Month One: Indonesia was a wild adventure full of new and exciting experiences. This is hardly an exhaustive list but here are some of the most memorable first times:
1. First time swimming in the Indian Ocean. I’m very aquaphobic, so this was actually a pretty big deal.
2. First time having my back washed by a lady. Aftet digging at the water tank we’d dive into the creek to clean ourselves off. Apparently my inability to do this efficiently was just too much to watch and I needed and expert’s assistance.
3. First time understanding what it must have been like for Jesus to have intense crowds demanding his attention. We were in a very remote island with few visitors, so everywhere we went the locals rushed to get as many selfies with us as possible. This was fun and exciting for the first few hundred pictures (no, I’m not exaggerating), but it quickly became exhausting. By the end we were almost running out of churches and schools to escape the mobs.
4. First time watching a bathroom sink randomly crash to the floor.
5. First time falling in love with a foreign land. The people here are the most joyful, faithful brothers and sisters in Christ I have ever met.
6. First time having my feet being washed. Our feet looked pretty nasty at times so I’ll spare you the imagery, but as the leaders of the local Christian community cleaned the filth off l was genuinely wondering if l could do the same for someone else. It was a disgusting job, but that’s how humble these people are!
7. First time being drugged. I could elaborate, but I’ll let your imagination run with that.
8. First time watching my supper being killed. On our last evening they killed a pig and we enjoyed a literally feast. Them butchering it with superb precision was low-key the coolest thing l’ve ever seen.
9. First time eating dog. No regrets.
10. First time seeing true hospitality. If hospitality is a qualification to be an elder, then these people all need to be elected as overseers to every church in the world. Despite their poverty they treated us like kings and loved on us all day long.
