thoughts on the aftermath

Uno Cafe, Lippo Karawaci, West Jakarta 10:46 pm

Writing to you while sipping my new favorite love, lychee iced tea while listening to a rendition of "If I Ain't Got You" here at the Uno Cafe, across from Kondominium Golf Karawaci, also known as home (I'll post my official mailing address next time). Posting to let you know that yes, the Jakarta Team is safe and sound west of Jakarta on this Friday evening. I wrote out my thoughts below earlier this morning, when we first got word of the terrorist attacks in South Jakarta. One of the organizations that sponsored us for our visas is actually located between the JW Marriott and the Ritz-Carlton, and some of our teammates were actually in that area earlier this week. We are thankful for God's protection. He is good and faithful, even in the midst of uncertain circumstances. Disclaimer: I am actually light of heart right now, here with my teammates as we are all typing furiously to let you know that everything is all right. Know that you are in our hearts, too, and that we are thankful for you.

Friday, July 17, 2009 12:12 pm

Kondominium Golf Karawaci, #6F 

Writing while watching Al Jazeera English news, regarding the terrorist attacks [Bahasa Indonesia: serangan teror] that happened in South Jakarta earlier this morning.  To this point in my life, I can’t say that I have ever been so close to breaking news as I am now, sitting in my living room west of Jakarta. 

Wednesday morning, I was at home lining drawer shelves when I heard our front door open and the voice of two of my roommates, Sarah and Ruth, worriedly calling, “hello? Hello?” even though they knew that Irene and I were at home.  Ruth and Sarah had left not half an hour before, to do some research before starting work on Tuesday, so we were surprised to see them back so soon. 

“There was an explosion,” I heard Sarah say as she turned on the TV to see if what they had just seen was news, “and they were evacuating the mall,” where the girls had gone in search of internet access.  I looked out the window, and I could see the smoke rising over the mall and the mosque [masjid] nearby. The four of us were also supposed to meet our roommate Rachel later that morning, at 11:30 am at the Supermal Karawaci to do our grocery shopping for the week.  Rachel was already out running errands, and since our cell phone situation hasn’t been sorted out yet, we had no way of contacting her to see if she was all right. She actually returned home an hour after we were supposed to meet, exclaimed half-exasperated, “I was waiting for you!”

We inferred that whatever Ruth and Sarah had witnessed is actually quite commonplace, because it was cleaned up so quickly, which allowed Rachel to enter the mall to meet us, with virtually no knowledge of what had happened earlier that day. I mention Wednesday because it was an opportunity to give way to fear – just as today’s events are. 

I meant to bring the book The Hiding Place with me, but books are deceivingly heavy so I didn’t.  For those who have never heard of this book or read it, it is the autobiography of a Dutch woman, Corrie Ten Boom, who with her family hid Jews in a secret room in their home during World War II.  The plan was discovered, the family arrested and sent to concentration camps.  Corrie emerged after the war the only survivor.  I wish I had the book here so that I could quote verbatim something that Betsie, Corrie’s older sister, said to poignantly, regarding safety (so I will paraphrase): “There are no safe places in this world …but God is our Hiding Place.” 

One of my qualms about moving to Indonesia was the compromising of my safety – in particular, events like the things that happened today.  But now that I am here, even though it is frightening to think about how close we are to South Jakarta proximity-wise, and I am saddened by images flashing across the TV screen, I have a great sense of peace in my heart, and am comforted to know that no matter what happens, God is my security and my hiding place.   I shared all of this not to frighten you and make you anxious for my safety, but that you may take comfort in God’s care.