Part 5: Tragic news

I have already mentioned the passing of Nurmiati Omboh's husband, Norman, as well as that of my friend, Pak Kalam. As grieved as I was upon hearing of their home-going, the news of their death did not come as a complete surprise since both men were clearly in failing health. But I was stunned into disbelief when, on April 21, 2008, I received the e-mail from Bill Dyck informing me that Pak Damad had passed away in his sleep the night before. This was the man who had spent hours in the Borneo sun pounding wooden posts 3 feet into the heavy clay ground with seemingly limitless strength and stamina. In a little under six months following our mid November, Friday morning departure from Adong, a man with whom I was developing a friendship was gone. This man, who seemed as strong and healthy as anyone I have ever seen, had succumbed (it was surmised) to heart failure. What made his passing even more tragic for me was that I had missed two opportunities to discuss with him the details of his daughter's death; something that had been on my mind ever since the occasion when he had sat down beside me to tell me of his loss during the team's first visit to Adong in 2004 (see PArt 3 - Nov. 25th). Damad was a key man in the village and during the morning devotional on the day of the 2007 Provincial Election, he had expressed a desire to study to become a pastor. He leaves a wife, Maria and two sons, Donald and Joel. One is comforted by the truth that Damad is with the Lord and reunited with his daughter.

I was now being confronted more and more with circumstances that made it clear that health care expectations and entitlements were vastly different in Borneo that what they are in Canada. TB has basically been eradicated in the West and were Norman Omboh allowed the opportunity of accessing the Canadian Health Care system, he would likely still be alive. Similarly, had Pak Damad been able to receive an annual check-up, including an ECG to monitor his heart, he, too, might still be living.

Another condition, Diabetes, is serious, even in the West, but, thanks to Insulin, rarely a killer. Not so, it seems, in Borneo! In mid-December of 2009, I had arranged with Bill Dyck to set up a 'Skype' session sometime during the Christmas period. Bill had e-mailed me back stating that for him, Christmas Day evening (specifically 8:00 p.m. Pontianak time) would be suitable. So, forfeiting my Christmas Day lie-in, I was up with the lark and at 8:00 a.m. (Ontario time) was at my lap-top dialing Bill's Skype address. We connected (audio and video - at least for most of the session) and enjoyed 15 to 20 minutes of conversation. I was anxious to know how the project at Adong was proceeding (the dorm that the team had begun work on during the 2007 trip) as well as the welfare of the villagers with whom we had developed relationships; in particular how Pak Damad's widow, Maria, and sons Donald and Joel were coping. Others whom I was concerned about included Pastor Wimfried and his wife Ibu Anneka. I was disappointed to hear that they had moved back to Manado since they, too, had become friends. But that disappointment turned to shock as Bill informed me that Wimfried had later died as a result of complications from Diabetes.

We later received news that the wife of one of the men, with whom we had worked on the project, had died giving birth. These tragedies are a sobering reminder of Psalm 103:15 and 16: "As for man, his days are like grass. He flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more." But for the believer, including the five mentioned above, the Psalmist does not end his thought on such a depressing note but continues in vs. 17: "But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord's love is with those who fear Him, and His righteousness with their children's children." Praise the Lord!

Part 4: Return to Adong

I had caught the Indonesian bug! No, not malaria, not parasites, not even Montezuma's what-you-ma-call-it. I had caught the "want to go back" bug. Upon my return to Canada after the 2004 trip, I became consumed with the task of editing the many hours of video tape I had shot and categorising all the photos taken by the team members. I was able to re-live, many times over, the unique experiences that we had enjoyed and the memories of the unforgettable people that we had met both in Pontianak and Adong. Yes! I wanted to go back. Would there ever be another opportunity?

Periodically, I would probe Dave Bonney to ask if there was a requirement for another team to continue the work at the training centre. We heard little regarding the progress of the construction at the site, but then came the call - Ronny Welong contacted Dave requesting that another team be formed to come to West Kal. And so the planning began. November 2007 was the time suggested and Dave began the task of contacting a number of men to commit to a three week sojourn. Dave Syer had been on two trips and suggested it was time for others to have the opportunity to go - and in the end the team did include three "rookies". Two were members of Dave Bonney's church, Mark Johnson, a retired farmer and Frank Gustin who raised hogs in Wyoming (Ontario). The third, Ralph Meiszinger, a friend of Dave Bonney, was pastor of a Paris, Ontario, Baptist congregation. Returnees were Daniel Konzelmann, Dave Clark and myself. But, there was one snag. My younger son David would be competing in the All-Ontario Volleyball Championships at the end of November. He was a student at Eden Christian High School in St. Catharines and Eden had won the Gold Medal at these same Chanpionships in 2006. Thus, they would be defending their title as #1 Seed. It would also be the last opportunity for David to play as 2007 would be his final year at school. Well, the Lord was gracious and, in His perfect timing, we would be back in Canada on the 27th; the Volleyball Tournament being scheduled for the 28th and 29th. - and in a venue less than a 3 hour drive from my home.

And so, the shots having been administered; the anti-Malarial pills purchased, Passports in order (I made certain, this time) and the tickets bought; we were ready to go. Unlike 2004, which had included a hotel stopover, this flight itinerary had none and we would be traveling between Detroit and Jakarta via Taipei and Singapore catching sleep either on the plane or in a departure lounge. This schedule would challenge our powers of endurance but the Sunday evening on which I would make my way to Wyoming (Ontario) prior to the Monday flight, was not the time to dwell on such things. It was an evening to celebrate, albeit, modestly. It was my 62nd birthday and I was going to paint the town.....well, not exactly red, more chocolate and white, courtesy of brownie and vanilla ice cream.

I had arranged to meet Dave and Janet at the London (Ontario) Airport where they would be meeting their son, Nathan, who was flying in from Alberta. Nathan arrived around 8:00 pm and we drove to a London Boston Pizza and enjoyed the aforementioned B and V I-C before heading to Wyoming for the last bed sleep for some while.

Monday, November 5th.

At 9:00 a.m, the team and several wives congregated in the foyer of Dave's church and started to load up Mark's truck which would whisk us off to Detroit Airport where we would be joined by Dave Clark.

Almost immediately we met up with Dave C. so the whole team headed to the check-in counter. We each had agreed to bring numerous items that would be staying in Indonesia, such as clothes, school supplies, hygiene products etc. resulting in a total of fourteen large suitcases in addition to our carry-on bags. We were blessed by a very helpful check-in counter attendant. She was able to check our luggage all the way through to Jakarta which proved very helpful considering the number of changes of aircraft we would be making.

