The month of September flew by. Here are some high points:
• Amber’s first birthday overseas. It was a great time! A group of girls took me to a salon for a “cream bath”. It was very interesting. While putting this gook in your hair, they massage your scalp, and tug your hair. Then they wash it out, blow dry and “style” it. I just asked for the straight look. A group of friends met us there and we had dinner at “Amigos” a Mexican food restaurant in Indonesia! Sure it wasn’t Taco Bueno, Uncle Julios, or Taco Time, but it was a little taste of Heaven. We headed back to our house and shared great conversation over ice cream cake. Some family members sent money to say “Selamat Ulang Tahun” or happy birthday. I bought a guitar. It's really pretty.
• Passing Unit One! Pujih Tuhan (Praise God!) Little did we know that the beginning of Unit Two would redefine the word “stress” for us!
• Amber’s Dad came to Malaysia for one month for work. For a birthday present, we were able to go to Kuala Lumpur for the week we had off from school. We had a great time. Visiting family, seeing photos, phone calls… they are so re-energizing and encouraging for us. We took some field trips to the Petrones Towers (the tallest Twin Towers in the world), The Batu Caves, an Aquarium with a walk trough tunnel surrounded by sharks and stingrays, and Chili’s.
A note about the Batu Caves: Do not let your guide lead you into a dark cave with only a small light on your hard hat and say,” Oh, I’ll be right back.” Our guide left us in this dark cave on our tour for about 10 minutes!
• This month of September has been a very special month for our Muslim friends. This month is known as Ramadan. During this time, all Muslims will fast during the hours of 4AM-6PM. No food, water, smoking, or anything else that brings you pleasure. This month is when they are cleansed from their sins and wrong-doings and given a clean record. We have had to be very careful about what we do in public, so as not to be a stumbling block. It’s been interesting to observe the culture during this time. Tonight (or Tuesday morning if you’re in the States) is a VERY special time for our friends. The men will spend all night in the Mosque praying for Allah to reveal Himself to them just like He did to Muhammad. The women will pray at home while cooking. Wednesday morning (Tuesday night in the States) there will be a special prayer service outside. Wednesday and Thursday will be the official breaking of the fasting month. This holiday is called Idul Fitri. This is a time when families get together and EAT as much as they want. We’ll go visit our friends and feast with their families.
• Halfway down our stairs, there is a door. This led to a house that a guy about 23 years old lived. We always saw him and he always was willing to help with our homework. He was killed in a motorcycle accident last week. The whole kompung was in mourning. The body was buried within 12 hours of the accident. It was our first experience going to an Islamic funeral. They will pray for the soul of our friend for 7 days all the way up to a year. They are praying that his soul will find his way to Heaven. The family believes that this was fate. Please pray for this family. He was very young, funny, friendly, and this neighborhood will not be the same without him. Pray for us, too. We want God to use this bad situation for good- His Glory.
• We have been going to an Indonesian Church that gathers together in a hotel’s meeting room on Sundays. There are so many new believers there. The worship time is really a time of praising the Lord for who He is. It’s exciting. People raise their hands, clap, jump, and express their love for God in whatever way they feel they need too. There really is freedom, because the Spirit of the Lord is there.
• Badminton is huge here. So, on Monday nights we play. Are we good? Umm… not yet :) On our way to the court, we spotted this little kitten on the side of the road. His eye was matted shut and was covered with fleas. A stray cat isn’t unusual in Indonesia, so we kept going. On our way home, the same kitten was on the side of the road hunched up. Full of compassion, we picked that thing up and brought him home. A mistake? Maybe… but now we have something to entertain us. Josh named him “Laki” which is short for laki-laki. In Indonesian that means “boy”. He’s crazy. The photos will probably fool you into thinking he’s cute. Be careful, because as soon as you think that he’ll scratch or bite you. Hope you "dog people" still talk to us after reading that we have a cat now.
Hope you’re doing well. We think of you often… yes, you. We miss you. Let us know how you are. We are all apart of the body of Christ and have different functions in different parts of the world. No matter where we are or where we come from, we are apart of the Global Body of Christ. It’s amazing to share these experiences with Koreans, Singaporeans, Indonesians, Dutch, Americans, Canadians, and Columbians… our God is a global God who has a plan for the Nations! What’s your role?
