Indonesia: It's beautiful

Kabarnya keluarga dan teman saya!  Minggu ini biasa, tetapi masih hebat sekali!

We have 3 simpatisan's (investigators)  who have so much potential!  Ibu Kristin,  Ibu Wice and Ibu Rosita,  I'm always so so excited to meet with them and teach them!  We just have to get them to church... hopefully this week that will happen!! (:

Today I wanted to talk about some amazing and crazy things about this beautiful country of Indonesia.  One day while Sister Davis and I were riding a big old rachet bus,  out to the middle of nowhere to meet with a member,  a sweet spirit came over me, and I really took the time to appreciate where I am serving!  Indonesia is so so so so SO beautiful, it's so green everywhere you go!  Even though I was on a raggedy bus, surrounded by a bunch of smokers and it was hot and i was sweaty,  I could'nt've been happier!  

1.  We ride in these little mini van things called angkots,  here in Bogor their green and blue, and everyday there are these guys called  Pengamen,  ranging from ages 7-30,  they jump in the angkots while we're driving and they sing for us!  it's so funny, especially if they try to sing english songs,  they use Ukelele's (the strings are usually made from rubber bands)  it's so funny, but it's cute, so i usually give the really good ones or the cute little kids my little indonesian coins!  (hopefully i'll get a picture of them one day)

2. Random Bapak,  for some bizarre reason, this week we had like 3 random older guys come up to us and speak broken english with us!! it's so funny, usually while were walking down the streets we always get cat calls,  everyone calls us "mister" they say "HEY MISS HEY MISS MISTER MISTER"  They don't know the difference of miss and mister and it's so funny!  Lots of people try to say a random english sentence to us, the funniest is "my name is"  with their indonesian accents, and then... they don't tell us their names! 😂 it's so hilarious, because they don't understand what they're even saying.  Oh i love indonesians.  and with the random guys that came up to us, we got there numbers and one of them became the elder's new investigator so THAT was awesome.  

I can't even explain how beautiful Indoneisa is,  at least here in bogor,  we have one mountain, i forgot the name (it's really like a hill compared to utah's mountains)  but its so pretty,  everyday we walk down really terribly made streets made of concreate and stones.  to get to our house we have to walk up a huge hill every night so that's fun. 

This week hopefully we'll be able to see Ibu Kristin Rosita and Wice a bunch,   the more i find people and teach, the more i feel like I"m improving. I still need to work on my bahasa so i can teach better, but i know the lord makes up the difference always!  

Oh ya quick spiritual thought,  I forgot where I read this from, but from my studies this week my goal was to make my prayers more sincere and to really try to become more humble.  The Lord commands us to be like little children right?  to submit our whole will to our father in heaven ya?  It's so hard!!  But i've noticed a difference in the way i think, when I walk in face and LIVE in faith, I know everything will work out, I try to have the spirit guide my prayers,  and i think of what Heavenly father wants ME to do, not what i want Him to bless me with.  He already knows what we need right?  But if we try to humble ourselves more and pray for others first before us He'll bless us even more.  I challege you guys to pray just a prayer of thanks for a day or 2,  I promise you'll start to see a difference in your life, you'll become more full of gratitude, it will make your life so much more happier!  I'm glad I'm here, and I love being a missionary.  Have a nice week yall! (:

1) Sister Davis and I went to Kebun Raya (it's this wayy fancy awesome park in Bogor) for PDay last week!  today we're going to another park with the elders and playing cards I'M SO EXCITED 

2) I was feeling myself that day, the fro was fab.

3) just look how green everything is

4) Hi i love being a missionary 

5) Me and cute Sister Davis (LOL look how sweaty we are #IndonesiaJakartaMission)

6)  yes i found Naruto manga here in Indonesia, NO I'M NOT READING THEM DONG, but i'm saving them for when i get home and can read NARUTO in INDONESIAN I LOVE MY LIFE AHAHA

What do we do now?

