This week was really fast!! I can not believe that it is already Monday again!! This week I did a lot of office work! What that means is that I reimburse all missionaries so they can fix their bikes if they are broken, taxi stuff, travel, give everyone their allowance, make sure that missionaries get their flights back home, and send packets to missionaries that just got their call. I mean you know how we always say that a mission is preparing you for life?... a... yeah!!!
We have a person that wants to be baptized!! He is 19 years old (like me) and he has been learning with me and Elder Jones for awhile now. He hopefully will be baptized on the 19th of April. Keep him in your prayers!
We also met up with some pretty amazing people named F---- and L----. F---- is a commercial pilot and has lived in American but now he and his wife live in Indonesia. They took us out for dinner twice now and they are just the nicest people! They told me to tell you good job on raising an amazing son!! They just can't believe everything we do as missionaries!!!
Life in Jakarta is so different!! I wish so bad that you could just spend one day here! Eating the food out of the dirty, old shack, riding the buses that might fall apart any second, walking the dark streets at nigh,t but feeling like everyone is your best friend! haha That is Jakarta!
We have been teaching a lot more Muslim people then usual! We had a man come to church yesterday and stayed for all three meetings and choir! You should know that we just met this guy on the bus and invited him to church, so afterwards we taught him the first lesson and found out that he is Muslim and that he has never prayed before. He came at first just to meet the two white people but he left church that day feeling something he has never felt before... yes!!
This church is so true!! I am so glad that I know who God is!! I had an hour conversation with a wonderful person yesterday about this subject. She was positive that Jesus is God and she was trying to prove it to me and it really made me think that there are so many people in this world that don't have a relationship with God. How can that be? If the knowledge ever does come to her that they are two separate beings I think she would have her mind blown. That is why is has to come from God himself!!
Things that made me smile:
1. I love chicken nuggets! We fry them here and you would not believe what I found at an international store - SWEET BABY RAYS BBQ SAUCE!!!! Oh yeah!!! I am living the American dream!!
HURRAH FOR INDONESIA FOR INDONESIA HURRAH
Sunday, April 19, 2015
Monday, March 23rd, 2015 Letter
I will be so sad when Elder Jones and Barrus go home or get transferred. The people you live with become your family. Even though we might not always see eye-to-eye you still love these people as much as you could imagine. So I definitely will be said to see them go!
Paintball was so much fun again!!!! We won against President's team!!! (Elder Jones and I nailed President in the stomach like 5 times!!! hahaha) Victory is ours!!!!!
Isn't it funny how things all work out? Now that doesn't mean that it is easy because if it was too easy then we wouldn't learn anything. The Lord always knows best!! I have seen that so much in my missionary work. Challenges do come but they are only there so you can learn and become something better!
This week was great!! Our investigator that wanted to be baptized is not dead but we taught him this week!! He lost his phone and he doesn't have work so he is staying at his friend's house and really has a rough life right now. We made a new date for him to be baptized and promised him that if he would be faithful and always come to church that: 1) God will take care of him, and 2) He will always have a family no matter what happens in his life!! Which is the greatest part about the true church!!
There was a wedding this Saturday and all the people from Tangerang came to it!!! I can't explain how happy that made me. It was like I came home. I love those people so much and I could just feel their love for me!! I am so glad that I was blessed with those relationships! and I know that these people will be a life long friends!!! :) I almost just went back with them to Tangerang!!!
The work is great here!! I know that this church is true!! I got to watch the long Joseph Smith video with my investigators this week and I invite anyone that sees this to go watch it again or for the first time!! Watch it for family night tomorrow and then get back to be about the feelings that come to your heart about that man's life!! Try your hardest to find things in your life that you can give to the Lord!! I say give or bring because everything that we have is the Lords and he lets us manage this life - so watch it! And know that JOSEPH SMITH IS A PROPHET OF GOD!
Things that made me smile:
1) After paint ball my beloved companion was crazy and so good at the game he got really sore so every time he walked up or down the stairs he waddled really funny!! hahahah I laughed so hard!!
Paintball was so much fun again!!!! We won against President's team!!! (Elder Jones and I nailed President in the stomach like 5 times!!! hahaha) Victory is ours!!!!!
Isn't it funny how things all work out? Now that doesn't mean that it is easy because if it was too easy then we wouldn't learn anything. The Lord always knows best!! I have seen that so much in my missionary work. Challenges do come but they are only there so you can learn and become something better!
This week was great!! Our investigator that wanted to be baptized is not dead but we taught him this week!! He lost his phone and he doesn't have work so he is staying at his friend's house and really has a rough life right now. We made a new date for him to be baptized and promised him that if he would be faithful and always come to church that: 1) God will take care of him, and 2) He will always have a family no matter what happens in his life!! Which is the greatest part about the true church!!
