Safety in Medan, Indonesia What do other Racers need to know in order to be safe? Current safety protocols/precautions in place? Any relevant issues/concerns? Any precautionary suggestions?
People’s Opinions
We felt very safe in Medan. We could walk around the neighborhood alone during the day, but it was recommended we travel in pairs at night. Grab is very safe to use, and Pastor David took care of most of our local transportation, so we never used public transportation.
Ministry Summary
Ministry Summary in Medan, Indonesia Breakthroughs? Suggestions? Concerns? On a scale of 1-4 (1 being not at all, 4 being absolutely) how strongly would you recommend another World Race team go to this ministry location & why?
People’s Opinions
We worked with Pastor David at Gereja Elim. He asked us to preach on Sundays, lead the youth meetings (young adults), teach English Fun camps for the neighborhood kids, and teach Sunday school for the little kids during the service. We also preached/taught at other churches for youth meetings and revivals. We led many many children’s programs at churches around town. They love it when the teams share testimonies, skits, and songs during the service as well. We did house visits with the church members and prayed for healing and shared encouraging words, sometimes doing worship with them. Pastor David arranged for us to visit a hospital to pray for healing for patients.Pastor David is a fairly indirect communicator, so don’t be afraid to ask a lot of clarifying questions and ask him for the schedule every few days. Be flexible! Sometimes ministry gets scheduled or changed last minute. Seek God’s desire for the community and be open to whatever!
Lodging
Lodging in Medan, Indonesia Where did you stay? What were the accommodations (sleeping arrangements, toilets, showers, etc.)? Cost (per person per night in USD), Contact info.
People’s Opinions
We stayed in a room in Gereja Elim church. We had mattresses, sheets, and pillows provided for us. There was no AC, but we had a fan. Most nights it got very hot. There are three squatties, two bucket showers, and one western toilet (no flushing). We had a personal water-bubbler for clean water. There is no WiFi at the church. We paid Pastor David our full budget for food (minus off-days), lodging, and transportation. We had a pretty bad ant problem, but the MaxiMart at Hermes Mall sells Raid, which was our best friend.
We stayed in a room off the church. Amazing A/C. Comfy mattresses on the floor. It does flood when it rains, but we put a tarp and rainfly up over the window and that helped a lot. Theres no wifi but it’s walking distance from a mall with wifi. There are bucket showers and squatty potties.
Food / Meals
Food / Meals in Medan, Indonesia What did you eat? Where did you get the food? Cost (per person per day in USD)? Contact info (if applicable).
People’s Opinions
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Transportation
Transportation in Medan, Indonesia What transportation did you use to enter the country? Where were you coming from? What transportation was used to move throughout the country? Be sure to include the cost per person in USD and contact info if applicable.
People’s Opinions
The best way to get to Medan from Jakarta is by flight. Pastor David picked us up from the airport, which is about an hour away. Pastor David drove us for all of our ministry activities. We used Grab on off days. Heads up the traffic here is quite awful, so it takes a long time to get anywhere, even in the city.
Medical
Medical in Medan, Indonesia Information on local hospitals / doctors / pharmacies. Where would someone go in a medical emergency? (addresses and contact info).
People’s Opinions
We had a couple of stomach bugs, ~bathroom issues~, and nasty bug bites that needed medical attention. Pastor David’s wife, Naomi, knows a good clinic near the church, and she will take you there if you need anything. If you are feeling poorly at all, let her know. She took great care of us when we were sick and she loves to “mother” us haha.
Communication
Communication in Medan, Indonesia Did you have cell reception / Internet service? Where? Carrier / Provider, where did you get phones / SIM cards, cost? Country code?
People’s Opinions
We found a small shop in the Medan airport to get SIMs. Most SIM shops only sell data, so you need to ask for a place that sells minutes/airtime for calls and texts. Our carrier was Telkomsel.The best WiFi we found was at a shop called Fountain in the Hermes mall. They have ice cream and meals in budget and you can stay there all day. It’s a nice place with AC so it’s worth it. They do change the password every now and then, so if it seems like it isn’t working, ask for the password again 🙂There is a Starbucks and Killiney Kopi, but they are much more crowded and so the wifi is much slower. The mall opens at 10am, so if you come before it opens, you can be the only person on their wifi.
