This is an ‘almost good’ picture of a motorcycle load. I often miss great shots of motorcycle loads because they whip by quickly or are covered by other motorcycles or vehicles. This was a great load of different sized boxes. Mary bought some batik print material at the big sale they are having just down the street. The sale is actually on the 8th but she got to buy it today and pick it up tomorrow.

07 September 2007 – Friday

Happy birthday Cindy…at least here in Indonesia.  The alarm went off early so I spent some time trying to read the Liahona. Then I did my walk/run but the gym was not open when I had finished so I just came in. The number of folks out exercising in the morning keeps increasing. For the first few days after I started again, there was either one or none. Today by the time I stopped there were five of us out there. Some walking, some walking/jogging as I do, and some jog all the way.

It was very warm and humid this morning. Not a breath of wind. When it is like that it is hard for me to stay with it, but today I did. I am looking forward to when the weather starts to change to the wet season. We read from the Kitab Mormon – Alma is out it the cities preaching the word.

I spent some time editing the few pictures I have taken over the last couple of days. I have decided I must put names on the pictures as soon as I download them from the camera. It is just too hard to go back and do 100 of them.

We went into the office and I spent my time trying to find information about scholarships. I am sure there are lots of them out there somewhere and we just have to find them. I found some good ones from Singapore and got the name of a woman who is supposed to know about other scholarships. I will call her on Monday.

Sam took me to the sub-district office to find out about PPMK loans. The chairman was not in – he probably is hardly ever in. But the secretaries contacted the counsel – I am guessing this is a lawyer – and we have an appointment at 8 p.m. on Monday at his house. Hopefully he can give me all the information I need on this loan program so our members can get capital for their business start up. I am going to ask him if these loans are available outside of Jakarta.

We made an appointment to go see a family where the husband was laid off from his very good job because of his age. He has not been able to find another job and I keep looking for jobs he might apply for. His branch is worried about him because he has stopped coming to church and gave me an assignment to visit him. I took a job opening I found in the latest job paper but I also wanted to pick his brain about resumes, other HR directors he might know, and anything else he might be able to help us with.

We had a great visit and he had some good ideas. I asked him to please put them in writing and give it to me on Sunday at church. He said he would try but it might not be until Tuesday. I would like to hire him for about 3 hours a week to come into the office and help contact people. I am sure he knows a lot of folks who we could establish contact with and use as job resources.

Another positive thing about today was that I got a message from Mr Woo up in Semarang and I sent an e-mail to the Bennetts to tell Sam to contact him. Sam sent me a couple of SMS saying thanks and that he would let me know how things turns out. Hopefully he will get a good job from that.

After we got home from our visiting, I went to the gym and did my other exercises. At 4:30 there is not many people exercising so it there is no wait for equipment.

A real Indonesian rain storm has moved in. A couple of the lighting strikes were almost on top of us. I would have not been surprised to see one of the tall building being split in two. The rain pours down and the wind is continually shifting. I can not imagine what it must be like to be trying to get home tonight. Friday is bad enough but under every bridge there will be a huge build up of motorcycles waiting out the storm. This means one or two lanes will be completely blocked with all the cars trying to get around them. I am just glad to be in our cosy apartment right now.

We ordered up some dinner – actually their phone was out so I had to go down to order it but then they did deliver. Mary finished her cross-stitch piece and it looks great. We then read from the Kitab Mormon where Alma gets thrown out of Ammonihah but is ordered to go back. Amulek seem to me to be a very special man. He has a lot to lose but when the angel of the Lord appears to him he does exactly as he is told. And then he follows Alma out to preach to a people he knows very well is not interested in the church – in fact they are violently opposed to it.

It has been a really good day. We have made some positive advancements as far as finding resources for scholarships and hopefully start-up loans for businesses. Hopefully we have help a brother to have something useful to do and give him some hope. Hope is one of the things that the people really need here. They need to know there is a chance for them to break the circle of poverty that has gripped so many families for so many years.