Sonia Graduation

In 2009 JEAP funds were used to provide assistance to Indonesian students in the following grades and educational programs:

Elementary               13 Students

Junior High               11 Students

High School               27 Students

College                         3 Students (majors: English, Chemistry, Law)

Audio Visual 3-month course:   10 Students

The board members of JEAP sincerely thank all those who made contributions over the past year. You are making a real difference in the lives of these young Indonesians.

In the first time I’m very disappointed, but I must receive it.

Then one day,  President Subandriyo came to the English class when I teach it. Next day, President Agus Sutadi told me and my father if President Subandriyo called him and said “JEAP will help you to go to university to take D3 program in English subject. JEAP will help you to pay the school payment in the first and the second year, so your father can look for and save the money to pay in the last year you in university.”

“Wow……… is that real?” I say to my self. How great bless come to me that time. I can go to the university. I don’t know what must I say but, I’m so glad and happy.

Thank you for JEAP to help me. My family is very happy too. They support me to always do the best.

I know I must work hard.

When Elder Subandriyo said it to me, He also want me to teach the English class in Solo Barat and Solo Tengah branch after seminary to replace Elder and sister Roberts because they have to go home.

Now I studied at Sebelas Maret University ( UNS ). my family and I were thanksful for all this help.

I can go to university and can partice my English in teaching the English class.

thank you so much. thats all…

Sonia

To:  JEAP Directors and Donors

From:  LDS Employment Resources in Indonesia  -  Elder and  Sister Reber

One of our primary goals is to help match the needs of members with available resources, with the ultimate objective of helping members find employment or upgrading their employment.  In the world today, education is the key to success in finding good employment.  In Indonesia, unemployment is extremely high and poverty is a very real problem. For most Indonesian members, unless there is outside help, they will not be able to get an education beyond high school and thus their chances  for good employment becomes very limited.

It is especially difficult to see our bright, faithful, dedicated Indonesian missionaries get released from their missions and not have a chance for further education or good employment. We would love to have the Perpetual  Education Fund (PEF) available for them but due to legal issues it is not available.

For the past several months we have been selecting and visiting good universities and technical schools from around Indonesia to recommend to our youth.  In early 2009, we plan to visit the various Church Districts and share this information with the youth and their parents and encourage them to continue their education at either a university or a technical school.

A big concern now is whether there will be enough available resources from JEAP to help those  who will  need help to go to school.  Without help from JEAP we are afraid that much of our efforts will be in vain. 

It is important to note that the format for helping students will be based primarily around the PEF guidelines with the main focus on the development of education for returned missionaries and adult sisters of comparable age.  This group is certainly where the future of the church lies as they have the faith, leadership ability, and stability needed for church growth and development.

As we see the young people who have been helped by the JEAP funds and the contributions they are making in the church and in society in general, we are so appreciative for the generosity of those who have contributed to the JEAP fund and those who are continuing to donate.  We can assure you that this  is  an inspired program that is blessing many lives and future generations.

Sincerely,

Elder and Sister Reber

We want to introduce you to Ginsa, one of our great English students. He is sixteen years old and just started high school.  He is the oldest son of two faithful parents.  He has a younger sister who is ten and a little two year old brother.  His Dad, a returned missionary,  works very hard making bricks to provide for his family.  They have a little store and they live in the back of it.  Money is extremely  tight.  They live a long way from the church and only have one motorcycle so they have to take turns coming to church.

            Elder Subandriyo has a vision of the youth of the church learning English so they would be prepared to go to the MTC in Manila and also be strong  leaders in the future able to speak English. We wanted desperately for Ginsa to be able to come to our classes, but knew it would be almost impossible for him to come the great distance from his home four nights a week.  Elder Subandriyo suggested maybe the RM fund could help him.  When we talked with the father about the class and suggested that we might be able to help, he said, “Let us try to do it on our own first”.  We knew it would be a tremendous sacrifice for the family but they have been doing it.              Ginsa is always the first one to the class and was elected president of the class by his peers.  He is a very smart young man and is learning English quite rapidly.  We had FHE with his family a few weeks ago with the young elders and they gave the lesson in Indonesian.  We told Ginsa he would have to translate for us.  He protested and said no, that he wouldn’t be able to do that. I insisted and he did a fantastic job, surprising himself and pleasing his parents.  

            His mother has tremendous faith. One time when we went to visit them she said, “I have been praying that you would come. I thought you would come yesterday, but I’m glad you are here.” Because  they only have the one motorcycle she usually has to stay home with the little children so doesn’t get to go to church very often.  Recently I felt impressed to go visit her and tell how much we appreciate the sacrifice she is making for Ginsa to attend our class.  When I asked if anyone from the branch had been to visit them, tears welled up in her eyes and she said, “No,” then she laid her head in my lap and sobbed as she said, “It is so hard, sister, it is so hard.” 

