Dongi Dongi Mission Trip Reflection

Feeling Accomplished

One of the common critiques of short-term mission trips is around the immediate and long-term impact of the mission activity.  Some wonder if anything of lasting significance can be accomplished in a couple of weeks.  Others question if the money spent on the cost of the mission trip could be better utilised by sending it directly to the mission field.  While these are valid questions that should be given reasonable consideration, at the end of our three weeks in Indonesia I am left with the following reflective conclusions:

• We have mobilised a team of Salvationists from our Corps to actively engage in the international mission of The Salvation Army.
• We have evoked a spirit of generosity in our Corps and community to resource the vision of an overseas Corps and community.
• We have invested into the lives of 180 children and their families by helping to establish a school building more appropriate for the needs of the local community.
• We have partnered with a community by participating alongside them in a project that has laid the foundation for ongoing relationship beyond the end product.
• We have shared life with other Salvationists through local hospitality, mutual encouragement and pastoral ministry.
• We have been mutually enriched by exchanging broader perspectives of Salvationism through our respective cultural expressions and experiences.
• We have responded to unplanned ministry opportunities adding value to and alleviating stress from local leadership and discipleship initiatives.
• We have followed-up relationships established during previous trips through ministry engagement that continues to sow into the faith journey of other Salvationists.
• We have returned home better equipped with a higher level of cultural intelligence to more effectively engage cross-culturally in our Corps and community.

It is one thing to contribute to a mission by sending money but quite a different experience to commit to a mission by going and personally engaging with those on the mission field.  Both can be valuable, but approached with right attitude the latter fosters a level of engagement that puts relationships ahead of the task and helps to develop a level of cultural intelligence that can integrate into mission and ministry back home.

Dongi Dongi Mission Trip - Day 21

Answered Prayer!

In my previous blog post I briefly shared that I lost my phone at a major shopping mall in Jakarta.  This is not how I imagined finishing up our mission trip!  However, after some fervent prayer and the determined actions of my travel companions, this happened (as shared on Facebook):

"I would like to share with you an extraordinary experience I had this morning! On Saturday I lost my iPhone while at a major shopping mall in Jakarta, which contained my credit card, driver's licence and medicare card in the cover. You can imagine my distress at losing my phone and identification in such a busy foreign city!! Yesterday morning, Neville and Nyoman decided to try calling my phone from Nyoman's Indonesian number, to no avail. However, last night we noticed two missed calls on Nyoman's phone from my phone number. Nyoman called back and discovered that my phone was found on the ground beside our car in the car park at the mall by a man from Bandung. He took the phone home and tried to send a message to me via my Instagram account, which was still logged in on my phone. This morning, this man and his family drove all the way from Bandung, about a 3 hour drive, back to Jakarta to return my phone and identification to me! While this alone is remarkable, my phone was still in 'flight mode' and my SIM card was disabled by Telstra after we reported it missing, so it shouldn't have received our call; the battery on my phone never holds charge for more than a day anymore; and it was found by a Muslim man and returned by his family who wanted to demonstrate the integrity of their faith. I praise God for this miracle against the odds of ever seeing my phone again and the risk of my ID being used for identity fraud overseas. I'm still astounded by this incredible blessing!!"

What threatened to be a spoiler of an extraordinary mission trip became a major highlight!  Once again I was reminded how God can use any situation to bring unexpected encounters and blessings that reinforce how great He really is!!  I also can't help thinking that my encounter with this family is no accident and that our paths will cross again some time in the future.

 

Dongi Dongi Mission Trip - Days 19 & 20

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.

 

Dongi Dongi Mission Trip - Day 18

Final Day in Palu

Waking up on our final day in Palu was a little surreal after three very busy weeks working alongside three shifts of amazing team members who have fully engaged with our mission trip.  Not only have we accomplished what we came to do but have been richly blessed by generous hospitality, good friends and a number of unplanned ministry opportunities. One of these unplanned ministry opportunities was to participate in the Youth Meeting at Towua Corps, an invitation we received earlier in our trip.

