It was a bright day in Bogor and it will be covered in greater detail later in this message. It is my hope that we can finally get hooked up to the internet and get the message out as an update. We have not had any real success since we moved last Friday. The house is bright and full of light and it is located in a wonderful area ( Bogor Lakeside ), very near to the home of Yanti, one of our NGOs. The sunshine is a great blessing as it may signal a lightening up of the rain and an end to the flooding.
We spent all of last Friday moving into the house. We did it in two trips with a small truck. We almost made it without rain but it did pour briefly during one drive over. Everything appears to have made it in great shape and we are very happy to be here. We have not had time to set up the home telephone or the internet and that will have to be looked after early next week. The distribution of this update will be delayed accordingly. Yanti came over in the evening with a plate of food that was delicious. We had a nice visit with her and we then walked her home. Yanti advised us that they will be fogging for mosquitoes in the area today and they will do the inside and the outside of our home around noon.
We saw a car yesterday that would certainly do the job for us. It was a 1991 Dihatsu Taft ( diesel ) with almost 300,000 kms. The price is right and it looks great and drive well. It was the first time I have ever driven a car with the drivers seat on the right and the stick shift on the left. It was also the first time I ever drove on the other side of the road. It was great fun. We will have to see how things go with the drivers license and then get a car, we would like to have one before next weekend.
On Monday ( Feb 5 ) we headed off to Jakarta to help in the emergency kitchen and we prepared meals for the people that have been displaced by the flooding. It was a great experience and we enjoyed the day. There are around 300,000 people displaced by the flooding. We cut vegetables, packed meals and delivered the food. It was very touching to be part of it.
The process in the temporary kitchen was interesting. Indonesians eat rice with every meal and they love to have some well seasoned food to go with it. Each meal was a large scoop of rice with delicious fried tofu cubes in a spicy sauce and spiced vegetables along with fresh corn that had been mixed into a dough and deep fried. They then take it all and roll it into paper that it waxed on one side and put an elastic bag around it with a large plastic spoon. They put 10 of them in a bag with 10 glasses of water ( purchased that way ) and 10 straws. They pack thousands of meals daily and send them out to distribution points where the people are living in temporary accommodation. The food was really good and I would have been happy to have bought it in a restaurant. The kitchen was a very large tent that had been set up in the church parking lot. They had a series of propane heaters with very large pots or woks on every one. Being in that tent ( with the side lifted up ) was a real weight loss program because of the heat. I have no idea how hot it was in there but I was drenched in perspiration and it was such a treat to be asked to go out on a food delivery. We loaded the food into one of the vehicles and off we drove. The only good news about the flooding in Jakarta is that it has limited the number of cars on the streets so that the traffic jams are a little more tolerable. Rick and Christine Smith were working in the tent with us along with Indonesian members and that stalwart little army of missionaries. Our hearts are so touched by the gift of service that they bring. I cut onions for a large part of the morning and I don't think I will ever get the smell out of my fingers. The commander in chief of the operation was Elder Subandrio, an Area 70, who never stopped smiling or working. He was an inspiration to watch and great fun to be with.
We spent all of last Friday moving into the house. We did it in two trips with a small truck. We almost made it without rain but it did pour briefly during one drive over. Everything appears to have made it in great shape and we are very happy to be here. We have not had time to set up the home telephone or the internet and that will have to be looked after early next week. The distribution of this update will be delayed accordingly. Yanti came over in the evening with a plate of food that was delicious. We had a nice visit with her and we then walked her home. Yanti advised us that they will be fogging for mosquitoes in the area today and they will do the inside and the outside of our home around noon.
We saw a car yesterday that would certainly do the job for us. It was a 1991 Dihatsu Taft ( diesel ) with almost 300,000 kms. The price is right and it looks great and drive well. It was the first time I have ever driven a car with the drivers seat on the right and the stick shift on the left. It was also the first time I ever drove on the other side of the road. It was great fun. We will have to see how things go with the drivers license and then get a car, we would like to have one before next weekend.
