And then they left

4:30 AM is early. I have no idea where it says in Proverbs about not coming over to your neighbors house early in the morning or you will be cursed but it is in there. Can I call unknown people who play music loudly, stupid, and since it is early in the morning and I am their neighbor am I then not fulfilling prophecy? ANYWAY...you have heard too long and too often about the music and by the time I return to this blog they should have all shut down.
Yes...the first 3 left this morning at 5:30 and the last three (Mijo, Nick and me) leave between 1-3PM on the first leg of our trip all the way to Mbua.

We have to pack for all of us for at least 2 weeks. If we forget something..oh well. I so don't want to forget the essentials. Think about it...what would you want to make sure you had if you had not other means of getting what you forgot. Last night till late we were packing the last minute can't forget these items. That is why 4:30 came especially early and that is why there were some curses flying. It reminded me of the last few days before we left Lynden, remember what I was like then, just bring it down a few notches and its deja vous all over again.

So to all of you...Merry Christmas.
Emmanuel, why oh why would He want to be with us...that is the mystery of Christmas.

And then they came

My folks came in on Saturday morning and we have had people come up to us out of the blue just to say hello. It isn't the Price family to be sure. We have not been able to go into a restaurant, grocery store or even getting into the van from the airport without a wonderful soul approaching with smiles and tears. How they are loved. It is profound to see the hand and the glove unite. It is like Dad said, " As I fly over Indonesia I say O Lord, I am home". We are warming our souls in the glow that these reunions are providing.

We are also preparing to go interior and on a side note...I won't be able to post for awhile but will catch up when we come back out again. When I say preparing maybe you need to understand what that means. We have no idea what the living conditions will be except that we will have a roof over our heads and a fireplace. We have no idea about the stove, water supply or the electricity. We have no fridge and I don't think we have any furniture. I sat down with the kids to help them adjust in their minds that the Christmas this year will be far different then any they have ever experienced and that maybe it will be akin to "little house in the jungle". I really can't prepare them...I will enjoy their reactions...well, maybe not all of them.

I am already complaining about sleeping on the floor and I am not yet sleeping on the floor. Maybe I need to have a talk with myself. Scott, that amazing man, he is game for it all. I so think he was made for all of this..there is something of a reunion of sorts with him as if this kind of lifestyle was what he was destined to embrace. Our wonderful friend Linda sent us just enough gifts to open so that as Mijo said through tears, we will have something of Christmas in the middle of nowhere. Nick is wondering about what will we do if it gets bad...how do we get out: walk or fly I said. He is a bit nervous about the whole thing. Isn't this grand!

I will post one more time on Wednesday if I have time...it is finals and I have to get all my grades in as well... Merry Christmas.

Community

You would think that a missionary community would be tight. With all that you may experience here in Sentani, what you lack is a sense of community. It is strange because this group of people do everything together, we worship, play and go to school together yet with all this interaction there is no interdependence IE: no community. This isn't an indictment but an observation and maybe it is because of the transient nature of each one here. Take us for example, we are here as far as we know for just a year. How much effort would anyone want to make getting to know us. Multiply that and everyone here is on a sort of stop watch mentality because for many and any reason time can be up and lives are uprooted and resettled in any of the states or in any of the many countries represented here. Relationships become stained with an inevitable looming departure.
This makes sense as to why I don't seem to dive into community anywhere even if most places I have lived in the States everyone stays put. I was missing my LC community this week because I had gotten my feet wet in the whole making of community. It was easy to leave because leaving has always marked my living, staying put was good for me though if not more difficult. So here I am in what is familiar, a transient group of leaving people and I find myself fitting in easily...BUT maybe that isn't the best quality I should relearn. Community, a group of interdependent people, seems to be what God intended. Maybe here we need to learn that leaving though inevitable isn't reason enough to not invest in each other. Maybe I need to just dive in, invest in transient people just because the time spent in building relationships is always valuable no matter the time frame.

Voiceless Beaches

We skipped church on Sunday and went to the beach. With another truant couple we enjoyed the whole beach, perfect weather, clear water all to ourselves. I think we needed the reprieve and coming home we were tired, sunburned again, messy and at peace.

I have had a cold now for about a week and it has gone to my larynx. So I can't talk ...this may be hard this coming week in my teaching job, but it makes me have to listen more... I can't even yell at the nameless people who play the music too loud. I can't remember the last time I lost my voice, but having to be quiet on purpose makes me nervous. How am I supposed to yell at the kids from my bedroom to be quiet in the living room? How do I get the cat off the table if he can't hear me? Am I really here if no one can hear me?

I was thinking that maybe you all have been wondering if things are OK for us here since you have been hearing a lot of the bad.

We are doing really well, really. The bad you hear are the minor notes in a melody of wonderful. This is not to minimize the bad but to emphasis that even in the minor key days we know beyond that shadowing doubt that this is where we are to be at this time.

It's Christmas, God's Gabriel was so busy making sure everyone knew what they were supposed to know at the right time. Busy in dreams and in visitations, becoming God's voice in a voiceless world. How much he knew...for soon God's voice would be human, no longer through a messenger but in the Messiah.

And sometimes it's just not good

(This is written with Mijo's permission)
The other evening Scott, Mijo and Nick went to the new supermarket to go shopping. It was evening and as Mijo and Nick got out of the car a man made a bee line for Mijo and touched(grabbed) her in a inappropriate manner. This was done while Scott was coming from the other side of the car. Scott grabbed the man's hand and yelled at him but the man ran away. Scott seeing guards not too far gestured to them and they found him.
In the office of the guards, the man was kicked and beaten by the chief in the presence of the kids. After much stilted conversation, Scott brought the kids home and returned with our field director. They then escorted the man, they being Scott and our field directory, to the police station where the history of this man was revealed. Like many criminals, he had a track record and like many criminals he was not right in the head. Scott likened the situation to the Wild West where justice is meted out then and there. They were going to hold him there and then take him to the mental hospital. He will be released unless his family will pay for him to stay there..

Having said all that, it really isn't about him. It is about Mijo. She came home broken. We have talked and prayed. We realize that it could have been worse, but them why does it have to be. It is bad enough for her, and in the next few weeks we will with the help of others help her process the emotions.
Nick was so terrible mad that he could not do anything, but feels responsible to protect his sister wherever they go. Scott who is wanting to see the Hand of God in the dealing of fallen man is wrestling with a constant desire to continue to do bodily harm.
I was at home, I am an observer. Sometimes it's just not good no matter how much you think through it all...

Blurping

Yesterday evening we were walking down memory lane through video's taken way back when Scott and I were dating. One of those memorable moments was Nick in his kindergarten class singing a Pizza song.One verse in this song was blurping...the sound that cheese makes on a pizza when it is being cooked. Very cute and all that but what amazed me later was when we were praying as a family, Nick thanks God that we can move from blurping to praising God. OK... I nearly burst out laughing which would not be inappropriate as I am sure God enjoyed the humor but Nick was completely serious and I wanted him to not feel like he had done something wrong..because it was so right. We all move from blurping to praising God and maybe that blurping was praising God in the only way a five year old is able.Sometimes I feel like my grown up praising makes about as much sense as blurping. I am thankful that God understands blurps when the intention is praise.

On another note...the in your face Christmas music continues to blare its insidious noise into our home. There are a few hours of peace between midnight and 4:30AM. We are wearing earplugs and shutting all our shutters. This makes for a nice stuffy night in the tropics. I am so looking forward to interior where there is NO MUSIC. I don't sound irritated do I :).

On this first Week of Advent...Joy! May the joy of this season be found in all that is simple: The first snow, the excitement of small children, the warmth of the fire, the lights that work after a year in storage, the first Christmas card from a dear friend, the silence of the morning with the warm cup of coffee in the soft glow of the Christmas tree lights. Joy...may He come into your home this year.

Epomek

Since Scott does not blog, or even email I will try to tell you about his adventure interior. He flew out Monday morning about 6AM and about an hour later landed on this little airstrip in this little valley. Size being relative here, but you are in the middle of HUGE jungle way out there. The Missionary (Phil) he was accompanying wanted to do some repair work on his house to prepare for his family who wanted to spend Christmas there. They are moving back to the US at the end of the this year, so having been in this community for the last 10 years or so, it is a time of farewell. There is so much baggage with that feeling..it marks so much of who we are. How and when and where do you really say goodbye...or the easiest is just to leave without the painful event.
Needless to say, Scott spent a lot of his 3 days, repairing water lines, hydro lines and visiting with the locals who seem to not have any sense of personal space. He was telling me that they touch you, watch you, follow you, hold your hand, stand real close and well...just stare and giggle. I don't think Scott has had so much attention..ever! He thought it was fun to sneak up on the girls who were amazingly shy and see if he could scatter them in fits of giggles. It seems that a little bit of any attention is good enough.
He had a great time and from Phil's point of view, his help was invaluable.
He came back with some treasures. If we wanted to make large holes in our ears, we have some ear hole stretchers, pig tusks, net bags, fossils and round stones from the bottom of the river bed. Cool stuff I think, especially the net bags that not only carry an amazing amount of stuff but have a distinct smell. That smell carries so much memories, it is like a window into my youth. Great Stuff !!!

