Julie's Indonesia Jakarta Mission

February in Dili, Timor Leste!!!

We go out for a walk along the beach most mornings. Below is a picture of the lighthouse that we walk to on our long walk days.

Fishing
There are a number of fishermen that go out every day to catch fish to sell and to feed their family.

One day we saw this fisherman with his snorkeling gear and a spear gun. He caught a few fish.

Centro Nacional Chega Museum

First let me tell you a little about the history of Timor Leste (also known as East Timor). Timor Leste was a Portuguese Colony from 1515 until 1975. The Portuguese in Timor were looking for sandalwood which was extremely valuable in Asian trade. Portugal gradually established trading posts and missionaries introduced Catholicism, which later became central to Timorese identity. During the colonial period, like most of the colonial powers, they did little in development, education and infrastructure. Only a small educated elite group spoke Portuguese. Most people lived in farming communities. In 1941, Australian and Dutch troops landed in Timor to prevent a Japanese takeover. Japan responded by invading. The invasion was called the Battle of Timor (1942-1943) Japan occupied the island, but Australian commandos carried out guerrilla warfare with help from Timorese villagers. The war devastated the population. Around 70,000 people died. Many died from forced labor, starvation and Japanese reprisal against villages for helping the Allies. After the end of WWII the Portugal returned and resumed colonial rule. In 1974, there was a revolution for Independence. Portugal began withdrawing from Timor and left a power vacuum which led to political instability. Fretilin, a pro-independence group gained control and declared independence in November 1975. Just 9 days after Independence was declared, Indonesia Invaded to make Timor Leste part of Indonesia. Indonesia declared East Timor it 217th province and occupied from 1975 -1999. Resistance quickly formed. The occupation was extremely brutal. It is estimated that 100,000-200,000 people were killed during the occupation. One of the most shocking events was the Santa Cruz massacre in 1991, when Indonesian troops opened fire on peaceful protesters in Dili. The massacre was filmed and broadcast internationally, bringing global attention to Timor’s struggle. In 1999, under international pressure, Indonesia allowed an UN-supervised vote. The United Nations organized a referendum. 78% voted for independence. Pro-Indonesian militias then destroyed much of the country. Cities were burned. Hundreds of thousands were displaced. An international peacekeeping force restored order. After several years of UN administration, Timor-Leste became fully independent on May 20,2002. Timor-Leste is one of the most Catholic countries in the world because of the Indonesian invasion. Before the Indonesian invasion in 1975, only about 30% of Timorese were Catholic. During the Indonesian occupation: Indonesia tried to suppress Timorese identity. The Catholic Church became the safest institution where people could gather and speak freely. The church protected many civilians and helped document abuses. Today 94%- 97% of Timorese are Catholic. Making Timor Leste one of the most Catholic countries in the World.

We went to the museum to learn a little bit about Timor Leste's struggle for independence. The Centro Nacional Chega! is one of the most important historical museums in Dili, Timor-Leste. It focuses on the country’s struggle for independence, human-rights abuses during the Indonesian occupation period, and reconciliation after the conflict. The museum is located inside a former Portuguese-era prison called Comarca de Balide. During the Indonesian occupation (1975–1999), this prison was used to detain and interrogate many Timorese resistance members and political prisoners. Some prisoners were tortured or held in dark cells. Because of this history, the building itself is part of the museum’s message. “Chega!” is Portuguese and means “Enough!” or “Stop!” The name comes from the “Chega! Report,” a major investigation into human-rights violations in Timor-Leste between 1974 and 1999.

Castaway Bar

After the museum we went to the Castaway bar for lunch. It is located just across the street from the ocean. It has good food and a nice view. One of the tourist vans had a man sitting on the roof of the van. I thought that was a bit funny.

The animals that live at our apartment!

We have chickens, a duck and a rooster that live in front apartment door. The rooster is very loud and crows all night and all day. We close our bedroom door and that muffles the crowing enough that we can go to sleep. One of the chickens had babies, so we have about 5 baby chicks.

⛪ Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Dili
The Immaculate Conception Cathedral is one of the most important religious landmarks in the country. When it opened, it was considered one of the largest cathedrals in Southeast. Construction began in 1984 while East Timor was under Indonesian rule. The Indonesian government helped fund the project (about $235,000). The cathedral was officially inaugurated in 1988 by Indonesian President Suharto. A year later, it was blessed during a visit by Pope John Paul II in 1989, a very important moment for the Catholic population of the country. The cathedral played a significant role during the struggle for independence from Indonesia (1975–2002). It served as a place of refuge, prayer, and community organization during periods of violence and uncertainty. One of the key figures associated with the cathedral was Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo, the Catholic bishop of Dili. He spoke out for peace and human rights. He later won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996 together with José Ramos‑Horta. The Catholic Church became a powerful voice for the Timorese people during this time. Today the cathedral is the spiritual center of Catholic life in the country. The cathedral is large but relatively simple in design compared with older European cathedrals. The Immaculate Conception Cathedral is more than just a church—it is a symbol of faith, national identity, and resilience for the people of Timor-Leste.

