Final Farewell
March 30, 2008
The island of Borneo is lost from sight far behind and below us now. This is the first leg of our trip, to Kuala Lumpur.
Last night the bus took us all into Kuching and dropped us off downtown. Apparently we arrived just in time for a huge festival; I think it was a Buddhist god’s birthday or something. I finished buying gifts for friends and family back home and also bought myself a necklace and a sarong. I also bought some powdered Milo and other goodies in a grocery store.
When our group reunited after shopping, a problem arose. A vast parade had begun and the bus could not reach us through the choked streets. So began a long, grueling and exciting journey through the heart of Kuching City as we tried to find enough taxis to take us all back to the mission headquarters. The memory of that walk is burned into my memory. The air was alive with the music of drums and gongs, offset by the shouting of people and honking horns. My eyes were dazzled with colors: flaming scarlet and brilliant yellow and fiery orange. The lights danced on the murky water of the river and smoking incense mingled in the hot night air.
We were our own parade: a bunch of confused foreigners strung out through the streets trying desperately to stick together. Several times we nearly disturbed the real parade! At last the bus reached us through the mayhem and whisked us away to the mission where we ate a late dinner.
Pastor Sim gave me a gift from Pastor Andrew Ganya: a t-shirt with a map of Sarawak on it, and a little fridge magnet. No gift is as precious as one given by a good friend, especially if you may never see that friend again.
After less than four hours of sleep it was time to get up. There was a light but delicious breakfast of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, sweet rolls, fruit, and steaming hot Milo.
Before we went through security I shook hands one last time with my friends. Pastor Sim gripped my hand firmly and told me to come back next year with David. I told him that, God willing, I would.
Last Day
March 29, 2008
This morning I gave a ten minute talk for Sabbath School. I hadn’t had a lot of time to prepare, but it went fine. I’m glad it’s over!
Today we leave Bako at 4 pm and will go shopping in Kuching tonight. We leave the mission headquarters tomorrow at 5:30 am to begin the long journey home.
Monkeys
March 28, 2008
Today was spent enjoying the beauty of Bako National Park. I read and slept on the beach, in the sun and in the shade.
Sara Rose had her Oreo cookies snatched by a monkey, right out from under her nose. These monkeys are sly and quicker than greased mice! (I wrote that just for Pastor Fred!) We have to keep the doors and windows to our rooms closed and locked or they’ll go through our stuff looking for food!
Tomorrow is our last day in Sarawak.
Farewell and Bako
March 27, 2008
On our last night at the longhouse there was a send-off ceremony. There was more native dancing and a few members of the UCA Gymnastics Team performed. We also exchanged gifts with our hosts. I gave small gifts to some of my friends, too.
Yesterday morning, Pastor Andrew Wong, the “chief cook” walked up to me, pulled out his key chain and, after pulling the keys off it, handed it to me as a gift! That meant a lot to me and I kept pulling that key chain out of my pocket to look at it as we left the longhouse and flew out of Sibu for Kuching. But somehow I lost it Wednesday night when we were shopping in Kuching. I’ve been praying that God will help me find it. It is priceless to me because it was a gift from a friend.
The dedication services were a real blessing. I remember fighting back sentimental tears as songs of praise filled the structure for which we had sacrificed sweat and blood. It was exciting to think that those were the first of many worship services in the new churches, and rewarding to know we were part of making it happen.
After the first dedication service we all piled into the pickup trucks and once again traversed the roads that led to Julau. The views were breathtaking: open jungle and misty blue mountains far in the distance. After the second dedication at the church in Julau we were served lunch at a nearby longhouse. I got to eat one last meal with my Iban friends. Pastor Andrew Wong gave me his “Japan SDA Union Conference International Volunteer” hat. I still have the hat, at least, even if I did lose the key chain.
Then it was time to say goodbye. Chelsea, Abby, Pastor Andrew, Pastor Sim, Pastor Denney, Pastor Ostine, and I stood around and watched the bus load. None of us wanted to leave. We said goodbye about four times before Abby, Chelsea and I reluctantly boarded the bus. Walking away that last time was almost physically painful. As the bus rolled out onto the road, nearly everyone in our group had tears in their eyes, many of us had made good friends.
That night we stayed in the Seventh-day Adventist Mission Headquarters in Kuching. We spent the evening downtown, shopping and sightseeing. Kuching is a very beautiful, very advanced city. Most of us ate dinner at Pizza Hut. After we finished with our shopping we returned to the mission, by this time it was about 11pm. When we got there we found that the gate was locked! No one had a key, and while some of us could climb over the fence not all of us could manage it. Then Pastor Sim showed up and unlocked the gate.
“Who called you?” we asked; none of us had his number.
“No one called me,” he answered as he swung the gate open, “I couldn’t sleep so I decided to come check on you.” It turns out he’d left a note on the gate with instructions for the man who usually locks up to leave it unlocked, but the note had fallen on the ground. I believe Pastor Sim coming to unlock the gate was a miracle. God was watching over us!
Right now we are at Bako National Park. We came over on boats, down a river and along the bay. We have a couple days to relax here before we go home. This evening I wet my toes in the South China Sea!
Peppers
March 26, 2008
Today we finished work on the church, in about an hour we will go back and clean up. There is still more to be done, but it is work that has to be done a little at a time, such as laying the last bit of brick, so the Iban will finish after we leave.
I found out this morning that after the wall fell yesterday, Pastor Denney stayed until dark rebuilding it–only to have it collapse a second time! They built it again today and it seems to be holding well.