Not Subtle at all

Americans are not subtle. We are out there most the time about who we are, what we like, why we like it and why you should like it as well. We celebrate everything with more panache them maybe necessary but here in Papua..specifically Sentani, they have us beat with in your face Christmas music. There is nothing subtle about the Christian community and desire to celebrate this holiday. Not too long ago I told you about Idul Fitri and the singing, wailing prayer calls at all hours in the night. Well, about every evening when the prayer calls are supposed to be heard we have been listening to VERY LOUD Christmas music. In the last 30 minutes we have gone around the world from Englands Bony M to Felice Navidah to Yo Jingle bells from the hood. Mixed in there is a a few Indonesian Christmas songs, but mostly good ole American Christmas music. It is so loud, that we can sing along in normal voice and it would still be louder. It seems that it is pay back time for the month of Ramadan. It is as if the message broadcasting is that this is our time to celebrate with absolute abandon. Not subtle at all. I like Christmas music..usually, but I don't know if I like it piped into my home with no volume control every evening till New Years.
I have no idea what speakers they are using, but I am praying for some power outages. I am an equal opportunity curmudgeon when it comes to volume, I don't like noise no matter the content...I like things subtle, quiet and sacred especially when it comes to the Christmas season. Oh well...I could tell them what I like, why I like it and why they should also like it my way..but no one is asking.
As I leave they are singing " I am dreaming of a white Christmas", I guess I am dreaming of a quiet Christmas with as much success.

Thank you...

I just wanted to take a moment to thank all of you who take the time to comment. I check out my own blog to see if I get any comments because then it seems that I have an audience I am writing to. I know that many of you read and don't comment, and I like it that you read the goings on in our life here in Papua...thank you to you.
So Gay ( always precious), Phil (what are you up too), LEW (always like your encouragement), John P. (surprise to hear from you..how are you), LH (thank you for understanding about missing dogs), Lisa (how are you...haven't heard from you in awhile), Juli ( always good to hear from you), Dawn (survive the parent-teacher gauntlet?)..I am sure I am missing someone and if I do..I did not go back to all my comments and may have overlooked you. Oh yes, Polly..always nice to know family is reading. Again, thank you for taking the time to comment and if you want to start a conversation, just email me...I will get back to you as soon as I can.

Storm Brewing

About midnight last night we woke up not because there was a storm...we have quite a few of these, but because it was raining in our bedroom. The wind was so strong that it was blowing the rain into our bedroom and on to our bed. If you want to know what it was like...flash yourself with a camera flash over and over again for about 45 minutes while you are standing in the shower and someone is moving your heavy wooden furniture over your hardwood floors. I know, we have all been in thunderstorms and I am sure the ones here are not any more spectacular then any, it was just fun trying to figure out how you could duplicate the effects. Needless to say, we got up to mop the floors, close all the windows and thanked God for the needed rain.

Scott and Nick woke up a t 4:30 this morning to go surfing. This will be Nicks first time and I am hoping that one of these days I will also be invited. Having never participated in any organized sports I am finding that I am handicapped in this very sports minded community. We always have something going...basketball, floor hockey, volleyball, indoor soccer, racquet ball, and now surfing. I seem a bit on the older side to pick up a sport to learn it, and most here have been doing all of these things for a lot of their lives. Not a lot of learners, but a lot of doers.

Tonight is Jazz night here in out little expat community. The theme for the evening is show tunes and Mijo and I are both participating. She is singing a solo while I am singing in a trio. This seems to be a huge event for all involved and everyone goes all out to get in costume. So far 250 tickets have been sold, mind you that does not include all of us who are participating. This also gives you a sense of how large the expat community is here in Sentani.

Pass the TP, please

Scott took us out to a new restaurant, a fast food joint in our new mall that is slowly opening its various stores. Think food court but with only only one kiosk. This was a nice for me because we are getting very low on food stuff in the house and I was scrambling trying to figure out what we were going to eat for supper.
We sit down and look at the condiments present. Sambal (hotsauce),ketchup, vinegar, salt, pepper, kecup manis (sweet soy sauce), silverware and a TP dispenser. This is different! Silverware at the table? Just kidding, instead of keeping napkins at the table, why not the cute toilet paper dispensers and then you can take as much paper as you need to clean off your hands or face. It is a bit disconcerting to ask for TP a the table though and then when Scott kept telling us just to take a square...well, that's just wrong.
Food was good and though it came out fast and HOT, I think it was healthy...maybe healthier then a hamburger and french fries. Scott ordered Ifu mie, Nick, nasi ayam, Mijo, mie ayam and I ordered cap cay all under $10. I think we forgot about making sure about the water...
You would think the TP dispenser on the table should have reminded us, I guess it just distracted us. Happy Thanksgiving !

Christmas?

How can this be, Christmas already? In the library yesterday they were playing Christmas music. In the stores here in Papua, you can find a Christmas aisle... How can it be Christmas already? Mijo has been sneaking Christmas music into our house through the back door. She plays it on her Ipod and sings it...we are beginning to realize that the season is upon us...but really? Is it really Christmas already?

Maybe here in Papua we will escape the hoopla, or maybe we will enter a whole new hoopla just in a different language. One of these years that illusive peace at Christmas will come and what an amazing present that will be.

We are healing, all of us, pysically and emotionally. It will take time and some of our wounds will leave some scars.

Perspective

Winzig ,our German short hair pointer, was killed by the side of the road after she had run away from home. Tom and Dawn negotiated terrible few days trying to figure out what had happened to her and why she ran away. As we waited on this side of the ocean they frantically went through the paces to find her. This story unfortunately did not have a happy ending. This dog bred to hunt hated guns. She just wanted peace, food and Scott. She helped tie our little family together, and we can't imagine our home in Lynden without her. We were and are so grateful to Tom and Dawn and family for not just taking care of her for us but loving her and now missing her. They carry more then they should, we wish them peace. It is a matter of perspective, I know, but at this moment...we are just incredible sad.

Heart sick...

Those of you who are not animal lovers won't understand, you don't have to. Tom and Dawn, who have not only taken care of our dog winzig, but have loved her since we have been gone, wrote us yesterday to say that Winzig ran away. They have gone above and beyond trying to find her but to no avail at the moment. As the days go by we are less hopeful. On both sides of the Pacific, our families are just heartsick. If you pray...would you?

Just Nasty

My ulcer is just nasty. In the process of it becoming so infected that I was ordered home by the nurse to not get out of bed unless I had to use the facilities, I got lots of advice. Pack it with sugar, black ointment, honey and papaya leaf and soak it in the purple stuff we use to clean our vegetables to what I have been doing, soaking with salt water, antibiotics and STAY OFF the leg. Scott was my sub in class yesterday and for him to be in the classroom as a teacher is just way beyond his comfort level.
It is just nasty this huge volcano of infection on my leg. I got sick to my stomach yesterday just looking at it while Scott was trying to clean it out. It is no longer taking over my leg and I no longer have a fever, so I am back at school but still gingerly walking about. There was a few days when nothing was working on this thing and it was getting bigger and redder and hotter. How vulnerable I felt to this unknown enemy who had come on a small and inconspicuous scratch.
We have collected our injuries and sicknesses and learned some valuable lessons...
Scott cannot eat fruit from the men who sell it by the side of the road or he will get sick.
Nick needs to wash his hands all the time before he puts anything in his mouth.
Mijo needs to wear something on her feet and not go into unknown water holes.
I need to look for scratches and make sure they are cleaned.

It would be nice to hear from some of you...

How do you eat an Elephant?

One little bite at a time...How does the Price family get discouraged? One more injury and/or illness. From the viral stomach thing of Scott's, to Nick's malaria, Mijo's wound and Nick's bacterial bout, I have been suffering from a tropical ulcer on my leg. While Nick was getting ready to go back to school from his bout with the bacterial stomach infection, I noticed a bump on my leg that was infected. I had received a scratch on our hike to those waterfalls last week but thought nothing of it. I had not even bled and it was just a scratch from a stick or something. I put on some medicine and went off to school. That evening, I looked at the sore and it was perfectly round, inflamed and red. I put on more medicine and thought maybe I should talk to the nurse the next day if it did not feel better. The next morning it was more red, warm to the touch and now it hurt to walk. Needless to say it is discouraging, we have not all been healthy at the same time for awhile now. I am on some serious antibiotics before this thing spreads and begins to eat my leg one little bite at a time.

