The Week in Review

It's Friday night and I have some time on my hands so I thought I'd update you on what's going on in our world here.

This week has been pretty busy as Josh has been solo in the office most of the week. Spencer and I did a big push to finish school and it looks like we'll finish tomorrow (his idea, not mine - he didn't want to have to do school on Monday and he had one small section left!). I begin taking over some of the guest house hostess duties on Monday so have spent some time preparing/organizing for that task. I'm also potty training so that has been a drain too. I was also sick for the first half or more of the week. It will be good to do some catching up this weekend.

Thursday we went for lunch with a coworker couple that is changing ministries and leaving our team. They also introduced us to their builder (furniture builder, not home builder) so that we can have bunk beds made for the boys that will stand up to boys using them!! That afternoon we had 3 hours of orientation time with 3 other couples, discussing the core values of our organization. It was such a good time of reviewing verses that we've heard a million times and having them be brought to life and being motivated by them once more! The Word of God is indeed living and active, and applicable to each of our lives no matter where we live or what our job is.

I also had the opportunity to put together some information on how to do a great manicure that LASTS for 6 young teen girls (missionary kids whose parents are my coworkers) and presented it to them tonight. What fun for me (and I think for them)! I looked all over the internet for tips and ended up writing up a step by step how-to for them and included a bunch of tips on a hand-out as well. The hour ended with them each having taken the steps (most of the steps) one by one and they all left with a nice nail job they'd done themselves! We discussed fake nails, nail biting and the right way to file your nails, among other things. I sent them each home with a buffer to call their own. Who knows, maybe one day one of them will love a good nail job as much as I do! :) Most of all, I'm so glad to have had the opportunity to invest in them the concept that they are young women of value and that it matters that they take good care of their temple of the Holy Spirit, no matter what color their polish is - yellow, green OR blue.:)

I read something on the blog by David Gunner Gundersen Raw Christianity from March 9th that really stuck out to me the other day. He wrote about some people in his life who do what they do with great enthusiam for the Lord. Here's an excerpt:

There are some people who do certain things so well and with such passion and excellence that they serve (at least to me) as a picture of how I want to live in all areas of life. ...there are more than just a few people who have caught my attention by the way they live in one area or another. Some are well-known, some unknown. But all live for the Lord and seek to honor Him in what they do...

(he lists a number of examples, then...the last part really got me...)

My prayer is that in whatever the Lord has called you to do, you would cast off the sacred/secular distinction that is so easily and disastrously drawn in our minds, and that you would do what you do humbly and heartily and excellently for the Lord and for His purposes. May it be said of you that that if everyone were to live like you _(cook, drum, sing, type - added by me)_____, they would be living well."

I'll end with that.

Thanks for your prayers and for keeping up with what's going on with us on the blog. Drop me a line sometime. It's always a great encouragement to hear that you're stopping by and also motivation to post more often! :) Have a great weekend!

Making new friends

Julia and her friend
Singing time with friends -

Julia in red, Spencer in blue flowered, Mitchell in blue/green check

A New Normal in our New City

Josh is in the office each day -

this is how I find him when I go looking for him...

Josie spends about 4 hours each morning/early afternoon

doing school with Spencer.

Mitchell loves going to a co-worker's house 2 mornings a week

to join other pre-schoolers for some fun and learning time.

Julia looks happy here but generally shower time everyday is NOT her favorite time of day. This particular day she poured a LOT of shampoo all over herself when I wasn't looking and we had to soap it up to get it all off.

Spencer LOVES to read!

He just started reading "chapter books" in the last few weeks.
This is not an everyday thing, but here's a photo of one of our co-workers with Josh. I've actually mixed them up once when I wasn't looking, just felt Darin beside me and talked to him about one of the kids, then looked up - and it was NOT Josh! As you can see, Darin is 1 inch shorter than Josh, they both have the same coloring and carry about the same amount of weight (not much!).

Man Eating Shark

Here’s pic of Josh eating shark! I prepared a really yummy shark last night for dinner. For the first time ever trying that type of steak, it sure was a “we’ll have to do that again” meal!

