Thoughts, fears, worries- A personal perspective of going interior for the first time

I'll begin with an apology. I had great intentions of posting about my first village experience, but I realized before I tried to explain in words how I felt to you, I needed to understand first. It was during this processing stage that our internet went on the fritz (not uncommon here), so I was unable to post my first update. I guess I still needed more time! :)

Bias (pronounced Bee-Ahs) is about a 45 minute flight over the jungles, mountains, and rugged terrain of Papua. It's nestled right along side the Papua New Guinian boarder. It's south of the Star Mountains, and is in a bowl. So it's hot and humid all the time! Our dear friends Chase and Kelli serve there. They were mentioned in a previous newsletter under a section called "Connecting the Dots-Translation focus." We are involved in a small group Bible study with them and another sweet family who recently moved back to America. We also arrived in Indonesia within six months of each other, and Josh and I were involved a tiny bit in their initial orientation. So, I guess what I'm saying is,  we've been on this journey together for a while now. Josh has gone out before to help lay the foundation for their new home. Selfishly, I didn't want to be left out of those conversations that will come in the future that begin with the "Do you remember what it was like in that first house we lived in?" There's the background- now my story and thoughts.

This blog is a place of honesty and transparency for me, plus I'm going to say those things that everyone might be thinking! I've been in Indonesia now for almost four years. My total experience with people that live in interior villages can be summed up in a ride along on a Yajasi flight. We landed, off loaded the stuff, and took off. That's it! There was the occasional photo taken, and just enough time to realize," Wow, I'm different."

I knew I would have no problems on a day flight, mainly because I would be returning to the comfortable life I live in town. A nice warm meal- at home or take out; my cozy bed; cable tv; internet; and oh yeah, air conditioning! It was the overnighting for a few consecutive nights that I kept thinking about.

Here were some of my [personal but you would think them too] thoughts: Main thought was the bathroom situation. Every single place I have ever been to has a different bathroom set up. Toilet- Western or Squatty? (For more info on a squatty see here- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squat_toilet or google "squat toilet" and look at some interesting posts or videos on more specific details that I have not screened) yes, not everyone in the world uses the bathroom like you. It might be worth researching if you're going to an Asian country- just to be safe!

Lower on the list of concerns was bathing. This was lower, because it's the village! We're only going to be there for a few days, so we'll test the level of relationship here and go a few days without showering.

Sleeping- ok, ummmm, where are we going to be? I had heard stories of GIANT spiders (eeeeek!), BIG rats (eeeeeek!), and FAT roaches (ew.) So, I'm so busy focused on the other "issues" that I had really thought about those things! Oh and mosquitos getting inside your tent and bitting your face all night long (that'll cause a nightmare!) Josh just said,"Amber, it's just like camping." Camping for me growing up was an RV that was pulled by our car and was surrounded by a swimming pool and grill pits. Catch what I'm saying here? I have not done much "camping". On furlough we "camped" at a campground with tents, a campfire, sleeping bags, all next to a major road. :) So we were still in the midst of city.

Eating/Cooking- I wasn't worried about this one bit! We have heard that our friends eat better in the village than they do at home. :)

My last thought was the welcome. I know that sounds strange, but they didn't know we were coming. We hadn't been able to communicate with them. So we didn't know where they were on their food planning (we brought some meals), were they tired of people coming to visit?? We didn't know if they even wanted us there!

We packed our bags, cooked our meals, and prayed that God would work out the weather and the flights for us to get there.

At Yajasi weighing in our stuff

Ready to go! (Jackets were due to rain not being cold!)

Our pilot- Jefron

Getting settled in my seat and a reminder of how to buckle up

Thumbs up! We're going to Bias!

Bias from above. The house farthest south is the new home.

18 year old mission house- we set up camp inside.

sleeping in a tent with the world renown "lil' g quilt".

The main drag- a community development project added the rocks, lights, and ditches.

The path through the jungle to the river.

The most refreshing place in all of Bias- the river. :)

 There's way more to come about what we did and who we met on our adventure to Bias. I just thought that I would fill you in on my feelings, hesitations, fears, worries, questions, and more about going interior. Definately more to come!

Papeda

Papeda (pah-pay-duh) is the staple food of most Papuans.

"Papeda is made from sago flour. The Papuan natives acquire the flour by cutting the trunk of a sago tree in half, and scraping the inner parts of the trunk. The trunk pulp is then squeezed to extract the carbohydrate-rich essence. The sago flour is usually stored in a container called tumang. Sago trees are suitable for extracting between the ages of three to five years. Papeda is made by cooking sago flour with water and stirring until it coagulates. It has a glue-like consistency and texture. Papeda is usually eaten with yellow soup made from tuna or mubara fish spiced with turmeric and lime." (thanks, wikipedia! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papeda_(food))

You can buy sago at the local market. Most expats do not add this into their daily diet. It is something that may be eaten at special occassions for Westerners. It's just a different food. Just like most Papuans who grow up eating papeda probably wouldn't go back for seconds on a hamburger, most expats that I know wouldn't go back for seconds. There are a few, but I'm not one of them. When you live in the village the sago tree can be easy to find, so your meal is always around. This papeda was part of the meal at the ethnomusicology workshop I went to a couple weeks ago.

Here are some photos:

To get a good portion of papeda on your plate, you use to two forks and wrap it around the forks.

