Dave Gullett

Sunday morning we awoke early to make the drive to the church we were going to visit. It’s in the middle of the city and is surprisingly large and modern. Our leader described the nature of the Discovery Program, and we sang some songs (I tried to hide in the back) and a few of us gave their testimonies. We repeated this all morning in a few different services. During the youth services, one of the team who is Indonesian shared about how God has called her to ministry with a focus to encouraging the youth of Indonesia to serve God. After lunch with the Pastor we went on to a College Student fellowship the church supports. The program was basically the same, and I shared from Eph 2 with the youth pastor of the church interpreting. After the fellowship we took a train back to Jakarta. We had a wonderful time visiting the church and spending time with some Indonesian students from the area who joined us for the weekend. These students, some going to secular schools, some to Christian were amazed that Americans would come to visit them there. Like many Indonesians, they tend to idolize the west and the Bule (what they call us) and hold us up as examples of how things should be. So, all of us coming there impressed on them the idea of serving God, wherever He calls.

Finally, some time to work in an update, though for a few reasons it will be a little vague. This past weekend all of us on the Discovery Team traveled to a nearby city to visit a large church there to participate in their services. We left Jakarta on Friday afternoon by rented car and made the 2 ½ hour drive to a college where we slept for the weekend. Saturday morning we were visited by two people who are involved with ministry to our “cousins” (i.e. those that follow the majority religion here). One of them has left his comfortable life and become a low class laborer to allow him to make relationships with cousins in his new line of work. He is totally investing his life in reaching them, even taking them into his home to give them a place to stay. The other is running a school for that teaches literacy and general knowledge in order to become involved in the lives of children and their families in their city. They have been threatened with closure by the government several times. In the afternoon we did a little sight seeing in a small tour bus. We visited an active volcano, reeking of sulfur and smoldering with hot gas. And we stopped by a spa whose water is heated by the volcano to 120F. It’s a popular spot for people seeking to get relief from their ailments. On our way to our next stop the bus was hit by a young lady on a motor scooter. She was hurt a bit, so we put her on the bus so the driver could take her to the Hospital, and we waited nearby for a replacement bus. Life here is different, so involving police, ambulances etc. doesn’t usually benefit anybody. After the new bus picked us up we went to a concert put on by a children’s group. There were dozens of children playing angklung, a traditional bamboo instrument. After the concert, on our way to dinner, our new bus was hit by a Kijang, a small suv-like vehicle. There wasn’t much damage so the driver paid our driver and we were on the way. After dinner at a traditional restaurant we headed back to the college to prepare for the services Sunday. The accidents reflect both the crowded, hectic streets of this city and the unpredictable nature of life. And they also show us that God is in control and uses the things we see as challenges to give us opportunities we do not expect. The urban sprawl of the city and the contrasting natural beauty of the country side around it is becoming a familiar kind of contrast here in Indonesia. There is the ugly and the beautiful, the rich and the poor, the convenient and the maddeningly tedious, and none of these can be taken with out the other. This is a land of sharp contrasts, and few shades of gray.

One can listen to “Teach Yourself Indonesian” cd’s. One can read introductory books. One can try and memorize “survival phrases”. And none of this is bad or wrong or useless. It is all woefully inadequate until you hear real people using the real language. When a man offers you ayam in the market or when you need to pay for kope at the hypermart one needs to be able to understand and speak on a basic level. There isn’t time to flip through a phrase book or ones notebook when the taksi is making a wrong turn or the motor mini is speeding past your stop. And while we do not (yet) need to master the language, we do need to get by. Not because it is practical, though it is, but because it is respectful of guests to learn the ways of their hosts. But it is hard. Not just the memorization of words and meanings, but the training of oneself to reply in another tongue with out thinking first. And it is hard to know you speak and act as a child (at best) or a fool (at worst). Pride must be swallowed. Humility has to be embraced. For we could bulldoze on in English. This, though, would not respect them or glorify God. So we learn. Slowly. Tediously. Maybe painfully. But we must learn if we are to interact with the people here in any kind of meaningful way. So pray for us please. That we are able to remember and to understand what we are attempting to learn. And that we learn it quickly, so we can be better of God. Once again, thank you all.

What do you value in life? What do you really value? And are you really willing to admit your values and submit them to anothers scrutiny? Or to the scrutiny of the Word of God? As American Christians we are quick to proclaim that we are all about values. We support “family values”, “Christian values”, “American values”, Republican values” or “Democrat values”. Sometimes we even say we support “Biblical values” However, more than what we say, what values do we really value? And for those of us living in another culture the bigger question is “How can we live as unobtusively as possible in a land with glaringly different values?” How can we not offend? How can we learn not to be offended ourselves? As Americans we value things like practicality, effieciency personal needs, change, time, equality, individualism, competition and informality.. Indonesians, in contrast, tend to value idealism, human interaction, rank and status, group welfare, cooperation, and formality. They value harmony, respect, fate, ritual and form, knowing ones place, community, kinship and interdependence. And they value politeness. Above fairness. Above justice. Above honesty. Above everything. While one could weigh Indonesian (and indeed American) values against Scripture, they are still their values, and are an integral part of their culture. So as guest we are not here to change their values, we are here to conform to them, we must learn to live in the world they live in…if we truly desire to speak into their lives. And that, of course, is why we are here.

Today we began on formal orientation to Indonesia and the work here. We learned of the diversity of the Indonesian area, and the need for cultural sensitivity and respect. Later in the afternoon, we had our first lesson in basic Indonesian phrases. the focus is teaching us to get by in a simple, yet polite way. For here poilteness is the supreme value, over all things. All of us have much to learn here and appreciate for your prayers. We will be continuing this orientation and basic language learning all this week in preparation for the rest of the trip.