Reminiscence

Hari kedua, 3 Jan. 2012, APA Hall, Tokyo Bay Hotel, Kaihin Makuhari

2012-01-07T11:23:00.006+09:00

Selasa, 3 Januari 2012, APA Hall, Tokyo Bay Hotel, Kaihin Makuhari.
Jam 6:30 - 9:00 malam

Paginya rombongan pergi ke Gunung Fuji dan mereka dapat naik sampai level 5. Mereka berdoa bagi Jepang dan memngucapkan berkat dan mengklaim janji-janji Tuhan untuk Jepang. Setelah itu mereka melihat ada rainbow, hal ini merupakan konfirmasi dari Allah untuk pemulihan dan keselamatan Jepang.

Pembicara Kedua: Ibu Naniek Susanti
Kej. 9:12-17
Pelangi adalah perjanjian Allah dengan segala makhluk di bumi.
Kej.6:9 Noah was a righteous man, blameless. Kita semua dibenarkan Tuhan dalam Yesus.
Karena Nuh bergaul akrab dengan Tuhan, maka perbuatannya ada ketepatan dan ketaatan.
Kita pun harus akrab dengan Tuhan sehingga perbuatan kita tepat mengenai sasaran da n memberkati orang lain.

KOTBAH KETIGA DARI Pdt. Petrus Hadi
Mat.17 Yesus dimuliakan di gunung
Gunung berbicara mengenai tempat kemuliaan Tuhan.
Banyak cerita2 di alkitab memakai tempat gunung.
Murid Yesus ada 70 orang, dari 70 tersebut, yg khusus adalah 12 orang, dari 12 orang , hanya ada 3 orang yang sangat khusus, yaitu Petrus, Yakobus dan Yohanes. Kasih Tuhan sama terhadap murid-muridnya, hanya response mereka yang berbeda. Begitu pula kasih Tuhan untuk kita sama, hanya response kita yang berbeda (sehingga hasilnya juga beda).

Tuhan suka dengan gunung.

Tetapi, di gunung banyak pula penyembahan berhala, bukannya untuk menyembah Tuhan. Seharusnya gunung dipakai untuk tempat memuliakan Allah. Seharusnya di gunung, saya menemukan Tuhan, ada sinar kemuliaan Allah (lihat Mat.17). Melihat gunung maka saya melihat kemuliaan Tuhan. Di gunung Fuji banyak tempat penyembahan berhala dan banyak roh jahat yang mempengaruhi orang supaya bunuh diri.

Gereja dibangun supaya alam mau tidak menguasai. Maka tugas gereja adalah menarik jiwa-jiwa supaya tidak binasa, supaya tidak dikuasai alam maut.

Ay.3 Elia berbicara mengenai kuasa.
Musa adalah gambar kemurahan Tuhan.

Berdoa, maka kita akan melihat penuaian. Menang di alam roh, maka di alam nyata kita akan menuai.

Jika peperangan tuntas, maka ada tanda, tanda dari Allah kepada rombongan Indonesia yang berdoa bagi Jepang adalah adanya pelangi, ketika mereka selesai berdoa. Kemudian tanda lain juga adalah suka cita.

"Don't be afraid"
Dengarlah kata Tuhan bukan kata orang lain ay.5

Kebaktian APA Hall, Tokyo Bay Hotel, Kaihin Makuhari, Senin, 2 Jan.2012

2012-01-07T10:38:00.008+09:00

Senin, 2 Januari 2012, dari jam 6:30 sampai 9:00 malam.
APA Hall, Tokyo Bay, Kaihin Makuhari.

Pembicara: Pdt. Petrus Agung
Intinya:
1. Firman Tuhan & kesaksian2 pekerjaan Tuhan, yang memberikan petunjuk bahwa bahwa kalau orang percaya dapat "melihat apa yang sedang dikerjakan oleh Tuhan maka Ia akan segera melaksanakan janji firmanNya "
2. Berdoa dan memberkati bangsa Jepang

Jer 1:11 Sesudah itu firman TUHAN datang kepadaku, bunyinya: "Apakah yang kaulihat, hai Yeremia?" Jawabku: "Aku melihat sebatang dahan pohon badam."
Jer 1:12 Lalu firman TUHAN kepadaku: "Baik penglihatanmu, sebab Aku siap sedia untuk melaksanakan firman-Ku."

Mungkin sesuatu yang kita minta "sukar" (melihat kondisi jasmani , situasi sekeliling , kekurangan yang sedang kita hadapi, dsb. sehingga hal yang kita minta terlihat sukar ), tapi yang "sukar" itu belum tentu tak mungkin / tak bisa . Inilah yang dikatakan oleh nabi Elia kepada Elisa ketika Elisa meminta sesuatu yang sukar.
2Kings 2:9 Dan sesudah mereka sampai di seberang, berkatalah Elia kepada Elisa: "Mintalah apa yang hendak kulakukan kepadamu, sebelum aku terangkat dari padamu." Jawab Elisa: "Biarlah kiranya aku mendapat dua bagian dari rohmu."
2Kings 2:10 Berkatalah Elia: "Yang kauminta itu adalah sukar. Tetapi jika engkau dapat melihat aku terangkat dari padamu, akan terjadilah kepadamu seperti yang demikian, dan jika tidak, tidak akan terjadi."

2 Kings 2:9-11
1. Permintaan yg sukar bukan berarti tidak mungkin.
2. Kalau engkau bisa melihat, maka itu bisa terjadi. Apakah saya bisa melihat? Apa yg dikerjakan Tuhan, maka itu bisa terjadi. Cara melihat yg salah/keliru menyebabkan kita tidak bisa menerima apa yg Tuhan sediakan
3. Karena itu sebaiknya kita minta diajari bagaimana cara melihat sesuai dengan kehendak Tuhan.

Yer.1:11-12
11 The word of the LORD came to me: “What do you see, Jeremiah?”
“I see the branch of an almond tree,” I replied.
12 The LORD said to me, “You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled.”

What do you see? I see.....
You have seen correctly.... Melihat apa yg Tuhan sedang kerjakan.
Bisakah saya melihat?

2 Sam. 6:13-23 Apa problemnya kita tidak bisa melihat?
Michal hanya melihat, menjenguk dari jendela. Jendela itu kecil, terbatas, jadi pandangan pun terbatas. Tembok istana itu tinggi dan tebal. Maka apa yg sebenarnya terjadi, hanya sebatas jendela saja Michal dapat melihat. Yang dilihatnya adalah raja menari dengan perempuan-perempuan, Michal ada rasa cemburu. Yang dilihatnya hanya sepotong. Michal tidak melihat adanya tabut Allah, korban, imam-imam yang ikut dalam posesi tabut Allah tersebut.

Ada orang-orang yang sangat kecil melihatnya (pandangannya), tergantung dari kemampuan seseorang. Apakah bingkaimu besar atau kecil? Jendelamu besar atau kecil? Michal melihat Daud masih sebagai bawahan ayahnya, suruhan bapaknya. Dia tidak melihat Daud sebagai raja.

Hanya menjenguk dari jendela berbeda dengan bersama-sama menari, turun dari istana dan melakukan penyembahan, menari bagi Tuhan.

Jangan biarkan apa pun atau siapa pun membatasi hal yg besar yang Tuhan sediakan untuk saya. Jangan mau dibutakan oleh tradisi, kebiasaan, cara berpikir yg salah.

Apa yg saya harapkan, minta, kalau saya bisa melihat, maka itu akan terjadi.

Kotbah kedua dari Pdt. Iin Tjipto
Mzm. 121:1-8
Aku melayangkan pandanganku ke gunung-gunung.
Gunung berbicara mengenai tantangan, problems.
2012 ada hal-hal besar yang Tuhan sediakan.
Tuhan berkata, "Aku tunggu engkau di gunung-gunung yg tinggi"
Tuhan menunggu saya di gunung-gunung yg tinggi, di saat saya mengalami tantangan. Begitu saya naik, maka Tuhan memberikan sayap iman, doa, dan kekuatan.
Cerita pelari sea games, usia 15 tahun yg meraih 5 medali emas pada Sea Games 2011 di palembang.
Pada saat sulit, banyak orang Kristen mengeluh dan marah.
Ingat Mzm 121

Christmas message on Dec.25th, 2011

2011-12-30T11:51:00.006+09:00

This is the message of Ps. Jacob Nahuway on Sunday, Dec.25th 2011 at GBI Mawar Saron, Kelapa Gading. The message spoke to me and freshened my heart and mind.

Full and complete preparation is needed for delivering God's message. As a pastor, he/she should prepare it well. What message should we deliver for the people? Pastors should deliver the message that speaks God's truth, based on God's truth (according to the bible), motivates people, gives guidance and answers people's needs. Personally, it speaks to me that I must prepare myself and the message well before I deliver it to people; therefore, I need to discipline myself to allot time for the preparation.

There are 3 people that are involved in our blessings. In other words, we need to share our blessings with these 3 kinds of people. Who are they?
1. We and our descendants (children, grandchildren, family)
2. Levites (God's servants: our pastors, reverends, missionaries)
3. Foreigners/outsiders (pauper, poor people, orphans)

God gives the same facilities for us all. Success depends on yourself. It depends on how you think, how you see yourself. What are God's facilities for us?
1. 2 Sam.22:7

1 raj.4:29 Allah memberikan hikmat dan pengertian kepada Salomo yg amat besar.
Akal yg luas seperti dataran pasir. Setiap orang diberikan waktu yg sama, 365 hari dalam setahun. Jangan malas.

Yes.54:2 lapangkan ....
harus rela berkorban
Paulus menasihat jemaat korintus 1 :10
kearifan kekuatan kemuliaan
dengan kasih setia

2. anugrah Tuhan pemberian yg melimpah
2kor.9:8

3. Ada supply dari Tuhan
Fil.4:19

The Making of Wayang (A Traditional Javanese Shadow Puppet Show)

2011-12-26T02:07:00.005+09:00

The making of shadow puppets is a long and painstaking process. Skin of a female buffalo of about four years of age, the ideal type for texture and strength, is dried, scraped and cured for up to 10 years to achieve stiffness and eliminate warping and splitting. On maturity, skins are carved and perched to fashion the required character. This technique involves extensive knowledge of iconography and physiognomy, since all lines, angles of the head, slant of the eyes and mouth, profile of the body are specific to the character. When carving is completed, the traditional pigments including powdered burnt bone for white, lampblack, indigo, yellow ochre and cinnabar for red in a gelatinous medium mixed from dried egg-white. Gold leaf and pigment are applied in a medium of protein glue derived from fish bones. The cempurit or manipulating rods are made of buffalo horn, while the studs attaching the jointed arms t othe torso are of metal (sometimes gold), bone, and bamboo or in rare courtly examples, gold studded with diamond.

Sermon on Sept.26th 2010: An Act of Worship from Abraham

2010-10-11T11:00:00.008+09:00

Genesis 22
Abraham Tested
1 Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!"
"Here I am," he replied.

Some time later means that several years after Isaac was born. So, some time later after Isaac was born, Abraham heard God's voice again. Abraham knew it was God's voice, he recognized it was HIS voice. This means that Abraham had a deep and intimate relationship with God. Think, do you still recognize your best friend's voice after 10 years absence? Probably not. However, Abraham could still recognize God's voice although He did not speak to him for 10 or 11 years.

2 Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."

3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you."

Early the next morning, Abraham got up and saddled his donkey, so he did not linger. He did not tardy. He did not question God. He did not protest to God nor he doubted His voice. He did not wait for about two days or a week. He got up early in the morning not late in the afternoon. Abraham did what God wanted, Abraham obeyed God. It was not written whether that night he could sleep or not. Probably not, as a father who loved his son, his heart must have been aching so much that he could not sleep. Just like our heavenly father's heart aching to sacrifice his beloved son, Jesus, for us. Abraham himself cut the wood. Think about this fact, Abraham, advanced in years, more than 100 years old, had to cut the wood for sacrificing his son. That must be tough. You may probably think it is horrible and torturing. Making tools to kill your own beloved child. The child that was promised by God Himself. Could God contradict His own word? However, Abraham obeyed God. Abraham did not order his servants to do these things (woke up early, cut the wood, saddled the donkey). He did them himself. That shows his heart for God. His devoted heart to God's command.

Abraham told his servants to stay while he and Isaac went up to the mountain. Abraham left behind all that might have hindered him from doing God's command. The servants might stop Abraham from piercing the knife to his son. They might say something that would jeopardize his faith in God. What things that hinder us from obeying God? We must leave those things behind.

6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together,
7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?"
"Yes, my son?" Abraham replied.
"The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?"
8 Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together.

Abraham said positive things. He did not tell Isaac what God has said to him a night before. Abraham did not blame anyone. He did not blame God either. He did not broke into tears in front of Isaac nor in front of his servants.

9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!"
"Here I am," he replied.

12 "Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."

13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram [a] caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided."

15 The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, "I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your offspring [b] all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me."

We know the happy ending of the story. But how about if we were in that kind of situation. Can we obey God? Can we stay strong and get through it?

Another important thing about worship. Pay attention to verse 5
5 He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you."

To sacrifice is also an act of worship. Abraham wanted to sacrifice his son, Isaac, he said to his servants that we would go to the mountain to worship God.
Revelation 4:1-2
1After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." 2At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it

Rev. 4:6-8
4Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. 5From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits[a] of God. 6Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.

Rev.4:10
10the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:
11"You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being."

All the elders bowed their heads, they took off their crowns and worshipped HIM. An act of worship, we should humble ourselves, take off our crowns, pride, etc. to exalt GOD.

Romans 12:1 1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual[a] act of worship.

Worshipping God should be done by ourselves. We can not ask other people to do it for us, or to do it on our behalf. We ourselves offer our body as a living sacrifice. We can not ask other people to offer his/her body for our worship. We need to purify our body, to live in holiness, because our body is a living sacrifice for God. We can not offer a stained offering. Therefore we need to watch out our deeds, our words, our way of living. Hebrew 13:15-16 15Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name. 16And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
Our offering may not be only money, but also time, prayer, body, way of life, all.

Think:
what needs to be released from our life that may hinder us from God?
what things may hinder us from worshipping God?
what hinders God blessing to come to us?

Total Increase

2010-10-11T00:06:00.006+09:00

Apakah anda ingin mengalami pertambahan dalam segala aspek yang baik dari kehidupan anda? Siapa yang tidak mau mengalami pertambahan tersebut? Pastinya kita semua mau mengalami pertambahan dalam aspek yang baik dari kehidupan kita.
Pertambahan dalam berkat-berkat
Pertambahan dalam keuangan
Pertambahan dalam kemampuan/ketrampilan/ keahlian
Pertambahan dalam kesehatan
Pertambahan dalam visi
Pertambahan dalam pengaruh
Pertambahan dalam kasih karunia
Pertambahan dalam teman/ pergaulan
Pertambahan dalam iman
Pertambahan dalam hubungan dengan Tuhan
Pertambahan dalam buah roh
Pertambahan dalam hikmat
Pertambahan dalam upah dari Tuhan
Pertambahan dalam setiap aspek yg baik dalam kehidupan kita

This sharing was inspired by Pastor Berin Hilfigan's sermon. He is the head of ISOM (International School Of Ministry). ISOM is a school where people are trained and equipped with curriculum for ministry. He came in August with his wife to make a movie about suicide in Japan and to attend ISOM graduation in a Japanese church in Kumamoto. Praise the Lord we can be a blessing to Japanese people.

Bagaimana caranya untuk mengalami total increase?
1. Berdoa dan percaya
Tidak ada seorang pun tokoh dalam alkitab yg hidupnya mengalami pertambahan, terobosan tanpa doa. Yesus sebelum memulai pelayanannya, dia berdoa puasa selama 40 hari (Mat.4). Yesus senantiasa berdoa kepada Bapa. Luk.5:16 Luk.11. Para Rasul sebelum memulai pelayanan mereka memberitakan Injil, para rasul berdoa dan Roh Kudus turun (Kis. 1-2). Raja Daud berdoa sebelum berperang mencari kehendak Tuhan. Daniel berdoa tiga kali sehari (Dan. 6:10) Demi didengar Daniel, bahwa surat perintah itu telah dibuat, pergilah ia ke rumahnya. Dalam kamar atasnya ada tingkap-tingkap yang terbuka ke arah Yerusalem; tiga kali sehari ia berlutut, berdoa serta memuji Allahnya, seperti yang biasa dilakukannya. Esther dan bangsa Israel mengalami terobosan, yaitu kelepasan dari pembunuhan masal, ketika mereka berdoa puasa.
Jemaat mendoakan Petrus (Kis.12:5), Petrus dilepaskan dari penjara oleh seorang malaikat. Tidak ada seorang pun yg sukses tanpa doa.
Doa Yabes I Taw.4:9
Yabes lebih dimuliakan dari pada saudara-saudaranya;
nama Yabes itu diberi ibunya kepadanya sebab katanya:
"Aku telah melahirkan dia dengan kesakitan.“
Yabes berseru kepada Allah Israel, katanya: "Kiranya
Engkau memberkati aku berlimpah-limpah dan memperluas
daerahku, dan kiranya tangan-Mu menyertai aku, dan
melindungi aku dari pada malapetaka, sehingga kesakitan
tidak menimpa aku!" Dan Allah mengabulkan permintaannya itu.

2. Mempersiapkan diri untuk penambahan
II Raja 4:1-7 Salah seorang dari isteri-isteri para nabi mengadukan halnya kepada Elisa, sambil berseru: "Hambamu, suamiku, sudah mati dan engkau ini tahu, bahwa hambamu itu takut akan TUHAN. Tetapi sekarang, penagih hutang sudah datang untuk mengambil kedua orang anakku menjadi budaknya."
4:2 Jawab Elisa kepadanya: "Apakah yang dapat kuperbuat bagimu? Beritahukanlah kepadaku apa-apa yang kaupunya di rumah." Berkatalah perempuan itu: "Hambamu ini tidak punya sesuatu apapun di rumah, kecuali sebuah buli-buli berisi minyak."
4:3 Lalu berkatalah Elisa: "Pergilah, mintalah bejana-bejana dari luar, dari pada segala tetanggamu, bejana-bejana kosong, tetapi jangan terlalu sedikit.
4:4 Kemudian masuklah, tutuplah pintu sesudah engkau dan anak-anakmu masuk, lalu tuanglah minyak itu ke dalam segala bejana. Mana yang penuh, angkatlah!"
4:5 Pergilah perempuan itu dari padanya; ditutupnyalah pintu sesudah ia dan anak-anaknya masuk; dan anak-anaknya mendekatkan bejana-bejana kepadanya, sedang ia terus menuang.
4:6 Ketika bejana-bejana itu sudah penuh, berkatalah perempuan itu kepada anaknya: "Dekatkanlah kepadaku sebuah bejana lagi," tetapi jawabnya kepada ibunya: "Tidak ada lagi bejana." Lalu berhentilah minyak itu mengalir.
4:7 Kemudian pergilah perempuan itu memberitahukannya kepada abdi Allah, dan orang ini berkata: "Pergilah, juallah minyak itu, bayarlah hutangmu, dan hiduplah dari lebihnya, engkau serta anak-anakmu.“

Minyak berhenti mengalir sebanyak bejana yang dipersiapkan. Begitu pula pertambahan yang diberikan Allah pada kita sebanyak persiapan yg kita lakukan.

