Hi everyone,

Monday after we got off the computer, (it’s like all the crazy stuff happens on Mondays) we were driving to an appointment in an angkot and we totally hit this guy and his girlfriend on a motorcycle because they ran a red light!  It threw the girl off the bike and the guy too but they were both fine! They got off the street and we left . Way different than America because no one was on the side of the road blaming each other and  faking injuries to get money! 

This week was Transfers, Elder Mccleary and Elder Sadiyono got to the Bogor house and they unpacked and got all situated . I like my companion.  He is a really cool guy he has only been out for 7 months though!  We have a lot of stuff to do this coming week too!

Saturday and Sunday

We had Conference so we went to Jakarta for 2 days and stayed at the mission home . A lot of people showed up so that was good! It was nice to see all the elders that I haven’t seen in a while! We got to have hot showers at the mission home! My first hot shower in like 100 days! Man it was so nice!

Questions for Tyler -

Tell me about your new companion? My comp is a really cool guy he is from Tangerang and his family had to move because of work so now his family lives 20 minutes from us!  I got to meet his family at conference! All the Indonesian elders usually see their family 6 times throughout the mission it is crazy!

Tell me about a family at church that you like? Sister Wiwin has a great family! Her husband works on a cruise ship so he can speak English but he is always gone! His son Daryl is 11 I think and he speaks English a little.   They are a great family!

Are you writing in your journal? Every day! 

Cool experience of the week? Friday me and Elder McClearly built a table on the roof of the house so that night while Logan was graduating (for me) I was up on the roof in the jungle just kicking back looking out at a banana plantation.   I can juggle now too.  Just thought you might like to know…

I met Elder Hasibuans’ family and my comps family.   Wish I could see my family and friends too but the time will go fast. 

Love you guys!

Elder Jones

 

 

 

Week 18 - Bogor

 

 

Hello! I’m currently eating curry rice and hard boiled eggs with chilies and tofu for breakfast. 

I love the pictures from Logan and his school! Did you learn anything you didn't already know about Indonesia? That's awesome he is going to wear my name tag too!! Be sure to take some pictures of that! 

Peaches!  I’d love some peaches!  That sounds great right now!! I'm happy I get to share Indonesia with everyone in Arizona as well! I bet buddy did a great job doing the presentation! 
It made me laugh when you said Amanda is going on the trek now! She will have a good time! I had to go at her age too! I was 13 and the age was 14 but I made the cut off.  Great experience!

Okay so the funniest, weirdest thing happened after I was done Skyping you last week!

Elder Hobbs and I go to a supply store to buy a few things and we see a white guy (which is not common) and he says hi! Turns out he is a Baptist preacher.  After we talked for a little bit, he asked if he could take us out to eat.  We were like, sure why not, free food!  So he took us to Pizza hut and bought us each a personal pizza!  We talked about life and religion! He didn't bash on us at all, so that was great!  Then he bought us a pizza to go and before we left he gave us each 50,000 rupiah?!?!  It was so nice of him!!!  We were going to the war-net again so Elder Hobbs could Skype his family but we couldn't take the pizza with us around all day so we left pizza hut and I was like "dude Hobbs I'm going to give the pizza away, pay it forward right?  So while we were walking to the war-net I saw a homeless man asking the street vendors for food and they weren’t giving him any so I gave him our pizza!!!  He was happier than an 8 year old on Christmas morning!!  What a great experience, made me feel good. 

Tuesday

 I held breath for 3 min 10 sec while sitting in my room!! Beating my old record of 2 min 30 seconds! Honor code lol! We went to a dinner appointment that night and it was good! Other than that we didn't do much that day.

Wednesday

Did lots of proselyting . It was pretty good! It was just Elder Hobbs and I though! That night I ate cow heart with rice. It wasn't very good it was like tough and left a bad taste in my mouth after I ate it.  That night there was a poisonous lizard on our wall!  I took a picture so Logan could see.

Thursday

I didn't get any lunch so I went outside and picked a banana off a tree.  I felt pretty cool after that!   Mendrofa was sick today so we all took "shifts" staying home with him.  Wednesday and Thursday it was raining so hard!  But it's nice and green!

President also called today to do transfers! I can’t remember my new companions’ name.   Hasibuan goes home on Wednesday!  Hobbs transfers to Magalang and Mendrofas’ new companion is Elder McCleary so that's pretty cool! He almost loves Anchorman and Will Ferrell as much as I do!

