she said: "Elder, this lesson is exactly what I needed." Both my companion and I bore testimony of fasting, and the Spirit was so strong. Then, though the Spirit was prompting me to challenge her anyways, Sister Lita said "Elder, I'm going to fast every week so that the Lord can bless me." It was epic and way spiritual. Just so awesome to literally watch myself being the vehicle to teach Heavenly Father's children exactly what they need to hear. Instruments in the hands of the Lord!

Well, training. It's amazing. I'm already starting to feel an attachment to Elder Yang like my own son - hence why trainers are nicknamed "fathers" and trainees "sons." You can trace your family line like that! It's pretty great. I've been thinking about just how much I'm going to love my own kids in the future and it's unreal! I just can't wait to learn as much as I can from this experience and Elder Yang.

So if anyone knows Elder Jimmy Jacobs, I've got some funny info about him. He's right now serving his mission in the Philippines Cebu Mission, and just recently got transferred to a place called Negros. Well, turns out that's basically the closest part of his mission to my mission. I'm serving in Tawau right now - which is one of the closest areas to HIS mission from mine! Right now, we are less far apart in Tawau and Negros than the distance between Provo and Coto de Caza. Pretty legit huh?! So stoked about that. Google "distance between  Tawau Malaysia and Negros Philippines" and you'll see hahaha. So awesome!

Love you all! This work is true! Can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for me and Elder Yang! I would invite your prayers back at home to help us to find some new people to teach - it's what we're going to be focusing on this week, and I know your prayers will help.

Malaysia Boleh!!

Elder Clay Coleman

The four Tawau elders before last week's transfer (Elders Chong, Tan, LaFontaine, and Coleman)

I'M GOING TO BE A TRAINER!!!!

This week, Elder Coleman didn't send a regular weekly update. He missed his normal email time because he was flying from Tawau to Kota Kinabalu then to Singapore to go pick up the newly arrived missionary whom he will be training. It was a long travel day. He is so excited to meet the new elder and asked for us to pray for him that he can be a good trainer. "I'm stoked! It's going to be legit!" 

It's a Malaysian turtle! And a jungle out there!

Sunset in Sabah

Elder C is going to miss Elder LaFontaine and Elder Tan who were both transferred out of Tawau

Tutoring Math in Malay and Other Great Stuff

The tree is by the church and it's HUGE! I love this pic where I'm hiding. It's like "where's the missionary?!?!? THERE HE IS!" hahaha 

Matsalleh is the nicer way of saying "white person" other than orang putih. So this street is White Person Way!!

The darling kids of the Sini family

The Sini family pet monkey!!

Hello from Kota Kinabalu! I'm here for zone district meeting.

Two people coming to the Irvine mission whom you should know about!!!

1. Camille Nuttall, from Chicago, a friend from summer term at BYU!!

2. A girl named Jaclyn - wait for it - FROM SABAH, GOING TO MY HOME MISSION!!! Woah! So awesome! You have got to meet her. I'm going to try to meet her today or tomorrow. Don't know her missionary name yet, but I'll get it!

Okay. Teaching Primary is honestly the best. It's getting crazy because now I talk to little kids, understand them, and even one time this week tutored someone in MATH in Malay!! Speaking another language for math - one of the hardest things I've ever done. The Gift of tongues is real!!!

This week, we found out an investigator Elder LaFontaine and Elder Johnson had been teaching whom they thought had already moved is actually still here in Tawau! His name is Eugene and we are going to be teaching him in the future. 

We did a lot of work with less active members this week, and we are feeling really good about progress we are making. I love seeing people come back and partake of the sacrament - what an amazing experience. Brother Adai was great this week and came out to church. AGAIN! So grateful!

Also this week, Elder LaFontaine hit his one year mark!! SO cool, so we celebrated at a restaurant with some steamboat - basically, where you get raw meat and stuff and cook it yourself in front of you! So fun and delicious.

