The new group of Bule (Caucasian) Elders and Sisters flew into Jakarta last week and since they have to wait that blessed first week close around Jakarta so they can receive their kitas, the Tangerang district received 2 new elders for all of last week. Elder Sutadiyono and I got to run around the city with Elder Wills from Arizona and Elder Heiner plus Elder Sutarno went around with Elder Davies from England. It was really fun seeing how rough that first week is again. I kinda forgot about it all. Elder Wills was kinda sick riding all those angkots, but he was a good sport and let us drag him around to our appointments and proselyting time. He also noticed a lot of things I've taken for granted, like the Call to Prayer 5 times a day, how dirty the streets are, and how long Indonesians let their fingernails grow. It was a really fun experience! We ate snake too. And monitor lizard. Yep.
Mas Txxx came to church (even before his girlfriend, Sister Cxxxxxxx) and after the meetings, we asked if we could meet for just a moment with him. We planned on teaching the Restoration again with him, but it became apparent that we were supposed to address a bigger concern--his overall faith. He was Buddhist before and even though he's attended other churches, he explained that he's never really felt the Spirit before. We read from Alma 32 verse 21 with him and then explained how we, in a very literal way, have felt the Spirit in our lives. It made me very grateful for the sermon on faith that Alma delivers in that chapter because we took the process step by step with him, explaining that first he has to "desire to believe". He received the commitment to start reading and praying on his own (which he hasn't done yet even though we've invited him before) and hopefully he'll be ready to be baptized on the 23rd of March. We'll see how things go.
Mas Exxx never picked up his phone or answered any of his texts, so we couldn't meet with him. And same thing with Mas Txx. Yep. We met with Brother Wxxxxxxx and his family for Family Night and read from Ether 12:27 about how we're all given weaknesses so we can become humble and receive real strength from God. It wasn't a really personal setting because a lot of members came to the lesson, too. We heard that the Wintolo family was going to the airport to pick up their nephew, Elder Putra, who just got back from his mission in the Salt Lake City mission, so we asked if we could come along and just chat with him and Sister Ayuh. Right now, I think he just needs time. And we'll give it to him. "Faith in the Lord includes faith in His timing." Elder Maxwell
Life is good. Ever since Elder Davies got here, we've been speaking with a British accent and talking about proper things like "queing up" and "parliament". He's moving to Medan today with Elder Sxxxxx. I dunno why that's cool. But that's all the news that's going on here. :) Hope the snow is all melted!
Elder Seth "The Yellowdart" Barrus
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