Bits and Pieces of Indonesia

I have learned so much about the world around me since I have been in Singapore.  One thing that will always and forever be a part of me is that much of the world does not live as well as we do in the United States.  So many things come to mind when I am thinking about this, but yesterday, I prayed the Lord would open my eyes to see and my heart to hear.  Yesterday was a good day - I loved teaching the children, I loved the time I spent with them and all that they taught me.  While in transit, once again, I was taken back by all that I saw, but it really got me to thinking how fortunate we are in the states.

 

I have always taken for granted that if I needed air conditioning the solution was simple; I turned on the units.  Not since I was a child have I thought about not having air con units in my home:

When I needed to go to the store, I hopped into the car and went to a newfangled, fancy smancy, grocery store that was stocked with anything I could possibly imagine.  Everything that needed refrigeration was in cold boxes and everything on the shelves was not subject to the elements and critters.

The candy isn't displayed in a jar at an outside of a store:
 

And the storekeeper isn't on the floor with the children amiss...

The parking lot outside of our market doesn't look like this...

I never once had to consider how much to buy because I would have to fret with getting it home.  

Nor did I ever have to think about the size of what I was bringing home.

Not once have I thought of how I would transport large quantities of items:
 

And when I was finished shopping, I would toss it into my handy (but not new)  mechanically sound car, and head home; all the while trusting the roads were safe, the drivers are properly trained, and the stop lights would help prevent accidents.  I just took it for granted our roads were fairly free of huge potholes (I know Oklahoma and Louisiana roads are not great - but really, you gotta come here to appreciate them).  I thought the drivers would drive on the proper side of the road, and motorcycles would drive with caution. 

I do not have to worry that my grand babies were not as safe as I could make them when transporting them, or how I would get the children to school if it rained...

and I must confess, I never wondered where my clothes were made...

Or where my wood for some of the trinkets that I buy at Hobby Lobby come from.

I hadn't thought much about how fish were dried or where they were sorted:

And quite honestly, I never thought about who sorted them:

I never had to think of what I would do if I didn't have a dryer, or where I would hang my clothes...

Or what I would do if I lived on a dirt road and put my clothes out on a dry and dusty day...

I never never once thought about about buying my fuel in a 1.5 liter bottle...

Or off of the grocery store shelf:

I have never wondered how our mechanic spent his days:

 

Nor have I given a moments thought as to where concrete forms might have been made...

And I certainly never wondered about the person who made them:

An 'open kitchen' in my mind never looked like this...

And relaxing in my backyard was a bit more comfy...

The pictures are above tell only a piece of the tale, but they drive home a fact that I knew all along;  I have it easy in the the states.  The pictures are quite sobering, aren't they?  Did they tug at your heart strings as well?

Steve and I have been here over two years now; we have seen more than we could ever share, but Lord knows I try to give you a piece of what we have taken in.  If we leave today we will never forget the images etched in our minds forever; the people who have crossed our paths and the lives they live.  Today it is Indonesia, but the people of Asia have certainly touched our hearts. 

More amazing than what I have shown is how the friendly the people are, they keep on smiling and they keep on 'keepin' on'.  They do what they have to do to survive and even though it is rougher than we have ever known, they always have a smile for us and they always try to communicate in friendly, heartfelt ways.  We don't speak their language, but a simple smile says all it needs to say.  Some show heavy hearts when you are looking at them, but when they notice you looking, they smile a smile that goes all the way through their eyes.  They are genuinely glad you are there.  Seeing this makes me glad I am lucky enough to be one of those blessed with the opportunity to try to make a difference in their lives.  One little speck of a difference, but in cases like this, even one speck is graciously accepted...

Being an American makes me proud, but being an expat makes me painfully aware of what we have in America and what the rest of the world needs.  

If we could only meet in the middle...