http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=120455&id=534216971&l=5810ad1641
Monday, June 22, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Made it Home
After about 42 hours of travel, including the taxi and bus ride to Jarkata I made it home tonight.
The kids were really excited to see me. I didn't sleep much on the plane so I'm hoping the Jetlag won't affect to much. Plus I'm taking an Ambien Cr to help.
I'll post some more pics and hopefully videos in the days to come.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Going Home
My time is winding down here in Indonesia. Yesterday as we remembered the 16th, it was a very good and special day.
C and I took A to the zoo. That was a lot of fun and we were able to get close to the tigers who were pacing back and forth.
For lunch we ate pizza, and had a sharing time. There were many of P's friends here. It was a great sharing time.
Afterwards we went and played tennis with the guys that P used to play with. We had a great time playing together.
Then in the evening we went to a restaurant that is owned by one of the business partners. He was very generous. I had already had two drinks, a big meal and he then ordered pizza for us to try.
This morning I walked in their old neighborhood one more time by myself. Many people were out and smiled at me. I met the two guys that P talked with a lot. They lived around the corned and I told them I was P's brother. The older guy went and brought back pictures he had of P and E and also one he had with my dad from their visit. So that was lots of fun.
I've been doing some shopping this morning and then hopefully for lunch we'll catch up with E and A and say good bye to them. It's so funny when C and I walk around. They all know the word Mister. So they say halo Mister and laugh and smile and watch us everywhere we go.
C and I will take a bus to Jarkata at 2 and then I fly out at 8:30 and start by 36 hour journey back to Wichita.
My heart is full and I am taking back some great memories.
I'll post some more pics and hopefully some videos after I get back.
Thanks again for all your prayers.
C and I took A to the zoo. That was a lot of fun and we were able to get close to the tigers who were pacing back and forth.
For lunch we ate pizza, and had a sharing time. There were many of P's friends here. It was a great sharing time.
Afterwards we went and played tennis with the guys that P used to play with. We had a great time playing together.
Then in the evening we went to a restaurant that is owned by one of the business partners. He was very generous. I had already had two drinks, a big meal and he then ordered pizza for us to try.
This morning I walked in their old neighborhood one more time by myself. Many people were out and smiled at me. I met the two guys that P talked with a lot. They lived around the corned and I told them I was P's brother. The older guy went and brought back pictures he had of P and E and also one he had with my dad from their visit. So that was lots of fun.
I've been doing some shopping this morning and then hopefully for lunch we'll catch up with E and A and say good bye to them. It's so funny when C and I walk around. They all know the word Mister. So they say halo Mister and laugh and smile and watch us everywhere we go.
C and I will take a bus to Jarkata at 2 and then I fly out at 8:30 and start by 36 hour journey back to Wichita.
My heart is full and I am taking back some great memories.
I'll post some more pics and hopefully some videos after I get back.
Thanks again for all your prayers.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Remembering the Unimaginable
As I sit here in Indo, exactly 52 weeks ago at this time (8:45 PM) on a Monday night P's earthly life ended. As AB put it yesterday as we talked, the unimaginable happened. It's so special being in the country where he breathed his last breathe. It's still so hard for me to wrap my mind around the fact that P is dead on earth and alive as more than ever in eternity with Christ.
It's just so hard to put into words all that I've experienced and all that's happened. We keep saying how surreal all of this is. God has met me in a powerful way these days. My heart is full from these experiences and from encountering him. Although it's a short time here in the country, it feels like a lot more.
This morning, AB and I were planning on going out to look around but I was feeling dizzy so I finally got some time to rest and process. This afternoon we took a van back to Bandung. That was a wild experience in how everyone drives on the highway. At one time there were three different vehicles trying to pass a slow moving truck on the turn of a mountain. I didn't get to car sick so that was great. Praise God we made it back safely.
I am now back with C. Tomorrow morning on the 16th, C and I will take AP out to the zoo so EP can have some time to go to the hospital with her friends. Then at 12:00 we will gather with a bigger group to remember P. We will eat together and possibly play tennis.
