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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