Because of Him

I hope everybody's had the chance to view the new Easter video the Church has produced. It's super good. They even got it translated into Indonesian and we've been asked to post it to all our facebook pages as well as start handing out these special pass along cards to help others get in the mood for the true reason for Easter. Even though most of Indonesia is not Christian, our friendly Muslim friends are usually really tolerant and are open to at least learning about what we believe. Needless to say, I've had some fun conversations with people from differing religions about the purpose of Easter.

Manado's beautiful coastline

 My companion just got his patriarchal blessing earlier this morning so he's on a spiritual high and I've been feeling really good after coming back from our last exchange last night. President decided at the last minute to take us to the famed and beautiful land of Manado. The rumors are true: it's really beautiful and green and almost everybody and their dog is Christian. We flew up there on Friday morning, split that day with Elder Heiner (which coincidentally happened to be his birthday) and then split the following day with Elder Campbell. I was a bit of a tourist, taking so many pictures. But we had some great experiences! The angkots here are nuts with their loud music and all, the members live way out in the boonies up in the mountains, and there are so many prepared people up there just ready to soak up the Gospel. There's a strong branch that's growing every week. One of the few difficulties there is association with other, strong branches or wards. It's so far away that the leaders can't get a lot of training or gain valuable experience working with other wards because of the distance. So every month or so, President Donald sends a counselor or two to give that training. We trekked up there with Brother Subandriyo who taught a great lesson 5th Sunday lesson on the fruits of the church that can't be found anywhere else. Elder Wintolo and I also got to spend valuable time working and talking with President and hearing his experiences serving as a Bishop and Stake President. All around, it was a fantastic weekend that motivated me to keep pushing along. 

As for our investigators here in Jakarta, Axxx is doing well. Couldn't go to church yesterday because his family had an activity he was obligated to go to. Nxxxxxxxxx didn't go either because his old church asked him to go fellowship a new member or something. Aleks is great! We sat down and read Elder Klebingat's talk and made goals associated with what he talked about. It rained sooo hard this last week! We had to cancel a few appointments because the busway took forever and a day. It took us 3 hours to get from our place to Harmoni and back last Wednesday. But we're doing OK; it's just made us focus more on planning and trying to follow the spirit while trying to anticipate how long it will take to get places. 

Sometimes I don't think we quite realize what we have as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We have everything necessary to lead to a peaceful and happy life here and to enjoy immortality and eternal life in the world to come. We are all witnesses to what Jesus Christ is doing in the last days in preparation for His second coming. Soooo that means we need to be brave and share it with everyone we know. :) 

Selamat Paskah Semuanya! (Happy Easter Everyone!)

Elder Seth Barrus

Elder Heiner's birthday! We made him a cake by throwing egg and flour on him. Yay!

“Mawwage. Mawwage is what bwings us togeva today."

Mission Leadership Conference March 2015

Elders Litster and Murphy 

The day to day normal missionary life is something I will never get bored of; but going to a wedding is a nice change up once in a blue moon. It gives our investigators and new members a chance to socialize with long time members and I've never been known to turn down an offer for free food, so all around it's a win. The president of the elders quorum tied the knot last Saturday at the church with a sister from Jogjakarta. Weddings here are a bit different than the Mormon receptions back in Utah, full of rice, traditional Javanese music, and funky improv songs. Brother Antonius got into the mix and sang a nice Ambon song with another member from Tangerang. After the wedding at the Harmoni ward, we swung on over to the South Jakarta ward with a few of our investigators and members for a fireside activity put on by the missionaries serving over there. It was fun seeing former members and people I know from that area again. Overall, it was a solid day.:)

The work is progressing. Investigators are still learning. Ummm... What else do you want to know? Cool experience last week: we had some time after an appointment to go RT proselyting and were walking along and felt impressed to start down a street to the right. Usually at 2 o' clock in the afternoon, not a lot of families are home because of the work schedule here, but a nice Muslim man led us to a house where a Pak Axxx came out and welcomed us in. His wife was there too and wanted to go to the market in the next 5 minutes, so it was a total "coincidence" that we were there right at that time. These two had been married for 5 years, but had never had children. Finally, they had a son. And he lived only for 3 years and then passed on to the other side. They were wondering where he was because so many people had told them different things. We felt impressed to teach the Plan of Salvation and tell them exactly where their little boy was. It was a nice feeling leaving their house knowing we were used by the Lord to find and give answers to His children who were seeking. 

