Wow... It's been almost two weeks since I got back home (three if you count Singapore). I've reunited with my family and old friends here. In addition to that, I also made some new friends. Things have changed since the last time I was back in Indonesia. Incidents and occurrences happened while I was away. I was chatting with one of my friends who came back on December and February from Singapore and she said that "MSA is very different now". Honestly, I didn't know what to expect when I arrived. Yes, we had major reformations and restructuring in the school and the church. I heard about all the differences and changes made. And here I am now... experiencing the effects of those changes.
I landed in Jakarta from Singapore last Monday (April 30). I woke up as early as 5.30 the next day to leave for MSA with my family. I saw those familiar faces once more, after being separated for eight long months... 'Twas exciting and a bit emotional =P
I caught up with the latest stories and we made plans to get together. Some of us that live in the west part of Jakarta are very "kompak" (or cooperative). We do hang out a lot in the past years. We decided to go watch The Avengers together after badminton in Sports Day. Ahh... just like old times. One thing I can look forward to in coming home is to get together and hang out with these awesome people :)
Our church recently joined the Every Nation Churches and Ministries this year. I was signed up for the Victory Weekend on the Saturday that I came back. It was quite an eye-opener and a great encouragement to remind us of Who should be the center of our lives. We also had Pastor Joseph and Carla Bonifacio to minister in the senior lifegroup and MSA devotion. After devotion, my mom and sister showed them around the building while I went to Mr Markus' Humanities class to share about my experience as a first year undergraduate. We chat more in the cafeteria for an hour or so. It was quite interesting hearing their stories and sharing jokes. It was a fun fellowship :D
Just this past Thursday, Russell Peters came to Indonesia to do a show in Istora Senayan. A bunch of us bought tickets to watch (though some were still underage but was able to sneak past the security :P). I told my friend in Canada that I just finished watching the show and he scoffed at me saying, "You went all the way back to Indonesia just to watch a Canadian!?" Overall, it was quite an experience despite the fact that I had a terrible cold and headache when I got back home. As I've said, "quite an experience".
That brings us to today! Well... Saturday, that is... MSA just performed two shows of their Performing Arts (PA) production "The Wizard of Oz". The kids did a great job running the show. It was a tough ride, from what I've heard. Their initial director had problems and was deported back to his homeland in Austria halfway through the preparations of the show. For the rest of the few weeks left, two alumni came to the rescue and helped finish the rehearsals. The technical director is a close friend of mine and he did mention to me several times that this school year was very hectic. I guess that's one thing I never had to experience when I was in high school... In the end, all the hard work and long hours they spent preparing for this paid off. Regardless of the fact that they had limited time to finish up the preparations, they worked with all their hearts and strength. I'm very happy for them and applaud their conviction to the production. The show seemed impossible to run just days before it, but they managed to pull it off. The last thing we admit is that we're quitters. No, MSA kids do not quit even in tough times like these. Through God's help and their devotion to their responsibilities, they made the impossible happen. And I'm proud of them :)
Well that's my update so far on this homecoming. I would finally join the Sunday service tomorrow since I missed it last week. I really can't wait to see what God has in store for the upcoming weeks and months! Yes, I see a lot have changed since the last time I was here. I didn't say it was all bad. In fact, I'm just beginning to think...that I myself am not the same as I was last eight months. Change may happen. It's inevitable. How we react to it matters. What's most important is that we stay open to God's plan. He knows when things would change and when things should stay the same. Be willing to be flexible for God :)
May God bless you this summer,
Justin