On Monday ( Feb 5 ) we headed off to Jakarta to help in the emergency kitchen and we prepared meals for the people that have been displaced by the flooding. It was a great experience and we enjoyed the day. There are around 300,000 people displaced by the flooding. We cut vegetables, packed meals and delivered the food. It was very touching to be part of it.
The process in the temporary kitchen was interesting. Indonesians eat rice with every meal and they love to have some well seasoned food to go with it. Each meal was a large scoop of rice with delicious fried tofu cubes in a spicy sauce and spiced vegetables along with fresh corn that had been mixed into a dough and deep fried. They then take it all and roll it into paper that it waxed on one side and put an elastic bag around it with a large plastic spoon. They put 10 of them in a bag with 10 glasses of water ( purchased that way ) and 10 straws. They pack thousands of meals daily and send them out to distribution points where the people are living in temporary accommodation. The food was really good and I would have been happy to have bought it in a restaurant. The kitchen was a very large tent that had been set up in the church parking lot. They had a series of propane heaters with very large pots or woks on every one. Being in that tent ( with the side lifted up ) was a real weight loss program because of the heat. I have no idea how hot it was in there but I was drenched in perspiration and it was such a treat to be asked to go out on a food delivery. We loaded the food into one of the vehicles and off we drove. The only good news about the flooding in Jakarta is that it has limited the number of cars on the streets so that the traffic jams are a little more tolerable. Rick and Christine Smith were working in the tent with us along with Indonesian members and that stalwart little army of missionaries. Our hearts are so touched by the gift of service that they bring. I cut onions for a large part of the morning and I don't think I will ever get the smell out of my fingers. The commander in chief of the operation was Elder Subandrio, an Area 70, who never stopped smiling or working. He was an inspiration to watch and great fun to be with.
We left there around 2:00 PM as we needed to get back to Bogor before 4:00 PM to sign the lease agreement as the landlord had added on amendment to the lease. I needed to get an original copy and then arrange to get it back to Jakarta to the Mission today as they pay all of the rent up front for the rest of our mission. We will then repay the mission on a monthly basis. We couldn't get the keys until the landlord got the money in his account and we were supposed to take possession this Friday, so timing was tight.
People here pay many of their bills in a very efficient way. You just transfer the money directly into the account of the payee from your account and the transfer receipt serves as confirmation of the process. As a consequence financial transactions can happen very quickly and safely.
When we got home from Jakarta and signed the lease we had a meeting with one of our NGOs about the flooding in this area and we arranged to purchase three propane heaters for a kitchen that her organization is setting up to feed 500 people that have had their homes washed away. They are poor people that had built their homes on land that should never have been built on and they have now lost all they owned in the world. We also spoke to Supraman ( Maman ) from the little school where we teach English out in the magnificent country side and he asked us not to come this Friday because houses have been washed away in the Campon ( village ) and it isn't safe as the land is not stable. He wondered if we might help and we promised to come and see his situation as soon as possible. Its all quite heartbreaking as there is a limit to what we are able to do in a world of limitless need. When I consider how few members of the church that there are in the world and compare it to the humanitarian aid that is provided I am quite amazed. I pray that I might be of some aid in helping people realize how valuable their humanitarian donations are in a world of great need.
On Tuesday we were alone as our driver took the lease agreement to Jakarta and got the car registered for another year. We were up early and had our Indonesian lesson before heading off on the encots to do some banking and some errands. We met with Tauffic at 1:00 PM and met with Leanny at 2:15 PM and had a good discussion with the Mission President about a possible project for a young missionary companionship on one of the refugee areas. We went to the Rotary club meeting in the evening and came home and went to bed.
