Originally Posted March 5, 2007Dear family and friends,
We are thrilled to report that our e-mail system is back in operation after a few days of being down. It really feels good to be reconnected. I put this update together last friday and will send it out now, albeit a little late. We pray that you are all well and being guided and directed by God's hand in all you do.
Another Friday evening is upon us and the sound of the Imams chanting out their prayers rises above the sound of the steady rain. Our neighborhood is very quiet and it is has a peacefulness to it. It is surprising how safe we feel here in Bogor. There is something very comforting about being here and knowing that you are where you are supposed to be, doing what you are supposed to be doing. It is invigorating and motivating. It makes it a joy to get up and get going in the morning. Everything you do has a sense of significance to it and you want to do it well. It is exciting and fulfilling to be alive, even when you are tired.
The people here seem to have an innocence to them that makes being with them a real joy. They seem to have endless patience and time. You rarely ever see people get agitated or upset, even in the incredible traffic snarls. They really make you feel valued and they seem to have a particular interest in everything you say.
Our busy day was highlighted by our first English class at the Pakuan University. The Rector, who officially greeted us in his office when we arrived, and the staff went out of their way to make us feel welcome. I was both anxious and enthusiastic. There were 25 professors in the class, from all departments. The material seemed to flow quite naturally and logically as I went through the foundation pieces of the nature of truth, ( Known and Unknown ), the role and nature of belief, the risks of believing Myths ( beliefs that are not true ), the role and necessity of Faith ( Hope in things that are unseen but true ), the role of Values in shaping the patterns of our behavior, and my take on the necessity of faith in the learning process. The only tough moment in the morning came during the break, when we were showing them the pictures of our sweet grandchildren and we suffered a near teary moment thinking about them. We divided them into discussion groups of three and they were asked to discuss the concepts and provide a report to the whole group in English. The reports were all positive. The morning flew by and we were then off to our class at Cikopo. We love going to teach that little group of enthusiastic and sweet natured people.
I received a call from the country director for humanitarian services on the way home. He asked that I resend the news article that I wrote about the work we have done with the relocated refugees and I sent it off to him.
Last Friday evening we got a wonderful surprise from Lorne and Leena Merrett, who called to have a visit with us on the phone and to play a little prank. It was great to hear from them.
Last Saturday was a stay at home day for us as there was a lot of activity around the house. We had the plumbers come over to fix the toilets, and they put also put a screen on the back door. The young woman who cleans our house came over and the high speed internet service man showed up and hooked up our internet service and it actually works
Rick and Christine Smith and Christine's mother came by for a visit in the afternoon and we all went for lunch at the restaurant near our home. It was great to visit with them and we had lots of laughs. In the evening Sister Kane made a wonderful meal for the Lee family who came for a meal and a visit. We watched a great movie ( DVD ) together.
On Sunday we attended our meetings and had Sudin and his family over for a meal. A young man from Afghanistan joined us as well. He is a refugee named Ghulam and his conversion story would melt a heart of stone. In the evening Sister Kane prepared lunch for 9 people for Monday as we were going to be off to an early start to one of the remote water projects with the Church Public Affairs missionaries for the Asia Area, who operate out of Singapore.
On Monday we headed off to the water project early and we were gone all day. We went on a brief tour of Nanggun III followed by a trip to Taufiks cabin for lunch. We were worried about the Palmers ( Public Affaires) as both of them have physical limitations but we managed it safely and had a great visit at the cabin. The air was clear and you could see all the way to Jakarta. We were happy that it didn't rain as it would have made walking on the red clay tricky. We then headed off to the area where the community has been relocated. It was a longer, steeper road than I remembered. We were amazed to see the progress that the people had made regarding the relocation of houses and the development of the little community. They had already relocated many houses, board by board and roof tile by roof tile. The Lura asked to have a formal meeting with us and we all ended up having a" Sit on the floor " meeting with him and the adult men of the community. They were thankful for our support and wanted to tell us formally. It is a rare privilege to be part of this great work. One of the things that was noteworthy about the meeting was the fact that they were concerned about the welfare of some of the poor people in the area, when they were as poor a group as I have ever seen. It was quite touching. They asked for help with a few other projects and we were careful not to commit to anything but it seemed clear to us that we might be able to help with a cement pathway. The things they asked for were very reasonable and we had to say that there are limits to the generosity that we can provide because of the scope of the demand for welfare services in the world. They appeared grateful and understanding. We then drove back to Bogor and enjoyed a fine meal at a fine restaurant before coming home. The disparity between the " Haves and the Have-Nots " in Indonesia is striking and leaves you feeling a little strange at times as you move swiftly between these two separate worlds.