3. Bertanya kepada Tuhan
Daud bertanya kepada Tuhan 1 Samuel 23
(1)Diberitahukanlah kepada Daud, begini: "Ketahuilah, orang Filistin berperang melawan kota Kehila dan menjarah tempat-tempat pengirikan." (2) Lalu bertanyalah Daud kepada TUHAN: "Apakah aku akan pergi mengalahkan orang Filistin itu?" Jawab TUHAN kepada Daud: "Pergilah, kalahkanlah orang Filistin itu dan selamatkanlah Kehila." (3)Tetapi orang-orang Daud berkata kepadanya: "Ingatlah, sedangkan di sini di Yehuda kita sudah dalam ketakutan, apalagi kalau kita pergi ke Kehila, melawan barisan perang orang Filistin.“ (4) Lalu bertanya pulalah Daud kepada TUHAN, maka TUHAN menjawab dia, firman-Nya: "Bersiaplah, pergilah ke Kehila, sebab Aku akan menyerahkan orang Filistin itu ke dalam tanganmu." I Samuel 30:7-8
Daud berulang kali bertanya kepada Tuhan sebelum melakukan penyerangan.
Begitu pula dengan kita, kita perlu untuk bertanya kepada Tuhan dan mendengarkan apa rencana dan kehendak Tuhan.

4. Pantang menyerah
Gal. 6 :9 Janganlah kita jemu-jemu berbuat baik, karena apabila sudah datang waktunya, kita akan menuai, jika kita tidak menjadi lemah.

Sunday, July 18th 2010

2010-07-21T15:25:00.002+09:00

Ps. Caleb's sermon on July 18th 2010
Ezekiel 37 Valley of Dry Bones.
This is God's revelation to Ezekiel.
The Valley of Dry Bones
1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3 He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?"
I said, "O Sovereign LORD, you alone know."

4 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! 5 This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath [a] enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.' "

7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

9 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.' " 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.

11 Then he said to me: "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.' 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.' "

V.3 God's question: can these bones live?
Ezekiel's answer: "O Sovereign LORD, you alone know."
It shows his humility, he did not try to show off nor to pretend to know it.
We also need to stay humble when we come to the Lord. Do not boast, do not pretend that we know everything, do not teach God what He is supposed to do, do not manipulate God to do things we want.
V. 11 Those dry bones are the Israelites whose hopes were gone. These dry bones depict believers whose hopes are gone. However, God can change them to be His army. Army means strong men, strong people and well-trained.
So, how to change the dry situation to life?
God teaches us how to do it.
V.4 Prophesy
V.9 "Prophesy to ... and say to it, "This is what the Sovereign LORD says..."
So we should do it like that. Whenever there are dryness, difficulties, challenges, problems in our life, we should say the word of God. Mark 11:33-23 says 22"Have faith in God," Jesus answered. 23"I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.
To prophesy is to say to something or situation about what God wants.
How do we know what God wants? We know what God wants by reading His Word. His word is in the bible. Therefore, we need to read the bible. PROPHESY! Prophesy what God wants to your difficulties, your challenges, your dryness! Although the change, the answer has not arrived yet, do not feel disappointed. Wait and look for God more. It is so with Ezekiel. Verse 8, after the first stage Ezekiel did what God told him to do, tendons and skin came to those bones. However, they were not alive. So it was not finished. God told Ezekiel to prophesy again. So, we shall not stop, we shall continue until God's plan done. If God has started his plan, He will carry it out to the end. God can change those dry bones to God's soldiers, so we may be changed to be God's soldiers too.

Tokyo Anime Fair 2010 (Indonesian language)

2010-04-08T22:16:00.005+09:00

I wrote this in English and in Indonesian for 3 full days and tried to submit it to an English and Indonesian newspaper. Writing is not an easy job. I have to think about the genre, the word choice, vocabulary, coherence, cohesion, etc. But, Rejection was the result. Well, no wonder people prefer to write blog than submit it to media, though their writings are good and have an insight. Makanya banyak orang yang lebih senang menulis blog dibandingkan menerbitkan atau memasukkan karya mereka ke media publikasi walaupun tulisan mereka juga berbobot dan mempunyai insight. Daripada mottainai, mendingan aku masukin di blog aja deh. Isi tulisannya sendiri basically sama, tapi beberapa agak lain. The contents are a bit different.

Tokyo International Anime Fair (TAF) yang ke-9 diadakan dari tanggal 25 sampai 28 Maret 2010 bertempat di Tokyo Big Sight daerah Odaiba di teluk Tokyo dengan 244 peserta baik dari bisnis, perusahaan software anime, universitas, sekolah kejuruan, stasiun TV, maupun organisasi nirlaba dan 615 gerai pameran. Selama empat hari pameran tersebut, TAF menarik lebih dari 130.000 pengunjung. Walaupun pintu menuju ruang pameran baru dibuka pukul 10 pagi dan angin akhir musim dingin menerpa, para otaku, istilah untuk penggemar anime, komik dan video games Jepang, tetap bersemangat untuk mengunjungi pameran anime yang berlangsung hanya sekali dalam setahun. Antrian panjang pengunjung diatur oleh pihak penyelenggara dalam 3 rombongan barisan yang menunggu giliran dipersilahkan masuk ke dalam gedung.

Pertunjukan pertama yang menarik penonton adalah sajian dari Toei Animation, yaitu tarian dari 17 orang yang memakai kostum anime Purikuri, kependekan dari “Pretty Cure“ dan seluruh tim dinamakan Pretty Cure All Stars bak layaknya NBA All Stars. Ketika mereka menari dan menyanyi, para staff bersiap-siap dengan tali untuk membentuk pagar betis dan melarang penonton supaya tidak mengambil foto, walaupun ada beberapa orang yang masih menjepret sana sini. Peraturan TAF mencantumkan bahwa siapa saja yang ketahuan mengambil foto yang tidak diizinkan akan dilaporkan pada pihak kepolisian wilayah Kanda. Memang, setelah diteriaki tidak boleh mengambil foto, para fotografer pun mematikan kameranya sambil mengucapkan kata gomenasai yang artinya maaf. Anak-anak muda dan orang dewasa melompat-lompat dan berjoged mengikuti dinamisnya lagu Puri Kuri. Beberapa dari orang-orang yang berjoged tersebut adalah para staff Toei Animation yang berpakaian kaos polo hitam dan celana jeans, mereka yang bersorak-sorak dan bertepuk tangan sehingga penonton lain juga meniru mereka.

Di panggung ADK, nama sebuah perusahaan animasi, pembawa acara menyapa anak-anak yang sudah duduk manis menantikan artis kesayangannya. Ketika Doraemon muncul dari samping panggung, Anak-anak tersebut bertepuk tangan meriah. “Adik-adik yang manis, siapa yang tahu, tahun ini Doraemon merayakan ulang tahunnya yang ke berapa? Pilihannya, satu, yang ke-10; dua, yang ke-20; tiga, yang ke-30. Siapa yang bisa menjawab?” Seorang anak kecil maju ke depan dan memilih jawaban yang ketiga. Pembawa acara memuji jawabannya and sebuah souvenir Doraemon dihadiahkan pada anak tersebut dan semua penonton bertepuk tangan.

Di gerai lain, Goku naik ke pentas dan memperagakan gerakan jurus pamungkasnya untuk menghancurkan musuhnya. Lalu MC menanyakan nama jurus pamungkas tersebut. Banyak penonton mengangkat tangan, termasuk orang dewasa. Tetapi event ini memang disajikan untuk anak-anak, sehingga MC mempersilahkan seorang bocah kecil bernama Ryouta untuk naik ke atas panggung dan menjawab pertanyaan tersebut. “Kamehameha” dan sebuah hadiah Dragon Ballz diberikan kepadanya. Kamehameha sebenarnya adalah nama seorang raja di Hawaii yang menaklukkan kepulauan Hawaii dan menjadikannya sebuah kerajaan dibawah kekuasaannya. Akira Toriyama, penulis komik Dragon Ball, mendapatkan ilham dari istrinya, ketika dia bertanya nama apa yang cocok bagi pukulan maut Goku yang waktu itu hanya mendapat sebutan “kame” artinya binatang kura-kura

Gadis-gadis cantik dengan kostum anime membagikan brosur iklan dan souvenir gratis seperti berbagai tas kertas promosi yang penuh dengan gambar-gambar tokoh komik yang menarik, kipas kertas, folder plastic, balon dan macam-macam souvenir promosi lainnya. Para pengunjung tentu saja suka dengan barang-barang gratis tersebut. Bahkan beberapa orang tua mengambil berbagai macam tas kertas tersebut dan balon-balon, walaupun mereka tidak datang bersama anak-anak

Nonton gratis 5 menit trailer film “Garo – Red Requiem” garapan Tokushinsha Film Corporation dengan memakai kaca mata 3D membuat para pengunjung bersedia mengantri selama 20 sampai 30 menit. Film ini memakai efek 3 dimensi sehingga pecahan kaca, tetesan air dan bunga api kelihatan seperti melompat dari layar. Ketika Kouga Saejima, tokoh utama, menendang lawannya, seolah-olah kakinya berada di depan wajah penonton dan penonton dapat melihat jelas lekuk-lekuk sol sepatunya. Film Garo berfokus pada kehidupan Kouga Saejima yang mewarisi Golden Garo dari ayahnya, Taiga Saejima yang mati terbunuh saat pertarungan dengan Horror. Kematian sang ayah terjadi ketika Kouga masih kecil. Suatu malam ia terbangun dan diam-diam mengikuti ayahnya ke hutan. Di sana dia melihat ayahnya sedang bertempur dengan makhluk horror. Makhluk horor tersebut mengetahui keberadaan Kouga kecil dan hendak menghabisinya. Di saat itulah Golden Garo mengambil pukulan tersebut untuk membela anaknya yang mengakibatkan kematiannya. Kouga dilatih oleh para pandita Makai untuk meneruskan tugas mulia Ksatria Garo, yaitu melindungi manusia dari horror yang hendak menghancurkan umat manusia. Horror yang berasal dari neraka muncul ke dunia karena “dipanggil”oleh sisi gelap hati manusia. Setelah makhluk-makhluk horror itu keluar, mereka akan menggerogoti manusia tersebut atau menguasainya sehingga manusia tersebut berubah menjadi makhluk jahat. Akting para pemain dalam film ini berkesan dingin dan datar karena yang diutamakan adalah aksi pertarungan, efek animasi, makhluk-makhluk menyeramkan dan efek 3 dimensi. Tabuhan gendang jepang, Taiko, yang mengiringi film Garo – Red Requiem memberikan nuansa barisan laskar yang menuju medan perang.

Apakah anda berminat untuk melanjutkan kuliah di bidang animasi? Pada pameran ini, beberapa sekolah kejuruan, akademi dan universitas turut mempromosikan program studi animasi mereka serta memamerkan hasil karya para anak didiknya yang mengundang kekaguman para pengunjung. Di gerai Toho Gakuen Institute, empat orang siswanya mengisi suara film kartun yang ditayangkan di layar lebar secara live. Tokyo dan Osaka Animation College memamerkan karya lukisan dan gambar dua dimensi. Asagaya College of Art and Design mempromosikan program studi seni dan disain serta membagi-bagikan gantungan anime untuk telepon genggam secara gratis. Beberapa gerai lain juga menyediakan tempat bagi para pengunjung yang hendak mencoba mengisi suara film atau bermain musik dengan dipandu oleh para siswa dari sekolah-sekolah kejuruan tersebut. Kyoto Saga University of Arts, Kyoto Seika University, Kobe Design university, Trident College of Information Technology dan Nihon Kogakuin College adalah beberapa sekolah yang ikut serta dalam pameran Anime 2010.

Peserta dari luar negara Jepang seperti Thailand, Cina, Korea, Perancis dan United Arab Emirates juga mengambil bagian dalam Pameran Anime 2010 ini. Thailand mempromosikan “Character and Licensing Expo Asia” yang akan diselenggarakan di Bangkok pada bulan Mei. Expo serupa akan diadakan di Dubai pada akhir November, bertempat di Dubai International Convention and exhibition Centre. Dua negara terdekat dengan Jepang, yaitu Cina dan Korea, mempunyai lebih banyak booth dibandingkan dengan peserta luar negeri lainnya. Cina, negara yang mempunyai volume ekspor terbesar ke Jepang, menyewa booth khusus untuk perwakilan dari departemen kebudayaan dan Biro Urusan Perdagangan Chengdu. Di stand China, para pengunjung dapat duduk di bangku kerajaan dengan diapit 2 gadis cantik berpakaian tradisional cheongsam untuk berfoto. Beberapa perusahaan anime Cina juga mempromosikan film-film animasi dan produk mainan mereka. Korea dengan 12 perusahaanya menampilkan berbagai produk animasi, berupa film, online games dan film pendidikan untuk anak. Pameran sejenis ini tidak hanya diadakan di Jepang saja, tetapi juga di Amerika, Perancis dan Korea. Otakorp dari Amerika mempromosikan Otakon kependekan dari Otaku Convention yang akan diadakan di Baltimore, negara bagian Maryland. Tahun ini adalah tahun ke-17 Otakon mengadakan pameran. Di Korea, “Seoul International Cartoon and Animation Festival” yang ke-14 akan diadakan di bulan Juli. Di bulan yang sama, Japan Expo yang menampilkan berbagai kebudayaan dan hiburan dari Jepang akan diadakan di Perancis

Bagian Tokyo International Anime Fair yang mendapat banyak pengunjung adalah ”Anime Bazaar”. Barang-barang souvenir anime seperti, poster, handuk, kaos, kipas, gantungan telepon genggam, boneka, miniatur tokoh-tokoh anime, CD, alat-alat tulis, bahkan sampai pakaian dalam pria.

Pameran ini dapat mengakomodasi para pengunjung dari berbagai usia dan keterbatasan fisik. Arena bermain, permainan DS gratis, permainan dengan telepon genggam, permainan kartu dan berfoto bersama boneka-boneka animasi membuat anak-anak betah bermain. Saat pertunjukan tarian dan nyanyian di panggung, orang-orang yang berkursi roda dapat dengan tenang menonton dekat panggung, tanpa ada orang yang menyelak di depan mereka. Untuk para remaja, TAF menyelenggarakan lomba menggambar animasi. Penggemar automotif dapat melihat modifikasi mobil yang dicat dengan gambar anime. Para pengunjung yang ingin belajar mengenai pembuatan anime disediakan workshop dengan para pembuat anime.

Penyelenggaraan TAF tahun ini dinilai berhasil. Salah satunya ditandai dengan kenaikan jumlah pengunjung yang berjumlah sekitar tiga ribu orang walaupun jumlah eksibitor berkurang jika dibandingkan dengan tahun sebelumnya. Kenaikan jumlah pengunjung menunjukkan pertambahan kegemaran masyarakat pada dunia animasi yang berarti pangsa pasar di bidang ini juga besar. Selain di bidang bisnis, pertukaran budaya antar negara dapat dilakuan melalui produk-produk animasi. Semoga di tahun mendatang, lebih banyak karya-karya animasi dari negara asia tenggara yang dapat berpartisipasi dalam Tokyo International Anime Fair

Tokyo Anime Fair 2010

2010-04-08T21:53:00.011+09:00

After failed to publish this to an English and Indonesian newspaper, I decided to put it on my blog. Mottainaidakarasa.

Goku came into the stage and performed his famous movement to expel a powerful beam of energy. Then, a cute MC asked the children who were attending the show to answer what movement it was. A boy came to the stage and answered, “It was Kamehameha” and he got a souvenir of Dragon Ballz.

Doraemon booth staged a similar quiz for kids. How old is Doraemon? There were 3 choices. First was 10 years, second was 20 years and the third was 30 years. A boy chose the third answer and he got a Doraemon souvenir. Another stage of Toei Animation, there were 17 “pretty cure all stars” dancing. Too bad, no picture taking was allowed. They would report it to Kanda police station if someone was caught taking pictures.

Tokushinsha film Corporation showed 3D of “Garo – Red Requiem” which had breathtaking creatures with powerful strength and frightening extended limbs. Fresh, good-looking actors an

d sexy actresses were the cast members of this movie. The acting ability is not important of this movie. It emphasizes more on the fantasy, animation, action and 3D effect. The war-like march drum-beat music added the movie’s dynamic excitement. Garo 3D movie trailer lasted for 5 minutes with magnificent splinters of breaking glasses, water drops, clash fire from swords and weapons. When Garo kicked his enemies, we may see his boot’s sole as if it was in front of our face. The 3D effect makes the sword look longer, sharp and protruding.

Pierrot Co., Ltd. gave out Naruto’s shopping bags for free. Other companies did so with colorful shopping bags, paper fans, balloons, posters, and plastic document folders. People collected those gimmicks because they were free of charge and had beautiful, vivid anime pictures. Some mature adults showed their childish side by collecting many of them and some gas balloons although they did not bring kids with them. During the stage shows, some middle-aged men sa

t at front near the stage that blocked the view of little children sitting behind them only to get a better view of the performances on the stages.

Anime vocational schools, colleges and universities also participated in the Fair. Besides promoting their curriculum programs, they showed many works of arts from their students, such as paintings, drawings, pictures and animated videos. The west side of the exhibition hall was set for shops and stalls which sold varieties of anime goods from characters collectibles, dolls, toys, CDs, towels, T-shirts, cell-phone straps, folders, pictures, cards, stuffed bread in cans, glasses, stationery and so on.

Pretty girls with anime costumes were handing out the brochures, gimmicks and posing for pictures. These picture takings were allowed because they were not famous celebrities. One alluring girl with black police hat and shorts whose face resembles to Ayase Haruka, a cute and sexy Japanese actress, posed for pictures and handed out brochures of Zebraman 2 that will be screened on May 1^st. She intentionally fixed her upper bra in front of male photographers only to get their attention. Of course, many of them came flocking and took photos of her. Next to her booth, there were some samurai men (ojiisan - middle aged man), wearing full costumes of samurai. Because of her, no one wanted to take those ojiisan pictures. Some blond white faces also posed as anime characters in this exhibition. One cute girl with long blond hair was approached by a nearly bold, middle-aged man. He gave her his name card and talked to her. She seemed uninterested but she had to be polite to people as she was hired by NTT.

Perhaps the second biggest income after Japan automotive and electronic industries will be anime (animation films) and manga (comic books). They have been ones of Japan’s images all over the world that attract people to come to Japan or to study Japanese. What Japanese cartoon movies have you seen? Voltus, Lulu, Ikyu-san, Candy-candy are anime during my childhood time. Nowadays, Doraemon, Crayon Shinchan, Chibi Maruko, Naruto, Detective Conan, Dragon Ball, Pokemon, One Piece and many others are stuffing our TV programs not to mention other comic series being sold in the bookstores. This year “Doraemon” celebrates its 30^th anniversary and so do Gundam Plamodel series. “Chibi Maruko chan” celebrates the 20^th anniversary of its first broadcast on TV. “Crayon Shinchan” celebrates its 20^th anniversary of comic serialization. From 2 public days, more than 105,000 people came to the Tokyo International Anime Fair on Saturday and Sunday. This year fair attracted about 1,000 people more than last year. The increasing number shows that more people like anime and fantasy stories that make anime business a flourishing trade.