HALO KELUARGA DAN TEMAN YANG TERKASIH SAYAAA<3

okay.  well.  I don't have a lot to say this week.  This was the SLOWEST. week. i have ever. had.  on my mission holy cow.  I was so pumped to get the week started and like, everyday... EVERY. SINGLE. APPOINTMENT. CANCLED. !!!!!!!!!!  this has never happpened to me before!!! I was so stressed!!!!!!!!  

So we did see Ibu Kristin again, she's so cute, and she has this way nasty dog that stinks named Oni.  We tried to invite her to be baptized........ lol.   She likes the Book of Mormon, and she even invited her friend to come learn with us (ayyyeee another simpatisan!!)  and we read from 3 Nephi 11 (she's already been taught the Restoration)  and the spirit was so strong!!!  We asked her if she believed the book of Mormon was the word of God?  She said yes,  we asked her if she believed if Joseph smith was a true prophet, she said yes.  SO HELLO, DO YOU WANT TO GET BAPTIZED???  "Oh, I'm already baptized in my own church, our churches are the same right?"  YA AMPUN.  It's so hard to explain to people about Priesthood authority... so hopefully this next week we can clarify.... cuz let me tell ya, it got real awkward after that hahahah.  Wahdu.   I think i've already shared this quote ,  "If the Church wasn't true, the missionaries would have messed things up a LOONNNG time ago."  This quote always helps me feel sooo much better! because i'm not the perfect teacher, I still need to learn more bahasa, and missionary work is so hard!!!!  But it's the LORD'S work, so it just keeps going and He makes up the difference! Thank goodness the Book of Mormon is true, thank goodness the Holy Ghost really does bring conversion because without it,  theres no way I could do this haha!  

I guess something a little dramatic happened too haha.  So, yes, my emails are full of butterflies and rainbows and how wonderful everything is kan?  Well, I'm gonna be real for just a second.   I love love looove being a missionary, I'm learning so much about myself, and for God's love for me, but I'm still human, I still make mistakes and I still feel emotions ya?   This week,  was a really really REALLY hard week.  I've never had so much anxiety before my mission, (I mean, i'm in charge of the eternal salvation of this beautiful city, not much to stress about right? (; )  and also,  at times,  I still get really homesick,  and I've been having these crazy moments of depression, where i'm just so so sad!  and then I get frustrated with myself because '''I'M A MISSIONARY I HAVE TO BE HAPPY AND PERFECT AND GINI GINI GINI"  but no, I don't have to be perfect,  I'm still a human being.  Sister Davis and I one night had a heart to heart and just cried together!  We were missing home and feeling hopeless because nothing was working out!!  3 of my simpatisan's have been baptized!  Shouldn't i be happy??  I seriously thought there was something wrong with me!  I literally felt like I was turning into a robot, waking up in the mornings was dreadful, I wasn't happy to go out!  and I couldn't wait to go back to bed.  I felt like we were trying to force lessons to happen and just visit people just to visit people.  I had no idea what Heavenly Father wanted me to do because nothing was working out!!  It was this never ending cycle and I didn't know what to do.  

So, one companion study, Sister DAvis and I read Alma 8 .  Alma was having great success in his "area"  he brought thousands of souls unto Christ, and then "transfers" happened and he had to go to Ammonihah (i think)  there he was spit on and beat upon and all these terrible things happened to him!!!  He was so depressed too, because nothing was working out!  It says in verse 14: that being weighed down with sorrow, wading through much tribulation and anguish of soul because of the wickedness of the people"  Hey,  that kinda sounds like EXACTLY how i was feeling!  But and angel came to Alma,  he told Alma he was blessed for his faithfulness in keeping the commandments and commanded him to return.   Alma had no idea if things would get better of if they would turn out.  He then met Amulek,  got to know him and got some food and water.  Alma then testified of his call as a missionary and the two of them became great missionaries together!

