"Pak" told me when we got up this morning that he would never let a team come in and not get to see some culture and learn a little history of the peopel were are reaching out to, so "today" he said is an "R&R" day. Perfect since today is Sunday and both of us could use a little rest..but in my heart I still long to be with those in the villages that we have been frequenlty involved with this week. After a 7am Sunrise service at the WV building we headed off for a "Culture Filled" day.
Our 1st stop today was Borobrodur, the oldest and largest buddhist temple in the world. it was constructed between 450-and 700 A.D. Built by the monks over multiple generations, this stands as the holiest place to Buddhist monks across the globe. As yu can see from the pictures it is a tiered facility showcasing stone carved stories and 7 different levels to the complex, where the pinnacle is of course "Nirvana" the 7th level in the Buddhist religion.
The local custom is to reach into the bell shaped stone monuments and try to touch Buddha's belly..If you do legend says you will be blessed with good luck. "Pak" and I could not bring oursleves to tocu hanyones belly let alone Buddhas, so we moved on."Pak" then took me back tothe city proper where the sultans palace is located. Even today as has been practiced for hundreds of years a "Sultan" rules the province. The Sultanate has been in place as mentioned for hundreds of years, but recently has become more of a historical and cultural display than an actual ruling body. "Pak" wanted to take me to the palace to take a tour, but unfortunately by the time we got there is was closed. On our way our however a local man asked us f we wanted to still see some areas of the palace that were not officially closed such as the "Water Castle", a section within the palace
walls that was constructed with pools, and living quarters for the 1st few generations of Sultans for their wives, concubines, and servants. The waters of the pools are said to house evil spirits and people are heavily encouraged not to touch the water in any fashion. "Pak" and I did not feel any evil, however that does not mean it does not exist and so we continued on with this as a 1 time visit. As you can see the carvings are a bit unnerving and represent a very evil setting around this place. On our way out we saw several local artist shops where some of the artists were making Batik (local craftsmanship and dress) outside for us to view. It is an interesting process and one that very few are highly skilled at.We wanted to finish our day the same way we started it, which was to worship our Lord and Savior so forsaking dinner we headed to the small church plant 'Pak" started in a rough area of the city for the evening service. We gathered with the membership (about 10) and had a wonderful time of worship and sharing (none of which I could understand since it is all in Indonesian). "A'" was there and after service "Pak", his wife and I led him through a short study of John to continue discipiling him in his faith and answering any questions he wanted to ask.
As I write this journal tonight I feel saddened as I have but 1 day left in this wonderful place with these wonderful people. I thank God for his faithfulness and his provision for all the good work and things we were able to accomplish only through his divine provision, but I can't help but shed a tear in knowing my time is now coming to an end.
No comments:
Post a Comment