I think this is the largest load of boxes we have seen on a motorcycle. If you look closely you will see that the rider can not straighten up his head. Also notice how close to the road the load sits. That back box can not be over 8 inches off the ground. I have often wondered how often one of these loads gets dumped.

02 October 2007 – Tuesday

When we woke this morning there was a surprise in our e-mail. Sister Janice Creer sent us all the weekly up-dates she has written since they arrived in Ireland to lead the Dublin Mission. It was very interesting to read from the first week to now as they learned and adjusted to their new calling. They are a great and loving couple who will preside over that mission in just the way sent them there to do. Now if we could just get in contact with the Barretts we would know how all the senior couples from Edgemont 11 are doing.

This morning we were reading Helaman’s account of how, against all odds, they captured the city of Manti. The part that touched me was where he writes in 58:11 that after the Lord assured them, brought peace to their souls, and ‘granted us great faith,’ they decided to stop worrying about the odds and just go out and attack the city.

I thought of how we sometimes look at the fact that we are in a country that is 90% Muslim and less that 3% Christian and get a littlel discouraged as to what effect we can have on such a large country. But then we remember that it is the Lord’s work and faith, patience and hard work anything can be accomplished. Like Helaman and his people, we stop worrying and go out and do our work. hopefully touching and changing Indonesia one person at a time.

At the office we did our usual things – today mainly getting some things ready for the IEC and catching up some e-mails. Mary worked on Workshop rolls and practiced the piano. I helped Mary with copying she needed for her English at the mission office. It was a quiet time, but it went by quite fast.

Sam and I dropped Mary off at the mission home and headed for SoGo to get some things we need at home and to look for some posterboard for mounting Mary’s music. We ran into some terrible traffic jams and it took us almost 2 hours to do what should have taken 45 minutes at the most. And thus is Jakarta.

When we finally got back to the mission office I talked to president Marchant for a while. He asked for some things to give to the new leader of East Timor to help introduce him to the Church. I forgot to write that the president got a real sunburn the last time he went to Sumatra and so for the last few days he has been peeling. Hopefully he will at least get a good tan out of the experience.

I also did not mention that Elder Davis has been really sick for the best part of a week. It had to do with the problem that kept them from going to Micronesia as originally called. Hopefully it will not be a re-occurring problem for him. They still have not received their money and are living out of a suitcase for a month. I could not stand that …and didn’t when we were face with that same kind of problem.

Back at the apartment, we ate dinner and read from the Kitab Mormon. I ended up falling asleep on the couch before staggering to bed. Some days are like that.