may 2012, universitas sebelas maret
Launching of Solo Mengajar.
Hanny Setiawan invited me to attend the launching of Solo Mengajar he had initiated with his passionate team in education.

Actually i just met him twice before. His apprentice, Elvin, was a dear friend of mine, a young woman who had come at the right time with the right questions to rejuvenate my long-dormant cells about the vision God has put in my heart.

Wait, that vision stuff, will be another one long episode to write, so let me just get back to this may 2012 event.

Hanny just told me to come for the lecture of Anies Baswedan and this name was totally a stranger to me. I did not even pronounce it correctly at the beginning.

yet, why was the drive so strong to go?
1. i needed a getaway, and solo i had never been before.
2. i respected hanny a lot
3. i wanted to expand my view, not just seeing the same spots, same holes, same angles around me all the time about education

i went with Elvin and this also pleased me.

i forgot the date, it was around 10am that you had found me sitting on the front row, jaw-droppedly staring and listening to every word this "Anies Baswedan" guy was talking.

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"What do you think is the richest resource this nation has?" he asked. and the murmuring voices sound some agreed objects such as: gold, spices, coals and i myself murmured: cpo?

he said: It is you and me, the richest resource this nation has.
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 a young , fired-up-tone, but bitter (i think) gentleman raised a question:
"Why education has to be expensive, shouldnt it be free or affordable for everyone?"

ABW replied again: 
"Gentleman. Education is expensive. it is a matter of who has covered to make it less expensive."

i sat there among hundreds of those university students, watching the slideshows of "Pengajar Muda" (quality university grads who have devoted their "one primary year" after graduating to the remote areas of Indonesia and taught the elementary students there). 

I watched and i listened and i knew i was at the very moment witnessing the vision is just happening.

For two years (2000-2002)before i finally decided that i have to go back hometown, i kept asking GOD if Indonesia was still a hope, or a hole.

One night, in Vena's room (my friend in sunday school teachers team), i opened her Bible and somehow i was led to read this part, a chapter written by a prophet, Isaiah:

Isaiah 58:10-12

New King James Version (NKJV)

¹⁰ If you extend your soul to the hungry
And satisfy the afflicted soul,
Then your light shall dawn in the darkness,
And your darkness shall be as the noonday.
¹¹ The Lord will guide you continually,
And satisfy your soul in drought,
And strengthen your bones;
You shall be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
¹² Those from among you
Shall build the old waste places;
You shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach,
The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.

As i was finally standing to sing together my national anthem "Indonesia Raya" and the song Hanny wrote "Berawal dari hati" with all of us that morning, i whispered to God in tremble and tears:
"Yes my Lord, i have seen it. i am not alone. i am now in one of these chosen people, you called as the repairer of the breach, restorer of the streets to dwell in"