Berikanku Hati Seperti HatiMu ~ Give Me A Heart Like Yours

I want to share something happened to me this evening. My friend invited me for a dinner at our friend's house this evening. I planned to go to his place straight from the uni, because I have something to be done today. Half an hour before I leave my office, the rain was pouring down. It was too late already, so I went there holding an umbrella in my hand.

On my way there, I had to walk through a dark road which no car was passing by. However, right before I arrived in his house, I was crossing a road and suddenly there is a car taking left turn to that road. I already took one step to cross, but stopped when I saw the car. One thing I didn't expect happen. The man in the car was shouting at me. "St*pid f*cking Asian", he said. To tell you the truth, I was offended. I was Asian, but I'm not st*pid. "Can't you see I stopped right after I saw your car?" I want to shout back at him, but I hold it. I don't want to make any trouble here in Australia. I came here to study and to get my degree. I don't need to care about anyone who doesn't like me. Then all of sudden, it's like God tell me to sing this song..

B'rikanku hati, s'perti hatiMu

yang penuh dengan belas kasihan..

B'rikanku mata, s'perti mataMu

memandang tuaian di sekelilingku..

B'rikanku tanganMu, tuk melakukan tugasMu..

B'rikanku kakiMu, melangkah dalam rencanaMu..

B'rikanku, b'rikanku, b'rikanku hatiMu...

The meaning of this song is asking God to give me a heart, eyes, hands and feet like Him, so I can love like Him, see everything around me, work for Him and walk in His plan.. This song reminds me to be soft hearted like Him. As if He want to say, "Stop, don't be angry. You already know that you have to love your enemy. He's not even your enemy. You don't know him. Why you have to be angry at him?"

Thanks God, for reminding me of this song. I used to like to sing this song. I'll sing and keep remember to act like Your children.. ☺☺☺

Matthew 5:44 (ESV)  But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

Trip to Hunter Valley Gardens

My friends from the church, Cik Eli, want to go to the Hunter Valley Gardens with her daughters, but her husband doesn't want to come along. Therefore, she asked me to come with them. At first she said she will pick me up around 10 am this morning, but we departed from my place at 11 am. It's not because of me, I was ready to go at 10 am. Usually, I don't like to wait for too long, but at this time I'm not angry or anxious while waiting for her, because I know it's hard to handle two children, 4 and 6 yo. 😅😅

Hunter Valley Garden Entrance

We arrived at noon, because from my place, near The University of Newcastle, to Hunter Valley is an hour drive. We pay the tickets for two adults ($29 ea) and two kids ($18 ea) and we got a map of the gardens. Time to explore all gardens. I want to upload the map I got, but I fold it and can't make it straight anymore. So I search for it online and this is the only picture that looks like the map I got. 😁😁😁

Hunter Valley Gardens' map
source: www.100roads.com

Because we went there with children, we can't go on our own. We should choose between following the children or asking the children to follow us. Mostly, we just follow the children, so we went through the Amphitheatre to the Rose Garden. I took some pictures around there, while the children didn't want to take any pictures. I will put the pictures between the text. 😊😊

Tree with colourful flowers

Elyana, cute little girl

Rose Garden without any rose 

The lights ready for Christmas
near Amphitheatre

Wheelbarrow full of flowers

Waterfall at the back of the Gardens

Ginger-breads ready for Christmas 😂😂😂

Found some yummy cakes on the way 😄😄

An open book near the Storybook
Garden's entrance

The sun in Australia is different from Indonesia. In Indonesia I can walk under the sun without sunglasses or sunscreen, but I can't do it here. The sun is too bright for my eyes. 😣😣 I had to put on my sunnies. My eyes were full of tears before I put it on. 😢 Thanks God I didn't forget to bring it, so my eyes were safe from the Australian sunlight.I tried to take pictures without sunnies on, but I still wear it on some pictures.

From the Rose Garden without rose, we walked through the waterfall to the Storybook Garden at the back and we found some ginger-breads and cakes ready for Christmas on the way there. 😅😅

A wall story

A big red chair inside
the Storybook Garden

Calissa read a story about
Jack 'n Jill

I'm hungry, let's have a lunch here

Calissa and Elyana beside a fountain at
the Border Garden

After finish with all the story inside the Storybook Garden, the children said they feel tired and don't want to walk anymore because the sun is too hot. However, when we arrived at the Border Garden, they started to throw pebbles into a fountain. They were wishing all good things for them every time they throw a pebble even though it's not a wishing fountain. When I see them running all around the garden, it reminds me of my sister. I remember how I used to follow her whenever we went somewhere. I hope I can bring her to Australia and come here again with her. 😢😢😢

Border Garden from the lookout with a beautiful sky above it

After we stopped them from all the wishing thing, they started to run away from us. They want to go to the play area near the entrance. While Cik Eli run after the kids, I walked to the Brokenback Brumbies. I don't know why they call it brokenback and I also don't know what brumbies are. 😜😜 They look like a horse, but shorter than a normal horse. There's also a colourful garden in front of it with some trees without leaves.