On Wednesday ( Feb. 7 ) our day started at 5:00 AM as I forgot to adjust the alarm. A friend at home sent me an extensive summary of the key messages of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. It was a timely and valuable gift as we had been asked by the head of the Pequan University to come and teach English to the faculty members and we had a meeting scheduled to discuss it. I needed to put some thoughts together on what I would teach, how I would teach and what criteria we would set for the students. I was able to use the time wisely and put it all together, using the framework of the 7 Habits. We went to the University and had a good discussion with the Director and the head of the department responsible for English. They accepted our conditions and seemed pleased with our plan. We asked that the staff have some ability in English, be motivated to learn and to attend class and be willing to be evaluated. We also asked for support in photocopying. They agreed to everything. We are now awaiting their formal response and I have to draft a proposal. We then got dropped off at our home and we immediately went to the home of RIka ( one of our NGOs ) and dropped off 5 wheelchairs before going to the home of the Sister Missionaries, who are having a water problem, in that their water goes off for extended periods at a time. We took them to a department store and bought them some large plastic containers that they can use to store an emergency supply of water. We dropped them off close to their next appointment and we went and bought a water cooler for our new house. We also picked up the key to the new place and moved some things over there.
On Thursdays we taught two English lessons , one at a high school in the afternoon and one at the church in the evenings. It ends up being a busy and somewhat stressful day when you throw in the Indonesian lesson and the banking and other things you need to look after. We also paid our propane and electrical bills. You have to go to the offices to do this and the process is slow despite the fact that the amounts are very low.
During the English class in the school we were discussing the importance of having goals and dreams in your life. One of the teachers asked me what my dream had been and I told her that it had been to go on a mission. As I was explaining it to her I suddenly realized that it had been my dream to serve a mission in a place exactly like Indonesia and to be able to teach a group exactly like them in a place exactly like the one we were in. It suddenly dawned on me that I really was living a dream that had come true. It was a wonderful moment.
We have our District meeting at the end of the evening English class and we send our driver home at the end of the English class and then meet with the missionaries. We then took the encots home. It was fun. They are really small and the one we were on was packed with other adults. I had purchased a new " ultra-huge " umbrella that proved to be a great help in getting off the encot as it served as a cane while I was struggling to get out of the thing.
When we got home from Jakarta and signed the lease we had a meeting with one of our NGOs about the flooding in this area and we arranged to purchase three propane heaters for a kitchen that her organization is setting up to feed 500 people that have had their homes washed away. They are poor people that had built their homes on land that should never have been built on and they have now lost all they owned in the world. We also spoke to Supraman ( Maman ) from the little school where we teach English out in the magnificent country side and he asked us not to come this Friday because houses have been washed away in the Campon ( village ) and it isn't safe as the land is not stable. He wondered if we might help and we promised to come and see his situation as soon as possible. Its all quite heartbreaking as there is a limit to what we are able to do in a world of limitless need. When I consider how few members of the church that there are in the world and compare it to the humanitarian aid that is provided I am quite amazed. I pray that I might be of some aid in helping people realize how valuable their humanitarian donations are in a world of great need.
On Tuesday we were alone as our driver took the lease agreement to Jakarta and got the car registered for another year. We were up early and had our Indonesian lesson before heading off on the encots to do some banking and some errands. We met with Tauffic at 1:00 PM and met with Leanny at 2:15 PM and had a good discussion with the Mission President about a possible project for a young missionary companionship on one of the refugee areas. We went to the Rotary club meeting in the evening and came home and went to bed.
On Wednesday ( Feb. 7 ) our day started at 5:00 AM as I forgot to adjust the alarm. A friend at home sent me an extensive summary of the key messages of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. It was a timely and valuable gift as we had been asked by the head of the Pequan University to come and teach English to the faculty members and we had a meeting scheduled to discuss it. I needed to put some thoughts together on what I would teach, how I would teach and what criteria we would set for the students. I was able to use the time wisely and put it all together, using the framework of the 7 Habits. We went to the University and had a good discussion with the Director and the head of the department responsible for English. They accepted our conditions and seemed pleased with our plan. We asked that the staff have some ability in English, be motivated to learn and to attend class and be willing to be evaluated. We also asked for support in photocopying. They agreed to everything. We are now awaiting their formal response and I have to draft a proposal. We then got dropped off at our home and we immediately went to the home of RIka ( one of our NGOs ) and dropped off 5 wheelchairs before going to the home of the Sister Missionaries, who are having a water problem, in that their water goes off for extended periods at a time. We took them to a department store and bought them some large plastic containers that they can use to store an emergency supply of water. We dropped them off close to their next appointment and we went and bought a water cooler for our new house. We also picked up the key to the new place and moved some things over there.
