August 19th
I have an amazingly cool story to share. For those of you who aren’t “the religious type” please read; I’m not a fan of religion either, but I really love my relationship with God and you might like hearing about this… maybe?
A few weeks ago the students were given the opportunity to pray about which outreach location to go to. Some were worried that God would not speak to them. I was speaking to one girl (let’s call her Wendy) in particular and told her that I know from experience that God cares about the details of our lives and that He really will tell her specifically which place to go (of three options). She was surprised to hear that a big God cares about the details of our lives. I told her a couple stories from my own life of how God has shown that to me, and she said “huh” (like, huh interesting). Fast forward. Same girl. In our week of teaching about prayer she feels that God is affirming the worshipper in her. She is greatly encouraged by this and starts singing more and worshiping in her heart more frequently. “Lord, it would be really great if I had an ipod to listen to worship music with,” she thinks quietly to herself one day. A couple days later another girl (who was not present for the “God in the details” chat and who does not read minds and could not have read Wendy’s mind) gives her ipod away to Wendy with a note that says “I felt God telling me to give this away to you, to show you that He is a God who cares about the details of our lives.”
Are you kidding me? THAT is God. Not only does that speak to me of the reality of God, but to me it also speaks HEAPS about His character. This is His intention for everyone- to show us that He is so caring and so loving, and active in His love. This is not always communicated successfully; not everyone has Wendy’s ipod experience to back up claims of His goodness. But I think that is largely because He has chosen to use people to demonstrate His love. He uses us to speak things to one another, to be the person that hears Him say “give this person your ipod” and does it not even knowing that that is the answer to a secret prayer. Sometimes we hear Him and are able to be a part of a miracle. Sometimes we stuff it up or don’t hear it altogether. But that doesn’t change the fact that He is speaking and His intention is to demonstrate this love to EVERY person on this planet. That is His heart.
I got another glimpse of God’s heart this week. A friend of a friend took his own life. I don’t know this person at all, but when I heard the news I cried. My heart hurt. I felt like God was sharing His heart with me, a tiny fraction of it, in that His heart breaks when things like this happen. Because His intention for people is good, His intention is to bring hope and peace, freedom and fullness of life. It literally gives His heart pain to see His children living in sorrow and despair and inflicting pain on themselves and each other. But He has given us free will, because He wants to enter a loving relationship with all of us, and that can’t be forced. For some, their free will can bring agony and destruction into their lives and the lives of the people around Him. He is active in trying to stop this, He is active in pursuing us and showing His love, but because He largely (but not exclusively) works through people (remember the ipod story), it doesn’t always get communicated. Some might think, “well, it’s pretty stupid of Him to work through people, because of course we’re going to mess it up. That’s too much responsibility! He should just do it and leave us out of it!” But we live in the physical and He is spirit, so it is His kindness, humility and love that cause Him to work through physical beings –so that He can speak to us in a way we hear, receive and give His touch, give physical gifts through us, show us visible things through other people – all things that He couldn’t do or would be harder to do if He chose not to work with us and through us. Not to mention He loves to co-labor and partner with us. Just like a Dad wants to play games or build stuff with his kids. He doesn’t want us to be puppets or strangers, He is close and works alongside us.
That is why we go. This is why I work for a non-profit missions organization. Our free will can bring so much pain into the world, for ourselves and for others. Or…. our free will can be the agent of His demonstrations of love. We can be the ones that show others His ability to speak, His attention to detail, His heart of compassion, His pro-active efforts to communicate His undying love for us. I want to be His communicator. I want to be His agent of love. I want to spend my life being someone who God uses to show people His real, active, tangible, unfailing, healing love.
That’s why I am going to South Africa and Cambodia.
On September 5th, I leave for South Africa. I will be co-leading a team of 11 students with one other staff member. We will be in South Africa for 10 weeks. Then we will go to Cambodia for a month. We will be serving the people of these countries, helping in any practical way we can (teaching English, cooking meals, etc.) and showing love and value to the people we meet. There is sooooo much more I could say, but I am trying to keep this entry shorter than my previous emails ;)
If you would like to hear more or if you would like to support the outreach through finances (current need is $2000 AUD) or prayer please let me know!
Monday, August 10, 2009
Saturday, June 27, 2009
First Entry Since Arriving in Perth
I have arrived!
Arrival shock:
It’s so surreal to be back in Perth. Half the time I think I am dreaming and that it is the strangest, most foreign thing to be here. The other half of me already feels like I never left… except that I am acutely aware that I am here on staff, not as a student. That part is not surreal at all. Maybe it’s the new and exciting privilege of using the staff bathrooms. I love it (being staff that is, not the bathrooms per se! I am deeply and pleasantly aware that I am supposed to be here.
