The Takeaway

 Indonesia gave us a BIG going away present! We originally were scheduled to leave on August 23rd but then we started hearing advertising months earlier for a huge Stake Cultural Event held on August 24th. Knowing how much we love that sort of thing, we requested if our release could be delayed just a few days more so we could attend it as our last hurrah. When I think how much we might have missed with our original date, I'm so grateful for these extra bonus days. Timing is everything!

President and Sister Mak had us to their home for a farewell dinner along with 3 elders who were also completing their missions. Ask any senior missionary and they will tell you how working with the young missionaries is one of the most rewarding aspects of it all. They are so earnest, so dedicated to the cause of bringing souls to Christ. It truly is an honor to work with them and call them lifelong friends. They inspire us.

     Young and exceedingly valiant for courage!

                       We love the merry Maks 

          The Indonesian Jakarta Mission Home

Friendships with fellow senior missionaries is another blessing of our service. Sister Levesque had us over for so many delicious meals, we cannot thank them enough for their generosity towards us! She has a very giving heart! 

     Having a last minute chat with E. Midgely

             The ceremonial snipping of the tie

         Our time in Indonesia was cut short! 

In the 4 months we were in Jakarta, we watched Elder Albert go from struggling with the language to being our assigned translator. It's remarkable to witness all their growth! 

The Stake Cultural Night also did not disappoint! We made a point to arrange rides for our refugee friends, so we could enjoy this last time together. Many of them made it on their own too and it was a treat for us to be surrounded by so many of our Jakarta 3rd ward friends. 

Hiresh and Mahdi

Reza and Rani currently studying w/ the Elders

Rebecca and friend Dheka. They rhyme!

Fellow ward members Destiny and Nancy

Fatimah, Kimya and Keren from Iran

Waiting for the show to begin

It was absolutely thrilling to see the talent and efforts of the Jakarta Stake. There were some true professional dancers in the mix but we loved how they involved everyone to be a part of it, no matter their skill level. The hours they had put into practicing their numbers were so evident. There was such a rich variety of styles and costuming that although it went on for 2.5 hours, we were never once bored (yeah, except maybe through the beginning speeches that we couldn't understand).

This dance was our very favorite and you'll soon see why! 

I don't have a video, but only a picture of all the Primary children (there must've been a legion of them!) singing happy 100th birthday to President Russel M. Nelson, our beloved Prophet. I hope he gets a video of it sent to him. He is loved by the Saints all over the world!

                         

The colors, the music, the drumbeat rhythms all made it exciting and memorable. I got so choked up listening to them sing their national anthem. Each place we have lived has had their  national pride in their culture. Yet, being united in the Culture of Christ gave us this feeling of a universal unity of heart and mind, no matter where we have lived.

 

Well, the party didn't end there. We invited our Iranian friends to come home for dinner. Hiresh had to decline. But Rob and Mahdi took a final dip in our pool while I cooked some Tom Kha and rice. (Me cooking!)  

Ahh... We have so loved and relished the serenity of our pool area. Either early in the morning or early evening, I would walk around its perimeter for exercise, Vitamin D, and meditation. 200 steps per rotation. It was peaceful and profoundly beautiful, surrounded by the lights of the early rays of sun by day and the lights of the skyscrapers by night.

                        Worlds largest hot tub

                          Goodbye Shangri La

We were surprised when we got a text from a brand new friend we made during our last week here. We stumbled across Ian as an owner of a booth in the food court in our nearby mall. He is a Yankee from Connecticut, born of Chinese-American parents, living here on his own for the last 8 years. He asked us what do two crazy kids like us do for fun on a Saturday night? We invited him over for dinner and games and he took us up on it! We had such fun playing "golf". He and Mahdi both were completely fluent in their secret language of Bahasa Indonesian, something we ashamedly made little effort to learn in our 4 months here. We shall stay in touch with Ian via Whatsapp since our overlap time was way too short. 

Ian played the part of Bloody Mary in South Pacific at his all-boys military school. We share a love of musicals and word games. Wish we had had more time with Mr. Lucky Chin! 

And then our last farewells on Sunday at church. How dear these people have become to us!! How can we bear to say goodbye?? After sacrament meeting Sister Lee asked if we could share a prayer together. We held hands and bowed our heads together at the back of the chapel, asking Father to bless us both and thank Him for the blessings of our friendship. She promised to send us pictures of her baptism when it happens. 

           Ahnyunghi ka/ke shipshio, chamenim! 

           Go in peace/ stay in peace, dear Sister!

Next, my dear Iranian friend, Sister Nahid. I cannot hug her enough!! She is so very dear to me too. She has given us far more than we could have ever given her and her little family. She is a skilled leather craftswomen along with many other talents, and she made me a custom-made leather wallet and Elder a coin purse. 

         A great place for rupee and rupiah!

                       Isn't she a marvel?

