Weiders Abroad

This weekend will be a three day weekend for us- it’s Chinese New Year.  This is actually the third new year we have celebrated this year.  The first was the Muslim new year, then it was the actual December 31, and now it’s the Chinese New Year.  Do you see a pattern?  I think it would do a multicultural-heart good to spend some time here.

We spent some time in Bali over Christmas break and learned more about Hinduism (more in a future blog).  Pretty soon we will be celebrating a Hindu holiday.  I’ve gotten to know some Buddhist students.

All in all, I think we have become poster children for political correctness!

I say this in jest, but in truth I really have appreciated my cultural education here.  It is different to look at the world through Indonesian eyes.  The international world looks MUCH different (also information for later blogs), but the religious world also has a different landscape.  Mike says he once heard a professor say, “In the west the question is: ‘Is there a God?’ and in the East the question is: ‘Which God is it?’”  I have come to understand the truth in that statement.

You may think that since many religions are openly practiced (and celebrated!) that all are lovingly accepted.  But just as in the rest of the world, they are not.  And I find that I appreciate the separation of church and state in America as I consider the problems for Christians and Hindus and Buddhists in this place.  Yes, they are acknowledged, but always with derision.  And to be a Muslim or a Christian in Bali is just as bad.

At the end of the day, is it possible for a country to be truly “PC” or is that just a lofty ideal- one made up by sinful people in a sinful world (of which I am a part).  I think this is the time I feel deeply the words, “Even so, Lord Jesus, quickly come.”

I must apologize for the length of time since my last post.  The Christmas season is upon us and that gets busy no matter where you are. 

One thing I like about being here is that there are so many hands on ways to get involved with helping people.  In the states, as Christmas approaches, many agencies offer opportunities to give clothes, food, books, toys, etc. to a local donation site and promise to get it into the hands of those who need it.  God bless them for their efforts.

Here, however, has been easier to be part of the process.  Perhaps because the need is so much greater, perhaps less red tape . . . I don’t know, but it has been good for us to play our part in bringing gifts to those who are in need. 

We were able to take two shoeboxes and fill them with gifts for kids (ages similar to Gabe and Sheralynn) at a local orphanage.  I don’t feel bad to say this:  I was proud of my children as I watched them choose gifts that were not for themselves, but instead for kids who would not get gifts from anyone else.  We talked about it for several days before and they knew what was going on with the recipients.  They are well aware that the gifts we get in our house are from us: mom and dad.  The fact that these children had no mom and dad was understandable and so we had fun choosing gifts for them.  They didn’t even ask for something similar for themselves.

But even more special was the activity that a group of women called “The Karawaci Ladies” was able to pull off.  Money was given and bags were made full of goods for babies and kids.  Then each of us put a card in a bag that sent Christmas greetings and also told where we were from.  The village these were given to is quite close to our town and can be considered especially needy.  They live in box homes built up under bridges.  Not a one of them speaks English, but their gratitude was conveyed wonderfully.

As for our own home, we were able to give gifts to our helper, Aas and our driver, Eman.  The kids were just as excited about giving as Aas and Eman were about getting.  It was so much fun to see them hand the gifts over and yell, “Merry Christmas!”  And it was interesting that both of them said the same to us in return.  To be clear, they do understand what Christmas means.  There were many hugs and smiles and I prayed that our Christian example would be more than I could hope.  I prayed that God would work through us to plant seeds and change hearts.

To all of you, we pray that God will work in your heart during this busy season.  Thanks again to those who have supported us thus far in prayer and in financial giving.  Your support means more to us than you can imagine.

Happy Birthday, Jesus!!  Merry Christmas to all!

I have suffered moments in our time here when I am full of doubt . . . can we make a difference in this place?  Can we attempt to make Christians in a socieyt so entrenched in something radically different?  It seems impossible at times. Even the people I have the most contact with- Aas, my helper, and Eman, the driver- seem unlikely to be reached.  Especially those people.

So, it was a great thrill to me to hear something which made me hope!  I was talking with Eman about school for my children.  He told me about a local Buddhist preschool that is well-known within our community.  He wanted to know if I would send Bethany there eventually.  I answered with an emphatic NO!  He asked why and I told him that because I’m a Christian it is important to me to have my children at a Christian school, etc.  He then said, “I would send my children to a Christian school if I could afford it.”

This is a chance!  An unexpected, but very welcome chance!  There are Christian village schools in and around our neighborhood.  Schools that would educate AND tell of Christ.  This maybe the only chance his children have to hear about the Good News.  So now we are working to see how we might see this through.