This trip has been perfect in so many ways. The people I've met that have shared stories about him, being there for the dedication of the prayer chapel, catching P's heart for the people here. It's motivated me to continue to press on in the Lord and the work we do.
Below our lots of pictures from the past few days. Thanks again for all the prayers. I will try and post one more time before leaving the country on Wednesday.
In front of the Prayer Chapel. It is 70 percent done.
Inside Prayer chapel. 
Eating Organic Field Corn
Farm House and Prayer chapel
The Organic Crops
E and A fishing. A was the first to catch a fish.
AB and I wearing our "man skirts". This is what the men wear here in the evenings.
AB on the Indo Grill 
Oh Yea. 
Prayers at Local place of worship.
AB and I wearing our "man skirts". This is what the men wear here in the evenings.
AB on the Indo Grill 
Oh Yea. 
Prayers at Local place of worship. Sunday, June 14, 2009
Prayer Chapel
We got back from the Farm Sun at 5:00. We are extremely tired but had an unbelievable time.
the drive to the farm was incredible. the last 1/2 miles was the roughest road I had ever been on. Our car was loaded with people, with one person riding in the back with all of our luggage. We were just bouncing around all over the place.
As we drove up to the farm, A, their friend and one that runs the farm, nonchanantly points out to this new building and says here is a prayer chapel we just built that we are dedicating to P.
At first we didn't catch the fullness of what he said.
But in the last three weeks, he has helped construct a basic prayer chapel in honor of P. He wants it to be a place where people can come and meet with God and prayer for the focus group here in this area. As you are on the top of it you can look at at three counties which represents roughly 1.5 million.
It was very special and emotional to be there for that. The rest of their team was their and we all shared memories of P and we able to dedicate this chapel to the Lord.
what a special and unreal experience. I honestly can't describe what it was like to be there for that. Such a surreal experience.
Coming back A and I talked a lot about the last days of P's life and the days following. It's very hard but also very sweet to share these memories with him.
I am extremely tired and can hardly stay awake at 9:00 PM tonight so I'll plan on writing more later about everything we experienced there as well as hopefully post some pics.
the drive to the farm was incredible. the last 1/2 miles was the roughest road I had ever been on. Our car was loaded with people, with one person riding in the back with all of our luggage. We were just bouncing around all over the place.
As we drove up to the farm, A, their friend and one that runs the farm, nonchanantly points out to this new building and says here is a prayer chapel we just built that we are dedicating to P.
At first we didn't catch the fullness of what he said.
But in the last three weeks, he has helped construct a basic prayer chapel in honor of P. He wants it to be a place where people can come and meet with God and prayer for the focus group here in this area. As you are on the top of it you can look at at three counties which represents roughly 1.5 million.
It was very special and emotional to be there for that. The rest of their team was their and we all shared memories of P and we able to dedicate this chapel to the Lord.
what a special and unreal experience. I honestly can't describe what it was like to be there for that. Such a surreal experience.
Coming back A and I talked a lot about the last days of P's life and the days following. It's very hard but also very sweet to share these memories with him.
I am extremely tired and can hardly stay awake at 9:00 PM tonight so I'll plan on writing more later about everything we experienced there as well as hopefully post some pics.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Hanging at A and T's House
Yesterday we took the train at 7 in the morning to A and T's house. I have been looking so forward in spending time with them here.
Right away A took a couple of us to the local worship center here. On Friday it is the equivelant of their Sunday service for our fellowships in America. A said that this is the time that the town shuts down in a sense and many come to this main worship center for a sermon, and to do their prayers. We didn't go in it but from the outside we observed men doing their prayers. As I watched tears filled my eyes as I thought of P and his heart and how much he loved the people here and so much desperately wanted them to come to a relationship with the Lord.
I have really been wrestling with God since being here concering P's death. While I know that God is bigger than us and that he has a huge plan that we can't see and that we need to trust him, it's just the reality of seeing so many that need him and how few people are here that know the Lord. In the town where we are at, there are 4 million in the area and maybe only 2000 that know the Lord. I'm hearing so much how good P was at the language and how much he loved the people. He was so effective here and so why did God just take him away as he was getting started. Think of how many C's and how many fellowships there are in the states and so few here so to take one away is so devastating. I can still go back to God's sovereignty and that helps but it's hard being here on the ground and realizing how effective he could have been.
