Name's Mitchell. Elder Mitchell.

Well, fun fact: Malaysia experiences LOTS of rain. Like bucketloads of it. Sometimes it's ridiculous. Take this week, for instance. Kuching has experienced rain that should only be experienced during rainy season--which is still months away, mind you. And even then, this particular type of rain should be reserved only for the darkest of nights, when missionaries don't have to ride through the middle of them.
But I digress. Suffice it to say, I've got some wonderful stories to tell the grandkids in sixty-odd years about this past week. We literally biked through puddles several feet deep, in the middle of what must have been a mini-hurricane. At one point, when you could think that this situation could get no worse, a car drove by and splattered our water-soaked bodies with a nice slash of brown. Malaysia boleh.

Maybe I'm being a little overdramatic, but whatevs. There's nothing wrong with a good story :)

This week has seen its ups and downs. One of my favorite ups was during Sacrament Meeting yesterday. As the hymn was being sung, the sacrament being blessed, and then being passed, I reflected on the past week, on the the various follies and mistakes and weaknesses that are mine. As I did so, I just felt a peace that seemed to confirm that things are going to be okay. I felt an assurance that the Lord is not some bully with a large stick, hovering over you, just waiting for you to make a mistake so that He can smack you for it. No--I got the distinct impression that I really don't understand just how deeply the Lord loves us, just how much He is willing and ready to forgive us. I just felt a peace that, after all of that ridiculous rain this past week, I really needed to feel. I know that the Lord is there for us. He is anxious to bless us. He loves us immeasurably. Isn't that just the greatest news ever!? We have to go out and share it! We have to sing it from the housetops and tell the whole world about it! We can't keep quiet--we have to share this good news that we have! It is, after all, the only news that really matters these days. :)

I hope that y'all have a wonderful week! I love you very much, and I hope you know that the Lord loves you even more! Keep on keepin' on :)

Sincerely,
Mai Zhanglao