Here I am in Kalimantan! It’s hard to believe. And another flight… Oh no! Now I have to fly from Pontianak to Putussibau. This is the very center of Kalimantan… Jungle, jungle, jungle… Heat, heat, heat!
Aguz and Dmitriy Leo
Aguz met me and the translator Esther at Putussibau Airport and brought us to his estate. Aguz lives in a village near the jungle. Very unusual for a multimillionaire, yet he has a huge estate (50 hectares) and many servants.
I stayed at Aguz’s house for three days. Aguz’s family is very hospitable, and they feed me very well here. There is bear meat, some rare fish, and many other things on the table that I am seeing for the first time in my life. Aguz has special equipment in his kitchen that produces very high-quality alkaline water, which is good for your health. And as for the fruit, I won’t even begin… Indonesia has an enormous variety—millions of flavors. I don’t even try to remember their names…
Don’t be too quick to envy me
This is the equator. It is hot and humid outside. I have to conduct 5–6 services in different villages. It takes about 3–4 hours by car to get to each place. And the best part… lizards of all sizes run everywhere. I mean inside the houses. Their homes are open-plan, similar to our terraces—anyone who wants can run or crawl in. Dragonflies and various beetles often fly around.
I’m sitting in my room right now, writing an article, and there’s a lizard running in the corner. Terrible! They’re everywhere. How can anyone sleep peacefully… I want to go home… to a normal bed.
Now, about the arowana fish
It all began with a vision God gave Aguz. God showed him that this fish should be bred and sold. Aguz dug a pit, filled it with water, bought a couple of fish, and started his business. Today, he is a multimillionaire and supplies arowana to various countries around the world.
This is a very rare species of fish found only in Kalimantan (Indonesia). They require a special water composition to reproduce. Even the water on the island of Java (Indonesia) is unsuitable. It takes the fish 4.5 years to grow from a fry into an adult. An adult arowana costs approximately US$20,000–30,000, depending on its color and shape. Medium-sized fish cost approximately US$5,000, while fry cost US$150–200 each.
The fish’s price depends on its color. There are yellow, green, and red arowanas. A yellow one costs 100 times less than a red one. How does Aguz achieve the desired color? Simple. Each aquarium is illuminated with its own color. There are red and green lamps. This is how the fish gradually acquires the desired coloration.
This species of fish is cannibalistic. When there is no other food, hungry fish eat their own kind. For this reason, only one adult arowana is kept in each aquarium.
Today was the first service in Putussibau.
To be honest, I didn’t like the service. The lights kept going out, and the children in the back rows were making noise. During the service, people kept moving outside and then back into the building. Aguz warned me not to be frightened: they were running outside for a “smoke break.” What? Yes, just to smoke. What’s the problem? Get up, smoke, and then come back to listen to the preacher. In short, it’s so sad! I feel like crying.
Esther was reading testimonies of miracles… and there was no reaction from the audience. It felt as though she and I were the only two people at the service (apart, of course, from the noise in the hall). From the very beginning of the service, I wanted to run away. Then I prayed for people. Esther’s microphone was very quiet; she shouted and shouted, then got tired… After that, I spent a long, tedious time “dragging” testimonies out of people. There were genuine healings, but people stood there “rooted to the spot” and said nothing. After much coaxing, about a dozen people finally came up to the stage and gave their testimonies. He-e-e-e-lp!
In short, I was dissatisfied. Tomorrow morning, I’m going to a branch of this church located in the jungle. We’ll see what it’s like there… I’ve already developed negative expectations. Where have I ended up? What am I doing here? Darrel, why did you leave me alone? Help!
And once again about the “creepy-crawlies”
I returned from the service… completely exhausted. I thought I’d rest, but… surprise. Some large rodent under my room is gnawing away at something right in the floor. The cracking is so loud, it sounds as if someone is poking at the floor from below with a screwdriver, trying to get into the room. To make it clearer, because of the overflowing rivers, houses here are built on stilts rather than foundations. I stamped my foot on the floor, and this “enemy” seemed to quiet down. I hope I’ll be able to fall asleep tonight in the “company” of lizards, mosquitoes, and rodents. I’m genuinely worried they might chew up my belongings during the night. Oh no! While I was writing this, it started gnawing again…
That’s it! I’m exhausted! I want to go home!.. I’m going to bed! Bye, everyone.
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P.S. The next day, I learned something…
An Important Addition
I was told why those attending the service had such a “sluggish” response to my requests to repeat or do something. It turns out that many Catholics were in the hall, attending a Protestant church service for the first time.
In addition, there were many people from remote villages—in other words, from the jungle. These people spend most of their lives in isolation and do not even know how to behave in a large gathering. All they see in their villages is a house, a garden, and the jungle. Sometimes village residents gather in small groups, but they have no idea how to act in a large gathering. That is why the people at this gathering looked strange and did not understand what to do. It was a cultural shock for them.
Conclusion: We need to know the local customs and culture well. Lord, give me wisdom about what to do now…
