Indonesia Jakarta Mission: October 22, 2017

The fine tuning of the Family History 4 Generations Asia Initiative Presentation that's going to hit the stage in the Chapel of Cabang Surabaya 2 took up most of the week. Some confusing phone calls that should have been coming in weeks ago distracted us somewhat. However, they felt like putting a dent in a concrete wall with your bare hand. Must have felt that way by the callers.

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As an unexpected "bonus" Branch President Didit Dwinanto, allowed us an extra hour past the Combined Sunday School & include the Priesthood & Relief Society hour, realizing the incredible importance of this Presentation. Very well received by us & definitely beneficial to the audience...

Another, very popular "Free" car wash was organized by the full-time young Elders. They covered the word Car. So only " sepada motor" (motorbikes ) were invited. Those invitations are done by 2 Elders holding up the banner some 50 feet in front of a 90 degree left turn off the street onto the Church parking lot. The way it works best is to stand on the curb side of the pavement. There are no curbs here folks, cars & motorbikes rush by at mere inches away. In order to make the sharp left hand turn onto the parking lot, the motorbikes have to do what they always do. Turn "instantly" with sheer fearlessness at minimum reduced speed passed a concrete pillar since the open gate is covered from view by the pillar on the other side. If not done in a "split second" the rider will cream into the other side of the gate on wheels that are moved to slightly passed the other pillar of concrete. The crash can potentially be enhanced by the in the pavement fit narrow 3-inch steel rail that certainly can be the cause of sliding on the often "slick" bike tires. Opening the heavy metal gate, that rail assures that the person, while with all might pulling the first several feet & then turning ninety degrees & with maximum physical effort push, is aimed to help slide the gate into it's just about the completely open position. It leaves just enough sticking out the gate to make sure a last ditched effort to miss the steel, is virtually impossible. Sepada motor riders are well trained since they receive a license with little official training, thus practicing in traffic, hoping not to get noticed by cops. Thus, bike riders are trained by getting on these race bike looking monsters at a very early age. The only training seems to be that young riders are introduced & immediately welcomed, in the process literally tossed into, the always extremely overcrowded traffic like they've always been part of the chaos. In a way that's true. From birth, babies are put into cloth slings attached to their mothers. This way the babes get used to following the riders' waving moves to miss crashing into other riders, curbs or the always present obstacles of slow-moving cars. As well as the street side "warung" ( food, fruit, hardware selling carriers on wheels), chicken, dogs, cats taking death not seriously. Then the most daring living souls, humans, crossing while holding up a hand to beg the traffic to let them linger longer on "terra firma". Add anything, often illegally, parked on or at curbside to the chaotic & noisy scene. After a while & having survived the introduction time, babies in slings graduate to standing right behind the steering wheel handlebars ( often leaning on them) on the floor sharing foot space with the rider while staring into the backs of other bikes. Indonesian bike riding "boot camps" are the battle-tested way all kids learn to slalom like future fearless riders. The absolute irony is that most riders and passengers, up to 4 or 5 on a bike, wear helmets, but the small kids do not. Perhaps to make them even more "battle hardened" by the time they join the millions of "sepada motor" riders who are the cream of the crop of often barefoot Indonesian high skilled riders. Bottomline: Bike riders are absolutely fearless. They are, as the story likes to make clear, trained that way on the streets from birth. Street Sense is the key, not the road rules where red light ignoring is practiced without a blink.

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Jumat (Friday) night, we achieved the first extremely important moment of truth of our efforts to get, in exchange for me making very shaky entries playing badminton with ahead tennis "stick", players to join the Family History 4 Generations project. As the picture shows, Br. Ardi Atmaya in badminton gear & blue hat, materialized his side of the "deal", changing his barefoot swiftness on the courts to 'flip-flop' positioning behind the PC. He proved, surprised & elated all of us to be a super fast learner & is committed to inviting other members to follow his example.

On Saturday 21 October we received a pleasant, cannot refuse, an invitation to join the just a few hours earlier arrived from Jakarta Mission President Rowley and his wife, Sister Rowley for dinner at an adjoining great food place. For the first time since arriving in Indonesia Sister Schmid & I feasted on "foreign" cuisine". My dish was Australian steak, some French fries & veggies on a hot metal plate. Mom's, schnitzel like meat with additional veggies. Both extremely well prepared & very tender meat. Food and company were awesome. We walked from the hotel lobby to the restaurant and back right after. An activity I can highly recommend when going out for dinner. I could not resist asking two proud Indonesian Marines to have our picture taken. The slender soldier's strong handshakes proved that they do not only look but actually are in great shape. The week ended with the confirmation of a new member in our Cabang2 ( branch.) Later we attended a worthwhile Missionary Training in the Cabang1 building. Missionary "dots" were connected again. Including a very emotional plea & subsequent Testimony by Sister Rowley to keep building a stronger testimony of Kitab Mormon.

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Sunday 22 Oct featured another Cabang Surabaya Dua Historic moment. The Family History room changed into a very "bubbling Full House." Three more members joined the CS2 Team as committed members who recognized the opportunity, join President Didit Dwinanto in his plea to make this Branch a lot stronger. Awesome moment. Never to be taken as anything else than Historic. The first steps are taken to a great future. As "icing on the cake", one of them, the YM President, Br. Mongan, is bringing all the Young Men next Saturday at jam 3 sore, (3 pm) to get trained in Family History.

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History will be made again on Sunday 29 October when we will make the audience understand that Family History is getting the persons behind the names Temple ready on FamilyTree & that the Proselytizing is centered in & around Kitab Mormon ( the Book of Mormon). The historic moment will be the realization that all of us will get: " Understand and accept that the two will be implemented in "tandem". Like in: "The one will support & function together, as a team, with the other." We all hope that the future will bring the righteously desired results.

Elder & Sister Schmid