Well, this will be the last letter of 2007. What a different year this one has been, we have been places and done things that all seems impossible that we are involved in the the things that are happening.

Monday afternoon the Davis's and us made Yummy potatoes. We boiled a bunch of potatoes and then peeled and grated them. It would have been nice to have some frozen grated potatoes. We made 5 big casseroles. I made 3 large jellos and a gingerbread cake. The cook made all the rolls and cut up most of the fresh fruit and vegetables and a tossed salad. Sister Davis made brownies and Sister Pier made carrot cake. What a lot of food, but there was hardly anything left over. We cooked 4 huge hams. I cut 2 large pineapples just before dinner.




Christmas Trees at different hotels

Christmas Day was different for us, but it was special. We got up early and opened presents. The we fixed apple pancakes for about 20 elders. They watched the movie Cool Runnings and then they watch #2 of The Work and the Glory as the other Elders started to gather. There was 38 Elders and 4 senior couples. After dinner they had all brought a white elephant gift so they played that game. While they were watching the movie the Davises and Dad and I had John take us to a hotel here to see the decorations. It had a huge gingerbread house. It was really gingerbread and frosting with the candy on it . It was as tall as a house.





We left on Wed night for Menado our flight was to leave at 8:45 pm., but it was late and we didn't leave until almost 10:00. It is a 3 hour flight so it was really late before we got there. Then a long wait waiting for the luggage. The people from the Christian Church picked us up and took us up into the mountains to their church. It was an hour and half drive on a very windy road. We took 2 elders and the two counselors from the branch presidency in Menado. We went to the Minister's home and sat around. Then they had lunch. That is the hardest part of the whole thing. They took us out to a beautiful place where they were going to have a ceremony the next day. Then to visit some people.

Scenes of Menado

They decided we should go back to the hotel to get ready for their program that night at 7 pm. Back to the church and a 4 hour Christmas program. Dad gave them the wheel chairs. We only had 4 so we will probably have to go there again. Then back down to town again and the same thing the next day, but at least the entertainment was better they had some good dances, but then it started to rain and we were just out in a field. At least we had a cover over us for the program. We heard a group planning instruments made of bamboo. Instrument played like flutes and clarinets, trumpets etc, the sound was very woody. They played Christmas music, and other. They had manufactured something that looked like a tuba out of metal that added a bass tone to the music. There were no percussion instruments in this group.



It was so hot that we used the umbrella for shade



We left and went back down to town about 5:00 PM and went to visit some poor members of the branch in Menado.





We finally got back to the hotel at 8:30. We had to be up at 4:00 so we could be to the airport by 6:00 am. When we were on the way home John told us that we had to go to a program for the Institute students and they were waiting for us to get there. We went right to the church. The program went on until after 12 and then they told us that we would be going to a great Indonesian Restaurant for lunch. Wow. We finally got home at 2:30 and we had to leave at 4:30 to go to a party that a Indonesian member of the English Branch was having dinner for all of the missionaries.

While we were gone they had a big flood in Solo we should have gone there and we may still have to go. It is really serious though and a lot of members have lost most everything they have. Which isn't very much.



We have been working with Metro TV and the First Lady Office on the idea of introducing a Family Enrichment Program that was introduced to us in the MTC in Provo. The last time we met with Lisa of Metro TV, she mentioned some of the terrible things happening to the families in Indonesia, such as murder, drugs, family separations, children running away from home, and etc., and she was in very much in favor in presenting the Family Enrichment program on TV to help stem the tide of the troubled families. She then introduced her staff to us and asked them to work with us in the development of the program once the translation is completed and samples of the booklet are available.

This will be a bigger project than we can handle, we will need a lot of outside help to accomplish this program. Metro TV boasts a TV audience of 10 Million viewers. Should this be present several times during a week's period time we could have a lot of Indonesian exposed to Family Home Evenings. What a wonderful thing this could be. The booklet would be sent to those who would inquire free of charge. This would also be additional tool for the missionaries to have to interest people about the Church. Currently the missionaries cannot proselyte in Indonesia, but with a family home evening manual they have something to talk to people about in the streets. This could change the course of the missionary work in Indonesia.

Sunday we were invited to a program at that University of the Simabala family. They invite us to everything they have. They like to have the Bulas there. The Pres also took about 14 Elders and sisters with us. They fed us an Indonesian dinner yea! The elders were in heaven though. Then they had a program that lasted until after 9:00. As we went in they gave the Pres, Sister Marchant, Dad and I and 2 elders were given cards with scriptures on that they wanted us to read in Indonesian. Luke 2:4. I was given since my Indonesian is not really great it was really funny. I did the best I could.

