Natalia

In the village of Pedawa, The Waterjars work with Access Life Bali through Entrust to help give clean water to those who have trouble accessing it otherwise. In the past majority of the community had to travel two hours by foot to get clean water and could only get little at a time. Nyoman, a local water engineer, worked closely with John Truhe from Access Life and came up with an effective water system. Nyoman used to be Hindu and was working towards being ordained as a Hindu priest however the night before his ordination he ran away and decided to become a Christian. This caused a rift in the community for a while however he is now still very well respected in his community. He bought some land and now plants cloves, cocoa and banana and encourages women and children to harvest them for free and sell for themselves. At the time of becoming a Christian Nyoman had two wives and as he felt it did not fit right with Christian faith he asked a Pastor what he should do and it was suggested that he stay with his first wife and leave his second wife. He did just that however after a lot of fighting she left him. After his first wife left him he was at a loss and he again asked the Pastor what he should do as he missed his second wife whom he was still in love with. He was encouraged to go and get her back. Meanwhile his second wife remained faithful to him even after he choose to stay with his first wife. She was encouraged to marry someone else but she chose to go back to Nyoman because she truly loves him. Nyoman’s system involves a main water tank that will then feed water to 8 smaller tanks that are spread throughout the village resulting in 70 homes getting the clean water. The system doesn’t rely on electricity but on water pressure which makes it much more reliable in a place where electricity is scarce. A project like this doesn’t come without conflicts however. Majority of the community is Hindu and as the water project is funded by Christians therefore it created issues around who was involved and many whispers went about claiming that if you were to drink this water you would then become Christian. Jealousy was another issue that surrounded the project as other towns/communities close by were not getting this water access and this resulted in one of the smaller tanks being trashed. However, while not everyone in the community has wanted to be involved I learnt that generosity can be contagious and if you are kind to someone instead of shutting them out they are more likely to pass it on and this is true for Saras. Saras, a local shop owner, already had an electrical pump on his land, decided he did not want to be involved in the project however in the end the water did extend to his property anyway. He started using the water from the project instead of using his own pump as the water was cleaner and it was a more efficient and convenient system. After a while of using this water Saras saw the good this project could actually do and decided that he would in fact like to be involved in future water projects, telling the community project leader Mirsyu he wanted to help by letting the future projects access the water spring on his land. While there have been some issues the project has helped a significant amount of people in making it a little easier therefore more productive as well. One of the recipients of the water is Narke who when asked how having this water system has positively affected him, instead of saying his work is more productive, he said it made his family smell a lot better. It goes to show how we can take the little things like showering for granted. When doing a project like this people tend to look for the big changes however basic things like being clean bring great impact as they improve the quality of life. This project is based on community building meaning it allows the villagers to have influence over the work. The donors provide the raw materials however the community are the laborer behind the project. Some are responsible for digging the trenches and connecting pipes while others are responsible for preparing refreshments. As a result, the villagers feel empowered to bring positive changes to their lives. They also establish a sense of ownership over the project which encourages them to be in charge of the water system’s maintenance in the future.   Want to join? click down bellow

One of the organizations we work with and have visited earlier this year is Gerasa. Gerasa is an organization involved in the rehabilitation of drug abusers and victims of human trafficking as well as raising awareness around them. Their three main objectives are prevention, recovery and empowerment. They teach awareness around abuse and trafficking in order to improve understanding and help prevent people from falling into troubling situations. They also work with victims of drug abuse and human trafficking and help them recover through a support system while also empowering them to get back on track. Gerasa has also created a peer educator system meaning people who have already received help can in return help others and give an understanding no one else can, making it a safer and more comfortable environment for someone to speak in. Gerasa also owns a café attached to their office in which people who have previously come to Gerasa for help can work. As it opens at night it allows people to hang out casually and it creates a safe atmosphere in which to talk. Meeting here over coffee means it is a less intimidating environment making it easier to ease people into positive change.   Want to join? click down bellow  

Antonius Gunawan was challenged to find a place for a grandmother rejected by the mental hospital. She was turned away by aged care centres, mental hospitals and her own family. He brought her in to Wisma Rela Bhakti, a home for poor and vulnerable women. She was loud, aggressive and unable to walk. Her unhygienic habits made the other residents uncomfortable. They told Antonius that they wanted her to leave. He knew that he had a mission to serve the poor so he trusted God and spoke to the other women. “I’ve heard your complaints. Please give me one to two days to think of what to do.” He knew he couldn’t abandon this grandmother but something had to change. He sat down with her and explained the situation.   He was honest about the complaints and how her behaviour was making the other women uncomfortable. After their talk, she changed. She became more gentle and considerate. The difference made the staff and residents accept her as one of their own. She returned to her family after seven to eight months, proving that love works wonders This is one of the stories of life at Wisma Rela Bhakti, in Semarang, Indonesia. Antonius was moved by seeing elderly people living on the streets. They were rejected by aged care facilities because they couldn’t meet the admittance criteria. In 1987 he did something about it and rented a house. It started with eight residents including a blind person restrained for their own safety, a man living on a rubbish dump and a rubbish collector who had suffered a stroke. Today it has grown to two houses with 22 women in Gedangan and 18 in Ghenuk. The original idea for the home was a rehabilitation centre, preparing people to live in formal aged care. The caregivers did not expected the residents to come running back to Wisma Rela Bhakti, even after they were healthy enough for the professional aged care. They returned by choice to Rela Bhakti which felt more like a home to them, where they were always treated with love and dignity. It was more than Antonius imagined when he first founded this house. He wanted to start a simple house for the poor but God’s plan was bigger. The experience has taught him a lesson he carries with him always: “If you’re courageous in wanting to help others, God will help you.” After establishing the initial house they struggled with funding, forcing them to look for a new house with no money. They found a miracle named Mak Poling, a generous woman who gave Rela Bhakti her money when she died. She left enough money for a house and now they could take in even more women. The funding problem wasn’t completely fixed. Caregivers at the Ghenuk house were being paid only two-thirds of the average salary of a housemaid. However, they happily agreed to continue their work and serve God through his people. They found another blessing in Rumah Sakit Elizabeth, a hospital run by religious sisters, who provide healthcare for Rela Bhakti residents for free. The next dilemma came in the form of a woman sick with Hepatitis B. Management did not want Antonius to take her in but leaving her on the streets would be a death sentence. Her disease is contagious and easily spread. Taking care of an infected person must be done with the right procedure. Some of the nurses came to Antonius and said they would quit if he let the woman in. They had families at home who could become infected through their contact with her at work. Their reluctance did not stop him and he admitted the woman. In one night, four nurses who had worked there for three years left because the risk was too much. Friends of Antonius heard the news and volunteered, taking care of the residents and the woman with Hepatitis. Today Rela Bhakti also supports children of widows by giving their families staple food on the condition that they must want to go to school. While Antonius is the face of the facility, he believes anyone can manage it as long as their motivation is to be God’s instrument.   Contributor: Antonius Gunawan, founder of Wisma Rela Bhakti   Want to join? click down bellow

