Fresh Perspective

We managed to plug through another week of language school.  By Friday we are limping into school, with only the hope of the weekend encouraging us to hang in there.  We are learning over 400 words a book.  So we are about to test over 800 words, this coming Friday.  By no means are we fluent yet in all these words.  However, could probably recognize over 75% of them.  Perhaps fluent in 50% of them.  The boys are not spinning circles around us yet, but their ability to remember the words is a refreshing reminder of their youth as Darron and I drill over and over again. This Friday we had just made it through our first class period (8 a.m. - 10 a.m.) when the school secretary gave us the most welcome news....packages had arrived!  I still remember clearly and so distinctly 17 years ago when my friend Michelle and I received a package in the jungle of the Philippines it seemed so precious....even the M & M's that tasted like soap, we relished!...

.......you overhear your 8 and 6 year old while playing with Play Mobile sound out the Muslim call to prayer as part of the story and playing out with the little people. ......you think a normal paved sidewalk is an amazing thing. ......you think plain yogurt is as tasty as sour cream. ......the backseat of a small taxi with 5 people in it, is more desirable than your other transportation options. ...... you can order carry out from McDonald's and it be delivered to you by motor cycle (not that we have done this yet, but we could : ). .......you answer each other some of the time in another language, because their words are fun to say. .......everybody laughs or at least talks about you.  The funny thing is, now we are starting to understand what they are saying!!!! ; ) .......you take pictures with complete strangers.  It is as common as brushing your teeth. >>>>>>>I will add to this post as time goes on and we think of more things! : )

Little did we know that the children would go fishing in Bandung.   However, one must cease the opportunities when they come.  So on Saturday morning when I could hear the younger boys up on the upper deck and saw a line bobbing up and down by our window.....I told Darron, "Let's give them some fish".  Out came the trick bag (Thanks Mom and Dad Ashworth) and the fishing began.  They caught American candies, small balloons and silly bands.  Nathaniel and Jacob were so excited.  They kept running downstairs to tell us what they had caught.  Every day, they ask if they can fish again.......  : )  The fish are limited.  So only a certain catch is allowed! Daddy securing the fish. All the boys have traditional Indonesian Batik's  (shirts) now.  All, except Nathaniel....who is very opinionated  about clothes and is still holding onto his American shirt. The little girl that I wrote about last time, showed up the...

Sometimes it is difficult to blog.  Today everything here seems to pale in the light that a friend and fellow home school Mom in Chattanooga, only 35 and Mom of 5 girls, died.  The frailty of life leaves one realizing that each day is a miracle.  If only I lived each day that way. Today, as 8 year old Jacob slipped some coins into a blind mans hand on a busy road I wondered who would be effected the most.  The man who had received the blessing?  Or my son, who touched humanity?  We receive  much praise for being missionaries, but the truth is that the people here and the experience gives us way more than we can give. Today, in class, we learned about a people group here in Indonesia that will not allow anyone into their area.  Not even the native locals.  Darron wrote down the name of that people group.  I told him not to get any idea's!!!!  The kids and I often listen to a song, by Casting Crown, "Until the Whole World Hears......

Every weekend I have an incredible urge to head into the mountains.  Yesterday, Saturday, the guys headed off for a six mile hike without me because my stomach was not cooperating.  Even 6 year old Nathaniel goes and keeps up for the most part.  So today with my tummy back in order.....I was itching. The tea bushes roll for thousands of acre's. Elijah found this beautiful moth. Picnic time! The Gallant family joined us and off we headed with a light lunch.  The sky's were sunny, blue and temps in upper 70's.  Once again the scenery proved to be indescribable.  The camera's were with us....  Literally the mountains are within a 15 minute walk out of our neighborhood.  Today we hiked for about 3 hours.  Come and join us for a hike into the tea plantations!

