Loving life...

Went with Branch President to visit a family which live so far away from the church that they can't attend. It took us an hour and a half to drive the twelve miles to their home! Once again I am humbled by the circumstances of life....why some are blessed with such abundance and others have so little. The Morotoyos currently have one son serving a mission and their daughter Maria plans to serve when she graduates from high school.

We visited sitting on a mat on a dirt floor, no chairs or benches or seating of any kind, Maria's bed in the small room, no running water or bottled water....I could go on and on. But what WAS there was a wonderful spirit of very humble people who read their scriptures each evening and truly reflect the Saviors love!

The served us fried snail chips and spicy corn chips. Sister Morotoyo walked somewhere and returned with bottled water for each of us...at much sacrifice I am sure! And yes, I did eat fried snail and spicy hot corn chips!

Pictures taken on our drive to their home, the bowl of fried snails, and this beautiful family!

Eleven hour day

Had a great day yesterday with Elder Kusumarmanta and Elder Giola. We went with them to visit three less active members and one investigator. About four hours were spent visiting with these great people...six hours were spent in the car, navigating the roads and traffic of Surabaya to get to their homes!! We did stop for a quick lunch in the afternoon...

The pictures are of Sister Jennie and Sister Uni and her baby. Sister Jennie had a stroke a few years ago and cannot leave her home. Her home consists of one small, narrow room with a bed, a toilet, two poles so Sister Jennie can pull herself from her bed to the toilet, a small dresser, and a bench running the length of the bed. There is one small window and a door, with one light bulb dangling from the ceiling. We had the most delightful visit with her! She speaks English very well, and the elders told us she was once an English teacher! She has the cutest smile...a bit of a mischievous grin. I am daily humbled as I realize how blessed we are with such abundance!

Sister Uni also lives with her husband and baby in one room...slightly larger than Sister Jennie's home. Their bathroom and washing facilities are located elsewhere, although they do have a bottled water dispenser and hot plate in their home. She rolled out a mat so we could sit on the floor right next to their bed. Again we had a delightful visit! Sister Uni is so cute and so tiny...her three month old is about a third of her size.

I felt like a real missionary yesterday as we prayed with these families, shared testimony with these families, and felt the love Heavenly Father has for each of His children. We love the people of Indonesia!

Humbled...

Yesterday afternoon we attended the Sidoarjo unit for sacrament meeting/Sunday school (they are combined; there is no RS or Priesthood meeting). The members meet in the garage of an auto repair shop at 4:00 in the afternoon. They bring in a fan but the door has to be closed because of the traffic right outside. It was sweltering hot in the room...sweat was dripping from my body. The elders go over Saturday evening to clean the shop and set up chairs and the sacrament table.

This is one of the most humbling experiences of my life! The two elders prepared, blessed and administered the sacrament. To see this 19 year old young man who has grown up in Utah kneel on a garage floor to bless the sacrament...to see his 19 year old companion who was raised in Indonesia administer the sacrament to those in attendance...such a sweet experience. The spirit was so strong throughout the meeting. The members were so positive and kind....we had a great evening!

The pictures were taken inside the shop when we first arrived....by the time we began the room was full!

Apartment Inspections

5+hours on the roads of Surabaya and Sidoarjo inspecting three missionary apartments today. The date had been scheduled so they knew we were coming! Some interesting conditions they live in, but they all make it home!! I forgot to take pictures of the four Surabaya Dua elders in their apartment...spent some time teaching them how to clean a sink! I have to remember that young men don't clean like old women....and I am impressed that they always look so handsome when living in less than stellar conditions! Took them candy bars for their efforts! Stopped at an A$W for lunch on the way home....a long, hot day but so fun to visit with the elders!!

Purpose...Invite others to come unto Christ

Had a wonderful missionary discussion in our home last night! Sister Li is a teacher from China who has been in Indonesia for nearly two years....she will return to China in July. She has such a strong testimony of the gospel and the elders invite the spirit into each discussion so true teaching and learning occur. Fiona, a member of the branch, and Peter, our driver, were also a part of the discussion. Sister Li has been invited to be baptized!