Brokenback Brumbies

A garden across the Brokenback Brumbies

A snap of the Oriental Garden

Because the girls didn't want to follow us anymore, we decided to follow them and we saw the Oriental Garden. We told them that we can have a rest there and see some fishes in the lake. However, we have to walk trough the cafe area to go there and they asked for ice blocks. After buying them ice blocks, they can ask them to follow us again, so we walked to the lake and showed them the fishes. While having a rest there, I took a snap of the garden around the lake. It's beautiful, but I think it'll be more beautiful when the cold whether is gone. It's officially spring, but it's still too cold, some trees are still 'naked' without any leaves on them. 🙈🙈

Panorama picture of the Oriental Garden

Me on a bridge inside the Oriental Garden

The kids really wanted to go to the play area at this stage. We can't ask them to come following us, so we told them we'll leave them there and keep walking. Thanks God they want to follow us, so we told them it'll be the last place and we can go to play area. We walked trough the Amphiteatre area once more and Elyana started to run and sit there. 😧😧 After a sort visit to the toilet, we went to the Formal Garden. When we pass the lake in front of it, the girls run towards the lakes and their mom followed them, afraid if they slip and fall in the lake. While waiting for them, I took a snap of the Formal Garden and the Wishing Fountain. Even though we found the real wishing fountain this time, Cik Eli stopped the kids from throwing any pebbles into the fountain. Dark clouds start coming at this time, but Thanks God it didn't rain when we were there. 😇😇😇

Formal Garden with Wishing Fountain at the back

A view of the Indian Mosaic Garden from a tree

Calissa in the Indian Mosaic Garden

Finish with the fountain, we walked to the south and arrived at the Indian Mosaic Garden. At this point, I was amazed. 😱😱 I can tell that they really have an amazing garden. They made some holes on the trees so people can take pictures though the holes. We didn't stay in this garden for too long because Elyana started to run towards the Chinese Moongate Garden. Even though it looks like we following her, we still can take pictures at the gate. This was the last garden we visited and we walked back to the gift shop in order to exit. 

Half ready for picture at the Chinese Moongate Garden

The view behind the Chinese Moongare Garden

For full information about the place, visit the Hunter Valley Gardens website here.

Hunter Valley Gardens, Australia's largest display garden

At last, we went to the play area and let the children playing. We stayed there for half an hour and went back. On the way back, we stopped at a KFC near the gardens and had our lunch there. I wanted to pay my own lunch, but Cik Eli paid them for me. Thanks Cik, I hope we will have another trip somewhere else. I love to take the pictures of the girls, they are so adorable. 😍😍😍😍

Thanks for reading my story. I still need to improve my English, but I hope it's getting better. See you all in my next story. I might repost something from the past to keep this blog alive after a long time. ☺☺☺ 

Cheap Chewsday ~ Tuesday, 6 September 2016

When I was thinking about anxiety, the topic of yesterday's cell group meeting, I remembered something. This is also a testimony from me about how great is our God, the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a story about last week event, Cheap Chewsday. First, let me explain about it. 😊😊

Cheap Chewday is an event held in Jesmond Park Uniting Church (JPUC) every first Tuesday of the month. Each month the Uniting Church and UoN Global, an association for international student in The University of Newcastle, provide some food for students, their friends and familes for only a gold coin per person. They will ask a student association from a certain country to help them providing the food and this month, September 2016, they ask the Indonesian Students Associaton (PPIA Newcastle) to make Indonesian food for this event. Let me begin the story from the begining.

One Thursday last month, one of my Indonesian friends, Florens, tell us that there will be a cheap chewsday on the 6th of September and they ask us, Indonesian students, to provide Indonesian food at the event. Flo, that's how I call her, is the one who like to come to cheap chewsday. She also go to JPUC on Sunday. That's why they asked the Indonesian students through her.

