25 June 2007 – Monday

A very normal morning for us. We read from the Kitab Mormon – we are into 3rd Nephi and the signs at the time of Christs death and resurrection. I am also reading the D&C – I am somewhere in the 80s. The struggle of the saints, the growing establishment of doctrine and the continual sending out of missionaries fill the pages. What a shame that John Whitmer did not keep a really good history of the early church. Or that there was not one person in Kirtland and one in Missouri who kept a daily diary. Joseph later would mention that this lack of a good record of the growth of the church was a great loss.

At the church, Mary started the class with a reading test. While she was doing this I sent out a number of e-mails trying to Johan Salim some interviews for a job. Hopefully by the 12th there will be something arranged for him.

I sent the following letter to Elder Subandriyo – I include it because it lays out some of the experience we gained through this class.

Hello Elder Subandriyo –

The graduation has been moved back to 7:30 on Tuesday night. If you can be here that would be great.

We have learned a lot from this pilot and we would like to do it again in either September or October – perferably September. This would give us a chance to give more returned missionarie a chance to participate. We would certainly be better organized – that is we have a much better idea of what needs to be taught and when to get the best results.

An added bonus of this class was that some members – especially those who helped teach or had the young people over to their homes – of the English branch have come to relaize that they can do more to help the Indonesian saints. Sister Guttormsen mentioned bringing a young man or woman into their home for a month and teaching them one on one. I believe others might do the same. So even if we never hold another class – but I hope we do – we might be able to help return missionaries get into BYUHawaii.

The program also has made the English branch members more responsive to helping with employment opportunities. I have sent Johan Salims resume to a couple of the members and asked them to see if there are any openings in their companies or if not would they pass it on to those they know in other companies.

So I believe the class was worth the effort and the expense. Thank you so much for your support.

Elder Pier

After an hour, Mary and Sam went to the store to get some things we need for graduation, some thank you notes for the students to send to those who helped. Sam is working on a slide show presentation that we will also give to everyone who helped and to the students. He really is good at this and might find that he could go into business making slide shows and powerpoint presentations.

I sat with the class for an hour as they took another test. This will be the final one for them and we will compare it with the first test to see how they did. After lunch Mary went back to teaching and then I joined her for an hour or so. We worked on correcting sentences – something they really do not like to do but really need to learn. They have lots of trouble writing and speaking in correct sentences. I told them not to complain too much about English and went through some of the things we have trouble with in learning Indonesian – like why use ‘pun’ or ‘yang’ in certain situations.

After class Sam brought us home where we spent the rest of the day taking a nap, watching some TV, and reading the Kitab Mormon. Mary made up graduation certificates. We gave up on finding an on line certificate that would work and so I started to create one in Word Perfect. Once I got it started Mary took over and did a great job – much better than I would have done – creating a great looking certificate.

We got some good news. The dinner for the Jensens will be held at the mission home instead of Amigos. This means we do not have to travel so far and therefore can stay a little longer before we have to leave and head back to the chapel for the graduation program. We do not think many people will show up for it, but it does not matter. What is important is the young people feel as special as they are. I imagine Jin-young’s parents will be there and hopefully Elder Subandriyo will make it.

I continue to read from the D&C at night. I was struck by the power and promises of the 88th section. Verse 63 and 67 especially seem important to me at this time. The idea of drawing near to the Lord is something we always need but now as we are on our mission and ask to do things we are not really qualified to do, it is especially important that “Draw near unto me (Christ) and I will draw near to you;” and then “If your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light…and the body that is filled with light comprehendeth all things.” How much I need that – it reminds me of the last two or three verses of D&C 121…”And let thy bowels be filled with charity…”

Anyway as I wrote to president Jensen today…the work is true and it is no sacrifice to serve a mission. In fact there are blessings each day while on a mission.

24 June 2007 – Sunday

I woke at 4:30 – I guess this is my new wake up time – and read from the Doctrine and Covenants. We did not read the Kitab Mormon – which means we will read twice later in the day.