Our itinerary was as follows (beginning with a 3:30 pm. departure from Detroit):
Detroit to Denver: 3 hour flight; 90 minute layover.
Denver to Los Angeles: 2 hour flight; 4 1/2 hour layover
L.A. to Taipei: 14 hour flight; 2 hour layover
Taipei to Singapore: 4 hour flight; 90 minute layover
Singapore to Jakarta: 1 hour flight.

Wednesday, November 7th

We lost Tuesday crossing the International Date Line, so it was already Wednesday at around 1:00 pm. local time when we touched down in Jakarta. We gathered our luggage that amazingly had arrived intact and made our way to the shuttle bus and onto the Sheraton Bandera Hotel were we all enjoyed a much-needed shower.

During the months of planning, we had learned that Dennis and Janet Kirkley were on a three year teaching assignment at the Universitas Pelita Harapan (UPH) in Jakarta and they had invited us to spend the evening with them. They were still teaching when we arrived so we "gate-crashed" the class and met a number of their students. Daniel and Mark gave a brief synopsis of why we were in Indonesia. We had a tour of the superb facilities and enjoyed a meal at the Kirkley's Health and Fitness Centre. After a very enjoyable time, we eventually got to bed at our hotel a little after midnight. I had calculated that all in all since our getting up at 6:00 am. Monday morning until our heads hit the pillow at the Sheraton, we had not seen a bed for 55 hours.

Thursday, November 8th

A mercifully late morning flight to Pontianak allowed us a leisurely breakfast before hopping aboard a Lion Air 727 for the one hour flight to Pontianak. Upon our arrival, we gathered the mountain of suitcases, breezed through customs and were met by a platoon of vehicles from the Seminary. Ronny, Vabro, Bill and Janice Dyck, Laura-Lee Bustin along with other staff members had all come to greet us. We were treated royally upon our arrival at STK and it was so good to see many familiar faces as well as meeting others for the first time.

Since the two Daves and Ralph would be spending their week at the Seminary, teaching and/or leading the morning chapels, they were billeted at STK. Mark and Frank would be guests of Bill and Janice Dyck and Daniel and I would be staying with Darrell and Laura-Lee Bustin and their two children, Bronwyn and Caleb.

Friday, November 9th.

After a relaxed Thursday evening getting to know our respective hosts, we came together for breakfast at the School prior to attending the Friday morning Chapel. As is the custom, each of the team spoke briefly, bringing greetings and sharing a short testimony. The afternoon included shopping, a walk through the market and sustenance in the form of 'kopi susu' (coffee sweetened with condensed milk) at the "Suka Hati" (Heart's Desire) cafe. In the evening, the team was split into two groups; each attending a different house church meeting.

Saturday, November 10th

This time we did it right! We visited the Equator Monument before embarking on anything else. The Bustins and the Dycks were our tour guides for the day. On my previous visits to the monument, I hadn't noticed how close it was to the Kapuas River. After the obligatory photoshoot and as the day was beautifully sunny, we strolled the 200 metres or so down to the river to watch the constant flow of river craft of all varieties.

This weekend was an important milestone in the history of STK and KGBI. It was the 33rd anniversary of the founding of the ministry in Pontianak. In light of this, Saturday evening was devoted to an Evangelism workshop in the Chapel. Several people, including all of the team members, described certain strategies and ministries that their respective churches have tried or are considering in order to bring the gospel to the communities around them.

Sunday, November 11th.

Party time! The morning service was a rousing celebration of worship and gratitude to the Lord for the past 33 years. Included was the filming of the finale of a video (a corporate "Happy Birthday, Opa") that had been in preparation for some time and which would constitute the birthday gift from STK to Bob "Opa" Williams. "Borneo Bob" would be celebrating his 97th birthday in approximately two weeks time and Ronny and Rit were to leave Thursday to fly to California to be part of the festivities. They would be delivering the completed video to the birthday boy.

A brief word about Bob Williams. He was born in November, 1910. As a result of an association with the founder of a ministry known as 'Go-Ye Fellowship', Bob was drawn to the mission field, desiring to take the gospel to people who had never heard the Good News. In the summer of 1939, Bob found himself in West Kalimantan - Nanga Pinoh, to be precise, a village deep in the Borneo jungle. For the next 70 years he devoted himself to the furtherance of the Gospel in West Kalimantan. In June of 2009, his memoirs were published in the book "A Promise Kept", a compelling read. A month later, four months shy of his ninety-ninth birthday, he went to be with the Lord he had served for so long.

Following the morning service and a packed lunch, the team were on their way to Adong. The condition of the road that leads to Adong is somewhat unpredictable. There are sections where the surface is well-paved, and there are sections that could best be described as having been designed to test the limits of automobile shock absorbers and springs to the uttermost. The latter conditions demand a greatly reduced speed. Consequently, time lost negotiating the various potholes and craters is made up on the better sections and as we hurtle along, the only other hazards the driver faces are the people walking along the edge of the road with their backs to on-coming traffic, many of whom are small children, the motorcycles, the buses, large trucks, geese, goats, dogs and chickens, all of which appear to be totally unaware of the danger posed by a large SUV traveling at speeds in excess of 70 mph. I comforted myself with the knowledge that our driver had made this journey many times before and has remained unscathed as have the small children, the buses, trucks, geese, goats and dogs. However, on this occasion, at least, I cannot include the chickens. We encountered one which was trying to cross the road. Unfortunately, as much as one is tempted to ask why did the chicken cross the road, one can only say it didn't! It got half way across, dithered momentarily, and.....he who hesitates is squashed!

The main reason for the white-knuckle nature of the drive to Adong was to arrive before darkness fell so that the two Daves and Ralph would have the opportunity to see the building site before they traveled back to Pontianak that same night. After a brief tour, they were on their way back leaving Mark, Daniel, Frank and I to sort out the sleeping arrangements and get unpacked ready for the upcoming week.

Daniel and I were, of course, aware of the progress that had been made since the last time we had been in Adong. The building that we had worked on in 2004 was a home now occupied by Pak Damad and his family, wife Maria, and sons Donald and Joel. This was the same family with whom we had shared the duplex three years previously. That home was now occupied by a family new to us; Pak Simon, his wife Mbak Leah, their daughters Leah, Anastasia, and son Alan. The lagoons had been completed and were already stocked with fish. Our sleeping quarters were to be a large dormitory that had been built since 2004. The project we would be working on was a similarly designed dormitory. Also new to us, was Ivan, a horticulturalist who was the farm project manager. What we were lacking, though, was a translator. Apparently, just before we arrived in Adong, the man originally appointed to that task fell ill and was unable to join us. However, the next morning, a young man, a student at STK, was brought to the site to be our translator for the week. This young man was Zachary. He had learned English from time spent with Operation Mobilisation. He was a tremendous asset to the team and we became firm friends. He would later "adopt" me as his 'uncle' and we continue to correspond to this day.

