Photos of Indonesia can be found at: https://kathrynrhodenbaugh.wordpress.com
Country: Indonesia
Dates: April 10- May 2, 2019
Team Name: Lunachicks
Local Currency: Indonesian Rupiah
Local Language: Bahasa
Ministry Partner Name: Gereja Elim Kristen Church Indonesia, hosts were Pastor David and Naomi
Ministry Partner Location: City of Medan, Island of Sumatra
Living accomodations: My team slept on mattresses on the floor of the church office where we did ministry. Church was located directly next to Pastor David and Naomi’s house, where they live with their three children. Our small room did have wifi and air conditioning! We used squatty potties for the first time, and took cold bucket showers. We did our laundry at a laundromat down the street for 80 cents a load.
Meals: breakfast on our own, lunch and dinner were prepared by Naomi, and we ate inside our hosts house. Our food was a combination of Indian and Indonesian cuisine.
For ministry, my team took turns speaking at our church every sunday, we sang as a team, and did an Easter skit for Sunday service. During the week, we gave testimonies and sermons at young adults groups and other churches around the city of Medan. Pastor David oversees a Bible College next door to our church, so we had the opportunity to do a panel with the students about the Race, being a young adult and also a Christian, and life in the United States. My team ran several children’s ministry events with hundreds of children- singing, giving short bible lessons, and playing games. I had to quickly get comfortable with singing into a microphone and acting like a fool for the Lord in front of all the kids! I was stretched and grew in my public speaking, continued to refine my testimony, and reflected on the Lord’s faithfulness in my life, as I had so many opportunities to share my story with the people we were doing ministry with this month.
My team of five girls thrived in ministry this month- we worked so well together, quickly coming up with ideas for children’s ministry and doing anything and everything that was asked of us on the spot. Team dynamics, individual personality differences, and our relationship with our host were challenging, but ministry was the time that our team unified, and I felt so much joy serving with my Lunachicks this month. Indonesia was not my favorite month on the race, but I will look back and remember jumping up and down, singing, and belly laughing with those girls and the children we served. It’s making me smile just thinking about it!
