INDONESIA: Mission Trip 2011 Day V

May 25, 2011

Jagalan, Surakarta

Today we returned from Muneng, back to Jagalan in the afternoon. In the morning, Ibu Suryani (Mas Urip's wife) took us to their carrot and mustard cabbage plantations to help harvest the ripe ones. But because I was holding the camera, I did not get my hands dirty from plucking out the vegetables. I do not remember the exact hours we spent there, but it was productive and we managed to harvest quite a big number. Ibu Suryani, out of the kindness of her heart, even let us take some of each to bring home to Jagalan.

Kak Ester, Kak Elyda, and Mama Damaris hard at work

Before we left, we visited the home of Oom Juari's parents and Ibu Mary's childhood village. Unfortunately for some reason, I did not take pictures of either the homes or the village. However, I do have some pictures of a village bathroom, which was meant to be used as a model template for Mas Urip's village bathroom reconstruction.

Deep, deep well

On the way back, I decided to award myself for my hard-earned work of taking pictures on the plantations by taking a nap for the whole ride. But sadly, our trusty van was no more that. It went into a slump state of auto-mechanical difficulties on the road that even itself could not repair. And thus, the rest of our journey was completed by a kind cab driver, while Ko Steven and Pak Wintjuk went to look for a nearby auto repairshop. I was getting a bit fussy for leaving my luggage in the car and going ahead without it. I felt as if the humidity soared through the roof that particular hot day, and I tried to turn a blind eye by convincing myself that my half-wet towel (the only one I had) will not develop a weird-smelling sensation or any other kind for that matter.
Turns out, my prayer was granted and I was able to happily use it in the evening.

After dinner, Kak Elyda, Kak Ester, and I went to the common room to see the kids. They had a sort of "cell group" for children every week, which I thought was a very interesting concept. The kids gather in the common room and sing together, have a nap time, and listen to stories. Also, I got to meet Kak Dita for the first time again after 10 long years. She is now married and has been blessed with 2 adorable, handsome boys, Noah and Enokh!

I see Moris and Michael! :-)

The reason my toes are exceptionally well-polished is because I got a cheap pedicure at a Jakarta salon the week before

Poor little guy couldn't stop crying

5th day lesson: SOW AND REAP
"Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers his righteousness on you." ~ Hosea 10:12

LESSON 5: Seek the Lord in righteousness and discover His unfailing love. Reflect on the beauty of the Lord's law, for it is meant to be cherished and upheld, not feared and repulsed.

Throughout my long years as a Christian, I have come across ample examples and reflections featuring the infamously uncompromising law of sow and reap. Almost all of the references I have read would mention backfired situations or the 'reversal of luck' – the woe of being hit by what we call 'Karma' in these modern days.

When I was reading the bible, I found a verse in Hosea (ironically), which echoes something of a totally different context from our conventional sow and reap comprehension. It says, "Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love..." (NIV). I was immediately mesmerized by this line. I thought, how beautiful and delicately constructed is this sentence! In present times, our minds are set to conclude that the law of sowing and reaping is all about sowing good seeds, so we would not reap a poor harvest. We are so focused on performing good deeds in order not to be afflicted with misfortune, which we have surmised to supposedly be the result of our immoral actions. But to state such a conjecture is to unveil the negative. We neglect to pay more detailed attention to the beauty of the law, and instead accrue a rather harsh conclusion, which reveals to be in opposition to what Jesus teaches us in the New Testament: Love. Love does not believe in vengeance, nor does it encourage it. Love is forgiveness. It is kindness; forgetfulness of other people's transgressions against us. Love is mercy. Love is beauty.
The reason why I think this verse is ironic is due to the fact that it is found in Hosea. Hosea's wife, Gomer, was unfaithful to him. Yet, he did not curse or hate her. Not only did he forgive her, he still continued to love her.

I encourage all of us to start looking at this law in a more positive perspective. I am aware that the entire chapter 10 of this book rings acute severity. I am not trying to defy what is written in the bible. I used to have the same mindset as some people in regarding this law as the 'Christian version' of Karma. Although frankly, I no longer believe in Karma. I do not promote the idea that Jesus would condone such a thing as Karma. If He did, everything we ever learned about love would be a big lie. Our faith in God would be of no meaning. Thus from now on, this is what I choose to implement: I will seek the Lord, for He has done great things in me. I will do good things that I may reap God's unfailing love in my life, so that His glory would shine through me and His self be revealed in everything I do. This is my waiting time... until He comes to take me home.