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August 20, 2005
Dear Friends and Family,
Farsijana writes
Here we are, back from Indonesia, on “interpretation assignment”
for six months in the United States. This week has been cold in
the San Francisco Bay area. The weatherman says it’s colder
here than in Alaska. It reminds us of Mark Twain’s wry statement,
“The coldest winter I ever experienced was the summer I
spent in San Francisco.” Last week we were in north Georgia
with torrential rains and then eastern Kentucky, where we baked
like a fish in an oven.
Weather can make people wiser. Before I went to the Netherlands
in 1996 I imagined that I would die of the cold in Holland. I
thought it would be like living in a refrigerator. Perhaps when
I left the airplane, I would be frozen! A few days after my arrival,
I was huddled in my little attic room writing a letter home to
my family. Suddenly I heard noisy voices coming from the skylight
of my room. I wondered what it could be. Anxiously I climbed on
a chair to open the skylight. Then I saw the ducks flying outside
my window. They seemed to be laughing, shouting and playing in
the winter sky. How could they do that? It’s too cold! Spontaneously,
I jumped down, grabbed my coat and went downstairs out of the
house. I came to an open snowy field where I found some ducks
were still chattering. I took off my shoes and socks and danced
with bare feet in the snow. Fresh air blew in my face, while the
brilliant, blue sky was crossed with vapor trails from a passing
jet. My heart filled with joy and I become a friend of nature.
Some of you are still wondering what happened with my Ph.D. examination
in the Netherlands. The medieval-style, public examination was
on May 18, 2005, at Nijmegen University. After intense questioning
and discussion, I was shocked by the loud bang of the pedal’s
staff as he shouted, “Hora est!” (Latin for “The
hour has come!”). While we waited in trepidation for the
decision of the external committee, Bernie and my mother massaged
my cramped feet. Then the procession reentered the hall, carrying
the huge, red scroll of the Latin doctoral diploma. The university
president pronounced me a doctor, my main supervisor, Prof. Frans
Husken, gave a witty speech, and Prof. Leontine Visser presented
the diploma. My dissertation, available in full on the Internet,
is titled “Politics, Ritual and Identity in Indonesia: A
Moluccan History of Religion and Social Conflict.” It can
be accessed in its entirety on the Internet on the Web
site the Netherlands' university system. You can see a summary
at the Web
site of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research.
Later we celebrated at cousin Stephen and Tineke Adeney’s
house in Dordrecht. Rev. Jaspert Slob, who found me in North Halmahera
when I was working with rural community development, reminded
me that the degree is meant to serve the Indonesian community
for social justice and peace. Indeed, my motivation for Ph.D.
study was to find deep understanding on how I can help the people
become their own advocates. At the dinner Prof. Visser presented
me with a pair of scissors to cut Bernie’s hair. He had
vowed not to cut his hair until I finished my doctorate. We had
a hair cutting ritual but each of us only cut off a little. Bernie
is still waiting for the moment when it feels right to cut off
his long locks that also symbolize his concern for the state of
the world.
Bernie writes
What is a interpretation assignment?” Interpreters are
in-between-people. We interpret one reality (Indonesia) to people
in another world (America). Why does PC(USA) support a couple
of professors to teach in Christian and Muslim universities in
Indonesia? What’s happening in the largest Muslim country
in the world? How are Christians and Muslims dealing with conflict?
Is there a clash of civilizations? How does the war on terror
look to Indonesians? What is the significance of the women’s
movement in Indonesia? What should we learn from Muslims and Christians
in Indonesia? Is there an Islamic renaissance and where is it
going? How does the Indonesian church respond to oppression and
corruption? What’s going on since the earthquakes and tsunamis
wiped out 200,000 people in Aceh and Nias? What is the good news
for this beautiful land of 17,000 islands? Is there hope for the
future?
Good interpretation is hard work. It’s not enough to understand
our Indonesian context, we have to understand the people to whom
we speak. Americans are foreigners to us! The richest part of
interpretation is learning. Travel is learning: we read the social
structure, history, and culture of a place in its landscape, buildings,
language, billboards, TV, and museums. Above all, we listen to
the stories of the people we meet. We are glad for this time to
learn, even though it is exhausting. In Seattle we celebrated
at a family wedding and met a great clan of evangelical Christians,
eager to spread their faith. We worshiped with charismatic Jewish
Christians, shared deeply with a lawyer recovering from cancer,
and appreciated the fortitude of a pilot who lost his pension.
We also sympathized with the despair of activists in pain over
American politics and wrestled with the wise pessimism of a famous
Indonesianist who whispered to Farsijana, “I’m different
from you. You have faith and hope.” In Vancouver we marveled
at the richness of “First Nation” culture, heard the
vision and hope of new seminary faculty, and shared a lovely dinner
with an old friend and a homosexual couple. On Widbey Island we
glimpsed into the life of activist friends whose ecological vision
has not dimmed even through the economic challenge of raising
families.
In Berkeley we spent a week caring for my 92-year-old mother,
who suffers from dementia. She lives in a world that is farther
away than Indonesia. Her suffering and depression teach us of
the fragility of goodness. Glenn, Rina, and my two grandchildren
demonstrate the love of Christ (and the patience of Job) in their
long-term care for Grandma. All three of my children are patiently
teaching us to see their worlds. Peter’s a performing artist
who chose the road less traveled, while Jen Marion pursues a life
of science and ecology in the Amazon jungle.
We attended a sharing conference for all PC(USA) mission personnel
currently in the States. It’s an honor to be part of such
gifted, committed and engaged group of people. We heard wonderful
stories from doctors, lawyers, professors, pastors, teachers,
refugee workers, accountants, evangelists, and musicians serving
the people in Bangladesh, China, Sudan, Haiti, Madagascar, Mexico,
Thailand, Ireland, and Japan. After the conference we visited
Drs. Frank Cooley and Carolyn Martin. Frank is a model for us
from his long years of working for reconciliation between Muslims
and Christians in Indonesia.
On November 6, 2005, I hope to fulfill a lifelong dream and run
the New York Marathon. I’ve never been able to run that
far without injury. Now I will be 57 years old and God has given
me new legs to run far, like Forest Gump. Since I was accepted
for this race, I’ve been bombarded with invitations to use
the marathon to raise millions of dollars for cancer research.
Although I sympathize with this cause, I’d much rather raise
funds for the mission of the church. So I have a deal for you:
How would you like to pledge $1, $2, $5, or $10 (or more) for
every mile I run on November 6? If I don’t make it to the
end you don’t have to pay. If I make it, a $1 pledge would
pay the PC(USA) $26 while a $10 pledge would pay $260. All funds
will support PC(USA)’s Worldwide Ministries. Please drop
me an email or give me a phone call and I’ll sign you up!
Contributions from individuals may be sent to Presbyterian Church
(U.S.A.) Individual Remittance Processing, PO Box 643700, Pittsburgh,
PA 15264-3700. Contributions from churches should be sent to:
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Church Remittance Processing, PO
Box 643678, Pittsburgh, PA 15264-3678. Write the title (Faith
Factor ECO) and the ECO number on the subject line (E051790) of
the check. Or click the "give" button below.
Hope to see you during our current pilgrimage,
Farsijana and Bernie Adeney-Risakotta
The 2005 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p.
128
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