God’s planted a dream in my heart: of returning to Sarawak next year and bringing my brother David with me. I am so excited about missionary work. I can’t remember ever being this happy. I am writing this by the door of the longhouse, in hopes of a cool breeze. After we finish at the church we’ll go for a swim in the river. That always feels so good to wash away the sweat and dirt.
There is a group of Iban women near me, gathered around a heaping basket of pepper. I think they are separating the green kernels from the stems and stuff so they can put it out in the sun to dry. That is how black pepper is made. To make white pepper, the green kernels are soaked in the river for about two weeks so that the green shells come off and the white centers are then dried.
Blaze of Glory
March 25, 2008
Tonight the sunset set the underbellies of dark clouds ablaze with fiery light.
I lingered at the building site after cleanup until the last people left and walked back with Pastor Denney, Pastor Gilbert and Pastor Ostine. The church is nearly complete, clean and empty. I told God that’s how I want to be: built up in His love and empty of self. I felt a little sad leaving a place where I’d worked hard and made good friends and good memories. Tomorrow we will dedicate both churches and then fly out of Sibu to Kuching.
After dinner this evening, Pastor Denney let me tag along with him as he walked around the village visiting longhouses. He explained how the people live and even showed me where some still sacrifice to the spirits. I am fascinated with the Iban culture and language.
Bugged!
March 24, 2008
Part of one of our walls collapsed today. Chelsea Shinner was very close to the wall when it fell, truly God protected her.
Two Iban pastors, Pastor Sim and Pastor Andrew, showed up and worked with us for about an hour. Pastor Andrew cooks all our food and Pastor Sim is in charge of VBS and other responsibilities. Their dedication is amazing; they were really excited that they could help. I had my picture taken with them and I told them, “when I go back to America I will show people this picture and say, ‘these are the hardest-working pastors I have ever met.’”
The largest insect I have ever seen landed on my hand just now! I shook it off and jumped up, heart racing, scream stuck somewhere in my throat. Some of the boys caught it in a bag and took it outside. It was a huge black beetle. Several of those have flown into the longhouse, hit the fans and plummeted to the ground.
Who is Rich?
March 24, 2008
Last night after worship I got to go with some of the Iban pastors to a nearby longhouse for a baby dedication. One of the church elders has a new grandson. The whole service was in Iban. They began by singing hymns, one of the most beautiful sounds I’ve ever heard was hearing the familiar songs sung in a strange tongue. I couldn’t understand what they were saying, but their love for the Lord is obvious. After a sermon in Iban, which I’m sure was excellent although I couldn’t comprehend a word, our hosts served us food. Some of my pastor friends teased me because I was taking so long to finish eating. They jokingly told me I couldn’t leave until I finished. Laughing, I pretended to set my plate down, declaring that I didn’t want to leave.
We accomplished a lot on the church today. The sky is a deeper blue here than at home. At first I thought it was just my imagination, but it is. Midway through the day there was a thunderous crash as one of the scaffoldings collapsed. Thank the Lord no one was hurt, though now they will have to rebuild it.
Last night we learned that enough money had been raised to buy plastic chairs for the churches. It amazes me. Here are these people in the middle of the jungle, praising the Lord because they have plastic chairs to sit in, while in America we get stressed out because the pews are the wrong color. I was talking with some of my Iban friends and one of them made a comment about how wealthy Americans are. I remember choking on the words as I fumbled to put into words what was in my heart. “No, no. You are far richer.”
“America is very rich,” they persisted.
“You are rich because you are content with what you have. You have a kind of wealth that few people in America have.” I think they understood. I know my perspective will never be the same. And I thank the Lord for that.
Rain and Blisters
March 23, 2008
In the jungle, everything is extreme: heat, animals, rain…the third halted work early yesterday. I have never seen rain pummel the earth with such force in my entire life. The rain fell in torrential sheets, sending rivers of muddy water ripping through the roads, turning them into foaming floods. We tried to keep working for a while, but it soon became evident that our efforts were futile: we couldn’t mix or lay cement and we couldn’t lay bricks. I was wearing the hat I’d purchased in Julau. It certainly proved its worth today. It has kept the sun off all week and sheltered me from the rain like an umbrella.
As the rain intensified everyone began ducking under the roof of the church–except me. I just had to run out under the rain and feel it stinging my skin.
Finally we capitulated to the elements and laid down our tools for the day. My Iban friend, Latip, urged me to hurry back to the longhouse. The road was flooding as water tore channels in the clay and roared through them. It was a humbling, awe-inspiring experience, walking in the tempest and feeling God’s presence as if He were walking beside me. When we reached the longhouse we were all drenched. In Borneo, you have to take advantage of every opportunity to get clean, so a bunch of us grabbed our shampoo and washed our hair in the rain.
That night my feet were on fire with pain from blisters, and with cuts from gravel that had gotten into my shoes. A word to the wise: if you get rocks in your shoes, stop and take them out! I had also scraped my leg up running to get more mortar for Pastor Denney, an Iban pastor friend of mine. I slipped in the mud and fell. The doctors applied medicine and bandages to my feet and band-aids for my legs. I look like I’ve been through a war!
The best part of Friday evening was talking to some of the Iban pastors that came from all over Sarawak (Sarawak is one of the states on the island of Borneo, in the country of Malaysia) to help with the church.
First Day on the Job
March 22, 2008
I never had time to write last night. Our first day on the job was both rewarding and exhausting. I hauled water for the cement mixers. I carried the water in yellow buckets from a source at the bottom of a steep and slippery clay bank. At first I slipped over and over again going down and up. Then some of the local workers saw my difficulty, dropped what they were doing, and built wooden ladder/staircase so I could go up and down easier and faster.
I’ve already begun making friends among the Iban people. Those that can speak English are a lot of fun to talk to.