Now there are nine

 Janu and Zelia are now married. It was difficult for them. Even though he is 30 and she is 23 they needed written permission from their parents and the endorsement of their home villages. Through skillful negotiation he was able to get Zelia's parents to wave the bride price which can be as large as one year's salary.

The Catholic Church does almost all of the weddings here. There are not many organizations authorized to conduct weddings. Since they were both born Catholic, like 95% of all the citizens here, the Catholic wedding was easy to arrange.

Cheryl and I are there godparents. We got to participate in the ceremony. Cheryl held the Rings for them.
 This is the moment where the priest presented them as a married couple.
 As part of the ceremony we signed the Catholic churches Parish record of the event
 On her wedding day Zelia was scheduled to teach a village English class. Cheryl taught the class in her place. The Village knew we were coming and prepared an appreciation ceremony for us. LDS Charities is funding the English program here.
 The first class was for the children. It had about 20 students. The second class was for the adults. There was about 55 students. Here's a picture of the second class.

The students were remarkable. Even though the class was overly large and crowded they were very attentive and disciplined. There is a great appreciation for the value of learning English. Many of the people who you see in this picture returned to homes that have no running water or electricity.
The next day Sunday Janu and Zelia were baptized. I got to do the baptism.  It was a very spiritual event. Both of them have a keen appreciation for Spiritual things and understanding of the commitments they were making. Because the church is not register or recognized in this country we do no proselyting. They approached us about being interested in the gospel.

Both of them are involved in organizing and directing the English classes we teach at the church. After about six months of becoming familiar with the church and what it does for their country they became interested in the doctrine. They would come over to our apartment once a week and the missionaries from Indonesia would teach them via Skype. They would teach in English and then Janu would translate into Tetun for Zelia.

They are two very intelligent people. Janu is fluent in three languages. He has graduated from the local University. He owns his own humanitarian business. Zelia is in our Advanced English class and is one of the top students. Their lives have been devoted to serving others.

Janu has close connections with all of the top national government leaders, including the prime minister. We are in the process of arranging a meeting with the churches area presidency and the prime minister.

They became the 8th and 9th Timorese members of the church living in this country.


Comments

  1. DeniseJuly 28, 2019 at 8:45 PM

    Dear Lee and Cheryl, Caught up on your blogs!!! Very interesting!!! You"re really making a difference and helping the people!!! You have special skills!!! It is so apparent that the church needs more and more senior missionaries in many areas, especially those that will travel outside the US! Seniors are needed, (even those that don't have your expertise!) There is a couple here on their 4th mission and they are planning on putting in their papers as soon as they get home. We really respect them!!!! Looking forward to hearing more!!!! Elder and Hermana Young

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Trapani's in LiberiaAugust 3, 2019 at 5:09 PM

      Sister Young,

      Nice to hear from you. We think about you and your husband and how you're serving in a place so different than us. This island is very safe with no crime and no pollution. Also there's no traffic here. When I think of the conditions you and your husband labor in I think that in many ways we have it much easier here.

      Those couples that serve multiple missions are amazing. Quite a sacrifice to be away from family and conveniences for so long.

      Elder and sister Trapani

      Delete
  2. PaulJuly 31, 2019 at 9:46 PM

    Hey, it's fun to get caught up again. I spoke with Berta yesterday who is already planning our next game night upon your return. You'll be home in November, right? What you are doing there, as real pioneers, puts so much of what I do in the Church in perspective. For the Savior to influence the world, His representatives need to scatter themselves throughout the world and do what He would do. You provide such awe inspiring good will. God bless, Paul

    ReplyDelete
  3. PaulJuly 31, 2019 at 10:36 PM

    Dena and I just read about the pigs and the amazing village garden and plans for a second garden. It's breathtaking to think of the enhanced self-esteem you've given to so many people and families. The language classes, the weddings, baptisms, and ceremonies are window dressings, I suppose, to the additional and priceless work you offer to lift the people out of poverty. The Church and gospel can gain greater traction when people are not hungry. You are wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
  4. The Trapani's in LiberiaAugust 3, 2019 at 5:02 PM

    We are so blessed to have the privilege of being the ones who get to do this work here. Because there are so many needs there are so many opportunities.

    Our release date is September 24th. We then head to Australia and New Zealand for about 3 weeks. We're renting a motorhome and touring around New Zealand. After we visit our children we will make it back to Cameron Park the end part of October. Then it's back to our normal lives and this Mission will seem like a dream. We look forward to seeing our friends. The mission's been great but it's lonely.

    ReplyDelete

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