How are things going in the good USA? It was great to hear from you and it sounds like you have had a good week and that conference was a success. Needless to say, I am looking very forward to it this weekend and am hoping that I will be able to understand it all and enjoy more fully the spirit of it all. I'm sorry to hear about your foot mom. I will no doubt keep you in my prayers and am confident things will work out. And I will be very excited to receive my birthday box. I was going to remind everyone that since it is now October it is getting closer and closer to my birthday... just so everyone knows, but I guess I never have to remind Mom. She is always on top of things. And I just love that I get separate Christmas and Birthday boxes. Awesome. Pretty much I would love anything food wise that is American that you can ship here and socks, nude colored. What else does a missionary need? I'll think this week if there is anything else.
Well per Rebekah's request I am here to explain what a normal day for me is here in Indonesia. Now, if I wasn't so busy this would've included pictures. But preaching the Good Word of Christ takes a lot of time sometimes. So here it is, I hope you enjoy Rebekah. I get up each morning at 6:30 a.m. and start the awful process of heating up water and filling up the bucket to take a shower. This is probably the only time now that I ever get homesick as I picture a hot shower waiting for me in America. This process takes about 20 minutes and during that time I either exercise a little bit or sweep the floor to rid it of the volcanic ash that fell over the past couple of days. Then I shower, then I eat breakfast. And since there are no good cereals here my breakfast is usually bread and fruit, sometimes noodles if I have enough time to cook. Then I study, and study and study some more. This lasts until 11 o'clock and then we finish getting ready for the day and then we go out, usually eat and then start working. We try and have at least two appointments each day with our investigators, less-active members, or new members. Sometimes we get two, sometimes we don't. If we don't and have time we proselyte. Now since we can't proselyte like the rest of the missionary world can, because we would really prefer not to get arrested, we usually spend time in parks talking to people or searching for addresses of non-active members that have long since moved away and no one knows where they are. We have to just start the conversation with them and then from that try and bring up the church. It they are Muslim, which is what usually occurs, we invite them to English class or ask if they have Christian friends that might like to learn. It isn't the most effective way in the world and can get frustrating at times, but occasionally you find people who are ready. We eat dinner, most of the time out and about. Usually delicious. Some days we teach English as service and try and search for other opportunities. We go home at 9 o'clock, plan for the next day and are in bed, usually pretty dead tired by 10 :30. And then we get up and do it all again the next day. Pretty awesome. I love it!!! Any questions Rebekah? I hoped that filled your curiosity.
Well investigators are doing well. Floren continues to be awesome and I have loved to see the changes and confidence that this gospel has brought to her life. She is really excited to get baptized next week and if things go as planned it will happen.
Pamela's baptism will probably be postponed again. She tends to take 2 steps forward and then 1 1/2 steps back. Frustrating and we don't quite know what to do but we just keep working with her and helping her out. Hopefully one day things will all work out for her and she will just get it.
We met a great lady this week, Ibu Hermin, who met with missionaries about 4 years ago but at the time had just barely become Christian and so was just a little confused and didn't understand. But we made contact with her again and she seems ready and more prepared to learn and accept. We are very excited about her and are hoping she really is as great as she seems. We met with her once and have another appointment tomorrow with her. We keep praying for her.
All things keep going well and we keep working hard and not getting too discouraged. It is crazy that it is already October, especially since the weather hasn't changed at all and there are no signs that I am used to to show the change of seasons, so to me it still feels like July. But this mission has really gone so fast and things keep going well. The language can still get frustrating at times. I'm pretty much at the point that I can understand almost everything and stay with things in church and lessons, but talking is still a struggle at sometimes. I pretty much have it all, but there are just some days that it seems that my mouth just can not speak Indonesian, but I keep praying, working, and studying. One day it will be second-nature to me. I love this gospel so much and am so grateful for everything that I have been blessed with. I don't know how we got so lucky but I will ever be grateful. I love you all so much. I'm excited for my opportunity to listen to our prophet and apostles and know they are truly called of God. Have a great week.
Love,
Leah
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