We went to the English branch so we could hear our students give their talks. It is good to sit in Church and to be able to understand what is said – not only spiritually but also verbally. They did fine – I wish Jin-young could have spoken louder or had put the mike down further but all in all it was good. I think Anna did the best and when she got to the point of bearing her testimony she could not keep back her tears.

Elder Thomas gave a very good talk on faith with some stories from his past that helped illustrate his points. Brother Tandiman was the concluding speaker and I have to say that he was not at his best. However he mentioned that 23 years ago he met a man on the streets of Yogja and baptized him and his family – it was Anna’s father. What is the chances of two Indonesian natives sitting next to each other on the stand in an English branch and having that history. The Lord works in mysterious ways.

Sunday School was great – we talked about J.S. Matthew 24 and I spoke up a few times. I was surprised how seldom any of the sisters joined in but Joel, myself and brother Moore all got in our comments. At first I did not find the PH lesson on prayer engaging me but as it went along I found myself thinking about my own prayers and how I needed to pray more often and try to get spirit to be there. I need to humble myself and approach the Lord with a truly broken heart and contrite spirit.

We were home by 11:30 – we took a cab home – and have spent the day reading the Kitab Mormon, the D&C, and watching DVD movies. We had a rather interesting day with the electricity. It went off a couple of times and although most things eventually came back on, the cable system did not. Luckily the computer has a battery so it never crashed.

Two appliances we really miss are the clothes dryer and dishwasher.

23 June 2007 – Saturday

The days are starting to blurr a little. I had to stop and think what day of the week it was. I guess it is because almost every day this month all that we have thought about is the class. Just this morning I realized that I had not called Lukito to find out how the SEW went last Saturday or to find out if there would be a CW at Jakarta Raya today.

I woke at about 5:00 and started reading the D&C but in the middle of D&C 56 I went back to sleep for a few minutes. Since I was reading 56:14 at the time, I have wondered if this was written to me – I am afraid I am a great one for trying “counsel in my own way.”  I am really enjoying reading the D&C – I have not done this in a long time.

We read from the Kitab Mormon – we have made it to just before Christ is crucified. We continue to run across words we either have not had or more likely we have forgotten. Just yesterday I realized that every time we read from the Kitab Mormon my voice gets hoarse. Pronouncing the Indonesian words must stress my vocal cords. It is strange that I never realized this before. I have always thought that Indonesians say many of their words in their throats as much as with their mouths – that is why they hardly ever really open their mouths very wide when they are speaking. Also they roll their r’s which is strange to us.

We had a good day of classes. Mary took most of them – at least the morning classes. I continued to work on the vocabulary – it is not easy to do them. I have a much greater respect for those who made up almost 2000 words worth. I took hours to it for just 17 words.

We had a client come in today – he had been here before. He has not held a job in 4 years. He went to school for three years to study English but does not want to be an English teacher. He is a cook. Why in the world he took English I do not know but it is the kind of thing we need to work on stopping if at all possible.

I had a good talk with Vita. I told her how I had been thinking about her situation. I counseled her that the Lord has given her many talents and we are told to use our talents in the Lord’s work. I told her the Lord knows what she should do and therefore she should fast and pray about going to college – maybe even BYU Hawaii. I told her if she is supposed to go the Lord would prepare a way for her to achieve it.

I took Ekjo, Anna and Jin-young and worked on their talks with them. I had them give their talks and then I had them give them again with me videotaping them. We now have all 6 talks on tape. They all did very well and I just hope they will remember to speak up when they give them tomorrow.

As we were finishing our class, president and sister Jensen were walking in and right behind them was Elder Kane. It turned out that they were coming for Zone Priesthood Leadership and I should also go. So Mary headed home and I talked with Elder Kane until it was time to go up to the meeting. We had a good talk – they have had a quiet week in their calling but he had good gospel talks with three of the NGOs.

I did not learn anything at PH Leadership but I gained a lot. It may seem strange to write that but it is true. The spirit that was there, sharing the meeting with all the Indonesian saints. The only four bulais there were president Jensen, president Smith of the English branch, elder Kane and myself. They gave us a great interpreter who was able to instantly translate for us. President Jensen spoke about the PH and the Oath and Covenant. I guess what made it great was that I was sharing this experience with a group of fellow priesthood holders and although they were speaking a language I could not understand, I could feel their spirit as they spoke.