Mijo came home from playing hunter with her friends, crying. I had made a bet with Scott prior to her going that she would come home from this outing with either an emotional injury or bodily injury. This is the nature of our beautiful 13 year old daughter. I won on both accounts. She was crying because she was going to miss everyone when/if we leave at the end of this year. She had also fallen down an embankment while playing...I think she bruised her leg. I encouraged her not to waste such intense emotions. She was borrowing from tomorrow, grief for today. We have enough today not to dive so far into the future. When that time comes it will be hard, but right now...it is good. Not too many weeks ago the tears were there because she missed being in Lynden. We are making some progress :).

Scott has been an exceptional nurse. He worries for me and about me...I am grateful for the care. By the way, I am now a bread maker !

Spirit Week!

We don't have a major game at the end of this week nor do we have a tournament that we are attending next week, we just have spirit week because we can. Amazing the commitment to the cause thought...yesterday was crazy hair day. One student decided that it would be wild to shave half his head. He had hair like Frodo...his parents are also out of town for a week. Today the theme is , what you would not wear to school. I am wearing a sarong with a T-shirt and flip-flops. A sarong is a wide strip of material that you wrap around your waist, I often wear this after I come home from the beach, comfortable but not in the least professional.

Nick is back in the land of the able...There are usually 3 different 'bugs' you can pick up that can cause gastro stress. Giardia, worms, or a bacterial thing. We are taking care of the would be worms, that didn't work so we went to bacterial...Yahoo for antibiotics.

It is now the windy season... this simply means every evening we have wind. I know this sounds pretty simple, but the wind isn't mild, gentle nor teasing. It is strong, gusty and down right pestering. Nothing comes of the wind either, no big storm or rain..just wind. The prayer calls have been a little off lately, I don't think we have daylight saving times since we are right on the equator, but they seem to think that 3:30 AM is now the right time to call everyone to prayer, it has been 4:30. I am a bit glad at their inconsistencies though, they aren't at it every morning and once in awhile they seem to remember that there is volume control on the speaker system.

Scott is teaching more and more in the PE department. Good for him...maybe not so much for them. I tell him he needs to remember they are not new recruits for the marines. :) We are getting busy..like a huge machine that is just begnning to rev up. We are so looking forward to Dad and Elf coming here in Decemeber. We will be going interior...Mapnduma and the Mbuwa. What an expereince it will be for all of us.

Into the WILD!

Finally, you have a picture. Yesterday, after sitting all morning with students doing their SAT's. I was invited to go on a hike with the dorm next door. There were about 8 of us. Nick and Scott were with a friend putting together an ultra-light. Mijo was lounging at home. Her foot is getting much better but she still needs some down time to heal. The American Ambassador had been here in the AM to much pomp and circumstance but alas I missed him, I was sitting with 12 students as they slogged through the way too long and drawn out test. I came home, thinking I was going to relax when I got this phone call from Joan. Why not...I thought to myself, the boys are gone, Mijo is playing a computer game. I threw some essentials in my back pack...put on some sensible shoes and off we went. I told Mijo where were were going and who I was going with...BUT (always a but when it comes to adventures in this family) she was concentrating on her game and heard only that I was going hiking to a waterfall but with whom and how long, she did not hear.
We starting hiking around 3 and got up to this spectacular waterfall at about 4:30. Needless to say, the local guides were not as sure as to how to get up there and there were several times in the walking over, through and around fallen logs that I was wondering if we were going to arrive anywhere interesting. We kept going...on and on, in and farther into this wild. BUT then...WOW, was it spectacular. Huge waterfall cascading down into a blue lagoon. YES..I should have that picture, but then I did not have my camera, Scott did. The picture at the start gives you an idea of terrain. We could not stay long...it gets dark here at 6, we walked out in twilight.
MEANWHILE back at the farm...
Mijo was frantic because she did not know where I had gone, who I had gone with and when I was supposed to have returned. Here we go again.... As I walked muddy, wet and tired back to the house, I was welcomed as if I had risen from the dead. Scott , looking relieved that again he did not have to go in search of his wife, was a bit disappointed in Mijo's listening skills. ME...I knew I had told her and assumed...yes, now you know the rest of the story. One of these days we will be able to go on a hike up some jungle pathway and return home without anyone planning search parties. There is another waterfall that needs exploring..maybe on that hike...
Nick is sick again and again we don't know exactly what it is. If it is another bout with malaria, I am at a loss as to what we do from here to keep him healthy.

Bread

I have tried 3 recipes now and the last one I tried is pretty much the easiest and the best and all the other accolades I can think of. I came home, threw the dough together, let it raise, punched it down, put it in the oven, smelled the heavenly smell and was beginning to congratulate myself that finally yes, finally I was a bread maker. I had made 1 loaf and 6 hamburger buns. My family was amazed that I had mastered this tricky art of baking. I told them not to count their buns until the whole process was complete. Everything was going so well....
As I was taking the loaf out of the pan, the last move before the final gloating and horrors of horrors, it stuck, broke apart and lay in a messy heap on the counter. SO close to victory only to have it snatched away by a delicate oversight on my part. I had lubricated the pan but only minimally...oh my kingdom for some slathering.
I will try again, the bread will not defeat me, these failures have only made me stronger. I will succeed and I will be called....a bread maker!

Injury, Surfing, the Moi and Thanksgiving

So much activity in a weekend. Injury: On Saturday we ( Mijo, Nick and I) went with the dorm kids to Kali Biru, a river of blue 2 hours away. Beautiful, serene and apparently a bit dangerous. Mijo was slipping into the water off the little wharf when she stepped on something really sharp...she has quite the deep cut on the bottom of her foot and is at the moment limping around with the help of a crutch. Before this accident we all had been jumping into, floating down, and swimming against the current of this amazing river. A local man was also using the river to clean his 7 foot python which he has stripped of skin and was preparing to cook. Wally told me that it is really good eating. Surfing: Scott in the meanwhile had gone with friends to go surfing. I don't really know if this was the first time he had gone surfing but it sounded like it wasn't exactly the quickest activity to learn. Maybe a bit like snowboarding, the first time out just a lot of pain and frustration. The Moi: Traveling with us to the river was a family who are with New Tribes. They work with the Moi people here in Papua. This tribe is isolated and small. As he began to tell us some of the details of this tribe like; 8-10 year old girls are married off to their 20-30 something husbands to be raised. How often the girls run away and how often they are beaten to learn to stay. How aggressive and verbal this tribe and how little respect they have for personal boundaries and possessions. How the tribe just walks into your house and stands around just staring at you and taking things if they want. How little each on is responsible for their own children but how everyone in the tribe feeds, corrects any child who is closest to them. How interested they are to hear about the Creator whom they recognize but don't really know. Papua may be one of the last places on earth where the indigenous people still live as they have since they arrived here. There is a huge struggle to help them learn to navigate the raging river called the rest of the world. Unlike Kali Biru, it isn't that beautiful, not so serene and very dangerous. Most seem to jump in or get pushed in without the skills to navigate, let alone retain their cultural dignity. Tragically, most injuries that happen don't just cripple but destroy.
Thanksgiving: MAF is a multicultural group of people so to celebrate Thanksgiving we picked a neutral date. What is similar though is that it involves eating well and being thankful. This we can do any time and we did yesterday with all 70 of us. We ate well, we were all thankful.

Going Hunting

I realize that in the US it is hunting season. I have no idea of what I speak, not being a hunter myself, but I do live with one. It is hunting season every night at our house. I know Scott misses Winzig (our German-short hair pointer, hunting dog) who is being loved by a wonderful family but, when all is said and done, winzig is missed. We have a cat..his name has changed so lately it has been Smeigel from Lord of the Rings. When we put the collar on the cat he reacted the same way Smeigel did with the elvin rope. If you have not watched those movies, you have no idea what I am talking about and it really has nothing to do with this story.

