Oct. 12, 2011 Kalian masih hidup-hidup?? (Are Y'all still Alive??)

Dear Family and Friends,

Well this officially marks the 3rd time that you have not sent me an email or sent me an incorrect letter since I have been on my mission. A little ridiculous seeing as how I haven't even hit my hump day yet! I probably won't ever hear from you in 4 or 5 months when I am about to come. And I will probably have to catch a taxi ride from the airport to come home. Did you write to Bevan this week and just forget you had another missionary? I hope everything is ok and this is just an email error or something... Really I'm going to bet that the reaction from mom when she realized you forgot to send me my email is going to be pretty funny. Good thing I am strong and I guess I can wait another week to hear from y'all. Thanks for all the blog post by Annie, Deborah, and Hannah. I can't believe how big those girls are getting. I miss them a lot. And Viola and Ezra are both pretty darn cute. I'm glad the Rangers are doing good and I'm cheering for them here in Indonesia. I bet the Tigers have no fans here!! Well I hope all is well at home. I really have no idea. I better get an email from everyone next week to make up for it.

Well, the highlight of the week was definitely general conference. That extra week that they make me wait here is pretty killer. But it was a great experience and the talks on missionary work definitely made my day. It was a nice thing for me to see how much I've been able to progress language wise over the last 6 months. Seeing as how last conference I didn't really understand a thing and was a pretty discouraging experience, I was looking forward to know if I have really learned anything and guess what I have. I was pretty much able to understand every single talk. When they would start telling stories it was a little hard to follow seeing as how there is no guarantee that I know that vocabulary, but overall I was pleased to understand it all. However, at the end of the weekend I did have a pretty big headache from all the concentrating. My goal for 6 months from now is to be able to listen and understand as if it were in English. We will see. My favorite talks were the two talks by President Uchtdorf, on Saturday and then in the Relief Society session. I also loved President Monson's talk of course. And a new temple in Provo is pretty exciting. I actually don't know what the other temples were because the interpreter decided to cough during that point and not interpret it. Rude! I also have no idea about this new Relief Society book. And I'm sure it will be another year or so until the translation is completed so I guess I will wait until I get home.

Well this week I had a fun experience when on Sunday night we received a text message from a professor at a university here in Malang that had just come back from spending a week in Provo and SLC touring BYU, the MTC, the Humanitarian place, and attending a few sessions of conference. He was so impressed with all the hospitality of everyone he met and all the things that he saw he wanted to meet the missionaries here. So we went out to lunch with him on Monday. There is pretty much no chance that he will convert, he is pretty hard-core Muslim (he has been to Mecca twice). But he is just one example of how hard the church is trying to make good bridges between the muslim world and mormon world here in Indonesia. This guy was also pretty funny. When he was talking about his opportunity to meet president Monson, we all commented on how cool it was and he said well of course I had to meet him. I don't have the opportunity to meet my prophet so I guess the Mormon prophet is the next best thing. And as we were driving to the restaurant he pointed to every mosque we passed and said it was a Muslim temple. Basically he made all the jokes that we as missionaries want to make but don't because we don't want to offend anybody. And I was shocked too, I passed up the opportunity to order a steak at the restaurant and opted for a traditional Indonesian dish, Nasi Rawon, which is my favorite. I guess this mission is changing me.

Well as for investigators, Floren continues to be going well. She should get baptized this week if she can get out of a school function. School pretty much goes 7 days a week here so it is kinda hard. We are partying she can get baptized this week, but if not I guess next week will suffice. In the big span of things one week isn't too long. And her testimony she bore to us after general conference of President Monson and all the things she learned in GC was a pretty powerful moment for me.

Ibu Hermin is pretty much awesome. We love her. She loves reading the Book of Mormon, saying it is so much easier to understand than the Bible. Needless to say the Indonesian translation of the Bible is pretty hard to understand. We are meeting with her again tomorrow and hoping she will come to church this week.

