Week of Dec 28th,2014
Last time in the Yogyakarta ward. Visiting families with gardens as part of the short term member projects, MCK/toilet project and ceremony in Solo. New Years 2015

                            Yogyakarta (Jogja Ward) visit.
Saying goodbye to many wonderful friends who have welcomed us with open arms and loving smiles.

With Sister Lidyia Siska, who runs a very popular Javanese style Restaurant in Jogja. I have put in pictures of her place before.

                             Missionary Sisters, Sister Chapman on the left and Sister Manurung, on the right.

                                                     Sister Lucherini with Tatok's sister

 

                                                                  Tatok's family.
                                         He has been like our right hand with many projects. 

Tatok and Dwi

 Ida and her family were also visiting Jogja. Many of the members in Jakarta have family in central Jawa and the biggest thing to do for Christmas is to be with family. So many were there for Christmas. They are very focused on family during the holidays and take the time to do a lot of visiting with each other

  Tatoks family again with his mother included.

 

 

As we were walking back to the hotel after Church, it started to rain, then it turned into a downpour. We stood under a store roof until a becak driver came by. This was a first for us.

We both couldn't fit, so he had to take us one at a  time back to the hotel! At least we stayed dry!

 

And away I go, just a bit bumpy, but it was fun.

The view from inside the becak through the plastic cover.

Our baycek driver

SHORT TERM MEMBER PROJECT with Jogjakarta Ward

The short term project is a humanitarian initiative that offers an opportunity to assist members of the church and even non members to rise above poverty by providing resources such as materials for small gardens and small animals (e.g.chickens or catfish) that can help them become more self reliant. Today we were looking at the first phase of the project which is growing and sustaining a garden.

 

First stop was at Dwi's parents home. The church provided the seeds, pots, soil and fertilizer. The members do the work.

You can see the vegetables are growing quickly and they should have chilis ready in about one month.  

Dwi with his parents, Siswoyo, 72, and his wife Toehinah, 69. They have been members since 1977.

Our next stop was at the garden mentors home, Sudi Raharjo.  All the plants are doing well, tomatoes, spinach, chilis. They looked very healthy.

We captured this funny picture below, because we couldn't understand what Dwi was trying to tell us. He was trying to explain that a particular plant was spinach, but couldn't remember the English word. So he was saying "Popee", and we were still baffled until he flexed his muscles, and then we understood, he was trying to say, "Popeye, and spinach." 
                                            We play charades quite often in our day!

Sudi Raharjo. He was quite amused by our charade game.

       Sudi is a metal craftsman.

He was making wine cups for a Catholic Church this day. One that is nearly completed is on the floor on the left side, under the table. It looks gold.

 

Another member participating in the project with the garden pots behind his home is Sastro Sentano,

For work, he receives bundles of clothing from a manufacturing company and his job is to cut all of the extra stray threads from each seam. He and his wife both do this for about 6 hours/ day for about $2.00 a day. He use to be a becak driver when he was younger, but can't do that anymore. He already grows plants for medicinal purposes and he says one of the plants will keep the mosquitos away. It is called the Zedia plant. We are wishing we could bring this plant home!

 We met with the chicken mentor next, Siswanto Prajoko, he is 82 years old. Here Dwi is talking with him about the plants. The biggest problem that they are having is that their chickens were getting into the garden pots and eating the plants. They have now been moved to a safer location. Hopefully they will survive?

Siswanto has a lot of chickens running around and several new batches of chicks. He seems to really know what he is doing. He is showing us a few of the chicks that are about one month old.

His daughter, Dwi and her husband, and their two girls live with him. They were learning to make a snack called Bak Pia, and Sister Lucherini quickly joined in. They are like a little cookie with cheese or chocolate inside. The chocolate was very good.

 The neighbor is teaching Dwi and her brother how to make them. They don't have ovens so they are cooking them on a heavy griddle type pan. They are turned over after a few minutes to finish cooking. This was fun to see and taste!

 

 

Siswanto showing us the cages he built for the chickens.

Walking Sister Lucherini to the car, with her bag of Bak Pia, hot off the grill.

Hadi Suwarjo, an electrician, has his plants in pots and will be doing Lele (catfish) because there is very little space around his home. He and his wife, Trihandayani, below, have been married for only 2 years. He has 4 children from his 1st wife, who passed away. Now, they are enjoying a grandchild, Abit, who is four months old, who also lives here with his parents.

 Our last family we stopped to meet with was Sudiyo, who does the church gardens and is also a part time driver for a local member. He and his wife have a son who still lives at home. They have 3 children and while we were there, one of his sons, Bishop Siyamto, of the Solo 1st Ward, and his family were there visiting for the holidays. 

                                              All the plants seem to be progressing nicely

 

 

 

 SOLO MCK SERVICE PROJECT.

A MCK is a community bathroom consisting of toilets, a shower, and area to wash.

The Solo 1st ward and the Stake worked together to do this project. The next several pictures capture when we first came and checked out this project and the potential need. As you can see it was pretty run down. Roof, walls doors and toilets were all in need of repair.