Look for it at your local Asian food markets- I would be really surprised if you find it there!

Ethnomusicology

I'll start with some background information to help you get a feel for what I was involved in last week.

Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnomusicology) defines
ethnomusicology as "the study of social and cultural aspects of music and dance in local and global contexts."; "the study of making music".

West Papua has a variety of different languages. Indonesian is the offical language of the country, but from Ache to Papua (from East to West) individuals use their local language to communicate clearly. This is one reason why translation work is crucial in this area of the world. People are misunderstanding the clear message of the Gospel, simply because it's in a language they don't completely understand.

We're finding that it's also important to study the way they make music. This expression of creativity allows for praise and worship in a unique and personal way. My friend, Erin, is an ethnomusictologist- I might have just made that word up, but it seems to fit- and she is partnering with different translation projects to study and encourage them to make their own worship music. (Cool, huh?) This past week I had the chance to tag along with her to see up close what kind of work she's apart of.

In the Kimtuk people group, which started their translation project in the 70's, our friend, Phil, is working with them to translate stories from the life of Christ into their language to gain a better understanding of scripture. He and Erin administered a week long workshop teaching participants how to write the music and lyrics of a song. Participants were encouraged to use accounts from the Bible as the backbone of their songs. The final day of the workshop was used to record their songs, which will later be compiled into a CD or tape (yes, those things are still around here!) That's where Larry comes in. Larry set up all the recording equipment in a thatched roof house that stood on stilts. He spent hours listening to the bands through headsets and marking where the songs started and ended.

How special it was for me to see what my friends do here. I was so encouraged by the passion of one certain individual. His "band" were the elders of the village. They sang two songs- one with a drum, and one without. His voice was so strong, even though it was quivering with age. He sang out with all his heart. I was being drawn into his worship. The words meant nothing to me (although to those around me they meant everything), but I was being drawn into the presence of God by this man. Have you ever been drawn into the presence of the Creator like that? Maybe it's by seeing an amazingly colorful sunset, smelling the flowers, or gazing up at the clouds.

Here are some photos:

You know you're going some place special when your friend says,"Hold on, we have to fix the bridge."

We did NOT go on this one.

A thatched roof house- not the location of recording

Larry- the sound guy

The Gang- Larry, Phil, Erin

first band to test out the equipment

New use for Chacos (sandals)- keeping the mics from picking up the vibrations in the floor

lunch break- more to come on an upcoming post!

Handmade bass- they play with it lying on the ground. Can you see how many strings there are? Just two!

homemade stand up/lay down bass

A group of young people- they were the focus of the week, because these songs will be passed on through them.

The group of orang tua (older people). 

I tried to upload a video, but that kind of stuff just doesn't happen here! It was a long day, but I'm so thankful that I witnessed music in the making.

Yajasi Family Photo

Recently, our Yajasi family gathered together for a group photo and a pizza party. Yajasi is made up of a number of expatriate families (expatriate or expat is a fancy name from someone who lives outside their home country). The scene was great, but we were facing towards this sun which was blocked by some clouds. We're all squinty-eyed, but you can only tell in the smaller family shots.

Pilots

Everyone (who is here for the summer)! Can you see us? Can you see the puppy dog?



To learn more about Yajasi check out this website: http://www.jaars.org/whatwedo/aviation/locations/indonesia

Soccer, Life, Indonesia

I love soccer. I love the sport, the strategy, and the intensity it brings out in others who have a mutual love and respect for the game. Soccer is like free style dancing- there are no set moves, you just do what feels right. There are no set plays, you just flow with the game as it unfolds. It allows for creative plays that make the spectator say,"Wow!"

Soccer connects cultures. You do not need a common language to understand soccer. You don't need to know all the right words to complain about the refs or to celebrate a goal. You don't need to know the person next to you to grab their arm on a shot that was way too close to being a goal. The game almost creates a language and a family all on its own.

I'm thankful that I started playing the game at an early age. My first team was named "The Wild Things", and at some point in our teams career we wore neon green jerseys and matching socks. I'm reminded of those days when I see kids play soccer. I love seeing the kids in our neighborhood play with a plastic ball in the street outside of our home. Their faces light up when we join in their game.

Soccer is life in Indonesia. They know of the famous international players. Indonesians (and expats) will wake up (or not sleep all night) at 3:45 am to watch the finals of the EuroCup. They will choose teams to root for. The finals of the World Cup were shown from a projector onto a white bed sheet. The Spainish fans were on one side, and the Dutch fans on the other. Flags of their team of choice will flow from their cars or motorcylces. They are passionate about the game.

In the past two weeks, I've gone to two soccer games. Sentani has a local team named "Persidafon". Jayapura, the capital city, has a team named "Persipura". Persipura has played friendly games with Thailand, and they are known to be a strong team. Both games ended with a win for the home team.

Here are some photos, and things MAY seem a little different:

The local team (Persidafon):

This girl was in the first class I taught at HIS.

The rowdy and loud crowd.

Two kids from our group with the team



A win for Persidafon 2-1

A trip to the big city of Jayapura (Persipura):

A big thanks to Craig and Cheryl for inviting us to come along! 

Buying tickets- no box office here

The Pitch

A half time relay race

Security

I tried to sneak a picture of this cute kid, but I'm pretty sure I was caught. :)

A win for Persipura 4-2