Family Reunion in Wonogiri

We had the unique experience of attending somewhat of a family reunion with our driver's family this month.  The father was buried in 1996 in a village beyond Wonogiri, about a three hour drive from Solo.  All 12 of us piled into our 7 passenger car and off we went.

The incentive for the trip was to see the tombstone the family had newly purchased for their father's grave.  It was interesting to see the farming village and also how this family interacted with one another.  We were reminded as we watched them that families all over the world are more alike than they are different.  They have the same concerns for their children and spouses as we do, they care for each other similarly and they love to talk and laugh together.  

 

This is the home of the uncle and aunt we were visiting.  We obviously arrived at the height of the corn harvest.  The yellow in front of the house is corn kernels drying on a cement slab.
There was corn everywhere!

These women were hard at work husking the dried corn.  It will be used for corn meal.  I don't know why the one woman was wearing the face mask.  They are very common in Indonesia, especially in the traffic because of the pollution.  People will also wear them when they are sick.  

These were our hosts, Franky's aunt and uncle.

When I expressed an interest in the coconut trees they took us down the street to get fresh coconut!

 

                                                                               

 It was a lot of work for the men to get into the coconut milk and when they did they offered it to us.  They got a kick out of seeing the milk dribble down our chins!

 On the way back to the house we saw this white bull which we were told is kept as a pet!

 Back at the house work got under way for lunch.

 

This was the coconut prep area on the front porch.

  

 

Franky's sister, Tari, and her husband.

Tari with her niece, Safi

 

 It was delicious!

Lunch preparations were going on in the kitchen.  Most of the food seemed to have been prepared previously. Rice may be served three times a day.

 

 

 We felt so lucky to be in the kitchen of this kind family.  They didn't mind us at all just walking around taking photos.

 Interesting wok.  It looked like they burned wood and corncobs beneath the surface to get heat up to the wok.

 

 When parents feed their children here they just follow them around with a plate of food and feed them when they can get their attention.

The cemetery was close enough to walk to but most of the family rode in the car or on their motor cycles.   We found out why as we about died from the heat walking there!  It was interesting, though, seeing the village at a slower pace.  We were so glad to have the protection of the traditional farmer's hats they offered us.

 The cemetery was prettier than the one we saw in Solo where the graves are even closer together!

 Flower petals strewn on the tombstone is the tradition here rather than leaving the entire flower.

 Franky's family and the new tombstone.

 We loved seeing the uncle clean around the grave just like we do on Memorial Day at Cloverdale.

Back at the house the uncle showed us his treasures.

 

This is a dagger called a keris, which is both a weapon and a spiritual object, considered to possess magical powers, with some blades possessing different types of good luck. For example one keris might be made to help a person maintain their status.  Another might be made to increase his riches.  A keris maker is sort of a shaman with the ability to make the dagger according to the desires of the owner. Often the keris is passed down from generation to generation and they are always worn at traditional celebrations in the back of the man's waistband.

 The uncle told us that he found these on the ground after meditation.  They are highly prized coconut tree starts that are petrified. 

Franky, our driver, took time to visit with his uncle and get some information about his ancestors.  

The uncle was able to give him some names he needed for his family tree.

 

Franky's youngest brother drove all the way from Solo on a motor cycle with his wife, as did his sister, Tari, and her husband.

 

 Denok and Ani were picking through each other's hair.  The only way they could translate it for me was taking little animals out.

 Preparations for the return trip reminded me so much of just what the young mothers do in our family before setting off for home.  The babies were dressed in their PJ's while the other kids played on the floor with their uncle.

 

 

 

 

 

 The family history information found in cemeteries is a valuable resource for Indonesians.    Documents here are hard to come by for many.  Microfilms are difficult to access.  We look forward to the digitizing of Indonesian records by Family Search! 

Discover Your Family, Know Your Family, Love Your Family!

Happy Birthday Relief Society!

If you are a member of the LDS Church you know that every March we celebrate the anniversary of the creation of Relief Society.  I've been to many RS birthday parties over the years but this one in Solo, Indonesia tops them all for fun and sisterhood!  It was attended by about 150 sisters from central Java.  There was a spiritual opening with motivational talks from the stake RS leaders and the Stake President followed by a cooking class, a craft class, lunch and a talent show.

The Stake RS Pres., Sister Ima, taught us how to make Rainbow Cake.

 We sat outside under a covered entry area.  The Banjarsari Ward all had matching batik outfits.  Dewi, the woman in the glasses, designed the batik and all the dresses and blouses for the sisters.

 This is Ani, a lovely woman I've had the pleasure to help with  family history.

 

I was so grateful to Erica for being my friend and translating for me! The young sister missionaries are sitting right behind us, Sis. Suryanti and Sis. Canty.

The finished product!  It was yummy.  We had chicken and rice for lunch and Rainbow cake for dessert.

 There were lots of cute skits including this one about the age old problem of how to get 18 yr. old girls excited about going to RS!  The LP on the back drop stands for Lembaga Pertolongan, Relief Society in Indonesian, of course!

A little RS history skit.

 Several of the wards did dancing for their talent.  Everyone really got into the music with clapping and laughing and just having a good time.

 Banjarsari was more mild mannered with some hymns for the closing number.

 We went souvenir shopping with Widap and Frisca in Jogja.  Check out the cool wind chimes.  We bought one with a cute dragon on top.  Widap is our Family History Center Director in Solo and Frisca is her friend  and soon to be missionary to Australia.

In Jogja we worked with these wonderful young adults!  Rhesa has been called from Jogja to serve in the Canadian Mission.  He leaves as soon as he can get his visa to the USA so he can attend the MTC  in Provo.  The girls are Sari from Malang, Frisca and Widap, and Omni from Jogja.  These young people are the future for Family History here in Indonesia.  As Elder Bednar says, "...the time is now..." for youth and young adults to get involved in Family History.