We're still reading the Book of Mormon in 80 days and have found that what we read that day can be applied in one of our lessons with an investigator or member. We just finished reading Mosiah 24 about the people of Alma being put under bondage by the former high priest, Amulon, and how "they did place many heavy burdens upon their backs which were grievous to be borne." Alma's people had that much faith that the Lord visited them in their afflictions and gave them power to submit cheerfully to the will of the Lord. Sometimes we ask for a situation to be changed, but what ends up happening is the Lord giving us power and strength to bear our heavy burdens until the time He decides we should be freed. It's all about perspective. :) 

Thanks for the support and prayers everybody! Hope you all have a great week. 

Elder Barrus

Surabaya with Elders Heiner and Blaser and a former investigator who got baptized.

Demam Berdarah (Dengue Fever)

Anyone home?

All that knocking on wood I did was to no avail, because for the first time in my mission,  I had to stay home for a whole day because of my own physical ailment. I'm 100% OK now. But last Thursday my temperature was 104 degrees, I threw up in the shower, and my joints were all achy. Sister Donald told me it was the beginning stages of Demum Berdarah (dengue fever) and said if I wasn't feeling any better by morning, I was going to the same hospital as Elder Tufaga (who had just been released after battling dengue for a week). I was given a blessing, some medicine, and said lots of prayers. I woke up in the morning feeling miraculously better. My temp had dropped to 100, my joints weren't too achy, and I somehow convinced Sister Donald that I didn't need to go to the doctor. But she just said I couldn't go out the next two days. I just slept the first day away. And then Saturday, Elder Tufaga kept me company because he wasn't allowed to go out either. I went to church yesterday feeling fine. After sharing how I felt with Elder Tufaga, he said that's exactly what he experienced before he got diagnosed with dengue. I'm not too sure why I was so lucky and only had to stay inside for two days, but I'm certainly grateful!

Other than that, Axxxxxxxxxxx was confirmed! He's got a great voice so we joke around with him all the time and call him Obama. 

Every Wednesday, we hold a Game Night at the mission home in Senopati where we bring our investigators and just play board games. It's a great chance for investigators and members to get to know each other and us in a relaxing setting. Nxxxxxxxx came for the first time and loved it! We played liar's dice and found out he was the best liar. He texted us last Saturday when we reminded him about church and he said "My college schedule is still crowded, but I will come to church. Absolutely, I"ll keep coming to church. It makes me closer to God." He still doesn't want to get baptized yet, but we're working with him. On the other hand, Axxx wants to get baptized on the 19th of April! We made it official by giving him a white shirt and tie to wear to church. He will be the most fly Mormon in the entire world once he's baptized. 

Axxxx looking fly!

Mission Leader Conference will happen tomorrow and after that, Zone Training Meeting on Friday. Weird to think that these are some of the last mission leadership meetings I will ever attend. Our 80 day Book of Mormon challenge is going good, but it serves as a way for Elder Wintolo to keep track exactly how many days I have left. And then he makes clock "ticking" noises indicating that the time is winding down. Ha ha! I love him so much. 

That's about it from my side of the island. Hope everyone has a great week! 

Elder Barrus

Jakarta. A high rise business office caught on fire last week. It took a
loooong time for them to put the fire out. It's a different place over here.

Mau Pulang (So you want to go home?)

Axxxxxxxxx got baptized! The water was a little green and he slipped a bit while coming back out, but hey, Jesus was baptized in the River Jordan and I hear that river was filthy. Count your blessings eh? Axxxxxxxxxxxx had so many mental and physical challenges leading up to his baptism yesterday, we were happy it ended up happening. To be 100% honest, we didn't do much to get him in the water. He was one of those children called by God to be a member of His church. And he responded wholeheartedly and enthusiastically. He's gonna be a great member! 

Really most of what I feel is important from last week happened with investigators. Yup. Nothing too extreme happening as far as new news or volcanoes going off. Ooh! But president did call Elder Jones and Elder Troff to be the new office missionaries until we can get a mission couple serving here. We are stoked!! Because that means most of our responsibilities with finances, missionary orders, letter sending, reimbursements, etc were given to them,so Elder Wintolo and I just get to focus on training the missionaries. So we're happy and grateful for both of them.

Aleks: His parents came to the mission home at Senopati last Saturday to meet with President and Sister Donald and according to President, just had a nice quality conversation where their questions were answered. Most of their questions we're doctrinal, but more based towards what expectations are placed upon Aleks as a member of our church. President answered their questions honestly and openly and built some trust between them. It was an important step.