I had brought along my lap-top and several DVDs of footage taken during our time in the village three years ago. As soon as we had settled into our rooms, I set up the lap-top and we began to play some of the discs. The kids especially thoroughly enjoyed seeing themselves but the adults were almost as fascinated. I had also brought along several short video scenes of Canada which they appreciated very much.

 

Our project in 2004

Same building in 2007

 

2007: Our Dorm with foundation for 2nd dorm [foreground right]

Monday November 12th

As can be seen from the photo above, the second dormitory was at a very early stage in its construction. The foundation trenches had been dug, the wall locations had been established and the height of the floor had been marked out with fine string. The bulk of the work for the week we were in Adong was the completion of the foundation. But, what became a regular practice each morning before work began, was to have the work crew meet together to read a portion of Scripture or have one or two of the men share a testimony and then pray together. This gave us an real opportunity to get to know one another before we got caught up with the routines of the day.

The bulk of the week's work would be the completion of the foundation. The trenches were about 18 inches deep and similarly wide. Firstly, posts about 3 feet long and up to 4 inches in diameter were pounded down until the top of the post was flush with the bottom of the trench. I would estimate that somewhere between 200 and 300 of these posts were used. The strength and endurance of the villagers was amazing as can be seen in the following video clip. Frank took up the challenge and found that it was not only exhausting work but that to keep aim was not so easy either. But all credit to Frank. For me, I doubt if I could have even lifted the ram-rod.

Once the posts had all been levelled, boulders, some weighing close to 30 kgs, were laid in the trenches. Again, the small framed Indonesians were able to man-handle the rocks as easily, it seems, as Dan, Mark and Frank. Once these larger rocks had been positioned, a crude gravel-based cement was poured in to fill up the gaps, lock everything in place and form a somewhat level base for the wall struts.

 

Tuesday, November 13th

The work crew continued to build up the foundations. It was tiring and the dirty work.

 

Daniel, Mark and Frank after a good morning's toil

As the morning wore on, it became extremely hot under the tropical sun. The temperature was approaching the mid-90s and the humidity would also have been in the high 90s. Even our Indonesian colleagues found it too uncomfortable to work and so it was decided that there would be no further work after the lunch break.

The whole work crew

 

Instead, it was suggested that we take a stroll through the village. Pak Damad joined us as did Pendeta Wimfried and his wife Ibu Anneka. These 3 people had become special to me during my visit to the village in 2004. Pak Damad is the man wearing a black T-shirt and black shorts pounding the posts in the first of the video clips above.

Our first stop was at the home of Ijah. She was the ex-Bandang lady whom we had met following the church service during our last visit to Adong in 2004. We were greeted as if we were old friends. We also met her husband Calvin for the first time and we enjoyed some refreshments while visiting with them.

Ijah, Calvin, myself, Ijah's daughter, Anneka

Wimfried and Anneka

 

We continued our stroll gathering more and more children as we got to the heart of the village. We reached the river at which point the children wanted to have a group photograph taken.

 

Of the children that I had first got to know in 2004, I had already met Donald and Joel. I was anxious to meet as many as possible of the other children, and as we walked back from the river I spotted Sarah who was looking after 2 young boys. She seemed delighted to have been recognised and she had appeared not to have lost any other bubbly personality.

Sarah 

I also wanted to meet Deborah and we eventually arrived at her house and had a photograph taken with her whole family. She was able to join us as we went to Wimfried and Anneka's home beside the church where I handed out many of the photographs, taken in 2004, to those that wanted copies.

 

Deborah and her family

Although I refer to them as children they had become young men and young women during the 3 years between visits. As already mentioned, Sarah had changed little in her personality, whereas Deborah had become somewhat more shy. The photograph below, taken in 2004, is a particular favourite.

 

Back: Sarah, Ijul

Front: Deborah, Eva

 

Within the first two days of being in the village, I had met two of the young ladies; I still had to meet the remaining two.

Wednesday, November 14th.

We continued with the construction but the afternoon session was cut short by a torrential rainstorm. This allowed us more time to visit with various people and get ready for the midweek evening church service. Fortunately, the rain had stopped by the time the service was to start and a good number of the villagers and their children were in attendance. As usual, there were many choruses sung by the congregation in addition to three impromptu choirs; a men's group, a ladies' group and the children. Pak Simon had been leading the service which was already close to an hour in duration. Of course, Ì had no idea what was being said the whole time but we could at least enjoy the spirit, particularly the enthusiastic and worshipful singing. Suddenly, Pak Simon left the platform and took a seat among the congregation. There was a momentary lull and I was beginning to wonder what was happening - or, rather, what should be happening.

Since my first trip in 1991, I have had the privilege of talking about things Indonesian with the many western missionaries (several of whom are referred to in these reminiscences). One of the things I learned was that Indonesian people are far less conscious of time restraints and schedules as we are in the West. I have heard of situations where a missionary has been asked on a particular morning to officiate at a funeral or a wedding or a baptism that is to take place later that same day in a village requiring several hours of travel time to reach. And I have often pondered on the stress that such a request would cause and how one would prepare oneself to minister in an effective way under such circumstances. I had mentally sympathised with those upon whom such a burden had been placed but when Ivan, who had been sitting next to me during the service this Wednesday evening, leaned over to me and told me it was now time for me to bring the evening message, several hours notice would have been something of a luxury. Several seconds notice, the length of time it would take me to get from my seat to the pulpit, think of a Scripture passage, and wonder how I was going to construct my thoughts and sentences so that Zachary could translate, was not a situation conducive to revealing deep truths from the Word of God. In my mind, I began to coin a corollary to my brother-in-law, Dave's axiom that "a plan is not a plan until it happens!" It went something like "if it happens, it must have been the plan!" My problem was that I hadn't been included in planning the plan (so to speak). Well, the Lord reminded me that my favourite passage was Ephesians 2:8-10 and with His help I was able to stay fairly calm while presenting what I hoped would be relevant truth to the congregation.

After the service was concluded, I was able to move into a much more comfortable role; that of being the presenter of several DVD video recordings that I had brought along. Bill Dyck had kindly loaned me his video projector and I quickly set it up to project onto the wall of the church. Most of what I wanted to show was video taken in the village during the 2004 trip. When the kids saw themselves they broke out in screams of laughter. I also had brought with me some footage taken in Canada, which the adults also appreciated. I had just about completed showing all that I had intended when the hydro went out (I was amazed that it had lasted as long as it did) and we all headed of to bed at a late hour.

Thursday, November 15th.

