INDONESIA: Mission Trip 2011 Day IX

Oh my goodness, it's been over two years since this mission trip, and I'm only posting the last of the episodes now! I'm so sorry for my lack of discipline. But I am very happy to announce that I have finally finished undergraduate studies, which leaves me with an honours bachelor of arts degree in humanities! I'm definitely utterly blessed and very grateful to my parents who have been very supportive of my studies. Next, on to the other BIG things in life!!

I have mixed feelings about this episode. I'm glad the series is almost over (which means I can focus on something else), but at the same time, it's been a fun ride posting about the trip. Nonetheless, I hope all of you have been enjoying my mission blog posts. I encourage everyone to do something extraordinary at least once in life and share it to the world. It truly is a satisfying experience. For my loyal readers, thank you for sticking by me through the end. I always appreciate your feedback. God bless.

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Sunday, May 29, 2011

Jagalan, Surakarta

Today we had our 2 Sunday services – the morning one at 7AM and the afternoon one at 5PM. At around 4:30 this morning after our morning prayer and devotions, I went up to the rooftop to take pictures and record a video of the pig slaughter to take home as hardproof evidence. Unfortunately, I attempted to no avail since I could not get a clear shot. It was still extremely dark and the distance between the abattoir and where I was standing was quite far. Instead, I settled for the excruciating sound of the crying pigs and images of the slaughterhouse, as well as the pigs before and after they were slaughtered (see images from the last post here).

Experimenting with culinary arts

Hi everyone! In this blog post, I am featuring some of the dishes that I've tried [eating] and covered [cooking]. The homemade ones were done by me and my super talented teammate of a best friend/partner. Please note that these pictures are not specified in chronological order. Frankly, I can't even recall when or how long ago these pictures were taken, hence my credible excuse for not remembering the name of a particular dish.

Click on the link below for descriptions!

INDONESIA: Mission Trip 2011 Day IV (Warning: picture heavy)

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

INDONESIA: Mission Trip 2011 Day III (iii)

Here is the third (last) part of the mission series numero trois! I'm sorry it's been so long since I last posted the previous episode of my mission trip series. Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy the following post :-).

Click here for pt. i
Click here for pt. ii

Part iii

After Malanggaten, we visited an orphanage called "Anak Seribu Pulau" in Karanganyar, Surakarta, which is also one of the constituents of Ibu Mary's organization, Yayasan Nafiri Kasih (YANAKA). Before I even got out of the car when we arrived, this one particular child was standing near the car and said, "Halo, kakak." At first I could not recall who he was by looking at his face. I then spotted Moris and was reminded of the children I had met at the kindergarten school, Tunas Bangsa, in Pucang Sawit. Apparently some of the kids at Tunas Bangsa live in the orphanage. I was beyond thrilled to see them again!
At the orphanage, there were many kids. What struck me was the fact that a portion of these children still have parents; they just aren't here or are unable to take care of them, mostly due to harsh financial circumstances. It was truly amazing and a humbling experience to witness their mundane living environment, yet these children are living with such zeal, joy, and happiness. Not to mention they looked very healthy and well-fed. By visiting these places, God opened up my heart and mind to realize that I have a passion for children, indeed.

Visit Anak Seribu Pulau blog here!

INDONESIA: Mission Trip 2011 Day III (ii)

Here is a continuation from the earlier blog post I posted with respect to the mission trip, dated May 23, 2011. Oh, by the way, Happy 1st of August! It's Civic Holiday here in Canada, so we get a day off :-). The intention of this holiday is to 'not work', but on the contrary (as ever the case with me), I will be working on my essay. I hope everybody's been enjoying their long weekend.

