“Siapa Nama Anda?” is Indonesian (Bahasa) for “What is your name?” A question that changed the course of an afternoon for our team the other day. At first our day started out pretty “touristy”.
We were in a traditional Sudanese village where they are famous for farming and processing a root plant called casava. The best way I can describe casava is that it tastes like a potato but has the consistency that is a little stringy like a squash, but still potato-like. We learned about their village and the Sunda culture, instruments (even got to play some!), and saw the farming process of how they harvest and produce casava in over 70 different forms.
We then got to eat lunch, a delicious traditional Sunda meal. After the meal, we toured their cooking rooms and saw where all the magic happened. We saw many of the village women cutting, slicing, frying, breading, rolling, and baking the casava in it’s many forms. Some of the casava was sweet, some salty, some fishy, some hot, some cold, crunchy, chewy, it honestly was impressive to see what these villagers were producing.
After we enjoyed and sampled the plethora of casava goods, we met back up as a group. We then were told that we are splitting up into groups of two’s and then teaming up with a translator. The translator was assigned to follow us and help us communicate with the locals. So we grouped up in pairs, Ben and I ended up being partners and Enny was our translator as well as one of the teachers at the school we are serving.
We started to walk around, asking the Lord where He wanted us to go. We got turned around a couple times because the labyrinth of tiny village “roads” were very confusing and never went the direction you started. Then God opened a door. We turned down a path and saw a couple people talking in a “road” in-between two houses. We initiated a conversation with them, meanwhile asking God to provide an opportunity to show these people His love.
At first conversation was very tough and very one sided. We would try and keep the conversation going but we kept hitting dead ends and would have to bring up a new subject. Conversation was stuck on the surface. I was asking the Lord (inwardly not out loud) “Why is this conversation so tough? What do we need to do Lord?”. Then the Lord spoke to me.
“Ask her what her name is.”
I then realized that I never opened the door for this conversation to be relational. We had been learning so much about their culture that day that I found myself asking questions to know about them, not to know them. The conversation was stuck on the surface because I wanted to know about these people, not know these people. Before God could move, He needed someone who wanted to know these people, not just know about them. I am so thankful we have a God who knows us and wants us to know Him!
So I asked this woman, “Siapa nama anda?”. And at once she lit up with excitement! “Ebu Deniese!” she exclaimed! At once the atmosphere broke. What was just so hard and exhausting all of the sudden became effortless and joyful. It didn’t take long before we were invited into her home. She offered us drinks and snacks, we told her that we just ate lunch, but we offered to pray for her. She was so excited that we wanted to pray for her! She explained to us that she fell in her kitchen and had pain in her body. We prayed for her and God took away her pain! Then she brought us to her mothers house and we prayed for her mother, God took pain out of her leg. We prayed for another family member who had a toothache, she has had this toothache for a long time, God healed that toothache after a short prayer. The look of surprise on her face was priceless. Then they brought over a couple neighbors so we could pray for them. One child had epilepsy and no use of his right arm, we didn’t see immediate results, but we know that God is working. Then we prayed for the young boys mother, she has bad asthma. We again didn’t see immediate results, but we know that God was working in her life as well! The family was so thankful and told us to come back again anytime to pray for them. Keep in mind, these are Sundanese people, they don’t have any religion but God gave them an open heart to receive from Him.
It was so funny to look back at what God did and how He showed up. And it all started when the conversation became relational. It was so tough and exhausting at first to try to open the door for God to move, but when the Father opened my eyes to want to know these people instead of about them, it became natural and joyful. Sound familiar maybe?
Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. –John 15:4-9 NIV
For a long time growing up I knew about God, I knew all the Bible stories and lessons, but I wasn’t a changed person. Life was still exhausting and tough, especially my life with God. “I’m supposed to love these people around me!?” “I need to read my Bible every day!?” “I should pray constantly?!” But what was once frustrating and exhausting has become life and life more abundant. I want to know God, not just know about Him. Don’t get me wrong, life is still tough, but it’s simple, His yoke is easy and His burden light. I will face trouble, but I can take heart for He has overcome the world. Though I have been living a life wanting to know God and not just know about Him for a long time, it’s funny how God brings you back to the basics every once and a while. It’s not about my knowledge of God, what I can offer Him, or even what I have given up for Him. It’s wanting to know Him more, being a part of the true vine every day. When we live this way, the rest of our life is an overflow of that love. Love that brings healing, redemption, and salvation. One of my favorite poems of all time says this.
Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.
I don’t know about you, but I want to know that love more. That love that Christ would love me way before I ever loved Him. That He would choose to call me by name to be His witness. I encourage you to do the same! Let’s grow!
Thank you all for following this journey and praying for lives to be changed, they have been, including mine! Keep praying! Here’s a little vision for what the Father has been speaking to me lately. The Lord gave me John 15:1-17 as my vision for these next 10 months. He is calling me to live in the true vine, to be relational, to love unconditionally, to bear fruit that will last, to let go of what isn’t bearing fruit, and to share unashamed. Please keep lifting us up in prayer! I also hope you all are celebrating with us in these victories as well, God has been doing incredible things in all of our squads teams, but He is just getting started!