On Thursdays we taught two English lessons , one at a high school in the afternoon and one at the church in the evenings. It ends up being a busy and somewhat stressful day when you throw in the Indonesian lesson and the banking and other things you need to look after. We also paid our propane and electrical bills. You have to go to the offices to do this and the process is slow despite the fact that the amounts are very low.
During the English class in the school we were discussing the importance of having goals and dreams in your life. One of the teachers asked me what my dream had been and I told her that it had been to go on a mission. As I was explaining it to her I suddenly realized that it had been my dream to serve a mission in a place exactly like Indonesia and to be able to teach a group exactly like them in a place exactly like the one we were in. It suddenly dawned on me that I really was living a dream that had come true. It was a wonderful moment.
We have our District meeting at the end of the evening English class and we send our driver home at the end of the English class and then meet with the missionaries. We then took the encots home. It was fun. They are really small and the one we were on was packed with other adults. I had purchased a new " ultra-huge " umbrella that proved to be a great help in getting off the encot as it served as a cane while I was struggling to get out of the thing.
Last Saturday was spent waiting, something I don't do particularly well. The neighborhood sprays for mosquitoes and they use a fogging machine that spays out a fog of fine mist. They do both the inside and the outside of your house. We believed that they would come at noon and they finally got here at 3:00 PM after we went looking for the and spoke to them in my faltering Indonesian. We had to cover all of the furniture and bedding with newspaper and it was fun to watch them fill the house and the yard with a thin cloud. We took our bird over to Yantis house to keep him safe from the fog, that would otherwise kill him. We also waited in the morning for the plumber that never showed up to fix the leaky toilets. We finally left for our walk to preserve my sanity. We walked for over two hours and I enjoyed it although Sister Kane doesn't seem to have any reliable walking shoes that do not give her blisters.
Sunday was a rain free day and we enjoyed a quiet afternoon at home. We made our own arrangements to go to church with the taxi in the morning in Indonesian. I was amazed that it worked. We met the two new Elders that have been assigned to Bogor to do service projects. I hope that we can keep them busy. We will need some divine guidance and some help from our NGOs but I hope that we can be of use and that the combination of us and them works effectively. In the evening we went for another long walk in the beautiful evening temperature and came home and watched a movie on the DVD player called " The Nativity " , which we enjoyed.
On Monday ( Feb. 12 ) our language teacher did not come and I really miss her assistance in helping us focus on the language. There is just so much to do and so little time to get it all accomplished. We got all of the office equipment hooked together and we managed to get over to the internet place to have our internet service changed to this address. We went to the rental agency and got the telephone situation straightened out and they gave us a new phone to use that actually worked. We are now up and running in relation to the telephone and our new number ( 0251 357 523 ) . We could not get the internet to work and I pray that we can get this problem resolved quickly so that we can regain communication with the outside world. We picked up the new Service Elders and took them over to Rikas house where they helped prepare meals for the displaced by the floods. We went out to the little school that we teach at and viewed the results of the three landslides that they had in their area. There were two people killed and 30 families lost their houses due to the landslides. We took blankets, clothing and an 18 kilo bag of rice for them. Maman and some of his people met us at the place where we park our vehicle and helped carry the boxes and things to the site where the families are staying until they can get re-established. We then went and looked more carefully at the sites of the landslides. It is amazing how much damage moving earth and water can do. It is easy to understand why the landslides occur as the land has been destabilized by the rice paddies, which are in turn destabilized by the huge amounts of rain. All it takes is for one piece of earth to give way high on the hillside and a chain reaction is triggered. The net result is that houses and buildings are simply washed away in the massive flow of mud and earth.