Well I love you all and miss you all. I hope you will remember to write me next week. I'm assuming you didn't really forget me... I hope. I love this gospel and know that it is true. I love that we have prophets and apostles on the earth today to give us guidance and direction. It is truly a great blessing in our lives. I know this church is true and love teaching people about it each day. Love you!! Have a great week.

Love,
Leah

Oct. 5, 2011 Hari Biasa (A Normal Day!)

Hello Family and Friends!!

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

Sept. 28, 2011 Siapa Mau Es Krem Kacang Hijau? (Who wants Green Bean Ice Cream?)

Hey Family!!!

How goes things? I'm glad you finally got my envelope. I sent that about two months ago and the lady said it would only take 3 or 4 weeks to get there so I was getting a little worried and thinking that it had gotten lost or someone just really wanted to steal random pictures of me in Indonesia. But, phew! It made it!! Good to know. I hope everyone enjoys their letters even though some are from May. I started the process right after Mother's Day and it just took awhile. We have quite a large family I have decided. Well it sounds like everyone has had a good week. I'm glad Mom and Dad made it home safely and enjoyed their trip. I also enjoyed the pictures that you blogged. That place looks nothing like Indonesia... much too clean! And Indonesia would've had a soccer match or badminton going on on the beach, not Cricket. And Congrats to the Rangers! That is awesome. And clearly the Mavericks just don't want me to miss too many of their games and be too sad so they are postponing their season for me. How nice of them! And I'm glad Newman Smith is returning to their glory days. All is right in the world when they are 0-4.

Well this week has been a good one. We have started teaching English at a Muslim School once a week. It is really fun and a great experience. I'll include some pictures to help illustrate. It is a pretty poor school and the kids English is not the best but they enjoy trying with an American. They are actually more interested in learning about America than anything else, but I make them ask me all their questions in English. So the first picture is me and all the girls in the class. The class has about 40 kids and most are girls... The boys were really too shy to take pictures with me, so they just took out their phones and took pictures of me. Awkward? Yes! The girls are more than happy of taking pictures with me and the consensus was that I look like Emma Watson from Harry Potter. The class then gave me a gift to thank me, see picture number 2. The gift was a Batik purse which was really cute and I am very grateful for and also a stuffed tomato, of which I am still confused about. It might be the gift I give Zoie when I get back but until then what do you did we do with it? See picutre three. A daily reminder of my service here in Indonesia. Kinda crazy. The whole experience was great and fun and was one of those moments were I thought of how crazy it is that I am doing this. I really enjoyed it until... We were invited to meet the headmaster of the school after we taught and guess what he served us to eat. GREEN BEAN ICE CREAM!!!!! I think it was the closest I had gotten to throwing up food that I had been given to eat. It was more disgusting than durian. I still don't like thinking about it. But I know Heavenly Father blessed me to help me eat that with out offending this man. But I did eat it all and I am a stronger woman because of it. But Malan you can not come on your mission to Indo.

Well, investigators are still going well. Pamela is still doing good and if she keeps going like she has been doing lately her mom will let her get baptized in the next couple of weeks. It is all up to her and what she wants to decide. But she seems pretty dedicated and really wanting to make life better for herself and set a good example for her family.

Floren made a great turn for the better this week. She told us at the end of the last week that she knows the Book of Mormon is true and she even started going to seminary with Vito. Needless to say me and Sister Tukijan were shocked but very, very happy at the same time. She came to church again on Sunday and even practiced with the Branch Choir. And then yesterday when we taught her she told us she wanted and was ready to get baptized. We are working for the 16th of October so she can get baptized with Pamela. We are really excited about it and are glad that we gave her the time that she needed to work things out and make the progression that she needed, despite the fact that it just took a little bit longer. It has also been great to see how the gospel has changed her life and how much more confident and happy she is from when I first met her. And also, Vito, her brother, passed the sacrament for the first time last Sunday. He was quite nervous but did a great job.