There was a wedding this Saturday and all the people from Tangerang came to it!!! I can't explain how happy that made me. It was like I came home. I love those people so much and I could just feel their love for me!! I am so glad that I was blessed with those relationships! and I know that these people will be a life long friends!!! :) I almost just went back with them to Tangerang!!!
The work is great here!! I know that this church is true!! I got to watch the long Joseph Smith video with my investigators this week and I invite anyone that sees this to go watch it again or for the first time!! Watch it for family night tomorrow and then get back to be about the feelings that come to your heart about that man's life!! Try your hardest to find things in your life that you can give to the Lord!! I say give or bring because everything that we have is the Lords and he lets us manage this life - so watch it! And know that JOSEPH SMITH IS A PROPHET OF GOD!
Things that made me smile:
1) After paint ball my beloved companion was crazy and so good at the game he got really sore so every time he walked up or down the stairs he waddled really funny!! hahahah I laughed so hard!!
Sunday, March 22, 2015
Monday, March 15th, 2015 Letter
I love our church!! I am so grateful for the knowledge that I have from this church!! This week we talked to a young man about the Godhead (or, according to him, the trinity) and I understood for the first time that thousands of people don't understand who God is or that they even have a Heavenly Father - that all powerful being that loves them and is helping them through their lives. Ever since I was a child and my parents taught me how to pray I've known who my Father was in heaven. To think that other people don't have that relationship makes me so sad!! They think that all of those wonderful personages are just a massive energy thing that is everywhere at once and no where at all. No wonder in the first lesson in the pamphlet the first line is, "God is our loving Heavenly Father and we our his children!" I have a loving, all powerful being watching over my life that I can speak too and that will listen and give me instruction. This is not to say that Jesus is any less because he is my Savior and he and the father really are one in purpose! And our goal as humans on this earth is to become one with them!
Oh how great is it to help people come to the knowledge of their God!
Other news! I gave Nicky the Holy Ghost at church!! He is the newest member in the Jakarta 1 ward. :) I love that ordinance because you can almost feel the Holy Ghost "being" with the person and staying there. There really is a new light in them!!
Me, myself was really sick this week. I have a really bad cold where my nose was stuffy like a turkey on Thanksgiving and my head wanted to be somewhere else. But we still worked... yeah!! Still feel sick but not too bad..
This church is true!! Don't forget that!!!!
HURRAH FOR INDONESIA FOR INDONESIA HURRAH!!!
Oh how great is it to help people come to the knowledge of their God!
Other news! I gave Nicky the Holy Ghost at church!! He is the newest member in the Jakarta 1 ward. :) I love that ordinance because you can almost feel the Holy Ghost "being" with the person and staying there. There really is a new light in them!!
Me, myself was really sick this week. I have a really bad cold where my nose was stuffy like a turkey on Thanksgiving and my head wanted to be somewhere else. But we still worked... yeah!! Still feel sick but not too bad..
This church is true!! Don't forget that!!!!
HURRAH FOR INDONESIA FOR INDONESIA HURRAH!!!
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Monday, March 2nd, 2015 Letter
Elder Barrus is actually in that same house as me right now! I have taught him how to play chess and we have hour-long conversations about life and the Gospel!! I have known him since the beginning of my mission because he was a zone leader and he would come on exchanges with me and Elder Wood all the time! He is like a super hero in my eyes! Same with Elder Wood! I really just want to be like them when I grow up!!
SO... I have some cool news... Right now our district is really big we have 12 missionaries in this one district, and 6 of them go to a different church building. So President decided to split up the district and put me as the DISTRICT LEADER!!! It's kinda funny because I am the district leader for the APs and the sister trainers; but I am very happy that I can serve. :)
BAPTISM!!!! Sadly it was only one because Christian is kinda lost at the moment. His phone has been off and no one has heard from him. So please, everyone pray that he has not died. I know I have been praying!!! BUT Nicky got baptized!! It was wonderful and super spiritual!! President even came to see it!! I really have been loving serving in one of the biggest cities in the world. There are so many possibilities!!
Things that made me smile:
1) Teaching my companion how to crochet. And, no joke, he's is really good at it. At the moment he wants to make a tie that has a zipper on it and I think, "Well, all things are possible with God..." :) I also taught him how to move the pieces on a chess board. He can now play a full game of chess. haha
HURRAH FOR INDONESIA FOR INDONESIA HURRAH!