Before the Youth Meeting we ventured one last time out into Palu for a motorbike tour with Nyoman and Tato, who took us up a mountain that overlooked the city.  Half way up the single trail track Nyoman's motorbike overheated leaving us stranded on the side of the track.  Tato and Neville continued up the mountain while Nyoman and I rolled back down the mountain to get help.  Fortunately, part way down the bike restarted and we avoided a long walk back home!  Unfortunately, Nyoman lost his phone where we had broken down somewhere back up the mountain!!

After our little misadventure I finished preparing my sermon for the Youth Meeting and we then joined a very eager youth team for a great night of worship.  Throughout our trip we have observed a vibrancy and passion among Indonesian Salvation Army youth in a number of locations and the Towua Corps youth were no exception tonight.  Their worship team, dancers and timbrelists expressed a joy that transcended language, uniting us in spirit as we worshipped together.  Once again we were deeply moved to see the Spirit of God minister in the lives of these young people who responded to the message.

Dongi Dongi Mission Trip - Days 16 & 17

Last Hurrah at Dongi Dongi

Today we headed out to Dongi Dongi for the third and final time; this time with Neville and Major Erik Kape onboard.  Before we left Palu we stopped by the Mecure Hotel to catch up with Commissioner Ros Poke who was finishing up her trip around Indonesia.  Commissioners Vic and Ros Poke were on staff at the Training College with Vic being our Training Principal when Nyoman and I were Cadets training to be Salvation Army Officers back in 1995-96.  It is amazing where God has led us each over the past twenty years and how our paths have crossed on this mission trip.

Like previous team members earlier in the trip, Neville was keen to get involved with rebuilding Dongi Dongi School.  Majors Paulus and Felma weren't home when we arrived, so we didn't waste any time heading up the hill to see the progress of the builders over the past week and to plan out our work for the next couple of days.  Once again we were amazed at how much work had been done!  The front verandah had been concreted, the brickwork was complete, internal walls had begun to be rendered, and the timber cladding was almost finished.  The builders weren't onsite, so once Nyoman and Eric left to return to Palu, Neville and I got started cleaning up the building site, emptying the classrooms of building waste and sweeping out a mountain of wood shavings and concrete dust.  The cloud of dust combined with our sweat made for one very dirty afternoon of work.  There was also a load of timber delivered on the side of the track out front, so we decided to haul it into the classroom that stored the remaining building materials.  Maybe we were just tired, but this load of timber was way heavier than a previous load that other team members had moved.  In fact, it had been cut thicker and was still very wet (that's our excuse, LOL).  

The Corps Officers returned home late afternoon to find our belongings hidden out the back of their quarters, so Major Paulus came up to give us a hand to finish off our afternoon of work.  As with previous team members, Neville and I were warmly welcomed into their home and blessed by their hospitality.  We engaged in conversation after tea with Major Paulus, without Nyoman present to interpet, and had a lot of fun teaching each other new words and phrases in our respective languages.  Despite the language barrier we managed to communicate well enough to enjoy each others company and discover new things about each others culture.

The next morning before we got back to work, I took Neville across to the old classrooms to see for himself the conditions in which the children were learning.  On our way out Nyoman had just arrived back from Palu and joined us for another day of hard work.  The job for the day was to level out the ground out the front of the verandah by 'cutting and filling' with dirt from the land beside the building.  A couple of local labourers started digging a hole for the septic tank for the toilets so we joined forces as we relocated the soil they dug out of their hole.  The speed these guys worked was impressive. 

After our lunch break we were amazed to see that they had dug their 3x3 metre hole to a depth of 1.5 metres and had built a lean-to shelter in the process to give themselves some shade while they worked!  Not to be outdone, Neville, Nyoman and I worked equally as hard to finish off our levelling, which required more and more fill as the gradient increased along the length of the verandah.  It was a very tiring but satisfying day of work.  