Sunday was a rain free day and we enjoyed a quiet afternoon at home. We made our own arrangements to go to church with the taxi in the morning in Indonesian. I was amazed that it worked. We met the two new Elders that have been assigned to Bogor to do service projects. I hope that we can keep them busy. We will need some divine guidance and some help from our NGOs but I hope that we can be of use and that the combination of us and them works effectively. In the evening we went for another long walk in the beautiful evening temperature and came home and watched a movie on the DVD player called " The Nativity " , which we enjoyed.
On Monday ( Feb. 12 ) our language teacher did not come and I really miss her assistance in helping us focus on the language. There is just so much to do and so little time to get it all accomplished. We got all of the office equipment hooked together and we managed to get over to the internet place to have our internet service changed to this address. We went to the rental agency and got the telephone situation straightened out and they gave us a new phone to use that actually worked. We are now up and running in relation to the telephone and our new number ( 0251 357 523 ) . We could not get the internet to work and I pray that we can get this problem resolved quickly so that we can regain communication with the outside world. We picked up the new Service Elders and took them over to Rikas house where they helped prepare meals for the displaced by the floods. We went out to the little school that we teach at and viewed the results of the three landslides that they had in their area. There were two people killed and 30 families lost their houses due to the landslides. We took blankets, clothing and an 18 kilo bag of rice for them. Maman and some of his people met us at the place where we park our vehicle and helped carry the boxes and things to the site where the families are staying until they can get re-established. We then went and looked more carefully at the sites of the landslides. It is amazing how much damage moving earth and water can do. It is easy to understand why the landslides occur as the land has been destabilized by the rice paddies, which are in turn destabilized by the huge amounts of rain. All it takes is for one piece of earth to give way high on the hillside and a chain reaction is triggered. The net result is that houses and buildings are simply washed away in the massive flow of mud and earth.
It is a cycle that is destined to keep repeating itself over the decades. This is the first time that we have been here in the rainy season and it is sort of what we expected. I am surprised by the floods in that the rainy season comes every year but not the flooding.
On Tuesday morning we were off to an early start as we left to tour one of the water projects and to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the Camat of Suka Makmur, in the highlands of the Bogor Region in western Java. The Camar is the level above the Lura in the rather rational political system that they have in Indonesia. I will not try to describe it here as it deserves a full description and I am not in a position to give it just yet. We left our house at 7:00 AM in the morning and Tauffice came in our car. We drove through some beautiful country side and ended up in the high country East of Bogor. We went to a very hilly and poor part of the country where Tauffics crew will be installing the next water system. We transferred to Tauffics " War Wagon " - a 1982 extended cab diesel Land Rover , that was needed to manage the incredibly steep and tricky roads that took us to the Campon ( village ) We met in a school room filled with men from the community and we had a very enjoyable meting where I actually used some of my Indonesian to say a few sentences. We toured the country side, visited the base camp and took lots of pictures. It is a wonderful feeling to know that you are providing a much needed service in a poor part of the world that can greatly benefit from clean water. We have spent enough time in the country side of the highlands to begin to have it appear to become more normal to us, when there is nothing normal about it. It is breathtaking scenery and it is a thrill to be out there. We were deep in the hinterlands and simply awestruck by the beauty of the place. Java is heavily populated and there are little villages throughout the landscape, even way out in the hinterlands. It is a combination of beauty, poverty, hospitality and a peaceful acceptance by the people of their circumstances that is very moving to the western visitor. The smiles of the people are wonderful. It was a great day. When we returned home we did some shopping and hooked up the washing machine in the bathroom that would normally be used for the house servants and we did laundry. We were in bed early as we were tired from all the hiking. We noted that there is something seriously wrong with Indy, our bird. He is paralyzed in his legs and doesn't look like he is long for this world.
Today is Valetines Day and I awakened at 4:45 and came downstairs to a flooded house. Happily the floors are concrete and covered with tiles as the hose to the washing machine popped of the faucet and water poured out for an unknown length of time. I didn't want to disturb Sister Kane early so I started the clean up using a very large and very handy squeegy that has a broom handle length handle on it. Sister Kane joined in at 6:00 AM. It took a long time to get it cleaned up but now you would never know that was a problem. Sudin came over at 9:30 and we did errands before going out to deliver wheel chairs.
