Episode 112
#112. There's No Shortcuts in Compassion
Anita Rahma currently lives with her family in the slums of Jakarta, Indonesia. She discusses discipleship, incarnational urban ministry, and loving Muslim neighbors.
Book: Downward Discipleship
Book: Beyond Our Walls
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:
- Definition of "slum"
- What downward discipleship is
- Building relationships in Jakarta
ABOUT THE GUEST:
Anita’s high school years were spent as an American TCK in the Philippines. For the past decade, Anita and her husband and two children have lived and served in a slum in Indonesia. She enjoys learning piano, playing in the rain, and devouring good books. She is the author of Beyond Our Walls: Finding Jesus in the Slums of Jakarta and Downward Discipleship: How Amy Carmichael Gave Me Courage to Serve in a Slum.
RELATED LINKS:
TIMESTAMPED SHOWNOTES:
00:39 - Introducing Anita Rahma
03:22 - Anita's choice to live in the urban slums of Jakarta
03:33 - ...grew up in the US as a child of pastors in a modern Mennonite home
03:49 - ...loving God could not be separated from loving those struggling with poverty
03:56 - ...moved to the Philippines during high school
04:06 - ...God working on her heart - her middle-class life vs the homeless around her
04:27 - ... felt that Jesus was saying that He is with the homeless
04:36 - ...desire to return to encounter Jesus while serving the poor
04:51 - ...in college years, went to Urbana Missions Convention, Servants to Asia's Urban Poor
05:10 - ...God is with the poor; we want to be too
05:24 - ...over 1B people live in urban slums
05:59 - Definition of "slum" and why live there
07:06 - ...incarnation: live in the community in which you are serving
07:21 - ...really experience the community to know their needs
07:38 - ...follow Jesus to serve the poor
07:58 - ...great place to learn the language and culture
08:13 - What in Anita's background helped her connect with impoverished people?
09:12 - ...initially, did not want to leave the Philippines and return to America
09:36 - ...God taught a lot about poverty in America
10:09 - ...felt God calling her back overseas
12:19 - Explanation of "downward discipleship"
12:30 - ...bombardment of messages to seek success
12:47 - ...Jesus sets an example of downward mobility - left heaven for earth
13:21 - ...taking the position of a servant
13:37 - ...a disciple is someone who follows
13:55 - Anita's books
13:58 - ...First Book: Beyond Our Walls: Finding Jesus in the Slums of Jakarta
14:04 - ...Second book: Downward Discipleship: How Amy Carmichael Gave Me Courage to Serve in a Slum
14:09 - ......tying in stories of Amy Carmichael
14:44 - ......the struggle of downward discipleship in the American church context
14:57 - ......discipleship happen overseas in the process of learning
15:05 - How to communicate the concept of downward discipleship to the local church
15:27 - ...moving from the need to control to compassion
15:58 - ...compassion means to suffer with
17:23 - Some of the biggest challenges in impoverished urban ministry
17:31 - ...physical - adjusting from comfortable middle class to slums:
17:56 - ......sickness and illness
18:26 - ......fires
18:47 - ......floods
18:50 - ......eviction
19:04 - ...spiritual & emotional:
19:24 - ......Jesus is the Savior, not us
19:29 - Jeremiah 29 : 7
19:41 - ...tying our welfare to that of our neighbors
20:31 - How to build relationships in Indonesia, the largest Muslim country in the world
20:45 - ...choose to live in the neighborhood
20:57 - ...come as learners
20:59 - ...as a single female, was "adopted" into many families
21:07 - ...run a free school for the kids
21:22 - ...through the school came knowing families, visiting, praying, doing Scripture studies
22:57 - ...sow seeds and trust God to bring the growth
24:57 - Experience as a woman and a mother helped minister to Muslim women
25:05 - ...as a single woman was "adopted" into families
25:45 - ...being married and becoming a mother opened doors
26:01 - ...passionate about prenatal care
27:02 - Advice for fellow laborers with small children
27:08 - ...things get easier as the children get older
27:11 - ...be gracious with yourself and your children
27:28 - ...be on mission as a family
27:43 - ...addressing family needs
28:05 - ...self-care is important and not selfish
30:00 - True poverty is a very foreign concept
30:17 - ...before going to another country, learn in your own context
30:25 - ...what are your walls that separate you from people?
30:45 - ...wherever you're going to minister, go as a learner and encounter Jesus
31:10 - ...recognize that service is a life-long and long-term
31:29 - ...live lives of compassion
31:56 - Join in praying for communities around the world
32:23 - Getting in touch with Anita or finding her books
32:33 - ...go to amazon.com or servantsasia.org or email rahma@servantsasia.org
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