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Even though it has been a little less than 3 months since we have been here in Indonesia, God is showing us a lot of different things. By His grace, God has allowed us, not only to transition well, but to reinforce a lot of the values that we took for granted in the States.
It is funny how God had to send me all the way to Indonesia to work on certain things in my life. Change is never easy, but as we commit ourselves to transformation, we will begin to see glimmer of hope.
Since it was the holiday season here in Indonesia, this week, God gave our family an opportunity to spend some time together. We were able to visit another city here in Indonesia, which was about a few hours away from Jakarta. It was awesome to get exposed to more of the beautiful Indonesian culture. In particular, we were introduced to the Sundanese culture. We enjoyed eating their cuisine and learning more about their cultural traditions.
Couple of things that I did differently on this trip from all my other family trips were: a) I did not bring my laptop; 2) I finished my sermon before the trip (well, 90% of it).
To me, it didn’t seem like a big deal, but to Christina and the family it spoke volumes.
Sometimes, a person doesn’t know much they are connected to something (or how it has become a part of them) until it is gone. At first, it felt a bit weird without my laptop. After putting the kids to sleep, I started to get withdrawal symptoms. But I realized how helpful it was for me and my time with my family without the laptop.
Also, by not having the sermon preparations looming over my head, it allowed me to just relax and enjoy my time with the family.
My kids noticed the difference. My wife of thirteen years noticed the difference. I, even noticed the difference. I couldn’t believe I didn’t make the change sooner. After all these “revelations,” I said to Christina, “Why didn’t I do this before?” Then Christina responded by saying, “It’s because you never listen to me! I have been saying this for the LAST 13 YEARS!”
Well, I am still working on listening to Christina (the first time around), but it is getting better. After all my failures and hearing that still small voice saying, “I told you so!” I am more open to change. I am still trying to figure out why the Holy Spirit’s voice sounds so much like Christina’s voice 🙂