A Bountiful Harvest

Being in the US, I'm getting to experience a slight change in season for the first time in three years. Indonesia is tropical, situated along the equator. So, the climate is generally the same year round- hot and humid. I was born and raised in the Sunshine state (Florida), but even there is gets cooler come October/November and to me at least, cold in the winter. (I call cold around 40 degrees Fahrenheit or colder).  So, now that October has brought with it a slight nip in the air, I'm excited to experience Fall in its understated splendor as it touches the shores of Florida.  No leaves turning here. But orange and brown decorations can be spotted in stores and in living rooms, reminding us of a by-gone time when we celebrated a bountiful harvest.

While Indonesia does not have an Autumn as such, God has certainly blessed the country of Indonesia with a bounty waiting to be harvested.  They are blessed with a great variety of produce, but my favorite are the variety of fruit. Below are the many fruits available in Indonesia. They are one of the many things that I miss when I'm in the US. For as much as I love US food (no comment), Indonesian fruit cannot be beat. There is an abundance of colors, tastes, and textures. There are also a few that are admittedly "an acquired taste" (Durian).  But most Indonesian fruit is succulent and sweet. Indonesians gather it up by season, bringing in into the storehouse. The harvest is plentiful in Indonesia.  

God sees the people of Indonesia,  a land of many islands with diverse people of many languages and cultures. He sees them longing for Him, searching the stars, seeking the God who made them. The harvest is plentiful and the fields are ripe. 

Durian- a stinky fruit that smells very bad. It is often illegal to transport because of the smell. But many people enjoy it. I have heard that you have to try it three times before you learn to like it. I haven't been brave enough to try it yet.

Dragon fruit- a sweet fruit, which has purple or white flesh. Very tasty. Great in smoothies.

Salak, or Snakefruit- tastes like a pear/apple combo. 

Jackfruit- Can be eaten as a fruit or a vegetable. The flesh can be used as a meat substitute called Nangka. 

Papaya great with lime juice, very sweet in season. Papuans claim that the seeds are protective against malaria which is pervasive in Papua.

Finger bananas- There are many varieties of bananas in Indonesia. These are my favorite. They are small and very sweet, perfect to put in your lunch for school.

Mango- in season, mangoes are very sweet and delicious, one of my favorite Indonesian fruits.

Rambutan- a pink, spiky fruit with a gelatin like flesh. Very prevalent in Papua certain times of the year.

Jeruk Bali, or Pomelo- a grape fruit like fruit, but not as bitter. I don't like grapefruit, but I like this.

Jeruk, or oranges- They are orange in color on the inside and green on the outside even when ripe. Tastes like oranges with which Americans are familiar.

Nanas, or Pineapple- when ripe, it is better than chocolate. 

Jeruk Nipis, or limes- makes great juice

The beautiful faces and smiles of Indonesian children

John 4:35 (NIV) Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. 

(All photos are taken from Creative Commons)

 

The Beauty of Creation -Indonesian style!

God made so many beautiful things. In my years in Indonesia, I have seen some amazing things. I wanted to take some time to share a few of them with you.

God touched the Earth with His finger. He saw all that He had made and declared it to be good. He blessed it with sun and rain. He watched it grow and with put it under the care of mankind.  The wonder of nature, the vast oceans and expanse of the universe. All of them sing… They declare the glory of God.

"The heavens declare the glory of God;
    the skies proclaim the work of his hands."- Psalm 19:1 (NIV)

Indonesia is a jewel of nature decorating Southeast Asia, just north of Australia.

The following flora and fauna can be found on the various 17,000 islands of the Indonesian archipelago. Most of these photos were not taken by me personally. But they are a part of the diverse plant and wildlife found in this place I love. Here is view through the window into what you might find there.

(Images  below were taken from Creative Commons).

Tree Kangaroo

Orchid

Bird of Paradise

Rafflesia Flower

Birds of Paradise

Komodo Dragon

Rice Terrace

                

Trip to the Jungle

After living in Indonesia for several years, I finally had the opportunity to visit a village in interior Papua. My friends, who are Bible translators, invited me to spend a few days with them to see where they live and work. I was a little nervous about the plane ride. I had never flown in a small plane before, and this was a PC-6. But once we took off, the flight was smooth and problem free. We flew over beautiful, tree covered mountains, winding rivers, and scattered villages. We landed on a small grass covered runaway, met by my friends, along with people from the village.

During my time in the village, I was able to see first-hand what God is doing in the lives of the people in that village. My friends have been working on Bible stories in the language of the people. They took several of these stories (mostly Creation) and put them into audio form with the voices of the people from that language group. They added pictures and put them in video format. My friends told me that when the people were first shown the video, they asked to see them twice. The weekend I was there, the film was shown again. This time the people asked to see them three times.  

As I was walking back to my friend’s house, I got a little choked up thinking about how much the people hungered for God’s Word. My friends have given their entire lives to living and working with the people of this village in order to provide them with something we have in abundance and take for granted everyday- access to God’s Word.  That led me to another thought. My friends are here to translate Scripture. I am here to support them in that by teaching their children. As a matter of fact, one of their children was in my fourth grade class last year.  This visit gave me a real sense of connection to God’s work here in Papua. What an incredible privilege to be a part of it.

Tis the Season

   Tis the season to be busy... That's the phrase that keeps ringing around in the head.  Don't get me wrong. I love Christmas, and everything surrounding it. I enjoy the parties and concerts, friends and students adding to the joy of the season. All this activity even helps me feel less homesick to a degree. I feel blessed. However, having said that, I have also come to realize how easy it is to become so involved in the activities surrounding Christmas that I might even forget about the Person of Christmas. His birth, life, death, and resurrection define our Faith and bring us joy and purpose for our lives. His love stretches across time and brings us before the manager. So let us worship our King, together with all those who seek Him.

 

 

 

 

Serve Each Other

Lately, many of our Grade 3-5 Friday Chapels have focused on service. Love each other.... Serve each other. So, the kids brainstormed ideas of what they could do to serve others. Some ideas included making cards, saying "thank you,"  among other ideas. It was finally decided that they would serve others by picking up trash around the school. The kids went to several areas of campus, cleaning as they went and they did it with a smile. I'm so proud of them!

Fun in the Fall