Bought a monkey mask from a street vendor

Friday 

Just a normal average day!  Nothing to crazy happened.  I did eat a lot of cabe chilies today though! I think it’s my new favorite vegetable.   That night we taught English class which went well.  I also showed the kids a few magic tricks!  They LOVED that.  I found a little magic shop in the area. 

Weekend

Church was good.  After that we went to the orphanage and did blood test on the kids to see their blood type because they didn’t know.   I also took mine and I’m an A + blood type.  Excellent grade…. We also started building a school at the orphanage!  The boys at the orphanage work with us too.

I was cooking dinner and was heating oil and then the phone rang and it was the AP and I was writing something down and forgot about the oil on the stove and I ran out there and it was up in flames!   I burned a towel but not the apartment down! 

 

 

Thanks for all the love, support and emails!

Love you guys - Elder Jones
 

 

 

 

Week 17 - Bogor

Happy Mother's Day!

Got to talk with Elder Jones on Mother's Day! 

 

It was so fantastic to see AND hear him at the same time :) The best mother's day present ever!  He's doing great and loving the mission.  So crazy to think he can speak Indonesian.  Courtney posted a video clip of him speaking Indonesian on her Instagram if you want to check it out.

 

He said his favorite food is "goat fried rice" !?!?

 

 



Find the white guy....

 

 

Another week bites the dust….

Hello everyone,

Durian Fruit that I will never eat again!

Grocery Shopping Indonesian Style

This week I got 29 emails!  Thank you guys :))

Monday-  We cleaned up our house, and it’s so much nicer now!  It took a good amount of our day, but after that we took a power nap and then went  to play basketball.  We played 4 on 4 at the church and that was a lot of fun! Hasibuan hurt his ankle while playing basketball.  That evening we proselyted.

See our magnet?  Domino’s pizza is everywhere!

Bathroom

Tuesday – Hasibuan’s ankle was pretty swollen, so he stayed home with Elder Hobbs.   Mendrofa and I went into my area  and we had 3 really good lessons.   I was able to get 2 good contacts, so that was a nice perk of the day!  We came home that evening and had Pizza.   Pretty good!


Wednesday - So something is going around .  Hasibuan is now sick with some cough and now Hobbs has it? So Elder Mendrofa and I went out again that day and taught lessons.  As we were walking home there was a totally naked lady lying on the sidewalk with a towel over her head!? Weird…

Angkot

Thursday - Hasibuan is still sick so I did weekly planning on my own.  I went with Elder Hobbs to go to his area to teach while Elder Mendrofa stayed home.  While we were driving home in the angkot this dude was trying to sneak a picture of Elder Hobbs and I.    I had my shades on so he didn't know I could see him.  Then the flash goes off!! ha-ha  He was so embarrassed!

Room for one more...

Friday - Proselyting was a success!   We got a new investigator, a 15 year old guy! He’s a really good kid!  What’s funny is he talked to me first,  called me a white guy!  Then we started talking and I gave him a pamphlet! He wanted a Kitab (book)  Mormon,  but I had already given mine away that day.   I told him I’d get him one the next day.   Well, he ended up showing up at our house the next morning and asking for the book!   How the heck did he know where we live?  He said he just started asking people "where do the white guys who wear ties live?" and apparently it wasn’t hard…. so that’s kind of scary!  We have a third appointment with him on Sunday!


Saturday - This morning I had another appoint outside of Bogor and Hasibuan is still sick.  Elder Mendrofa and I went to the lesson.   It was in a Red Zone (highly populated area with Islamic extremists)  so we had to wear normal clothes and no name tags and that was pretty sketchy.  Everywhere I go everyone is always staring at you if you’re white.  That's probably what keeps me in line, there's always one witness!  Anyway,  the lesson went great!  But, while I was teaching, the guy pulls out his cell phone and just takes a picture and a video of me teaching and says nothing about it?  But we got a new investigator from it! 

Sunday  - Sunday was good ! Church was great because I am understanding  the language so much more each day! After that, we taught English class again at the Islamic Orphanage, which is always so awesome!  They live off away from the big city in a rice paddy farm house, with geese,  fish,  coconut trees,  banana trees,  guava trees.  It’s just awesome!   Then we had an evening lesson at Brother Hasian’s house,  a bit far away but not too bad.  The lesson went really well.

I’m looking forward to talking to you on Mother’s Day! Tell everyone thanks again for the emails!

Tjones1995@myldsmail.net


 Love – Elder Jones