REVENGE OF THE COLONEL

 This week has been a busy one for us.  On Monday Russell went to  inspect a future water project with one of the senior missionaries.  I (Eileen) stayed with some of the senior missionaries and one set of younger missionaries. I had heard this group of missionaries had been doing a weekly service project to clean up parks and other public places in Surabaya.  I thought this was a great thing for them to be doing.  We worked together on trying to make it into a bigger project that would involve the community and perhaps even continue on after the missionaries are transferred or go home.

On the way back to Surabaya Russell and another senior Elder stopped to get dinner. The other elder doesn’t tolerate Indonesian food well, so they stopped at a popular American food chain.  We then left to travel to Semarang.  While we were on the plane and then in the cab traveling to our hotel, I could tell Russell had been hit with a very severe case of food poisoning.  This was very disconcerting as we had about 10 hours of driving in the car the next day and a very important day ahead of us.  The miracle of it all was that before I left on this trip I had been prompted to bring some Cipro with me. Cipro is an antibiotic used to treat food poisoning.  I don’t usually bring it on the short trips we go on but this time I did.  The other wonderful thing is that we had another Elder from our church staying at our hotel.  Elder Smith from Malaysia was able to come give Russell a priesthood blessing.  Just as in the times of Jesus when Jesus healed the sick, Elder Smith was able to lay his hands on Russell’s head and give him a blessing.  Elder Smith blessed him that he would be able to perform his duties the next day.  Although  weak and exhausted, Russell was able to leave early with the rest of the group the next day.

Tuesday we attended a medical equipment handover ceremony in a city called Pati.  This is the home of the spiritual leader of a group called the NU (Nadlatul Ulama).  Our church donated some medical equipment to two hospitals in Pati and Demak.  One of the leaders of the NU,  Pak Said Aqil, talked about the origination of our church and praised the commitment of the Church to help the poor and the needy.  He quoted verses from the Qur’an and the Bible to support charitable actions and cooperation between organizations to provide assistance for those with serious needs. He said, “Luke 10:27 teaches that we should love our neighbor as ourselves and 1 Corinthians 13 defines charity and the need for it. 

Elder Subandriyo spoke on behalf of our church and shared a few thoughts at the ceremony.  Quoting Joseph Smith he said, “We are to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, to provide for the widow, to dry the tear of the orphan, to comfort the afflicted, whether in this church or any . . . we are created equally in the eyes of God."  He also noted how, like Muslims who are fasting this month for Ramadan, members of our Church all over the world fast for two meals the first Sunday of each month. He explained that members contribute the money saved by fasting, and in many cases much more, which is donated to the Church for use in helping those who are less fortunate.  

After visiting Pati, we then traveled on to Rembang where we visited with some of the medical personnel there, and learned more about their hospital.

Thursday we visited a NGO partner that we will talk more about in the future.  This partner does several things, one of which is working with amputees.  Another of their projects that they have just started that we have not  been involved in is a school for children that come from low income families.  These are families that make less than $100/month/family.  The school has a van that picks up the children from a central location and brings the children to school.  The children then change their clothes at school into uniforms provided by the school.  In addition to teaching each child in subjects that children would normally be educated in, the children are taught etiquette, how to greet people, how to get rid of garbage, morals, instructed in computer, dance and music.  We observed the children greeting us politely, standing quietly in line, folding their clothes nicely to put in their lockers….these were children that were only 3-6 years old and had only been in school for 9 days.   The school was impeccably clean.  The cost to sponsor a child is $400/year.  The hope is that there will be enough funds that the school can expand and that the children can stay with the school each year as they grow older rather than go back to their neighborhood school.

I asked if I could go to the neighborhood where the children come from.  I was told it might be difficult to go into one of the homes because if the parents saw a bule (white person) then they might ask for money.  Instead I was taken into one of the teacher’s homes.  The children gather at her home before school and she reads to the children and also teaches the children on a basic computer before they are picked up by the school van.  Russell and I were very impressed by the efforts of this school.  We believe this generation of children will grow up with a new outlook on life if this school can continue on with the education of these    young ones.