Leaving the building site for the last time was a little emotional after three weeks of working on this project.  Neville and I really connected with how Tony, Jill and Stav must have felt as they left Dongi Dongi knowing it would be the last time they saw the project before completion.  Yet, that feeling of sadness was mixed with a deep sense of satisfaction with the knowledge that together we had contributed to the rebuilding of Dongi Dongi School.  Our belief in the Corps Officer's vision for the school, our collective fundraising over the past twelve months and our presence on this mission trip is a significant investment into a community, a church and a generation of children who will be educated in these new buildings!  Praise the Lord!!

Dongi Dongi Mission Trip - Day 15

Eager Young Minds

One of the many joys of this mission trip is the diversity of unplanned ministry opportunities that have added value to our primary mission activity for both our team and hosts.  Last week I was asked to present a seminar on 'Problem Solving' to a class of high school students.  Today I was asked to present a seminar on leadership to a class of vocational school students.  Both seminars excited me as they appealed to my passion as a leader to equip others!

With the arrival of Neville last night, Nyoman seized the moment by offering Neville one of the topics he was required to teach to the same group of students.  Despite the late request, Neville stepped up to the plate and willingly accepted the offer.  So, Neville taught on 'Healthy Relationships', I taught on the 'Nature of a Leader' and Nyoman taught on 'Drugs and Sexuality.'  What a team!

One of the funny moments of the day was driving to the location of the seminar.  Due to an interruption by one of the Palu teachers as we were about to leave, we were running very late and the morning Palu traffic didn't help matters either.  Just as we were about to make a right turn at a main round-a-bout a police motorcade with sirens blaring entered the intersection stopping all traffic to allow them through. Except Nyoman!  He saw it as an opportunity to tag on the end of the last police vehicle and use it as a police escort. It worked!! The normally heavy traffic pulled aside to allow the police vehicles (and us) through, giving us a clear run all the way to our destination in a fraction of the time. Genius!
 

Dongi Dongi Mission Trip - Day 14

#SelfieWithJesus

The morning started with the news we all were hoping to hear - 'Flight GA623 has departed!'  Stav FINALLY got on his way to Jakarta for the first part of his long awaited journey home.

The morning then continued with a drive out to the Donggala area to visit a campsite in Pusat Laut that the Palu School are interested in purchasing from THQ.  This site would provide an ideal location for a proposed campsite to host retreats and camps not only for The Salvation Army but other Christian groups.  Once we got past all the mining along the coastal road, the views were beautiful and they got even better as we headed inland among forests of coconut palms and stunning mountain and coastal views.  We parked at a government run campsite neighbouring the property of interest, and it wasn't hard to picture the potential for development.  A walk along the beach to view the boundary lines revealed why this location was chosen.  Although the local beach goers seemed as intrigued by our presence as we were theirs.  Oh, did I mention that the beach goers were cows?!  True!  Anywhere else in the world that might seem strange but somehow with the frequent presence of cows wandering around the streets of Palu, this sight didn't seem all that out of place.

The afternoon changed pace and mood as we attended the one year memorial service of Bapak Oscar Hohoy, whose funeral we participated in last year.  Like at the funeral, a large crowd of family and friends gathered outside the Hohoy's house for a time of worship and remembrance.  Oscar's wife Ibu Deasy displayed courage and strength as she shared the difficult journey for her and her family over the past twelve months.  It really was a privilege to once again share this time with the Hohoy family and observe another stage of the grieving process in this culture.

From sadness to joy, we continued into the evening by attending the Youth Christian Community service at Palu #1 Corps.  It was so exciting seeing this massive hall filled with passionate young people from around the city of Palu who had gathered for a combined praise and worship service.  On Sunday morning at Towua Corps a couple of the youth leaders asked me to share a word of encouragement at this youth service.  Their theme was great!  #SelfiesWithJesus, which I had a bit of fun with as I invited the youth to take a selfie and tell me what they saw.  I then spoke about how they are made in the image of God and as God's children, filled with His Spirit, reflect the glory of Jesus.  It was an awesome night of worship led by the youth and a passionate message shared by Major Erik Kape.  God is clearly at work in the lives of the youth in Palu!

