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News Item: President and Sister Jensen send New Year Wishes
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| President and Sister Jensen send New Year Wishes | 12 Jan 2006 |
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From President and Sister Jensen: Dear family and friends. We have been greatly blessed this month with the visit of our two sons, Sterling and Burkley and our oldest grandson, Brig. It has truly been a delight to let them share with us the joys of missionary work in this beautiful and diverse country of Indonesia. This will certainly be a memory that we will cherish forever. When the scripture says that “eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him,” it must have included some of what we have seen and heard and experienced these past 4 weeks with part of our family here with us. Often, we just dream of what it might be like, or hope that members of the family could really see as we see and feel as we feel the “joy of the saints” and the “beauty of the earth…over and around us lies.” We had the opportunity to visit most of the missionaries prior to Christmas and present them with a special Christmas message and give each companionship a copy of the “Mr. Krueger’s Christmas” VCD with Indonesian sub-titles. We were also able to view the live satellite broadcast on the Prophet Joseph Smith and attend baptism services in Medan on December 22nd and in Jakarta on Christmas Day. We actually had a “White Christmas” by seeing a family dressed in white enter the waters of baptism. The boys were called upon frequently to bear their testimonies and even had the chance to go proselyting with the missionaries for a day in Medan. They did it all – ride the angkot’s (small buses), becak’s (pedal or motor driven buggies), sit on the floor in modest houses small enough to fit in most of our living rooms, sweat until they were totally drenched, fight off the flies and mosquitoes, tramp through the muddy street markets and being caught in rainstorms (without an umbrella). We were also attacked by dogs and monkeys and orangutans. Not to mention the zebras and other wild animals at the Taman Safari Park near Bogor. We seemed to be an attraction wherever we went. Brig was especially targeted by parents and school children that wanted their picture taken with him or have him write in their notebooks. Occasionally, we would meet someone that spoke Cantonese for Burkley to talk to but most interesting was when Sterling would speak Arabic. In this Muslim country of Indonesia, Arabic is considered the language of the Gods, and so those who can speak it are highly respected and revered. Sterling would instantly attract attention when the local people would hear him speak. Some would cheer, or clap their hands in awe of his fluency in the language they most admire. When we were in Banda Aceh visiting the humanitarian projects that the Church has assisted with, Sterling was introduced to the head of the Arabic language department of one of the Islamic Universities. They became instant friends and Sterling was even invited to return to be a guest lecturer for the students. One of the highlights of the boys visit was the opportunity to visit the Island of Kalimantan and go on a jungle cruise up the Sekonyer River to the Tanjung Puting National Park. The park is the home of the Orangutan. (An interesting Indonesian word known throughout the world which means “person of the forest.”) We were entertained by the many orangutans and the rare Proboscis monkeys and Gibbon apes. This was indeed a rare experience for a mission president, since mission presidents do not go on vacations. However, we were informed that “Dads do!” We ended our “vacation” by visiting Bali and letting the boys try their luck at surfing and eating a magnificent barbeque lobster and fish fry at a local beach restaurant. It was truly a feast to be remembered. (Unfortunately, Jean is allergic to shell fish). Bali is suffering from the recent suicide bomb attaches last October and so there were not a lot of tourists. Many shops have closed down and we were constantly pestered by street vendors. We were able to visit the family of one of our faithful members in Bali and conduct a short fireside with them on the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith. The mission had prepared a special video presentation on Joseph Smith in commemoration of his 200th birthday. They seemed grateful that we had come. At one point a few years ago we had more than 20 active members living in Bali, but currently we know of only 4. It was difficult to say goodbye to our boys and grandson as they left this morning to fly home to the United States. We are grateful to our Heavenly Father for all the “tender mercies” we have felt and experienced in this far away country. We have certainly felt a little of “heaven on earth” and are even more determined to “waste and wear out our lives in bringing to light…the salvation of God” to the wonderful people here in Indonesia. May the Lord bless each of you this coming New Year with peace and happiness in your own lives and families. Hormat kami, Dean and Jean |
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