26 June 2007

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This is just to show that I did some of the teaching.  Vita our prize student and the certificate Mary made for the students
26 June 2007 – Tuesday

I woke much too early today – I can not keep from thinking about the English class and other things. Even some thoughts about home crept in – something that I try to avoid. I just have to leave it up to those who are there to take care of things and trust that the Lord will guide them to do that which is right.

We read from the Kitab Mormon this morning. Continuing in 3 Nephi. We were surprised at how hard it was to translate the Sermon on the Mount section – we thought it would be easy but it was not. Some mornings it seems that we have not made any progress in learning the language. I know I could be doing more.

It was a busy day for us. We had morning and afternoon classes. Mary taught most of the time but I came in for vocabulary hour. The next time we do this we will start vocabulary on the first day and it will continue for everyday thereafter.

At about 3:30 we left for the mission office to have dinner and say goodbye to the Jensens and the Van Dongans. We got there early enough that I had some time to talk to Elder Subandriyo about the class. I asked him if he could remember why he told me the story about the senior missionary teaching the young man to pass the Michigan test. He not only could not tell me why, he could not even remember telling me the story. Isn’t it interesting how often the Lord works that way. It reminded me of how we ‘accidently’ got called to be full time at the TRC. Or how we even ended up here in Jakarta at all – president Jensen changed his mind at least twice as to where we should serve.

We had a short talk with the president Jensen. He asked about the English program and about the students. I had written him that one of the students did not seem to be working at it very hard. When we told him who, he was not surprised. He said that he had been that way while on his mission. Up and down in his effectiveness. He gave us some guidance about what we could do in working with the branches to strengthen them. We are determined not to spend so much time in the office.

We had a good meal of Mexican food with lots of good discussion. There were a husband and wife who were NGOs from Bogor. They came with the Kanes but knew the Jensens. Also the Petersons, the Van Dongans, and us. After the meal we sat and talked for a short time and then Sister Peterson gave the Jensen’s a nice book of rememberance that included pictures and statements from all of the couples who are presently serving. They in return gave us all a photo and a nice letter that basically said goodbye.

We had to leave early so we could get to our graduation ceremony. The Van Dongans hitched a ride with us and that was good because they were 2 or only 4 outsiders who were there. Mary conducted, each of the students gave a short talk, I gave a short talk, we handed out the certificates and then ate. Sister Park – she and her husband were the other guests – fixed food for them. Sam was in 7th heaven because she fixed her great sushi.

After eating Sam took us home and then the Van Dongans to the Harris Hotel before going back and making sure everything was cleaned up and locked up. We will miss him for the next three days, but we do have Agus to drive us.

By the time we got home we were beat, so we watched an hour of TV and headed off to bed. It was a good day with a number of very spiritual moments.

I forgot to mention we had a little scare today. While I was teaching, Mary started to feel very tired so she went and laid down on the couch in the foyer. As she was on the couch she got a terrible cramp in her stomach and thought at first she had food poisoning. However it went away and she was fine the rest of the day. When the president heard this he said that he had some stomach problems over the last few days. I told him that hopefully he would not be taking a serious illness home with him.



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