How crazy is it that last week at this time I was still in America preparing to leave on The World Race, and now I am sitting across the world in a Guest House in Indonesia writing this blog?!?!
My Squad and I made it safely to Jakarta Indonesia on the 18th of January at 12:30 am after a 30ish hour travel day. Our travel day started on the 16th of January at 5am. We all woke up gathered our stuff and headed downstairs to meet up with the whole squad to head to the Atlanta airport to catch our first of three flights at 10:06am. Our first flight was from Atlanta to Chicago (2.5-3 hours) then we had a 1-hour layover in Chicago, and boarded our second – and longest – flight to Tokyo (13.5 hours!!) where we had another 1-hour layover before boarding our final flight to Jakarta (8 hours).
We finally arrived in Jakarta at 12:30 am (30 minutes later than scheduled) where we smoothly made it through customs and got in taxis to the Hostel for the night – fun fact, my team and I got lost on the way to the Hostel and didn’t arrive until 2:30/3 am and were the last ones to get there, even though we were the second group (out of 4) to leave the airport. When we finally arrived at the Hostel we settled in for a few hours of sleep before everyone else had to get up and depart for their ministry sites.
The Voyaging Daughters (my team) and I have a unique set up this month, in the fact that we are doing what The World Race calls ATL (Ask The Lord). Which means going into this month we were not given a ministry, host, or place to stay. Our only job this month is to seek God and do his will in everything. So after getting a few hours of sleep, some breakfast, we said goodbye to our squad-mates and sat down to discuss what our next steps would be. We decided to stay a few more nights at the Hostel (even though it was over budget) so we could really pray and seek God and where he wanted us to go. Over the course of the next few days my team and I really sought God and his will for us, made connections and built friendships with the Hostel workers and guests. Finally it became clear to us that we just needed to go and trust that God would provide for us in this journey. So we packed our bags on the night of the 20th and headed to the train station early in the morning on the 21st and that’s where this story begins.
When we woke up yesterday (the 21st) morning we had absolutely no idea where we were going to lay our heads when night came (and you best believe that the planner in me was stressing about that!!), the only thing we did know was that we were supposed to get on a train to somewhere. So we got up, ate breakfast, said our goodbyes, and headed to the train station with the plan of when we got there to pray and seek out where God wanted us to go. When we arrived at the train station (about a 10-15 minute walk) we took a picture of the map and went into A&W to sit and seek God. After a while we all agreed that we needed to get on a train that was headed south (not knowing if we’d go all the way or get off early).
The train ride was 2 hours – but after a 30 hour travel day getting to Indonesia, the train ride was nothing! As the train was nearing the end of the line we all became more and more aware that we were headed in the right direction and were supposed to get off at the end. When we got off the train, we still had no idea where we were going to stay or what our ministry was going to be, so our wise Squad Leader Megan (she’s seriously the greatest) suggested that head to the KFC (fun fact – KFC doesn’t just stand for Kentucky Fried Chicken, it also stands for Keep Faith Coming – thanks for that one Megan!) across the street in hopes of finding Wi-Fi and getting something to eat, so away we went.
After getting some food in our bellies, we decided that we would split into two groups and one would go out and look for opportunities and the other would stay at KFC – because who wants to walk around a strange city with huge packs? – and then we would switch (the switch didn’t end up happening and you’ll see why as this story progresses). After we decided on who would be in what group and the group that was leaving was about to go, Megan asked Jenny and I if we would be willing to switch with her because she was feeling light headed and needed to sit, and with out missing a beat (and beating me to it) Jenny volunteered to take Megan’s place in the exploration group with Chelsea and Erin, and off they went while Megan, Holy, and I stayed behind at KFC with all of our things.
I don’t have much to tell you about my time at KFC, because I just journaled, played cards, and listened to music, but the group who went out had some pretty amazing things happen. They went out with no plan except to go where God led them. Their first stop was a Catholic Church where they were ushered in (it was towards the end of the service) and got to take communion with them. After the service was over they stuck around to talk with some of the members in hopes of finding a place to stay and a potential ministry for us to serve with, but because we are not Catholic, they were not able to help… but did point them in the direction of a Church that might be able to help us out.
Jenny, Erin, and Chelsea then came across a Church whose service had just ended and the Pastor and some of the elders, youth, and members were hanging out in the Pastors house eating lunch and cake (it was the Pastor’s Birthday), they were invited in to join in the celebration. While there, they shared why we were in Indonesia and what our hopes were. The girls were told that a decision couldn’t be made by just one person, and that they would also need to meet the rest of us before making a decision. So they walked back to KFC and told Megan, Holly, and I about what had happened, and we took the time to pray and seek our God’s will in the matter. After we were done praying, Megan asked if anyone had gotten a clear answer from God, and before anyone could say something one of the Sunday School teachers called Erin to see if we were on our way back to meet with them – we took that as a sign that we at least needed to explore the opportunity, so we gathered all of our things and headed towards the church.
When we arrived at the Church, we were led to a room where we set down our packs and talked with some of the elders and youth and were able to share how we ended up in their city. We told them that we had arrived in Jakarta and then prayed about where to go next and that led us to their city, and he seemed very impressed that we prayed and ended up in his city at his church. We were then invited to their next service at 4:30 (keep in mind that we still had absolutely no idea where we were sleeping that night and it would be getting dark by the time service ended), but we gladly accepted the invitation and went to church. After the service they took us to the church Guest House, where we were able to put our things down. They then told us they wanted to take us out for a traditional Indonesian meal, and after the meal they took us back to the Guest House and told us we could sleep here for the night – now we still don’t know how long we will be staying here (it could be a few days, or the rest of the time we are in Indonesia), but we have faith that God will take cars of us and provide for us!
All of that to say…
When you’re feeling stuck and unsure of where God wants you to go next, just pack your stuff and get on A Train To Somewhere!!
Luke 12:29-31
“And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.”
Fundraising Update!!
I am currently at $11,661 and only $1,339 from my $13k goal and $5,739 from my Fully Funded goal of $17,400. Would you please consider making a donation to help me reach my goal, by clicking on the link above?