Josh bought 3 pounds of the shark for less than $2 per pound at the local market the other day (NO idea what kind it is, Josh didn’t think to ask) so I got busy on the internet looking for good shark recipes. I actually found one for swordfish (the meat of this fish is similar in texture and so can be interchangeable) on epicurious.com called Swordfish with Lime-Ginger Glaze. It was very quick and easy to make the marinade/glaze, let it sit for 3-6 hours and then broil. I served it with Napa Cabbage Salad and Coconut Rice (also from the epicurious site, the Feb 1998 version of the recipe) and Earl Gray Iced Tea. Yum! Here's a pic of our whole family enjoying the meal.

On a different note, I wanted to post some pictures of our family doing normal things that happen every day. Check out the "Our Photos" link on the right for the pictures or click on the words themselves...

Happy Easter!

Easter morning dawned clear and bright. The palm trees are waving in a slight breeze against a beautiful blue sky. We have power today, with only a brief 5 minute outage during breakfast. Before today, we had another 3 days of no power (except the generator to run fans and small stuff) during the day so having a/c is a relief.


Some folks sent us some Easter goodies from the States, so that’s been a treat this week – to be able to surprise our kids with Easter tootsie rolls at snack time, Easter egg shaped sidewalk chalk at playtime and so on! Spencer’s been practicing with the jump rope you sent, Jeanie, and he’s successful some of the time!!
We just finished breakfast and dishes and are about to open the last of the Resurrection Eggs with the kids. For weeks now the boys have been asking, “Is it time to start the eggs yet?” This year Julia joined in taking a turn to open an egg. Each morning since March 28th, one kid gets to open an egg and we talk about what’s inside it. Each egg has a symbol of the Easter Story in it. It’s a great way for them to learn the Easter story and they’re excited each year to begin.

Cultural Observation: It’s interesting that there’s no Easter Bunny here. Guess I shouldn’t be surprised. There was no Santa Claus either. (And I’ll bet no Tooth Fairy! J ) There is actually little or no commercialism around those holidays like at home. In a way, though, I realized this morning that if we’d been at home in the US, we’d have prepared more for Easter – new dress for Julia, an Easter egg hunt in the backyard for the kids, spring wreath on the door and so on. Here, I prepared a special breakfast and we’ll talk about the Easter story with the kids. It’s a nice time to hang out with just family since there’s usually so many people around…

Some pics of our little outing last night - a restaurant with a kiddy pool - an appropriate "play land" for here! Check out the sunset...

My NEW Favorite Drink/Dessert

Since we arrived here I've been enjoying a beverage that you all would enjoy so much. I watched the girl make it one time when I ordered it and have been making (and tweaking) it at home since. I don't have an actual recipe but will try to explain how to make it. Since it could potentially be something that you would have a mental block about, try to keep an open mind...(my sister Rachel could NOT get her mind around using avocado for anything not savory) the beverage is a "Jus Alpokat" or "Avocado Drink".

Jus Alpokat

Ingredients:
1 or 2 avocados, ripe but not overripe
water
ice
sugar or artificial sweetener (sweetener will change the flavor a bit, try with sugar first if you want the full effect)
chocolate syrup - Hershey's works fine but so does home made if you have it
1. Open the avocado, remove the seed and scoop out the fruit into the blender. 2. Add some water and ice to the consistency of a shake
3. Sweeten to desired sweetness (here they add simple syrup so the sugar is already dissolved - decrease water if you use it...) 4. Grab a tall glass in one hand and the chocolate syrup in the other. Squirt the sauce around and around in the glass, making a pretty pattern - I like to do a swirl from bottom to top. This step is important because THIS is the flavor that your drink is going to take on. 5. Pour the avocado drink into the glass, swirl another bit of chocolate sauce over the top, stick in a straw. It's beautiful - avocado green and brown, swirled together. I use the straw to little-by-little get the chocolate off the sides of the glass into the drink as I drink it.

Yes, I know it's incredibly high in fat - I only have it on special occasions, but it's GOOD fat, right? Definitely worth a try. If you do a search on the web there are a couple of places that have recipes for this - but they're not the same - they have milk and stuff in them. Next time I make it I'll take a picture so you can see this beautiful beverage! Try it - you'll love it. When I come home next time, I can make it for you - just remind me!

