A letter from Bernie and Farsijana Adeney-Risakotta in Indonesia
December 1, 2009
Dear Family, Friends and Colleagues,
“Next week I will begin wearing my red tie”, Bernie said cheerfully. The red, black, green and gold, hand-woven tie from the Moluccan “Spice Islands” was a gift from Farsijana’s cousin who wa killed by a military truck during the civil war in Ambon. He visited us in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, just a few weeks before his death. Colors tell a story. In America, red and green are the colors of Christmas. They are exuberant colors of joy and celebration when Christians await the birth of the Christ. White is the color of snow, of purity, innocence and peace. “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas, just like the ones I used to know …” White is the color of angels and doves. In Islam too, white is the color of purity and peace. Before praying, Muslim women put on white robes, symbolizing that they are cleansed before bowing to the Lord of the universe. In Indonesia, red and white are the colors of the flag: red for bravery in defending the nation, white for purity of spirit. But when Christians and Muslims go to war with each other, red is the color of blood, while white symbolizes the purity of death to the heretic. Red is the color of Isaac, while white is the color of Ishmael.
We arrived in the United States last July for six months of sharing our stories about what is going on between Muslims and Christians in Indonesia. To our many old friends, whom we didn’t visit, please forgive us. Our schedule was filled with up with speaking events, mostly in Midwestern places with new friends we’d never met. As we shared our experiences of working for reconciliation, healing, justice and peace, we heard many stories of how Americans are struggling for these same things.
What have we learned during our pilgrimage through America’s heartlands? Our imaginations are full of stories of people we met. Here are a few glimpses of the rich rainbow of colors we saw in our travels:
- A retired biochemist and medical doctor delighted us with their deep questions and probing spirit. Instead of settling down to enjoy the fruits of their long and successful careers, they are reading the great books, asking the big questions and hungering for deeper answers to the meaning of our lives together.
- A church in a university town is grappling with differences between liberal and conservative members. But they are united in mission. They know their real challenge is not to find out who’s right, but to work together for the sake of serving the world.
- We met Presbyterian mission co-workers from all over the world who explode the caricatures of what it means to be a missionary. They are executives, lawyers, pastors, farmers, professors, doctors, accountants, musicians, philosophers, social workers, activists, youth workers, hospice nurses, administrators, church planters, scientists, teachers, theologians and ordinary folks still trying to figure out what they are going to be when they grow up. What they have in common is deep commitment to live their lives in a way that is faithful to Christ and brings light to the world.
- Seminary students are struggling to rediscover the richness of their church’s traditions in a way that addresses the deepest needs of their multicultural, multireligious city.
- Twenty-five kids at a little Church in a dwindling town of 700 souls in Kansas came to hear about Indonesia. They didn’t just listen; they asked lots of questions about mangos, tigers, poverty, religions, farmers, weather, monkeys, volcanoes, tsunamis, dances and clothes. They ended with the questions: “What can we do to help? Could we buy some cows for poor children in Indonesia?” Yes, we said. That could be arranged. They said, “We know how to do that!” In fact, this small group of farm kids had recently raised $3,500 to buy seven cows for poor children in Bolivia.
- A pastor works as a nurse to support himself. He pastors a proudly ethnic church in a blue collar area that includes Scots, Czech, Black, Hispanic, Asians and other groups that are trying to learn how to get along with each other. Some days he feels overwhelmed, as if he has two full time jobs. But other times he knows he is right where God called him to be.
- An English professor left her university job to serve as a commissioned lay pastor and has found new excitement and life in pastoring her little country church. Her parishioners obviously love her, but she wonders how long she will survive the hot summers and bitterly cold winters of the prairie.
- A formerly homeless woman in Missouri is learning for the first time what it means to be loved, through a person’s care for her. She showed grace in allowing Farsijana to bathe and dress her.
- In a small town in Iowa, all the churches held a worship service together. People came from all denominations, not only to worship, but also to support institutions that address the root causes of poverty in their county.
- Presbyterian women corresponded with us, set up meetings, drove us from place to place and seemed to be the backbone of mission in the church. Women and men were always interested in hearing about the struggles of women in Indonesia.
The colors of Christmas have new meaning for us. The red is for people we know who are bleeding in the struggle for justice. Green represents friends that experience new life in the dead of winter. White is the light of peace between our families and friends of all colors, religions and cultures. We return to Indonesia on January 4. Thank you to all our dear friends, new and old, who made this visit around the United States a trip we will never forget.
Salam,
Farsijana and Bernie Adeney-Risakotta
The 2009 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 113
