To give all of you a better idea of how we have been spending our time (and to fill in the gaps between my more descriptive updates) here in Minahasa, here is the first of three (or so) travelogue style updates.
So we arrived in Tomohon (see “Between Two Sleeping Giants” for a description) on a Monday afternoon and spent the evening becoming acquainted with our hosts and settling in. The people hosting us are an amazing couple who have been working in Indonesia since the late 70’s. They completed the Mirasi translation in Papua, and are not coordinating the translation work in Sulawesi Utara. They have a deep love of the Lord, of people and of God’s creation.
Tuesday morning we gathered in the morning then went to a place called Bukit Doa, Hill of Prayer. Created by a wealthy Catholic businessman, it is the Twelve Stations of the Cross meandering up a hillside with steps climbing from station to station. Meant to be a place of reverence and for mediation on the Lord, there are gardens and a chapel being built, as well as an open air auditorium. From the top of the hill one can see the surrounding volcanoes, farmland, and villages for miles.
After returning to the office, we were introduced to the translation teams working in the different target languages. The translators range from college age to a few in their 60’s, some are single, some are married, a few are Pastors and elders in their churches. All of them have a deep desire to bring the Word of God to the people in the villages. The translation teams are Indonesian, and there are internationals who both help train and consult with the translators.
Tuesday Afternoon we were invited to visit a local Christian radio station. (it is hard for me to believe I get to type that, much less go there) During our visit the dj’s asked us to be on the air….we introduces ourselves and read the tagline for the station.. It was day two of our visit and we are now “famous”, such a contrast to being in Jakarta.
Wednesday we began learning about the process and principles of translating the Scriptures and about the Minahasan culture around Tomohon. We also began working to check a back translation of . A back translation is used to check the accuracy of a translation in the target language by taking back to Indonesian or, in our case, English. This can cause some errors to stand out and highlight difficulties that need to be revised further.
Thursday morning we continued our work on , and in the afternoon we traveled to Tondangow to see the first checking of the translation in Tombulu (see “An Amazing Moment”)
Friday was the monthly day of prayer (and fun) for the office in Tomohon. We all headed to a beach near Tanahwangko. In the morning we had a worship and prayer service, with testimonies from our team and singing in both English and Indonesian. In the afternoon, we played games, swam in the ocean and had a good time building relationships with the translation teams.
Saturday we traveled to a place called Bukit Kasih, the Hill of Love. It is an interesting place, part tourist attraction, part spa and part religious monument. It consists of hot springs, five places of worship (for each of the “legal” religions) and a giant white cross at the top of a hill (it is a landmark seen for miles). There is a giant column commemorating each religion and vendors wander around selling trinkets and food cooked in the steaming water of the springs. We then went to a village called Suluun to visit one of the translators and see the clove harvest. (see “So the aroma hangs in the air…”) We had lunch with his family, a normal meal of rice, pork, chicken, bat and vegetables (yep, you read right…I said “bat”, as in the “flying fox” fruit bat…go ahead and google it) After lunch we then went to another village for the funeral for a family member of one of our host families. When we arrived we were seated in the front, given an amazing meal (no bat) and welcomed like family.
Sunday we went to church with our host families and then went to another funeral in the afternoon. This was for a relative of the other host family who had just passed away. When we arrived, we were given the best seats, ate first (again, no bat, but we did have dog…yep, man’s best entrée….I mean friend) I do not know if I will ever get used to the honor we are shown as westerners, its unnerving and disconcerting….and comes with a heavy responsibility.
After the funeral, our host led all of the guys on the team (the girls were with their hosts) on a trek to find a cave rumored to be near a village. We found it and explored it for a couple of hours. It was challenging but also great fun. We followed the cave for three hundred yards or so, finding crickets, wolf spiders and bats (we didn’t eat any, honest) and could see how the cave was formed from rock falling in a volcanic eruption. We cam out tired, muddy and very excited to have had the chance to explore.
We were far too dirty to take public transportation or even hitch a ride, so we walked home (but not to far) and made it in time to get cleaned up for dinner, and settle in for a good night’s rest.
As you can see, it was a hectic and wonderful first week. We had opportunities for worship, learning, ministry and recreation. Who could ask for anything more?