I know I am staffing the right school, too. I sat down with the leader of the school (Janine) my first morning after travelling and we discussed the school and what she felt God was speaking about it. She told me she felt that God was putting psalm 84 on her heart for the school. She feels that through their DTS they will really know and feel that it is better to spend one day with God than a thousand without Him. It was amazing because God had put psalm 84 on my heart earlier that morning, too. Those that set their heart on pilgrimage- on seeking Him out and following after Him- go from strength to strength, and get to see His face. That is better than anything else. I know from the experience of comparison. The hardest times in my life WITH Him have always been soooooooooooo much better than my best times in life lived without Him. It was says it is better to be a doorkeeper in His house than live in tents (I think that was a better thing back then than it is now- you know, life fancy tents, not camping tents) with bad company. I am a UC Berkeley grad, yet I not only don’t make money, I depend on the financial support of others. It’s pretty humbling to be doing this at 24 with a college degree. I sure feel like a doorkeeper. But I wouldn’t trade it for any fancy, high-paid career or some highly-esteemed profession, not even for a day. I am really looking forward to seeing the students getting a hold of the message behind this psalm, too. It's life changing, life bettering.
One the fun side:
There’s been a bit of fun involved, too, already….
Last night I went to a Christmas party at 8 Bulwer (that’s the house name). Yep. A Christmas party. A bunch of North Americans decided since it’s cold here now and hot in December when Christmas actually happens, we should celebrate it now, when the weather is slightly more like what we are used to. It was a fabulous party. People at YWAM Perth are really good hosts and party-throwers I’ve noticed. They pulled out all the stops. They had eggnog, red and green jello, stuffing (talk about random, there was no turkey or anything else, just stuffing) and hot chocolate and tons of Christmas decorations. We even played the white elephant gift exchange game. It was a riot. Since most of us are on a stringent budget the gifts included an orange, a bar of chocolate, a plastic sword, and a gold ribbon. Yes, a gold ribbon. Which actually got stolen believe it or not. I was uber pleased to get rid of a pair of gloves I never wear and a pack of gum- which got stolen three times… yessssssssssssss! To put icing on the cake we watched A Charlie Brown Christmas. It was great. On the not so Christmas-y side we also made smores (with smuggled in American marshmellows) in their backyard and lit sparklers. Mmmmmmmm........
To be honest and dangerously open, the party was fun but a bit hard. I miss my home community already - where I am just me and people know me and appreciate me. I am safe being me and it is easy to be me- in fact, the people that surrounded me reminded me of who I am, and it was easy to stay true to that. Here, I don’t know very many people and very few know me at all yet. I know this will change with time, but the in between stage is difficult. I’m not craving attention or appreciation, but I do want the freedom to just BE ME. I can’t wait to get to that point here.
Friday Night meeting revelation:
Friday night meeting was also a really great experience. Aleni spoke on what a servant’s heart looks like, challenging us to examine our motives for what we do. Do we do it for the recognition? Because we think we’ll get a reward? Do we do the bare minimum sometimes because we are unpaid- just “volunteers”? (It was really cute when Aleni asked the audience, “do you have a volunteer mentality?” and one of the toddlers in the front happened to cry out “noooooooooooo” at just the right time). Since I have arrived in Perth I have been singing the song “You are my treasure” over and over again. My heart and spirit have been so pleased, so satisfied to be here because I know I will get closer to God, closer to Jesus. Even in worship on Friday night I was brought to laughter and tears during the worship because I wanted nothing but Him and I knew being here again, that is exactly what I will get. But, as Aleni gave His talk I did see a part of my heart that had been clinging to a certain verse in the Bible about rewards. The whole “those who leave mother and brother and father and husband and home will receive many more, in this lifetime” bit (not a direct quote) was something that had helped me be able to give up everything at home to come here. I felt (and feel) I was giving up a lot, and I felt reassured that I would get back was I lost – literally. But He challenged me in this, saying, “what if what I meant by that was that I will be your mother, father, lover, brother, and home? What if that is the reward and nothing else? Would that be enough?” My heart had been saying yes to that question for the last few days, but I could tell my mind was still clinging to the whole repayment thing. So, I’m letting go of that, too. Because He is the best reward, and if He is the only reward, it will all still be more than worth it.
A random note about my housing:
I am beginning to like my house. It’s old and, despite the drafts and leaks (it’s raining A LOT here), feels remarkably cozy. It’s kinda like camping. It actually feels a lot like camping. We keep the window in the bathroom open all the time to keep it from molding (makes for cold showers, but I am all for the prevention of mold considering that the last time I was in Perth I worked on the property crew and spent a week cleaning the mold off the ceiling in there). So with a window always open the house mostly smells of the great outdoors (expect the refrigerator which smells of something else). I really like smelling the plants and the rain when brushing my teeth at night and in the morning, very “campy.” You can also hear the sound of the rain on the roof, and the wind through the trees from any room in the house (none of the houses here are very sound proof) and I sleep in a sleeping bag. So, yeah, it feels oddly like a big camping trip. Which I like quite a bit. But I am trying not to get too attached to my new home because I may move (temporarily) next week to live closer to the students during the lecture phase. Anyway… just some random detail.