Some pictures courtesy of Kent and Linda Smith (Public Relations missionaries for Malaysia and Indonesia)

SPIRITUAL LEADER OF NU

DR DWI AND DR. NUNUK TRYING OUT ONE OF OUR "DONATED" WHEELCHAIRS"

LOGO ON BACK OF WHEELCHAIR SIGNIFYING RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NU AND OUR CHURCH

RUSSELL, SUBANDRIYO, SAID AQIL AFTER CEREMONY

EILEEN, SISTER SMITH, AND CFO OF REMBONG HOSPITAL

THREE NURSES, EILEEN AND SISTER SMITH IN REMBONG

SOCIAL WORKER FOR UNDERPRIVELEGED CHILDREN

CHILDREN LEARNING A SONG 

LINING UP TO GO HOME

DROP OFF POINT FOR HOME

HOME FOR ONE OF THE TEACHERS-SHE GATHERS THE CHILDREN HERE BEFORE SCHOOL AND TEACHES THEM BEFORE THEY GET PICKED UP FOR SCHOOL

SOCIAL WORKER, EILEEN, GRANDMA AND TEACHER IN HER HOME WHERE CHILDREN GATHER

THE CHILDREN USE THIS COMPUTER TO LEARN COMPUTER SKILLS

RUSSELL MISSING GRANDKIDS

THIS BABY WOULDN'T COME TO EILEEN BUT WOULD KISS HER HAND

RAMADAN FASTING AND FEASTING ON MUSIC

This week began the tradition of Ramadan in Indonesia.  We knew it was coming up but were caught unaware one evening as there was a mass exodus to leave the city and it took us 2 2l/2 hours to go the 3.5 miles from our office to our apartment because the traffic was so bad.

 Ramadan  is a holy tradition that I am sure we will learn more about as we are here longer.  It involves fasting from food and drink during daylight hours for a month.  We have been instructed that it would be very rude to eat or drink in public, and most food stands are closed down.  The hotel that we are staying in now starts serving breakfast at 3a.m. to accommodate those that are participating in Ramadan.  After dark the streets come alive and we can hear fireworks and festivities outside.

We are traveling in Surabaya this weekend and then will travel on to other locations afterwards. Russell had two presentations prepared this week for district conference. One was on the appropriate use of fast offerings, the other was on anti-pornography.  The powerpoint presentations were delivered effectively by the district presidency.

  It was a joy to meet with the senior missionaries in Surabaya  and to visit with the members in the Surabaya branch.  I (Eileen) was especially impressed with the children singing. It seems like Indonesians find great joy in singing.  When you sit in a church meeting there is an overwhelming spirit that comes upon you as you hear people sing with joy and gladness.  I visited the primary (which is the children's organization) and watched as the children prepared for the primary program which will be in the fall.  Each child focused on learning the music and singing with pleasure.  I have watched as the music director has taught the teenagers how to lead the music.  As a teenager I was given the opportunity to start playing the organ for our church meetings starting at age 15.  I haven't played for over 20 years because there have been so many accomplished musicians in our congregations that have been able to play.  I have found my services have been needed once again in Indonesia. I  have been grateful for the training at the piano I received growing up.  I look at the efforts that a few musicians are going to here in order to teach the people of Indonesia and think what a marvelous service they are doing.  There is a desire on the part of the people here to learn. They love music.  It is wonderful to see even the little children moving their arms correctly in time with the music.  To me I felt like I received a musical feast at church.

SISTERS KEPLER, SEITER, HEALY AND GROBERG

PRESIDENT GROBERG, ELDERS HEALY,  SEITER, AND KEPLER

JUNIOR MISSIONARIES PREPARING TO SING BY PUTTING ON MATCHING TIES

FAMILIES FROM SURABAYA

SINGING TIME WITH THE PRIMARY

PRACTICING FOR THE PRIMARY PROGRAM

FOCUSING VERY INTENTLY

THIS LITTLE GIRL SANG WITH THE ADULT  CHOIR THROUGHOUT THEIR PIECE

THIS LITTLE GIRL WAS SO ATTENTIVE

PRIMARY CHILDREN AND LEADERS

PRIMARY PRESIDENT

THIS SISTER TEACHES THE TEENAGERS TO LEAD THE MUSIC ALSO

NOT THE KIND OF BREAK YOU WANT

On Monday this week we had zone conference. A zone conference is where missionaries from a large area get together to be inspired, uplifted, and reminded of how we can be better missionaries.  This zone conference we had a special visit from our medical advisor from Hong Kong.  Dr. Heiner is an orthopedic surgeon who has taken time away from his practice to serve as a missionary with his wife for the South Asia area.  Little did they know how much their advice would be both heeded and needed.

