Skydiving

The more time I spend trying to think about how to explain what Jerry and I have been doing, the less I want to write about it. Don't get me wrong; not for the purpose of not informing you - our fine friends, family, and supporters - but because I'm certain I won't do it justice. Things will be forgotten, exaggerated and minimized, but I'll do my best. Thank you for understanding.

I'll start with what I am sure of. God is large, incredible, unpredictable, and lovely. This month has proven that God does not have to follow any such formula or pattern as the previous months followed. We began in Nabire, went to Napan (which I'll explain), and now find ourselves in Jakarta - on an entirely different region. Presumably, we were going to Nabire for some of the month, and taking a flight to the natives in Sugapa. This clearly did not happen, and at times I think God is grinning so widely I can hear it.

First of all, if I were to describe the month in literal terms of 'we did this, this, this and some of this', then it may sound as though, at times, we were rather lazy. For we taught English, met with some teachers, and spoke a few times while in Nabire, but most days we had the largest span of the day to ourselves. So what did we do? Well, frankly, it seemed as though in these times we found the past couple months of our lives (and, at times, and then some) catching up to us. It was like jumping out of a plane with a parachute: initially there is such rush of speed that you find yourself simply doing things, but eventually you have to deal with the ground. And when you do hit the ground, you suddenly realize that you not only have the landing to deal with, but you suddenly recognize that the jump and fall themselves did something to you, and you must deal with this as well. Indeed, Jerry and I jumped headfirst, as strangers to one another, into a series of cultures, events, opportunities, etc... Then Indonesia happened, and we had so much downtime that we had to deal with it all and what it did to us. It therefore goes without saying that we prayed. A lot. Much like new skydivers do, I suppose.

On top of it all, we ate an incredible amount of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. This brings me to Ado and Steven - our most gracious hosts. Ado is the sort of fellow who loves God, follows God, and has much to say, but does it all quietly. He picked us up from the airport, drove us anywhere we needed to go, and all in all took care of us. I've noticed in the past two months there were definitely two women who assumed the position of our mother for the month, and Ado, you could say, was our father this month. He is a man worth admiring, and Jerry and I are very thankful for him. Steven, on the other hand, was more like a brother and cohort in crime. Daniel Alexander sent him to assist us in Nabire (as he natively lives in the western island of Java, in the city of Jakarta) with his 'mad linguistic skills'. Indeed, as far as the language barrier goes, this has been the most difficult month, but Steven has helped us through it. (Indonesia is home to thousands and thousands of islands, and almost an equal amount of cultures - many with dialects of their own. Indeed, there was no unity of language until the beginning of the twentieth century, and it hasn't spread entirely just yet.) Steven is but a bit older than us, and we have enjoyed our conversations with him and his care and generosity toward us, and fancy the possibility of future correspondence. Praise God for the global church - of which, frankly, most of us are ignorant.

Nabire acquired the first two weeks of the month, and Napan the second. Napan. The word makes me want to get up, find Jerry, and make sure that we actually did go there and what happened really did. I believe Jerry is the same, but I went to the island with the understanding that it would almost be recreational with a touch of teaching. A marvelous couple - Refly and Maili - invited us to the island as a sort of neat idea, and as Jerry and I enjoy neat ideas, we aimed for doing it. What we didn't know was that it was a rather remote island of limited technology (no cars, few computers, etc...) and that we would be the first Americans to set foot on the island. Ever. And we would be the first westerners there in a very long time - since the Dutch were there generations ago. This, however, was unknown to us until the last day or so on the island, and it was said rather matter-of-factly. I think the only way to really explain the trip would be to start at the beginning - which is rather old fashioned.

Jerry, Maili, Refly, Steven and I were driven to the Nabire beach in the early evening. We went down to the water and admired the boats which would be taking us: something like a large canoe with bamboo flotations far out on both sides to help it balance (sorry seafarers, that's the best I've got). Complications arose, however, so we weren't able to leave immediately and wouldn't really be able to do so until night. (Not city 'night'; rural night where even the bugs carry lanterns its so dark, and you better understand the impossibility when people talk about counting the stars.) So it was night, storming, and our drivers were taking us on an hour (plus) trip with not so much as a compass. I was ecstatic. In blatant defiance to what some philosophers and English teachers may suggest, the experience can only be properly expressed with the word sublime. It was a sublime experience. We flew through the water (using a small engine) - twenty of us or so - on water so black it looked flat in spite of the waves. The sky was cloudy like gray, wet, dripping cotton, and hid most of the stars. It was cold and uncomfortable, but as Jerry and I later reflected, it was such a stoic experience that it had to be. But back to the water. It was so black and flat in appearance, and the sky so beveled, that it looked as though we glided along the sky and the ground was above us. What made this complete were the plankton. Thousands, no, tens or hundreds of thousands of very small fish flew by us glowing a profound green. How can I describe it? for they looked like thousand upon thousands of stars which shot passed us in the sky beneath. It was a sublime experience. Jerry and I prayed, and worshipped, and sang. We had to: God was so big and incredible, and we knew it.