Tokyo International Anime Fair that was held in Tokyo Big Sight from March 25^th to 26^th at East Exhibition Hall presented 244 exhibitors with 615 booths, mostly from Japan and a few representatives from other countries such as Thailand, China, Korea and UAE to promote their animations, cultures and next anime exhibitions in their countries. China, the nearest country that has a large number of business deals with Japan, had their own space for the ministry of culture and Chengdu City Commercial Affairs Bureau that could facilitate business between companies in Japan and China. Thailand promoted “Character and Licensing Expo Asia” that will be held in Bangkok this year in May. Korea promoted their animations and “Asia Content and Entertainment Industry Fair and Seoul International Cartoon and Animation Festival.” Otakorp from America promoted Otakon Convention in late summer at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland. Otakon comes from the word “Otaku” and “Convention.” In Japanese modern slang “Otaku” means an anime, manga and video games maniac. UAE representative promoted the Dubai International Character and Licensing Fair that will be held in November 2010. It was an exciting moment to see these animation development and progress in Japan as well as other parts of the world. Hopefully next year there will be more of animations from other parts of Asian countries

Going to New Schools

2010-03-26T02:15:00.006+09:00

After working at the same schools for 4 years, I am moving to two new schools starting 1st of April 2010. They are Nishi Elementary and Suka Elementary. Yesterday was the last time I went to Kita Elementary and tomorrow will be my last time at Hoshimiya Elementary. Many sweet, sad memories come to my mind. I saw my classroom for the last time yesterday and looked at the arrangements I made for 4 years; the wall decorations, pictures, 4 seasons decorations, properties, games I made; the chairs, the CDs, the cabinet, drawers, racks, boxes, wool threads, lights, windows. Yesterday, I had a second farewell from teachers. I received a bouquet of flowers and a red furoshiki (Japanese fabric handkerchief, red is my favourite color; medatsune!). They are beautiful. I still have them and put them on the desk in my living room.

The first one was last week on Tuesday, 16th of March. It was a surprise for me. When I arrived at the school, the principal, Kurimoto kouchou sensei asked me to go to the gym quickly because the students were waiting and having the farewell ceremony for me. Students held the arches of paper flowers over my head to welcome me. Then, I sit on a chair on the stage. After a word from the principal and Arai Taiko sensei, two students came to the stage and gave me a bouquet of flowers and a photo album. They asked me to speak a word. I said that there were so many sweet and sad memories, however, I enjoyed myself working there. I also thanked all the teachers who had helped me a lot during 4 years teaching at Kita Elementary. When I was watching the students rehearsing for the graduation ceremony each year, I always think what they will be in 10 years time, or 20 years time. I hope they will realize their dreams because I will always support them and wish them all the best for their future. After the speech, the students sang sayonara song. It was a touching moment that I may forget all the pranks and naugtiness of those kids. Then, the principal ushered me to leave the gym. Again some kids made arches of flowers for me to pass their lines. Thank for for their appreciation of my work. Look at the white roses which have purplish color. When they are cold, they are purple, but when I blow my hot breath to them, they change into blue. Kasuga sensei bought them at a special florist, he told me. Beautiful flower arrangements with yellow orchids and yellow daisies, pink carnations and some others that I do not know their names.

Yesterday, we said farewell to each other, the students and the teachers. Quite hard. However, they need a new teacher and I need a new environment. New schools with new environment, new students, new colleagues, new parents, new parking lot, new customs, new assistants, new desks, new lockers, new classrooms, new schedules, new toilets, new playing grounds, new gyms, new faces, etc. Exciting. Nishi elementary is the biggest school in Gyoda in terms of the number of students it has. I need more strength and energy to be able to teach long hours and going to and fro from the English room on the 3rd floor to the teacher's room on the 1st floor. In the morning I am going to Hoshimiya to have a closing ceremony, before they go for a short break for spring vacation. Then, we'll start again in April 8th. In the evening, I am having a farewell party with Kita elementary teachers. (to be continued....)

On the day of your departure, tabitachi no hi ni

2010-01-27T01:40:00.006+09:00

Popular Graduation song of Japanese schools.
It was composed by a music teacher and lyriced by the principal of Kagemori Junior High School in Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture in 1991. Chichibu is a mountainous area in Saitama. So no wonder this song includes the mountain range that looks like waves of the sea.

旅たちの日
Tabitachi no Hi　ni
Ｏｎ　ｔｈｅ　ｄａｙ　ｏｆ　ｙｏｕｒ　ｄｅｐａｒｔｕｒｅ

白い光の中に　山並みは萌えて
shiroihikarino nakani yamanamiwa moete
in the streaming white light, the mountain's waves come to sight

はるかな空の果てまでも　君は飛び立つ
harukanasorano hatemademo kimi wa tobitatsu
though the sky may seems endless out there, you can still fly high

限りなく青い空に　心ふるわせ
kagirinakuaoisorani kokorofuruwase
in that big blue sky, my heart trembles

自由をかける鳥よ　振り返ることもせず
jiyuu wo kakeru toriyo furikaerukotomosezu
but birds that fly towards freedom, will never look back

勇気を翼に込めて　希望の風に乗り
yuki wo tsubasani komete kibounokazeninori
Let those wings of courage soar you high, ride on the wind of hope

この広い大空に　夢を託して
konohiroioosorani yume wo takushite
in this vast sky, build your dreams

懐かしい友の声　ふとよみがえる
natsukashiitomonokoe futoyomigaeru
How I miss those days, when I could hear voices of my friends around me

意味もないいさかいに　泣いたあの時
imimonai isakaini naita ano toki
when we had small, petty disputes, we cried over those disputes

心通った嬉しさに　抱き合った日よ
kokorokayotta ureshisani dakiattahiyo
when our hearts were filled with happiness, we embraced each other

みんな過ぎたけれど　思い出強くだいて
minnasugitakeredo omoidetsuyokudaite
although from here we will go separate ways, our hearts will remain close

勇気を翼に込めて　希望の風に乗り
yukiwotsubasanikomete kibounokazeninori
Let the wings of courage soar you high, ride on the wind of hope

この広い大空に　夢を託して
konohiroi oosorani yume o takushite
in this vast sky build your dreams

今　別れの時　飛び立とう　未来信じて
ima wakarenotoki tobitatou mirai shinjite
now, it may be time to part, but our future is beginning to take a flight, believe it
はずむ　若い力　信じて
hazumu wakaichikara shinjite
believe that we can make a difference (believe in your youth strength)
この広い　この広い　大空に
kono hiroi kono hiroi oosorani
in this boundless vast sky

今　別れの時　飛び立とう　未来信じて
ima wakarenotoki tobitatou mirai shinjite

はずむ　若い力　信じて
hazumu wakaichikara shinjite

この広い　この広い　大空に
kono hiroi kono hiroi oosorani

Listen to the song by SMAP http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLyZG3EtnpA

Kimi wa aisarerutame umareta

2010-01-05T11:33:00.003+09:00

kimi wa aisarerutame umareta
君は愛されるため生まれた
You are born to be loved
Engkau dilahirkan untuk menerima kasih

kimi no syogai wa ai de michite iru
君の生涯は愛で満ちている
You life is filled with love
Hidupmu dipenuhi kasih

kimi wa aisarerutame umareta
君は愛されるため生まれた
kimi no syougai wa ai de michite iru
君の生涯は愛で満ちている

eien no kami no ai wa
永遠の神の愛は
Eternal God's love is connected
Kasih Allah mempersatukan kita

warerano de ai no naka de mi o musubu
われらの出会いの中で実を結ぶ
in our fellowship with each other
satu dengan yg lain

kimi no sonzai ga watashi ni wa
君の存在が私には
your presence
kehadiranmu

dore hodo oukina yorokobi desyou
どれほど大きな喜びでしょう
brings me a great joy
memberikan sukacita besar bagiku

kimi wa aisarerutame umareta
君は愛されるため生まれた
You are born to be loved
Engkau dilahirkan untuk menerima kasih

ima mo sono ai ukete iru
今もその愛受けている
Even until now, you are loved
Hingga saat ini, engkau masih dikasihi

kimi wa aisarerutame umareta
君は愛されるため生まれた
Engkau dilahirkan untuk menerima kasih
ima mo sono ai uketeiru
今もその愛受けている
Hingga saat ini, engkau masih dikasihi

True Love by Fujii Fumiya

2009-11-10T22:04:00.002+09:00

振り返るといつも君が笑ってくれた
風のようにそっと
まぶしすぎて目を閉じても浮かんでくるよ
涙に変わってく
君だけを信じて　君だけを傷つくて
僕らはいつも　はるか　はるか　遠い未来を
夢見てたはずさ

立ち止るとなぜか君はうつむいたまま
雨のようにそっと
変わらないよあの日君と出会った日から
涙に変わっても
君だけをみつめて　君だけしかいなくて
僕らはいつもはるかかるか　遠い未来を
夢　見てた　はずさ
夢　見てた　はずさ

Fujii Fumiya 藤井フミヤ

Furikaeru to itsumo kimi ga waratte kureta
Kaze no you ni sotto

Mabushi sugite me wo tojitemo ukande kuru yo
Namida ni kawatteku

Kimi dake wo shinjite kimi dake wo kizutsukete
Bokura wa itsumo haruka haruka tooi mirai wo
Yume miteta hazu sa

Tachitomaru to nazeka kimi wa utsumuita mama
Ame no you ni sotto

Kawaranai yo ano hi kimi to deatta hi kara
Namida ni kawattemo

Kimi dake wo mitsumete kimi dake shika inakute
Bokura wa itsumo haruka haruka tooi mirai wo
Yume miteta hazu sa

Yume miteta hazu sa

English translation:
I would turn around
You're always smiling for me
like a gentle breeze
You are so dazzling to me
that even　though I close my eyes
Your image keeps coming to my mind
and it turns into tears
It is only you I trust
It is only you I hurt
We always looked to the future
But the dream fails
When I stand and stop and think back,
why you always look down quietly like raindrops
There is no change from the day we met
Even things have become tears
My eyes are only on you
It's got to be you
After all, we were always dreaming of the future
but the dream fails

Tokyo Love Story Lyrics

2009-11-10T14:53:00.005+09:00

Yesterday night, when I was doing my curriculum design, a friend greeted me on yahoo messenger. He asked me to translate the song from Tokyo Love story TV drama.
This is the lyrics in Kanji characters and romaji and translation. It is not a perfect translation. If you know better translation, please say so. I will revise it. The original title of the song is "Love story wa totsuzen ni ラブ・ストーリーは突然に" (A love story suddenly begins)

何から伝えればいいのか　分からないまま時は流れて　　
浮かんでは　消えてゆく　ありふれた言葉だけ　　
君があんまりすてきだから　　ただすなおに　好きと言えないで　　
多分もうすぐ　雨も止んで　二人　たそがれ　　

あの日　あの時　あの場所で　君に会えなかったら　　
僕らは　いつまでも　見知らぬ二人のまま　　

誰かが甘く誘う言葉に　もう心揺れたりしないで　　
切ないけど　そんなふうに　心は縛(ｼﾊﾞ)れない　　
明日(ｱｼﾀ)になれば君をきっと　今よりもっと好きになる　　
そのすべてが僕のなかで　時を越えてゆく　　
君のためにつばさになる　君を守りつづける　　
やわらかく　君をつつむ　あの風になる　　

あの日　あの時　あの場所で　君に会えなかったら　　
僕らは　いつまでも　見知らぬ二人のまま

今　君の心が動いた　言葉止めて　肩を寄せて　　
僕は忘れないこの日を　君を誰にも渡さない　　
君のためにつばさになる　君を守りつづける　　

やわらかく　君をつつむ　あの風になる　　
あの日　あの時　あの場所で　君に会えなかったら　　
僕らは　いつまでも　見知らぬ二人のまま　　
誰かが甘く誘う言葉に　心揺れたりしないで　　
君をつつむ　あの風になる　　

あの日　あの時　あの場所で　君に会えなかったら　　
僕らは　いつまでも　見知らぬ二人のまま

In romaji, it is like this:

Nani kara tsutaereba ii noka
wakaranai mama toki wa nagarete
Ukande wa kiete yuku arifureta kotoba dake
Kimi ga anmari suteki dakara
Tada sunao ni suki to ienai de
Tabun mou sugu ame o yande futari tasogare

Ano hi ano toki ano basho de kimi ni aenakattara
Bokura wa itsu mademo mishiranu futari no mama

Dareka ga amaku sasou kotoba ni mou kokoro yuretari shinai de
Setsunai kedo sonna fuu ni kokoro wa shibarenai
Ashita ni nareba kimi o kitto ima yori motto suki ni naru
Sono subete ga boku no naka de toki o koete yuku
Kimi no tame ni tsubasa ni naru kimi o mamori tsuzukeru
Yawarakaku kimi o tsutsumu ano kaze ni naru

Ano hi ano toki ano basho de kimi ni aenakattara
Bokura wa itsu mademo mishiranu futari no mama

Ima kimi no kokoro ga ugoita kotoba tomete kata o yosete
Boku wa wasurenai kono hi o kimi o dare nimo watasanai
Kimi no tame ni tsubasa ni naru kimi o mamori tsuzukeru
Yawarakaku kimi o tsutsumu ano kaze ni naru
Ano hi ano toki ano basho de kimi ni aenakattara
Bokura wa itsu mademo mishiranu futari no mama
Dareka ga amaku sasou kotoba ni mou kokoro yuretari shinai de
Kimi o tsutsumu ano kaze ni naru
Ano hi ano toki ano basho de kimi ni aenakattara
Bokura wa itsu mademo mishiranu futari no mama

English translation:
I do not know where to begin
I waste my time not knowing what to say
What comes into my mind are only ordinary words
You are so beautiful that I can not utter a word to say that I love you.
The rain is going to stop soon, we are in twilight already.
If I had not met you on that day, at that time, at that place, we would have never seen each other forever.

Someone will try to tempt you, but do not let your heart get tempted
Although it is sad, do not let your heart tied up
I know surely tomorrow, I will like you more than today.
As the time passes by, my whole self will fade away
For your sake, I will be wings to protect you
and I will be gentle wind to surround you
If I had not met you on that day, at that time and at that place, we would have never seen each other forever.

I will keep on protecting you
Now you heart changes, words stops, you lean on me
I will never forget that day
I will not let anyone take you from me
For your sake, I will be wings to protect you forever
I will be gentle wind to surround you
If I had not met you on that day, that time and that place, we would have never seen each other forever.
If there is someone who tries to tempt you, do not yield your heart.
I will be wind to protect you forever
If I had not met you on that day, that time and that place, we would have never seen each other forever.

Indonesian translation:

Aku tidak tau dari mana harus memulainya
Aku menghabiskan waktu tanpa tau apa yg harus kukatakan
Yang muncul di pikiranku hanya kata-kata biasa
Kau begitu menawan hati sehingga tak ada kata-kata yang dapat mengungkapkan bahwa aku sangat mencintaimu. Sebentar lagi hujan akan berhenti dan tanpa disadari, kita berdua sudah berada di senja hari.
Jika aku tidak bertemu denganmu di hari itu, saat itu, di tempat itu, kita berdua tidak akan berkenalan selamanya.

Mungkin ada orang lain yang akan merayumu, tetapi jangan biarkan hatimu tergoda.
Walaupun sedih, jangan biarkan hatimu tertambat.
Aku tau pasti bahwa esok aku lebih mencintaimu daripada hari ini
Saat waktu berlalu,
Untukmu, aku akan menjadi sayap yg senantiasa menjagamu
Untukmu, aku akan menjadi bayu yang melindungimu
Jika aku tidak bertemu denganmu di hari itu, di saat itu, di tempat itu, kita tidak akan berkenalan selamanya.

Saat ini hatimu telah berubah,
kata-kata terhenti, kau bersandar padaku
Tak akan pernah kulupakan hari itu
Tak akan kulepaskan engkau selamanya
Aku akan menjadi bayu pelindungmu
Jika aku tidak bertemu denganmu di hari itu, saat itu, tempat itu, kita tidak akan pernah berkenalan selamanya.
Mungkin ada orang lain yg merayumu, tapi jangan biarkan hatimu tergoda
Aku akan menjadi bayu pelindungmu
Jjika aku tidak bertemu denganmu di hari itu, saat itu, tempat itu, kita tidak akan pernah berkenalan selamanya.

My School

2009-05-27T22:23:00.001+09:00

Hoshimiya Elementary School
http://www.tvg.ne.jp/hosimi-e/
Kita Elementary School
http://www.tvg.ne.jp/kita-e/

Spirit-led Life

2009-03-04T23:50:00.002+09:00

This is the sermon from Our Pastor on Sunday, March 1, 2009

But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. (John 16:7)

Lord Jesus said that, "It is for your good that He is going away, so that he will send the Holy Spirit to us." Gift of Holy Spirit is for our benefit because of that, our life led by the Holy Spirit will be wonderful.

What is so special about Holy Spirit? Holy Spirit is called "The Counselor". In the world, there is no one that does not need counseling. For that reason, we need counseling and comforting from the Holy Spirit in any circumstances. He may comfort us and his comforting is perfect.

It is the work of Holly Spirit to confess our sins. Many times it is easy for us to judge others and see their weaknesses, however, it is difficult for us to see our frailties and sins. If we let Holy spirit lead our lives, we will know our weaknesses shortly and repent soon. It is because we are led by the Holy Spirit in the way of holiness. The Holy Spirit also teaches and lead us into all righteousness. Living in righteousness is a life that is free from fears. There is nothing to hide because we had righteousness in our life. The life led by the Holy Spirit frees us from hypocrisy so other people can see the truth, that is Jesus Christ himself. He is truly real in our life.

In summary, the life led by the Holy spirit is truly beneficial for us. Let us open our heart to be led by the Holy Spirit.

When I was listening to the sermon, I was reminded of the background situation of the.story The verses were taken from the book of John 16. Jesus consoled his disciples who were in grief. He said, "Do not let your heart be troubled". Although at that time, Jesus himself was also in a difficult time. His heart troubled too. At that moment, Holy Spirit revealed to me, Jesus and his disciples knew that the time was near, very close, that they would be separated. The close bound between Jesus and his disciples were about to end. Therefore Jesus said, "It is for your good, that I am going away. ... "

I realized that how Jesus loved his disciples so much that it was terribly hard for him to separate from them, as well. For 3 years and a half, they had been together all the time, but then it was time for them to be separated. Jesus also promised them that they would see each other again. In that time no one could take away their joy. Have you ever had a difficult parting time with your close friend or a member of your family?

When I read the following chapter (Chapter 17), It is Jesus prayer for his disciples and all believers. He loves us so much and I know that he loves me so much.

Lunch with Elementary School Students

2009-02-28T22:23:00.003+09:00

Everyday I have lunch with students in different classes from 1st grade to 6th grade. The schools assign me to sit in the classroom and have lunch with students. Many things happened. About a month ago, I had lunch with 2nd grade students (2-2) Kita Elementary, I sat with a group of students, there was a boy who was talkative and open. We talked about many things, food we liked, disliked, about our family, parents, siblings, etc. That boy always answered my questions, although I meant them for other students who were sitting in the group. Then out of the blue I asked him, how many TVs he had in his house. He said he had 3. Another boy said 5, but 2 were broken. A girl said 2, one in the first floor and another one in the 2nd floor. I asked where they put those TVs. The boy said there was one in his living room, one in the 2nd floor and another one in the toilet. A girl asked why. I also asked why. He said his father liked baseball so much so eventhough he was in the toilet, he could still watch the game. We all laughed. The homeroom teacher and other students were looking at us when we laughed out loud.

