Does this guy even know how to spell?

Hey how is it going? I am still working hard in Indonesia as a missionary. Something my mission has begun to emphasize is working more with members. AS I have been meeting with and minestring to the church members here, I am constantly reminded of how much of a difference members can make in missionary work. Not only will the full time missionaries be more enthusistic to strengthen the church, but also the investigators will feel more welcomed into the church. I hope that we can all pray for missionary work not just in a far away corner of the earth like Indonesia, but also in our own backyard.

My news for the week is pretty typical. Rain, rejection, and rejoicing in all the trials God allows us to experience. Because I am now in a house with only one other person, I have been getting a lot of studying done. For example, last week I read all of 3 Nephi and the November 2017 general conference.

Something I may have written about earlier, if briefly, is the spiciness of the food in Indonesia. Here nearly everything I eat is spicy. I love it! I can handle spicy foods better than my native companion, who starts wweating when he eats somethign spicy. With someone's ability to handly spicy food, I like to use the analogy ofa chain. The chain starts at the mouth.  One's mouth must be strong enought to even eat the meal. The comes the stomach. It is quite an unpleasant sensation to have lots of spicy food in one's stomach if it is not a normal feeling. The comes the last chain. I will just say that what comes in spicy goes out spicy too. When trying to eat spicy food one must recognize the weakest link. For me, that is the stomach. I've only cried twice from food that was really spicy, but what upsets me more is the feeling of a stomach full of spicy food, especially when riding a bike.

Questions: 

Q: What are your plans for your birthday?

A: I will eat out at a resturant similar to KFC, then take my district out to eat pizza.

Q: When are you getting your smartphones? What kind will they be? 

A: The mission's plan right now is to get everyone smartphones by the end of the year. It will be up to the missionaries to buy whatever phone they want. It just needs to be able to easily switch the SD-card, so that includes about all phones.

Q: How much technology do most people have there?

A: Most people have a phone, and that is about it. Some people have a tv, but almost no one has a computer. Most of the rising generation has a smartphone.

Q: Have you seen any Indonesians who are as tall as you?

A: No.

Q: Do a lot of people in Indonesia smoke?

A: Yes. Almost all the men and a few of the women.

Moving, Moving, Moved

So last week I said that there would be no transfers, but little did I know that I would actually be moving the week following transfers. I will be packing all of my belongings, walking to my new house, then unpacking. In Malang the mission owns two homes, one of which was used by the sisters before they were transferred out of the city. My companionship has been asked to move into the new home, approximately two minutes away by bicycle from my old home.

Other than moving, here is a little recap of my week:

Monday: Took it easy and relaxed after emailing. Visited with an inactive member at night.

Tuesday: Taught three investigators back to back, and was starving afterwards. Also the weather let up and it felt like heaven.

Wednesday: Split with Elder Hansen. Learned a lot from him.

Thursday: Ate dinner at a member's house.

Friday: Met with an investigator, then the branch president, at the church.

Saturday: A lesson followed by a meeting at the church, then dinner at a member's home.

Sunday: A less active member I've been working with came to church, as well as my investigator Prisca!

Indonesia feels super normal now. I have a hard time imagining the small details of America without mixing it somewhat with Indonesia. Example: In Indonesia we drive on the left hand side of the road. As an exercise to memorize the roads, I imagine in my mind a place that I have been to, then how I could return from said place to either the church or my home. As I was finishing this exercise, I began trying to remember my city back in Georgia. Without even thinking about it, I began to envision all of the roads back at home, but from the left hand side. It took me a minute to realize that I have never even driven on the left hand side of the road in America.

On to some questions:

Q: Do Indonesians attend public or private schools? What is the education system like?

A: There is no real equivalent of the American public schooling system to be found in Indonesia. Taxing here is done quite differently, and as a result almost all schooling is private. School starts with preschool, followed by Elementary School up to grade 6, Middle School to grade 9, and High School to grade 12. A few Indonesians don't attend High School, but rather go to a vocational school.

Q: Does most of the entertainment (such as movies, music, etc.) originate from America or Indonesia? 

