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Indonesia Part 1

No trip is without adventure, and mine started the day of (the scheduled) departure. Ethan, Anna, and I were at the checkin counter at Dulles Airport, when I pulled out my passport and saw a really young Steve looking at me. In fact I was 20 years younger and had brought the wrong passport. I was surprisingly calm as I sensed God was going to use this for good. I was rebooked for 2 days later and my son and his bride headed west! For their story check out Anna’s blog here So I left the airport and thought this would be a great opportunity to visit my friend Chris Klicka who lives nearby. I spent a few encouraging hours with him and his family and headed home to beat rush hour. When I arrived back in Lititz I found a package which had been overnighted to me for my trip which just arrived. That was providence #2.Two days later I left again, this time uneventfully, and sat in my economy plus (more leg room) seat for 14 hours to Japan, connecting and then 7 more hours to Singapore. After 12 hours in this clean city, I flew to Jakarta. There I met up with several families minsitering in that region and had a wonderfully edifying ride to the hotel in Bandung. This was providence #3 to me. I really enjoyed fellowshipping with them.
The next day the attendees began arriving. I think it was around 25+ families for a weeklong homeschool conference. They were from all over Indonesia and Malaysia. We had an introductory meeting Monday PM. During the next 3 days I spoke 2 times each morning. We, Ethan, Anna, and I also taught them all how to play Moose and Viking Tuesday PM and did another game Wednesday evening. But I get ahead of myself and providence #4.
Wednesday morning I found out many of the attendees were contracting “Bandung Belly.” It was probably from the “filtered” water but we aren’t sure. All I knwo was that many spent a sleepless night in and out of the bathroom. I am sure if I had been sick I would not have been able to speak for most of the days. But … God had prepared me for this very event.
10 Days before we left for Asia Johnny and I attended a Men’s Retreat at Sandy Cove Retreat Center. During the first night of volleyball a fellow stomped my big toe. By nightfall the nail was black and I knew I was going to lose that toenail. For the next week, knowing the trip was looming, I soaked it in epsom salts an hour or more each day. But after several days it was still red and inflamed. I went to the Doc and he gave me a prescription for an antibiotic. All I could picture was having to lop off my entire toe in a jungle hospital. So I began taking the drugs. I’m sure you guessed it, this was the exact antibiotic which was being taken by those suffering with “Bandung Belly”. So I was preserved!! Thank God.