Another experience, two weeks ago when I had lunch with 2nd grade Hoshimiya Elementary. There were only 12 students, so the HRT had the students set a round table sitting arrangement. When we were eating, Misa, a girl whose brother, Takumi, in the 6th grade, told me that he liked a boy in the class. She did not hesitate to tell me and point to the boy, Hiroki, a quiet thin boy. There were two Hiroki in the class, the one is thin and quiet and the other one was healthy plump and active. Then, the girl next to Misa, Saki chan, also told me that she also liked two boys in the classroom, she pointed to Ryusei dan Kaito whose brother was in the 6th grade. I appreciated their boldness. The boys, Ryusei and Kaito, were not shy nor did they feel awkward about it. Ryusei is a handsome boy and I know he will be a heart-breaker. He loves pretty girls and he knows how to capture their attention. He knows how to get my attention. He knows how to be sweet in front of me. I asked Misa what kind of guy she liked. She said she liked a boy who was handsome, kind and rich. Then I asked the same question to Saki, basically she said the same things. Then I asked whether she liked someone who was clever and smart. The answer was quite surprising for me. She replied that it did not matter whether the guy was smart or not. "Atama yokunakutemo ii!" I laughed loudly. The HRT only smiled. She is a kind of person who never shows her true feelings and never be expressive. Saki also said that she did not want to go to college nor university. She said that she was not clever nor smart. Saki wants to be an Idol. She said that an idol did not need a "good head". Still young but she had determined her life and judged that she did not want to have tertiary education. The HRT confirmed that and added that the parents supported her and did not encourage her to have higher education. In my country, we all want to have higher education instead of our poverty, however, here in this wealthy country, a kid does not want to go to school.

Falling in love for the right reasons

2009-02-28T16:29:00.007+09:00

Mrs. Lusi Supratman's sermon on Sunday, Feb 8th, 2009 in Narimasu Grace Square Chapel, Tokyo, Japan.

Start with the right reason.
Do you know Disney love stories? What do they say about love?
1. Cinderella = two different status (The prince and the maid)
2. Snow White = save me from my family's pressure
3. Sleeping Beauty = waiting for her prince to wake her up
4. Little Mermaid = unrealistic love (a mermaid loves a human, fish wants to be a human)
5. Beauty and the Beast = rich but bad tempered
6. Aladdin = a lucky thief who married a princess
Then Mrs. Lusi asked several sisters and brothers to come up to the front and tell what kind of person they want for their future wives or husbands. Sisters, basically, focused on a quality of a guy.
Sis. Miyuki said she wanted a person who loved and feared God.
Sis. Sally said she wanted a guy who was kind
Sis. Ida said she wanted a boyfriend who had the same vision as hers.
Bro. Amin wanted a girl who was mature
Bro. Kornelius said he wanted a person who fitted him.
Bro. Very said he wanted a person who could cook.
Bro. Hepi wanted a girl who could sing
Every one has a different type. Each one of you is unique. God created us differently. He gives us a freewill. It is our choice to love God or to love other things. To love is your decision and your choice. If it is forced, it is not love.
2 Cor.6:14-18 Are light and darkness the same?
Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people." "Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you." "I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."

1. Open your eyes and heart widely to see yourself and your partner's strengths, weaknesses, characters, habits, family background, etc. Can you accept them?

2. Know yourself, recognize your own personal values and do not based your values on what other people say about you, what you do for a living, your achievement, because they only see the external factors.

3. Eph.1:4-5 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will... This means that we are precious in God's eyes. God focuses his love for us.

4. Be true to yourself. No body can say that a person fits you. No one can say that man/woman is good for you. Many times our way of thinking is influenced by others, so we need to be honest to ourselves.

5. Characters. A small lie will destroy all. Unfaithfulness, laziness, recklessness, frugality, slick and irresponsibility will destroy all. Have the right characters. We can't live with the person who is irresponsible and untrustworthy. Therefore, we need to open our eyes and do not force ourselves to live with a such person. Good and sound characters will make a long-lasting marriage.

6. Emotion and anger. We have to see our partner's way to handle anger, stress and emotion.
- discuss conflicts immediately and thorougly
- do not tardy, do not linger, do not wait to discuss conflicts
- do not change the subject
- do not bring up past mistakes
- confront for resolution not for winning
- does s/he have unstable emotion?
- does s/he have a negative way of thinking?

7. Consider his/her family background. It is important for you to know your partner's parents. Family background matters. Make sure that your partner is a whole person, person who is restored by God, not a person who is badly "tortured" by his/her past. Sometimes we have the attitude of "hero/heroine" to save him/her. It is similar with covering a time-bomb. We'll be blown away to pieces at unknown time. We'll be the ones who suffer.

8. Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. In Indonesian we say, "Jangan merupakan pasangan yg tidak seimbang" the translation is, "Do not be partner with someone who is not equal to you." In other words, someone who does not share the same values." Values mean belief, spiritual, mentality, characters, intellectual, principles, maturity, etc.

In my opinions these principles are true. The older we get, the more requirements we put on our "ideal" partner. Younger people when they fall in love, they just like each other, they do not think such complicated things. However, the older we get, we will have more requirements. These thoughts get back to me.

The insight from the sermon is fine with me but there are some items that I disagree as they are also confirmed with my friends. One of them is regarding the story of Disney Love Stories. My friend, Dian , disagreed with her saying that Sleeping beauty was a lazy girl who just did nothing but waiting for the "her Prince" to save her. Dian said that it was not her will to sleep, the witch's curse made her sleep. Then I realized that she was right.

God's Provision during Drought

2009-01-12T22:40:00.002+09:00

Pemeliharaan Tuhan di masa kekeringan.
Look at the best photo http://www.flickr.com/photos/90865307@N00/254024817
It was taken in Tizirzak, Air mountains, Nothern Niger, 2005.
The picture shows a big green tree in the middle of a desert. That tree can stand alone in the midst of a harsh environment. Why? Because its root can find a water source deep in the soil.
Isaiah 41:18-20 "I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs. I will put in the desert the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive. I will set pines in the wasteland, the fir and the cypress together, so that people may see and know, may consider and understand, that the hand of the LORD has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it."
Like the picture, "A big green tree that can grow in the middle of the desert", it is God that has made it grow in the midst of a harsh land, so are we. God keeps us and takes care of us, just like He takes care of the tree so that people may see and know, may consider and understand that the hand of the LORD has done it. All the glory goes back to Him.
Read 1 Kings 17:1-16 Story of Elijah fed by ravens and a widow at Zarephath. The two stories tell us how God kept His people in time of drought.
Verse 2 states "the word of the Lord came to Elijah"
Verse 5 says "so he did what the Lord had told him"
Verse 8 shows "Then the word of the Lord came to him"
Verse 14 says "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says"
Verse 16 states "The word of the Lord"
Five times the word of the Lord are stated in the story. it means that it is very important to pay attention to what God says, to God's word.
Psalm 1:1-3 "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers."
Remember the tree and the man who is stated in the Psalm 1 verse 3. The tree can withstand harsh condition because it can find its source of water, likewise the man. Water is the word of God. The word of God is often depicted as water. If we root ourselves in the word of God we will be like the tree that still grows in the middle of the desert.
What can we learn?
1. Hearing God's word and doing His commands
2. Obedience to God's word releases His provision in times of difficulty.
God can not compel us to listen to Him. He can not force us to read His word.
It is our decision and our willingness to submit to Him.

This is what I've got before new year in Indonesia and after new year in Japan.
When I attended the Service in Mawar Saron, Jakarta, the pastor also spoke the same thing, "Listen to God". Just yesterday, I got this message again from my pastor in IFGF Tokyo.

We are called "Servant"

2008-12-29T12:18:00.002+09:00

Sunday Service, Dec.28th,2008, GBI Mawar Saron Kelapa Gading, Jakarta.
Sermon by Rev.Jacob Nahuway.
Matthew 25:14-30
1. A trustable servant
Can God Trust me? Does God trust me? God will reveal His plans to trustable people.
Do I have the characters that are required?
2. An able servant
Prov.22:29 Be skillful so that you may be successfull. Do not say, "Sorry, I can't" or
"Don't choose me", but say, "Yes, I can."
3. A skillful servant
Jesus' life was full of miracles. There were miracles when he was born, there were miracles
when he lived, there were miracles when he died, there will be miracles when he comes for
the second time. Our life should be like that too, full of miracles.
4. A loyal and faithfull servant
God is loyal and faithfull to us. Loyality and faithfullness is God's characters, so we should
depict God's characters because we are created according to His image.
Prov.2:8 God takes care of His faithfull servants.
5. A productive servant
verse 29. Characters will determine your success. Honest servant will be trusted with more.
If your boss ask you to buy something and there is some change, return the money to your
boss, although it is only 5 rupiah or 10 rupiah. Honesty! If you can return the small amount of
money you can return the big amount of money.
Time is a gift from God, so use your time effectively. We can not turn back the time, so we
need to use it wisely.
Two things that may influence your life:
a. books you read
b. friends you mingle with
So be careful of what you read and what you put into your mind. Be watchful with whom you associate.
Let us enter year 2009 with a believing heart that God is with us.
Amen!

Bali Trip 18-22 Dec.2008

2008-12-23T18:46:00.004+09:00

I hope this posting may help anyone who wants to travel to Bali.
If you want to prepare your trip to Bali beforehand and you want a certain schedule, you may search the info here. Probably for some others, you may want to explore Bali by yourself. You can do that too, but my suggestion is using a travel agent is much cheaper and certain compare to travelling by yourself. If you have a driver's license and a map, you may rent a car or a motorbike and explore Bali by yourself. Even though you have a map, somehow the streets and roads are not easy to comprehend. Some streets are one way and they do not have any signs or notice for that so, only those who know them won't get lost.

I used the tour plans from PT Hirochan (Master Course B with some negotiation with the owner for the Legong dance, I chose Tirta Sari which was the best in my opinion) and the Thalasso Bali Spa program from Bali star island (PT Bewish). PT Bewish offered a cheaper price than other travel agents. I learned from the driver that picked us up at the hotel, the owner used to work at that Spa, but now he has his own travel agent. PT Bewish and Thalasso Bali has a kind of business cooperation, so they can offer a lower price to customers.
PT Hirochan
English website:
http://www.bali-vacation-holiday.com/english/staff.html
Japanese website:
http://www.bali-vacation-holiday.com/staff.html

Bali star island
English website:
http://www.balistarisland.com/
Japanese website:
http://www.bewishbali-tour.com/

For Hotels, I suggest you stay in Kuta, because it is the heart of Bali. It is near to the beach and shopping centres, shops, entertainment, cafes, etc. If you like the exclusive and luxurious ones, you may stay at Jimbaran or Nusa Dua areas. My Japanese friends and I stayed at Grand Istana Rama in Kuta. It is a nice hotel with good facilities. The rooms are equipped with good facilities, such as toilet/shower, bathtub, different types of sockets(round/flat, 2 or 3 plugs), a hair dryer, a TV with different channels (NHK, Russian TV, Chinese TV, all Indonesian TV stations, Italian TV, German TV, French TV, HBO, Cartoon Network, Nickoledeon, Disney Channel, etc.), small fridge, a wardrobe with umbrellas, sandals and a safety box). The hotels in Kuta facing the beach are Grand Istana Rama, Mercure, Hard Rock, Kuta Sea View, Harris Kuta, Inna Kuta Beach. There are some small budget hotels on Poppy street ( a small alley in Kuta Legian). They are OK, especially for those who only look for a place to sleep.

Miscellaneous:
1. Visa on Arrival is USD 10 for a week.
2. Advice for tipping, for room service who clean your room every morning, hotel drivers, porters, an amount of 10,000 or 20,000 rupiah is enough. For a tour guide and a car driver, it depends on you. We gave 100,000 rupiah on the first day and 200,000 for the second day because they had given us excellent service. We always finished late because my friends spent much time for dinner and one of them had a heart problem so she often went to toilet, however, the driver, Mr. Ente, and the japanese-speaking tour guide, Mr.Sukarma, did not mind waiting for us. You may also give USD or Yen, they are happier with big countries currencies such as USD, JPY, AUSD and SingD.
3. Always count your shopping and the change, when you receive your money after paying or after you change your money. Be careful not to mistake the 10,000 and the 100,000. Do not be surprised, often times, they give candies or gums or sweet as change because they do not have small change. It is only an excuse. Too bad, I can not pay with candies.
4. You can bargain in small shops for souvenirs, T-shirts and even the car service. Make sure whether the price is for one car or per person. Example, we had an airport transfer from Ngurah Rai Airport to our hotel, the price is 75,000 rupiah per car, not per person. Another example, when we took a ride with a horse carriage (delman), the driver wanted 100,000 rupiah for a short distance, but I bargained to 50,000 rupiah. My Japanese friends thought that 50,000 was for one person, but it was for one horse carriage that could take 5 passengers (if you are small-built)
5. Bali Macadamia or Almond chocolates are cheaper in circle K or Mini mart than other places. Japanese friends bought 10 boxes. They are 3, so they bought all the chocolates in Mini Mart. On Dec.21, 2008, the price of Macadamia chocolate was 47,500 rupiah and the other one was 48,000 rupiah. While the same chocolate in Matahari costs 62,000 rupiah.
6. When you visited tourist places like Bedugul, Kintamani, Tanah Lot, Uluwatu, temples, etc. you will be thronged by vendors, they will keep on following you even though you are inside the car. So, my advice, do not look at them nor at the merchandise nor touch the souvenirs, just say, "Terima Kasih, tidak mau" (thank you, I don't want) and walk fast. They can sell cheap T-Shirts, but they are not in good condition. They fold them neatly, once you unfold them, you'll see the damages, but they're gone already.
7. Keep alert and keep your hotel receipts, because they may make mistake in calculating your room charge. It happened to us. Gladly, I still kept all the receipts and argued my case.
8. Do not take out your wallet in front of the cashier and count your money in front of their eyes. Keep them in your small bag and count the money inside your bag. Therefore, when you shop, count the average price of your stuff, then prepare the money. You do not want to get mugged.

Our trip schedules.
Thursday, 18 Dec.2008 arrived at Ngurah Rai, Airport Bali at 5.25 p.m with GA881 from Narita.
Airport pick up service from the Hotel. Check in at the Hotel. Dinner at Kuta Food Center.

Friday, 19 Dec.2008
7.30 Morning call from the hotel
8.00 Breakfast
8.30 PT Hirochan Tour picked us up at the Hotel, paid the two-day tour with Japanese Yen cash (Master Course B, 12,000 yen for two days)
9.30 We visited a traditional fabric home industry where they sold many kinds of fabric (ikat, batik, kain bali, etc.) It's too expensive, you can buy the same fabrik in pasar sukawati or ubud with cheaper price.
10.30 Goa Lawah (Bat Cave)
11.30 Rice Terrace at Bukit jambul. Well, it is not that scenic. The ones in Ubud and the way to Lake Bratan are better.
12:00 Lunch Buffet with nice mountain view.
13:15 Besakih Temple
15:00 Kintamani - Danau batur (though only seeing from the car when we passed it, it was wonderful)
15:40 Segara Windhu (Shopping for handicrafts, souvenirs, sandals, bags, scarves, bed covers, coffee, etc.) Of course they are more expensive than the ones in shops/stalls, but the stuff is better.
16:40 Penataran Sasih Temple
17:15 Tegalan Rice Terrace
17:45 Pasar Ubud, we were early of time, so we had a chance to visit Pasar ubud, which was not on our schedule. The things were cheaper than Segara Windhu but some stuff is not sold in Pasar Ubud.
18:30 Nasi Goreng Dinner at Mie Jakarta restaurant. (Delicious)
19:30 Legong Dance at Tirta Sari Ubud. WOW, it was marvellous. My friends fell asleep during the performance.
21:00 Returned to our hotel.

Saturday, 20 Dec.2008
7:30 Wake up call
8:15 Breakfast
8:45 Tour pick up
9:00 Barong Dance (we were late, because my friends had to go to toilet). After the dance we could take pictures with the dancers. It was to my surprise the one of the female dancers said, "Tip me". "Give me some tip" 3 times. Because we took pictures with two girls, I gave them each 10,000 rupiah.
11:45 Taman Ayun (Beautiful Garden) It is a hindu temple.
12:30 Lunch Buffet at Danau Bratan. Too bad, we could not see the Temple at Danau Bratan because it was foggy and raining. The scenic beauty is pictured on our 10,000 banknote.
15:00 Tanah Lot (tanah means land, Lot means protruding) Nice view, beautiful scenery. Don't see the so-called sacred snake, they'll ask for your money.
18:00 Uluwatu Kecak Dance open air performance. It was marvelous. I like it. With the dance and sunset as the background, it was perfect.
20:00 Seafood dinner by the beach. Wow.... it was nice and romantic. Food was also delicious.
21:30 Reached the hotel. But we were late. We arrived at 10:20 because we wanted to relax and enjoy the dinner and nice view.

Sunday, 21 Dec.2008
9:00 Pick up service from Thalasso Spa, we used the service from PT Bewish. On that day, there was a terrorist drill at Kuta Beach, all the streets were closed. The driver could not pick us up, so PT Bewish reimburse our taxi cost, but we could not take a taxi, we had to take a car service and they knew that no cars were allowed to enter kuta area, so they charged us costly with only a short distance, 75,000 rupiah. If we take a taxi, it would only cost around 35,000 rupiah.
10:30 Thalasso Bali Spa at Grand Mirage Hotel, Tanjung Benoa. It has a nice beach area. Next to it is Conrad Bali Hotel which is a 5-star diamond hotel. Nice treatment. We took 3.5 hours program (Thalasso Beauty)
14:15 Bali traditional costume photo. We were 4, and there was only one person who applied makeup and the costumes for us.
18:00 Reached the hotel
21:00 Went out for shopping around Kuta beach and Matahari Square.
00:00 Arrived in our sweet room. Took a shower and packed our stuff.

Monday, 22 Dec.2008
8:00 Woke up
9:00 Breakfast
10:00 Packing
12:30 Check out
13:00 Centro Mall shopping
16:00 Went back to the hotel, pick our baggage.
17:30 Went to the Airport
20:30 My japanese friends took off to Narita by Garuda.
21:50 I returned to Jakarta by Lion Air

Unforgettable holiday

Tujuh Nasehat dari Kitab Amsal

2008-11-24T21:17:00.002+09:00

This is Ps.Caleb's Sermon on Sunday, 23 Nov.2008.
This Monday, 17 Nov.2008 Japan Prime Minister, Mr. Taro Aso, announced that Japan was in economic recession and so did Singapore government. We know that last month UK and US stock exchange collapsed. Europe economy is in recession too. So the world is in recession. In Japan, some big industries like Toyota, and other factories lay off their workers due to shrinking orders. In this kind of situation, what can we do? As God's people to face this difficult situation, we can learn from the book of Proverbs.
7 Nasehat dari Kitab Amsal
1. Bersandarlah pada Tuhan (Rely on God)
Prov. 3:5 Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. (Ampl.)
Amsal 3:5 Percayalah kepada TUHAN dengan segenap hatimu, dan janganlah bersandar kepada pengertianmu sendiri
2. Seek knowledge.
Proverbs 19:2 It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way (NIV) Desire without knowledge is not good, and to be overhasty is to sin and miss the mark. (Amp.)
Amsal 19:2 Tanpa pengetahuan kerajinanpun tidak baik; orang yang tergesa-gesa akan salah langkah.
We need to upgrade our knowlege and to use world trends to enhance our work performance and products.
3. Rajin dan cekatan (Be diligent and versatile)
4. Be honest and do the best
5. Guard your mouth
6. Be patient and Calm
7.
to be continued.
(Still in construction)

Doa Bapa Kami versi Betawi

2008-10-16T21:19:00.003+09:00

This is a forwarded email I got from a friend.

