Went to the floating market at 5am Saturday - well worth getting up for! As the sun rose at 6am we were surrounded by dozens and dozens of little boats, all laden with fruit and vegetables (many of which we have never seen before), rattan baskets and many other things made in the villages. You barter and buy from your boat and can even order rice in banana leaves (the plates) and glasses of tea from the 'restaurant' boat. Within half an hour they are all sold up and gone.
We then went on to 'monkey island'. Biddy had warned us against going ashore as the monkeys take anything they can get hold of. Most of the students were going ashore, as were Roger and the two American girls. As we neared the jetty a mob of monkeys jumped on the boat and ransacked it in 5 minutes, taking bananas and anything else they wanted. The ones who decided to get off fared worse though - the total losses were one pair of sandals, three mobile phones, a cash card and a load of cash, a belt and a scarf!
Sunday evening Biddy was invited to preach at the evening service - a bit like our Fuel service, so we had a sermon with English subtitles - the first one we have really understood! Our students sung a song in English we had taught them - The Lord's My Shepherd (I will trust in him alone) - and taught the congregation - it was an inspirational evening!
Wednesday we have the tests and then on Friday we have the leaving ceremony where the students will be presented with their pass certificates (we pray), will put on a display of Indonesian music and dance and we are also expected to put on an entertainment from our country. I won't tell you what Stan and I have decided to do - will save that as a treat for when we get home!
On Saturday it's off to the airport to travel to Jakarta, Kuala Lumpar and then to Kota Kinabalu where we THINK we have been booked into a hotel! Then it's 5 days of rest we hope.
THINGS THAT HAVE SURPRISED US ABOUT INDONESIA
Rice with every meal is actually ok (ish)
Showering in a barrel is actually rather nice.
You CAN get used to a squatty potty (USA term, but you get the idea.)
Indonesians can't say 'th'. We had fun with learning "then Jesus told them that...."
m..........s (can't use the word but Gladys Aylward was one - Google her!)are fun - at least the ones we have met here - they live their faith every day, not just Sundays.
We have enjoyed teaching together.
How many people there are of our faith here - and growing.
PLEASE PRAY FOR -
Our young people - for the tests and for their futures as ministers
For Biddy - still waiting for her exit and re-entry visa. She now has all her tickets for her journey to Singapore (leaving with us on the 24th) and back but so far cannot leave the country.
For the rest of us - what next in our journey? The two American girls intend to complete their teacher training (American as a 2nd language) and return to work in Asia, Roger is returning to his job in Southampton, wants to return to Asia but also feels God drawing him back to South Africa. And as for us - we are still waiting for God to let us know, but we certainly both feel drawn to Asia although we are looking forward to returning to our family in Churchdown (both Will and all of you).
Love and prayers and blessings to all
Sue and Stan xxx
Monday, 19 July 2010
Tuesday, 13 July 2010
SHE'LL BE COMING ROUND THE MOUNTAIN.....
Hi all
First chance to update blog as no power since we came back from Loksado on Sunday evening.
Loksado was a 4 hour drive up into the mountains. Spectacular scenery (and roads!) threaded through with rivers which are the main transport routes. The air was pure (pretty polluted in Banjarmasin) and it was much cooler as very high up, which we all enjoyed very much. We stayed at the home of someones cousins friend (or something like that).The house was a long wooden one, with boarded-off areas with curtains which were the bedrooms. The family (5 of them) all moved out to sleep in the living room and insisted we had the bedroom. Stan and I had the master suite (a padded quilt on the floor). The windows were just holes, so we needed our mosquito nets. Hadn't used them at Biddy's house as she has net over the windows which is very effective). Despite the fact that we were sleeping on the floor we all slept like logs, due to a combination of the cool, fresh air and the fact that the power in the village is only on until 8pm, so not much else to do when it's dark but sleep!
