Pictures

Check out the latest!
Lisi's Online Photo Album!

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

Photo Album Link

View photos from the past month!

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! 

Merry Christmas!

The Queen’s Message

Every year, the Queen of England makes a public Christmas speech to the countries of the Commonwealth. I thought I’d take after dear Elizabeth and do the same; however, mine goes out to other countries in the world and it’s not nearly as insightful. Plus, there’s no British accent.

This year marks a special Christmas, as I am in a context that is completely different than one I’ve ever been in at this time of year. I am in Indonesia without my immediate family, there’s no snow, I’m wearing “summer” clothes, the songs I sing are mostly in Indonesian and I haven’t eaten one candy cane yet! As assumed, I am missing my family a lot (when I give in to thinking about them). For the first time, we’re spread out in four different time zones around the world and are relying on Skype to see each other’s faces. It’s strange not to have them here with me and I know the others feel the same.

However, this is a positive message because I believe that Christmas is a time of hope. The meaning of Christmas, peace for all and hope is the same wherever we are in the world. As I’ve been reflecting on this, I’ve realized what makes Christmas, Christmas. I naturally associate it with those things listed above, a real Canadian/Austrian Christmas. I do enjoy listening to Michael Buble’s renditions of classic carols and picturing downtown Kamloops with falling snow and Christmas lights. But that’s not what it’s really about. How amazing is it that the almighty God came down to Earth, subjecting himself to humanity and brokenness? The Jewish people at that time were expecting a Saviour to save them from the injustice and oppression that the foreigners constantly exhibited. Jesus came to give people life, but first as a baby born in obscurity to most of the world. I can’t imagine the shock, surprise and eventual joy that people experienced in the Saviour’s coming!

But what a message of hope. And that’s what we’re waiting for now! The Lord came then to bring the Kingdom of God, the Helper (Holy Spirit) and the promise of his return. We need this message of hope just as much as the people did two thousand years ago. It seems that every year there’s more and more brokenness, injustice and oppression in this world. Christmas is a time I usually reflect on those as well. It’s happening everywhere and my heart is burdened by what humans do to each other and the earth. Let us wait in anticipation for the coming of our Lord! And while we wait, let’s be active in seeking the Lord’s will in our lives, that we can better serve him and our brothers and sisters.

I praise the Lord for the opportunity to celebrate Christmas in Indonesia, as I have experienced his goodness, his grace and his love through others here. I am blessed by my host community and the MCC family. I love being part of the global family of God that can come together in every context and share what unites us all: Jesus Christ. May you experience his hope and peace this Christmas and look ahead to the New Year with eager anticipation of what God will do in and through you.

I wish you all, my faithful supporters, a wonderful Christmas and blessed New Year. You are a wonderful gift to me and I am so thankful to have you working beside me as we all partake in God’s mission together.

Peace,

Elisabeth

Hal terbaik dalam hidup dibakar: roti bakar, ikan bakar, ayam bakar, pisang bakar, etc.

First, translation of the title: The best things in life are grilled: grilled bread (a delicious night-time snack of chocolate/jam-filled sandwiches), grilled fish, grilled chicken, grilled bananas (placing a banana on top of coals to heat it to perfection), etc. Mmm!
Second, check out the latest pictures on my web album!
https://picasaweb.google.com/101166710549137784356/LisiInIndonesia?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCIrU983np_eOqgE&feat=directlink

Another month has gone by and now I'm a third of the way through my SALT experience. Crazy! These past weeks have been full of the usual things: activities at UKDW and my church, enlightening and fun conversations and daily lessons in culture. I am clearly a student of Intercultural Studies; in my mind, the reason behind most actions is related to one's culture, their experiences and their worldview. Crazy! I really, really like what I study.

Some highlights from the last month:

• Hiking Mt. Ungaran, a 2050 metre mountain close to the village of Srumbung Gunung, where one of my fellow YALTers is positioned. I went with my youth group from GKMI, so I got to know some of these folks a little better. I also got to see this YALTer and her home, which was a wonderful surprise! The views from the ascent and summit were awesome, at night and during the day. I finally got to see a sunrise from a mountain summit. Check this off my list of things to do! What a great experience.

• Having a packed weekend in which I stayed the night at the home of my coworker's fantastic family, went on a short trip to a village nearby to do some surveying for the PPBA- the fun part being that I was with three guys that always make me laugh, and I went to the university choir's Christmas performance. I got to sit in the 2nd row, as a "special guest".
• Being a moderator for a session in an international symposium at UKDW, the theme being local service learning. If I didn't ask all the questions that I did, I wouldn't have known what to do! I was so nervous. But I sat all lady-like, spoke clearly and people seemed to appreciate my efforts. 
• Going on a small cultural bicycle tour of some temples and village areas surrounding Jogja. My YALT friend from Salatiga was visiting for the weekend and we had a great time. Free entry, freedom to clamber around 9th century structures (with care, of course) and free food? Yes please! And all before 1:00 pm. 

• An afternoon visit from another YALTer and his visiting fiancee! We're all ICS interns at CBC (she's in Thailand) so it was so nice to catch up and have a conversation in informal English. There's nothing like the feeling of being a tour guide in a country that's not my own! 
• English Camp finally happened last weekend, an overnight event to end the semester's English Club. The PPBA also held a teacher workshop and the Christmas party. It was a full schedule and quite enjoyable. The students played a lot of games and had to do 5 push ups if I caught them speaking excessive English. Three highlights from this highlight: teaching the students "Sardines", the awesome version of hide-and-seek I love; having a conversation about Indonesian vs. Western culture with the students; and teaching a session on Cross-Cultural Understanding, using the fun game "BAFA BAFA" to finalize my points. 

• Understanding more Indonesian spoken around me. I still have my days where I can't understand a word... But I am able to take more application from discussions and bible studies, which really helps the spirit! 
• Receiving mail from home! I've hung up my Christmas cards and pictures, my room is more festive now. 
• Eating dragon fruit for the first time. A red one at that. SO good! I'm a bit paranoid with tropical fruits, thanks to my mango allergy, and half expect the awful symptoms to come. It's a real blessing when they don't! 

A few "low-lights" from the past while:

• Getting sick with a bad cold - twice. I'm still recovering now! 
• Missing Canada, family and friends. 
• The injustice, violence and lack of care that is happening in our world. 

I have learned many things lately. Every day is an opportunity to experience God and serve him in a new way; it's also a new opportunity to learn about the culture around me and the culture that makes me who I am. Like I said before, I love this kind of learning, although it's not always easy. Some days the Indonesian worldview and ways are hard to handle and I really miss being surrounded by things I'm used to. I had the chance to listen to an American professor that was visiting our university last week. In her talk on cross-cultural trips she said, "When I enter a different culture, my first thought isn't always 'Diversity: I love it!' Usually it's 'Why are they doing it this way??'". I can relate to this. As long as we continue to learn, we can serve with our brothers and sisters better :)

A verse that has helped me lately, as I sometimes struggle to find purpose or find myself just "going through the motions" of life, even abroad: "Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain." 1 Corinthians 15:58

Thank you all for your continued support and love. Let us all, in our various contexts, continue striving to serve one another and bring glory to our God!

Peace, 

Lisi

Pictures

The latest pictures! Enjoy
Online Photo Album

Lisi