DOA BABE GUE
Babe gue nyang ade di surge,
Dikudusin deh name Babe ye,
Dateng deh kerajaan Babe,
Jadi deh, kehendak Babe,
Di bumi atawa di Surge.
Bagiin bocah-bocahmu ini Be,
makanan nyang secukupnye,
Ampunin aye dari segale saleh kate
Atawa ape kek nyang kagak berkenan di ati Babe,
Same seperti aye juge ngampunin
Sesame aye,
Terus jauhin aye daripade nyang jahat,
lantaran Babe kan nyang empunye
kerajaan dan kuase
Ampe selame-lamenye.
Udeh dulu ye Be.
Amin.

Making God given dream become reality (3)

2008-10-11T11:01:00.002+09:00

Recognize that facts don`t always determine what will happen in life.

The so-called facts which are life conditions that can be seen, felt, touched, need not be the finality for our lives. Apostle Paul encourages us in this matter because things that can be seen- the facts-, is only temporary, (2 Cor.4:18). One of the most dramatic examples of the facts needs not be a finality of a matter can be found in the story in the book of 2 King 6. During the life of a man of God, Elisha, that a king from Syria was very angry and trying to capture him. The king sent his many strong armies and surrounded the city where Elisha lived. So the facts was the city surrounded and Elisha soon be captured, right? But let`s read 2 King 6:15-17, `When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" He said, "Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." Then Elisha prayed and said, "O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see." So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.` May we pray that God open our spiritual eyes so we can see His wonderful ways and let His promises determine what will happen in our life.

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.” (Jer 29:11-12)

In Christ abundant grace,

Ps. Caleb & Lusi

Membuat Impian yg Tuhan berikan menjadi kenyataan (3)

Sadarilah bahwa fakta tidak selalu menentukan apa yg akan terjadi dalam hidup.

Apa yang disebut sebagai fakta yang merupakan situasi kehidupan yang dapat dilihat, dirasakan, diraba, tidaklah menjadi akhir dari kehidupan kita. Rasul Paulus memberikan kita semangat mengenai hal ini sebab hal-hal yang kelihatan yaitu fakta, hanya bersifat sementara, (2 Kor.4:18). Satu contoh dramatis yang menunjukkan bahwa fakta tidaklah menjadi titik akhir dari suatu hal dapat kita temukan dalam sebuah kisah di kitab 2 Raja-raja pasal 6. Selama hidup hamba Allah ini, Elisa, Raja Syria sangat geram dan mencoba untuk menangkapnya. Raja tersebut mengirimkan pasukan terkuatnya dan mengepung kota di mana Elisa tinggal. Jadi kalau faktanya kota tersebut sudah dikepung, maka Elisa akan segera dapat ditangkap, bukankah demikian? Tetapi marilah kita membaca 2 Raja 6:15-17, “Ketika pelayan abdi Allah bangun pagi-pagi dan pergi ke luar, maka tampaklah suatu tentara dengan kuda dan kereta ada di sekeliling kota itu. Lalu berkatalah bujangnya itu kepadanya: "Celaka tuanku! Apakah yang akan kita perbuat?" Jawabnya: "Jangan takut, sebab lebih banyak yang menyertai kita dari pada yang menyertai mereka." Lalu berdoalah Elisa: "Ya TUHAN: Bukalah kiranya matanya, supaya ia melihat." Maka TUHAN membuka mata bujang itu, sehingga ia melihat. Tampaklah gunung itu penuh dengan kuda dan kereta berapi sekeliling Elisa.

Marilah kita berdoa supaya Tuhan membuka mata rohani kita supaya kita dapat melihat jalan-jalanNya yg ajaib dan mengizinkan janji-janjiNya untuk menentukan apa yang terjadi dalam hidup kita.

Sebab Aku ini mengetahui rancangan-rancangan apa yang ada pada-Ku mengenai kamu, demikianlah firman TUHAN, yaitu rancangan damai sejahtera dan bukan rancangan kecelakaan, untuk memberikan kepadamu hari depan yang penuh harapan. Dan apabila kamu berseru dan datang untuk berdoa kepada-Ku, maka Aku akan mendengarkan kamu (Yeremia 29:11-12)

Dalam kasih karunia Kristus yang melimpah

Ps.Caleb & Lusi

Kingdom of God

2008-09-22T22:28:00.003+09:00

This is a summary of Ps.Daniel Yunan's Sermon on Sunday, Sep.14th 2008. Ps. Daniel Yunan is our pastor in IFGF Nagoya and Osaka. He came to IFGF Tokyo and ministered us. He has been living in Japan since his student time, now he has got a family and two children, robably nearly 20 years.

Kingdom of God.
What do we usually have in a Kingdom?
1. King
2. Territory
3. Authority
4. Citizens
Psalm 8: 3-4. How small we are, there is nothing to b e boast of/proud of. It is because of God. God has chosen us and given us His grace. It is up to us to respond to Him, so He may reveal Himself to us. james 2:5. So honor God and His calling and his grace to you.
If we are th citizens of theKingdom of God, what should we do?
We should ....
1. Worship Him (Psalm 99:5)
2. Submit to Him (Acts 5:25)
3. Give Him offering (Prov.3:9)
Psalm 121: 1-3; Luke 10:17; John 10:10
As citizens of the Kingdom of God, what shall we receive?
1. We receive protection
2. receive authority
3. receive abundant blessings
Mat. 6:33 " ......." shall be added unto you, not given unto you. It means that you have had already what you need, but when we seek the Kingdom of God first, God will add more to what we have. Praise the Lord!

The power of The Word of God

2008-09-20T23:14:00.002+09:00

This is the summary of our Pastor's wife's sermon, Mrs. Lusi's Supratman, on Sunday, Aug.31st 2008 at Narimasu Chapel Church.

Why is the word of God important?
1. The word of God is our shield of faith (Eph.6:16) In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Two volunteers were asked to perform on the stage. One was bearing a shield made of paper which symbolizes advice from friends, gossips, news in newspapers, tips and tricks from the world. The other one was playing as the devil attacking us with his sword of lies, fears, stress, pressures, accusations, doubts and all bad things. Can the shield of human's advice stand the devil's sword? It is too fragile, brittle and thin to stand the devil's cunning schemes. The word of God is strong, never changes and it is the only firm shield that can protect us from the devil's attacks. Jesus said in John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.The thief is the devil so the devil tries hard to kill and destroy us. The only shield to defend us is THE WORD of GOD. James 4:7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. We should submit ourselves to God by reading, listening to His Word and do what it says.

2. It functions like a Mirror. James 1:23-24 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. She gave an example of the function of mirror. Why do we look ourselves on the mirror? To see whether we look good or proper or descent or if there is something wrong, we'll fix it before others see it. When we see our reflection on the mirror and we see that there is a dot of tomato ketchup on our face, what will we do? A normal person will of course wipe it, when? later? next week? Definitely, s/he will wipe it right away. How about if there is someone who see his/her reflection on the mirror and know that s/he has a food left over sticking on his/her face, but s/he does not wipe it right away, then his/her friends see it and advise him/her to wipe it, but still s/he does not want to do it. Instead, s/he becomes angry and snaps back, "So what? Why do you care? It's my face, why are you making such a fuss about it? Mind your own business! It is me, whether you like it or not!" What do you think of that person? It is like that if we do not improve ourselves after the word of God speaks to us. The word of God will guide us and make us know our wrongs, mistakes and sins. It is our part to do it, to improve ourselves. 2Tim.3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.

3. It has the Creative Power. God says that there is power in the words we say. Prov.21:23 He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity. Prov.18:20 From the fruit of his mouth a man's stomach is filled; with the harvest from his lips he is satisfied. Therefore, we need to speak positively according to God's word.

Insight (1)

2008-09-15T23:58:00.003+09:00

It happened on Saturday - Sunday, Sept. 13-14, 2008.
I want to tell an experience that I got last week. I need to change my conduct and my way of thinking and seeing things. Last week, my friend who used to translate our church newsletter and interpret our pastor's sermon, went back home to Indonesia for good with his future wife, so I had to ask another friend to replace his position. I can not do the tasks alone. Ing said that he was willing to help in the ministry. When we were online on yahoo messenger- I think it was Sunday evening or probably Monday, I asked Ing whether he wanted to translate the newsletter that week or the following week. He agreed to do it that week (Sept.14), so I gave him the templates and email and password of our church bulletin team. Saturday, I was free and I was tired, so all day I just took a rest, did the laundry and cleaned up my house. Then at 0.30 a.m., early sunday morning, he popped up in the yahoo messenger and I asked him whether he had finished the translation. To my surprise, he said he had not done it. I was shocked, so I asked him to do that because he had agreed to translate the bulletin that week. He said that he did not know and he waited for an instruction. I did not yell nor got angry. I just asked him to do it and reminded him of his willingness to do the translation. He asked me the email and password again. So I gave them. I did not want to give pressure on him so I said if he could not do it that day, it was OK to skip that week without English version. I said that if he had any difficulties, he could call me on my cellphone, at that time actually I was tired so I closed the messenger and slept. Well, to be honest, in the ministry, probably in every kind of job not only in the church ministry alone, we have to take initiative and be proactive. I did not know what happened. On Sunday afternoon, I went to church for our 2.30 p.m service. Again, to my surprise, there was the English version, it meant that he managed to finish it that day. I heard that he finished it at 4 a.m. I read it and his translation was perfect. His English ability is excellent. His language skills are better than me. I thanked him for his effort and perfect translation. In my heart, I was very happy as if I wanted to leap. There was not envy nor angry feeling, I was just very happy for him. That day, our Pastor's wife, thanked us, the church newsletter team. She asked the congregation to pray for us and they prayed for us. She also asked the congregation to appreciate the newsletter and not just leave it on the bench after they read it or after the service. I learnt two things from this. First, when we do our task diligently, God will reward us. Second, I should have helped him, not just leave him alone. That day, I just got a kind of revelation, that actually I could have helped him by splitting the translation, not just leave it all to him. There are several parts in the newsletter, such as the article, from the pastor's heart, daily devotion, prayers points, etc. I could have translate the article and prayer points, or some other parts and he did other parts. Why didn't I think that way that night? When I was regretting it, a voice came to me that it was time for him to rely on God, God would help him, although his friends did not help him. It does not mean that I lift up my hands and justify myself for my ignorance. It reveals that I was still a selfish and short-minded person. Gotta improve myself and my character. Thank you for YOUR revelation and insight!

Three Things

2008-09-13T23:01:00.003+09:00

This is taken "from the pastor's heart", an article in our church newsletter.

Tiga Hal

Tiga hal dalam hidup yang sekali terlewatkan, tidak akan pernah kembali lagi:
1. waktu 2. kata-kata 3. Kesempatan

Tida hal dalam hidup yang dapat menghancurkan seseorang:
1. Kemarahan 2. Tinggi hati 3. Tidak mau mengampuni

Tiga hal dalam hidup yang jangan pernah engkau lepaskan:
1. Harapan 2. Damai Sejahtera 3. Kejujuran

Tiga hal dalam hidup yang paling berharga:
1. Kasih 2. Keluarga dan teman-teman 3. Kebaikan

Tiga hal dalam hidup yang tidak menentu:
1.Harta 2. Kesuksesan 3. Mimpi

Tiga hal yang membentuk seseorang:
1. Komitmen 2. Ketulusan 3. Kerja keras

Tiga hal yang tidak pernah berubah:
BAPA, PUTRA, ROH KUDUS

English Version:
THREE THINGS

Three things in life that, once gone, never come back
1. Time 2. Words 3. Opportunity

Three things in life that can destroy a person
1. Anger 2. Pride 3. Unforgiveness

Three things in life that you should never lose
1. Hope 2. Peace 3. Honesty

Three things in life that arenever certain
1. Fortune 2. Success 3. Dreams

Three things that make a person
1. Commitment 2. Sincerity 3. Hard work

Three things that are truly constant
FATHER - SON - HOLY SPIRIT

Tuhan memberkati dan Selamat beribadah
In Christ abundant grace
Ps. Caleb & Lusi

Bersyukur - Give thanks in everything

2008-09-13T22:24:00.005+09:00

This is an email that I received from a mailing list. I do not fully agree, but somehow they have some truth and I think I have to be grateful with my life. I also put some comments in italic. Sorry, it is still in Indonesian, I'll translate it into English when I have time, probably I may not.

Saya bersyukur ...
untuk istri yang memberiku makanan yang sama dengan kemarin malam, karena istriku di rumah malam ini dan tidak bersama orang lain.

Saya bersyukur ...
untuk suami yang duduk bermalas-malasan di sofa sambil membaca koran dan nonton acara olah raga kesukaannya, karena do'i bersama aku di rumah dan tidak keluyuran, apalagi ke bar malam ini.

Saya beryukur ...
untuk anakku yang selalu protes di rumah karena artinya dia sedang di rumah dan tidak keluyuran di jalanan.

Saya bersyukur ...
untuk pajak yang saya bayar karena artinya saya bekerja dan punya penghasilan.

Saya bersyukur ...untuk rumah yang berantakan (karena anak-anak atau anggota keluarga yg lain yg bikin berantakan) karena artinya saya masih punya kesempatan untuk melayani orang-orang yang mengasihi saya.

Saya bersyukur ...
untuk baju yang mulai kesempitan karena artinya saya bisa lebih dari cukup untuk makan. (hehe...tapi musti diet juga)

Bersyukur ...
pada bayangan yang mengikuti aku karena artinya aku tidak disilaukan oleh matahari. (berarti mataharinya yang ada di belakang kita, coba kalau mataharinya di depan kita, kan tetep aja silau. Kayaknya lebih cocok, "bersyukur karena masih punya mata yg melihat" sih OK).

Saya bersyukur ...
untuk kebun yang harus dirapikan dan hal-hal yang harus dibereskan di rumah karena artinya saya punya rumah.

Saya bersyukur ...
untuk dapat tempat parkir yang paling jauh karena artinya saya masih bisa berjalan kaki dan diberkati dengan kendaraan.

Saya bersyukur ...
untuk wanita yang duduk di belakangku (atau di sampingku) yang bernyanyi dengan suara sumbang karena artinya saya masih bisa mendengar.

Saya bersyukur ...
untuk cucian yang harus dicuci dan yang harus disetrika, dirapihkan karena artinya saya masih punya baju yang bisa dipakai.

Saya bersyukur ...
untuk kelelahan dan keletihan kerja setiap hari karena artinya saya mampu bekerja keras setiap hari. (asal gajinya sepadan aja dengan capeknya)

Saya bersyukur ...
dibangunkan alarm tiap pagi karena artinya saya masih hidup.

AKHIRNYA SAYA BERSYUKUR DENGAN BANYAKNYA EMAIL YANG MASUK KARENA ARTINYA SAYA MASIH PUNYA ANDA YANG MEMPERHATIKAN SAYA!!!
(Kalau nggak terima email dalam sehari rasanya ada yang kurang)

Three Things

2008-09-13T22:16:00.002+09:00

Tiga Hal

Tiga hal dalam hidup yang sekali terlewatkan, tidak akan pernah kembali lagi:

1. waktu 2. Kata-kata 3. Kesempatan

Tiga hal dalam hidup yang dapat menghancurkan seseorang:

1. Kemarahan 2. Tinggi hati 3. Tidak mau mengampuni

Tiga hal dalam hidup yang jangan pernah engkau lepaskan:

1. harapan 2. Damai sejahtera 3. Kejujuran

Tiga hal dalam hidup yang paling berharga:

1. kasih 2. keluarga dan teman-teman 3. kebaikan

Tiga hal dalam hidup yang tidak menentu:

1. Rejeki 2. Kesuksesan 3. Mimpi (cita-cita)

Tiga hal yang membentuk seseorang:

1. komitmen 2. Ketulusan 3. Kerja keras

Tiga hal yang tidak pernah berubah:

BAPA, PUTRA, ROH KUDUS

English Version:

THREE THINGS

Three things in life that, once gone, never come back

1. Time　2. Words 3. Opportunity

Three things in life that can destroy a person
1. Anger 2. Pride 3. Unforgiveness

Three things in life that you should never lose
1. Hope 2. Peace 3. Honesty

Three things in life that are most valuable
1. Love 2. Family & Friends 3. Kindness

Three things in life that are never certain
1. Fortune 2. Success 3. Dreams

Three things that make a person
1. Commitment 2. Sincerity 3. Hard work

Three things that are truly constant -
Father - Son - Holy Spirit

Tuhan memberkati dan Selamat beribadah

In Christ abundant grace

Ps. Caleb & Lusi

I believe...

2008-09-13T22:00:00.002+09:00

This is an email I got from a friend. Some of the contents are true but some are not because there are many "x" factors involved, so the premises below are somehow have some true values as we experience life.

~~*I BELIEVE*~~

A birth certificate shows that we were born; a death certificate shows that we died; pictures show that we lived!
Have a seat . Relax. And read this slowly.

I believe - That just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other. And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do.

I believe - That we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.

I believe - That no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

I believe - That true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.

I bel ieve - That you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.

I believe - That it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

I believe - That you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

I believe - That you can keep going long after you think you can't.

I believe - That we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

I believe - That either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I believe - That heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I believe - That money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I believe - That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down will be the ones to help you get back up.

I believe - That sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

I believe - That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.

I believe - That it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I believe - That no matter how bad your heart is broken, the world doesn't stop for your grief.

I believe - That our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

I believe - Two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

I believe - That your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.

I believe - That even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you - you will find the strength to help.

I believe - That credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

I believe - That the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.

Asakusa Samba Festival, Saturday, Aug.30, 2008

2008-08-30T22:32:00.004+09:00

Shinrin Park 森林公園、埼玉県

2008-08-29T11:06:00.006+09:00

Shinrin Park 森林公園
Thursday, Aug.28th 2008, I went to Shinrinkouen in Namegawamachi, Hikigun, Saitama Prefecture. I arrived at west entrance (西口) which has many attractions, such as water park, athletic field (wood swings, balance beams, climbing ropes, sliding ropes, jungle gym, see-saw, pyramid rope, kid's dome/playground, circulation bus, restaurant, toilet, etc.). If you come with your kids, it is better to enter from West side. If you want to explore the park, the best way, I think, is from the central gate (中口) then go clockwise. At North Side, there is not a circulation bus and it is quite dull there, nothing but greenery and trees. The bus ticket costs 100 yen for kids and 200 yen for adults and 400 yen for one day pass. The Park entrance ticket costs 400 yen for adults and for kids (6-14 years old) 80 yen and the parking costs 610 yen. Rental bicyles will cost 410 yen for 3 hours (70 yen for every additional 30 min.) for adults and 250 yen for 3 hours (30 yen for every additional 30 min.) for children. It is worth visiting if you like nature and walking. Please use mosquito repellent if you want to have fun in the park.