Looking ahead:
This week the whirlwind begins. I start leadership school and the students of the discipleship school will start to come arrive. My 18+ hour days will begin soon. Honestly, I know He promises the whole Philippians 4:13 all things through Him thing. But I am terrified. I was able to survive my DTS last year, but this is even more hours and more exhaustion. He gave me the grace to actually not feel that tired last year, but for some reason I am scared and doubtful this time around. I guess that’s something I gotta talk to Him about today.
Next entry I’ll know more about the school and the students. I think getting to know the students will help remind me of the passion God gave me that got me into this holy mess. That passion will hopefully be what gets me out of bed at 5 a.m. next week.
Arrival shock:
It’s so surreal to be back in Perth. Half the time I think I am dreaming and that it is the strangest, most foreign thing to be here. The other half of me already feels like I never left… except that I am acutely aware that I am here on staff, not as a student. That part is not surreal at all. Maybe it’s the new and exciting privilege of using the staff bathrooms. I love it (being staff that is, not the bathrooms per se! I am deeply and pleasantly aware that I am supposed to be here.
I know I am staffing the right school, too. I sat down with the leader of the school (Janine) my first morning after travelling and we discussed the school and what she felt God was speaking about it. She told me she felt that God was putting psalm 84 on her heart for the school. She feels that through their DTS they will really know and feel that it is better to spend one day with God than a thousand without Him. It was amazing because God had put psalm 84 on my heart earlier that morning, too. Those that set their heart on pilgrimage- on seeking Him out and following after Him- go from strength to strength, and get to see His face. That is better than anything else. I know from the experience of comparison. The hardest times in my life WITH Him have always been soooooooooooo much better than my best times in life lived without Him. It was says it is better to be a doorkeeper in His house than live in tents (I think that was a better thing back then than it is now- you know, life fancy tents, not camping tents) with bad company. I am a UC Berkeley grad, yet I not only don’t make money, I depend on the financial support of others. It’s pretty humbling to be doing this at 24 with a college degree. I sure feel like a doorkeeper. But I wouldn’t trade it for any fancy, high-paid career or some highly-esteemed profession, not even for a day. I am really looking forward to seeing the students getting a hold of the message behind this psalm, too. It's life changing, life bettering.
One the fun side:
There’s been a bit of fun involved, too, already….
Last night I went to a Christmas party at 8 Bulwer (that’s the house name). Yep. A Christmas party. A bunch of North Americans decided since it’s cold here now and hot in December when Christmas actually happens, we should celebrate it now, when the weather is slightly more like what we are used to. It was a fabulous party. People at YWAM Perth are really good hosts and party-throwers I’ve noticed. They pulled out all the stops. They had eggnog, red and green jello, stuffing (talk about random, there was no turkey or anything else, just stuffing) and hot chocolate and tons of Christmas decorations. We even played the white elephant gift exchange game. It was a riot. Since most of us are on a stringent budget the gifts included an orange, a bar of chocolate, a plastic sword, and a gold ribbon. Yes, a gold ribbon. Which actually got stolen believe it or not. I was uber pleased to get rid of a pair of gloves I never wear and a pack of gum- which got stolen three times… yessssssssssssss! To put icing on the cake we watched A Charlie Brown Christmas. It was great. On the not so Christmas-y side we also made smores (with smuggled in American marshmellows) in their backyard and lit sparklers. Mmmmmmmm........
To be honest and dangerously open, the party was fun but a bit hard. I miss my home community already - where I am just me and people know me and appreciate me. I am safe being me and it is easy to be me- in fact, the people that surrounded me reminded me of who I am, and it was easy to stay true to that. Here, I don’t know very many people and very few know me at all yet. I know this will change with time, but the in between stage is difficult. I’m not craving attention or appreciation, but I do want the freedom to just BE ME. I can’t wait to get to that point here.
Friday Night meeting revelation:
Friday night meeting was also a really great experience. Aleni spoke on what a servant’s heart looks like, challenging us to examine our motives for what we do. Do we do it for the recognition? Because we think we’ll get a reward? Do we do the bare minimum sometimes because we are unpaid- just “volunteers”? (It was really cute when Aleni asked the audience, “do you have a volunteer mentality?” and one of the toddlers in the front happened to cry out “noooooooooooo” at just the right time). Since I have arrived in Perth I have been singing the song “You are my treasure” over and over again. My heart and spirit have been so pleased, so satisfied to be here because I know I will get closer to God, closer to Jesus. Even in worship on Friday night I was brought to laughter and tears during the worship because I wanted nothing but Him and I knew being here again, that is exactly what I will get. But, as Aleni gave His talk I did see a part of my heart that had been clinging to a certain verse in the Bible about rewards. The whole “those who leave mother and brother and father and husband and home will receive many more, in this lifetime” bit (not a direct quote) was something that had helped me be able to give up everything at home to come here. I felt (and feel) I was giving up a lot, and I felt reassured that I would get back was I lost – literally. But He challenged me in this, saying, “what if what I meant by that was that I will be your mother, father, lover, brother, and home? What if that is the reward and nothing else? Would that be enough?” My heart had been saying yes to that question for the last few days, but I could tell my mind was still clinging to the whole repayment thing. So, I’m letting go of that, too. Because He is the best reward, and if He is the only reward, it will all still be more than worth it.