 

Dongi Dongi Mission Trip - Day 13

Unity in Worship

Worshipping in Indonesia brings with it an interesting paradox for me.  On the one hand it is steeped in tradition and a familiar form everywhere we go.  Yet on the other hand, there is a tangible presence of the Holy Spirit and a deep hunger for worship.  It is not difficult to connect with the heart of Indonesian Salvationists as we unite together in songs of praise in both Bahasa and English.

Today, I had another opportunity to preach, following on from last week's message in Joshua with the theme - 'What Next?'  God had prepared Joshua to take over the leadership of Moses and lead the Israelites into the promised land.  In the reading today we picked up from when Joshua told the people of Israel to "go in and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you for your own" (Joshua 1:11).  Joshua was READY, the plan was SET, all that was left to do was for the people to GO!

At the conclusion of the service, after a moving altar call that saw many in the congregation respond to the call to 'go' and take possession of God's promises, I was confronted by the final prayer of the Corps Officer.  He prayed for Christian churches in Aceh that had been burned down last week.  Knowing there had been fires across some parts of Indonesia, I asked Nyoman if these churches were affected by the fires, but was informed that they had been burned to the ground by militant Muslims.  There is something very sobering about worshipping in a country alongside Salvationists who don't pray for the persecuted church from a distance but from a very real position of vulnerability.

 

After two previous attempts to get home, we accompanied Stav to the airport in the afternoon for his third attempt.  And yet again, his flight was cancelled!  Even with boarding passes in hand and baggage checked in, Stav was grounded for another night.  It seems Garuda didn't listen to my message - READY, SET, GO!  

"What next?"  We try again tomorrow morning on the early flight.

Dongi Dongi Mission Trip - Day 12

Cycling, Coffee, Milo and Another Cancellation!

At the end of two weeks of hard work, I was looking forward to having a day off!  While Stav enjoyed a sleep-in after his cancelled flight ordeal yesterday, I took the opportunity to go for a bike ride around Palu city on a mountain bike borrowed from one of the locals.  To ensure I didn't get lost, I carefully wrote down every turn and street name on my planned route and set off excited about exploring new places and nervous cycling in a strange city with unpredictable traffic behaviour (somewhat of an understatement!).  It took a bit of getting used to interpretting the constant tooting of horns as a courteous "I'm passing you" rather than an aggressive "get off the road!"  Despite the chaotic traffic, this was a pleasant change to the general attitude towards cyclists in Australia.

While riding along the coastline, I even had the pleasure of encountering an Indonesian cyclist who was riding across Indonesia from West Papua.  His motorbike escort rode up beside me calling out "Mr, Mr" to get me to look behind.  All I could see were other motorbikes, so I waved politely and kept cycling.  But they persisted in making sure I noticed their cycling companion.  It was the highlight of my ride meeting this guy and discussing his journey as we rode together for a couple of kilometres before he and his motorcade demonstrated who was the superior cyclist!

After lunch we drove Stav back out to the airport for a second attempt at his departure.  Stav checked in, we returned to the same cafe as last night and drank Milo and Coffee in a can...again...to then be confronted with the disappointing news that his flight was cancelled...again!  

It seems Garuda Indonesia are much more cautious about flying in heavy smoke than local budget carrier Lion Air.

Dongi Dongi Mission Trip - Day 11

Cleaning & Cancellation!

After two days working on the School in Dongi Dongi, we shifted our attention back to the Student Dormitory in Palu.  As the deadline for the completion of the dormitory closes in, the stress levels are increasing for Nyoman to have the building finished on time for the benefactors of this project.