Loksado seems as if it hasn't changed for many years. The main crops are rubber (from rubber trees - we were shown by one of the village elders how to cut the tree and catch the rubber), nutmeg (the family work together sitting on the porch - Dad hits the shell with a hammer, Mum removes it and the children lay them out on a cloth to dry in the sun, and cinammon - again the family work together to strip the bark, cut it into strips and lay it out to dry. As it dries it curls up into the cinammon sticks we buy - except these are about 3 feet long. We bought a batch of about 30 sticks for the equivalent of about 48p - and he said that was a very high price and was delighted. If it makes the journey home we can show you. One thing is changing, however, according to the elders. At present most families have a small patch of land on which they grow their rice, vegetables, a few rubber trees and some fruit trees (jack fruit, papaya, oranges, which are actually green here, mango) so, coupled with the chicken they keep and the wild pigs they trap in the jungle they are pretty self-sufficient, buying what little they need from the money they get from selling the rubber. Some big businesses have been approaching some families and offering them high prices (certainly more money than they can imagine) to sell them their fields so they can be cleared and palm trees planted - a lot of money to be made in palm oil production. Some of them have agreed, and of course are wealthy for a year, and then realize they now have to start buying their rice, vegetables and fruit.
Loksado is interesting in another way. A few years ago a couple of families of our faith felt God telling them to build a place of worship in the village, which they did with what little money they have and everyone helping. It is a few hundred yards from the other place of worship in the village. At the time the other faith represented 95% of the people in the village, but now it is 70% our faith and 30% of the other. Also, everyone in the village is now one of these faiths with a small group of people still practising animism living outside the village.
They regularly have 150 people attending their place of worship, we went on Sunday and it was amazing to see.
They have home group Bible study in people's homes twice a week (they take it in turns), and we were invited on Friday evening. Everyone sits around the walls (Indonesians don't have furniture,other than a few cupboards, everything is done on the floor). We had amazing worship, a talk (translated) by one of Biddy's ex-students who is now doing her 2 year curacy in the village and then we were fed (all 78 of us- the only people in the village who didn't come were those working in some way). We had roast wild boar (killed fresh that morning), chicken (ditto), and stacks and stacks of vegetable dishes, rice and fruit. All done on one little fire which looked like a disposable BBQ but had wood instead of charcoal - incredible!
The hospitality of the whole village was amazing - we were fed like kings three times a day (meat, vegetables and rice is breakfast as well as the other two meals). They are also very industrious -they need to get their bamboo down river, so they arrange raft rides for anyone who wants to ride the rapids on the river - a 3 hour trip. (Many people of the other faith go to Loksado for a day out because of the clean mountain air). They charge 20,000 rupiah each person (about 2 pounds) and make the rafts from about 6 large bamboo trunks tied together with a few more stacked on the top for a seat. Sure enough at the end of the ride there is the drivers wife and daughter splitting bamboo and putting it in bundles ready to go away to the furniture shop - and no transport costs for them! By the way I declined the ride on the rapids - I get scared on the log flume at Alton Towers!
PLEASE PRAY FOR -
The people of Loksado that they are able to continue the way of life they have chosen and the faith they have chosen, and that they will continue to encourage others to want to be like them.
For Biddy - still waiting for an exit and re-entry visa to go to Singapore on the 24th July for her hospital check up - there are difficulties at the moment.
For us and our students - this is our final week of teaching - next week all tests and exams. We are spending a lot of time with our students helping them with their English for their presentations on Mark's Gospel (telling the story) and a written presentation they are preparing on places Paul visited (our group are working on Phillipi and Iconium. We are learning so much!
With our love and blessings
Sue and Stan
First chance to update blog as no power since we came back from Loksado on Sunday evening.
Loksado was a 4 hour drive up into the mountains. Spectacular scenery (and roads!) threaded through with rivers which are the main transport routes. The air was pure (pretty polluted in Banjarmasin) and it was much cooler as very high up, which we all enjoyed very much. We stayed at the home of someones cousins friend (or something like that).The house was a long wooden one, with boarded-off areas with curtains which were the bedrooms. The family (5 of them) all moved out to sleep in the living room and insisted we had the bedroom. Stan and I had the master suite (a padded quilt on the floor). The windows were just holes, so we needed our mosquito nets. Hadn't used them at Biddy's house as she has net over the windows which is very effective). Despite the fact that we were sleeping on the floor we all slept like logs, due to a combination of the cool, fresh air and the fact that the power in the village is only on until 8pm, so not much else to do when it's dark but sleep!
