China:
We got to go into China on our way to Indonesia, it was such a treat and only for a couple hours. We ate lunch. We picked a simple place and just pointed at pictures to tell them what we wanted (most of us ended up with good food, but some were a little disappointed at their pick), then we took our food and found a place to sit and eat.Beauty:
Indonesia was beautiful, such a diverse country. The city was FULL of people, bursting with life. We often said as a team the only time the city slept was from 2 am - 4 am. On the other hand, the countryside was such raw simple beauty. The rice fields were such a wonder to look at, so beautiful and all done by hand, I respect the hard work that went into it. The ocean was, of course, gorgeous (but anyone who truly knows me, knows that is my favorite place to be is next to water). We didn't spend tons of time at the waters edge, but the days we did were so nice.People:
The people we met were kind, loving and so nice. As I wrote before, the Indonesian people, in general, are not normally outgoing in the beginning, but if you initiate conversation you will find treasures. The people are beautiful. God does that, doesn't he, he makes beautiful people all over the world. I think that is one of my favorite things about God and travelling, meeting beautiful people and since it is within a different culture, often you see a different side, a different beauty of God through those people. Below are just a few of the quality people (Abbi ,Ika, Sael and me) I met or else there would be many more photos.
Team:
Honestly, this is my favorite part of outreach - our team. There is something to be said for unity among people. This team chose to serve, be flexible, be teachable, love, not complain and be unified, through it all. Because of this, I believe God did powerful things in Indonesia, things we may not even be aware of until we reach Heaven. Even though they were scared and nervous, each students preached at least 2 sermons (30 -45 minutes long that they prepared). They were willing to go outside their comfort zone. This resulted in 5 men in prison accepting Jesus Christ in their hearts for the first time, college students choosing Jesus as their first priority, rather than the distractions of the world and many Christians in a Muslim country being encouraged to continue on. My team was a gift from God. I saw God move in and through each one. I was privileged to love and invest and be part of this group.