Previous post: click here for pt. i

Part ii

Subsequently, we dropped by a plantation in Malanggaten. There were other miscellaneous crops estates, ranging from corn, wheat, etc. Our church intended to oversee their project, which was to build a plantation block house (I don't know what it's called in both English and Indonesian – maybe Gubuk Sawah? If anyone does, please do let me know). I just received confirmation from Ko Steven, saying that they have successfully built the house. I will try to ask for pictures, so I can post them here. In the mean time, here are the ones that we took:

Silly me! I must have forgotten to take a full-sized photo of the house by itself. I apologize.

For reference purposes, it is that house behind me (and the one in which I took this photo).

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.

INDONESIA: Mission Trip 2011 Day II

Jagalan, Surakarta

Sunday, May 22, 2011

I thought I had the strangest dream when I woke up this morning. I heard sounds I would perceive as the excruciating screams and cries of a man being possessed by a demon. It was tremendously audible from where I was sleeping in my pastor's room. Later on in the day I asked Kak Elyda (she and Kak Ester lived in this dormitory several years ago) what those sounds were and where they came from. She casually said they were the sounds of pigs being slaughtered. It would appear that there is a pig slaughterhouse situated right behind the building in which we are staying. Well, that uh... explains a lot.

The abattoir

This morning we were supposed to wake up at 4am for our daily morning prayer and devotions. However, my roommates and I misunderstood the given information and set our alarm to 4:30 instead, so we missed this morning's devotional meeting. The prayer is usually held inside the church, which is located upstairs. The only way to go upstairs is to first go outside, where the stairs are, through the front door. At 4:30, we found that the front door was already locked from the outside. To compensate for our negligence, the three of us did our own prayer and devotion session together in our room.

INDONESIA: Mission Trip 2011 Day I

After a long and patient wait, finally!!!!! I'm back in Canada now and I'm very sorry for all the pending. I thought I could have started this blog posting series back in June, but it turned out I was kept occupied by family matters and didn't have much time to sit down and post. SO, to all my loyal and faithful readers, I offer my huge apology. I was back in Canada 3 days ago, on June 27. It's been rather a [jet lagged] rest, but now I'm ready to start this mission series. The format is simple: I will be writing in a diary mode. I brought my favourite notebook with me on the trip and I wrote down everything every day for the 9 days that I was there. I may not reference what I've already mentioned in my earlier blog posts regarding the mission trip. If you have not read them already, here are the links (earliest-latest):

• Indonesia: Pre-Mission Trip 2011 pt. I

• Indonesia: Pre-Mission Trip 2011 pt. II

• Indonesia: Pre-Mission Trip 2011 pt. III

• INDONESIA: Mission Trip {Introduction}

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.

INDONESIA: MISSION TRIP {Introduction}

I HAVE RETURNED, MY DEAR READERS!!!!!!!

I'm finally back from my 9-day mission trip!! It was hands down the best and most amazing experience I've had in my life. I have so many interesting, tear-jerking, heart-wrenching stories to tell you! But first, please allow me to rest. My teammates and I departed from Surakarta (or Solo) at 5:40pm today, and we arrived in Jakarta one hour later. Our pick-up friend was an hour late, so I got to my aunt's house pretty late, as well. But praise the Lord, we made it back safe and sound without missing any limbs (hehe). I am completely restored, refreshed, rejuvenated! I'm ready to work hard and fulfill the undefinable will of God that's been laid out in front of me.

One VERY important lesson I've learned from this trip is that Jesus is MUCH, MUCH, MUCH bigger than any of our problems. Mathematically, it would look like this:

JESUS >>> our problems

Updates are coming up very soon! I just have to finish writing the entries in my diary first before I start posting them on here :-).

I've missed you all!! Much love always,

Hazel xx

Indonesia: Pre-mission trip 2011 pt. III

I apologize for the lack of updates. I've been extremely busy in Indonesia, spending time with my family and traveling here and there. Also, I'm afflicted by what I like to call the typical Indonesian Dysfunctional Digestive Syndrome (or IDDS). My poor stomach has been very upset for the past 2 weeks, following my arrival in Indonesia. I've been swallowing countless digestive tablets and Norit (carbonated pills) to no avail. I'm sensing a slight burn in my gastric pouch as I'm typing this. Moving on.

