January 1st 2014
Hey you. And you. And you.
Happy New Year!!
Wow! Writing the year as 2014... That's going to take some time to get used to.
Again, I have no idea when I will be able to publish this post. I wasn't able to post my Christmasy one for quite a while. But I'm still writing to you!
I do love that these posts will be archived, ya know? I've already read through some of my earlier ones a few times and they've been heap encouraging.
Well, this week, I know I won't get to posting this because my crew and I have traveled deeper into the rainforests of Borneo to meet a handful of pastors and to minister in their villages. This particular village has very limited electricity. Our evenings are lit by flickering lightbulbs swinging above our heads and maybe a headlamp if you remembered yours. Or have managed not to loose it. We've been sleeping just on our mats under our 'squitto nets. I think they look like princess canopy beds.
Our first visit to the first village was for 5 days. We slept on the floor at the cute little concrete church. Children, chickens, dogs and pigs ran around outside during the day. Children would poke their little faces in through the windows and doors and stare and giggle at us. Or else they'd be out front lighting firecrackers and sparklers. Christmas and New Years celebrations last more than just a couple days here. One day the staring got a bit annoying so I came out front with a soccer ball and a bag of candies and the kiddos and I ran around for hours, dancing, screaming, laughing and chasing! It was a really fun day.
Eventually, we had to pack up and head for the next site though. Everyone waved goodbye from their homes and the kids ran along side us for a while.
Here now, we are in village 2. It may or may not be similar to village 1. We'll see.
Our objectives for each village:
We probably have at least 3 church services per village so each of us students get a lot of opportunity to teach and share stories. I love this. I'm actually learning that I really love to teach.
We also are making a lot of house visits. Sometimes 5 or 6 houses in one day. We are invited in to meet the families, pray over their homes and maybe listen to their stories. The people here are very hospitable; almost every home has a pretty array of coffee, tea, and tiny festive cookies out for us. This is fun... Until it's time for house 5 and your bladder is about to explode and your stomach is full of flour and sugar. BUT, you take another cup of overly sweet coffee and smile, as to not offend.
Life here is simple. And breezy. And timing comes in the position of the sun and the direction of the wind. Things happen when they happen. The pastors who's villages we are visiting are lively and playful and friendly. I can tell they've been close for a long time, even with our cook, Leo, and translator, Demas. These guys are quite the team. Today they were tossing snap-its at each other between house visits!
We've been at this for like, a week. This round of outreach will take another 14. Then we'll go back to the Pontianak base for some days before going out for round two; another 20 days. After, we'll rest a bit before heading back to the states.
Guess what. I am now entering my 5th month of this entire adventure.
Only about 2 months left. I miss you, Minnesota.
The hardest part right now: Having a lot of free time to think about home, and not being able to understand the language.
The best part right now: The crazy beautiful landscape, wearing skirts in January, running through the rainforest, and success in communicating with little or no words.
The bittersweet: Learning to trust the Spirit for peace in these uncomfortable places, direction when you're totally lost; mentally, or physically, and safety when you don't know if what you're about to do or eat will make you very sick. In such a new place... This is mandatory. But it's a muscle you have to build.
Anyhoo, Jesus is Lord. I'm alive and well. And Indo is beautiful.
I'm going out to watch the sun set.
Goodnight friends.
-GFizzle
Recent update:
Yesterday I drank kopi juju (cocoa and coffee beans roasted together and sweetened) and ate tiny little cookies with an 125 year old witch doctor. Yeah. 125 freaking years old. And he could still walk and get up and down from the hard wooden floor. He was a very friendly man. I met another younger witch doctor too. Him and his twin brother. I believe his brother is a pastor.
...It's not everyday I get to do that.
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