Axxx: I've never seen a man more well dressed coming to church than him. We're still working on the whole "white shirt and tie" concept. But Elder Troff gave him a tie, and we have extra white shirts lying around Senopati. So we'll give him one. But! He told us some exciting news yesterday that he wants to be baptized!! Previous to that, he was always telling us hold off. But he totally opened up yesterday and said the 19th of April he will be baptized! Still a long time in the future, but he won't be going anywhere. He loves our church!

Axxxx: (Ha ha! All our investigators' names start with A) He's actually a new member that moved to Bali after being baptized in Surabaya. Bless his heart, he misses Surabaya so much. The church is Bali is existent, but so small. I think 10 people came to church last Sunday. But he still went to church because he knows its true. Cool guy.

Bxxx: Had a quality conversation with him. We asked if Jesus himself were to appear to him and tell him to be baptized in this church, would he do it? And he said yes. We then said how much easier is it then, for him just to send two of his servants to your house and say the same thing? We invited him to be baptized on the19th of April as well and he said he'll think about it. He came to church yesterday and loved it! Elder Wintolo was awesomely bold with him yesterday. Bxxx was going off about how awesome his current church is, and elder Wintolo said "Other churches bring salvation, yes, because all men will be saved from physical death and inherit a part of God's kingdom. But this church brings exaltation." Bxxx asked "Does my church have exaltation?" And Elder Wintolo answered with what I'm sure was an inspired Elder Holland-like answer: "I promise that your church doesn't." We then testified and closed. Slowly but surely with him. Sister Lely (his wife) gave a talk in sacrament meeting yesterday too.

Nxxxxxxxxx: Seriously. I love this guy to bits. He hasn't consumed tea or coffee since last Sunday, and we asked him why. And he said "Because I consider you two my teacher. If I don't do what you ask me to do. how can I know what you're saying is true?" Hmmmm. Good point. Still hasn't committed to being baptized, but he keeps coming to church and meeting with us. So it's just a matter of time with him.

There are others. But those are the ones we're praying hardest for. 

Last Tuesday Sister Donald handed me a piece of paper. Turns out, it was my ticket home. Man. So weird. I've made a pact with the Lord that if I focused and worked hard, especially these last two months, that He would inspire me to know what to do the rest of my life when I get home. And that I don't really need to worry about it right now. :) It's worked so far. Elder Troff, Jones, and Wintolo have ganged up on me, coming up with songs, jokes, and pictures in attempts to make me trunky. But it's all fruitless! Ha!

That's about it from my side of the world. Hope everyone has just the dandiest week!

Elder Seth Barrus

The Gospel of Transformation

Behold the Lord did not make Elder Barrus mighty in writing as He did in speaking, so his letters may seem insufficient for the natural eyes of man. But needless to say, what he has written, is written and when he gets home, you better prepare yourself for an onslaught of stories and miraculous experiences that the Lord allowed him to experience. Ha ha! I sooo wish I could just describe in detail everything that happened this last week!! But Nxxxxxxxxxx is coming to the office in like 30 minutes to learn and if I tried, this email would be pages upon pages. So I'll include the highlights:

Brother Axxxxxxxxxx is getting baptized next Sunday! He came to church, we gave him a white short sleeve shirt and he brought a tie, because he wanted to get up and bear his testimony. While up at the pulpit, he pretty much promised to the congregation that he was getting baptized next week. So that seems pretty solid to us. :) We taught everything from the Word of Wisdom to repentance last week and he's game to do it all. He is a former investigator from 2 years ago, but lost contact with the missionaries and so when we called 2 weeks ago, he thought it was an angelic manifestation from God that he needs to join with this church now. We're getting excited for him.

Axxxx is just going along fine. His parents agreed to come to the mission office at Senopati this Saturday to chat with President and Sister Donald about the church and Axxxx' baptism so keep your fingers crossed and prayers heavenward that everything will work out. We taught about the Plan of Salvation again and this time we got to teach a few more things that we usually don't teach with the usual investigator. It's just a perfect plan. There's no way the smartest man on earth could come up with a better plan. I love teaching it because we're the only church who teaches clearly where we're going. And others like that too. 

