Sudah satu Bulan!!! (Hampir)

I can't believe that I've almost been here for one month! I never really understood what they meant in the MTC when they said that the days feel like weeks and the weeks feel like days.  Everyday when we plan I feel like we do so much, but at the end of the week it feels like everyday went by so fast. This week felt super unproductive because we had everyone cancel on us! It's so hard because its part of their culture to not say no, so everyone gives us a false sense of interest. Its even rude to say the word no, they just always say belum, so not yet. An elder in Jawa Timor took that so literally, so he's been extending commitments to investigators to accept the gospel in the after life! So dumb!
 

Anyways I taught english class again this week, but instead of the advanced class I taught the beginner's class. So I taught them Heads Shoulders Knees and Toes. So it was super funny to have like 20 middle aged indonesians singing that song for an hour. But I really love teaching english class because I feel like I can relate to them really easy. Learning a new language kind of sucks, and it can be really embarassing when you screw up, but we just try to teach them to say ngak apa (whatever) and keep trying!
 

Other than that we taught a family of Papuans last night, they are straight from a tribe, but the lesson went super well. I just hope that they stay here long enough to progress, there are so many stories of people like them accepting the gospel but then having to go home cause they can't find work. Its hard to swallow that there are tribes out east that are using the Kitab Mormon but they can't be baptized cause there is no church out there. Papuans are about the only people we are teaching right now, because everyone else here is sooo muslim. That's why it really is so much more important who I am than what I say. That's what I'm really trying to focus on, because I know that some of the people here are ready to receive the message. First impressions are very important here, because in most cases that's all we get. So I'm just trying to focus on always reflecting that I'm a representative of Christ, thats what I try to think everytime I want to sleep on a bus or look like I'm having a hard time, because people are always watching me. So I just need to hunker down and slap a smile on my face and pray that I can be a light for some of these people.

Mingu Ke Tiga

What a crazy week! First off the terrorist attack in Jakarta! We were just finishing our appointment when the member who's house we did it at told us about it. We didn't really find out much about it later that night, and then the next day we bought a newspaper for language study, and read about it. So this last week or so we haven't been able to go to any places associated with America, so no micky d's :(
 

Anyway, this week we had a ton of lessons planned or potential investigators and they all just disappeared from the face of the earth. We only have one legit progressing investigator right now.  Her name is Riska and she's from Papua. I hope that we can meet with her again this week.  Her brother is the one who gave us her name. He would be a member if he could but he lives in Papua and there aren't any churches there, but he met the missioniaries in Jakarta, and when he can come to church 3 weeks in a row he will be baptized. So I hope that we can spark that same desire in her.

We have been teaching a lot of inactive members though, and we've had some success. We meet with Brother Wolly, every week.  He's deaf and we don't know how he has money but he has a lot, because everytime we meet with him he has a new cell phone, or lap top or tablet, its the weirdest thing. But I love teaching him, he's such a good guy.
 

And after this we are going to take Brother Rodger to the hospital, he's a refugee from Congo. His conversion story is so cool, he speaks french but somehow the missionaries taught him english, so we translate church for him everyweek. That has been a big help to me having to translate lessons for him. But know he's trying to learn indonesian. He has such a strong testimony and just wants to go to the temple so he can do work for his parents. It really has shown me how lucky we are to live so close to temples, and help out brothers and sisters obtain eternal life!
 

Anyways every week is getting faster and faster, and know that I can actually communicate with people I'm enjoying my mission 100X's more!

 

Mingu Kedua

Week two was much better!  I'm getting used to the food, and I wasn't sick at all this week. I feel like this week I really started my mission.  We had more lessons this week, and I was actually able to do some teaching in them, rather than just bearing a testimony at the end. Its crazy how much I have been able to learn in the last two weeks.
 

At the moment we don't have any new investigators, and it is kind of hard to find people. We talk to a lot of refugees from the middle east, and we use English because they know even less Indonesian than I do. It's really cool to hear their stories and how they had to give everything up. I don't know how open they are to our message, but they just seem like they need a friend.  This week we plan to teach a lot of them, and who knows, maybe we found a group of people who are ready to accept our message.
 

We also taught a man who competed in the 2008 Olympics this week. He's a very interesting guy, and his house is full of statues from papua which they all looked like easter island statues. I don't know I just have loved the opportunity this week to meet so many new people with cool stories.  Missionary work really is the coolest thing, think about it, for two years I have the opportunity to go to a completely different place, and only worry about trying to make the people around me happy.

Like I said earlier we've had a hard time finding new people to teach so we've been trying new places in our area, that my comp who's been here forever hasn't been before. That's how we ran across the community of refugees.  The first guy I talked to, and asked why he had come here, laughed and asked if I was aware of world news, then he talked about how hard it is to gain refugee status, and then I asked him where he wanted to go after Indonesia, and he said he didn't know. So I said that he should come to America, and he just laughed and said that they would never let him in! We also tried contacting in a place where they're are so many prostitutes. We collected like 10 contacts before we realized that it was unusual that only skimpy dressed 20 something year old women wanted to talk to us! But we are told to talk to everybody, so I think we didn't do anything wrong ;)
 

Other than that I'm doing much better, and I can honestly say that I love it here. I'm learning so much, and I don't have a worry in the world, I just wake up and pray that the street food doesn't wreck my stomach!

