I realize that it has been a long time since I have made an entry into here and I am sorry about that. I have been in the interior of Papua with the high school on what we call OE. Outdoor Education is one of the highlights of the year for all high school students. Our high school goes interior for two weeks and works along side a missionary in a village. This year we helped the missionary couple with their hydro plant, airstrip, painting some buildings. Then we were also involved helping a doctor and dentist do medical clinics in the area. This was a powerful time as our students got to check patients, pull teeth, and learn about what the different medical problems are in the region.
The village we went into this year is named Ibele. We had the privilege of listening to a missionary who had lived in Ibele in the 1970's. He was the main speaker and he spoke on the ABC's of Christian Character. Great listening to him and being inspired as well. Amazing work that is going on in Ibele. We were so blessed to be a part of it for two weeks.
During the two weeks the high school is put into 8 different groups each with a leader. The 8 groups then hike or get helicoptered in to different small villages that surround the "mission station". This year my group got to go into Hiberak which was about a 2.5 hour hike up the mountain from the main village. Here we spend 3 nights in the Honai's (traditional huts) spending time with the people, showing the Jesus film, building a toilet, kids clubs, medical, and anything else that we can find time to do with the people. This OE I had a unique experience. On Sunday we were asked to sing in front of the church which is not that out of the ordinary and then 10 minutes before they asked me to share with them. Many of the villagers did not speak Indonesian but some of them understood it so I spoke for about 25 minutes in Indonesian and then the pastor came and explained to the people what I had said for those who did not understand. Amazing experience of God stretching me. The church had memorized the passage in Matthew about where your treasure is there your heart will be also and so I began my message sharing about that for a while. Then the day before in Kids Clubs we had shown them the story of the son who leaves his father and then eats with pigs and then decides to come home. I talked about the grace that God has for us if we confess our sins. Anyway it was a stretching time for me.
This past week has been me trying to recover from the two weeks sleeping on boards with a mosquito net and trying to be a leader on this years OE. The person who runs OE asked me last year if I would be willing to take on a larger role in the leadership of this program and I said that I would. So last year she was working with me so that one day I will take it over from her. So last year I helped out and this year we really did work side by side in the planning. This is an incredible amount of work and I can not believe that she has done it all this time by herself. I really enjoy working along side someone else and so hopefully it will stay this way for years to come.
Today I write this not yet fully recovered. Today also Janna's parents are coming which we are really looking forward to. Must run class is starting.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Sunday, January 04, 2009
Doug and Lil come and gone...
Doug and Lil have come and gone and our hearts are so happy for the visit. We had a great time showing my parents where we live and work here in Indonesia. It is always such a blessing to show people where our hearts are at, and now we can talk with them on a much deeper level of what our lives are like here. My parents arrived safely in Bali on Sunday and will now have a week relaxing before they head home.
Connecting as a family over Christmas and New Years was an awesome time for our family as Christmas is usually the most lonely time of the year.
Also many of you have heard of the earthquake in the bird's head of Papua. Some of our mission friends have been affected by this large quake but for the most part no mission personel have been injured. We felt some tremors here but had no idea that the earthquake was as big as it was until we had some updates from our mission leaders. MAF will be responding as usual to disasters and trying to help the interior in any way that we can. It sounds as though there were 4 earthquakes in the same area measuring 7.6, 5.6, 7.5, 6.0. I am reminded of a song that says if God is on our side whom then shall I fear. We want to be in the middle of the Will of God, that is the safest place to be.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone. May we walk closer to God during this new year.
Connecting as a family over Christmas and New Years was an awesome time for our family as Christmas is usually the most lonely time of the year.
Also many of you have heard of the earthquake in the bird's head of Papua. Some of our mission friends have been affected by this large quake but for the most part no mission personel have been injured. We felt some tremors here but had no idea that the earthquake was as big as it was until we had some updates from our mission leaders. MAF will be responding as usual to disasters and trying to help the interior in any way that we can. It sounds as though there were 4 earthquakes in the same area measuring 7.6, 5.6, 7.5, 6.0. I am reminded of a song that says if God is on our side whom then shall I fear. We want to be in the middle of the Will of God, that is the safest place to be.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone. May we walk closer to God during this new year.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
First Semester
Incredible to think that first semester is almost over. Tomorrow begins finals here and my parents arrive tomorrow as well. It seems like just a little while ago that we were dreaming about company and here it comes. Should be a great Christmas time.
We continue to be so thankful for Christ and what He has meant to our lives. We continue to seek Him. May God enrich this season of Christ's birth. May we remember why He came this crazy place called earth.
We continue to be so thankful for Christ and what He has meant to our lives. We continue to seek Him. May God enrich this season of Christ's birth. May we remember why He came this crazy place called earth.
Monday, December 01, 2008
Joy
Joy! What a joy it was to walk back into our house after a week in Hong Kong and see the posters on the wall, "Welcome Home Dad", "Jalen loves Dad", "Kaya loves Dad", "Mom loves Dad". What a joy it is to have a family that loves and supports that work that we together do.
As Janna and I shared stories of the past week one topic continued to come up and that is the topic of Joy. Listening to the speakers at the conference and realizing that we need that Joy in our lives that comes through Christ and knowing that we are Christians that already have our future mapped out for us. How do we live with the Joy that Paul talks about in 1 Thes?? Rejoice always! you have got to be kidding me. Well that must have been written by a man who did not have any trials in his life. After a quick look through Acts you realize that wait a minute Paul had lots of trials and yet he writes be joyful. As I talked to Janna about this topic she too shared that she had been wrestling with the same thing. Joy is something that should come from inside, it should not be something that we struggle to achieve. If God is the center and is truly in control then we have much to be joyful about. This is something that we are now working through, how do we have joy in the challenging times?
I am now home and working once again. I am extremely glad to be home and glad that our family is "normal" again after 3 weeks. I put the word normal in quotations marks because I do not want to have a "normal" family, I want us to be the most abnormal, loving, on fire for God family that we can be. One of the presenters used the words "misfits for Christ". Well that is where we are at this week, continuing to stuggle, but loving, the biblical truths which we try to make applicable in our lives. Lets show people that Christians are the most joyful people because Christ died for us and the Holy Spirit lives in us!!!
Darren Back Home in Papua OUT
As Janna and I shared stories of the past week one topic continued to come up and that is the topic of Joy. Listening to the speakers at the conference and realizing that we need that Joy in our lives that comes through Christ and knowing that we are Christians that already have our future mapped out for us. How do we live with the Joy that Paul talks about in 1 Thes?? Rejoice always! you have got to be kidding me. Well that must have been written by a man who did not have any trials in his life. After a quick look through Acts you realize that wait a minute Paul had lots of trials and yet he writes be joyful. As I talked to Janna about this topic she too shared that she had been wrestling with the same thing. Joy is something that should come from inside, it should not be something that we struggle to achieve. If God is the center and is truly in control then we have much to be joyful about. This is something that we are now working through, how do we have joy in the challenging times?
I am now home and working once again. I am extremely glad to be home and glad that our family is "normal" again after 3 weeks. I put the word normal in quotations marks because I do not want to have a "normal" family, I want us to be the most abnormal, loving, on fire for God family that we can be. One of the presenters used the words "misfits for Christ". Well that is where we are at this week, continuing to stuggle, but loving, the biblical truths which we try to make applicable in our lives. Lets show people that Christians are the most joyful people because Christ died for us and the Holy Spirit lives in us!!!
Darren Back Home in Papua OUT
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