For the first time on my mission, an inactive member had his faith strengthened enough to the point where he committed to come back to church. He was baptized in Malang 3 years ago, moved to Jakarta and there was a miscommunication between the two branches and his information was just lost. Missionaries finally got in contact with him about a year ago, but by that point, he had already gotten involved with other friends and their church. Their friends came along and saw the Book of Mormon and burned it. The last time we went over there, 4 months ago, he wanted nothing of the church. He bashed on it and tried to tell us off. We went over there this last week and he started off with some of these questions he's gotten that really shook his still new testimony. We felt an impression to ignore those questions off and focus on the Book of Mormon. He said he's heard it was just false writings and totally plagiarized, but he's read enough to know that it's all good stuff in there. And he told us where Joseph Smith's source was. And we asked him "From what you've read, if it wasn't from God, where else could have it been from?" That was an important step for him to receive the rest of the lesson and commit to come back. It was just an awesome lesson full of the spirit. This gospel truly is a gospel of transformation.

Same thing with Brother Bxxxx. The first couple times Elder Simanungkalit and I went over there, he was sooo confused about the Book of Mormon. He always just pushed us away by saying "I just like reading the Bible. It's more clear." But his awesome wife, Sister Lely's been reading with him every day and last Saturday, we asked him how it was going and he said "The Book of Mormon is more clear on points of doctrine than the Bible. I like reading the Book of Mormon more." Ha ha! We just about died! He committed to come to church next week to see another baptism and see Sister Lely give a talk. 

Elder Jones and Elder Troff's investigator, Nxxxx, got baptized yesterday too. Good things are happening in our little Jakarta 1st Ward.

Axxx and Nxxxxxxxx are doing great. :) Axxx was sick yesterday so couldn't come to church and Nxxxxxxx keeps chugging along. He still says he hasn't gotten an answer yet. But he likes our church. And enjoys our gospel conversations. He opened up a lot last week, so we're hoping that translates to some better lessons here in the near future. Like in 10 minutes. :) 

I reread President Uchtdorf's talk about "Receiving a Testimony of Light and Truth" and this is what stuck out to me: "If you want to recognize spiritual truths, you have to use the right instruments. You can't come to an understanding of spiritual truth with instruments that are unable to detect it... Gradually, things that before seemed hazy, dark, and remote become clear, bright and familiar to us." It's like trying to eat your corn flakes with a butter knife. We're always taught to focus on the Book of Mormon and teach with the spirit. Some investigators want us to prove to them the truth using the Bible, but we wouldn't be using the right tools that would enable them to see. 

Psalms 94:16

Maju tentara Kristus! Maju Berperang! (Forward soldier of Christ! Forward Fight!)

Elder Seth Barrus

This is our "Read the Book of Mormon in 80 days" tracking sheet. President Donald received some revelation about how to increase the spirituality of our mission and this is what he came up with. It's awesome!

Elder Jones and Elder Troff. Those elders...

Gong Xi Fa Cai! (Happy Chinese New Year)

Aleks in his traditional Polish costume (and Seth in a hat with a Chinese braid) 

The Chinese population is big enough in Indonesia that last Thursday was a national holiday, complete with fireworks, lots of oranges, drunk Chinese men on the busway, red lanterns, and streamers everywhere. I've been picking up a little Mandarin as I've been here. I can now say "Please, sit down." And "Please, open the door." in Mandarin. Yep. I'd say I'm pretty much fluent. One of our investigators, who is from Chinese descent, raised his hand in Priesthood quorum and asked if we had a Valentines activity last week, why we didn't have a Chinese New Year activity this week. Great question. But I did attach a photo from when we taught Aleks last week. Apparently it was culture day at his school, so he's all dressed in his Polish gear, and I'm wearing one of those Chinese hats with a long black braid in the back. 

One of the blessings of being in the Indonesia Jakarta Mission is that our mission is too big for us to split with the zone leaders or other missionaries that often, meaning that we can still work our area, which is really really nice. Especially on the last leg of the mission (don't say it Mom). I'm grateful for the opportunity to still teach and see some of God's choicest children progress towards him. Like Axxx. That man is choice. We're emailing a bit later today because we went and taught him earlier this afternoon about repentance. It made me think how crucial forgiveness is in our own repentance process. While we're asking for forgiveness of our sins to God, we should be asking forgiveness from others we may have hurt by our actions. Axxx still has a lot of questions he wants answered before he's baptized, but he came to church rocking a yellow and red plaid shirt, complete with unripped jeans, and no shades. It's a step up from last week. :) 

Nxxxxxxxx is doing well. We taught him about the Gospel of Jesus Christ last week probably more completely and more thoroughly than we've ever taught before and invited him to be baptized again. He then told us "I feel like you guys are like the sowers in Jesus' parable. You've already done your part to sow a seed in me. If the seed is good and from God, He will do his part and it will grow in me." Ha ha! He eats up the Gospel! He just needs to exercise his faith and act. New investigators also came to church: Axxxxx, Axxx, and Sxxxxx. Wish I had time to tell you about them. Axxxxxxx is sooo wonderful. He's right on track to be baptized on the 8th of March. There was a baptism yesterday of two Batak sisters taught by the sister trainers and that I think will kick off a couple of weeks in a row of  Jakarta First Ward convert baptisms. Huzzah!