As Sam was taking the students to Joel house for their evening class, I thought I would need to catch a cab home. However I got lucky and ran into Sudein, the Kane’s driver, and asked him if he would give me a ride home. Since elder Kane came with the Lees he was happy to do this. We had a nice talk about his family, his conversion, and how the loss of his business in 1998 was a good thing as it led to him finding the gospel. The Lord does work in mysterious ways.

I was hoping that Mary had ordered pizza but when I got home I found she was waiting for me. At first I was disappointed but when it came and was nice and hot, I decided it was worth the wait.

After dinner Mary watched a movie and I did some things on the computer before reading from the D&C. It has been a good day – especially in the gifts of the spirit. It is great to serve here in Indonesia – I am sure it is great to serve anywhere – and it does not feel like any kind of sacrifice.

22 June 2007 – Friday

I woke at 4:30 but managed to go back to sleep until well after 6. Obviously I am not worrying as much about the English class, mushrooms, or other things to interfere with my sleeping. I am not sure that is a good thing – but at least it is good for my sleeping.

We decided – mostly with my prompting – to read the Kitab Mormon at the office instead of at home. In that way I could print some pictures of the Salt Lake Temple in the winter for the students. It is a good thing that I am still working on patience as a Christ like attribute because for some reason the printer would only print half a page of pictures and then stop. After working on the problem for the best part of an hour, Mary suggested that the paper might be too stiff and was getting hung up. So I tried gently pulling on the paper as it came through and that seem to work. At least it worked once, which was all we needed.

Today is Tom’s 46th birthday – I tried to think back to my 46th but nothing clicked. Of course since I can not remember anything about my 68th birthday and very little about my 69th – it is not strange that I can not remember earlier ones. In fact the only birthday I can remember is the one where I got smacked in the mouth with a bat – I think I was 8 at the time.

We did not teach today, but I was busy for almost 6 hours doing things for the class. Mainly I was writing sentences to help them with vocabulary. I also sent off a few e-mails – the Bennetts and the young man at BYUH. We also read for in the Kitab Mormon for an hour. I think when the class is over and we are in the office, we will try to read for at least an hour.

Sister Mary taught the morning class and the Petersons taught the afternoon class. Tonight they will go to president Smith’s house to be taught but mainly to be fed. I am not sure that they learn much when they do not go to Joel’s but I am not sure. I know the next time we will be more organized about the lesson plan.

Right after we got home – John, the Petersons’ driver, drove us home so Sam could stay in class – we went down and had haircuts. I like the way this barber does my hair – I am definitely going to keep short after the mission.

I spent the next hour reading the D&C. I was especially interested in D&C 46. I do not remember it being so powerful, but maybe I was never ready to hear and feel it’s message. It is about the spirit and the gifts of the spirit.

D&C 46:7 says “And that which the spirit testifies unto you even so I would that ye do it.” I wonder how often I am close enough to the Lord to feel the spirit ‘testify’ to me. And if I am do I then do it or do I procrastinate because I am ‘too busy’ with other things that I like to do. Nephi and that boat keep coming to my mind – what would I have done if the Lord had ask me? Probably complained that he must have the wrong man.

46:10-29 contains the great discourse on the Gifts of the Spirit. I especially like 18 and wonder if I will ever be ‘wise and have knowledge’ in the Lord’s eyes.

46:30-33 lays out the way we need to live by the spirit. It came to mind how important is my personal relationship with God and the Savior and to live so I can have the spirit to always be with me. I need to read this section more often. Like the 50th section that is coming up, it emphasis the importance of the spirit in the church and in our lives.

I wrote to bishop Pletsch – I have not been very good about writing him. I think this was only the third time in the 6 months we have been on our mission. But then he has only written to us once so I guess I am still ahead of him. We have kept up with some of what has been going on in the ward through letters from others.

