Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Howdy!
Welp this week has been a very interesting one. I guess I can start off with the bad news. Let's just say there was a meeting today in Jakarta, but the Manado district wasn't there because we really messed up and missed our flight. I don't think I have ever felt as crappy as I did last night and today as I have in a really long time. I guess it was a good opportunity for the Lord to teach our district and myself some important lessons though, mostly me though. I have been taking maybe a little too much of a role as a follower the past couple of months but what I learned from this is I need to be a leader even though I am still the new elder in the district.
But besides that whole disaster it has really been an excellent week! I think Elder MArijanto and I are really going to see the work start to pick up in our area in the next couple of weeks. IT has been a very tough two months in this area because we werent really left with much which meant finding and finding and finding. This week we finally starting finding and recognizing the people who have been prepared for this Gospel. But even with all of that happening we still keep having problems with the other churches and things. I would say at least once a week we will teach a new contact, they will receive the message really well, and the next time we try to meet with them they reject us because they talked to members of their church or their pendeta about our church and they told them it is apostate. It gets really annoying and frustrating but oh well, there's not much we can do about it.
I think some of the best experiences we have had has been with inactive members. Here it is pretty much all our responsibility to meet with them, and there have been a lot of really good things that have come from it. Since we have started meeting them their activity has picked up quite a bit, and they definitely seem a whole lot happier now than when we first met with them. One in particular is Ferry who I think i have talked about before. He came to church for the first time in over 2 years a few weeks ago, missed last week because he hurt his back at work, but is planning to come this week. We are starting to invite him out to teaching appointments with us too and it has been amazing to see him change. He is really awesome.
Novita is still comin along, turns out her mother isnt really too supportive of it all, but novita knows it is true, she just doesnt want to upset her mom and things. It is going to take a lot of prayers and faith, thats for sure. All I am going to say about how to stay active is three easy things: Read the Book Of Mormon often, Pray often and Go to Church. It isnt possible to fall no matter what hardship comes if these three things are done.
I am sorry to hear about Carrie... eeish but that is really good that they were able to find that, and I know everything will work out fine. Give her a big hug and hello from her favorite Uncle Kevin! Along with all of the kids, I miss those kids a bunch, I bet they are getting so hilarious!
That is some craziness about Mikey... Not sure I can picture him as a married man. Hopefully it doesn't interfere with brother time in the future, because sometimes I miss him so much it hurts (hopefully he reads this, he will understand the joke, while everyone else judges me and thinks i am weird.) hehe.
I have still not gotten the rain jacket, there hasnt really been time to do so... it will be done soon. And the HP camera is just about at its' end. The first problem is that it won't except any memory card besides the HP ones that came with it, and then the other problem is that half the time there are errors with the pictures and I have to turn it off, and try again. So maybe it might be time for a new one... Not sure if it can happen now, but if it could that would be swell! I have seen some decent deals on solid cameras... around 1.250.000 Rp soo about 130 dollars maybe a little more for a really really good digital camera that will last a long long time. I should be fine on money if i could get help with like 40 or 50 dollars of it... jsut let me know it is really a priority right now.
I am excited for football season, well excited to hear about it from all of you! Capital is picked 2nd eh? Maybe this can be the year we finally get it done. And Boise State is ranked where now? Who is the team to beat this year?
Welp, I am sorry to hear that school is back in session now. I honestly think school sounds pretty nice in comparison to how hard missionary work is, but needless to say I like being here a whole lot more than being at school!
The church is true! I love you all! Have a great week!
Kevin
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Selamat Idul Fitri!
The fasting month is over now. last night and today have been very interesting. Last night, people we driving around in mobs on their motorcycles and cars and bumping Islamic music and yelling and what not, mosques were going off all night until this morning and it is still kind of going right now. We actually just got done eating with some friends of a member here that are muslim as well. a ton of food, I do not feel so hot right now. haha and to think in about an hour we are invited to an inverstigators house for a birthday party with more food. this week might be a little bit of a weight gaining week, rather than losing. but it has definitely been an interesting experience, and this is in the most Christian area of Indonesia, who knows what it will be like next year when I am somewhere in Jawa!
T-minus 4 days til the big games yeah?? Hopefully both end up well. Oklahoma is number 1? another year of them being overrated at the start eh? definitely let me know about all of the big games!
It has been a good week, busy. Ferry is doing super well. He is excited about Church, helping the missionaries and what not. Hopefully he will go to institute every saturday night now too which will help him strengthen his friendship a bit with other younger ward members. he is such a goofy guy. We havent been able to meet with Novita again... she went out of town the day we usually visit. we should be able to meet again on sunday though. She knows it is true, she just dopesnt want to upset her mom.
I dont really have too much to report on this week... sorry! We got some pretty awesome training from elder perkins which we missed the meeting but we got a chance to hear what it was all about. he talked about was the language of faith, and also becoming like a little child. Missionary work requires a positive attitude and faith like a Child's faith. When we want something to happen, pray for it and have faith that it will happen because we know that God loves us and will help us. Maybe not right away, but it will happen. It was very timely and helped Elder Marijanto and I out a lot.
I know the Church is true, this is God's Kingdom being built right now, a prophet lives and speaks the word of God right now! what a great blessing it is to know this!
I love you all, I hope all is well with life, school and family. Hopefully they get things figured out with Carrie as well!
Love,
Kevin
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Three Emails...Got a little behind! Kevin is doing GREAT!!!!
August 3, 2011
Selamat Agustus!
I hope you all are enjoying the last bit of summer. I cant believe it is already august. craziness!
SO first off, what the heck mountain west conference!? I still am not a big fan of that conference. but oh well, no worries, it doesnt matter what jerseys we wear for sure!
And the deal with mail here is that you cant send it through the Pouch mail thing the Church has, it has to be sent normally!
