Arrival in Indonesia!!

WE HAVE ARRIVED IN INDONESIA!!!!

 We flew from Salt Lake City to San Francisco to Singapore to Jakarta, Indonesia.  We left on Sunday evening July 27th and arrive (after about 30 hours) on Tuesday July 29th.  The Mision Leaders, President and Sister Mak picked us up at the airport.  Here are a few pictures of the Singapore Airport. one of the most beautiful airport terminals in the world.  

We will be staying in an apartment that is attached to the Mission Home and Office.  So, we will have a long 5-yard walk to the Mission Office every day for our work.  I thought we might have a mile or two but surprise it is just out our door.  We have a lovely garden in the front yard of our apartment.  
Scott is standing outside of our apartment door.  It is a two-bedroom apartment, but we will use the second bedroom as an office.  So, really a one-bedroom apartment with a study.  

                             

The apartment is not luxurious or lavishing decorated, but it will work for all of our needs.  The fridge is small and there is no dishwasher.  That means washing all dishes by hand.  Also, the water here is not safe to drink so we have a large, bottled water container in our apartment.  I even brush my teeth with the bottled water.  Trying to stay healthy.  We found a lovely mall less than 5-minute walk from our apartment, and it is full of great looking restaurants.   We ate at one Thursday night.  It was an Indonesian restaurant, and we had nasi goreng with chicken.   It was delicious.   (Nasi goreng is basically fried rice).    The meal was supposed to come with a chicken thigh and leg, but they were out of thighs.  It was really funny to me, the waitress apologized that she only had breast and wings and not thighs and legs.  We actually like breast meat better, but the Asian cultures tend to like the thighs and legs better.  So anyway, we were happy to get the breast instead of the thigh.  Below are pictures of our street right outside our apartment.  There is a huge motorcycle parking lot across the street.  Here many people ride on motorbikes instead of cars.  They can get around faster that way.  The motor bikes drive wherever they want, squishing in between cars and making their own way.  It is a bit chaotic on the roads.   

On Friday we went to what I am calling Indonesia Wal-Mart.  They have about anything you are looking for.  We got a few things for the apartment like- hot pads and bathroom rugs, etc.  Below are pictures of the store.  The grocery store has everything that you need.  But sometimes you just have to try and figure out what things are.  They have a whole isle full of different teas.  

We started our mission work in the office on Wednesday, the day after we arrived.  It is going to be fun working with all of the wonderful Indonesian people that work in the office.  The Mission Leaders, President and Sister Mak are very kind and helpful.  They are the ones that took us to the grocery store and to Indonesia Wal-Mart.  They have a car with a driver.  So, we were chauffeured around to these stores, like wealthy people.  Many Indonesian people are very poor and so happy to have a job.  So, the mission hires a driver for the mission car.  The Mission only has two cars and one driver.  One of the cars is black and the other is white.  The government has rules that only black cars can drive on odd days and white cars on even days.  This is to try and reduce the traffic problems in Jakarta.  Jakarta has maybe the worse traffic is the world.  Crazy!!!    The grocery store is close, and I think if we cut through the mall, it will only be about a 5–10-minute walk.  

The mission Leaders had us over for dinner on Saturday night.  They ordered Sate Ayam (Chicken), which I love, and Gado-Gado and some rice dish with beef.  It was all very good.  I think they ordered it from street vendors because in the night I woke up with food poisoning. So that was not a fun experience.  I didn't go to church Sunday morning because my stomach was still unsettled and I didn't want to be vomiting at church.  Scott went to church and said that all of the people were so kind and happy that we are here.  I am looking forward to meeting them all next week. As I have been writing this, it started to rain.  This is the first real rainstorm we have had since we arrived. It is nice to see the rain, something we don't see much of in Phoenix, AZ.

I almost forgot to mention.  We found out on our first day here that we can only stay in Indonesia for six months.  If we stay longer than that then the Indonesian Government will tax our US income.  So, we will be in Jakarta for the first 6 months and then be moved to Timor Leste or Malaysia or Singapore.  I am not sure how I feel about this, if we go to Timor Leste, then that would be a new country for us.  I am hoping for Singapore because I love Singapore.  We will see what happens.    Such is life!  

Here in Indonesia there are about 130 active volcanos.  Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki, one of Indonesian's most active volcanoes, erupted on Friday and on Saturday. Sending ash up 11 miles into the air.  Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki is on the island of Flores.  I think everyone is safe.  It is not on the island of Java so it is not that near me.    That is all I have for now.  Until next time!!!