Loksado seems as if it hasn't changed for many years. The main crops are rubber (from rubber trees - we were shown by one of the village elders how to cut the tree and catch the rubber), nutmeg (the family work together sitting on the porch - Dad hits the shell with a hammer, Mum removes it and the children lay them out on a cloth to dry in the sun, and cinammon - again the family work together to strip the bark, cut it into strips and lay it out to dry. As it dries it curls up into the cinammon sticks we buy - except these are about 3 feet long. We bought a batch of about 30 sticks for the equivalent of about 48p - and he said that was a very high price and was delighted. If it makes the journey home we can show you. One thing is changing, however, according to the elders. At present most families have a small patch of land on which they grow their rice, vegetables, a few rubber trees and some fruit trees (jack fruit, papaya, oranges, which are actually green here, mango) so, coupled with the chicken they keep and the wild pigs they trap in the jungle they are pretty self-sufficient, buying what little they need from the money they get from selling the rubber. Some big businesses have been approaching some families and offering them high prices (certainly more money than they can imagine) to sell them their fields so they can be cleared and palm trees planted - a lot of money to be made in palm oil production. Some of them have agreed, and of course are wealthy for a year, and then realize they now have to start buying their rice, vegetables and fruit.
Loksado is interesting in another way. A few years ago a couple of families of our faith felt God telling them to build a place of worship in the village, which they did with what little money they have and everyone helping. It is a few hundred yards from the other place of worship in the village. At the time the other faith represented 95% of the people in the village, but now it is 70% our faith and 30% of the other. Also, everyone in the village is now one of these faiths with a small group of people still practising animism living outside the village.
They regularly have 150 people attending their place of worship, we went on Sunday and it was amazing to see.
They have home group Bible study in people's homes twice a week (they take it in turns), and we were invited on Friday evening. Everyone sits around the walls (Indonesians don't have furniture,other than a few cupboards, everything is done on the floor). We had amazing worship, a talk (translated) by one of Biddy's ex-students who is now doing her 2 year curacy in the village and then we were fed (all 78 of us- the only people in the village who didn't come were those working in some way). We had roast wild boar (killed fresh that morning), chicken (ditto), and stacks and stacks of vegetable dishes, rice and fruit. All done on one little fire which looked like a disposable BBQ but had wood instead of charcoal - incredible!
The hospitality of the whole village was amazing - we were fed like kings three times a day (meat, vegetables and rice is breakfast as well as the other two meals). They are also very industrious -they need to get their bamboo down river, so they arrange raft rides for anyone who wants to ride the rapids on the river - a 3 hour trip. (Many people of the other faith go to Loksado for a day out because of the clean mountain air). They charge 20,000 rupiah each person (about 2 pounds) and make the rafts from about 6 large bamboo trunks tied together with a few more stacked on the top for a seat. Sure enough at the end of the ride there is the drivers wife and daughter splitting bamboo and putting it in bundles ready to go away to the furniture shop - and no transport costs for them! By the way I declined the ride on the rapids - I get scared on the log flume at Alton Towers!
PLEASE PRAY FOR -
The people of Loksado that they are able to continue the way of life they have chosen and the faith they have chosen, and that they will continue to encourage others to want to be like them.
For Biddy - still waiting for an exit and re-entry visa to go to Singapore on the 24th July for her hospital check up - there are difficulties at the moment.
For us and our students - this is our final week of teaching - next week all tests and exams. We are spending a lot of time with our students helping them with their English for their presentations on Mark's Gospel (telling the story) and a written presentation they are preparing on places Paul visited (our group are working on Phillipi and Iconium. We are learning so much!
With our love and blessings
Sue and Stan
Thursday, 8 July 2010
IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER IN INDONESIA - NO 59
ALWAYS CHECK YOUR SHOES FOR LIZARDS!
We always remove our shoes when entering houses, classrooms etc, so there is always a large pile outside.
When putting my shoes on as I left I slid a toe inside one of them, felt something soft and removed my toe(quickly!). A lizard jumped out (unhurt I am pleased to report) and ran away. Not sure who was most scared!
Very quick blog as power intermittent at the moment.
THIS WEEKEND
Tomorrow we are going straight from college to the village of Loksado, four hour journey to the foothills of the mountains. On the way we are stopping at some hot springs for a dip (which sounds wonderful), and when we get there we are being taken on bamboo rafts down river through the rapids (not sure this will be quite so wonderful!). We are staying 2 nights with some of the congregation of a small community of our faith. There is no electricity there so will be no blogging for a while.