So the guy who told me that the Islam fast startted last week was incorrect it actually started on monday. It is a pretty huge deal here for sure. for the most part muslims are happy about all of it, but I am thinking at about midway through the month they'll be a little crankier, no food and even worst no cigarettes while the sun is up. I dont know if I have said this before, but EVERYONE, at least amolst all the males, smoke. and from what I saw yesterday they start young, around 12. IT is very very sad.
So, Dad asked about whether or not we teach Muslims, it is a pretty difficult situation. We cant really ask if they want to learn or anything, they have to approach us and ask. And if they want to learn it has to be cleared first by the head of their house and then by President Groberg. I am yet to teach any Muslims, it is just such a big no-no in that religion to enter into a different religion.
Our biggest finding method here is by far the angkots but also we often go into neighborhoods and try to make conversation with people. My personal favorite is when the person is sitting outside just asking " Ada istirahat sekarang?"- basically it is are you resting right now? and then they often get excited about a white person speaking indonesian and then we talk from there. It is a very different way of proselyting here, , but we usually talk with them for a while before we bring up the Church, unless they ask then we can just go for it. the most we can really say is we're missionaries from the Church and then hopefully they ask about it.
The big news this week is that Novita is now on date to baptized... but unfortunately she wants to wait quite awhile, so we can teach her mom a little bit too, and ease concerns. but we are excited about that, even though it is three months away!
one of the biggest problems in the branch here is keeping members active, it is also very very hard to find those that are already inactive to try and see if there is anything we can help with. But one member we have met with every week is a guy named Fery, who has been inactive fore about 2 years. Noone realyl knew why. but he finally opened up to us and we're now starting to help him get back into the Church and keeping the commandments. He is an awesome guy, and I could already tell he was happy to commit to start living righteously again.
Something I have really come to know here in Manado is how special this Church is because it teaches true doctrine and principles and focuses on Family and helping families be strong. I know this is the one true church, and I know it is led by Jesus Christ through a living prophet.I know that through Priesthood authority, ordinances of salvation are done so that we can become closer with Heavenly Father through covenants. I am so grateful for this opportunity to serve and help others learn how great our Father's love is for us.
I love you all!
Have an excellent week!
Sampai minggu depan!
Kevin
August 10, 2011
howdy howdy!
Another week has flown by! It has been a good, hard week that is for sure. It sounds like all is well in the US of A. Indonesia just seems to get crazier and crazier every week. It has really really been a harder week. We just can't really seem to get anywhere with our investigators. Mostly because we can never meet with them because they're busy. I often ask myself " Why do people have to have lives? why can't they just always meet with us!" but I am learning quickly to be patient with everyone, with investigators, myself, members, and our district.
I think i have said it before, but the people here are hilarious! a few days ago, we were teaching this guy named cornelius, and he has a ton of chickens and his house is more of just like a roof and it is all open so the chickens just kind of roam... well as we were teaching him, and trying to help him understand the restoration, because earlier he told us he is so grateful for the prophet mormon that is in America right now who wrote the Book of Mormon... So as we were teaching him, it was really quiet and then out of nowhere one of the chickens was right behind me and started trying to fly up and land on a rafter for the roof but got stuck... It scared me half to death and then Cornelius says " OH! it was the Holy Ghost!!" eeeish... so funny. He is a very very interesting fellow.
Novita is still doing well as is her friend Olivia, who we're teaching now and she already has a testimony about the Book of Mormon! The biggest thing they are going to have to overcome is being willing to switch churches, because their church right now- Gereja Bethel Indonesia, is almost right next to ours. So they are a little bit shy about it and things like that. But as their testimonies get stronger it won't be a problem for them.
One of the highlights of the week for me was yesterday when we met with Sister Novita, who was recently baptized. Brother Novan her husband is out of town on business, so we missed out on him. But their family is SO strong. It strengthens my testimony every time we meet with them. They are just so humble, but yet so happy and they have already see nthe blessings of the Gospel in their lives. On Sunday she bore her testimony and it was just great- It gave me a lot of hope too. Even though things are pretty tough right now in this area, and it is easy to let myself get down a little bit here and there, There really are people who are ready and need the Restored Gospel. now, If only we can get around the junk churches here to find them! People here are just too filled by churches here with things that are good, somewhat true, but not completely true. But they dont understand that so they don't really want to hear from us.
Needless to say I have learned quite a few things thus far, first be patient and love the people, second be a little more patient, be obedient and just work hard because I can control my effort and if I worked my hardest, I can go to sleep at night feeling good.
And the last thing is something the president Groberg said about 2 months ago at zone conference- it is ok to be disappointed, just never let yourself be discouraged.
I love this place, I am loving this opportunity to serve, and I am learning and growing so much every day.
I love you all! The Church is true, don't ever forget it! Read your scriptures, say your prayers and go to church! :]
Kevin
August 17, 2011
Kemerdekaan!
Haha today is the Indonesian independence day! So everyone has been all fired up about that!
First off, I am sad to hear about Carrie... Needless to say all will work out as we continue to pray and exercise faith with it! Tell her I love and miss her! And of course say the same to all the rest as well! SOunds like the campout was a blast! I bet those kids are just getting so hilarious. I am also sorry to hear that school is already starting again... you poor souls! The kids here have already been back in schol for a month or so now. It really is the worst feeling though, going back to school. And if the summer went as fast for you as it has for me, it hasnt felt like summer at all.
I was disappointed when BSU joined the WAC because I have already witnessed first hand that it is a joke of a conference. All of those reasons are why BYU left it. Hopefully BSU wont have to stay for long though, or maybe some changes will be made. Oh well, it sounds like this year will be interesting but also pretty good! The Georgia game should be amazing, hopefully it is better than the last time we played georgia... eeish. Let me know how it goes!
