Life as it happens

Greetings from Indonesia! Kepada teman-teman disini, trima kasih atas membaca blog ini :) Aku sangat senang bahwa ada pengikut dari Indonesia!
The past three weeks have been busy and quite enjoyable. As a SALTer who's been having a great experience, I'm finding myself caught in an unavoidable phase of the program. Having reached a level of familiarity and ease with the surrounding community, I am able to have meaningful communication and join many great activities. I've reached the point where I can tell jokes - sadly, my sarcastic humour is still difficult to get across - and share deeper stories about life. I can present at church or school, with or without using an Indonesian script in front of me. I can comfortably get around Jogja using the 2A or 3A Trans. bus line, impressing curious bus-goers with my Indonesian in the simplest form of conversation: self-introduction.
At this point, I find it difficult to imagine being in Canada! Of course, I cannot wait to see my family and home. In the past few weeks, many friends have graduated from college/university and I missed my first wedding of 2013. Two good friends are getting married this weekend as well. I realize that missing special events is salah satu drawbacks of living overseas.
As usual, some highlights from the past three weeks:

• English Club on 12 April was an evening at Alun-Alun Kidul, the south city square behind the sultan's palace. Our small group rode around on brightly lit 6-person bikes, ate street food (crepes, siomay, noodles) and attempted the Masangin trick that I tried back in the fall. While improving English wasn't the end result of the night, we had a great time getting to know each other! 

• Helping out a friend host an informal English lesson for neighbourhood kids. Ten elementary school girls came to her house and we sang songs, played games, and giggled together. They were really smart!

• Met Stuart Murray. As a CBC student and one interested in Anabaptist theology, this was a big deal! He's a British missiologist, church planter and author of The Naked Anabaptist. On his Southeast Asia tour, he stopped at Duta Wacana and joined a discussion on Jesus, kingdom work and justice. Got to chat with him and theology profs at Duta Wacana and later joined Mr. Murray and his hosts, my pastor's family, for dinner at a Javanese restaurant. What to talk about with this man?? I could've asked a million questions! A funny thing to note is how my communication has a bit of Indonesian influence now. As I was wracking my brain for questions, all I could think of was "Tell me about your family" and "how old are you?" Couldn't remember what Westerners consider sopan or polite.

• Sharing at Tuesday family fellowship! I was asked to share on what the GKMI Jogja family can do to make foreigners feel welcome among them. A bit of cross-cultural understanding, personal testimony and Q and Eh?. Felt good about it, just fumbled through reading my Indonesian script. But people laughed and hummed in response, so I can say sukses! My hope is that we, as diverse communities, can work together and proclaim God's gospel. 
• Joining gamelan practice at church. These lovely Javanese percussion instruments sound so cool! 
• Trying sanggul, the traditional Javanese hairpieces used for special occasions. It's like a bun pinned to the back of the head. The black bun on my brown hair didn't really match but it looked cool anyway! 

Once again, I thank you for your support and love. It is with great joy that I am able to share such a wonderful experience with you all! I continue to ask for prayer for strength, health (oh my finicky digestive system... I call them my "usus khusus": special intestines), and opportunities to share the gospel in my current context. For the challenges, may we all find God's peace and trust that he works for the good of those who love him.

In making plans and picking courses, I'm looking ahead to the summer and fall when my Canadian life picks up again full swing! I am looking forward to returning to Kamloops and lanjut to Abbotsford for the final year of my BA! 

Damai dan anugrah Tuhan buat sekalian, 

Lisi :)

Krik krik krik krik

Dear faithful friends, family and fellow pilgrims,
It's time for a blog post. To bring Easter greetings, to share life, and to herald the last 3-ish months left of SALT! This last point brings great joy and also deep sadness...
Happy Easter to you all, I hope that you took this holy-day to reflect and worship the risen King! Hallelujah, he has risen indeed :)
I have really enjoyed the past few weeks, they've been pretty full. There's never a dull moment. A few stories...