Anyway...Scott and Smeigel really have a great relationship. There are echos of Winzig in their dealings with each other. Scott rescued this cat from certain death by staying up on an all night vigil. The cat walks to the door when Scott comes in crying similar to Winzig's enthusiastic reception. The cat prefers anything Scott especially when they go hunting. Scott holds the cat and walks with him in hand around the perimeter of our porch looking for cicaks( small lizards). Scott says that the cat is on point when this happens. He sticks his neck out, his tail is swishing back and forth, and he growls and mews. You do realize I am talking about the cat( smile). I think Scott misses his dog and this is as close as he is going to get.
When Smeigle catches a cicak, Mijo yells for the cicak to be let go, Nick looks to see the fight and I hope the cat won't drag the bloody carcass into the living room.

Last night it was a full moon, I think I could of read a book outside. Needless to say it took a while to get the cat back into the house, it was good hunting even without the help of his Owner.

Breath in...Blow out

I had this wonderful picture that I wanted to post BUT the Internet is not only frustrating it is finicky. We have not been able to get on line while we are in our house AND we have to come all the way up to the school to get any news. It isn't that far..but it is inconvenient. BREATH IN AND BLOW OUT is a phrase I learned from a good friend at LC ( Hi, Dawn. How are you BTW and how is Winzig?). I have remembered this phrase a lot this week not only for myself but for the smaller Price people who live with us. This is a busy week, with the 10th grade New Testament class we are leading the K-6th grade in a 45 minute chapel every day. It is their spiritual emphasis week and although we are having a wonderful time and the students are doing amazing work...it is a lot. I am also responsible to get all the testing arranged for the High school. SAT< PSAT < class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">important to do right. Needless to say, BREATH IN...BLOW OUT! On Sunday I am leading worship with the 8th grade girls in our expat Sunday morning worship service...all this is great, all at the same time a bit on the overwhelming side. Good news though, it is Wednesday.

First Major Whatever

We have had earlier times when we just wanted to go home for whatever reason but this Saturday I think it was a family feeling. We are prepared for this emotional upheaval, but who wants it!!! It isn't that we don't like being here, we miss home and then when we are collectively in a bad mood, it does not help. We knew Lynden was getting its first winter storm and we remembered how cozy the fire is and how much we loved our dog, and how easy supper was made when we went to Safeway. OK...that does not sound like reason enough to not like it here, but when it is a collective thing it sounded much worse :).
We have been asked several times if we are staying longer then just this year. It is really hard to answer because we know the need for teachers here but then we also know what we will lose job-wise if we don't return after a year. There is a tension underlying every decision and every wonderful day. Scott and I have decided that we are staying a year as we promised and until we know otherwise that is all we can say at this time. What we want, well, this weekend would not have been a good time to ask. What we really want is to be where God gets the most glory. One thing I have learned though, it isn't about need, there are needs everywhere. It isn't about comfort, we can be comfortable most anywhere. It is about serving...Where and when and how long, as I said at the start...God's in the details and we will know. You can pray with us about this, come January we will need to let people know.

Malaria !!!

Has visited out house and the parasites now live in Nick, our youngest. We went to have him checked out for flu like symptoms...you guessed it, they took a blood slide and he wins the dubious prize of first infected. REALLY...he is doing fine and because he has malaria and not some unseen and unknown disease he can be treated. He is home resting, reading, watching DVD's and missing our xbox. He has been the most bit and the one we have watched over the most...Oh well, the kind of malaria he has ( there are two here in Papua) is the more serious one but when caught early very treatable. It is also not the recurring one so maybe this will be it for him. Or not...

Healthwise...collectively we have lost about 50 pounds. This may be good for some of us and no matter what you are thinking, I am not that bad of a cook. Food is a bit more simple here, and most likely more healthy. We also sweat a lot and move around a bit more as well.

Rumblings...

4.6 earthquake here in good ole Papua. This is the second one in less than a week and I am wondering if we are warming up for something or cooling down from something. When this rumbling occurred around 10 ish PM , I woke up quickly and we went running to see if the kids were OK. Rattled but good. We talked about what was happening and prayed for God's protection. One of those strange things you can't prepare yourself, and if you do..how exactly can you be prepared? I am making sure my glasses are close to my bed, I would hate to run outside and miss the whole thing because I can't see. I WISH I had the eye surgery I was thinking so seriously about getting before I came. BUT other then that, we talk about the what if and where to.



Remember two posts ago I was hoping that what we had bought for our picnic would not affect us in any way... there are some internal rumblings occurring as well. No need to go into any details just that we are staying close to home for a few days.

Eagle in a Fruit Tree

It is really called Idul Fitri and it is the end of the Ramandan fast. Scott remembers the holiday by calling it eagle in a fruit tree. It is 6AM here at the mosques have been broadcasting prayers since last night at 7PM. At around 2AM, young boys or young men I could not quite figure out began practising their own abilities at calling out their prayers. Because the prayers are not usually in a key that most boys can chant/sing there was a whole lot of shrieking going on. They are still at it this morning and because there are so many mosques in one area, it has become the battle of the prayer calls.

Ear plugs can only shut out so much ... needless to say this eagle in the fruit tree holiday may be spent taking naps.

Why this picture you may ask. It really was meant for the last blog but the Internet wasn't working. Efar is a military post and this gentlemen was eager to pose with Scott for this picture. From this vantage point you can see Lake Sentani and to the right of the picture Sentani airport.

As unusual as it may be for an eagle to be in a fruit tree, how about a rap concert with MK kids!

If you can picture this in your minds eye. A 10th grade girl dresses up for a concert in a gingham red polka dot dress as if she is Dorothy from Kansas. The concert she is going to attend isn't Bill Gaither but two men from Texas who rap to the Glory of God. Having never heard rap she is standing shoulder to shoulder with other very sheltered MK's raising their hands, trying to keep the rhythm and generally having a GREAT time. The men had come out to do concerts in the area, rap has reached to the youth of Papua and as much as I might not appreciate the medium, the words reflected the word of God for the glory of God. I know my age may reflect my taste, but I so enjoyed the simplicity of truth that the gospel represented to all the people at this concert even though it was said in rap but maybe because it was...

happy eagle in a fruit tree day, may the loudness of the all night prayer calls never disturb your sleep and the next time you are invited to a Rap concert given by men who love Jesus, go... who knows, you may even see the glory of God in the simplicity of all its truth.

Monday morning musings...

We had a picnic yesterday after church...we went up to Efar, the place where MacArthur established his headquarters while he was preparing to go back to the Philippines. I did have a picture to show you but the scene behind us in the new picture of us shows a bit of all that you can see. I will try and upload more when I can. It is a spectacular view and on this Sunday we also had a thunder storm to experience.

The students had their Sadie Hawkins this weekend. The girls do ask the boys out but then they dress up in costumes. It is pretty amazing how creative they can be with no costume stores to visit. Saturday morning we went to Abe to do some shopping. I was so excited ( small pleasures) to see tomatoes in the store only to find when I took off the wrapping that all of the six I bought were rotten.

We were attempting to make hamburgers and french fries for supper, not that I am tired of rice but...The rolls I had made from scratch were dense and small and the corn on the cob was , well not quite sweet and I already told you about the tomatoes. We made do and Mijo declared that it was the best meal yet. Earlier that day as we were buying food to go to the picnic we had bought something from a merchant on the side of the road. It was a noodle, tofu wrapped meat thing with mystery meat balls. I was good to go until everyone at the picnic refused to tell me what exactly was rolled in those meatballs. I lost my appetite, Scott who was hungry ate it up ( and he wont eat hot dogs in the States!) and Mijo and Nick...both ate, both finished. I'm waiting for the inevitable stomach ache...but so far so good.

Those of you who know Scott and are familiar with is disciplined eating habits. We were walking out the door and he is eating a chocolate bar...WHAT IS THE WORLD COMING TOO !!!!!!

Oh..I am learning how to make bread..learning being the operative word as I explained the dense, small hamburger rolls. Scott and I will attempt this feat on our own this week. I had help with the making of the dough not the baking. While I am on the subject of Scott. He is working at MAF doing some welding. This sounds good but he is welding in the hot tropical sun with coveralls on that do not breath for free. His attitude for service and hard work still defines him even when he isn't getting a paycheck. Being here has been good for us as a family.

T-shirt bumper stickers

Yesterday, I know nothing. Today, I know that.

It is a slow news day here in Papua. My classes are working on projects and I am caught up with all my grading. My sermon is done for this Sunday and I've finished reading the 2 books I took out of the library. The weather is hot, the students are tired, the cat attacked Scott's nose last night and bit it, Mijo is working hard on her book and Base lessons,and Nick is reading the Left Behind series for kids. I can't upload any pictures for you to enjoy and I am almost caught up with the few emails I have received. Maybe though, I know more then yesterday :) .