The reason that no one was disturbed by how late the evening had gone was that this day the people of West Kalimantan were voting in a new Provincial Governor team and consequently was a vacation day. During the days we had spent in Pontianak before coming up to Adong, we had seen many billboards carrying the images of the four sets of candidates. Not only is the governor elected but his deputy also as they run on the some ballot. Although there was no work to be done this day, we still met for morning devotions and many more of the group had an opportunity to share thoughts or a short testimony.

The schools were closed also. Adong only has the elementary school so high-school aged children are bused to Ngabang. Most of them return to Adong after school is over for the day. However, because each family has to pay to have their child attend school, some of the older children have to work as home helpers to cover the cost of schooling. One of these is Eva which explained why I hadn't seen her during the week. But, because of the election and no school, she had been able to return home Wednesday night. I had now met three of the four young ladies.

Most of the morning was spent watching the children play games; badminton, soccer as well as just enjoying their day off. Also, the team was able to spend quality time visiting with many other folk from the village. Another downpour during the afternoon brought an end to the "sports" and most of the children headed for home. However, Deborah stayed and we had a very pleasant time basically looking through my photo album. Another benefit to the rain-interrupted afternoon was the opportunity to visit with Pak Damad's dad. I have yet to find out his name but with the help of Zachary we had a good time chatting and, again, looking through my photo album. He was the gentleman with the fine woodworking skills with whom the team had worked during the 2004 trip.

I consider it a real privilege to have met these folk be they young children or elderly. There is a bond that is established not only because we all share the same faith in the One Saviour, but because of their infectious carefree spirit; their fun-loving disposition and their generosity.

Prior to coming to Indonesia, I had given consideration to making a video highlighting our experiences during our time both in Pontianak and Adong. Many friends have expressed interest in my excursions to Indonesia and there is no better way to present what life is like than to see and hear. Occasionally, I have had the opportunity to visit supporting churches with Dave Bonney and present short video snippets of the work in Indonesia. I had been thinking of some way to introduce a summary video of this trip and I eventually came up with an idea during the late afternoon when the rain had ceased and some of the young people had come back to the site. I decided to do a brief ESL class prior to what would be the formal intro. The results are as follows:

 

 

 

Possibly you, as did I, received the distinct impression that they could have manged quite well without my "instruction".

Our week was winding down and the team was beginning to prepare for a Saturday morning return to Pontianak. As I had initially understood, the arrangements were that on Saturday morning Bill Dyck would be one of the drivers coming from Pontianak to take the team back there. I had some 'unfinished business' left over from my 2004 trip. By way of a reminder, it was during the week of that previous occasion in Adong that Pak Damad had told me of his daughter's death and since I had been unable, at that time, to respond suitably, I had made up my mind that, although three years had passed since that all too brief conversation, I wanted to let him know that I hadn't forgotten and was still interested in hearing about the circumstances of this sad event. I had thought of asking Zachary to help me speak with Pak Damad but I had the concern that with such a delicate topic, I felt that Bill, being North American, would be better able to read between the lines of my questions and present them to Pak Damad in a culturally appropriate way. However, late Thursday afternoon, we received a phone call from STK that, as a result of the election, it would be prudent were the team to return to Pontianak the next morning (Friday). Bill would not be coming up after all and I again lost the opportunity to meet with Pak Damad for a second time.

Because of our departure now being a day earlier than planned, a farewell party was arranged to be held at Pak Damad's house. As well as our host and his sons, Donald and Joel, many of those who had become friends were in attendance including Pastor Wimfried and Anneka, Pak Simon and his children, as well as Deborah, Sarah, Eva and Siska.

My special friends

Donald, Alan, Sarah

Deborah, Eva, Joel

Anastasia, Siska

Friday, November 16th

The team had packed the previous evening (after the farewell festivities) and, having breakfasted, were ready and waiting for our driver, Pak Sperry, to arrive. But I allowed a spirit of rebellion (forgive me, Lord) to have its way and I made the rest of the team, as well as Pak Sperry, wait as I wanted to spend an hour or so at the school before leaving Adong. And so, I hopped on to Ivan's motorcycle and off we went; Zachary following us on another bike. As we reached the school, a gentleman came out of his house which lay opposite the school and invited us into his home for some refreshments. I had never met this man before but I knew it was impolite to refuse such hospitality. So we entered and after we had exchanged greetings, Ivan told me that the gentleman was Eva's dad.

Eva's dad (second from right)

 

After we had enjoyed the refreshments and visited a little, we bid the family farewell and crossed the road to meet Ibu Anneka at the school.The Principal and the teachers (including Ibu Anneka) were very accommodating since many of the children go wild when they see the camera. We visited every classroom. Part of the reason for going to the school was to get an idea of what supplies the team can bring for these children on our next trip. Before leaving Canada, we try to pack our suitcases with such things as coloring books, crayons or markers, maps to pin on the wall, pictures etc.; things that seem to be lacking.

 

 

We bid our final goodbyes to the villagers and were on our way. We made it back to Pontianak a little after the noon hour and settled in to our respective billets. Frank and Mark would be guests of the Bustins, Darrell and Laura-Lee while Daniel and I would be staying with Bill and Janice Dyck. For supper, we met up with the STKers and went to Dave B's favourite restaurant, Nasi Akwang, although perhaps cafe would be a more appropriate designation, since there is essentially one item on the menu. However, that one item is delicious and very reasonably priced. The evening was spent relaxing with our hosts and beginning the final packing in preparation for the Monday departure.

Saturday, November 17th

Most of Saturday was spent enjoying more sightseeing around the city and some gift buying for various family members at home in Canada. Again, the evening was spent enjoying the company of our hosts.

Sunday, November 18th

I have made frequent mention of the children that I had first met in 2004 and with whom been re-acquainted this trip but there was still one whom I had not yet met. Ijul had been one of the quartet of young ladies that appear in the photograph earlier in this portion. I had asked of her while in Adong only to be told that she had moved to Pontianak. Consequently, on our arrival back in Pontianak, I asked who might know where she was living. It seemed as if no-one did know so my last hope was that she might attend the church that met at STK each Sunday morning. It seemed as if it would be a case of so near, yet so far when I was told that she regularly attends another congregation in the city rather than at STK. And so, we proceeded with the worship service and I resigned myself that my meeting Ijul was not meant to be. At the conclusion of the service, as we were leaving the auditorium, Zachary came over to me and told me that Ijul had, in fact, been in the congregation and was still present. I was thus able to briefly talk with her and have a photo taken before we went our separate ways.

 

I was delighted to have met almost all who had become friends during 2004 but there was one disappointment to add to the successes. I had heard that my friend Pak Kalam had moved back to Bandang (where I had first met him) from his last home in Pahauman. Sadly, time constraints had not permitted us to go to Bandang (the widow Nurmiati Omboh had also returned there from Tubang after the death of her husband, Norman). And it was great regret that I would hear of Pak Kalam's passing less than a month after we had returned to Canada.