BTW, DURIAN--SO GOOD!!! OH MY GOSH you may have seen it. or at least smelt it! SO DELICIOUS. Gotta try it three times! I had it once in the MTC, then twice out here, and by the 3rd time, you love it. So good! (This is Clay's mom: That fruit smells like a mix between rotting onions and soured cheese. I never thought in a million years that the world's pickiest eater as a little boy would grow up to LOVE durian!)

Enjoy the pics, and know I love you all!!!

The church is true, this work is real, and God watches over it!!

Malaysia Boleh!

Elder Clay Coleman 

PS As many of you know, my sister Maddy is serving a mission in Russia right now. Here is her email from last week. Really touched my heart and I know what she says is true and I wanted to share it with you!!! 

"Hello hello!! How is life? I miss you all and appreciate your love and support and prayers. I truly feel them in my behalf. 

How are the Olympics!? Sochi!!! I still can't get over that I'm living in Russia while the Olympics are here. Kind of crazy.

Anywho, this has been an amazing week. Guess what? We have two new investigators! They are incredible, and have so much potential. K___ just turned 18 on Feb 1, and she wants to take the missionary discussions now that she can. She has been coming to Family Home Evening and stuff for about 7 months now. I am so excited about her!! I___ is 27. We met in December, and it has been interesting with her. She has a lot of questions. She is so sweet and really smart. 

When I was thinking about what I wanted to write today, I decided to share some of the things I have been mulling and pondering over this past week. Recently, my companion and I have been asked a few simple, yet interesting questions: "Why is religion important? Why should I come to your church when I already have a church I go to? Why are you even here?" 

These inquisitions really got me wondering: Why IS religion important? If people already go to a church, what makes OUR church different and why WOULD they want to change and come to our weekly service? Why AM I here in Russia? Maybe some of you might ask yourselves the same things, and maybe you think I'm crazy for tromping around in the freezing cold here in Russia, with only my companion by my side, trying to talk to everyone, and doing it all for free. What would motivate a 21 year-old to do something like this? 

Well, this morning, after studying and thinking about these things for the past few days, a couple of interesting insights came to me. 

Why do I think religion is important? If I thought this church was just another religious sect, just some other place to worship once a week, if I didn't know what I know about where I'm from and why I'm on this earth and where I'm going after I die, I might think religion is unnecessary, that people are silly for believing in things they can't see. But this religion has answered all those questions in my life. I know I lived with God before I came to earth; I know my purpose here; and I know where I'm going after I die.

The reality is that this church--The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints--isn't just some other religious sect. It isn't a "once a week" place of worship. This church is Jesus Christ--the Savior and Redeemer of the world's--church. This is where HIS gospel, ALL of His Gospel, resides. This is where the church he established when he was on earth has been restored. This is where people come and learn why this life is so incredibly important in the eternal scheme of things: "For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors." (Alma 34:32 from the Book of Mormon)

We are here to get to know God and Jesus Christ, and to demonstrate through our choices that we want to follow them. We are living this life so we can show Heavenly Father that we want to return to live with Him. We are here so that we can serve and help others find the light of Christ in their lives. This life is the time to progress, to change, to grow, to become. So to answer the first two questions in one: Why is religion important and why should people come to this church? Because to me, and to millions of others, this church is the place to come unto Christ with full purpose of heart, to have our hearts changed, to live with our families forever, to partake of the eternal joy that comes from having a full knowledge of why we are here on the earth. 

Of course, I do not mean to say that other religious institutions don't have value or that they don't have some truth. They do! That is what I tell people on the streets every day. As a missionary, I am in Russia to strengthen the faith of those who are here, and to add to their faith a fulness of truth. We are here to invite others to be baptized by the proper priesthood authority, to have the opportunity to take part in ordinances that will open the doors of eternal life for them, and to answer the questions of their souls.

In answer to the final question? I am here in Russia because I know this church is true. Plain and simple. I love this gospel and my Savior. 

I love all of you!!!! 

Cectpa C. "