Konfrensi Misi!

This week was full of a lot of awesome things! We met with several new interested people throughout this whole week and have been seeing a lot of progress. On Friday, we taught Malam Keluarga. We also had a mission conference on Saturday and Sunday. All the missionaries met in Jakarta for the conference! It was so much fun seeing all the missionaries in our mission. There are about 80 missionaries in Indonesia and they are all great. Saturday afternoon, we did a little service project outside of our church in Harmoni. After the service project, we celebrated the 50th year anniversary for our church being in Indonesia at a place called Balai Sarbini. It was a lot of fun and many people came. On Sunday, all of the missionaries went to our ward for sacrament meeting! It was packed. Some of the interested people that we have recently met and have been talking with came to church and it was so cool having all 80 missionaries there for the sacrament meeting. During the sacrament meeting, We got to hear from Elder David F. Evans from the Seventy. It was amazing and after we had training as a mission. It was a great learning and feeling the sweet companionship of The Holy Ghost.

When Elder David F. Evans spoke to us during sacrament meeting he talked to us about prayer and shared several scriptures that described what prayer is. As he testified about prayer it was very powerful. The Holy Spirit was present and I know that he was inspired and directed to know what to say to us during that meeting. I learned a lot about how I can make my prayers more meaningful and the power that prayer has on our lives. He shared scriptures and experiences regarding prayer and how we can make our prayers meaningful. 

He shared 1 Nephi 1: 5

5 Wherefore it came to pass that my father, Lehi, as he went forth prayed unto the Lord, yea, even with all his heart, in behalf of his people.

He said that prayers should always be heartfelt. When we pray personally, pour out your heart to Him. Fully express yourself. He is aware of you and is listening. Take time to ponder and think during your prayers. As you speak to Him with real intent and listen impressions will come. He said that praying with real intent means we will act on the direction that we receive.

He also shared Mathew 6: 5 - 6

5 ¶ And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. 

He talked about when we pray in public they should be short and heartfelt and when we pray in private they usually tend to be longer and more personal. As we open our hearts to Him in prayer and have faith. He will reward us openly.

He also shared the story of Enos and how he turned to our Father in Heaven in mighty prayer. 

Enos 1:3 - 4

3 Behold, I went to hunt beasts in the forests; and the words which I had often heard my father speak concerning eternal life, and the joy of the saints, sunk deep into my heart.

4 And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul; and all the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens.

All these things made me think about if I'm doing everything in my power to receive answers. Am I taking the time to listen? Am I doing everything I can to receive answers and guidance in my life? It was amazing to hear from Elder David F. Evans. 

Training with our whole mission after sacrament meeting was so awesome. I learned a lot from the people around me and am so thankful for the things that I felt and the answers that I received. 

Our mission president, President Mackay, said that when President Russell M. Nelson comes to Jakarta on November 21, We will be able to come and see him if things go well!!! I am so pumped and excited for this opportunity to hear from our beloved Prophet. I know that he is called of God and that he is our living prophet on the earth today. I feel so blessed that I have the opportunity to be serving in Indonesia during this time.

I know that our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love us so much and I know that they want to help us and are always there. I have seen them help me through those hard times. I'm so thankful for the Holy Spirit and the things that we are all able to feel and learn when we listen and go to work. I know that He wants us to exercise faith and rely on Him. As we turn to Him and humble ourselves, he will help us. We can receive comfort as we do these things. He will help strengthen us always. I know that acknowledging the Savior and everything he did for us will bring us great comfort I have seen the blessings of that in my own life. His sacrifice and the all the things that He does for us is remarkable. He felt all the things that we have ever felt and can help us. 

Thank you for all the support and love. I love you all and have a great week.

Kasih, 

Elder Östhed

1 Elder Maxwell and I

2 MTC district 

3 Streets in Jakarta

4 50 year anniversary

Detox time!

This week was full of a lot of miracles and exciting things. We did a lot of bus contacting and met a lot of amazing people. We taught some new people that want to be baptized and have a strong desire to learn more about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and strengthen their testimonies. We have been continuing to meet with members and just had a great time. We met with a lot of the people that we had contacted throughout the week!  

We had an interesting experience this week. Someone named Pak Mardi had contacted our Zone Leaders and wanted to meet with missionaries. We didn't know anything about him. All we knew is that he wanted to meet and we were really excited to meet with him. He asked us to meet him at his office. We got there and he said, "Halo Elders selamat siang... business dulu ya." So we then realized that the only reason he wanted to meet with us was for business purposes. We walked in his office sat down and he grabs this box and starts explaining what he is trying to sell and explains the process of taking the product and wants us to become salesman haha. It was a detox product and him going in-depth about the whole thing and presenting the whole thing to us was really funny. He later pulled out a paper and pen and was going in-depth about what we would do, how much we would make, etc. His boss comes in and explains the whole thing to us again hahaha. They really wanted us to work for them as salesmen. We told them our purpose and why we were there but they didn't care to listen. They were in full business mode. It was something that I will never forget hahaha. 

