Semarang Week 2

An Indonesian father and his cute daughter.
She was so shy when I was taking a picture.

Hello from Semarang!

First off, I am very sorry that last time my email was so short. I did not manage my time very well, but hopefully I will be able to write a lot more now.

So, starting form last Monday, I will go day-to-day...

After I emailed on Monday, we went straight to the Church, and met the other Elders. The church has a separate building where we teach English, and it has a ping pong table! So we all played ping-pong for the rest of P-day, and played the piano a little. It was really fun! We are also allowed to watch certain approved movies, and so Elder Giolas and I watched, “The Best Two Years” in our house. It was really entertaining! Especially watching it as missionaries, it was much funnier, and a different experience for sure. So my first P-day here was good.

As part of our service this week, we taught English to a group of people from a hospital.  They were very funny and way nice. We taught them pronunciation and it was funny to listen to them.

On Tuesday, after our study times and getting ready, we went to a hospital to teach English. They were very nice to us, and they gave us a ton of food and drinks. The hospital was very cool as well. It was all basically outside, which was strange, but there were some very pretty gardens and fountains. We taught a group of nurses and helped them with pronunciation. It was really funny to hear them try to say all these difficult English sentences. They would always laugh super hard at some words that sounded funny to them. Afterwards, the manager took us out to eat, and said we did a good job. My companion and I then traveled to our appointments. One was not there, which is disappointing sometimes, because we bike so far to get there! But our next appointment was there and we were able to teach a little. They lived in a tiny house that I could barely sit in, and the guy we taught was wearing short-shorts and no shirt! To make things worse, he was in his 60's! Wow. But, he was very nice, and it was a positive lesson. After biking around, we went back to the church, and taught our regular English class. Many people showed up, and I taught about grammar. They were pretty confused, but at the end, they learned a lot. We then returned home!

This is my sunburn after only a few days here-crazy! It is just so hot.
The white spot is from my watch.

Wednesday was a pretty physically tough day for sure. We always work out right after we wake up, and it was super hot outside this day. So it was fairly rough. We then got ready, studied, and went to our first appointment. It was the furthest one we have ever had, and it was really hot! I love biking, but it sure is difficult sometimes! I got burned really badly (as seen in picture). What was really sad, is that once we got there, they were not there! Even though we called ahead. But we were able to visit with some members nearby, so it was not completely wasted. Our next appointment, which was closer to our house, was a Pentecostal, but her son is a member, and went on a mission, so she loves the Missionaries. We taught her, but she likes her church too much, so we just visited and shared a message. We asked her to say the prayer, and she gave one that was about 5 minutes long! It was crazy! She said some funny things that I could barely understand, like, "Thank you for these Elders, and I think their church is good, but I like mine better." It was really hard to not laugh at times like that, but it was good. The last appointment was a less active member who said he would not be active again unless he sees Jesus. We taught about faith, but he is pretty set in his views. By his home, there were some little kids that asked me to teach them an English song, and I taught them "Twinkle, twinkle little star" It was so cute to hear them sing it!

Thursday was pretty normal, but the one cool thing we did was go to a traditional market. There were tons of fruit and vegetable stands, and it was all very cheap and fresh! I bought some mangos, which were delicious, and my companion bought some things to make some spicy sauce. Everyone was staring at me a ton here, since they never see white people, especially in places like that. Another cool thing was the lesson we taught to a Christian who is fairly interested. We read 3 Nephi 11, when Christ comes to the Americas, and he liked it. The spirit was very strong in this lesson, and it was a good experience!  I hope he felt the same way.

The Zone Leaders came to our home on Friday, and they each went with one companionship. Ours had Elder Kuijampa, who is from Highland, and I knew his little brother from Jr. High. He was really nice, and it was fun to have him with us. Early in the morning, we all went to a food stand owned by a member, and helped him out for breakfast. He had a lot of customers, and they were so taken aback that white people were serving them! Usually it is the other way around for them. We helped serve food, and then he gave us a lot of the leftovers, so it was a great time. We then went to our appointments, which were also pretty far today. After we ate lunch, we went to a less active member, and he gave us a ton of food! We told him we already ate, but he would not accept that. The food was the spiciest I have ever had here, so it was pretty difficult, but I shoved it all down. I felt so sick! He was very nice, though. We then had English class again at the church, but it rained really hard, so not very many people came. The rain gets pretty crazy here; it rains every night, and sometimes it is really hard.