Following the morning service, we drove to the home of Sperry and Lidia (Ronny and Rit's daughter and son-in-law) to celebrate Sperry's birthday after which the team returned to STK where the team was honored with a lavish farewell. Each of the team members was presented with a gift and we all enjoyed more delicious food and rousing fellowship. I was especially honored by a special gift given to me by Grace and Wi-wi which I immediately donned for a final photo with my "nephew", Zachary.

And then it was time to go....but not before we were brought under the Lord's protection for our long journey home by way of a beautiful prayer in song.

 

Part 3: God's flair for the dramatic!

In early 2004, Dave Bonney received an e-mail from Ronny Welong, President of STK, asking if there would be the possibility of forming a team to help with the construction of a home in a small interior village. Ronny is a multi-gifted visionary. Originally from the city of Manado, Sulawesi, Ronny has been a driving force at STK almost from its inception. He has overseen its growth, not only with regard to the number of students but also in the upgrading and expanding of the curriculum. Not content just to educate young men and women for ministry, Ronny and his wife Rit, have themselves ventured into many remote areas of West Kalimantan with a goal toward establishing local Christian congregations. More recently, Ronny saw the need for a broad based vocational facility at which young men and women from the villages would be taught a variety of farming techniques in combination with Christian theological studies. Many villages lack the necessary knowledge to raise animals and grow crops in an efficient and hygienic manner. The location selected for this training centre was the village of Adong, lying just off the main bus route about 20 minutes from Ngabang.

In 2000, two Daves (viz. Bonney and Syer) had formed the team - in 2004, we added a third Dave as well as a Daniel. Dave Clark, a long time friend of Dave Bonney was a pastor in Ogunquit, Maine. Daniel Konzelmann, originally from Switzerland, owns and operates an organic farm near Petrolia, Ontario, and like Dave Syer, is a parishioner of Dave Bonney. Dave Clark had flown in to Toronto Airport; Dave Bonney, Dave Syer and Daniel had driven up from the Sarnia area; I had come from Niagara Falls, and on the afternoon of Monday, November 15th, all five descended upon the home of Blair and Janet Clark (no relation to Dave Clark) where we would spend the night before catching an 8:30 a.m. flight from Toronto Airport to Chicago's O'Hare Airport. Blair and Janet had, themselves, been missionaries in Pontianak partnering with the Bonneys. Janet had prepared a delicious Indonesian supper which set the stage beautifully for what we would experience over the following three weeks.

Tuesday, November 16th.

During 2004, Dave Bonney's younger son, James was studying at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. About a week before the team was to leave for Indonesia, James found out that his lecturers were taking several days off for professional development purposes. The period of time allotted for the professors' PD coincided with the first week that the team would be in Indonesia. James, who was born in Pontianak, had a desire to return to where he grew up and, with classes having been suspended, expressed a wish to accompany the team.

Several months earlier, Dave Bonney's Elder Board had approved the establishing of a travel fund to allow church members to contribute toward alleviating some of the expenses that would be incurred by the Indonesia team. The membership had been generous and the fund, having reached the point of covering all costs, had been closed to further donations. The total cost of the trip was around $3000 per person which was prohibitive for James. But God opened the door by means of a lady member of Dave's church who, although too late to add to the fund, none-the-less, still wished to donate a sum of money toward any other mission project that would be sponsored by Dave's church. Later, when James had called Dave explaining the situation at Moody and his desire to go to Indonesia, Dave spoke with the lady donor asking if she would approve the money being used to cover James' expenses. She agreed to the request; the sum being the exact amount needed. The CBM travel co-ordinator was then quickly contacted to see what flights were available for James. With less than a week remaining before the team flew out of Toronto, it appeared likely that James would have to travel alone. But God intervened and the CBM co-ordinator was able to secure tickets allowing James to travel on the same three flights on which the team would be traveling. Our itinerary would take us from Chicago to Tokyo, onto Jakarta and finally Pontianak.

The word miracle is often an over-used and frequently mis-applied term. But the circumstances that all came together to allow James to fulfill his wish were more than mere co-incidence or luck. And it would seem, at least from James' perspective, that there was one more 'miracle'. However, the other five team members were perhaps not so inclined to attribute to the Lord the good fortune that befell James while checking in his luggage....unless, of course, the Lord is no longer the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8) and now does show partiality (Acts 10:34) particularly to hard-up theology students.

Being a Chicago resident, James arrived at O'Hare before our flight from Toronto had landed and, therefore, was able to check his luggage and have a boarding pass issued before the rest of the team had arrived. The clerk at the check-in counter began to engage James in conversation asking why he was flying such a distance alone. James explained the circumstances that had led to his being able to take this trip, whereupon the clerk had James hand back the boarding pass just issued and promptly tore it up, remarking that he could offer James something more suitable. A new boarding pass was printed with a new seat assignment. James was delighted to discover that he had been upgraded to the first class section of the Japan Airlines 747 that would carry us all to Tokyo. The Bible encourage believers to rejoice with those who rejoice (which we did for James, magnanimously) but it also mandates one to mourn with those who mourn (Romans 12:15) and we reminded James, as he took his seat in the palatial surroundings of the elites of this world, that he had a Biblical obligation, if not to mourn, at least to empathise with those who would be traveling 'steerage' for twelve long hours.

This leg of the trip saw us touch down at Narita Airport in Tokyo. After checking into our hotel rooms and enjoying a refreshing shower, we took a hotel shuttle bus to a nearby mall where we did a little shopping and also had supper. We boarded the last shuttle bus of the evening to take us back to our Hotel, one of several in the complex. The bus made several stops to pick up other hotel guests including five young ladies who were wearing the uniform of Thailand Air. We were all seated in front of the rear bench seat and these Flight Attendants sat down immediately behind us. James, as was his wont, very quickly began a conversation with these young ladies. They asked why we were traveling to Indonesia and James answered that we were on a short-term mission trip. We were staggered when one of the ladies expressed a desire to know God and had prayed that she would meet somebody who could explain to her who Jesus is. She remarked that Buddhism is a religion with no hope in its teachings. We were already aware of James' developing evangelistic gifts and he started to speak to them about the Lord. We eventually arrived at our hotel and we headed for the exit at the front of the bus. All, that is except James, who indicated that he wanted to stay on the bus to continue sharing more about the Lord with these ladies and assured us he would catch up with us later. Before we fully realised what was happening, the bus had pulled away, disappearing into the night. Now what? Dave and I decided to take James at his word and we spent an hour in the hotel lobby waiting for him to return. At midnight, a father's concern motivated us to go looking for James. We had a vague idea where the next hotel was located and began to walk there. About 15 minutes later we reached the hotel and asked the receptionist if a young man had entered the hotel accompanying five Thai Air flight attendants. The receptionist replied that he had not noticed such a group and further added that Thai Air did not use that particular hotel. Again, now what? It was past midnight; we were in a Tokyo suburb, neither of us knew a word of Japanese and we were missing a son and nephew. I suggested we look for the next hotel (based on what the receptionist had told us) but Dave preferred to wait a little longer. And his instincts were correct! After some twenty minutes, James casually strolled out of the hotel and proceeded to tell us that he had lead two of these ladies to a saving knowledge of Christ. We were relieved to be re-united and that relief allowed us to mentally give the receptionist the benefit of the doubt why we had been lied to. Presumably his motive was to protect the guests from two furtive and suspicious looking characters. All's well that ends well, we determined - for a man and his son...and especially for two new believers.

