OUR MOST MEMORABLE TIMES IN INDONESIA

How can we best show our experiences here? Eileen feels it is through pictures and song.  She has made a video sharing some of the times that we have had while in Indonesia.  Please enjoy!

http://youtu.be/xrKC7_-8OSA

TALK OFFERED AT LELE CEREMONY IN DUAL LANGUAGES

Thank you to the hospital administrators, doctors, workers, and members of the kusta community for being here today and making this project possible. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to be among my friends today.   My husband, Elder Healy and I have lived in Jakarta for 17 months serving as directors of humanitarian services for our church.  In this role we have worked closely on projects such as providing wheelchairs and artificial limbs to those in need, repair cleft lips and cataracts, working with victims of floods and fires in Jakarta, and other projects that serve the poor and needy.  Next week we will be returning to our home in America.  We have 6 children and 11 grandchildren.  We miss them. We have much to tell them about Indonesia.  I will tell them about the kind people we have met here at the RS Sitanala.  I am glad this ikan lele project is our last project in Indonesia.  I will remember it best.  And the best was indeed saved for last.

 Our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, teaches that we are all children of God and that we all have a responsibility to help one another. An ancient prophet teaches us “that when we are in the service of our fellowman , we are only in the service of our God.”

This is a great day. We celebrate the completion of your lele farm. I say your lele farm because you have watched the project as it progressed.  This area where there are now ponds for lele was once overgrown with banana trees,  bushes, and chickens coops.  You have watched the building progress to where it is now an area where there are many pools with fish growing abundantly.  It will be a place where kusta patients can learn a new trade, that of raising lele. Some of you will learn that trade.  Take care of it, and know that it is a gift from our church to your community as a gift of hope.  You are not forgotten. 

Another project we would like to announce that will be starting soon is that of a library in a near-by elementary school.  Soon you will have the opportunity to have books for your children to read that will be in Bahasa Indonesian and Bahasa Ingris.  Take care of those books.  Remember that they are a gift for all of the students at the school.  Your children will have more opportunities in life as they become better educated.

Thank you for welcoming us into your community.  We hope our church and your community can be lifelong friends.  I will remember your smiles always.

Termia Kasih.

TALK IN BAHASA INDONESIA 

Terima kasih kepada para administrator rumah sakit, dokter, karyawan, dan anggota komunitas kusta untuk berada di sini hari ini dan membuat proyek ini mungkin. Saya benar-benar bersyukur atas kesempatan untuk berada di antara teman-teman saya hari ini. Rekan misionaris saya yang saya bekerja dengan dan masyarakat di daerah ini telah menjadi sahabat  saya selama 17 bulan selama  tinggal di Indonesia. Suami saya, Penatua Healy dan saya telah tinggal di Jakarta selama 17 bulan menjabat sebagai direktur layanan kemanusiaan bagi gereja kami. Dalam peran ini kami telah bekerja sama pada proyek-proyek seperti menyediakan kursi roda dan kaki palsu bagi mereka yang membutuhkan, memperbaiki bibir sumbing dan katarak, bekerja dengan para korban banjir dan kebakaran di Jakarta, dan proyek lainnya untuk melayani orang yang miskin dan membutuhkan. Minggu depan kita akan pulang ke rumah kami di Amerika. Kami memiliki 6 orang anak dan 11 cucu. Kami merindukan mereka. Kami mempunyai banyak hal untuk memberitahukan mereka tentang Indonesia. Saya akan memberitahukan mereka tentang keadaan orang yang kita temui di sini di RS Sitanala. Saya senang proyek ikan lele ini adalah proyek terakhir kami di Indonesia. Saya akan mengingatnya yang terbaik. Dan yang terbaik memang disimpan untuk yang terakhir.

 Gereja kami, Gereja Yesus Kristus dari Orang-orang Suci Zaman Akhir, mengajarkan bahwa kita semua adalah anak-anak Allah dan bahwa kita semua memiliki tanggung jawab untuk membantu satu sama lain. Seorang nabi kuno yang mengajarkan kita "bahwa ketika kita berada dalam pelayanan sesama kita, kita hanya melayani Allah kita."