A random note about my housing:
I am beginning to like my house. It’s old and, despite the drafts and leaks (it’s raining A LOT here), feels remarkably cozy. It’s kinda like camping. It actually feels a lot like camping. We keep the window in the bathroom open all the time to keep it from molding (makes for cold showers, but I am all for the prevention of mold considering that the last time I was in Perth I worked on the property crew and spent a week cleaning the mold off the ceiling in there). So with a window always open the house mostly smells of the great outdoors (expect the refrigerator which smells of something else). I really like smelling the plants and the rain when brushing my teeth at night and in the morning, very “campy.” You can also hear the sound of the rain on the roof, and the wind through the trees from any room in the house (none of the houses here are very sound proof) and I sleep in a sleeping bag. So, yeah, it feels oddly like a big camping trip. Which I like quite a bit. But I am trying not to get too attached to my new home because I may move (temporarily) next week to live closer to the students during the lecture phase. Anyway… just some random detail.
Looking ahead:
This week the whirlwind begins. I start leadership school and the students of the discipleship school will start to come arrive. My 18+ hour days will begin soon. Honestly, I know He promises the whole Philippians 4:13 all things through Him thing. But I am terrified. I was able to survive my DTS last year, but this is even more hours and more exhaustion. He gave me the grace to actually not feel that tired last year, but for some reason I am scared and doubtful this time around. I guess that’s something I gotta talk to Him about today.
Next entry I’ll know more about the school and the students. I think getting to know the students will help remind me of the passion God gave me that got me into this holy mess. That passion will hopefully be what gets me out of bed at 5 a.m. next week.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
What I do and why you wanna be a part of it!
It took ten minutes for me to figure out that God was real. It took ten years to figure out that He is good.
I “converted” when I heard a worship song that touched my heart at the tender age of 12. After my conversion, I tried to figure out “Christianity” on my own. I didn’t know much about God, and all that I seemed to be able to gather about Him was that He was sort of distant (if not absent), hot tempered, and more or less indifferent toward me. Naturally, I had a hard time sticking with it and instead of doing the walk of faith, I rode the rollercoaster. I’d try to follow Him and be good for a while, but would always wind up chasing after any and every other love I could.
My relationship with God was radically changed last year when I attended a Discipleship Training School (DTS) through Youth With a Mission (YWAM) in Perth. I finally figured out once and for all who He really is. In the third week of DTS we had teaching on “The Character of God.” The thesis was that He is a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger, rich in love. The teaching was incredible and I had completely new and profound revelation about His character. But I needed more. I was still grieving the loss of my best friend the year earlier and I needed more than just good teaching to get me to trust that He was really good despite what had happened. On the last day of “character of God” week I received some prayer and I released the accusation I had been carrying since her death. When I went back to my dorm, I crawled into my top bunk and put on some worship music. All of a sudden I was overwhelmed with an incredible sensation: comfort. It was as if all the comfort I had needed for the last year and a half, but had not been able to receive because anger had kept it out, came pouring into my heart all at once. I felt, saw, and heard Him more clearly than I ever had before. It wasn’t just comfort that came in for the first time; I also fully received His love for the first time in my life. I had always tried to believe and wanted to believe that He loved me, but it had never reached my heart. I didn’t trust Him. I didn’t think He was good. But as I received His comfort that day in that top bunk and as the tears poured down my face and into His hand I knew He was good. And knowing that He really is good allowed me to believe that He really could love me, too.
Once I had that incredible encounter with Him I wanted others to taste and see His goodness, too. It was like all of a sudden one day I looked up and saw the other 34 people in my DTS. I desperately wanted to see them impacted, healed and changed in powerful, permanent ways. And they did change. And by His grace He included me in the process! Towards the middle of lecture phase I found myself up frequently past midnight talking to and praying for the girls in my dorm, helping them through struggles with condemnation, insecurity, rejection, and frustration with God. I loved being used by Him in this way and getting to be in the front row to witness breakthrough in their lives. It made me want to see and be a part of His transforming love even more. I felt God putting a desire in my heart to staff DTSs in the future.
I, and the rest of the students in my DTS, had gotten lost somewhere between salvation and abundant life. We had gotten caught up in different things: ongoing sin, shame from the past, relationship problems, misconceptions about God, offence, fear… and they kept us from walking in the abundant life that He promised us. We were kind of like Lazarus just after he was raised from the dead, alive but tangled. Jesus had given me new life when I was 12, but I kept stumbling around in my grave clothes for ten years! Just as Jesus had his disciples untangle Lazarus, He also used discipleship to free me.
