Happy Boy!

This was also on Ethan's birthday. Forgot to include it with the birthday post below. Just had to include it now.

Language School makeover

This past week, we made a big move in renting a new house for the language school. We also put the finishing touches on a new name and logo. We're now Sunrise Language Center.

It doesn't look like much on the outside. But it has seven rooms plus a garage that can be converted into a classroom or office.

And lots of natural light. The staff was over cleaning it up this week, and we'll begin moving in next week. Classes will move over in the middle of May, and the new children's English program will begin the first week of June.

April 21, 2008

One year ago on April 21, Ethan Judson came screamin' into the world!

One year later: Happy Birthday Jud Bud!

We had a little party on Tuesday, with Ethan getting his first taste of cake. A bigger party is planned for next month when we're in the US.

I don't think Ethan will mind having more cake. Looks like he liked it.

Construction on Ibu Jum's house

Last December, Brienzi and her friends raised some money to help Ibu Jum renovate her roof. Ibu Jum and her five children live near the P-town learning center. She's also been helping out part time keeping the center clean and guarding it.

With a little financial help from others, and the rainy season subsiding, she's now been able to begin the renovations. Not only did she need a new roof, but walls as well, since some of her walls were just thatched bamboo.

Ibu Jum and her kids. Saras and Nana, the two girls on the left, have been some of our best students.

A good look at the front and the roof.

Inside back of the roof.

Left side and back.

Now in the midst of renovation. Front and left side.

Front door.

Ethan's first haircut

Ethan had this great natural mohawk going on.

But since it was getting down into his eyes . . .

We decided it was time to give him a little cut. I don't have the results on film yet. Will have to post tomorrow!

More Bag Design

Kim and Wenny met today to discuss how to proceed with the bag project with Wenny out of commission for the month. They will be getting some help from Endang, a new teacher at the learning center. Kim will also be going down to P-town to meet with some of the ladies doing the sewing and beading.

Along with bag design, Kim's been experimenting with beading. She's been searching the internet and downloading graphics that might make good beading designs on the bags (and also grabbing some from her scrapbooking stock). Then one of the ladies in P-town is sewing on the beads. So far, we just have possibilities, but nothing definite yet.

Pray for Wenny

Last week it was confirmed that Ibu Wenny's cancer has returned. It was just over three years ago when she battled cancer the first time. At that time, she had a small portion of her colon removed, and didn't need any chemotherapy.

For the past couple of months, she had increasing pain in her abdomen. Her doctor ordered more blood tests, both last month and then again last week. The CEA and CA (both tumor markers which indicate possible return of cancer) had increased significantly. Especially the CA, which is supposed to be around 37 and Wenny's is at 327. So the doctor said she needs to begin chemotherapy immediately. 

Tomorrow morning, Wenny and her husband, Bambang, will make the two hour trip north to Surabaya (where her doctor is). She'll be there until Saturday for the first chemo treatment. She'll return there again at the end of April for a second. After that, they'll run more tests to determine the effect and what the next steps should be. 

It's been a roller coaster week for Bambang and Wenny, and their three girls, Yella, Karen, and Rene. The girls are afraid to have their mom so far away from them and the older ones at least have an understanding of the implications. Bambang's been struggling with the usual questions of why is God allowing this to come back. Yet through it all, they really are remaining strong.

The P-town learning center will be slowing down quite a bit. At one point last week, we considered closing down temporarily. We've lost two teachers recently (one moved on to another job and the other is having a baby in two weeks). They were our best English teachers. I'll be leaving at the end of May. Wenny will be stepping aside and resting through April at least.

However, the three remaining staff members WANT to keep pressing on. So they will try to patch it together for the time being.

Please pray for Wenny, Bambang, their girls, and the learning center staff. 

Hand on the Head

Amazing love, how can it be that thou my God would die for me!

Lev 3:2 "And he shall lay his hand on the head of his offering and kill it at the entrance of the tent of meeting."

Sacrifices in the OT were of a very personal nature. Imagine putting your hand on the head of the living sacrifice and feeling the life drain out of it.

This video portrays what it would have been like (it's graphic, just a warning). I can't watch it without cringing. I can't watch it without tears coming to my eyes knowing that Jesus was that Lamb. His life for my life. Amazing!

1 Cor 5:7 "For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed."

Via: JT

Golden! 12 years on April 12th

12 years ago today Kim and I walked down the aisle. In honor of that day and the fact that Kim said "I do" to me, here are 12 ways Kim has captured my heart:

1. Tenaciously Determined - everyday she never gives up on the little and big tasks that she finds herself working on - from house managing to kid teaching, team organizing to handicraft designing.

2. Wonder Filled - as she looks at God’s creation and consistently reminds me of its beauty and uniqueness.

3. Calling Driven - sticking it out in Indonesia when on many occasions, everything humanly speaking is saying, “Run away.”

4. Deeply Rooted - drives herself back to God with afternoons alone with him no matter what season of life she’s in. Very hard to do with four young kids.

5. Kingdom Building - loves the Kingdom of God and seeks to do her part to be His instrument to see it expand even if it means some days seem the path to fruitfulness seems littered with obstacles.

6. God Trusting - bright lights of bursting trust saying, “I believe God has a plan, even though I don’t see it.”

7. Culinarily Creative - I remember the days when we were first married and she fretted about how she was going to learn to cook. Now she’s compiled cook books, translated tons of recipes into Indonesian, and become widely known for her desserts (with another dessert waiting in the fridge right now).

8. Tenderly Loving - tears well up in her eyes when I tell her about my tough days. That’s how I know . . . she loves me.

9. Fervently Nurturing - cooking, cleaning, shopping, managing, organizing, doctoring, listening, teaching, reading, playing, creating, and doing it all over again the next day.

10. Eyes of beauty - both literally and figuratively. I could stare into her eyes for a long time and she can see and create works of beauty.

11. Humor Seeking - loves to laugh, to make me laugh, to make the kids laugh, to find humor in everyday life (and to hear her laugh makes my soul soar).

12. Melodiously enraptured - she insists on music to help take our hearts to places that we can’t get to.