Last week we had the opportunity to visit a new place in Central Java. We live in West Java, then there is Central Java and then East Java. We went to Jojakarta. The mission couple the Taylor's met us at the airport they took us right to the church where they were teaching an English class. It is like the one that we help teach only it is for the Jr and Senior High school students there in Jojakarta. They have class 3 times a week, but on Fri night they have American night and Sister Taylor fixes them an American dinner. She had fixed spaghetti with meatballs and they sang On Top of Spaghetti all covered with cheese. It was really fun. We stayed with them at their house.


We got up early on Sat so we could go see Kaliuran a working volcano, but you couldn't see the top of the mountain because it was cloudy and rainy. We hiked up to a waterfall there and there were monkeys everywhere. We had brought bananas and fed the monkeys on the way up and then we brought some peanuts to feed them again. I had a package in my hand. I had thought I need to keep these secure so I had them cupped tightly in my hands up against my chest. Well a monkey jumped up at me grabbed the bag and was gone before I could even blink my eyes. He spilled them all over in the process though so they all came running to get the peanuts. I think I will give up on monkeys. They are just too sneaky.

We then went to the Pramabanan Temple. It had about 30 little temples all around it, which were destroyed when there was an earthquake in 2006. They are trying to put some of them back together, but it seems like an endless task to me. We were able to see the Volcano though in the distance. It was very interesting. Wish they could visit some of our temples and see what a real temple looks like. We then went and did a little shopping, and we saw a lady actually making some batik fabric. What a process! It is really interesting. We went to church with the Taylor's the next morning. They have a really good branch that they are working with. These people in the church everywhere we go are really strong in the gospel. They treated us so good. After church we took them to the Golf course for another wheelchair ceremony. It makes me feel really out of place to be there on Sunday, but the Muslins big day for church is on Friday.

We had a lunch at the pres house, which was for all the employees of the service center this week before they all had some days off. It was an Indonesian Dinner and I quite enjoyed most of the food. I think my tongue has been fried so many times it doesn't taste or feel it anymore. The celebration this week was for the Accession of Christ. Don't ask me who makes up all these holidays.

The whole district had a 3-day camp out of all of the Youth. At first I thought it was a ward campout, because I saw some babies there, but it was just Mothers who went to help with the food preparation. It had been raining and it was wet and muddy, but they didn't seem to care. They would run around in their flip-flops and then they would run through a stream of water and clean them off and away they would go. The President talked to them. He had them read in their scriptures and the strength of youth booklet and they all had them. Even with it raining and wet and they were having a great time. It was a faith building experience for me to see how these youth were just having a great experience despite all the obstacles that they had in front of them.

So here we are to Easter. The President is gone to Central Java for a zone conference so I thought I better have the Elders over for an Easter Dinner. The AP to the Pres both were leaving in the afternoon, but they said they would delay their flight as late as possible so they could have dinner with us. Sat I fixed yummy potatoes, Jell-O, carrots and made a cake for some strawberry short cake. We also had some ham so it was a nice Easter Dinner. We had Elder and Sister Pier come for dinner too. We really don't have a lot of room to feed everybody, but they don't seem to mind as long as there is enough to eat. Elder Bastain the other day said I don't care what we have for dinner as long as you cook it. I love the food that you fix. That was quite the compliment. I don't have them over to eat that often either. Elder Teng asked the other day when we were coming to inspect the apt. And I said maybe it will be a surprise inspection. He said, I don't care, but I hope it is soon we need some cookies.