Monday we had to be up at 4:00 because our flight to Solo was at 6:00 am. We flew into Solo and the missionary couple met us. We haven't met them before, but we knew who they were because of the white shirts. Elder Subandriyo was there also. We went to see some water projects that we may be doing. It was a raining day and a little cooler up there anyway it was in the 80's. We had a good day with the Roberts and it was fun to get to know them. We flew back to Jakarta and got home at 9:00. We packed and got ready to go again in the morning. We were up before 4:00 because the flight to Medan was at 6:00 am too. I told Dad on the way to the airport I thought we were retired.

We got to Medan after 8:00 and we had to be at the hospital by 9:00 am. We got into an old beat up taxi with no air conditioning and it was hot. It was over 100 there. We arrived at the hospital and Purba who is the legislater of Maden met us we got out of this beat up piece of junk and the cameras were all over us. The Minister of Indonesia came right behind us. We were there because they were doing the cleft lip and palate surgeries, but that was over shadowed by the presence of all the dignitaries that were there.

Some of the children that had surgery

They took us into a hall where the Purba family 4 sons and 3 daughters had a ceremony planned. The minister spoke and then they gave several of us one of those blankets again.

We also learned that one of the girls in that family is married to one of the sons of Simabala. The plot thickens. The rich marry the rich. We took a tour with everyone including about a dozen TV cameras. They were even circumcising some little boys and everyone went right in there and took a look. We were then done for the day and we went back to the hotel. I wasn't feeling very good. I was getting a cold so I took so Actifed and laid down and took a long nap. It really helped. I needed the rest more than anything. The next day, the president of Indonesia was coming. He was there for a program of Solitary of Indonesia. The program was outside and it was over 100. They put up big tents for everyone to sit under. Pubra got tickets for us to be there. We had VVIP tickets. The guy that was with us only had a VIP ticket so he was not able to be by us. We went through 3 security checks to get to our seats. We weren't that close to the Pres., but close enough that we could see him. They were supposed to have a wheel chair ceremony. They did but LDSC was not given the credit even though they used our chairs. Oh well. This ceremony was big and they put on a really nice program for the Pres. They had the flags and dancers dressed in many different kinds of costumes and beautiful. They had the badenese drummers and a marching band. It was very good and worth being there for. Then they had some tents set up on the side and they were doing some of the operations in the including the circumcison. (these were boys that were 9 and 10 years old and everyone was just walking in there.) I chose not to watch and someone grabbed me by the arm and said you need to see this. Those little boys were in pain, but I am sure the pain was more to have everyone checking it out.

We sat by a man and his wife at this ceremony, his name Rahmat Shah. He invited us to go to his museum that afternoon. What a place. He has hunting etc. He has all kinds of bears, lions, elephants, Insects of all kinds; butterflies, ants, beetles, rocks, shells, you name it and it is there. We spent over an hour there and we just touched the surface. It is a very interesting place. Pres Bush, Clinton and Jerry Ford have been there and 4 Miss Universes. They took a picture of us and it will probably go on the wall too of people who have been there. We came back to Jakarta late and were glad to be back again. We spent so much time waiting in airports, flying on airplanes, driving in the car and taxis that it is always great to get back to our bed. Even though we do like to see the different parts of Indonesia.

The other couples wish that they were in our shoes. Even the Pres wife wanted to go with us last week, but they had a zone conference. They have been to Maden though, but she wanted to go to these ceremonies with us. Thursday we were so glad to stay home and Dad had lots of reports he had to catch up on. It has really been raining so it is nice to stay inside. We did have English class though so we had to go out for that. And it is never too rainy to go and get ice cream at McDonalds.

John's wife brother and his new wife invited us to a party on Fri night. John's wife cooked all the food. A lot of food. They were really careful not to have hot food for us. We had a great time with them, but it is a little uncomfortable because we can't really talk to them too much. They keep feeding and feeding us. They made a black forest cake and we had two big pieces of that besides all the food and ice cream and Dad got 2 dishes of that before he just had to put his foot down for no more.

Well, I will close. I never thought that I would be in a situation where that song I'll be Home for Christmas, please have snow and mistletoe and presents on the tree would apply to me. but only in my dreams. We miss home, but we are doing Ok. Dad said, You need a present for Christmas and I said what do I need? I don't need anything, but I would like to talk to my family and that is enough. I love you and I will miss being there and seeing your happy faces.

We had a wedding Saturday night. A couple in the Indonesian Branch got married. The Bishop married them. I guess it was a typical Indonesia Wedding. It was a real shindig. From the dresses to the make up to wigs and crowns. They really go all out. The food and the decorations were excessive. A lot of money was spent on this wedding and this is a poor family. I wonder how they did it.