New Look and Odd T-shirts

At home, usually this time of the year, I rearrange the furniture to prepare for the fall. Move the sofa closer to the fireplace etc. Here, I am rearranging the blog site. Not quite the same but close enough.
Scott does not have malaria, he had a nasty virus that cleaned him out. He is back at work today but as a result we had a very quiet weekend. It rained on Sunday, one of those nice strong almost can't hear each other talk rains. The air and the grasses are now washed clean.
I took several girls to our new mall this Saturday. When I say new mall, you would be surprised how amazing this place is just down the hill from the school. It is really nice and though it isn't quite finished they have opened up the stores that are ready to go. There is a clothing store there which sells pretty much anything you may need and really funny T-shirts. The one I picked up said and I quote " Life does not begins at forty" ALSO "Blessed are they that hunger and thirsty" AND Again, "Don't hate me because I am beautiful, hate me because your boyfriend thinks I am" and last but not least, the most subtle one there, "Lets get Drunk".
As I continue my pursuit of wisdom from T-shirts I will pass them on to you.

Only here !

It is a strange thing but when you get sick here in Papua everyone wants to take your blood. We were invited to to someone house for dinner last night and it was wonderful (Pizza) but prior to being there Scott was not feeling so well. He was not eating much of dinner so explaining to our host that he was not feeling well they promptly said " We will take a slide and check it out". Taking a slide means that they not only have stuff to poke your finger with, but they have a slide to put it on and then they run it down to the 'drug store' to see if you have malaria. It seems that the High school girls are really good at poking the finger just right and taking the blood just right. I have seen this on more then one occasion. You really can't just have the flu here, you have malaria first then after the slide is negative we can talk about other lesser things you may have picked up. The jury is still out on Scott, his blood count was up but that could simply mean he is just on the cusp of getting malaria or that he has another infection. Either way, he is down for the count.

Health wise, we are all dealing with something. But Scott may be the first one to be counted as a real missionary. It is a rite of passage it seems.

Feeling the burn!

I told Mijo to put on sunscreen when we went to the beach on Saturday...She didn't and now she is relizing how wise her mother really is ... I put on sunscreen but I missed a crucial spot on my back, I am also reaping similar consequences. It is quite amazing how badly one can get burned in the tropics on a sunny day on the beach. Last Sunday I was dealing with blisters, this Sunday a sunburn on my back. Maybe this week will be a pain free week here in Papua.

Scott and I are taking Indonesian lesson on Monday and Wednesday nights. This has been really good for us but I don't know how much we are really learning yet. Scott has been using more and more words and though his accent isn't quite there, he is jumping in anyway.

Oh..Scott and I have cell phones or as they are called here, hand phones. We are learning the mysterious world of texting...it is amzng wht u cn sy wthout spllng it all out. Now I can txt him to brng hme sme stff frm multi jaya ( our local grocery store).

Some of you need to email me and let me in on what is going on with you, this seems like a very one-sided conversation.

Mount Doom

Remember that beautiful mountain I went on and on about not to many posts back. That whole I love this mountain it has framed my childhood.....well, I take it all back. After this Saturday, it is now Mount Doom. It may regain its splendor after all my blisters heal and the adventure of Saturday is farther back in my mind.
We were going to walk up to the water falls which are located on this mountain a short walk behind our school and home. Scott, Nick, Mijo and I were well prepared with water, sunscreen, bug repellent and machete. OK, Nick needed the machete to practise his jungle skills. I also remembered bandages. As we were preparing I was wondering what shoes to wear since I had not pack my hiking shoes. I had a few to choose from and chose a pair I did not mind getting wet or ruined. The pair I chose on a whim were not exactly the best for what was ahead.

We traversed the barb wired fence, wandered through the small village at the bottom of the hill, walked across the river and then began our climb on the mountain. About 30 minutes into the walk I became nauseated and light headed. I was not out of breath or tired but I was feeling very much like I was going to faint and/or throw up. We sat down, Mijo pulled her jungle survival book out of the back pack she had quietly put in and decided that I did not have heat stroke so it was not yet an emergency. We sat, we walked a bit, we sat. Scott in the meanwhile the patient but very non-affected man was wanting to keep going up..do something other then wait for an overheated, fainting, throwing-up wife. So half way up I suggested he and Nick go up and Mijo and I would wait and get better.

About a half hour later, feeling much better I suggested to Mijo that we would walk up and meet the boys coming down. SO off we went up the river bed towards the water fall. We rested, looked around, avoided the bomber like bees and meandered up to where we thought the boys would be coming down. We never met them...
Meanwhile the boys have come down to the spot where they had left us ready to pick us up and return home. Finding us not at the designated spot decided that I had felt bad enough to return home and proceeded back down the mountain and returned home.
We returned to our spot thinking that maybe the boys had gone into the jungle and would be coming down to meet us through a different path so we sat and waited. Scott and I had decided before we left that at 2:30 no matter where we were on the mountain we would head back home and it was 2:30. Mijo asked me if I was worried, yes..I said, lets pray. SO we prayed and decided that we needed to go back up the mountain towards the waterfall because maybe the boys were hurt and that is why they were not coming back down. I had met a Papuan woman and she had gestured to me that the boys had indeed gone up.
Scott got on his motor cycle and began looking for us on the road leading up to the waterfall thinking that maybe we got lost on the way down or that I had become too sick and was waiting on the side of the road. He did this twice riding back and forth asking in his very broken Indonesian..Orang Putih? white person?
Walking back up the river bed thinking the absolute worse case scenario I worked hard at not panicking. Mijo walking on the other side of the river was working really hard at not showing her worries. When we reached the same spot on the river a group of Indonesian men gestured that the short and tall people had gone back down. Walking back down...I will not tell you what I was thinking..at this moment in time it is rather embarrasing. We walked all the way down to the road and at this time I had 6 blisters, wet feet, bad headache and a plan on how to get a search party together to find these lost souls. Scott met us on the road..." Well", he said, " That was fun!"

Somehow in the narrow creek bed, we missed each other. 4 hours we spent...4 hours!!! Knowing that we were all alive and well and not harmed in any way except for the blisters...we had a great evening. Moral of this saga..COMMUNICATE INTENTIONS !!! Don't just say to the wife, we're going up to check it out and not give her your intetions of return. Don't always assume the worst...they may just have gone home to wait for you.

Jayapura

This is the view from the hills behind Jayapura looking towards Papua New Guinea. It is the outline of the mountain in the distance. It is another hour ride from Jayapura to the border but as easy as it may be to drive there it is not that easy to be there. Friends of our made the trip this week to get their visa situation cleared since you have to go out of the country to get back in the country.

Back to Jayapura, the beach you see is called BaseG and we spent many a weekend there in my youth. I do believe the majority of my freckles I have if not from the swimming pool I got here. This view though is from many a house on the hill behind the city of Jayapura, the panorama is spectacular. There are also old houses that were built when the Dutch controlled these islands and they still grace the sides of these hills.

Not many expats live in the city anymore compared to Sentani, a 45 minute drive to the east. But compared to my view from HIS, this one wins hands down. The city is nestled in a bowl just around the corner from this view. It has one of the deepest natural harbors in the world and it is busy. I can't say the city is pretty...but if you lived on this hill you might get over it.

Nuts and Bolts, Misc., Etc.

I thought just for the fun of it that I would let you know what a 'normal' day looks like on this hill. From Monday through Friday, we wake up 6ish, and start walking to school about 7:15. 8 Periods later, 45 minutes each with a lunch that is the same length we are done at 3PM. After school Mijo and Nick may go to the computer lab to play games or do email, play with other kids in the playground, practise with the after school band, come home and do homework or wander and do any or all of the above. I stay in my room till about 3:30 or 3:45 depending on if students want to talk and today I will be helping an Indonesian student learn how to pronounce words he is learning in French class. When I go home I try and figure out what to do for supper which we (Scott and I) usually serve at 5-5:15. The kids clean up while I go on my evening walk. I walk the hill here and at this time particularly because the bats are out, the sun is setting, the smoke from the town is rising, the color is soft and the air is cooler.
Scott can be doing anything and everything while we are at school. At the moment he is welding down at the MAF base, but he also helps out with the elementary PE, goes to the store or runs errands, figuring out how to do some of the things he has been asked to do. His routine is that he does not have one.
Yoda ( our cat) spends his day running like a maniac without concern or routine. He had a serious brush with illness last week but Scott is his animal wisdom stayed up 2 nights to keep him hydrated.

