Bekasi Week 3

Good Morning Everyone!

I am already on my third week here in Bekasi! It has actually gone by somewhat fast! I am getting used to this city, even though it is so much different from what I was used to in my past areas. What is cool, is that I am learning so much more about the language, culture, and people because of this move. Since I got used to my past area, I was not learning as much. But now that I am around different people who use different words and such, I am progressing a lot. My companion is great, and we have been working really hard lately! I am almost out of time, so this email may be a little shorter than usual, but I will write the important things from this week.

Even though I am still new here, I have had the chance to get to know many members. They have been so nice to me, and when I am at church, so many invite us to eat at their house. We have had to schedule it so that we can go to as many as possible, even though we still cannot do them all. One that was notable was with the Kusno family. We watched a video on families, and then talked about it. They gave us a really good meal which included homemade donuts for dessert. They were very close to each other, and it was a great example of how the gospel blesses families. 

Here is an awesome picture of some kids talking to us after their school,
while we were on our way to some members

Also, we have a ton of English teaching activities here. Three times a week we have scheduled ones, and then sometimes we are invited to speak at some schools. They are all pretty fun, and the students have a fun time. 

At one recent school we were at, Elder Johnson and I taught them how to play 'Heads up Seven up" after the lesson. They loved it so much! They were getting super intense, and it brought back some great memories from my school years. 

We have been pretty busy lately, even though we do not have a ton of success as far as numbers go. But we are working hard in this city, and I sure hope we see some success as we continue to work. I am once again so sorry that this is short, but we have to catch a train to Jakarta this morning! I love and miss you all! Talk to you all next week!

-Elder James

Here are some pictures from the roof of the church.
It is three stories, so there is a pretty cool view. 

Here is all of us on our way to English class. 

A close up of Elder Mulyono who jumped into a photo I was trying to take.

A favorite Nasi Goreng place we like to eat at.

This is Serabi Gaul, a traditional food. I tried it a few days ago, and it was pretty good.
It is like a pancake, but with coconut, and other added toppings.

Here is Elder Mulyono trying a cow's lung. I also tried it, and it was so nasty!
I honestly almost threw up.

This is our English class that we usually have on Thursdays.

Here is one picture of those bike-powered rides that you saw on the Amazing race.
There are lots here in Jakarta!

Bekasi Week 2

{This letter, and especially the photos, are a little hard for me to post tonight. However, I know that Elder James wants them to be part of the story of his mission. But, this is a warning that if you have a weak stomach, you may want to skip this week's post!}

This is taken in front of our apartment in Bekasi.

Hello again everyone!

This first week and a half in Bekasi has gone by fairly fast, and I am still doing well. The city is so much different from what I have come to be used to in Indonesia, but I am adjusting more and more as time goes by. The heat is really killer. Unlike biking, where the wind is in your face, and you do not sweat as much, we travel by these little vans called Angkots, which are packed full of people, and it is blistering hot. 

But my companion and I have been getting along great, and we have been working super hard lately. The members here are also really cool, and they help us a ton with the work. Here are some highlights of this crazy week!

An English class where we teach kids and teens.

After emailing last week, we rested, cleaned, and studied. Our only appointment was a regular English class with a member named Brother Samuel. It was mostly for kids and teens, and a ton of people came. We had to split the class into age groups, and I got the teenagers. They were pretty nervous to speak at first, but once we all got to know each other, the class went well. They wanted to learn how to order food, so I taught them. It was a pretty simple lesson, and we had some fun. We then ate at Brother Samuel's house, and he took us home. 

The crazy, confusing map in our apartment of our area!

Although I am new here in Bekasi, I have been able to meet a lot of the members already and do things with them. One in particular is Sister Hesti and her family. She has been such a great help to us lately with an investigator. We have an investigator who has a concern with the Book of Mormon, so we went over there with Sister Hesti. She brought a spirit and shared experiences which helped the investigator feel much more comfortable. It was a great thing, and we were so grateful for Sister Hesti's efforts. She has three kids as well, who apparently always love the Missionaries. Their whole family is so sweet to us.

I was also able to do something this week that really made me feel like an effective Missionary. I contacted an older Christian lady while travelling to an area, and she said we could make a visit to her house another day. I got her address, and a few days later I tried to go over there with my companion. She was there with her husband, and they received us into their house. We gave the message of the restoration, and gave them each Books of Mormon. They enjoyed the lesson, even though they were a little confused about our church. They said they would read the Book of Mormon and pray about it. I felt good about this because it was the first time I did everything to find someone to teach. It is much easier here in Bekasi because we ride public transportation. We will follow up with that family later, and I hope they have read!

Here is him playing with one of the cobras, and the cobra getting angry and ready to strike.
This was the one that I ate!

The craziest eating experience I have had on my Mission was this past week as well. There is a member in my ward named Brother Aguswanto, who hunts for snakes, collects them, and also cooks some. He had snakes ranging from King Cobras, to a 4-meter python, which is fed a cat almost daily. They were everywhere, and it was so cool to see. He even brought out a cobra to play with, which was extremely poisonous and he just let it roam around with us standing there. He was not afraid at all! 

I wanted to try to eat one, so I asked him to prepare a cobra. He cut off the head, drained the blood, skinned it, and then prepared it in different ways. It was so cool! 

