INDONESIA: Mission Trip 2011 Day III (i)

Dear my lovely readers,

I sincerely apologize for the lack of updates on my mission trip series. I've been utterly (and honestly) busy with summer school, as it has kept me occupied for the past 3 hectic weeks. Right now I have a little time to transcribe the next entry from my diary onto the blog before I start doing some school work :-). Enjoy!

P.S. Because the entry for this particular day is quite lengthy, I didn't want to bombard you with you with an extensive post. On that note, I decided to divide it into 3 parts :-) and this is the first. Warning: this one is picture-heavy.

Jagalan, Surakarta

Monday, May 23, 2011

One of the things I've noticed from this trip is that with each day, there are more and more activities, hence more amazing experiences. Today we left the house at 7 in the morning and visited a Kindergarten school in Pucang Sawit, called Taman Kanak-Kanak Tunas Bangsa. The school is part of Nafiri Kasih Organization, which was founded and is now headed by Ibu Mary Hartanti. Because Ibu Mary is staying in Jakarta at the moment, the person who currently runs the school is Ibu Mary's sister, Bunda Herti. As the name suggests, this school only consists of two separate classes: a Junior and a Senior kindergarten class. I can't recall how many kids there were in total. When we arrived at the school, the kids were very excited to welcome their unexpected visitors. They were running around, just as kids their age would. The two groups were then combined into one big class for our presentation. Ka Ester shared an interactive story, Ka Elyda taught them a new song, and I had my allocation of teaching them a bit of English. Two kids stood out to me the most: Michael and Moris (unfortunately, I don't have a picture along with them :(). At this school, we distributed books and milk. There was a swarm of warmth sweeping us off our feet to see these kids so happy with what they received. Not to mention, they were bright students! Their English was surprisingly GREAT. They were able to answer me back in English. When we were about to leave, the kids set out to see us off and shook our hands. Some kids had even done it 3 times. I thought, how different the situation would be to that of the city! Rural kids sure know how to put a smile on our faces with their amiable presence and childish, yet genuine disposition.

Taman Kanak-Kanak Tunas Bangsa

Silly faces of Tunas Bangsa

Kak Ester giving out educational textbooks for the school to Bunda Herti with Kak Face

Afterwards, we visited a pre-school in Malanggaten, called Kelompok Bermain Permata. Although the kids here were less sociable than the ones at Tunas Bangsa, we got along well, nevertheless. I met a certain boy named Nova. Even though he seemed a tad mischievous at first, we hit it off eventually. Both schools had a uniform. I reckon that this is fairly acceptable, considering the economic/financial conditions of these children.

[UPDATED] This school is not a Christian school, nor is it linked to a specific religious association. It consists of children from an array of religious backgrounds. One of the children comes from a Hindu and Muslim upbringing. When we prayed before we left, the kids spread their palms in front of them. We said our prayer in the generic mode of thanking God and asking for His blessings, and ended it by putting our palms to our face in the way Muslim people do it as they finish off their prayer with 'Amen'.

Nova

Kelompok Bermain Permata

PEACE

1st lesson of the day, 3rd day lesson: EDUCATION

By knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.

~ Proverbs 24:4 (NKJV)

LESSON 3 (i): Let us not fail to educate children virtuously and ethically, for they are the future gems of our generation.

I recently found this verse in Proverbs and I thought this was a perfect verse for this post. "By knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches." I will offer a simple, practical image for you to contemplate. I took pictures of empty classrooms, as well as those including the students. When these kids come to class, we provide them with education – with knowledge. Education and knowledge should go together. Education, when properly delivered, generates astute knowledge. Knowledge, when properly applied, results in virtuous individuals. A couple of weeks ago, my friend, Natashathe, did a blog post on inhumane education. It truly upsets me to see what the world has become in its inverted sense of morality. You can read her post here.

It is of crucial importance to instill the right kind of education in these children while they are young, that they may all grow to be lovers and doers of righteousness in their adulthood. These children are considered as the ensuing treasures of our generation. Now think back to the images of the classrooms. Literally, the students ARE the 'precious and pleasant riches' that fill up their classrooms. What will this world turn into should we not correctly educate these children? C.S. Lewis once stated, "Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make man a more clever devil." There is no other way to justify education than to promote it in the way it is supposed to be cultivated – that is, under the guidance of moral values.

Stay inspired everyone,

Hazel T. Li