Water park at West Side

Playground on West Side

Dog's shower. You can bathe your dogs here.

Dog's training ground.

Herb Garden

Is it a cucumber or a squash?

Green Chilli (in japanese とがらし)

Signpost at North Gate

Signpost

TIME

2008-08-28T11:45:00.002+09:00

Imagine if a bank gives you the amount of money of $86,400 on a daily basis. Then they ask you to spend all of the money in one day. Every night, the remaining amount of money will be erased from your account if you fail to spend all of it in one day. What would you do? Surely you will try to spend every penny that you have. We all have that kind of bank. The name is TIME. Every morning, you are given 84,400 seconds to spend. At the end of the day, it would be count as loss if you fail to invest it wisely. The remaining time that we don’t use will not be carried over for the next day, and you cannot withdraw more than the amount determined for you. Every new day, a new account will be opened for you, and every night, the account will be erased. If you fail to use your savings for the day, you will lose it and it will never come back. You have to live for today, for your ‘savings’ today. Invest your time to get the yield from the investment, such as health, happiness, and success. To realize the value of ONE YEAR, ask a student who has to repeat his grade year. To realize the value of ONE MONTH, ask a mother who delivers premature baby. To realize the value of ONE WEEK, ask a weekly magazine editor. To realize the value of ONE HOUR, ask your lover who is waiting to meet. To realize the value of ONE MINUTE, ask a person who just missed the train. To realize the value of ONE SECOND, ask someone who just avoided an accident. To realize the value of 1/1000 second, ask someone who just won silver medal in the Olympics. Appreciate the time that is given to you, and appreciate it more, because you will share it with someone special, special enough to waste your time. And always remember that time will not wait for anyone. Yesterday is a history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift, that is why it is called the present. Time will roll on its pace. Do the best for today.
(Source: www.ladangtuhan.com)

Earl Grey Tea Pound Cake

2008-08-28T00:43:00.001+09:00

Bread flour about 2 cups. It depends on your need. Bread flour will give a more solid and thicker texture. If you want a soft texture, choose all purpose flour or special flour for cakes.

Sieve the flour. Unsieved flour will cause clumps of flour in the dough.
Sugar 110 grams
Baking powder 2 tea spoons

butter 120 grams
(Please refer to my explanation on Sweet Coconut Cake)

(some or 2 table spoons) brown sugar to make it brown, instead of pale white colour.
Some Vanilla oil/extract, two or three drops. Do not put too much it will make the cake taste strange (Indonesian, bikin eneg)

2 eggs with the white but not the shells.
1 Earl Grey tea sachet. If the tea sachet is a double one, just put one. But if the tea sachet is one, you need two of them. Do not put too much of Earl Grey tea because it will make the cake bitter. I failed once because I put two double sachets of tea. Stir them well. Mix them with an electric mixer is better.

Grease the pan.
Preheat the oven 170 degree celcius for 10 minutes.
Put the mixture in the pan.
Bake for 30 minutes.
If you use pound cake pyrex or pan, bake it for 40 minutes.
I do not have it, so I just use whatever pan I have, of course it is for oven use.

This is it

Sweet Coconut Cake

2008-08-27T23:46:00.000+09:00

Use all purpose flour 2 cups, it depends on your need. If you just want to serve 4 - 5 people in one serving, 2 cups are enough. There are several types of flour, flour for making bread, all purpose, pancake, starch, maizena, soba flour, etc. For this cake, I used all purpose flour. It gives a light texture. Sieve the flour, put some sugar, baking powder (2 tea spoonfuls) and brown sugar. If you want it sweet, put more white sugar or brown sugar. I never use grams nor measures because I prefer mild taste.

Put half of the coconut powder sachet, if you want thick flavour, finish one sachet. Mix them well.

Beat one egg. Mix them. I do not have an electric mixer so I just use a spoon with more minutes and strength to stir them well. Mix them with electric mixer will give a soft texture to the cake.

Put some butter/margarine. Butter will give a nice aroma to your cake so pay attention to the type besides the calories. I use Canola butter with half calories. The usual type of butter contains 640 calories per 100 grams, but Canola Butter contains 240 calories. Last week, my friend gave me a piece of brownie cake, it looked nice, but when I ate it, there was a strange smell and taste of the cake. I realized that what butter or margarine she used, it is just a greasy bulky type. The cheap bulky one will give a strange greasy taste and a bit smelly (in Indonesian, bau apek).

Preheat the oven to 170 degree celcius for 10 minutes.
Grease the pan with the butter/margarine you use for the cake.
Put the mixture into the pan.
Garnish with raisins and dried fruits.
Bake it for 25 minutes.
If you use smaller pan, the dough will be thicker, so bake it for 35 - 40 minutes.

Have A Vertical Thougt Pattern

2008-08-26T15:26:00.000+09:00

Poor thinking produces negative progress
Average thinking produces no progress
Good thinking produces some progress
Great thinking produces great progress
(source: jimmyoentoro.com)

Indonesian dishes in English

2008-08-21T18:59:00.000+09:00

Bahasa Indonesia	English
Asinan Jakarta	Pickled vegetables
Rujak Juhi	Vegetables served with shredded dried squid and peanut sauce
Sop kaki kambing	A rich lamb soup
Semur jengkol	A type of pungent smelling vegetable stewed in a soy sauce
Kue ape-ape	A soft centered cake with a flimsy but crisp crust
Kue gemblong	A coconut cake with brown sugar
Kue pepe	Sticky sweet layer cake made of glutinous rice flour
Dodol	A sticky confectionery made of coconut, glutinous rice and brown sugar
Kerak Telor	Rice with eggs and dried coconut and shrimp topping
Ketoprak	Rice noodles, bean sprouts, tofu, served with peanut sauce
Roti buaya	A pair of crocodile-shaped loaves of bread, which is a symbol of loyalty and monogamy
Nasi Uduk	Savory coconut rice
Soto Betawi	Beef entail soup with diced tomatoes and slices of fired potatoes
Rendang	Indonesian spicy beef stew with coconut milk

Alphabet Soup

2008-08-21T18:12:00.000+09:00

Although things are not perfect
Because of trial or pain
Continue in thanksgiving
Do not begin to blame
Even when the times are hard
Fierce winds are bound to blow
God is forever able
Hold on to what you know
Imagine life without His love
Joy would cease to be
Keep thanking Him for all the things
Love imparts to thee
Move out of "Camp Complaining"
No weapon that is known
On earth can yield the power
Praise can do alone
Quit looking at the future
Redeem the time at hand
Start every day with worship
To "thank" is a command
Until we see Him coming
Victorious in the sky
We'll run the race with gratitude
Xalting God most high
Yes, there'll be good times and yes
some will be bad, but...
Zion waits in glory...where none are ever sad!
(from holyspiritinteractive.net)

The Four Blessed Looks

2008-08-21T17:55:00.000+09:00

THE FOUR BLESSED LOOKS:

1. Look back and Thank God.

2. Look forward and Trust God.

3. Look around and Serve God.

4. Look within and Find God!'

'I asked God, 'How do I get the best out of life?'

"Bagaimana aku mendapatkan yang terbaik dari hidup, tanyaku pada Allah?"

God said, 'Face your past without regrets.

Jawaban Allah, "hadapi masalalumu tanpa penyesalan."

"Handle your present with confidence."

"Kerjakan masasekarangmu disertai keyakinan."

"Prepare for the future without fear!''

"Persiapkan untuk masadepan tanpa ketakutan."

'Without God, our week is:

Sinday - hari perbuatan dosa

Mournday - hari kepedihan

Tearsday - hari cucuran airmata

Wasteday - hari kesia-sian

Thirstday - hari penuh kehausan

Fightday - hari penuh pertengkaran

Shatterday - hari kekacauan

So, allow Him to be with you every day!'

10 Rules for Happier Living

2008-08-21T17:54:00.001+09:00

1. Give something away (no strings attached).

2. Do a kindness (and forget it).

3. Spend a few minutes with the aged (their experience can be priceless guidance).

4.Look intently into the face of a baby (and marvel).

5. Laugh often (it is life's lubricant).

6. Give thanks (a thousand times a day is not enough).

7. Pray (or you will lose the way).

8. Work (with vim and vigor).

9. Plan as though you will live forever (because you will).

10. Live as though you will die tomorrow (because you will die on some tomorrow).

In Christ abundant grace

Ps. Caleb & Lusi

Speed up, Lord! You're too late!

2008-08-21T17:48:00.000+09:00

One day my husband and I came home really late at night and we were starving. As a nice gentleman, my husband told me to take shower while he prepared our dinner. Without any argument, I gave him the instruction on how to put our frozen dinner into the oven and then rushed into the shower.

Shortly after my shower, I smelled something burning from the kitchen. I rushed into the kitchen and asked my husband, “Babe, did you smell the burning?” Looking funny, my husband told me that he burned our dinner. He told me that he saw the instruction to bake the food at 325 degree. However, he thought if he increased the heat 100 degree more the baking time would be faster. Listening to my husband's explanation, I didn’t know whether I should be angry or laugh at it. The only thing that I knew in that instant, God reminded me of “God’s timing”.

In one point or another, we all have to wait; waiting for our legal status to stay in US, waiting for the job or the most common one: waiting for our princess or prince charming to come. We all have to do the most undesired thing: “WAITING”. And just like my husband who tried to speed up the process, we all do that too. Instead of letting God do His work, we try to help Him using our own way. For example: when Abraham was waiting for the promise child. He tried to help God by having a baby with his servant. However, it brought out the bad result instead of the blessing.

Consequently, if you are trying to speed up your waiting process, I have a word for you: “STOP intervening God!” He knows what He is doing and He will give it to you when you are ready. God is never too early so our faith can grow and He is never too late to rescue us. He will be on time!

The word of God in Isaiah 40: 31 say “Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” The key word here is “Hope”. Hope is they key to our faith. Faith that believe that God will never fail us or forget His promise even at the time we don’t see it.

So what are you waiting for today? My prayer that each of us can stand firm on His promise and never lose our Hope for His promise is “yes” and “amen”. Happy Waiting!

(written by Ms. Ronalda Mahakena, IFGF Bay Area)

The Best I have

2008-08-21T17:45:00.000+09:00

When we offer something to God, whether it is our time, energy or money, there are two extreme of false points of view:

1. Give “whatever is available” because God is good and accept us whatever we are

2. We have to do all effort to give the perfect one for HIM

Of course God loves us whatever we are, without any requirements! However do not forget that He is also A KING, who deserves more than “whatever” or “just enough”.

It does not mean that we have to work all effort to become perfect so he will be pleased to our offering. It is not right if we feel that whatever we do will never be enough to make God pleased.

Actually, God seek the best offering that we have. What He seeks is “your best”, not “the best”. So now what do you have in your hand? Do not give half-heartedly when you give to God. Probably it is still far from perfection, but if that is your best that you have now, do not doubt that he will be pleased to receive it

In Christ abundant grace

Ps. Caleb and Lusi (IFGF Tokyo)

100 % I'll do it!

2008-08-21T17:40:00.002+09:00

To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey (Mat.25:15)

God does not want us to fail. God wants us to be the light and salt of the world for people around us.

Elbert Hubbard explained that successful people are those who try, not those who complain: those who work, not those who are idle; those who take responsibility, not those who escape from it; those who bear the burdens, not those who stand still; those who look ahead; those who give advice.

Charles Kingsley said, "Successful people are those who are always cheerful and hopeful, those who do his jobs with smile on their face, those who have the same attitude when facing opportunities and difficulties."

Levels of Success:

0% - I do not want
10% - I can not
20% - I do not know what to do
30% - I hope I can
40% - What’s this?
50% - I think I probably can do it
60% - I may do it
70% - I think I can
80% - I can
90% - I want
100% - I’ll do it

Use the talents we have and let us act and persevere (Rom5:3-5).

"Use what talents you possess: the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best,” says Henry Van Dyke. Birds do not care of who sing the best; they just do what they naturally do. Instead of comparing our talents with others, let us give thanks to God for whatever we have and use them and put our hope in Him because if we don’t, we will be worthless.

(source :Christian’s stories)

Living in Your Dreams

2008-08-21T17:40:00.001+09:00

The word of God says, “where there is no vision the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18), a free translation of that verse will be “without a vision, people will perish.” Vision is like a dream that will drive us to the future. Now the question is “how can we be a professional dreamer?” What are the characteristics of a dearmer?

1. A dreamer finds a hope for the future.
Many people do not dare to dream, especially when they face a difficult situation in their private life or nation/country. They are afraid to dream and hope. To dream is considered something useless and it is sometimes derided by other people. In fact, “To dream” is Holy Spirit language! When you read Joel 2:28-29, God’s Word wrote about people who received dreams.

Do you have dreams?
• What do you desire?
• Where are you going?
• What are you going to do?
• What are your plans?

2. A dreamer trust God for his future.
Proverbs 3:3-6 reminds us to trust in God with all our heart for our future. A dreamer also believes that God himself puts those dreams in his heart in order to accomplish His plans and will in the world.

3. Dream 50:20 must live in you.

Joseph was a professional dreamer who held on to his dream, until one day that dream came true. There was a chance for him to revenge his brothers. However, Joseph had the eyes of 50/20 (Genesis 50:20). The attitude of a true dreamer, he does not impose his dreams, he is not worried that his dream will disappear and he does not hurry. Eventually, God will make everything good and useful, in spite of anything happens to him.

Do you have a dream? The beginning of this year is a good time to dream and trust it to God. Do not ever yield. Do not ever stop dreaming. Because God lives in your dreams to bring you fulfill His plans and His calling.

God Bless! (source: www.jimmyoentoro.com)

The Best Companion

2008-08-21T17:36:00.000+09:00

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! —1 John 3:1

Some people looking for love have found help in an unusual place—a taxicab in New York City. Taxicab driver Ahmed Ibrahim loves to set up blind dates for his single passengers. His matchmaking services have been featured on the Fox News Channel, The Wall Street Journal, and NBC’s Today show. He doesn’t assist just anybody though; they have to be serious about looking to settle down with someone. Ahmed loves to help romance blossom, and he even hands out roses on Valentine’s Day.

The best place to find love is not in another person but in a book, the Bible. The Bible tells of God’s great love for us. This is expressed in what my friend called the best love note she had ever received. It’s found in John 3:16.

For God so loVed the world,

That He gAve

His onLy

BegottEn

SoN

That whoever

Believes In Him

Should Not perish

But have Everlasting life

God loves us like no one else ever could. He showed that love when He sent His Son, Jesus, to be our Savior. He’s also the best companion we’ll ever have.

Open your Bible and learn more about Him.
The more you read the Bible, the more you’ll love its Author. (taken from Our Daily Bread)

John's Travel Report In Sulawesi

2008-08-21T17:01:00.001+09:00

Sulawesi 2008 – Trip Report

Introduction

I must thank my Indonesian friends for all of the time and effort that they put in to our project, the search for and document of Rhododendron Vireya in the Minahasa Peninsula of the Island of Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Things, unfortunately, went bad from the very beginning of this journey. The first leg of the flight from Seattle to Indonesia, was cancelled. I lost one of my bags in the airport in Manado, our first stop in Indonesia. We were led up two mountains which our guides said were the highest in the region only for us to find that when we got to the top we could see much higher mountains right across the hill from us.

I found that I was completely out of shape. I could not take the heat as I once did. I thought that I was going to collapse on the homeward legs of the first two mountains, as small as they were. Then the Indonesian department of Forestry set us up to climb the wrong third mountain, again the smaller of two or three mountains in the same neighborhood. And then as we were driving back to our home base in Palu, Sulawesi Tengah………..

Planning

We, Garratt Richardson, my partner and I had been planning the trip for several months. We planned, initially, to search for Rhododendron Vireya on Gunung (Mountain) Sojol, a 3,000 meter mountain north of the Central Sulawesi capitol city of Palu. G. Sojol had been explored for Vireyas by a small number of teams, one of which was led by Dr. George Argent, the author of “Rhododendrons of subgenus Vireya”, the definitive book on R. Vireyas. Another was by a team led by Lyn Craven of the Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian National Herbarium (CPBR)(CANB. A third was by David Binney of New Zealand.

I had an excellent introduction to the staff of Universitas Tadulako, Palu, Central Sulawesi by Lyn Craven. I developed an excellent contact with Dr. Lynn Clayton of the NANTU (Babirusa) project who offered to provide us with a guide to her project area: unfortunately we were not able to avail ourselves of this assistance. Another contact was a minister of the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Palu, who had missions in the Gunung Sojol area and who provided us with two outstanding guides / facilitators / interpreters.

Our original plan was to fly into Manado, take care of some personal business in Tomohon an upland city near Manado, take a leisurely drive from Manado to Palu, meet our Indonesian guides, liaison with our University contact, pick up our permits, and then to climb Gunung Sojol. If there was time after climbing G. Sojol we would climb one or more of the smaller mountains south of Palu.

Prior to our trip Christoporus Merung (Chito), our contact at the University, had made detailed plans for our trek including a complete list of supplies and an estimate of the number of porters needed to carry those supplies to the summit of G. Sojol. He also made contact with Rudy Massie and Carry Vanderkley of the Seventh day Adventist Church. They, in turn, with Chito’s assistance, started processing our applications for permits to climb Sojol. Our plans were well underway prior to our trip to Indonesia. If we had followed those plans I feel that we would have been successful.

I, however, thinking that it would be more interesting to explore one or more mountains that had not previously been visited by other Vireya collectors / aficionados, changed the itinerary just a week or so prior to our departure from the US. The change was from climbing one major mountain, G. Sojol to climbing three smaller mountains: these were G. Ambang, a 1,795 meter mountain near the city of Kotamobagu; Gunung Boliohutu, a 2,065 meter mountain northwest of the city of Gorontalo; and Gunung Dako, at 2,300 meters within sight of the city of Toli Toli and close to a major highway. As a result of this change, all of the planning that had been done over the preceding several months by my Indonesian friends was wasted.

We had received some good advice – concentrate all of your efforts in one district or province to avoid duplication of paperwork and effort. We ignored that advice to our detriment. Other good advice might be, make your plans and stick to them.

The Trip

The revised plan was to fly to Manado, in North Sulawesi, Indonesia (Sulawesi Utara); have a short visit with my wife’s relatives; place some flowers on her parents’ graves in Tomohon, her hometown; eat some Manadonese food; obtain a vehicle and driver, hire a guide and plan the remainder of our trip in some detail. This was all o be accomplished in three days following our arrival in Manado. We would then drive the Trans-Sulawesi Highway to the city of Kotamobagu, which we would use as our base to climb Gunung Ambang. After that we would we would climb G. Boliohutu, drive to Palu where we would meet up with the rest of our team and pick up our permits, drive to Toli Toli and then climb G. Dako.

Things went bad from the start. Our flight from Seattle to San Francisco, the first leg of our journey, was cancelled: this would have resulted in our missing the connecting flights out of San Francisco and then Singapore. Our carrier, United, however, rebooked us on a flight to Los Angeles with a connecting flight that would have got us to Singapore in time for us to make our flight to Manado. Upon arrival in Los Angeles, however, we were advised that the United agent in Seattle didn’t have the authority to make that switch and that we might have to return to San Francisco so that we could take the next day’s flight from there to Singapore. The rhododendron gods, however, seemingly came to our rescue and we were allowed, through the generosity of Singapore Airlines to fly to Singapore out of Los Angeles. The result was that we had plenty of time to make our connecting flight to Manado. An aside here – Singapore Airlines has to be the greatest with hot meals every few hours, and drinks and fantastic service and lovely elegant hostesses etc. etc.. What more could a traveler ask on a fifteen hour-long flight in the economy section of a major airline?