Those who don't follow me on Twitter may not be aware that my mission trip has been pushed back to the 21st of May, which falls on a Saturday. We are coming back 9 days later, on the 30th. I believe we will be leaving by plane from Jakarta to Solo. We are having our first pre-trip meeting tomorrow, May 16. I will update you with more details as soon as possible. The theme I have been given to cover is "Relationship with God through music/songs". I'm still working on both the Power Point and written work, as I seem to work best under a lot of pressure.

I'm sorry to cut this brief post short. It is actually almost 2 o'clock in the morning (05/16) in Jakarta, so I need to get some sleep. No, it isn't my jet lag; I took a 3-hour nap at 2/3pm-ish today. I will keep my readers updated with what's going on with this mission trip.

~* COUNTDOWN: 5 DAYS *~

Bonne nuit,

Hazel x

Shopping for Indo gifts pt. I

Those of you who are curious (like me) and wondering what I bought today, here are some pictures. I am giving all of these away to my friends in Indonesia (except that rectangular block in a paper bag – that's Henna for my hair). LUSH and Victoria's Secret are two of my favourite brands. I love their products, they smell amazing and are of superb quality. Please be advised that these items are priceless. Whether you are getting a LUSH or Victoria's Secret product really doesn't matter. The appearance of the packaging does not account for my level of favour towards you. Some companies may have taken more time in perfecting their packaging for consumer appeal, but I honestly tell you that it does not matter. They're going to be disposed of when you're done with them anyway. I spent a long time picking out these products for you, so please accept and be grateful with what you are being given :-).

These are only some of the things I've bought. I'm pretty sure I'm still missing a few other people. I'll be crossing off the names I have written on my list once I go through each item. Enjoy, my lovelies!

From LUSH

Solid soaps

• Figs and Leaves

• Rock Star

• Ice Blue

• Sexy Peel

• Sultana of Soap

Shower Jellies

• Whoosh

• Sweetie Pie

From Victoria's Secret

Body Creams

• Indulgent Body Cream in Naked Musk

• Indulgent Body Cream in Warm Vanilla & Tempting Praline

• Indulgent Body Cream in Midnight Raspberry & Sexy Lily

Body Lotion

• Hydrating Body Lotion in Wild Scarlet

Body Washes

• Exhilarating Body Wash in Secret Charm

• Exhilarating Body Wash in Strawberry and Champagne

Body Mists

• PINK Sparkling Body Mist in Cool & Carefree

• PINK Sparkling Body Mist in Fresh & Clean

That's all for today. I'll be returning to Eaton Centre to pick up some more products for the people I've missed.

Love ya!!

xx

Hazel

God's Grace: My testimony

I have never considered myself "rich". My family has never had any surplus of money that we could lavishly spend on ourselves. Our finance has always been marginally sufficient to provide for our family's needs until this present day. In this blog post, I intend to tell you a story of my own life experience. Sometimes in the midst of various simultaneous occurrences, we may not be paying attention to what is going on. It is as if we are getting by in a breeze without truly realizing what is happening around us – to us. At least that's what it was like with me. So now I'd just like to take the next several hours to write and reminisce on my past.

I'm going to first describe my family's background in Canada, from the time before we got here up to our current life. I can barely recall the exact situation(s), but here is how the story goes. Warning: what you are about to read is a true story, not a mere fabrication.

Jakarta. It was the morning of a summer month, sometime in 2002 (sorry for my lack of memory). I remember getting myself ready in a pretty, classy-girl-type purple dress with matching shoes. My parents were anxious to get my brother and I to appear as sophisticated as possible. In spite of my parents' obvious agitation, I couldn't care less to know where we were going. My parents spoke of a very important interview we had to attend, but all I knew was how important it was for us to make it to the place on time, as the person we had an appointment with would not like it if we came late. Mind you, I was eleven and my brother was only seven years old. We were moody and upset with all the morning ruckus that had interrupted our good night sleep.