On Saturday, the Zone Leaders left in the morning, and it was a little sad, because we had such a fun time with them. The day before I put my white shirts in the laundry, since they were getting very dirty. When I got them out, and they were still super dirty! I had even put bleach in. But that is just how it is here I guess. Our first appointment was teaching Sister Joko, a new member about the Plan of Salvation. The lesson went really well, and I was able to be quite involved, even with the language. I am coming along in the language, but I still have a lot to learn! By this time in the week, I really started to notice the time going by faster.

Sunday was good, and church was also good. The members are really nice, and I am getting to know them very well. We had a few teaching appointments, and one referral contacted. He was very nice. He bought us a ton of food, and also, a pack of cigarettes! So we had to explain nicely how we don't smoke. He was really nice about it though, and we will probably teach them in the next couple of days. I also was able to cook some noodles by myself, and they weren't too bad! I am sure getting used to things here.

Well, that is all that happened this week! This coming week will be pretty fun, since we are going to KFC for thanksgiving! Just like my Dad did on his mission in Argentina. I am having a great time here, and it was great to email!

-Elder James 

There are a lot of cats running wild in Indonesia, but they are usually pretty ugly.  This is a kitten that didn't have a mother, so the family dog was nursing it! I missed a picture of it, but the dog didn't seem too happy to be nursing a cat!

This is the bamboo/tin house that a little member family lives in
(the cute little kids from the picture last week).

This was my lunch today, sate aium. It is SO good, but it does make me sick to my stomach. 
It costs about 15,000 rupia!
That is expensive here, but in American dollars it is only about $1.50.

We had a few questions to ask Elder James and 
these were his replies that he sent in a separate email:

{Do you hear the morning prayer calls? I hear that those are very hard to get used to at 5:00 a.m., or whatever time they start.}

I actually do not wake up for the prayer calls, but what does wake me up sometimes are the roosters! They make a ton of noise right at sunrise, which is around 4:50-5:00 am here! I have to wear earplugs sometimes. It is so funny, they are everywhere. However, at some points of the day, I hear at least 5 different mosques playing the music really loud. Its pretty crazy! They are everywhere. Just like LDS churches in Utah county!

{What do you miss most about the US?}

I do really miss clean streets, driving, and just feeling at home. I also miss milk, mountain dew, and a few other American foods. But I am adjusting well here, and getting used to it. I miss being with you guys the most for sure!

{We were curious what is in your typical lunch, like the one that you sent a picture of last week in the brown paper?}

Honestly, most of the time, I don't know! But usually I get these potato crisp things, which are long sticks, and then some type of vegetable, usually cucumber. Sometimes I add fish (which can be really sketchy) or fried chicken. I like to try different things, even though I don't know what they are! One time I got something, and it was really gross! I asked my companion, and he did not know the english word, so I pulled out my translator, and it was chicken intestines! It was pretty gross!

{The boys asked if Andrew ate the huge rats he killed.}

We did not eat the rats we killed, but you would be surprised by how many people here would. They are so resourceful, they would not throw anything to waste. Another funny thing to tell the kids, is there are tons of cats here! Just wild! The only thing is, they are the most ugly cats I have ever seen, and I stay as far away from them as possible. Don't want rabies!

{With so much rain, how are your shoes holding up? Are your feet staying dry?}

I actually left my dressy Eccos at the mission home on purpose, and I just have the ones spencer gave me. They are animals! They hold up so well, and water does not get in at all. Tell Spencer they are great!

Semarang Week 1

Apa Kabar orang-orang dalam Amerika Serikat! 
{What is news, people of the United States!}

Well, I am finally here in my first, official area! It feels really good to finally be at the place where I will be for some time. Because of traffic last Monday, we were not able to make our flight, so we got one for the next day, and we made it safely! 

The Indonesian Elders asleep on the bus.

Semarang is right on the coast, and it is beautiful. Although the city has a lot of poverty, and is fairly dirty, it is much cleaner than Jakarta, or any other city I have seen so far. I am happy to be here! When we first arrived in Semarang, the airport was tiny! We got our luggage, and waited for the Elders to pick us up. Everyone was staring at us, probably wondering what two white guys are doing in a very small town in Indonesia. The Elders then arrived in a taxi. They were both very nice! My companion is Elder Martoyo, and he is great. 