Inset: Dave and James Bonney (at O'Hare)

at Narita - standing: Dave Syer, Dave Bonney

seated: Myself, Dave Clark, Daniel Konzellman

The next morning (Thursday 18th), we boarded a Japan Airlines 777 for the six hour flight to Jakarta. We booked in to the Airport Sheraton and had an early night in preparation for a 6:15 am. flight to Pontianak.

Friday, November 19th.

Arriving in Pontianak at 7:30 a.m., we were met by Ronny Welong, Janice Dyck and Vabro (Ronny's son) who would be our interpreter during the week in Adong. This was the first time I had met Ronny. During my time in Indonesia in 1991, he and Rit had been in the USA visiting the main supporting church in Fresno. We went straight to STK, where we were introduced to Bill Dyck, Janice's husband and the Bustin family, Darrell, Laura-Lee and their children, Bronwyn and Caleb. Bill and Janice hail from the Winnipeg area and the Bustins were from Eastern Canada.

After settling in to our rooms, we joined the students and staff for the morning chapel service. We gave greetings and a short testimony. The balance of the day was spent relaxing and going for a short walk through the market.

Saturday was also a Pontianak sightseeing/shopping day both at several Malls as well as roadside vendors.

Sunday, November 21st.

One of many pleasant memories of our stay at STK was the pre-breakfast conversation time. Adjacent to the main hall was a small open vestibule and each morning we would begin the day discussing various topics stimulated by a mug or two of excellent coffee. A very refined and relaxing way to begin each day.

STK, is also home to one of many church congregations in the city and during this morning's service we again gave a short testimony translated by either Dave Bonney or Ronny (who is fluent in English). In the afternoon, there was a short commissioning service for the team. Dave Bonney and Dave Clark would stay in Pontianak while Dave Syer, Daniel and myself would spend the week in Adong. During their week at STK, Dave B would teach two courses with Dave C assisting. Both men would also preach during the daily Chapel services. They would then come up to Adong for Saturday and Sunday. Dave Clark had been asked by Ronny to preach the message during the Sunday morning church service.

Monday, November 22nd

I had first met Dennis and Janet Kirkley and their four daughters in 1991. After their return to North America, they made White Rock, British Columbia, their home. I had been able to maintain contact with them during business trips to Western Canada. On one of these occasions, earlier in 2004, I had mentioned that there were plans for a trip to Indonesia in November of that year. Dennis informed me that he and Janet were also making plans to visit their daughter's who were ministering in different parts of the world. The culmination of these plans was to be able to all be together in Pontianak. This came to fruition when all six of the Kirkleys arrived early this Monday morning. Unfortunately, we didn't have too much time to visit with them as we were preparing to leave for Adong around midday. But we would have more time to spend with them after returning from our week in Adong.

Adong is about a twenty minute drive beyond Ngabang so we were traveling the same route as the bus that had brought us to Pontianak 13 years earlier (except, of course, that we were traveling in the opposite direction). Some of the names of the towns were familiar; Sungaipinyuh (where the road turns east), Mandor (the Mass Graves), Pahauman (the Longhouse) and Ngabang. We reached the village of Tubang where we turned off the main road onto a narrow track which led us to the village of Adong. The training centre complex was to be built on a piece of property a short distance away from the village proper. We arrived to find one completed home, which would be our lodging for the week, and a second one that was just at the completion of framing stage. This building would be the one we would be helping to complete. There were also several lagoons that had been dug out which would eventually be used to stock fish. The completed home that would be our lodging was a duplex. We would occupy one half while the other half housed a married couple and their two boys.

Ronny, Dave and Daniel at our 'home' in Adong

It was almost dark by the time we reached Adong and supper was waiting for us. We met several people who we would be working alongside as well as the village pastor and his wife who also was a teacher at the elementary school in Adong. She also helped to prepare our meals during the week.

After supper, we bid farewell to the drivers who would be heading back to the city. We were effectively land-locked and Ronny then took the opportunity to inform us that we would be attending a house church every evening and each one of us would be expected to share our testimony at one of the meetings and, at another meeting, give a short devotional. After we had recovered from that shock we headed to our room, found our Bibles and started looking for a passage of two of Scripture that would form the basis for our message. Since I had some experience at teaching Sunday school and leading Bible Study groups, I offered to take the first one which would be on the Tuesday.

Our bedroom and make-shift study

Tuesday, November 23rd

Our first full day in the village gave us an opportunity to see the site and the project that we would be working on.

It is all too easy to fall into the trap of making comparisons between what one is used to and what is unfamiliar, with the unfamiliar always coming off second best. But it is important to understand why things are done in a certain way before making such comparisons. And when it comes to building homes, there are good reasons why they are not built the way homes in Canada are built. First of all, there is nowhere near the affluence that we enjoy in Canada. Second, since the climate is the same every day, hot and humid, there is no need for insulation, furnaces or air conditioning (although, the latter would certainly be a blessing). Third, in the village, we sensed that ownership is less rigid than what we are used to. People wandered in and out of each other's homes without restriction it seemed. Homes in Adong were not seen as strictly private possessions nor were they symbols of status.

The first thing we noted when we began the work was that there were no power tools. Everything was done by hand. But what we did see was skill and hard work. The Master builder was a gentleman named Ulai. Other men included our neighbour Damat, his brother and their dad. We also became immediately aware that safety equipment was conspicuous by its absence.

The bulk of the framing had already been completed. There was still a need for some additional cross-beams to be formed but the main task was to build a lath framework using 1/16th chicken wire and planks that would be the basis for building the walls.

The framing was built out of Ironwood. Being a very hard material, there is a bit of a learning curve to being able to hammer a nail into it. Be too heavy-handed with a hammer at first and all you will get for your efforts is to watch the nail cartwheeling past your head as it bounces off the wood. A level of finesse is required to break the surface of the wood before the heavy pounding.

