Sneak Peak

 We said goodbye to Ryli on Monday, he and Rob figured how to navigate the railway systems to get him back to the airport and he's now in Bangkok as we write, enjoying his time exploring more of Southeast Asia. Tuesday we shifted our focus back to the affairs of the mission. We were so glad to finally have a Zone Conference where we could meet our Indonesian missionaries face to face instead of in Zoomland. They are an adorable mix of native Indonesians, Filipinos and Americans (+1 Brit, 1 Aussie) in the Indonesia Jakarta Mission or IJM. This is President and Sister Tandiman's final zone conference during their tenure. They will complete their 3 year service at the end of June, which will be here before we know it. We will also be saying goodbye to a big chunk of missionaries, 11 we heard, (that would've been 1/3 of the Bengaluru mission!) There are 82 missionaries altogether plus 4 couples. We'll be getting a large batch of new missionaries in July, including some American sisters and another couple from Tremonton,Utah.  This is the normal flux of a mission.

East Jakarta Zone

                  Making our farewell banner

   The universal language of music spoken fluently here

    Elder Nault, our personal interpreter, sat behind us and whispered the proceedings into our ears. I'm amazed at the skill this takes to translate a message into another language, requiring him to be talking to us while simultaneously listening to the next sentence to be interpreted. There's definitely some Gift of Tongues involved. Some natives have excellent English, some have minimal so we're finding it harder to connect to all of them with our non-existent Bahasa except through the use of body language, the love language of smiles and laughter, and the Spirit. We are trying hard to be fluent in those if nothing else.

Lunch was catered with boxed Indonesian food. We thought Indian biryani was spicy, well Indonesian sambal takes it to a new level! Yow!! But it's sweet too so I found myself enduring the heat for the sweet. Elder Rob got the lucky box that contained the chicken foot. We've decided it's a good omen sign, like a rabbits foot, for good things to come.

                                Luckeeeey

                Not a lot of meat on dem bones 

Changing subjects completely now, while we were still in Timor-Leste, maybe some of you were aware that there was a volcanic eruption of Mt Ruang on April 30th. We learned that there are 130 active volcanoes in Indonesia as part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. I know from watching Dutchsinse for the past few years as he reports on earthquakes around the world that they are also very prevalent here. We've decided to not to be alarmed along with everyone else. It must be so commonplace, they don't even announce it as mission news to be worried about. However the other couple serving here in Jakarta, the Levesques, are Humanitarian missionaries and it was definitely noticed on their radar. They submitted a proposal to send emergency supplies to the victims that were evacuated and displaced to a city called Manado. They received the approval of the Asian Area Humanitarian team and were commissioned to go follow up and see that the supplies had been received and distributed. It so happens that Manado is one of  3 places we have a branch of the church in our mission and the President has asked us as part of our MLS (Member and Leader Support) assignment to minister to these small congregations during the last 4 months of our mission. Because of that, we were allowed to accompany the Levesques on this 2 day jaunt, just tag along really, to see what they do but also use it as an opportunity to meet some of the local leaders and become familiar with the city of Manado. It was a super quick trip, fly up one day and back home the next but we crammed in all we could. Its a good thing we enjoy flying because we'll be doing a lot of it! I never sleep a wink when flying but the perks are always fun.

     These were really good but the mixed nuts were definitely squid flavored. 

Manado has dense vegetation and is right on the ocean making it very humid indeed!

If you look on a map, it's on a K-shaped peninsula, located on the far upper tip of the upper arm stroke. I'm sure we'll have you all running to your atlases now.

  We assumed this was not the active volcano

But that plume of smoke did not look entirely inert to us. 

Upon landing we were driven to the Ministry of Disaster Headquarters (I made that name up). The workers there showed us around and we saw the abundant supplies that were donated. 

                   Bedding and food supplies 

      Your Deseret Industry donations at work! 

This delightful young man is Yos Enos, the church employee that is over the Welfare efforts of the church in Indonesia. He acted as our interpreter. He and his wife Gadis 

(pronounced goddess) are parents of a darling little girl. His laugh is so familiar but we can't figure out yet who he sounds like.

We also met up with our adorable branch president, Pres. Ismael. We were expecting someone older but he too is a young father of two little girls. What a pleasant countenance!