They then took us to the Elder's house. It was a lot nicer than what I was expecting! I picked out a bed, closet, and most important, a bike. Everywhere we travel here is by bike, and it is also really hot! So it is pretty hard sometimes on the body, but hopefully I will get used to it. 

This is the food we get almost every lunch here in Semarang.
It ranges between 3,000 and 7,000 rupia. (20-70 cents!) It is really good.

We ate that night at a favorite spot for all the Elders which serves Nasi Goreng. It is basically fried rice with a few vegetables and a fried egg. It was spicy, and really good! The best part of it was that it was 6,000 rupia, which is 60 cents! That night, I slept pretty well since our bedroom is the only room with AC, and I rested for a full day! 

The next morning, I woke up having had a good rest, and we went right to work. We all exercised for a little bit, and then we got ready. After getting ready, we all do our study times for about four hours. It went well. And then we go out into the field! Our companionship has had some great success lately, so we were pretty busy with appointments. We went to non-active members, new members, and investigators. All the people were so nice! This is how our days were for these past few days, and since I don't have very much more time left, I will tell you a few things that stood out this week. 

One event was a male member. We visited him because he had a problem smoking, and we were going to help him. I gave him a scripture: 2 Ne. 4:27-28 with a note that said "Kalau menggoda untuk merokok, membaca ini:" which means "if tempted to smoke, read this." It was a really good experience! 

These are two of the kids from a new member family, and they were so cute!
They were shy at first, but we pulled out some candy, and they came right over

Another was visiting the Joko family, who are the cute kids in the pictures I sent. They were so humble, and such great people!The members are also really great here, and they have really made me feel welcome. 

Our house is one of the nicest I have seen so far in the mission, and the city is a lot cleaner than others. (even though it is still pretty dirty) What has been the best is the people I teach. I will send you some pictures of them, but they are great. The kids are adorable! You would not believe the kind of houses they live in, and they are so happy! It truly is so humbling. We also bike every day, which is interesting. I will for sure lose a ton of weight! One funny story, we were about 30min. from our house, and it started POURING rain like it does almost every night, but we were out. And I didn't have a poncho yet (I do now)! It was insane. 

I really feel bad that I can't write more, but I am out of time! But I am having a busy, good time here, and I can't wait to tell all of you more about it!

-Elder James

This sweet man has been a member of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-Day Saints for 20 years!

The outside of our house.

The wall around our house has shards of glass all over it! 
I guess that means we are well protected! 
{Rick says they did that in Argentina as well.}

This is our bathroom! We actually have a toilet, but it does not flush, and no toilet paper...

A very common food here that everyone loves. I have not tried it yet, but will soon!

My companion, studying in our house.

My companion caught a lizard with teeth!

This is the view from a member's house. It is made of bamboo and tin.

Our chapel

Lunch after church with the ward members

What my shirt looked like after biking home in the rain!

This is the oldest man ever found, and he was found in Indonesia. 
This, of course, is not the actual one, but this was at the center of a mall, 
so I thought it was pretty cool.

A Note from President Groberg

Greetings from Indonesia!

We are thrilled to welcome Elder James to the Indonesia Jakarta Mission.

We enjoyed a welcome dinner and getting acquainted.These nine new Elders are a great group. They went to immigration to obtain a KITAS (a card that gives approval to reside temporarily in Indonesia) and did some training at the mission office. Now they are all in their first assignments. Elder James is serving in Semarang, on the north coast of Central Java.  His companion, Elder S. Martoyo will be a wonderful trainer.

Indonesia is a challenging mission and can be quite an adjustment at the first but we know that Elder James is eager and will rise to the challenge. We love these missionaries and will do all we can to keep them safe, healthy and happy in their service to the Lord here.

Missionaries are encouraged to write their families every week. On preparation day (Monday) they have one hour to email the mission president and their parents (or designated parents). Other family and friends can send letters by post. All mail can be sent to the mission office and will be distributed.

We encourage families to write each week too. Letters are such a lift and a wonderful source of encouragement for the missionaries.

Elder James is already using the language studied in the MTC. He will be a blessing to the mission. Thank you for preparing and sharing a faithful son.

Sincerely, 

President and Sister Groberg

The new group: (L-R) Rogers, B. Johnson, Costner, Giolas, Waltman, James, 

Miner, Collett, M. Johnson

Enjoying first Indonesian lunch

Hello from Indonesia!

