I'm Back!

Hey-o!

I just got back from LG this afternoon (Friday). What a blessing this week has been.

I had a great time with Ronal and Yono. For real, these men are some true studs.

They have been working with three women who have done some incredible work. The three of them, with the help of Ronal's agricultural expertise re: organic farming, composting, etc... have started an organic garden. It's like the Acehnese Golden Girls or something. One of the ladies is in here 60s, and the other two are, in their 30 somethings.

The garden has become one of my favorite places here. We walk in (if Ronal didn't forget the key at the posko : ) ) to check on the vegetables (rich purple eggplant, refreshing cucumbers, long bean [green beans except they're about 1 meter long], and some spinach-like leafy plant). Ronal disappears for a second and then pops up smiling with two freshly plucked cucumbers. AMAZING. We just ate them like you would an apple. Bite off the ends and away you go : ) sooooo tastey.

And there is this great place to sit. Ronal is teaching the women how to make their own organic compost using the chaff left from the padi (rice) harvest. They have a little shelter to house the compost and with the tarps covering the compost it makes for a perfect lounge. The view; jungle covered mountains on one side and the mighty ocean on the other.

On Wednesday the ladies had a 'garden party'. They spent the morning preparing some delicious (some of which was a tad spicy) Acehnese food. We carried it from their homes to the little shelter in the garden and shared it with their families in celebration of the garden. It was beautiful.

Life here is so simple. It's going to be hard for me to reintroduce myself to western society...

It's normal here to walk around barefoot (awesome) and it’s not uncommon for your feet to rest in the soft dirt as they hang down from a wooden bench made of mismatched pieces of scrap. Houses aren't really houses but more like drafty shacks. The funny thing is: these villages look just like the ones we see on the news and on brochures for organizations like FH. The ladies we ate with in the garden, the children we teach at the posko, the farmers we helped to clear their land, the men we drink coffee with at night…these are the faces of the ‘dollar a day’ people.

So often we frame life in these simple villages as total depravity. When was the last time you saw a photograph from sub-Saharan Africa where the children were smiling, playing, just being normal children? Instead we get the shots of the broken down mother and her four children staring soullessly into the lens, their emaciated arms clinging to a splintering wooden stake which holds their shack stationary and their swollen bellies bulge out with hunger.

But things are not always what they seem. These people are genuine, happy, friendly people. They're certainly more sociable than the average American. At night in Lhok Geulumpang everyone (15 people or so) congregates at the little shop right next to (seriously, I could fall off of our front porch and into Mamak's kitchen) our posko. We sit around sipping the AWESOME coffee, playing chess and shooting the breeze. Of course I do more listening than speaking...but I speak up when I can.

And so generous! Every family we visit implores us to come in a join them for some coffee and these amazing little banana chips; at least!

Mamak (or mama) spends the day cooking and socializing with her customers. You just walk over, grab some food that she's made, sit down for awhile and enjoy. Then before you leave you just slip her what you owe her and head out. It's so casual and homey.

It's going to be hard for me to wear shoes when I go to the coffee place back home : )

I'm still having a difficult time processing things...but am learning so much. This week I started a new 'devotional technique'. I have a hard time remembering things (as I am sure some of you can attest to) and so I thought "maybe if I just read one Pauline letter every morning throughout the week...I'll remember more". So I spent my first 20 minutes or so of every morning this week reading Galatians. It's been really great! I've been able to really think about things and flesh out the big picture of the letter. I'd definitely recommend it for the smaller letters. Next week…Ephesians.

Be praying for Ronal and Yono. They've been here for a year or so together and Yono is leaving for good in two weeks. He's headed back to Java to get married. It's going to be hard for him to leave and hard for Ronal to be without him for support.

Also pray for the people of Lhok Geulumpang. Specifically for the three women and the farmers who are working the 20 hectare plot.

And pray for the unity of the team here. We celebrated Julius's birthday tonight and watching the team laugh, sing, and love together was such a huge encouragement. Pray that the bonds being formed here would continue to grow further in and further up.

I am really missing ‘the Church’ and from a spiritual measurement I would say my brothers and sisters here are too. I think we might go get some Grape Fanta and these biscuit things for communion this Sunday. Hopefully that will help move us in the right direction.

Acts 2:42-47

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”