That Darn Cat

Great movie by the way. Would love to watch it again. It's hard to go wrong with Haley Mills.

A dog scared Frack up a tree on Sunday, and he was still in the tree Monday morning, crying pitifully. Jason got a ladder and got him down. Tuesday when he got home from work, Frack was back up the tree! Twice as high. Too high for a ladder. After 4 nights in the tree (windy, freezing temps at night, and even some rain!), we decided to take action. The rescue effort proved successful, but only because Frack stepped on a dead branch and fell out of the tree. I hope he has learned his lesson, but I won't be surprised if we find him up there again. I couldn't believe he survived so well! Cats have some sort of miracle powers. Here is a 15-sec video of the rescue operation.

My sister is married!!!

What a GORGEOUS, God-honoring day.

And I now officially have a brother-in-law!

Click here to watch them exchange their wedding vows.

Below are a few pictures from family cameras.

Can't wait for the photographer's pictures to come out!

above: pre-wedding photo of family that came from out of town
(photographer said act crazy, but you can see who heard/understood. haha)

Charis was hoping for a full chapel, and in the end it was so full people had to stand in the back!

The happy Mr. & Mrs.

Yenny dances in the bridal party to "Wonderful Day"

Family!

Sister & Brother-in-law Time

Sundanese food

Enjoying the gazebo at the villa

Sisters!

Noodles

We wanted to make banana bread but had no oven, so we created a "Dutch oven"--rocks in the bottom of a pot, and had some small aluminum loaf pans. YUM! SUCCESS!

Charis the cooking artist

Ika came to visit! SO WONDERFUL to see her again and catch up. I've missed you, Kak!

Mmmmm.... one of my favorite dishes. Sate Ayam (grilled chicken on a stick with peanut sauce)

Can't let any of that good sauce go to waste!

Sun's rays peeking out at sunset

A True Story

On April 1 this year, I was sitting at a stop light on my way home from a camping trip. Thumbing through a stack of mail, I saw an envelope with a return address sticker from a Jason Fickling. Surely not Jason himself? I wondered as I stared in disbelief, and then decided, It must be from his parents. Maybe his father's first name is Jason, too, but he uses his middle name?

Around 36 years ago my parents met the Ficklings at church while living in Waxhaw, NC. The couples became special friends and over the years, every time my family went back to the U.S., we would get together with the Ficklings. They credit my parents with leading them into a relationship with the Lord. Their daughter and son were in between Charis and I in age. Even as an adult traveling without my parents, the Fickling house was a stop I continued to make. I loved listening to Sue's stories and eating her cooking. While I knew I had encountered Jason before, I had no memories of him. I knew he was out there somewhere, but aside from a few old childhood photos of us together, I had no connection with him.

I opened the envelope with great curiosity and my eyes bulged at the sight of a hand-written letter from the man himself! That night on skype with my mom, I said, “You’ll never guess who I got a letter from today.....” She was quiet, and when I told her, she didn’t look surprised. Odd. Instead she said,

“Well, I guess it’s time to fill you in on something,”

and she forwarded an email to me that she had sent to Jason’s mother a couple weeks earlier, suggesting that correspondence from her son might cheer me up in the rough time I was having. That was the heart of it, but there was more. The email had been signed by my mom, dad, and sister!

Jason’s short letter was no more than a simple attempt at encouragement. He closed it by saying,

“Don’t feel any obligation to write back. Only write back if you feel like it.”

Well, I felt like it!!! Over the next couple months, our SNAIL mail correspondence increased in volume and decreased in time intervals. I discovered he had lived a quiet life of working (diesel mechanic for FedEx Freight), eating, sleeping, reading, fly fishing, house cleaning, and a little carpentry. His parents forced him into a cell phone the year before, and in June, he entered the 21st century and bought a computer (against my protests, but I was soon glad he did! His ideas & decisions are usually better than mine), and created his first email address.

