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Education Ministry

Posted on January 6, 2005 ...

I asked my family, as we returned from our trip to Indonesia, to identify their favorite part. Their answers provide a snap shot of a most memorable experience. For Erik, it was drinking out of a coconut on the beach at Anyur on the West coast of Java. We spent two days, playing in the Indian Ocean and getting a real taste of Indonesian coastal life. Shea said her favorite part was playing with her two new friends, Fena (6) and Tammi (2). They are the children of a family Tammi’s parents have kind of adopted. It was touching to watch them laugh and play and embrace in spite of the language and cultural differences. Uncle Harry pointed to the Indonesian food as his favorite part. No doubt the flavors from his childhood brought back many fond memories. For Tammi, time spent her parents and sister was most meaningful, especially the Javanese spa she and Robin were able to enjoy.

As for me, there were two moments that I will hold for a very long time. The first was an encounter with a man named Muhammad on the beach at Anyur. We spoke mainly about American politics and the strain between America and the Muslim nations, both of which are hurting Indonesia’s tourist industry. He was deeply concerned that people in America understand Indonesians are nice people and they like Americans. My second, and perhaps most poignant experience, was a visit to what is called a Desa. This is an area about thirty minutes down river from Pekanbaru on the Island of Sumatra. Dotted with tiny villages, it is the most primitive and impoverished place I have ever been. I was told we were the first white people some of them had ever seen. Like a scene from a movie, we attracted quite a parade of curious children as we made our way through the village. The boys were quite proud of the whistling sounds they could make by blowing on blades of grass, while the girls mostly gathered in groups, giggling and whispering to one another. The bravest of the girls offered their names – Desi and Oooo. I will not soon forget their beautiful ceaseless smiles and their energetic waves as we boarded the boat that took us back to civilization just thirty minutes away that they will probably never know.

For me, these two encounters put real faces on the world of people loved so much by God. They are not nameless people in pictures we see in magazines or the evening news. Muhammad loves his three year old daughter, just like we love our children. Desi and Oooo are precious, just like our children. Yet is it unlikely they will ever know the love of Jesus. This is a reality God knows well, and one we so often forget.

We would like to thank all of you who expressed concern for our well-being and prayed for our safe return home. We appreciate it more than we can say. But please don’t forget about the millions who have lost so much in the tsunami tragedy, or the billions who are spiritually lost without Jesus.