Selamat Tahun Baru Dua Ribu Lima Belas! (Happy New Year 2015!)

Whilst most of the world was partying away the night last Wednesday, the Jakarta Elders went to the Harmoni ward for a short meal and chat with the members, and were home by 9:00 PM. But we set our alarms for midnight (rebels!). I woke up to what sounded like a war outside with all those fireworks going off. I said "Happy New Year" to Elder Simanungkalit, and then went back to bed. Ha ha! Elder Jones made some tasty real Mexican burritos for dinner, so that was a nice touch. It was a fun way to celebrate the last new year of my mission.

Quick update on the investigators: Pak E is cool. He's like 82 years old but is sharp. He finally got a new phone, but we had to swing by his house when he happened to be there to find that out. He still remembers John Smith and how he saw Jesus, so that's good. We're teaching this former JW named D A. He's got this wicked lazy eye so you never know which eye to make contact with. But he's down for being baptized once he feels all his questions are answered. Brother B committed to come to church on the 11th of January (which it originally  because Aleks wanted to get baptized on that day, but after meeting him, it was pushed back to the 8th of February because of his family. Not sure what we're gonna do with Brother B. Let you know next week.) We talked about the Atonement with him and the Spirit was really strong. But it made me realize how much the general Christian out there does not understand the necessity of the Atonement. We went a proselyting around Grogol (Fun name eh?) and found 3 little Muslim kids who sat down long enough to learn about the Plan of Salvation. Their mom gave us permission to do so. It was fun! We found another Batak man named Pak S. He's super hard headed, but he accepted the Book of Mormon. 

Aaaaand Aleks. He chatted with his parents and they don't want him to get baptized as "quick" as we were planning. I keep thinking "Quick?? He's been an investigator for 2 years!" But Aleks is being a bit firm and set a date for the 8th of February. We had a good lesson about the Law of Chastity with him. There was a "Cottage Meeting" at President's house where all these investigators and new members were invited for a short meeting and some food. President invited Aleks and Derry to share their testimonies and what sacrifices they've had to make during their process of conversion. Derry is kind of shy, so to share his testimony in front of 30 some people was prolly nerve-wracking for him, but he did a great job. He's grown so much in the gospel. It's been really really fun to stay in the same city as him and see that growth.

Some of the investigators and members at President's house for the "Cottage Meeting"

There are many people in Jakarta who haven't heard about the Restored gospel yet.

I can't really think of what else I need to add. Except that we fasted as a mission for this new year that the hearts of the Indonesian people might be softened to hear and recognize the Gospel when it's presented to them. We have some pretty high goals set and my MTC group gets to be a big part of pushing it forward. Thanks all for your prayers and support. I feel really blessed and humbled to have so many people, family, and friends who share the same beliefs as I. Sampai jumpa! (See you!)

Elder Seth Barrus