This is a better picture of the Zone – we can be seen clearly.
07 July 2007 – Sabtu

I woke at 5:00 and tried to go back to sleep without any success. So I studied some Indonesian and later switched to reading D&C 18 and 19. These are two great sections that contain a lot of things to think about. Often I think 18 is only quoted because of ‘the worth of souls’ verses but there is a lot more in the other verses. As I read 19 this time I found more good words of counsel. I am greatly enjoying reading the D&C word for word.

After breakfast – a nourishing one of cold pizza and orange juice – I finished yesterday’s journal, added some pictures and posted it to the blog. I figure I spend about 30 minutes or so a day writing and posting this journal. Hopefully it does some good for the rest of the family and anyone else who takes the time to read. Next we read the Kitab Mormon – we still are not able to read more than 3 or so pages an hour. Today it was in Mormon where Moroni is describing the churches at the time that the information on the plates he is writing will come forth again.

We spend 5 hours at the office and not even a phone call comes in. However we did a lot of things that needed doing, including Mary giving a piano lesson. After hearing president Marchant talk about using “Preach My Gospel” as a way for native missionaries to study English, I decided to use it to study Indonesian. Some paragraphs I can pretty much read but others take a lot of looking up. I am going to continue working on vocabulary which is the only way I am ever going to get to where I do not need the electronic translator so much. For the last hour we read from the Kitab Mormon – a good way to spend our time there.

Back at the apartment we both take a nap and then it is back to studying Indonesian. Mary did more needlepoint and watched TV. I can not say that I really did much studying – I was trying to read from PMG and it is harder than I think it should be so I am afraid I got a little antsy and kept getting up and finding something else to do instead of sticking to it. Later we read from the Kitab Mormon – we are now into Ether and at least the first part is quite easy to translate. We have just about 50 pages left and if we read an average of 7 pages a day we will make it by the 15th.

Before turning off the lights, I read more in the D&C. I read D&C 20 carefully – it has been a long time since I have read this section word for word. I knew that in the early days of the church it was read at the start of every sacrament meeting. I guess the Lord wanted to make sure that each member understood how the church came to be, the basic principles of the church, the organization and duties of the priesthood, the basic principles and ordinances and how they were to be performed, etc.

What caught my eye was the warning found in verses 33&34 about how the members of the church, no matter how sure they are of their testimonies, must be careful of falling into temptation and becoming estranged from God. It is a good warning to remember.