At frist we were not really sure whether we can help them or not. 😣😣We don't have enough students' wives to help us with the cooking, but one of us has an idea to ask someone from the Indonesian church, GBI Newcastle, to help us. At that time, I was the only one who quite close to her, so they asked me to contact her, asking for her help. Thanks God, she's happy to help us, she even helped us to find other cooks and choose the menus. 😄😄😄

As the one who knows the cooks, I became one of the person in charge of this event. There are 3 people as the PIC, Flo, Stefa and I. Actually I didn't want to becuse I have lots of thing to do to prepare for my confirmation. 😯😯 Thanks God, He gave me that courage to take the responsibility. When I think about it now, God wants to show me something great.

Time goes by till I realized that it's already D-8 and we haven't decide on the menus. 😱😱😱 On the Tuesday, a week before the event, Flo and I went to JPUC to take the money for cooking, than I asked Flo to come with me to Cik Titi's house which is not far from the church so we can have a final discussion. On that day, every plan was made and menus were decided. God really planned everything. On that week, the cell group meeting was in Cik Titi's house, so I can discuss the food ingredients ther till late. 😁😁

When I already knew what to buy, all I need was a car and the driver to help us shopping. I asked Stefa, but he only can help on weekends and Monday, a day before it. However, Flo, as the one who in charge of the money, can't go on those days. 😟😟 So sad for me, couldn't find a suitable tome to go shopping together. Thanks God, the President of PPIA Newcastle was ready to help us, so we can go shopping on Thursday. 😉😉😉

We bought some stuff we need on that day, but we planed to buy the rest on Monday. I already planned to start writing my confirmation document on that day and write it for the rest of the week. However, I can't write much on Monday. I went shopping with Cik Lusi and Stefa in the morning. I planned to go to Uni before noon so I can start writing, but the shopping took more time than I expected and Cik Lusi asked us to come to her house for early lunch.

When I'm back from Uni that afternoon, I already planned what to do for the rest of the week so I can finished my writing by Thursday evening. But what happened on the next day was out of my expectation. 😧😧 I couldn't focus on my writing. Stefa was sick and no one else can help us for the preparation of cheap chewsday. None of my plans went as I planned, but from this I learn someting. Human can plan whatever they want, but if God has different plan, we can do nothing. 😇😇😇

At the end of the day, I felt a bit sick. It's just a headache, but it took half of my Wednesday. However, God really showed me something great. He helped me with my writing. I can finish my writing on Thursday evening as I planned. Even though I thought I can't finish my writing within the limited time I had. God made it possible. Without Him, I don't think I can finish it on time. Blessed be the God. 😇😇😇

Thanks for reading, see you on the next post. I hope I can write as often as I want to. I have lots of story to share, but I always think I don't have enough time to write. May God helps me, so I can share His blessing through my story and testimony. ☺☺

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Matthew 6 : 10 (ESV)

Holiday in Indonesia??

I was back to Indonesia for 4 weeks since the 17th of July. Many people were asking me how was my holiday. I want to answer those question, but I'm afraid if suddenly I start to cry and weep. I have planed lots of thing I want to do in Indonesia, but mostly didn't go as I planed. 😥😥😥

The first two weeks I spent in Bali for two conferences, DIG and AMC. On the very first day I arrived in Indonesia, I lost my phone.. 😣😣😣 The phone I bought online a couple of months before. I don't even remember where and how I lost it. I thought I left it in the taxi from the airport to Ubud. I tried to call the customer service and ask them to find my phone, but they said they couldn't find my phone in the taxi. So I have to accept the truth that I will never see my lovely phone again..😢😢

On the second (or maybe third) day of the first conference, I got sick. That night we, all conference participant, were having a conference diner at 'Bebek Tepi Sawah'. However, I couldn't enjoy my meal at all. I got sick that night after a short ride on a bus from the conference hotel to the restaurant. I start vomiting when I try to put something inside my mouth. Even though there is a delicious crispy duck in front of me, I couldn't eat at all.. 😵😵😵 Thanks God that sick didn't last too long, so I still can attend the rest of the conference and present my slide 😄😄😄😄 (some people couldn't present their slides because they got sick on their presentation day).