Indonesia: Pre-mission trip 2011 pt. II

It's coming, it's coming, it's coming!! Here is the countdown till my summer mission :-) (I would manually count it myself, but since I'm terribly awful at Math, I'm not even going to try.)

Due date: May 15, 2011

I am excited. I don't know what else I can say or feel. This is going to be my first-ever bona fide mission trip. When I was 9 or 10 years old, I went on "ministry trips" to the rural areas of East and Central Java. I consider them ministry rather than mission trips because I was simply going around singing at the local churches there, but didn't do any preaching, evangelizing, and/or community service whatsoever. This time it'll be different because I've been asked to share a little bit of my testimony, to sing, and to speak and lead the youth. From what I was told, we are also going deep into several different villages to serve the people there, while testifying our faith to them. There's only about a month left before I rock it, but I still haven't prepared my speeches and whatnot (I'm definitely bringing my flashcard pack everywhere!). Hopefully my prayers will be answered in a swarm of inspiration for the next 2 weeks or so. I can already feel that this is going to be a ground-breaking, life-changing experience for me. It's what I've been waiting to do all my life. God is finally using me to live out my passion and do something outside my comfort zone for the good of others. Those of you who know me, follow me on Twitter, or read my blog probably know how passionate I am to be involved in charity work. Well, guess what? My dream is coming true! What I can do now is to just view the upcoming few weeks in optimism (as I'm finishing my third year of university), get myself ready, and trust in HIS power. Only His hand can get me through each step of life.

Your prayers are crucial. I'm asking every one of you to please pray for our team, the people, and God's work in this operation. May it be as fruitful as a fertile mother and produce as many offspring of love as God desires.

Love in Christ,

Hazel Theresia

Indonesia: Pre-mission trip 2011 pt. I

Hi all, I will be starting a new blog series, in which I write about my mission trip to Indonesia. It is divided into different parts. The first parts contains:

• General Information

• Itinerary

• Early/rough schedule

• High expectations :-D

General Information

My church in Indonesia, Gereja Bethel Apostolik Profetik (GBAP), does an annual mission trip to different parts of Indonesia. I decided to join them for an upcoming mission trip in the summer this year. For the most part, our mission will take place in Central Java (where our head church is located) during the month of May. I will be there for at least a week serving and "doing various things." That is still vague as I don't know exactly what we're going to be doing, but I will update you as soon as I gather more info.

Itinerary

My flight has been booked and I am set to depart for Jakarta, Indonesia via Hong Kong on Monday, May 2, 2011 around 15:00, I believe. This will be my second time traveling on an airplane alone - I did manage to go to Indonesia by myself in July last year. People, I arrived safe and sound! :-) Just in case you were concerned. As of now, I am still unsure about who is supposed to fetch me from the airport. But I must say, my homeless status in Indonesia has certainly put me in a highly uncomfortable plight. I would strongly reckon that a lot of people have been burdened by me, due to the fact that I don't own a permanent home (or a home at all, for that matter). I will have to sojourn at someone else's house over the course of my trip.

I am scheduled to come back to my beloved maple country on Monday, June 27, 2011. It's a long trip, indeed. I could be asked to stay longer if I didn't have summer school as an excuse for my 'early' return.

Rough Schedule

Please bear in mind that this schedule is tentative and still susceptible to further changes. Here, I have broken it down into a timeline mode.