Also pictured is Sister Asty, the R.S. President and her daughter Vita. Her husband Freddy is the 1st counselor and maybe the best English speaker of the branch, we don't know yet. He lived in Sun Valley for a time and drove a truck. Insta-bond with Elder Dunlap as they talked trucking.

                  We are going to love them

We spent the next 4 hours driving to 3 different posts where the donations were sent with unofficial hand shaking ceremonies and photo ops. The first stop showcased the kitchen headquarters where all the food is cooked community style and then shipped out to feed the many victims.

                     What do ya bet it's spicy

Yan can cook! 

                         World's largest wok 

I don't know if they are volunteers or employees for the relief effort but the "solidarity fist" is a popular pose here. We saw it on campaign billboards everywhere. It's a thing. 

Next stop was seeing the actual displaced people affected by the volcano living in temporary housing. They were all in very good spirits, in fact, someone broke out the music and all the ladies were eager to dance and celebrate  since they couldn't express their appreciation in words. Now this is one language I can speak so I readily joined in! 

                      More grateful recipients

Your humanitarian donations made to the church are helping real people.

It was getting dark by now but we had one last place to visit and the shortcut was through the middle of the island on the ruttiest of roads. It felt like the longest drive of all. But it was worth the jostling. This was where the elderly folks and the pregnant ladies were housed to be closer to medical attention so it seemed to be a nicer facility. We couldn't say much to them but only smile and shake their hands and offer prayers for their imminent deliveries. All of them that were living there were due in the month of June. Only 1 gal was a first time mother. Perhaps the care they will get here is more than in their little villages so it could be a blessing in disguise for them. But the interpreter said they are all lacking baby clothes and cloth diapers. I could see Sister Levesque's wheels already spinning, pre-planning their next humanitarian proposal. 

            June is going to be a busy month! Me fitting right in with my fanny pack.

 Humanitarian missionaries spend a lot of their time doing the administrative end of the process so these are their gratifying moments when they see their efforts pay off. We were thankful for the opportunity to simply show up and be friendly along with the Levesques. Our reservations were made in different hotels so we bid them farewell. Brethren, adieu.

Our hotel restaurant had a live singer who was actually quite good singing American pop standards but when he went on break, he filled in with some lesser recorded standards. How was he to know Mary Had a Little Lamb and other nursery rhymes, Christmas carols, and old folk times was not exactly typical mood music. We laughed! Only in a foreign country would this happen. We were so bummed that our fancy restaurant had no ice cream for dessert so we ran across the street and had a Cornetto cone with the Indomar(k)et crowd of locals. We love being not fancy. 

The next morning we had a few hours to walk the town and get a feel for it. It's definitely more like Timor-Leste and the smaller towns of India. Our kind of town, exactly! Our hotel was only a few blocks from the church so that was our first stop. As it turned out, the 4 Manado elders had traded places with us and were in Jakarta for their zone conference so we weren't able to meet up with them. Rats! Next time for sure. Everywhere we've served so far, even in the small villages of Chavadi and Semmedu, the branch members had their own little chapels. Well I take that back. Erode's church building was above Babee World but it was very nice inside. The church in Manado turned out to be rented space that was all locked up tight. 

                 Not a very imposing presence 

Well, at least you can tell it's air conditioned.

So here's what we were feeling. Of all the cities in Indonesia, Manado is one of the most Christian so initially we were supercharged that the baptisms would be more prevalent here than in the Muslim dominated areas. But everywhere we looked we saw these mega-Christian churches with ostentatious buildings. Our little branch doesn't have any form nor comeliness or apparent beauty that man would desire it. Much like the Savior himself, only the humble in heart will see the real treasure hidden within, not the outward appearance that may be initially appealing but can be a Potemkin village with false facades. Have you noticed how all the AI images of Jesus have depicted him now as the most jaw dropping, handsome man in the world? Can we accept a Savior and a little branch that isn't fashioned after the world's standards of beauty? Well, I digress. 

  We will be ready to go back to Manado next time, armed with the Book of Mormon, ready to do what we can to strengthen the testimonies of the members, bring the lost sheep back to the fold, and reach out to the pure in heart who will recognize the truth when it's presented to them and can see past the humble outer appearance for the pearl of great price that's contained within. Alone we realize we can't do much in 4 months but we serve a God who has the whole world in His hands and with His help, all things are possible.

"Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature...for the Lord seeth not as a man seeth, for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart."

1 Samuel 16:7