• First, after a detailed application process, got the invitation to become a Resident Leader (senior housing) on CBC campus next year!! I am thrilled! Also incredibly nervous. This is a position I didn't see myself in until very recently, and am counting on the Lord to give me courage and wisdom as I take on this role. 
• As the leader of the English Club here at PPBA, I've enjoyed the meetings and am so encouraged by the students that participate! In March, we had Epic Board Games (giant Dutch Blitz being the "epic"ness) with friends from MCC, a potluck and Easter celebration (delicious snacks!) and a small group of us going to UKSW (Salatiga's university) to watch Hairspray, the musical. Five EC members, my boss and I watched the English department give a great performance, they did so well! This is one of my favourites for music and choreography, SO good! I am impressed with our own group and the few students that show real enthusiasm on a weekly basis. Props to my fellow "foreigner", a student from East Timor, that has a passion to practice English!
• The highlight of March was spending a week with my MCC family. Even routine immigration trips to Semarang are enjoyable! This is the first time since October that all the YALTers were together and oh what joy to see everyone again! Minus our dear friend in Canada, of course. We packed up a bus and the entire staff (with families, about 35 people) drove to Pangandaran, a tourist destination at the edge of West Java. We spent 4 lovely days swimming in both pool and ocean, "walking-walking" (sight-seeing), watching a sermon series from Canada ("Inglorious Pastors" on peacemaking and Christ), sharing stories, worshiping together, laughing, praying and playing games. Needless to say, we were all quite tired by the end of it! But I had such a great time reconnecting with everyone. I was able to spend a lot of time with my Salatiga host family, who continue to shower me in love and the privileges of being their daughter. So blessed! Thanks to everyone for the great time! It was refreshing in the sense that I feel ready to take on the remaining time with focus and passion.
• Since I've been back in Jogja, things have picked up again. I mentioned that there's never a dull moment. Now, this being said, don't misunderstand: there's a lot of "down time" in which I must pick constructive things to do! Therefore, I have become very thankful for wonderful and talkative host parents, friends to keep up with around the world, and Bonhoeffer's The Cost of Discipleship - my most recent pursuit into a curious topic. The first few chapters of this book have been a challenge to read (not including the translated German, 1930s writing...) but I have enjoyed it. Discipleship has been a topic on my heart since last year's classes at Columbia. What is discipleship? What did it mean in Christ's time? What did it mean to the Anabaptists in 16th century Europe? What does it look like in my life, a 21st century Canadian claiming to be a follower of Christ? These are all things I am thinking about and, because I'm not a theologian or skilled in rhetoric, check it out yourself! ;) Or, I'd love to talk one-on-one later if anyone's interested. I just encourage everyone to give Christ a thought - a SERIOUS thought - and ask if your life matches up to his. Are we living as he did? Do our passions seek to bring his name glory and bring justice to those seeking it? Is our purpose in life to live as a "good person", helping ourselves and others, or is there more? 
• My struggle is to fully commit to this and my goal is to make the last three months in Indonesia totally worth it. I am blessed by great communities and friends that I am serving alongside. Please pray for continued understanding, opportunities to serve, and eyes to see God's work in front of us. Time is really short now (where did it go?) and I'm realizing how much I'll miss. The people are great, I have my met wonderful people, the [mild] food is delicious, the culture is intriguing and the way of life is comfortable. However, I will continue to pass on certain aspects, thank you very much. I don't want whiter, clearer skin and I don't need three cell phones... 

Thank you, as always, for your prayers and thoughts! They mean the world to me and I persevere because of them. I'm also encouraged that YOU are encouraged by what goes on in my life. Isn't it great to be part of something much bigger than ourselves?? That's why, my fellow pilgrims, we must stay connected and build up the body that has been called to earthly ministry - for eternal results! Semangat!
Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Hebrews 13:20-21

Shalom,
Lisi

Family! 

Happiness is...

This week I'm working on my piece for the SALT 2012-2013 Yearbook. How does one sum up 7 months of amazing and unique experiences in 500-700 words? And better yet, as a closing video, finding one word that can describe it? I might just have to send a video of a blank stare or me doing the Snoopy dance, because it describes how I often feel about life.