            She told us that Ginsa needed three million rupiah to start in the high school he wanted to go to.  She said they had one million and they didn’t know how they were going to get the rest of the money.  The next week Elder Subandriyo announced  in a youth fireside that the fund would give one million rupiah to every student going into high school that had a grade point average of 8 or above. Ginsa was concerned about his test scores but he said, “I know if I read the Book of Mormon everyday and partake of the sacrament every week, I will be blessed.” Ginsa’s grade point was way above the needed 8 points so he received the one million.  That million was such an answer to the prayers of a faithful family. He has been helping his father make bricks and we have also hired him to wash our car to help make the other million. Ginsa said that he is so appreciative for the gift from the fund that is giving him the chance to go to school. He is a bright young man with a sweet testimony of the Gospel.  He and other young people in this English program are the great hope of the future of the church in Indonesia.

Elder and Sister Taylor

(Chuck Lambson)

Dear Friends:

Last Sunday I was in Bandung to attend Branch conference.  The sacrament meeting went very well. It was well organized and we all well taught by the speakers.  I was particularly very impressed with the piano player; I knew her family very well.  Her father was a custodian many years ago, and her older sister was a missionary with us.  There are probably 6 children in the family.  This special young lady who played the piano also speaks very good English.  Thanks to the couples who taught her well.  After the meeting I asked her what is she doing, and she said, “not much”  She told me she teaches her little sister and brother English.  I asked if she goes to college and she said “no”.  I asked if she teaches English to her neighbor to earn small income, she said “no” then she continued, “I don’t have the teaching manual to teach”.  This sister completed her high school last year.  I also met with a few returned missionaries who work at the Church water project in Bandung. All of them come from humble families, almost all high school graduate.  That Sunday experience stayed with me and made me to ponder how can I help them.  The song No. 219 in our hymnbook came to my mind:

“Because I have been given much, I too must give…

I shall divide my gift from thee

With ev ‘ry brothers that I see

Who has the need of help from me”

This morning, as I did my morning “ritual” on my way to work at Jaredita’s grave to offer my pray to Heavenly Father, a strong feeling came to me…”You need to enlarge the Jaredita Education Assistance Program (JEAP) to help those poor but capable young people”… I thought to myself… I can donate regularly to JEAP and I won’t get broke…I wept as I rode on my motor bike to work.  I felt a strong feeling that we need to campaign aggresively to collect a larger donation to help our young people to get education. For your information, because of legal complication PEF is not existing in Indonesia.  I shared my experience with President Marchant and he felt good about it.  I asked him how much we should aim in raising the donation this year, he said, “$ 25,000″

Now, my friends, I know we can do it.  There are many people we know that has been blessed abundantly in their life, even among our own returned missionary group.  Let’s work together to make it happen.

For further information, please, contact Chad Emmett (Chad_Emmett@byu.edu) and Erwin Dumalang (Erwin@synergyworldwide.com) for the local donation.

Terima kasih banyak, salam kasih saya,

Joshua Subandriyo (Yoyo)

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The email message below was sent by Chad Emmett shortly after the email above was received:

Dear Friends

Selamat pagi. Thank you to Elder Subandriyo and Erwin Dumalang for their vision and hard work and thanks to those of you who have already contributed. Also thanks to Meldon Larsen and Chuck Lambson for their help. When we first announced JEAP last April we were modest in our goals—which were to help pay for elementary and secondary school fees for LDS youth. We now recognize that there are many other educational needs in Indonesia especially among young adults. For example, senior couples have been diligently teaching English to members in cities like Solo and Jogja, but now with their upcoming departure and no senior couples to replace them, there is an urgent need for well trained local members to continue the English language courses. Part of your JEAP donations will help pay tuition for worthy Latter-day Saint young adults with proven foreign language abilities to attend a three year foreign language academy to obtain proper certification to teach English. JEAP will help with tuition for two years and then the recipients will pay for the third year’s expenses. The total cost for the first year of schooling per person is only $475. The recipients of JEAP assistance will help the current senior couples with their English classes and then in the future they will offer English classes to other members.

So far this year we have received $5,000 in donations ranging from $10 to $1,000. With increased donations we will be able to expand educational assistance to a larger population of adult members. Please forward this message or deliver the flyer to any others who might be willing to help. The attached flyer is the most current one and it gives all of the information needed to contribute. Thanks in advance for any help you might be able to give.

Sincerely,

Chad Emmett