I first drank the blood, which was mixed with the liquid from one of the organs. It was really bitter and gross, but he said it was very healthy. 

I then ate the snake, which was prepared as fried meat, and sate. He also had a soup with Python in it, which was good. It was a once in a lifetime eating experience! 

This past Sunday was great, because I was able to meet all the members for the first time. Last Sunday was Stake Conference, so this Sunday was technically my first at this church. The ward is much smaller than my last one, but everyone is so close. I introduced myself in Sacrament meeting, and I immediately felt at home. 

Some cute member children that we visited.

The members kept inviting me to their homes, and saying how happy they were that I was here. It was a really great thing. That night we went to one member's house, and ate together. They made me eat a ton, and I could barely walk on the way home. I know I will become so close to the members here, and I can't wait to get to know them better.

The outskirts of Bekasi.

Well, that is all for today. I am having a great time here in Indonesia, and my testimony of the restored gospel is growing daily. This is the chance of a lifetime, and I am so glad I made the decision to go on a Mission. Thank you all for your support! 

-Elder James

Our normal English class had so many people this week!

Here is how I buy my breakfast or lunch sometimes.
These guys are everywhere, and they carry a bunch of cheap food.
I sometimes get nuts, fruit, or bread for really cheap!

A public restroom {I am rethinking my visit to Indonesia}

This python is 4 meters long and is fed a cat daily. {GROSS}

 These are the cobras, and the 'berbahaya' means dangerous.
He was crazy with the snakes, playing with them and such, even though they could all easily kill us.

He cut off the head first, drained the blood into a cup,
and peeled the skin off while it was hanging on a rope.

I also drank the blood, which was mixed with liquid from the liver or something.
It tasted so strange!

He prepared it into Sate, fried meat, and the python into a soup. It was good, and only $10!

Bekasi Week 1

Hello Everyone,

I am still doing great here in Indonesia, and I continue to learn lots about the culture, people, language, and most importantly, the gospel. I am now at the point where I can have a good, complete conversation, and it has really helped me with the work. I hope that all of you are also doing well, and that you continue to help the Missionaries in your own wards. Members are the most important resource for Missionaries, and without their work, we would not have as much work to do.

Bishop Jatmiko's family and the Greenways
all came to see Elder Lee and I off, which was so nice of them!

I am now in my new city! After four and a half months in Solo, the time came for me to move. I moved on Wednesday, after shopping and preparing my things. I have bought and received so many things in Solo, so it was really hard for me to pack all my things. Luckily, here in Indonesia, they do not care about how many carry-on items one has, so you can literally take a ton on the plane. I checked my suitcase, and took a backpack, side bag, duffel bag, and two plastic bags full of things on the plane. It was ridiculous! The Greenways and Bishop's family took us all to the airport, and said goodbye. I will miss all of them so much! Then Elder Lee and I travelled to Jakarta!

My new companion in Bekasi is Elder Mulyono

We first went to Senopati, where the Mission home is, and I transferred some things from my bag I left. I got a bunch of deoderant from America, which was really nice! Then Elder Mongan and I took a taxi to Bekasi, which is not very far away from Jakarta. Bekasi is like a different country in comparison to Solo and Semarang. We do not use bikes, and it is ridiculously crowded. I really do miss Solo, but I am excited to have new experiences here, and learn lots. My new companion is Elder Mulyono, who is from Solo. He is a great Missionary, and really works hard. I have been exhausted every night so far, which is a great sign of how hard you are working. He has been out for a very long time, and I might be his last companion.

We had a fun experience teaching English at a school. We taught for a really long time, and there were two different classes. One was just boys, and they were really rowdy. But then Elder Johnson suggested a game, and we split them up into two groups. I offered the winning team some gum from America. They all became super quiet, and they worked super hard in the English game. It was pretty funny how desperately they tried to get one stick of gum each. 

Me and Elder S. Martoyo, my trainer in Semarang

Stake conference for West Java was this week as well, and all Missionaries went. We left on Saturday, went to the session that night, and stayed over at the Mission home in Jakarta. I saw many other Missionaries and members again which was great. 

MTC District reunion - Elder Walton, Elder Rogers and Elder Johnson

I saw Elder S. Martoyo who was my trainer, and I also saw a few Missionaries from my MTC group. Staying together at the Mission home was a blast, and it was great to talk about our different experiences so far. 

Sugiyantos

I saw the Sugiyanto family as well, which was awesome. It was strange when I remembered that they had just met with my family. It was a good conference, and I was glad that we could go to it. 

Well, I am out of time, and I apologize that this one was a little shorter than usual. I am having a good time here with the other Missionaries in Bekasi, Elder B. Johnson, Elder Mongan, and Elder Mulyono. We are working hard here, and I am having some different, but great experiences. Thank you all once again for all your thoughts and prayers.

Sampai minggu depan! Semoga anda terus untuk beriman dan maju di dalam Yesus Kristus dan Kurban Tebusan dia. 

-Elder James

Mas Parno, our investigator in Solo that has a baptism date!

Mas Parno's Family

Saying goodbye to Agus

Bishop Jatmiko and his family took us out to
eat at a really cool restaurant for my last meal.

I will really miss the famous Pak John and his food! 

I loved my Solo companion, Elder Martoyo.
I was with him for such a long time and he taught me so much!