Financial
Financial in Medan, Indonesia Location of banks or ATMs, notes about transaction fees, best places to exchange money, and other money related advice.
People’s Opinions
There are ATMs at Hermes Mall, in the far back corner past the MaxiMart. Pastor David knows a good exchange place if you need to exchange money at any point.
Translators
Translators in Medan, Indonesia List any local translators – name and contact information, languages spoken
People’s Opinions
Sammy was our main translator and was great. Pastor will occasionally translate as well. Ruth is learning to translate and does well but is very shy. Encourage her!John wants to practice his English but gets nervous and messes up. He translated for me one night and got very flustered but I was so proud of him for trying! Encourage him and lift him up! He gets teased a lot for not being as confident as the others. I gave him my sermon notes a few days before we preached so he could practice and learn them and that seemed to help some!
Off Days / Fun Activities
Off Days / Fun Activities in Medan, Indonesia What activities did your team experience? Recommendations? List locations/contact info. Any locations to be avoided? Any extra safety tips for off days?
People’s Opinions
If your team likes to do fancy dinners out, we recommend The Traders Restaurant! It’s around the corner from the church and they have an $8 Western buffet on Thursdays and Saturdays. Their regular menu is really nice too. It’s a great place to dress up and go to for Girls Night Out or birthdays or just for fun. Invite Pastor David and his family – they love it there!
Pastor David arranged our adventure days for us. We went to Lake Toba for ministry and stayed at a nice hotel for three days. It’s an 8 hour drive on rough roads, and there’s not a lot to do, so I’m glad we went for ministry reasons. He asked for $40 per person for transportation, which included stops for lunch and dinner there and back. We paid $12 per person out of personal money after using our lodging budget at the hotel; Pastor David got us a discount. He also drove us to the Sipiso Piso Waterfall, a three hour drive. There’s a hike and viewpoint. He just asked for our normal budget that day and provided food.
Other Important Contacts
Other Important Contacts in Medan, Indonesia Additional ministry opportunities, local pastors, etc. Relationship & follow up suggestions
People’s Opinions
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Tips
People’s Opinions
There is a laundry service down the street (P David can show you where). It is IDR 30,000 for 6kg (about 2.5 people’s full wardrobes). Wash your laundry together bc it’s 30,000 regardless of the weight under 6kg. They wash, dry, and fold in about 3 hours and your clothes come back smelling INCREDIBLE!!! 10/10 would recommend.
SunPlaza – great for food and shopping, a 20-minute Grab drive away.Vizta Gym – a great gym with tons of exercise equipment, great classes, western toilets, Air-Con, WiFi, and hot showers in the Hermes Mall; we joined for one month for IDR699,000 (about $50) and it was so so worth it.Our biggest advice: BE FLEXIBLE! The schedule changed on us a lot, and sometimes ministry would get sprung on us when we weren’t expecting it; it brought new meaning to “be ready in season and out of season!” And get to know Pastor David and his family. Ask them lots of questions and spend quality time with them. They seemed distant to us at the beginning of the month, but as we spent more time with them and invested in them, they opened up to us and became our friends.
Additional Info
Additional Info in Medan, Indonesia Anything we’ve left out? Any additional suggestions to make travel easier for others?
People’s Opinions
LOGISTICS!We did not buy sim cards here because we all had access to constant wifi and the sim cards expired after 3 days — talk to your squad leaders and TL’s about what is best for your squad.All of Indonesia was pretty much air travel, myself and my other logistics leader had to fly separately into Vietnam which was challenging. Vietnam has a very strict border crossing so we applied for our “letters” from the government 2 weeks in advance to make sure there was no problems. We accidentally got one of the passport numbers on someones visa incorrect and we ended up having to pay the border guards off (in cash) so that she could exit! So be careful!Indonesia wasn’t hard to get through security but be aware that your group brings a lot of attention so loop in TL’s as best as you can during the process that way they can keep their team members focused on making flights, not Krispy Kreme or Burger King!(protip: my team ended up needing to go on a flight to Medan the day after landing and instead of going into Jakarta — we recommend sleeping in the airport at terminal 3!! It was comfy, had aircon and was extremely safe. There are even a few food places over 24hrs and once you get through security there are free showers in the terminal!!)