26 February 2008

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26 February 2008 – Tuesday

Scripture to ponder today: Revelation 14:12-13 – “Here is the patience of the Saints. Here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”

I woke and started to read an conference talk in the Liahona and after about 30 minutes I found myself pretty much frustrated because I found myself looking up 30% of the words. As I started to write this entry and read the scripture I chose last night to ponder today, I realized that patience is still an attribute I need to more diligently work on.

Yesterday’s scripture was on faith and this morning I found a set of round table discussion about The Lectures on Faith available on line at: http://www.ldsteenhelp.com/lectures_on_faith.html. Although this is not my favorite method of teaching, in listening to the introduction I learned quite a bit and will listen to the rest of the series as I have time. Unfortunately I could not find a print version on-line.

We read from the Kitab Mormon and packed up all the things we needed to take to the mission home to be shipped out. Then it was to the office for a couple of hours. I finished cleaning off the old computer and transferring the files I needed to the new one. The 120G portable drive is amazing. It is hard to believe that it is possible to get so much information on something that small. I imagine in another couple of years there will be ones that small that hold a tetrabit of information.

Sam and I packed up the old computer and monitor, some old Ensigns we are shipping to Central Java to be used in the HS English classes, and what we brought from the apartment this morning. We loaded up a taxi and headed for the mission office. When we got there it started to rain a little but we got all the goods inside without ruining anything and then the heavens opened up and poured rain. Some might say we were lucky but I felt that it was one of the Lord’s tender mercies that kept us and all our goodies soaked.

Mary taught her class. I talked to Elder Subandriyo about the state run trade schools that I suggested might be good for training those returned missionaries that did not have a trade. He thought it was a good idea and asked me to get more information for him. After that I went downstairs and read from a number of conference talks from April 2002. I could only remember one or two of the talks so it was like reading them for the first time.

Back to the apartment where we read from the Kitab Mormon and then cleaned up the apartment so it was presentable when Ed arrived. He was a little later than expected so we had time to do most of our packing for tomorrow’s early leaving.

When he got here we showed around the apartment and then we went to dinner downstairs. It was a great meal and we talked about just about everything. By 9:00 he was yawning and we have to get up at 3:00 so we took him down to get a taxi, gave him some hugs, and said we will see him in a week or so. It is so great to have him here to share some of the things we have become so used to. It is really too bad none of the rest of the family will be coming. It would be a great excuse to see some of Indonesia we have not already seen. But that is OK. As Elder Ballard quoted a couple who was going on their fifth mission “It is not a sacrifice, it is an opportunity.’ How true we have found that is true.



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