And after they are baptized me and Sister Tukijan are kinda confused what to do next. We have a few good potential investigators who hopefully will progress, but we will be starting from square one kinda in a few weeks. But we will just keep working and see where the Lord takes us.

Well my funny story for the week was the green bean ice cream. I don't really think I could ever top it. There have been 3 eight year old kids that have stood in front of me staring at me as I email you. Kinda weird.

Well I love you all. Enjoy Conference this week. I will watch it next weekend after we get the translated version. So I will be a week behind. But I'm hoping this time I will be able to understand and get some sort of spiritual upliftment from it. But it is always a great blessing and gift we have in our lives to get the words of living prophets and apostles. I'm so grateful and excited. Have a great week. I love you all!!!

Love,
Leah

Sept. 21, 2011 Belajar Membatik!! (Learning Batik!)

Dear Family and Friends,

How are things going there in the USA and Barbados apparently? That sounds like quite an amazing trip that you and Dad are on right now. I'm kinda jealous because we never pay extra for the air conditioned buses. Be careful what you say Dad or you and Mom are going to be serving your mission in Indonesia strengthening the branches here, but that is ok because I would totally come visit you if you did. All the buildings here have air conditioning and it is usually on at the beginning of the meeting, but by the end they are off because all the people get too cold if the air gets under 80 degrees. I still haven't figured it out. No, I haven't played the piano yet in a single church meeting because there have always been people who can. The YW in the branch I am in now have actually made it part of their personal progress to learn and play the piano for sacrament meeting. It is pretty awesome. Well, I hope you are enjoying your trip. I hope I get a good souvenir!!! And I hope everyone is surviving at home. Don't worry Rebekah, what doesn't kill you, including Malan and Hansen, only makes you stronger. You can do it. And you can always write me letters if you get bored. Wink, Wink!

Well I am still quite impressed with this family's ability to keep a secret. I actually thought that we couldn't do it, but the fact that EVERYONE kept it from me for 7 months that Hannah was pregnant is impressive. Really, no one had the desire to tell me. Ridiculous!! I'm still just shocked. Well just so everyone knows, you are all finding out that I am engaged through a wedding announcement you get in the mail just a couple weeks before!! I hope you will all be able to make it to the ceremony... I'm still really excited but just shocked out of my mind.

Well as promised here are some pictures from our Batik adventure last week. I'm still waiting for Bevan to send some pictures home. Maybe one day...

Well here I am learning how to make batik. First we had to draw out the pattern we wanted. One picture is me helping the Sister who taught us trace her batik... It would be much too advanced for me. And then we went to town with the wax and drawing and trying it out. And then here is a picture of the finished product. Really not anywhere close to being able to sell it, but I'll keep trying. Well then we celebrated by buying some batik and we were walking around at a shopping center here and look what I found!!!!!!! (see the last picture attached) Holy Moly!!! I almost cried with excitement. I couldn't handle it. It was so exciting. Even Indonesians are fans of Dallas Sports. I always knew I loved this country. And yes Deborah, that is a new shirt I am wearing. It is an Arema jersey which is the soccer team here in Malang that everyone is fans of. I bought the jersey really because of the number, 41, but I might be becoming a Dendi fan... whoever that is!! Hope you enjoy the pictures!!

Well as for investigators, Pamela is still doing good. She is slowly being more obedient to her parents and not going crazy with all things teenager and you can see how it has made a difference in her life. It really has been a great testimony builder to me to see her change. We just keep praying that it will keep up and she will keep going in the right direction.

Floren came to church again this week and enjoyed it and is making friends with the YW but she hasn't been in the learning mood of late. We are more on her terms and are just waiting for her to be in a good mood to learn and until then we just keep waiting and praying for her. She will have to make a decision one day and we just hope she makes the right one.