AS far as the work goes, it is still goin! We are just continuing to try to find and teach at any opportunity we get. we have some pretty god investigators right now. One, Alicia has met with the missionaries before with her husband. unfortunately her husband recently left her for other pursuits regarding religion. but she is very open and we know this Gospel will bless her greatly to know the fulness of our Father in Heaven's love for her. Novita is still the same, doing great. She has a very strong testimony already. The other investigator that is awesome is this guy named Eko who is 23 years old, hasnt attended GMIM for 3 years( Elder MJ and I are pumped about that part) and is very smart so he understands pretty well. The hard part is meeting with him, he is so busy always with musical pursuits, work, school. But he is awesome and the other day as we were proselyting after an appointment fell through we just decided to pick a street and walk, next thing we knew it was Eko's street and he saw us and called us over. The Lord really does lead his missionaries. We had been trying to meet with him again for about 3 weeks, and finally were able to! It was great.
The language is coming along... my companion always tells me i am already fluent... but I definitely dont feel like it yet. IT gets better everyday, it is really nice to have a companion that doesnt speak very much english at all, Elder MArijanto really helps me out a ton. He is such a stud. He is so humble and has taught me a ton already about how to serve. I really don't like to think that in a month and a half or so I will probably have a new companion... He is just the man.
It has started to rain here a lot lately... already three times in one week, and I have not yet bought a rain jacket, i think i am god on money but I might need more for it... IT RAINS SO HARD HERE. One hour and the roads were flooded the other day. It was nuts. I think it is the most rain I have ever seen. definitely awesome though.
On SUnday I have to speak in the branch... I had a hard enough time speaking for 15 minutes in English, Indonesian is going to be a whole diferent story. it will be interesting for sure...
Well, sorry I dont have much this week, But I know that this is the Lord's work. SOmething crazy about Manado is it is one of the newest branches in Indonesia, also the farthest from Jakarta which is the center of the Church in indonesia, and indonesia is about as far as you can get from Salt Lake City. Needless to say this is kind of the frontier of mission work! I know I am here to help these people by sharing the Restored GOspel with them and I am loiving this opportunity!
I love you all!
Have a great week, enjoy school! :]
Kevin
Selamat Agustus!
I hope you all are enjoying the last bit of summer. I cant believe it is already august. craziness!
SO first off, what the heck mountain west conference!? I still am not a big fan of that conference. but oh well, no worries, it doesnt matter what jerseys we wear for sure!
And the deal with mail here is that you cant send it through the Pouch mail thing the Church has, it has to be sent normally!
So the guy who told me that the Islam fast startted last week was incorrect it actually started on monday. It is a pretty huge deal here for sure. for the most part muslims are happy about all of it, but I am thinking at about midway through the month they'll be a little crankier, no food and even worst no cigarettes while the sun is up. I dont know if I have said this before, but EVERYONE, at least amolst all the males, smoke. and from what I saw yesterday they start young, around 12. IT is very very sad.
So, Dad asked about whether or not we teach Muslims, it is a pretty difficult situation. We cant really ask if they want to learn or anything, they have to approach us and ask. And if they want to learn it has to be cleared first by the head of their house and then by President Groberg. I am yet to teach any Muslims, it is just such a big no-no in that religion to enter into a different religion.
Our biggest finding method here is by far the angkots but also we often go into neighborhoods and try to make conversation with people. My personal favorite is when the person is sitting outside just asking " Ada istirahat sekarang?"- basically it is are you resting right now? and then they often get excited about a white person speaking indonesian and then we talk from there. It is a very different way of proselyting here, , but we usually talk with them for a while before we bring up the Church, unless they ask then we can just go for it. the most we can really say is we're missionaries from the Church and then hopefully they ask about it.
The big news this week is that Novita is now on date to baptized... but unfortunately she wants to wait quite awhile, so we can teach her mom a little bit too, and ease concerns. but we are excited about that, even though it is three months away!
one of the biggest problems in the branch here is keeping members active, it is also very very hard to find those that are already inactive to try and see if there is anything we can help with. But one member we have met with every week is a guy named Fery, who has been inactive fore about 2 years. Noone realyl knew why. but he finally opened up to us and we're now starting to help him get back into the Church and keeping the commandments. He is an awesome guy, and I could already tell he was happy to commit to start living righteously again.
Something I have really come to know here in Manado is how special this Church is because it teaches true doctrine and principles and focuses on Family and helping families be strong. I know this is the one true church, and I know it is led by Jesus Christ through a living prophet.I know that through Priesthood authority, ordinances of salvation are done so that we can become closer with Heavenly Father through covenants. I am so grateful for this opportunity to serve and help others learn how great our Father's love is for us.
I love you all!
Have an excellent week!
Sampai minggu depan!
Kevin
August 10, 2011
howdy howdy!
Another week has flown by! It has been a good, hard week that is for sure. It sounds like all is well in the US of A. Indonesia just seems to get crazier and crazier every week. It has really really been a harder week. We just can't really seem to get anywhere with our investigators. Mostly because we can never meet with them because they're busy. I often ask myself " Why do people have to have lives? why can't they just always meet with us!" but I am learning quickly to be patient with everyone, with investigators, myself, members, and our district.
I think i have said it before, but the people here are hilarious! a few days ago, we were teaching this guy named cornelius, and he has a ton of chickens and his house is more of just like a roof and it is all open so the chickens just kind of roam... well as we were teaching him, and trying to help him understand the restoration, because earlier he told us he is so grateful for the prophet mormon that is in America right now who wrote the Book of Mormon... So as we were teaching him, it was really quiet and then out of nowhere one of the chickens was right behind me and started trying to fly up and land on a rafter for the roof but got stuck... It scared me half to death and then Cornelius says " OH! it was the Holy Ghost!!" eeeish... so funny. He is a very very interesting fellow.
Novita is still doing well as is her friend Olivia, who we're teaching now and she already has a testimony about the Book of Mormon! The biggest thing they are going to have to overcome is being willing to switch churches, because their church right now- Gereja Bethel Indonesia, is almost right next to ours. So they are a little bit shy about it and things like that. But as their testimonies get stronger it won't be a problem for them.