Construction and garbage collecting!!
I am always amazed at the lack of safety that they have in their construction. These men are working high in the air without any safety harnesses. The garbage men collect the garbage by putting it onto a tarp and then lifting it into the truck. They are very nice and friendly men that we see collecting the garbage every few days.

Stunting is a Major Problem here!!

Below are a few pictures of the adorable little girls that sometimes come by the church when we are teaching English. Our church and other organizations have many humanitarian projects in Indonesia and Timor Leste. Our church's humanitarian aid program is working to help the people with the stunting problem, clean water, prosthetic limbs, schools etc. The stunting problem is one of the most serious health and development issues in many poorer countries. It affects millions of children worldwide and has long-term consequences for health, education, and economic development. Stunting is a form of chronic malnutrition in children. A child is considered stunted when their height is much shorter than normal for their age due to long-term lack of proper nutrition, repeated illness, or poor living conditions. It usually develops during the first 1,000 days of life (from pregnancy to about age two). If it is not corrected during this period, the damage is often permanent. In Timor-Leste, the problem is extremely severe. About 47% of children under age five are stunted. That means almost one out of every two children are stunted. It is considered a “very high” public-health crisis by international standards. In some rural regions the numbers are even as high as 63%. This makes Timor-Leste one of the countries with the highest stunting rates in the world. Stunting is not caused by just one factor. It usually results from several problems happening together. 1. Poor nutrition 2. Malnutrition during pregnancy 3. Disease and infections 4. Poor sanitation and lack of clean water 5. Poverty and food insecurity. Around 42% of people in Timor-Leste live below the poverty line.

Tais Market
This is a market where you can get handmade items - such as weaving and jewelry making.

Santa Cruz Cemetery
The Santa Cruz massacre happened on November 12, 1991, in Dili, the capital of Timor‑Leste. Thousands of East Timorese people marched peacefully to Santa Cruz Cemetery to honor a young independence supporter who had been killed. A peaceful memorial march at Santa Cruz Cemetery turned into a massacre when Indonesian Armed Forces soldiers suddenly opened fire on unarmed civilians, drawing worldwide attention to the situation in East Timor. More than 250 people were killed, and many others were injured or disappeared. Many victims were young students and activists. Foreign journalists secretly filmed the shooting, and the footage was broadcast internationally. This shocked the world and brought global attention to the struggle of the East Timorese people for independence from Indonesia. The massacre became a turning point that increased international pressure and eventually contributed to Timor‑Leste gaining independence in 2002.

The Flood
It is the rainy season. So, we had a really big rainstorm, and it flooded the other missionaries' (Elder and Sister Stead) apartment. You can't tell very well from the pictures, but the water was rising and we were lucky that the rain didn't also flood our apartment. A few more inches and we would have flooded too. Since the Stead's apartment was flooded, they came and spent the night on our couch and love seat. I am sure it was not a very comfortable night sleep, but they needed to be out of their apartment because the apartment management spent the night cleaning it up, so by morning Elder and Sister Stead were able to go back to their apartment. Our rooster was crowing all night which also didn't help the Steads to have a good night's sleep.

The Wall and Walking Path along the Ocean

As the tide comes in it is hitting the path that we walk on along the beach road. The path and wall are starting to crumble in places. Every day it seems to be getting worse and worse. Our walking path is getting broken up by the ocean waves. Everyday a little more of the path and wall gets destroyed by the powerful ocean waves. The government finally started to fix it. First, they bought in large concrete block things to slow the ocean from crashing into the wall. Now they are rebuilding the wall, and we hope that after they finish the wall, then they will also rebuild the walking path.

Second time - Hike to the Christus Statue
We took the Stead to go for a hike up to the Christus Statue. The first time we went there was basically no one else hiking up. But this time, (I think because it was a Friday and the first Friday of Lent) there were many people hiking up and stopping to do the stations of the cross.

Coconut Water after the Hike
There are always someone selling coconuts around town. So, we bought two coconuts ($1 per coconut) to refresh us after our hike. After drinking the coconut water, we cracked them open to eat the coconut meat. Scott's had a lot of meat but mine didn't have much meat. Luckily Scott shared with me.

Lunch at the Caz Bar

After the hike we drove a little bit down the road to the Caz Bar for lunch. It is a hole in the wall restaurant along the beach road that will serve you as you sit on the beach. I got shrimp tacos which were great and Scott had the fish tacos. Sister Stead had fish tacos too, but Elder Stead had pancakes with ice cream. The food was very good, so we were all happy.

Branch Party

We had our first church party since we arrived here in Timor Leste. We had everyone come over to our apartment complex and we had sloppy joes and fruit salad and brownies. Then we played a get to know you game. We had some questions that you asked each other and then moved on to the next person. We had the questions in three languages (Tetum, Bahasa Indonesia and English) so that hopefully everyone would understand. (It was kind of like speed dating). Everyone said they had a wonderful time, and we grew closer together as a branch of the Church. In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we call our congregations wards unless they are really small, then we call the branches. This is a small congregation of only about 20 people, so we are a branch. We also had a new American move to East Timor. Her name is Necia and she is married to a New Zealander so she lives in New Zealand. She is here in Timor Leste doing volunteer work with the Timor Leste Department of Education. So are church membership is growing.