Counting the weeks on an Indonesian calendar....

The beginning of the end...

President Donald invited us to join them and the Lucherinis (Humanitarian Senior Couple) in Bali for six days for a little R & R and to assist with a wheelchair project.  I was a little surprised when Elder Anderson accepted the invitation.  Peter had asked for those days off to celebrate Ramadan with his family so we would have been housebound for the week!  At the last minute the wheelchair project was cancelled but we had a fantastic six days of R & R!

Sunday in Bali....

Sister Luchereini, Sister Donald, Sister Anderson

The airport in Bali

Walking to the beach

Beautiful Bali

View from our balcony

Can't believe our mission is coming to an end...

Gresik

Gresik is a village about an hours +  drive from Surabaya...more rural, out in the country, architecture different than what we typically see in Surabaya.  I love the homes in Gresik...striking colors, beautiful wood doors and window frames, often stained glass, tiled porches.  Snapped these photos when returning from home teaching yesterday....

These homes would be middle to upper-middle class homes.  Note the shoes outside some doors (you always remove your shoes before entering a home) and ramps at the front of each house to drive the motorcycle up onto the porch.

Our last Zone Conference

Sister missionaries in our zone

All the Elders in our zone plus Sisters Welch and Anderson

An Indonesian hoarder...

We have an elderly couple in the Timur Branch who live in a tiny (5x10) room, rent free in exchange for sweeping the walks.  The room is packed from floor to ceiling with rotting scraps of wood, rotting mats and foam, rocks, old clothes, and junk collected from the garbage. Both husband and wife are tiny (under 5 feet tall) and skinny.  They sleep on the garbage in a cramped position.  Last week this sister was sick and had to go to the hospital....at that point her husband agreed that the missionaries could come and remove the garbage from their home.  The branch donated a new bed frame and mattress to provided some comfort.  

When we arrived on Friday afternoon to start our work this brother had a change of heart....said he was shy and didn't want us to remove anything.  He had actually threatened Brother Hadi the previous day that he would stab him with a knife if he tried to remove the garbage.  Long story short...we were able to remove a tiny portion of the things in the house.  The stench was nauseating....cockroaches four inches long came out with each item removed from the house.  Everything was rotting from the rain that comes through the roof. We got out as much as we could!  We tried to get the bed in once the brother refused to let us remove anything else but it still wouldn't fit.  He told us he would finish once we left.  His wife appeared to plead with him to let us continue but no success!   So sad for her.... I have never seen such filth and squalor in my life. No water, no window, no floor other than dirt....

View of the room

Elder trying to convince him to let us continue

About 40-50 neighbors gathered to watch the bulehs....dad tried a little crowd control by visiting with them

The new bed frame that still wouldn't fit in by the time we left 

The wife is the tiny face you can see near Elder Lie's shoulder....she watched the proceedings from behind this gate

Neighborhood children holding 4 inch cockroach by antennae...it was one of the many that came out with the garbage!

Funeral

Sister Sukesi's father passed away Monday evening.  He was pedaling his becak and slumped forward  dead.  He was buried Tuesday morning at 10 am in a Christain cemetery in Surabaya.  Tonight is the memorial service at their home....

The Family...Sister Sukesi's third from left

Branch Priesthood holders in attendance

Branch sisters in attendance

One view of the cemetery

Sweet...

Had the chance to serve a branch member along with the Timur elders.  I'd forgotten how therapeutic weeding is!  We also painted and some built a new slatted half-door (?)

Elders Heiner and Anderson discussing how to build the door

Elder Wills and Marsudi using machetes to cut down plants

Elder Lie 

Peter

Sister Yeni fed us lunch...yummy noodles, chicken, salted fish, and corn soup

Elder Wills, Sister Yeni

Elections!

Next week the people of Indonesia will vote for a new president....was surprised to learn how they mark the ballot!

Batu

     

Road in Batu

  Having lunch before Youth Conference

Elder A's lunch

View of the city

Mountains of Batu

Youth Conference - Indonesia style

We have definitely learned the Indonesia ways over the past fifteen months...

On Sunday afternoon Peter (our driver) received a text asking us to lead a ninety minute discussion in Youth Conference on Thursday (we were replacements for President Donald), which we were happy to do.  We prepared for the next couple of days - studied, created a power point, prepared two activities activities, handouts, treats - and left Thursday morning for Batu (a three and a half to four hour drive from Surabaya) where the conference was being held.  We had a great time being with the youth....they are amazing, kind, intelligent, fun individuals!  

These are the uniquely Indonesian components of the experience....we has to pay $30 to use a projector for the pp; about forty five minutes into the discussion we were told to end in twenty minutes; and not one person (District leaders, branch leaders, youth) said thanks for coming or good job or wow, that was lousy!  Not a word :)

Elder Andersn with Brother Jonathan translating ( last month he was still our Elder Lopis)

Siste Anderson's hair looks like a bad motorcycle helmet!

Small group activity 

Sharing insights from the scriptures 

Surabaya District Youth