And Then There is Us. The Newbies.

The expat community here in Sentani is much larger than I thought it would be. The first time we attended an expat meeting at the international school we were overwhelmed by the number of expats living and working here in this town.

Just who is here in Sentani? There is a teenage musician who writes songs about love and God. There is an Australian athiest who on a whim decided to attend a church service and 40 minutes later left radically changed. There is an man who came as an insecure 24 year old, doubting his abilities to make a difference. He stayed and now encourages others in their insecurities. There are former youth pastors. There is families so large they were discouraged from coming because it just wasn't "practical'. There is a family that survived a machete armed robbery in their bedroom in the middle of the night. Suffering from PTSD they chose to stay when everyone would have understood if they'd left. There are men and women who have tirelessly worked alongside the people of this country for decades.

And then there is us. The newbies. Fresh faced and full of hope.

 

Friday night "Skate Night" at the international school