Brisbane and Indonesian churches… [part two]

The Shame

OH!

 

I was too ashamed to confirm that shocking knowledge to the guys I was talking with. Anyway, I tried to collect infos to from the persons I first met. But as soon as I was alone with Bernard, I told him that I thought Sumi was a girl! And there he shocked.

 

The second service went good. It was definitaly Indonesian. Which I think was very approaching. I thought, This is the first Indonesian service I have in Australia. I felt home. The pronounciations were well understood, and I enjoy having the experience. Old but new experience. New but old. Something like that. I sat with Bernard and Juli like in the back row. My first experience, again, sitting with Indonesian church-connected-friends. Was that a proper clause?

 

The church finished, and instead of walking home (or to the library like I was intending to), I was asked by Jenna’s sister and Jenna and Sisca to come to the lunch. In Sunnybank. So by Jenna’s car we went there. We went to this Thai ‘foodcourt’ and ordered together: me, Sisca, Jenna, Juli, and Jenaa’s sister. I ate Spicy Pork.. $8.90 and there was the leftover.  Can you imagine how massive the food was? I got a leftover! I then asked for a food container. Ate it again just now. Yumm!

 

There Sumi came by and I apologized him, for what I thought he was. And I asked him whether he noticed some weird messages I sent. And he checked his cell phone, and look there it was, the message calling him “Bu”. Huiksss.. So heaps of huikksss..

 

After eating, with Sisca, I waited the other friends finishing their meals. Jenna and her sister gone already. Patrick made me amazed, he’s hillarious. We all finished, and we continue going to the church (campus – I love to hear it; “church” - instead of “Griffith”), to do the dismantle. Wow, again I feel ’so okay’, I don’t know why.  I talked to Sisca for some moments, helped rolling the cables, and talked to Sumi for some moments, too.

 

New Things Still Yet To Come

It didn’t stop there. I followed the churches (:D) going to Baron’s house, where the music equippments are kept. It was a lovely Australian house with Indoneians in it. Felt awkward and speechless in many points, but was okay. They all planned to watch Eagle’s Eye movie, and I passed. I gave the false reason, though, I know that wasn’t true. Instead of telling that I was so tired (I was!), I told them that I have spent great deal of money for cinema this whole week. It’s not a good thing to say, Mel.

 

Bill drove me home, I arrived at around 6. I slept, and woke up and chatted for a few sentences with Alicia and Megan about my religion. I won again on eBay. Cooked rice and microwaved the pork. Ate. And here I am. Wanting to see the whole posting asap :p.

 

That’s for today. Good day. Good night.

*oh, and by the way.. I didn’t make any picture today. At all! Still trying to figure out what that means.

 

[the end.]

Brisbane and Indonesian churches… [part one]

Hari ini saya ga ke Hope Brisbane Church seperti yang selalu saya lakukan di hari Minggu. Soalnya kita (ehm, kitaaa..) abis ada kebaktian ulang tahun gitu kemaren (Sabtu), jadi hari ini ga ada kebaktian. I found it OK, karena kalo ‘diforsir’ tetep kebaktian, kurang efektif pula nanti.. It’s better doing an effecting one service than ineffective two services. So ‘funny’ how I continually grasp new perspectives from the church.

 

The Plan

So, I planned to go to another church which I wanna visit. All I can think of was the information from Sandy telling me that there is actually a church going on Griffith’s Nathan Campus every Sunday!! Church? In my own campus? While all of these times I visit the faraway UQ (St.Lucia – 36 minutes bus drives) every Sunday morning? So based of Sandy’s reference, I messaged Suminsen like a week ago. She replied like last Thursday, informing that the church, Bethany Church, held two services, one with Indonesian language on 9.00am and one with English on 11.00am. I asked which one this new friend of mine usually attends, and the answer was: the two of them. I was also invited to FA, which later on I knew it stands for Family Altar, held every Friday night. But as I already have a lifegroup in Hope, and I have the sandwich-assignment, I confirmed that I couldn’t come.

 

Anyway, I confirmed about going to Bethany (by messaging Suminsen) at Saturday midnight - I said I would arrive at the church on 9.00am. Suminsen replied “Jam 9.00 di nathan campus..cinema building mel..ntar lo kalo dah dateng call g aja ato tanya yg ada disana yg namanya sumi..hehe..jgn telat ya!”

Huhuu.. oke deeeh.. But as I myself would assume, I went on browsing the internet until about 5.00am.. So I woke up at 8.44am WHICH was very impossible to run to campus in a fresh condition. I was like very tired and felt dizzy. So slowly I sent a message to Suminsen, which I forgot the detail, but the point was not gonna make it coming to the first service.

 

Thank God I Woke Up

I woke up at 10.00am thanks to the alarm and integrity (hahahaa). Preparing to go, then arrived at QE2 bus stop at 10.35am. The board said the next bus going to Nathan Campus was on 11.03am. I decided to walk.

Arriving on campus, I was like a new kid, looking at the map info, twice, hahaa.. And there it was, the N02, Cinema Building, near the lower level international office, apparently. I passed in front of two sitting ladies, who looked at me keenly. Wheeeww.. okay, know-each-other area, I was the unknown. Good though. At least I know I would eventually be known, not invisible, do you know what I mean?

 

Arriving.. Melting..

I noticed some people catching my eyes, and in the next minute I found myself surrounded by several people, gathering informations about me. What’s my name, how long have I been here, what do I do here, where’s my homecity and my homevillage, which church I used to attend, what’s the major, where do I live, how did I get to the church, and many other questions that made me comfortable being there. Attentiveness is always a good thing.

I was told that Sumi was still playing guitar for the first sermon. Wow, she must be such a cool girl. Maybe I can learn guitar from her someday, says the thought.

I talked to heaps of nice peole. Hmm.. I think I still have to catch their names again when I meet the second time. I remembered Roy, Bernard, Juli (two from Hope), Yuli, and.. there is this guy that Roy introduced to me: “Nah, ni Sumi. Ni Melinda-nya..temen lo”.

 

Berdirilah di depan saya seorang cowok berkemeja putih dengan rambut yang (aduhai) trendi.

 

Unbelievable

Ah salah denger.

Terngiang lagi tapinya, “Sum”. He?! Sum? Dan saat itu reaksi saya adalah: mata menerawang juga senyum terpaksa, karena lagi bingung. Berpikir keras. Mengingat-ingat semua komunikasi yang saya sudah lakukan sama Suminsen, the girl I was introduced by number that Sandy given. I was freezed. WHAAAAAAAAAAAT!! I remember thinking that I must had had mishearing. I shaked this guy’s hand and, puposely, said my name clearly: “Melinda”. He responded: “SUMI”. Hah! No, no, no. It musn’t be the Sumi, I mean, there are gottabe two Sumis here!

A second later, the guy asked for permission, “Gue masuk dulu ya, ada barengan kan.. sama Roy, Bernard,..” and he ran inside. Looked like he was catching his music ministry, for the second service was ready to be held.

Ooopsss.. Yes that is Suminsen whom I’ ve been communicating with.

 [to be continued...]