Road in Batu
Friday, July 4, 2014
Youth Conference - Indonesia style
We have definitely learned the Indonesia ways over the past fifteen months...
Siste Anderson's hair looks like a bad motorcycle helmet!
Sharing insights from the scriptures
Surabaya District Youth
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)
Small group activity
Sunday, June 29, 2014
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
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".
Brother Lukas, Elder Marsudi, Matthew, Elder Anderson, Elder Heiner, Sister Anderson, Sister Endang
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.
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