I’ve been in Indonesia for four weeks, and three of those four have been in a town called Cisarua (CHee-Sa-Ru-Ah). You may ask me “What makes Cisarua special? What have you been doing there these three weeks?” Before I answer these questions, I need to be tell a little side story.
About 4-5 days before my arrival in Indonesia, I learned about the 3 different locations our teams would go to (1 team per location). There was 1 location that my heart desired above the other 2, and the day I arrived in Indonesia I learned that my team was going to Cisarua which is exactly where my heart was.
So let me ask you a question. “Did you know that there are about 16,000 refugees in Indonesia, and that 3,000 of them are in Cisarua?” I sure didn’t, and their numbers are growing. Some of these refugees have been here for 3 years, and are still waiting to be re-settled in a Third Country. Most of the refugees I’ve had the honor of meeting are from Afghanistan, and others I’ve met are from Iraq, Iran, Yemen, and Sri Lanka. Countries that the World Race doesn’t go to, but that doesn’t matter because they are HERE! They are kind, funny, and very hard working!
Their hearts are beautiful, and I’ve seen such a driving power in them to keep moving forward, AND ABOVE ALL, KEEP HOLDING ON TO HOPE!
However, Indonesia has passed many laws that prevent any refugee from having a normal life. Refugees are not allowed to work a job, because if they get paid they immediately go to jail. They aren’t allowed to go to mosques and pray, their children aren’t allowed to go to Indonesian schools, and they aren’t allowed to leave Indonesia unless they get re-settlement. They are stuck here with no rights.
Some refugees have family that send them money, but there are those who do not have any support system. Women with children who lost their husbands due to the hatred of violent persecutors, and men who have been refugees since they were children who have experienced the most unimaginable things. It breaks my heart to think of the pain and loss they have suffered, and Indonesia chooses not to make life easier for them. I have seen refugees break down, and want to cry but won’t allow themselves to because it is hard to stop, among other reasons. However, there are a few who can’t hold back their tears as they reflect on their traumatic experiences.
One thing that I often hear from refugees is “If you only lived one day in my shoes, you would understand.” Can you try? Can you even imagine the life they have lived? Each refugee, of course, has their own reason for fleeing their country. If you ask them, their immediate answer will be “There is war in my country.” So I usually reply with “Yes, but what pushed you over the edge? What made you make the decision to leave.” The answers are never the same, but they all have to do with almost losing their life to the violent persecutors in their country.
The first day I was here I got to listen to some stories, and later that evening I wrote in my journal “I don’t think I’ll make it a single day without crying.” It has definitely been one of the most emotionally intense experiences of my life. Especially when what the refugees want, and what I have to give don’t exactly line up. When we first arrived, some thought we had governmental connections and came here to get them out of Indonesia, and all I could think was “I’m a college student. I don’t have any of the connections you want.” It was a tough realization for both parties, but my team and I have been able to bring resources into their community to help them have a better way of life here.
The biggest project was take part in a charity clinic where 7th day Adventist doctors (who spoke Indonesian and English) had the assistance of Muslim refugee translators (who spoke Farsi/Persian, Arabic, Urdu, and English) to translate for the 150+ refugees who spoke neither Indonesian nor English. It was a crazy, loud, but an absolutely amazing experience! I was the counseling section of the clinic, and I got to listen to refugees and also give them a word from God (I operate in the Prophetic). Here are a few stories.
One woman came in and there was so much hope in her eyes. She had lost everything, and yet she had a smile across her face and her eyes smiled. So the Lord told me to tell her that He will pour blessings onto her and her household, because she is a woman of faith.
A husband and wife came in together, and I don’t know how to explain it, but there were kisses all over her face! It was so precious! God had placed these kisses all over her face, and I couldn’t help but to tell her even if it was a strange thing to say. The Lord told me that the wife was an honorable woman even though her husband had done dishonorable deeds, and because of her He kissed the forehead of the man and called them honorable together. So I blessed their family.
Then a young man, about 21 years old, came in and his face was the picture of pain and sorrow. He has been here for 3 years, and he was more than ready to leave Indonesia. He talked about how his family was still being persecuted in Afghanistan, and how hopeless he felt not being able to work or do anything productive. So the Lord told me “Look at his veins. See how defined they are. Tell him that I care about the blood that runs in his veins.” So I told him what the Lord said, and how God cares about everyone in his bloodline. Then I told him to look at his veins and remember God’s promise every time he feels hopeless.
These are some of my favorite stories from my counseling sessions. I have more and every single story is different. God is so amazing and loves us so much! He knew the heart of every single person that walked into my little counseling area, and without fail He expressed his love for each individual in a different way. Not once did He say the same thing. It was a beautiful time, and I was so blessed to be the one He used to tell His beloved children how much He loved them.
The second major project my team and I did was give time and resources to the Refugee Learning Nest, informally known as RLN (they have a FB page so look them up). Earlier in this post I mentioned that refugee children aren’t allowed in Indonesian schools, so some amazing individuals (who are refugees) created a school for refugee children to attend. This school is made up of mostly Afghan refugee children whom are all precious.
I was ecstatic for the opportunity to be able to work in a school full of Afghan children! Yes, this was a dream come true! I could cry, because God knows my heart so well! I’m a college student in the process of getting a degree in Elementary Education, and I also want to teach overseas! If I had stayed in the States I would be Student Teaching this semester. So this was my first experience teaching in a classroom. There was a mixture of excitement and nerves, but once I was there the nerves died down and I knew that I was created to do this. I had a blast with the children, and have built amazing relationships with the teachers who volunteer there. That’s right, all the teachers volunteer, because refugees aren’t allowed to get paid. So to all my fellow teachers out there, think about that for a minute. Doing everything you do…but having to do it for free.
These men and women who have stepped up to the plate, and have decided to take on such a big role to ensure that their children have knowledge for the future are beyond any words I can sum up. They are an inspiration to me, and I want to thank them for pouring into our future generation! It doesn’t matter where you are from, you can change the world and I see world changers at RLN!
The final opportunity we had stayed constant the entirety of our stay here. The ministry of simply building relationships. I have made precious friends here, and I love each of them very much. I have listened to their stories, and have asked them many many many questions. I wanted to get to know their culture, and what it means to be from Afghanistan. I wanted to know what life looked like in their village. I wanted to know the good times, but also the scary and gruesome experiences they had. Why? Because I care so much about them. Every time I asked them a question I got to know them a little more, and let me reiterate how beautiful their hearts are!
I have shared so many experiences with my new-found friends. I danced with them, laughed with them, ate traditional American food with them, ate traditional Afghan food with them, drank with them (tea), taught with them, came to their soccer practice, wrote a recommendation letter for them, ran a clinic with them, crashed an Indonesian wedding with them, brought them into my home, visited them at their home, and just all around really enjoyed myself with them. We lived life together and it was wonderful. These lovely memories and faces will always hold a special place in my heart.
Warning: I’m going to be very bold and blunt in this last paragraph.
I didn’t write this post so the refugees within Indonesia can have 5 minutes of being known. I wrote this post to spread the word of them being here, because a little over a month ago I didn’t even know that they are here. My heart is to grow awareness of them being here so more people will come and help them. Whether that looks like helping them go to a Third Country or providing resources for them to have a better life while temporarily living here. These refugees did nothing wrong except want to live a peaceful life, but who doesn’t want that? I also wanted to share with you the love Papa God has for them. How His heart breaks to see His children suffering and crying out after experiencing so much trauma and then left without a way out. Papa Love sees them and knows them each by name, and is waiting for someone to answer His call and help free these refugees.