Sunday was the Primary Program in both branches. The English branch had 9 children and that included 3 little sunbeams which gave little talks also. Each child had memorized several little talks. It was the same way in the Indonesian Branch, there was about 17 children there. They all participated several times. I think I need to explain what the English branch. They are families from America that are living here. Some work for oil companies, some for the embassy and there is a family that works for Ford motor company. They are paid really well and if they are not given a house to live in they have a huge housing expense account. So they all live in really nice places. Pres. Marchant describes it like they live in Indonesia, but some of they don't really realize that because they live in nice complex with swimming pools, exercise rooms etc, etc. They shop only at the nice place and they don't really see Indonesia. They have some Indonesians in the branch, but they are not really treated like the others. They don't get involved with the Indonesian branch at all. They all go home several times a year with the whole family. A lot of them of leaving this summer their time is up here. So I hope the branch holds together because they are losing some strong families.

We had Zone Conference this week. It is so great to be around all the missionaries and to listen to the comments and their testimonies. It is held at our church so we don't have to travel very far.

I made a lot of gingerbread man this week. Sister Marchant wanted 100 for the program on Sat. She wanted 900 cookies. Her cook made 23 big loaves of banana bread. She cut 15 slices out of each one. Then for English class I decided to make some more gingerbread men and tell the story of the ginger bread man. I read each paragraph and then Sister Hinkley translated it into Indonesian so they could understand it. It was fun. Something they have never heard and they like it. Then I gave them a gingerbread man and they thought that was fun. Dad and I helped her package all the cookies yesterday. The 300 bags of cookies. We started at 3:00 and didn't get done until 9:00. It was a big job.

We are going to have a Christmas program with the missionaries. It is a big thing. That is what the cookies are for. We have been practing for weeks. But they are having a practice today and we have to be there at 9:30 and stay all day until the program at 6:00. So that is how we are spending our day. They put it on for the members of the branches and they are suppose to invite the non-members.

On Friday we were invited to a special program with some special needs children. They really like to drag out these programs. It was from 9:00 to 12:00. The children participated and it was a good program. It made me cry to see some of these little children and their struggles. I thought and Jesus loved the little children. All of them. This same group have a program at a rest home tonight which they wanted us to be too also, but we can't go to everything. They want us there and they want us right up on the front row.

I had given all these kids some candy and they were following me like the pied piper. I finally started to sing with them. Head, shoulder, knees and toes and Di siang and then I started to teach them I am a Child of God. They said each word as I said it to them. and then they sang with me. Of course they didn't know what they were saying. Dad was busy with something else. Sister Davis was with me and she said after have you sang with those kids before? Because you had them right in your hand. I said No. But they did want more candy.

Transportation

We were invited to the 7th birthday party for Metro TV. This was held at a Hotel here in Jakarta. Someone said it was a 6 star hotel. It was so beautiful and it was decorated fantastically. They said that they had put something over the swimming pool and we were all walking on it. There was a buffet table serving different items like prime rib at one, stuffed chicken, ham, scrimp and tons of Indonesian food. There were more than 2000 people there. It was said that 20% of the wealth in Indonesia was controlled by the people in that room. It certainly was the social event of my life. I was like a fish out of water. Even the President of Indonesia was there. It was great, but we had to stand up all night. There were people who were having a drink, but not much of that was going on. There were celebrities and some wanted their picture with us because we were Americans.

The next morning we went to a graduation ceremony of the University Undangan. When we arrived there were men in uniforms who were standing in front of the stairs. As we got out of the car they lined the steps on each side and saluted us. We were escorted to our seat right up in front on padded chairs. It was quite the ceremony especially since we can't understand anything. They called us up during the ceremony the Marchants, Subandriyos and us. They gave us a nice thing like and Indian covering, with beads and weavings. They put it around both of our shoulders. Someone told us that it was like they were welcoming us as a part of their family. There were over 500 graduates so it took a long time. They fed us again.

We have met this week again with Lisa at Metro TV and also some people about the wheel chairs, which should be coming soon. We are trying to get the Family Enrichment program together. They are translating it right now to Indonesian. We have many things going right now and it is going to be a very busy Dec. We think of all of you and all the preparation that you are busy with in getting ready for Christmas. Hopefully we all have time to contemplate on the birth of the Savior and the meaning it has in our own lives. We are so grateful to be a part of your lives and for the support that you are to us.

Tea Pickers

This was at a school. I told the girls these were my boys and to stay away from them.

A fun bike and cart.