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SO... I have some cool news... Right now our district is really big we have 12 missionaries in this one district, and 6 of them go to a different church building. So President decided to split up the district and put me as the DISTRICT LEADER!!! It's kinda funny because I am the district leader for the APs and the sister trainers; but I am very happy that I can serve. :)
BAPTISM!!!! Sadly it was only one because Christian is kinda lost at the moment. His phone has been off and no one has heard from him. So please, everyone pray that he has not died. I know I have been praying!!! BUT Nicky got baptized!! It was wonderful and super spiritual!! President even came to see it!! I really have been loving serving in one of the biggest cities in the world. There are so many possibilities!!
Things that made me smile:
1) Teaching my companion how to crochet. And, no joke, he's is really good at it. At the moment he wants to make a tie that has a zipper on it and I think, "Well, all things are possible with God..." :) I also taught him how to move the pieces on a chess board. He can now play a full game of chess. haha
HURRAH FOR INDONESIA FOR INDONESIA HURRAH!
Friday, February 27, 2015
February 15th, 2015 Letter
Well week number two in the big city... let's just say it is an adventure for sure!! You really can only get a person's number and that kinda makes it hard to contact them again. Back in Tangerang I would, for the most part, get people's addresses and I could go over to their house when ever I wanted just to see if they were there. Here if they don't answer their phone - game over - and that happened with a kid that we taught that said he wanted to be baptized. He hasn't answered his phone so all we can do is pray and hope that the Lord will take care of him.
Cool story! So we are walking back from getting some lunch - which means that we walked over to this little hut that really is just like four pieces of wood put up with a tin roof. It's a Wartug which means just a lot of different food and you pick what you want him to put in your paper bag. :) Well I got Rendang like always because it's the best piece of seasoned meat I have probably ever had. When I was on my way back we saw a young white girl across the street. I am getting a little more used to white people because there are a couple here in the main city. We didn't really think anything about it besides the fact that all white people completely stand out like a sore thumb!
We had to stop to grab some gorengan (which is like fried things... really good!!) and we hear someone asking us a question in English! This girl said, "Are you American?" We said yes and I asked her if she was German (she said, "Yes.") After a little bit of conversation she said she was lost because she was trying to find some Hipster roads but she didn't know where those were. We were confused but we directed her to some places and gave her our name card just in case she got lost again. So..... to shorten this story, she texts us and we invite her to come to church! And she came!! Which was funny because she doesn't speak any Indonesian! She is only here for 3 months for work! The sisters translated church for her and after church we taught her the first lesson and gave her a German Book of Mormon! (Which we only had one of). It was awesome!! We will she if she keeps learning!!
I am doing great! We learned a lot of lessons this week, one being that you really can't bible bash. It never turns out for the good. You can only invite and have them use their agency to ask God and search for themselves! That's really it. That is what makes this work really hard. After all I can do, it's up to them!
Things that made me smile:
1) Prayers.. I love my companion because he has a firm belief that if you don't ask the lord for something you won't get it. Let's just say that some prayers have involved things like gorgeous wives that we marry in the temple and hoping that we won't go bald... hahah good times!
2) People that try to speak English but really can't. We were talking to a guy about his favorite movies and Elder Jones (just being funny) said, "Oh, have you seen general conference? That's one of my favorites!" And this guy said, "Yes!! I love that one it is really cool." We almost died laughing once we got off that bus!!!
I love you and have a great week!!!!!
LOVE ELDER TROFF HURRAH FOR INDONESIA FOR INDONESIA HURRAH!!!
Cool story! So we are walking back from getting some lunch - which means that we walked over to this little hut that really is just like four pieces of wood put up with a tin roof. It's a Wartug which means just a lot of different food and you pick what you want him to put in your paper bag. :) Well I got Rendang like always because it's the best piece of seasoned meat I have probably ever had. When I was on my way back we saw a young white girl across the street. I am getting a little more used to white people because there are a couple here in the main city. We didn't really think anything about it besides the fact that all white people completely stand out like a sore thumb!
We had to stop to grab some gorengan (which is like fried things... really good!!) and we hear someone asking us a question in English! This girl said, "Are you American?" We said yes and I asked her if she was German (she said, "Yes.") After a little bit of conversation she said she was lost because she was trying to find some Hipster roads but she didn't know where those were. We were confused but we directed her to some places and gave her our name card just in case she got lost again. So..... to shorten this story, she texts us and we invite her to come to church! And she came!! Which was funny because she doesn't speak any Indonesian! She is only here for 3 months for work! The sisters translated church for her and after church we taught her the first lesson and gave her a German Book of Mormon! (Which we only had one of). It was awesome!! We will she if she keeps learning!!
I am doing great! We learned a lot of lessons this week, one being that you really can't bible bash. It never turns out for the good. You can only invite and have them use their agency to ask God and search for themselves! That's really it. That is what makes this work really hard. After all I can do, it's up to them!
