The church I am attending is a Christian and Missionary Alliance Church. (You may or may not know that A.W. Tozer preached at a CMA church for many years. That was just a freebie.☺) The church is called the Gereja Kemah Injil Indonesia. A word-for-word translation is: Church Tabernacle Gospel Indonesia. A less literal translation might be Gospel Tabernacle Church of Indonesia. Today five young adults were baptized. That makes a total of 12 baptisms in the month of September.
It is a fairly large congregation and has many similarities to church services in the U.S. However, the offering is a distinctly cultural experience. Upon entering the church, we are given three offering envelopes. Printed on the envelopes are specific directions for the proper way of inserting one’s money into the offering bags: don’t fold, no coins, no torn or ragged money, etc. At offering time three bags are passed; each one for a different ministry of the church. But on the last Sunday of the month, everyone processes to the front of the church and deposits their offering into two boxes. Part of the purpose of the envelopes is to prevent embarrassment when someone can contribute only a small amount or nothing at all. After a prayer and many announcements the third offering is taken up but in the regular way with an offering bag being passed around. I guess the three bags keep the accounting simple. Or maybe not. ☺
Since I last wrote about the smoke problem, it had improved a little bit – at least here in Tarakan. But this week we have slowly seen more smoke coming in from the south and today (Sunday, September 27) it is so bad again that I cannot see the ocean from my porch. There is a thick haze over the town. The rainy season will help with the smoke but no one can predict when the rainy season will start. They say El Nino has messed things up and it isn’t as easy to predict as in the past. The smoke problem isn’t anywhere as bad as in Palangkaraya. Three hundred fifty people were admitted into the hospital there in one week due to health issues related to smoke.
I had a cicak (cheechahk – gecko) wriggle out of the trash can as I dropped something in there today. That isn’t the first time that has happened. I never fail to jump back twenty feet. If I just had warning about their whereabouts, I wouldn’t be so squeamish. It’s just the suddenness of their appearance and the way they swiftly wriggle away that always startles me. I have to keep repeating, “They are good critters. They eat other insects. They are good critters. They are good critters.”
I also had a toad in my kitchen last week. Carter – my sixth grader – loves bugs, spiders, snakes, frogs, toads… you get the idea. He caught a toad, and placed him in a gallon jug with grass, a rock and some water to make him comfortable. Carter left the jar in the hallway of the school (the school is in the basement of my house). He assured me it couldn’t escape. So the next morning I had a toad in my kitchen. Somehow I managed to shoo him out. When I went down to get ready for school, Carter’s toad was not in its jar. I came to the conclusion that it had to be the toad that was upstairs in my kitchen. But how did that thing get upstairs? The only possible way would have been to hop up the stairs and then on into the kitchen. That is a long and toilsome trip for a toad. ☺ Moral: Keep a tight lid on your pets!!!!
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Eid al Fitr Visits
Ramadan ended Saturday evening at sundown. This means Muslims are no longer required to fast during the daylight hours. The two days following the end of Ramadan are called Eid al Fitr. Eid is an Arabic word meaning "festivity", while Fiṭr means "to break fast”. After prayers the morning of Eid al Fitr, people visit their relatives, friends and acquaintances.
I went with my neighbors (Tim and Kathy Maynard) to visit two families. The first one was Pak Kipli’s family. Pak is the equivalent of sir. Pak Kipli is the man who takes care of our yard. Pak Kipli and his family are poor and live in a rather ramshackle house. They are squatters and have been kicked out of their home but somehow returned. (I didn’t quite catch that part of the story.) They have saved enough money to buy some land but plan to continue as squatters until they are forced to leave again. By staying, they hope to be able to save some more money to help with their move. We were fed several dishes at Pak Kipli’s: some kind of sticky black rice packed inside a banana leaf, two kinds of chicken dishes, a sweet rice ball which had been put into some sort of liquid that was allowed to ferment, and various cookies and sweets. I managed to eat some of the sticky black rice, the chicken and the different cookies. I tried the fermented rice balls but could only eat half of it. At least I tried and hope I didn’t offend by leaving half of it.