PLEASE PRAY FOR
Our safety on the journey
This community in Loksado and the opportunity for us to share with them
Safety on the bamboo rafts.
A relaxing restful time - we are all getting very tired. It has been a tense week as we are preparing ourselves and our students for the end of course exams in 2 weeks.
For Mary (one of the American girls) who is unwell today with headache and fever. They both chose not to take malaria tablets, even though they were advised to do so, as they don't take chemicals of any kind so we pray it is not anything more serious. (Even Biddy takes malaria tablets and she is almost Indonesian!).
Love to everyone and welcome to Jon, Jancie and Ruby.
Sue and Stan xx
We always remove our shoes when entering houses, classrooms etc, so there is always a large pile outside.
When putting my shoes on as I left I slid a toe inside one of them, felt something soft and removed my toe(quickly!). A lizard jumped out (unhurt I am pleased to report) and ran away. Not sure who was most scared!
Very quick blog as power intermittent at the moment.
THIS WEEKEND
Tomorrow we are going straight from college to the village of Loksado, four hour journey to the foothills of the mountains. On the way we are stopping at some hot springs for a dip (which sounds wonderful), and when we get there we are being taken on bamboo rafts down river through the rapids (not sure this will be quite so wonderful!). We are staying 2 nights with some of the congregation of a small community of our faith. There is no electricity there so will be no blogging for a while.
PLEASE PRAY FOR
Our safety on the journey
This community in Loksado and the opportunity for us to share with them
Safety on the bamboo rafts.
A relaxing restful time - we are all getting very tired. It has been a tense week as we are preparing ourselves and our students for the end of course exams in 2 weeks.
For Mary (one of the American girls) who is unwell today with headache and fever. They both chose not to take malaria tablets, even though they were advised to do so, as they don't take chemicals of any kind so we pray it is not anything more serious. (Even Biddy takes malaria tablets and she is almost Indonesian!).
Love to everyone and welcome to Jon, Jancie and Ruby.
Sue and Stan xx
Monday, 5 July 2010
LIFE THROUGH A DIFFERENT LENS
or - THINGS THAT MAKE YOU THINK AGAIN
Had chicken satay with some of the students at lunchtime from a street vendor outside college. Stan looking for a bin for his stick - "Stan throw it on the floor, you're not in England now!"
When leaving the house Saturday in the sunshine Ibu Martha most anxious that we take an umbrella. Not for rain - "To keep your skin white, otherwise you will become like us and that would be terrible for you"
"Why can't we clear space up river for the new power station, it's only jungle and orang-utans. You have power stations in the West, why can't we?"
Realizing that the answer "Yes" to the question "Will you have some tomorrow" means either Yes, Maybe or Never. An Indonesian will not say No - you lose face!
In Indonesian it is not 'bad manners' to chat to each other in church. Everyone does it, even the clergy, and even during the sermon!
My favourite - we had a lunch with the college staff team and in conversation with one of the lecturers whilst talking about football with our limited English/Indonesian (international language!)he was undecided whether to support Holland or Germany because, as he put it, "You all look alike!"
Finally - went on the river trip Sunday and saw how the people live who live in the hovels overlooking the river. The river is filthy as they throw their rubbish in it and their outside toilets are in little sheds over the river, so empty into it. We saw people, often whole families, covered in soap washing themselves, their clothes and their pots and pans in the river, and also cleaning their teeth. What was amazing was that in every house we passed the whole family came out and waved and shrieked at us, and often the children leapt into the water to swim to the boat. The further up river we went the more news spread and more and more children, and their parents, came out to wave, line up on the rickety bridges that cross the water, and dive in to come and touch us. The boatman said it was likely that the people up river had not seen a white person before. I got an idea of how the Queen must feel!
What was so amazing was how happy and smiling all these people are despite the squalor (as we saw it) they were living in. It was very humbling.
Please pray for these people that they can keep healthy (the infant mortality rate amongst them is very high because of the disease in the water), and that something can be done to improve conditions for them. Please pray that the people who can make a difference will start to take some action to at least make sure they have a clean water supply (all the water they drink comes from the river.)
Love and blessings
Sue and Stan xxxxx
Had chicken satay with some of the students at lunchtime from a street vendor outside college. Stan looking for a bin for his stick - "Stan throw it on the floor, you're not in England now!"
