Leving Bogor, Indonesia

It was hard to leave our friends in Bogor on June 16th. I wish we could have stayed longer but we had more places to go and things to see and a short time to do it in. Janti and Eddy have been so good to us and have taken us to see our LDSC and the people we worked with. It has been a wonderful three days in Bogor, Indonesia among the best people in the world. I have so many great memories of these people and their love and the things we were able to do together. I know that I am a better person because of these experiences. It is sad because Indonesia is so far away and I don't know if I will ever make it back.
Our friend, Melba, wanted to take us out for dinner but we just didn't have time. There was just too many things to see and do in a short time. She did treat us to some ice cream and we had a good visit with her.
Jakarta is an interesting city with lots of people, motorcycles and activity. We enjoyed it more up south in Bogor where it is more in the country even though it too is big. There are just lots of people in Indonesia and they are all special sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father.
You know you are in Indonesia when you see Islam mosques wherever you look.
We didn't lack for good food in Indonesia. We were always treated so royally. The Indonesian food brought back lots of memories for me.
Eddy sells these different kinds of snacks. The brand name for lots of them is Richeese which reminds them of Richardson. My favorite is a Bisvit Selimut which is a cheese covered bisquit.
These covered baskets to keep the food clean are interesting.
Janti gave us some to take home with us. She gave Amy a red set and me a green set. We will enjoy using them.
Leany is another friend that wanted to take us out to dinner but there was no time so she just came to visit. We did lots of Humanitarian projects together while we were in Indonesia in 2005-2007. She would have her driver stop so that I could take interesting photos all over Indonesia as we traveled deep into the tropical rain forests where she said that she didn't think any other American had ever been.
Leany gave me some lounging clothes that will be fun to wear and think of her.
Eddy promised Amy a ride on his motorcycle before we left.
Amy was excited for the ride.
Amy took her camera along so that she could get pictures of her ride around the neighborhood.
Amy almost crashed the motorcycle when she tried to drive it.
I am happy that Amy had had a good time with our friends. She has been a great companion.
I will never see a turtle without thinking of Janti's collection that she has beautifully displayed all around her home.
Janti has been so good to us. I hope that we can repay their hospitality when they come to America.
Janti and her , Parmin, wanted us to see their mosque before we left. They took pride in making it a modernistic design.
We have seen lots of different styles of mosques here in Indonesia but they all have similarities too.
We asked Parmin to let us take his photo in front of his mosque.
Amy and I posed for a photo in front of the mosque also.
These are the front doors as you enter into the mosque.
We were hesitant to enter but Parmin insisted that he wanted us to have a photo of the inside of their mosque. This is very special to them.
We had to drive back into Jakarta to go to the airport for our flight to Yogyakarta that Janti and Vernon arranged for us.
This time we got a better view of the "7 Up Man" even if it was raining.
We met our mission President Tandiman at the mission home and he took us to the airport so that we could have a visit with him.
President and Sister Tandiman and their family are very special to us. He was a great mission president and is now the director of the CES in the mission. I am so glad that we got to visit with him. He gave us a batik shirt to take back to Elder Richardson. They have always been so interested in our family. They are great people and the stalwarts of the church in Indonesia.

Indonesia Jakarta Mission Home on Senopati

The traffic was bad so it took longer than we hoped to get into Jakarta from Bandung on Tuesday afternoon June 15, 2010. Jakarta is a city of contrasts. As you can see from this photo you can see the slums right next to the big high rise buildings.
When we drove by the "Seven Up Man" I knew that we were close to the Indonesia Jakarta Mission Home on Senopati.
The mission home was being remodeled when we left the mission five years ago. I was happy for the opportunity to see how it looked when it was all completed. Now they have a wall dividing the mission home from the mission offices.
At the front door they had a bell that you rang to visit the Indonesia Jakarta Mission, the Indonesia Service Center and the Church Educational System.
As you enter the door you climb up some stairs to the offices. The mission offices haven't changed at all. They still look the same.
All of the church activities are directed from these mission offices on Senopati in Jakarta.
This photo is looking into the mission presidents office. President Tandiman and President Jensen were our mission presidents while we were serving our mission.
Atin Limbong is in charge of the translation department. Tutik also works with her. They translate into Bahasa Indonesian all of the articles in the Ensign each month, the conference talks, etc. This is a busy office.
Subandriyo is the area authority. He arranged to purchase some marble games for us to replace those that were lost when Melvin and Tami brought them home from Indonesia. We want all of our children to have a game. Jay has enjoyed playing this game and showing it to others.
Hendra works in the finance department. They also have a bookstore and distribution center here to service the members of the Church in Indonesia.
I like this photo of Israel that still is in the mission office. I remember admiring it whenever we visited Senopati as missionaries.
At present these are the only two senior couples in Indonesia. One couple lives in the little home behind the mission offices and is the Director of Humanitarian activities in the mission and the other couple just arrived and has been assigned to serve in the Solo area.
President Marchant offered to take us on a tour of the remodeled mission home.
They made lots of changes in the mission home when they remodeled it. It looks really spacious now and is beautifully decorated.
This is the dining area at the mission home.
I like the Indonesian photo on the wall.
We have a wall hanging like this one hanging in our home showing all the major islands in Indonesia in batik.
The mission home now can accomadate lots of missionaries.
President and Sister Marchant will be finishing their mission in a couple of weeks. They plan to visit Korea on the way home because they have a daughter serving a mission there. We know the new mission president that will be starting July 1, 2010. President Groberg is a doctor and came to help with our Neo Natal project when we were in Bogor. We trained the doctors in both Bogor and Bandung. We also met Sister Groberg at an Indonesian Mission Reunion. I have talked to them since they got their assignment and told them what a great opportunity they have to serve with the Indonesian people that we love so much. They are excited to begin their mission. President and Sister Groberg will be great mission presidents.
I am happy for the opportunity to return to the Indonesia Jakarta Mission Home and for all the memories of serving our mission in this wonderful land.

Sari Ater-Hot Springs near Bandung, West Java

After going to the volcano near Bandung, Janti took us to Sari Ater which is a Hot Springs Resort that was in the area.
Janti and I pose in front of the sign showing the Hot Springs.
This funny man was posing for the children and hoping that they would pay to have their picture taken with him.
Amy kisses the frog at the park. She likes to pose for funny pictures and I don't have to pay her for them except to get her to Indonesia.
A dragon at the park.
Of course Amy wanted to have a funny pose.
I am glad that Amy is having a good time because if she is having fun then I am too. Amy has been so patient while I visited all my friends.
The hot water is suppose to be good for whatever illness you have.
I enjoyed seeing the natural hot springs.
I hope the water heals whatever illness I have. I am grateful to be healthy and to be enjoying our visit back to Indonesia.
Amy feels how hot the water is coming from the spring.
Amy scared me when she wanted to go across the spring for a better pose.
It was so scary watching Amy.
She got over by the springs for the pose she wanted but scared me in the process.
This was a popular place for the school children who were ending their school year by coming to Sari Ater.
We saw another beautiful Mosque on the drive to Jakarta and had to take another photo.