You never know where you will end up for breakfast ....

Made took me for a walk the other morning and we ended up at Gede and Putu Suleman's place at about 7.30am. Apparently this is an acceptable time to call in, even when the family has 2 small children. So of course Putu turned on breakfast which consisted of about 5 different cooked dishes. My waistline is definitely suffering from 3 cooked meals a day!

Gede is a mechanic and has his own workshop. He also tells me that he does plumbing and electrical work, a real "jack of all trades". Putu worked in an import/export business before kids and both Gede and Putu speak excellent English so it was a most enjoyable visit. They have become good friends while I've been here. Putu visited Australia as a teenager and she remembered Australian women kept dropping around with food so she has been making sure she does the same here, even though it is not part of the Balinese culture.

A Balinese BBQ

My hosts decided to put on a farewell BBQ for me and invite a number of church families. It was a great night and had some similarities with an Aussie BBQ.
1. The women prepared the food inside and the men cooked outside.
2. There was lots of disagreement on how the fire should go
3. They cooked potatoes in the ashes
4. At the end of the cooking there was LOTS of food.
5. Everyone had a great time

My hosts even went to the trouble of finding me beef, but then they cut it into very fine little pieces. At least it was grilled and tasted great after nearly 4 weeks of chicken.

Differences were
1. The fire is mainly small wood and some charcoal and is fanned continually
2. Whole fish heads are cooked on the fire
3. Every thing has chili. I made a coldslaw but it didn't go down well - not spicy enough. They wanted to know why I didn't add any other spices to the mayonnaise. Apparently a "creamy" flavour is not it.
4. Everyone goes home as soon as they have eaten. The day in Bali starts very early for most people.

A great day of diving

On Monday I took the day off and when for a scuba dive in the north of the island at Tulamben Bay. There you dive to the wreck of a ship that is in shallow water and you just go in off the very pebbly beach. I think it was the best quality and quantity of tropical fish that I have seen anywhere, and enormous numbers of soft corals. It was truly spectacular.

The interesting thing about diving there is that the local village has made an industry of carrying the tanks and gear down to the beach. I was amazed to see women juggling two tanks on their heads.

The trip to the north also involved traveling through some spectacular scenery.

Pre-schoolers are so cute

There is no doubt about it but pre-schoolers in traditional Balinese dress are about as cute as it gets. I was invited to Pica (see previous post) pre-school to see how they celebrated a traditional hindu festival day. Lots of dancing, cooking satay and other traditional food and FUN.

Different groups get together

Once a month the Men's Fellowship gets together to sing, pray together, look at a bible passage and of course have lots of food. I was invited last Friday to go along and do the bible study with them. It was a great time and we discussed together the bible passage. they also had lots of questions about my work in Australia and why I was only staying 4 weeks (going back to my real job doesn't seem to hold much sway as an excuse here). I had a great night with the guys.

Then on Saturday I was invited to the young adults group. I think 20 something olds are the same all everywhere. There was lots of joking and good natured teasing. But they all sing beautifully and did lots of it so that was lovely. My talk was about when Jesus asks us to do the hard things.

A pleasant Sunday Lunch

On my first Sunday here I was invited to lunch with Pica and Raka and their kids Gitar and Wila. As all the family speaks good English it was a most enjoyable time for me. All the family are very involved in the church, especially with music and it is a delight to hear Wila sing accompanied by her brother, as they did for the English service last week. Pica runs a preschool here and has graciously invited me to a number of events with the preschoolers (lots of fun). It turns out that Wila is doing graphic design like my daughter Sarah so they have started an email conversation.

I was also very grateful when Gitar gave up his Sunday afternoon to take me to a shop and get my Internet fixed.

A Balinese Funeral

 In a climate such as this and without refrigeration facilities funerals need to happen in a hurry. Most funerals occur the day after the death. The funeral I went to was of a young man (in his early 30s) who had been killed in a motorbike accident. There were well over 100 people there and and the coffin was on the front porch of the house. After the formal ceremony was finished the coffin was opened and everyone walked slowly past and paid their respects to the widow. Then the coffin was put on bamboo poles and carried on shoulders to the cemetery for burial. It was quite a sight.

The other cultural difference is that the Balinese take as many photos at the funeral as we would at a wedding so I was encouraged to take photos. It felt a bit strange and a couple of people thanked me for taking photos.