Mission Leadership Conference at the Mission Home

Mission Leadership Conference was cool. :) We talked a lot about becoming a full purpose missionary. Elder Wintolo and I gave a presentation comparing the aspects of missionary work to the Tree of Life vision from 1 Nephi 8. 

I was told of a Chinese proverb last week that goes along with something I've been thinking about Ether 12:4-6 for awhile. It's about a big hall with a stone floor and a beautiful statue. The stone floor complained to the owner of the hall "People just step on me all day to go see the beautiful statue. Why wasn't I molded into a statue?" The owner then replied "You and the statue were made from the same stone. But you weren't willing to go through the pressures of chiseling, the trials of waiting, and the hardships that precede the beautiful statue." We all are made from the same "stuff" of eternity, as President Uchtdorf said. But our willingness to pass through trials of our faith will determine our eternal destiny. We have to be willing to endure the trials and hardships of mortality if we ever have hopes of becoming like God. 

Elder Seth Barrus

Elders Wintolo, Jones, Barrus, Norris and Troff with Sister Donald

Farewell lunch with Elder Norris, who is headed home to Australia

Chinese New Year

I always knew I was the adopted child. We met this guy on a busway last week and after chatting with him he asked "Where are you from, Mister?" And before I had a chance to reply, he said, "Chinese, mister?" Ha ha! What? I know Chinese New Year is on Thursday, but it hadn't ever crossed my mind that I could fit right in with their celebrations. 

We don't have a ton of time to email today because the Solo Zone Leaders missed their flight for Mission Leader Council, we just received a shipment of 1,920 Kitab Mormons from Salt Lake and we need to send those out today, Mission Leader Council is tomorrow and we still need to tweak our training, and we're going to go play basketball with the district plus the zone leaders at 11:00. But I'll include essential details to enlighten you on how my week went. :)

The Lord blessed us with a new investigator named Axxx. We met him on a busway about a week ago, taught him the first lesson and then watched the "Prophet of the Restoration" film with him, and then he came to church yesterday. His English is near perfect and he even has that slangy American accent when he speaks. You know what I mean? Anyways, he used to be Muslim, moved and became Protestant, was brought in by the Jehovah Witnesses, and then settled on down with Catholicism before meeting us. He's had a pretty rough life, but he's down to learning more about what we have to share. He texted us yesterday after church and said he's never felt more welcomed before than in our church, and then thanked us for waking him up early to go to church. That's what missionaries are for right? :) Definitely the highlight of the week.

Still working with Aleks. President just got back from Taiwan last Friday, so hopefully his parents pick up the phone sometime and make an appointment with him.

Nxxxxxxxl is awesome! We taught him about the Plan of Salvation and he had so many quality, honest questions. I like teaching him because he actually accepts the answers we give him. Some people just keep searching for mistakes and other questions, trying to prove us wrong, but he's truly on a search for the truth. He didn't come to church yesterday because he had another engagement, but he's coming next week he promised.

Happy Valentines Day! Since missionaries are protected from the vices that abound in such a holiday, I spent the day with my beloved missionary companion, Elder Wintolo. And since his mom works in Jakarta, she dropped off a huge 2 foot chocolate candy bar, some KFC chicken, and a cake at the office. So we spent that night chatting about how awesome his family is and eating the gifts they brought.

I had a couple of questions rolling through my mind over and over again this last week, and while searching in the Bible really trying to find an answer, I came across Daniel 12:10 which reads "Many shall be purified, and made white and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand: but the wise shall understand." I've experienced that over and over in my mission--people who were too prideful or too set in their ways, that when the Gospel was presented to them, they couldn't understand it, or couldn't get over the fact of sometimes we don't have answers to the whys of things we do. But I've also met the most humble of people, but they recognize when the Gospel is presented to them that it is from God and that they want to understand. Then they become wise. But the verse also mentions how the purified shall be tried. The wisdom doesn't come without some form of trial or opposition.

Elder Seth Barrus

No picture this week. Somebody took the card reader out of this computer...