Hey guys! Sorry it has been so long since I last wrote and posted a blog! Let me catch you up!
What can I say about Indonesia?
Indonesia was beautiful! There were so many different types of people that had migrated there from other countries, but they were all born and raised in Indonesia and spoke the language, worshipped the same God and loved each other for who they were. It was so cool to see because we are a Fusion Squad which means that we have people from different countries on our squad. We can all speak English together, we worship the same God and we love each other. It was such a direct parallel to what our squad is all about.
We started out the month with getting settled into where we would be staying. We lived in a church for the month which was really nice because we were able to be so close to the people we would be serving all the time. It was the first time that I had gotten to truly know the people I was working with for the month. We not only lived in community with each other, but we also lived in community with those that we served. Because of this we had a HARD time saying good-bye when the time came.
I can’t tell you of a specific ministry that we dove into, because we dove into so many different ones. We started the month finding out that one of our very own had LICE!!! There were many hair treatments and hours of looking through her hair, but ultimately she decided to cut off her dreads and allowed us to all be part of such a ceremony. We each took turns cutting off her dreads and eventually all the lice, or as she calls them- “Creatures from the pit of Hell”, were finally gone. So one of our first ministries was all about helping out a sister in need.
We also did something called Cell Groups. These are like small groups that we would have back in the states. They meet once a week in small groups (hints the name) of people that are members of the church and they have times of fellowship and go through a bible lesson each week. They go to different houses each week and the host for the week cooks an incredible meal for dinner. It is truly an experience. They worship like I have never seen before and they are so deep into the direct connection they each have with God that it makes it seem as if no one else is even in the room. They have allowed the Holy Spirit into their homes freely and He moves in so many different ways!
One time we went to new cell groups that we hadn’t been to before and while everyone else went to one, Loren and I went to another. We were there with one translator and a room of people we had never met before. We started by praying over specifics needs and this one woman was really quiet at first and then all of a sudden started to speak in perfect English. I was blown away. She asked about Loren and I’s testimonies and so we told them. Then she asked me why I was able to follow God even though I was so young and had already been through many different trials and tragedies. It was a question that I had never gotten before, but I was able to answer it as if it wasn’t me speaking at all, but instead God speaking directly through me. I told her that even though I had been taken through so many hard things in life at such a young age, God has still provided everything that I have ever needed. He has always been there for me and because I choose to follow Him, He will always be there for me. He will never take me through anything I can’t handle. At that moment I realized that God used me, a 23 year old young woman, to be the light and the truth for an older woman that had stepped away from Christ years ago. It was one of the most humbling experiences of my life.
*Side note: Cell groups is where I had my very first YELLOW watermelon.
We would go to different schools almost everyday. We went in so that we could teach English, bible lessons and share our testimonies with the students.
At one point we went to this school that was in the middle of the jungle and had a headmaster that was Muslim. She still allowed us to come in and talk to the kids and spend some time praying over them. After three testimonies we asked them if anyone wanted prayer or wanted to make the decision to accept Christ that day and we had so many of them come forward. We spent time praying over them and some of them literally fell into my arms. They were in tears because they wanted more. They knew they were missing something and the Holy Spirit came swooping in to press Jesus on their hearts. I forgot that it was 100 degrees outside at that moment and embraced the moving of the Holy Spirit.
One of the most heartbreaking places that we went was a home for kids that were part of a cancer hospital. We went in and just sat with them. We colored and played games and just tried to bring a smile to their faces. It really hit me and God broke my heart for those in my own home town. I live in a city with one of the leading cancer hospitals in America and there is no reason why I couldn’t get in touch with them and see if I could spend time with the kids there. My mom even worked at that hospital at one point. Why did I have to go out of the country for my heart to be broken over these kids? It just goes to show how wrapped up in my own little life I was before coming on the race. Things will definitely change once I get home!
There was this one village that we went to a couple of times that was really beautiful. We were able to go and spend time with the kids and the people of his village. The pastor there had three kids and they were some of the sweetest kids I had ever met. They were such servants and just loved to love on others. The oldest was only 11 years old. I think it’s safe to say that they taught me a lesson in how we should live for Jesus and love others well. 
We had the chance to teach English classes at the church we were staying at. We split all the kids from the neighborhood up into three different groups and we had our own groups that we worked with for the month. Those kids are some seriously fast learners! They were understanding so much more than I thought they would in three weeks time. After the classes ended we would see them in the neighborhood and they would come up to us to try to talk to us. It was so much fun getting to know them on a personal level.
I ended up having to go to the doctor during the last week I was there for my foot. I have been having some weird pains going on in my foot lately and I wanted to go and have it checked out before I left, but things didn’t go the way I planned. I got there and sat in a long line but before it was my turn, a friend of the pastor that I was working with came in and started praying over my foot. I just wanted the pain to go away and she got out her oils and continued to pray. It turned out that she was a nurse and as she started feeling around, she said that my foot was in need of a massage. I agreed with her as I thought we were about to say our good-bye’s. The next thing I knew, she had me laying on the chairs in the waiting room as she massaged my leg very aggressively! She knew what she was doing and said that she really wanted to help me. The gratitude I had for her was overwhelming and I knew that God had provided for me. I was so scared of going to the doctor and getting a shot (anyone who knows me knows they bring me anxiety badly) and I didn’t want to spend the money that it was going to take to be checked out. God provided a woman that had a servants heart and simply wanted to spend an hour in the hospital rubbing my leg and foot and pray over the pain I was having. She was truly an angel sent by God himself!
I was so blessed by one family that went to the church. The mom was so loving and I connected with her in a way that I never thought I would. I called her Mamma Das and her husband Papa Das. She knew that I was missing home a couple of times and to make it better she made me SWEET TEA! It’s the first time I have had it since I left the States. Her son (Gowin) and daughter (Puja) became like my brother and sister. The daughter loved to give hugs and just be a young woman with me and the son picked on me like an annoying big brother. I loved every minute I spent with them and they will forever be my Indonesian family and I will remember them as long as I live!
I think it’s safe to say that my time in Indonesia was awesome. It was hot and busy, but I met some of the most beautiful people in the world and was blessed time after time by each of them. I used squatty potties, bucket showers and I sat in my own sweat daily, but the love that I was shown was unforgettable. My team found out that we are staying together another month which I’m super excited about. Nina has to go back to Russia to get her European visas so we are praying that it will be a super speedy process and she will be back with us really fast.
Thank you for continuing to pray for me and my squad. It means so much! Oh… And… I’M FULLY FUNDED!!! Praise the Lord!
-Danielle Mills
