13 May 2008 – Tuesday

Up in time to read from Kitab Mormon and then go to the gym for a short workout. Tomorrow I will give it the full treatment. The internet continues to be a problem – none at all today. Hopefully it will not be the same at the office. My early morning reading from the Kitab Mormon was where Alma re-enforces Amulek’s words against Zezoram. In PMG there is a section that tells missionaries to do this when they teach. That one should support and testify that what their companion said is true. It seems that mission work has changed little over the last 2500 years!

Sam came early and went to get the bubble wrap we need to finish packing. He got back in time to take us to the office where I spent the time working on vocabulary – I will be glad to get this project done. Our new friend Barnard came by – I think just to talk to some one but perhaps hoping that we had some way to get him back to the US to work.

Mary worked on English class things until sister Utami came in with another load of newly sewn things. Mary than gave her the material we bought yesterday so she could some pants made. They should cost her about $10 a pair for good quality, personally tailored pants. She is going home with a great wardrobe. I am going home with some new shirts and ties.

After eating lunch we cleaned up and headed for the mission office. I gave the sisters in the translation department the vocabulary exercises and tests that I have finished and asked them to please see what they could do with them. I had a short discussion with President Marchant. He invited us to come back for sister Etter’s farewell and to meet the three new Indonesian missionaries who just started today.

After Mary’s lesson we went to pickup some cross-stitch work that she had framed. Two pieces for a grand total of $7. Too bad we can not figure a way to get large framed works home because it would be 20% or less than it will cost in the US.

We decided that we should go back to the apartment and drop off things and rest for about 45 minutes before getting a taxi and going back to the mission home for dinner. We left early so we made it in plenty of time for dinner. In fact we got to sit and talk with Sister Marchant for about 20 minutes before the President and the missionaries joined us. We had a nice meal – the Walkers came home while we were eating and joined us – and lots of good conversation.

As is the custom, the group gave their thoughts about the missionary that is going home. We had not really ever worked with Sister Etter so I gave her some advice that seem appropriate. The President mentioned that Sister Hash – a senior sister – said that the week she spent as Sister Etter’s companion was the best week of her mission. When everyone was done Sister Etter said a few words.

After dinner we took lots of pictures. We are truly blessed with all the opportunities that we have to meet with the young missionaries. They have such a great attitude and so willing serve the Lord without complaining. I think of Elder Bastian who has had headaches for three months – today was a really bad day – but keeps smiling and working. Sister Sadimin who gave up a dream job to serve her mission and share the gospel that so changed her life. Sister Etter had just graduated from Stanford before she came on her mission. Two of the three new Indonesian missionaries are converts. Sister Sukiomo is from the Philippines and joined the church when sister Tippetts was on her mission in Hong Kong some 3 years ago.

We were lucky enough to immediately get a taxi home and we made it in about 1/3 the time it usually takes during the week. Basically we only had to stop at one light and other than that we flew home. In Jakarta that has to be considered a tender mercy. We made such good time that I gave the driver a really good tip because I gave him what we normally pay for the trip.

12 May 2008 – Monday

Wow am I getting lazy! No gym for 4 days now. I need to repent. We did hear from Tom and his family and they wished Mary ‘Happy Mothers Day.’ But we had to keep it short visit because our internet was really slow. Much slower than yesterday when we heard from Jim, Kristy and Charlotte.

We had a short morning because we left at 8:00 to go to Tangerang to inspect elder’s house at T1. Elders Herman and Djarkodi have kept the house in great shape – for the shape they found it. Elder Herman said that the house is coming up for re-newal and that all the problems need to be fixed before the lease is paid. Not only is the house being kept up well, but the elders seem to have a good relationship and are working hard.

After the inspection we went to a mall to get a new carry-on bag to replace the one we are leaving for ERS equipment. Our next stop was going to be to buy some bubble wrap but the traffic was terrible and Sam was not sure where it was so I voted for just going back to the office where there was work to be done. The traffic was heavy but it moved fairly well – better than I think any of us expected.

We stopped at Carrefour for some lunch and when we were walking through the mall, I noticed some material that I thought Mary could use for making some slacks. She had walked right by but I called her back and she ended up getting material for 4 pair. Utami will come tomorrow to deliver our last order and pick up the material. Her husband should have just enough time to get them done before we leave.

This was the first time we had eaten in Carrefour – which is strange since we are often there. The food court takes up a whole floor and mainly it serves Indonesian food. We walked the whole court and ended up at A&W. I know that is boring but neither of us felt adventurous – even Sam passed Padang to each a fish sandwich.

On our way to the office we stopped to pick up some printing. The price is so cheap that it is scary. At the office I worked on vocabulary while Mary prepared for her class tomorrow. After a couple of hours the internet went down so we wrapped thing up and came home.

