Night Fishing!

Recently, I made a visit to an long time friend who has several small fish ponds in his back yard (keep in mind that his back yard is about the size of a mini-bus). He raises the fish, then sells them to the market as a means of extra income. It also means some good eating for his family (and the friends that he has over . . . mmmm, good). It's easy catching, too. Drop the line in, pull 'em out.

June 25, 2012

Soon you will read in the newspaper that I am dead. 
Don't believe it for a moment. 

I will be more alive than ever before.

- DL Moody

Games with the staff

During the school break, we’re trying to do some fun things with the P-town learning center staff. They came over on Tuesday for snacks and games. We were going to teach them Pit, but they all wanted to play on the Wii.

 The kids had fun outside.

Trying their hand at the shooting gallery.

  Kim with Santi and Novita.

The P-town staff minus Bambang and Wenny. We have really missed having them around as Wenny continues to battle cancer. Anyone who knows her would tell you that she is a fighter. And she is proving that true as she defies what doctors and everyone thought over the past couple of months. We appreciate all of your prayers on their behalf.

Rewards

To mark their momentous year of enduring and learning at Charis, we celebrated with a few gifts.

 We were able to refurbish a couple of old bikes for Aidan and Delaney.

Not sure what Ethan had to endure for this reward, but we got him training wheels for the kids' old bike that they all learned to ride on. Though, he has to wear Delaney’s old Barbie helmet.

And Brienzi got her ears pierced. Something she’s been begging us to do for years. 

Congratulations Brienzi, Aidan, Delaney! Job well done. May the Lord continue to grow in you joyful, happy endurance through all circumstances.

School's Out!

. . . and the kids survived their year at Charis National Academy! June 16 was 6^th Grade Graduation, which marked the official end of the year. Most Indonesian schools only get a month off before they begin again on July 18. Our kids, though, have to go with us to meetings the first two weeks, so they get a bit longer. And Kim will most likely return to a more normal schedule of homeschool with electives at Charis and Indonesian tutoring. Although, that probably won’t be a normal schedule either. What is normal, by the way?

  Delaney her her teacher, Dede, on the right, and the teacher's assistant, Leney, on the left.

Aidan and teacher Do'an.

Brienzi and teacher Elok.

Delaney and one of her classmates dressed up for a drama on the last day of school.

Gettin' around on a motorbike

After years of protesting, Kim finally relented to me riding around on a motorcycle here in Indonesia. Well, actually, I’ve never really wanted to get out and risk my life on one of these either, so she hasn’t had to protest very hard. But for the past year, as Kim and the kids have had a crazy challenging schedule with schooling, my getting around to the learning center, training meetings, and other events have become more and more difficult. So throughout the year, I’ve been hinting . . . at the possibility . . . that I may need . . . to get a motorcycle.

My good friend Mike O has been touting the “freedom” that comes from having one of these. Both in terms of getting unchained from the kids school schedule and also being able to weave through traffic and get to the head of the line (something all car drivers wish they could do as they curse the motorcycles that are moving ahead of them like ants swarming the opening out of their lair). So with Mike O in the US during the school break, I’m borrowing his bike to see if I can figure out how to do this and how easy or scary it is to get around on. And to my amazement, as well as to Kim’s, it’s been very easy to learn to get around.

I started out with just taking the kids around the neighborhood. Within three weeks, I’ve graduate to getting across town. I’m still taking it very slowly, as my friend Bambang can attest. I followed him to the bird market this past week, but I could see him chomping at the bit to speed ahead of his inchworm partner. At any rate, it’s a start. Now I have to figure out what I’m going to do when Mike gets back in August. I could be hooked!

Blackbeard . . . Arrrgh!

One of three anchors belonging to the Blackbeard’s ship Queen Anne’s Revenge was pulled out of the ocean the other day. And we found this pirate roaming about the house:

Wedding season

Last week, Novita, one of the teachers at the learning center got married. So the girls and I made it a father-daughter date, since Ethan was sick and Kim stayed home with him (and of course Aidan had no interest in going, though he missed out on the good food).

I’m very proud of my girls getting into the culture and enjoying great Indonesian food. Of course, they were born here, so this is more natural for them than it is for me. But Indo food can be quite appetizing.

Dessert was our favorite, es kelapa muda – iced young coconut juice. We always joke that most Americans would hate this stuff because it looks so unappetizing with all the stuff floating in it. But it is soooo good and refreshing on a hot day.

A new kind of Ice Skating . . .

. . . wax skating. Yes, you read that right. Skating on a rink that’s layered with a sheet of wax. Instead of the ice cold zambonie machine coming out and smoothing down the surface, they bring a gigantic iron out that melts the wax and smoothes it off. We had never heard of it before, but here it is in Indonesia – guess it’s too hot here in the tropics for an outdoor ice rink.  

Trick my Office

For my birthday, Kim was inspired to trick my office, which was desperately in need of a makeover. It’s great! And after watching “Trick my Truck” – can you believe we actually get that over here - I learned how to show complete surprise when it was unveiled. Thanks Kim! This place is awesome!