16 April 2008 – Wednesday

Normal P-day around the apartment. We both worked on projects, cleaned, read scriptures, studied, etc. I mainly worked on Elder Subandriyo’s project to give the youth a desire to have hope so they can dream and set goals to reach those dreams. I know it is hard to believe that most of the young people in Indonesia do not think about or plan for much beyond today or at the most next month. It is one of the saddest things that I have found in Indonesia. But if you do not have any real hope for changing your future or dream of changing your future, there is not much use in thinking about it or even worrying.

As I wrote that I realized that there is one thing that most young men here in Indonesia think ahead about and that is going on a mission. But I do not think they plan for it as much as they know it is there. They just live from day to day until it comes.

As I looked for success stories for Elder Subandriyo to use, most of those I found were about over coming physical handicaps rather than poverty. But President Grant and President Kimball over came poverty to be successful business men and of course church leaders. President Kimball came home from his mission and wanted to go to a university but had no money so he took a job moving heavy freight. The cost of taking the bus to work and back home was 10 cents each way so he walked instead so he could save the money. Poverty is not an excuse for not getting an education or for being successful.

I like President Grant’s story because not only does it show you can rise from poverty, but also that if you do your best, work harder and do more than asked you have a better chance of getting noticed by the boss and will be rewarded for your efforts. And the rewards are not always immediate as he found out when he needed some financing.