The next family we visited was Ibu Wati’s. Ibu is the equivalent of Mrs. Ibu Wati’s family is much better off than Pak Kipli’s. Ibu Wati lives just a little way down our road. I travel that road from time to time and felt it would be a good idea to get to know my neighbors. Thankfully, at Ibu Wati’s house we weren’t served a meal but only cookies, peanuts and some sort of chip thing. And we had cold Coke! ☺ Toward the end of our visit, she served us punch. It was pink, sweet, had some sort of gelatinous squares floating in it and some small seeds which looked like poppy seeds. The way to partake of the punch is to drink all the liquid and then use a spoon to scoop out the gelatinous squares. It was doable.
Of course, when one visits, one has to shake hands with everyone who is present and wish them Selamat Eid al Fitr, or Selamat Malaam. Selamat means happy – not exactly but close enough. Eid al Fitr of course is the name of the holiday and Malaam means evening. And handshaking here is not what we think of in the U.S. Handshaking here is just a bare touch of the hands. Some people touch their hearts after the hand shake. Others put both of their hands around yours. Still others touch their elbows with their left hand as they shake with their right hand. The children take your hand and touch it to their foreheads.
I really do find it all fascinating. My biggest regret is that I can’t speak to these people. I learn a tiny bit more of the language each week but it really isn’t enough to carry on a conversation.
That is it for tonight. Selamat Malaam to you .
I went with my neighbors (Tim and Kathy Maynard) to visit two families. The first one was Pak Kipli’s family. Pak is the equivalent of sir. Pak Kipli is the man who takes care of our yard. Pak Kipli and his family are poor and live in a rather ramshackle house. They are squatters and have been kicked out of their home but somehow returned. (I didn’t quite catch that part of the story.) They have saved enough money to buy some land but plan to continue as squatters until they are forced to leave again. By staying, they hope to be able to save some more money to help with their move. We were fed several dishes at Pak Kipli’s: some kind of sticky black rice packed inside a banana leaf, two kinds of chicken dishes, a sweet rice ball which had been put into some sort of liquid that was allowed to ferment, and various cookies and sweets. I managed to eat some of the sticky black rice, the chicken and the different cookies. I tried the fermented rice balls but could only eat half of it. At least I tried and hope I didn’t offend by leaving half of it.
The next family we visited was Ibu Wati’s. Ibu is the equivalent of Mrs. Ibu Wati’s family is much better off than Pak Kipli’s. Ibu Wati lives just a little way down our road. I travel that road from time to time and felt it would be a good idea to get to know my neighbors. Thankfully, at Ibu Wati’s house we weren’t served a meal but only cookies, peanuts and some sort of chip thing. And we had cold Coke! ☺ Toward the end of our visit, she served us punch. It was pink, sweet, had some sort of gelatinous squares floating in it and some small seeds which looked like poppy seeds. The way to partake of the punch is to drink all the liquid and then use a spoon to scoop out the gelatinous squares. It was doable.
Of course, when one visits, one has to shake hands with everyone who is present and wish them Selamat Eid al Fitr, or Selamat Malaam. Selamat means happy – not exactly but close enough. Eid al Fitr of course is the name of the holiday and Malaam means evening. And handshaking here is not what we think of in the U.S. Handshaking here is just a bare touch of the hands. Some people touch their hearts after the hand shake. Others put both of their hands around yours. Still others touch their elbows with their left hand as they shake with their right hand. The children take your hand and touch it to their foreheads.
I really do find it all fascinating. My biggest regret is that I can’t speak to these people. I learn a tiny bit more of the language each week but it really isn’t enough to carry on a conversation.
That is it for tonight. Selamat Malaam to you .
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
And another thing....
We had a couple of nice rains and although it cleared the air here in Tarakan, Palangkaraya's air is still heavy with smoke. We keep praying for lots of rain.
I don't think I have mentioned the scheduled electricity outages. Each of the neighborhoods takes a turn having their electricity off for about 4 hours. Yesterday's outage was supposed to have been from 9 to midnight but it didn't happen. Saturday is our turn again; this time from 8:30 to noon. Usually, it is around 10:00 before the electricity actually goes off. It stays off until approximately 4:00. I collect water to have on hand since I depend on an electric pump for my water supply. I really notice the warm weather when there are no fans to stir the air. But since I know there is an end in sight, I can endure. :o)
Next week I get two days off from school due to Eidl Fitri, the end-of-Ramadan holidays. I'm not real clear what goes on those two days so I will have to update you after I have lived through it.
