It's a Family Vehicle

This photo was taken in the city of Tanjung Pandan on the island of Belitung among the Belitung Malay.

Most Indonesians cannot afford to buy an automobile. Therefore, a motorcycle often times is the family vehicle. It’s not unusual to see four or more people on a motorcycle. It’s also not unusual to see the children falling asleep between their parents. On occasion it happens when only one parent is on the motorcycle. At such times it’s both scary and comical to see the parent trying to drive and manage the limp body of their four or five year old child.

Fortunately, Indonesian people seem to be gifted at balancing things on motorcycles. Often times they balance large items tied down with plastic strips on the back of their motorcycles. There are normally 10 to 15 motorcycles on the road for every car or truck. To the casual observer it seems their goal is to get as close as possible to the car or truck without actually hitting them. It’s also not uncommon to see children of 8 or 9 years old driving a motorcycle on major streets with 5 and 6 year old siblings clinging to them.

Of course if there is an accident it’s automatically the fault of the car or truck, because they are the ones who have money. These factors can make driving a nerve racking experience. Oddly enough, because of the dense motorcycle traffic, the speed of traffic is not fast and this keeps the number of accidents amazingly low.

Pray that:

God will grant journey mercy to workers who often travel long distances to reach remote villages.

Motorcycle drivers will be self-aware and not put other vehicles in danger in order to save time.

Frustration on the road will not hinder the witness of workers on Sumatra.