playing catch-up {GSG & Manturdays}

{this is my last "catch-up" blog post! we're almost back in real time!}

GSG = Girls' Small Group

"Manturdays" = "Men" meeting on Saturdays  (Chris wins the award for a cool group name)

Since returning from China, we've been leading these small groups twice a month, usually on Saturday mornings. The first Saturday, Chris had the boys over to our apartment, and Dasom and I met with the girls at a nearby Starbucks.

When I was in high school, I read through the book, Captiviting by John and Stasi Eldredge. I loved it, and thought it would be a great book to go through with these girls. It's about how our hearts as women really matter to God, because he created them with the longings and desires that we feel, and how He wants to be the Hero of our stories. . . the Hero that rescues our hearts and allows us to "live as a fully alive and feminine woman - a woman who is truly captivating."

The neat thing is, is that these two authors (husband and wife) also wrote a book for men. It's been the perfect book for Chris to lead the guys through as well! They talk about "man things" (says Chris). I quote him: "it's a time for them to take their questions somewhere besides the internet, and see what God says a man is."

Aside from the book study part, these small groups have opened up lines of communication that didn't exist before. We've both had opportunities to talk with some of the students outside of school and small group.  If you think about it, we'd appreciate prayer for Godly wisdom when tough questions are asked. Let me tell you, they have lots of them!

We've also got to have some fun! Along with meeting separately, we've tried to create some events where the guys and girls can hang out together outside of school and in a good environment. A month ago we had a giant game of Cutthroat Mafia in our school's gym and top floor. We had about 30 kids show up total. More than a regular small group,  but sometimes it takes a fun event to draw them in initially.

Last weekend, I invited the girls over for a sleepover, and kicked Chris out for the night (he's so great!).  It's busy "exam season" and many of the girls have Friday night or Saturday morning lessons, so only two girls were able to make it. Though I was wishing for a bigger turn out at first, Dasom and I realized it was a lot easier to "entertain" two instead of the potential 10, and it made chatting with them very easy. God knew what would be just right. We baked cookies (which they loved!), talked, and fell asleep in the living room to Pride and Prejudice :) One of the girls hadn't seen it before, so it was a must! Here's a few pictures Dasom snagged on her phone. . .

the baking process

finished product! so tasty

pancake squares and fruit for breakfast

And now, there's only five more weeks of school! I can hardly believe it! Even small groups have only been going on for two months now, and we'll probably only meet two more times before the end of the year, we're so grateful for the opportunity God presented. We plan to start up again next year, and continue connecting with the students in a meaningful way outside of school. We didn't quite know how it would start, and we're not sure the direction it will head, but we're praying for God's guidance, and we know He will lead the way. We want to say thank you to those of you who are prayerfully supporting our daily lives here in Jakarta, and specifically for the ministries that God has placed us in. We love you all, and can't wait to see our dear friends and family in just five weeks :)

Playing "catch up" {China}

Here's part two.

We flew out for China with 24 students the Friday school ended (which meant no down time before leaving). After one little hiccup, I'm proud to say that we got all 24 of them From Jakarta to Xi'an, to Beijing, and back -- accomplishment in itself!

Here's a picture of our group.

Lots of personality in that bunch!

Personalities that we got to know. Chris obviously knew them all before, but a different kind of bonding happens on trips like this when you're with the same people for 10 days straight. Goofiness abounds, inside jokes are formed, and fun is had.

The sights of China were amazing, and we still find it hard to believe that we stood in some of the places that we did. But both of us look back on the trip and thank God for the relational part of the trip as well. It's not like I was "buddy buddy" with all the girls on the trip, but I got to know them outside of school, and have real conversations with them. We had girls' nights in the hotel rooms that were full of laughter and stories about boys, while those very same boys were down the hall getting wrestled to the ground by Chris. Those guys seriously ate it up. Chris had a tough job on his hands of maintaining his position of "teacher in authority who deserves respect" while still having a good time with the guys, but I think he did a great job, and earned their respect even more than before.

Most of our pictures were of the places we went, and we spent most of the time behind the lens, but here's a few with some of the students. . .

