Week 42

Welcome, welcome, Sabbath evening!

We are very grateful for the blessings of the past week. Many blessings have been given to us in ever lovely Indonesia, and many given half way around the world. It doesn't matter where, we have felt those blessings.

Matt and Tanya had little Luke to the Pediatric Urologist and he believes that whatever is "different" about Luke's "disposal system" is anatomically correct for Luke. In other words, he thinks Luke will grow out of the problem. He still is going to one more test, because his left kidney is larger than the right, but so far he isn't worried. Such a blessing... We will wait for this Thursday's test results, but everyone was much relieved. Rebekah and Joel are now safely in Pennsylvania...thanks so much to Adam took the time off to help drive the big truck across the country, and to Amy for being the lone parent so Adam could go!... thanks to Matt and Tanya for letting them camp out at their home....and thanks to Emily and Ty for fetching Rebekah and Logan from BWI, and opening up the house for their use. John and Lynn will arrive on July 5th and will be looking for a place to live, probably in Elizabethtown or Mt. Joy areas. Oh! and then there is cute Sara, who had "belly dancing lessons" on her birthday! Wow! What a family!!! This week might be the Nations birthday, but in our family the week belongs to Isaac who will be 6 years old on July 5th. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ISAAC!!!! We have had a number of blessings in paradise this week, and Elder Greenway worked very hard for them, so he will tell you all about them.

Monday began with our taking the Sister missionaries, Sister Blake and Sister Neis, to the water project office at Ampel/Ngadirojo. As we've mentioned, they are teaching two women there. Last Saturday, Bishop Catur hosted a "Family Home Evening" at a local fire station with a number of ward members, some non-members, but especially these two women and their husbands. Moko drove them down from Ngadirojo to the FHE, then back to to Ngadirojo, and then he returned the next day for church! It's about an hour+ each way. While the sisters taught, I had Kowo take us around to several MCKs and poly tanks that we have not seen at all or we saw them a good while back. Except for the laying of pipe into individual homes, which will be on-going for a while, the project is nearly completed. It is so neat to see the units, up and completed and the community using them! When we returned to Solo about 2 PM we took the sister out to "lunch" at a restaurant just outside of Boyolali. Two of the dishes we shared was gorame bakar (grilled fish) and cap cay (stir-fried vegetables). SEE PHOTOS. Everyone seemed to enjoy except Sister Blake, who won't eat fish. Then back to Solo by around 4PM. A good day.

On Tuesday, Sister Greenway stayed in Solo to prepare for piano lessons while I traveled with Elder Healy (local Humanitarian missionary), Elder and Sister Henrie from Orem, Utah (who oversees the humanitarian projects in the Asia area for the church), with Moko driving. We went to the Jenawi project that was just ending when we arrived in Indonesia. We visited a community literally on the mountainside - Lawu. We hiked about a half mile up the mountain toward the upper water source (the one Elder and Sister Grover spent 6 hours trekking to); however, we stopped at a cement water reservoir/distribution tank. Elder Henrie needed some photos. Then back to Lawu and on to Jenawi where we then hiked to the lower water source above Jenawi. More photos and then back to Solo. We got back around 4PM so I had them drop me off at Kapatihan to be with Sister Greenway and piano lessons. Later that evening, at Elder Healy's invitation, we had dinner with them at their hotel. The restaurant was excellent and I got to eat real BEEF!!

Wednesday saw me again going with Moko, Elder and Sister Henrie and Elder Healy up to Ampel/Ngadirojo. We walked the "sample street", checked out some MCKs and then hiked to the lower water source located up the canyon from the village. We had gone there about a month ago with the full-time missionaries and Elder Healy while Sister Greenway and Sister Healy worked at the Ampel school and village office. On our return trip from this project, we visited a 5+ year old project on the other side of Ampel Kota named Kaliwungu. Unfortunately, this was one of the first projects done in Indonesia, and the water committee was apparently not organized well and the system was in need of serious attention for several reasons. These were pump, not gravity systems, and many MCKs were without water. I think that Sutarno will be asked to check things out for our information for future reference. On our return to Solo, I caught up with Sister Greenway at Soepomo for her piano lessons there.

On Thursday, we bid farewell to the Henries and Elder Healy who were off to Yogja and Magelang. Sister Greenway and I met up with Sri, and Gilan from UCP for the distribution of 14 wheelchairs. We went to the outskirts of Klaten again, to the green Masjid (Mosque). As those who received their wheelchairs were leaving, I notice a young woman ask her mother to bring her over to me. She then sincerely thanked me for her chair. Her previous form of transport was on her mother’s back! We then went into Klaten Kota, to the home of ex-Sister Sari's grandmother to fit her with her wheelchair. Sister Sari, now known as Ariyana (long story about names) was very lonely post mission and so very glad to see us again. We were really happy to be able to help her grandmother.

Friday was DDM and then off to visit a couple members. Bono took us to Endang's home/general store, just outside of Solo Kota. She is Irma's (Bishop Catur's wife) sister. She's single and in her late 40s and mother to an adopted son - Samuel. She then took us to her sister-in-law's home where we met her and Endang's niece, Indah, both of whom are less-active. We returned to Solo Kota, where we made our regular Raja Ayam stop for Mie Ayam and then to Kapatihan to work with the youth to sing "Arise", the theme song for AP/YW this year. Then at Gospel English Class we worked on writing testimonies in English. This is really working out nicely !

Saturday was P-Day and we cleaned and cleaned and cleaned and shopped and Sister Greenway made cookie dough for our Primary Activity (Solo 2) to make Snicker Doodles. We hauled Mr. Easy Bake (oven) and other needed items to Soepomo where Sister Greenway guided the kids as they rolled cookie dough balls in cinnamon sugar and put them on cookie sheets. Elder Greenway then kept watch as they baked in the church's oven and Mr. Easy Bake. Do I need to say that the cookies were eaten almost as soon as they came out of the ovens? Apparently, a successful activity!
Sunday we went to Kapatihan and then at noon, to Soepomo to get some last minute information from the Youth Conference chairman - Bayu. Then home to relax away the rest of the day.

This week we are heading off to Jawa Tengah Youth Conference near Semarang on the Java Sea side of the Island. There are about 90 youth going from this new Stake! We are most excited about the fact that Bimo, one of Sister Greenway's piano students, is going. His family is Muslim and have been attending English lessons off and on for about 6 months. Pray that all will be well with him as he spends time with many church members his age.

This Youth Conference has been completely organized by many of the Young Single Adults from Solo. When we attended a planning meeting we were so surprised at the average age of the planners, probably about 28! They have done a remarkable job. We'll fill you in next week.

Thus ends week 42 in the continuing saga down under (well, almost).

We love you all - take care of each other,
Love Mom and Dad