When I read the words from the Book of Mormon at that time,  I recieved an answer to my prayers.  I felt exactly like Alma, I felt so hopeless and so depressed,  but I don't ever need to feel that way!  God listens to my prayers, and everything happens for a reason,  maybe allllllll of the lessons and appointments we had canceled because we had to meet someone on the train, or at the park, or at the mall who was ready to receieve the gospel!  And we did! We contacted so many more people this week and we have 3 more investigators.   I hope you all can learn from your experiences too, if you keep praying for guidance I know you can find the answers in the Book of Mormon. I feel so much better about myself as a missionary.  I know I'm not perfect and I know sometimes things don't work out,  but I know God knows what's best for me at whatever time and place here in Indonesia, and i know he does the same thing for all of you in your lives.  Trust in Him,  pray everyday, read your scriptures and ponder them,  I promise there are scritpure stories in the Book of Mormon that you can relate to your life!  I know the Book of Mormon is true, and I know sometimes life can be so hard, but as we're faithful in following Jesus Christ everything will work out whether or not we realize it!  God loves you,  you are important, and all He asks of us is to try our best everyday!! 

I hope my mopey story turned out to be more spiritual and happy ahah, I'm so glad I'm here in Indonesia, and I'm so glad to be serving the Lord at this time in my life! Have a good week!

1)  MY WARD IS THE BEST THANKS FOR THE PACKAGES!!

The work continues

HALO TEMAN DAN KELUARGA SAYA!!!!  This week was AWESOME, LUAR BIASA.

So,  ya know a few weeks ago i was like, woooow the work is so slowwww, BUT THIS WEEK, we had 3 NEW INVESTIGATORS!!!  What a miracle!!!!  

So the first lady we met her 2 weeks ago, we were trying to search for some refferals that a member gave to us so we went on 2 adventures that day,  we found out the refferals weren't even living in bogor, BUT we met Adriena!!  Shes' like.... maybe 50 and she has ALLLLL this kids living in her house like grand kids and all there cousins they'r'e so cute,  we "How to begin teaching" with her (basically like, telling her our purpose as missionaries,) and introduced the Book of Mormon to her.  ( ya konw how like, everyone in america knows a thing or two about the book of mormon, and it's usuually not a good thing right?)  WELL ITS LIKE THAT HERE TO ESPECIALLY if they're Christian.  So i always get so scared when we're about to teach about the Kitab Mormon (indonesian) cuz i don't know if they'll freak out and say  '' THERES ONLY ONE WORD OF GOD GINI GINI GINI, YOUR BOOK IS SESAT (kinda translated like cult) "  bc the Christians here, (we call em Fish)  ((remember Jesus said to his apostles, "I'll make you fishers of men"))  GET IT LOL,  anyways,  if they're fish, they're usually SO DEDICATED TO THEIR PENDETA's  (preachers)  the struggle is real..... BUT SHE WAS SO OPEN, it was so nice,  and all of the kids gathered around me so i showed them the pictures in the front of the book and i did my best to explain them all while Sister Davis was talking with Adriana,  it was a good lesson and i know that Kitab Mormon is literally the key to a simpatisan's conversion!!  

Then there was Ibu Sri, shes so cute, the elders met her on the train and we ended up being in her area!  Her 2 daughters were there too, and she's fish.  (we have code names for the different religions here so we don't offended anyone while we're talking..... )  anyways, here daughters were there too, and we did the same thing, HTBT and introduced Kitab Mormon,  .............. it almost turned into a bible bash it was scary ahahha but Sister Davis is so smart and chill and controled the situation,  her daughter just kept POUDNING us with questions like DO YOU BELIEVE THIS AND THIS AND THIS AND GINI GINI GINI,  I was so stressed out hahahahah.  but it's fine, we just bore our testimonies and told em we're not there to force them to do ANYTHIGN, we're just here to invite them to come unto Christ and Kitab Mormon will bring more happiness in their lives!!!! 

I hope we'll see em again this week, and I hope we keep finding people to teach!!!!  I'm waaaay out of time, but i love you all and I love you all for your encouragements and kind emails to me. Have a nice Christ centered week everybody! The Church is true!! <3

finally i got a good computer to send more pics!!