20 Toilet Trips I fell ill during my visit to Semarang. In one night I probably made 20 trips to the toilet and barely got any sleep. By the morning I was weak and I thought I will go to the ER if I didn’t improve but the next day I was scheduled to fly and had meetings set up. Instead I called my friend Dr Adrian who prescribed me some medicine and told me to get in touch with his friend Dr Gabby who was also in Semarang. Taking his advice, I called Gabby who agreed with the prescription. She knew I travel alone on this trip so she came to visit me at the hotel. Gabby could see that the medicine was working so she took me out for lunch. She was very friendly and easy to warm to. After a traumatic experience the night before, it was comforting having a doctor around me for the day! As we talked Gabby told me of how she had just returned to Semarang and was looking for a job after finishing her placement in Bogor. I had just visited Bogor and knew the area she had been working in. Most people in that area are Muslim and although Gabby was in the minority it didn’t mean much to her in the face of humanity. The hospital she worked at had limited facilities and she had to make do with what she had. For her the call to serve has been one she has gladly answered. For Gabby this was a chance to start anew though she knew she still wanted to serve. I could tell she had a heart for people in need. She reminded me of our friend Dr Adrian who lived in Halmahera who is thouroughly a missionary doctor. He volunteers in a clinic serving people with HIV, leprosy and tuberculosis. He works with limited resources but does all he can for the people he treats. Gabby understood why he would do this because she would do the same. The Perfect Pants After lunch my next meeting was with Antonius Gunawan, the founder of Wisma Rela Bhakti. As our friendship was just starting Gabby came with me. He told us of how Wisma Rela Bhakti started and the experiences they have had since then. Antonius was pleased to hear Gabby had applied for a job at Rumah Sakit Elizabeth, the hospital next door to Wisma Rela Bhakti. The religious sisters of the hospital were already working with the home, treating residents for free. He offered to put in a good word for her, most likely ensuring her the role. While Gabby appreciated the offer, she politely declined and was determined to follow the natural process. My next appointment was giving a talk to over 50 people at a private evangelisation school. I was asked to share what iti is like to follow Jesus as a young woman. Gabby offered to drive me there but there was one problem; she was wearing shorts. She felt that was not appropriate for the occasion. This meant we only had an hour to leave Antonius, find parking and buy long pants for her to wear. We prayed as we looked for parking at the shopping centre, asking God to lead us to the perfect pants. He did and we made it in time for the talk. Afterwards we went for dinner with some of the people who had been there for the talk including Fr Aria Dewanto, SJ. Gabby had only planned to be with me for lunch but that night, as she took me back to my hotel, I knew how warm and generous she was with her time. Deus Providebit A couple of weeks after my visit Gabby was hired to work at Rumah Sakit Elizabeth. Through the collaboration with Wisma Rela Bhakti, Gabby got to see the work Antonius and his staff were doing. The centre is developing to help more people through Rumah Kasih Fransiskus, the latest home for the elderly. The home always requires more medical professionals to take care of the elderly people who come in. When construction began on the new house Antonius says God made him stupid.  He had no idea who would run the activities or what to have the volunteers doing. He chose to surrender, telling himself ‘Deus Providebit’ – God will provide. Antonius relied on other people for help and seeing the vibrance and energy of the volunteers inspired him. The Story Forward  Rumah Kasih Fransiskus is run with Jesus’ teaching from Matthew 25:40 “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me”. Encouraged by the community spirit, Gabby now volunteers her time to care for the elderly. Being treated by the young doctor or cheered up by the young volunteers makes the elderly people feel nostalgic, reminding them of their own children/family. For the young volunteers they care for the old people as they would for their parents. Rumah Kasih Fransiskus has two sections with one half providing aged care activities such as the Parents Day Care where young working people can drop their parents off for the day while they go to work. Before, the parents experienced loneliness being left home alone. With the Parents Day Care, they have opportunities to interact with other people. It also provides physical and spiritual activities, such as arts & crafts, singing, prayer, hairdressing and sewing. In the other half of the building volunteers provide free food for builders and heavy labourers working in the area. Antonius believes the success of the home is a sign of God’s glory. Looking back, Gabby remembers her first meeting with Antonius and how he first inspired her to get involved. Now she is proud of the opportunity to serve those in need, encouraging doctors and nurses to do the same. With her skills and education, she has gone further to volunteer with care and compassion. …

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