On Tuesday we headed off to Jakarta to attend our Zone Conference, which was very good. We took Elders Stuart and Shelby with us. We returned to Bogor at the end of the day to look at a house for the missionaries to rent before heading off to the Bogor Rotary Club, where I was the guest speaker. We took the two missionaries with us to the meeting. After the Rotary Club meeting we had another meeting with Taufik and the two missionaries to discuss the refugee project. The two missionaries will be working at the site for 4 days a week. We discussed the many logistical issues and called it a day. The two fine missionaries went home and packed up their gear as they were going to go to the site the following morning. The site is remote and way up there in Indiana Jones territory. They left on Wednesday and drove out there with Tauffik; our prayers went with them. We trust that they will be guided and protected in all they do. We are happy to know that they have a telephone that works up there as they sent us an SMS message. They are engaged in a great work of mercy and I look forward to seeing them on the weekend and of seeing the project when it is done. It should only take them about one month. We are excited to see it done as it will be the first project to be finished that we started.
We are thrilled to report that our e-mail system is back in operation after a few days of being down. It really feels good to be reconnected. I put this update together last friday and will send it out now, albeit a little late. We pray that you are all well and being guided and directed by God's hand in all you do.
Another Friday evening is upon us and the sound of the Imams chanting out their prayers rises above the sound of the steady rain. Our neighborhood is very quiet and it is has a peacefulness to it. It is surprising how safe we feel here in Bogor. There is something very comforting about being here and knowing that you are where you are supposed to be, doing what you are supposed to be doing. It is invigorating and motivating. It makes it a joy to get up and get going in the morning. Everything you do has a sense of significance to it and you want to do it well. It is exciting and fulfilling to be alive, even when you are tired.
The people here seem to have an innocence to them that makes being with them a real joy. They seem to have endless patience and time. You rarely ever see people get agitated or upset, even in the incredible traffic snarls. They really make you feel valued and they seem to have a particular interest in everything you say.
Our busy day was highlighted by our first English class at the Pakuan University. The Rector, who officially greeted us in his office when we arrived, and the staff went out of their way to make us feel welcome. I was both anxious and enthusiastic. There were 25 professors in the class, from all departments. The material seemed to flow quite naturally and logically as I went through the foundation pieces of the nature of truth, ( Known and Unknown ), the role and nature of belief, the risks of believing Myths ( beliefs that are not true ), the role and necessity of Faith ( Hope in things that are unseen but true ), the role of Values in shaping the patterns of our behavior, and my take on the necessity of faith in the learning process. The only tough moment in the morning came during the break, when we were showing them the pictures of our sweet grandchildren and we suffered a near teary moment thinking about them. We divided them into discussion groups of three and they were asked to discuss the concepts and provide a report to the whole group in English. The reports were all positive. The morning flew by and we were then off to our class at Cikopo. We love going to teach that little group of enthusiastic and sweet natured people.
I received a call from the country director for humanitarian services on the way home. He asked that I resend the news article that I wrote about the work we have done with the relocated refugees and I sent it off to him.
Last Friday evening we got a wonderful surprise from Lorne and Leena Merrett, who called to have a visit with us on the phone and to play a little prank. It was great to hear from them.
Last Saturday was a stay at home day for us as there was a lot of activity around the house. We had the plumbers come over to fix the toilets, and they put also put a screen on the back door. The young woman who cleans our house came over and the high speed internet service man showed up and hooked up our internet service and it actually works
Rick and Christine Smith and Christine's mother came by for a visit in the afternoon and we all went for lunch at the restaurant near our home. It was great to visit with them and we had lots of laughs. In the evening Sister Kane made a wonderful meal for the Lee family who came for a meal and a visit. We watched a great movie ( DVD ) together.