Ini adalah hari besar. Kita merayakan telah selesainya peternakan lele Anda. Saya katakan peternakan lele Anda karena Anda telah menyaksikan proyek tersebut sewaktu itu berkembang. Daerah ini di mana mana sekarang ada kolam untuk lele pernah ditumbuhi pohon pisang, semak-semak, dan kandang ayam . Anda telah menyaksikan kemajuan bangunan ke tempat itu sekarang menjadi daerah di mana sekarang terdapat banyak kolam dengan ikan tumbuh secara melimpah. Ini akan menjadi tempat di mana pasien kusta dapat belajar perdagangan baru, yaitu membesarkan lele. Sebagian dari Anda akan belajar  perdagangan itu. Rawatlah, dan ketahuilah bahwa itu adalah hadiah dari gereja kami ke komunitas Anda sebagai hadiah pengharapan. Anda tidak terlupakan.

Proyek lain yang ingin kami umumkan yang akan segera dimulai adalah sebuah perpustakaan di dekatsekolah dasar. Segera Anda akan memiliki kesempatan untuk memiliki buku-buku untuk anak-anak Anda baca yang akan dalam Bahasa Indonesia dan Bahasa Inggris. Rawatlah buku-buku itu. Ingatlah bahwaitu adalah hadiah untuk semua siswa di sekolah. Anak-anak Anda akan memiliki lebih banyak kesempatan dalam kehidupan mereka sewaktu menjadi lebih berpendidikan.

Terima kasih untuk menyambut kami ke komunitas Anda. Kami berharap gereja kami dan komunitas Anda dapat menjadi sahabat  seumur hidup. Saya akan selalu ingat senyuman Anda.

SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST

This morning we had a ceremony officially recognizing the completion of construction for the fish farm at the Sitanala Hospital.  In attendance were a number of hospital personnel and many from the leprosy community adjacent to the hospital.  Also in attendance were several leaders from our church and a number of members from both the local Indonesian congregations and the English-speaking expat congregation.  There were also reporters from the local press, which covered the activity.   The hospital officials had done a great job of organizing the event.

The 15 fishponds contained thousands of small fish.  Many of which were hatched in those ponds within the last few weeks.  We are particularly pleased with this project because it will be economically self-sustaining and be used to teach the leprosy patients a skill so they may become self-reliant. 

We have made a number of friends at this project over the last couple months.  We will miss our weekly visits to see them and seeing the progress of the project.  Eileen was one of the speakers at the ceremony.  She spoke for about five minutes in the local language.  I (Russell) was very proud of her.  I am extremely blessed to have such a good companion.  In her talk (which we will attach on another post), Eileen notes that this has been her favorite project, and how fitting it is that the best was saved for last!   

THE MEN WE WORKED WITH EACH WEEK- PAK ZEN WAHID, PAK WAWAN, PAK CECEP

THIS PLAQUE WILL BE ERECTED NEAR PONDS- RUSSELL AND DR. MUNTHE WHO IS IN CHARGE OF REHAB WITH THE LEPROSY PATIENTS

DR MUNTHE, DR. ALOYSIUS ARIFIN, (HOSPITAL ADMINISTRATOR-AKA BIG BOSS) AND EILEEN

GIVING OUT STICKERS

THE CHILDREN COUNTED TO 10 IN ENGLISH BEFORE GETTING A STICKER

GIVING MY SPEECH

BISHOP MAK OF TANGERANG WARD

BISHOP MAK RECEIVING COMMEMORATIVE AWARD

PAK MUHDI PRAYING

NO RIBBON CUTTING, IT WAS FLOWER CUTTING TIME

FEEDING THE FISH WITH MY VERY OWN MAN TO HOLD AN UMBRELLA
THOUSANDS OF FISH IN PONDS

PAK CECAP, ALWAYS WITH A SMILE

BISHOP MAK AND PAK ZEN WAHID WHO IS THE TRAINER FOR THE LEPROSY PATIENTS

THIS MAN HAS LIVED IN THE LEPROSY COLONY SINCE 1979. HE HAS 5 CHILDREN, ORIGINALLY FROM EAST JAVA.  HE WILL BE TRAINED TO RAISE THE CATFISH