The first week he and his wife were here one of the young sister missionaries fell off her bike and broke her wrist.  Elder Heiner was able to be consulted before surgery was done. The main purpose of his visit was to see several different hospitals, determining which would be appropriate for use by our missionaries.  During zone conference he and his wife gave an excellent presentation on the importance of exercise and good nutrition.  Young missionaries here live on a very limited budget.  Many eat off of the streets as it is cheap, quick and easy to obtain.  Even Russell buys lunch at a place that only costs 80 cents for a meal and he receives a large amount of food.  However, most of the food bought contains a large amount of  white rice with maybe a small amount of meat or veggies.  Fruit is abundant here, but takes some effort in preparing.  Eileen has come to love papaya with a little lime squeezed over it, and has discovered that papaya is one of the most nutritious fruits around.  Elder Heiner stressed the importance of exercise daily.  We seem to sit a lot, many hours in a car or taxi and many more at a desk.  Russell and I try to get out each morning and exercise.  We are fortunate to have convenient facilities where we live so that we can exercise several times/week.  When we are on the road traveling it is nearly impossible.

Early Wednesday morning I, (Eileen) was through with my walk and saw my friend Sister Beaman coming out of her apartment building.  If Sister Beaman walks it is usually in the gym and later in the day.  I invited her to walk outside and enjoy the beautiful gardens. We really have lovely plants and flowers around the complex. The only problem is that in some areas where I walk the bricks are quite uneven. This is not uncommon in Indonesia and you have to watch your step everywhere you go. On our second trip around the path Sister Beaman took a spill on the uneven pathway.  My heart sank as I saw her wrist. It immediately was swollen and discolored.  When I tried to help her up, she was unable to stand. A kind Indian man from the complex stayed with her while I ran to get her husband who had just finished his workout.   We took Sister Beaman to the hospital and it turned out she had a cracked patella (kneecap) and fractured wrist.  She ended up having surgery later that evening and having a plate put in her wrist.

It was ironic to compare the care that Sister Beaman received at VIP level with what I have heard for many years from Russell who had surgery 36 years ago in Indonesia. If you notice the price list below, there is a list of rooms that range anywhere from 150,000 Rupiah to 3 million Rupiah per day (~$15 to ~$300).  The ~$15/day includes 6 people in a room. Russell had hernia surgery here in a 3rd class room. There were approximately a dozen beds in his post-op room, each with a mosquito net. Russell's net had a hole in it, so he spent most of the nights trying to swat the mosquitos away. Not nearly the kind of room that Sister Beaman had to recover in.

Sept 13, 2012-  As it turned out the doctors Sister Beaman went to did not do the procedure correctly.  Sister Beaman had her wrist twisted and the screw poking out as you can see below.  When she went back into another doctor three weeks after the original surgery the other doctor told her that she needed to have a different kind of surgery immediately.  She is still wearing her brace (which weighs 5 pounds). She is anxious to get her arm healed and be able to function using both hands.

August-2013-Sister Beaman has returned home and had another surgery done by a hand specialist in the U.S. Hoping for better results this time.  It has been a long time trying to heal for one walk in the gardens.

