Searching for Beauty: Last Day in Batam

Monday, June 29, 2015

Today was our last day in Batam. It has yet to sink in that we will be leaving the amazing people here, but we had one last adventure together as we traveled out to the very end of this cluster of Indonesian islands.

It took over an hour and 5 or 6 bridge crossings to get there. But the views were absolutely stunning the entire way. At the end of the island we visited a little park area. There were tire swings and rocks to climb and hermit crabs. We stared in awe, climbed around, and marveled at the glorious sites while listening to the natural soundtrack of waves crashing against the rocks. Pure bliss!

After our time at the park, we visited a Vietnamese refugee camp. It was quite interesting. There from 1979 -1996 and much bigger than I expected.

We left the camp and went to the beach! Woo! Although we didn't know we'd be going to the beach so we didn't bring swimsuits. Not to worry, that doesn't stop us! Jason and I took a kayak out which was quite peaceful, other than the threat of Chris and Lucas dumping us over as they were swimming.

Lunch was served on the deck at the beach and was delicious. Calamari, veggies, chicken, crab, rice - all prepared according to local culture. Doesn't get much better than that.

On the drive back to Batam we stopped at a dragon fruit farm to try the fruit and juice. A.Ma.Zing.

Once back in Batam, before heading back to the hotel, Rev. Henok and Kamty (our host and hostess) welcomed us to their home. It was beautiful. I love seeing how the locals live. We sipped an amazing jasmine tea and tried the famous Holland Bakery cakes. As always, we laughed and swapped stories. Henok told us a story of a monkey sneaking into their house to eat the fruit sitting on their table. Part of me wishes I had cool stories like that from back home, the other part of me is glad I don't have to worry about monkeys in my house! ;)

Our visit was wonderful. Today was a day to relax and take in the Lord's marvelous creation. I just kept thinking how amazing it is that He has created each place in the world so differently and with its own beauty. There's no doubt, though, that Indonesia is stunning. It elicits a spiritual response. This kind of beauty is truly a spiritual experience. God is good!

Tomorrow we fly to Kupang which is on Timor island on the other end of Indonesia. Pray for our safe travel!

Searching for Souls Together

Monday, June 29, 2015
Batam, Indonesia

I've been wanting to write this particular post for a few days...

I need to take a chance to give a shoutout to my teammates and thank the Lord for them! We are all a bunch of goofy, nerdy weirdos who love Jesus! We love to laugh; we love to serve; and, we love to have fun! John, Jason, Chris, Lucas, me.

Jason, Lucas, Chris, me

Just over a week ago, I hardly knew any of them. I met Lucas through my brother a few months ago and he, with John's (team leader) blessing, extended an invite to join the trip. But it wasn't until I arrived at the airport in Dallas that I met the others.

Many (possibly most) people would be terrified to travel the world with strangers, but it was never really a concern for me. The Lord must've given me a supernatural peace about it; after all, it's just another part of the adventure!

In His providence, I feel like I've known these wonderful people for years! It's like traveling with family. We laugh constantly. Our vastly different senses of humor mesh so perfectly that explosions of laughter are around every corner of the journey. There's no shortage of playfulness and joking. Yet, while we enjoy cutting each other down in the most playful ways, we have immense respect and admiration for each other.

I'm amazed at the unity the Lord expresses through us. We work together seamlessly. I am struck, looking back on this week, by how well we flow together as we work. Whenever someone needed help or backup or support in their teaching, another team member was there as if he had previous knowledge of the need. We always have each others' backs. Our gifts fit perfectly together like a puzzle to create something spectacular that would not be possible with only individual, separate pieces. Where one is weak another is strong.

This is rare. It is rare to have a team that enjoys each other's company 24/7, that does not have any serious conflict, and that works together so well. It is even more rare to have this kind of team when the members did not meet until the day of the trip. We are so fortunate, and I attribute this only to the GRACE of our Lord, Jesus Christ! Seriously!

I truly believe this tight knitting is because we are all filled with the Holy Spirit. In Ephesians we are told to "be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace" (4:2-3). This is what we do. But it is not by our own power. We, through Grace, have the Spirit with us. As we ask for the Lord to fill us more and more, we exude His fruit, His character - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). This is how we bear with one another in love and how we are able to remain united - through the Power of the Spirit.

