Farsijana’s Newsletter on Lenten Season 2026
- Tanggal : 20 Maret 2026
- Jam : 09:20
Faithful Stewardship and Miraculous Renewal. Reporting from Yogyakarta to our partners in the Presbyterian Church (USA)
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
In the grace of Christ’s Lenten season. I am filled with deep gratitude for returning to Indonesia. After a month back, I have been busy with festive preparations for the 11th Anniversary of the Griya Jati Rasa Foundation (House of Authentic Sense = HAS). Before sharing our mission progress, I must share an incredible personal miracle that God has given our family.
A Testimony of Grace: Bernie's Recovery
My husband, Bernie, underwent a critical heart catheterization on December 11, 2025, at John Muir Health in California. Please scan the newsletter about Bernie’s medical treatments in the State.
Following the placement of two stents, we witnessed three distinct miracles:
- The miracle of independence: Bernie has adapted remarkably and is now able to live independently in our retirement home – adjacent to Edge Resort Yogyakarta in Gunung Kidul, about an hour and a half drive from Yogyakarta – while I am teaching or leading HAS movements in the city, or traveling to engage with villagers around Yogyakarta.
- The miracle of celebration: On February 11, 2026, I celebrated my 61st birthday at our home in Yogyakarta. Our family cooked a festive feast for 40 people, inviting our entire extended family and church group to worship and eat together, giving thanks to God for Bernie’s healing. Bernie testified to God’s miracle in her life.
- The miracle of transition: Bernie has officially handed over his duties as General Manager of Edge Resort Yogyakarta to Iton, a dedicated professional committed to the resort’s five core visions. From January 1, 2025, to February 28, 2026, Bernie will be the General Manager of Edge Resort. Bernie, along with local farmers, built Edge Resort. Bernie says this is his final retirement. Hopefully, Bernie will truly retire and enjoy a well-deserved rest. We biked together to the foot of Mount Merapi, north of our home in Yogyakarta. Bernie and I have started his own weekly tai chi community in Yogyakarta, where we spend time with our grandchildren.
Prophetic Calling: Ecological Repentance
This Lent, I had the honor of leading my church group in a Bible study on Ecological Repentance and Fasting. God’s timing deeply humbles me. On June 1, 2025, when Indonesia celebrated the anniversary of Pancasila’s birth on a Sunday, a national day of celebration, I preached a sermon on the urgent need for ecological conversion. Today, that message has become a reality for me. The Synods of the Javanese Christian Churches (GKJ) and the Indonesian Christian Church (GKI) officially declared “Christ’s Resurrection Renews Creation – Ecological Easter” as the theme for this Lent. What was once just a call from the pulpit has now become a synchronized movement across our denominations.
Direct Ministry: From Church to Village.
This spirit of conversion is rooted in action. Recently, we held two Eco-enzyme harvests at our home church, GKJ Sarimulya. I taught senior members and our Muslim neighbors how to turn eco-enzymes into shampoo and detergent. Afterward, I traveled to Kebonharjo village in the Menoreh mountains north of Yogyakarta. There, I held a workshop for members of the HAS Cooperative, teaching them the science of Eco-enzymes to empower their local economy and protect their environment
Realizing the Vision: Summit at the Bapperida’s Office
This local act of repentance is at the heart of a strategic discussion to be held on March 30, 2026. Bapperida, which stands for the Regional Development, Research, and Innovation Planning Agency, will host us at its office to inaugurate the integrated, community-based, circular economy model for carbon tourism. Building on the success of the University of Maryland’s visit to Giricahyo village on January 16, while we were still in California, the village is now being prepared to serve as an international “edu-tourism” village (https://www.instagram.com/p/DTylrXaE3aK/). Hopefully, Yogyakarta will become a model region for Indonesia as a cultural and carbon province, especially for the Papuan communities, where the right of adat (traditional) communities to their land needs to be protected. At the coming strategic discussion, we will sign a new agreement with DWCU University and the An Nur Institute of Quranic Sciences (IIQ An Nur) to ensure our “carbon wage” system becomes a reality for farmers, rewarding them for keeping their ancient trees standing. So, this March is Griya Jati Rasa’s movement month. Various activities have been held, including a low-cost market held at the homes of members of the Griya Jati Rasa Consumer Cooperative. The goal is to demonstrate the co-op’s impact on the surrounding community. These cheap markets were held during the fasting month and are therefore called the Ramadan cheap market.
There were two locations. The first was at Mr. Karwaji’s place, the elder of the Griya Jati Rasa Consumer Co-op. He was the one who encouraged the Griya Jati Rasa Foundation to organize entrepreneurship training in various villages throughout Yogyakarta to establish the Griya Jati Rasa Consumer Co-op. Mr. Karwaji and his family live in Nglotak, Kaliagung village in Kulon Progo. The second Ramadan bazaar was held at the Sunan Kalijaga Islamic boarding school in Gesing, Bantul, where the chairman of the Griya Jati Rasa Consumer Co-op, Ustad Beny Susanto, and his family live. Here, after the bazaar, there was a discussion on how MSMEs can help Indonesia move toward a more advanced future. Then, we now have a long week’s holiday to celebrate Eid al-Fitr.
A week before Easter, on Palm Sunday, I will preach at the Sarimulya Javanese Christian Church, connecting the Christian revival to the renewal of creation, ecological Easter, which will also serve as a thanksgiving service for the 11th anniversary of the Griya Jati Rasa Foundation on March 28th.
The Griya Jati Rasa Foundation’s commitment to the call of churches in Papua to connect with the ecological ministry of churches in Java will be carried out through a joint Bible study via Zoom. However, first, each church and its networks in Papua and Yogyakarta will have a separate bible study. We will visit the Javanese Christian Church in Paliyan on Friday, March 27. Then the Zoom Bible study with the Papuan churches will be held on March 28, on the Griya Jati Rasa Foundation’s birthday. It is a destiny!
The theme is “Resilient Womb of the Earth,” and is also part of the Griya Jati Rasa Movement’s monthly agenda. This theme is very evident when the young pioneers of Griya Jati Rasa broke their fast together on March 13th. While waiting for the fast to break, they were given eco-enzyme training and a call for innovation. Hopefully, before they harvest the eco-enzymes within 3 months, they could develop a business model proposal for eco-enzyme derivative products, aligning with the sub-theme of the activity: “Youth Spirit: From Earth’s Womb Resilience to Green Economic Action”. To publicize all the activities in March of the Griya Jati Rasa Movement, I added a staff member, Ella, who unexpectedly arrived during my birthday service. When Ella was little, she played and danced with the village children in the Pendopo. Now, Griya Jati Rasa’s Instagram and TikTok are widely watched by netizens. I hope you will enjoy watching it too. (https://www.instagram.com/griyajatirasa/ and https://www.tiktok.com/@griyajatirasa )
How can you support our green mission?
As we celebrate 11 years of Griya Jati Rasa, I have been volunteering for the ministry since last year, after visiting churches in the State over the summer. All donations made by churches and individuals are distributed directly to the Griya Jati Rasa Foundation. I have written in detail about how these donations are allocated to support this ministry. You can read about it separately by scanning this barcode.
Prayer Requests:
For Bernie’s continued health in his third retirement. For the Ecological Conversion movement throughout the synod during this Lenten season. For the upcoming March 30th summit with the provincial government.
Thank you for walking this journey of miracles and mission with us.
In the service of Christ.
Farsijana.