ROOM PRICES (DIVIDE BY 9.4 TO GET DOLLARS) 

ELDER BEAMAN'S EUROPEAN DINNER CAME IN AND SMELLED DELICIOUS. IT WAS BROUGHT IN TO THEIR VIP ROOM WHILE SISTER BEAMAN WAS STILL FASTING FOR SURGERY, THE VIP ROOM CAME WITH IT'S OWN DINING ROOM TABLE TO SEAT FOUR

SISTER BEAMAN IN HER VIP ROOM WITH HER FASTING SIGN BEFORE SURGERY

ON THE WAY HOME WITH FLOWERS BROUGHT BY OFFICE STAFF

MORE THAN A LITTLE BRUISING AFTER SURGERY

OUTSIDE OUR APARTMENT

THE GARDENS OUTSIDE

OOPS THIS DOESN'T LOOK RIGHT

THIS THING WEIGHS 5 POUNDS

RUSSELL 35 YEARS AGO IN 3RD CLASS BEFORE HERNIA SURGERY

MISSING EVENTS BACK HOME

As many of you know, going on a mission for our church involves commitment and sacrifice.  Not only do we pay our own way but we leave our homes, families, careers and comforts of life to go to wherever the Lord calls us to do or whatever he may call us to do.  The prophet Joseph Smith said, "A religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation...it is through this sacrifice, and this only, that God has ordained that men should enjoy eternal life."


Although a mission is not required in our church, it is something Russell and I ( Eileen) have wanted to do for a number of years. We have both worked and saved for the day when we would be able to go.  We are both grateful that the day is now here.  That does not mean that everything has been easy for us since arriving in Indonesia.  There have been many difficult times.  While I would not say our living conditions are difficult in that we have a beautiful apartment complex with access to exercise facilities and decent food, the emotional/mental toll can be challenging at times.


This week we missed three major life events at home.  Last Sunday our 11th grandchild was formally named and blessed in church.  We normally have a large family get-together following the church meeting and celebrate the joy of bringing a new baby into our family. Second, this week was the celebration of the founding of our nation.  We moved into Centerville, Utah 21 years ago on July 4th.  Every year thereafter, except for the two years that we were living in Belgium, we have always attended the local parade and festivities with our family.  It has been a great way to enjoy the patriotism we feel towards our country, to see the fireworks and join together with our children and grandchildren.  The third event that happened this past week was the passing and funeral of Russell's aunt, a dear relative that has been very close to us.


Has it been a sacrifice to be on a mission?  Yes it has.  Yet as we discussed sacrifice in our women's Relief Society group last Sunday, it helped me think about what we are doing here on our mission.  As I look at this week's events, perhaps I need to look at it from a different perspective.  I am so glad that my grandson is healthy and strong, and would gladly serve 10 missions if that meant my daughter had a son to raise.  I am grateful for the country I love so dearly and the opportunity I have had to celebrate it's birth for so many years with my family.  I am also grateful for a good, kind woman who set a great example to me by leaving 10 children and many grandchildren to serve missions in the Congo (DRC) and Russia.  She never faltered in her love for the Lord despite challenges on her missions and with health issues in her later years.  Yes, the Lord has been good to us.  The Lord has asked us for a broken heart and a contrite heart.  I think that means submitting our will to his.  I am not very good at it yet, but I hope to get better.


Last night as we watched the baptism of Brother Hardiyanto I was happy to be here.  This morning as I taught Relief Society in the International Ward and heard the stories of conversion among the sisters there, I hoped that somewhere perhaps I have touched someone's heart.  We talked about the quote "live your life so that those that don't know Him, but know you, will want to know Him because they know you."  I then went and played the piano for the Indonesian primary. I enjoyed watching a sister help the primary children learn how to lead the music as they sang.  Just maybe, I might do some good here... I hope.  Faith + sacrifice = more faith.

For those that are interested, we have updated the posting Youth Conference in Bandung.  We have included  the First Aid test Eileen gave, and also a link to You Tube with the video on Combating Pornography that was part of Russell's presentation.

ELDER KESTLER, BROTHER HARDIYANTO, ELDER MULYONO

SUSTAINABILITY - FISH AND LIPS

This week Russell and I (Eileen) split because we were double booked on projects.  Russell went to Central Java with a short-term water specialist Elder Jay Henrie from Utah and his wife.  They were able to look at some of the new and previous water projects in that area.

On Tuesday I was able to accompany a good friend to have her dialysis at a hospital locally.  Steffie is waiting for a kidney transplant.  She is a positive, upbeat person with a smile on her face and an interest in others.  I enjoyed visiting with her and her daughter Diondra during the time while she was having her dialysis.  Later Diondra went with me and showed me a place to shop fairly near my house.  Who would have thought that I could shop without having to spend 30 minutes in traffic?

