Oh the places you'll go!

Christmas and New Year's was so much fun. My second cousin, Myron was with us, along with Karen, a friend of Charis's.

Tree-top walk

Deep in conversation on the way home

Karen's beans, one of the many dishes we enjoyed in our Christmas feast on

Christmas day with Australian friends

Fun preparing for the feast

Oh the foods we eat!!!

Christmas Eve was a special time of sharing gifts for Jesus and praying over Myron's cancer. Thank you, Jesus, that he is cancer-free!!!

I had only met Myron a couple times before, so it was great to hang out. What an inspiration he and his Bible memory are! He has literally memorized entire books of the Bible--I forget how many altogether, but most of Genesis, a bunch of epistles, and he is now finishing up Hebrews. He has a schedule he cycles through each week to recite the books. Thanks for setting the bar high, Myron!

Bicycle ride

Dad's vacation look

New Year's Eve

Arriving just an island away...

Ha ha, I like this youtube. Enjoy. : )

Merry Christmas!

Click here for a cool Christmas song

A little trouble getting up from our family pose for the Christmas card. :) It's great to be together. We also have my second cousin with us as well as a friend of my sister's. Good times with Dutch Blitz and fast scrabble. :)

33

Fifteen years ago, at age 33, Barack Obama wrote an autobiography, "Dreams of My Father." I started reading the book a few weeks ago and could hardly put it down for the first several chapters. I don't keep tabs on politics at all, but I have loved getting to know my president this way. Makes me want to sit down and have a good chat with him. What a story. What a background. I'm only about halfway through, so it's still a bit soon to rave about it, but just been thinking more about how important it is to pray for our leaders and how:

there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. (Romans 13:1)

Have 25 minutes?

What a blessing. If you can find 25 free minutes, please sit down and watch this video on prayer.

Thanks for sharing it, mom.

Flash Mob

My dad sent me this youtube link of a flash mob in Canada.It made me cry--approaching an "ugly cry" as my friend calls it. Not just a few tears escaping here and there. The Hallelujah Chorus... Handel surely must have gotten an actual glimpse of heaven to put that together! Wow. This gives a picture of the power of the arts. Some people will not listen to preaching or certain messages that go against their own beliefs, but if it is packaged in an art form, it is acceptable. I saw this comment on youtube:

I'm an atheist and I thought this was really cool :) it made me smile....Handel is awesome :)

A friend gave me tickets to attend a Handel's Messiah concert tonight. Looking forward to it!

A Memorable Thanksgiving

On Wednesday evening, out of nowhere I remembered with a jolt, Tomorrow is Thanksgiving!... and I have no plans whatsoever! Nor did I know any Americans here to bum a meal off of. If I was going to have any kind of a thanksgiving, it was up to me.

So yesterday I left work early and did a lot of shopping at the market. Then I opened up all the windows and enjoyed cooking in my lovely kitchen. Thanks to a couple extra hands for veggie preps and artistic touches, I was able to pull off a thanksgiving meal for friends from work and home. It was so fun. I've never tried doing the whole thanksgiving meal on my own.

The menu was limited due to time and availability, so no green bean casserole or turkey. But I bought the biggest broiler I could find (2.5 lbs), and even experimented with stuffing, something I never cared much for. It wasn't bad! The pumpkin pie was completely from scratch, down to crust, making pumpkin puree, and crushing the nutmeg & ginger. Who said making pie crust was easy?!!! I have decided it is NOT. Maybe I need a new recipe or private lessons?

The mashed potatoes were a big hit. I didn't know what Indonesians would think of the food, but they were so excited and appreciative of sharing the meal & holiday with me. I am so blessed.

My family has a thanksgiving tradition of passing around an ear

of maize around the table after the meal, breaking off kernels and dropping them in a bowl as we share things we are thankful for. I didn't have an ear of maize, but one of my guests spotted a bag of raw peanuts, and it was perfect! Life is all about improvising. : )

The rest of the evening, people dropped peanuts in the bowl, expressing thankfulness for various things as they passed through the dining room.

