Before and after visiting Timor Leste I had a full day to explore Bali while waiting on the next flights. Bill (pictured) and I scootered around being tourists while we waited for Bruce to arrive.
One of the highlights of the trip was getting to know Bill, who was with us the whole time. He’s Indonesian and spoke English fluently too, so he was a huge help to us. He’d been to Timor Leste before and is seeking to know where he should serve God long term.
Another highlight was getting to know Rio (pictured right, Bruce pictured left). Rio lives in Timor Leste where he serves in his church as a worship leader and youth leader.
Timor Leste has an interesting political history. It just gained independence in 2001 after 400 years of being a Portuguese colony and then 25 years of Indonesian occupation. There was a lot of political violence in the fight for independence and the new country bears the memories of those times. Rio himself was kidnapped multiple times as a child during the Indonesian occupation as his village was in a dispute over land.
The purpose of this trip was (1) to assist Bruce in gathering images that he can use in his work as he builds a database of imagery for his organization and (2) to encourage him in his work. We talk online all the time, but seeing him at work was pretty amazing. He’s really good at what he does.
We spent a lot of time walking around and meeting people on the street.
In the evenings, it was natural to end up at the beach.
And one early morning we climbed up to the Christo Rei (Christ the King) statue that overlooks the capital city.
97% of Timor Leste’s population identifies as Catholic. It’s unclear how many are practicing Christians. Much of the identification with Catholicism was a way to differentiate Timor Leste from Indonesia, which is predominately Muslim.
On the way to visit the Baptist Church in Lospolos, we came across this traditional dwelling. These are rarely used today as dwellings, but instead serve as places for families to practice traditional ceremonies.
The Church at Lospolos welcomed as very warmly and we stayed in the pastor’s home and shared meals with them.
On our last day in Timor Leste, we climbed up Mt. Ramelau, the highest point on the island. It was clear when we arrived at the summit, but then quickly got surrounded in clouds.
The whole trip was a remarkable experience. It’s humbling to travel to the other side of the world and get a new sense of scale of the earth, and to be surrounded by a sea of people you’ve never seen before and will likely never see again.
From Psalm 24:
“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters.
Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?
Who may stand in his holy place?
The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not trust in an idol
or swear by a false god.
They will receive blessing from the Lord
and vindication from God their Savior.
Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek your face, God of Jacob.”
Bruce and Bill and I read that passage one evening in our room after a long day. We noted how this generation of Timor Leste is a unique generation. Their newly formed nation is changing dramatically, and faithful people like those we met in Lospolos, while not seen or known by most of the world, will receive blessing from the Lord.
Thank you to those of you who supported my trip financially. For anyone that did, I’d like to offer you a nice print from this trip. Feel free to pick any image on this page and let me know you’d like a print. I suggest 12x18”, but let me know if you have another preference.