Later in the week I went with Sister Beaman to Bogor to work with a cleft lip/palate project.  While in Bogor, I decided to look at an old project started seven years ago by a previous welfare missionary couple.    It was a catfish farm started at an orphanage as a way for them to make money and support themselves. Our church donated some breeder catfish and then also built some dams to prevent flooding of their ponds.

The children at the orphanage were excited to see us. I had brought some stickers from America and some bracelets that my grandchildren had made at our family reunion last summer. The children excitedly gathered around to get a “gift” from us.

The orphanage had a variety of animals there including ducks, cows chickens, and other farm animals.  They also had a number of man-made fish ponds.    We were amazed to see the director of the orphanage feed the catfish.  What was originally a still pond turned into a feeding frenzy of open mouths when he threw food into the ponds.  There were several ponds, starting with baby fish all the way to the breeder fish.  The breeder fish were kept separately and weighed up to 6 kg each.  It was wonderful to see the project not just continuing but having expanded successfully after so many years.  Apparently the children at the orphanage help with the ponds, and the orphanage makes $24/day selling their fish, a significant amount of money here in Indonesia. They sell their fish locally and as far away as Singapore.    

We appreciated the help of two delightful ladies named Ibu Faisal and Ibu Juli that accompanied us on this trip. They both were part of the original group that helped the church start the catfish farm.  When Juli pulled out a picture the following day of her trip to Utah in the year 2000, much to my surprise there was picture of my neighbor in Utah Garry Flake sitting across the table from her. It is a small world.

On Friday and Saturday we attended the cleft lip/cleft palate project.  Our church has helped sponsor this project through the Yayasan Kanari.  The Yayasan is a group of Muslim ladies that believes that they should do good for others and practices what they believe. Each year one of the projects they do is a cleft lip/palate project.  Our church has helped fund the project for the last several years.  We found them to be very organized, pleasant, and great with the parents. The doctors came from a group called the Yayasan Pempina Penderita.  They are from Bandung and are extremely  efficient.  This is their eighth cleft mission this year. They travel all over Indonesia volunteering their time.  I was impressed at the kind hearts of these Indonesian people and their willingness to help their fellow men.

A central goal of almost all of our projects is sustainability, the ability to continue after the missionaries and the church's funds have left.  The catfish farm is the perfect example of "Give a man a fish and feed him for a day, or teach a man to fish and feed him for his life."  While I (Russell) was in Central Java this week we were able to see several former water projects.  All but one were doing well.  We watched as they both performed basic maintenance and expanded on the originally built water systems.  The water committee of one prior project opened their books to show us how they were making and spending money from the project.  They even had minutes of their water committee meetings they wanted us to see.  Following our turning over the "completed" project to them they have continued to expand their system putting waterlines directly into almost a thousand homes. 

This concept of sustainability has made me stop and think about my role as a parent, grandparent and supporter of philanthropic causes.  Are my actions truly helping build self-sufficency or dependency?  I have also thought about what I ask God to do for me in my prayers.  Perhaps what I want and am asking for are just quick solutions to my immediate problems, whereas a loving Father-in-Heaven may want me to learn and grow to be more self-sufficient.

This week also reminded me that while both Eileen and I can function quite capably on our/individually, I don't want to anymore.  We did it for years prior to coming on a mission and the time for that has past.

EILEEN WITH STEFFIE GETTING DIALYSIS

DIRECTOR, IBU JULI, EILEEN, SISTER BEAMON, IBU FAISAL

FEEDING FRENZY

GETTING BREEDER FISH

I LOVED THIS BOY'S HAIR

IT DIDN'T TAKE MUCH TO ENTERTAIN

THIS PATIENT WAS BRAVE!  DONE WITH LOCAL ANESTHESIA

OUR VERY FIRST PATIENT ON THE TABLE

AFTER SURGERY

ELDER HENRIE, EILEEN AND RUSSELL, READY FOR THE OR,   ELDER HENRIE SPORTING THE SCOTTISH LOOK AND RUSSELL SPORTING THE CHEF LOOK, MY SCRUBS OBVIOUSLY TOO BIG

IN THE OR

.