Hi friend!
Our time is coming to a close in Sentani. We move to Wamena in 9 days!! Appropriately so, it is time for a little reflection.
Sentani. This place. I am going to miss it.
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| Flying to Indo for the first time. |
Sentani, the place I thought I wouldn't be able to bear the heat, but I have survived quite nicely.
Sentani, the place where fantasy merged with reality. The fantasy and wondering of what life in Indo would look like, and Sentani showed me. It showed me how to live here.
Sentani, the place where I thought culture shock would hit me like a ton of bricks, but instead it stuck up from behind when I wasn't looking.
Sentani, the place where I struggled to learn more patience for the little things you can't control.
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| Learning you must filter all your drinking water. |
The place I have had countless adventures and many struggles. The place where I did things I never thought I could. Like learn a new language, jump in a lake that has crocodiles, catch a massive ocean fish, be able to live, not only live, but THRIVE in a new culture.
Sentani, the place that has seen me through the very first baby-steps of this journey. It is almost like this place has seen me take my first wobbly steps, then learn to walk, but occasionally fall down and scrape my knee, then learn to get up again.
Here I learned how to navigate a taxi by myself with 3 little phrases in Indonesian written on a napkin. Here I didn't drive for 6 whole months. Here I learned to cook from scratch in a box oven. Here I learned the in's and out's of air drying your laundry. I learned how to make friends with the ant armies that relentlessly are trying to take over our house. I learned that I can survive a cockroach crawling all over my face. Here I went to the local market (Pasar) for the first time and thought there was NO way, NO WAY any of the food in my house would come from there, and it is here that I now have most of my food come from the Pasar. Here in Sentani I learned that street food won't kill me.
Here in Sentani I watched Grace and Matt become extremely sick with dengue fever, and here I learned that God is capable and bigger than dengue fever.
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| Discovering the Pasar! |
Here I learned how to survive being the "show" because whenever we are out in public people stare....it is rare, odd, unusual, exciting.....??? to see us foreigners "bule" folk around town.
Here I made friends with my neighbors and watched as Grace became friends with all the neighborhood kids and now calls them "all my friends", even though they can't speak the same language.
I have built some deep friendships here that are lasting.
Here I have watched my husband flourish in his language skills, and I have watched him place his hearts desire in God's capable hands. I have watched him release control of something dear to him, and give the controls to God. I have watched Matt's faith, and it has encouraged my own.
Here, I watched my heart be changed, challenged. I have never been so tired somedays, or so excited others.
Sentani has seen me through a million "firsts" and in many ways, this town, these people have been my teacher. Teaching me I CAN live here, I CAN learn not only a new language, but a new CULTURE. I CAN not only live here, but FLOURISH here.
I can have FUN here. And most of all showing me that God CAN and IS using us here.
I will genuinely miss this town, and the people in it. I am thankful we spent this time in Sentani. And I know that God has more awaiting for us around the corner.....so while it is ALWAYS hard to say goodbye to one chapter closing....I am eagerly waiting to see what the next one contains.
Much love,
Amanda.
Ps. Enjoy some pictures of our time here in Sentani!
