Good bye

It was in that cold, fresh-after-the-rain, night that I had this brief conversation with the lodge owner, Dr Ratulangi - a retired medical doctor who is now running the lodge with his wife. In his good command of English, after asking me how my experience of exploring part of Manado has been, he said,"Sandra, the Minahasan people are nice people. When they like you, they will like you.." and I was truly overwhelmed. This place really humbled me.

Yes, I was being taken care of very well by my host to Manado this time. Shelley who treated me as her young sister and Dr Wiske, a lecturer at local university always do their best to make sure that I am alright and checking on my needs from time to time.

Through out my current career, I have been traveling around and always connect with people. As before, I always love this warm and humble people of North Sulawesi. Be it Sanghie or Minahasan - I felt their warmth embracing the very core of me. That makes me want to come back again here, and to protect this people from the harsh element of modernization that may impact this warm culture. I'd love to see many people to come back here again and again, because they feel the same way as I do.

There was a point that I prayed a silent prayer that the river of revival will flow here too as what we have experienced in Ba Kelalan thus makes them the province that is pleasing to God and tasting the blessings on their land and people, as how we have experience in our own land right now. Let the river of revival flows from Mount Murud to this province - and God will bring them up, for His Glory!

Good bye Minahasan. Good bye Sangir's. Thank You for your warmth and I will come back again.