A: It depends. Most of the movies are American, but the music is generally Indonesian. Almost no one pays for cable in Indonesia, and as a result there are nearly more ads than content on television.

Q: What is the role of missionaries in the Malang Church?

A: The Malang Branch is quite strong, and does not need missionaries to teach classes every week. In some of the other wards I have served in the missionaries taught Gospel Principles (Sunday school for people new to the church) every week. We help the branch most by visiting members, strengthening them, and helping them fulfill their assignments and roles as church members.

Pictures:

This is how I bring my groceries back from the store.

Photo of me with Elder Hansen (Zone Leader from Surabaya). He came to Malang and we worked together for the day.

A nice looking farm on the edge of town.

Cobra, Candy and more

wo weeks have gone by since I've last emailed. In that period of 14 days it has rained for 13 days. Each time it rains it normally starts at 3 in the afternoon, although it can start as early as noon. It typically starts raining soft as a warning call, and then it rains really hard for 15 minutes. We always take shelter for the first half hour or so of rain. Then it just drizzles for the rest of the day. When it rains everyone is hesitant to go outside. Makes contacting somewhat more challenging.

But, other than rain, what else has been going on in Malang? Let me explain by using some pictures. Below you will find pictures of:

(1) A burger stand that I've eaten at twice. A burger costs less than 50 cents. The patties are what I call 50/50, or 50% meat and 50% fat.

(2) A Candi, or Hindu temple, I visited last week. It was pretty neat.

(3) Watch out snakes! You are on the menu. I went to a restaurant, and at some yummy cobra. In the pictures of the snakes you can see a bunch of normal cobras, a king cobra, and their friends cooked up and ready to be eaten.

(4) Indonesian currency. I'm not sure why I haven't sent a picture of the money yet, but here it is. Keep in mind that 13,500 rupiah here is roughly equivalent to 1 USD.

(5) A picture of me eating Indonesian cuisine in the most traditional manner: sitting on the ground, eat from a banana leaf, and using another banana leaf as a spoon. Also a hat.

(6) One of my investigators named Prisca. She has so much potential. She is that 'golden investigator.' Between our first and second lesson, a period of two days, she read from 1 Nephi 1 to 2 Nephi 3. She already has a testimony of the gospel, and she loves coming to church.

Here is photo from my most recent zone conference which was in Surabaya.

Due to some circumstances which I won't describe here, I don't think that there will be transfers this week. I feel alright about it though, because I have two awesome investigators right now, and I want the extra time in Malang to really get to know the members and the area. I am loving my time in Indonesia, and I hope everyone back at home is doing well. I pray for all of you.

Questions and Answers:

Q: Do you teach English classes in Malang?

A: A few years ago the English class in Malang had around 60 members in attendance each week. Before I moved here the class had around 10 members, coming every Thursday night. For some reason the class was moved to Friday night, and because of some miscommunication, only 2 people still came. I decided it would be best to shut down English class, so right now there is no English class in Malang.

Q: Do you have dinner appointments with members?

A: Only if I am the one who makes the appointment. In one of my last areas I ate at a members' home only twice in my six weeks there. Here the members are awesome, and I eat at a members home around once or twice a week.

Q: How often do you have potlucks at church? 

A: Not very often. There is a family here that loves the missionaries, and they bring us food every week at church. The missionaries love it, because it tastes a lot better than anything that we can cook up.

Q: Can you use public transportation, or is it just biking and walking?

A: I very rarely use public transportation. The most I use it for is to travel to Surabaya for splits with the Zone Leaders or for Zone Conference.

Root Beer Floats

Another average week goes down on the books. My companion Elder Putra and I worked really hard. I went on companionship exchanges with an Elder named Elder Schenk (pronounced Shank). This week marks my 11th week with Elder Putra, and as part of his training he will be taking the lead. This week I also have a meeting in Surabaya with all of the missionaries in my zone.

Below you will find some questions and my answers. Feel free to email me with questions and I will answer them in my next email. 

Q: Do you ever have to go to a government office for your visa?

A: Nope. In Indonesia we have what is called a football. Every foreign missionary carries a football, which is comprised of quite a few legal documents that state who we are, why we are here, and what we are doing. 