1) here's cute anita again at her baptism, she was confirmed yesterday (':

The Promised Land

Seriously, Indonesia is the PROMISE LAND,  Anita got baptized yesterday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  WHAT,  and i'm finally finished with training!!!!  Can you believe it's almost been 3 months since i've been in Indonesia?!??!?  3 of my investigators have been baptized the past 3 months, that is seriously MIRACULOUS!! I love it here in Bogor,  and transfers are over and Sister Davis and I are still companions, she's been in bogor for almost 8 months ahahhahaha we were POSTIVE she was going to move!!!  noppee one more transfer with me!

YES ANITA GOT BAPTIZED, it was so amazing and our president let us take a road trip to Bekasi ahahha!!!!  ayyyeeeee road tripppp,  Bekasi is like an hour from Bogor, IT'S SO HOT EVERYWHERE ELSE IN INDONESIA, in Bogor it just rains everyday, literally.  Now, each morning and afternoon it's BURNING HOT, i'm literally turning into Akon WITH 100 SPF SUNSCREEN, and then in the evenings IT THUNDERS AND LIGHTNINGS LIKE THERE'S NO TOMORROW, on Saturday i LITERALLY thought someone got shot, that's how loud the thunder here is IT'S SICK!!!!!!

So now that Anita's baptized, we're like.... uhhhh... crap... we need to find more investigators!!  So we're gonna keep ourselves super busy this week!  We have to keep finding Heavenly Father's elect, those who are prepared to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ! 

Are my emails spiritual enough for yall?  I don't know what else I can tell ya, the work is slow but it's also fast and awesome, what do YOU guys want to hear, because my brain forgets pretty much everything except for awesome events like ANITA'S BAPTISM!  

I'll just bare my testimony,  this work is so real, God is real, and he is our father!! and i know that it's true!!!  I know Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and he loves us too1! isn't that so awesome???  OH I HAVE A SCRIPTURE FOR YALL  Revelation 21: 3-4,  it's my favorite and it's so beautiful, just picture yourself personally while you read it!  The church is true!! I just want to shout it out the world!!!  Especially to the beautiful people of Indonesia who are just a little lost!  I love being a missionary!  Like, this has been my dream for forever!  and it's actually happening!  I know time is just going to fly by! I want to stay here forever lol!!!!  Read your scriptures, say your prayers and know that god really really does love you!!!  Have a good week!!!

(i have soooooooooooooo many pics to send... BUT THIS COMPUTER STINKS AND WONT READ MY CARD)  so these 2 pics are from Sister Davis's camera,  ANITA'S BAPTISM AHH!!!!! <333

Gifts from God

Halo semuanya!  Minggu ini luar biasa...

This week I've experienced sooo many emotions but I've also receieved so many tender mercies and have seen the Lord's hand in my life, and my testimony has strengthened on how much our Father in Heaven knows us individually.

So last monday my sweet mother warned me that my Sweet Great Grandmother wasn't doing too well,  we had a really close bond together, and I hadn't seen Grandmommy Bun since I was 15 or 16.  For some reason, I thought in my head, "oh she'll be okay, she's been kicking butt at 97+ for forever.

Tuesday, I get a phone call from President, I didn't think anything about it, and then he told me the news of my Grandmommy's passing, he read the sweet email from my beautiful mother and at that moment all i wanted to do was call my mom ):  Here I am sitting at a little restuarant waiting for my food and studying bahasa, and at that moment I realized, there was nothing I could do.  I felt so sad, and felt all this regret for not writing my Grandmommy and not doing this and that,  I probably looked ridiculous to all Indonesian's around and poor Sister Davis didn't really know what to do with an upset Sister Rowntree haha,  BUT,  at my deepest time of despair, I received a witness of the truth of the Plan of Salvation.  I kept thinking to myself, "wow , this sucks, how can I just go back to normal and find and teach repentance and invite others to come unto christ right now???? I just want to talk to my mom and see my Grandma one last time"   I felt my Grandmommy's presence, and I felt a warm feeling of God's love in my heart, and I felt my Savior's arms wrapped around me as I sat in this tiny restarant in Indonesia.  It was a very sacred moment for me and it gave me the energy to get back up and keep doing the Lord's will.  I know my grandma is proud of me for my decision to serve the Lord, I know I will see her again, I felt her there with me at the time I learned of her passing,  I know she's finally with Granddaddy again and I know they're watching over me.  I know I have one more angel watching over me especially in times when I feel homesick and sad and feel like giving up.  I know Indonesia is where I'm supposed to be,  there are so many people here that don't know the truth, they have no idea  they can see their loved ones again, and I can't wait to find the people who will listen.

