Padang Beach
The beach has been the focus of efforts to 'clean up' the city in recent times. It's one of the places where young couples like to hang out, especially in the evening when the sea breeze is pleasant. As a result there are many places where you can buy food. In the past, some of these provided sun umbrellas for customers to sit under.
However, religious and civic leaders were unhappy about the way couples could 'hide' under these umbrellas. They could be up to all kinds of mischief and shouldn't be sitting together anyway.
So the umbrellas have gone. To use Jesus' metaphor, the cups have been cleaned on the outside but, as He said, "First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean" (Matthew 23:26).
Similar efforts regularly target night-clubs and hotels where 'illegal' couples are detained. Parents of the offenders are called, even if the offenders are in their thirties, and they sign a statement agreeing to stop this behaviour. Repeat offenders are sent away to rehabilitation camps.
The sea is calm today but beneath the waves lies a threat to the city and all the coastal towns and villages of this province. An earthquake fault line (about 300 km away) that has the potential to send a tsunami crashing through the city. It has happened before, with major tsunamis in 1797 and again in 1833.
In part at least, the efforts to keep the city 'clean' are seen as a way to ward off disasters such as tsunamis because natural disasters are understood as punishment from God.
- Pray that Minangkabau leaders would become convicted of their own sins and of their need for a Saviour.
- Ask too that they will realise the futility of outward ritual as a way to deal with sin and somehow be pointed to the true answer.
You enjoy freshly barbecued fish and rice at a waterfront restaurant as the sun sets over the Indian Ocean. Sleep well, tomorrow is a new day.