Today, April 3, marks 4 months here!! It’s really funny, this macaroni life. The longer I’m here the more I understand why the Father wanted me to come. At the same time I am reminded of how small I am and just how magnificent, mighty, and awesome my heavenly Father is. With each passing day my eyes are opened to see how God sees our Cousins in SEA. As the Father allows me to see how his heart breaks my spirit becomes more sensitive to his plans.
Thus far my life here has been a constant reassurance that this is where I am supposed to be for this season of my life. Whether I’m having a conversation with some new friends or discovering one of my quirks are cultural norms, the Father has been so gracious towards me and removing any room for doubt. By Him I always feel encouraged, and through him I have already done more than I could have ever imagined.
New Friend
With that said, my time here has been rich with new relationships, conversations about the Father, and opportunities to share the love of Isa Al-Masih (IAM). I have a new friend, I’ll call her Cantik - cantik means beautiful in Bahasa. Cantik is 24, an only child, and almost 2 years ago she lost her mother. We met almost 2 months ago at a makan kapurung acara (an event where some friends got together to eat a special meal.) After meeting there we exchanged numbers and started meeting often. Over the course of Ramadan we buka puasa bersama-sama (broke fast together) a few times. Now I spend time with her at least 2 or 3 times per week.
We have had a few, fairly brief God-versations, which I am excited about! The topics have been about the Father’s grace and love. These two topics have different views among Cousins and followers of The Way. Although our conversations have been brief, they help me to get a better idea of where she is coming from and how to better respond to these conversations with her and others in the future.
Language
Last week I finished Unit 3 at the language center! It is truly only through grace and your prayers that I have been able to get to this point. There are some day when I know exactly what I want to say and can understand everything going on during my 2 hour lessons. On other days I get so frustrated with myself because I forget a simple word, or stare at my tutor with a blank expression that screams out confusion. I do, however, fully recognize I am basically cramming a lifetimes worth of language into a few months time, and for that I should be proud of my progress.
This week I will be starting Unit 4, which is the first unit in the intermediate level. This section of the curriculum has a lot of presentations and readings. Your prayers will be greatly appreciated :)
Ramadan/Idul Fitri
Thank you for all of your prayers during the time of Ramadan. My friend and I were able to buka puasa with friends almost every day. It was such a great time to meet with friends, have great conversations, and go deeper with some relationships.
After Ramadan there is a 3-4 day celebration called Idul Fitri (Festival of Purity.) Here in the city the holiday is celebrated by going to the homes of family and friends. The hosts prepare large meals with special food for the day and everyone eats until they are filled to the brim! Unfortunately I was a little sick so I was not able to eat a ton. Somehow my poor health proved to be an advantage. Initially I worried about being forced to eat 6 full meals at the 6 different houses we went to that day. But having a sick stomach gave me a valid excuse to not eat too much. Thanks Father for that blessing in disguise :)
Prayer Requests
Please pray for open doors to share love with my friend Cantik in ways that will cause her to ask more questions about faith and “The Way.”
Lately I have been having reoccurring dreams about one of my friends here. Please Pray for interpretations and wisdom on how to respond.
Praise Reports
We all had a successful Ramadan and Idul Fitri. So many opportunities to spend time with friends
I made it through the beginning level at the language center!
I am really loving life here. I am eternally grateful for my fellow workers and strong relationships I already have with them.