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!