In reflection today, I'll use the classic line from Peanuts: 

...being part of awesome churches. I feel like part of the GKMI family here in Jogja. I feel like I'm at the point (or have probably reached it a long time ago...) where I can become what missiologists call a "storyteller". This means feeling comfortable enough in the language and going beyond surface-level conversation to talk about the real person in front of me; to talk about real things like life, family, emotions and opinions; sharing testimonies about the goodness and grace of God in our lives. What a blessing. This is true for my other communities here as well. Also, what a privilege to watch the life of Summit Drive at home and still be a part of it from a distance. 

...gaining the trust of children. I'm often at a loss of how to get their attention and keep it, but here I've been learning! I love the feeling of a child resting against me, clearly feeling safe. Now, there's still one little boy at church that won't warm up to me...

...weddings. I'll probably attend more wedding banquets in 11 months here than in the 22 years before in Canada. I love a good celebration, big or small! Had the chance to go to our church caretaker's daughter's wedding in a village southwest of Jogja. It was incredibly small but man, what a blessing to be able to attend this family's special day! 

...Kingdom ethics. I've been thinking a lot about this lately, as I talked to a pastor/professor here and wrote a paper on a faction of the subject. What an amazing command there is throughout the Scriptures to serve "the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow". In Luke 4:18-19, Jesus quotes Isaiah 61:1-2 about this and I think this is unmistakably CLEAR about what we need to be doing as his disciples. Upside-down Kingdom is a great book on this and I've recently started reading Politics of Jesus.  

...swimming. I am thankful for my upbringing on the shores of Eleanor Lake and the decks of the Canada Games Pool. In a place as hot as this, there's no greater treat than swimming! Although, I keep misjudging the Indonesian sun and get burnt. Repeatedly. 

...eternal hope. A friend's father from BC recently passed away from heart failure. Watching from afar was difficult. I do admire my friend's faith and this incredible hope she displays. While the fact of the left-behind family and friends breaks my heart, it's so good to remember our Saviour and the way he opened up for us to meet again. And better yet, to meet him. O glorious day...

...the market. The perfect place for the freshest food ever, gossip and 24-hour fellowship. 

...mail from family and friends. I don't care that the Christmas mail came 3-4 months late, it just extends the Christmas joy! 

...my 7 km bike ride from the university getting easier and easier. 

...simple living. There's a great fridge magnet in the MCC office that says, " LIVE SIMPLY, SO THAT OTHERS MAY SIMPLY LIVE". How true is that? When we look at our lives in perspective to others, especially to those that are unsure if they'll have food or shelter tomorrow (an interesting note: the highest refugee population right now is from Syria, having surpassed the 1 million mark), does it change the way we live or think? I hope so. Living in middle-class communities here, I've been incredibly challenged...

...being able to pray. It's not just a daily routine but rather a conversation with my Creator; a way to connect with my family across a distance; an intervention into world issues that, right now, I have no means to physically be part of; and a weapon against the systems of death and the prince of this world.

Now, always the logical one: 

I do prefer the word joy: a truly God-given gift, part of the Spiritual fruit that I desire to display. And don't get me wrong,  this joy (and happiness) doesn't always exist. I am often tired and desire to return to Canada asap. Cross-cultural interaction can be taxing and sometimes it just takes too much energy to think in a foreign language. But, I choose to persevere til the end and choose SEMANGAT!, a great Indonesian word for "spirit" or "passion" to keep going. 

Shalom! In Christ, 

Lisi :)

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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...

Don't cry for me Argentina, the truth is I never left you...

All through my wild days, my mad existence... 

Shalom!

Lisi

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Halfway There: a SALTer's Tale

Happy New Year! I hope and pray that everyone was able to enter 2013 with thanksgiving, zeal and anticipation for God’s will to be done on earth. 

A note about Christmas: the holiday was an interesting time for me and I just thank the Lord for who he is: my comforter, my healer, my Saviour and my joy. As I entered the holiday with apprehension and a nasty bug in my stomach, I was able to see his goodness and experience a unique Christmas. Indonesians really know how to celebrate! Christmas was packed with services, events, and a community-wide celebration of the Lord’s birth. Aside from a little bit of boredom from sitting in my room for days, the break I had after all the Christmas hype was positive.