DTS is discipleship intensified. It provides great teaching from speakers around the world, one-on-one discipleship, tons of worship and prayer time, as well as just the space to get away from the distractions and temptations of everyday life. Because of this, the 6 month program is considered the equivalent of ten years of church. The students that attend DTS are usually 18-35 and are often at a place in their lives where they are desperate for God. For these reasons, so many come back from their time in YWAM permanently changed and forever closer to God. I don’t know where I would be if God had not led me to do a DTS, and I know 34 others who say the same thing. This is why I am so excited that God is calling me to return to YWAM as DTS staff!
I can’t wait to return to Perth in June of this year to be a part of helping others have an amazing experience with God and be brought from grave clothes to abundant life. In the next two years as staff I know I will see God do amazing things with, in, and through so many people’s lives. I wish everyone could witness the way He transforms, frees, and heals people through DTS. Not everyone can go, but there is a way that anyone can become a part of DTS. I am looking for people who will partner with me in this incredible ministry by praying and/or giving financial support. By partnering with me you will get to hear the amazing stories of what God does and know that your prayers and your resources played a part in making it happen. You, in effect, will be enabling transformation in hundreds of people’s lives.
If you have a vision and a heart to see more people living abundant lives in Christ, I invite you to sow into this ministry joyfully and expectantly! You’ll be amazed at all that He does!
How to get involved:
prayer partnership - email me at Claireelizabethgriffin@gmail.com
financial support - send check to PO Box 8501, Perth Business Centre, Western Australia 6849
or make an "online payment" at www.ywamperth.org.au
I “converted” when I heard a worship song that touched my heart at the tender age of 12. After my conversion, I tried to figure out “Christianity” on my own. I didn’t know much about God, and all that I seemed to be able to gather about Him was that He was sort of distant (if not absent), hot tempered, and more or less indifferent toward me. Naturally, I had a hard time sticking with it and instead of doing the walk of faith, I rode the rollercoaster. I’d try to follow Him and be good for a while, but would always wind up chasing after any and every other love I could.
My relationship with God was radically changed last year when I attended a Discipleship Training School (DTS) through Youth With a Mission (YWAM) in Perth. I finally figured out once and for all who He really is. In the third week of DTS we had teaching on “The Character of God.” The thesis was that He is a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger, rich in love. The teaching was incredible and I had completely new and profound revelation about His character. But I needed more. I was still grieving the loss of my best friend the year earlier and I needed more than just good teaching to get me to trust that He was really good despite what had happened. On the last day of “character of God” week I received some prayer and I released the accusation I had been carrying since her death. When I went back to my dorm, I crawled into my top bunk and put on some worship music. All of a sudden I was overwhelmed with an incredible sensation: comfort. It was as if all the comfort I had needed for the last year and a half, but had not been able to receive because anger had kept it out, came pouring into my heart all at once. I felt, saw, and heard Him more clearly than I ever had before. It wasn’t just comfort that came in for the first time; I also fully received His love for the first time in my life. I had always tried to believe and wanted to believe that He loved me, but it had never reached my heart. I didn’t trust Him. I didn’t think He was good. But as I received His comfort that day in that top bunk and as the tears poured down my face and into His hand I knew He was good. And knowing that He really is good allowed me to believe that He really could love me, too.
Once I had that incredible encounter with Him I wanted others to taste and see His goodness, too. It was like all of a sudden one day I looked up and saw the other 34 people in my DTS. I desperately wanted to see them impacted, healed and changed in powerful, permanent ways. And they did change. And by His grace He included me in the process! Towards the middle of lecture phase I found myself up frequently past midnight talking to and praying for the girls in my dorm, helping them through struggles with condemnation, insecurity, rejection, and frustration with God. I loved being used by Him in this way and getting to be in the front row to witness breakthrough in their lives. It made me want to see and be a part of His transforming love even more. I felt God putting a desire in my heart to staff DTSs in the future.
I, and the rest of the students in my DTS, had gotten lost somewhere between salvation and abundant life. We had gotten caught up in different things: ongoing sin, shame from the past, relationship problems, misconceptions about God, offence, fear… and they kept us from walking in the abundant life that He promised us. We were kind of like Lazarus just after he was raised from the dead, alive but tangled. Jesus had given me new life when I was 12, but I kept stumbling around in my grave clothes for ten years! Just as Jesus had his disciples untangle Lazarus, He also used discipleship to free me.
DTS is discipleship intensified. It provides great teaching from speakers around the world, one-on-one discipleship, tons of worship and prayer time, as well as just the space to get away from the distractions and temptations of everyday life. Because of this, the 6 month program is considered the equivalent of ten years of church. The students that attend DTS are usually 18-35 and are often at a place in their lives where they are desperate for God. For these reasons, so many come back from their time in YWAM permanently changed and forever closer to God. I don’t know where I would be if God had not led me to do a DTS, and I know 34 others who say the same thing. This is why I am so excited that God is calling me to return to YWAM as DTS staff!