One of the highlights of the week for me was yesterday when we met with Sister Novita, who was recently baptized. Brother Novan her husband is out of town on business, so we missed out on him. But their family is SO strong. It strengthens my testimony every time we meet with them. They are just so humble, but yet so happy and they have already see nthe blessings of the Gospel in their lives. On Sunday she bore her testimony and it was just great- It gave me a lot of hope too. Even though things are pretty tough right now in this area, and it is easy to let myself get down a little bit here and there, There really are people who are ready and need the Restored Gospel. now, If only we can get around the junk churches here to find them! People here are just too filled by churches here with things that are good, somewhat true, but not completely true. But they dont understand that so they don't really want to hear from us.
Needless to say I have learned quite a few things thus far, first be patient and love the people, second be a little more patient, be obedient and just work hard because I can control my effort and if I worked my hardest, I can go to sleep at night feeling good.
And the last thing is something the president Groberg said about 2 months ago at zone conference- it is ok to be disappointed, just never let yourself be discouraged.
I love this place, I am loving this opportunity to serve, and I am learning and growing so much every day.
I love you all! The Church is true, don't ever forget it! Read your scriptures, say your prayers and go to church! :]
Kevin
August 17, 2011
Kemerdekaan!
Haha today is the Indonesian independence day! So everyone has been all fired up about that!
First off, I am sad to hear about Carrie... Needless to say all will work out as we continue to pray and exercise faith with it! Tell her I love and miss her! And of course say the same to all the rest as well! SOunds like the campout was a blast! I bet those kids are just getting so hilarious. I am also sorry to hear that school is already starting again... you poor souls! The kids here have already been back in schol for a month or so now. It really is the worst feeling though, going back to school. And if the summer went as fast for you as it has for me, it hasnt felt like summer at all.
I was disappointed when BSU joined the WAC because I have already witnessed first hand that it is a joke of a conference. All of those reasons are why BYU left it. Hopefully BSU wont have to stay for long though, or maybe some changes will be made. Oh well, it sounds like this year will be interesting but also pretty good! The Georgia game should be amazing, hopefully it is better than the last time we played georgia... eeish. Let me know how it goes!
AS far as the work goes, it is still goin! We are just continuing to try to find and teach at any opportunity we get. we have some pretty god investigators right now. One, Alicia has met with the missionaries before with her husband. unfortunately her husband recently left her for other pursuits regarding religion. but she is very open and we know this Gospel will bless her greatly to know the fulness of our Father in Heaven's love for her. Novita is still the same, doing great. She has a very strong testimony already. The other investigator that is awesome is this guy named Eko who is 23 years old, hasnt attended GMIM for 3 years( Elder MJ and I are pumped about that part) and is very smart so he understands pretty well. The hard part is meeting with him, he is so busy always with musical pursuits, work, school. But he is awesome and the other day as we were proselyting after an appointment fell through we just decided to pick a street and walk, next thing we knew it was Eko's street and he saw us and called us over. The Lord really does lead his missionaries. We had been trying to meet with him again for about 3 weeks, and finally were able to! It was great.
The language is coming along... my companion always tells me i am already fluent... but I definitely dont feel like it yet. IT gets better everyday, it is really nice to have a companion that doesnt speak very much english at all, Elder MArijanto really helps me out a ton. He is such a stud. He is so humble and has taught me a ton already about how to serve. I really don't like to think that in a month and a half or so I will probably have a new companion... He is just the man.
It has started to rain here a lot lately... already three times in one week, and I have not yet bought a rain jacket, i think i am god on money but I might need more for it... IT RAINS SO HARD HERE. One hour and the roads were flooded the other day. It was nuts. I think it is the most rain I have ever seen. definitely awesome though.
On SUnday I have to speak in the branch... I had a hard enough time speaking for 15 minutes in English, Indonesian is going to be a whole diferent story. it will be interesting for sure...
Well, sorry I dont have much this week, But I know that this is the Lord's work. SOmething crazy about Manado is it is one of the newest branches in Indonesia, also the farthest from Jakarta which is the center of the Church in indonesia, and indonesia is about as far as you can get from Salt Lake City. Needless to say this is kind of the frontier of mission work! I know I am here to help these people by sharing the Restored GOspel with them and I am loiving this opportunity!
I love you all!
Have a great week, enjoy school! :]
Kevin
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Fruit that SMELLS like GARBAGE? Sounds Yummy!
July 26, 2011
Siang!
I can't believe it is already P-day again, this past week has flown by! Yes, It is true, you might need to hide the dogs from me when I get home, only kidding of course! But seriously, if they get too annoying... I know a good recipe! :]
Today I have attached some photos from the past month. I found out I probably shouldnt send memory cards back to you because they will likely get torn out of the envelopes or be lost, so this will have to do. First I guess I will give a little background on the photos, one of them is of the ocean and a nearby volcano from the beach that is about a 5 minute walk from behind the church! Manado is so beautiful! There is one of me holding some durian, which is a very interesting fruit here. It has a different smell to it, it is kind of like a mix between garbage and something sweet. I tried it for the first time a few nights ago, and it is so good! Very different but very good!
There is one of Elder Marijanto and I with a family that the father was reacvtivated about 3 months ago and the wife was just baptized a month ago- Novan, Novita, and their son Stiv (Steve). They are awesome and are now preparing for the temple, which is a huge sacrifice for members here it means travelling out of the country and saving up a lot of money. They have the desire though and are willing to work hard for it, so The Lord will help them with it!
Hmm So a typical day here in Manado is usally like this:
wake up 630, have an upset stomach until about 645 ( I wont go into details) haha.
Then I usually jump rope, and do some weights for 20-30 minutes. Shower, eat breakfast which lately has been grilled cheese sandwiches, so good. Breakfast food here like cereal is expensive, and eggs arent exactly too good on the stomach soo yeah I stick to the gilled cheese sandwich.
After all that is study time, until 11 then we head out for the day or eat lunch then head out. After that it kind of depends on if we were able to get appointments set up, people are hard t o make set appointments with, it is always- "oh call back tomorrow morning" and then in the morning, " Already busy today." the bottomline is the people here do not like to set appointments up in advance, or if we do set one, at least one falls through every day.