Christmas Day at church 

The new year was heralded in by events and circumstances quite new to me! While troubled that I was not surrounded by a big group of familiar faces and that I did not waltz, I did get to do a few cool things. For example, I went to an evening church service that I was able to follow and use for reflection; I stood 20 metres from where my neighbours set off fireworks; and on January 1^st, I partook in one of my favourite household chores: weeding! When will that happen again?

My vacation concluded with a family road-trip to Malang/Batu, a tourist city in East Java. I love the highlands of Java and had an amazing time in this special area. The lush mountainsides reminded me of Europe, especially the Mediterranean (cypress trees will forever have that connotation in my mind). We passed fields and apple orchards and villages built around a central mosque (that’s the part that is not Western European). I was thankful for cool weather here too, what to most Indonesians is “cold”; I was thankful for a few days that I didn’t sweat at all! We went to Jawa Timur Park 2, one of the main attractions of this part of the island. Experienced your typical amusement park and a huge zoo as well. It was an afternoon of mixed emotions. For an animal lover like me, it was amazing to see SO many creatures! I marvel at the diversity there is. I also got to “encounter” a few animals: a python, an Asian badger-like creature, an iguana, an elephant, a macaw and a baby tiger. However, I admit that the park standards and respect I saw made me a little miserable. Once, in a moment when my animal-loving friend from home had a lack of better words, she exclaimed, “I love ALL the animals of the world!” That’s how I felt. “Please people, DON’T tap the glass and tease the poor animal [who already looks lifeless]!” Not saying that this is the model of all zoos here; it was just my personal experience.

Jalan-jalan around Malang with my host family 

Catherine the cuddly macaw; my reaction: take the picture, quick!

Nevertheless, bad experiences aside, I was refreshed and returned to Jogja in time to prepare for the new semester. I will be busier this semester with a few more things on my plate. There will be more “native speaker visits”, where I assist English classes, and I will have a bigger role in organizing the weekly English Club. I’m looking forward to some events such as a potluck, cultural discussions, and hopefully a masquerade party! Furthermore, I have homework to do for my own education. This is the practical side of my internship and is the equivalent of any third-level course. As time-consuming as it is, I am thankful for what I have learned so far from my reading and I appreciate those moments when I can apply it! 

Things are church are back in full swing and I am back to singing in choir and joining bible studies. There's annual Mennonite Day coming up (funny, I'm not Mennonite yet I'm going to perform something...) and a chance to perform traditional Javanese art! 

So that’s where I am right now! I am fairly healthy, enjoying daily conversations, discovering my own strengths and weaknesses, learning to pray ardently when it’s all I can give to others, seeking wonder and looking forward to the next six months with expectation. 

Expectation for God to use me to bless others; 

expectation that I will learn tons from them; 

expectation that I will long for my family and for hugs from those that know me best; 

expectation that I will cry many tears when I leave this place in July; 

and finally, expectation that these 11 months will change me. 

As the title suggests, I am halfway done my SALT term. Wow! It’s been an adventure and quite the serving/learning experience. The next months will probably go by so fast!

Please pray for my perseverance and strength. I often lose the wonder of this place and awe at the amazing opportunity I’m living; I pray that I find those things and hold tightly to them. May the passion of our Lord inspire us all to move ahead and work for his Kingdom, wherever we are! Furthermore, please pray for the growing church in Indonesia and for the fervour they have for God, and also for those that live under the law. May they find freedom in Christ and intimacy with their creator.

Thank you for your prayers and be assured, they keep me going. I am excited that we can be part of God’s mission together. “To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world” – Karl Barth.  

With gratitude, 

Lisi

On a recent trip to Salatiga,with most of the YALT team. These are our "durian faces". Durian is a  unique, smelly fruit . My face is pretty accurate, although I would eat it again (if I had to). We also said goodbye to the SALTer on the right as she returned home to Canada this week. She will be missed!