Minggu, 23 September 2007

Mataku Tlah Melihat Kemuliaan

"My eyes have seen the glory of the Lord."

Never in a million years had I planned to come to Indonesia. But I'm here now and God has never stopped to amaze me. Oh, the wildness of God! Who can comprehend? I'm falling more and more in love with God, his people and this country as the days go by. I still remember the first few weeks of wanting to get out of here as soon as possible: being lost in translation, having no hot water, getting food poisoning, feeling homesick, facing the chaos at work, and missing close friendships. There were times when I just asked God to give me enough strength for the day and nothing more. Why God? Why did you allow me be here? I heard no answers. But while waiting, God has taught me to find comfort in Him and Him alone, to see things from his perspective, to trust in his great plans and that he knows what he's doing with me. My life story is being written by the hands of the living God.

My eyes have seen the glory of the Lord.

On one Sunday about two weeks after I got here, I specifically prayed that God'd bless me with a friend who was going through the same situation as me--another "fresh of the boat" foreigner, another Alicia perhaps. And watchabygollywhoa! On that very day, I met Becky Vail. Not only was she new in town, she is also a disciple from Seattle who happened to just move to Indonesia to teach! As if God knew we'd need each other, a fellow soldier in the battle, as if God had planned this all along. "He determined the times set for (us) and the exact places where (we) should live."

My eyes have seen the glory of the Lord.

The other day I was doing a slideshow presentation of my Papua New Guinea trip to my ninth grade students for a development studies class. I had never thought that I'd be sharing about God's glory from my travels to students. And the kids loved it, seeing their teacher's painted face in the native grass skirt costume. Moreover one girl is currently studying the Bible. Another girl, with a Muslim background, is trying to convince her mom to let her study the Bible. Many students have brought their friends to church. And yes, I see my students at church every Sunday. Quite strange in the beginning, but I've gotten used to it.

My eyes have seen the glory of the Lord.


I'm building deeper friendships with the brothers and sisters here, growing closer to God, learning and studying the Bible with Indonesians. Aku belajar bahasa Indonesia dan bisa menyanyi dua lagu di bahasa Indonesia. Oh Tuhan, biarlah api ini terus berkobar.


Mataku tlah melihat kemuliaan!

"Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy."

(By the way, have I mentioned that Indonesians can really sing? The song ministry here is the best I've seen yet...)

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