Surakarta or Solo, Indonesia

This past Wednesday I had to say goodbye to Manado.  I was only there for six weeks, but I came to really love the people. The city was awesome, I absolutely loved living so close to the ocean. I am not sure how many opportunities I will have like that in my life.

I am now in Solo; short for Surakarta. This is my first ward that I will be serving in. The city of Solo has four wards divided into two buildings. The stake has a total of seven wards, one branch, and twenty two full time missionaries.

Elder Hansen is my new companion. He is from Idaho, and true to his nature, is a hard worker. We get along great, and I have learned a lot from him. He has been serving for 21 months, compared to my 11 months.

My new area is really nice. I live in a nicer part of the city. Solo is just a tad bit cooler than Manado, but is hardly noticeable. For those wondering, yes, Indonesia is still a tropical islands, meaning it is still very hot here. The city of Solo is also pretty flat, which makes biking a lot easier.

My mission home is really cool too. I share it with just Elder Hansen and myself. We are putting up inspirational quotes on the walls and I just love it.

I don't have much more to say. The church is true; the book is blue. Keep on living what you know. Love God, and love your neighbor.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surakarta

Manado Tua

This week was one of my best weeks on the mission. I am enjoying every moment of it, and really embracing the culture. Manado is such a cool place, but it wasn't enough. This is why last Monday all the missionaries in Manado took a boat to Manado Tua!

Warning: Missionaries work very hard each week. Every Monday they are given a Preparation Day, in which they are given free time to relax and prepare for the coming week. This day, often called P-day, is not a Play day.

Manado Tua was an hour boat ride from Manado. We played on the beach for a little bit, then went hiking. It was around a 4 hour hike up and down. The trail was really rugged. I felt like I needed a machete.

Below you will see a picture of me squatting a papaya tree. All I have to say is that you can take the man out of the gym, but you can't take the gym out of the man.

I feel that I haven't been writing too much about my spiritual experiences on my mission as of late. Be assured; however, that I am having many. I feel like that as part of my progression to become more Christlike it was first necessary to pour myself into the holy scriptures and study as much as possible. I still do this now, but more important is how it changes me. Reading the scriptures is not a passive activity. We do it not just to increase our knowledge of the gospel, but so that we may help others.

I have really loved this past general conference, and all the we learned from the prophet of God. With the new changes in home/visiting teaching we really see the need for more caring and personalized service, the same type of service that the Lord gave. That is probably one of my favorite things about the gospel. It doesn't just helps mormons, americans, families, christians, indonesians, old people, or any other profile. No, this gospel is universal. And we will universally be judged by both our acceptance and commitment to the gospel.

Manado Week 2

The hardest thing: Getting rained on when I was coming home, waking up feeling crummy, then getting rained on the very next day. I think all the missionaries were sick at least once this week here in Manado. 

The weirdest thing: When my companion and I taught two 18 year old girls in the food court at a mall. The lesson was good, but it totally felt like a date.

Most Frustrating thing: A rat came into the house and peed on my white shirts hanging up in my closet. I am thankful for the modern blessing of washing machines, laundry detergent, and bleach.

Best tasting thing: Birthday cake. A sister missionary had a birthday this week and she shared her cake with us. It was the first time this year that I've eaten a real cake.

Worst tasting thing: Kinda lame but I didn't eat anything too bad this week. Although I did eat fried bananas and spicy chili sauce. At most it is a weird combo that is surprisingly alright.

Funniest thing: My companion was laying on his bed, which is on the bottom of our bunk bed. While he was laying on it the frame broke, and his mattress fell onto the floor. His expression alone was hilarious.

Craziest thing: I get "Hey Mister" or "How are you Mister" at least 20 times a day in Indonesia. But this week was the first time that I have heard "F*** you Mister." What is even funnier is that the person who said it was a little kid with a big grin. He couldn't have known what he was saying.

And Pictures!