Email ::: 11 November 09
So I'm kind of in love with Indonesia. Like skipping up the street, singing in the rain, I-don't-care-who-knows-it in love with Indonesia. Last night I was walking home with Sister M, the streets glittering with what little light penetrates the dark here to catch a reflection in the residue of recent rain, families gathered on front porches and curb-sides to share food or newspapers or stories, the air crisp and clean after a storm . . . we were singing Primary Songs in Indo and I never wanted it to end. And maybe it was because I saw a particularly dashing vintage Peter Pan illustration at the Mal yesterday, but I was feeling a little bit NeverNeverland. A little Lost Boys, a little full of flight, a little made of magic. Lately, it's all I can do to stop smiling.
And this is all still in Jakarta, mind you. I had four days with Sister S before she was transferred to Bandung with Sister A, and then it was just me, M, C and the new sisters to stay in JakSel. More Americans by a long run, and it's making me dizzy. When Presiden gave us the verdict last Saturday, I was a little up in arms about the imbalance. How dare he take my Indonesians away from me! But then it was all okay because I just decided I'll become Indonesian in Sister S's place and we'll be halfway back to well. And I already like sambil ["Sambil is the Indonesian version of Japanese wasabi. It is made from grinding up all sorts of “chili” peppers and it seems to be a contest to see how hot people can make it!" thanks Eric C.!] and Bahasa Jawa [the Javanese language], so it was a logical step anyway.
So now it's me, M, and H in a trio, which has been some real fun and some real (relative) success these past few days. I'm going to have to cut a lot of corners here as I only have five legitimate minutes left of emailing (stretch it to fifteen . . .), but here's the gist:
We have a progressive investigator. And not just progressive, maybe golden. Sister S and I met her at the mall with Sister Lily ages ago, and just in the last two weeks she started calling again, and has wanted to meet with us everyday since. She's 25, intelligent and educated and curious and thoughtful and yesterday testified to us that the BoM was true. We'd taught her about the Plan of Salvation. . ., and afterwards we're asking how she's feeling, if there are any questions, etc, and she sat still for a moment, gathering her thoughts together, one hand on the Bible open on her left knee, and the other on the BoM to her right. "It's true," she said. "It just. Makes. Sense."
Cue the Hallelujah chorus. You have no idea how amazing it felt to finally teach someone who could put the pieces together and see not only how they made a picture as a whole, but how they fit right into their personal picture, too. With that initial opener, she then went on to say how incredible she felt to hear that families can be together forever, that there was a life before this one and that there's a life after it, too. She said how she called us because she knew something was missing in her life, but she felt whole whenever she was with us. She told us how she'd gone home after her first lesson with us and called up her sister, telling her about this new scripture she just had to read.
The catch? She's moving. And yeah, we've already sent in the referral, but it's going all the way to America. Because she's off to law school in South Carolina on Sunday.
Still. Investigator. Glory, glory hallelujah.
And now it's a storm to beat anything I've yet to see here, and we've got to go back out into it. I'm sorry there's not more story and substance here, but I've felt a real disconnect in my thoughts since I sat down to the computer an hour ago and it's just not working like I want it to and (as usual) there's just far too much to say. The basics: happy and hopeful. Love Sister M. Sister H a welcome, witty addition to the companionship. Rainy Season=win. As always, heart the members most.
Kind of never want to leave right now.
love you.
Sister E.
ps: I can speak Indonesian! Crazy talk. I love it. And love you. Always.
So I'm kind of in love with Indonesia. Like skipping up the street, singing in the rain, I-don't-care-who-knows-it in love with Indonesia. Last night I was walking home with Sister M, the streets glittering with what little light penetrates the dark here to catch a reflection in the residue of recent rain, families gathered on front porches and curb-sides to share food or newspapers or stories, the air crisp and clean after a storm . . . we were singing Primary Songs in Indo and I never wanted it to end. And maybe it was because I saw a particularly dashing vintage Peter Pan illustration at the Mal yesterday, but I was feeling a little bit NeverNeverland. A little Lost Boys, a little full of flight, a little made of magic. Lately, it's all I can do to stop smiling.
And this is all still in Jakarta, mind you. I had four days with Sister S before she was transferred to Bandung with Sister A, and then it was just me, M, C and the new sisters to stay in JakSel. More Americans by a long run, and it's making me dizzy. When Presiden gave us the verdict last Saturday, I was a little up in arms about the imbalance. How dare he take my Indonesians away from me! But then it was all okay because I just decided I'll become Indonesian in Sister S's place and we'll be halfway back to well. And I already like sambil ["Sambil is the Indonesian version of Japanese wasabi. It is made from grinding up all sorts of “chili” peppers and it seems to be a contest to see how hot people can make it!" thanks Eric C.!] and Bahasa Jawa [the Javanese language], so it was a logical step anyway.
So now it's me, M, and H in a trio, which has been some real fun and some real (relative) success these past few days. I'm going to have to cut a lot of corners here as I only have five legitimate minutes left of emailing (stretch it to fifteen . . .), but here's the gist:
We have a progressive investigator. And not just progressive, maybe golden. Sister S and I met her at the mall with Sister Lily ages ago, and just in the last two weeks she started calling again, and has wanted to meet with us everyday since. She's 25, intelligent and educated and curious and thoughtful and yesterday testified to us that the BoM was true. We'd taught her about the Plan of Salvation. . ., and afterwards we're asking how she's feeling, if there are any questions, etc, and she sat still for a moment, gathering her thoughts together, one hand on the Bible open on her left knee, and the other on the BoM to her right. "It's true," she said. "It just. Makes. Sense."
Cue the Hallelujah chorus. You have no idea how amazing it felt to finally teach someone who could put the pieces together and see not only how they made a picture as a whole, but how they fit right into their personal picture, too. With that initial opener, she then went on to say how incredible she felt to hear that families can be together forever, that there was a life before this one and that there's a life after it, too. She said how she called us because she knew something was missing in her life, but she felt whole whenever she was with us. She told us how she'd gone home after her first lesson with us and called up her sister, telling her about this new scripture she just had to read.
The catch? She's moving. And yeah, we've already sent in the referral, but it's going all the way to America. Because she's off to law school in South Carolina on Sunday.
Still. Investigator. Glory, glory hallelujah.
And now it's a storm to beat anything I've yet to see here, and we've got to go back out into it. I'm sorry there's not more story and substance here, but I've felt a real disconnect in my thoughts since I sat down to the computer an hour ago and it's just not working like I want it to and (as usual) there's just far too much to say. The basics: happy and hopeful. Love Sister M. Sister H a welcome, witty addition to the companionship. Rainy Season=win. As always, heart the members most.
Kind of never want to leave right now.
love you.
Sister E.
ps: I can speak Indonesian! Crazy talk. I love it. And love you. Always.
2 comments:
This is beautiful. Elizabeth is amazing. How crazy that her investigator is going to SC. That's where I'm from. she's probably going to USC; that's the best law school in the state that I know of. These updates are always so uplifting.
The way you put it, Indonesia sounds magical. Sambil? Ahhh! I couldn't handle it. I can't even handle Japanese wasabi. It gives me a major headache and tears every time. That's such good news on the investigator! :)
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