Bandung Week 1

Hello Everyone!

It has already been a week of me serving in my new city, Bandung. The biggest differences it has in comparison to my previous cities are cooler temperatures and fewer lessons. So there are obviously positive differences and negative differences. But my American companion, Elder Mangum is really cool, and we will work hard together. Here are a few interesting things that happened this week.

This huge map at our house helps us find places

For my first full day in Bandung, the four of us just took Angkots around the city and proselyted a bit. Elders Hendro and Loudon are both new here, and so they do not know the area at all. Elder Mangum is the only one, so we are learning the city from him. As we travelled around the city, there were some really cool places. This city is nicknamed the "Paris of Java". It is very clean for a city that is this big, and I am excited to get to know it a lot better.

On Wednesday and Thursday we visited many people that the Missionaries usually visit, and I was able to meet some members, investigators, and one new member. They were all so happy to see me, and I am excited to get to know them better. The new member was Sister Agnes, who was the investigator of Elder Waltman when he was here. It was incredible to see the progress she has made in such a short amount of time. She has a calling, and is very active at church. She really wants her little kids to be baptized one day, and is an example to her friends. It was great to talk with her.

Friday was interesting, because an English Student/Teacher invited us to an event for his school. It was a basketball tournament, with a few performances from the students. We did not stay for very long, but we came to support our friend, and he was very happy to see us there. The girls basketball team surprised me for how good they were! They were the best team I have seen in Indonesia. Later in the day, we had our regular English class, and all the students were very cool.

The durian on the right is the regular kind and the yellow on the left is a bit different.
They were both good to me, but they almost made the other elders throw up!

That same English Student/Teacher, Pak Hendri, invited us over to his house for dinner. There were about five courses, and we were all so stuffed! Everyone in his family and neighborhood was very nice to us. They gave us Martabak manis, (google it, it is a really interesting snack here) and some other snacks to start, and then fried chicken, fried rice, eggs, pudding, fruit, and then to end, Durien. I was so full going home. It was a great meal.

Sunday was unique here since it is the first Branch I have served in. There were only about 26 members that came, and so us Missionaries did a lot, like blessing the sacrament, and speaking. But the few members that were there were great, and many were happy that there are four Missionaries here, since there used to be just two.

I hope you all have a great time wherever you are. Keep me in your prayers, so that we might find success here. I hope all is well, and I will talk to you all next week!

-Elder James

Leaving for Bandung with Elder Loudon

Elders Loudon and Hendro asleep on the plane 

This is a picture of our district last Sunday in Jogja!
I was on exchanges with a member since Elder Sadiyono went to Magelang
with Elder Waltman. It was funny that our district was made up of 5 sisters and me! 

In Jogja - Sister Chandra and her daughter.
They are a great family!