Things continue to go well. I'm doing good and loving this work. I have learned so much over the past 8 months it is kinda ridiculous and I just hope the next 10 months continue to be the same. I'm sure they will. Sorry I don't have a funny story to report this week. I did have someone ask if Obama was my Dad. And another person asked if I was from Canada. I just have to shake my head at these funny Indonesians. But I love them and love serving them. I hope everyone has a great week. Enjoy the rest of your trip mom and dad! Love you all!!!

Love,
Leah

Sept. 14, 2012 Belajar Membatik!! (Learning Batik!

Hello Family!!!

How are things going there in Texas!! I'm so sorry to hear about the BYU loss. I actually remembered about the BYU/Texas game this week but wasn't sure when it was. I always am thinking a little bit about BYU football each Saturday and cheer them on. Hopefully they can bounce back and have a great game next week. Sorry to hear about those Trojans too. I don't think about them too much at all. But I hope the band is good. Congrats Melissa!!!! That is so exciting and I bet she is really cute. I will be anxiously waiting pictures one day. Or I guess I will see her one day in a few months. I am so happy for you. I hope you recover well and that she sleeps through the night for you. I am glad that everyone liked the picture of the bald eagle. It is a highlight of my mission so far. I had no encounters with any wild animals this week and didn't eat anything weird. (The place was out of pigeon when I finally got up the courage to eat it. Bummer. So I ate duck instead... with my hands. Malan would've loved it. Mom would not have.)

Well this week wasn't too exciting. We actually had a pretty full schedule and quite a number of appointments so it was a lot of work and not much time to search for the crazy things of Indonesia or the crazy people. And the rainy season is slowly beginning which is absolutely no fun for those missionaries who can't ride around in their cars like those in CA. But P-day today was pretty exciting. Me and my comp learned how to make batik. Well really we learned the theory behind making batik, the actual process is really hard and I now know why handmade is always so expensive. But it was really fun. We didn't get to the part of adding the color, so it is just white and brown right now. But maybe we will continue next week. If we can't get tickets to the circus that is in town... Are you jealous Malan? Maybe I will try and get really good at making batik so I can teach everyone at the next family reunion. I was thinking the whole time how jealous Mom, Annie, Deborah, Hannah, and Rebekah all would've been. I am also sure that Bevan, Malan, and Hansen are sad that they missed out. Maybe on your missions you can do things like this... maybe. I will try and remember to send pictures next week on the batik making process.

Well this week we had some good progression with Pamela, the crazy teenage girl. We had a nice sit down with her and her mom and talked about what she needed to do and change in order for her mom to give permission to be baptized. Pamela agreed and we have set a goal date for baptism for the middle of October. We are hoping and praying that everything works out and she continues to make the necessary changes in her life.

Floren continues to be doing good and will continue to need time. She has a great desire to find out the truth but doesn't believe that she has gotten a definitive answer. But she was early to church and actually spent the whole time with the YW at church and not right next to her mom's side. She is slowly becoming more confident with herself and happier and it is fun to see the changes the Gospel is slowly making in her life.

Yusi we don't quite know what to do. She wants to learn and believes that the church is good but isn't willing to do anything about it. She doesn't like coming to church and feels not too comfortable, which is kinda sad and we hope we can help her get over it. She still is a little hesitant about a modern-day prophet but is beginning to believe it. We just keep working with her and helping her progress.

We met a really awesome lady in an angkot a couple of days ago, Ibu Yudit, who was really interested in learning about the church, which made us smile. We are hoping to meet with her on Friday and hoping all things go well because of it.

Well sorry there isn't too much to report this week. It wasn't the most exciting, but still was a week of a lot of hard work and progress. My funny moment of the week I am still actually really confused about. We met this lady and were talking to her in her house and she keeps going on about how pretty I am. And she says, "You are just so pretty... You must be related to Michael Jackson! Right?" WHAT?!?!? Is that an insult or a compliment? I don't understand!!!

Well I love you all and hope you all have a great week. I'm sorry the emails are too long for you Hansen, but you have a whole week to read them so I don't feel too bad. Miss you!!! I know this church is true and love sharing it with the people of Indonesia. I am so grateful for all the blessings we have been given. LOVE YOU!!!

