The first time we saw this street, we thought they were selling electronics and we commented that we would be hesitant to buy a TV off the street. Later we found that they were not selling electronic and appliances but the empty boxes. It just goes to show that there is always a way to make a living off of almost anything. I wonder who buys the used refrigerator boxes? A little further down that same street is the garment/fabric district and the store we go to for fabrics. The scene along the way is hectic with trucks loading and unloading, men moving large bundles of goods by cart, on their backs, or in trucks. It is an amazing thing to watch and since we were stuck in traffic we got to watch for a long time.

07 May 2008 – Wednesday

Since I did not turn off the lights until just after 11 last night, I did not really wake up until about 7:00. That is very unusual. After breakfast we neaten the apartment – we had piles sitting around from the work we did on Sunday – so the cleaning lady did not have to move everything. Then we read from the A&P.

Since I did not go to the gym early, I went at 10. I had a great workout but I had to listen to the exercise aerobic class’s music the whole time. I do not think I could do what they go through. Not only do I not have the stamina for it, I do not have the coordination. I gained a lot of respect for those ladies. When I was done working out, I got in the dry sauna and enjoyed the heat. I think it helped my muscles feel better.

I had called Sam and asked him to come pick us up at 1:00. He came at 11:30 so he could clean the car but first we asked him about their trip to Manila and the temple. They had a great time and the only things that did not go right is that the temple apartments were being renovated and there was no air-conditioning so they blew their budget and went to a hotel. Also they did not care for the food so they ate at McDonalds and other fast food chains. But they loved the temple, met lots of nice people – Sam even was asked to play the piano for Sacrament meeting – and came home exhausted but happy.

After the cleaning lady was through we went to Sogo and stocked up on all the things we have not had for a while. I especially thirsted for their fresh orange juice that I have been out of for a week. We of course then raided BreadTalk and got way too much fattening – but oh so good – things.

Our next stop was the used box area. That is right there is a street that has a dozen little businesses selling used boxes. We need them for packing the things we will leave for the Rebers. We ended up with a dozen good sized boxes for $8.

It is really nice to have Sam back!

06 May 2008 – Tuesday

For some reason I had a lot of trouble writing about today. Not because it was not a good day but for some reason I almost decided to not to write much if anything.

At the office I worked on the vocabulary exercises – there is still a lot to do but I am determined to finish them before we go home. We had a man come who wanted some help with finding a job. At first he said he did not have much English but it turned out he had spent years in the US and on cruise ships so his English was very good. He was a little strange but really seemed to know how to cook – that is what he mostly did. During the interview we discovered he had a secured a green card through a lawyer but it turned out to be fake. So it is a good thing he left the US voluntarily. He really wants to go back. Anyway I gave his name and number to brother Page who needs a cook.

After he left I found out from talking to the elders – especially elder Thiemann that they had worked with him in Bogor and they thought he was only interested in the Church because he thought it could get him back to America. I then told brother Page about their thoughts.

We went to the mission office by taxi so Mary could teach her lesson. While she was doing that I talked to most of the staff that was not in her class and to the elders.

We read from the A&P three times today. Other than becoming better in reading Indonesian, I am not sure that we are getting much from this exercise. We worry so much about the meaning of each word, we do not get much of the spirit of this great set of revelations. But in another way we do have a unique experience because we find ourselves asking questions about the meaning of words and sentences that we just read through in English. When we read in Englis it is only when we stop and ponder the scripture do we really understand the valuable lesson that are being taught.