Bandung Week 7

Hello Everyone,

I am sorry this is short, I am emailing from the Mission home in Jakarta because we are here for PLD. It is really late to email, and I need to get situated here and prepare for tomorrow. It sure is much hotter here in Jakarta in comparison to Bandung. I don't know if I could ever get used to the heat here. Even though this will be brief, here are a few cool things that happened this week.

When we finished teaching a new investigator in a small sub-city of Bandung, we did some exploring while contacting people, waiting for the next train to come. We talked to some great people, and found an ancient Hindu temple that is still used for worship services. It was apparently built in 78AD, and was really cool looking. It is so amazing to randomly find things like that.

It was Elder Loudon's birthday this past week, and just like Elder Mangum, he took us out to eat at 'Karnivore'. Instead of getting the huge burger, he got the huge steak. It was 1 Kilogram of meat, and was incredible. He ate it all! We also got deep fried oreos and our own meals. That is by far our favorite place to eat now!

We were able to teach a lot this week, and I am really happy when that happens. These past few weeks have been some of the best with the work that Bandung has ever experienced. I am so happy when the work goes well. One person we met with is over 70, and very lonely at home. He did not understand all that we said to him, but was very happy that we came. When we were about to leave, he started to cry, and begged us to come back. It was really sad to see how lonely he is. People take care of him, but he has no contact with any of his family. We will for sure visit him again.

For Easter, the ward had a party at the church, but since there are very little members here, it was nothing too fancy. It was mainly focused on the little Primary kids, which was good. 

The missionaries and the other adults (I don't know if I feel good calling myself an adult) played ping-pong which was a blast. There was also a great deal of food.

For Church, I gave a talk since the other speakers did not show up, and was told that I would do so 20 minutes before the meeting started. I quickly prepared a lesson on a 'great change of heart' as written in the scriptures, and how it relates to Christ's Atonement and Resurrection. It was a good 15-minute talk for having had little time to prepare. I guess Missionaries have to be able to do that!

Well, I hope you all had a great week. I also hope you continue to feel the love the Savior and our Heavenly Father have for us all. They are always ready to help us in time of need, and they wait for us to come to them. Thank you for all your support.

-Elder James

The suit I had custom - made for $70 US

The gorgeous view outside the train window on the drive between Jakarta & Bandung.
I really wish the windows weren't so dirty.