Q: Do you play Footsol?

A: Yes. Footsol was included in my pictures from last week. It is indoor soccer played on a small court, sometimes made of tile or turf.

Q: Are living conditions much different in Malang than Surabaya?

A: The living conditions for the missionaries are about the same throughout all of Indonesia, but I have found that there are more of the poor class in Malang, probably because it is a smaller city. Generally living conditions are the same, the only difference is what 

Q: What about your Investigators?

A: Right now my teaching pool consists of some people who show good potential, but it is really hard to make an appointment with them. One of my investigators is a man named Albert, and he hasn't had any contact with his family for the last three years since he converted to Christianity. He teaches a piano class Sunday morning, so it is really difficult for him to come to church.

Pictures:

I bought my companion and I huge root beer floats

One of the many local Mosques at night, lit up

A cart that I sometimes buy food from

Ups and Downs

My week has had its ups and downs. 

An investigator of mine, named Albert, lost his phone and had to buy a new one. He got a new phone number, so I didn't have anyway to contact him. I eventually decided to play detective, and tracked him down in his friends house. He hasn't had any contact with his family as of three years ago, when he converted to Christianity from Islam. He teaches piano Sunday morning, which is making it difficult for him to come to church.

Attached in this email you will find a few pictures. Let me explain some of them below:

Indoor Soccer is really big in Indonesia. It is called Footsol, and my branch plays it every Thursday night. It is normally played on turf or tile, which is always pretty slippery.

Alun Alun is a local park located in the middle of the city. Think of central park in New York City. One of the pictures I took reminds me of the pictures that everyone takes at Disneyland with the Cinderella castle in the background, but here we have Mosques in the background.

 

Kampung is the Indoneisan word for a neighborhood-like organization. They vary in terms of wealth and size, but the ones pictured below are pretty average, with the exception that here in Malang the people seem to have some interesting choices in paint colors. Maybe there was a really good sale going on at the paint store?

Entrance to a Kampung


Blue Kampung

Green Kampung

Rainbow Kampung

Normal Kampung


A picture of my district. From left to right there is Elder Putra, Elder Schenk, Sister Evans, Elder Zebua (in front), Sister Stephani, and myself.

 I took some picture not only of the food I eat, but also where I eat it.

Cool Bench

I was surprised the find so many motorcycles parked inside the church. The members all went up to a nearby town for the weekend, and I guess they were worried that their motorcycles might be stolen if left outside.

Jungle

A green orange. For whatever reason the fruit here doesn't seem to change colors when it becomes ripe. So I eat lots of green oranges, bananas, mangoes and the like.

Crazy Sign

Merry Christmas and Happy New Years!

Because I didn't send out an email last week I will try and write about the past two weeks as well as I remember.

A quick thanks to all who write to me, and have written to me in 2017. Keep on sending the emails!

Two weeks ago I moved to Malang with my companion at the time, Elder Putra. We are whitewashing together, for the second time, in a new city. For anyone who doesn't understand the term whitewashing, it is missionary language for moving to a new city with a companion who is also new to that same city. Neither of you know where anything is, or how to get anywhere. It is a lot of fun!

Malang has turned out to be a lot better than Surabaya. It isn't too much colder, but I am grateful for the difference. It also is a pretty windy city, which helps to keep the sweat and mosquitoes off. The city is pretty hilly, which makes riding a bike lots of fun, but I wouldn't give it up for anything else. Also the water here is pretty clean. The shower water in Surabaya had a nice brown color to it from all the dirt, but here the water is the color it should be. The culture is about the same, but the missionary work here just feels more rewarding.

Something I don't think I have written about yet is Javanese, the local language on Java island. NO, it is not a dialect of Indonesian. The two languages have some similarities, but are completely different languages. The languages are just as different as you and I are, but are one in purpose (also a good way to explain the godhead). My companion is actually more fluent in Javanese than he is in Indoensian. That is fairly common for people who were  born in Java. I have actually met a few people who only speak Javanese.

