We have been in Canggu, Indonesia for debrief and in our free time we have had the opportunity to wander around and get to experience the culture and the city. A few girls and I went to this sarong store and I noticed the shop over was a hand poke tattoo parlor. Immediately I thought, “wow, that sounds cool. It would be sweet to get a stick and poke tattoo in Bali!” I kept the idea in mind and decided to ask the rest of the squad if anyone would get one with me. A few people said they might so we tentatively set a date. This morning (before I was even fully awake) I heard “so we’re going to get our tattoos today, right??” I hadn’t even thought of what I would get, but now I was committed so I had to decide! I figured since it would be hand poke and more of a time commitment I would get something small like a small cross on my ankle. That was the plan for after worship.
Our worship this morning was quiet and more of a reflective conversation with God so I had some time to just sit and talk with Him. I decided to ask what He thought about my tattoo idea and asked “if this is going to happen, give me an image.” Just as soon as I asked, two variations of the same image came to my mind, along with an explanation. I thought, “wow, it would be really cool for God to design my tattoo!” After praying I drew them to see if my (limited) artistic ability could adequately portray what I saw. It turned out well! So, I decided that is what I was getting for the tattoo.
Now became the question of “where on my body do I put this?” I was very convinced it would go above my right knee or on my left ankle…until we got to the tattoo parlor. The original parlor that I saw was closed so we walked down the street and just decided to walk into one and see if they could do them. They were very nice and accommodating and clean (don’t worry, mom!) so we showed them our design ideas and they called the artists to come to draw and then tattoo them. After seeing the design the guy asked me where I wanted it and without hesitation, I said my left forearm. That was a crazy decision to make because it was practically engrained in us from birth to not get any super visible tattoos, especially not below the elbow. However, there was just something that told me this had to be seen, it had to be in a place where people would ask about it. This was even confirmed at the parlor because the apprentice asked me what it was and when I explained it to him he said “wow, that’s really cool! I thought it was just a random symbol.”
Now you’re wondering: “what does the tattoo look like?!” Below is a picture, but what it means is more significant. It looks like a sun, but the straight lines make a cross and the sun in the middle signifies the Son, Jesus, and the arrows indicate that all things from all directions point back to Him. It was really a special image from God with a beautiful message and it creates an amazing opportunity for evangelism, as I had already experienced before even having it on me. I got to witness to a non-Christian at the tattoo parlor because of a design that God showed me and his response was that it was “so cool!” I know the purpose of getting this tattoo in this place is getting people to think about the design, ask questions, and spark interest in Jesus.