On Sunday we attended our meetings and had Sudin and his family over for a meal. A young man from Afghanistan joined us as well. He is a refugee named Ghulam and his conversion story would melt a heart of stone. In the evening Sister Kane prepared lunch for 9 people for Monday as we were going to be off to an early start to one of the remote water projects with the Church Public Affairs missionaries for the Asia Area, who operate out of Singapore.
On Monday we headed off to the water project early and we were gone all day. We went on a brief tour of Nanggun III followed by a trip to Taufiks cabin for lunch. We were worried about the Palmers ( Public Affaires) as both of them have physical limitations but we managed it safely and had a great visit at the cabin. The air was clear and you could see all the way to Jakarta. We were happy that it didn't rain as it would have made walking on the red clay tricky. We then headed off to the area where the community has been relocated. It was a longer, steeper road than I remembered. We were amazed to see the progress that the people had made regarding the relocation of houses and the development of the little community. They had already relocated many houses, board by board and roof tile by roof tile. The Lura asked to have a formal meeting with us and we all ended up having a" Sit on the floor " meeting with him and the adult men of the community. They were thankful for our support and wanted to tell us formally. It is a rare privilege to be part of this great work. One of the things that was noteworthy about the meeting was the fact that they were concerned about the welfare of some of the poor people in the area, when they were as poor a group as I have ever seen. It was quite touching. They asked for help with a few other projects and we were careful not to commit to anything but it seemed clear to us that we might be able to help with a cement pathway. The things they asked for were very reasonable and we had to say that there are limits to the generosity that we can provide because of the scope of the demand for welfare services in the world. They appeared grateful and understanding. We then drove back to Bogor and enjoyed a fine meal at a fine restaurant before coming home. The disparity between the " Haves and the Have-Nots " in Indonesia is striking and leaves you feeling a little strange at times as you move swiftly between these two separate worlds.
On Tuesday we headed off to Jakarta to attend our Zone Conference, which was very good. We took Elders Stuart and Shelby with us. We returned to Bogor at the end of the day to look at a house for the missionaries to rent before heading off to the Bogor Rotary Club, where I was the guest speaker. We took the two missionaries with us to the meeting. After the Rotary Club meeting we had another meeting with Taufik and the two missionaries to discuss the refugee project. The two missionaries will be working at the site for 4 days a week. We discussed the many logistical issues and called it a day. The two fine missionaries went home and packed up their gear as they were going to go to the site the following morning. The site is remote and way up there in Indiana Jones territory. They left on Wednesday and drove out there with Tauffik; our prayers went with them. We trust that they will be guided and protected in all they do. We are happy to know that they have a telephone that works up there as they sent us an SMS message. They are engaged in a great work of mercy and I look forward to seeing them on the weekend and of seeing the project when it is done. It should only take them about one month. We are excited to see it done as it will be the first project to be finished that we started.
Wednesday morning was another wheelchair distribution day and it was very moving even though we only gave away two in the morning. We delivered one to a grateful 61 year old woman that hasn't been able to walk for two years following a fall. The second wheelchair went to a man in his mid-thirties that had been injured on his motorcycle when he was hit by an encot. He had two of his children on the motorcycle with him and they were all seriously injured. The children have recovered and he has not. Both of his legs were broken in the accident and they have not healed properly despite a surgical intervention. He spoke English very well and he used to make a living teaching English but is now without work.
After the wheelchair delivery we went to Yantis place for lunch and had a great visit with she and Eddy her husband. They live in magnificent circumstances and it was one of those unusual moments when you go from unbelievable poverty to splendor. He has a four year old Harley Davidson Centennial Anniversary Special that is a show stopper. He has put 600 kilometers on it in the four years he has owned it because you cannot take motorcycles on the highway in Indonesia and driving something like that around in this traffic is a little silly. They have a magnificent home and they are great people to be around.
I continue to be amazed at the genius of the " Preach My Gospel " book, that I try to read and study every morning. It is a thrill and a privilege to have a copy.
Thursdays we are busy teaching English and preparing lessons. We were able to find an hour in the afternoon to shop and to get money out of our Canadian bank account. Sister Kane bought some beautiful material that she will use to have an Indonesian outfit made for herself.
The weeks fly and we are content with our role in life. We never know what adventures the next week will bring. We pray for ongoing guidance in all we do.
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