Prayer Request Updates

1. The Pittmans (see pic on separate post below) - here's the latest as of last weekend:Praise the Lord, Gracie has not had a fever for two days, she is currently off all intravenous medications, and has been cleared to travel on Monday, the 26th. We will be leaving Bangkok around midnight, and flying to Lexington, KY with a nurse escort for the trip. We are so grateful for your prayers that have carried us each day we have been here. We are also thankful that Gracie's latest blood reports show her bone marrow has started producing healthy cells once more, and she has not had to have any infusions of sorts for several days. We are praying still for the White Blood Cells to begin reproducing in the marrow, as these remain low, but this a 'normal' side effect of the chemo treatments. Pray for her protection against germs during the long flight, and that God would bring us safely back to the U.S.



2. Our shipment arrived this afternoon - all of it, and all intact. We're thankful - thanks for praying for us.



PRAY FOR THIS BOY:

My sister Rachel's best friends living in northern Wisconsin have a 2 year old son who fell into an open septic tank. He got stuck, and when they got him out he wasn't breathing. The took him to the neighbors and got him breathing and took him to the hospital. At the hospital his lungs collapsed. Last night Beniah was airlifted by Flight for Life to Marshfield Hospital. He's on life support because his lungs keep refilling with fluid. They are really inflamed from all of the bacteria in the septic system. His blood oxygen levels and his blood pressure levels are good but he's on the life support for breathing. They're pumping him full of antibiotics. The Dr.'s say they don't know what will happen but that they should expect it to get worse before it gets better. Teresa (the mom) is almost due with their 4th child. I guess she went into labor for a bit but her contractions stopped so that's an answer to prayer. Tim (the dad) said he's continually shaking and feels like throwing up all the time. He said they got a few hours of sleep last night so that's good. Please pray for Tim & Teresa and their son Beniah. (Some of you might know the Crisco's from NTBI Waukesha) They have 2 other kids under 5 and another on the way soon. Thanks for praying with us! Scary stuff! (He's the little boy with my niece in the photo.)
If you want more updates on this, Rachel will be updating her blog at http://www.cotesatcotw.blogspot.com/.

Stuff

Well, today began with the news that more of the items we had shipped from a different region had arrived at the post office. Josh was heading down to the corner store to get more drinking water (which we filter one more time before using) when he bumped into our supply buyer, Dave, who shared the news. We also heard that there was damage so Dave has to go to the office to check it out before it's delivered here. So far all but 3 of my plates (salad and dinner) and some of my cups and all but one of my serving dishes have been broken on arrival. Josh's bicycle which was detailed by the boys before shipping arrived mud spattered and scraped up as if it had been taken for an offroading adventure.

Then, as we were eating breakfast, the fans died at 7:30 sharp- a sure sign that the power would probably be out for the whole day. It's 79 degrees out right now with 93 percent humidity so we're thankful for the generator which runs the fans. We'll be needing them.

Spencer and Mitchell have begun a "task chart" this week and are doing well on their jobs: getting dressed, making their beds, gathering up all of the trash throughout the house, getting together the laundry and clearing the table after meals. They're enthusiastic and since part of the job is that I should not have to remind them, they've been great about getting it done, and before 8 AM to boot! I'm really proud of them.

This morning we started the "Resurrection Eggs" with Julia doing the honors on the first egg - the donkey. We didn't have time at breakfast for more than a quick discussion of what it stood for - maybe at bedtime.

I made a batch of granola last night - using a recipe I got from Kathy Whatley. It's different than any I've made before but we really like it. A few of the ladies living at the guest house right now tried it and all want the recipe! It's pretty simple but is more chunky and quite good. We add the goodies at the table anyway.

Well, time to check on Spencer's home school progress! Have a great day!

How To Drive In Asia-Pacific

Following is a write-up that I found in the guest house that I thought was awfully accurate. I added notes from my experience.

To operate a motor vehicle in Asia-Pacific, you must understand the transportation gestalt in an entirely different way. Definitions that you thought were above redefinition will immediately be redefined. Please pay attention.

THE ROAD
Includes not only the paved portion of the highway, but also what others might call the verge, the curb, the sidewalk, the front yard and the roadside restaurant. The paved portion of the roadway is generally one lane wide. Not one lane in each direction, but one lane.

