Return to Jakarta
Following Stav's saga of getting home after a number of flight cancellations due to lingering smoke from fires, we were watching the flights in and out of Palu very carefully. Fortunately, our early flight out of Palu departed without incident and we arrived in Jakarta on time for the final stage of our journey. It was great to be greeted at the airport by Nyoman's brother and brother-in-law, who welcomed us as a part of the Timonuli family. We enjoyed refreshments at Major Spener and Rai's quarters at Jakarta #2 Corps before booking into our hotel and heading out to the local shopping mall for lunch and an amazing massage! Unfortunately, Nyoman's misfortune of losing his phone the day before transfered to me with my phone disappearing in the shopping mall car park. More about that in my final blog post!
One of the things I love about traveling overseas is exploring the local market place, especially experiencing the flavours and fragrances of street food. There is something captivating about the buzz and activity of street stalls that come alive at night! The first night in Jakarta we played it safe by enjoying a delicious duck meal - bebek goreng. The following night Neville was determined to try cobra, which was selected from a cage live and we got to see every stage of its preparation before eating it coated in satay and chili.
On Sunday we were doubly blessed by worshipping at Jakarta #2 Corps in the morning and Jelambar Corps in the evening. I had the privilege of preaching in both meetings and praying alongside two special people who have been journeying through some very difficult times. Leading up to our mission trip we became aware that the two year old son of a couple we met during our Jakarta Mission Trip in 2011 had a stroke. His condition was serious and we united with an Army of Salvationists all around the world to pray for his healing. I can't describe our joy to see this little boy walking around as a testimony to God's grace! The faith of his young parents is inspiring and to see them totally surrender to God's will for their lives despite their son's condition is as much a testimony as his healing.
We were particularly looking forward to sharing with our friends at Jelambar who have remained a special part of our lives since meeting and serving them in 2011. Our two day stopover in Jakarta on our way home from Palu allowed us time to follow-up and renew these friendships, being mutually encouraged by seeing how God is at work in each other's lives.
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