We had a really wild experience yesterday. They have men that have bicycles that have carts that you ride in the front of them. I will show pictures later. What's so funny is that they are build for smaller people not large Americans. So I squeezed in and was being pushed through the city. I told A that he needed to pay the guy double for pushing me around. It was an incredible experience.
It's just amazing how many people are here. The Island of Java has 120 million. Even areas that are considered more rural are just packed and packed.
Learning about the Eastern mindsight is very interesting especially in how different the west thinks. We are all trained to think individually and here everything is viewed as a community and family and not many decisions are made independantly. This has big implications in the way they do work here.
It was great seeing E and A. Their plane travel went great. A has been a lot of fun and she is doing great. Today we are going up to the farm where they grow organic vegatables.
It is so hot all the time but I am managing and drinking so many fluids. I still feel great and am grateful that I haven't been sick.
I have now been here a full 4 days and have a full 4 left. While in reality this time isn't that long it's leaving such a deep impact on my heart and life.
On Thursday night here we had dinner at some friend's of P and E that lived close to them. They were fellow students here and getting ready to go to a different Island to live. They were English so C and I had a blast listening to their accent and learning new words. My favorite was niggles, or niggling. It means being bothered or annoyed. so I could say, The hot weather is really niggling me here.
Well I guess that's it for now. Thanks again for all your prayers.
Right away A took a couple of us to the local worship center here. On Friday it is the equivelant of their Sunday service for our fellowships in America. A said that this is the time that the town shuts down in a sense and many come to this main worship center for a sermon, and to do their prayers. We didn't go in it but from the outside we observed men doing their prayers. As I watched tears filled my eyes as I thought of P and his heart and how much he loved the people here and so much desperately wanted them to come to a relationship with the Lord.
I have really been wrestling with God since being here concering P's death. While I know that God is bigger than us and that he has a huge plan that we can't see and that we need to trust him, it's just the reality of seeing so many that need him and how few people are here that know the Lord. In the town where we are at, there are 4 million in the area and maybe only 2000 that know the Lord. I'm hearing so much how good P was at the language and how much he loved the people. He was so effective here and so why did God just take him away as he was getting started. Think of how many C's and how many fellowships there are in the states and so few here so to take one away is so devastating. I can still go back to God's sovereignty and that helps but it's hard being here on the ground and realizing how effective he could have been.
We had a really wild experience yesterday. They have men that have bicycles that have carts that you ride in the front of them. I will show pictures later. What's so funny is that they are build for smaller people not large Americans. So I squeezed in and was being pushed through the city. I told A that he needed to pay the guy double for pushing me around. It was an incredible experience.
It's just amazing how many people are here. The Island of Java has 120 million. Even areas that are considered more rural are just packed and packed.
Learning about the Eastern mindsight is very interesting especially in how different the west thinks. We are all trained to think individually and here everything is viewed as a community and family and not many decisions are made independantly. This has big implications in the way they do work here.
It was great seeing E and A. Their plane travel went great. A has been a lot of fun and she is doing great. Today we are going up to the farm where they grow organic vegatables.
It is so hot all the time but I am managing and drinking so many fluids. I still feel great and am grateful that I haven't been sick.
I have now been here a full 4 days and have a full 4 left. While in reality this time isn't that long it's leaving such a deep impact on my heart and life.
On Thursday night here we had dinner at some friend's of P and E that lived close to them. They were fellow students here and getting ready to go to a different Island to live. They were English so C and I had a blast listening to their accent and learning new words. My favorite was niggles, or niggling. It means being bothered or annoyed. so I could say, The hot weather is really niggling me here.
Well I guess that's it for now. Thanks again for all your prayers.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Grateful to God!!
The last day has just been incredible. Everything that I tried to envision or hopeful as been happening.