I can’t wait to return to Perth in June of this year to be a part of helping others have an amazing experience with God and be brought from grave clothes to abundant life. In the next two years as staff I know I will see God do amazing things with, in, and through so many people’s lives. I wish everyone could witness the way He transforms, frees, and heals people through DTS. Not everyone can go, but there is a way that anyone can become a part of DTS. I am looking for people who will partner with me in this incredible ministry by praying and/or giving financial support. By partnering with me you will get to hear the amazing stories of what God does and know that your prayers and your resources played a part in making it happen. You, in effect, will be enabling transformation in hundreds of people’s lives.
If you have a vision and a heart to see more people living abundant lives in Christ, I invite you to sow into this ministry joyfully and expectantly! You’ll be amazed at all that He does!
How to get involved:
prayer partnership - email me at Claireelizabethgriffin@gmail.com
financial support - send check to PO Box 8501, Perth Business Centre, Western Australia 6849
or make an "online payment" at www.ywamperth.org.au
Friday, December 19, 2008
KCAB NI GNOK GNOH
I am back in Hong Kong, another lengthy layover. But I seem to be doing everything in reverse. I sat at this exact same computer almost 6 months ago after a long flight from San Francisco and typed a blog entry before meeting my friend Gregory and seeing a bit of the city. Today, I have seen a bit of the city and am now at the computer and then headed for my long flight to San Francisco. For some reason I find it extremely satisfying to be retracing my steps.
Well, the last entry didn't go so well. I am going to try to rewrite as naturally as I can the entry I created a week ago and subsequently deleted. There is so much to say about my experiences, and I intend to use most of the upcoming 14 hour flight to try to recount all that transpired over the last 6 months (most of it is extensively recorded in my journals, but in preparation for the strange transition I am making back into "normal" life I feel prompted to relive it and rewrite it all one more time :) I can't even begin to retell all that happened on outreach, especially because there is a fifteen minute limit to these computers.
But there were a couple stories and a some thoughts I wanted to share.
One highlight was the time I ate chicken head. I thought it was a leg. Until the host started rattling off in Bahasa Indonesia and the only thing I could catch were the words "kepala" and "ayam" which I unfortunately understood to mean head and chicken respectively. I tried to pretend in my own head that I didn't understand. But she persisted. She really wanted to know whether I liked the chicken head or not, so she asked the translator to ask me. When he said in Bahasa "no, she doesn't know, let's not tell her, it's better that way" I could no longer feign ignorance. I looked down at my plate and sure enought there was the place where the eye ball used to be and there were the neck muscles and part of the beak. I will never look at a chicken the same way again.
Another highlight of outreach was Senter Klas, the dutch holliday where a big, jolly, old fellow comes in a suit in the middle of the night and leaves kids presents. No, this is nothing like Christmas I am assured because unlike Santa Claus, Senter Klas deposits gifts in shoes not stockings and because instead of coal if you are naughty, Senter Klas's assistant will come and take you away in the middle of night to Spain for a whole year. I don't know what the Spanish did to the Dutch that was so bad that a year spent there is considered punishment rather than a vacation. Anyway, we got gifts in our shoes and we each wrote a poem for another person on our team, like Senter Klas does (another clear distinction between the big bellied holiday heroes), and read them out loud in the morning. To use my friend Amanda's favorite word: it was "precious."
On the serious side, it is times like the last three months that I really appreciate the education I got in sociology. Indonesia is a great place full of incredible people. It seemed the worse off people were economically the more hospitable, loving, and generous they were. While some were reserved, the vast majority welcomed us into their homes and yes, many invited us into their hearts. We developed relationship with people, which proved to be of more worth to many than gold, literally. Not just for us, but for them as well. Several people commented on the fact that they had seem many "bule" (foreigners) come in before. They drop off food or try to start a service project and then leave as quick as they can. But not us, they said, we kept coming, not just to give them something but to know them. Many couldn't understand why. Why would we have interest in them? That, we quickly discovered, would be our main "mission" in the slums of Jakarta. Everywhere we went they called us beautiful. It was a nice compliment we akwardly accepted at first. But when women started asking us to pray for their babies to be born looking like us a huge flag went up. It was then that we realized what they meant by "you are beautiful" was also "we are ugly." More and more we tried to show people and tell people of the value they have, their beauty and worth, not just in our eyes but in God's eyes, even if the whole world would tell them otherwise. I learned alot more about poverty in the last three months. Sociology at Cal taught me unbelievable things about the way the world is structured, how poverty happens, and how inequality is perpetuated and exacerbated along racial lines. What I learned in school helped me to explain to the wealthier Chinese-Indonesians why people in the slums are not lazy, not less. And it gave a voice to those afflicted by Indonesia's racial economic system. But with all that I learned at Cal I did not understand till recently that poverty is not just material, not just physical but spiritual also. Poverty doesn't only cause empty bellies, it empties people's souls. The people we met had been taught all of their lives by all spheres of society that they were ugly, valueless and meaningless. That is a kind of poverty and lack that clearly affects quality of life. I also discovered that it affects the material as well. Many of the people we interacted with, spent time with, prayed for started looking for jobs for the first time while we were there. Sometimes poverty is caused, or worsened, by hopelessness and fatalism, and feelings of worthlessness. Poverty is not only material. Nor is the solution. Unfortunately we had a church back out of slum adoption because of concerns over the world economy. It was such a sad day. The lie that money solves everything paralyzed a group of people that had the potential to continue what we had been doing for the previous eleven weeks (without a penny). I don't know if I am doing a very good job trying to articulate this, I hope I am making some sense. What I learned is that the problem isn't only material nor is the solution purely material. If we want to address poverty, we have to recognize and address all the needs, not just some. Without hope, faith and love the material will never be enough. I wish there was more we could have done, but I know we did alot. And I know it is not over. This is the first of many experiences in the world's most desperate places. It's where God's heart is. And now, it is where mine is, too.