The following video clip will briefly show some of the techniques used to construct this building:

Wednesday, November 24th.

We worked during the morning but were given the afternoon off. We used the opportunity to take a drive through Adong and out to the Palm Oil plantation. We returned, had supper and got ready to attend another house church.

This evening the meeting would take place at the home of the Tubang pastor and his wife. The meeting lasted about an hour at the end of which we were offered some refreshments; water, juice and two kinds of fruit that were in season - langsat and rambutan. I was sitting between Ronny and Vabro and while we were enjoying the food, Ronny directed my attention to a lady who was sitting in the doorway opposite us. He mentioned that this lady was originally from Bandang - the village in which we had spent a weekend during the 1991 trip. It was rather dark in the home making it difficult to see her clearly. Fortunately, she came over to offer us more food. Now that I could see her better, I was fairly confident that I recognised her as the young lady who had held the scissors for the ribbon-cutting at the church dedication. I requested Vabro to ask her if she was indeed that young lady. From the expression on her face as he asked the question, I knew right away that I had guessed correctly. I felt I had just found the proverbial needle in the haystack, so to speak.

I once heard the definition of a coincidence as that which happens when God doesn't mind who gets the credit. This to me was an astonishing turn of events. Before leaving Canada, I had prepared a ring binder containing photographs from the 1991 trip in the hope that it might be possible to return to Bandang during our time here. Were that to happen, I would have expected to meet a number of the villagers that I had met thirteen years earlier. But I had certainly not expected to find someone from that village living this close to Adong. I later found out that her name was Nurmiati and she and her husband Norman Omboh were, in fact, the pastor couple in Tubang and in whose home we were meeting this night.

Ronny, Dave and Daniel enjoying refreshments

at the Omboh's home in Tubang

Nurmiati (white blouse) during the Wednesday night

house church meeting in her home.

I had brought the binder of photos with me to Adong but I had no reason to bring it to this house church meeting. So I looked for an opportunity to meet again with the Ombohs to give them an chance to see the photos.

The schedule for this week included a Saturday afternoon visit to a high school in Sosok, a town east of Adong. Saturday morning would see the arrival from Pontianak of the two Daves and Dennis who were to spend the weekend with us. The journey to Sosok would take us through Tubang, so we agreed that, on our way back, we would call on the Ombohs and show the photos to Nurmiati and Norman. But I am getting ahead of myself.

Thursday, November 25th.

The couple who were our next-door neighbours were Pak Damad, his wife, Ibu Maria and their two boys, Donald and Joel. We had first met Donald and Joel plus a couple of other children the same evening of our arrival. As word spread that there were visitors who owned cameras, more and more children would come up to the centre once school was over for the day. Those cameras proved to be an irresistible attraction to the younger children and they were constantly 'demanding' they have their picture taken - "meester, meester, one, one, click click". If the camera was irresistible to the kids, the kids became irresistible to me. All in all, about a dozen or so would always be close by. I found them to be constantly full of joy and laughter. They were so well-behaved and unselfish. At one point I allowed several of them to use my video camera. I was concerned that it might cause conflict as everyone wanted to hold it. But as the camera was passed around from one child to another there was no squabbling or selfishness or reluctance to let the next child take a turn. Some of the more frequent visitors are shown in the following photo:

Norman Donald John Sarah Ijul

Joel Deborah Eva

Thursday was another work day. Each day there was generally a siesta time after our lunch. I had brought a New Testament with me and I wanted to read through 2nd Corinthians and I would read a chapter while the other men were taking their nap. This particular afternoon, I was sitting on a bench on the little veranda at the front of the house. Pak Damad came and sat down beside me and said in English "my daughter dead". I was stunned! For a moment, I didn't know how to react. He knew I couldn't speak Indonesian and I doubted that he knew much English. All that I could do was to run to my room where I had small English/Indonesian dictionary. I found the Indonesian word sedih, which means sad or tragic, and I pointed out that word to him. It bothered me greatly that I could not respond any other way (Vabro was sleeping at the time) but I believe that Damad wasn't really expecting very much from me because of my lack of Indonesian. I assumed that the loss of his daughter was fairly recent so I intended to meet with him later. It was obviously something that he wanted to talk about and I was hoping that there would be a suitable time when I could meet with Damad when someone was available to translate, be that Vabro or Dave Bonney. Much to my regret, our schedule was so full that I never had the opportunity to speak with Damad before our return to Pontianak.

We attended another house church in the evening and enjoyed more fellowship. By now, we were recognising not only the men with whom we were working but their wives and children. As much as it was possible, we were beginning to form friendships with several people including the pastor couple of the Adong church, Wimfried and Anneka Kossoh. As I have already mentioned, Anneka was also a teacher at the school in Adong and was helping Damad's wife Maria prepare our meals - a busy lady.

Pastor Wimfried (white shirt) and Anneka

to his right

Anneka (in spectacles)

[Do you recognise the lady in the green dress? I didn't!]

Friday, November 26th

This would be our final work day so we continued to pound nails, hack away at the bank, trowel on cement and drink gallons of juice. I was given part of the morning off as I wanted to go down to the school to photograph and video the children. The excitement was intense as long as the children were in a group; single them out and they suddenly became quiet and a little unsure who this stranger was and why he had this peculiar instrument in his hand. But once they see the results.............

I returned to home base for lunch, after which I began to head over to the job site with my video camera when, out of the blue, little Joel flashed past me, picked up the soccer ball and flashed past me again. He was covered from head to toe in mud. Curiosity trumped responsibility and I forgot about my obligation to the work crew. I followed Joel who I discovered was on his way back to one of the lagoons. This is what I witnessed.

The only aspect that the video camera could not capture was the rancid smell of the mud in the lagoon.

I am constantly amazed at the beautiful smooth facial skin almost every child possesses. The food in the village would not meet North American quality standards but it doesn't appear to effect the complexion. It is well known that mud baths are good for the skin. Perhaps an Adong-based entrepreneur might develop a business to compete against the up market mud bath Spas that exist in some parts of the US. 10% discount is offered if you bring your own close-pin.

After the children had washed off, I was pressured (willingly, I must add) into an extended photoshoot after which we held a review of the pictures. My little Fuji camera had a very small viewing screen but the children were still amused by what they saw of themselves.

At the final evening house church meeting of the week, I happened to notice that there was a TV in the corner. I had taken some video of the service as well as the refreshment time that followed. To get a little technical for a second or two, the TV broadcast system in Indonesia (PAL) is different from that of Canada (NTSC) and they are incompatible. However, I saw that this particular TV was a multi-system unit which, since I had brought the necessary cables, allowed me to play the footage that I had taken that evening. There was a lot of self-conscious laughter especially from the adults who were seeing themselves on "air" for the first time.