But when they dont work out we go find people to teach either by just walking around the markets and talking to people or going into neighborhoods and trying to teach lessons.
At 830-9 we pick up dinner and head home!
One of the biggest things I have learned this week has been that when we work hard, time flies by, the work is fun, and we are all happy. The other thing I have learned is that GMIM (the biggest church here) is the worst!
We had an awesome family to teach, the first lesson was great, they seemed really prepared and interested, but on monday we had an appointment and Joseph's friend was there who is not a pendeta but is in leadership at the local GMIM church. He basically started off by saying "I respect you all so much but I already know about your Church, the Book of Mormon and it is false and I don't believe any of it, and neither does this family. They are members of GMIM." It was a real bummer, and the family didn't even say anything the whole time. So we just shared a message about Faith and how a testimony is obtained and then left. It was a real bummer, but hopefully they will meet with us again without that guy there.
So that was the big story for the last week. I think it was Dad that asked what percentage of Manado is Christian, and that is a very good question, because we have heard that Manado is actually primarily Muslim as well but the areas outside of it are majority Christian. Not really sure what it is, but in the North where I am serving it is very Muslim.
Which reminds me, Selamat Puasa! The fasting month started today for Muslims. haha.
Well, The Church is true, Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God and the Book of Mormon is the word of God.
I love you all!
Kevin
Siang!
I can't believe it is already P-day again, this past week has flown by! Yes, It is true, you might need to hide the dogs from me when I get home, only kidding of course! But seriously, if they get too annoying... I know a good recipe! :]
Today I have attached some photos from the past month. I found out I probably shouldnt send memory cards back to you because they will likely get torn out of the envelopes or be lost, so this will have to do. First I guess I will give a little background on the photos, one of them is of the ocean and a nearby volcano from the beach that is about a 5 minute walk from behind the church! Manado is so beautiful! There is one of me holding some durian, which is a very interesting fruit here. It has a different smell to it, it is kind of like a mix between garbage and something sweet. I tried it for the first time a few nights ago, and it is so good! Very different but very good!
There is one of Elder Marijanto and I with a family that the father was reacvtivated about 3 months ago and the wife was just baptized a month ago- Novan, Novita, and their son Stiv (Steve). They are awesome and are now preparing for the temple, which is a huge sacrifice for members here it means travelling out of the country and saving up a lot of money. They have the desire though and are willing to work hard for it, so The Lord will help them with it!
Hmm So a typical day here in Manado is usally like this:
wake up 630, have an upset stomach until about 645 ( I wont go into details) haha.
Then I usually jump rope, and do some weights for 20-30 minutes. Shower, eat breakfast which lately has been grilled cheese sandwiches, so good. Breakfast food here like cereal is expensive, and eggs arent exactly too good on the stomach soo yeah I stick to the gilled cheese sandwich.
After all that is study time, until 11 then we head out for the day or eat lunch then head out. After that it kind of depends on if we were able to get appointments set up, people are hard t o make set appointments with, it is always- "oh call back tomorrow morning" and then in the morning, " Already busy today." the bottomline is the people here do not like to set appointments up in advance, or if we do set one, at least one falls through every day.
But when they dont work out we go find people to teach either by just walking around the markets and talking to people or going into neighborhoods and trying to teach lessons.
At 830-9 we pick up dinner and head home!
One of the biggest things I have learned this week has been that when we work hard, time flies by, the work is fun, and we are all happy. The other thing I have learned is that GMIM (the biggest church here) is the worst!
We had an awesome family to teach, the first lesson was great, they seemed really prepared and interested, but on monday we had an appointment and Joseph's friend was there who is not a pendeta but is in leadership at the local GMIM church. He basically started off by saying "I respect you all so much but I already know about your Church, the Book of Mormon and it is false and I don't believe any of it, and neither does this family. They are members of GMIM." It was a real bummer, and the family didn't even say anything the whole time. So we just shared a message about Faith and how a testimony is obtained and then left. It was a real bummer, but hopefully they will meet with us again without that guy there.
So that was the big story for the last week. I think it was Dad that asked what percentage of Manado is Christian, and that is a very good question, because we have heard that Manado is actually primarily Muslim as well but the areas outside of it are majority Christian. Not really sure what it is, but in the North where I am serving it is very Muslim.
Which reminds me, Selamat Puasa! The fasting month started today for Muslims. haha.
Well, The Church is true, Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God and the Book of Mormon is the word of God.
I love you all!
Kevin
Visit from Pres. and Sister Groberg
July 21, 2011
Hello Brother and Sister Johnson,
President and I made a visit to Manado last weekend.
We were able to be with the elders on Saturday, their branch on Sunday, and be with them when they taught a new investigator after church.
Elders Johnson and Marijanto are working hard and working well together.
Elder Johnson took part in the lesson and gave the first vision in Indonesian. We were so impressed. That's not easy-especially with the added pressure of having president there!
You can be proud. Elder Marijanto is young, faithful and a patient trainer. Elder Johnson has probably told you that both of Elder Marijanto's parents are deceased. He has 3 older siblings but only one-a married sister- is a member. I don't think he receives many letters.
I took a few pictures and will attach them.
Thanks for raising a great son.
Love, President and Sister Groberg
1-Elders with President, and Elias at Bukit Kasih
2-Manado Elders: Brown, Go, Johnson, Marijanto in front of metal doors of the church which is held in a Ruko (short for Rumah Toko= house store)
Hello Brother and Sister Johnson,
President and I made a visit to Manado last weekend.
We were able to be with the elders on Saturday, their branch on Sunday, and be with them when they taught a new investigator after church.
Elders Johnson and Marijanto are working hard and working well together.
Elder Johnson took part in the lesson and gave the first vision in Indonesian. We were so impressed. That's not easy-especially with the added pressure of having president there!