After the first conference finished, I have two days free before the second conference. So I asked my sister to come to bali and have a trip with me for two days. At first I planed to go to the airport so we can meet at the airport and go to the hotel together, but I was too tired to go and wait alone there, so I decided to wait at the hotel. According to the schedule, her flight shoud be arrived at 22.25, but it was delayed for an hour. So I fell asleep while waiting for her. We were having a good trip in Bali. Even though two days is not enough for us, but we enjoy it. 😀😀😀

On the second conference, I got a chance to meet some of my 'juniors' and my lectures from UNS. None of my friends from Australia coming to the second conference, but I was happy when I know they were coming. Most of the time, I was with them because I don't know many people there and it's quite hard to make a new friend in such a big conference. 😅😅

After two weeks in Bali, now it's time for me to go back to my hometown. I was excited to meet my parents, but nothing went as I planned. I planned to go to some new places near my hometown and go to immigration office to make my mom's passport. However, what happen was I stayed in the hospital for most of my holiday. No, I wasn't the one who sick. It was my dad. Around a week before I was back to my hometown, my mom told me that daddy will have a bone reconstruction for his broken arm and need to go to the hospital a day before the surgery which is a day after I arrived in Klaten. That's how I spent my first week in the hospital. ☺☺

I thought I still have another week for my plans, but I didn't. A day after my dad discharged from hospital, he was hospitalized again. Therefore, I had to spent the rest of my holiday in hospital again. In the end, I only get the last two days of my holiday to do what I want to do. Of course not all, but I still have time to but the stuff I want to bring to Australia. Even though as a result I forget to bring some stuff, I can grab most things I want to bring. 😁😁😁

Thanks for reading. See you in other story. I hope this post will answer you question about what I did during my 'holiday' in Indonesia. I also want to say thank you for all people that pray for my father's health. Now he 's okay and just need some therapy after the surgery. 😊😊😊😊😊

Cell Group Meeting GBI Newcastle Today ~ Tuesday, 13 September 2016

Today's cell group meeting was discussing a text in Mathew 6 : 25 - 34 about anxiety. We had a long discussion about this topic. This text is telling us that every day has its own problem, so do not bring a trouble from the past or think about tomorrow's problem. As long as we can surrender our life to God, He will help us day by day.

People may say we will do some 'gambling' if we really apply this text to our life, but actually I have a testimony about this. It was few years ago, when I still in Senior High School (Year 12). Many people in my age, at that time, will try to apply to many University because they afraid if they can't continue their study to university. However, I didn't. My sister went to a private university which cost 5 million rupiahs just for a semester tuition fee. Therefore, I want to find a university with the cheapest tuition fee. That's why I plan to take the 'National Examination' to enter a public university because the tuition fee for a semester there will be less than a half of my sister tuition fee. Many people ask me why I didn't apply to a private university, it's easy and the chance to be accepted is very high, but I kept ignoring them. There's only one thing I was thinking back then, I don't want to ask my parents to pay another expensive tuition fee. It's like a 'gambling' for most people, but I trust in God. I know He will give the best for me when I have faith in Him.

It's really unpredictable, I still remember the moment I received the announcement that I was accepted at a public university not far from my hometown. He answered my prayers. I can continue to university, it's a public university and it's less than 40 km from my house. He also gave me a bonus. I receive a scholarship from the government during my studies. People may think the blessing stopped there. As a human being, I was thinking the same thing. But God is bigger than everything. He has a plan for me for the future. It's only the beginning.

I didn't have a good grade when I was in elementary or high school. There's only one subject I like the most, Mathematics. Most people are scared when the heard about Math. They think it's a very difficult subject, but not for me. God gave me another blessing through this subject. In university I took Math as my major. It's difficult, but when you love something, you can do everything for it. That's what happen to me. I love Math, so I do my best in every class and exam. My motto is "I do the best, let God do the rest" and that's what He did. He gave me good marks which brought me closer to the lecturer. For me, that's a bonus from God. He also gave me an opportunity to help my friends with their study and also became an assistant lecturer.

I might experienced a lot of good things in my life, but not everything. When I almost finished my bachelor study, I got a bad news. My main supervisor was sick, she couldn't spare a lot of time with my thesis. I was afraid, scared that I can't finish my study in 3.5 years. But God always has His own way to help every one who trust in Him. I can finish my bachelor study in Math within 3 years and 5 months with Cumlaude predicate.

You may think that's the end of this story, but it hasn't finished. Those 'gambling' moments happen to me once again. It was around two years ago when I finished my bachelor study and want to continue my master. I was planning to apply to another public university in Bandung, but God has a plan for me. He gave me a way to know a professor from Australia and also gave me another scholarship. When I got the scholarship, my friends from the same scholarship were applying to lots university. They collected conditional offer as much as they can. They afraid if they didn't get a university within the given time limit, they will not get the scholarship. But I was doing another 'gambling' with my life. I only applied to one university, the professor's university. I didn't even try to apply to other universities because I believe if God can do it with my bachelor study, He can do it to my master study. Now, here I am in Australia. Studying in The University of Newcastle, Australia. It's not a big university nor a famous one, but I always believe He put me here for a reason. I trust Him and He will do something with my life. Thanks for reading. God bless you all. 

Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Mathew 6 : 34 ~ ESV

Sydney Trip ~ Saturday, 9 July 2016

It's been a long time since my last post on this blog. This time I'll try to write my story in English, cuz this story happened in Australia. I'll try my best to write it. Maybe I'll make some mistakes, but at least I want to try..

This story happened on the 9th July 2016. We, all Indonesian Communities in New South Wales, got an invitation from 'Bapak Konjen' to come to his house and celebrate 'Idul Fitri' together on this day. Therefore, as Indonesian students in Newcastle, my friends and I wanted to come. We try to gather as many students as we can, but only 3 people can go to Sydney, me, Kak Ilyas and his wife, Kak Vera.

The day before going to Sydney, we already planned our trip. Depart at 7, take the train at 7.33 and arrive at 'Wisma Indonesia' around 11 o'clock. However, nothing goes as planned..

Let's start from early morning. Around 6.30, I already text Kak Vera to ask what time they will pick me up and she said they will depart at 7 from their house. So all I need to do is just waiting for them. While waiting, I searched in google how long it takes to go from their house to mine and from my house to the train station. All of them took around 20 minutes. So I thought everything is okay.

But then, everything started to go wrong. It's almost 7.20 when they arrived at my house. Then we went to the train station. When we parked the car, we can see the train to Sydney already there. So we run, cuz we don't want to miss the train. However, before we arrived at the platform, they gave the signal to the train to leave. At the moment we reached the platform, the door was closing and the train was leaving the station. 😣😣😣 We have no choice. We have to wait for 1 hour 8 minutes for the next train. And it's just the beginning..

After we arrived in Sydney Central Station, we have to take another train and a ferry to reach 'Wisma Indonesia' where the open house was held. When we arrived, we went to the toilet first. Therefore, we missed the earliest connecting train to Circular Quey and went there with the next train. However, we still missed the ferry to Rose Bay. It departed from the wharf as we walked through the wharf opal gate, so we have to wait for the next ferry which means another 30 minutes waiting.

After a few minutes waiting, there were another ferry in the same wharf excactly at the same spot. Because we didn't want to miss another ferry, we got in. As the ferry departed, we realized that we took the wrong ferry. We supposed to take a ferry to Rose Bay which goes to the east, but yet we took the one which headed to the west. So we decided to stop at the next wharf and wait for the next ferry back to Circular Quey.

On the next wharf, Balmain Wharf, we check for the ferry and it will arrived around 30 minutes. Oh, another 30 minutes wait.. 😣😣😣😣 While waiting, Kak Ilyas was playing games in his phone, Kak Vera was sitting and playing with her phone, but me, I cannot stand still. I walked around the wharf, read almost everything there, took some pictures, and even asked Kak Vera to take some pictures of me. Because almost nobody at the wharf but us, I can take some pictures without any photo boomber disturbing my photo.. 😄😄😄

Few minutes before the ferry came, people start coming and I couldn't take pictures anymore. So I just sat on the bench and talked to Kak Vera. Time goes on and the ferry came. Finally, we can go back to Circular Quey and go to the right direction cuz we all hungry already. When arrived we still have to went out the wharf and got in another one, cuz we arrived in wharf 5 but the one goes to Rose Bay was in wharf 4.

Finally, we can take the right ferry to Rose Bay. Ferry at 13.05, one and a half hour from what we planned. Now, we really checked the ferry. We want to go to 'Wisma Indonesia' NOW!! We are hungry!!! And finally we arrived at 13.30, two and a half hour late from what we expected. I still remember how we were walking on the Kent Road, reading every house number, and wondering how far is number 25.

It took us around 6 hours 30 minutes to reach 'Wisma Indonesia' from our houses. We departed around 7 o'clock in the morning and arrived at 13.30 in the afternoon. A very long time compared to what we planned, 4 hours. But at least it was a memorable moment for us. Eventhough we spent the same amount of money for the trip, we can go to Balmain Wharf that we never knew before.

The only thing I still don't understand. Why these things always happen when we go just three of us. Nothing like these ever happen when we go with others. I hope we will never experience these kinds of thing again.. 😂😂😂😂😂