Before setting to work, Nyoman and I attended an early morning birthday celebration for Ibu FiFi Bolo, one of the kindergarten teachers, at her home.  We were joined by a large contingency of school staff and shared in devotions and breakfast together.  Once again, I was asked to share a devotional thought and spoke from Jeremiah 29:11-14, which seemed apt for the occasion.  Nyoman seized the opportunity to recruit some of the teachers to assist us to finish cleaning out the Student Dormitory.

It was an encouraging sight to see half a dozen teachers take up the challenge when we arrived back at the dormitory armed with our cleaning implements.  With everyone on deck we knocked over the cleaning of the ground floor in a couple of hours!  Once the dirt, concrete dust and splattered plaster was cleared, the deadline didn't seem as daunting...at least to us.  Like with the students at Dongi Dongi, it was really good to see the staff from Palu School get involved and shoulder some of the burden of completing this project for their students.  

 

Later in the afternoon we took Stav to the airport for his departure home.  It only seems like a couple of days ago that we picked him up from the airport.  Unfortunately, due to heavy smoke lingering over Palu from fires on Borneo, his flight was cancelled.  This is an unwelcomed disruption to Stav's travel plans, with him missing out on seeing his newly born niece and attending a renuion.  The joy and unpredictability of international air travel!

Dongi Dongi Mission Trip - Days 9 & 10

Project Progressing Well

We embarked on our second journey out to Dongi Dongi with Stav on board to pick up where the first shift of our mission team left off.  The program for the next two days was to dig a trench around the pathway dug out last week as drainage for the runoff from the roof and the higher ground behind the new building.  It was great to reconnect with the Corps Officers of the Boya Lentora Corps who have graciously hosted us in their home and have blessed us with their hospitality.

After a great lunch we walked back up the hill to be yet again amazed by the progress of the builders in just a few days.  Two thirds of the timber cladding on the front wall was completed, the rest of the required bricks were made and the internal brickwork was moving along at a rapid pace.  We set to work on digging the trench along the rear path and were moving along at an equally fast pace until we encountered a succession of buried rocks!  These rocks kept appearing in pairs and were big!!  Unfortunately, my determination to remove these obstacles resulted in breaking the handle of one of the only two shovels onsite.  This significantly slowed down the pace for the afternoon as we improvised by using other building materials laying around to lever out the offending rocks.  Our improvisation didn't end there; with a half full water bottle being used as a level, a long piece of ribbon used as a string line and borrowing the builder's tape measure to ensure the fall of the trench was correct for effective drainage.  By the end of the afternoon the trench was complete, leaving the side trench for the next morning.

The Dongi Dongi area has recently had power lines installed along the main road, but does not yet have electricity connected.  This means that the residents of this area (who can afford it) rely on portable generators for their power needs.  The quarters we stayed in only ran their generator between 6:00 pm and 9:00 pm, resulting in early nights in an electronic device free zone.  I must admit that it was somewhat liberating sitting around enjoying as much conversation as we could given the language barrier and the natural environment, without the distraction of a cyberworld.

We made an early start the next morning to give Stav an opportunity to witness the children in the classrooms of the old building.  This time the classes were full, giving the full impact of the unsuitability of the current school.  With this vision fresh in our minds, we got stuck into the days work, digging the last trench by morning tea and collecting river pebbles from around the building site to fill the trenches to assist with drainage by lunchtime. 

It seems we finished the trenches way faster than anticipated, prompting us to return to Palu after lunch, half a day earlier than planned. 

Dongi Dongi Mission Trip - Days 7 & 8

Student Dormitory

 

Over these two days we got to work on cleaning out the new student dormitory in Palu, which is still under the final stages of construction.  This facility needs to be completed by the 5th November and there still is a lot of work to be done.  Nyoman hoped that by us cleaning out the completed rooms it would create a sense of urgency and motivation for the builders to pick up the pace with a vision of the final product in front of them.  