Wednesday:  SISTER LINDA K. BURTON PRESIDENT OF THE GENERAL RELIEF SOCIETY CAME TO JAKARTA INDONESIA .  Oh my goodness.  so so sososoooooooooo cool. SO COOL.  She's such a remarkable lady and I know she's called of God.  My ward in Bogor had the opportunity to be the choir, so we were in the front row on the wednesday meeting for all the woman,  AND ME AND THIS CUTE SISTER ANNABELL HAD A DUET SO GUESS WHO SANG IN FRONT OF SISTER BURTON. ya. your girl here, in the front row, it was so scary.  But awesome.  

Thursday:  we had another meeting with Sister Linda K. Burton and Elder Funk of the SEVENTY , he's like the presdient area asia SO COOL, HE WAS ONE OF THE FIRST MISSIONARIES IN INDONESIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHH IT WAS SO COOL.  I HAD LUNCH WITH SISTER BURTON, LIKE LITERALLY SAT ON THE SAME SMALL TABLE WITH HER!!!

Okay, and now i'll tell ya some things I learned from her.  There's so many, so i'll try to sum it up.  Wednesday, I learned about Gifts from God,  everything in life is from God, and I promise if we try and look hard to see the lord's hand in our life, we will find little gifts from God everyday.  

Okay, I'm really bad at summarizing, and I have no more time lol whoops, maybe next week i'll share in more detail, here's one quote for all my SISTAS out there wanting to serve.   "Sister Missionaries are CHANGING the church, when they return home with honor, they have so many more experiences and they KNOW how to teach in the Savior's way according to the needs of members."  Sister Burton afterwards BANGED HER FISTS on the table and said ''GO GET EM!"  with the cutest smile, wow, it was so amazing!

The church is true, if you don't know it yet, find out ya?

<3/ Sister Rowntree

OH I FORGOT TO TELL YA,  I DRANK COBRA BLOOD ON P DAY AHHAHAA i'll send the video next week,  

1) Cobra Sate

2) I drank the blood, and some guts and then ate yummy cooked Cobra Sate

3) My cute District in the Cobra place

4) THESE LITTLE NASTY'S CRAWL OUT OF OUR SHOWER DRAIN

Hannah got her birthday pkg and never told us!

We were told when she left that packages were not recommended to be sent as they usually never arrived. We sent her one through the website DearElder.com the 11th of December and she just told me tonight that she did get it about 2 weeks after her January 2nd birthday!! She also got one from our ward! So here is her mission home address again if you'd like to try and send her something.  She requested "real" letters and apologized for FORGETTING to let us know she actually got her mail.

Sister Hannah Breauna Rowntree
Jalan Senopati 115
Kebayoran Baru
Jakarta 12190
Indonesia

Puji Tuhan

Halo keluarga dan Teman saya! 

So.  This week was pretty slow, honestly, ever since Febuary started the work has kinda slowed down...  Anita is ready to be baptized, so we're hoping the 29th will be perfect for her!  and other than Anita...we really don't have a lot of progressive investigators...... okay we have none.  wahdu. the struggle is real.  So President wants us to work on FINDING and it's exTREMELY hard to do in a country which the prominent religion isn't ours yeah ahahah.  It's been a trial for me to keep having faith to find those who are ready to listen to our message.  Like, it's SO HARD.   I don't know how else to explain it, we meet someone and we're like OH THEY'RE GOLDEN LETS GO TEACH EM, and they give us wrong numbers or don't answer their phones or we come to their house and they act like they don't know us cuz the parents are there and it's the most PAINFULLY awkward lesson EVER.  ya. that happened. I was so sad ahaha.  orrrrrr we have an experience like this