On June 11 I received a test email from Jason, and correspondence sky-rocketed from there. On June 15, I drove up to his parents’ house in Gastonia, NC for our first meeting that we both remember (he lives 20 miles from them). Six-foot-four met five-foot-three in a long bear hug, as if we had known each other all our lives. I had been a wreck through all our correspondence, wondering if I would have half the attraction to him in real life that I did through his writing. I need not have worried. He was everything I had imagined and more.

After talking around marriage over the months, the engagement became official on Friday, September 14.

That is the story in a very small nutshell. In some ways it is a fairy-tale, but as we have discovered, real life is hard, complicated, and not like the movies. If I wrote a novel, it would include:

• the miseries of a long-distance relationship (which has a few advantages too);
• the struggle for both of us mentally shifting from being happily single to considering marriage (he never had a desire for marriage, and I was convinced I never would marry);
• the astonishing number of little ways we are alike and the handful of major ways we are different (ex: globe-trotter vs. thoroughbred Carolina boy);
• things I love about him (maybe another post?);
• the huge changes that have been taking place in Jason’s life (his story to tell);
• and the journey for me in making up my mind (poor Jason, who quickly knows his mind).

It has been both a happy and agonizing journey. Now it is WONDERFUL to be past my slow decision-making process and engaged!

I am in awe of the treasure God has been unwrapping before me in this man, and cannot wait to marry him. A two-hour engagement period would have suited him; one month would have suited me, but it looks like the soonest we’ll be able to get my family to the U.S. will call for a December wedding. It will be small, but I hope to do a virtual (live-stream) wedding, so stay tuned!

My parents were coming to the U.S. this month for meetings, and decided to come several days earlier than planned in order to spend some time with Jason and myself and his parents. So we were able to celebrate the very special occasion together.

What a year for our family. Charis and I always told our parents we were fine with an arranged marriage––that we trusted them to choose for us. Mom and dad, you done real good.

(one of Charis' engagement photos)

48-hour film project

My pastor entered a film-making competition and I got to be a part of it. Lots of fun. View the finished product here: Choose to Win.

Intern video

I had the privilege of working with 5 interns in Orlando this summer. This is their 10th and final week, and they made a video that you can watch on youtube. Enjoy!

High Tea in Pajamas

Ding-dong!

Dinner: cheese fondue

Dessert: chocolate fondue

 High tea time and sharing

 Sugar cubes!!!

mmm... cinnamon stick

and somehow, after all the tea & chocolate, I was able to sleep. Oh, wait, at 3 am.

If There's Anything Good in Me

I've been listening to this song a LOT lately:
It Must Be You (Moses), sung by Bart Millard

I'd like to look in the mirror without hiding my eyes
I'd like to see what You see, why You think I'm qualified
To speak for You, O God, Most High

Who hides a baby in the reeds of a river, until he's grown?
Gives him a stage and the strength to deliver his people home?
'Cause I'm tongue-tied, weak in the knees
Must be something you only see

If there's anything good
Anything that's good in me
Well, it must be You
Must be You
And if there's any part of my shaking heart
To see this journey through it must be You
Must be You
It must be You

Not gonna argue with fiery branches that speak my name
Not gonna start taking backward glances from where we came
'Cause tomorrow's holding our dreams
But today I'm here on my knees

O God of parting water, God of falling bread
If my words should falter, will You speak instead?
You must see something good
You must see something true
It must be You
It must be You

Jadon Lavik

Came across this song, "Surrender" tonight, sung by Jadon Lavik. I love his hymn renditions, but I had never seen any of his other stuff. I particularly like the last 2 lines of verse 3.

