We have been at our ministry site in Indonesia for about a week now and things have been very busy in the best way possible. We are working at an international school here and all the teachers, employees and towns people,have been so welcoming that we have had some incredible experiences and ministry opportunities already.
My experience in Indonesia so far can be best described with that word I think ” Welcome” .
Smiling faces saying ” Halo” ( pronounced ha-lo) greet us everywhere. To smile and acknowledge complete strangers is the norm. Something that I have had to adjust to , as we know that is not usually the case in the U.S.
I have already learned so much from the people here and all the amazing people planted here doing ministry. It’s funny because we are here doing ministry but I feel like I am the one learning the most. I am excited to share some of the lessons and things that God is doing here but I am waiting for them to progress a little more to give you guys a more accurate picture as I spend more time and see the stories unfold these coming weeks.
I do want to make sure and keep all of my supporters in the loop though so here is some pictures and quick facts about my time here so far!
Jakarta, the capital and third largest city in the world is home to 9.6 million people and has the worst traffic in the world ( literally) .
We are are here in the middle of rainy season which runs from November – March. I am loving it. It is a welcome relief to the heat at times and storms are my favorite :).
An example of a traditional Indonesian meal ^ .
The food here is seriously delicious! And the people here are so eager to share it and invite you into their culture. I’m honestly surprised that there aren’t Indonesian restaurants in the U.S, ( at least not as far as I have seen) .
My belly has been extremely happy aside from a slight case of the “Bandung Belly” I had ( I blame my body not being used to the water through and not the food ).
There are mosques EVERYWHERE In all the towns and cities as this country is currently 99.4% Muslim. They are beautiful buildings that are almost impossible to miss in relation to the shanty towns or ” kampuns” that they are surrounded by. The contrast is unreal at times.
This was taken at the first home we stayed at. We were next door fellowshiping and praising Jesus so it was pretty ironic.
The city we are serving in is home to one of the largest unreached people groups in the world, the Sunda. There are 32 million people and only 0.08 % are Christians. Our contact told us that about of all his encounters with the people here not one has stated knowing that they are loved by God or that they had heard of Jesus.
A typical road here…. I wouldn’t suggest hanging out of windows too much though as there are pretty much no rules or lanes or much order for that matter to the streets here haha .
We have been staying in Bandung which translates to ” The city of flowers”
If you know me and my love of flowers you know how happy his makes me 🙂
And once again my team , Team X-Stream … In front of one of the many waterfalls here.
It may not be a stream , but you get the point Right ? ??. We have been doing our best to bring the living water of the Lord here in this beautiful city.
We are so grateful for all your prayers and support.
….On the note of support, I am almost 70% funded! Continued prayers in that department would be greatly appreciated. I’m not really sure how that remaining 30% is going to come in with me being gone and not able to do much to du raise now, but I am excited to see how it will happen because I know that it WILL happen, as the Lord sees all things He starts until completion ??.
Also, another quick prayer request for a beautiful Sunda woman I had the opportunity to share are the Gospel with this last week. Her name is Nu Nung and she was so open and receptive that she allowed us to pray with her in the name of Jesus. We will be spending more time with her this weekend. I have a blog in the works on her and that encounter but that story is in progress 😉 , but prayers for her and her heart would also be greatly appreciate. I want her to feel and know the love of the Father!
Until next time,
Arlene <3
