I have finally arrived back in Bangkok after a little over 2 weeks of being in Bali. I have so much to tell you that I don't know where to begin. I'll try to keep it somewhat concise.
So according to my last blog we were missing 15 of our 21 bags. In Bali, we received 20 of 21 bags. The only bag that is still missing is, my buddy, Dan's. He is doing fine and has handled the situation really well. He is borrowing some of our clothes.
Once we received our luggage we headed 2 hours outside of Denpasar to Rus Alit's house. He is an incredible dude. He knows so much about simple water technology and he has never been trained. Anyway, his property was beautiful and it was an incredible blessing to be able to stay there. I'll put pictures up as soon as I can. The whole reason we were there was to learn the simple water purifying techniques like the rain water storage tank, the "Rus"pump, the hydraulic ram pump, and the sand water filter. While we were there we got to help make a water storage tank for 4 or 5 families in the village, build a "Rus" pump, build a sand water filter, and learn about the hydraulic ram pump. It was really quite amazing to see how such simple technologies can literally save peoples lives.
We also helped the villagers build a road, but about 30 min after we started it began pouring down rain like I've never seen. So worked stopped and we hiked the 3/4 of a mile back through the jungle to Rus's place. We did a lot of praying for the villages. There is such an oppression from Hinduism. Literally, they have to be Hindu in order to get irrigation water to their rice paddies, they pay all kinds of temple charges, and they have to offer sacrifices everyday. It is so much work and money from people who neither have the money or the energy to do all these things. However, through all of this, the people are incredibly friendly, open, and love to practice any English they know with you. I really have gained a love and respect for the Balinese people. Crazy fact: women carry bags of rice that way 100 lbs on top of their heads and carry them for several miles.
There are rice paddies in the middle of these villages and they are truly stunning to see. They are like all the sweet postcards or national geographic pictures you've seen. Incredibly green and cut out of the hillside with such precision and symmetry. It was amazing to be able to walk through them and admire their beauty. I also have pictures of these that I will put up as soon as I can.
I have so much more I could tell you, but tonight I don't have enough time left on the internet card I am using. So I'll finish by telling you that God is doing amazing things through Rus and his ministry in those villages. While we were there we really got to experience the fruit of other peoples labor. The village held a Balinese feast in honor of Rus, us, and all of the other YWAM teams that have been helping the village. I roasted a pig on bamboo for the first time in my life. The feast was incredible we had so much food and it was great hanging out/getting in the way of the villagers who were cooking and preparing food. It was a thing I will never forget. The coolest part, by far, was when an elderly woman and man from the village each sang us a Christian song before we enjoyed our meal.
After the feast, we asked Rus and Made(his wife) if they were Christians who sang the songs. He said, "No, they remember those songs from 40 years ago when my brother taught them to them." Now I realize that it may not seem that cool, but these people come from the same village where they killed several of Rus's brothers just because they were Christians. God is slowly working to change that place through the work that Rus and Made are doing and it was so exciting to be a part of that. Later, I will blog and tell you a little about Rus and his story. The little I know is really incredible.
God is good all the time.
Dan
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