Birthday # 33

Surprise! I am still in shock. My mom and sister showed up from Singapore

at my kost Friday night to spend the weekend with me. That afternoon I had been hankering after girlie time--sleepover, movies, chocolate, pampering.... And boy did I ever get a weekend full of it! And with my best girl friends in the world.

Dad had been traveling around Indonesia and was in Jakarta Saturday night, so we were a family of 4 for 16 hours. There couldn't have been a

better way to celebrate my birthday.

I kept saying, "I just can't believe that you came! We were just together in Singapore and will be together again for Christmas...!" My dad said, "We are going to burn up the road between Singapore and Jakarta while we can. After you leave in May we don't know how often we'll be able to get together."

I felt so valued and loved. When mom and Charis left Sunday afternoon, I walked inside starting to feel sad they were gone, and then my team from the island called to wish me a happy birthday. As we were wrapping up a fun long chat, there was a knock on my door and it was my good friend from down the street. No chance for loneliness. : )

Fancy breakfast buffet Sunday morning before dad had to leave us.

Buddhism & great reads

Last month I sat next to a young girl on the plane who was Buddhist. I asked her a lot of questions, and realized I hardly know a thing about this major belief system, apart from having read Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha in high school. So I have begun studying it. Very fascinating. Currently reading "The Reason for God" by Timothy Keller. So far I highly recommend it. Finding it the perfect accompaniment to my studies on Buddhism.

Here are my notes from Scribbling in the Sand, which I absolutely loved! Insights into the imagination, creativity and community vs. industry. Humbly presented (as always) by Michael Card. I think I can safely say you will be blessed with new insight if you take at least a couple minutes to skim over it. It is not just for people who consider themselves artists. I bolded the parts that I found especially applicable to anyone. (let me know if the link doesn't work for you)

Lately I seem to be having a lot of lessons in surrender. This song came to mind while journaling this morning, and I bawled as I listened to it over and over, reflecting on my heart as well as the things I'm learning about Buddhism.

It's all about you, Jesus
And all this is for you
For your glory and your fame
It's not about me
As if you should do things my way
You alone are God and I surrender to your ways

Jesus, Lover of my soul
All-consuming fire is in your gaze
Jesus, I want you to know
I will follow you all my days
For no one else in history is like you
and history itself belongs to you
Alpha and Omega, you have loved me
And I will share eternity with you

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow you...

(see video link at end of post)

Unbelievable confirmations and ever-increasing joy have been my companions this last week or so. Certainly goodness and mercy are at my heels. When I considered moving to this massive city, my biggest dread was traffic. I could not imagine having to deal with sitting in it and especially paying exorbitant taxi fares to get around (or sit around as it would be). To jump to the punch line of one of God's great blessings, I can currently WALK to:

• work (12 min)
• church (1 min)
• all kinds of local cuisine (from 2 steps to however many steps I am in the mood for)
• my bank or an ATM (3 min)
• an open-air, fresh-produce market (5 min)
• a dry market (clothes, jewlry etc) - 5 min
• several convenience stores (around 5 min or less)
• the dentist (2 min)
• pharmacy (3 min)
• photo printing (1 min)
• salons for haircuts, massages, etc (3 min)
• my new wonderful friend's place (6 min)
• post office (4 minutes)
• internet cafes (4, 8, and 10 min)
• dorm where co-workers live (less than 10 min)
• three mega-malls (10-20 min)--where you can get ANYTHING

...just to name a few. After a massive inner struggle & finally surrendering my desperation to be "settled," He provided me with a living situation that:

• does not compromise my integrity
• has high security
• is with 8 other working girls near my age
• gives me space to myself nearly the size of the house C & I shared
• has a tiled, indoor bathroom! (my room is also tiled)
• does my laundry for me!
• includes a great kitchen
• has 2 big refrigerators
• has indoor gardens
• includes my own terrace (ok, private access to the cement roof) : )
• has tons of closet , drawer, desk, cabinet space for organizing, which means I was able to completely unpack my belongings for the first time in several years

An all-around, beautiful, massive house with several living room areas, located in a place of utmost convenience (as you can see from the first list).