The feedback we received from Nyoman afterwards was that our hard work on the dorms created some positive chatter among school staff and the builders who were surprised by our willingness to do the 'dirty' work.  This has provided Nyoman with a good platform for coaching the locals involved with this building.  Our work has also saved Nyoman a considerable amount of money and time on a project that is already way over budget and behind schedule.  While not the focus of our trip, these two days work have been of great assistance to the Palu School.

 

The night before working on the dorms I was asked to prepare and present a 1.5 hour seminar on 'Problem Solving' to a class of 40 high school students at the Palu School at 7:00 in the morning.  You can imagine that meant a late night of preparation!

 

The night after working on the dorms we were invited to visit a group of 50 students at a scout camp on the outskirts of Palu.  We got to observe a traditional bonfire ceremony and campfire singing by the kids.  This was another unexpected opportunity to engage in a familiar activity in a very different cultural setting.

 

Our mission team changed shape again with Tony and Jill departing for home, leaving Stav and I behind to continue work on the Dongi Dongi Project until Stav returns home on Friday and Neville arrives to join the team on Monday for the final week.

Dongi Dongi Mission Trip - Day 6

Power of Testimony!

Our team expanded early this morning with the arrival of Stav to Dongi Dongi.  It is great to have him on board and I know he is as eager as we were to engage with the Dongi Dongi School project.

Today we had the opportunity to worship at two Salvation Army Corps in Central Sulawesi.

This morning, before leaving Dongi Dongi, we worshipped at the Boya Lentora Corps alongside the officers who had been our hosts, Major Paulus and Felma.  It was a privilege to be invited to preach at their meeting and an incredible joy to see God at work in the lives of their congregation.  The highlight for me was seeing Tony give his testimony and  share his journey of faith and how God prompted him to be a part of our mission team.  I can't help marvel at the alignment of circumstances that God orchestrated to bring Tony and his family to Cranbourne Corps and use him in such a mighty way on this mission trip.

This evening, upon our return to Palu, we worshipped at the Towua Corps situated on the site of the Palu School.  It is always a blessing to see the youth so involved in worship through music and dance, and a particular joy to be led in worship by Ruth Frisca Pandjaitan.  She has a passionate heart for the Lord and together with her fiance Ratno Harinei, they are exceptional Salvationists!  During this service Jill gave her testimony, which had a great impact on the congregation.  Jill's love for God and people was clearly evident as she shared about her family, church and service activities.  

Dongi Dongi Mission Trip - Day 5

Army of Workers!

We arose early to greet the children as they arrived at school.  It was one thing to see the state of the old buildings empty last year, but quite another to now see the classrooms jam packed with excited kids.  The sight of this school in use increased the value of every dollar raised for this project!

 

After leaving the kids to their classes we got straight to work digging a metre wide path around the parameter of the back and one side of the building.  In some spots we were clearing soil up to half a metre deep. Tools and equipment in the mountains are scarce, so armed with a couple of shovels, one wheel barrow and a stack of buckets, we began digging and moving dirt.  

 

Yesterday, Nyoman mentioned that the kids would join us after their assembly to get involved with the project to encourage a greater ownership of their new school.  We were not expecting the army of enthusiastic kids that swarmed us with empty cement bags to help move all the dirt.  They were simply extraordinary!!  And innovative!  Some kids carried bags of dirt clutched to their chest, others on their shoulder or back.  Some used a bamboo pole to carry two buckets between them, while others also paired up using an open cement bag like a stretcher to carry a load together.  