Love,
Leah

Sept. 7, 2011 Elang Botak (Bald Eagle)

Hey family!!

How are things going? It sounds like y'all had quite the trip up to Utah and enjoyed your time there. I am jealous of your constant j-dawgs eating and wish y'all would stop reporting it, but I found a place that sells pigeon to eat we will see if I get the guts up this week to try it. Everyone I've asked has said it is really good. Thanks for all the pictures. Ezra seems like he is doing good and he has quite the load of hair, maybe he was sent here to break the bald streak in the family. And Deborah those pictures are Alice on top and Viola on the bottom. I will plan the trip to Indiana in about 11 months ... sorry I can't make it any sooner. I'm a little busy here and I don't think my mission President will give me permission to head to Indiana.

Well this week has been filled with crazy stories and happenings that leave me thinking "that would never happen in America" at the end of each day. Probably the craziest was this past week when we were walking to a member's house and I noticed that a random house on the street had a HUGE bat and raven in cages just hanging outside of the house. Of course that is different so I took a picture. The guy who lived there noticed and came out and started talking to me and my comp and the elders who were with us. We started talking about his animals and how cool they were and he said, quite matter-a-factly, "Oh I have one that is even cooler," enters his house and brings out a freaking bald eagle!! Needless to say my jaw dropped to the ground. Where else does that happen? It was crazy. So I got to pet and hang out with a bald eagle. I included a picture because I didn't think anyone else would believe me. I tried to get the eagle to sit on my arm but it wouldn't. The guy said the eagle wasn't used to white skin. But his guy just lets the eagle have free reign of his house. It is not kept in a cage. This guy also had a baby leopard in his house and two stuffed kamodo dragons on his wall. It was the craziest house ever. I just wanna know if that has ever happened to anyone else on their mission before!!!

Sorry mom we didn't do too much for P-Day this week. We were pretty wiped and so stayed in, but last week we went to the beach with some members in the branch. Really fun and probably the most modest beach in the world. Mom would've been really happy there. There are some pictures from the beach too. Enjoy!!

Question: Has Melissa had her baby or not? Please send me an update! Thanks!!!

Well actual missionary work wise things are going well. Vito was able to get baptized this week which was really exciting and a great experience. He actually has spent a couple of days going out and working with the elders and teaching with them. Really fun. And also exciting is that we have been able to meet with Floren a couple times this week and she came to church this week. She has decided that she is ready to really learn and give things a chance. We totally support that decision.

Yusi's life has finally calmed down enough that she can meet with us again. We met with her at the beginning of the week and had a heart-to-heart kind of discussion. She confessed that she has yet to pray about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon and so we gave her the challenge of doing that this week and coming to church. We are praying that she does both.

Our other investigators are not much to report. We can usually find a new person to teach each week and we will teach them the first lesson and then they don't want to learn after that. It is always disappointing, but they have their agency and I have to respect that.

My funny story for the week was on Monday we were searching for the house of a less active member and met this really nice family. They were Muslim but nevertheless let us enter their house and talk to them for a while. We were talking to the mom and dad when their little 8 year old girl came out of her room, saw me, and completely stopped! She was absolutely stunned. And the only thing she could say was, "Mom, is she from the tv?" HA! I'm a movie star!!! And then her mom responded, "No, not from the tv. But she is like a real-size Barbie." .... I don't even know what to say...

Well I love you all at home! I'm glad everyone is doing well and enjoying school. Keep blogging pictures, for me or Bevan I still love them. I know this church is true. Thank you so much for all your prayers for me. They help me and strengthen me each day. Love you and miss you!!!

Love,
Leah

Aug. 31, 2011 Aku bingung... (I'm Confused...)

Hey Family and Friends who also receive this email!!

