It has been quite the eventful week here in Jakarta. After arriving here on Monday, I spent Tuesday recovering from jet-lag and the fatigue of the long flights from the U.S.
Then Wednesday was spent in going over the preparation and planning for the seven weeks of Discovery 2007. As you can imagine there are many details that have to be worked out: events, travel plans, housing, ministry opportunities as well as many other things. I have been learning a lot about logistics and contingencies (plan B’s) here in Indonesia.
On Thursday, we made the long drive to the airport to pick up this year’s participants. The combination of weariness and excitement on their faces as they stepped out of the airport reminded me of my first arrival here last year. After getting them settled in back at the Guest House, we shared dinner with some of the office staff who will be helping teach them about Indonesian culture and life, as well as the work that is done here involving linguistics and literacy, as well as the other areas that are involved.
Friday was a day of recovery for them, while we finished some preparation. That evening we took the participants out to an Indonesian shopping center to let them get some air and get a feel of the city. It is good to ease into life here, for even though Jakarta can feel like ay other city, the culture is very different than what we are used to and the way one carries oneself can be very different.
We “played tourist” on Saturday. In order to help give the students a foundation for their learning of Indonesian culture we visited a few historic and cultural sights around Jakarta.
You should be able to click on the pictures to see a larger image.
First, we visited Sunda Kelapa, this is the harbor for the remaining traditional sailing fleet of Makassar schooners. They still transport cargo through out the islands, particularly between Java and Kalimantan.
We visited the original VOC headquarters in Batavia, the first permanent Dutch settlement in Indonesia.We know the VOC as the Dutch East India Company, and you might remember them from history class with their trade missions to the “East Indies” or the “Spice Islands”. Those are old names for Indonesia.
This is a replica of a traditional Batawi house in the square behind the VOC building.
This is the Jakarta History Museum located in the old city. It contains artifacts and exhibits of Jakarta’s early history.
This is the Monas, or Indonesian National Monument. It is 435 feet tall and is topped 
with a gold covered flame. It is a symbol of Indonesian independence.
This is the Istiqlal Mosque, seen from the top of Monas, it is one of the largest mosques in South East Asia. The blurriness in the picture is from the persistent smog that hangs over Jakarta.
Sunday morning we went to the Gereja Baptist Indonesia in Cilandak (Cilandak is a neighborhood in Jakarta). Its a fairly typical Baptist church, with Indonesian services and music.
Sunday evening we relaxed around the guest house, letting all recover from the busy weekend before they begin their cultural and language classes Monday morning.
Please keep the team in prayer as they continue to adjust to the time change, the climate and the food. Some of the team have been struggling with sickness and some with the heat.