I also had several awesome experiences this week where I really felt like God was guiding me and was helping me reach out to many people. On Friday, we were on our way to get some lunch we hopped on the bus. I walked towards the back of a bus and started talking to the person next to me. We got to know each other and he was interested in English class. There was an individual next to him reading his Islam bible. While I was telling the person next to me our purpose and why we are here. The person closed his book and started listening in to our conversation. We all got off the bus and the person that listened to our conversation was standing by me and looking at me while I was talking to another person. The person that was listening sat down on a bench on the other side of the halte and I made eye contact with him again. I had a strong impression to go and talk to him. While he was looking at me he put his head down, closed his eyes, and put his hands together. While he was doing that I decided to go sit by him. When he opened his eyes and turned his head he was really excited to see me next to him. We got to know each other and he told me that he was Muslim. He wanted to learn more and was asking me a lot of questions. I talked about what we believe and explained to him our Father in Heaven's plan for each and every one of us. He wanted a Kitab Mormon and it was really cool to see his desire to learn more.

I had another unique experience. We were on our way to a lesson and Elder Maxweĺl didn't have enough money on his card left to enter the halte so he had to put some more money on his card. I went through and scanned my card. I went up to this person and he turned and said "you are a missionary right... Can I have 2 Kitab Mormons?" I had 2 left in my backpack and so I was able to give him 2 Kitab Mormons. I got his information and he wants to learn more. It was interesting because my backpack was on the front of me so the name tag wasn't showìng and all I said was "Selemat siang. Apa kabar?"and the first thing he said back to me "You are a missionary right can I have 2 Kitab Mormons?" He was in a hurry so we couldn't talk much and that all happened in a span of 2 minutes then he was gone. This all happened while Elder Maxwell was putting more money on his card. Haha when Elder Maxwell walked through he was like what just happened. Someone (Hartono) just asked for 2 Kitab Mormons and then left. I feel so blessed that I am able to see miracles and God guiding me to people that are ready to learn more and have a desire to learn more about truth. 

I am so thankful for God's hand and know that he uses us to reach out to so many others as we act on the impressions that we receive and stay focused on our purpose. I am so thankful for this opportunity to work hard and direct my efforts to the Lord. Inviting and helping people receive the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ is truly amazing. 

My companion and I also met with a lot of people for the first time this week that we had contacted this week and the previous week. After we shared a message with them they said that they wanted to be baptized! We are seeing progress with people that are interested and feel so blessed for this opportunity that we have to help them come closer to Christ. It is so cool hearing all their experiences and what they learn after they read, ponder, and pray with sincerity. 

Some of our interested people also came to church. Someone that I met on Saturday came to church the next day. His name is Gerald and He loved it! He told me that he had finished the Book of Mormon and that he wants to meet again so we can discuss more in-depth about our message and the Book of Mormon. I was shocked when he said he had finished it because It had literally been like 20 hours since he got the Book of Mormon. It will be an exciting meeting with him again.

Relying on my Father in Heaven this week has really strengthened me. Focusing on others and trying to do everything to help them is strengthening my testimony tremendously. Seeing how the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ is blessing their lives is so awesome.

I know that this Gospel is true and that as we rely on him and put our trust in Him He will help us. He will guide us and we will see the blessings of turning to him. Proverbs 3: 5 - 6

 5 ¶ Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

I love you all. Thanks for all the support. I hope all is well.

Kasih,

Elder Östhed

1 Detox product


2 Bus

3 Lusi 

4  On our way home

5 Leo wanted a Kitab Mormon

6 Clara and Frans

7 Fani

8 A bunch of electrical wires on the ground

Para Mukjizat in Jakarta and konferensi

This week in Jakarta was mantap! This week, we visited several members and families. We also met a lot of people on the busways that want to meet again which is great. I had one experience this week that I will never forget. 

On Friday, my companion and I were going to the church in Harmoni for a lesson with an interested person and on our way there we decided to go another way. In Indonesia, when we do contacting on the busways we always separate so we can talk to more people on the bus and reach out to more people! We got on the bus and my companion went to the front of the bus and I went to the back of the bus. I got to the back and started talking to the people around me. I made eye contact with someone sitting in a seat on the other side of the bus but we were pretty far away from each other so we weren't able to talk.  While I was talking to someone else, the person that I made eye contact with came up to me, tapped me on the shoulder, and said: "You are Mormon right?" I said yes... and then I asked what he knows about us and how he knows about us. He then began to tell me that he has been searching for the truth in his life and he has heard about us from his own studying. We got to know each other and talked about our beliefs. His name is Jonathon and he grew up in Australia and has lived in Indonesia for 19 years. He said that he feels like there is a reason that I got on the bus and that he felt like he should come up and talk to me. He also told me that he felt like God answers prayers in mysterious ways as he had been praying to receive a divine answer from God about the truth. I told him that us meeting was an answer to both of our prayers and that God is very proud of him for his desire to seek and find truth. I told him that I had been praying to find the people that God has prepared to receive the Gospel and that this moment truly was an answer to prayer. I then told him about what we believe and told him Joseph Smith's story and testified of the Book of Mormon. He said that he wants a Book of Mormon and that he would love to meet with us again and learn more. He told me that he was feeling really good inside and I knew that the spirit was working in him and me at that moment. It was truly a miracle. I got his number and he wanted me to write something in the Book of Mormon before we separated. He was on his way to the airport and he will be coming back to Indonesia in about 3 weeks :) I told him how happy I was and that God's hand is in our lives. He told me that he feels like this experience isn't a coincidence and I said ya I believe that this is no coincidence and that God put us both in this place right now. I know that we decided to go the other way to the church in Harmoni for a reason. The spirit was so strong and this experience with Jonathon truly was a miracle. I am so blessed and full of gratitude that I had the opportunity to be an answer to someone's prayer and help Jonathon receive the truth. I look forward to meeting with him again and sharing more about the message about Christ and the enduring joy that we can all receive as we turn to Him. I am so thankful for God's hand in our lives and that I had the opportunity to be an instrument in His hands in sharing the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ to Jonathon. I learned that there truly are people that God has prepared to receive the Gospel and that we have this amazing opportunity to hasten his work and help his children receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