I worked on my journal and pictures. Mary did not feel well so she just rested. Later we read from the A&P – we have slowed down because we read it both in Indonesian and English as well as translating it. We try to figure out the tenses, etc. and that takes time. I doubt if we will finish reading it before we leave.

11 May 2008 – Sunday

It does not seem possible that we are down to our last four Sundays in Indonesia. It really seems like we have only been here a few months. But the reality comes when we think of where we are going each Sunday. Which branch we will visit. One of the four – the 18th – will be spent in Yoja. This week we are going to Jakarta Raya and we will go back on the 4th Sunday for the baptisms – or so we hope – of brother Herman’s wife and daughter. The next morning we will board the plane for Hong Kong as we head for home. The 3rd Sunday will see us at the Tangerang branches where we will speak in their sacrament meetings.

Mary got a very nice Mother’s Day greeting from Kristy, Jim and family. Kristy is very good at remembering birthdays and special occasions. We read from the A&P about Gifts of the Spirit which was very timely since that was the subject of this week’s PH and RS lesson. Bob and Cindy wrote to wish Mary Happy Mother’s Day.

Sam picked us up and took us to Jakarta Raya. We were among the first ones there and so we got to greet most of the members. Brother Herman and his family was also there early and he enjoyed greeting them also. As I looked at him, I realized what a change had come over him since we first saw him a couple of months ago. He now looks like a member and I think he is proud to be clean and dressed so neatly. We found out that they have 6 children but only one is now taking the lessons. His wife is a lovely woman who like brother Herman always seems to be wearing a smile. There has been a might change in that family. Hopefully the members will continue to watch over them and keep them strong in the Church.

Sacrament meeting was on the restoration of the Priesthood and I could follow some of what was being said. Elder Cheney translated for us and so we knew what was going on. Hendra talked about his experience as an investigator who had no idea what Priesthood was or meant. Sister Kencana gave a spirited talk – she is a lovely woman who is always upbeat. I wish either her English was better or our Indonesian so we could have gotten to know her better.

Gospel Principles included Herman’s family and a lot of missionaries. Sister Coleman and Sister Sadimin were there because they thought one of their investigators would be coming. However she did not but they stayed. The lesson was on ‘Sacrificing for the Gospel.” As they started the lesson I felt that it is a shame that they call service in the Church ‘sacrifice.’ I think of service as a blessing. The best times of my life have been when I was fully involved in Church service to a point where I forgot myself. Mary has often said that the best time we have had as a family was when I was Bishop and gone for hours most days. That our family grew closer together during that time and the Lord poured out blessings upon us.

I brought up Matthew where the Lord reminds us that His yoke is easy and His burden light. I also thought of where King Benjamin mentions that we are serving God when we serve our fellow beings and later in his speech he reminds us that the Lord will not let us get in Debt. That we are immediately rewarded for that which we do. That is the spirit immediately touches us and lets us know that the Lord knows our work and will in His own appointed time reward us for our service. We just have to have faith and be patient – trusting that the Lord knows us and our needs.

There are very few men in Priesthood meeting but those who come are powerful leaders. As I mentioned above, we studied Lesson #9 on Gifts of the Spirit. Early on they asked the difference between talents and Gifts of the Spirit. I reminded them that every good thing comes from God and that they are not given for our own personal use but so that we can bless the lives of others. That if we become proud of our talents or our Spiritual Gifts, we are likely to lose them. See D&C 82:18-19 and Jacob 2:17-19. I have to say that today was one of the best I have had in Indonesia as far as the meetings were concerned. During the meeting brother Herman was interviewed to receive the Aaronic Priesthood. I mentioned to Elder Cheney that they might invite him to baptize his wife and daughter. The sooner he uses his priesthood the better.

I forgot to mention that we took lots of pictures of the members – both singles and families. We also found that brother Leo’s daughters are coming to Provo to go to Especially for Youth. I told him that we would be happy to keep an eye on them and would be available if they needed anything.

After the meetings we had a long wait for a taxi. Lots of taxis went by but they all had passengers so they just flashed their lights. After 20 hot minutes an empty one finally stopped.

The rest of the day was pretty much like all Sundays. We read from the A&P and I took a nice long nap. There was one difference – I plotted with Sam to surprise Mary by taking her out to dinner. It worked well and she was not prepared when Sam and Anny appeared at the door so they could drive us to where she wanted to go. She quickly changed and we had a nice Mother’s Day dinner at Amigos. We splurged and shared an appetizer and dessert. But we caught a break because they gave us the ‘happy hour’ discount of 15%.

So we had a great Sunday with lots of special moments both at Church and afterwards. The Lord does truly bless us as we serve. Possibly more than we deserve.

 

Some of the goodies we got at the gem market.