LIGHTS
Rapidly blinking the headlinghts can mean many things, including, "OK to pass now"
"Dangerous to pass now"
"Get out of the way"
"May you find the thread of gold in the linen of existence"
It takes year, sometimes entire lifetimes, to learn this subtle and intriguing intuitive nonverbal communication skill. Generally, however, you have about three seconds. (NOTE: Generally you blink your lights after dark and honk during the daylight - it's amazing how they automatically switch from the horn to the light controls)

THE HORN
When sounded loudly and frequently, the horn sets up an invisible energy berrier protecting the vehicle and its occupants from all harm. The faster the vehicle is going, the better the horn works. This is the central concept of Asia-Pacific motoring.

LANES
These colorful white and yellow markings wish a hearty Selamat Datang to every traveler. They have no other function. (NOTE: In one place we've been, if there was no one coming the other way, it was safer to drive down the middle of the road because people would come into the main road from side roads without slowing or looking.)

SEATBELTS
Absolutely unnecessary. Not only are they not worn, they are not even provided. Passengers are fully protected by the horn.

PASSING
The national sport of Asia-Pacific. Observant motorists may encounter the Vertical Triple (passing three vehicles in one acceleratory movement), the Horizontal Triple (passing a vehicle that itself is in the process of passing a vehicle) (NOTE: I almost got hit when a guy tried passing me when I was passing on my moped back in a different city) or even the rare Double-Double (passing a vehicle at precisely the same time that another vehicle, coming in the other direction, is also engaged in the act of passing).

TAILGATING
What to do when not passing.

ACCIDENTS
Rare. Usually the result of a malfunctioning horn. (Note: I think it's actually because you don't usually get much past 50-60 kmph. If traveling at "normal" speeds there would be many more accidents and fatalities. People also expect to be cut off and so make allowances for that. Doesn't seen to faze them at all.)

Thanks again for praying for safety for us on the road!

We've Arrived!

Greetings from our new home! Apologies to those who've checked numerous times without something new being posted...we've been packing /traveling/ unpacking/ settling in!

We arrived here about a week and a half ago and the climate here has been something to adjust to - much hotter and much more humid than we were used to at our language study location! We are settled into temporary quarters for 9 weeks and then move again into our "more permanent" home. We received the first of two shipments of our things already and have repacked most of it for unpacking later, as the home we're in now is already furnished. *Please pray that the other shipment would arrive in a timely fashion - we sent it via the post office!

Some things we're adjusting to right now:

1. Josh going back to work - in language study he was at school with me, or at home with the family, unless he was out talking with people, buying fruit, or on his bicycle. Now he's in the office daily with regular hours and I'm home schooling the kids and keeping Julia busy, so that's a switch. *Please pray that Josh will catch on to his new duties quickly.

2. Tribal church - during our last month of study we mostly learned about the local church and "spiritual terminology" and vocabulary so that we could be comfortable joining the church body here in town. We attended our second service in all local language this morning and we definitely still have some studying to do before we can fully participate. *Please pray that we will continue to make the effort to study language and interface with local people deliberately to not lose the ground we've already gained in the language.

3. Temperature/Electricity - we are thankful for air conditioners in our bedrooms as we would have a hard time sleeping if we didn't have them. The power is off and on depending on the day (sometimes a few times in a day) so a/c is not a given. There are scheduled power-off days and unscheduled power-off days. Today the power went off in the morning (unscheduled) and just came back on about 15 minutes ago. (We have a generator that can support us running fans so that is a total blessing!) It was 86 degrees F /30 degrees C in the bedroom that felt the coolest. We try to drink a lot so as not to get dehydrated. We could change clothes several times a day here to stay dry.

4. Mosquitos - there are a lot here, and there were no bugs at our last place. The mosquitos here can carry dengue fever in the daytime and the nighttime kind can carry malaria though neither are a HUGE risk. It's taking some self-discipline to remember to put bug spray on the kids when they're playing outside. *Please pray for health for us as we settle in.

5. People - there are people around all the time - both English-speaking and local language-speaking. The guest house has been full every day since we got here. That changes the dynamics of our lifestyle. *Please pray for wisdom for us as parents that we'd be aware of our kids and what they're doing with all that's going on!