I am so thankful for the opportunity to learn from my brothers in Christ. I am thankful the Lord was faithful to provide for this trip, especially since I could've been walking in to a chaotic team situation. I thank Him that He is wanting to use us for His glory. He wants to bless us, yes, and that is definitely a reason for His provision, but He also wants to use us for the glory of His name and for that we need unity.

I want to thank each of my teammates for his faith, desire to serve the Lord, and love. If nothing else, they have made this trip totally worth it!

"I in them and You in Me - so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that You sent Me and have loved them even as You have loved Me." John 17:23

Batam, Indonesia - Part II

Saturday, June 27, 2015

Today was our last day with the children here in Batam. It was another great day overall! Since I gave an overview of our sessions in the last post, I mostly want to use this post as a photo gallery. Not much changed with regard to the routine and method of teaching.

But, today, as it was our last day, I wanted to engage with the children even more. I sat with them most of the morning. I had my phone with me so I could take pictures. The children were so amused by the camera. They were excited and amazed by the technology, but shy to admit how badly they wanted their picture taken. When I told them it was ok, they were ecstatic to take pictures! I think these will tell more about the children and our time together than my words...Enjoy!

You can see the tiny size of the entire building,
and we only had about 80% of it available for use. 

The Anglican Church had a banner made for our program!

This girl stole my heart! She watched my every move,
 imitating my demonstrations and dance!

  

David and Goliath

Lucas became a climbing gym!

More pictures, stories, and fun to come!

Batam, Indonesia, Part I

From Thursday, June 25, 2015.

This post is a little late! We have been so busy and exhausted but are having a blast!

Our first day of ministry was chaotic, to say the least. The schedule begins with a team meeting and breakfast then off to the slum, Baloi Koiam, to work with the children. After our time with the children, we are off to lunch before heading to St. Matthew's Church to teach English lessons to adults, the teachers and parents of students at the St. Matthew's school.

As we show up to the facilities - a room in the middle of the slum that's smaller than my parents' living room - 170-plus children sit cross-legged, patiently waiting. Their little eyes stare. It's clear they realize we are different from them, but more so in a disposition of fascination, admiration, and/or excitement than discomfort or skepticism. They are intrigued by us but are shy.

To break the ice, Jason, a team member, starts us off with dancing! Naturally, I gravitate to the center of the sea of children to engage with them, help them feel comfortable, and encourage them to join in! Some of the children jumped in, wanting to imitate and do what we were doing. The others just wanted to stare and watch and wonder.

After dancing is a round of "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" - led by our team leader, John - and then we begin learning vocabulary. Chris, my teammate, is a phenomenal teacher. He has a way with getting the kids to listen, learn, and respond. First up, we reviewed colors, numbers, and body parts. Lucas, another team member, was the "model" for the body part demonstrations. Chris would point to his nose and yell out, "NOSE! READY? ONE, TWO, THREE...NOSE!" After three, the kids join in and yell "NOSE" while pointing to their nose. And so we continued with the major body parts, culminating in another round of "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes."

Then comes story time. Clifford, the Big Red Dog. A favorite of mine growing up. Chris read while Lucas acted out Clifford. The kids loved that Lucas acted as a dog, laughing with every "woof" and silly action. The amazing women who serve as teachers to these children in ministry were incredibly helpful in interpreting and explaining the story.

In order to break things up and manage their attention spans, I taught Father Abraham - or as I call it, the Christian hokey pokey - before reviewing the story. To end the day, we colored a Clifford coloring page.

Overall, it was fantastic. We had fun! The kids had fun! And they appreciated that we were there, that we had come from so far away just to see them. They are rambunctious. Mostly, they have sweet spirits. But some lack discipline and are unruly. We struggled to get them to pay attention at times or to quiet down. Imagine having 170-plus elementary school children in your living room who speak very little of your language! I dare you to envision yourself attempting to quiet them!

But we can't complain! Even with sweat dripping off our faces and soaking our clothing because of the heat, humidity, and physical activity, we cannot complain. We have the opportunity to engage these wonderful children who are touched by our presence, most certainly, touched by the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Each morning as we pray before our session, I make sure to personally ask the Holy Spirit to fill us up and that we would exude His love for the children! Please join me in praying that these seeds we are planting will take root and produce fruit!

Teaching "head" to the children.

