Tuesday before the Wednesday which is the day before we leave.

Today I am anxious. I have repacked, worn the clothes to see if they are comfortable in hot weather...its kind of hot here today. I am anxious about the travel, being so far away. I am also excited to go, facing my demons head on without medication.  

Each day I am hoping to do most if not all of the following.

 High's and Low's

What I did not know before

The tourist 

The family

How I saw God work...

and what I would like to call...'Well, that was odd !' 

Today I want to see how well my keyboard works on my Ipad and if writing on 'notes' will be a good option.

Pre..pre trip non shakes and non quivers...

Unusual for me...I have not been that nervous about the trip to Sumatra. I have not been checking the weather in all landing zones, nor have I had sleepless nights wondering what if.  When I heard about the plane that crashed in SF...I did not reconsider nor check to see if I could cancel my tickets. IT is odd for me not to be nervous about flying, and for me not to be afraid. I am thankful, because such a state of mind can change the joy of any adventure. And this is an adventure and it will be fun and I am so thankful that Scott is on this adventure with me.

I have packed and repacked...I may be taking too much but maybe not. We are doing carry-on's rather then the full suitcase...it is only for 10 days.

In the book of Ephesian I am told.."Finally, let the Lord make me strong and depend on His mighty power". I want to walk in this while on every plane, in every landing and takeoff.

Toba Lake, in Sumatra, is a long way from Lynden town. We travel to Tokyo, Jakarta, Medan...taxi to Toba and ferry to the Island on the lake where we are staying. I am brushing up on my very limited Bahasa Indonesian and trying  not to think about Mijo and Nick being here and having to 'people our fort'. I love the idea of the unexpected and letting go of expectations. Taking each day, full of it all...
Letting myself try what I wouldn't usually and getting up  early to see the sunrise and making sure to see the sunset. I hope to listen to the stories of my families from Holland, Australia and Canada.

Come with....I will try and tell you the stories as I live them. If I can't here...I will on fb.

It is warm...it is summer

I love that weather happens, otherwise, what would the news channels have to talk about. What I find rather interesting is that when weather is unpredictable...it is cataclysmic. We can't have hot weather, we have to have dangerous weather. We can't have a dry streak...it's a drought. 

If we believed our news channels we are on the edge of the apocalypse...

Alarm...doesn't even scratch the surface

Alarm over scale of abuse of women

More than one in three women worldwide have experienced physical or sexual violence, a report by the World Health Organization and other groups says.

Read more:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-22975103


Not too long ago I read 'Captivating' my Stazi Ethridge about the heart and soul of a woman. It's all good but there was single passage that she wrote that struck a core and I will be paraphrasing quite loosely.  But first, let me pose some questions. 
 Have you ever wondered why through the ages women have been marginalized and thought of as property or glorified as objects? 
 Has it ever struck you that most religions and I include every one for the most part rarely allows women freedom, equal standing and freedom of expression? 
 The mores trident the 'faith' the less women are free? 
 That women on the whole have to live on their bodies the insecurities of the males in their 'tribe'? 
That the abuse, use and exploitation of a woman goes unpunished and the woman for the most part carry the shame?
That prostitution is the oldest profession? 
That girls today continue to be held to a beauty standard that is unattainable and unrealistic yet pervasive in every toy, fairy tale and magazine cover? That a woman's view of herself is directly attached to her positive or negative outlook on life?

Mrs. Ethridge with her husband say and again I paraphrase..that woman was created as a sight to behold...beautiful and a fighting along-side companion to her husband. That Satan from the start who had  been the most beautiful has been jealous of woman's unique place as a beautiful expression of God's image and he (the enemy) has taken it upon himself to seek out our destruction from the start. He is jealous and wreaks havoc on the the beauty that a women engender.  Not only are we beautiful...we give life.  Now you can see why abortion is the most heinous attack of what it means to be a woman.  Now you can see  when a woman is abused, rapped, molested she carries a scar that she can't overcome easily...she has been wounded by the enemy. It is a jealous HOT smoldering rage against our Maker who created us in Him image, beautiful.