The evening can be very quiet in our home but if I played any of the sports here, floor hockey, basketball, badminton, indoor soccer we could be chasing a ball every night. The hill is busy, our house is pretty mellow with homework, email time and book reading. PTL we all like to read. We watch DVD's and make fun of the subtitles that never seem to be quite the same as the conversation in the movie. We are in bed between 9-9:30. It is Ramadan at the moment so there seems to be quite a few men practising the prayers calls at night over the loud speaker. With no disrespect to their month of fasting which is huge in and of itself, but maybe they could not have the mic turned on when they are learning at. Just a thought but then what do I know.

In the evening is also when I go bread shopping. There are several women who come to my door with sweet bread, rolls, tortillas, sweet rolls, flowers, and last night warm banana bread. I think I am paying more then I should...but I enjoy the bread and appreciate the effort it takes to come to my door with what I do not make myself.

On weekends...nothing routine. We hope to go to the beach but not by ourselves yet. Last weekend we went to Jayapura, the largest city and capitol of Papua. I was riding around trying to remember what was familiar. The veiw...It is pretty amazing and will post the pictures next time, internet willing. Till next time...

Birthdays in Birthplaces

I am one of the older teachers here at HIS, the teachers who came out with us are a good 10 to 20 years younger. The problem with age as I see it, it really is a matter of perspective, and now I am sounding like I am old. I have no idea how to deal with my age and as Mijo said this morning, " Mom, I forgot it was your birthday and you should be happy about that because it really doesn't mean anything to get older". I asked her how she would feel if I forgot and she proceeded to tell me it means a lot when you are a kid.

Scott found me my first Papuan purse and those who know me and my propensity for buying purses will know he did well. My birthdays when I was younger were always celebrated in the dorm because it was right after school started. Why that strikes a note in my memory I have no idea, but here I am back in my birthplace turning 44 but it really does not matter because it doesn't mean anything to get older once you are older as my daughter so reminded me this morning.

So my motto at 44 is to be fearless and this will take somewhat of a miracle as it seems I am much more fearful then fearless. God in His Mercy is doing a work in that area in my life because it seems that most the fears that have haunted me were born here in my birthplace. What a present for those fears to be layed to rest here in this birthplace as well.

Sand and Students

On Thursday morning in the driving rain, 70+ students and teachers headed out for The Beach Trip. Packed all our stuff and just headed out. We left at 8AM and arrived at the beach, our own beach at about 10:30 AM. What a beach, what an adventure in so many ways. If you have never camped at a beach as I have never, one is not prepared for the insidious nature of sand. BUT I digress a bit, the Senior boys had gone ahead to prepare the land. Cutting out of the jungle places to sleep, go to the bathroom and cook. Obviously not all at the same place. When we arrived, we set up our camp which means, putting up your mosquito net under the tarp with your bed stuff. After all that is accomplished, you adventure out to see whats up. Huge tarp over the cooking area and a hole in the ground with a nice orange tarp to do your business ( This place became crucial when later on we all developed cramps from some bad juju and needed to use the facility on more then one occasion). On seeing the facility, I was temped not to eat or drink for the remainder of the week so as not to have to use the facility.

The weather was still over cast but hey...its warm no matter what the weather is doing so snorkeling and swimming, conversation and walking was the activity at hand. To be honest, I was ready to go home at the end of the day but..that is because I am a big weenie when it comes to dis-comfort. Sand...do you understand how irritating sand is when you have to eat it, sleep with it, walk in it, sit in it, dress with it..I am sure you get the picture. The pictures of beautiful sand beaches in the tropics don't tell the whole story. Again I digress...

Our school director was our speaker and he did a wonderful job bringing us back to the basics of our faith. The first night...have I told you about the sand. Morning finally came after a night of rain, I don't think anything I owned was dry. This day was my designated snorkeling day and it was magnificent. It is just amazing!!! What I discovered about myself other then my propensity for weenieness is that I get motion sickness when I am in the water. Not while I am above the water or even in car on a bouncing car on winding roads... I get seasick when I am in the sea. SO ... I can be out there for about 30 minutes before I get sick, I recoup for about and hour then go out again. I did several cycles of this and then spent the rest of the time having wonderful conversation with students and staff. When there is no schedule conversations can wander at will and relationships can be built. This was the best of the time there...building relationships.

Something was eaten that day that made everyone sick. This was not the fun part of the trip at all. Having the runs is bad enough when you are home and have a bathroom in the next room , it is downright wrong to be on a beach with a hole in the ground. Needless to say, even with stories of snakes in the area and the jungle as your walls, you do what you have to do.

And it was the second night. Since the sun sets at 5:30...the stars are out early and since there is no light, they are out of this world !! The moon was full so the tides were high...I didn't even mention that the boat trip out shook my whole idea of sailing around the world. The waves were about 4-6 feet and with a outrigger we were bouncing over the waves. I screamed, it lets out tension, the students laughed at me but hey, I am a weenie. Our driver kept looking at me to see if I would stop. Again, screaming lets out tension and it is not good to keep it all bottled up. Back to the sleeping part, the sounds of the surf is quite soothing, its the hard ground, sand and damp clothes that makes sleeping a bit more difficult. I was never so glad to hear the cacophony of birds in the morning. We packed up in the rain, and left in the sun. I had been so good about sunscreen all three days until the last trip home. It would have been fine if our driver had not run out of gas in the middle of the cove. I have never enjoyed a shower, clean DRY clothes, sheets and my wonderful family.

But for news here... we have a kitty cat, Yoda. Scott has taken it upon himself to learn how to make yogurt and the Mijo and Nick are maybe a bit thankful they could not come with me these past three days.

Beaches and Birthdays...

We will have to have a picture here of the day we spent at the beach.

YES..it came through. No, I did not steal this picture from an add in a travel magazine...It was Nick's bday on Saturday so we collected 4 of his new friends, packed a lunch, crammed into a taxi, drove 45 minutes on a well traveled road, loaded into a boat with a beetle nut chewing captain, road another 20 minutes or so and arrived at this beautiful beach. We went snorkeling...I was swimming with Nemo and his friends, all except the sharks though I did keep an eye out for them. It is a strange world and a bit uncomfortable...I have no idea what I am supposed to be scared of so right at the moment I am nervous about everything that swims. There were these brilliant turquoise little bitty ones that I thought were very cute and could hardly do any harm so I swam a bit closer to those one. It was truly amazing. Nick said it was the best birthday ever...why not, we were at a warm tropical beach in a raggedy boys kind of country , exploring strange and wonderful new worlds, with PBJ for lunch. That's a good 11 year old birthday party.

I get to do this again this coming weekend. The whole of the high school, all 70 of us are going to spend 2 nights and 3 days on another beach about 45 minutes farther away then this one. I get to go because I am a HS teacher, it should be lots of fun though I am partial to showers before bed. We will see...

First week down...

Scott surprised us all on Wednesday when he had our Motor bike delivered to our front door. It seems that they like to make a production of this new purchase by bringing it to your front door for all your neighbors to see.

Nick was the first to go for a ride on this new bike, down the hill, through traffic, over the rickety bridge..you get the idea. When he returned and I was asking him about his trip he said quietly. " Mom, you know how I don't like it when things are going fast, so I was trying to remember Psalm 23 on the way down because I was getting scared".

So, I am wondering...how fast was Scott going that our son was thinking he was traveling in the shadows of death. Nick wants to get over his fears and bless his heart, even if he has to recite the Psalm every time he gets on the bike, he is getting on the bike. I was on next and no, Scott does not go fast , it is quite impossible to do anything fast here with the volume of traffic, people and road conditions. It is not quite as comfortable as an air conditioned car but much more convenient for the things Scott will be doing.

For me...I walk to school and walk home. I live at the school. It has been a great first week. Homework, learning new names, figuring how to make things interesting, walking home for lunch. It's all good !!!

They say Thank you....

As the students walk out of my class on the first day of school they said to me, "Thank you Mrs. Price". " You are welcome", I answer back. That's different ! I am not used to the whole idea that teachers are appreciated by their students. Makes me want to always do my best in every class all the time. I know, we all have our off days but what an amazing incentive.

Everyone seems to have fallen in love with school. IT is the first day and there isn't that much homework yet and everyone is still really nice, but love the start. Scott has been off in the jungle, quite literally in the jungle helping a team locate a boundary to a piece of property. They killed a death adder in the area not too long ago. As Scott is telling me this small detail I wonder aloud..." I wonder if they are deadly?, Well, Heidi...I don't think the name of the snake is "Comatose adder", or "Not Too Bad Adder"... Well, I am pleased to announce that they killed that snake and I am sure there are no others. They are careful, and they are aware and in reality, it is a jungle out there.

It is so fun to be teaching here....

This mountain...

