Imprints on the Heart

Shannon Frohlich

With dark eye bags and disoriented minds, the Central Java Impact team met at 5:15 A.M. by the anchor in front of the new Harbor building, excited for what was to come, but also feeling rather exhausted.

“I never thought I would get closer to this team so much! Everyone bonded with each other and had so much fun,” said Dael Kim (11).

 Throughout the trip, students had plenty of time to bond, creating lasting memories with one another as well as with the locals, of whom they made meaningful relationships with through their different ministries.

The girls on the Impact trip had the opportunity to go to Ruma Ruth, a center for pregnant women and newborn babies. There they held and took care of the babies and interacted with the women through crafts and conversation. When it was time to say goodbye, many tears were shed, and on both ends, hearts were touched.

Suji Lim (12) said, “When I heard the trip descriptions from Mr. McClary, the Central Java (but actually West Java) trip really stood out to me. My heart just went out to the pregnant girls and abandoned babies, so it was super cool to actually be there interacting with them.”

The boys on the trip also had opportunities to reach out. For the first two days, while the girls were at Ruma Ruth, the boys went to a local Juvenile Detention Center and played futsal against the prison teams. In-between games, they conversed, played volleyball, and even got new haircuts from some of the boys in the prison.

But, when the Impact team met back at Green Gate each night, things got wild. Team members pulled pranks, exchanged stories, fired banter, and truly experienced Christ through the relationships they deepened.

“It was just a great trip of deep, meaningful connections that helped glorify God, which I thought was pretty awesome,” commented Isaac Kelly (11).

Besides working at Ruma Ruth and the prison, the Impact team also helped to throw futsal tournaments for the local kids in Bandung at Green Gate, as well as play games at an English center nearby and hike with a local youth group. Two of the nights were spent with the local children after their futsal tournaments, where, even with a language barrier, everyone was able to connect through fantastic food and music.

At the end of the trip, as the Impact team met once again in the early hours of the morning, this time to head back to Penang, it was hard to say goodbye; it was hard to summarize all the heartwarming experiences they’d shared together—but they still tried. As Vivien Chang (12) summarized, “It’s honestly hard to put all my emotions for Impact into words, but overall, it was a great trip that allowed me to experience what I want to do in the future as well as to branch out and get to know people I never thought I’d talk to. Other than that, it was really cool to get to know a new culture and connect with the people there in meaningful and non-superficial ways. I think everyone grew emotionally and spiritually through this trip, too.”