Gotta finish with this funny sequence

So, China was great. I got to know the students that Chris talks about every day, and we got to interact with them together. We had a blast! And for me specifically, I now had built relationships with some of the girls who backed out the first time we were supposed to meet for small group. By the end of our China trip, they were asking when the next one would be, because they wanted to come! Praise the Lord. He knew how crucial that timing was. There's no way the small group I now have with some of these girls would have started, if I hadn't had the chance to get to know them first. 

Next post: a little bit about the direction God has led us with these small groups since then. . .

playing "catch up" {before China}

. . .because we have been SO busy around here! Unfortunately that's an all too often used excuse, and typically a pretty normal statement for most people. But for reals. It's been busy.

So busy, that I wasn't even able to document our trip to China (on the blog at least)! I woud feel like a cheater if I just moved on past it, and actually, that trip has greatly affected our last month here, so let me start there. Actually, three weeks before China. . .

After coming back from service week, God really placed a burden on Chris' heart for his grade 9 students (who he took to Malang). He got to know them better, saw a lot of growth in them, and also saw the needs they had - particularly the girls. Back at school, he noticed how many of them were purposefully skipping out on lunch. Being a male teacher, he could only talk with them, but not get super personal about it. He just started to realize how much these girls need mentors and positive role models to look up to. So, after some prayer and discussion between Chris, myself, and Dasom (our school's Korean teacher/friend who's around our age), we decided to start up small groups. Dasom and I would try (I say try because it's been a process!) to start a girls' small group, and Chris would start one for the guys. At this point, I just knew some of the girls' names, but not much more. Dasom and Chris were definitely my only connection to them. This was very apparent when it came time for our first small group day. . .  Dasom had been sick, and not sure if she could make it (and the girls knew this), but I said I'd be there. 

We had planned to meet at Starbucks, and I would bring the treats and the book we were going to go through (Captivating, a favorite of mine that I read in high school).

To me, the set-up couldn't have been more perfect. It had small group written allll over it. But that was me, bringing in my high school bible study experience that I absolutely loved. God was preparing me for something entirely different as I happily woke up early on a Saturday morning to try a new muffin recipe to share with the girls. . . the girls that never came. Not one. 

documenting our first small group attempt :(

Dasom ended up coming, but it was just us. Discouragement set in, as much as I tried not to let it. I was already nervous about opening up with girls I didn't know, and who didn't know me. And this just added to it. But God knew what he was doing. The majority of these girls who didn't show up, would also be on the China trip we'd leave for in just six more days. 

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This is already becoming much longer than I anticipated, and it's bed time. So, sorry to cut this short, but it's turning into part 1 of "not sure how many". 

Don't worry, China is good, and things look up! More on that next!

Service Week {grade 1}

The past week at our school was Service Week. All classes and normal routine were put on hold, in order for us as a whole school to devote an entire week to serving not only the community around us, but other parts of Indonesia as well. Plans and preparation started last spring, and were in the works up until the day before (and during as well - it was crazy!)

The senior school classes (Grades 9-11), took week long trips to outside locations (Malang, Bali, and Sulawesi). The rest of the grades were at school during the week, but had the freedom to do whatever. . . and by whatever, I mean 'be involved with as many service projects as possible for your respective grade level'. Most of the specialist classes were canceled (because those teachers were also involved in service projects) which made for a lot of 'teaching hours' during the day, but created the opportunity to leave school and serve in many ways. Classes went to visit orphanages, Omas & Opas  (Senior Homes), nearby villages, and more. We were also encouraged to invite others to our school and host events. Our service week took so many different forms - it was incredible to see. 

My class, along with the other grade 1 and grade 2 classes, went to visit one of SPH's sister schools, SLH Koja. Our school system has three tiers of schools: Pelita (ours), Dian, and Lentera (all words are a different forms of light). SPH stands for School of Light and Hope. The Lentera schools aren't international like ours. They are located within national villages, and all instruction is done in the native language, Bahasa Indonesia. 

The main point of our 'service' trip wasn't as much for service, as it was to build relationships. The last thing we want our 6 year-olds thinking, is that they are in any way better than the kids at this school. I'm making a stereotypical generalization, but school hours are about the only part of these kids' days where they aren't spoiled and waited on. Some of them still don't feed themselves at home. We have a lot of work cut out for us at school - trying to teach responsibility, common sense, and self-sufficiency. So instead of focusing on helping other kids who are "less-fortunate", we focused on building friendships, and being kind and loving to their brothers and sisters in Christ. 

