The Week of Lasts...

Today begins my week of lasts… Today is my last Friday in the village and each day will be my last of that day. It’s strange to think that in just a handful of days I will be back in the States again, it still seems as though I just got here. I find it very hard to believe I have been gone almost three months, and am now preparing to head home.

This past week has been full of many new adventures for me. On the third Saturday of every month there is a birthday party to celebrate all the kids who have birthdays in that month. Well last Saturday the teachers were in charge of the birthday party for the month of March and they convinced me to join in. This required me to get up in front of over 300 people and basically make a fool of myself. I spoke English and one of the other teachers “translated” for me, which really meant he took everything I said and changed it to make the kids laugh. After the kids got a good laugh at me the tables turned and Iwan, the other teacher, started to speak English and I translated it into Indonesian, which of course I was changing what he was saying. It definitely put me out of my comfort zone, but at the same time I really had a lot of fun with it and the kids really enjoyed it. Then on Monday at Easter day at school I again was in front of the kids, though only about 100 this time to sing a song with the teachers. Again, this is something that was definitely out of my comfort zone, however I’m glad I did it and really enjoyed it. Being here and being one of the teachers at the school has really forced me out of my comfort zone, in more ways than just getting in front of large groups of people to perform. Although it has definitely been challenging I’m glad I have done it. Normally if I have to choose safety or stepping out I choose safety, but living here has really challenged me to step out more. It’s amazing to see what happens when you do!

On Saturday I also gained three new roommates. Two girls came in from Holland and one from Wales. They have been a lot of fun to hang out with and get to know. One of the girls from Holland will be taking over teaching English, which is great! Even better though there is officially someone taking over all my special education classes!! One of the girls from Australia who will be here for nine months to a year is going to take my groups. She is not trained as a teacher, however I am spending time with her teaching her how to do things and showing her what I have been doing with the kids. It’s a huge answer to prayer knowing the kids will continue to receive help after I leave.

Although I gained new roommates on Saturday I also had to say good-bye to one on Tuesday. Merel, who I’ve had as a roommate since moving to the guesthouse, headed back home to Holland. It was sad to see her go, and has been strange not having her around, but I’m very glad I had the chance to meet her and become friends.

Now that the kids are on holidays my days look much different than before. In the mornings I help with a holiday program down at the school. The plan was to continue to pull some of my students who are the furthest behind, but so far that hasn’t happened due to just helping to keep everything running smoothly. It’s been fun to play with the kids and do different games, but it is definitely different than sitting with them and teaching them. In the afternoons for the most part I have been resting. The cold I got last week has gotten much worse so by lunchtime I’m normally pretty exhausted. I have spent some time with the new teachers showing them things and helping them to be prepared for when they start teaching after the Easter holiday. Other than that my afternoons have been pretty low key. I am hoping to start feeling well soon so I can spend my last week feeling as though I’ve done something productive, I just have to be careful to make sure I don’t over do it.

Please pray I would feel better very soon and really be able to pour myself into my last week here. Also please pray for my traveling. This time next week I will be on the bus on my way back to Kuching and after that will begin the long journey home.

This will probably be my last post until after I’m back in the States, unless I get more pictures up before then, so I look forward to catching up once I’m home!

Blessings!!

Another One!

As I’m sitting at my computer trying to type this I am finding my mind is coming up blank. I can think of several things to tell everyone, but when it comes to putting it in words for some reason I am finding it difficult today. So, let’s see what I can do…

I’m officially done with teaching here in Indonesia. I just finished today, and although it is sad to be done it’s also a bit exciting. I had a lot of fun with the kids the past couple of weeks, and look forward to more fun outside of the school the last couple of weeks I’m here. Many of the kids are sad to see me go and keep telling me either to stay or I need to come back, which I definitely plan on doing. The kids I teach English to in 1^st grade all made me thank you cards and gave them to me as I was leaving class this morning. It was very sweet of them J During the last couple of days I made sure to take my camera with me to every class and group that I did, and now have some really good pictures of all the kids I have worked with. I will do my best to get some up soon so you can see them.

At this point there is a potential person who will be taking my place to teach the kids I have been working with. A family from Australia just arrived this week and are going to be here somewhere between 9 months to a year. They have a couple of older girls so I am hoping one of them will be interested in teaching and I will train one of them in what I have been doing and how to continue with each of the students. Please be praying this follows through so that by the time I leave someone is prepared to come back and teach the kids after their Easter holiday.

Although I am now done teaching the kids are not actually on Easter holiday until Tuesday. Monday we are having Easter day at the school, which will consist of different things focusing on Easter. Also, each class will be singing in front of the rest of the school. The teachers, including myself, will also be singing a song. For those of you who know me well know that I am not one to sing in front of people, and now I am singing a song in Indonesian in front of all the kids at the school. It should be interesting, but at least I will not be up there alone, and the other teachers are good at singing loud ;-P

For the most part there really isn’t too much else to report at this point. The Brooks are back from Kuching, which I am very happy about. It’s been nice to spend time with Rachel again, especially since I don’t have much time left here. In the next few days I will be gaining new roommates as well as losing a roommate. It will be fun to have the new girls here, but it will definitely be sad to see my current roommate leave, though I will follow her out just over a week later.