 Close up pictures of the water pump show that duct tape and other plastic has been wrapped around the pump handle to keep it together. This was also extremely hard for the elderly people to use to pump their water.

President Budi, Solo Stake President with Sister Saimen, a member who lives next to the MCK. She describes the difficulty of using this MCK.  Also pictures are Tatok and Elder and Sister Lewis. Family History missionaries who had just recently arrived in Solo.

 President Budi gives her a hug as we prepare to leave. He lives nearby and knew about this situation and suggested this as a service project. It would benefit many needy people in the area. Project proposal: Humanitarian funds will provide the materials along with help from the local community. And the community with local members will do the labor.

 

                                                   The completion several months later.
What a difference it was to see all the wonderful improvements that have been made. The villagers helped with the painting and while they said it wasn't a perfect paint job, we felt the pride they had in doing it themselves. We thought it was wonderful. The roof, walls, and a nice new floor, and best yet, a new electric water pump. No more pumping for the elderly. All they need to do is to turn on the tap and they can get water!

 

The new clean toilet areas is such an improvement from before. While we are looking it over, Sister Saimen, who is 76, came up to Sister Lewis to give her a hug. She was so grateful for this new MCK! She was speaking in Indonesian and Sister Lewis wasn't sure what she was saying, but the tears on her face and her smile as she spoke said it all. 
It is such a privilege to be involved in such a work as this. It teaches us to have more gratitude for the things we have, it teaches us how the act of service can bless not only those that are being served, but especially those who serve and we also believe that the Lord's purpose in all of this is teach us Charity, Humility and to recognize His Hand in all of our lives. How else can he teach us how to love and care if we never see need?

 The ceremony was well attended by church members as well as the community members and of course the missionaries! Below, Pres. Budi with the different local government and community leaders.

 The first leader to speak was the RT leader (local tribal leader), Harman. He expressed the thanks of the community for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints for the help with the MCK. He also asked the community to do their part and help in keeping it clean and in good working condition.

 Subagyo, the RW leader (higher level community leader) ,spoke last and gave thanks also to the Church for coming and offering to help fix the MCK. He told the group that they knew that the MCK was in disrepair, but didn't know how they were going to be able to get it renovated. He said he always felt bad that the people in this area had to use such a bad pump.  But now it is automatic, with lights in the building as well. Now it can be used in the evening much easier. They are very happy that the Church would help them make it so nice for the people. He also encouraged them to care for it so that it would stay working for many years.

This lady who is speaking is known in the area as a favorite Javanese Singer. She was going after this program to sing for a New Years Eve event held later. But first she wanted to come and say a few words to thank the Church.

 A picture of the community leaders who attended the ceremony. The ladies in the uniform dress were the committee for the social needs and programs that go on in their area. They help with families, and mother and baby health.

 

 As we left the ceremony this evening we re once again so grateful for the opportunity to be here and experience this wonderful work. We hope that when our mission is finished here, the lessons of love and caring will stay with us and that we can have the gift of recognizing ways to reach out and give of ourselves to others without the assignment to do so.

 

 

 

 

      A day of relaxing and a bit of sight-seeing in the Jogja area.

We had heard about sand dunes and black sand beaches so here they are! Black sand is so hot, it feels so much hotter than other beaches. There wasn't a lot of action on this beach!

                                 Here are what they call the black sand dunes of Indonesia.
It is supposedly the only dunes like this in this country. It was unusual to see no vegetation in just this one spot. Yet all around it there is the heavy green vegetation that we would expect. Kind of cool.

 Down the road we found another beach, this one however is teeming with people. Many here on vacation from Jakarta! They had ATV's and horses with buggies that you could ride up and down the beach area. People were definitely here to have a fun New Years Eve or as they say,"Selamat Tahun Baru'"!

 

 

 

 Our Driver and Translator, Dwi with his son, Ammon and his wife at their home. He made their Christmas tree there on the left side of the picture with the red lights. What a happy, friendly family they are!

Dwi crosses this river everyday when he goes to Jogja, it is a beautiful river and it eventually will flow into the beach that we saw all the people at! Fresh water meeting salty water.

 

                          NEW YEARS EVE  Dec 31, 2014

 Walking to the ward New Years Eve Party they are selling horns on the streets. Now to find the right one!

 We are READY AND STOKED!!!!!!!HAPPY NEW YEAR 2015, EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 Our crazy Elders having fun with us and enjoying the specialty for tonite.....dog....ugh!

                    The other big item on  the menu is roasted corn on the cob, okay now we will eat!

 Poor Elder Lewis, we think he might be a little sweaty, still warm in Indonesia in January!

 Two cute sisters, just being cute of course! Sister Manurung and Sister 'Chapman

              Sister Lucherini, Sister Lewis and Elder Lewis doing our best to sweeten the mood. 
                                            Blowing our horns, sorry only one loud note!

 And just like that we are back in Hollywood to blow our horns there! Hollywood, Indonesian Party at our hotel the Phoenix.

                                              The Hollywood Indonesian glamour girls

Selamat Tahun Baru 2015