Rosie and I had breakfast this morning at our hotel. We had communication problems with our waitress and there’s no working internet, so we couldn’t use that to explain ourselves. So it was exciting to wait and see what we would end up eating. And it was perfect! Omelettes and fresh papaya and watermelon. Wonderful.

We wandered round some streets looking for an ATM and came across this wonderful street graffiti on an old abandoned building.

We were picked up from our hotel by a Canadian lady Karen and an American lady Emily who drove us to a kampung – a traditional community, usually with slum or ghetto overtones. Where we met two amazing Indonesian sisters Ida and Lila who have founded a company called House of Diamonds. By asking lots of questions we heard their story. Their mother left them when they were toddlers and babies to work in the Middle East and they didn’t see her again till they were in their late teens. They ended up working in sweat shops where they experienced abuse and mistreatment and forced to work 13 hours with unrealistic production quotas day in and day out.

One day when Ida was a teenager and home in her locked house, lying on her bed she was visited by a man who touched her feet and filled the room with light. She wondered who it was and how it had happened. Many years later, her mother came back home and was very sick in bed and couldn’t get better. Ida heard about a lady who lived nearby who would pr*y for people to get better. So she asked her to come to pr+y for her mother. So this lady did. Her mother fell into a sleep and woke up several hours later completely healed. Ida talked to this lady to learn more about how this happened. And after about a year, decided to change her spiritual allegiance.

By this stage, she was learning how to be a seamstress and was very good at it and had a great clientele, especially among Westerners. Ida’s sister Lila was also a seamstress and after a few years also changed her allegiance. And together they have creatively  worked about finding ways to employ marginalised and at-risk women in their community. A couple of Western friends have given them some business skills – like marketing, budgeting, business plans.

But the rest is theirs. They are amazing women! It is organically growing. They now have 16 women working for them. They have taught them sewing and leadership skills. Some of these women are now becoming respected leaders in their communities.

We drove on to another kampung where we walked up and down and through the narrow streets, along the little river running through, to visit in their little cement houses some of the ladies who are working for House of Diamonds. Ida and Lila teach them their skills and then they can do it in their homes so they can still look after their children and families.

With a mixture of Indonesian, English, mime and laughter having wonderful visiting times with these women. Hearing some of their background stories. Some of them sold by their father or husband into prostitution. Drinking hot and sweet tea (Felicity says they put about 7 teaspoons of sugar in each cup.) Eating Indonesian sweet treats. Having my hand henna painted. Having just a glimpse of what daily life is like here for these women. Seeing why Ida and Lila are so passionate about empowering at-risk women. They really are amazing women.

Then Rosie and I went with Karen and Emily, Ida and Lila for lunch and talked and talked. About their lives, their past history, their vision, the future. So much to process and think about. How can Rosie make it feasible in Perth?

We’ve had a wonderful evening with Felicity and Adam. We had dinner with them. Ate blue-coloured salty duck eggs. I got mine down. But Rosie didn’t! Elijah who is 2½ years old told his Daddy, “I’m going to ask Auntie Rosie to play with me and she’s going to say Yes!” He was right. Rosie had a great time playing with him. We’ve had a wonderful day.

We are so blessed and challenged to have this opportunity to meet such amazing people. What a day!

You can check out House of Diamonds and the work they are doing here http://hod-indonesia.com/