The loaded Bajaj is not a common site in Jakarta. This one shows real planning in placing and securing the load. The large white building was at the end of the parking lot for the gem market but is not part of it. It is so Jakarta – it seems to me to be kind of cobbled together without much planning. As if the builders kept thinking of something else they needed a space for and added it on. Or perhaps a section got done and they ran out of money for a while and by the time they had more they had a new idea of what they wanted.

10 May 2008 – Saturday

I can not say that this has been our most productive day as missionaries. In fact it may be one of our least productive. But it was not all our fault. It seems the fates just ganged up on us.

But it started well with our reading from the A&P before heading to the office. Along the way I stopped to drop a grammar book off to be copied. At the office I finished another set of vocabulary exercises and started another. Mary worked on her afternoon English lesson.

We had made plans to go with the Guttormsens to the gem market. They go regularly and is well known. He also knows the prices that we should pay for stones. We had some trouble finding the right parking lot, but we still arrived minutes before they did. Then for the next 90 minutes we had a great time looking and buying semi-precious stones. The most expensive one we bought was a piece of jade for $3 – most stones were 30 to 50 cents. Mary did buy some things for $2 each and I did buy some pendants at $2.50 but that included a silver-plated holder. It was a lot of fun and we will probably go back one more time before we leave. Joel and Judith are great people and we have been blessed to know them. They were our best supporters for the Intensive English classes.

After our gem tour, we went back to the office so we could do more work. Unfortunately when we got there we found they had cut the power to the plugs in our section of the building so they could work on something out in the yard. That meant we had no computers and without them we could not help Hani with his school work, nor could I work on my vocabulary. So I spent my time cleaning up and putting away some of the things we brought from our apartment that belong at the office. Most of it was to do with teaching English.

When it was obvious that the power would not be back on for a while, I decided to go to Sogo to get some things for the weekend. Sam and I were also going to make a stop at the mission home to pick up some flyers for Jakarta Raya, but when I called to make sure they were ready, the office Elders said they were still working on them, so we did not need to stop. Hopefully they will find some way to get them to Raya because the fireside they are to announce is next week.

When we got back to the office the power was still off and no one had come for Mary’s English class so we decided we might as well go home where at least we could work on some things and read from the A&P. That and working on this journal and pictures is what I have been doing for the last 3 hours.

I forgot to mention that yesterday I got a call from Barnard – the non-member who came in on Tuesday and was looking for a job. I had him interviewed by the Pages for their cook’s job, but they did not use him. I also gave him the address of the cleaning/catering company where brother Bautista is a VP. I figured with all of his cooking experience they might have a place for him in their catering department. It turned out that they offered him a job teaching French and Spanish to some of their people. He was really excited and thanked us for our help. It is good to help someone get a job. After all that was why we were sent here.

 

I would like to do a book of just different loads that can be found going through the streets of Jakarta. The first one is just a very neat and colorful load that we saw. It looks like a work of art – there must be an art to making up loads so they do not fall apart. The second is a new refrigerator being delivered or taken home. The last is a bike-cart loaded with crepes. They can get more in one of these than they can on a motorcycle but it takes longer to make the deliveries. We do not see many bike-carts in Jakarta that are not portable food carts. Today we saw two!

09 May 2008 – Friday

A normal morning before leaving for District Meeting at the mission office. We continue to read from the A&P. Re-reading the revelations that flowed to the early church where ever event was new and they sought the Lord’s guidance for what they should do and how they should do it.

It was a very good District Meeting and they managed to keep it to an hour. As they talked about their investigators the same kind of problems came up as we heard in Tangerang last night. They can not get people to commit to baptism. I again spoke up and said that if their investigators were truly converted they would not be able to keep them out of the water. I mentioned that their purpose was not to baptize but to bring the people unto Christ and through the spirit the would be converted. Later Elder Bastian thanked me for bringing that up.

After the meeting we had lunch in the mission home. President and Sister Marchant left food for everyone when the left earlier to go to Eastern Java for District Conference. It was fun to eat with the Sisters and Elder. All are 40 – 50 years younger but treat us as one with them. We supplied Jco donuts for dessert. Sister Sadimin really like Jco and Krispy Kreme donuts so we are heroes in her eyes.

Before we left the mission office, I had a chance to talk to Elder Subandriyo about a couple of things that were on my mind. I told him that he would have to solve the problems that we were leaving him.

We then went to the hearing aid office and after trying the units again, I ordered an in-the-ear model for my right ear. I think that will do the job so I can hear TV and movies better. I also hope it helps me hear spoken Indonesian more clearly. It turned out by waiting a three weeks, I got an extra 10% off – they changed the promotion just this week. It is going to cost about ½ of what it would have in the US.

While I was getting fitted for my hearing aid, Mary and Sam got some prints made so we can give them to members and missionaries. We are going to get all our pictures printed here because they only cost about 10 cents for a big 4 x6 print. Much less than at home and it only took about 10 minutes to get 40 prints.