Puji Tuhan:  (Praise the Lord)  so you know in America we have Southern Christians that are like PRRAIIIISEEEEEEEEEEEEE THE LORD HALLELUJAHHHHH.  Well.  We've got em in Indonesia too.  So the Elders met this 70ish year old lady in an angkot,  her name is Ibu Wenni, and she LOVES Jesus.  Loves him.  Like, she's been baptized 5 times and EVEN GOT BAPTIZED IN THE JORDAN RIVER IN JURUSELAM LIKE. LOVES TUHAN.  so we go to her house, hoping we can invite her to read the book of Mormon and come unto Christ even more,   the entire time we're trying to talk and get to know her,  she'll RANDOMLY STOP EVERYTHING and start praying.  OHHH TUHAN MA KASIH MA KASIH PUJI TUHAN TUHAN MEMBERKATI (  oh praise you Jesus all praises to you, God bless you god bless you) seriously it's the funniset thing of my entire life, like we're like trying to bare our testimonies and just starts praying and praising the lord so WE have to stop too and bow our heads, and we're just trying not to die of laughter.  oh my goodness, it was crazy.  So, we HTBT with her and give her a book of mormon, and make a return appointment.  YAY WE HAVE A NEW INVESTIGATOR FINALLY!  and not even an hour later she calls us and asks us for 200,000 rupia -_________________-"  okay. we don't have a new investigator.  (if only you could see my face of irritiation and hear my sigh)  

I have faith though,  we will find Heavenly Father's elect, who are searching for truth.  this is the Lord's work,and it will never stop.  The only thing I need to do is actually talk to everyone, you all know me, I can usually never shut up, but  I still get scared some times to talk to people... it's really hard ahahaha, but I'll keep trying and I'll keep finding and I'll keep having faith and hope for the work to speed up again.  The same goes for you guys in your lives,  "You keep walking, don't you give up!  The Lord loves you"  -(some quote from Elder Jefferey R. Holland) 

OH AND A QUICK FUNNY/ TERRYIFING STORY. Oh my goodness oh my goodens.. OH MY GOODNESS. so.  we're on the train on our way home, and you ALL know that i am TERRIFIED OF BUGS RIGHT!?>!?!?!?!??!?!?!!?  Oh. my goodness.  OH . MY GOODNESS.  It had been a looooooooooong day, and it's night time so i'm already tired ya, the train stops at cibeno,  and I look out the door, and there are these NASTY NASTY NASTY NASTY NASTY NASTY NASTY NASTY N A S T Y flying nasty creatures ,  they're like, ew.  i don't even know how to explain them, but their these huge ugly nasty disgusting flying bugs.  ew.   AND I LOOK OUT. AND I'M LIKE, EW, THEY'RE SO GROSS, I HATE THEM (cuz sometimes random nights they all come out and i have to use my book of mormon to protect me and swat at them when i'm walking anywhere)  AND I'M LIKE. OH. Heavenly father, please please don't let them come in here,  I thought there was only a couple..... BUT NO. THE TRAIN STAYED THEIR FOR LIKE TEN. YEARS. SO ALLLL OF THESE NSATY DISGUSTING NASTY BUGS FLEW INTO THE TRAIN AND GOT TRAPPED INSIDE. IT WAS A LIVING NIGHTMARE, I COULDN'T BREATHE OR THINK MY ANXIETY SHOT OUT THE ROOF BECAUSE I WAS /TRAPPED/ IN TRAIN, WITH MONSTERS OH MT GOODNESS I ALMOST DIED, I LITERALLY ALMOST DIED, it was so awful, and you all know how dramatic i am, so just picture that for awhile, it'll make you laugh ya?  It was so not funny.   Have a good week!  Read your scriptures, say your prayers, and don't get trapped in a train full of bugs! <3

-Sister Rowntree
​​

1)  We teach English class every wednesday night!

2) the stupid lock to our gate for our house rusted so bad we couldn't open it, SO WE LITERALLY CLIMBED OUR FENCE FOR LIKE A WEEK, and guess who broke the lock with a hammer? Your home girl  (me dong)

3) My sweet little Tessa,  she's doing the (Sister Rowntree pose)  I love her so much (':​​