Monday went by fast. Elder Suranto and I left Bogor and made the two hour and twenty minute flight to Medan, the farthest and also biggest district in the zone. Medan is located on the island of Sumatra. President Mackay, to help with missionary training, has begun sending zone leaders out to cities which previously had no visits to other than by the mission president himself. Elder Suranto and I took it as a big trust to go to Medan, and we made the most of it.
Medan’s more tribal Batak culture is very different compared to the Sundanese culture of Bogor. In Medan around half of the population is Christian, meaning foods like pork and dog are not hard to find. Needless to say, I ate well in Medan. I was very impressed with the food. In my two day visit to Medan I ate something new for every meal.
I did not go to Medan just to tour. I went there to train the missionaries. On Tuesday I went with Elder Putra, who I trained at the start of his mission. He is still doing well. We talked to a lot of people together. He and I still get along quite well.
On my second day in Medan, Wednesday, I split with Elder Hakes, the missionary that my own companion, Elder Suranto, trained. I really focused on the importance of studying the language ,and I helped him make plans for how to study the language. We learned a lot together, including a curse word that sounds very similar to “six o’clock.” So if you ever go to Medan make sure to be careful what you say when someone asks what time it is.
Other Stuff
The rest of the week went by like a blur. Something that I have been working on is really trying to increase my ability to speak powerfully in Indonesian. I think this past week I learned a total of one hundred new words or more, including words such as slander, widower, and a very rarely used word named “segan” which means something like hesitant and respectful. I was very excited to use it, and I looked for opportunities to use it all week. I only ended up saying it once though.
In addition to studying more words I also have began to do all of my scripture study in Indonesian. It has had a really big influence on me. If anything I really have begun to start thinking in Indonesian more.
I am really excited for this Christmas season. We have an amazing opportunity to share with others the love that we have. What better way to do we have to celebrate Christmas than by doing the very thing that Jesus did; serving others in a meaningful way? It is my prayer that all of us may look to those in our family and in our neighborhood and serve them in simple and loving ways, that the Savior may bestow upon us his love to share with them.
Elder Allen.