You can be proud. Elder Marijanto is young, faithful and a patient trainer. Elder Johnson has probably told you that both of Elder Marijanto's parents are deceased. He has 3 older siblings but only one-a married sister- is a member. I don't think he receives many letters.
I took a few pictures and will attach them.
Thanks for raising a great son.
Love, President and Sister Groberg
1-Elders with President, and Elias at Bukit Kasih
2-Manado Elders: Brown, Go, Johnson, Marijanto in front of metal doors of the church which is held in a Ruko (short for Rumah Toko= house store)
Bathing in a BUCKET? That's one BIG Bucket!!!
I have to preface this with a little history. Kevin has ALWAYS been a very picky eater. When he was young he did not like pizza or spaghetti. When we would get fast food we would most likely have to go somewhere completely different for Kevin. He also does not like to be dirty, sweaty, or stinky!While playing sports, it was not unusual for him to shower at least twice a day if not three! So hearing that he has eaten dog and is showering out of a bucket is quite surprising! My what a year away from home can do and especially a mission call from the Lord! I am so proud of the man he has become!
July 20, 2011
Hello!
Another interesting, busy but great week over here!
First off, yes I have eaten dog. And no it does not taste like Chicken, it tastes better! Just a little bit bony. Dont hate me forever for saying it, but it was really good. The food is all very spicy here, and up until last week I was yet to have a post- sambol filled meal stomach ache that was unbearable. But last week it ended as I ate just a little too much sambol, which is mashed up peppers and stuff, and I did not feel so great for the next day or so. For the most part I can handle it though, It is so hot but it tastes so good.
A little bit about my companion! Elder Marijanto is from Semarang which is on Java. He has been a member since he was young, but his family is a little interesting. About half of his family is Muslim, and the others are members. Pretty interesting. It is interesting because the way it works with the Indonesian missionaries is that they start their mission right after the graduate, so at age 18. He started his mission last october but his birthday is only 3 months before mine. Pretty interesting, He is awesome though, such a humble person. I have learned a ton from him already.
This past weekend President Groberg and his wife came up to Manado, which is pronounced kind of how it looks, in Indonesian the letter A is always pronounced like it is in the word All. AHHH. like that. haha. But it was good to have them up here because it helped the branch out a lot to have them come and ensure them that the church is strong. The branch here is really struggling, it is hard when the church is so small here but there are a ton of other churches that are Huge. The big ones are pentacostal, GMIM which is just an evangelical- protestant church, tiberias which is apostate to the extreme, it is very charismatic and Catholic. Also there are many advent churches too. With so many churches and things we meet a lot of different doctrinal understandings and things too. It is amazing what some people believe because their pendeta told them.
The language is still coming along, I am starting to feel a little bit more comfortable with it. The hardest thing is I struggle more with hearing than speaking and when an investigator is speaking about something really important that helps us know their needs, i miss it sometimes. But it really is getting better.
This week has been pretty challenging, people here are not very good about showing up for appointments and things! often they want to meet at the church, but then they dont show up, it gets very frustrating especially when it happens often. But even though it has been hard it is great when finally you find someone who is interested and willing. We got a referral from an investigator the other elders are teaching, it is the girl's relatives, and we met them on friday and on sunday one fo them came to church, usually they are very reluctant to come to church right away. So that was very exciting!
Novita is getting closer, we really just want to meet with her and her family and teach them all and just help a little bit. The thing is that her mom doesnt dislike this church, she just doesnt understand what is different about it that makes Novita want to join it. So yeah, we are just trying to help with all of that.
But It was great to hear from you!
I am doing well, I am now pretty much used to very different living conditions, no AC, sleeping on a mattress on the floor, showering with a bucket and being dirty all the time. now that I am used to all of that I am starting to love it here!!
Well I love you all! have another great week, Enjoy summer and all the fun that comes with it!
Kevin
July 20, 2011
Hello!
Another interesting, busy but great week over here!
First off, yes I have eaten dog. And no it does not taste like Chicken, it tastes better! Just a little bit bony. Dont hate me forever for saying it, but it was really good. The food is all very spicy here, and up until last week I was yet to have a post- sambol filled meal stomach ache that was unbearable. But last week it ended as I ate just a little too much sambol, which is mashed up peppers and stuff, and I did not feel so great for the next day or so. For the most part I can handle it though, It is so hot but it tastes so good.
A little bit about my companion! Elder Marijanto is from Semarang which is on Java. He has been a member since he was young, but his family is a little interesting. About half of his family is Muslim, and the others are members. Pretty interesting. It is interesting because the way it works with the Indonesian missionaries is that they start their mission right after the graduate, so at age 18. He started his mission last october but his birthday is only 3 months before mine. Pretty interesting, He is awesome though, such a humble person. I have learned a ton from him already.
This past weekend President Groberg and his wife came up to Manado, which is pronounced kind of how it looks, in Indonesian the letter A is always pronounced like it is in the word All. AHHH. like that. haha. But it was good to have them up here because it helped the branch out a lot to have them come and ensure them that the church is strong. The branch here is really struggling, it is hard when the church is so small here but there are a ton of other churches that are Huge. The big ones are pentacostal, GMIM which is just an evangelical- protestant church, tiberias which is apostate to the extreme, it is very charismatic and Catholic. Also there are many advent churches too. With so many churches and things we meet a lot of different doctrinal understandings and things too. It is amazing what some people believe because their pendeta told them.
The language is still coming along, I am starting to feel a little bit more comfortable with it. The hardest thing is I struggle more with hearing than speaking and when an investigator is speaking about something really important that helps us know their needs, i miss it sometimes. But it really is getting better.
This week has been pretty challenging, people here are not very good about showing up for appointments and things! often they want to meet at the church, but then they dont show up, it gets very frustrating especially when it happens often. But even though it has been hard it is great when finally you find someone who is interested and willing. We got a referral from an investigator the other elders are teaching, it is the girl's relatives, and we met them on friday and on sunday one fo them came to church, usually they are very reluctant to come to church right away. So that was very exciting!
