26 November 2007 – Monday
A nice morning. It is going to be another scorching day – blue skies and soft clouds. I think I may stop complaining about the overcast and pollution. I had a good workout for about 45 minutes. I guess I am increasing my muscle tone but it is not very evident because I am still carrying a good 10 – 15 pounds I need to get off.
The morning e-mail includes one from Kristy saying that our new granddaughter would be born on December 10, 2008. She said that is one of the advantages of a C-section. There was also a great letter from the Creers about their mission. What a perfect couple to lead a mission. She wrote about a couple of their branches with small membership with some faithful saints coming miles to go to church. It certainly reminded us of this mission and our faithful saints.
While we were reading from the Kitab Mormon, I got a call from a member of the Solo district presidency saying that elder Subandriyo called last night at 11:00 and asked them to set up a meeting of the district presidency and the branch presidents for 6 p.m. Tuesday so he could talk to them. Of course when elder Subandriyo asks for something he gets it. Before this the district and branches had met and wanted to hold the Tuesday and Wednesday classes at 6:00 p.m. after Seminary so they could observe a class. So now there was a direct conflict. While we talked we decided to hold the Tuesday class at 4:00, the Wednesday class at 6:00 and the other two classes right after school. This means we will have almost the whole day Wednesday free and perhaps we will drive up to Semarang and see the Bennetts and some of the countryside.
Because Sam is getting the air-conditioning fixed, we take a taxi to the office. I work on some e-mail until Daniel comes in so we can work on his resume and send it off to one of our job possibilities. Then Ezra comes and Mary has an English lesson with him. I give Daniel some more English lessons and tell him to do the work and then bring it back so we can check it. He is going to try to come a couple of times a week to our lessons with Ezra. By the time Sam gets back with the now repaired car – there was a loose hose on the air-conditioning – we are about ready to head for the mission office.
But first we stop by the apartment and pick up the things he will bring. Two big suitcases and some clothes. At the mission office we collect our tickets, Mary teaches her lesson, and Sam starts loading up the things he will take for the couples and missionaries in Central Java. At the same time, the Taylors arrive from the airport. Sister Taylor and I go over to Grand Lucky so she can shop for some things they can not seem to find in Jogya. We kind of got lost but the people were happy to get us back on the right track. The only damage was that I started sweating so bad that I was not sure I would ever stop. But while sister Taylor toured the store I sat and cooled off.
The reason elder Taylor did not come with us is that he has a terrible hernia which will need to be operated on. Sister Taylor tells me that he says it is the worse pain he has ever experienced. When you consider he had part of his left arm torn off in a farming accident, he must be in excruciating pain.
I called Sam and asked him to over to Grand Lucky to pick up all the stuff that sister Taylor bought. I could not face carrying it back to the office. I planned for Sam to leave from the store but he insisted that he drive us back before leaving for Solo. I was easy to convince that I should ride in an air conditioned car instead of walking back in the extra hot sun.
We got back and after dropping sister Taylor off in the mission home, I gathered up Mary and we caught a taxi home. Since then we have cooled off and read four pages from the Kitab Mormon.
For the rest of the day I felt somewhat in limbo. I want to get going on this English program but we can do little until we get to Solo. We have about thought ourselves out. We sent most of the things we think we might need with Sam so we do not have much left here. Even our printer is gone.