From there we stayed our nights in a bungalow, but twenty feet from the waters edge. During the day we visited the natives, and spoke at different churches every day. The island of Napan was actually the first in its region to be missioned to many years ago, and actually was historically the reason that Nabire is a prominently Christian town. The island, therefore, is Christian, and of a very traditional variety. I felt as though God wanted me to quietly observe in the visit, so Jerry spoke at the churches on the subject of taking a traditional religion and making it personal; that God is a God that deals with us on a personal basis, and not only on Sunday. It was meant to encourage and challenge a deeper and more meaningful relationship to God, and we understand that it did just that. I'm afraid some of the circumstances and situations we found ourselves in were so strange and incredible that I would only feel comfortable telling the story in person. But it was awesome, and I challenge all who read this to immediately stop reading and pray for the people of Napan: that God would do a work in their hearts and bless the leaders who give their all every day. Pray now, please. Don't worry, this post will be here when you're finished.

Jerry and I then returned to Nabire and, once again, hit the ground: 'What just happened? and what did that do to us?' Then God decided to change plans a bit more and the trip to Sugapa fell through. We prayed about this and decided He wanted us to go to Jakarta with Steven (who had returned to his home city but a few days previous) instead. So we are here now, and I am writing this from one of the malls in Jakarta. More has happened since we got here but, quite frankly, I need to chew on my own recollections for awhile, and I'm getting a haircut. Priorities.

Please, as we always say, continue to be in prayer for Jerry and me. Indonesia has been an absolutely incredible month, and I'm only beginning to really be aware of the foundational changes God has been making in my life. I should like to say what they are, but, instead, I shall keep my eyes on Him and let his works in me reveal themselves. I am quite sure Jerry would agree, and I thank you all for your constant prayer and support. Please be in prayer for everyone and everywhere we have mentioned, and pray God continues to work in us as we conclude our time in Jakarta and head out for India on Thursday. I have a feeling there is much more skydiving to be done.

To God be all the glory, all the honor, and all our unceasing worship. Amen.

Four days, four countries...

Jason and I have made it to Indonesia! We are currently in Nabire, which is in the region of Papua, which is on the large eastern island of Indonesia- the island shared with Papa New Guinea. But before I go into our Indonesian adventures, let me fill you in on the ending of the Philippines, and our journey to Nabire. Because of our internet connection here, we'll be posting pictures at a later time.

As Jason told me, the Philippines could be summed up with one word- "Pastor." We spent the month giving Pastor Romy a one month sabbatical- the first one he's had in 8 years. From our time with Mamong, to leading Bible studies, to preaching, to spending time with the youth, Jason and I were missionary-pastors in the Philippines.

Every Sunday morning of the months was an opportunity to preach for Jason and I. While I've been continuing my preaching on the greatest commandment, Jason has been focusing on the topic of "Who you are." Jason and I would meet back up every Sunday afternoon after preaching in different churches with smiles on our faces. God does His thing every time.

Leaving our new friends was a bitter sweet moment for us- even now, we look back with fond memories of our Filipino family. Thank you all for a great month- we miss you and look forward to seeing you next time. Our final day was spent with my friend from New Jersey, Denart, who made the initial connection to the ministry in PI, and his friends from school- Dustin and Belle. We had our final Filipino meal and set off on the 31st for a 4 day/3 night layover in Singapore.

We were blessed to stay with Pastor Vic, Pastor Arnell, Pastor Jerry, and other Filipino Christians while in Singapore. We had times of sightseeing like our day spent on Sentosa Island as well as times of discipleship. The pastors had a powerful message of deliverance that left us challenged and praying. Times like those keep smiles on our faces and increase our faith in the way God works everything out in His timing.

For one of our days in Singapore, we decided to go to Malaysia. Since Singapore is only 40km long, our travel to the Malaysian border was only 30 min. and we continued to spend the rest of the day in the city of Johor. Jason sat next to a missionary from Mexico on the way to Singapore named Mariana, who accompanied us to Johor. We spent the day exchanging stories of God working, learning Malaysian, and trying new foods.

That brings us to our travel to Indonesia. On April 3rd, Jason and I flew from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia at 1pm. At 4pm, we flew to Jakarta, Indonesia, where we met our contact and new friend, Steven. At 10pm, we flew from Jakarta to Makasa. At 2am, we flew from Makasa to Biak. At 1:30pm, we flew from Biak to our final destination of Nabire. I have never taken five flights to get somewhere before, but let me tell you, it is quite exausting.

So for the last couple days, Jason and I have been living in the beautiful town of Nabire, Indonesia.

A man named Daniel Alexander has been establishing schools and orphanages over the last couple years in this area for children from the tribal mountain areas of Papua. We have had the privelage of teaching English in one of these schools here in Nabire. All the students are great! We are greeted with huge smiles and high-fives everyday.

Over the next couple weeks, Jason and I will continue our teaching at the school. We also have the opportunity to fly into the tribal areas to teach English to those living in the mountains. We've been preaching and teaching at several church meetings and will continue to do so throughout the month as well.

Thank you all for your prayers- I don't know how else to say this everytime. Just know that we are truly grateful for your prayers for us and we hope you know that you are helping make a difference here in Nabire. All credit and attention goes to God for the great things He's doing. Til next time,

Jerry