Another step on the path of confusion;
Troubled heart can't find it's melody
Held under by my nature's fall
Held up by this love for me 

Another day spent fighting motives
Trapped in all the pointless games
Tired of holding on to my guilt
I'm tired of feeling all this shame 

So here's all I have
Here's all I can give
I surrender it all to you
I give you everything I do
Let it be my joy tonight
My burden lifted high
I surrender it all to you 

Broken from the weight of choices
No more strength to hold my head
But helpless is right where you want me
And helpless is where I am free

The Fellowship of the Ring

After several months I finally finished this work of Tolkien's. I have no desire to read the other 2. But a couple quotes I noted from the book:

"Just a plain hobbit you look," said Bilbo [after dressing Frodo in his concealed armor]. "But there is more about you now than appears on the surface." (pg. 312) 

"...So Bill was going as the beast of burden, yet he was the only member of the Company that did not seem depressed." (314)

Once Upon a Time

I've been watching a show called "Once Upon a Time," a creative mix between fairy tales and the modern world. Last week I perked up at these lines:

"...her child is our only hope! ...the only one who can save us.... All we can do is have faith that one day the Savior will restore all that we have lost."

Well put. : )

Walking on Water––reflections

This story takes place after Jesus' disciples have been out on their own teaching and casting out demons, and after he finds out his cousin John has been beheaded. He tried to get away with his disciples to a quiet place for rest, but got interrupted by a huge crowd in the process, and allowed for it––he was moved by compassion when he saw them. After teaching them AND feeding all 5000 men (plus their families) off 5 loaves and 2 fish:

Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida while he dismissed the crowd.

He assertively sends away all distractions! He had tried to get away before, but now he gets rid of EVERYONE.

After leaving them, Jesus went up on a mountainside to pray.

Extra assurance of not getting interrupted? Sending everyone away wasn't enough? True solitude.

When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake and Jesus was alone on the land. He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them.

The disciples didn't have a clue that Jesus could see them struggling, but that made him no less aware of what was happening.

About the fourth watch of the night he went out to them, walking on the lake.

He didn't go immediately to them, but he DID go to them, after letting them struggle most of the night.

He was about to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, because they all saw him and were terrified.

Then he went out to them in a way no human would have thought of, let alone could have done! So they freaked out when they saw him do something completely outside of their natural, expected world. What is my response when Jesus works outside of my world of experience? When he doesn't behave in the way I think he should? How great that he is not limited to my imagination!

Immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."

He makes himself known.

Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down.

He entered into their struggle with them!!! What a great line! AND the struggle vanished. Wow.

They were completely amazed, for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.

Lord, help me to intentionally make time to be alone with you. Give me the grace to respond with compassion when my efforts are interrupted, and the wisdom to know how to assertively put away all distractions. May I trust, because of your character displayed in this story, that you see my struggles. Whether or not I see or feel you, may I believe that you DO see me and you ARE with me. Thank you for having tricks up your sleeve that are way beyond my wildest imagination. Show yourself to me in mighty ways. May my heart not be hardened when you do, but understand that it is you, and not be afraid.

Upcoming Women's Conference

This morning I registered for a women's conference and I want to encourage all women to go if you possibly can, especially if you live in/near Orlando. I am SO EXCITED. Check it out here. June 21-24.

Great speakers, varied topics, worship led by Keith & Kristyn Getty... Wow! I love their album "Awaken the Dawn."

(Re)-Learning

I'm learning to walk right. Literally. Starting last month I have been finding myself actually thinking about which side of the hall or stairwell I should be on before I run into people. For a full 8months back in the U.S. I was never conscious of walking on the "wrong" side in tight spaces unless I ran into someone. And it happened all the time! 10 months later, I am making a conscious effort to walk on the right side.
Maybe it will become unconscious at some point but apparently not yet––I bumped into someone again last week. Old habits die hard.

I loved playing with these flowers as a kid during Sunday School in Indonesia. We would make necklaces with them. Lots of thoughts of Indonesia lately, and how much it is a part of me. When I left last year, I knew I would want to come back eventually, and now Charis's engagement is pulling Indonesia quickly back into focus.

Dad's visit

Dad had his bi-annual meetings in the U.S. last week, so he was able to come spend a few days with me. With each family visit, I feel more and more settled. Dad was run-down from jetlag and a returning cold, but he was still able to make some vast, long-awaited improvements on the house. With both of us feeling poorly, that afforded us some nice down-time together.

The living room looks amazing, Dad! THANK YOU for all your hard work. You're wonderful.