Selemat Tahun Barru

Hello from Indonesia!!! I'm can't believe that I'm actually emailing y'all from the other side of the world. This past week was probably the hardest week of my life.  First off I've been sick the whole time, and haven't eaten much.  It's been so hard because I feel so weak and I know that I need food but I just haven't been able to keep much down. The food is interesting, to say the least. I like how it tastes, but the thought that it sits out all day in the food cards kind of makes me sick. I really like something called tempe, which is fermented soy beans, its very tastey.  I also really like tahu or tofu.  They fry everything here, and pretty much everything that we eat is from street venders. But they do sell peanut butter and jam and the bread is good, so thats what I've mainly survived off of the last couple of days.

I'm in the city of Bogor, it's about an hour or hour and a half from Jakarta.  It's up in the mountains and rains every day.  They say its cooler here, but I'm still hot all of the time.  Our house is ok, we have toilets, but still no TP so I've had to get used to that, but it reallly is ok!  We only have AC in one room which is the bedroom, thank goodness cause I know I wouldn't sleep without it.  Our city is very Muslim, but the church is strong here, they recently split the wards to make 2.  The church building is very nice, and I'll send a picture of it next week.  But yeah, its great here!  We get around on somthing called an angkot, which it like a hippie van, they are sooooooo hot. The driving here is so weird, they honestly follow no traffic rules here, and everyone drives a scooter, its very slow getting around town.  The malls here are so nice, and everything is honestly soooo cheap.  Like they have a polo store here and everything is like 200.000 rupiah which is expensive for them, but when you think of american dollars its way cheap.
 

My companion is Elder Bills, his dad works for the US embassy so he lived here before the mission.  He knows the language very well, and he's been in Bogor for like 4 months so he knows where everything is. My first couple of days I didn't understand anything, but everyday I understand more and more.  Yesterday I said the opening prayer in sacrament meeting, and had to introduce myself and bear my testimony, which was so scary but, I got through it, and then last night I had to teach a portion of the a lesson, but it all went well.
 

I kind of feel like a celebrity because everyone wants to take a pic with me, and they take pictures of my walking.  And when we're walking in the streets there is always a little group of kids following us calling me big, and practicing their English.
 

Other than that, I'm starting to learn to love Indonesia.  It is very hot and hard to understand people, but I know that if I have enough faith heavenly father will help me with anything I need.

Indonesia

Elder Monson has arrived safely in Indonesia. We received this email from his mission presidents:

Here is a photo of all our missionaries last night. They were tired after such a long flight.  I am sure there will be lots of news to share in their first emails from the mission field on Monday.

Regards

 

President and Sister Donald

Indonesia Jakarta Mission

Memaliki Natal Nakal

Selamat Natal!!!! It's so close now!!! We received our flight plans last week.  We leave the MTC at 11:30 on monday then we leave the Salt Lake airport at 5:27 and arrive in Los Angeles at 6:35 their time. Then we leave LA at 10:35 and arrive in Hong Kong at 6:00 am on the 30th. Then our final flight leaves at 9:25 and we arrive in Jakarta at 1:20.  I'm so excited, even though it's a ton of travel time.

Last week on Friday my district received emails saying that our visa's weren't here yet and that we would be reassigned state side until they came. So I was assigned to the San Fernando California Mission. So then my whole district received emails right after that saying it was a mistake except me!  So all weekend I thought for sure I was going stateside, but then on Monday I went to the travel office and they said that they had forgotten to send that email to me! So I am leaving on Monday!!!!

Other than that everything is winding down. I believe that I have learned all that I can at the MTC and I can't wait to get out in the field.  I'm not yet fluent in my language but I'm very confident that I'm at least conversational.  But we will see, it's kind of scary because they all speak differently on every island, so I'll have to learn how to repronounce everything depending on what city I'm called to!!! But I know that as long as I continue to strive to be the best missionary I can be the lord will bless me, and I know that he wants me to succeed in my mission even more that I want to.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, and know that I'm praying for you all, and the next time I'll be writing home I'LL BE IN INDONESIA.

Sebalas Hari Lebi

Ahhhh I can't believe that my time at the MTC is coming to an end!!!! I'm way excited though.  Yesterday I was able to host incoming missionaries and it seemed like it was just yesterday that I was arriving here. I will get my flight plans tomorrow!!!!

The language is coming so fast. I barely speak any bahasa ingris now, its crazy how fast I'm learning the language now.  We've been teaching girls from Indonesia every Thursday and at first I couldn't understand a word they said because they speak so fast, but last week I could understand just about everything.  But I'm still very nervous to get to Indonesia because they speak so different in every area.

Other than that everything is about the same.  I'm getting along with my companions more and more, and our zone is getting along super well.  One of the Sisters, who is going to Albania had to stay another two weeks because she hurt her foot has honestly been such a good example to me.  I'm glad that she has stayed here cause when you spend 12 hours in a class room with the same people it's nice to have some one else to talk to. Plus she's handled this trial so well.  Even though she's on week 12 of the MTC she still has the biggest smile and you can tell she's just so happy to be here.

Anyways everything here is just about winding down. The next time I speak to y'all I'll be packing my bags and getting ready to fly halfway around the world.  Anyways saya mengasihi anda semua, dan semoga berhasil mingu depan ini!!!!