So we finally caught our flight to Nias Tuesday morning on a 30-passenger airplane! My hour flight was filled with lots of prayer. We were met by Jeremy and Herman at the airport, and we off on a four hour journey to Sorake Beach- our home for the next two months! Finally!
Nias is gorgeous. I have to admit, I imagined something like Fraser Island- lots of sand, flat, etc. Nope. It looks like Jurassic Park, and Scotland. It’s beautiful- lots of mountains covered with palm trees. And the weather is great. It does rain, but like just like any other coastal place, it just pours and then stops. It’s about 85 degrees on average, very humid, and sunny! The people are great. They still love boolays, but are super friendly.
Our house, or losmen as they call it in Nias, is on the beach. I know what you’re thinkin’… rough life, huh? It is amazing, however the ‘beach’ is about 100 yards of dead reef and stagnant water, then is cuts straight to 5 foot barrel waves. [That’s where the surfers drool.] Sorake Beach, which is actually on the edge of a bay, wasn’t hit by the tsunami in 2005, but the earthquake damaged the reef. Major detriment to the reef, major plus for the waves and surf life- not sure if that’s a good deal or not? I have yet to surf. I’m not too sure I want to ‘learn’ on 5 foot waves. However, there is a crack in the reef, which is cleverly named ‘the crack’, about a ten minute walk down the beach which is amazing to snorkel. Not tons of wildlife, but lovely little fish, crabs, sea cucumbers and crystal clear water. So we’ve been snorkeling a few times. Our first trip, me, Reba and Susie were pleasantly surprised by about ten 8-10 year old NAKED boys. Oh it was a joy. They just stared and so did we, so it was all good.
Alright, now for the good stuff… Let me give you a little information on our church, Banua Keriso Protestan Nias [BKPN] Taluk Dalam. BKPN is the denomination- there are tons of BKPN’s in Nias. Taluk Dalam, the town in which the church is, distinguishes ours. And Taluk Dalam is about a 20 minute ride from Sorake Beach. [If you’re at all interested, you can check it out on a map. Sorake is on the southern tip of Nias. And Taluk Dalam is north east of Sorake.]
So, as you all know discipleship is the heart of this outreach. But I need to give you a little background info… Jeremy met Herman about a year ago. The two of them clicked right away and their visions for the youth of Nias, too. Since then, they have been trying to bridge the gap between the elders and the youth of the church. The gap is saddening. There is just no connection. The elders are very stuck in religion [and like most, are oblivious to it]. The church is pretty liberal in song and dance, but very conservative in thinking.
So Herman and Jeremy’s main mission, and of course our team for this short while, is for the kids to really meet and know and love and live for Jesus. Not to just live traditions and rules and participate because their parents do, or because they’re told to. The good news is: they are pumped! They are stoked to learn and listen. They love to ask questions and hear testimonies, etc.
Most of our time is spent with a group of about ten of them who are the ‘leaders’. And I use leader for the shear fact that most are cell group leaders, but also because they are really stepping up the plate for God, to really dig into having a personal relationship with Jesus. They are going to move mountains in this church and for the next generation. It’s so fun to share the same journey with people so different from me!
So our week nights are filled with lots of hanging out, getting to know them, and cell groups, prayer groups, youth group. Lots and lots of relationship building. It’s amazing the kind of friendship you can build with someone who can’t even speak the same language as you! Our days are very open, which has been one of the biggest challenges here. Sounds weird at first, but it’s not hard to figure out. Free time = lots of discipline. Which ultimately = good! It’s been an amazing opportunity to really let the Holy Spirit lead us in what to do for the day. Of course, He led us to great things. We’ve been able to pray for so many people and just see God working in so many new ways.
One Sunday afternoon we were all swimming at the bay and there were heaps and heaps of kids there. One of the older ones, Harrison, who we’ve met a few times here and there, started talking to me and Susie about this and that. He was clearly feeling a little tipsy. I guess it’s important to note that there’s a bar on the beach where we can actually swim. [Its mostly occupied by surfing tourists.] But as we talked, he began to really open up and shared with us some pretty intense stuff about his life. He’s very heartbroken and told us that, “he’s been way too bad.” And Susie and I said, “Well let us tell you about a guy we know…” He of course had heard who Jesus is but didn’t know a single truth about who he was and what he did for us [a lot like most of America]. It was a very sobering [no pun intended!] moment. Susie and I prayed for him right there in the water, waves and all. We left the rest up the Jesus. It was sweet.
We had the chance to speak at a high school and a middle school in a village nearby. Becaa and Bree shared a little mini-sermon on Characters of God. I shared my story in front of an entire school! Herman translated for me. Having a translator is fun, too. It really allows you to collect your thoughts [takes the edge off, too!]. We answered some questions, sang songs, and hung out with them, which mainly involves lots of smiling and nodding because you can’t hold a conversation. It was fun.
We also had the chance to speak at the university in Taluk Dalam. One of Herman and Jeremy’s friends teaches an inter-cultural class there and he invited us to come speak on sexuality. Yes, sexuality. We all sat down, beforehand, to discuss what we wanted to share. It even invoked an interesting conversation amongst us and the four nations we represent on our team. So, needless to say, we were a little overwhelmed at first. We finally decided [and learned!] that even among a group of western Christians there were differing views and opinions of sexuality, but a common thread is that sexuality is NOT what is depicted in Hollywood. Movies, singers, rappers, magazines, etc. is all Indonesians know of how we ‘boolays’ present ourselves and our sexuality. So, as a team, all we wanted to do was simply share ourselves and our views and how they differed greatly to what Hollywood portrays. It was amazing. They were thoroughly surprised, intrigued, and challenged, by our information and our lives. Mission accomplished.
We left yesterday for Medan. [I am currently on an island in Lake Toba… don’t ask me how they have internet!] We are helping out with a Pastors’ conference. We’re actually not too sure of what that entails, but we were asked to come and we said yes! So, please be praying for this week. It’s an amazing blessing for the Pastors to get together in Medan! Pray for His light to shine, shine, shine over an Islam city this week!!
I could really write on and on and on sharing more stuff. But for the sake of internet, or lack thereof, I will have to say goodbye for now. Hopefully I’ll have at least one more update by the time I get back to Australia.
I miss you all… AND LOVE YOU MORE!
♥Jade
p.s. In case you haven’t heard, I have resigned from my job at Dauphin County. A very scary step forward, but I know I have heard the Big Man upstairs loud and clear. So some prayers for what my future holds would be sweet… don’t worry I’m praying heaps, too! Any insight, words, etc. is greatly appreciated. Thanks!
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