In July and August, my husband Michael and I, and another married couple from NSW, assisted with teaching conversational English to 105 first year students at STT Abdi Sabda. For five weeks we lived with young men and women aged 18–23 years who love God and are choosing a life of vocation in His service. […]

In July and August, my husband Michael and I, and another married couple from NSW, assisted with teaching conversational English to 105 first year students at STT Abdi Sabda. For five weeks we lived with young men and women aged 18–23 years who love God and are choosing a life of vocation in His service. I went because Michael wanted to go. I felt if I sent him and refused to go myself, I would miss out on a very significant part of Michael’s life. This proved to be absolutely true! I also went because I am not a particularly eager overseas traveller, yet we have done some in our married life. I believe that God is with me wherever I go. However, to actually LIVE in that reality, being far from home, in a culture not my own, is a faith strengthening experience I have found in the past. Again, I found this to be so. I did not ‘want’ to go but was sure God would grow me through the experience. And He did.

We supported the Zoom sessions to Australia each morning from 8.00-9.40 am, then we debriefed with the Australian volunteers back home. In the afternoons we ran small tutor groups of 6 – 10 students for four 30 minute sessions. We also took a turn each (sometimes more) at presenting the ‘sermon’ at the morning worship service. The four of us on-site volunteers also led the Saturday morning Bible study session, of two hours duration, on one occasion. We attended Sunday worship with the students at various off site venues as well as some of the student choir practises as observers. We also went shopping to try and buy equipment which may improve online learning experiences for the students.

The seminary is located in Medan, the fourth largest city in Indonesia. The traffic was chaotic and people there live in challenging circumstances, with crowded roads, few or no footpaths, open drains beside roads, often potholes in roads, and many buildings which look rundown from the outside. The weather was hot and the humidity meant the temperature often seemed higher than it really was.

At the college, the students live very basically, with four or more in one room, in two sets of bunk beds, a shared squat toilet and dipper ‘shower’.  They wash their own dishes and cutlery after every meal (on the bathroom floor) as they do their clothes. They must wake at 5am each morning and most of their day is structured until 10 pm at night. Their singing as a group was glorious and I felt like I was experiencing a foretaste of heaven. The students were gracious and so appreciative of our small efforts. After each lesson they would take our hand in each of their hands, bow and hold our hand to their forehead or cheek.

We ate the midday and evening meal with the students in the dining room most often. Occasionally we went out. The food was mainly white rice, chilli (too strong even for many of the students) often dried salted fish (very ‘bony’) and a vegetable ‘soup’ with chilli to pour over the rice.

We felt SO very, overwhelmingly appreciated by the students we taught. We feel so encouraged to have ‘lived’ part of the fact that the (Lutheran) church is far bigger and healthier than we see here in Australia. I knew that but to have lived with a large number of young Christians was delightful and enervating. When we feel sad about the church here ‘dying’ I will remember it is not dying everywhere, and will choose to feel inspired about what God is doing. I pray renewal happens here too!

Because we became ill near the end of our time in Indonesia, we were looking forward to being in our own country, with its known quality of health care. However, we certainly feel like a piece of our heart has been left in Indonesia. For over two weeks I could not talk about the students without crying. It was emotionally a far more taxing time than we anticipated. I am glad to leave the physical environment, but a part of my heart stays with the students.

If you would like to consider the opportunity to serve as a volunteer in mission, serving in practical ways, teaching English, teaching in the seminaries and institutions of our partner churches, or in local churches, you are invited to phone LCA International Mission on (08) 8267 7317 or email lcaim@lca.org.au. For more information, go to https://www.lcamission.org.au/join-gods-mission/volunteer/

Read more stories about volunteering at https://www.lcamission.org.au/category/join-gods-mission/volunteers/