PASSING ON

Last Sunday two members of the church here in Jakarta passed away.  Piet Tandiman was 90 years old and Joachim Ladjar was 64.  Both men were pioneers of the church in Indonesia, leaving children and grandchildren who are active members of the church.

Brother Tandiman’s granddaughter Vanessa was with us on Sunday when she got the call from her father telling of his passing.  Since Friday we had been in Bandung with Perinasia and Dr. Visick from Logan, Utah.  We have been planning a project to educate medical personnel on Neonatal Resuscitation.  Vanessa was translating for Dr. Visick.  Even though Vanessa knew of her grandfathers passing before we attended church that morning, she did not tell us of his passing until after a critical meeting that had been scheduled for that afternoon.  Not until after the meeting had concluded did she pull Eileen aside and tell her.  Although we left quickly thereafter it was late that evening before Vanessa could be reunited with her family.

Vanessa’s older sister, Bianca helped teach Eileen bahasa Indonesia in Provo prior to our embarking on our mission here.  Both daughters are wonderful young women, a tribute to their parents and grandfather.  If you would like to know more about the life of Piet Tandiman please see *[From Chad Emmetts facebook page).         

We first met the Ladjar family about 20 years ago when they came to attend the temple in Utah.  We had the privilege of having Brother and Sister Ladjar and their three children stay with us for a few days.  We have fond memories of taking them to a ski resort to see snow for their first time and to Provo to see another temple.  While in Provo, Eileen took them to her mother’s house and introduced them to  Janice Kapp Perry whom they had previously heard about  here in Indonesia.  Eileen bought them a copy of each of her CD’s and they were as happy as could be.

I (Russell) attended Brother Ladjar’s funeral and burial on Monday.  There were quite a few members from the stake in attendance.  Jemmy Mongan conducted the services and Bishop Mak spoke along with others.  Often here, the burial occurs within 24 hours of one’s passing.  It does not leave a lot of time for grieving and adjustment for those left behind.  As I noticed that many locals were taking pictures at the graveside, I took a few, which you can find, attached below.

It is at moments like this, when we are reminded of our mortality, that I am particularly grateful for the atoning sacrifice of our Lord Jesus the Christ.  Through his sacrifice each of us will be resurrected, and each of us will have the opportunity to repent from our sins and become worthy to return to our Father-in-Heaven after our life is over.

         *In memory of Brother Piet Tandiman, a wonderful man with a great  posterity. This is an excerpt from my forth-coming book about the history of the)  LDS Church in Indonesia:

.To help in all of the legalities of gaining recognition for the Church and more permanent immigration status for the elders, Elder Willard sought the services of an attorney.  He knew no attorneys and so he looked up attorneys in the phone book and randomly selected a law firm.  At that firm, the first attorney they met with could not speak English and so Willard and Storer were referred to an associate—Piet Tandiman. Tandiman was a native of Manado who studied law in the Netherlands and then taught law at Hassanuddin University in Ujungpandang (Makassar) from 1951-1969. In 1969 the Tandiman family moved to Jakarta where he began working as a notary in a law firm. During the introductory visit with the two missionaries, Tandiman noticed Willard blow away a mosquito on his arm.  Tandiman was impressed that Willard did not kill the mosquito and thought to himself: "this must be a good man".  (as a result Tandiman is now nicer to mosquitoes—he also feeds ants, fish and sparrows each morning). Impressed with the young men, Tandiman agreed to provide legal help. His first task, in conjunction with the visit of a legal representative from Church headquarters in Utah, was to draw up a charter to organize a yayasan (foundation) for the church. The yayasan was a legal necessity for the church to remain in Indonesia and for the missionaries to get visas.

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.          The missionaries not only found within Tandiman good professional help, they also found a willing investigator. Particularly nice was the fact that Tandiman knew English from attending the University of Chicago (1962-63) for advanced law training and he was willing to be taught—in English! He had even heard about Mormons while living in the United States. According to Tandiman, “the elders were good teachers.” He liked to learn and his heart told him that what they said was true. Also helpful in the conversion process were Ludi VanderHoeven and Brother Ibrahim—an elderly Indonesian who along with his wife had joined the Church the year before in the Netherlands, where they had traveled to get specialized eye treatment for her. Tandiman was baptized on September 19, 1970 by Elder Willard. His wife Lan and their eldest daughter Linda were also baptized that day. Five younger sons were all eventually baptized once they turned eight.

                   

BROTHER LADJAR'S BURIAL