After Two Weeks

It is a beautiful Monday afternoon in Salatiga as I sit down to update our blog. The Super Bowl ended not too long ago. Cathy and I listened to the second half on our computers. Actually, I only listened to the third quarter as I then left to walk to Mountainview International Christian School (MICS).

Over the weekend Cathy and I did some exploring of our neighbourhood. We walked by the school and community center that back on to our home. We hear the school children on a regular basis beginning at about 6:30 each morning. And 15 minutes prior to that we hear music piped over the PA system. So while I have been setting an alarm, I don’t think it is really necessary so far. On the bright side, we are certainly adjusting to the call to prayer which we hear at about 4 a.m. If we don’t sleep through it, at least we are not awake for long with it.

In our walking around town this weekend, we noted that very often it is cloudy and difficult to see any distance. This was highlighted for us on Saturday as we walked down a street and suddenly noticed that we could see Mount Merbabu, which looms over the town but has been largely invisible during our time here so far.

In general, our routines are developing, and we note that we really do not have an evening life. By 9:00 we are looking to shut down and sleep. That gives us enough rest, even with the early morning interruptions. Our breakfasts for the first two weeks have been oatmeal. While I like oatmeal, I do have my limits.

So...I am very pleased to say that we figured out how to use our stove-top oven, and we whipped up a batch of granola. I think we'll try a different recipe the next time, but now we at least have choice at the beginning of the day!

I have been doing a lot of reading during the days, having finished Lawrence Yoder’s book on the history of the GKMI church (The Muria Mennonite church, one of three Mennonite Synods or Conferences in Indonesia). I am currently re-reading Richard Foster’s “Celebration of Discipline. Today I met with someone (Scott) at MICS to talk about working with Third Culture Kids (TCKs). My interest in this stems from contact with two families who moved back to Harrisonburg from overseas missions. The children in these families all dealt with transitions that were new to me. I often felt frustrated with my inability to be more helpful in these transitions, so I am hoping to learn more. Certainly with EMU, EMS (both the school and the seminary) and with VMM located in Harrisonburg, there are multiple opportunities for ministry with TCKs. I plan to sit in on a class at MCIS where Scott works with seniors on current issues, and where he focuses on transitions.

While my involvements here in Salatiga are slow in developing, Cathy’s are not. She has a full schedule at Satya Wacana Christian University, and is working to be intentional about how she limits her involvements. She does seem to be energized by what she is doing. But that’s her story to tell.