Week 43: STRENGTH IN NUMBERS….”Sister there are so many members!”

An Indonesian Bishop’s wife leaned over and whispered to me last week as we were sitting next to each other in a chapel one evening watching a video about “For the Strength of Youth” activities of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints filmed around the world, “Sister, there are so many members!”   We were watching video clips of youth from every country you could imagine, gathered for one week to strengthen testimonies of Jesus Christ, create friendship, and learn and develop skills and attributes as a new generation of church leadership.  In June 2019 there will be this week long program for all the youth of Indonesia to participate in.

Last week, a group of leaders responsible for the global youth programs from ages 12-18 visited our stake from Salt Lake City. Attending with the visitors from SLC was a senior missionary couple from Utah assigned in Hong Kong responsible for organizing all the details for the strength of youth activity to be held in Indonesia.   It is exciting to look forward to this wonderful week of activities this summer for the young men and women of Indonesia.

Activities and new buildings are all additional evidence of the growth of membership and the importance of all God’s children throughout the world.  As a result of the large numbers and growth of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, there is construction of a new stake center and addition on the church property here in Surakarta.  We attended the ground breaking in January of 2018.  Elder Miller spends a few minutes whenever we are at this location in observing and is amazed at the strenuous physical labor involved with the construction of this building.   Welding and grinding, mixing cement lack modern conveniences.  Bamboo poles are used instead of 2x4’s…work done by hand where in the United States there are machines, mixers, fancy tools that lighten the work…..the hand tools used and elbow grease are tearful to observe the workers sweating in the high temperature day after day!!  Yet, a young workforce and friendly smiles are evidence that they are engaged in good work. I am including a photo of the progress in the construction of the new stake center.

This weekend we attended Stake Conference at the Novotel Hotel in Solo. We listened to wonderful motivational talks, heard spiritual thoughts from the Bible and Book of Mormon, testimonies of new converts and a newly wed who traveled to the temple in Manila to be married, uplifting remarks from the Stake President and listened to the most beautiful music performed by the choir.  The music really inspired me and the choir director led a beautiful ‘arrangement” and or ”variation” of  “ dite de Caccini (1545-16-18) which included a type of singing of notes and a fabulous piano accompaniment. It was so inspirational!!   My faith is strengthened to gather and feel the love of the numbers of our family,  friends, members, and those investigating and learning about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with the missionaries in Indonesia.  “Called to Serve…onward ever onward…” We carry on!!