Starbucks on Sumatra

One of the stops we made was to a Coffee cooperative that is located in the mountains surrounding the town of Takengon in the highlands of the island of Sumatra. The cooperative was made up of nearly 7,000 local organic farmers. The farmers bring their crop to the processing location where the beans are examined for quality (basically, they smell the beans) and are dried, sorted and bagged.

The beans processed at this location were, for the most part heading to the US and were purchased by, among others, Starbucks. So, next time you pop in to your local 'buck and order a cup of Sumatra blend, it may have come from this fascinating outfit perched in the hills above Takengon.

Swimming in the Indian Ocean

I (Matthew) have been back from Indonesia for several weeks now, but the images and people that I met are still incredibly fresh. The juxtaposition of natural beauty and natural disaster were constantly awkward and awe inspiring.

To be swimming in on an amazing beach, clear waters, surrounded by bright green beautiful mountains. A scene from the cover of a tropical resort catalogue. And yet, to get to this spot I pass a sign noting that this was one of the spots where the tsunami made land fall washing out to sea countless souls who happened to be fishing that morning.

Indonesian Beach from Matthew Watson on Vimeo.

...and Life

I'm walking down a dusty street lined with small but well built and wonderful looking houses.  The houses were built by the community with help from and NGO that's been facilitating my trip to Indonesia.  They followed some of the best practices of community development, and as such, this village owned the process of rebuilding their neighborhood. 

Although it feels like 100 degrees in the shade and my shirt is soaked with sweat, I'm standing in front of a fire.  A kiln really.  A process these people have use for centuries to make bricks.  This kiln is part of a brick making cooperative.  One of 121 brick kilns that were rebuilt by the people (with a little help).  These bricks were used in the rebuilding of the homes...and the lives.  As a side note, I learned that when Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005 members of brick cooperative, understanding tragedy themselves, pooled together some money and sent it to the US to help the victims.

Papaya trees, mango trees, various kinds of rice, corn and other vegetables are growing in the garden plots surrounding me.  Perhaps two handfulls of American and Indonesia farmers, agriculture specialists and water engineers are researching various farming and water methods hoping find ever better ways to increase crop yeilds for area farmers.  And although slow going, they are seeing the local farmers begin to embrace new farming methods; methods that produce higher yeilds, healthier eating habits and promotes healthier environmental stewardship.

I'm sitting outside a department of education training facililty.  Indonesia lost nearly 3,000 educators in the tsunami.  This facility, the Indonesians who run it and the Western NGO's that provide assistance are raising up new generations of educators that will train the next generation of Indonesia's leaders.  It's a daunting task, but with each training, with each class, with each young teacher, the future gets brighter.  The NGO leader tells me of a note he received from a participant teacher recently.  "This training was the best thing to ever happen to me in my life.  Thank you".  

"Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up foundations of
many generations; you shall be called repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in." Isaiah 58:12

I'm honored to be among these restorers...these life givers. 

Death...

I'm walking down a street through an area on the outskirts of town.  I round a bend in the road and in front of me there is a barge.  Nearly a football field long and a 100 feet wide, a seafaring barge is in the middle of the town, laying across parts of where a road use to go and where houses used to be.  I'm 4 kilometers inland from the coast.  Yet this is where the 100 foot wave placed the barge on December 24, 2004 when the tsunami hit.  I can't believe what I see.

Another area.  Another street.  This time its a fishing boat, maybe 40 feet long.  And its not sitting in the middle of town.  Rather its sitting on the top of two houses.  Some folks have built a memorial to remember those lost the day the waves came and brought the boat with it.  

 Now I'm in a coffee shop sipping a cup of Indonesia's finest.  I'm visiting with a husband and wife.  He's an educator who cares deeply for the people of his country.  They're sharing with me about the tragedy.  She lost both parents and all her siblings in the tsunami.  Its heart wrentching. 

I'm looking out at the ocean.  The place where the wave first hit.  Its beautiful here.  The ocean, the beach, the fishermen along the rocks, the little cafe made of plywood and palm branches on the beach selling coca cola and coffee.  There's a pleasant breeze.  And then turning around, I see scattered along the road are barren foundations and half standing brick structrues where houses used to be and people used to live. 

I'm standing outside what looks like a patch of sodded field nearly 2 basketball courts wide.  Its a mass grave.  They tell me there are about 12,000 people buried in it.  No one is sure who they are.

I want to cry.  I take pictures instead. 

Boat dropped on houses from Matthew Watson on Vimeo.

Watson to South Asia

On April 16th, I (matthew) boarded a plane along with another pastor from Living Hope and headed to south Asia.  Our purpose in going is to visit with some humanitarian aid workers that have been participating in the rebuilding of various rural and urban Indonesian communities that were grately affected by the devastating tsunami of 2004.  Our hope is to discover creative ways that our community of faith in Memphis might join them in their work.

2 days and 4 layovers later, I'm sitting in their volunteer guest house meeting some of these champions of hope.  I have actually know of these folks for a number of year and have been praying for them all this time.  Now to be here, among them, is a great honor.  I'm looking forward to seeing with my own eyes the work that's been done, meet the families they've been helping and dream about what more can rise from the devistation. 

 Keep me in your prayers as I spend the next 2 weeks here.

 -watson