What Snacks Lack

In just about any traditional market throughout Sumatra you will find a stall that has bags of snacks like this photo taken in Bandar Lampung. Most snack food like this will sell for around a dollar a bag. It is customary when you travel to buy something to bring back to your friends. The gift is called an oleh-oleh. Snacks like these are often times used as an oleh-oleh.

The idea behind the oleh-oleh is that while separated from our family and friends we thought about them a got them a little something. Doing little things to strengthen the bonds of relationships is an important value among many cultures here on Sumatra.

The difficulty comes when the number of people expecting an oleh-oleh exceeds your ability to buy or carry the oleh-oleh back from the place you visited. This cultural value is often set up to become a letdown and disappointment. It is kind of like the after Christmas letdown when the expectation doesn’t match the reality of what is received.

The root cause of the letdown is looking for satisfaction and meaning in things or relationships. Everyone who seeks satisfaction in life from people or stuff will ultimately be let down. God is the only source of ultimate satisfaction, but He is often the last source that people try after shopping around from other sources.

The best oleh-oleh is when we pray for and share the Gospel with those we love. To those who understand the value of such things, it will be more than enough. To those who do not understand, even the most extravagant oleh-oleh will only bring temporary interest. The best thing about prayer and the Gospel is that it has already been paid for by Jesus, it’s eternal, and it doesn’t take up any space or weight in your luggage!

Pray for Sumatrans to seek satisfaction in life from God.

Pray for believers on Sumatra to see the value of prayer and the Gospel so that they share both liberally with all the people around them.

Pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal the reality of how things and people can never replace God as the source of satisfaction in life.