Funny Experience:
I had the ambition to make a barbell at my house. With the help of a member, I secured a long metal pipe, two buckets, and cement. The finished weight of the barbell was 150 lbs. I was really excited to work out with it.
The first day I used it happened to be leg day, so I put it across my back and started to squat. After finishing the first rep, the bar snapped across my back, and the cement buckets fell to the floor. Thankfully nothing was damaged other than the barbell and my future weight training. A picture of the broken barbell can be found below.
My Week:
On Wednesday I had a meeting with the stake president. It was a great opportunity for me to learn how I can help support the members here in their callings. It was also interesting to see the difference between the stake in Jakarta compared to the stake in Solo.
One of the harder parts of the week was when it rained. Elder Nelson and I were right about to go outside of the house when it started pouring down rain. With doubting for a moment we went back inside, put on our rain jackets, and started to head out. Just as we were going to leave the house, we got a text message saying that the person that we were going to go visit would not be able to make the appointment. That made it a lot harder to be as excited, but we left regardless.
One night on our way back to the house, I got my first flat tire in over a year. I have been very proud of how well my bike has been lasting. To fix the tire I walked my bike five minutes to the nearest auto shop where they patched the tube for 8,000 rupiah, or about $0.55 USD.
Something that has been on my mind recently is the importance of knowing what God has in plan for us. I used to tell myself, about the future, that if I truly put my mind to it I could become nearly whatever I wanted. Now I know that with work, we can become everything that God has planned for us.
One of the ways that God shows his love for us is through his plan. For each of his unique children, he has a unique plan. He has given us gifts and talents to help us achieve our divine destiny. He has given us scriptures, which tell us what we should do. He promises us the Holy Spirit, who shows us what things we should do. He speaks to us through prophets, who guide us to our Savior Jesus Christ.
Does God really have a plan for you? The clear answer is yes! I know that this is true. God will provide a way for all us, his children, to achieve what he has planned for us in this life. What is left to us is our capacity to work. Work is the means that we change, repent, and become more like God himself and his son Jesus Christ.
Questions:
Q: What are some new words that you learned this week?
A: ENTAH which means something like be it or whether it is. I also learned REMPONG which means picky or choosy.
Q: What did you do for service this week?
A: We had planned to teach english class at another institution, but at the last minute they cancelled on us. That doesn’t happen very often, but it meant that we didn’t have any planned service for the week.
Q: What is your apartment like?
A: A lot better than any of my previous ones. Elder Nelson and I keep it really clean, and it is just the right size for two people. There is space in the kitchen to cook food and work out, our study room is spacious, and our bedroom is small enough that it stays cold all night long.
Q: Is the cost of living in Jakarta comparable to other areas?
A: It is probably one of the more expensive cities to live in. Manado was also expensive though.