A Room with a View

Well....the somewhat spoiled American sister missionary was able to move with her companion to a new apartment in the same complex. She is soooo happy with the move!! We are on the 18th floor in a two-bedroom unit. The bathroom is so clean and modern....the tile floor is not all chipped and worn....the tub isn't all stained....the counter tiles aren't all cracked...the kitchen actually has cupboards. We got moved this afternoon and have just begun to unpack. Tomorrow we plan to stay home and finally get settled....

Surabaya streets

Sights of the Surabaya roads both before and during a torrential rainstorm...our first excursion in our new car to get it insured!

Little miracles

This morning became very stressful....the bank didn't show a wire transfer of funds Greg had made that we needed in order to purchase a car. We then received a text from Brother Hadi (a member of our branch who has been amazingly helpful) indicating that the car owner had contacted him wanting the balance owed on the car. Brother Hadi sent the man $2,000 and assured him we would have the rest by tomorrow! You all know how much I worry....would we forfeit the down payment? Would we lose the money Brother Hadi had paid if the transfer didn't arrive? We knelt down and poured out our hearts to Heavenly Father. Within 15 minutes the phone rang...the bank had called Brother Hadi to tell him that we needed to bring passports and kitas in before they would credit us the money. I'm not sure how we would ever have known that!! So Brother Hadi picked us up and took us to the bank! On the way home, we celebrated our progress (nothing is finalized yet) and stopped to eat at our very first roadside outdoor 'restaurant'...a little scary! Look carefully at the picture...the pot you see on the left of the counter is the pot of soup we all ate from. The young man sitting there was 'washing' bowls when we arrived...no water or soap, just a well used cloth! Brother Hadi and Peter, our driver, are in the pictures with us!

I'm feeling Indonesian....

Surabaya sights...

Each Wednesday from 8-10 am the missionaries from Surabaya and Sidoarjo provide service to the local zoo. The missionaries from Sidoarjo ride their bikes to Surabaya....over an hours ride each way! Today we weeded and planted Japanese grass....under a hot and humid sun!

A well-known statue in front of the zoo shows a shark and alligator fighting...sura means shark; baya means alligator....thus the name Surabaya

Two of the elders let a monkey pick through their hair looking for lice....soooooo gross!!! Didn't find any! Saw several Komodo dragons and camels ( we were just in one small part of the zoo) . Elder Anderson and I were pooped by the time we left....

Sunday dinner

Just in case you think we are withering away in Indonesia, think again! Sunday dinner 🍴🍝

English teachers???

Our first assignment....at the last minute one set of elders couldn't teach their English class so we were the subs! I underestimated the class members language skills....they speak very good English!! But we rolled with it and had a lot of fun with the class....we practiced introductions, role-played scenarios, played a 'toss the sock' game to practice vocabulary, and sang 'If You're Happy and You Know It' to practice action verbs. Presenting our class....

Zone Conference...a few firsts

First zone conference...first time meeting the missionaries serving in Surabaya and Sidoarjo...first time being the one needing the headphones for translation...first Indonesian buffet...first public role play...first Indonesian cookie!

Senior couples Williams, Anderson, and Rasband with President and Sister Groberg
The two APs (Assistants to the President)

Home sweet Surabaya home....

We arrived in Surabaya Tuesday, spent the day looking for a car, and moved into the apartment of the previous senior couple. It had been vacant for three weeks and appeared very dirty and unkempt!! This is the second time I've wanted to cry since leaving on our mission...the first was arriving at the Jakarta International Airport, making our way through immigration and baggage claim,being mobbed by people getting right in our faces and saying things I didn't understand (probably a good thing), and not seeing anyone in white shirts and ties to meet us! But we've survived both and are learning every day!

I did some quick scrubbing last night, bleach in toilet and sinks, and dropped dead into bed! We've been on the road all day today, again looking for a car and possible house to rent, and interviewing our potential driver (more about Peter later). But I did get up early and scrubbed some more!

Just wanted to share some photos....