I have already mentioned the abundance of langsat and rambutan fruit. Bananas and coconut trees are also common and we enjoyed these delicacies almost daily. Another very popular fruit in Indonesia is the infamous Durian. It has the odour of well worn sneakers and a somewhat slimy texture; neither of these attributes being particularly attractive to the western palette but very popular with Indonesians.

Saturday, November 27th

Vabro suggested we take some time during the morning to drive into Ngabang and buy a few souvenirs. Being late November, the Christmas theme was prominent in many stores. Some were even playing Christmas songs and carols over the PA systems. Santa was a frequent subject for window displays with the reindeer and snow added for authenticity. I was surprised that in a Moslem country Christmas imagery would be so prominent especially considering that Ngabang could hardly be considered a town catering to western tourists. But the most difficult adjustment I had to make, despite the Santas, the Christmas trees and even the Nativity scenes, was trying to "feel Christmassy" when the temperature was a blistering 95F.

We returned to Adong to meet the two Daves and Dennis Kirkley who had come up from STK. We ate lunch then hopped in the cars that would take us to Sosok. There we toured the High School for well over an hour. I had reminded everyone that on the way back to Adong, we had planned to stop at Tubang to visit with the Ombohs and let them see the binder of Bandang photos (which this time I had remembered to bring along).

We met them in their church building which was situated across from their home. I handed the binder to the Ombohs and they appeared to be enjoying reminiscing over the photos. They had looked at several pages of pictures when, suddenly, Nurmiati looked up and said something to Dave Bonney. What I thought I heard her say was "ijah". I didn't know what this word meant but Dave told me it was the name of someone pictured in one of the photos. The photo that had caused Nurmiati to react was the one taken during the Bandang dedication service showing two young ladies seated together. Nurmiati was one of these young ladies; Ijah the other. There was nothing significant in Nurmiati recognising a friend from her home village until she added that Ijah was now living in Adong.

These two ladies had grown up together in a remote jungle village, accessible only by foot, two hours from the nearest road. Given such circumstances, it was remarkable enough that each, having re-located far from their home village, would end up living less than two kilometres apart. But the probability of three North Americans (Dave B, Dennis and myself) meeting these ladies again some thirteen years later is beyond calculating. God does indeed have a flair for the dramatic!

But we still had yet to meet Ijah, and we only had Sunday morning to do so.

Sunday, November 28th

We donned our Sunday best, batik shirts purchased during one of our shopping sprees, and headed for the church. Each member of the team gave greetings and Dave Clark had the privilege of presenting the morning message. Dave had the unenviable task of adjusting his thoughts to accommodate an interpreter (Vabro) but both did a remarkable job and Dave appeared to relish the occasion.

As I shared my parting words to the congregation I made an attempt, albeit halting, to conclude with a benediction in Indonesian. I had earlier asked Dave B. to write out the passage found in the Book of Numbers (6:24-26). He also helped me with the pronunciation and where to place the emphasis. Also in the clip is part of the song performed by the children. I hope it is as much a blessing to you as it was to me.

We finally made contact with Ijah, or rather, she made contact with us. Possibly word had already reached her that we were to attend the morning service or perhaps she had recognised Dave or Dennis. During the 1980s when both men were serving in West Kalimantan, they would have visited Bandang several times.

As guests, we were asked to form a 'receiving line' to shake the hand of everyone who had attended the service. You will hear a lady say to Dave B. "saya dari Bandang" - "I am from Bandang". We had little time to converse as we were on a tight schedule but I was able to take a couple of photos of her and two of her children before we were invited to lunch at the Pastor's home. As soon as lunch was concluded we were on our way back to Pontianak.

Below is the 1991 photo of the two ladies which I first posted in Part 1 along with a photo taken during the Thursday evening house church (with the rhetorical question in the caption).

Also attached is the photo taken following the Sunday service.

Yes, indeed, the lady in the green dress was Ijah but I hadn't recognised her since, on the Thursday that this photo was taken, I hadn't yet been made aware that she was living in Adong and consequently, would not have been specifically looking for her.

But, there was one more stop to make on our way back to Pontianak. In Part 1, I made mention of the friendship that had developed, via letter-writing, between myself and the then Pastor of the Bandang church, Pak Kalam. As a result of two debilitating strokes, he had been unable to write and I had not heard from him for over three years. However, I had been told that he and his wife, Melan, were living in Pahauman. Since we would be passing through Pahauman on our way back to STK, we took time out to visit them. This reunion was very important to me since it would be the first time Pak Kalam and I actually spoke with one another. The only interaction between us in 1991 was when we shook each other's hand upon our arriving at his home after our walk in from Pahauman. That was the extent of our relationship until I received that first of many letters. I would, of course, have preferred to have seen him in good health but, none-the-less, the important thing was that we met and further cemented our friendship.

Before returning to STK, we stopped at the Equator Monument as this was the first trip to Indonesia for both Dave Clark and Daniel. We finally arrived at STK where a lavish farewell party had been arranged. Many of the staff and wives were in attendance and we enjoyed food and fellowship, singing and prayers for our safe return to North America. Each of us received beautiful gifts, not only for ourselves but for our wives also. We were very spoiled.

Monday, November 29th.

I e-mailed home in the morning, primarily to wish my wife a 'Happy Birthday' (although it was still the 28th in Canada) and then completed the packing process in preparation for the mid-afternoon flight out of Pontianak. And so, my second time in Indonesia had come to an end. During the long flight back across the Pacific Ocean, I had time to reflect on the ten days we had been in Indonesia. Yes, we had helped in a construction project; yes, a couple of short theological courses had been taught and I don't dismiss those accomplishments as insignificant but it is the relationships built while completing those tasks that remain. What was significant for me was the miraculous 'coincidence' of being re-introduced to Nurmiati and Ijah which most likely would not have happened were it not for a casual comment by Ronny. Also significant was the three word conversation with Pak Damad that remained unfinished business. Of course, the reunion with Pak Kalam was so important. And then there were the free-spirited children of the village. These were, and still are, precious memories.

It is tradition that at the conclusion of occasions such as this, everyone gathers together for a group photo before bidding farewell to one another. And this we did! It is also tempting to finish a slide or video presentation with a sunset symbolising the end. But for me, I did not see this trip as an end but rather as a beginning, already prepared in my mind to return to Indonesia as and when the opportunity presented itself. So, I conclude this part of my story not with a sunset but rather with a sunrise -- also symbolic of a new day and of future days all of which the Lord will make and in which we will rejoice and be glad.

Hari ini, hari ini, harinya Tuhan, harinya Tuhan

Mari kita, mari kita, bersuka ria, bersuka ria