6. New place, new roads, new stores, getting around

We've already had 6 hours of orientation and more to come (a little every day). We're learning about our region, our country, our org and the history of it in this region, about our sponsoring board and more exciting things like that. Josh obviously is learning all sorts of things I have no clue about. My training for the guest house is still a few weeks away so I'm taking the time to (hopefully) finish home school with Spencer before that starts.

Some highlights:

- I drove a car for the first time since July 31st 2006 - on Friday. It was stick shift - not new to me - and on the "wrong" side of the car. On the up side, everything was where it should be otherwise, except for the blinker and the windshield wiper controls!! (Yes, just picture it! :) ) I intend to practise a bit more before I actually consider myself a driver here. It's kind of hard to gauge where the left front corner of the car is. Thankfully people don't really care if you drive slowly and honking is not an offense here so that doesn't bother me. Mostly they just drive around you. Even so, I'd hate to hit a motorbike. *Please pray for safety while we drive here.

-We have had the opportunity to have dinner with almost all of our new co-workers, so that's been a treat. The kids will have a number of little friends here. *Please pray that we would develop good relationships with our co-workers as they will also be family to us.

-Better internet - we've had more contact with family since we got here - we're thankful!

-God is good all the time and He keeps taking such good care of us here. Nothing has been TOO bad (except the smell of the fish Josh grilled last night - phew!) and most things have been really good.

Thanks so much for praying with us! We truly could not be here without you, many of our faithful friends and supporters, lifting us up in prayer every day. (The picture here on the bottom is the boys showing off BandAids sent in a care package from our home church's women's group! Thanks, ladies!)

Late one afternoon as part of our orientation, we took a ride on a boat.
Laundry time and bath time all in one.
Look, Mom!
Check out the structure on the right - not sure what hit it but it's seen better days.
Check out how thin this man's wrists are.

The river is their life, this is their sidewalk!
Two boys happy to be out on the (relatively cooler) river.
The white building is a place of worship.

Boys and Bikes

This guy owned the repair shop we took our bikes to. He had a sign "Daytona Racing Support" which made me laugh! Don't know if he knew what/where Daytona is...
This place is called a bengkel and you see them everywhere along the sides of the roads. A good thing, too, cause if you get a flat, they can fix them, or you can get more air for your tires. Some also sell gasoline out of bottles.
The boys at a bike dealership when Josh was trying to sell mine before moving. Brrrrm!

Fruit Shopping

What kind of banana did you say you wanted??
So beautifully displayed!
The vendors are wherever you go...

Some Good-byes

The kids with our helpers.

(The matching red shirts were a coincidence - not a uniform! :)

We probably will never see them again. Pray for their salvation...
Saying good bye to a new friend...
This gal is like a sister to me and an auntie to the kids. We were in language classes together every day for 4 months. Mitchell said to her, "I wish you were OURS."

A family we were close with - we took them out for a western-style meal.

Having people in is not culturally normal so the next best thing is treating them at a restaurant.

This is my language helper, Ibu Puji (translation, Mrs. Praise). Our language topics were all over the board but I learned a lot of language and culture from her.

Local Wedding

The chandelier-looking thing hanging over the orange and white bunting is made of palm and is a sure indication that there is a wedding in the neighborhood. The fancier the decoration, the wealthier the family. They actually shut down streets for the weddings, rerouting traffic.

This is part of the receiving line.
This is where the bride & groom sit, along with their parents on either side.

The carved background is available for rent and it seems that it's a must as every wedding we've driven by has one.

More of the receiving line.

The bride and groom greeting guests. Check out her headpiece!

The bride and groom from the front - another view of the headpiece. I heard that the swirls in the front of her hair are actually not hair, but painted on. Her makeup is all special as well, including false eyelashes and taped on strips of sparkly stuff on her eyelids. I also noticed bright red nails (like I've been known to have) though I don't know if they're real or fake. I don't know if you can see it, but the groom is wearing makeup as well. His eye makeup is fairly visible. Not sure why he wears makeup too.

For contrast with the traditional, check out the entertainers, below.

Above, usher type guys looking pretty dapper and of course, no one can resist having a picture taken with the little white boys...