THE MEN IN GREEN WILL ALL BE TRAINED TO RAISE THE CATFISH

SISTER WELCH (JUST ARRIVED LAST NIGHT) ELDER LISK, AND PRESIDENT DJAROT

BOAR GOATS AND MOUNT BROMO

 This week we had the opportunity to see a part of the island which neither Eileen or I had been to before.  Malang is a city in the southern part of East Java.  It is in the mountains so it is cooler there than where we are used to – low to mid 70’s.  We were there to look at a LDS Charities sponsored goat project that was done 10 years ago with the local university agriculture department.  The native goats here are rather small; perhaps scrawny may be a more apt description.  Boar goats were imported from Australia and bred with local goats to produce, over a five-generation process, goats that weigh in the range of 100 kg vs. 30-40 kg.  Our purpose was to see if something similar might be possible to be implemented elsewhere in Java.  Elder and Sister Williams, who serve in Malang were kind enough to show us around during our visit.

(Written by Eileen)  While in Malang we had an unusual experience.  We were driving down the quiet streets when we heard a scream. I looked back to see a motorcyclist that had slid on his side. I realized that the motorcyclist had stopped suddenly for a child that had run across the street.  A nun was chasing a child that appeared to be 5 or 6 years of age. The child was running very fast and the nun was chasing after him, arms outstretched with her habit flying behind her.  The Williams commented that the building the child came out of is an orphanage where they teach English.  Their driver said that some of the children that live there have behavioral problems.  The young boy made it across two streets before being caught by the nun. She brought him back by the arm with many nuns watching with horrified looking faces.  By this time the motorcyclist had gotten up and it appeared that nobody had been hurt.

While in Malang we took the opportunity to see Mt. Bromo, an active volcano.  Actually there are several volcanoes right around Bromo, which provide a spectacular view.  Traditionally most tourist books say that the best time to see Bromo is at first light.  What this requires is a 1 AM starting time from Malang, two hours by van and then 1 more hour by jeep.  Then you hike up a ways and stand at a lookout point, in the cold and dark, waiting for the sun to come up around 5:30 AM.  You might ask why would you arrive there at 4 to see a sunrise at 5:30?  There were about 200 jeeps bringing people up to the location – almost all were Europeans.  Getting there first we had a great front row spot to view the area.  Following sunrise we drove down within a few km of the volcano and hiked up to the rim.  As we walked the distance you could see your breath, which told me it must be cold.  The smell of sulfur was so strong it burned our eyes and throat.  When after a ways the journey got steeper, Eileen decided to take a horse.

THIS BIG MOMMA BROKE OUT OF HER HOLDING PEN

THIS BABY GOAT DIDN'T WANT TO COME TO ME

RUSSELL AND ELDER WILLIAMS TALKING WITH  MANAGER OF FARM (IN ORANGE) 

THEY USE THIS BIG PROBE TO ARTIFICIALLY INSEMINATE THE GOATS (OUCH)

FOG HANGING OVER THE VALLEY

THE SUN IS FINALLY COMING UP

BROMO IS THE CRATER WITH THE SULFUR STEAM COMING OUT OF IT, OUR JEEP RACED AGAINST OTHER JEEPS ACROSS THE ROAD IN FRONT OF BROMO

I THOUGHT I WOULD TASTE SOME HOT CORN,  IT WAS COLD, HOPE I DON'T GET SICK FROM IT

CLIMBING THE PATH TO BROMO

THIS MAN CALLED TO ME AND SAID "TIRED MAMA, WANT A RIDE?"  I BARTERED WITH HIM AND RODE A SHORT WAYS

AT TOP OF BROMO, THE EDGE OF THE CRATER IN THE BACKGROUND, SULFUR SMELL HORRIBLE

SULFUR COMING UP FROM BROMO

250 STEPS TO CLIMB TO THE TOP,  HORSES AND JEEPS WAITING AT BOTTOM,  NOTICE SKI HATS AND SWEATSHIRTS ON PEOPLE CLIMBING UP,  IT WAS SO COLD WE COULD SEE OUR BREATH