Click here for a video of my new life--New Haven, ride to work, and some stills. Sorry I'm not very steady with the camera! Try not to get sea sick.

Is it near or far? LARGE or small?

Every time I returned to the island after being in my supply town, I had to convince people that I had NOT gone to America in my 1 or 2-week absence, and would try to paint a picture of how massive that distance is. But how do you give perspective to someone who lives on an island 65 miles long that goes to the "city" a few times a year (10 miles away) and considers a town 35 miles away a once-in-a-lifetime experience?

A few days after I left the island, my old village got cell phone signal. So, while I was staying 5 miles down the road from them, I never heard from them unless I physically visited. And now, a thousand miles away, I hear from them daily (often multiple times a day). Ah, the irony.

So last week, I get this call from a dear sweet lady I love in my old village, and she tells me that she and her 70-yr-old husband are in the same city as me! I couldn't believe it. I had to see it with my own eyes. So yesterday, after passing the phone around to several people
on both ends, I managed to get some directions I hoped to be able to follow. I left work early and set out on a series of bus rides in search of my friends who were a very long way from home (and not exactly "in" the city). :) But I found them! And here's the proof.

Maybe it is a small world after all.
Or just all a matter of perspective....

Journal Journeys

I had been meaning to share some stuff from journals but haven't had time online, so here's some catching up. The first one is just so you can see how wonderfully God came through for me.

October 4, 2010

Jesus... Where would you have me? You know I hate making decisions; please don't leave it up to me!... Do I stay on in this country?... Do I go back to the U.S.? What there? Where? What about ethno-arts? Lord, the possibilities seem fairly endless, and I could all too quickly get overwhelmed or go crazy thinking about and evaluating them. You are my Creator, my Husband, my Builder. As my Husband, lead me. Be the initiator. As my Creator and Builder, build/create my plans for a future of hope.

Boy has He ever responded loving and tenderly and BIG!

The theme of my 33rd year has been the cross. It is an area seriously under-understood by me. On October 8 I was on week 7 ("The Suffering of Christ") of the 8-week prayer guide I mentioned in a September post. After following/seeking Jesus for over 25 years, it seems I should have encountered the cross by now. But this was the first time (I think!) that I encountered the cross in a real, personal way. I wish it hadn't taken this long. Sharing excerpts from my journal that day:

If it was for me only, would you still have done it? Lived on earth, suffered torture and died like you did?
As I pondered it, struggled to activate my imagination at the cross, the question morphed into: Would it have been necessary? If it was only me? Would that sacrifice have been necessary? Ugly, ugly question, exposing the state of my sin and the attitude of my heart! Surely not all that would have been needed? Is my sin so great? Maybe death, but all that torture?
"The life is in the blood."
"Blood poured out."
Even crucifixion alone would not have produced much blood, would it? The life is in the blood. That was how sacrifices worked--the blood poured out. My very nature is sin, thanks to Adam and Eve, my very own ancestors, my great, great, great x? (not-so-great, nor so grand) grandparents. You set before us life and death, and of course we choose death. Yes, you had to die and rise again to break the power of death if I am to to be able to live in a holy place forever! And with a Holy God.... Thank you for paying my ransom! That terribly costly price for my freedom--even for the freedom to accept that I am a sinner, that I am in need of a Savior....
As far as the east is from the west
so far have you moved my sin from me
stretched out on that cross
your hands that flung stars into space
flung my wrongs, my sin
beyond the grasp of any being,
mortal or immortal,
visible or invisible
never to return again.
never to be retrieved.
I am free! I am free!
Jesus, come dance with me.
"Some Place East of the River"
"O Amazing"

Fire/Earthquake Drill

This morning my host mother came in my room and said, there will be a fire/earthquake drill in a few minutes; you're welcome to join if you want but you don't have to....

