Week 88

Good Sunday to all our Family and Friends!

 

Tis a beautiful day in Indonesia!  We have been having some rain, which is a bit of a surprise because we thought the rainy season was over for 2013!  But today the sun is shining, the sky is cloudy, but blue, and paradise abounds.  This week Joel and Rebekah will celebrate their 4th anniversary, a celebration that blessedly includes vivacious Logan (2) and beautiful lady Jane Anne (7 months).  Happy Day!!!!

 

Our busy week began on Monday with the annual Mothers Day skyping adventure.  We love this day because we get to have the Elders and Sisters over to the apartment.  Elder James was first, so his companion of course came along.  While Elder James was visiting with his family, Elder Martoyo had some breakfast and then watched the D&C Instructional film about Joseph Smith.  WE ALWAYS ASK IF THEY ARE HUNGRY!  Elder Watson was scheduled second, and he was part of a triple whammy that week.  Elder Hernandez had been moved to the Jakarta area the week before.  So that left 3 Elders to do the work in the Kapatihan area for a little over a week. Elder Watson came with Elders Taulu, and Wijaya.  "Have you had breakfast?" we asked.  Big Smiles was the reply.  I pulled out some watermelon and pineapple for them, and apologized because I had NO RICE!!!  (How do you survive without rice in Indonesia?)  Elder Taulu told me he "was liking" bread more than rice, now.  So I dropped some bread in the toaster, and whipped up some peanut butter and honey.  I turned just as the toaster popped up, WHOA!!!!  Those two Elders jumped a foot!  They had never seen a toaster.  Boy were they all over that appliance!  They had to put their hand over it to feel the heat, and they LOOOOOVVVEEEDDD the product that it produced, but every time it popped, they jumped!  Elder Taulu has talked about it all week, "mmmmm toast and peanuts, Sister, mmmmm".  Peanut butter is about $5 for a small jar here, so most Indonesians have never eaten it.  By then it was Sister Hutcheson's turn at the computer, but she and Sister Manulang had eaten.  So she watched "17 Miracles" and we all just cried and cried.  By the time they were all gone, the apartment was infused with their spirit.  They make life grand.

 

Tuesday was piano, and Tuesday evening we taught English.  We handed out the English Books of Mormon and a marking pen to our class.  We had written in the front of each, and had them write their names.  Then we spent an hour with the "2000 Stripling Warriors".  We started in Alma 53 and we read about the oath and covenant of the people of Ammon, then we worked our way through parts of Alma 56, 57, and 58.  We had them underline important scriptures, we talked about the attributes of an honorable father, the humility of mothers who teach the gospel to their children, and the courage it takes to be a valiant youth.  What a wonderful scripture story!

 

Wednesday was piano, then we had a Scripture Chase in English!  They had never had a scripture chase.  We divided them into teams, and then off they went!!! It is soooooooooooo fun to watch them have so much fun.  They were screaming, and cheating, and laughing, and jumping up and down.  Crazy good fun.  Earlier in the day we had taken Elder James and Lee to the airport for a transfer.  They are both great missionaries and we were sad to see them go.  About 4 p.m., Elder left me in the capable hands of my piano students, and Sisters Hutcheson and Manulang (they help out at piano on Wednesdays because I have some new young students who do not speak English, and 2 come from a part member family they are working with).  Elder and Bono fetched Elders Johnson, Earls, and Norris from the airport.  Elder Johnson is from American Fork, Elder Earls is from California, and Elder Norris is from Melbourne, Australia.  Elders Johnson and Earls joined Elders Lopis and Martoyo, and Elder Norris joined Elders Taulu, Wijaya, and Watson.  So because they live in 2 different areas of Solo, he didn't get back to the church until the middle of English, and then he worked with Sister Frisca. He is trying his durndest to get her off on her mission to Australia, but the visa papers are taking forever!  She was suppose to leave in April, but the paperwork is incredible.  Anyway, he missed all the fun.  Poor, sweet Elder....

 

THURSDAY!!!  We had been invited to go to Monique Catur's high school to work with her English "Extra Curricular".  We think that means English Club.  Her high school is a "katolic" school. When she asked us, she said we had an hour, and she wanted us (by us I mean Elder and I, and Elders Martoyo and Johnson) to talk, play a game, AND TEACH THEM A WESTERN LINE DANCE!!!!!!  WILL THAT NEVER END!!!!  However, at the airport on Wednesday morning (Monique's family had followed along to say good-bye) she told us we had 2 hours!  So we went home and came up with a power-point presentation about the USA.  We wanted it to be fun, but informative.  When we got to the school Thursday afternoon there were about 21 students, some faculty, and they were really excited.  "Honored Guests" we were called.  They had a short program they had prepared, including a song by "Angela" who said she loved to sing because she had such a good voice.  We all just grinned.  Then it was our turn.   We talked to them about how closely our Church and their Church work together to help the people of the world.  Then we took them on our "tour" of the USA.  We visited Hollywood, Disneyland, the giant redwoods, Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, a Texas cowboy, Mt. Rushmore, the Mississippi river, a southern plantation (where they were harvesting rice with huge machines!), New York City, Washington D.C., and finally Pennsylvania!  Elder had Googled Carlisle, and then our sub-division, then our house, then closer to our house, then a big brown eye! OOPS!!! tooooo close.  They loved it.  Then we had the Elders help them play Pictionary, with 2 teams that were cheering and laughing.  By then it was 3:45 and I thought... Oh darn, we don't have time to dance.  But Monique would have none of that, and so we taught a Western line dance!  We all left the school sweaty and happy!

 

Friday was a drive to Boyalali day, AND that evening we began teaching English again at the Kapatihan building.  We repeated our Power-point, and Pictionary activity.  They are both excellent ways to increase vocabulary, and practice asking questions.  So, all in all it was a zooming week full of good times with the people we love in Indonesia.  This week we will be busy with another Senior's Conference, but we are taking Monday and Tuesday to do some searching for less actives.  We are unhappy when our schedule gets so packed that we don't have time to go looking.  We feel the urgency to look for those lost sheep.  We hope you are happily serving in your vineyard.  We are so blessed to belong to Christ's Church, and to know our responsibilities and choices make a difference.  We are really blessed to have the power to serve in His name.  My goodness we are blessed!  Have a good busy week.  If we are to be weary, be weary in good works.

 

Thank goodness for the Sabbath Day,

 

Elder and Sister Greenway