• Indonesia: Pre-Mission Trip 2011 pt. I
Jagalan, Surakarta
Saturday May 21, 2011
At 22:06
We flew from Jakarta at 11:40 in the morning by Sriwijaya Air and arrived in Surakarta (Solo) at 12:55. The first thing I noticed when I got here is that Solo is much less crowded than Jakarta. But it's HOT, and I don't mean that figuratively. It was a scorching afternoon, as the sun played her joke on us. The other 3 people who came with me on this mission trip are Kak Ester, Kak Elyda, and Ko Steven. All three have a theological title: Evangelist, Junior Pastor, and Pastor, respectively. I surely felt a bit out of place being the only one with no title whatsoever, but I didn't let that stop me anyway. One of the pastors (whose name escaped my mind) fetched us from the airport, accompanied by the senior pastor, Pak Markuat ('Pak' means 'Mr.' in English). He drove us in a mini-bus type of car. I was humbled by his car - an old, beaten down, shoddy vehicle, whose machine clonked and clanked as it went, but it was able to carry us to our destination without a single scratch. OK, maybe the car was not completely beaten down, but it was definitely not your average car, accessorized with a radio and/or a functioning air conditioning system. In exchange for those, we got to indulge in the 'natural' Solo air.. and smell.
We went to a buffet sort of place for lunch. It was not exactly buffet, though, because we had to pay each round we took more food. You get to choose your own plate and stuff it with whatever you'd like to add. Comparable, but not quite the same. There was such a wide variety of simple traditional Indonesian dishes and they were all unbelievably delicious (no hyperbole here), aside from being unreasonably inexpensive. My plate alone only cost Rp. 10,000 (less than $2) and I was completely filled and satisfied. I am absolutely IN LOVE with Indonesian food!!! I think it's the best kind of food out there, and YES, I am biased. I totally recommend that place to anyone who is planning to visit Solo. Unfortunately, I was being my genius self and forgot to record the name of the place.
When we reached the church (GBIS - now GBAP Bunga Bakung Solo), it looked fairly different from how I remembered it to be. The last time I came here, I was on my ministry 10 years ago. When I got inside, I was even more surprised. Perhaps it was because I had not been to this part of the building before. I then discovered that the building consists of 2 levels: the upper one is the church, the lower one is a pastoral residence, as well as a bible school dormitory. The lower level looked dark and a little unkempt, and far too dissimilar from my expectation. There are 8 bedrooms. Kak Ester, Kak Elyda, and I are sharing the same room, which is the room of our Head Pastor when she comes to Solo. The head pastor of GBAP (Gereja Bethel Apostolik Profetik), Ibu Mary Hartanti, is from Solo, but she currently lives in Jakarta and is doing ministries there. She is also the senior pastor of our main church (GBAP Bunga Bakung Robinson) in Jakarta. The dormitory is rather small, but very humbling. There are church workers living here as well, hence the numerous bedrooms.
After we took a short rest, we started packing stationery loot bags for the children at the church we're visiting tomorrow. Because we thought we would not have enough for all the kids, we made a short trip to a nearby supermarket and reloaded our repository. What we included in the loot bags are school supplies, such as note books, a pencil, a sharpener, an eraser, and a ruler.
After we took a short rest, we started packing stationery loot bags for the children at the church we're visiting tomorrow. Because we thought we would not have enough for all the kids, we made a short trip to a nearby supermarket and reloaded our repository. What we included in the loot bags are school supplies, such as note books, a pencil, a sharpener, an eraser, and a ruler.
1st photo (L-R): Hazel, Elyda, Dian, Ria, Serikat
2nd photo (L-R): Elyda, Dian, Ria, Ester
When we returned to the church it was already 21:00. I was about to take a bath when I had my first encounter with one of the most repulsive creatures mankind could find: cockroach. It was sinlessly crawling on the bathroom floor as if it was its own. I made a wee commotion and my two roommates asked if I was afraid of cockroaches. I told them I'm not; I'm just disgusted by it - which is true. Kak Elyda bravely stepped on the cockroach, picked it up with her bare hand and dunked it into the toilet bowl. She was my heroine for 10 seconds. I was instantly reminded of my dad, who is probably Blattodephobic (fear of cockroaches). He should learn how to overcome his fear.
It's been a long day today, but I'm enjoying it thus far. Another long day awaits tomorrow. My first day of the mission trip is done. 1 day is down, 8 more to go. God, I need You.
During this trip, I learned something everyday for 9 days.
1st day lesson: HUMILITY
~ Luke 14:7-11
LESSON 1: To give up vanity may cost you your pride; but sacrificing your pride gains you God's glory.
I am a city girl and have always been one, but in my head I always tell myself that I'd be okay if I were to live in mundane conditions. Then again, that's IN MY HEAD. I had never been exposed to living under such circumstances in person until this mission trip. There were many adjustments I had to make as I tried to survive in the field. The first day had not been so bad. I was thankful that we were given our pastor's room, the best room in the building, equipped with an A/C, a comfortable bed, and an almost-clean bathroom. Despite the fact that I was "the guest" on this mission trip, I took zero advantage of it. I sought to fit myself in with the others, threw away all concepts of conventional luxury, and BE one of the people there - instead of solely being an observant foreigner. I no longer hold my own crown.. I surrendered it all to God.
Be blessed everyone,
Hazel
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