 

Jill had a group of helpers using rocks as hammers with sticks to pry loose large rocks that were buried in the dirt.  At one stage Tony could barely keep up with dozens of kids presenting him with bags to fill all at once.  I was amused to see a couple of young boys mimic me by lugging heavy buckets of dirt on top of their shoulders in an attempt to show me how strong they were.  All the dirt moved was used to fill a large hole at the front of the building in what will become their courtyard and assembly area.  It was incredibly inspiring to see the level of enthusiasm and endurance of these kids and their teachers as we worked alongside each other. Once the kids finished school it was back to reality for our team with some extremely hard work in the heat to finish the rest of the excavating by hand.  By lunchtime we had finished the longest stretch at the rear of the building, exceeding Nyoman's expectations. We all agreed that this would not have been possible without the help of the students and their teachers.  It was difficult to get moving again after a well earned lunch break, but we were determined to finish the side pathway.  Our energy levels dropped rapidly by late afternoon, but we soldiered on and got the job done, despite encountering a stubborn tree root half a metre from the end!

Is it possible to be exhausted and exhilarated at the same time?  Well we were.  It was great to finish a hard day of manual labour with a deep sense of satisfaction.  Even the cold shower (aka trough of water and scoop) felt great!!

Dongi Dongi Mission Trip - Day 4

Back to Dongi Dongi

The trip out to Dongi Dongi was longer than I remembered.  Maybe it's because we were so excited to see the progress of the project we had been fundraising for and eager to get involved with the construction.  Our anticipation was rewarded with the sight of a magnificent structure that was way further advanced than I had imagined.  From the dilapidated buildings at the front of a borrowed property, the Dongi Dongi School is now situated on their own land with a partially completed building that will provide the children and staff with an environment much more conducive to learning when finished.

 

It's difficult to describe the feeling of seeing the collective efforts of our Corps and community fundraising take form in a facility that will facilitate the education of 180 elementary students across the Dongi Dongi region.  To be able to partner with such a vision and resource it to become a reality is an incredible privilege!

When the local tradesmen arrived back at work after their siesta we couldn't wait to get involved.  The afternoon consisted of a general clean-up of the building site, including clearing the verandah of building rubble and relocating the timber ready for cladding the walls.  It was interesting watching the pace that the two builders cladded one of the internal walls with the timber panels using only hand tools and work practices that would give a work site safety officer in Australia a heart attack.  Eager to help, but not get in the way, we keenly observed their pattern of work and were able to act as their laborers, passing panels of timber, measuring lengths...but not yet earning their trust to use the hand saw. While it wasn't a particularly demanding afternoon of work it was a rewarding afternoon to finally engage with this project.

The evening presented us with an unexpected opportunity to wander into the Boya Lentora Corps next door and join the youth in their Youth Service.  Major Paulus gave the youth an inspiring message and the worship band led a powerful time of worship.  We thoroughly enjoyed seeing the youth from the Dongi Dongi area worship and express their love for Jesus.  

We have also been so blessed by the generous hospitality of the Corps Officers as they welcomed us into their home.

Dongi Dongi Mission Trip - Days 2 & 3

Up Close and Personal

Any well planned mission trip must be subject to change at any moment to respond to local needs if we are truly going with any level of cultural intelligence.  Projects give way to people, schedules bow to spiritual discernment, and completing a task is always secondary to building relationships.  

After staff devotions at the beginning of our first day we were informed that the father of the Palu Junior High Principal had passed away early that morning.  Nyoman and I visited the grieving family in their home to pray with them, which was reminiscient of journeying with the same community last year  as they grieved the loss of Bapak Oscar at the tale end of that mission trip.  This meant that our plans to depart for Dongi Dongi to start our project the next day had to change to accommodate the funeral for Bapak Gideon.  

Instead of traveling to Dongi Dongi, we set off for a two and half hour drive to Bapak Gideon's village at Langkapa with a contingent of Salvationists from the Palu School and Towua Corps.  As a visiting Officer I was called upon to deliver the message at the funeral, which was considered by the family to be an honour.  The truth is, it was our team that felt honoured to be up close and personal with this grieving family and to be invited to participate in such a personal occasion.  