Dhyana Pura Hotel

Another project of the Balinese National Christian Church is the Dhyana Pura Hotel. This is a beautiful 5 star hotel that is set in beautiful grounds and aims to give a very tranquil atmosphere. Next to the hotel is the Dhyana Pura church so the two work very closely together. The church provides fellowship times for those of the hotel staff who want to attend each Mon morning and a more formal worship time each month, the Fundraising event last weekend was held in the hotel etc. In June the Synod meeting of the whole Bali church will be held at the hotel.

To help support some of the other work of the church the hotel gives 35% of it's profit to the Synod. Much of this goes to the orphanages etc. The hotel also provides work experience and employment to a few of the students from the Hospitality college.

Many years of great service!

Maureen and Trevor Millar are just finishing up their 3 months of volunteer English teaching at the Dhyana Pura Hospitality College. This college is owned by the Synod of the Bali National Christian Church and teaches hospitality skills to students from all walks of life, but many of them from very poor backgrounds.

For Trevor and Maureen this is nothing new as Trevor has now completed 10 volunteer placements and Maureen 8, mostly between 3 and 4 months. They have been to a number of places including India and Thailand and this is their second time in Bali. Their service over quite a few years has been extraordinary and I have been very privileged to spend a bit of time with them while here. I wish them well for whatever God has in store for them next.

Women's Fellowship Group

Tonight I had the great privilege of going to the Women's Fellowship Group. It was held in the Alfrianus Mingsu family home on the front porch. About 20 women attended and there was lots of chatter and laughter. One of the women talked on Colossians chapter 3 and I did a short exercise. There was also lots of lovely singing,  without accompaniment and mostly without words, and prayers. After the service they auctioned off 3 plates of fruit that people had contributed and a bag with parcels of rice that others had brought. The money helped towards the fundraising.

This group also has an arisan. Each women contribues Rp 20,000 (about $2)  each month and the total collected for the month goes to one of the contributors. This way each women takes turns in receiving about Rp 400,000 - - Rp 600,000 ($40-$60). A good system to help poorer households get an occasional "bonus". 

Gracious hospitality

Last Friday night I had dinner with Sagung and her family. I meet Sagung when I was working at the Synod office and as she lives near here she invited me to a meal at her home. It was great to meet her, her husband, sister-in-law, daughters and granddaughter.

After the meal Made took me visiting. We visited Judith, a young woman who leads the Ladies Fellowship, the church secretary and his family and one of the elders who has been in a bike accident. We also visited Nina Ampenan who is the oldest member of the congregation aged 87. Nina is blind and doesn't have much movement but there is nothing wrong with her mind, which was as sharp as a tack.

I am always quite touched at how graciously and generously people welcome me into their homes.

And I thought I worked hard!

Being a Pastor in the Protestant Christian Church in Bali (GKPB) is not easy. I have now been with Made Budiarsa for a week and it has been non-stop. Since I have been here Made has "preached" (most activities involve a "sermon" on the text, there is not a lot of interaction) at a prayer meeting, a bible study, a confirmation class, a fundraising dinner, two weddings and one Sunday service. I've preached at two services for the hotel workers at the Dhyana Pura church and two Sunday services. We have also been to a seminar and visited 6 families as well as activities we have done separately. Not a lot of time out!

This week there is something on every evening and activities through the day. Any spare time Made is keen for me to visit families, which is a great privilege but also a little exhausting.

I think life for the Budiarsa family will also become more hectic when they build the new multipurpose centre. This will be in their front yard and it is hard to get building permission elsewhere for Christian building. It will have a large classroom for English lessons, Sunday school classes etc. It will also have a worship area upstairs. As you can see from the previous post there is not a lot of front yard and this will take all of it.

To help raise the money needed the church had a fundraiser on Sat night.  Lots of speeches and good music and they were able to raise approx $34,000 from donations on the night. This is enough to get the first level done. For the whole project they need $100,000.

The Budiarsa family have made me feel very welcome

My current hosts are Made (pronounced Mar-day) and Deborah Budiarsa and their kids Giovani and Debbie. All of them have made me feel very welcome and in their home and have looked after me with a great deal of love and care.

The Manse they live in is about 10 mins bike ride from the Dhyana Pura church and I am slowly getting better at being a passenger on the back of the bike. It is situated in a rural section with paddy fields surrounding the house and at least it is a bit quieter here so I feel like I can take a walk without the risk of being run over. 