For our time there, we prepared a time of worship through singing (English and Bahasa), craft time (Chinese Lanterns to decorate the classrooms for Chinese New Year), and game time. The way we incorporated service into this trip, was by having our students earn money at home (by doing jobs/chores for their parents) to pay for a special lunch for them, and a buddy at SLH Koja. This got the kids thinking about ways even they can serve - right in their homes! We also talked about being thankful for what we have - especially the nice school they get to go to. We had to prepare them to go to a school with no AC or running water. We prayed that there would be no complaining, even though it was definitely hot enough to! The kids were so good!

Here's some pictures from our day spent at SLH Koja.

This is Helen - one of our wonderful national teachers

introductions - Putri, my incredible teaching partner!

singing, "This is the day that the Lord has made"

my sweet girls who are always doing the actions for songs :)

A little too shy to introduce themselves. . .

. . . it was a work in progress

Our kids made cards to give to their new friends at SLH 

We plan on inviting them to our school during Term 4

starting to make the paper lanterns

My sweet Korean boy who can't speak Bahasa, but was still so willing to interact.

funniest kid in my class. . . without trying, haha

admiring the finished products

This group shot was difficult. I promise they were happier than the look. . .it was getting a little hot in there.

playing together

sweet faces

praying before lunch

chowing down on KFC :)

caught the spill in action!

Saying our "see ya later's" 

I know this is already a long post, but our class also made peanut butter balls in the kitchen one day, to pass out the people in our school who serve them. The kids put the treats in little baggies, and attached thank you notes. Then we spent part of the day walking through the school and handing them out one by one. 

Service week was long and tiring as a teacher, but oh so rewarding! It's such a blessing to be a part of a school that devotes an entire week to serving others. I love it! The only "bad" part about it, was my missing husband. He led the 9th grade service trip to Malang for the week. It's SO great to have him back home now! Soon, I/he will post all about his trip! Stay tuned :)

KDM - helping Indonesia's street children

On Saturday, Chris and I went with 4 other teachers and 4 of Chris' Global Perspectives' students to visit KDM. KDM is a ministry that has been working to get children off the streets of Indonesia for 40 years. They have a program consisting of several different steps, starting with getting them off the street, and hopefully ending with job internships. We learned a lot, and wish we would have known about it sooner! We hope to get involved again, and maybe take some groups of students out during our missions and service week next year. 

These little guys were our tour guides around the complex

nifty system: you do your business, and then pedal until it's gone. . .

dorm room

some nice porcelain planters

Kindy classroom

the boys showing Jeremy (chris's student) some artwork

happiness :)

future service project?

kids playing a form of  jump rope

little cutie

They had stations set up where the kids would teach us about the recycling projects they work on.

Chris and I got a chance to play some futsal with them. That was a sweaty decision.

After lunch, they treated us to an angklung performance. The angklung is a traditional Javanese instrument made of bamboo which is shaken to produce sound.

Then they did a choreographed dance for us. 

And then gave us a chance to play the angklungs after a quick lesson from the kids.

The kids were much better than us :)

It was such a great day! I found myself forgetting that these kids had been taken straight from the streets of Jakarta, and had no family. . . because they were such great hosts, well behaved, and all around sweet kids. There's another site that houses the kids that have more recently been saved off the streets. They have to go through a program to help them adapt before coming to this place where they start school and learning specific skills. . . computers, art, cooking, etc. 

It was an encouraging day, but still saddening to think about the reality that faces so many kids who are still out there. Here's a small section from KDM's website that explains the issue:

Street Children

Children choose the streets as a place to make money and get attention, but they have no direction, goals or hopes.

They rely on natural instinct and desire, lack discipline and have no consideration for risk or danger. This makes them particularly vulnerable to daily abuse, whether it is physical, psychological or even sexual.

Over time street children become traumatized and and develop behavioral problems, such as hyperactivity and lack of concentration.

But there is also the draw of money, children can earn Rp 30,000 – 70,000 a day on the street, or even more. This pays for bad habits such as smoking, glue sniffing or even drugs.

KDM can offer these children a future away from all this, and it begins with meeting one of KDM’s rescue teams.

We'll let you know of any further interaction we have with this program! Hopefully we'll have lots of opportunities next year!