This is the mountain that's in our back yard. It looks in this picture as it if is far away, but I took it when we were on the lake. It rises about 7000 feet and becomes an ever changing backdrop in the landscape of Sentani. So many of my memories are framed with this mountain in the scenery. So I wanted you to see it as well as enjoy it. It takes a while for me to upload pictures...So I will do it once in awhile and only if I get up early enough before the rest of the compound gets on the computer.

Maybe you can make out the outline of why it is called cyclops. It is supposed to look like a cyclops in repose. Can you see the face?

It is Sunday morning here in Papua, church will start in a few minutes and for some reason the prayer call was not made at 4AM. Maybe someone slept in but it was a wonderful silent morning for us to sleep in. Scott was up at 6:00 but that is sleeping in for him. I checked the weather in Lynden, it seems like you all are getting the rain a bit early this year. It is Sunday, so I am assuming it will be the hottest day in the week. I remember when I was in boarding school it was always the case. We could not swim and we had to take naps and write letters home...it was always the hottest day of the week.

Till next time...

Maaf...I am sorry

I have been having a hard time getting the pictures to download because the computer shuts down every time I try I will keep trying, I promise. Yesterday we had a wonderful experience and took a boat ride on Lake Sentani. All us newbies took the school on this trip and as we maneuvered our way around the lake and the houses on the lake the sun was setting in all its glory. What an evening. We waved at all the local children as they waved at us. We had slathered out bodies with insect repellent so nothing bit...it was a spectacular evening. We came back to the restaurant where all the teachers and their spouses had en evening out. The food was tasty and the entertainment were the rats that ran along the beams. Can't have everything :)

We have been having great conversation and beginning to learn the complexities of life here in Papua. How much has changed since I grew up here. I wish I could write it all down but I am processing the information and the sadness of how it is all unfolding. I have a 10 day view, so I know so little. I hope to know more and understand better what Papua is becoming.

Mijo and Scott celebrated their birthdays. Mijo missing her entourage of friends with every email written her...she has quite the collection of loyal friends and it is helping her in these few days before school starts.

I am getting prepared for school...prepared being the key word. The second weekend the whole high school will be spending 2 days at the beach...I like these field trips!!! Those high school students of mine....you want to be a senior here. We think we are busy in the States...these guys have quite the extensive schedules and extra curricular happenings. Fun to be a part of it all ....

Till next time....

Notes to self...

* When you travel to Abepura to buy a carpet for your very stark but wonderful abode, take money with you. You may not be able to get money out of the ATM that day because the rest of the population of Papua may have the same idea. You will stand in line in the hot sun next to a very old woman who not only chews beetle nut ( looks like tobacco chew except its blood red) but smokes unfiltered clove cigarettes. She was not aging as well as most Asian women do...

* Learn Indonesian as soon as possible, it would make for less mistakes, maybe not as many giggles and outright laughter.

* When the guy at the Jakarta airport tell you that your barang ( Stuff) will get there tomorrow, he really means a week. ( It all finally came yesterday)

* Buy from the vendors who come to your door even if you don't want anything they are selling. They work hard to get to your door and then put themselves out for you...they may even surprise you and give you a bouquet of flowers just because the want too.

* Dead spiders are just as scary as alive ones especially if they are HUGE !!!!

* You had better post some pictures soon or no one will read your posts anymore.

Red Number Days

Yesterday at 4AM the prayer call was not only louder but longer. So you lay in bed and wait for the call the be finished and wonder if this is the new alarm system you will have to adjust too. BUT, it is the ascension day of Mohamed so prayer times were more important and shops were closed.
It is a red number day for the Indonesians. Also for us, Scott and I have been married 5 years yesterday as well. For celebration we went to a Indonesian wedding reception in Abepura. We arrived at 6:30 PM, 15 minuted late, we did not start the reception until about 7:30. Even for the missionaries who have been here a long time, being on time is a hard habit to break. It would have been nice to be able to talk to each other but the music was so loud I had to keep telling Nick not to plug his ears.

I want to put some pictured on the computer but the cord that helps me do that is in our luggage which is somewhere between Jakarta and here. Scott and Nick have been living out of their hand luggage for almost a week now. Mijo and I brought our suitcases through so we were under limit but were also promised that the rest of our barang ( stuff) would arrive the next day....as you can see it has not been the case.

Scott has been given the green light to drive. This is good because we now have more mobility, scary because it is all so different. I am supposed to learn, somehow it is not on my priority list. We want to get a motor bike, that would be fun. You have to realize that the roads are small, there are no fast rules, everyone thinks they have the right of way, motor bikes assume you can always see them even if they don't look at on-coming traffic, there are no passing lanes, traffic signals or shoulders. I might just be a passenger for awhile.

We have orientation this week for school..we start on the 20th and go straight through with no breaks until Christmas...but then we also have 4 weeks for Christmas break. This gives the High schoolers here at boarding school a longer time with their families.

I am sure we will have quite a few red number days here in Papua, and not only because it is on the calender. I will be sure to let you know....

Arriving at Gate......

We have arrived...non-eventful everything. I have been reminded again and again how little I need to worry. It is a daunting flight and amazing in its length. We left on Saturday morning at 1:30 AM from San Fran and arrived here in Papua at 7:30 Am Tuesday morning. We have slept and woken up at strange hours. We went shopping yesterday for essentials...here in Indonesia you work in the Millions. 1 million rupiahs is about 100 dollars, there are a lot of zeros to deal with when you are looking at the price.
We live at the school, it is beautiful...the fans are going all the time, it is also a bit on the warm side. The cicaks (small lizard) make a wonderful clicking noise at night as the cicada's turn on their charm at 5:30PM. The Prayer calls from the Mosque wake us up at 4:30...and revelry from the military post at about 5:30. If we leave our toothbrushes out for too long they will be swarmed by the ants. Well, anything left out too long will be swarmed by ants. I tried to buy from a lady who came to the door our first night here. She laughed when I gave her all out money and gestured for her to take what we owe since I could not figure out what she wanted. She was kind and took only what she needed....I think. :)
It is surreal to be here...in so many ways I have no idea what to think. I am just soaking it in at the moment. Scott is a pro at all of this. He is not liking this adjustment time and wants to just get going with work and helping. He is quite amazing in his adaptability. The kids...are doing GREAT !! Nick has several friends and Mijo is calling the lizards cute.
I will post pictures as soon as I get them on the computer...Just wanted you all to know...we are here !!!!!

Last boarding call...

I never know in the moment if God really cares about lost purses because it is just a lost purse. BUT...what if that purse has all your credit cards and debit cards and it is the day before you are to leave the country for a year. Does He care about that? This is my conversation with Him as we are driving down the highway, I left my purse at the restaurant the night before and had not missed it till the morning after. Please God care for my purse and excuse my forgetfulness. Please, I do not want to pay the consequences of my stupidity...Please, please , please....

The good people at the restaurant had found it and my sister-in-law and niece retrieved it...

I never know in the moment if God really cares about safe airplane rides....Please God, please please please care for this airplane on this day on this journey.

I guess if He cares enough for my purse, maybe he cares about this airplane ride or whatever I or you can think of as we fill in the blank. As my faith is renewed every day in every situation from lost purses, airplane rides to being in Papua for a year, I can know He cares. I know it isn't that everything turns out the way I would want it too, but that in everything He cares.

A few more hours and we are on our way. We have a few things to pack yet but pretty much, we are set to go. I will be praying, I will be hoping for non-eventful everything, I also know God cares.

I will write as soon as I am able...

BTW

I did not mention in the post before where we are all going....Papua, Ache, Lesotho, DRC, Haiti, Equador and more places that I can't remember at this moment.

Threads of Grace

Mijo is upstairs in our apartment giving a voice lesson to a fellow MK. Nick is skate boarding with another MK outside in the 99 degree heat. Scott is running yet another errand on my behalf, trying to make things run smoothly in this temporary household. We have just finished our orientation and waiting to begin our Security training. We are all a bit tired but today as we wrapped up our time together we were amazed at the community God put together here in Nampa in these short two weeks. We are from everywhere, US, Canada, Netherlands, Mexico and the Philippines. We are married with 4 children, 3 children, 2 children, no children. We are single and widowed. The youngest child is coming in September and Conner at 13 is the oldest. Some have been married 30 years, some just a 1.5 years. All of our stories though have an amazing common theme whether we are going to fly airplanes, teach, houseparent, maintenance, do IT or LT, be Mom's and Dad's, we all have come with one purpose, to do right by those we serve and make Jesus' name famous. Every story shared was weaved together with threads of grace. The sadness of some, the joy of others and the fears of all were woven with God's amazing Grace.

