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Overcoming the Language Barrier – Speechless in Jakarta

Have you ever wanted to say something so bad, but the words just wouldn’t come? This is how it feels when you’re trying to learn a foreign language can’t communicate your thoughts. The language barrier brings frustration, desperation, an overwhelming feeling to grab onto something tangible. Often times you resort to hand motions!

Darmawangsa Ladies Class

The other day, I was asked to teach a ladies Bible class for the women of the Darmawangsa church of Christ in Jakarta, Indonesia. We had been back in Indonesia for 6 days after having been away from the county for 4 years. Needless to say, my grasp of the Indonesian language was a bit rusty. I felt like I had sufficiently prepared my lesson and was confident of what I wanted to say. But, after beginning my lesson I found myself clawing for words that just wouldn’t form right.

My sentence structure seemed off. My vocabulary was weak. I desperately wanted to communicate what I had studied, but found myself faltering. Did I sound like a two-year old toddler to them? All of these great thoughts and insights flooded through my head, but to communicate them was difficult.

The joys of language learning! You need to keep trying and learn from your mistakes. Stick yourself in sometimes embarrassing situations and let the people around you help you. It’s OK to sound like a two-year old in the beginning, but only for a little while. I am sure they will expect more from me in the weeks to come. Despite my feelings of speechlessness, the ladies asked me to speak again the next Sunday. I am very grateful that they are  patient with me as I struggle to use their language.

 

Question: What do you do when you don’t have the words to communicate your thoughts and feelings? You can leave a comment by clicking here. 

 

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5 Tips for Preparing to Live Overseas

Getting prepared to move to a foreign country can be fun and exciting for the whole family! Preparing ahead of time can save you lots of frustration when you finally reach your destination.

Travel

Here are 5 Tips to help you be physically prepared to step foot in your new home.

  1. Sell Your Stuff. We all have extra things laying around our houses. Get rid of it. Sell it or give it away. Especially if you will be away from America for any length of time. Things will age, go out of style, or just collect dust. Better to go light and not worry about what is sitting in storage back home.
  2. Get in Shape. Having your body in good physical condition will help you cope with the culture shock you will face. You body will adjust more quickly to the physical stresses if you don’t have a lot of extra weight to carry around. In most other countries people do a lot more walking than we do here in the US. Being in shape will help you not be as fatigued as you begin adjusting to your new life.
  3. Try New Foods. Be brave and give your taste buds an adventure. In your new home overseas you will be presented with food you have never seen before. It is extremely polite and gracious of you to eat the food and not turn your nose up at it. Before you leave for your new home get out of your comfort zone and visit a Thai restaurant. Indian cuisine? How about sushi? It doesn’t have to be food that you think you will encounter on your mission field. Just prepare yourself to eat whatever is set before you.
  4. Turn off the A/C. Get your body used to being uncomfortable for a time. If you are going someplace hot and humid, it is wise to enjoy the heat! Many places around the world don’t use air conditioning as much as we do.
  5. Toss the Appliances. Get rid of your microwave. Hang your clothes on a clothesline. Being able to do things the long way may be an advantage to you in your foreign field. You might have to do without many modern conveniences in your new life. Learn to like cold showers. In many countries they don’t use warm water to bathe with.

Moving to a foreign country can be fun for the whole family. Hopefully by following these 5 simple tips you will feel more prepared as you begin your new adventure overseas.

Question: What things have you done to prepare yourself physically when going overseas? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

Photo Credit: http://cdn5.benzinga.com/files/images/story/2012/shutterstock_97739021.jpg 

 

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Helping Indonesia’s Street Children

Street Children Jakarta

As Indonesia’s economy continues to grow there is a large segment of the population being left behind. Among those are Indonesia’s street children. Children who suffer from violence, sexual abuse, exploitation and discrimination.

Street Children Jakarta

There are officially over 200,000 children living and working on the streets of Indonesia. However, the real number of children is estimated to be much higher.

When we lived in Jakarta (2008) it was very common to see children as young as 3-4 years old walking among the traffic begging from cars and motorcycles stopped at stoplights. Pre-teens would often sing and play guitars on public transportation trying to earn enough to eat. Mothers with babies still in the sling would beg in the hot sun. Most of these children did not choose this life but are victims of extreme poverty.

3 reasons why these children are on the streets

  1. Some are abandoned by their parents because of their extreme poverty. They simply can’t afford to feed them any longer.
  2. Some of the children still live with their parents but have to work the streets to help support the family. In many cases the whole family for several generations has lived on the streets.
  3. Others because of a lack of supervision end up leaving home to live on the streets.

Street children face many dangers

  1. Most are unable to attend school and will be trapped in this lifestyle.
  2. They are abused and bullied by adults and older children into paying for protection.
  3. When they seek shelter from adults they expose themselves to physical and sexual assault. Recently a man was arrested for rapping and murdering 14 young boys.
  4. HIV/AIDS is high among the street children because of sexual exploitation.
  5. They often become addicted to cigarettes and sniffing glue.
  6. They have no access to the government healthcare system because they have no permanent address and therefore no identification.

The government wants to get these children off the streets, but so far they have been unsuccessful.

In this video, 101East addresses the complex issues surrounding Indonesia’s increasing number of street children and asks who is protecting them?

In answer to their question Daniel Setiabudi, Steve Cate, and their supporters are doing as much as they can to help these kids. Please check out their ministry at Kids of Indonesia (KOI) and consider supporting them.