March 2008

March


This has been yet another great month filled with lots of “new experiences” and learning more and more about who my Lord is. As an overview for this month, we have finished off the 3rd quarter set of small groups and are starting up the last set of small groups for the 4th quarter. I went along with the school’s 4 day mission trip to Madura. For spring break, I was invited to stay with one of the student’s family in Jakarta for a week. The rest of my time for this month has been filled just enjoying the relationships with the girls here that God has blessed me with, whether it is going out for dinner, working out in the mornings, getting coffee, doing homework together, or simply just hanging out.


(Bottom Picture: Group picture of the JV Girl's Basketball team that I helped with)



(Top Pictures: A slumber party that I held for the JV Girl's Basketball team!...We did make-up, watched movies, dancing, and ate tons of junk food!!! :) )

Madura

A group of about 35 students went on a school-led field trip to the island of Madura. Madura is, or at least was, probably one of the most conservative Islamic cities in the country. The only way that the school was able to get in was by being invited by one of the Islamic boarding school’s director to help teach English and to “experience their culture.” This is the second time the school has been invited to come this school year which is really exciting to know that God is working there. A lot of the students at Mountainview who went last semester have kept in touch with the students they met at the boarding school, so they were able to follow up with those relationships when they came back this past semester. At first, I didn’t have the best attitude about the trip for going again. I felt like it was too short of a time to stay there and too far away. (I was quite happy because the 2nd time we went, it only took 9 hrs. to get there by bus instead of the first time we went which was 15 hrs.) I felt like it was pointless because the relationships would just fizzle after we came back to Salatiga. Also, if there were any seeds planted, there would be no follow up because of how far away it was, and the seed would just die. I decided to still go along because I thought it would at least be a great time to get to know the students better during our 20 hrs. of traveling, regardless of how I felt about the actual purpose of the trip.
I’m so glad that I did end up going because God thankfully proved me wrong and taught me even more about who He is. He is so much bigger than I have given Him credit for. During those two days that we actually spent with the Madurese people, the gospel was shared over 100 times. I was blown away, and humbled for thinking that God couldn’t use the students within two days. Not only did He work through us to make Himself known to the Madurese, but He also worked in us, especially me. When we got there to the Islamic boarding school, the Madurese students warmly welcomed us.

(I know! I know! I cheated! I took the Gilbob(the head covering) off because that thing is so uncomfortable and hot...and the Madurese girls said that it was ok...sooo I kept it off until I met up with the rest of the school and the Mountainview director...shhhh! Don't tell! :) )
I got to talk with one of them in particular, and she later asked me to spend the night at her house. I blurted out “Sure,” not really thinking about what I really said. The moment after I said that, all of the logistics just hit me. “Wait, where does this girl live?” “Didn’t I come to Madura to spend time with our students?” “Oh my goodness, I can’t speak the language, and I think I’ve had enough of a hard time just trying to figure out how old she is. Now I have to spend an entire 18 hrs. of nonstop frustration with the language?” “Who are her family…they could try to kill me in my sleep for all I know just by the fact that I’m Christian.” Ok, so I think you get the point. I then try to counter my response with trying to squeeze myself out of it. I told her I’d have to ask permission from our group leader, and if I can’t, then maybe we can just hang out for the afternoon. We eventually left the boarding school, and I told the girl, Fia, to text me later to see if I can come over. I got back to the hotel and was ready for a nap. I ignored the fact that my cell phone was off, so if she did end up texting me, I “accidently” didn’t have my phone on. I was suddenly woken up by a knock on the door, so I stumbled my way over. When I opened the door I saw David Fosdahl, he then notified me that two girls from the boarding school were here to pick me up to spend the night at their house. I was shocked. How did they even know where I was staying? I then walked over and talked with them and told them that I still haven’t asked yet. I walked over to our group leader Kim and “asked” her…but more phrased a question in the way to where it seemed like it would be a better decision to not go and just stay here with our students. She then prayed for me that God would give me courage to do what is best. I was thinking “what?!?!” I didn’t want you to pray for me…I wanted you to tell me that I probably shouldn’t go.
Right then, I just felt like God really wanted me to go with the girls. I guess I knew when Kim asked God to give me courage in her prayer, because who needs courage to hang out with the students which I’m comfortable with. I grabbed my backpack and just put a few things in and went with them….to who knows where. God showed me that I actually didn’t have as much faith in Him as I might think. As soon as I got onto that local bus with them, I felt like my last finger had finally slipped off my own control. I was completely dependent on God to take care of me, to give me the strength to get through the language barrier, and to protect me. I then thought, this shouldn’t have been the first time I felt like this. I should always be only dependant on God and nothing else letting Him lead me to wherever He best sees fit to further His kingdom. During that bus ride to the girl’s house, I felt so much peace, probably the most peace I’ve ever felt. I wasn’t relying on what I knew and was comfortable with or being in the safety of my parents, family, and friends, but relying completely on the Lord.
My time there ended up being really fun…very new, but fun. I experienced the Indonesian culture more in that one night than in my whole time here. She introduced me to her entire extended family, forced me to try foods that looked like it was made up of animal intestines and eyeballs, we walked through an Indonesian hospital because I was curious, and her friend even climbed up a palm tree and got two coconuts for me because I said I wanted Es Kelapa(A Coconut with sugar and ice.) The next day, I went back to the hotel and she gave me a little stuffed animal that said “I love you” on it to remember her by.
I’m sorry that this was pretty long, but I thought it was one of the best times I’ve had here and wanted to share it.