Much, much more to come. I hope this gives you an idea of our daily routine. I will be touching on our adult sessions, specific people, stories/testimonies, and general observations soon. Stay tuned, keep praying, and enjoy these pictures!

 

We gave out prizes for correct answers to story review questions. The kids could not contain themselves, everyone wanted to answer. Clearly, this is a universal phenomena.

Searching for Relief in Suffering

After a 13 hour flight from Dallas/Ft. Worth to Tokyo, a 4 hour layover, and another 7 hour flight from Tokyo to Singapore, we finally arrived! By the time we made it to the mission house, it was 2:30 am...on TUESDAY! We left on Sunday! Needless to say, we were all exhausted! We rested in Singapore and now, Tuesday late morning, we are packing up to head to Indonesia.

The trip here was the longest travel time I've experienced. I've been to Kenya and all over Europe, but  this was definitely the longest. While I love to travel, I am not a fan of the "getting there" part. Because of physical traumas I have experienced in my life, my body doesn't do so well. And I tend to not sleep well on planes. But the Lord was so gracious to me on this trip. It was painful, but I slept more than I thought, AND He was gracious to remind me of His own suffering.

Here is a reflection I wrote near the end of our first flight into Tokyo:

"This flight is brutal. But the Lord will give me strength.

I am realizing my fragility and physical weakness: my hips ache, legs are swollen, nose is burning, lips are dried.

Mentally, I'm just as weak. I keep looking at the flight time. 'How much longer? Lord, just get me through this.' It's as much of a mental challenge as a marathon (I assume, given that I've never run a marathon. But I know how mentally challenging even running a mile can be for me sometimes so...) It hurts. 'Lord, just get me through!'

This is why we are told in Scripture that when we are weak, we are made strong (2 Cor. 12:9-10)! When we realize our weaknesses, we realize our need for Jesus. We need Him spiritually, yes, but we need Him physically, emotionally, and mentally, too. As I sit here, I hurt. I'm restless. But, I call on Jesus to keep my mind distracted and to help me make it through.

This pain and struggle does not even compare to Christ's suffering! Beatings. Lashings. Ripped flesh. Dehydration. Exhaustion. Humiliation. He understands the worst of all physical pain, emotional pain, and mental challenge! So, who am I to complain? I have no place. But I do have a place - as a co-heir in Christ, living in the Spirit - to ask for the same strength, toughness, courage, and perseverance as Christ. He was fully man and lived on not bread alone but on the food of the Spirit. The Spirit got Him through His agony and struggle. That same Spirit lives in me!"

And that's how I overcame the restlessness, ache, boredom, discomfort - through the Power and Spirit of the Lord. He is faithful and helped me through! It took prayer, but that's the point. I had to turn to Him. Our struggles, no matter how great or how trivial, should lead us to seek and search for Him...

BibleGateway's verse of the day today is Psalm 121:7-8: "The Lord will keep you from all harm - He will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forever more." I read this when I finally got to bed last night, just before falling asleep. How perfectly fitting!

The Search Continues...

I am constantly having people ask me where I will be going next, commenting on how often I travel! So, to keep you all updated on my travels, I have started this blog. Follow me as I travel the world and serve the Lord!

Tomorrow morning (June 21) I am leaving for Indonesia and Singapore on mission with Trinity School for Ministry. I am not a student there, but my brother and sister-in-law are and they connected me with the other team members who extended an invite. An opportunity to travel to a new place and love on new people? Yes, please!

It's only a 3 week trip, but we will be quite busy! We will be teaching English to children. Some of our ministry will also be to teach the kids's teachers more advanced English and creative teaching techniques.

Come with me on this journey by following my blog! It's a journey of my personal soul searching to fill in the details of God's calling on my life to be an attorney with a global influence. Mostly, though, it's a journey to search for souls in need of Jesus, to minister to those souls, and to share true Love with those souls. 

We cannot take our things, our money, or our debt with us when we go, but we can take people! So while I may be in a time of unemployment and facing student loans, I find myself at peace, walking in faith that the Lord has placed me in this time and place in life and on this trip for a very specific purpose. So my search continues... 

-Rach

Me: Licensed attorney. Short term missionary. Full time servant, daughter, lover of the Most High King.

"Seek justice, love mercy, walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8

P.S. Thank you to all of you who have shown me such generous support for this trip both financially and through prayer!