Mission life usually proceeds on an even keel but this week had some heartbreaking lows alternating with some compensating highs.
We returned to Manado for a 5 day stay on a different airline than our first time. For the flight meal, we were given a chocolate paste-filled bun and a cup of water. You could buy instant ramen for extra, which out of hunger, we did. Best cup o' noodles ever! No sooner had we landed then a slew of texts came into our phones all at once, with some distressing news about our grandson, Luke who had had a freak accident. He was being held by a sibling when, trying to escape, he suddenly squirmed out of their grasp. As he was falling to the ground head first he was caught by the foot which broke his femur lengthwise.
They determined it was serious enough that he needed to go to Primary Children's Hospital so they made the arduous 3 hour drive in the night with a screaming infant. He went into manipulation surgery the next morning to try and align the ends of the bone. It went well but he will spend the next 4-6 weeks in a cast that goes around his hips and down his one leg.
Diapering and keeping a leg/hip cast dry with a 7 month old will be an ongoing challenge.With our constant prayers in his behalf occupying our minds, the news that he had weathered the sedation and manipulation to get the bones to meet, we breathed a sigh of relief and then tried to focus on the present task at hand. On the opposite end our accomodations spectrum, we were put up in a 5-star hotel with beautiful views and a deluxe breakfast buffet. Compared to our economy flight, we suddenly felt rocketed to GA status. Hopefully it all evens out in the end.
Every morning during breakfast, we've had a local musical group serenade us with Kolingtan music on these marimba-like instruments. It feels like we're on a cruise. What a festive way to start our day!
All the time we thought they were playing local songs indigenous to the culture, we started noticing the melodies of some well-known classic rock tunes. How sneaky of them. See if you can pick this one out.
I've finally made my first woman Muslim friend during breakfast while we were both listening to the music. She and her husband do humanitarian work at an orphanage here in Manado so we shared with them the work our church does too. It was so nice to talk with her and find our common ground. People are so very much alike really so it wasn't hard at all.
Posting her picture reminded me of something completely out of the norm. I will share with you the most interesting ritual I observed in the airport. Some of you will find it unremarkable. (Sorry, this is completely out of sequence too.) While we waited for our flight out of Jakarta, the windows were all glass and through a courtyard I had this perfect view of what was going on in the next concourse over. All these people were there in white robes, at first I was thinking they were waiting for a flight too and were a group going somewhere all together in their matching choir uniforms but then it occurred to me, oh, it was a Musholla or prayer room. I watched a man come to this changing area with a sink. This washing area was smack dab in front of me but perhaps his windows were tinted and he didn't notice me looking at him from across the way. He washed himself before I looked up and really started taking notice of him. He began to wrap himself tightly in a white robe under his armpits and then he put on a sash to hold it up. Nexr he had a shawl that he draped over his shoulders with the long side going over his left shoulder. Last of all he put on a cap. Then he went behind a partition so I could only see the top half of his body. He would disappear behind it, I imagine he was prostrating himself in prayer, then he would come back up and make several different gestures with his arms. It was completely fascinating to me and I felt like I was getting an inside glimpse of some sacred rituals in their Muslim faith, like being a fly on the wall. Rob was napping on the couch and missed the whole thing. Those with eyes to see...
For 4 days we've been booked solidly with activities, meetings, and visits arranged by the branch president and the 4 missionaries assigned to Manado. Elders Midgely and Seppings hail from England and Australia. We've been in Accent Heaven just listening to them talk. Speak on Elders! They do a fabulous job of translating for us.
In looks, they remind us of my nephew Aaron and Gary Sinese
Along with darling American Elder Thompson and Indonesian Elder Panjaitan, we've had the genuine experience of going on ministering visits to some of the member's homes and meeting some of the people they are teaching.
That night they held a Family Home Evening at a member's home to celebrate the return of their own missionary, Elder Satali. There was talks and testimony, laughter and merriment, and dancing, literally in the streets! This branch really knows how to feel the joy of the moment. They love to laugh simply for laughter's sake which is so good for the soul. There was also a scrumptious pot luck and we ate heartily. We finally had to cover our plates with a napkin so the ladies would stop heaping food on our plates. We'd been warned they'd do that but one caught us off guard and swiftly piled on some fishy noodles. We couldn't eat another bite and had to sneak our uneaten food into the kitchen.
Blurry action shots
Happy line dancing ad infinitum
The next evening we were scheduled to do a leadership training meeting. Beforehand, we took the 4 elders out to lunch at a hybrid American-Manadonese restaurant. Now it might have been the huge breakfast buffet, (Rob claims the spicy potato salad was what started it all ) or the pot luck dinner with the members the night before or the lunch with the Elders, or a combination of everything but suddenly his stomach revolted and said NO MORE FOOD. It's time to vacate the premises! But we had to be on our game for our main purpose of the visit-- The evening leadership training.
Once the closing prayer was said at our training meeting, he bolted for the bathroom only to find no toilet paper and no water in the bidet. This is the reality of Southeast Asia and nothing surprises us now. We carry a roll with us for just such emergencies. He put on a brave face but he was so sick to his stomach. He asked the elders for a priesthood blessing for the Lord's aid in a quick healing but also to give them the opportunity to practice administering those blessings to others. It was a rough night for him. All day he has been sleeping and laying very low in the hotel room, giving me time to write this blog. No breakfast buffet today for him, no lunch or dinner either. I did something I've never done before in my whole life and ordered in room service. Sadly, we are missing out on Bible Class and outdoor volleyball with the members. You can well imagine they are a lively branch with so many fun activities planned during our visit and we're sorry to miss them but we've been asked to speak in church tomorrow so we want to be back on top of this roller coaster ride of a week. Let's hope we can just coast into Monday when we board the plane for home and this time, we'll pass on the complimentary bun.
"Now I would that ye should remember that God has said that the inward vessel shall be cleansed first"
Alma. 60:23
"Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump."
1 Corinthians 5:7
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I have to believe Elder Midgeley is related to Lou.
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