In preparation for the trip, I had placed my hiking pack in a large green duffle bag and secured the duffle bag with a bright green strap. My wife asked me why the green strap and I answered so that I could identify the bag at the Manado airport. I marked the other checked bag with two pieces of bright orange plastic tape for the same reason. A family friend picked us up at the Manado airport and took us to my brother-in-law’s house near Bitung, a city twenty kilometers or so east of Manado. Upon arrival there I noticed that neither of my bags had orange tape attached to them. There was, however, a tag on one stating that it was the property of an Andy Kirkland and that said Kirkland was staying at a ‘dive center’ about 40 Km. From Bitung. We called the dive center and were patched thru to Kirkland: I promised to take his bag to him the next morning. He, unfortunately, hadn’t picked up my bag, the one with the orange plastic streamers.

Kirkland said, however, that while looking for his bag at the airport he had noticed that a bag with orange plastic streamers had been taken by airport customs. Several hours and many phone calls after delivering Kirkland’s bag to him, I had my bag and we were on our way.

Our first order of business was to obtain a guide to the region, the Minahasa Peninsula. Luckily, prior to our departure form the States my brother-in-law had recommended that I contact a friend of his in the Forestry Department of Manado’s Ratulangi University. He, in turn, recommended a young lady, Junita Siwi (June) a student in the Forestry Department. June turned out to be a gem. She had climbed a number of the mountains; had visited many of the towns and cities on the Peninsula; and had friends and acquaintances in a number of the mountain climbing clubs and conservation NGOs in the area. She was intelligent, inquisitive and strong.

Next we hired a driver and vehicle: we wanted a four wheel drive SUV but had to be satisfied with a two-wheel drive. The driver’s job was to take us first to the city of Kotamobagu near G. Ambang, and then to the city of Gorontalo on the way to G. Boliohutu, to G. Boliohutu and then to Palu, a city 1,000 kilometers or so down the mountainous Minahasa Peninsula from Manado. Upon arrival in Palu we would meet our two Indonesian acquaintances from the SDAC and plan for the remainder of our trip, first to the city of Toli Toli and then to G. Dako just a few miles from Toli Toli.

Gunung (Mountain) Ambang

We had decided that our first attempt at mountain trekking was to be on Gunung Ambang a 1,795 meters high mountain near the city of Kotamobagu 195 Km. From Manado. We drove to Kotamobagu along the relatively new Trans Sulawesi Highway, got set up in a very nice small hotel on the outskirts of the city and then went looking for a guide at the office of an NGO devoted to forest conservation. A young man, Misli, at the NGO agreed to be our guide. After picking him up we spent the remainder of the day driving to the upland-farming town of Bongkudai Utara, at the base of G. Ambang. While there we signed off on the required permits for the next day at the office of the Sangadi, the village head.

Bongkudai Utara is a nice little Christian town at about 300 meters elevation. The town is comparatively cool due to its elevation. This allows the local farmers, like those around Tomohon, to grow cool weather crops such as cabbage, squash and onions, most of which are taken to Manado for sale. The local farmers also harvest many of the wild indigenous flowering plants for that same market.

It is noted that almost all of the small towns along the way were either primarily Christian, as indicated by one or more churches and no Mosques or Moslem with a Mosque and no churches. It is also noted that many of the minor officials that we encountered during or travels in Sulawesi were from Manado, a predominately Christian city in a predominately Christian area, Minahasa. A few of the smaller towns near Toli Toli are Hindu, transmigration migrants from Bali.

Let me write briefly of permits and officials and the like. Every trek or climb especially in one of the major “reserves” requires a permit or so. To climb Ambang required only one, signed by the head of the town, the Sangadi (The title of similar village officials might be hukum tua or kepala or village chief). To climb G. Daco required several permits, first from the Dept. of Natural Resources, the Forestry Department and the Police in Palu and then from the Department of Natural Resources and the Forestry Department in Toli Toli and then finally from the Chief of the District where G. Daco is located. We were very fortunate in that we had some excellent help from our Indonesian friends in obtaining these permits.

G. Ambang is one of the very many inactive volcanoes in Minahasa. G. Ambang, while not seismically active, is still spouting sulfur-laden steam out of numerous fumaroles. It was amongst these fumaroles and volcanic rocks that we found our one and only Vireya.

The climb to the summit of our G. Ambang was uneventful. The first third was through well-tended farmland. Most of the remainder was through tall alang-alang (Imperata cylindrica I believe), a two-meter tall sharp edged grass, and a thorny low palm that I believe was a type of rattan. This made for rather unpleasant climbing: the edges of the tall grasses are sharp while the palm is covered with thorns leaving many small nicks and scratches on the trekker’s arms and hands.

It was among these fumaroles, basaltic rocks and soft white powdery soil at an elevation of 4,500 to 4,800 ft. that we, or rather Garratt, found numerous plants of the Vireya R. radians. These Vireya were in a saddle hemmed in by a knob covered with thick brush and grasses on one side, a steep drop on another and a steep climb up some loose basalt blocks on the third side. We climbed for a short distance up the basalt detritus and considered climbing higher to the top of the mountain that could be seen in the distance. After discussions with our guide, however, we decided that the lack of a trail, the loose rocks and the steep slope made climbing quite dangerous. We asked our guide if there were another trail or path to the top and he told us that we were at the top. There was obviously some miscommunication because we could see another summit, of either the mountain that we were on, or of another somewhat higher mountain. The guide insisted that we were on the summit, the highest point of the mountain. It must be assumed that the guide meant that we were on the highest point of land either accessible by trail or that he didn’t know of any trails to the higher summit.

This was our first misunderstanding.

Gunung Boliohutu

Our next attempt to find and to climb a Vireya bearing mountain took place with the help of a member of a mountain climbing club headquartered in the city of Limboto just outside of the major city of Gorontalo.

Our plan was to climb G. Boliohutu, a mountain that I had found on my tourist map of Sulawesi. Our new guide, Lio, a friend of June’s, said that he had climbed this mountain previously and that he had found, as part of a University class project, some 25 different flowers there in November during the rainy season. We told Lio, in view of our previous misunderstanding, that we wanted to climb a high mountain, that the lower mountains would not do. He said that he understood.

To approach G. Boliohutu we first drove west for about 40 kilometers along the Trans-Sulawesi Highway before turning to the north across some very rich rice fields. After driving through the rice paddy country on dirt roads for about three quarters of an hour we were forced to take a detour because a bridge had been washed out during previous rains. After driving around for another half hour we arrived at the home and office of the local district official where we obtained a permit to climb Boliohutu. We then drove along a small river on a very deeply rutted muddy road to a home-stay, a house where travelers can spend the night, in the small village of Mohiryolo. (I am not sure whether the village of Mohiryolo was where the district official was located or where we spent the night.)

Our first order of business the next morning was to obtain porters. Most of the locals were not interested for various reasons. We did hire one porter, a young teenager. Another villager could only help us carry our gear to the next small village. We were assured that once there the village chief would help us obtain some additional porters. Freddy, Lio’s friend, agreed to act as a porter and both Lio and June agreed to carry their own gear.

After trekking about 8 kilometers across some open farm lands and three relatively shallow river crossings, we found the chief, Pakuni Raja, at his home. (The river was probably the Paguyaman River, the eastern end of Dr. Lynn Clayton’s Babirusa project. See http://earth-info-net-babirusa.blogspot.com/) He immediately set about finding a few men to work as porters. It was difficult because by the time that we arrived at the village most of the men had gone off to work either in the fields or in the forest. We eventually ended up with two porters in addition to Freddy and the teenager. The Chief also agreed to help us. By this time our party consisted of Garratt and myself, June, Lio, the chief and four porters. From the Chief’s village we hiked to a site that we designated as our base camp. It was about half way up the mountain: its chief attribute, besides being fairly level was that is was about a half hour away from water. We were, unfortunately, unable to obtain any GPS readings at the camp or later on the next day because of the relatively dense tree cover. Cell phone reception, however, was excellent: I was surprised that I was able to call my wife in Silverdale, Washington from a jungle trail in Indonesia.

During the stay at the camp Garratt had some social interaction with a few ticks and a leach that got into his eye. It required some delicate surgery to extricate the leach before it attached itself to Garratt. (He rolled back his eyelid while I plucked the leach out with my thumb and forefinger.)

We found, during our discussions that evening at the base camp, that there were three mountains directly ahead of us and that we were on our way to the top of the smallest of the three. We were nonplussed to find that we had been diverted from the tallest mountain the previous day when we ran into the damaged bridge. We were now told, or rather I understood, that we could hike around the mountain that we were on to get to the higher mountain, not the highest mountain, but a higher mountain, but that there were no trails connecting the two. It was, all in all, quite confusing.

We eventually reached the top of our, as yet unnamed, mountain around noontime and found the campsite that Lio had used on his previous exploration. It seems that Lio didn’t want to disappoint us so he took us to the top, as we had asked, even though it wasn’t the top that we wanted. After a very serious discussion we determined that there was really no way to go from where we were to where we wanted to go unless we wanted to hack our way through the forest.

We didn’t find any Vireya on Boliohutu but are there any there? We saw some flowers high in the trees but could not make a positive identification. Are there Vireyas on the real G. Boliohutu? In my somewhat less than expert opinion, there is a very good chance that there are and that there are most probably vireyas on a large number of the mountains of over 5,000 feet elevation all through Sulawesi. It will just take some serious preparatory work to find them.

Upon returning our base camp we decided that we would stay the night there rather than attempt to walk out to the Chief’s village or to the home-stay. We didn’t want to get caught either on the trail or in the forest at night. It was a good decision because I had a difficult time the next day just trekking down hill to the base of the mountain and then across the rolling farmland first to the Chief’s house and then to the home-stay: a long hot gradual downhill slope along a muddy trail with three shallow river crossing. By the time we arrived at the home-stay I was completely exhausted from the heat and the lack of water.

Our biggest problem during this trek was the availability of water. We carried with us as much water as possible. I started with a one liter commercial bottle of water. I soon ran out and discarded the empty bottle. It wasn’t a very intelligent thing to do because we needed every available container later in the day. Once we had made camp the porters backtracked down to the stream that we had been following to obtain water to drink and for cooking rice for our dinner. They made another trip the next morning for the same reason. During this first day’s trek I consumed much more water than I did a dozen years before during our assent of G. Rantemario. During that trek I consumed only one liter of water during our 15-kilometer approach to elevation 4,500 feet and another liter on our climb from there to the 11,000 ft. summit.

It might appear odd that we were near a river or a stream for much of this section of the trek but that we didn’t have, or rather, I didn’t have enough water: the river and the larger streams are used by the villagers for drinking, washing and defecating. The river was so polluted that we didn’t trust the efficacy of either our iodine or my chlorine pills to purify its water. So we relied on a small clear stream that was near our route up the mountainside and which I treated, nonetheless, heavily with iodine.

Oxen dragging illegal hardwoods out of the forest had damaged much of the trail along the river and up the mountainside. It is a problem somewhat similar to that observed eleven years earlier on G. Rantemario. The deforestation here though is on a much larger scale. On Rantemario the process involved first illegally girding and cutting the larger trees once they had died; then cutting the small trees and the brush; burning the remains and then planting coffee, cocoa, cloves or whatever. The major difference is that on Rantemario we didn’t hear any chainsaws: on G. Boliohutu the sound of chainsaws was pervasive. Piles of newly sawn scrap wood are being left to rot in the rush to get the prime, now square cut logs, out to market. The jungle on G. Boliohutu with its tall hardwood trees is rapidly disappearing. No subtlety here; it is just a rush to make a profit before the logger’s friends retire or are voted out of office.

A pair of hornbills were heard and then seen as they flew over our camp. The sound of their wings as they fly and then glide through the upper canopy of the remaining trees is reminiscent of the sound of the Laysan Albatross landing on Midway Island. It is a sound particularly disconcerting when one is setting up for a putt on the small Island golf course or riding a bicycle down one of the island’s narrow roads. But the big birds are protected on Midway. The protection of even endangered animals in Indonesia is largely a fiction. Soon the Hornbill and everything else that is wild will be nothing but memories and then a footnote.

One of the wild animals that is approaching extinction is the mythical Babirusa, the long legged half deer, half pig resident of these jungles on the Minahasa Peninsula. Conversations between out guides and the Chief indicated some very strong feelings concerning these animals and the efforts that are being made to protect them. These feelings center on a deep dislike of “Miss Lynn”, Dr. Lynn Clayton of the Nantu (Babirusa) Project. It is her job to protect the Babirusa that roam the forests and jungles between the city of Gorontalo and G. Sojol, some 700 kilometers to the west.

The Babirusa are usually trapped by the Minahasan or the Sangihe people from the nearby islands who come into Gorontalonese villages and stay there for several months, set hundred of snares and trap Babirusa, selling the meat to dealers who come from Manado to buy it each week.

She is disliked because of the perceived and/or genuine economic loss to village heads from halting illegal trapping in the Nantu Reserve. Neither the local villagers or the village chief and certainly not the trappers understand that the animals are endangered, nor, I believe, do they care. The Babirusa has always been there and it has always been fair game so why not now.

So ended our second misunderstanding.

After the completion of our trek to G. Boliohutu we returned to Limboto and then to Gorontalo for the night. The next morning we sent June back to her studies and family in Manado and then started our long arduous 600-kilometer drive to Palu the regional capitol of the province of Central Sulawesi. We stopped for the night in Tomini and then drove the remaining 300 kilometers to Palu the next morning. Once there we found a very nice hotel, released our driver so that he could return to Manado, and made contact with my friends and future guides for our trek to our third mountain, Gunung Dako, near Toli Toli.

After meeting, for the first time, our guides and our contact with the local university and arranging for a rental car and driver to take us to Toli Toli. Our contact was a gentleman who had done environmental surveys near to G. Sojol. Our guides, two young men, had never climbed either Sojol of Daco but who had religious contacts in the villages at the base of Sojol. They were more or less facilitators, rather than guides. They would obtain all of the necessary papers and permits, help us obtain transportation and serve as interpreters. They proved to be exceptional young men.

Our first order of business was to obtain the next level of permits, this time from the Departments of forestry and Natural Resources in Toli Toli. To obtain these permits we first had to have our permits faxed to these officials from Palu. We could have taken these papers with us if we had known that they were required, but in Indonesia, you never know what you need from the local government officials until you get there.

Our next order of business was to purchase provisions for our trek up G. Daco. These provisions included a case of bottled water and enough food for a small army – our experience had taught us that we wouldn’t know how many would be making the trek until we actually started.

The next morning we drove from Toli Toli to a town just north of the city and within site of G. Daco. On arrival there and presentation of our papers to the district chief we found that even though we had permission to climb G. Daco, we were headed, under the direction of the Forestry Department and a Department of Forestry ranger, who we were required to take with us so that we wouldn’t become lost, to a much smaller mountain nearer to the town.

This caused no small amount of confusion. The guide foisted on us by Forestry didn’t know the way: we found that he had never been on G. Daco. The map that we had from Forestry was inaccurate. In other words we didn’t know the way and according to the District Chief we most probably couldn’t find the way without some local guides. Fortunately, the Chief knew some young men from a local mountain trekking group who he called for a conference at the home of the local village chief.

Four men showed up at the Chief’s house. They knew the way to the top, having climbed the mountain two years previously. They described the trail, telling us that it would take at least two days to get to the top but that we could make a good start if we would agree to being transported part way up the mountain to the end of a small road on motorcycles. They also said that they would need some additional provisions that they agreed to purchase for us. One of their number agreed to be our guide. It was decided at about 9:30 that morning that we would all meet again at 4:00 PM. The head guide would obtain eight motorcycles and drivers, purchase the extra provisions and meet us with our guide at 4:00 PM.

The hospitality of both the village and district chiefs was outstanding. We were given lunch, and both cold and hat drinks and were offered the use of a bedroom and bed while we were waiting.

By 4:00 PM all of the motorcycles and drivers had arrived in a cloud of gasoline exhaust fumes, the head guide showed up with the additional provisions, including batteries for the guides walkie – talkie. The forestry ranger had gone with one of the motorcycle drivers with my pack to the end of the road to arrange for a place for all of us to stay and for porters for the next day. In addition, three young men showed up with their hiking gear, asking if they could go along with us. The only one person who hadn’t shown up was our guide. I was more than a little apprehensive in that sunset on the equator is at 6:00PM.

A short time later we were informed that our guide, the one that was going to go on our trek with us, had changed his mind. I understand that the reason given was that his wife was upset because he had a job and that she didn’t believe that I was wise to take off for a couple of days with so little notice.

At that point Garratt and I decided to call it off and to head back to Palu with the idea that we still had time to try our luck around Lori Lindu National Park. We returned to Toli Toli and made arrangements to return by rental car to Palu. We tried the same agency and driver that we had used to drive from Palu to Toli Toli. In the mean time, however, the price of gasoline had increased by 50% so the price quoted for the return trip was 50% more than our previous cost. I assume that the increased cost was both to make up for the gasoline price increase and for the possibility of the assumption that we wanted to leave more than we had wanted to get there in the first place. So, unfortunately, we were able to obtain another driver.

So the next morning we started on our way to Palu; passing on hair pin curves; scattering chickens, old women, little children and goats; driving in and out of foot deep ruts; missing oncoming vehicles by inches while skirting hundred foot drops by a few more inches, the edge of the road crumbling under our outboard tires; the driving being take over by one of our crew when the driver started dozing at the wheel. We were only a couple of hours out of Palu when the inevitable occurred.

Sulawesi – The People

One of the mot enjoyable aspects of this trip to Sulawesi was the opportunity to talk to the local people, students, salesmen, betchak (pedicab) drivers, men and women selling produce at the local pasar (open air market), clerks at the hotel, at the clothing store and at the modern air-conditioned store in Palu where we purchased our daily ration of two liter bottles of Indonesian beer.

I was asked, “Where are you from.” as soon as I entered the pasar in Toli Toli. My response, “America” resulted in a grin by the questioner and the response, “Yes, America.” Then he turned and told everyone within hearing range where I was from. The conversation, as much as it was, eventually got around to the fact that my wife was from Manado. “His wife is from Manado.” “What are you doing here?” “Just visiting.” “And your name?” “My name is John and yours?” “His name is John.” The next morning when I went shopping for some fruit everyone in that part of the pasar knew my name. “Salamat Pagi bapak John.” Everyone is smiling, welcoming me to the pasar. “Barak Obama! “Yes.” “Yes.”

The children walking by the hotel and those at the village chief’s house in Toli Toli were especially friendly. The girls from the Private Moslem school giggled and waved to me as I called out ‘selamat siang’ (good afternoon) or “Good afternoon.” The boys replying “selamat siang” or looking at me out of the corners of their eyes as they walked by. The children at the chiefs house crowding around as we, their elders discussed our trek into the nearby mountains and following me as I counted with them to a hundred and said the ABC’s and taught them a few phrases in English.

