A Serukam Christmas (Part 1)

It is only December 23rd but here in Serukam we have been celebrating Christmas since the beginning of December. There is too much to cover in one blog post, so we are dividing this into a before December 25th post and an after December 25th post :) Also, I have already done a separate post about the Christmas celebration I hosted at my house for the nursing students. Christmas is a busy time of year!

So a Serukam (the name of the village where the hospital is) Christmas is quite different than a typical Christmas in the US. Instead of focusing on family and presents, it focuses on the church and community. A teammate told me that and it has helped me look at it completely different because I have to admit it can be tough if you are expecting something else.

The first Christmas celebration here in Serukam happened back on December 6th. This year it was hosted by AkPer, the nursing school. Then over the next couple of weeks we had celebrations at the hospital for staff, then patients, then youth group at church, and then neighboring village churches, etc, etc, etc. Pretty much every night there is an event and depending what group you are part of your need to attend varies and/or you are asked to speak. Thankfully being a woman with still not fabulous language skills I wasn't asked to be a speaker this year but I imagine that will change sometime soon.

These Christmas services follow a similar pattern. The room where they are held is well-decorated and tend to be full and hot by the time it is over. They also follow a typical pattern that depending on the group can be quite formal. First you have some singing, then a welcome speech and prayer, followed by the lighting of the candles, then more singing, followed by special music from different groups, and usually a drama of some sort. Then there is usually a devotional sharing or full sermon depending on the group followed by more singing and a closing prayer. Some of the younger groups also do a door prize or other event guaranteed to get some good laughs. And last but not least you are served a rice meal or at least a rice meal to go in a box. So there you have it in words, now how about in pictures. First from the Nursing School Christmas...

Special dance that included the lighting of the candles

We sang several Christmas songs led by the worship team. You can also see the decorating - this is normally a classroom. 

Then several special music selections. This one is the senior class.

And the freshmen class - so young! 

Then comes a drama - this one was the story of Jesus' birth from Luke 2.

Welcome Baby Jesus!

And then from the hospital staff Christmas, which was held in the hospital chapel... 

Special music by the local pre-school kids. Guaranteed to be a hit anywhere you live! 

Our worship team for the evening as we sang lots of Christmas songs but also focused on Christ's death as part of the His plan for redemption and salvation. 

Candle lighting dance and ceremony

The drama - about a young girl who was blind. 

I was sitting in the front row but these little ones were so excited they kept squeezing in front of me. 

Listening to a sermon - the pastors here can get quite excited and even angry sounding during the Christmas services here. 

A final special music selection. 

I should mention that for most of these special Christmas services I get escorted to very front row. For the hospital service I was really really late because there had been a c-section and then I had to transfer the baby to the ICU. So there I was in the way back, hoping to blend in but no such luck! I got found and escorted way all the way to the front. Definitely no taking catnaps :) While overall I like these Christmas events, they are just so different from a typical Christmas service in the US. They are usually loud and enthusiastic compared to the more reverent feeling in the US. They also sing O Holy Night when the light the candles at the beginning and then the lights all come back on and it is time to party :) 

Next up a marathon Christmas Eve service, caroling at the hospital, a Christmas morning service followed by several days of visiting and eating with friends and community members! 

A Christmas Open House with the Nursing Students

Last night I opened my home to celebrate Christmas with the nursing students before they head home on Christmas vacation. A teacher hosting a event like this is not exactly cultural as teachers are respected (and sometimes feared) by their students here in Indonesia. The opportunity to get to know them better outside of the classroom was too good to pass up, though as we took pictures and laughed together. We took a lot of pictures, so here we go...

The house is decorated. 

The food and drinks are ready to go. There are 157 students and most are teenagers, so they can eat a lot of food! 

Here they come. (people take off their shoes before entering a house here)

 It took awhile for the first group to come because it was raining and I am sure the students weren't quite sure what to expect. Finally, three freshmen students showed up. Then they started coming in larger groups...

We enjoyed singing together with this group.  

And we took pictures everywhere. 

The chocolate cake was quite the hit! 

Having fun talking and laughing

Someone in the group has some good photography skills, because I didn't take the next couple of pictures but they are good! 

They came in waves. A group would be ready to leave just as the next group came. 

And with each one they would take pictures in groups and alone. 

And then I would get added to the group. 