Things that made me smile:
1) Prayers.. I love my companion because he has a firm belief that if you don't ask the lord for something you won't get it. Let's just say that some prayers have involved things like gorgeous wives that we marry in the temple and hoping that we won't go bald... hahah good times!
2) People that try to speak English but really can't. We were talking to a guy about his favorite movies and Elder Jones (just being funny) said, "Oh, have you seen general conference? That's one of my favorites!" And this guy said, "Yes!! I love that one it is really cool." We almost died laughing once we got off that bus!!!
I love you and have a great week!!!!!
LOVE ELDER TROFF HURRAH FOR INDONESIA FOR INDONESIA HURRAH!!!
Looking classy in the suits!
Thursday, February 5, 2015
February 2nd, 2015 Letter
And I am going to....... JAKARTA!!! I am actually in the center of the city and for right now I am staying in the Aps house which is super nice, has a hot shower, and A/C!! That's really exciting!! My companion is Elder Jones! He also has a blog that you can stay up to date on. It's Elderjonesbest2years.blogspot.com.
This week was awesome!! We got to play paint ball on Monday for P-day and I have to say that I regret that I haven't done that sooner because I was awesome!! I destroyed everyone!! haha It was so intense!
I also got a wonderful opportunity to give the Holy Ghost to Ibe Juliana last Sunday. This was all in Indonesian so I was kinda worried, but the Holy Ghost really does give you the words when you need them, even if you are speaking a different language!
The last days in Tangerang were kinda of sad but I am really excited to get into the big city with a lot of traffic and crazy people!! I think I will actually miss my bike but I think my body will enjoy the rest!!
This is one of my families in Indonesia!
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This week was awesome!! We got to play paint ball on Monday for P-day and I have to say that I regret that I haven't done that sooner because I was awesome!! I destroyed everyone!! haha It was so intense!
I also got a wonderful opportunity to give the Holy Ghost to Ibe Juliana last Sunday. This was all in Indonesian so I was kinda worried, but the Holy Ghost really does give you the words when you need them, even if you are speaking a different language!
The last days in Tangerang were kinda of sad but I am really excited to get into the big city with a lot of traffic and crazy people!! I think I will actually miss my bike but I think my body will enjoy the rest!!
This is one of my families in Indonesia!
January 26th, 2015 Letter
THE BAPTISM HAPPENED!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh man, I don't think you understand the feeling of changing someone's life though your hard work. To see the spirit of someone that just really understands what just happened and loves the lord with all her little heart!! it was so tender... after she was baptized, when the bishop was speaking, she was just crying with tears of pure joy!! You better believe that I was crying right alongside her!! The spirit in that room was so strong!! Her story is such a strong testimony to me that the Lord truly knows his children and that he will help them find truth!!!
That is not saying that she didn't have trials, because she did!! She quit smoking and she had all her family tell her lies about the true church!! She has a testimony that I don't believe even the very powers of hell could break!! This is the true church!!! Don't forget that!!
There are transfers on the 3rd of February and I should know tomorrow where I will be going. I am sad to leave my beloved Tangerang but I know that there are other people that I need to teach and help!! I am ready to be sent anywhere! Just remember that Indonesia is as big as the USA, so it's like I am serving in Utah right now but could get moved to New York.
Things that made me smile:
1) BAPTISM! We go out in the rain and we had lots of flat tires. I ride my bike until I can't move, but when all that work pays off the feeling is like nothing else!!
HURRAH FOR INDONESIA FOR INDONESIA HURRAH!!
Oh man, I don't think you understand the feeling of changing someone's life though your hard work. To see the spirit of someone that just really understands what just happened and loves the lord with all her little heart!! it was so tender... after she was baptized, when the bishop was speaking, she was just crying with tears of pure joy!! You better believe that I was crying right alongside her!! The spirit in that room was so strong!! Her story is such a strong testimony to me that the Lord truly knows his children and that he will help them find truth!!!
That is not saying that she didn't have trials, because she did!! She quit smoking and she had all her family tell her lies about the true church!! She has a testimony that I don't believe even the very powers of hell could break!! This is the true church!!! Don't forget that!!
There are transfers on the 3rd of February and I should know tomorrow where I will be going. I am sad to leave my beloved Tangerang but I know that there are other people that I need to teach and help!! I am ready to be sent anywhere! Just remember that Indonesia is as big as the USA, so it's like I am serving in Utah right now but could get moved to New York.
Things that made me smile:
1) BAPTISM! We go out in the rain and we had lots of flat tires. I ride my bike until I can't move, but when all that work pays off the feeling is like nothing else!!
HURRAH FOR INDONESIA FOR INDONESIA HURRAH!!
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