First impression of Bumi Hibualamo

Thanks God it's weekend. Thanks God it's been a week we are here :)

I want to share some of the highlight I had during ou first week being deployed to Halmahera :)

The journey I took, from Kupang - Jakarta - Manado - Kao - Tobelo, was indeed a highlight itself. The bad weather, emergencey landing at Surabaya, rush boarding, first time experiencing Manado (soo prettyyy!!), flew with small plane to Kao and how the passengers could really know each other (didn't feel like we were on flight but sort of local public transport :p), the first glimpse of Halmahera and the first days of being involved deeper with the local community in some villages of North Halmahera. Agh, the moments are still fresh in my mind! Praise God for the amazing journey, ...new experience in the new jungle has just started :)

Eva, Rani and Me at Sam Ratulangi Intl Airport Manado

Bumi Hibualamo, the so-called North Halmahera. A blessed and fruitful land! No wonder nations fought each other for this fertile land. Land of coconuts, clove and cacao. Land who was the witnesses of the cruelty of World War II. Lots of abandoned bunkers and shipwrecks can be found really easy on land and deep down the sea. Some even become the tourist main attractions, especially around Morotai Islands, Kakara islands, etc. 

My first day impression about Tobelo, the capitol of North Halmahera district, was green and rainy! Kind of reminding me the set for Twilight movie :p Well the first impression hasn't changed much. It's still rainy until this very day, mostly light rain. And it's always green! :) And yesss one more, The attractive Bentor! Local public transportation which is a mixed of motorcycle and becak. Added with lots of attractive lights, accessories, and unbelievable modification. Some look more like ferari than merely a bentor :p

This first impression of green and rainy Halmahera leads me to a deeper thought of the community. Some of the ironies rise up as we visited thr villages, especially the moment we held some FGDs with the local people about their local commodity and family income. The irony could go as far as the family who have hectars of coconuts field (most of them do) would face the unbreakable trap of debts and hardly send their kids to school. The rich becomes richer, the poor becomes poorer. The distributor of Copra (dried coconut) would be really rich! But the coconut farmers, the owner of the land, the indigenous people, suffer from the severe poorness. At the other side, the part of community's pragmatic habit as the result of over-fertile land and plenty marine-resources that would guarantee the continuation of living is also one of the biggest problem. Less effort to improve the quality of copra or inovating comodity to sell and not able to plan/think for the future --not having any saving account for the kids' school tuition, are really clear the main problem also. Added by the low-support governmet and tricky system of market and price the community seems like would never ever be able to rise from this dead cycle of life. The approach we use in our 2nd phase program is Economy development project. Many activities has been excecuted and planned out. Weeks ahead will be the busiest week as we are having market survey and value chain analysis. Huge numbers of Key Information Interviews to the buyer, local distributor, district distributor, province distributor and even national distributor and exporter will be held within these teo months. Continued with stakeholder meeting until we got into win-win solution of the best system that should be used yo increase the income of the households within the community. Huge thing, aye? Indeed. I am trembling to realize that less than a week here --ready or not as a new staff-- we have jumped into this project and will execute plenty important and determining meetings. I have no idea of how to do it, not even close to the idea of making it sucesfully done. But as I read this verse tonight, I would be still and know that He is God :)

Then the Master said, “Do you hear what that judge, corrupt as he is, is saying? So what makes you think God won’t step in and work justice for his chosen people, who continue to cry out for help? Won’t he stick up for them? I assure you, he will. He will not drag his feet. But how much of that kind of persistent faith will the Son of Man find on the earth when he returns?” (Luke 18:6-8 MSG)

How much of that kind of persistent faith will the Son of Man find on the earth when He returns?

The only question I need to ponder on. :)

Good night from Bumi Hibualamo! 

--kezzy.office.northmolluccas--