Indo-sneezia!
Thanks, Dad, for that gem. 😀
We are in Semarang, Indonesia now, our ministry location for the month. I will share more on that in a later blog.
A lot has happened, so this blog is just a list of unrelated thoughts and updates, rather than something cohesive.
1. In Australia I went to a lighthouse twice during the day and once at night. At night, I was so captivated by the beam of light shooting out for miles into the darkness. During the day, a lighthouse is pretty. But at night, it is doing what it is made for. I felt God telling me I was made to be a lighthouse in the night. I am meant to shine the light of the Gospel into dark places. There are many things that would deter me from being a long term missionary. I have wanted to simply be a lighthouse in the day. And God told me, even if I am, I don’t lose my identity as a Christian. A lighthouse in the light is still a lighthouse. But is it fulfilling its true purpose? In the day, people look at the lighthouse itself, but in the night, it is the light that is more captivating. I want the focus to be on Jesus, not on me.
2. I love traveling alone and I knew travelling with 40 other people was going to be hard for me. In the past, I have either been the leader in a travel group, or happily parted ways if we had something different in mind. That isn’t always possible on the race. I learned I will have to lay down my own will a lot. “Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit but in humility consider others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each if you to the interests if others.” Philippians 2:1-4
3. “J’s” are gonna struggle. In the Myers-Briggs personality test there are judgers (J) and perceivers (P). It comes down to how you like to work, with planning and preparation (cough cough responsibly… 😉 ) (J), or at the last minute, with no structure (P). On the World Race, “plan” is a four letter word. I have always tested as only slighly more J than P. But the race draws out my J preferences a bit more. Time to lay that aside…
4. In Indonesia, we drove through a town where idols lined the streets in shop after shop. It reminded me of the quotation, “The human heart is a factory of idols.” These shops seemed to be actual physical factories. But it made me think, if my heart was a street in Indonesia, what idols would I find there? Independance, travel, Facebook, boys? How much work would it take to remove them and put God in each of their places?
5. It is also a bit difficult to be an introvert on the race. But two of my favorite moments were when I chose not to keep to myself. One moment was at Pancakes and Chai, a ministry to people in the park. I was feeling a bit off, cause I felt a pressure to mingle and make small talk, and that is really not my thing. After some time doing this, a group got together to do nail art and I went with them. The live music started to play and the night was cool and so beautiful. I prayed to God and just got a sense that I should say, “God is good” and so I did, to no one in particular, and felt a peace about just enjoying the night. But not long after that, I got into a talk with one of the girls attending the event. My squadmates and I talked to her and shared our testimonies and answered questions she had about Christianity. That night she accepted Christ!! Not because of anything we had done or said, or because we had pressured her, but she had been searching and talking with another squadmate for a couple of weeks and this was simply the time she made the decision. My squadmate asked her and she said yes! The whole thing felt so natural and comfortable and I was amazed! Another time, I was on the bus from Bali to Java. I was tired and had my headphones in. But I remembered part of the design of Expedition is land travel, for the purpose of talking to people you meet along the way. I ended up getting into a really nice conversation with the woman next to me. We talked about Maroon 5 and Korean dramas, as well as some deeper topics. In both of those occasions, I was feeling drained at the prospect of small talk, but God gave me deep, meaningful conversations and connections.
6. Praise: No major illnesses so far!; Surprise days of sun in Australia and Bali; smooth travel days; a beautiful place to stay in Indonesia that is within budget; Indonesian food is delicious!
7. Prayer: Continued protection from illness and disaster, for our ministry here in Semarang; for me (and any other introverts on the squad) to be filled up and not stressed out; for team unity; and for my family and friends to know how much God loves them.
8. Question of the blog: What is your favorite kind of ethnic food?