A lot of the people that we talked to this week have been progressing. Michael and Helga came to General Conference this week! We watched the general conference on the 12th and 13th because we were waiting for the recording in Bahasa Indonesia! 

General Conference was amazing. There were a lot of things that I loved and learned from our living prophets and apostles. I learned the importance of centering our lives on the Savior and as we strive to align our will with our Father in heaven and turn to Him during the highs and the lows he can help us experience enduring joy. He wants us to be happy, he wants us to receive the blessings that come from His Plan of Happiness and as we turn to Him and ask for guidance in our lives He will help us. He knows what we need and wants and as we pray to Him and ask with a sincerity in our hearts He will give us answers. We can receive inspiration on how we should live our lives and what our next step should be. I learned the importance of focusing on the most import things and focusing on those things that have eternal importance. 

I love being here. We face a lot of rejection and sometimes have to deal with some disheartening things but we see those miracles of working hard and striving to be a little better each day. Seeing people change and come closer to Christ is worth all those hard times. 

Michael and Helga are so excited to get baptized and to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. We talked with them about The Gospel of Jesus Christ and how it has blessed our lives. The peace that we felt was very strong as we testified of the Savior and God's plan for all of us. I hope that they will continue to have this strong desire of following the Savior's example and that they will choose the best things over other distracting things that draw us away from the Savior, as we focus our lives on the things that matter most we will experience this enduring joy that we truly can feel. I know that these things are true! When I focus on the Savior and do the best that I can to change and become better and become the person that He wants me to become I have experienced more joy in my life. I know that as we change our perspective to the things that matter most in this life we will grow and learn as people and will experience the joy that our Father in heaven wants us to feel.

I love you all! Thank you for supporting me and for all of your prayers.

Kasih,

Elder Östhed

Minggu Mantap!

These last two weeks have been luar biasa! On the 24, I got to see the group that I came in with to Indonesia! We all went back to the mission home in Senopati because we had to get some things done for our visas. It was fun seeing and spending some time with them even though it was just for a little bit.

My companion and I did a lot of splits with other elders these last two weeks. I split with Elder Beckstead, Elder Judanto, and Elder Rawlings. I learned a lot of great things from them and really enjoyed doing splits with them. My companion and I have also been working with members more these past two weeks we have been doing the best we can to lift and build their faith. It has been amazing learning more about the people that live here and being able to share this good news with the people of Indonesia.

We also had zone conference on October 2. We have 28 missionaries in our zone. The missionaries in our zone are serving in Jakarta, Tanggerang, and Bekasi. The theme for the zone conference was Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Putting your confidence and Faith in Christ and His Atonement will help strengthen you. I learned the importance of being patient. Our Mission President, President Mackay, shared a story about a man who planted bamboo seeds. He talked about how the man had been doing everything in his power to help the bamboo grow during the course of 5 years and they weren't seeing any growth but then over the course of 6 weeks the bamboo grew over 90 feet. He then went on to explain that during those 5 years the man never stopped doing the things for the bamboo even though he wasn't seeing any growth. During that time the roots were growing and becoming strong and then finally after 5 years he saw the results of all the hard work he put in. As we are patient and do our best we learn and grow and our roots become strong. Even though we might not see the results initially as we trust him and strive to do the best we can each day we will grow and become better. Our trust should be in The Savior and not in outcomes. We will be strengthened as we do these things. 

We have been helping and inviting these  awesome people recently named Michael and Helga. They are married and have a son named Brandon. We have been trying to get them to come to church and it has been hard for them because they have work and other things going on. They came to church with us and it was so amazing seeing the sacrifice that they made to come to Church and their desire to change. They loved it and have a strong desire to follow the Savior's example by being baptized!

We also made a goal to start and finish the Book of Mormon by December 31. I look forward to starting and finishing the Book of Mormon again. I know that the Book of Mormon is true. As we read, ponder, and pray about the things in the Book of Mormon I know that we will receive greater light and knowledge in our lives. It has helped me make better decisions in my life and to know that God truly loves his children and wants us to choose to return to him. 

I love you all so much! Thank you for your prayers and the support. I hope all is well.

Kasih, 

Elder Östhed