5T does not mean 5C

We are learning quite a few things here at orientation. We have been doing personality tests and between Scott and I we have found a a few key things. On a scale of working well or relating well, Scott and work well together but we don't relate well. We should be co-workers but most likely we will have conflict if we are wanting to have a relationship... This session was not that helpful :). Scott says we just need a lot of projects that we are constantly working on so we can get along. It has been good to be here, but it is a bit on the long days and sore bum side of things.
Today we were learning how to cook from scratch. This was fun...Remember that Scott and I work well together...not necessarily relate well. We were making a pie crust, Scott was mixing I was gathering ingredients. I like getting things done, so I kind of glanced at the recipe...Scott would have read it completely. I read 5 cups of water rather then 5 Tablespoons of water. If you have ever made a pie crust...yes...it requires only 5 tablespoons. Anyway...Scott was mixing, and waiting for me to do what he thought I had gained a proficiency...I read 5, I assumed cups. We had to start again from scratch. It was good though, we did good work when Scott read the directions and told me what to do.
Mijo and Nick...they are making friends and were able to play in a puddle made from a fire hydrant. Cheap thrills on a HOT Idaho day. They seem to still like each others company.. this is a good thing. We are looking forward to the weekend. We may even go and see a movie or replace some clothes that were ruined in the drier after a pen exploded.

Behaving Badly!

I am sure none of you can relate, but in the spirit of honesty let me tell you...I behaved quite badly this week. I lost hope, yelled at the kids just because I could, quit several times and simply lost it. BTW...all is done, all animals in loving homes, house is cleaned, classes are done, even our plants have a place to settle....Mind you...this all transpired in its entirety this Friday. OK, back to the story, it is Thursday afternoon and I am stressed OUT!!!!!! A wonderful lady, I am sure, has just told me over the phone that maybe because we don't have all the details taken care of we are really not supposed to go. She used the trump card, God had told her and she felt obligated to let us know this new message from the Almighty. I am weary to the bone, my house is in disarray, my kids are sad, my husband is tying up loose ends, I have a paper to write AND I get a message from God that we are all in the wrong because we can't quite get everything together. Bless her heart, I was in no mood to talk, I should have but I hung up the phone, curled into a small ball and wailed. Scott walks in the room at this time, watches me melt and wonders what for awful has happened. As I wail in desperation, Scott, (wanting to tell me ..NOT the time Heidi for a melt down.. SNAP OUT OF IT ) gently puts his arms around me and lets me drain my stress tank and lets me know its going to be all right. I so wish in times like this I would remember the faithfulness of God. I don't...I hate that about my faith. I know better...I really do !ANYWAY..we are on the way to Idaho. All packed up and somewhat rested. Wanted you all to know inspite of me, God is previous, He already knows, He's already been. Remind me next time !!!!

Behaving Badly...

Sheesh already !!!

Swimming in papers, deadlines and deep thoughts. Kids have their first production of Alladin this Friday night after 2 weeks of really hard work. I finish my class next Friday after 2 weeks of really hard work. It is all a bit much at this particular time, head above water, swimming really hard, almost to shore but one more week of papers, deadlines and deep thoughts.
Oh yea, then we pack up and go..........Sheesh already!!!

It depends on what you are looking for...

It depends on what you are looking for as to what you really see. Our view this day is just being busy with all that has to be done. Our best view though is what a great opportunity...

Hello all, whomever you are reading this, BTW let me know if you tune in so I can be assured these postings of mine reach an audience. I don't know either if some of you have had troubles finding this spot. Is it difficult to find?

OK, random views on this Thursday morning...

We have renters....wonderful couple.

We are still looking for animal keepers...

OH....also plant keepers, I have some beautiful houseplants that need a home...

Kids are neck deep in 'Aladdin' summer stock for young kids, Mijo is the genie!!!

Scott is going back to work next week for a few days...

Last class for my MA the next two weeks...

The best view though is
WE ARE SO GRATEFUL FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY...we are also all a bit nervous.

Salad, bread, milk and Typhoid...

While Nick is picking up the milk, Mijo and I are getting our shots. Safeway's pharmacy now takes care of travel shots. Typhoid, Hep A and B and a tetanus booster, amazing what a little grocery shopping can accomplish.
Mid-June and we are still looking for renters. Is it time yet to be worried? Scott is coming home from his stint in Oregon, and July 2nd I start my last course for my MA. It would be nice in the next 3 weeks that we have some of these things squared away. Too bad you can't buy renters at Safeway!

a co-dependent pampered pooch !!!!

It's one of those things you never see coming. I have never been a dog-person. Scott on the other hand is the dog whisperer. Needless to say this dog has maneuvered her way into our hearts by those big brown eyes and droopy ears. The gun-shy hunting dog that begins to shake whenever our voices are raised or there is any tension in the home. The dog that is happy whenever we are happy, sad when we are sad and unbelievable excited when Scott comes home from work. How can you not love this dog? So here we are moving away for a year and all that worries me late at night is not who will rent the house but who will love this dog. I have been slayed by this dog...I think I worry more about her then Scott. Who would have thunk.

BTW... we have two interested renters, now who do we choose?

it's in the details.......

I am sure you all know the saying...the devils in the details.I beg to differ with that statement, God is in the details. Just look at the picture! We walk the dog at this off leash park not far from here. Every season we have been there, she runs like the wind while we meander through the ever changing grass. The grasses have been growing like crazy with the rain and sun we have been blessed with. He is in the details, always in the details.
I need to remember this as the packing up and the packing out begins. I keep thinking that I have to be worried, as long as I am worried God will have to come through for me, like somehow He is held hostage by my fear. He isn't...so why be afraid, why not just wait and see what happens. Not too many posts ago I told you that I would contemplate the birds and the grasses, to have faith. Since He clothes these grasses so gracefully every season ... He knows the details. The devil couldn't care less about any details, he's into broad strokes and general ideas.

the last.....

We are still looking for renters...and as we begin June....so close to July and right next to August, I am wondering. Not yet worried, not like being worried is going to make things go faster. At the moment I would settle for things to SLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW down a bit.
We begin 'the last' syndrome. My children being a bit more aware of good-bye then I but still there is something in realizing that the community of teachers and students will never look the same. I can see the realization in the Seniors as the finality of school comes creeping in their 'I so want to get out of here' attitude. How transient our communities are...I guess we just hold tight as long as we need to, then let go.

Rainy Sunday's

It isn't strange to have a rainy Sunday in the PNW but to have one after a week of sunny days, it is just wonderful. I like the rain and I like the rain on Sundays....We went shopping today after a full day of cleaning yesterday. We are preparing to leave by letting go of all the things we have accumulated. Sheesh already...why is it that we keep these things squirreled away in the basement. We haven't even started on the upstairs yet....
I am getting more and more nervous, maybe because it is 8 weeks away. Scott will be in Oregon for two of those and I will be taking my last MA class for two of those as well...that leaves 4 weeks when we are together to do all that we need to do....It will get done, but right now it seems a bit on the impossible side.
Rainy Sundays....keeps us all inside...keeps us mellow. We don't have to deal with the sun guilt that we who live here have to deal with if we stay inside on a sunny day...Blessings on you this day.

Just wondering

It will be interesting when some of these posts are read and I feel like I'm talking to people...right now it seems much like a journal I am hoping someone will find.
As I wonder what I should worry about, God and Mijo tell me, nothing. Matthew 6...I am going to look at the flowers and the birds for awhile. If they are taken care of without worrying, I am sure it is a possibility for me. Heard the passsage twice from Mijo and the Pastor in church this morning, either Mijo told him to use it in the service or God had something to with it...I am not supposed to worry, not at all.
I keep thinking if I don't worry about everything that needs to come together in the next few weeks, if I don't show some stress, somehow I won't be able to strongarm God to move on my behalf. Matthew 6...again..oh you of little faith. So I'm going flower and bird gazing.......

just a prayer

We were praying last and night and it was Nick's turn. ..."And God help us find a home for our home." We could not help but laugh out loud in the middle of the prayer. I am sure God is certain what Nick was asking, no one yet...but someone soon.
Another beautiful day in Lynden, I can't help but think that these wonderful cool days will be missed in the sweltering heat of Sentani...but there are things that will be appreciated in the break of dawn on each tropical morning.

starting at the beggining..

We are going to Papua this July with MAF, I am going to be a teacher at Hillcrest, Mijo and Nick will be students and Scott will be doing everything else that needs to be done. Right now its the details....renting the house, care for the dog/cat, packing....it's in the details. So we begin...Come with...at least in a virtual way.