Well, the last entry didn't go so well. I am going to try to rewrite as naturally as I can the entry I created a week ago and subsequently deleted. There is so much to say about my experiences, and I intend to use most of the upcoming 14 hour flight to try to recount all that transpired over the last 6 months (most of it is extensively recorded in my journals, but in preparation for the strange transition I am making back into "normal" life I feel prompted to relive it and rewrite it all one more time :) I can't even begin to retell all that happened on outreach, especially because there is a fifteen minute limit to these computers.
But there were a couple stories and a some thoughts I wanted to share.
One highlight was the time I ate chicken head. I thought it was a leg. Until the host started rattling off in Bahasa Indonesia and the only thing I could catch were the words "kepala" and "ayam" which I unfortunately understood to mean head and chicken respectively. I tried to pretend in my own head that I didn't understand. But she persisted. She really wanted to know whether I liked the chicken head or not, so she asked the translator to ask me. When he said in Bahasa "no, she doesn't know, let's not tell her, it's better that way" I could no longer feign ignorance. I looked down at my plate and sure enought there was the place where the eye ball used to be and there were the neck muscles and part of the beak. I will never look at a chicken the same way again.
Another highlight of outreach was Senter Klas, the dutch holliday where a big, jolly, old fellow comes in a suit in the middle of the night and leaves kids presents. No, this is nothing like Christmas I am assured because unlike Santa Claus, Senter Klas deposits gifts in shoes not stockings and because instead of coal if you are naughty, Senter Klas's assistant will come and take you away in the middle of night to Spain for a whole year. I don't know what the Spanish did to the Dutch that was so bad that a year spent there is considered punishment rather than a vacation. Anyway, we got gifts in our shoes and we each wrote a poem for another person on our team, like Senter Klas does (another clear distinction between the big bellied holiday heroes), and read them out loud in the morning. To use my friend Amanda's favorite word: it was "precious."
On the serious side, it is times like the last three months that I really appreciate the education I got in sociology. Indonesia is a great place full of incredible people. It seemed the worse off people were economically the more hospitable, loving, and generous they were. While some were reserved, the vast majority welcomed us into their homes and yes, many invited us into their hearts. We developed relationship with people, which proved to be of more worth to many than gold, literally. Not just for us, but for them as well. Several people commented on the fact that they had seem many "bule" (foreigners) come in before. They drop off food or try to start a service project and then leave as quick as they can. But not us, they said, we kept coming, not just to give them something but to know them. Many couldn't understand why. Why would we have interest in them? That, we quickly discovered, would be our main "mission" in the slums of Jakarta. Everywhere we went they called us beautiful. It was a nice compliment we akwardly accepted at first. But when women started asking us to pray for their babies to be born looking like us a huge flag went up. It was then that we realized what they meant by "you are beautiful" was also "we are ugly." More and more we tried to show people and tell people of the value they have, their beauty and worth, not just in our eyes but in God's eyes, even if the whole world would tell them otherwise. I learned alot more about poverty in the last three months. Sociology at Cal taught me unbelievable things about the way the world is structured, how poverty happens, and how inequality is perpetuated and exacerbated along racial lines. What I learned in school helped me to explain to the wealthier Chinese-Indonesians why people in the slums are not lazy, not less. And it gave a voice to those afflicted by Indonesia's racial economic system. But with all that I learned at Cal I did not understand till recently that poverty is not just material, not just physical but spiritual also. Poverty doesn't only cause empty bellies, it empties people's souls. The people we met had been taught all of their lives by all spheres of society that they were ugly, valueless and meaningless. That is a kind of poverty and lack that clearly affects quality of life. I also discovered that it affects the material as well. Many of the people we interacted with, spent time with, prayed for started looking for jobs for the first time while we were there. Sometimes poverty is caused, or worsened, by hopelessness and fatalism, and feelings of worthlessness. Poverty is not only material. Nor is the solution. Unfortunately we had a church back out of slum adoption because of concerns over the world economy. It was such a sad day. The lie that money solves everything paralyzed a group of people that had the potential to continue what we had been doing for the previous eleven weeks (without a penny). I don't know if I am doing a very good job trying to articulate this, I hope I am making some sense. What I learned is that the problem isn't only material nor is the solution purely material. If we want to address poverty, we have to recognize and address all the needs, not just some. Without hope, faith and love the material will never be enough. I wish there was more we could have done, but I know we did alot. And I know it is not over. This is the first of many experiences in the world's most desperate places. It's where God's heart is. And now, it is where mine is, too.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Fresh Air, Ozone-Free
I am back in Australia. So sorry that it has been a MONTH since I last wrote. The internet situation in Jakarta was dire, and only got worse as outreach continued.