The Lentara Harapan schools are the third tier of Christian schools in the Yayasan (foundation) that is also in charge of SPH (and a middle level, Dian Harapan).  We would like to send his children to one of these schools.  I can tell more about that in an upcoming post.

In the meantime, please pray that Eman and his family will be open to this opportunity.  We have not yet approached them about this as we have not gathered all the information we need.  But it is our fervent prayer that this may be an opportunity for us to share Christ with this family.  Our hope is that it will be accepted and received within their family.  As always, we are overwhelmed and thankful for the support we receive from our family in Christ!  We will keep you updated on this situation!

In the Muslim tradition Lebaran is a time of repentance and forgiveness.  We actually saw a card in a store with the M&M guy on the front and on the inside it said, “Please forgive me.”  And that is what Mohon Maaf means:  “Please forgive me”. 

Until I understood more about this, I thought this was touching.  I was even a little in awe of the whole deal: a month of good feelings about our neighbors, a month of recognizing the sins we have committed and asking for forgivenss, and a month of receiving forgiveness!  What was wrong with that?

It wasn’t until Mike returned from a spiritual retreat he was leading for students at our school that I realized that this was an empty tradition for many Muslims.  One of the challenges Mike put before the students was to spend time recognizing their sin before God and neighbors.  Moreover, they were to follow God’s word and ask for forgiveness from a person they had wronged.  They were to repent, make it right, and receive forgiveness. 

Then another teacher stood up and addressed the students, saying, “I would like to remind the students that this is more than just saying “mohon maaf”.  This should be a specific thing and a truly contrite spirit.” 

So, we did more asking around about this repent and forgive tradition and found that most folks simply use the same line to everyone they know.  “Mohon maaf” - please forgive me for anything I may have done to you.  One article we read had the author admitting that he found himself greeting his friends and neighbors with something like, “I forgive you for anything you’ve ever done”.  So, out goes the repentance. Empty is the tradition. 

And then I considered our God.  The God who paid the ultimate price for our forgiveness.  There is no emptiness in the cross.  And therefore, we understand as Christians, that we must follow God’s commands to “. . . love your neighbor as yourself.”  And this includes recognizing our sins against them and forgiving them when they recognize their sins against us. 

Praise God that He has redeemed all things; that He has already paid the price and we will someday live in Heaven with the peace of sinless existence.  Until that day, however, let us humbly confess our sins to God and to one another, forgive one another, and live in peace.

I have been meaning to post this for some time now . . . it is a story that deals with the more wealthy Indonesians that I know.  If you are still interested, keep reading; if not, check back!

Employing a staff is quite common here, I believe I’ve shared that before.  The most common staff member is a “helper”, but anyone with children has a nanny as well.  This is a strange idea for me because . . . well, I’ve had only myself with three children (all under four years old before September).  But almost all of my children’s friends have nannies.  These young women pick the kids up from school, take care of their needs, travel with the family on vacation, change diapers, etc.  In one case, there is a nanny who we see nightly riding her bike around with the little boy because this is the only way that child will fall asleep.  To say that these women are raising other people’s children is not an exaggeration.

As I said before, I have three young children.  Yes, they are a lot of work sometimes.  But I’ve never felt that I just couldn’t/wouldn’t do it.  And what other option did I have?  But the funny thing is that some of the Indonesian women I have come to know here are amazed at the fact that I don’t have a nanny to help me with the kids (having a “helper” isn’t the same thing, apparently).  One woman even said that she admired me for having the energy and desire to stay home with my three children.  This made me laugh and I shared with her the story of my dear friends, Anita, Jen, and Kate. 

All three of these women stay home with their multiple children.  Not just that, I told her, but they homeschool their multiple children as well.  This Indonesian woman could not believe that would happen.  She could not understand what would make a woman decide to take that on.  She went on to share that most people are hard pressed to do without their helpers, and are quite lost without their nanny.

So, here is a toast to three women who do it all.  AND without a nanny or a helper (if you don’t count their husbands, of course).  And to the hardworking moms I don’t know who will read this and wonder at the very idea of having even one helper.  Women all across Java are wondering how you do it and are admiring you for your patience and energy!

So, if you’ve been visiting our site recently, you’ve seen our Taman Safari pictures.  Taman Safari is about 40 miles from here.  It is a real tourist attraction, but it is pretty amazing.  It took us about an hour and a half to get there and about the same to get back.  In this we were lucky; I have heard tales of traffic so bad that this 40 mile trip took 6 hours. 