I have always been struck and the vehemence towards woman that seems so pervasive in cultures all over the world.  It isn't only because we are the weaker image bearer it is because we are the beautiful image bearer. 
It is easy to be angry at the men...who carry out the vendetta of the enemy. But we as women don't help each other either. I am angry that we continue to carry out his vendetta every time we marginalize, exploit and abuse women for any reason. 

Now that the enemy is clear and I realize that jealosuy is his motivation..doesn't it make you want to fight HARD against and really fight HARD for...ENOUGH.

Women....you are the image bearer of God's beauty...lift up your head. 
Men...don't stand by as you did in the garden, stand up and stand beside. 

 

SUMMER TIME !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well it is summer time but I am in my office working...If I don't come in periodically I get overwhelmed with the emails and last minute details that creep up. I also have quite a bit to do over the summer to prepare for next school year, but it is SUMMER TIME !!!! 
I have not posted in awhile and I am mulling if  this is a good place for me to opine anyway.

Scott and I are going on a grand adventure this summer and I am sure it would be way fun to post pictures and details and etc. on this forum. We are going to Indonesia to a vanderBijl reunion.  This worked out in some amazing ways but I am counting it as the beginning of my 50th year celebrations. We will be leaving on the 11th of July and back home on the 24th. I am even not dreading the plane trip though I am sure as the day get closer I will begin the pre-trip analysis and anxiety.  I am planning on writing every day though I may not be able to be on-line every day but want to keep my Dad and Elfrieda updated as if they were present. I also want Mijo and Nick to be a part of the journey, then I thought maybe you all would also be interested. ANYWAY...I may post here or on Fb or both.
FYI...I have time to write more and may do so as the days go by in preparation for or in celebration of the down time of SUMMER.

Having a good life

Mijo is coming home soon from her cross Canada ministry trip, Nick is playing soccer at a State championship game, Scott just came home from Montana after 3 weeks and is waiting to start up work here again and I am winding up to wind down after a tumultuous teaching and International Directoring year...if that is even a word. This is the reality of life, moving up, coming back and moving onward again. 

 I was with a student the other day who has decided to do the most difficult, move away from bad habits and friendships to becoming a 'good person'.

I was thinking as she was talking...it is really hard to be a 'good person' but it may not be that hard to work for a good life. 1 Peter talks a lot about having the good life... in verse 3:9 " Do you want to love life and see good days?"  as if this is a normal and usual desire.
We keep thinking we need to be good people, but maybe rather then having that as our motivation...we choose to live a certain way not to be a good person, but to love life and see good days. I don't lie not because it makes me a good person, but because honesty makes for a good life. I look for peace and go after it not because I am a good person but I want peace in my life so I resolve conflicts and forgive so I can see good days. As a wife I follow my husband not to be a good wife, but to have a good life with my husband. I don't give in to fear not because I am a better person than those who do...ie; those who worry. I don't give in to fear because fear robes me of loving life and seeing good days.

I don't want to be a good person ...I want a good life. A good life means I make choices about my behavior that affects everyone around me...then when they are with me we can live a good life together.

Just like that...

I just came back from Thetis Island because Mijo finished her year there. I swear...well, if I swore...we JUST DROPPED her off! AND we just started school and this picture was taken just yesterday when in fact it was taken 2 years ago. WHAT IS GOING ON with time.

I lay my head on the pillow every night and there is this anxiety that I am missing life because it is going by too fast for me to enjoy.

I remember thinking when the kids started school that 12 years looked like a long time down the road. I know those of us in this age in the middle are hanging on, with fingers grasping the edge of  the proverbial clock and wishing we were more masters of when and how time passes.

 I don't know how to be OK with times uncaring march into the future. Time is every one's reality, friend and enemy.

Time is God' s metronome; limited, consistent, persistent...meticulously measuring the beginning and end of His intervention in this world from every sunrise to every sunset.
Until one day...it stops. There is then no more sunrise and sunset...no more measuring , no more waiting and rushing. No more...
When I lay my head on the pillow and feel anxiety, it may be that I am longing for a timeless reality that is written in my heart...a taste of eternity left there as a promise.