I am sitting in a pleasant cafe in Perth, enjoying my Early Grey and the soft breeze and pleasant smells. I haven't really enjoyed breathing for the last eleven weeks. The air here is so delicious.
Wow... I just wrote a huge entry and spent nearly two hours writing and editing it. And it got deleted somehow. I am very sad right now... will try to rewrite it later... may not happen till I get to the states again... :(
I am sitting in a pleasant cafe in Perth, enjoying my Early Grey and the soft breeze and pleasant smells. I haven't really enjoyed breathing for the last eleven weeks. The air here is so delicious.
Wow... I just wrote a huge entry and spent nearly two hours writing and editing it. And it got deleted somehow. I am very sad right now... will try to rewrite it later... may not happen till I get to the states again... :(
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Fire drills, Jellyfish, and Chicken Feet
I am using my friend's laptop right now to write this. What an absolute pleasure. Someday I will have this luxury.
I am in Bandung. One of my closest friends from training phase lives here and me and another friend got to come along for our free day and enjoy her home, her family and her hometown. I thought this would be an exotic mini vacation, but I pretty much traded Jakarta malls for hers. But it is really nice to be in a home and her family is beyond kind. They took us out to dim sum this morning, which was great!! Dim sum in southeast asia, what could be better. You have to take advantage of every chance right? So I tried chicken feet and jellyfish. This is remarkable considering I am the same person whose mother serenaded her as a child singing "give food a chance!" Then I got to try jackfruit and snackfruit. No kidding. Rhyming completely random. They were yummy, too. I oughta be more adventurous. I will be more adventurous from now on. I am far too cautious in life. :) It's a good thing my mom doesn't read this blog. Ha.
In other exciting news, our apartment had a fire drill yesterday. You know, like the kind they organize in elementary schools at the beginning of the year? Yeah, one of those. And they don't play around. They stopped the elevators and everything. We had to take the stairs down from the 27th floor, which is actually only like 20 flights because of the whole missing floors phenomenon. But still, our calves are still hurting. But it was definitely worth it. We didn't just have to leave the building and stand out in the sun, oh no! like I said, they take it seriously. They had a little "evacuation area" set up in the parking lot, a beautiful frilly red and white awning, and rows and rows of fold up chairs. We all took our places and waited for further instruction in a language we don't understand. There was very little space between rows and the lack of leg room reminded me immediately of an airplane ride. As soon as I thought this, as if on cue, they started handing out snack boxes! I kid you not! We had rice and a pastry and water. Mmmm. Then came the in-flight entertainment portion. They stood in front of us and explained, still in a language I don't understand, how to use a fire extinguisher. Awesome. Wait, it gets better. After explaining, they took out a large tin garbage can and started a fire in it (never thought you'd see a fire started rather than being put out during a fire drill!) and then allowed people in the audience to practice putting it out. This was a great idea I thought, except for the fact that the chairs were set up down wind and we were all soon inhaling and coughing up fire extinguisher powder. But the show must go on!! Soon they were building an even bigger fire and getting out the big hose. This was truly the climactic part of the presentation... until they were unable to get the hose working. About ten minutes later an anticlimactic spurt of water came out and put out the flames. We all cheered and then rebuckled our seatbelts as we prepared to land.
Things are strange here. I find it highly entertaining.
More news from the slums next week...
Monday, October 27, 2008
Good News
Yea! Breakthrough. Can't write much, but just wanted to share that we have seen great exciting progress here... Two churches have agreed to each adopt a slum community. This means they are committing to two years of involvement- spending time in the community, building relationships, trying to assess the greatest needs of the community, trying to meet those needs as well as teaching the people how to meet their needs themselves (empowerment/teaching skills/social networking etc). I love the vision of slum adoption, it is amazing what God can do through it. It has the potential to seriously meet physical, social, spiritual, mental and psychological needs. I am such a fan.
This will mean a much busier schedule, so keep me in your thoughts and prayers.
Also, in follow up with Jantik- new mother. I have it on my heart to fundraise money for their hospital bill and to possibly buy them a new mattress- which I found out would only cost about $100-150 USD. Keep this in your thoughts and prayers.
until my next rushed entry hopefully a week from now...
thanks faithful readers!
This will mean a much busier schedule, so keep me in your thoughts and prayers.
Also, in follow up with Jantik- new mother. I have it on my heart to fundraise money for their hospital bill and to possibly buy them a new mattress- which I found out would only cost about $100-150 USD. Keep this in your thoughts and prayers.
until my next rushed entry hopefully a week from now...
thanks faithful readers!
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