This is my 5.5 month and new year update!
That’s right! It’s already been 5.5 months in this beautiful city, and believe it or not I am still enjoying my life here. However, my enjoyment no longer comes from the season of honeymooning and bliss. On the contrary I’m finding enjoyment - rather I am finding joy - in the struggles with language, long motorbike rides, being able to slip through the cracks (because I look local), and sharing my testimonies of the Father’s faithfulness in my life.
I will admit there have been moments when I feel a bit homesick. Thinking about all the things that will happen while I’m here - weddings, graduations, priceless family memories - sometimes causes me to long for home. But them I look at my life and all the Lord is doing, and I cannot help but smile and be grateful.
My update this time is short because things here are changing from new and exciting to normal. I’m getting to the point where things like shopping at local markets or having conversations in full Indonesian are normal. This is the place I have been longing reach since I have arrived. Perhaps this is the reason I am starting to feel “at home.”
I told my best friend that right now I’m going through a reality shock. Different than a culture shock, a reality shock is the moment your being comes to terms with the fact that you will be in the current situation for a long period of time. At the moment the decision which must be made is this: Do I choose to thrive, or simply tolerate my surroundings until the season subsides. Well, to keep it short, I’ve chosen to thrive.
As always if you have any questions you want to ask please feel free to send me a response email. Otherwise, thank you all so much for your continued prayers, love, and support. Every day I am here I fully recognize I could not be here without my support team and prayer warriors. So truly, from the bottom of my heart thank you for enabling me to have the time of my life 3