How are things going for y'all? I'm sad to hear about the hot weather you have been having, sounds brutal. It has actually been pretty hot here too and people say that it is the sign that the rainy season is about to start of which I am NOT looking forward to. But I have my umbrella all ready and am praying that my shoes will be able to keep up, hopefully we have a few more weeks of dry before it starts. It sounds like things are going good at home and everyone is enjoying school. I'm glad that there is a trip to Utah planned in the future, if there wasn't this family wouldn't know what to do with ourselves. Enjoy being there with Ezra and Maren and I guess their parents, but who really cares about them... Just Kidding. In fact Happy Birthday Annie and Happy Birthday Deborah in a few days. I hope y'all each enjoy your days and have fun with whatever things you have planned. And I'm sorry I forgot to wish you mom and dad a happy anniversary last week. I'm glad it was good. Wait, so if Edward putting in his papers or has he gotten his call already? Tell him I hope he comes to Indonesia!!

Well and now for my confusion... You see, I live in the biggest Muslim country in the world. The mosques on every corner and pretty much every woman wearing a jilbob is a constant reminder and so you would think that there would be no confusion over what day Ramadhan ended on, but there is!! In fact I'm still not even sure when or if it ended. All the calenders (of which Indonesians love, there is always at least 2 in each house) say that it was supposed to end on Monday but then as we got nearer and nearer to Monday is came out that maybe it was supposed to end of Tuesday. I don't know how it happened, but some people celebrated on Monday and some on Tuesday and now the celebration continues. Right now it is Lebaran which is the two day celebration to the end of Ramadhan which pretty much the time that everyone goes back to their roots and gets together with family and hangs out. Yesterday we celebrated with a less-active lady who is half muslim half kristen. It was pretty fun with a lot of food. I think I gained back all the weight I have lost! And then last night I was kept up all night with fireworks going off in all directions. It was crazy but not fun when I couldn't fall asleep. It has been a great experience to see the true Ramadhan but I will be grateful that places to eat will now be open in the middle of the day! Something I've missed!!!

Well the work has been a little slow this week with everyone going out of town and just busy with the holidays and will probably be slow for another week too. But that's ok... I bet Indonesia is probably the only mission that has no setbacks at all in December. But the miracle this week was that Vito decided that he wanted to get baptized. He says he got his answer and feels that the gospel is true. It is pretty exciting and just goes to show what a blessing time can be. He was hoping to get baptized on the 4th, but I don't think the ZL's can come into town to interview him (since the elders/DL also teaches him too) this week so we might have to wait another week. Floren still needs time and only likes to learn when she wants to. We just keep praying for her.

Pamela has taught me that I'm sending my kids to grandma and grandpa's house to live during their teenage years. She has decided that she doesn't need to learn with the missionaries until she gets permission and is being a little unreasonable. She I guess is just a typical 16 year old girl... they are all the same whether from America or Indonesia. Hopefully we can reconnect with her again and help her continue to progress.

We met with Ibu Wah this week and she seemed very open to the idea of eternal families and very excited about that. We think she is great and hope we can help her understand, but we are a little scared because she said she has to ask her preacher from her church if she can meet with us... which when that happens it doesn't usually turn out good for the missionaries. But we just keep praying for her.

And now for the funny moment... So Indonesians usually get pretty creative when they guess where I am from and usually the older and less educated a person is the crazier the guess. I get China a lot, which I don't get. Mexico comes up occasionally. England, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Holland, Hong Kong, Canada, and Italy have all been guessed. Only once has someone actually guessed America. But this week I had someone ask me if I actually came from Indonesia!! I still am confused... But I guess take it as a sign that maybe my accent... and my tan are getting quite impressive!! I still don't know. And then right after that I got proposed to... again!! It is pretty awesome!!

Well I love you all and am glad everything is going well. Enjoy school and work hard!!!! I know this gospel is true and love it a lot!!! That is exciting to hear about Bishop Mayne's daughter and son-in-law. That is awesome. This gospel blesses lives. I love you all! Have a great week!!

Love,
Leah