Now this I wanted to experience. I am glad we are only on the 16th floor. Apparently they used to live on the 41st floor, and had an earthquake in the middle of the night--that would NOT have been a fun stairway experience.

Made a 1-min video you can check out here. Love how everyone is out for a morning stroll! Wonder how quick they move when it's the real deal?

All in all, quite impressed with how organized they were. They even had free water for everyone. If you ever wondered how evacuation happens for a mall of 10 floors with 8 towers of 36-floor apartment buildings on top of it, now you have an idea.... :)

Birthday fun & looking ahead

Happy Birthday #62, Dad! We had a great time celebrating both Charis & dad's birthday tonight at California Pizza Kitchen.
1 appetizer (Spinach Artichoke Dip), 1 soup (Sedona Tortilla),
1 salad (Grilled veggie), 1 main course (thin crust Greek Pizza) and 1 dessert (Key Lime Pie). UH-MA-ZING. As Charis says:

Food always tastes better shared.

It is so true. And the fellowship was just as good if not better than the food. To top it all off, they forgot to put our pizza on the bill, and didn't bother changing it when we pointed it out! Great night. :)


Meanwhile, sleep has been eluding me. This morning I dreamt we were having an earthquake here in Singapore. But almost every
night I wake up at some point with the sensation of swaying--I mean, for the last few years. Post-traumatic-syndrome from living in a major earthquake zone? I don't know. But this morning, I thought, is going to live in this high-riser a great idea with whatever my issue is? (see picture of where I will be staying as of next week)
Help! Do I stay in those apartments or find another place?

Surprise, surprise, surprise!

I thought I would surprise Charis and stop in Singapore on the way to my upcoming home. My parents were in the U.S. and a friend from Papua was spending the weekend with her for her birthday. Around 11:30 Saturday night I arrived at the apartment and noted that the office light was on. I retrieved the secret key, quietly let myself in, walked into the office and stood just inside the doorway.Mici was sitting on the couch at my elbow, and Charis was in a chair with her body facing me but her head was turned to the TV, making comments to Mici. After about 20 seconds, I wondered when they would notice me? Finally, Mici sensed a presence in the room, turned, and stared at me as if I were a ghost. It took Charis a bit longer, but finally she turned and saw me. Her jaw hit the floor, then her feet started jogging and dancing in place (still seated), and then she started doing a crazy jumping dance, snapping her hands Papuan-style. "Mici, I told you I had a sister!" It took several minutes before I got my hugs. Above is our posed reinactment--faces only, not the staging. :) Oh-so-satisfying to pull that off.

Indian food after church (left) and a Chinese smorgasbord for supper (below), a fun treat from gracious Singaporean friends.

Man I love surprises! So much so, that this was a double/triple-whammy scheme. My parents were due in from the U.S. late Monday night/Tuesday morning and I had not informed them of my plans. So when they arrived at 1:30 a.m. this morning, I was in their bed, praying they would not have heart attacks. Success. And their shock was equally as rewarding as Charis's. : )

Charis's birthday was Sunday and dad's is Thursday. I'll be here for his, too, and then head on to my new post on Tuesday. Going from an island with the population of a large university to one of the largest cities in the world (and less than 1/3 the land), I think I'm the one who is in for the next surprise (pray I don't have a heart attack!).

Mmmm... cool, minty bliss...

