What’s It Like Over There?

What is it like in Indonesia? What language do they speak? What is the weather like there? How long will you be there? Will you live in a hut? Is it safe? Aren’t you scared? What do your parents think about you leaving? Can people visit you over there?

These are some of the many questions that have been posed to us over the last two months. We have tried to answer them, but we won’t really know until we get there. Most of what we know about the country we looked up on the Internet at www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/

Feel free to do this if you have it available. We would like to try to answer some of these questions for you right now. 

1. There are hundreds of languages in Indonesia and 50 some in Kalimantan. We will learn Bahasa Indonesian. We will be in language school in Indonesia for six to nine months before we can move to Kalimantan where we will be living and working. 
2. The weather in Kalimantan stays around 85 degrees, with 97% humidity. The sun rises and sets between 5:30 PM and 6:30 PM all year. We will be right near the equator and on the ocean, thus the equality in temperature and amount of sunlight all year long.
3. The normal term for MAF career staff, like us, is three and ½ yrs. there and six mos. in the US, then three and ½ yrs. there and six mos. in the US, etc. This is our career choice.
4. We will be living in a house. The house will be small, but adequate. That’s all we really know right now. It depends on where we actually end up living as to what kind of house we have. 
5. From what we have heard, it is quite safe where we will be living. Is it really safe anywhere? We are not scared. God has given us a peace about serving Him wherever He wants us to go. The safest place to be is in God’s hand. That is where we are. We would feel miserable anywhere else. 
6. Our parents love us and know that God has called us to do this. They are excited for us and are very supportive. Of course they would like to have us around all the time, but they realize that they can’t go against God’s will in our lives.
7. Anyone can visit us anytime that they want. Just e-mail us and let us know if you want to visit or send a mission team over for a week or two.

Our hearts are excited to have the chance to serve and minister to the people of Indonesia. We can’t wait to get over there, but there is much to be done first!