I have finally arrived in Indonesia! I'll tell you a little about the traveling... So we left the MTC and got on a bus to the airport at around 5:00pm. It was really strange to see the outside world for a little bit. The MTC was a great experience, but you are pretty shut out to the outside world. So I felt like a little kid looking out the window with wide eyes. At Salt Lake, we ate at Cafe Rio, which was amazing! We then got on a plane to LAX, which was a quick flight. We had about two hours in LA, and by our terminal there were a lot of other missionaries. Many were going to the Pacific, through Hong Kong. We got on the plane, and it looked pretty nice. The flight attendants were super nice, and they did a lot more for us then normal American flights. The plane ride was VERY long, but I was able to sleep for a lot of it. The food on the plane was also very good, so I had a good time.

When we arrived to Hong Kong, it was real early in the morning, so there were not very many people there. We waited by a food area, and once some restaurants opened, we ate. I ate some really weird noodles that had a bunch of things inside the broth. We were not able to see the city, but the airport was really big, and quite modern. We went to our terminal, and there were a lot of Indonesian people there. We started talking to a few of them, and they were really nice! Many asked for our numbers so that they could feed us in Indonesia. Finally, we boarded the plane to Indonesia. The flight went by pretty quick, and the sky was really clear, so I could see many islands and the ocean.

We then landed in Indonesia. Right when I got off the plane, my breath was taken away by the heat and humidity. The airport felt like it was outside, even though there was a lot of AC. We went through customs, which was fine, and then met the Mission President and his Wife! They were super nice. They helped us with our luggage, and we took a few cars to the Mission Home.

The drive was amazing. The traffic in Jakarta is insane! There are tons and tons of scooters that whiz by the cars and pile up everywhere. There are lines on the road, but not a single person follows them. Jakarta is really strange because there are really big, wealthy looking buildings, and right next to them is a whole village of super poor people. When we arrived at the Mission home, it did not look like much, but once we went inside, it was pretty big, and really nice. Sister Groberg took some pictures of us, and then we met the APs. They took us out in Jakarta by bus, and then we walked around. It was a crazy city! I wish I could describe it by words, but I really can't. There were so many people, smells, cars, scooters, and just crazy things you see. When we returned, we ate, and we were all so tired, we slept right away.

When we woke up, we got ready, and met with the Mission President. He gave each of us our official assigned areas. I was assigned to Semarang! He told me it is very hot, but one of the most beautiful, clean cities in Indonesia! It is also a biking area, so he said I would lose a ton of weight. The rest of our group was assigned to different areas in Indonesia. I leave by plane to my area, so I will travel there today.

In transition, I was sent to Bogor, which is close to Jakarta. I was paired with two elders there, and I followed them around on their assignments. So for the past four days, I have been with them, and boy has it been an adventure. Bogor is a rainy city, but it did not rain too much while I was there. It is also considered to be the coolest area, temperature wise, but I sure did not think so. It was super humid and hot, and our home only had AC in the room we slept in, so it was pretty killer.

We traveled by these little vans called Ankots, which are basically small vans with benches in the back. They drive insane, but it is a cheap, easy way to travel. We also walked around A LOT. We visited non-active members, and the few investigators they had, and it really made me love the people. They look at you funny at first, thinking you are just an arrogant American, but once you say hello to them, they just brighten up! They are super kind. The kids are also really funny. Everywhere you go they will yell out "Mister!" and follow you around. It is really fun. They learn a little bit of English in school, so they practice it with you. But it was a really cool city.

Right now I am in the Mission Home, and we are preparing to leave. We have a little bit of training to do, and then we are all off to the races! I am super excited to see my official area, and I can't wait to tell you all about it! Sampai nanti!

-Elder James

{New pictures are included in the previous few posts.}

First photos from Indonesia!

{Click on pictures to zoom}

Pictures from the Journey

The bus ride from the MTC to the SLC airport. 

At the airport. This is before they decided to go to the other terminal to get Cafe Rio- 

40 minutes before their flight left!

Breakfast in Hong Kong. 

Finally... the Jakarta airport!

The famous map poses

Elder James and his Mission Training Center instructors.

 The amazing bunch of nine Elders heading to Indonesia!

The entire group of Elders and instructors. What an amazing experience they all had at the MTC!