Note that I judged this occasion as personal, as in Australian culture there are certain moments during the process of grief and funeral arrangements that are for family only. However, in Indonesian culture, the whole grief process and every part of the funeral is a community affair.  The body is laid out for all to see to pay their respects in the home of the grieving family and several services follow with eating and singing to celebrate the life of the deceased.  For Tony and Jill, this was their first encounter with a funeral in a different cultural setting, let alone a Salvation Army funeral.

Our team observed and commented how much healthier this open communal expression of grief seemed to be compared to how we generally grieve in Australia.

Dongi Dongi Mission Trip - Day 1

Serving With Eyes Wide Open

12 hours, 3 flights and 2 time zones en route to our mission destination gave a lot of time to prepare my heart and mind for the next three weeks in Indonesia.  Apart from catching up on some sleep and watching a movie, I used the time to read the prescribed text "Serving With Eyes Wide Open - Doing Short-Term Missions With Cultural Intelligence" for the subject 'Intercultural Life, Work and Field Education' that I am studying this semester.  

This book critically evaluates why many short-term mission trips are ineffective and provides a very helpful framework to develop a level of cultural intelligence that will reposition short-term missions to be effective and empowering for both the sending and receiving individuals and organisations.

We are all familiar with IQ as being the measure of intellectual intelligence, and most would have heard of EQ that measures emotional intelligence.  CQ is a further tool to measure cultural intelligence and to adjust how we think and behave in various cultural situations.  David Livermore explores cultural intelligence through four CQ capabilities:

1. CQ Drive:  Your level of interest, drive, and confidence to adapt to multicultural situations
2. CQ Knowledge:  Your level of understanding about how cultures are similar and different
3. CQ Strategy:  Your level of awareness and ability to plan for multicultural interactions
4. CQ Action:  Your level of adaptability when relating and working interculturally

Over these next three weeks we will be endeavouring to increase our cultural intelligence by developing these four CQ capabilities so that our mission trip will have maximum impact for the people we will serve, our team and the kingdom of God.

Dongi Dongi Mission Trip

Meet the Team

This year we return to Palu in Indonesia with five enthusiastic team members to follow-up and assist with the rebuilding of Dongi Dongi School.  As we journeyed around Central Sulawesi last year, we were captured by the passion and vision of one particular Salvation Army Officer to provide more adequate facilities for the Dongi Dongi School.  Since then our church has been fundraising to help resource this local vision and initiative.

Meet the team who are travelling to Palu between the 6th and 26th October to partner with this project [L to R]:

Jill belongs to the Bendigo Uniting Church in rural Victoria and is the mother of Tony, who is also on the team.  Jill has extensive experience in emergency catering with Red Cross and event catering with other community groups.

Robert is currently the Corps Officer at Cranbourne Corps in south-east Melbourne and has led previous mission trips to Chiang Mai in Thailand; Denpasar, Jakarta and Palu in Indonesia.  He has a passion for cross-cultural ministry and leadership development.

Neville belongs to the Noarlunga Corps in the south of Adelaide.  He works as a Chef on the Ghan Train and has served on two previous mission teams to Denpasar and Jakarta alongside Majors Robert and Vanessa Evans.

Tony started attending the Cranbourne Corps with his family about six months ago and has enthusiastically engaged with this mission project by fundraising among his work colleagues.  Tony is the Project Manager of the Kmart Renewal team.

Stephen also belongs to the Cranbourne Corps and served with the Palu mission team last year seeing first hand the condition of Dongi Dongi School.  He is an IT Technician, car enthusiast and keen photographer.

Together, we will serve Major Nyoman Timonuli and Captain Suni Timonuli in Palu and work alongside the Corps Officer and his team at Dongi Dongi School.  This project will give us the opportunity to experience first hand the culture of Central Sulawesi, enquire further into the local cultural context for The Salvation Army mission, and embrace our new cultural insights to inform how we engage with Indonesian Salvationists.

The following blogs about this mission trip will share stories about what we experience and learn from our enquiries and how we embrace and engage with those we have come to serve.