Sunday, June 29, 2014

Home Teaching

Home teaching this afternoon...Brother Yohanes and Sister Hana...great family!


Tuesday, June 24, 2014

The Dutch Influence

Indonesia was under Dutch rule for about 500 years and their influence is widely seen.  It wasn't until the 1940s that they were forced out of the country during Japan's occupation of Indonesia.  We visited a Catholic Church built in 1811 by the Dutch.  The interior was destroyed in 1945 but it was rebuilt in 1950.  Beautiful old building...








Sunday, June 15, 2014

Farewells

Today was one of those bittersweet days....

We had District Conference this weekend....listened to outstanding messages in each session and tender, inspiring music; gathered with individuals we have come to love so much; taught in the RS Leadership session.  But it was also the last day we will spend with the Williams' in the mission field!  They leave Malang and head home in less than two weeks.  They are the couple who met us at the airport when we first arrived on Surabaya...showed us where we lived....took us for our first grocery shopping and car shopping in Indonesia...bought us our first Indonesian food!  They are our houseguests when we hold Zone Conferences and District  Conferences.  We have laughed together and cried together and played together and vented together!  We love them!  I could barely contain my emotions as we said goodbye at the church today...we will miss them so much!




Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Lest I forget

Commemorating My every-six-weeks 'visit' to my stylist...

Love him!!

Monday, June 2, 2014

Insights after 43 years....

I feel like throughout our mission I have learned so many things about Elder Anderson that I had not learned in the previous forty three years of our marriage!!  It was a very tender experience when we visited with Brother Lukas and Sister Endang last Saturday night.  Brother Lukas is hesitant to baptize his grandson because he said "there are others in the branch who are more worthy.  Let them do it".

Elder Anderson went on to explain that his father had not baptized him (I did not know this...had always just assumed he did).    With tears in his eyes and a quaver in his voice Elder Anderson shared "I have always wondered why my father did not baptize me.  He was the greatest man I knew."  Tears flowed fom my eyes as I realized how often we take things for granted and how far-reaching are the effects of our choices.

Brother Lukas, Elder Marsudi, Matthew, Elder Anderson, Elder Heiner, Sister Anderson, Sister Endang

Taman Safari...third visit

Yesterday for p-day we took the sister missionaries to the Taman Safari and met up with the Malang missionaries!  Elder and Sister Williams go home this month so it was fun to spend some time with them :). The young missionaries make everything fun!!

On our way...passed a woman carrying a load of sticks

The Safari has been created in the natural jungle area....taken while driving up the mountain to the safari

Malang missionaries and Surabaya sisters

A workman hung a dead chicken above the pole...it was unbelievable how fast this white lion climbed the pole to get the meat

Elder A. and his new hat!

He seemed particularly disgusted with us :)

I'm going to miss Sister Williams...she has become such a great friend!!