We landed in Indonesia two months ago today.  So at breakfast this morning I stated,  "Generally speaking, I think we are all doing quite well to say we have been here two months."  Andrew, without skipping a beat declared with a hint of sarcasm, "Mom, how can you say that?  Have you seen my toenails recently?"  I know this may seem totally off the wall, but we all started dying laughing and all of us peered through the glass table to peek at Andrew's toenails, which look pretty typical for an 11 year old. : )  There is strength in the humor of a family and the prayers! So after great breakfast discussions.....it was off to school.  They are pouring on the homework and the boys are groaning quite loudly.  I'm proud of them for hanging in there with these college level classes.  Jacob and Nathaniel are starting to talk more and more Indonesian words.  It is hysterical listening to them play with Lego's or Play Mobile, they are intertwin...

My market man!  He sold me the "onion's" in his hands for about .40 cents.  I put half of them in a vase and we are eating the rest! : )  Darron said, "I'm sorry those are your flowers". ; ) My heart is so grateful that I don't struggle with depression or culture shock for long periods of time.  I am so filled with compassion for people who struggle with these dark feelings for days on end.  I am back to my perky self and life in Indonesia seems sprinkled with joy and hope again.  I know that culture shock will return and the struggle to adapt is not over.....but for now I will rejoice in the emotional reprieve. Thought I would share pictures from my favorite market.  It is close to our school.  The man is always so friendly and I like bargaining with him.  His prices are fair.  Typically the ladies squat while choosing their produce, bargaining and waiting for their items to be weighed. By the way....no resolve to Aubrey's stol...

The last day of our istrihat (break) we went shopping.  Movies and music are incredibly affordable.....so we stocked up.  I also purchased a straight iron and so for the first time in 2 months I STYLED MY HAIR!  Arriving home around 2, Aubrey came to me and questioned, "Where is my computer?"  I replied, that I had not seen his computer and he should go look in his room and ask Hesley.  To which began the whole episode of "The stolen computer".  To make the story short....our leaking toilets and water facets were being "fixed" by the "trusted" plumber and his assistant.  Apparently they left in a hurry when Hesley came in the afternoon and as was discovered later.....hid their tools under some weeds in the yard.  Bottom line, we don't know for sure that they are guilty, but they would not answer their phones all evening and the hidden tools and .......  Yeah, the evidence is pretty stacked.  Aubrey's attitude has been unreal.  He se...

At 9 a.m. we headed off in a taxi to go see an active volcano about 1 hour from here.  We did not know that we needed to take our "papers".  So because we are obviously foreigners and our papers were at home we were privileged to pay the foreigner price of 50,000 rupiah each verses 14,000 rupiah.  Now we know..... But it was so worth it!!!! This volcano is called "the upside down boat". We have 2 faithful drivers, this is Osid. Some of our rock samples....Mathew L we were thinking about you! Feeling the hot sulfur..... "Look Mom this is dried lava." Not only did we have great visibility of the volcano but we were able to climb all over a rugged ridge down into the next valley where the volcano was inactive.  However,  if one digs down just below the loose rubble surface there is sulfur that if you put your hand up too felt hot.  We were able to collect all the samples of different rocks and petrified tree's, etc that we wanted.  T...

I would dare vote that all of us respond differently to tests.  Some of us are highly motivated by them, others stressed......whatever the case may be, they do serve as a tool to measure a level of comprehension and mastery of material.  Friday was test day.....  we all studied so differently.  Aubrey did not study at all and he is in the language lead.  Andrew spent about 30 minutes reviewing a few words.  KIDS!!!!   I tend to want to talk about all the words I am studying and make games and jokes about them. Then I really focused for about 2 or 3 hours, but there were still meals to cook and trips to the market, etc. etc.  Darron wanted silence and solitude.  We have never lived with each other when we are both having to study.....totally opposite, with a whole lot of culture shock going on made for an interesting week! : )  But we still love each other.....WHEW! So our first test was over the first language book...which covered mater...