Neither of us had to be in school, since the 12th graders are only hardcore studying for the national test next month, and Ailin still had vacation, so i went to her house, which has no AC, but was built so that the wind would be able to touch every part of the house, which makes it so much better than having AC, i think.
But I slept over at her house for a purpose as well,
her mother, a coordinator of some part of the YEP program, works with children from Papua (the most third world island in Indonesia) and brings them to Jakarta so that they are able to study and get caught up fast enough to be able to go to university abroad and be modernized. The Papuan students were wanting to see different countries so that they could udnerstand more about them and see where they would like to go to for university, and so- Ailin and I made presentations about our country and life in our country, and then- the Papuans (who look more like African-Americans than Asians, and get harassed for it by a lot of the Indonesians) made a presentation about their country, danced a traditional dance, and gave Ailin and I corn rows. They even welcomed us by traditionally washing our feet. These teens (Ailin and my age) made me feel more at home than anyone else ever has in Indonesia, just because they looked and acted just like African-Americans I know in America, and that- was so much more comforting than comfort food, songs, or sceneries. To actually be with a people like that, was so comforting for me. And now- Ailin and I have great friends from Papua!
I stayed at Ailin's house for a total of three days, and we went swimming, met Miss Annie's nephew to teach him English, and had our own bahasa Indonesia lesson; but the best part was the Papuans, who loved us like no one else has here yet. God was with that group of teens :)
Then on Thursday-Sunday, Ailin came to my house! Where we watched "Where the Wild things are" - which i don't totally recommend, met Miss Annie- who loved on us with more food, met Dasha at the mall~ ate churros with dulce de leche (a South American melted caramel type thing that Ailin misses more than life itself)~ and wasted our money on a movie named Another Year, i don't recommend that one either. We even were able to make food for my family on saturday night, the cultural night. With Apple Crisp and deviled eggs from the USA, Borsh made by Dasha from Russia, and Pasta made by Ailin from Italy really but they always eat pasta in Argentina. We also made some interesting sauces, with the help of Dasha's dad in Russia, and successfully and happily fed my family of 7 :)
and the reward, the beach on sunday! where we tried banana boats, jetskies, and tried to stand up against the waves, which was almost impossible becuase they would slap you in the back like a friend who wanted to hurt you. I was actually scared at first to go in because i was sure there were sharks, but it was so salty that people said it was actually too salty for them.
While jetskiing with Dasha, I finally brought to the front of my mind that I wasn't totally in tune with God. The entire week was spent with people, but barely with God, so even though there was an amazingly huge God moment with Ailin one night~ with my God, I was slacking big time.
And the newest challenge he had given me the one night i was free before Ailin came to my house, was to make a routine while things were happening and i was travelling; and by sunday, i hadn't actually done it successfully. I was doing it my way, and I realized that when I tried to describe the sea through God's eyes. But I couldn't. I could only describe it as something big, dark, deep, and intense; not through God's beauty. And so- i stopped, ready that night to truly sit down with God and get myself in tune.
So when Pria (my older brother) and I took Ailin home, I had a great God moment with Pria in the car, and then finally sat down with God for an hour, and prayed.
My grandma sent my mom "Let Prayer Change your Life" a book all about a woman's experience with prayer, and how the challenge to pray one hour a day, really developed her life into a scheduled, beautiful plan for God. and now~ that's my routine with God. I have started 1 hr. a day to pray.
and it's been working in me.
Just this morning, God and I realized that the reason I'm coming home on the busiest day of my friends year at school, to remind me that it's not about me, i'm walking right back into His story, and my story- the one that I want people to sit down for 24hrs. to listen to, will have to wait. It will be told, but not when I want to tell it. It will come out in time. But it will come out right away in my personality and what i've learned from God here in Indonesia to be really loving and value every person that I talk with. ~ and so, God led me to the idea of writing a book, that I could hand to people, and say take your time, this is my testimony of Indonesia, read it, dig into it, love God through it. :)
and so, I'm on a schedule. I'm working out. and I'm being provided for financially from the English lessons that I'm giving Miss Annie's nephew.
I'm diving into God, I'm learning about His consequences, and I am seeing people change around me.
Like Helia, who has decided to take the jump God has been asking her to (as far as she knows) and go to the Netherlands to be an au pair because her crepe business has closed down.
Or like my new family, who have been talking more because I'm here, when before they wouldn't talk as much.
And like me, where as of right now, i'm on a schedule- but in the process of not making it mine, but God's, and not forgetting that God is providing me with the money, and the time to do things- and the good things that happen, not myself.
So~ here we are, in a world of all things new and all things changing and we are.
with God's world, with God as steadfast and true as He was in the times He took the Israelities through the wilderness, He is just as steadfast and true as this world changes around us, and as we walk, HE will mold us, take care of us, listen to us, comfort us, and talk us through every single event/moment/situation/conversation that will mold us into His people.
:) as a mass,
as His sea.
the most beautiful of His creations, so large that you cannot see the end, so deep that no human has ever discovered every part of it. with cracks and crevices that the Lord will keep secret forever, but many that He will guide us to discover and explore; like how we discover and walk in this world with Him.
we move with Him like the sea.
together, as one, we stand :)
not just one person alone. but as i'm molding into His image, your molding into His image, and one piece at a time, one revelation at a time, we will all click into place, and be His people, be His church :) His Hands and Feet.
Thank you God.
Amen.