It’s an odd phrase to let slip from your lips, even when I
probably repeat it near-daily:
“I’m really moving to Indonesia.”
Yeah,
I’m really getting on a plane at the beginning of January
and moving to an island among 17,000 others on the other side of the world.
I’m really moving to a country that, according to a quick google
search, is known for beaches, volcanoes, coffee, Komodo dragons and jungles sheltering
elephants, orangutans and tigers.
I’m really moving to a predominantly Muslim area,
really learning the Indonesian
language,
really learning to
live and work and thrive there.
I’m really spending the next year and a half with a group of
about six children, teaching multiple grades and multiple subjects.
And I’m really convinced
that this is exactly where God wants
me.
As this semester began and I was transitioning from full
time student to full time teacher, I got a text from Sarah. She asked me to
meet her for coffee, and before we even met I knew this could be the answer I had
prayed for.
And then as we sat down and started talking over warm drinks,
Sarah laid out their family’s need for a teacher, their heart for the nations,
their plans to return to Indonesia in January—and an invitation to join them. I
listened, and I realized this is it. This
is exactly what God has been preparing me for all along. From the moment I decided
that yes, I’ll go, I have so clearly
seen the way that all these mismatched pieces of my story are beginning to fit
together, the way they were meant to all along.
Yet as you can imagine, though I’m fully convinced that
Indonesia is where I’m meant to be, there are mixed emotions. This is a big deal—and
many days, it can be a scary thing. To move to other side of the world, knowing
almost no one, embracing a completely different culture—who am I kidding, even
just getting there is scary.
Without this being a paid position, there will be quite a
few things that I need to raise funds for—for one, airfare to get there; visa
expenses to stay there; insurance and other necessary expenses to survive and
thrive there. It all comes out to be about $550 / month – or $10,000 for the 18
months that I’m in Indonesia.
Would you consider helping in this? If you’re here reading
this, I know that it’s likely because you know me personally through my church,
my school, my parents, or some other connection. And I don’t take that lightly—I’m
so thankful for this community. I’ve seen and experienced the incredible beauty
of the body of Christ. Community is a powerful thing, and it’s such a good gift
that God has designed.
In this, as with many things in life, I legitimately cannot
do it on my own. I need Christ’s body. So as humbling as it is, I’m asking for
help. I’m daily praying that God provides—and
I know He will, because I know this is where He wants me.
You can give here (just write “Molly Barron, Indonesia” in
the comments section), or talk with me personally about other ways.
Even if you can’t give, and even if you can—please pray? I
won’t pretend that this is an easy journey—there have been days where this has
felt impossible, felt overwhelming, felt like it’s too much. I’m convinced that
this is exactly where God has been leading me for a long time now, but even
still, I need His grace to keep moving forward in this. It’s a scary thing to
realize that in less than 80 days I’ll be away from everything familiar,
settling into a new normal. It’s scary and exciting all rolled up together, and
it brings emotions with intensity that I’m not used to dealing with. So pray?
Pray that I’d be strengthened to keep going. Pray that God will provide the
funds I need to move. Pray that once I’m there I’ll be effective and useful to
Him.
I still am in complete disbelief at my Father’s kindness in
bringing me here. It’s going to be quite the journey as I follow Him to
Indonesia. I’m excited to see what the next years hold, how I’ll learn and
grow, how I’ll experience more of the beauty of Jesus.
Also worth mentioning:
you can subscribe to this blog, the best way that you’ll hear updates about
this move. Any new blog posts will slip into your inbox so that you never miss
one and so that you’ll remember to pray.
