On Friday July 6th we left Surabaya for Jakarta to give yet another Family History Presentation. Added to the ones we have done & will be doing across Indonesia. Up till now it has taken us to Medan, way up there in Sumatra. Manado way u there in Sulawesi. Including other cities as Semarang, Bandung Solo ( Surakarta) & more. 

Since the Jakarta Stake includes cities as Tangerang, Bekasi, Bogor & Bandung ( among others) we were prepared for serious attendance numbers. The Jakarta Stake consists of 9 Wards & 2 Branches. On Friday we visited the Mission Home for, among others, to pick up the Projector. The Presentation was planned for  Saturday afternoon. The Stake Center serves as the meeting place for an Indonesian speaking 2nd Ward and an English speaking 3rd Ward. Most members of the latter are American Embassy personnel and their Families. Including other foreigners from a variety of countries who have businesses here or work for Indonesian Companies. As well as foreigners from places as Afghanistan, Syria & Iran.

We arrived early just to make sure we were ready for some potentially unexpected last minute preparations. We enjoyed, as we have become accustomed to, the always friendly and warm welcomes we received from happy, smiling & enthusiastic members and leaders in Indonesia. Meeting and shaking hands with all but a few. We were not disappointed either in the amount of people in the audience. We used the extra time on Saturday to prepare for the Presentation. Including positioning the equipment. Then at about 1.30 pm ( 13.30 siang) we started hooking up the equipment for the Presentation. Slowly but surely the Chapel filled up. Including many of the members who came in from out of town.

Fortunately the equipment connection between our LapTop ( with the downloaded Presentation ) did NOT work at all. Really Fortunately because that allowed the people from out of town, who for a variety of reasons, including the "customary" Indonesian congested traffic, to be part of this event from the beginning. Many helping hands & computer skilled minds worked frantically to get it all to work. I could only watch in awe and amazement. More than an hour after the "official" start the equipment finally worked. The Presentation went off smooth, flawless & fantastic. It was received very well. We witnessed a captive audience from start to finish. 

Much to our surprise, we were requested to add a "Private Session" immediately after the Power Point Presentation. It was an invitation from the enthusiastic & motivated crowd we just could not refuse. Many came up to us, especially to Sister Schmid, with questions and compliments. We transferred to the large overflow section. Tables, chairs and extension power cords were quickly positioned. A fair amount of laptops, note books added. Including the many who brought information on their cell phones. We jumped on the presented opportunity to introduce the Free "Memories"  app. An, in our opinion, much appropriate addition that works in "tandem" with FamilyTree. Enabling to add pictures and stories to FamilyTree Accounts. The Ward & Branch Family History Consultants in attendance were extremely busy assisting, teaching & coaching people how to prepare names to be Temple ready. Questions that could not immediately be answered were noted. Including contact information. After more than two hours, not including the Presentation time, we were finally finished. The always enthusiastic, highly Family History skilled and committed Sister Subandriyo offered us a ride back to the Hotel. We happily &  gratefully accepted. She coached & maneuvered us skillfully through the congested piled up slow moving cars & motor scooters back to the hotel. This Jakarta must have even more cars & motor scooters than the more than 10 million people living in this incredible city of Contrasts. Including a city that never sleeps. Never a dull moment or "down time" here.

On Sunday after Church we decided to take a cab to the Menteng Pulo WW II Cemetery for our 2nd visit. The first time we visited my youngest sister's  grave side was last year August when we arrived in Jakarta at the Indonesia Jakarta Mission Home to start our two year Mission. Menteng Pulo is a superbly and well kept cemetery among the many War Cemeteries in Indonesia. On our 1st visit last year and more than 73 years after we left Indonesia, I was finally able to dedicate her grave. She did not survive the WW II Tjideng concentration camp horrors where Sister Schmid, her Mother & older sister, as well as my Mother, my two sisters and myself were imprisoned together. Irony will that only some time after we were married we came to know that we both were imprisoned in Tjideng. As well as in both concentration camps after we  were transported by rail from the Tjihapit concentration camp in Bandung to the Tjideng concentration camp in Jakarta ( then Batavia, Dutch East Indies). Sister Schmid & I never officially met or were aware of one another. Neither did our mothers ever knew of each other because  of the enormous amount of prisoners packed together in Tjideng. However, we can assume that we must have come across each other at some time or more than once during those horrible three years.

Elder & Sister Schmid

"On our way to Jakarta."  Attempting our first ever "Selfie."

"The chapel starting to fill up. Eventually  more than 60 people in attendance."

"Motivated members of the Jakarta Stake right after the 4-Generations Power Point Presentation at work to get names Temple ready."

"Right after the presentation members were fired up to open FamilyTree accounts. For more than two hours, adding names to existing accounts. Learn how to add names Online. Including have questions answered."

Jakarta Indonesia Stake Center.

While in Jakarta for the Family History Powerpoint Presentation, we took some time off after Church on Sunday to pay another visit to my sister Emie's grave at the Menteng Pulo Cemetery. Less than a mile away across the street from the Jakarta Stake Center.