Hari Ini (Today)

Quick update...it wasn't 'too much time in the sun.' I definitely had some sort of 24 hour bug. After a terrible night spent huddled under a thick blanket (one degree north of the Equator) and a looong morning, I perked right up! I have no idea what it was but I'm feeling 100% again. I wanted to thank you Aunt Julie for your suggestion. My physical sickness didn't help my emotional state at all and I was feeling down in the dumps. So I asked Jimi to teach me a few songs on the guitar and the next thing I know Ronal is playing Bataknese flute while Jimi accompanies him! It was a blast and the music lifted my spirits.

I also wanted to invite you all to send specific questions my way. Every time I sit down to write these I sigh at all the AMAZING experiences I leave out. But if you send specific questions I would love to share more!

For now I want to walk you through a day in the life of an FH Indo intern :)

It's Monday. The night before, I slipped into the safety of my hot pink mosquito net (yes Dad, they had one ready for me!) around 10pm. After 8 hours of sound sleep I begin to stir on my own accord around 6am. Ban Jimi (Brother Jimi) gets up around 6:30 two doors down and turns on his favorite mix of English worship music. What a great way to start the day.

Breakfast is served around 7:00 as we all gather around the open air kitchen table. Maknyak and Juli, our housekeepers extraordinaire (it's a cultural thing to have help around to do the cooking/cleaning) have served up some wonderful nasi (rice) and inak (fish) and usually some vegetable or fruit to accompany.

After breakfast we file into the "living room" for worship and devotions. We're supposed to start around 7:15 but that time is subject to flex :)

After a round of worship songs (in English and Indonesian) we pray, read scripture, have a short devotional and then get down to business. Each staff member rattles off his or her progress from the day before and what it is he/she has planned for the day ahead. I seem to have found myself in the position of tag-along, leaving base camp with Esran (in charge of our Agricultural programs), Udin (Calang base coordinator) or some other staff member to visit our satellite poskos and assist with various activities.

You can plan on at least 30 min. of driving once you leave the posko. But you can also bank on an adventure! Today we floated a four door Ford Ranger down the river (pictures to come...) on a makeshift ferry. It has been a great way to see the sites and get to know FH and the work they are doing here in Indonesia on an intimate level.

After 'work' the group rendezvous as base camp for dinner, badmitton, beach, guitar, laughing, and bedtime...or some combination of the above. The people here are so much fun. Rarely is there a dull moment. I suppose last night when some of the guys spent an hour or so tweaking the satellite dish so we could pick up the Spain/Italy Eurocup game things were a little slow...but for the most part it's a fun bunch :)

Well, I hope this helps you while your sitting around during the week wondering, "what is Andrew up to over there in Indonesia?" And if you just happen to be wondering "what does Andrew need prayer for now over there in Indonesia..." I will tell you!

This weekend was AWESOME for me. I was sick and felt terrible and went through this "What am I doing here...why do we even do 'short term missions'...what is my purpose here..." whoa-is-me phase. Winni went out and bought me some bread and what would equate to 'Nutella' thinking I didn't like the food. And Ban Jimi, Ria, Lilis, Esran, Ronal and Monica were all constant sources of encouragement..."Where is Andrew? I miss his smile." Oh, and Julie...your suggestion really helped. After feeling terrible all day Friday, Jimi sat down with me and played guitar and sang "How Deep the Father's Love". Since then we've (me, David, and the rest of the staff) have spent hours playing, singing...we even exchanged dance lessons! Indeed, if music be the fruit of life...play on!

And since this weekend I've been more confident than ever in my time here. So pray a prayer of praise for my friends here in Calang. Also pray that God would continue to humble me and teach me. And, if He could...let me know next time before He breaks me down :)

I love you all and look forward to your comments!!!

Oh, and as anxious as I was to post some of my pictures...my internet connection is just TOO slow. I will do my best to get some up soon!