Outbound

The other week I spent a couple days full of games and craziness with friends.

I didn't know it was possible to play so many group games in 2 hours. These girls should start their own game show.

We also did outbound and it was insane. I haven't laughed so much in a long time.

I'm going to miss these girls!

New challenge: beatbox flute

Last week someone asked me if I could beatbox on the flute. What do you do when you hear of something bizarre? Youtube. So if you hear strange sounds when I'm in the room, it's probably my novice attempts at beatbox 101. Go-go gadget BREATH! And go Greg Pattillo (see above link).

After 19 years...

...Megan and I were reunited. It is hard to believe 19 years have gone by. We went back to JIS to visit the old stomping grounds.

I can't believe I had the privilege of attending such an amazing school. We weren't allowed to take any pictures there! Although we did get some on the inside.

and back to All-Saints for Palm Sunday. GREAT service.

And a great time together.

No girl-time is complete without a $6-pedicure

and face masks.

Embarrassing Moment

Shortly after moving into my house/dorm, I discovered that the caretaker/housekeeper had never been to a movie theatre. So I promised to take her. Many moons later (a couple days ago), I finally got my chance.

We worked out permission for her to get a few hours off work, hopped on the bus, headed to the mall, and arrived at the ticket counter a few minutes before the show. I ordered our tickets and reached for my wallet only to discover–to my mortification–that I had left it at home! Fortunately she had brought some money with her or we would have had to skip the movie altogether. Either way and all around, very embarrassing. It really ruins the effect of treating someone when you have to pay them back in order to do so!

I Love New...

People. Languages. Places. Food. Songs. Sights. Smells.... Basically, if it's new, it's a blast. : ) I got to go to a new part of the country this week. Originally I was going to make the trip by myself, but I am SO glad I didn't. Much more fun (and helpful!) with friends.

Waiting for the van to take us from the city to the mountains.

At 8 am my friends and I climbed into this taxi (above) that had a warning posted: "dilarang kentut" (breaking wind prohibited). Nice. :)

Man I love the mountains! And rice fields. What a sight together.

A local snack Bin Tei (corn soup), home-grown.

A new language. I encountered more than 4 this week. Not sure which this is. One of the languages kept reminding me of Swahili or something African. :)

As we wound around the country roads for 4 hours, so many simple things made me smile from the inside-out:

• streams
• mountains
• bright green rice fields
• flowers in yards
• bright blue skies behind thick white cotton clouds
• rain clouds
• a dog scratching its back in the dirt
• bougainvillea everywhere
• people gathered in a river
• children at play

Simple things. What I love here is how life happens right out in the open.

Return Visit

Back to the island for a 4-day visit. Good times.

Trying to learn how to weave a mat. Not sure why I never tried before. (or did I?)

K brought a bunch of bandanas from the U.S. as gifts (and stickers). They were a big hit.

The babies are growing up so fast!

Our landlady and neighbors enjoying K's pictures of family and her new boyfriend. Gathered on our old porch.

Ready, aim, fire!

The new team problem: crabs.

It used to be things like monkeys, wild boar, and water buffalo. But apparently crabs are a terrible nuisance to a garden as well. K taking a crack at one.

(FYI, it's an air gun, folks)

Web Stops

This is just a couple things I've been touched or amused by on other people's blogs or facebook posts.

My friend's husband (also my friend) passed away very unexpectedly a few years ago at age 29. I love her blog because of the honesty/transparency that she not afraid to display. I was intrigued by her thoughts on Boaz that she posted last month (skip down a few paragraphs to the part on Ruth). I'm curious what my single girl friends think? Are men these days prepared to be a Boaz?

The importance of the involvement of fathers: a 30-second ad. This manicure one is cute, too. Warning: it might get addictive.

Words, words, words

My friend wants to become fluent in English. So last week I declared to her that I will only use English with her from now on. I am constantly running into crazy idioms and things I can't explain! What a language. Then last night these girls taught me: menjilat ludah sendiri. "Licking up your own spit???" I asked, ready to

vomit at the image. "It's one of our idioms," they said, and described something like going back on your word. Whew!

While listening to the Bible on audio this year, I have been struck by the power of words. On their death bed, fathers often spoke blessings over their children (Gen 27:27-29; 49:1-28), and what they said came to be! People pronounced both blessing (Rut 1:9, 1:12, 1:13, 3:10, 4:11, 14-15; 1 Sam 1:17, 1:18, 2:20, 25:33, 26:25) and curses (Gen 9:25; Num 24:20-24; 2 Sam 3:28-9; Ps 69) on others, and they came to be! Jabez asked God to bless him (1 Chr 4:10). And He did! Over and over again I hear "May you...." and in following up with whatever the story is, indeed it comes to pass. And may I not fail to mention that when God spoke, it definitely was so. I want to speak more blessings over people this year.

And so, passer-by, may you search for truth this year and find more than you could have ever imagined.

and, HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!!!

(by the way, anybody know the origin of "the cat got your tongue?")

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.