Category: culture
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Keep Spirit
The elderly woman’s body lies inside the house in a coffin covered only by a thin white veil. Aside from the coffin, the room is void of furniture. A dozen members of the family and surrounding village sit cross-legged on the multi-colored plastic woven mat spread across the tile floor. I add my sandals to […]
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Life in Indonesia
Here is a image gallery of photos that show a little of what life was like in Indonesia. Most are from Balige and Siantar, the two cities in the province of North Sumatra where I spent most of my time. In 2 of the photos, you’ll notice a pig’s head. Although most Indonesians are Muslim, […]
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Christmas with my brother
It is now past the middle of February, but here is a story from last Christmas. For Christmas 2014 I had the opportunity to be with my brother in Indonesia. To the Western audience it must be said that I don’t actually have a brother in my immediate family–this brother is my Indonesian family, and […]
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Preaching
I am back in the US now, and it is long overdue to catch up on some blogging about my time in Indonesia. At the end of March, I was invited to preach in a congregation in Medan, the capital city of North Sumatra, and some 7 hours from my usual residence in Balige. Actually, […]
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On the Batak Alphabet and Maps that Make Sense of the World
Recently, blog posts about “maps that will help you make sense of the world” (one example) circulated the internets and facebook. My current location in Indonesia, gives me a different perspective when viewing these maps than my friends from North America and Europe. One of the maps explains population. Indonesia’s population is more than 245 […]
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A Slice of the life in Indonesia
Snippets of life in Indonesia for the North American/European: * I eat rice 3 meals a day and that’s normal. * It’s considered abnormal here to not eat rice every day. * While in Balige I eat my lunch with the other staff outside. Every day. We sit at a table outside the entrance to […]
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Recent photos
Here are some recent images. There are stories to go with each of these photos, but unfortunately, I have had to take care of other things. What I’ve been up to in the last month: more ministry experience with students, helped lead a retreat, taught the deaconess students and at the university, and in the […]
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Funeral Party
Back in early December, I went to the funeral for the father of the director of the deaconess school where I teach. Here is a glimpse into the funeral celebration for an old grandfather in the Batak culture. After the death, the body is laid in an open casket in the family home. Family and […]
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Giving Thanks
The Thanksgiving holiday has just passed in America. I can give thanks for so much in my life here, but I admit that I do miss my family, and the traditions of Thanksgiving. We gather as family, we share a meal, and we live and share our abundance. I am thankful for my students of […]
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July Recap
Here are some long overdue photos from back in July. August was a busy month, which included many hours teaching an intensive English course, celebrating Indonesia’s independence, hiking around Balige, going to a wedding as part of a family, and more. Those stories and photos will have to wait. The night before going to Jakarta, […]
Megs the Wanderer 