That's what I was looking forward to when I was thoughtfully gifted with this rare treasure of mint Milanos. And I had cool, minty bliss the whole bag through--almost. Yesterday I saw there were 3 cookies left in the bag, so I determined I would not eat them all in one day. I ate 2. Today, with anticipation, I pulled the bag out of the fridge (I'm in a city now, remember, so this house has one), pulled out that last paper tray, was about to pick up the cookie, and saw this:

Oh my goodness.... Oh my goodness.... That is all I could say. I cannot for the LIFE of me figure out how that cicak (lizard, sort of like a gecko) got in there! The bag was completely sealed when I got it, and upon first opening, I immediately put it in the fridge, and there it has remained between all uses.
I am totally baffled. HOW did he get in there?
Is this my destiny?



Mint Milano anyone?

Goodbye

In case you haven't heard, I left the island on September 25 after 5 weeks of wrapping up my work, life, home & belongings.


Yes, I just got a new teammate in February.

Yes, we just signed (& paid!) for a 3-year house contract in April.

Yes, 2010 has been crazy. :)


Ummm, please don't ask me what is next. I will let you know once things become clearer.

Thanks for tracking my trails!





(resting after packing up the house & having a garage sale in the kitchen)






(stopping for fresh juice and journaling at a favorite lookout spot we liked to call "Applebees" after my goodbyes in my new village)





(adventures with the pre-teens from my old village)





(last visit with a good friend)...
D was my neighbor when first arriving on the island. She went from being single with no prospects, to getting engaged to a man she knew for only a few months (not uncommon), to getting married, to moving to town, to having a baby (who is almost 1)! All in my nearly-3-yrs on the island.
Look back at her wedding day here.

Jane Eyre

I've watched the movies (there are 3), and love the story, but have never read the book. Reading the classic now, and came across this great stuff last night:

...I will keep the law given by God; sanctioned by man. I will hold to the principles received by me when I was sane, and not mad--as I am now. Laws and principles are not for times when there is no temptation: they are for such moments as this, when body and soul rise in mutiny against their rigour; stringent are they; inviolate they shall be. If at my individual convenience I might break them, what would be their worth? They have a worth--so I have always believed; and if I cannot believe it now, it is because I am insane--quite insane, with my veins running fire, and my heart beating faster than I can count its throbs. Preconceived opinions, foregone determinations are all I have at this hour to stand by; there I plant my foot.

and I love the description Mr. Rochester gives in response to seeing her resolution:

...Consider that eye: consider the resolute, wild, free thing looking out of it, defying me, with more than courage--with a stern triumph. Whatever I do with its cage, I cannot get at it--the savage, beautiful creature! If I tear, if I rend the slight prison, my outrage will only let the captive loose. Conqueror I might be of the house; but the inmate would escape to heaven before I could call myself possessor of its clay dwelling-place. And it is you, spirit--with will and energy, and virtue and purity--that I want; not alone your brittle frame. Of yourself you could come with soft flight and nestle against my heart, if you would: seized against your will, you will elude the grasp like an essence--you will vanish ere I inhale your fragrance....

Made me think of Matthew 10:28

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Internet Fast

The Internet totally quit on the island, so I was on a forced Internet Fast for the past 5 weeks while I was there. Today I left the island, so it is over. It was a good thing to be without it for those particular weeks of my life. Not ready to check email yet, nor ready to look much at the computer. Baby steps....
(pic: adventure with the middle-schoolers from my old village)

Reading

I got stuck in Singapore for a while doing some processing and was able to be with the whole fam. A great blessing. While there, I did more reading than I have in a while. Here's what I've had my nose in lately, and highly recommend them all:


Can't wait to get back to Scribbling in the Sand. I picked it up at a conference where I saw Michael Card. He got put on hold while I borrowed a Henri Nouwen anthology: Beauty of the Beloved, which was excellent. After that I now know which Henri Nouwen book I want to read. And last week I started this 8-week prayer guide, based on Ignatius' "Spiritual Exercises." I am looking forward to the journey.

A great sermon of Henri Nouwen's on being the beloved. Read on if you are interested. I am trying to learn this lesson, to believe myself to be the beloved.
(disclaimer: markings on pages are not mine)