Today, around 7:30am Indo time – Oma came back to her maker. Her health took a dramatic turn to the worse at the end of 2018, so while the news was surprising but it was also not unexpected.

Never expected to open the new year with the loss of someone that I hold very near to heart. I feel a bit upset with the whole Covid thing, it has robbed me a chance to meet her in 2020 (as we were planning to come back in the mid of 2020).

However I was thankful that I made the solo trip back to Indo in June 2019 – with the sole purpose of meeting her. From memory, something had happened to her, maybe she was falling ill and needing hospitalisation for few times. So mum and auntie encouraged me to go back and see her just in case. Lina was very supportive of the idea too. And I glad that I did it.

I will look at week long trip with a lot of fondness. My main purpose was to share the gospel with her and in a way saying goodbye and saying thank you to her for bringing me up. I read the bible to her and pray with her every day when I was there. I don’t know whether in the end she entrusted her life to Jesus or not, when I asked she said she wasn’t ready. Just like most Indonesians, she “believes” in Jesus – but we Christian knows, believe means putting Jesus as king of your life.

My last picture with Oma – June 2019

I would like to think that God softens her heart in the end, as my son Matthew never failing to pray for her to accept Jesus in his daily prayer.

It broke my heart to see how much her health has deteriorated, her mind was affected too – she forgot quite a lot of things (and it’s gotten worse since). And I can see she was in pain too from her back injury. So in a way, like Lina said it’s a good thing that she can be liberated from the pain.

Before I left to go back to Sydney, she asked me to come back again and see her – I am sorry Oma I couldn’t make it in the end.

What do I remember of her? Well, I remember that she cares about me a lot. I always regard her as my primary carer as she was always around present at home and consequently I am closer to her than anyone else at Trunojoyo household. Reflecting that fact, it just dawned on me on the importance for parents for being present for their children as much as possible.

She’s a tough woman – her husband died young and she had to raise her 2 daughters and running the furniture business and other ventures on her own.

She’s also good at managing money and wealth, she managed not to only preserve whatever wealth that the husband left her but she managed to expand it as well through her hard work. I remember how sharp her mind was especially around number and money, maybe I got this from her as I quite enjoy the aspect of managing banks, investment etc.

She has her flaws, she is very hard to trust people and was suspicious of people. Her distrust of people was getting worse as she ages. If only she can lay her worries to Jesus – she would live a much more peaceful life.

Is there any regret? Yeah, of course, I wish I could look after her on her old age as she has looked after me well. Often I asked her if there’s anything that she wants, she always said no. On the later years, when I go back to Indo – I always left a small amount of money as a token of appreciation for her (usually in a secret place after I leave the house to the airport – so she can’t refuse), she’s always thankful for that but she said it’s unnecessary.

She’s been generous to me with her money, her gift enabled me to buy my first apartment and start off my property investment journey – so I really thankful for that.

Good bye Oma, thank you for raising me up and looking after me. I won’t be who I am today without you. I am really going to miss you, I actually have been missing you for awhile, I miss the healthy in mind and physically healthy version of you. I love you and good bye.