When leaving the house Saturday in the sunshine Ibu Martha most anxious that we take an umbrella. Not for rain - "To keep your skin white, otherwise you will become like us and that would be terrible for you"
"Why can't we clear space up river for the new power station, it's only jungle and orang-utans. You have power stations in the West, why can't we?"
Realizing that the answer "Yes" to the question "Will you have some tomorrow" means either Yes, Maybe or Never. An Indonesian will not say No - you lose face!
In Indonesian it is not 'bad manners' to chat to each other in church. Everyone does it, even the clergy, and even during the sermon!
My favourite - we had a lunch with the college staff team and in conversation with one of the lecturers whilst talking about football with our limited English/Indonesian (international language!)he was undecided whether to support Holland or Germany because, as he put it, "You all look alike!"
Finally - went on the river trip Sunday and saw how the people live who live in the hovels overlooking the river. The river is filthy as they throw their rubbish in it and their outside toilets are in little sheds over the river, so empty into it. We saw people, often whole families, covered in soap washing themselves, their clothes and their pots and pans in the river, and also cleaning their teeth. What was amazing was that in every house we passed the whole family came out and waved and shrieked at us, and often the children leapt into the water to swim to the boat. The further up river we went the more news spread and more and more children, and their parents, came out to wave, line up on the rickety bridges that cross the water, and dive in to come and touch us. The boatman said it was likely that the people up river had not seen a white person before. I got an idea of how the Queen must feel!
What was so amazing was how happy and smiling all these people are despite the squalor (as we saw it) they were living in. It was very humbling.
Please pray for these people that they can keep healthy (the infant mortality rate amongst them is very high because of the disease in the water), and that something can be done to improve conditions for them. Please pray that the people who can make a difference will start to take some action to at least make sure they have a clean water supply (all the water they drink comes from the river.)
Love and blessings
Sue and Stan xxxxx
Friday, 2 July 2010
OUR GOD IS A GREAT BIG GOD
Very quick blog today as both very tired. We had mid-semester tests all day today (doesn't seem possible we are exactly half way through the course). We were as nervous as our students and were willing them to do well. Each of our 'cluster groups' had to tell us the 'story so far' of Marks Gospel in their own words, in English. We have been coaching them for the last couple of weeks. Some of them acted it out, some used picture cards and spoke the 'headlines'. They were all amazing!
Then they had a written test, based on work we have been doing in class.
We have just finished marking both pieces of work and they have all achieved a pass mark - some only just! Our challenge now is to encourage them to keep it up for the next 3 weeks. God is so Good. We finished the day by singing and praying (which we do every day) so today it was 'Our God is a Great Big God' and even Stan did the signs!
We had a visit today from another group of young robed girls of another faith, wanting to practice their English. They had heard about the English speakers being around and brought a letter from their teacher asking if they could speak to us. I spoke to them this time, a charming group of teenagers whose English was actually pretty good. They are all training as English teachers. I had to be very careful what I talked about (that had previously been discussed with the principal of our college) but the result was they asked if they could keep in touch by e-mail of Facebook in the future. I have just had a message from one of them asking me all sorts of questions about England.
Our God is so amazing - he just keeps pointing people in our direction!
On Sunday afternoon we are off on a river trip up country to visit a Dayak family - jungle and very basic amenities! Please pray that we keep safe and well.
Love and blessings from both of us xx
Then they had a written test, based on work we have been doing in class.
We have just finished marking both pieces of work and they have all achieved a pass mark - some only just! Our challenge now is to encourage them to keep it up for the next 3 weeks. God is so Good. We finished the day by singing and praying (which we do every day) so today it was 'Our God is a Great Big God' and even Stan did the signs!
We had a visit today from another group of young robed girls of another faith, wanting to practice their English. They had heard about the English speakers being around and brought a letter from their teacher asking if they could speak to us. I spoke to them this time, a charming group of teenagers whose English was actually pretty good. They are all training as English teachers. I had to be very careful what I talked about (that had previously been discussed with the principal of our college) but the result was they asked if they could keep in touch by e-mail of Facebook in the future. I have just had a message from one of them asking me all sorts of questions about England.
Our God is so amazing - he just keeps pointing people in our direction!
On Sunday afternoon we are off on a river trip up country to visit a Dayak family - jungle and very basic amenities! Please pray that we keep safe and well.
Love and blessings from both of us xx
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