MAY

Sunday 15 - Service in Colomadu, GBAP Smirna @ 8:00

-> Sharing group (youth and adults) after service

Monday 16 - Sharing group (youth) in Colomadu, GBAP Smirna @ 18:00

Tuesday 17 - Preparation and visitation to Solo, Malanggaten, Pucang Sawit, and Muneng

Wednesday 18 - Bible training STT Aimi @ 18:00

Thursday 19 - Sharing with Colomadu's team; night prayer; Jagalan

Friday 20 - Training at STT Aimi @ 18:00

Saturday 21 - Youth Service

Sunday 22 - Morning service -> divided by areas: Malanggaten + Jagalan; afternoon service

Thus far, this is more or less what I have. We are also going to be visiting an orphanage while we are there.

For the first two weeks or so in the month of June, I will be serving locally, specifically in East Jakarta. I've been asked to speak at a youth service in English (I shouldn't be nervous since it is my first language, but I am!).

Picture 1:

The white-haired lady standing up is the head pastor of our church.

Picture 2:

Head pastor and congregation of GBAP Smirna

As you can tell, I am pretty stoked for this mission trip. Not only that this is my first 'legitimate' mission trip, it's also something I've been waiting and wanting to do for YEARS. You could just imagine how excited I must be to have finally been given the chance to do it!

I require a small favour from you, my readers: PLEASE pray for me as I go through the whole mission process and progress. Pray that everything will pass smoothly and that nothing goes wrong. Pray that every heart and life be touched by our ministry. Pray that every soul be blessed by what we are bringing and giving. Pray for those who are lost, that they WILL be saved and found in the eternal love of Jesus Christ. Prayers are crucial, and yours could mean a great deal. Your prayers and support are tremendously valued. Thank you.

From the deepest depth of my humbled heart,

Hazel

Indo trip reading list, school schedule, and a brief life update

Hey lovelies,

I will be going on a trip to my mother country, Indonesia, next week. There's just too much excitement in my system that I could not possibly further construe in words. Anyway, here's a list of the books I am taking with me during my 5-week trip. May I firstly note that when I read, I can read several books simultaneously at once, hence it takes me longer to finish one book (blame my queer idiosyncrasy).

1. A Passage to India - Forster
2. We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families - Gourevitch
3. The Republic - Plato
4. Permanent Rose - McKay (yay to children books!)
5. A Child in Prison Camp - Takashima

I'm crossing my fingers. Hopefully I can get through at least 3 of them when I come back.

Yesterday I had just finished enrolling in my classes for the 2010/2011 academic year. It is still hard for me to digest the fact that I'm going on my third year of university. In less than 2 years, I'll be graduating with an Hon. B.A. As thrilling as that may sound, I am absolutely terrified for what is to come following school/university life. Sometimes I think my future is too ambiguous -- I have too many ambitions in mind. There are a million things that I'm aiming for. Provided my awful resolution skills, it's difficult for me to see which dreams I want to lead; what I REALLY want to do with my life. Well, I hate to be publicly venting about my life problems on this blog, so here goes my new 2010-2011 schedule.

Fall 2010

MONDAY: 2-4; 4-5

TUESDAY: 2-3; 3-5

WEDNESDAY: 11-1; 3-5

THURSDAY: 2-3

FRIDAY: OFF

Winter 2011

MONDAY: 11-12; 2-4

TUESDAY: 2-3; 3-6

WEDNESDAY: 11-12; 2-4

THURSDAY: 2-3

FRIDAY: 11-12

Not as brutal as I expected. I can't believe I managed to get Fridays off in the first semester. I'm praying for God's grace for the upcoming school year. Even more tremendous and marvellous things are on their way. I have faith.

My life has been utterly splendid nowadays. God is revealing more and more of His love to me every single day. I am very thankful for everything He has blessed me with. As an imperfect human being, at times negative thoughts do intrude and invade my conviction. But regardless of the doubts, dreads, worries, and obscure perplexities, I know God has my life and my heart in His hand. I am an ordinary child of God living an extraordinary life with extraordinary blessings :-).

To close this off, I'll share an inspirational verse from Paul's letter that I conceived this morning:

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

~ Philippians 4:6-7

I wish you all a safe and fabulous day!

Love always,

Hazel