Novita is getting closer, we really just want to meet with her and her family and teach them all and just help a little bit. The thing is that her mom doesnt dislike this church, she just doesnt understand what is different about it that makes Novita want to join it. So yeah, we are just trying to help with all of that.
But It was great to hear from you!
I am doing well, I am now pretty much used to very different living conditions, no AC, sleeping on a mattress on the floor, showering with a bucket and being dirty all the time. now that I am used to all of that I am starting to love it here!!
Well I love you all! have another great week, Enjoy summer and all the fun that comes with it!
Kevin
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Worst Mom Eh--VER!!!
I am feeling like the worst mom ever. We had been visiting Melissa and family in Houston, I had some sort of virus, and on top of everything we were traveling to San Antonia for a little side trip. WELP, as Kevin would say, I FORGOT to email him! There was also confusion because he said that his Pday was Wednesday but they moved it to Saturday because they were also traveling but that email day would be the same.
Bottom line...I blew it and missed emailing him for the week. I am committed to never letting that happen again! I guess you should "never say never" but I will do my best!
He sounds so good, and HAPPY! Does my heart a lot of good to hear him upbeat and positive. The area he is in sounds interesting too. I can't wait to learn more about it and the experiences he will be having.
I LOVE having a missionary out and appreciate the love I feel from my Heavenly Father that Kevin is in HIS good hands and will be taken care of.
Tuesday, July 05, 2011
Selamat Siang!
first off happy birthday America!!! Hopefully your fourth of july was most excellent, mine was great. It has been a good week here. we found out the last elders left us with no investigators so that means finding our own! In Manado it is a lot easier to find because we can get away with door to door without complaints. Unfortunately there is a downside- everybody that is Christian wants to talk with us and hear a message but they often dont want to exercise their faith and read, pray and come to our Church. part of the problem is the Church has a poor reputation here because the main church here tells everyone we're false. Soo that scares people often.
The other big problem is that the churches here threaten to kick families out of their church if members of their family continue learning from us. The missionaries before us had to stop teaching two investigators who were ready for baptism because of this. Right now, we have one that is similar to that but it is mostly with her family. Her name is Novita and she is definitely ready to be baptized but doesnt know how to tell her family because they dont want her to join a different church. it is a very tough situation, but hopefully our next meeting will go well with her on Friday.
the Branch here is pretty tiny, there was maybe about 20 to 30 people at Church on Sunday. Very very small. the nice thing about the branch is there are some very strong members under the age of 30, so the future looks good for the branch.
So how are things in Boise?? has it been a hot summer or not too bad yet? Whats the big news on Boise State football thus far?? I guess probably not much yet but usually the news is already full with stuff about that.
Lets see... there was a volcanic eruption on sunday near Manado, so there has been quite a bit of ash in the air and whatnot. It hasnt really been a problem for me though luckily. The air in Manado is so much cleaner than jakarta/bekasi but with the ash it was probably about the same.
this saturday, we are actually having our p day. Wednesday is the real p day but we are going to visit a member that lives way far in a pretty awesome area so we got permission from President to use that as our p-day but still to email on the normal day. It should be pretty cool, I dont know exactly what it is but I am excited. I will probably send home one of the memory cards next week sometime. It will take like 2 or 3 weeks to get there so be lookin for that.
I dont really know what else to write! I love you all and I hope you're having an excellent summer!
Kevin
Bottom line...I blew it and missed emailing him for the week. I am committed to never letting that happen again! I guess you should "never say never" but I will do my best!
He sounds so good, and HAPPY! Does my heart a lot of good to hear him upbeat and positive. The area he is in sounds interesting too. I can't wait to learn more about it and the experiences he will be having.
I LOVE having a missionary out and appreciate the love I feel from my Heavenly Father that Kevin is in HIS good hands and will be taken care of.
Tuesday, July 05, 2011
Selamat Siang!
first off happy birthday America!!! Hopefully your fourth of july was most excellent, mine was great. It has been a good week here. we found out the last elders left us with no investigators so that means finding our own! In Manado it is a lot easier to find because we can get away with door to door without complaints. Unfortunately there is a downside- everybody that is Christian wants to talk with us and hear a message but they often dont want to exercise their faith and read, pray and come to our Church. part of the problem is the Church has a poor reputation here because the main church here tells everyone we're false. Soo that scares people often.
The other big problem is that the churches here threaten to kick families out of their church if members of their family continue learning from us. The missionaries before us had to stop teaching two investigators who were ready for baptism because of this. Right now, we have one that is similar to that but it is mostly with her family. Her name is Novita and she is definitely ready to be baptized but doesnt know how to tell her family because they dont want her to join a different church. it is a very tough situation, but hopefully our next meeting will go well with her on Friday.
the Branch here is pretty tiny, there was maybe about 20 to 30 people at Church on Sunday. Very very small. the nice thing about the branch is there are some very strong members under the age of 30, so the future looks good for the branch.
So how are things in Boise?? has it been a hot summer or not too bad yet? Whats the big news on Boise State football thus far?? I guess probably not much yet but usually the news is already full with stuff about that.
Lets see... there was a volcanic eruption on sunday near Manado, so there has been quite a bit of ash in the air and whatnot. It hasnt really been a problem for me though luckily. The air in Manado is so much cleaner than jakarta/bekasi but with the ash it was probably about the same.
this saturday, we are actually having our p day. Wednesday is the real p day but we are going to visit a member that lives way far in a pretty awesome area so we got permission from President to use that as our p-day but still to email on the normal day. It should be pretty cool, I dont know exactly what it is but I am excited. I will probably send home one of the memory cards next week sometime. It will take like 2 or 3 weeks to get there so be lookin for that.
I dont really know what else to write! I love you all and I hope you're having an excellent summer!
Kevin
The Asian Version of Dave? Who next?!
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Howdy Howdy!