Taking the HIV/AIDS issue seriously

I attended a session on HIV/AIDS and reproductive health. HIV is quite a problem in Bali with very few people tested but estimates at 5 - 6 %.

The day was a meeting of pastors and others to look at material that will be used in youth and general church work. The material was being worked through and adapted for use in the various churches. It's an effort to increase awareness of HIV and prevent discrimination by church members. Much of the material looks at how we should respond as Christians to those who have this disease.

As part of the work of the Synod of GKPB there is a "Community Health and Service and Advocacy Section that is headed up by Dr Debora Murthy, a very dynamic young woman who is passionate about her work. This section works with HIV/AIDS victims, domestic violence victims and teaches good reproductive health. It employs 3 Doctors, 2 midwives, 5 nurses and one counsellor.They have a refuge on the Synod grounds that has both domestic violence victims and HIV sufferers. Hinduism is the major religion in Bali and thankfully it doesn't have a problem with condoms. However the Moslems and some sections of the Christian church do so it can be an uphill battle.

The Unit also does pap smears, an in-house clinic at the Dhyana Pura Hotel and mobile health clinics. Last year they serviced over 8,000 people.

Alvon is the AIDS counsellor

Finished at the Synod

I've finished my work with the Synod for the time being. I'm a bit sorry to leave as everyone has made me feel very welcome, especially Diana but looking forward to next adventure. It has been good to be able to help with some of the English correspondence, proposals, reports and Powerpoint slides. I have certainly learnt a lot about how the whole GKPB church works.

I am now living in the rectory of the Dhyana Pura church with Rev Made Budiarsa, Deborah his wife, and Giovani and Debbie his kids. Their home is very comfortable and they've made me feel very welcome.

PS If it seems that lots of men have the same names it is because the tradition here is to call the first son Wayan or Gde (pronounced as the Aussie "giday"), the second Made, the third Nyoman etc. Sometimes quite confusing but the positive is that there a lot less names to remember. Of course not every family follows this tradition.

Blimbing Sari Church

On the Sun morning I went to the main church of Blimbing Sari for the Sunday school and then church of about 800 people. Sunday school was great with all the kids standing in a circle for the first part of singing and prayers and then moving into the classrooms for the lesson. There was lots of chanting as well singing so very noisy.

The church is a very big building which is basically a roof without walls. It is great for this climate.

The church service was very formal and an obviously "fire and brimstone" sermon. I had someone who interpreted for me and I've found it is easy to sing in Indonesian because I know most of the tunes and the words are pronounced as they are written. Again, after the service no-one stands around and talks, they all go home.

After the service we went to visit the only remaining founding father. He is now 105 and I'm not sure how much he took in but obviously knew a bit of what was happening. Quite a life.

Meet Vincent

On the way to Blimbing Sari last weekend we stopped off for coffee with Vincent. Vincent is a curate at the Lalng Jinggang. He is originally from West Timor but studied theology on Java. After his graduation he was posted to this church where he had been for 3 years. The good news for Vincent is that his congregation has recommended him for ordination and this will take place later this year. He will probably stay another couple of years before he moves to another church.


This area is very agricultural and Vincent has about 30 people in his congregation.

The Engagment Party at Blimbling Sari

On the Sat afternoon we went to an engagement party of the daughter of the local preacher. The party was in the grounds of their home, which is a beautiful garden and quite large, which was just as well as there were about 300 people there. There was a formal church service for the engagement and I was surprised that there were vows and the exchanging of rings. It felt more like a wedding. However the wedding will take place after 3 months. After the ceremony 300 people all got their meals in a very short time from the buffet and then went home just as quickly. Not much standing around talking. However, I understand that there had been a party the previous night for the young people.

An amazing weekend in Blimbing Sari

On the weekend I was taken, with some visiting church pastors from Jakarta, to Blimbing Sari. This is a remarkable village about 3 hours drive from Dempasar. It was originally founded in the 1930's by Christians who were being persecuted for their faith and decided to go to the jungle to for safety. At the time the saying for Christians was, "no rice, no famiy, no death (ie no burial)". They were excommunicated from all aspects of community life.

They set up a village for Christian families and it reminded me a little of my home town of Hillston. It was well set out with sealed roads and houses sitting on quite spacious blocks. Each household is given 2000 sq mtrs for their house and garden, as well as 2ha to farm. As it is very quiet and not much traffic it feels very much like a country town and makes quite a change from the very chaotic traffic of Denpasar.

