Baru Klinting (a legend from Salatiga, Indonesia)

In class on Friday our pelatih (teacher) told us a cerita rakyat (legend) about a giant snake that was killed at the foot of one of the mountains here in Salatiga. Many people believe the snake still lives in the swamp near the kampung (village) where the legend happened. So today, along with our friends the VanRensburgs we took a quick trip to the area. It was so much fun as we got to see a large dragon that was built as a monument and then we took a boat ride out in the swamp. It was a great cultural experience as many Indonesians visit this area as well. Many people who believe the legend also believe that when people die while fishing in the swamp it is because of the snake that still lives in its waters.

A family picture on the back of Baru Klinting!

The Baru Klinting monument!

These "perahu" are the boats most commonly used for fishing and gathering the swamp plants.

People have little sections of the swamp netted off to do their own fishing in.

Laken LOVED the boat ride! As a matter of fact he nearly went over board several times out of excitement!

Family picture at the fish place we had lunch at!!!

Happy Independence Day!

I thought Americans were patriotic until we came to Indonesia. August 17 is Indonesian Independence Day and let me tell you they know how to celebrate! They don’t just celebrate with one day of food and fireworks they celebrate all month long! There aren’t just flags lining main street and a few of your neighbors houses, there are flags literally everywhere; lining every street, in front of every home, and anywhere else you could possibly fly a flag.


They repaint all the white lines on the roads (which is a really big deal here), many people repaint their gates and the fronts of their homes. They have neighborhood parties where they get together and clean up the neighborhood, and every neighborhood just has a party in general with lots of food and games! Oh, and as far as fireworks go, you can hear or see fireworks almost every night every night of the month!


We didn’t get any pictures of the neighborhood party, but we had a party at our language school and thought we would share a few pictures of the games we played. You may get a kick out of these!

The Beach

A few weeks ago we were able to take a quick trip to the ocean. It was a wonderful time to relax and see some of God’s beautiful creation! We had a great time just hanging out. Laken LOVES the ocean and talks about going back all the time! He is also fearless of the water which can be slightly scary to a mother!



It was amazing as we were sitting on the beach how God continued to show himself to us. Everything around us screamed “There is a creator!” When we got home I was on the computer and turned on some music. The first song to come on was “How Great Thou Art,” and all I could think of was how amazing the beach was and how Great our God truly is!

“O lord my God, when I in awesome wonder, consider all the worlds thy hands have made. I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, Thy power throughout the universe displayed. Then sings my soul my savior God to thee, How great thou art, How great thou art. Then sings my soul my savior God to thee, How great thou art, How great thou art!”

BUSY, BUSY, BUSY

Lately our brains have been similar to sponges as we have been studying “bahasa Indonesia” (the Indonesian language). We go to class from 8-12 and do everything we can to “soak up” as much Indonesian as possible. By the time we come home for lunch we aren’t sure it would be possible to store another word in our teeny tiny brains! We never realized that studying this hard could make us more physically tired than we have ever been. But, sure enough if we rely on Christ He always supplies us with the strength we need to continue each day.

Every day we have to present to our classmates in Indonesian.

Logan is telling about his day, full of helping out the new families arriving on the field and visiting with our Indonesian neighbors.

In the afternoons we often visit with our neighbors (even though we still have a limited amount of language) and run our errands in town. Laken is getting to know our neighbor kids quite well and has been asking daily to go outside and play with the kids. Sometimes we think what he really wants is to play with their toys, but at least we are getting out and about and building relationships!

Laken playing with the little neighbor boy!!

We have been attending a small church just around the corner from our home. Though the service is entirely in Indonesian it is still a blessing to be surrounded by people worshiping our great God! We are beginning to understand bits and pieces of the service and we can follow along in our “alkitab” (bible) that is in both Indonesian and English.

Wrap Up!

On June 24th we wrapped up our first stage of language learning. We have now spent around 75 hours going on culture events, 75 hours with our Indonesian tutor, and countless hours studying the language on our own and using the little bit we know as we go out and about. These last two months have flown by and sometimes we can’t even believe we are living so far from “home.”
Just to give you an idea of the different things we have been doing and observing, here is a list of some of our cultural outings:

• we visited some Hindu temples that are over 1000 years old. Hinduism was the first religion to come to Indonesia

• we visited a local “batik” factory, Batik is a special material that is made by drawing on the fabric with wax and then dying it, leaving beautiful and intricate designs. This is a traditional fabric and is still commonly worn. It especially worn for special occasions such as weddings.

• we went to a local rubber plantation as well as a coffee plantation, both of which are very common in Indonesian culture

• we went to a “sawah” (rice paddy) Rice is crucial to the Indonesian culture. They eat rice for every meal, and if they don’t have rice then it isn’t considered a meal just a snack!

• we went to a “panjahit” (seamstress/tailor) Logan had a shirt made

• we visited the local “pasar” (the open market) this was very exciting as this is how most Indonesians by all of their food as well as other common house hold items

• we watched a local soccer game (actually Logan participated!) Sports in general are very important in the Indonesian culture but especially soccer

• we rode several different kinds of common transportation including an “ankot” (a small taxi van that often has 12 or more people riding!), a “dokar” (a horse drawn buggy), and a “becak” (a bicycle with a seat on the front)

• we visited a local pastors home to learn what is appropriate when visiting neighbors and what to expect when people come to visit you (it is very very different from the U.S.)

• we observed a woman doing her laundry, they get up very early and do all of their laundry by hand and let it air dry

• we visited the local “ruma sakit” (house of the sick) and went on a tour! (again very different from the US)

• we visited the javanese animal market, this is where they buy and sell all of there livestock, poultry, and even pets

• we also went to a “bengkal” (automotive), a “krupak” (chip) factory, a post office, a local farm and so many more places!

Each one of these places has taught us more about the Indonesian culture and language. It is so important for us to understand the way the people live and the way they view life. If we don’t use all of this to understand the people better then how are we ever going to minister to them? Each day we better understand why God has called us here. There is so much beauty in Indonesia and yet it is a country filled with darkness. Please continue to pray that we would quickly learn the language and that God would provide ways for us to minister even with our lack of knowledge and ability!

Moving to Indonesia!

After years of training and planning God has finally allowed us to arrive in the beautiful country of Indonesia! We moved into our new home on April 14th. We are so excited to be here and see how God has His perfect timing. So far our move has gone well. We had a few glitches in the beginning but thanks to an amazing home church everything was taken care of!

We are all doing well and we are excited to see what the Lord has for us over the next few years as we learn the Indonesian language and culture. Please be praying that we can adopt this culture and language quickly. We are very excited to begin our ministry and this can only be truly effective once we are able to relate to the people of Indonesia!

Thanks again for all you prayers and support! We love you all and we will try and keep you updated as much as possible. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about our ministry or if you simply want to say hello!!

Partnering with you to reach the lost in Indonesia!

Logan, Kendra and Laken