We just finished doing our second hour of reading the Kitab Mormon. We are in 3 Nephi 7 where the Nephites seem to have broken up into tribes having destroyed the rule of judges that had been started by Mosiah.

21 June 2007 – Thursday

It was another of those strange mornings when I woke at 3:30 and thought I had not gone back to sleep because I was thinking of so many things. However the next time I looked at the clock it was almost 5:30. It seems that my dreams have become part of my life (I have tried to rephrase that a number of times to make it sound right but nothing does.) A seamless movement from sleep to being awake.

We read from the Kitab Mormon – today was easy because most of it was about preparing for wars and fighting. There is so much of that in the book that we have become quite good at translating the words.

While we were reading brother Page from the English branch called to confirm that the class was coming to their house for P-day evening. I think the next time we hold this class we will get a lot more help from the English branch. This will be good if we layout a good lesson plan so everyone is on the same page and building on what others have done. Mary said that the Lord provided when he had the branch presidency changed in the English branch – that president Smith had really jumped in and made arrangements for FHE and P-day evenings.

We had an easy morning – at least I did. Mary taught for an hour and then gave them the last practice reading test. That took another hour and then we broke into groups for the last hour and worked on vocabulary. Since it is P-day when we were through with the morning classes we were through for the day so we could head out and do some of our errands.

We stopped for lunch at KFC – Sam and Mary deserved a good lunch. The place – which in a higher income area – was packed. Not with bulais but with Indonesians who worked somewhere nearby. Since a meal costs about $2.50 – what a laborer will make for 8 – 10 hours of work – not many average Indonesians could afford to eat there.

From there we went to the mission office to pick up mail and invite Elder Subandriyo to our graduation exercises on Tuesday evening. Mary is making certificates to give out and hopefully Elder Subandriyo will give a little talk. We had a nice talk with Sister Jensen – she is deep cleaning the residence so the new president and his wife will have a nice clean home to move into. She said that they have not really started everything ready to go – they did ship off their container at the start of the month – but felt they wold move into high gear next week.

Our last stop was SoGo where we hit gold. A new shipment of Oscar Meyer franks had come in – we bought 5 packages and never even looked at what they cost. We also got some more hotdog buns so we can have hotdogs on Friday night and pizza on Saturday night. We of course wiped out BreadTalk – I would be 10 pounds lighter if we had not found that place.

When we got home Mary remembered that we needed the air-conditioning cleaned. I forgot to mention earlier that when we woke up this morning there was a puddle of water under the bedroom unit. So we called and less then an hour later the crew showed up and for the last 90 minutes they have been busy as bees servicing the units. I am afraid to think about the bill – it would be $250 in the US – hopefully here it will be more like $45. But since we have never had this done before, we do not know. When they leave we will go back to watching Pirates of the Caribbean 3. They put English sub-titles on the DVD – who ever does the translation is terrible and we have to really work hard not to watch them because they are very distracting.

Well I was certainly wrong about the cost of getting the air conditioners fixed – it cost $30. That is for 3 men for almost 2 hours and includes recharging one of the units with Freon – yes they still use that here. After they left we went back to Pirates 3 but it was so slow and uninteresting that we decided it was not worth three hours of our lives and turned it off.

Instead I read the Church News while Mary worked on some English lessons. The Church News had some good articles – including one about the area around the Finger Lake area and Palmyra. Some of the conversion stories were really good. I also felt that President Monson’s talk to the Argentinian saints was excellent. There was a lot of good counsel that I could use. I think the reason we need to read the scriptures, gospel lessons, church magazines, etc. each day is so we can fortify our spirit against the worldly things that we will face each day – no matter who we are, where we are or what our calling. I really do need to put on the full amour of God – because anything I leave off provides a weakness in my defenses where the world and worldly values can creep in.

How often in the D&C does the Lord remind Joseph that he is not doing all that he can, that he has allowed the world to interfere with the work he was called to do. If a prophet can allow that to happen than how much easier is it for me to allow it?

We read the Kitab Mormon for an hour – we had to look up lots of words and struggled with some of the grammar – sound like our students. Now we are preparing to call it a day and head for bed.