I visited one of houses and their 2ha was just at the back of the house. Most people in the village grow coconuts, bananas and cocoa plants so their farms look a bit like jungle. From what I could gather the farms are passed on to the next generation and there doesn't seem to be a way for people to buy more land, but it was a bit confused. It seems that most of the younger people go away to get more qualifications and work and come back when their parents or grandparents die. For the farm we visited the daughter was a pharmacist and the son was at University. As the settlement is only 70 years old I guess they still have some inheritance issues to work out.

While in Blimbing Sari we stayed at one of the 7 orphanages run by the GKPB. This one is in a beautiful setting with 82 kids. About 10% are actual orphans and the rest are from single parent families or poor families who can't afford to give their kids education. The children range in age from 3 to 17 and I had a great time with them. They are all learning English and can converse to varying degrees. But they have learnt some English songs and on Sat afternoon a group of them sang for us and then I was able to teach them "Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree".

On the Sat night they were practicing some of their traditional dancing and music, as they take a touring group to Singapore very couple of years. It was a wonderful performance and then a couple of the girls tried to teach me. No photos of that thankfully! If you would like to see some pictures of the kids and where they live you click on this link. I have permission from the Director to put these photos on the Internet.

One of the kids I met was Juliawan, who decided that because our names were so close he would be my friend. He's English was quite good so we were able to have a few conversations. He is 12 years old and has been at the orphange for 3 years. His parents are still alive and live at Singaraja which is quite some distance away but they come to visit each month. There are 3 older children but he is the only one at Blimbing Sari. He is staying at the orphanage so that he can get a better schooling and he tells me that when he finishes school he wants to be a pastor, but in the meantime he is likes the orphanage and the school.

A nice way to relax

Just near Orin and Made house is one of the church members who gives massages and facials, so I had a very nice couple of hours this afternoon being thoroughly spoil. Rita is most unusual in Bali as she spent a year working in Turkey as a masseur. However she tells me that she didn’t like the food! Her husband is now retired and they have two daughters 18 and 12. Cheris the oldest is going the church hospitality college to become a waitress. This is Rita and Cheris outside the shop.

A church that has the emphasis on the economic as well as the spiritual

I spent a little bit of time with the Bishop (equivalent to our Moderator) yesterday and he was telling me that it is very important that the church have an economic mission as well as a spiritual one because it is part of the world. He went on to tell me that the economic was not just about making money but using the resources  of the church to grow the church and also to be doing business in a Christian way. It is certainly a principle that the GKPB seem to have embraced.

One of the projects of the GKPB church is to use some of their unproductive land to plant fast growing trees. These trees will mature in 5 years and help to capture carbon and reduce green house gases. The sale of the wood will go towards the costs of running the orphanages.  It is part of a broader program in the church to make themselves self-sufficient and be able to fund the work that they do. It is one of the many very innovative projects.

One of the other ways that the work of the broader church is funded is that every congregation, both rich and small, contributes 31% of their income to the Synod. This money is used to supply pastors for small congregations, support the Synod and fund many of the other programs. It is a real example of everyone in the church acting for the good of the whole. I’m not quite sure what would happen if we asked all the Uniting Churches in the NSW/ACT Synod to contribute 30% to the Synod!

A very warm welcome

The church here has made me feel very welcome and I am staying in the home of the Rev Made Pirana and his wife Orin. During the day I am working at the Synod office which is a very impressive building that the Synod built about a year ago and sits on a compound with their Rural Bank, the Diaconate etc

The day in the Synod office starts at 7.30am with staff devotions and on the first day found myself needing to have a contribution on Ephesians 4 as well as make a welcome speech. Everyone was very gracious. Devotions were followed by a tour of the Synod secretariat and meeting too many people to remember their names. But one of the best bits was hearing about some of the amazing projects that this church has underway. I heard about 15 schools, 7 orphanages, tree planting and goat raising projects to bring in money, a hospitality college to teach tourism skills, a hotel where some of the students  from the college work, a program with aids victims, community development and much more. I hope to write about some of these over the next few days. In the meantime I have been helping to correct the English on various documents, layout some PowerPoint presentations and have “conversational English” lessons over lunch on the roof top. All very enjoyable.

Pictured are the building and Made with his secretary Diana who has been working very patiently with me.