Hello Lars!!

the baby is here at last! I want a picture. could you print one out and send one please? your last letter took 11 days to get to me. that's basically the standard. 10-11 days. not so bad, eh?
this week has been pretty rough. I've been throwing up a lot. sister hite has also been sick. it has also been insanely hot, which adds to the sick. it's okay. such is life I guess?
the work has also been very slow, so unfortunately I have no spiritual uplifting stories. I'm sorry! I really tried for one. I could make one up? a lot of males will say they are interested and we'll teach them and they'll seem to be progressing and you get SO stoked, but then after a week or two the bomb gets dropped and they'll call or text and say something like, "hey sister jensen, how about tonight just you and I go out?" and then followed by a, "I just really like you a lot....." sometimes I hate being white. it is difficult! they think you're rich and they just want you to be their girlfriend. it's really tough. 
we did have a very funny night though. we went to an inactive members house, she's this old iban hot grandma lady, named Kinta. she's rad. the moment we knocked on her door I knew it was going to be a funny night. she opened it just a crack and I could see smoke and sure enough, a cigarette!!!! so she quickly slammed the door. and you could hear this running/scuttling, and then she reopened the door with a big smile. a big guilty smile:) haha. so we came in, sat down, and she immediately started cooking. I could still smell her smoke haha. so she started cooking, and she comes out a few minutes later with this big meal of noodles, cookies, crackers, milo, flower tea, cheesecake, eggs, rice.........it was HUGE!!!! and it was hysterical because I know she was going all nine yards because she felt guilty. so we eat and laugh and had a lot of very funny conversations with her (Ibans are crazy fun) and then we mentioned that we had just picked up a few dresses from the local thrift store. she also mentioned she had just bought 7 dresses from the same store. so she starts showing them off to us, when she gets to this particularly hideous one. it's like grandma style, ugly flowers, ugly fit. just hideous. and sister hite goes, "wah! I LOVE that one!" (you know how you over compensate for the really ugly things...?) and then my heart smiled. I had premonition and I knew what was going to happen. Kinta goes, "TAKE IT!!!! IT'S A GIFT!!! TAKE IT AND THINK OF ME!!!!!!!!!!" she was so amped on that gift. and sister hite was cornered. you can't turn anything down in malaysia, it's terribly rude. so she had to take the dress. and Kinta made her try it on, and it was hysterical. she looks so ghetto. hahahahahahaha. I was literally peeing my pants in the background, of course egging it on with comments like, "SIS! I've never seen you look so beautiful!!!! you need to make that your sunday nice dress!" and Kinta was loving that so she was adding her own comments similar to those. while sister hite was as red as a tomato and wanted to slaughter her poor little greeny companion:) we walked home and the entire time we had to keep stopping because we were laughing so hard. it was a nice night:) definitely the silver lining. she also came to church this past week, so that was great. something more substantial came out of it than an ugly blue floral dress:)
Sunday was interesting, there is an adorable british medical student that is here for six weeks doing rotations and she is a member so I sat by her and sister larson (senior couple) during relief society. and then what do you know. they spring it on me that I need to translate the lesson for them, since it's in malay. uhhhhh. mati saya!!! I died! I was like, "uh, yeah can! uhhh....." said a little prayer and translated the lesson for them. it was wild. the gift of tongues is real. but I have found I really have to ask for it. I'm not incredibly good at malay at all. but the moments I ask I am able to get out what I need to, or understand what I need to. it gets better every day. I'm growing to love it. sister hite and I get really amped when we are on a bus with the radio on, we like the beautiful malay cinta (love) songs. 
we made it a zone goal to finish the book of mormon in the month of june. I LOVE IT!! I have started reading during my lunch time instead of eating now. I can't get enough. it doesn't matter what the previous day was like, because the next morning, every morning, I'm filled with joy as I sit on my deck, looking at the ocean, reading the book of mormon. it sounds lame, but oh my gosh is it true. I'm in alma and I can't get enough. I might name a son Gideon, just because I love Gideon. he had a bit of a small part, but he was a stud! he was smart. read the book of mormon. I promise it will make you as happy as it is making me. it just does that.
the other night we went to another inactive womans house, her name is Aveay. she lives at the very top of a mountain. you have to climb two huge hills to get up there. it was the first day of me being sick and it was really hot and I thought I was literally going to pass out. it was a difficult climb. finally, we got to the top. we went up to her house, and sat on her porch, and we had this completely unobstructed view of all of KK. it was INSANELY gorgeous. insanely gorgeous. I just sat there with my mouth open. I even cried, if you promise not to tell. but it blended in with the sweat so I got away with it. it was beautiful and it was peaceful. finally peace! it always comes at the right time. it reminded me of a general conference talk, Elder Johnson I believe? so I went home and read it. he talks about trials and difficulties and how they relate to our lives. I remember it being one of my favorite talks and after I read it in the liahona, it was practically pink because I marked so much of it. he said you can't see the view unless you make the climb. the analogy meant a lot at that particular moment, and I think it applies very well to life in general. maybe the bigger perspective. life isn't meant to be easy, we need to be stronger and more faithful and sturdy and steadfast when it's all over. of course it isn't easy. I'm glad it isn't easy. it's just hard to remember that sometimes right when you're in the fiery furnace of affliction it seems:) another quote he used, that I think I already quoted in an earlier email right after general conference, but it's my favorite and I have thought about it basically every day since, but the part where the doctor is telling the little kid with cancer about his treatment and he said something like, "will I be the same when this is over?" and the doctor said, "no, you will be stronger." we need to remember that in life. we always need to be growing and progressing, and so trials and difficulties really are blessings to us. you should go and read that talk, it's worth it.
I am excited for our family and the new beautiful baby boy. well, maybe not beautiful (if he looks like Lijy) just kidding!!!!! I need a picture please. I pray everyone else is doing well. I miss you and I love you all.