(Right Picture: The girl to the right to the left, Fia, is the girl who wanted me to spend the night at her house and the girl sitting on the other side of me is her sister, Ice.)


Jakarta

One of the relationships that God has blessed me is my friendship with a girl named Nasreen. She has one of the most complicated yet interesting stories I’ve ever heard of. She is only 14 and already has about 6 passports. She is probably one of the most culturally knowledgeable people I’ve ever met. Anyways, for a little history on our relationship, she absolutely could not stand me when I first arrived as I thought she was some weird, closed-off, nature girl whom I’m probably never going to have a relationship with this year. She was challenged by one of her friends to give me a “shot,” and I think that was definitely God. I have learned so much from her and I have probably connected with her the most here which by outsiders might even appear to be a miracle. Considering she is a girl who grew up in Africa with very little materials as there were nights when her family wouldn’t even have enough money to have food on the table which then makes her also one of the most frugal people I’ve ever met. To make a long story short, we are pretty much polar opposites except for the small exception of both our mothers are from the Philippines.
She invited me to come home with her over spring break to Jakarta because they make all the dorm students go home over the breaks. I decided it would be fun because I’ve never been to Jakarta. As a result, we took a plane and stayed in a pretty nice apartment in the middle of Jakarta with her mom. I was so relieved to be back in civilization which also means STARBUCKS!!! J I felt like it was almost reverse culture shock as I was weirded out that I didn’t actually have to walk 2 miles or take a 13-person filled mini-van to town to get to a store…oh wait! And I can actually find all the things I need in one store instead of having to walk from store to store trying to find some common toiletries? Most people hate it in Jakarta from all the traffic, yet I found it homier to see actual cars on the road instead of hundreds of motorcycles flying by…even though there was still a ton of motorcycles, there was just more cars. Also, you’re never going to believe this one, but! There were actual malls!!! Haha…That was also really weird because I walked in and felt really out of place in my relaxed, comfortable, and modest clothing as all the girls walking in were in little heals, short shorts, cute tops along with their chic, flashy purses and sunglasses. I have always fit in the mall, so that was weird…I mean the mall was practically my second home back in Cali…aah!!! Was that what I really looked like? Haha…Don’t worry, just give me two weeks once I get back, and I’ll be back to the same old purse-obsessed Lisa. The time in Jakarta was really relaxing as we pretty much sat around all day laying out next to the pool and reading, or sitting inside and pigging out on ice cream while watching Model TV to make ourselves feel bad about ourselves. We also went to the mall a few times to browse through the stores and lust over all the cute things that we couldn’t afford. We met up and the spent the night with another Mountainview student who went back home to Jakarta as well, and her family took us out to a Korean restaurant in which all the food consisted of most seafood and spicy food…the only two type of foods that I really don’t enjoy eating. Some of the other things that we did was go out with her dad to some amazing Indian food, or go with her mom to the beach. However, what I enjoyed the most was the quality time that I was able to spend with Nasreen and learn more about who she is and where she came from.


(Top Picture: There was a YWAM team that was doing a project in Jakarta and were staying in the same apartment complex as Nasreen's mom. They held a party for their last night there that we were invited to.)


Beach Day with Nasreen and her mother! It had one of the most beautiful sunsets I've seen. We had so much fun with our "photo shoot," and singing worship songs while watching the sunset.