The Journey Through the Kingdom (2012-2014): Alight! from the Singaporean sky-train to the next five months in Indonesia

Hello everyone!
The last month has been incredibly busy, as seen in my lack of blogging. It's been filled with wonderful friendships, travel and, as usual, a barrage of new cultural experiences. Barrage is a great word and I am indeed overwhelmed at times.
We've passed the halfway mark and now we're down to five months left in Indonesia. This fact brings a mix of emotions and responses. I am doing really well here and often can't imagine being anywhere else at this time. I've been so blessed by my community, host family, MCC team. Not to mention a passion for cross-cultural understanding and the valuable knowledge I have from two years of Intercultural Studies! On the other hand, there are days when I am ready to see my family and friends again and experience Canadian culture. I am also ready to blend in to crowd again!
However, the ups outweigh the downs (another SALTer quoted this from Robin Hood) and I can easily say "Ayo! Let's go!" to the next five months. I appreciate your prayers for strength, joy, wonder and fruitful relationships here. My health is doing well, I'm just trying to keep my IBS and eating habits in check.

My host parents

On friendship and travel, some highlights from the last month...

My church, GKMI Jogja, celebrated the 488th anniversary of the Anabaptists with a special service. On January 21, 1525, a group of these radical reformers conducted the first adult baptisms. It was exciting honour this with my Indonesian church family and two YAMENers that came for the occasion. We sang, danced and shared for the congregation. It’s so great to hear the gospel message and the Word in many different languages! On this day there was Indonesian, Javanese, English, Mandarin, Luganda and German. What a beautiful expression of the diverse kingdom of God!
Also, I have always loved dress-up. Since I've been in Indonesia, I've been waiting to try on traditional clothes; finally, I was able to. I borrowed a kebaya outfit from my host mom and it was so fun!

China, Uganda and Canada/Javanese!

At the beginning of February, the “see you laters” continued as our initial Exchange Coordinators left after their four-year term with MCC. This couple has been really inspiring during my time in Indonesia, in faith, ministry, family, perseverance and appreciation of Indonesian culture. I miss their company and leadership! However, I am excited for what the new coordinators will bring to MCC. I have enjoyed getting to know them and experiencing this new culture with them.

Saying goodbye to our Exchange Coordinators and their son. Until we meet again!

My work at the university picked up at this time too. I started my visits to English classes, as the resident native speaker. I'm also continuing other tasks like editing works and promoting the department. I have a bigger role as a leader of the English Club this semester. The number of students at this weekly meeting is still small and I'm hoping more people join! I am proud of the students, though, for an excellent performance at a Valentine's Day event at UKDW! Performing a drama in English takes a lot of courage and these guys did a great job!

Pusat Pelatihan Bahasa Asing!

A funeral and impromptu family gathering. On a Saturday night at 11:30, my host father told me that his brother-in-law passed away near Kudus, a city 5 hours north of Jogja. Him and his wife lived at our house until November, while he was getting treatment for throat cancer. They had moved back to Jakarta and he died on the way back to Central Java on February 9. The next morning between 7 and 10, all the family from Jogja met at our house, including my oldest host brother. He flew in from Bali that morning! I was and continue to be amazed at the value of family here - people drop everything to meet. In Javanese (and Muslim) culture, death is dealt with quickly and almost impassively. For Christians, this is mixed with the hope of meeting again in heaven. Therefore, this was the perfect chance for a family gathering. As we all arrived in Kudus, I met cousins, aunts, uncles, friends... My host father is the fifth of nine children. I spent most of the free time with cousins, chatting and watching TV. The funeral was on Monday and so many people came to the event. We arrived at 9:30 am and the funeral started at 12:00, greeting people as they arrived. There were speeches, sermons, many pictures, and traditions such as sprinkling oil on the body. I was a little uneasy being so close as we posed around him for pictures. I was honoured to be part of this, though, and my family wouldn't have had me anywhere else. We proceeded to the cemetery (which was basically a small forest) and there was another service there. It was a beautiful event, as we sang and worshiped among the graves and trees. It was a difficult time too and I think I was the person that shed the most tears. I can't help but think about the value of family and the relationships we build here on earth, in our journey towards the kingdom. Praise God for that reality, that we will one day all meet again in God's presence!

Pak Tri Pudjo, may he rest in peace

I went directly from Kudus to Salatiga on Tuesday, to meet with some of my MCC teammates for our annual visa renewal trip. Ayo ke Singapore!! This was a short trip to the tiny nation, giving us just enough time to learn the MRT (sky-train) and taxi systems and see some of the important sites. What an amazing city! On the night of our arrival, we walked around the lit-up building and gardens on the harbour, marveling at the "futuristic" and spaceship-like architecture. After we dropped off our passports for processing on Thursday morning, we had the day to go around town. A nice man found us confused outside a train station and showed us around for an hour. We spent a lot of time in malls, especially as it started to rain hard... The underground system is amazing, taking you from mall to mall and from train station to station. We never knew where we'd emerge or how many levels below ground we were! Bought souvenirs, window-shopped (Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Puma etc. etc. etc.), ate Subway!, took silly photos and got our visas back in the afternoon. Ended the day with a nice supper and hot drinks at a coffee shop. How I miss that atmosphere! The chai tea latte was pretty awesome too! We left the next morning for Changi airport - more architectural genius - and arrived back in Indonesia. It was a nice visit, one of those "Western breaks". But the cleanliness, order and wealth was strange; it was hard to believe I was still in Asia! I was happy to return home :)

The casino and harbour at night

Fun on the escalators!

Now life is back to normal for a while, as all the YALTers have returned to their placements. I'm still plowing through my homework and combined with my assignment here, there's never a dull moment! I continue to learn everyday and am blessed by daily interactions. At a conversational level, my Indonesian language is coming along. Sometimes I am lazy to practice but when I have no choice, i.e. at my home or at church, it's always a learning experience!

Thank you for your continued prayers and support. I am SO happy for all of you and I look forward to seeing those that I can in a few months! I will try and write more often, so the posts aren't as long as this one. I will leave you with pictures and a parting song...