There were cameras and cell phones taking pictures everywhere

So this introvert needs to take a day (or two!) to recover but it was a lot of fun. They students head home to their towns and villages today and tomorrow. Praying they have a safe trip and a fun Christmas with their family and friends. We will all be back in the classroom on January 5th and final exams for this first semester are the last week of January.

A Wedding in Pictures

Apparently this is a good weekend to get married because I have not one but two weddings to go to. One was very easy as it is held in our local church as part of the Sunday morning service and the reception is held in our hospital chapel. The bride is a nurse in our maternity unit and the groom serves with our village health department. 

Most of these pictures however are from the wedding held on Friday. Pak Yahuda is a local pastor who has worked in our mission office for many years now helping with our visas and keeping the books. He is officially retired but still works many hours helping us out. He is also the pastor of the Baptist church about 20 minutes away. His oldest daughter, Nosi, is a nurse in our pediatrics unit. She attended our nursing school and was one of my students when I served here previously. On Friday she married, Juliadi, who serves in our village health department. They were married in the village church where her dad is the pastor. 

About a week (or sometimes only a couple of days) before the wedding you get your official invitation. This invitation is actually for a wedding on Sunday but you get the idea. 

Before you go, you need to get your gift ready. People don't give appliances or household items here but instead you give money in a small envelope that can be used to help pay for the wedding and to help the new couple start their lives together. 

The church is all decorated and ready to go. All of the decorations here are rented. Most of the time you rent a set package that includes clothes (like the wedding gown), decorations, etc. There are six chairs in three sets. One at the center for the bride and groom and then for the parents on either side just slightly farther back. 

Our first glimpse of the bride!

Here come the parents of the bride and groom. The moms are carrying the candles they will use to light their family candles. In this case, the groom's dad had passed away, so an uncle stood in for him. I should mention that smiling during formal events is not the norm here. 

And here comes the bride! She is absolutely gorgeous with beautifully done hair, dress, and jewelry. Most if not all of it is rented. 

While the dress may have been more suited for a wedding in a cathedral than one in a small village church it was beautiful. Because it is rented, it is important to keep it as clean as possible and not damage it. Two women (like bridesmaids) are in charge of that. 

Even though this wedding was held on a Friday morning, it was just like a Sunday morning church service with worship music and taking an offering. 

There was also a special music selection.  

Then came the sermon - on Matthew 7 - about building a firm foundation for your house. 

Then came the wedding ceremony. Here the pastor is reading the wedding proclamation. Both the bride and groom and their families have to agree they feel no pressure to get married. In this picture the bride is sneaking a peak at her parents - who I am pretty sure were shedding quite a few tears. 

Then came the vows. They had memorized them, which is different! 

The rings - ready for their big moment. 

And the exchanging of rings. 

Then a blessing and a prayer. 

Then the moment everyone waits for - the revealing of the bride. 

I love this picture! The bride has just been revealed and she is blushing. 

But then the "paparazi" got in in my way for the big shot - the kiss! It is on the forehead and not on the lips!! 

Then came the lighting of the unity candle. 

And it is tradition here for the new couple to give their first offering together during the ceremony. 

And don't forget to sign the marriage certificate :)

Then came the moment that brings many to tears - the bride and groom spend time with their parents saying thanks and being blessed. 

With the groom's family. 

Typically the cake is cut at the reception but this cake had been specially prepared by a family friend and decorated by the bride. 

Then the bride's family says thank you and invites everyone to their house for a reception. 

The house is decorated and there is a meal prepared. First you sign the guest book though. Sometimes you give your gift here and other times you put it in a small box near the bride and groom. I always ask that they not open my envelope and write the amount of money I am giving in the guest book. 

This was a Dyak family - so the main dish was pork. They had killed 5 pigs and several chickens for the event. There is also a special area for those come who are Muslim and don't eat pork - their food is prepared separately and they eat in a different area. Most people take a large heaping plate because they don't get big meals with lots of meat all that often. For those of us with more sensitive palates and stomachs though it is best take small portions because you don't know how spicy things will be! Coming early also helps because the plates and silverware weren't just recently washed and not had a chance to dry. 

Then comes picture time. The happy couple are flanked on either side by their parents and you go through and shake all of their hands and then depending on how well you know them, you take a picture with them (or in my case as a westerner you almost always take a picture).