Last night we went to the small group that P and E attened. They are a Chinese Indonesian group. They were very welcome and said how much that they had missed them.
During the small group time, I was so tired, hot, and my back was just killing me sitting on the floor. I kept asking God for grace and endurance. I felt like I was going just fall over. But I made it through it. The worship time was great with them and they had a teaching. Afterwards they asked if I had anything to share. So I shared with them and C translated for me.
I told them thanks for everything they did for P and how they embraced him. I shared with them how hard it's been as well for our family but that we were proud of how P had lived.
I told them that we have two choice in our beliefs. We can either trust in the things God does for us. We can trust in our visions, our plans, our families, or we can trust and believe in God's character. If we trust in other things those will disappoint us and when chaos happens we can doubt then God's love for us. But if we trust and hold onto his character then nothing can shake us. This group was praying and supporting P and E's vision and dreams here so it's been hard for them to see how it moving forward without P.
Afterwards I talked with a few of the business men and they were close with him. We talked about the days surrounding his passing and we shared tears together. These were guys that he had played tennis with us well. One of the guys who loved playing doubled with him, shared how for three days he couldn't sleep after P's passing. It was so good being with this group. They all did a lot to help P's body leave the country.
Today I met with the director of his school. He was very warm and we shared more tears and memories together. He had visited P when he was in ICU and with the breathing machine. When P died, he sent out 24 letters to various places to help get the body to the US. Everyone worked so hard to help Esther.
After that we walked around his neighborhood and saw his house. They lived so close to their neighbors and loved them all so much.
Then we went to the hospital and saw where they had the service for him here.
Thanks again for all your prayers and support. My energy today is okay, probably will get tired later.
Tomorrow we take the train to see A and T. I will meet up with E and A tomorrow for the train and can't wait to see them.
Today for lunch C and I went to a place they went for lunch and we got great burgers. they were even better than what we get in the states. Again, I've loved the food so much. I love the rice and spicey food they have.
Last night we went to the small group that P and E attened. They are a Chinese Indonesian group. They were very welcome and said how much that they had missed them.
During the small group time, I was so tired, hot, and my back was just killing me sitting on the floor. I kept asking God for grace and endurance. I felt like I was going just fall over. But I made it through it. The worship time was great with them and they had a teaching. Afterwards they asked if I had anything to share. So I shared with them and C translated for me.
I told them thanks for everything they did for P and how they embraced him. I shared with them how hard it's been as well for our family but that we were proud of how P had lived.
I told them that we have two choice in our beliefs. We can either trust in the things God does for us. We can trust in our visions, our plans, our families, or we can trust and believe in God's character. If we trust in other things those will disappoint us and when chaos happens we can doubt then God's love for us. But if we trust and hold onto his character then nothing can shake us. This group was praying and supporting P and E's vision and dreams here so it's been hard for them to see how it moving forward without P.
Afterwards I talked with a few of the business men and they were close with him. We talked about the days surrounding his passing and we shared tears together. These were guys that he had played tennis with us well. One of the guys who loved playing doubled with him, shared how for three days he couldn't sleep after P's passing. It was so good being with this group. They all did a lot to help P's body leave the country.
Today I met with the director of his school. He was very warm and we shared more tears and memories together. He had visited P when he was in ICU and with the breathing machine. When P died, he sent out 24 letters to various places to help get the body to the US. Everyone worked so hard to help Esther.
After that we walked around his neighborhood and saw his house. They lived so close to their neighbors and loved them all so much.
Then we went to the hospital and saw where they had the service for him here.
Thanks again for all your prayers and support. My energy today is okay, probably will get tired later.
Tomorrow we take the train to see A and T. I will meet up with E and A tomorrow for the train and can't wait to see them.
Today for lunch C and I went to a place they went for lunch and we got great burgers. they were even better than what we get in the states. Again, I've loved the food so much. I love the rice and spicey food they have.
P and E's Small group
P's school
P's House
Traffic!
P's business partners and tennis friends
ICU where P passed
Where they held the memorial service
The director of the school and his family.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
