This month has been one of my faves on the Race so far. It has been full of relationships and the Gospel in so many ways. During debrief, we were reminded to use our God-given gifts. It’s been neat to see this happen in our team. Some are excellent at hosting, others are good at cooking, serving, inviting and initiating, making conversation, and so on. It’s been neat to see how we all use our gifts to reach many. Below is a snapshot of what it has looked like.
Hosting – This has been one of the favorite things that our group has done. Hospitality was something we wanted this month to be about, so we decided to get an Airbnb, rather than stay in hostels. During our stay in Jakarta, we had people over multiple times for movies, hanging out, dinner, and potlucks for sometimes 15+ guests! It was so much fun! We also were able to cook dinner for the security guards at our apartment one night. It was a blast getting to host the locals, rather than the other way around. It allowed for some amazing conversations and for the Gospel to be shared in neat ways!
Waterfalls – Kamila, one of our friends through Couchsurfing, took us out to waterfalls nearby, along with two of her friends. It was an absolute blast getting to hang with them and have some great convo. I learned so much from my friends about generosity and hospitality, not only during this time, but throughout my stay in Jakarta.
Dancing – Ahh, so fun! Kamila and Nadiah took us to the arcades and we went dancing on a couple of occasions with friends. Why do I not do this more back in the states??
Kedai Kawa – Cafe with a very local and traditional feel. An absolute blast getting to talk to one of the owners, Dito, and his brother and talk small business. While the Dito still works in corporate as an accountant, it was neat to see his interest in small business and how welcoming, hospitable, and friendly he was.
Tennis – I was heading to our apartment gym one night and saw Kim serving by himself. I decided to talk to him and he let me play with him right then and there. A few days later, I got to play doubles with Kim and his friends!
Evangelism – My mom connected me to a pastor in Indonesia. We joined him in sharing the Gospel at a local mall. It was amazing seeing their boldness and their joy in sharing the Gospel. It was soo neat to have conversations and share Jesus with Muslims, Buddhists, and Christians of all walks. I grew in boldness in sharing the Gospel this day, which allowed me to be more bold in my conversations when we hosted people for dinner.
Weddings?? – Yes! We got to go to an Indonesian wedding! Kamila, our friend, invited us to a wedding, which was such a treat to be able to see and experience.
Encouraging One Another – We had multiple opportunities to minister to the body of Christ. I mentioned Yosi in a previous post, who I got to meet up with again in Jakarta! So exciting and so good to catch up with her after the month. She ended up staying with the girls the entire month. So amazing to see the deep relationship that was formed between Yosi and the girls! Big shout out to the girls! I was also able to pray for Zeke, a pastor in Jakarta, and their outreach ministry. And, our time as bros in Jakarta was super awesome! It truly felt like we were living out and getting a taste of what the early church looked like in Acts.
All in all, this was such an amazing month and I deeply cherish the relationships that were built. Before we left, our friends left us with many presents, including these key chains 🙂
Please pray that opportunities like this would continue, that God would go before us and guide our steps, that He would be in the midst of all that we do, and that this lifestyle would continue through out the rest of our journey!