I don't think I have mentioned the scheduled electricity outages. Each of the neighborhoods takes a turn having their electricity off for about 4 hours. Yesterday's outage was supposed to have been from 9 to midnight but it didn't happen. Saturday is our turn again; this time from 8:30 to noon. Usually, it is around 10:00 before the electricity actually goes off. It stays off until approximately 4:00. I collect water to have on hand since I depend on an electric pump for my water supply. I really notice the warm weather when there are no fans to stir the air. But since I know there is an end in sight, I can endure. :o)
Next week I get two days off from school due to Eidl Fitri, the end-of-Ramadan holidays. I'm not real clear what goes on those two days so I will have to update you after I have lived through it.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Another "smoke" story
One of the Palangkaraya pilots was at the house this morning trying to get the school computer fixed. I began asking him about the smoke situation. He told me that the past two years, the government has intervened. Australian helicopters were leased to dump water on the fires. Then the military went around to the villages near the fires, attempting to find out who had started them to threaten them with imprisonment if it happened again. But this year, the pilot said, the government hadn't interfered at all, possibly for two reasons: first, they were claiming that there was no money for it this year. Which is feasible since the economy is bad world-wide. Second possible reason is that this is an election year and the politicians don't want to antagonize voters. The people starting these fires depend on this method for clearing their land. They really don't have an alternative at this point because machinery is too expensive for them. "It's just the way we do it; there's nothing to be done about it." I was told that when the smoke gets really bad, there is tension between the neighboring countries of Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines. This morning the wind was right out of the south blowing the smoke up our direction. It isn't so bad that we need to wear masks. Hope it doesn't get to that point. I asked what it will take to end the problem and he said rain and lots of it. A little bit won't help. The rain has to go deep into the peat where the fires are smoldering. If you want to pray for us here in Tarakan, pray that God would send rain.
BTW, the school computer didn't get fixed. It's a problem that is going to require throwing money at it. :o)
BTW, the school computer didn't get fixed. It's a problem that is going to require throwing money at it. :o)
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Smokey Borneo
In Indonesia it is a common custom to burn off the old crop to get ready for new plantings. Sometimes this doesn't cause a problem. Other times, due to a lack of rain it becomes a huge problem since the burning produces a lot of smoke. That is the situation now. The smoke from all the burning has become a major concern. I'm told that you can even see the smoke from satellite photos. MAF has another base here in Kalimantan located in the town of Palangkaraya. The smoke in that region is so bad that the pilots cannot fly, ash falls from the sky like snowflakes and the smoke-filled air makes breathing hazardous. The two families from that base had to evacuate to Tarakan. Yesterday and today the air around Tarakan has been filled with smoke also. From my little porch I can sometimes see the mountains on the other side of the bay. But because of the smoke, I can't even see the bay. The Tarakan pilots are flying but have only a mile or two of visibility. We are praying for lots of rain and a change in the wind direction.
The MAF team in Palangkaraya has three families. One family is in Canada but have plans to return to Kalimantan next week. Due to the smoke issue, they tried to postpone their trip for a while but weren't able to because of non-refundable airfare rules. So they will be arriving in Tarakan early next week. They have asked if I would be willing to let their second grader come to school while they are here in Tarakan. I said yes thinking this would be a good way to prepare for the addition of my permanent first grade student who doesn't return to Kalimantan until October 3.
I am finding out that a lot of Muslims who become Christians begin their journey toward faith in Christ by having dreams in which Jesus appears to them. Last night I heard another story of MAF team members being instrumental in helping a man move from questioning to accepting Jesus as Savior. And his journey began with dreams. Before this, I would never have imagined that dreams would be a way God would communicate with people. But it seems to be happening amongst many Muslims. Whatever it takes right?
The MAF team in Palangkaraya has three families. One family is in Canada but have plans to return to Kalimantan next week. Due to the smoke issue, they tried to postpone their trip for a while but weren't able to because of non-refundable airfare rules. So they will be arriving in Tarakan early next week. They have asked if I would be willing to let their second grader come to school while they are here in Tarakan. I said yes thinking this would be a good way to prepare for the addition of my permanent first grade student who doesn't return to Kalimantan until October 3.
I am finding out that a lot of Muslims who become Christians begin their journey toward faith in Christ by having dreams in which Jesus appears to them. Last night I heard another story of MAF team members being instrumental in helping a man move from questioning to accepting Jesus as Savior. And his journey began with dreams. Before this, I would never have imagined that dreams would be a way God would communicate with people. But it seems to be happening amongst many Muslims. Whatever it takes right?
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