And speaking of the Lord's perfect timing, did I mention before that the Rastgoos finally got their tickets to immigrate to America?! Such a miracle! Though we are going to different cities via different airlines, our flights overlap at the airport. Incredible! We could never have planned that, ever in a million tries. Thank you Heavenly Father, for that tender mercy. 

Last of all...our Scarecrow. (the one you'll miss, most of all)  Dear Mahdi...the most humble, patient, happy, earnest, friendly, hard working man you'll ever find. We finished the complicated WelcomeCorp application with a small group of our wonderfully supportive American friends with only days to spare on August 23rd to sponsor this good brother to come to America to begin a new life as a free man. We now can only wait and pray daily for his deliverance. We know we will see him again but still, parting is such sweet, sweet sorrow! 

         God be with you, 'til we meet again.

And thus concludes the 99th blog of our incredible mission. How could we have possibly planned that number? I believe I'll have to do one more post-mission just to make it an even 100, coinciding with the 100th birthday of a Prophet of God which happens next week. The timing is personally mind-blowing and symbolic for us. 

 ..."Behold my brethren I say unto you, could we have supposed when we started from the land of (America) that God would have granted unto us such great blessings? Behold, my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God! Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold I cannot say the smallest part which I feel. 

Alma 26: 1, 11, 16

99+1

 Things are winding down for the Dunlaps.

These bones are nearing the end of the missionary journey.

We don't even have the energy to spell our full name

 

Some couples go out with a bang. But there are consequences of going beyond the mark.

                        Warning: Don't push it

Our last outing to the cemetery nearest to our apartment nearly put us over the edge.

 

The life/work balance was precarious

We came home so exhausted and spent, we finally said, "Enough. Done." We will leave the 99.99999999% to the young Indonesians and the Timorese and the Indians to finish up those last few names we couldn't quite get to. 

                                 You're welcome 

So we left the 90 and 9 to go find the 1....

                                     She's 1!

Our Prophet's invitation to find the 1 was good timing for us. Instead of trying to do it all before we go, why not just focus on the 1? The 1 family. The 1 refugee. The 1 English assignment. We can do that. 

We were low in spirits this week when we learned our dear neighbor who lives across the street from us passed over to the other side. She had battled Stage 4 colon cancer for a full year while we've been away from our Mayberry neighborhood back home. We prayed so hard for her and she miraculously held on and beat so many odds and things looked promising that we'd see her again. It was so close! But not MTB. Goodbye lilfarmergirl... We'll have our reunion someday.

"What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost until he find it? And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me!"

Luke 15: 4,6 

Bali High

 It's a daunting task to convey all the joy and delight we felt during our adventurous 5 days in Bali. I mean, come on! For one thing, this is a vacation destination island for the whole world and to think we were able to visit it as part of our mission! How are we so lucky? As I write this we're still on a high. There were so many varied experiences, all which were Spirit-filled and meaningful. We were able to do some effective missionary work with the darling sister missionaries, visit with the members of the Bali Branch, be involved in some inspiring humanitarian work, attend the warm and cohesive branch church services, speak in Sacrament meeting, AND cram in a little sightseeing all in too short of a time. This will not be chronological for sure, no matter how this spills out. 

 One of the major highlights for us was being invited to stand in for the humanitarian missionaries and attend the 19th birthday of the Smile Foundation, an organization formed by Mary, an English lady who has lived in Bali for 40+years. LDS Charities partners with this organization along with local hospitals, volunteer surgeons, speech therapists, and many other charitable organizations to perform surgeries on individuals with cleft lip, cleft palate, and other facial deformities. These surgeries give those affected a brand new life and future. We were absolutely inspired by the stories of the 3800 affected individuals they've helped so far and got to actually meet a few of them in person. We were warmly greeted like we were some sort of VIPs.

         Really, just Very Insignificant Peons

But we were representing the Church of Jesus Christ at large and so we attempted to be dignified, gracious, and articulate. We met Mary, along with the American Consulate, the surgeons, all the staff and volunteers, and best of all, a few of the recipients of the surgeries. To have them look you in the eyes and smile confidently was the biggest honor of all. I think this is one of the most wonderful and worthwhile charities because it changes lives so dramatically!

                  The movers and shakers

We watched a slide show of the amazing transformations of these faces that literally brought tears to our eyes. Then we were treated to a Balinese dance performance by two young boys that was nothing short of incredible. We marveled at their dance skill and professional stage presence!

A very imposing presence for an 11 year old!

We were mesmerized!

It was incredible to learn afterwards that one of these young performers had been the recipient of cleft palate surgery. Again, more lumps in our throats. His confidence was so inspiring to us! So we left the event feeling very blessed to meet so many lovely, caring people and see the miracles of healing first-hand. 