Earlier in the day, I got a call from President Marchant. While he was in Hong Kong for the Mission President’s meeting, he mentioned that Indonesia really needed couples. He was told that Asian Area alone needed 49 Humanitarian couples and at the moment there were only 4 couples who qualified to serve here. It seems they are being more careful about who they send to this area. It is really too bad that so few couples are willing to serve missions. From what the President said, I would not be surprised if we were sent somewhere in Asia on our next mission. If so I hope it is back to Indonesia so we can build on what language we have learned. If so we would definitely get a tutor before and after we were here.

Two bulky loads and a gorgeous sunset as seen from the deck of our apartment.

Mary at a JCo donut shop. The owner basically took Krispy Kreme’s idea and made it better. In just 2 1/2 years they have opened over 20 shops in Indonesia and have expanded to Malaysia. Since one donut costs as much as an excellent street meal, they are not for the average Indonesian. Bajajs are a step up from riding the Angkots or small buses. Most of the run on a small two stroke engine and are great polluters. They are trying to retire these and replace them with ones that run on LPG which is cheaper and much cleaner. This is a main street of Jakarta and that is a large load of grass being pulled by one man. This is just one of the reasons the traffic is so bad in Jakarta. The grass will be used to feed goats or sheep.

08 May 2008 – Thursday

A rather normal Thursday for us. I find that I am for some reason sleeping in this week. A very unusual thing for me. It means I have an hour less to study or exercise. We read from the A&P before getting ready for a full day.

At the office we managed to get the April report sent – we had to send each sheet separately but at least they went. This is only the second time in a number of months that we were able to send a complete report. Mary and I got our English lessons ready. Mary has to do two – one for the office and one for tonight.

Anny came with Sam today so we had the newlyweds with us all day. They seem very happy even if they do not have a bucket to use for taking a shower. They are living in very humble means. Sam is of course use to this but I imagine for Anny it is rather unusual. It just goes to show that love can overcome all.

After Mary’s English class – it ran a little long – we headed for Tangerang for the DM and English class. Before going to the Church we stopped at the mall to have some pictures made but the processor had broken down and so we got some donuts for the elders and went to the chapel.

As usual we got to add some input to the District Meeting. They have a young man who wants to be baptized but the father – who is an inactive member – wants to go to a local Christian church. He complains that every time the elders come they only talk about baptism. We suggested that they just go and show they love them and care about them as a family. Let the Lord soften the heart of the father when he sees their light. They had about the same situation with a sister who works for Catheren. They want to baptize her and she has some reasons – family reasons – for not getting baptized at this time. Once again we suggested they just back off and let her continue to come to Church and build up her spirit.

Our English class was very limited. Sister Rosie came and Mary taught her, Sam and Anny. I taught the two Indonesian elders who really need the work. Neither have applied themselves to learn English. We got them to commit to only speak English until they leave the apartment. Hopefully they will stick to this arrangement.

So it was a good day for us. We kept busy in the work, accomplished some important things, and got to feel the spirit of the scriptures and the missionaries. There is so much work that needs to be done and we just do what we can do each day.

I almost forgot to mention that we got a chance to say hello to Jim, Shauna and William this morning. Skype is great but it is not the same as seeing them face to face. They will come early Saturday morning so the only ones that will be at the airport are the Utah contingent. But by Saturday afternoon we should have everyone. Hopefully it will be bright and sunny so the kids can swim at Bob’s house.

 

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.

05 May 2008 – Monday

Slept well and woke in time to go to the gym. It feels good to exercise in the morning. So the morning was pretty usual with us reading from the A&P and studying some Indonesian.

We went a little early to the office and I took care of a number of things I needed to do. Mainly sending out e-mails such as touching base with the man we met yesterday at church who had all the jobs to offer. I informed Elder Subandriyo and he suggest I visit the company and see if it is for real.

I checked in with LDS.org and read the news. There was an excellent article about a couple of missionaries and the Church. It was one of the most positive thing I have read that was not written by someone who is LDS. It got me to do a search of the org site to see what came up with Indonesia. This turned up some great missionary stories that I printed so I can use them in talks. Most of them came from the early years of the Church in Indonesia including how the Tandiman patriarch joined.

We came home for lunch and since then we have been cleaning out drawers and shelves. Throwing away some things and putting everything else in piles to either take home or leave for the Rebers. We needed to do this now so we can file what is staying in the office or in boxes. It does not seem like we are preparing to leave so much as cleaning house. It is amazing how much we threw away – we definitely are pack-rats when it comes to paper. Luckily Mary asked the Wisers if we could send two more boxes home – I was going to ask if we could send one.

We are moving right along with the A&P. If we are diligent we should be able to read all the way through before we leave Indonesia.