Muneng, Central Java
May 24, 2011
We left for Muneng around 7 AM today. From what I was told, the village at which we are staying is located behind Mount Merapi. We took a few pictures along the way as we were reaching to the top. We were able to see Mount Merapi from a good distance. |
| The mission crew + Mama Damaris in the van |
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| On the road |
It took us about 2.5-3 hours of car ride to get to the village. We were assigned to stay at the residence of a pastor here, who is also familiarly known as Mas Urip. After getting some rest and enjoying some delicious snacks that his wife served us, Mas Urip, along with the mission crew made our way up to where the water spring is situated – where the village people would go to obtain water for daily usage. In front of Mas Urip's house, there stands this cement-based construction of what the villagers call their "bathroom".
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| Village bathroom |
It was quite a fun and challenging journey to walk up toward the water spring and around the village through marshes and long grasses, a vast assortment of plantations, and many more. The trip was really worth the struggle and exhaustion because never in my life had I been acquainted with anything alike. There were all sorts of crops: corn, wheat, roses, cabbage, carrot, you name it. What an incredible sight to see! Some of you may be wondering why these villagers plant their own roses. No, it's not because it's such a popular flower on Valentine's Day. Muneng villagers plant roses so they could harvest them and use these roses as part of their sacrificial offering, as many of them still believe in 'black magic'.
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| Water flows straight from the spring |
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| A collective water block with its pipes |
On our way up, we stopped by a villager's house. They invited us in and served us some delicious humble snacks for us to enjoy. You could expect me to gain weight drastically if I stayed here.
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| Inside the house |
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| Bed/Bedroom? |
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| Hazel and Grace (Mas Urip's daughter) in the kitchen |
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| Green beans |
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| Wandering hen and its chicks |
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| The barn |
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| And then there's me and Mr. Cow |
When we returned that afternoon, we all took a quick bath and planned a little surprise for the children in the village. We invited children from nearby areas (almost all were non-Christian) to play games and do activities together. I don't know what it is, but whenever I'm surrounded by children, I feel happy. I could feel the joy that beams out of these kids. Throughout the afternoon, we did interactive games, one of which was 'Simon Says'. I also used this opportunity to reach out to them as an outside standpoint by teaching them a bit of English. Much to my surprise, considering their lifestyle and living conditions, their English was excellent. I shouldn't have underestimated their potentials in the first place. The kids were very enthusiastic to play and learn. They were unequivocally very bright, despite their being village children living in a somewhat isolated environment from global influence. At the end of the day, we handed out stationery loot bags we had prepared earlier and lunch bags to the winning teams. We also gave out milk to every child who came.
We taught the kids to sing this one song:
Helo, helo, apa kabarmu?
Saya temanmu dan ku mengasihimu.
Helo, helo, apa kabarmu?
Mari kita bermain bersama!
English translation:
Hello, hello, how are you?
I am your friend and I love you.
Hello, hello, how are you?
Let's play together!
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| You could clearly see our trusty van in the background |
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| Nearing farewell :( |
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| The kids and their loot bags |
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| Happy children = happy me |
I was deeply inspired by these children. One thing I noticed is that they were far different from city kids. They were somehow more lively, carefree, and joyous. It was like breathing a new air to see their smiling faces.
I'm hoping that these children would remember us if we ever came back to this place; and that we have touched their hearts with the teachings of love. At the end of our brief-but-significant gathering, we handed out paper hearts that we made while encouraging the kids to use them as we were singing that song.
I was also given the privilege of accompanying Ko Steven to speak to the youth there. We formed a little discussion group and prayed together. At 6PM in the evening, we had a small service, where Ko Steven delivered the message. It was supposed to be the time for their regular chain prayer, but instead, they held a service because we were there. I sang a song called "Oleh Kuasa DarahMu" and shared my testimony. Before we closed the service, I presented my CD album to Mas Urip on behalf of the village as a sign of appreciation for my gratitude. The people in this village have definitely blessed and inspired me in many ways you could imagine. Thank you.
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| Speaking to the youth |
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| Presenting my CD album |
4th day lesson: CHILDREN
"Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.'" ~ Matthew 19:14
LESSON 4: To approach the Throne of Grace, we must lose ourselves and plunge into a child-like attitude.
It does not matter if you are a "mature" or a new Christian. He doesn't care how long you have been a Christian, whether it be 25 years, 10, 50, or even if you had just been reborn yesterday. God does not look at the timeline on your membership ID in the Christian community. What He does pay attention to is how you acknowledge Him and indulge in His presence.
When I was a little girl, I was extremely dependent on my parents, as any other children would be. I remember the days when I was desperately clinging onto my dad's waist, that moment of panic when I couldn't feel my mother's finger wrapped around my careless hand, and the many terrifying instances when I thought I almost lost my mother while shopping at department stores. When I was about 5 years old, my mother took me along on one of her usual lengthy shopping excursions. In the middle of it, we parted ways and I tried to find her to no avail. The 5-year-old Hazel began to cry loudly and was ultimately despondent that she decided to knock on the information booth and asked if they could find her mother. I don't quite remember how the exact scene went, but some things aren't meant to be remembered anyway. These examples show just how much I was dependent on my parents. Being alone and unable to find my way back to my mum in the store set off major panic alarms in my system.