Another incredibly happy part of our stay was working and spending time with Sister Indrachapa and Sister Wibowo. We adore them!! Because the Bali Branch is bilingually Bahasenglish, they speak both languages well, lucky for us. Sister Wibowo is waiting for her visa to go to New Zealand  They are such bright and radiant stars, we felt instant love for them and from them. 

                                  Biker chicks

Sistahs in Zion 

                       Lunch at the Cafe Noir

     They could eat the elders under the table!

 Usually it is Elders that open a brand new area but the Lord chose sisters for Bali. They have only been a presence less than 6 months but already the branch is growing and having baptisms. We instantly saw why. The members just love them and trust them to teach their friends the gospel. We joined in on a Family Home Evening lesson with one family and the tail end of a Mission Prep class with another. Who should we run into at one member's home but Sister Novi who we met in Medan last month in the airport! She knew us by our badges and introduced herself to us. This world is way too small! It is always amazing to us how the Lord puts us in each other's paths.

A chance meeting in Medan Airport

Here we are at Sister Novi's home in Bali. Now honestly, don't all these young people look about the same age? Imagine our surprise when we learned she is the mother of 3 boys, one in his 20s, not pictured. She is a vibrant part of the branch.

          At Sister Estee and Brother ?'s FHE

                   Guys just flexing their guns

Manliness aside, on Rob's tender side we got the rare treat of holding babies. Baby puppies that is. Since we can't hold human babies we were both in a little bit of heaven.

                       Proxy grandson practice 

                Just a little boy with his puppy

There aren't enough superlatives to describe the Bali Branch. They are warm and friendly and united because, as President Tew said, they're all transplants who've come from different islands and countries. There actually are no native Balinese in the membership. Yet. We had many visitors from so many places too. Gave me that good ol' Zion feeling! 

This returned missionary is a Muslim convert with an amazing conversion story.

A new Aussie family attending for the first time. They have moved to Bali and will be a great strength to the branch. 3 of their children are off to BYU, one son is awaiting his mission call! 

      More wonderful Aussie brothers,  including the young boy in the tree.

French brother with awesome accent, on the right. Note the baptismal font in the back of chapel. Right handy!

Visitors from Holland but now living in New Zealand

    Sister Navi giving the Relief Society lesson.

       New Zealand Momma w/ baby ginger

Our hotel was a stone's throw from the branch building. We loved everything about it except the 100 Jr. high school boys that were on a school trip and never slept except finally at 6:00 am when their chaperones would bang on their doors to wake them up. (Where were they at 2:00 am to quiet them down?)

                The 2nd Best Marigold Hotel!

Perfect weather and breezes wafting through the open hallways

Eating outdoors, surrounded by lush plant life

                              Almost paradise

       The surrounding neighborhood reflected earlier days of opulence, then decay

The beach was within walking distance of our hotel and the surf was calling to Elder to come and frolic in its waves. We couldn't get this close to the ocean without at least seeing it and wading in the water! The walk there was a stroll through Babylon. We closed our eyes to so much crudity and obscenity but we wore our badges and tried to stand out as beacons to an ever darkening world. We shared the gospel with the salesman that wanted to sell us time shares. Fair enough?

I found my Balinese lady with a basket on her head and bought a fan from her. 

We walked along the shore of beautiful Legian Beach that stretched for miles, careful to stay out of the No Swim zones

        So much for keeping our clothes dry

We ate a yummy meal on the beach, sipping coconut water. President Bushi introduced us to coconut water our first day in Coimbatore to cure whatever ails ya. It has become my favorite beverage of all time and will mourn the day we can't just buy one off the street. 

Our last experience worth sharing was driving to a palace in Ubud an hour and a half away to see ancient Balinese dance performed in an outdoor palace setting. 

Their moves were completely in synch to the musician's beats, even the shifting of the eyes side to side or the quiver of a finger. Though the moves and the music were quite repetitive, you could study any body part; the feet, the hands, the angle of the arms, neck, and head and see that each element was a careful study of an ancient art. We arrived early and found the last good seats with unobstructed views because there was no reserved seats and people crammed into every nook to see the stage. Some people tired easily and talked noisily over the music, others stood up and walked out right in the middle of a performance. But for us, we were transported to another time and culture and we were enthralled by it, knowing this was a once in a lifetime experience for us! We were grateful to Kevin, our driver who was a branch member. He got us there and back and we had good talks with him as we shared some similar life experiences. (I wish I had taken a photo of him.) We ate way too much ice cream on this trip too! Although we had been transported to an exotic island that felt like a vacation of sorts, we knew we were on the Lord's errand and hoped we represented him well. We learned of two women, one dear friend locally in the branch, and one dear friend at home both deeply affected by cancer and we kept them in our fasting and prayers unceasingly during this week in Bali. 

Great are the promises of the Lord unto them who are upon the isles of the sea.”

2 Nephi 10:21

                        Get thee hence, Satan!!