On Tuesday morning we were off to an early start as we left to tour one of the water projects and to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the Camat of Suka Makmur, in the highlands of the Bogor Region in western Java. The Camar is the level above the Lura in the rather rational political system that they have in Indonesia. I will not try to describe it here as it deserves a full description and I am not in a position to give it just yet. We left our house at 7:00 AM in the morning and Tauffice came in our car. We drove through some beautiful country side and ended up in the high country East of Bogor. We went to a very hilly and poor part of the country where Tauffics crew will be installing the next water system. We transferred to Tauffics " War Wagon " - a 1982 extended cab diesel Land Rover , that was needed to manage the incredibly steep and tricky roads that took us to the Campon ( village ) We met in a school room filled with men from the community and we had a very enjoyable meting where I actually used some of my Indonesian to say a few sentences. We toured the country side, visited the base camp and took lots of pictures. It is a wonderful feeling to know that you are providing a much needed service in a poor part of the world that can greatly benefit from clean water. We have spent enough time in the country side of the highlands to begin to have it appear to become more normal to us, when there is nothing normal about it. It is breathtaking scenery and it is a thrill to be out there. We were deep in the hinterlands and simply awestruck by the beauty of the place. Java is heavily populated and there are little villages throughout the landscape, even way out in the hinterlands. It is a combination of beauty, poverty, hospitality and a peaceful acceptance by the people of their circumstances that is very moving to the western visitor. The smiles of the people are wonderful. It was a great day. When we returned home we did some shopping and hooked up the washing machine in the bathroom that would normally be used for the house servants and we did laundry. We were in bed early as we were tired from all the hiking. We noted that there is something seriously wrong with Indy, our bird. He is paralyzed in his legs and doesn't look like he is long for this world.
Today is Valetines Day and I awakened at 4:45 and came downstairs to a flooded house. Happily the floors are concrete and covered with tiles as the hose to the washing machine popped of the faucet and water poured out for an unknown length of time. I didn't want to disturb Sister Kane early so I started the clean up using a very large and very handy squeegy that has a broom handle length handle on it. Sister Kane joined in at 6:00 AM. It took a long time to get it cleaned up but now you would never know that was a problem. Sudin came over at 9:30 and we did errands before going out to deliver wheel chairs.
The wheelchair delivery process is always a very moving experience as most of the recipients are in tears as we place them in the chair. We gave away 8 wheelchairs. The most touching for me are the oldsters, especially the military veterans. When they look at you and burst into tears it is very tough to stay composed. It is as good a feeling as we will ever have in this life and it is one we will never tire of. There is something magnificent that occurs when appropriate generosity intersects with both great need and genuine gratitude; everyone in the process is so richly blessed. The wheelchair recipients were mostly aged people and some had suffered strokes. There was one severely disabled teenager who had apparently suffered from polio at some pint in his life; as far as I am concerned that is the greatest tragedy of all - the full potential of a human life destroyed by a disease that is so easily preventable.
Sister Kane and I have traveled in many places in our lives and we are not easily shocked but I must confess that there are some scenes in life so horrible to view that even seasoned veterans recoil in the horror of the moment. We had been invited to visit an old folks home for women and we were very much enjoying the company of these aged, sweet, withered, and toothless daughters of God, when we were invited into one room in the most distant corner of the attractive compound. It is the room where these sweet souls wait patiently to meet God, the three that were in there will not have to wait long. What was left of their tiny, wrinkled and shriveled bodies lay in a fetal position of their cots in the brutal heat of the day. I am ashamed to say that I came to the outside limits of my willingness/capacity to serve and simply turned away and walked out into the sunlight and ease of a more tolerable scene. We were not being asked for anything and we were not in a position to provide anything. It was just a disturbing moment to face your own cowardice and shrink from the opportunity to extend a kind hand. I don't know if they would have even been able to respond or recognize the gesture - I will never know - it was never offered. I pray that God might still accept the offering of our limited service.
We have many pictures that we did not send as the speed of the current service is so slow that I dare not. We will send more pictures when we can get the service improved.
Elder and Sister Kane
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