Ah, the cool crisp mountain air of Bandung was so refreshing last weekend, after the sticky heat of Jakarta. Of course by cool and crisp I mean 80 F and dry as opposed to 90 F and humid…but sometimes you just take what you can get.
We were in Bandung to visit an urban church there. We spent Saturday with some of the students from the church’s college group. A few of the students were there from our visit last summer, and it was good to reconnect with them and see how God has been working in their lives. We also meet some new students as well. Please pray for these young people. Most of them are from middle to upper class families and have been taught that a career that brings financial security is the most important thing in life. Many of them realize that God is calling them to more, but many factors hold them back. A few of them have expressed interest in serving in the villages either as teachers or as translators, but face oppostion or indifference at home. Sunday we attended the teen, adult and college services of the church along with the students. The whole weekend was a great time of building relationships and encouraging the students in their walk with God.
Monday afternoon the participants left to stay with their Homestay hosts. For the next two weeks they will be staying with Indonesian families to learn their way of life and better understand their culture and language. Please pray for them because this can be very stressful and very exhausting. They still commute every day to the office for class in the morning, and back to their hosts every afternoon.
And please pray for the Discovery leadership. While the participants are in Homestay we are also preparing for the village phase of the trip. There are a lot of logistical details to work out with our Village hosts, as well as figuring out how to prepare the participants for what we will be doing there.
The person my group will be visiting has been fighting dizziness and other difficulties lately that are hindering him…please pray for his health…not only so our trip to his area will go well, but so that he will be able to continue his regular work as well.
Also, please pray for the participants with respect to health and homesickness. They have been here almost two weeks and are beginning to feel the stress of being in a new culture (the emotional high is wearing off) and the intense schedule leaves them physically and emotionally tired.
