We have arrived! It's 7pm here which puts all those in Phoenix around 5am and Indiana close to 8am and we've just finished up our first full day in the Indonesian Archipelago. What a sweet place! I'll get some pics/video up here as soon as we can take them. Until then I wanted to let you in on a more personal side of Medan. (Scroll to bottom if you want the basics)
There are so many things here that I'm experiencing and would love to describe to you; the sites, the smells (and trust me...open sewage has a unique odor), the food...but I know none of you want to read 86 (give or take) pages of blogging ;)
So instead, I will leave you with this short journal entry:
"...It's penas (hot) here...and muggy. Sweating is as natural as breathing. There isn't a dry spot on my body and everything I sit on, I stick to. But the intense humidity and uncomfortable stickiness make bucket showers unbelievably refreshing. Unlike showers back home you don't wait until the water is JUUUUST right...dip your toe in to make certain...step back in preparation and then EEEEEASE your way in one leg at a time.
As evening wears on and bed time (jam delapan tigapulu) draws near, I climb the glossy stairs to the bathroom. I can feel a lustful grin stretch across my face. Pulling the tin door behind me I can almost hear the cool water splashing all around. My arm glistens as I reach for the handle of the bucket. With a steady head, care not to lose a drop of that sweet refreshment, I raise the bucket to my head. And then it hits me...like a rushing avalanche that bucket full of NOT-QUITE-RIGHT-YET water consumes me. From my forehead it spills around my face and down my back, taking with it layers of sweat and dirt...and all the tensions that come from being a simple sojourner in a foreign land."
As I wrote I couldn't help but hear A.W. Tozer singing "As the deer panteth for the water..." and applying this feeling to my approach to the Gospel. As they say, you must experience the depths of the valleys to appreciate the vistas of the peaks. I hope that while I'm here drudging through the heat and rejoicing in the bucket showers I can by His grace understand a little better what it means to thirst after Him, His word, His truth, His Gospel.
THE BASICS:
We're in Medan, Indonesia where FH Indonesia is headquartered. The three of us will be here until Tuesday when David and I fly out to Calang and Craig heads for Nias.
I love it here so far. It's hot but the food is enak (delicious). I will have consistent Internet until I make it to Calang. I'll have to update you from there about our connection.
God is good and His truth is refreshing.
Salam!
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2 comments:
Glad to hear you got there fine and enjoying the little things in life.
Keep up posted.
Hey bud, There is nothing like it. It's both a wonderful thrill and horrible realization. I hate it when I get in there and realize I have to summon the courage to throw myself into a "hypothermic state" LOL at the same time I was always so ready to shower. I remember as a kid sitting there and staring at the water trying to will it to heat itself. I'd put my fingers in, try to adjust to the idea of that water. And eventually after a few minutes give up and just do it.
We used to go swimming in the mountains on vacation. And the whole pool would feel like that water. It was so fun to go with friends, it would always begin with a war that ended in freezing water. :)
It's amazing how adjusted you'll get to the weather. I used to wear jeans in that weather. I know ridiculous right? But hopefully by two months you'll get used to it. Just wait then, America will seem freezing in comparison. Maybe you'll understand why I hate the cold so much!
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