In Malang we have one branch, and six missionaries, my own companion, Elder Schenk (Idaho), Elder Zebua (Indonesia), Sister Evans(Florida), and Sister Stefani (Indonesia). My companion and I have been meeting with lots of the members recently, really trying to help them be more brave in sharing the gospel with their friends. At some of our member appointments; however, after I share a spiritual thought from the scriptures, the family will just talk with my native companion in Javanese, leaving me in the dark for the rest of the meeting.

This last week my companion and I took the bus, a two hour uncomfortable ride, up and back to Surabaya twice. The first time we traveled with our entire district for Christmas devotional with my Mission President. The second time was for companionship exchanges with the zone leaders. Exchanges are 24 hours long, and I learned a lot with my companion Elder  Ariono. After we finished exchanges, I rode back down to Malang, but because of traffic the two hour bus ride rather slowly turned into a four hour bus ride. Then, to add to everyone's enjoyment, the radiator blew, and we had to get off the bus and switch buses. I would ride the train, a more reliable form of transportation, but all the tickets were sold out.

I have some really good pictures that I want to send, but the computer I am emailing on right now is less than decent. I will try and find a better spot to email next week.

If at any point in my email you thought that I am complaining, I'm not. I love serving in Indonesia. Serving a mission is not a walk in a park, but it also not something to be grudgingly endured. From my own experience I know that as a son or daughter of God, we are entitled to his heavenly assistance. He is simply waiting for us to call him with a humble heart and meek attitude, and ask for what is right. Then he will provide a way. On a mission and in our life, we are sometimes pushed around in the whirlwinds of doubt and despair. This will happen until we resolve to stand against the winds (and always remember, if you aren't strong enough to stand, kneel). Our great trial in this life is not to endure pains and afflictions, but endure them well, while continually choosing the right. This is God's plan for us, and he has sent his son Jesus Christ to help us accomplish it. I hope we can all look at ourselves and what we have done this past year, and ask for God's help in doing better this coming year.

Elder Allen

Christmas Day Message

Here is a short message from Justin (Elder Allen) on Christmas Day.

Big News

I've been sitting on some big news for the past few weeks, but haven't decided to share it until this week. Two weeks ago, the day after Zone Conference, my companion's father  died in a car crash. His parents were in a car with 4 other passengers coming home from a wedding late at night. The driver of the car fell asleep behind the wheel and crashed, resulting in the immediate death of Elder Putra's father and the hospitalization of the five other passengers. So far all five have returned home from the hospital and are expected to make a complete recovery.

The morning of the accident my companion and I awoke to our mission president banging on our front gate. He told us the news, and then asked both of us to pack a small suitcase. We moved to Solo for a week, so the Elder Putra could be with his family during this difficult time. I was on splits with the local missionaries there while Elder Putra stayed with his family.

Throughout this experience I have recognized the many tender mercies of our Heavenly Father. God in his infinite greatness and wisdom has prepared a way so that our family relationships in this life can be brought into the eternities. How loving is our Father in Heaven!

Returning from Solo, Elder Putra and myself have renewed our commitment, as the great missionaries of old, to lose ourselves in the work of saving souls. No sooner on our arrival back to Surabaya have we committed an investigator to baptism, then learned that we would be moving this Tuesday, together, to Malang.

Malang is a two hour train ride away from Surabaya, but a very different place. For one I will be moving from the hottest city in my mission, to the coldest, but still missing out on the chances of a white Christmas. I am excited for the opportunities this transfer will bring me, and anxious to experience more of Indonesia outside of my first and only city, Surabaya.

In other news, I will be leaving behind three amazing investigators who all have baptismal dates (one of which is pictured below), a sister in my district recently contracted Salmonella, it continues to rain every day and occasionally flood (also pictured below), that one volcano in Bali finally decided to erupt, everyone is talking about Jerusalem, and my love for this work continues to grow.

I apologize in advance for the lack of responses in the coming week. The next time I will be using the computer I will be using my time to facetime my family. But don't get discouraged if I don't write you back. I love all of your letters and I read all of them.

Elder Allen and Elder Putra

From the Streets of Surabaya

Here are some random photos Justin captured from the streets of Surabaya.