10 March 2007 – Saturday

The alarm woke me at 5 and fifteen minutes later I was out on the track. I did a couple of miles – it is getting easier to do the jogging half. There was no wind so it was already hot out.

I have been trying to work a little harder at learning vocabulary. Something I have been lax in lately because I thought I would absorb more from our reading. I watched the Indonesian news channel and tried to read the banner and find that I know a few more words and I still can not work out what it is saying – but I am coming closer. I do not even try to understand what is being said. My hope is that by the end of 6 months I can at least understand most of what the newer elders and sisters say – they speak slow enough that I can usually make out the words. All of this is good practice of the attribute of patience.

We read chapter 11 and Mary was able to translate most of it. I am still around 50 – 60% but she can normally get about 85-90% of the words. That does not mean we get the right English translation but we can usually get somewhere in the ballpark.

I just read the Kane’s weekly report and they a much different life than we do here in Jakarta. They have a very active social life with the various NGOs, members, and neighbors. I would not say I was jealous as much as I am sorry we will not have those experiences.

We took a taxi to the office and then spent 5 hours reading, writing e-mail, and listening to the WW Leadership Training Meeting and various conference talks. No one came in but we are not sure that it has been announced that we would be open on Saturday. If over the next two months we do not start getting some action we will try something else. Just as we got to the street and was looking for a taxi, Sam showed up and kept us company until one stopped. The driver was tried hard to hold a conversation with us but his English was even more limited than our Indonesian so we did not do well. However he was so much more fun than most drivers I gave him a 50% tip – that is it cost us $2.00 instead of only $1.

One of the things I did do while at the office was to write what I wanted to accomplish before we left. Mainly it was to set up programs that would bring in information about needs and resources that could continue after we left. My aim is to develop a successful system that is supported by the PH leaders.

It was good to get back to the apartment and relax. I took a nap that was rudely interrupted by the phone ringing. It turned out the music program that Mary thought was this week and then decided it was next week, was this week. So she got dressed and Sam came to pick her up. This means I can not leave the apartment to do out and enjoy the bright sun that is now out. I do not know how long she will be gone – I plan to spend most of the time studying Indonesian.

We just got this month’s Couple’s Newsletter and it is great fun to read what others are doing. We have yet to contribute to the Newsletter but I am going to make sure we do for the next one. As I have mentioned before the missionaries in the far away small branches are having a different experience than ourselves. One is even on the district council – I did not know we could be. Since he does not speak Indonesian it must be interesting for him to attend the district meetings. I imagine they provide an interpreter for him.

We got a call from sister Kane. She had her purse stolen out of her shopping cart. I think that they have become comfortable among the people and have forgotten that it can be a dangerous place if you take your safety for granted. I told Mary this was why I always tell her to put her purse strap across her body and not just over a shoulder. I hope the Kanes did not lose anything more important than some money and credit cards. They had called us to ask if we would call and report the cards stolen but when we did not answer she called the Petersens.

We spent a quiet evening at home – as we always do – eating Pizza Hut, watching a little TV, and reading another chapter of 2nd Nephi – Feasting on the words of Isaiah or at least trying to. There is a lot of new words in almost every verse – allegorical mainly – which are almost impossible to translate into Indonesia. Mary mentioned that since some of the verses do not make complete sense in English it is not strange that the translators were at a lost to know how to make the translation. Sometimes they are very literal and sometimes they just use what they think fits.