Then there were the three teen-aged girls on the street in Palu who took their own cell phone camera pictures with me. They were teenagers, unworried or rather unconcerned about international relations and the tensions between Moslems and Christians.

The Highway

The Trans Sulawesi Highway is a misnomer. The name brings to mind the image of a modern highway, twelve foot minimum width lanes with four foot shoulders to walk or to ride one’s bicycle on. Since the road was completed in only the last couple of years one is led to expect that the Highway is in relatively good condition. The name, however, is misleading. The Highway is both narrower and has been designed and constructed to much lower standards then most of the county roads in the U.S. There are numerous pot holes and areas where the asphalt surphasing has deteriorated leaving a bumpy surface and an uncomforable ride. It is not much trouble on a short ride but for many drivers, those that travel near the speed limit of 70 Km. Per hour, it is a three day trip from Manado to Palu.

The Highway had been completed by a Korean contractor just a year or so ago. It should have been in very good shape considering its age but it wasn’t. as with all things concerning public works in Indonesia, I sure that just a part of the money allocated for the road constuction was spent for that purpose. Some of the money goes to pay for permits, some goes for construction and the rest goes for bribes to the local officials and inspectors if there are any assigned to the job. A story is told about an airfield lighting project bunded by the Asian Develoment Bank. The firm that won the contract had ties to the Government, in those days meaning the Soeharto family, so a good part of the money was paid to them up front – the up front money was substantial because the firm winning the contract were not contractors but ‘business men’. Another part of the money went to make an advance payment on the lighting materials. The the partners had to have an office or two and each had to have a new Mercedes. Then the materials arrived but there was no money to pay off the balance of thaqt contract. Besides that the people working at the port stole much of the materials because the Firm had failed to pay them off. The remainder of the materials sit somewhere in some port in Indonesia. The airfield lighting probably wasn’t needed anyway.

The surface of some of the road was right at high tide level. The result was a deteriorating road with a narrow sandy beach or muddy tidelands on one side and a swamp on the other. Most of the mangrove swamps with their multirooted trees have been destroyed. Some are being replanted by various conservation orgsanizations and student groups.

There are villeges and towns every few kilometers along the highway. Most of the villeges are comprised of small neat houses, shops and restaurents, most set back from the road for a few meters. Most again had flowers such as Bougainvillea and small flowering trees, Plumerias, growing in their small roadside gardens.

The main course, and sometimes the only meal available in most of the smaller restaurents was fried fish, white rice and a cooked green water plant. The larger restaurents someimes had a second choice, fried rice. The shops carried everything from high-energy drinks and bottled water to snacks. Small temporary roadside shops carried vegetable and some fruits: unfortunatly very few fruits, including ome of my favorites, durian were in season.

Each of the larger towns along the Highway also had a gas station (with gasoline going for Rp. 4,500 ($.50) a liter or about $2.00 a gallon. The price of gasoline went up to Rp. 6.75 per gallon while we were in country. The price will probabley increase with time because Indonesia is becoming an oil importing nation.

Each of the larger towns also had one or more hotels – the star rating depending on the type of toilet facility, squat or seat, and whether there was a functioning fan. The one we stayed at in Tomini, at the junction of the Highway and the road leading over the mountains to Toli Toli had a resevoir filled with water for one’s bath and for flushing the squat WC, a kapok stuffed mattresss , screened windows, and a fan that stayed on until 11:00 PM when the generator was turned off. The restaurant attached to the hotel served rice and fried fish and greens for dinner and, if my memory serves me right, rice, fried fish and greens for breakfast, a balanced meal of protiens, vegetables, and carbohydrates- what more could we ask. I can’t remember whether we were able to find our usual two one liter bottles of beer in Tomini or not. If we did, I am sure that it wasn’t cold. (Ada bier dingin?” “Tida ada.” “Ada bier panas? Tida ada.” “Tida ada bier.”) But I did find some fruit in one of the lacal shops – langsat, a yellow fruit with a thin skin that is pealed back fefore the fruit can be eaten. Most of the towns also offered cold drinks and bottled water – a necessity considering the local water supplies.

Each of the town and villages along the Highway as were most towns and villages out in the country side, marked as being either Moslem or Christian by the presence of either a mosque or a church. There seems to be a dozen ornate new churches plus another dozen older churches in and around Tomohon and Manado, a Christian area. There are also a smaller number of mosques and Buddist pagodas and temples.

Then add in the almost frantic driving habits of the commercial drivers and many, if not most, of the private drivers, honking, passing braking, accelerating over any stretch of 50 meters or more, chickens, children, strolling people, cows, goats, motor cyclists, trucks, busses, pot holes, damaged or failed culverts and bridges, the lack of seat belts, the driver texting or talking on his ubiquitus cell phone results in an altogether unpleasant traveling experience. I commented to Garratt that it was a hell-of-a place for the deaf: Garratt answered that it was worse for the blind.

The trip over the mountains from the north side of the island near Toli Toli to the south side was particularly difficult. The road was partially washed out in some areas. There are on coming trucks, motorcycles, other vehicles and large busses to both share the road with and to pass on the earliest straight section of road. Every passing is a near collision with the distance between vehicles seemingly no more than a few inches. The drivers didn’t seem to mind that there was a steep hill on one side and a cliff on the other separated by a third class road with grades sometimes exceeding ten percent along a series of hairpin turns punctuated by loose rocks and ruts.

Miscellany

Hotels

We stayed in a variety of hotels during our trip.

Flora

One of the plants observed along the road from Toli Toli to the Trans Sulawesi Highway. Is the beautiful palm, Pigafetta filaris, a tall green trunked palm with grey growth rings. This palm grows amungst cocao, coffee and clove trees on mountain sides seemingly too steep to walk on and certainly too steep to farm. Along most of the level sections of highway grow the ubiquitus coconut palms, both the taller variety and the shorter hybrid, both of which yield copra, the source of one type of palm oil. Other palms include the sago palm and the sugar palm.

The sago palm is the source of a high calorie very starchy food. The palm is cut down, split in half, the pulp is scrapped out, mixed with water, separated from the starch and either cooked or baked. The starch is similar to the casava, a native of South America, which must be either cooked or fried before it is eaten: cooked it bcomes tapioka, fried it becomes like casava chips. To plant casava it is only necessary to cut off a limb and stick it into the ground. It grows so fast that it often serves as sort of a fence.

The lontar (sugar palm) is, I understand, the source of a sweet liquid called “saguer”, which ferments very rapidly so that in a day or so it has the alkahol content of beer and in a few days that of wine or fermented grain and there fore the source of ‘tuak” or “sopi”, the nectar of the gods. (http://www.manalagi.com/jamesplace/indonesia/sopi/index.html).

Air Travel

I was quite impressed with the airlines in Indonesia. The planes are fairly modern if not particularly well maintained. They are almost on time. The baggage shows up at the same destination and on the same plane as the traveler, prices are reasonable. We had to change planes in Makassar and our forwarding boarding passes were waiting for us. The tickets sold to us by the local travel agent got us on our scheduled flight.

The exchange rate for Indonesian Rupiah (Rp.) is approximately Rp. 9,000 to $1. A $100 being equal to a little less than Rp. 1,000,000 (1 juta) with the largest normal Indonesian currency being Rp. 100,000 and the normal unit of currency being Rp. 50,000 ($5). We each exchanged $2,000, approximately Rp. 20,000,000, for a three-week stay. We exchanged most of our funds right after our arrival in Manado – we didn’t know whether there were exchange services available in the cities that we intended to visit. I carried about Rp. 1,000,000 with me in two wallets / purses hung around my neck with a hand full of smaller bills in my trouser pocket. The remainder of my funds were hidden, or concealed in one of my travel bags, trusting the clerks and the hotel staff to be honest and they were, as usual.

The people are honest but it really isn’t wise to be flashing a bundle of Rp. 50,000 notes in front of a crowd of people whose average pay per day, when employed, is around Rp. 20,000. One needs to carry around several large bundles of bills, pealing off a few as he makes his normal transactions during his trip. The typical traveler in some of the more remote towns and cities looks quite funny with pockets bulging with wads of Rupiah, wallet, passport, camera and what ever. You can always leave some of your money in your hotel room or in the hotel safe, if there is one.

My problem was that I could never remember in which of my billfolds I carried my Rp. 100,000 bills and in which I carried my wad of Rp. 50,000 and smaller bills (the smallest common bill being Rp. 1,000 and worth about 10 cents). So I was always searching through my many cargo pants pockets for either my money, or my camera.

Moslem Clothing, Headscarves etc.

During three weeks of travel in Indonesia I saw only one woman clothed in the conservative Moslem dress with her whole body covered except for her eyes. Many others, including the students at the private Moslem schools wore the more traditional ---------------------. The women wearing the ----------generally avoided eye contact: young girls and teenagers did not. The typical children’s response to good morning” or “good afternoon” was “good morning” or “good afternoon” in English. The children, both male and female were curious and wanted to, and many did, speak English.

Maintenance

It seems that little or nothing is maintained in Indonesia. Roads, culverts and bridges are repaired when they are damaged or when they deteriorate and begin to fail. Houses are built and painted once and seemingly never again. Public and large private buildings, churches and mosques are painted once. Public and religious grounds are seldom maintained, becoming covered with litter and trash. Buildings damaged by earthquakes are patched and repainted, the cracks often a different color than the affected building.

Sanitation

In two of the cities that we visited trash was deposited in piles along the street and either burned. There was some garbage collection but it did not appear to be on a regular basis and it wasn’t very efficient, resulting in garbage, papers, water bottles and rotting food littering the sides of the road and sidewalks throughout the cities.

This problem is compounded by the fact that most sewage is collected in roadside drains with removable concrete covers being used as sidewalks. In the cleanest of the cities visited, Kuta, on the Island of Bali, most of the concrete covers remained in place. In other cities, many of the concrete covers were missing or damaged, exposing the stroller to the sewage with its flies and to the possibility of falling into one of the sewers resulting in painful and dirty cuts and bruises and broken bones.

One should not be surprised to find that there are few strollers out to enjoy the cool evening air. Most people, in those cities where they are still allowed, take a betchak to wherever they want to go. A betchak is a bicycle propelled three-wheeled pedi-cab with a covered seat. A short betchak ride can be taken for as little as Rp. 1 per child or person to the Rp.20 per hour that I paid for ride around the city of Tolitoli.

Cell Phones

Cell phone towers are located throughout the Minahasa Peninsula and everyone seems to have a phone. I received a call from Dr. Clayton while on top of G. Ambang and was able to call home from G. Boliohutu and from every town that we stopped along the way. There was a cell phone tower part way up G. Dako and one in the yard of the large beautiful new mosque in the center of Toli Toli. The reception on Ambang was so good the person standing next to me was able to hear both sides of the conversation. When I told our Boliohutu trekking party that I was able to call home half of them pulled out their phones to check whether they could get a signal. Our driver for the first part of our trip was continually either talking or texting on his cell phone. It was more than a little frightening, especially since there were no seat belts. We put an end to his use of the cell phone while driving and had a short but pointed conversation with our guide about cell phone usage during dinner.

On Sulawesi the towers and transmission systems are government owned. A person purchases a cell phone and the chip that goes in it from one of many small kiosks seemingly on every street corner and in every mall. Calls are pre paid by either calling in and charging the calls to your account or by purchasing calling cards or you can hand your phone to one of the sales clerks and they will add time to your phone. While in Toli Toli I had time added on my phone and its battery recharged while I was having dinner. The chip in my phone limited my calls to Indonesia and the U.S. Other options limited calls to Europe or just to Indonesia. One lady that I me on our flight from Bali to Singapore had three phones, one for Indonesia, one for the U.S. and one for International calls.

Accident

On our way to Palu, south of Termini out rental car driver ran into a motorcycle driven by a young woman: she died an hour later. Our driver wanted me to remain in the car with him; I guess so that he wouldn’t get lynched. I was happy to comply until her husband placed her in the back seat of our vehicle with me, blood coming out of her ears and mouth - I bailed out. Then just as I got out of the car a voice from behind me says, "Is there anything that I can do. Do you need a ride?" Our two Indonesian companions told us to get out of there, now. The man behind the voice, an Austrian tour guide, drove us right to our hotel and then left. We saw him a day later as we were heading to Bali. Goodbye Bali. Goodbye Indonesia.

Conclusion

Our first thoughts after leaving the scene of the accident were for our two Indonesian friends whom we had left behind at the small medical clinic along side of the road to Palu. Fortunately they had been detained for only a few hours over night as witnesses and were not charged with any crime. The driver of the car had been jailed – he was under age and driving without a license. Our friends were told that the owner of the vehicle was a local policeman. So we were still worried that having the deep pockets our partners or we would be charged with something or other. It seemed wise to depart Palu and to depart as soon as possible.

Our next order of business was to obtain transportation to Bali where we were then scheduled to fly to Singapore and home a week later. The first available plane was, unfortunately was not until the next day. It was a whole day later than we wanted but a blessing none-the-less: all praise for Singapore Airlines.

Time Line:

*Date*	*Location*	*Comment*

9 May 08	Manado, Tonsea	Arrive Manado, Lose and Locate Bag. Stay at Hans’s House in Tonsea
10 May		Stay at Nina’s House in Tomohon.
11 May	Tomohon	Nina’s House
12 May	Kota	Drive from Tomohon to Kotamobagu. Pick up guide. Visit mountain town of Bongkudai near G. Ambang. Stay night in Kotamobagu.
13 May	Kota	Climb Gunung Ambang with Guide – Misli.
14 May		Drive from Kotamobagu to Limboto. Pick up guide, Leo. Drive to Mohiryolo near G. Boliohutu. Stay night in house
15 May	G. Boliohutu	Climb to base camp.
16 May	G. Boliohutu	Climb to top and back to camp.
17 May, Sat.	Gorontalo	Walk from camp to house. Drive from house to Gorontalo. Drop off Leo in Limboto.
18 May	Tinombo	Send June home to Manado. Drive Gorontalo to Tinombo along the Trans Sulawesi Highway.
19 May	Tinombo to Palu	Drive Tinombo to Palu. Meet with Carry, Rudy & Bram. Send driver home to Bitung.
20	Palu	Arrange for trip to Toli Toli / Gunung Dako.
21	Palu to Tolitoli	Arrive in Tolitoli from Palu at night
	Tolitoli	Paperwork for G. Dako climb.
23	Tolitoli	Start and abort climb of G. Daco.
24	Palu	Drive Toli-Toli to Palu. Accident near Tomali
25	Palu	See Rudy and Garry. Garry obtains tickets to Denpassar.
26	Denpassar/Kuta	Fly from Palu to Denpassar via Makassar.
27		Depart Denpassar for Singapore.
28	Silverdale	Arrive Seattle 0015 hours (AM).

Fruit and vegetables

Corn

Rambutan

Pineapple

Bananas

Durian

Langsat

Papaya

Soursack

Pomelo / giruk

Kalapa muda

Roadside carts

Red lights

Motorcycles

Betchaks

Heat / humidity

Accident

Planning / changes

Restaurants

Coconut trees

Plantations

Clove

Cacao

Drying on road side

Palms

Sago

Sugar

Bureaucracy / overwhelming

Conservation areas

Farce

Jakarta

Local administration

Logging

Chainsaws

Hardwood

Farming

Hornbills

Sound of a feathering albatross overhead, a swoshing sound

Primitives

Vs villagers

Logging

Sewage

English

I am waiting for you

We will expect you

Key on arrival

Driving

Seat belts

Passing

Curves

Speeding

Trucks

Busses

Children

Animals

Deaf / blind

Horn

Police, Army, Officials

Compounds

Uniforms

Corruption

Pervasive

Sanitation

Rivers

Streams

Sewers

Family ties

Supit

Clinic

Singapore Air

Stewardesses

Elegant

Restaurants

Fried rice

Vegetables

Water

Fish

Maintenance

Dirty windows

Paint

Herbarium Celebense

Universitas Tadulako

Palu, Central Sulawesi

Department Biology,
faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences Tadulako University

Bahasa Indonesia - English (Fruits)

2008-08-20T18:04:00.002+09:00

Bahasa Indonesia	English	日本語
Belimbing	Star fruit
Belimbing sayur	Cucumber fruit
Belinjo/ melinjo	Gnetum Gnemon (latin)
Buah Persik	Persimmon	柿　「かき」
Durian	Spiky Fruit	ドリアン
Jambu bol/ jambu monyet	Cashew Apple
Jambu Air	Java Apple/ Rose Apple
Jeruk limo	Musk lime
Kedondong	Othaite Apple/ Tahitian Apple (protes nih, kenapa pakai nama tempat di Negara lain ya? Mustinya Indonesia bisa bikin patent untuk ini)
Manggis	Mangosteen
Nangka	Jack fruit
Salak	Snake-skin fruit
Semangka	Watermelon	すいか
Sirsak	Soursop
Sukun	Bread fruit
Srikaya	Sugar fruit

Reminiscence

Hari kedua, 3 Jan. 2012, APA Hall, Tokyo Bay Hotel, Kaihin Makuhari

Kebaktian APA Hall, Tokyo Bay Hotel, Kaihin Makuhari, Senin, 2 Jan.2012

Christmas message on Dec.25th, 2011

The Making of Wayang (A Traditional Javanese Shadow Puppet Show)

Sermon on Sept.26th 2010: An Act of Worship from Abraham

Total Increase

Sunday, July 18th 2010

Tokyo Anime Fair 2010 (Indonesian language)

Tokyo Anime Fair 2010

Going to New Schools

On the day of your departure, tabitachi no hi ni

Kimi wa aisarerutame umareta

True Love by Fujii Fumiya

Tokyo Love Story Lyrics

My School

Spirit-led Life

Lunch with Elementary School Students

Falling in love for the right reasons

God's Provision during Drought

We are called "Servant"

Bali Trip 18-22 Dec.2008

Tujuh Nasehat dari Kitab Amsal

Doa Bapa Kami versi Betawi

Making God given dream become reality (3)

Kingdom of God

The power of The Word of God

Insight (1)

Three Things

Bersyukur - Give thanks in everything

Three Things

I believe...

Asakusa Samba Festival, Saturday, Aug.30, 2008

Shinrin Park 森林公園、埼玉県

TIME

Earl Grey Tea Pound Cake

Sweet Coconut Cake

Have A Vertical Thougt Pattern

Indonesian dishes in English

Alphabet Soup

The Four Blessed Looks

10 Rules for Happier Living

Speed up, Lord! You're too late!

The Best I have

100 % I'll do it!

Living in Your Dreams

2. A dreamer trust God for his future.Proverbs 3:3-6 reminds us to trust in God with all our heart for our future. A dreamer also believes that God himself puts those dreams in his heart in order to accomplish His plans and will in the world.

The Best Companion

John's Travel Report In Sulawesi

Sulawesi 2008 – Trip Report

Introduction

Planning

The Trip

Gunung (Mountain) Ambang

Gunung Boliohutu

Sulawesi – The People

The Highway

Miscellany

Hotels

Flora

Air Travel

Maintenance

Sanitation

Cell Phones

Accident

Conclusion

Bahasa Indonesia - English (Fruits)

2. A dreamer trust God for his future.
Proverbs 3:3-6 reminds us to trust in God with all our heart for our future. A dreamer also believes that God himself puts those dreams in his heart in order to accomplish His plans and will in the world.