This is how children's minds function. Normally, children would NEED parental guidance in life or when shopping in large department stores. This is what Jesus requires of us. He wants us to depend on Him 24/7, regardless of how simple or complicated our situation may be. Because I was born into a Christian family, had a Christian upbringing, I have known and followed Jesus all my life. This makes me one of the "mature" Christians by default. But does this mean I should brush Him off and only come to Him when I feel the need to? God is the Father above all fathers. He is MY heavenly Father. I am SUPPOSED TO be dependent on Him just as a little child should be on his/her parent.
In the gospel Matthew, it is said that Jesus was indignant when His disciples tried to prevent the children from coming over to Him. But rather, He uttered these words: "the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." You read it right. The kingdom of heaven belongs to little children.
The reason why I quoted the word 'mature' is because there is an irony of that word in this context. 'Mature' Christians – I, for one – who have been Christian all their lives as such are not necessarily spiritually mature in that sense. What's ironic is, Christians who could be classified as mature are actually those that are child-like in their approach to seek the Lord. They are the ones who have agreed to abandon who they are in the world for the pursuit of the greater good that God has prepared for them, that is, the kingdom of heaven. These people could be faithful Christians of 25 years, 10, 50, or even if they had only been born again yesterday. How to be child-like Christians?
1. Be humble in our advances. >> A child is inexperienced. The emptier our cup, the more we'll be filled (with God's wisdom).
2. Be vulnerable in the Lord's presence. >> It's okay to throw yourself to Him and cry your heart out.
3. Be dependent (yes, I mean clingy) on God. I promise you He is the ONLY man who has not and never will complain about clingy women or children. >> A child's strength is limited. Who do you think they would go to when they couldn't open the peanut butter jar?
I don't know if you could relate, but during my adolescence, there were these adjustable fabric bracelets that were completely trendy and fashionable at the time. They had stitchings of different acronyms, one of which was F.R.O.G. or Fully Rely On God. I have this bracelet in red. I've had and still do have moments where I thought I could pull it off by my own strength without anyone's help, even God's. This bracelet serves as a powerful reminder for me to not only rely on God, but to fully rely on Him, regardless of my predicament and ability to foresee my capability of pulling through on my own.
"We never really grow up. We only learn how to act in public." - Unknown
"Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.'" ~ Matthew 19:14
LESSON 4: To approach the Throne of Grace, we must lose ourselves and plunge into a child-like attitude.
It does not matter if you are a "mature" or a new Christian. He doesn't care how long you have been a Christian, whether it be 25 years, 10, 50, or even if you had just been reborn yesterday. God does not look at the timeline on your membership ID in the Christian community. What He does pay attention to is how you acknowledge Him and indulge in His presence.
When I was a little girl, I was extremely dependent on my parents, as any other children would be. I remember the days when I was desperately clinging onto my dad's waist, that moment of panic when I couldn't feel my mother's finger wrapped around my careless hand, and the many terrifying instances when I thought I almost lost my mother while shopping at department stores. When I was about 5 years old, my mother took me along on one of her usual lengthy shopping excursions. In the middle of it, we parted ways and I tried to find her to no avail. The 5-year-old Hazel began to cry loudly and was ultimately despondent that she decided to knock on the information booth and asked if they could find her mother. I don't quite remember how the exact scene went, but some things aren't meant to be remembered anyway. These examples show just how much I was dependent on my parents. Being alone and unable to find my way back to my mum in the store set off major panic alarms in my system.
This is how children's minds function. Normally, children would NEED parental guidance in life or when shopping in large department stores. This is what Jesus requires of us. He wants us to depend on Him 24/7, regardless of how simple or complicated our situation may be. Because I was born into a Christian family, had a Christian upbringing, I have known and followed Jesus all my life. This makes me one of the "mature" Christians by default. But does this mean I should brush Him off and only come to Him when I feel the need to? God is the Father above all fathers. He is MY heavenly Father. I am SUPPOSED TO be dependent on Him just as a little child should be on his/her parent.
In the gospel Matthew, it is said that Jesus was indignant when His disciples tried to prevent the children from coming over to Him. But rather, He uttered these words: "the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." You read it right. The kingdom of heaven belongs to little children.
The reason why I quoted the word 'mature' is because there is an irony of that word in this context. 'Mature' Christians – I, for one – who have been Christian all their lives as such are not necessarily spiritually mature in that sense. What's ironic is, Christians who could be classified as mature are actually those that are child-like in their approach to seek the Lord. They are the ones who have agreed to abandon who they are in the world for the pursuit of the greater good that God has prepared for them, that is, the kingdom of heaven. These people could be faithful Christians of 25 years, 10, 50, or even if they had only been born again yesterday. How to be child-like Christians?
1. Be humble in our advances. >> A child is inexperienced. The emptier our cup, the more we'll be filled (with God's wisdom).
2. Be vulnerable in the Lord's presence. >> It's okay to throw yourself to Him and cry your heart out.
3. Be dependent (yes, I mean clingy) on God. I promise you He is the ONLY man who has not and never will complain about clingy women or children. >> A child's strength is limited. Who do you think they would go to when they couldn't open the peanut butter jar?
I don't know if you could relate, but during my adolescence, there were these adjustable fabric bracelets that were completely trendy and fashionable at the time. They had stitchings of different acronyms, one of which was F.R.O.G. or Fully Rely On God. I have this bracelet in red. I've had and still do have moments where I thought I could pull it off by my own strength without anyone's help, even God's. This bracelet serves as a powerful reminder for me to not only rely on God, but to fully rely on Him, regardless of my predicament and ability to foresee my capability of pulling through on my own.
"We never really grow up. We only learn how to act in public." - Unknown
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