We still had a time of it, though, because we took the “scenic route”.  We were up hills and down hills.  We even drove through a “pasar”, an open air market.  We weren’t supposed to be driving there, there was no room, and noone was too happy to see our car there.  We did this because we were guided there by MANY men along the route, all reassuring us that we were going the right way, as we handed them 1,000 rupiah (ten cents) and thanked them for their help.  There are men all over Java directing traffic in this way.  They aren’t official, but they certainly are abundant, and they make only the money people like us give them.  In some cases they are helpful, but in this case not so much.

Taman Safari is a drive-through wildlife park.  Zebras, elephants, and hippos all just outside your car.  Even lions, tigers, and bears.  Though to drive through those parts you must close your windows.  The whole time we were there I was considering that this is the sort of place we could never visit in America.  An elephant came up to our window and took some rupiah from Mike’s hand and then gave it to the rider.  A zebra stuck his head into our car expecting food.  The lions were about 10 feet from our car. 

When the car ride is over, there is still more to do.  Mike and the big kids rode on elephants, we had pictures taken with the orangutan, and went through bat filled caves.  The bats, mind you, were not in glass cages, they were simply hanging above our heads.  We saw people getting their pictures taken with lion cubs, white tigers, and other such cats.  It was insane and I’m sure that PETA would not have had much good to say about the experience.

But this is Indonesia, as I’m constantly reminding myself.  Rules either nonexistent or meant to be broken.  It’s not the way I’m comfortable with, but this is the culture I’ve come to and must remember that I’m a guest here.  In the meantime, I’m going to make my way quickly out of caves filled with bats and make sure I don’t try that part again!!

We are experiencing less and less of that “strange land” feeling.  It is amazing how comfortable a place can become and how fast you can make a new home your own.  No framed pictures or art work hang on our walls, but it is our house and our car and so on.  Plus, we have started getting quite comfortable in our small Christian community.  Safe in the SPH community it is not difficult to become lulled into a feeling of security.

And then you are quickly and decisively reminded that we are NOT in the U.S.  Though the Indonesian government claims that there are 5 acceptable religions, there is really only one: Islam.  Christians are tolerated at times, persecuted at others.  They are certainly not protected by the police, nor by the elected officials. 

Just the same, Christian churches exist and thrive.  The official number of Christians here is less than 10 percent, but, we are learning, the truth is closer to 20 percent.  An expat theology teacher who has been here for 10 years told me that people are quietly turning to Christianity all over.  God is building His Church here.  “What would happen?” he asked, “If we just stayed in Indonesia?”  The implication of course, is what would God do to use us to build His church here?

We are learning the answer to that every day.  Please pray that God would open our eyes to the opportunities here to grow Indonesian Christians- Christians who may change the course of history for this country.  It will not be the expat faces who change the outlook, but the Indonesians who live for Christ here.  We specifically want to ask that you pray for Aas and Eman- the two Muslim people we see most often.  Pray that God would help us to be a clear, strong witness to them. 

Thank you to the many Christian churches and individuals that pray for us on a regular basis.  We are grateful for your uplifted prayers.

We are now in the middle of Ramadhan.  This is the month of fasting, compassion, etc. for Muslims.  From sun up to sun down, no food or drink is consumed.  Aas, our helper, is up at 3:30 to eat and she does not eat again until 6:30 in the evening.  Nor does she drink anything.  Her energy level is noticably decreased and has been since this began.  She has spent most of her weekends sleeping.  She hasn’t gone home since the fasting started. 

Non-Muslims take care to respect this time.  Restaraunts have shades and drapes on the windows and they are closed and no one is to drink outside lest a fasting person see you.  This is a very important time in a Muslim’s faith.  At the end, Idul Fitri arrives and that is the breaking of the fast.  Ramadhan is perhaps like Lent and Idul Fitri is akin to Easter for Christians. 

What is important during this time is sharing and giving to those less fortunate.  Our driver, Eman, told us that it is commanded.  Therefore, begging in Jakarta is intensified.  You may have heard the news story about the people who were trampeled to death for the $4.25 cents per person that a wealthy man was giving away.  People are also expected to take meat to the mosque to give to the poorer Muslims.

We were discussing this with Eman and he said, “We are lucky.  We have food, a home . . . not like some in Africa.”

Eman lives in a kampung- a village- with a small home and supports a family of five.  They have three young children (9, 4, and 9 months) and his wife does not work.  His salary is a bit over $120 per month.  He thinks he is lucky. 

I felt a bit ashamed when I heard him say that.  I don’t spend much time thinking I’m lucky. 

Truly, it is all perspective.