Safir 6

The last time I talked about my roommates, I've only mentioned Mida and Ria. Then there's Sally. She's our helper and has been with us since I moved in. Well, she's more our caretaker and a mom, and our house would be such a mess without her. I have a rather unique friendship with Sally. She is the only person in the house whom I communicate with in Indonesian, and it seems that only we can understand each other. My broken bahasa Indonesia has gotten better mainly because of her. She is also my partner in watching American Idol. Every time she asks me what does Simon say, I'll either give a thumbs up or thumbs down, and she understands me completely.

Well in February, Dinda moved into our house. This comming May, Dominica and Jenni will be moving into our house. There'll be 7 of us in a four bedroom house. Ever since Ria, Mida and I have dealt with the issues of our differences, God has blessed our house with so much joy and laughter. Last week, we invited some friends over for dinner and spent four hours playing the Mafia game. Everybody loved it so much, they didn't want to go home. Or a few weeks ago, we finally were able to have a group date at our house. Everybody contributed in the preparation. I made Tom Yum Kung, Mida made Pat Thai, Dinda made fried beef, Sally helped with the preparation, and we were excited to encourage the brothers. Then we shared our childhood pictures and embarrassing childhood memories. Andreas was my translator that night and he used the words "chicken sh**." I asked him to say "chicken poop" instead. He didn't think there was any difference, but I properly informed him that there's a huge difference and that he should use poop instead of sh** from now on. That very night, Dinda gave a nickname to our house--The Safir Mansion, since our house is located on Jalan Safir or Saphire Street.

I'm grateful to see that Safir 6 isn't just a house, but a refuge to me, my roommates and those who have spent nights at our home. Some days, we have so many people in our house, it was hard to move around, but that doesn't matter. Lately, I have been thanking God for being single. I have been able to serve, enjoy, and share my time and energy in ways that I wouldn't be able to if I were married. The other day, my pregnant colleague asked me, "Don't you get lonely without a boyfriend." I told her that at times I do, but to be honest, while I'm waiting for my prince charming, I'm having a blast and my life has been well lived. And with God, life is rarely ordinary. To quote Gordon Ferguson, "Life with God is like a roller coaster. It has its ups and downs, but never boring." The freedom that accompanies surrendering and letting go of life's worldly expectations have brought me peace and contentment. I'm no saint for sure and still struggle every day, but God's been very good to me everywhere I am in this world.

Today, I prayed that God would show me a glimpse of Heaven. Maybe he already has. Maybe he already has...

Teman Teman (Friends)

"Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."
~Ecclesiastes 4:12

The world would be so blah without friends. In a previous blog, I recorded my struggle to build friendships with my roommates. Some friendships you have to fight for. Some they are just pure blessings. My friendships with Satyajeet, Jimmy, and Darme are kind of like that. Satya is a high school teacher from India. We call him Papa Jeet for short since he sponsors many of our outtings, and we often say "Thank you Papa Jeet" and rub our heads on his shoulder. Jimmy and Darme are Indonesians. Jimmy is an Ambonese singer whose slapstick humor just makes you roll on the floor; Darme is a Batuknese pre-school principal who always carries candy with her wherever she goes.

We've been there for each other through hell in a hand basket and back. We've laughed till our stomachs hurt, been through depths of each other's despair, or maybe just Darme's and mine, and have challenged one other in our walks with God, giving each other room to make mistakes and grow. I appreciate Satya and Jimmy's sense of humor. They are walking comedians. If I want to laugh after a long stressful day, I just hang out with these two. Darme, on the other hand, helps to balance the testosterone. One minute we can be so deep, another silly like little girls. Once in a long while, God blesses me with an incredible group of friends, and they've made my life so rich in so many ways. Some people you just feel so comfortable with that you don't mind sharing the most embarrassing moments in your life and still feel so yourself around them. They are the spices of my life. Bersyukurlah...