First off, sorry my email is a day late, we were travelling most of the day to manado! But we are here safe and sound and I already love it here. It is so much different from bekasi. Ocean, hills, volcanoes, Christians, a little cooler at night.It is pretty funny because there are so many Christians there is seemingly always Christian rock music playing everywhere... it just cracks me up. I have loved it thus far here, and we had zone conference two days ago and everybody said I am super lucky to get to come to manado, so far it has lived up to the hype. My companion is elder marijanto from... I cannot remember right now. It is on jawa though. I am not going to lie to you all, he really looks like the asian version of dave. No joke. At least i think so. He is awesome though. We are actually in a white washed area, he has been serving in manado selatan(south) but we are now in Manado utara(north). So it should be a bit of an adventure the first couple of weeks figuring stuff out here! From the sounds of it this will be my area possibly until Christmas, usually if you serve off of jawa you are there for a while!
So, I am already about 8 pounds lighter over here but it is possibly going to go in reverse because everyone says i will get fed a lot here by members. But luckily i found a new best friend in bekasi- the jump rope. however there isnt one here in manado so i might need to buy one. The other thing i need to buy is some new shoes for running and p-day things because i didnt have room/ weight to bring the pair i brought here. The weight thing is a killer for travel. So is there any chance i could have some money put into my personal account? I am not really sure how much is in there but the shoes will probably only cost like 10 bucks and i am not sure about the jump rope but another elder here said he would go halvsies on it with me.
I am staying healthy for the most part, usually every morning i wake up with a bad stomach ache... just kind of the nature of indonesia, spicy food, and germs i suppose. It was a little different last night/ this morning using a bucket to shower. I definitely enjoyed it though, nothing has woken me up better than a cold bucket of water on my head!
Well I dont really have much more to say except I had kind of a rare experience the other night in bekasi that was a faith builder for me. We had an appointment with a member go a little late, and there was a ton of traffic also which made us very late getting home. However after we got on our last angkut to go home a lady got on, and after about five minutes starting talking to me, and from what i could understand she was very interested in the church, and we were able to get her number and give her a card and what not. I will probably never know what became of it, but it just showed me that the Lord really does prepare people to meet and speak with us! so hopefully something can happen with her.
Oh yeah, the language is starting to get better for me, i would say in another two weeks i should be alright with it all, except they speak a little different language here, bahasa manado, but they also speak bahasa indonesia so i should be fine and i will pick up the manadonese while i am here and hear it.
Welp I hope all is well, it sounds like things are going well for you! Enjoy texas, and i think houston might be a little hotter than here, it is usually around 90-95 degrees and very humid. I love the humidity though and as long as i dont think about it, the heat is good too. Tell hello to trevor and spencer and jack, luke, maddie mia carrie and callie for me!
Love you all!
Kevin
oh yeah one more thing, a member in bekasi that i got to know while i was there wants a BSU shirt. I was wondering if maybe you could send one to me if you send something for christmas, it doesnt need to be anything special he just really wanted something from idaho!
Howdy Howdy!
First off, sorry my email is a day late, we were travelling most of the day to manado! But we are here safe and sound and I already love it here. It is so much different from bekasi. Ocean, hills, volcanoes, Christians, a little cooler at night.It is pretty funny because there are so many Christians there is seemingly always Christian rock music playing everywhere... it just cracks me up. I have loved it thus far here, and we had zone conference two days ago and everybody said I am super lucky to get to come to manado, so far it has lived up to the hype. My companion is elder marijanto from... I cannot remember right now. It is on jawa though. I am not going to lie to you all, he really looks like the asian version of dave. No joke. At least i think so. He is awesome though. We are actually in a white washed area, he has been serving in manado selatan(south) but we are now in Manado utara(north). So it should be a bit of an adventure the first couple of weeks figuring stuff out here! From the sounds of it this will be my area possibly until Christmas, usually if you serve off of jawa you are there for a while!
So, I am already about 8 pounds lighter over here but it is possibly going to go in reverse because everyone says i will get fed a lot here by members. But luckily i found a new best friend in bekasi- the jump rope. however there isnt one here in manado so i might need to buy one. The other thing i need to buy is some new shoes for running and p-day things because i didnt have room/ weight to bring the pair i brought here. The weight thing is a killer for travel. So is there any chance i could have some money put into my personal account? I am not really sure how much is in there but the shoes will probably only cost like 10 bucks and i am not sure about the jump rope but another elder here said he would go halvsies on it with me.
I am staying healthy for the most part, usually every morning i wake up with a bad stomach ache... just kind of the nature of indonesia, spicy food, and germs i suppose. It was a little different last night/ this morning using a bucket to shower. I definitely enjoyed it though, nothing has woken me up better than a cold bucket of water on my head!
Well I dont really have much more to say except I had kind of a rare experience the other night in bekasi that was a faith builder for me. We had an appointment with a member go a little late, and there was a ton of traffic also which made us very late getting home. However after we got on our last angkut to go home a lady got on, and after about five minutes starting talking to me, and from what i could understand she was very interested in the church, and we were able to get her number and give her a card and what not. I will probably never know what became of it, but it just showed me that the Lord really does prepare people to meet and speak with us! so hopefully something can happen with her.
Oh yeah, the language is starting to get better for me, i would say in another two weeks i should be alright with it all, except they speak a little different language here, bahasa manado, but they also speak bahasa indonesia so i should be fine and i will pick up the manadonese while i am here and hear it.
Welp I hope all is well, it sounds like things are going well for you! Enjoy texas, and i think houston might be a little hotter than here, it is usually around 90-95 degrees and very humid. I love the humidity though and as long as i dont think about it, the heat is good too. Tell hello to trevor and spencer and jack, luke, maddie mia carrie and callie for me!
Love you all!
Kevin
oh yeah one more thing, a member in bekasi that i got to know while i was there wants a BSU shirt. I was wondering if maybe you could send one to me if you send something for christmas, it doesnt need to be anything special he just really wanted something from idaho!
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