As always continue to pray for the health of the kids as well as myself. I am coming down with a bit of a cold and am praying it doesn’t get any worse than it already is. As for the kids we have another kid with typhoid, one with tuberculosis, and one with the mumps. So, please pray for these kids as well as the other kids that none of the illnesses will be passed around. Also pray for my last couple of weeks here. Being so close to coming home it’s easy to start thinking about home a lot. Pray that I am able to stay focused on what’s before me and fully enjoy my last weeks here.

God Bless!

Pictures!!

On the bus on the way home from school.
These are just a few of the boys I teach English to in 1st grade.
Morning prayer meeting.
Hanging out with some of the kids before dinner. As soon as a camera comes out they are all there ready to jump in for a picture. They love cameras!
All the kids that attend primary school in Living Waters Village.
Typical school bus. This is normally full of kids inside as well as kids sitting on top.
One of the many amazing sunsets here in Indonesia.
This is what I wake up to every morning. Absolutely amazing! I never get sick of seeing it in the morning.

Back in Living Waters!

I take back everything I said about possibly growing accustomed to the roads here! I got back to Living Waters Village on Sunday, and was so happy to get back. Getting here was quite the adventure though. We left Kuching on a bus at 7:30am, which was 6:30am in the village. This bus was very nice and pretty comfortable. Everybody had their own seat and it was air conditioned so was nice and cool. After stopping at almost every bus stop between the station and the border to pick up more people we made it to the border and got through without too many problems. Another 2 hours on this bus and we got to The Junction where we got off to catch another bus. This is where the real adventure began. We grabbed a quick lunch before loading onto our next bus. This bus was much smaller, no air conditioning, and they crammed as many people as possible into it. Just when you thought it was full they would stop and add another two or three people. I found it very entertaining to watch as everyone crammed on. I was squished into a seat made for four people and we had five, but I was just grateful to be sitting and not standing. To add to the adventure for the day of taking a bus in Indonesia we also ended up with a flat tire, and a near head-on collision with another bus because they only drive with their headlights on every once in awhile, even when it’s dark. We eventually made it to Nanga Pinho all in one piece and in desperate need of a shower and some sleep. We got picked up by a couple from the ministry and taken back to the village where we finally arrived at 9:00pm, a very long day to say the least. As soon as we pulled up one of the girls I work with saw me and came running up to me to give me a hug. Seeing her and getting a hug made the entire long day of travel worth it, and also made me so happy to be back.

Now the week is about over, which means another week has passed. This week hasn’t been extremely eventful, but it has definitely been nice to be back here with the kids. I really missed spending time with them and teaching them. I continue to see progress with my kids and am very excited to see many of the kids who couldn’t read are slowly starting to read. It is so rewarding for me as well as for them to know they are learning and making progress. I only have tomorrow and next week left for teaching before the kids go on Easter Holiday, so really not much time left in teaching them. Please continue to pray for someone to come who is able to take my place and continue to teach these kids.

The Brooks ended up taking an unplanned trip to Kuching for the week, which means I am the only American here. It is strange not having them around especially since I normally spend several afternoons with Rachel. I was only here a day before they headed out so I definitely look forward to having them back again next week.

Please continue to pray for the health of the children here. It seems every time you turn around there is another kid with a fever or cough, it never stops. Also pray for Kerrie, one of the full-time missionaries here. She is fixing to leave for New Zealand next week after finding out her brother is dying of a very aggressive cancer. Time here is coming to an end very fast, so pray that I am able to continue to give all that I can and love on the kids with the time that I have left.

Blessings!

Finally up to date

Well I decided to cut the last post off a bit short since it was already long enough, however I still had more to share so decided you would just be fortunate to get two posts in a week.

Right now I am in Kuching to redo my visa and I must say it has been a very nice break. Last week was an extremely exhausting week at the village. I wasn’t sleeping well and when I tried to go to bed early it never happened so I was going to school completely exhausted, which meant I was on a short rope. I was getting frustrated when I wasn’t able to communicate with the kids and was just plain exhausted. By the time Saturday morning came and we were ready to head to Kuching I was beyond ready. Although the road was bumpy it didn’t seem as bad as the first time heading in. Maybe it was because I was able to sleep off and on for about 2 hours or maybe I’m just becoming more accustomed to the roads here. Either way I was very grateful it didn’t seem as bad as the first time driving on it.

Since being in Kuching I have enjoyed quite a bit of down time, which I have really needed. I have been getting more sleep at night and although still exhausted and have more sleep to catch up on I am feeling more rested. I have also enjoyed some different things that I haven’t had a chance to experience since being here.

Sunday we went to church and it was in English! It was so refreshing to be able to worship with others and understand what was being said. The message was simple, yet exactly what I needed to hear. The pastor talked about the importance of sitting at Christ’s feet. Not walking with Him or even trying to stand with Him, but simply sitting with Him. It’s there at His feet where we find rest. It was so refreshing to hear especially since I’ve been in need of rest. Also Sunday was the last day to celebrate Chinese New Year (it’s celebrated for two weeks). The neighbors next to us at the house we stay in had a traditional Chinese blessing done at the house, which involved two dragons dancing to the beat of drums and cymbals. The neighbors invited us over to watch, which was very interesting. It’s interesting to see how different cultures celebrate holidays and some of the traditions they have. Also that night I was able to see about 30 different firework shows around the city. It was quite the experience, but very fun nonetheless.

I had a chance to wander around the city of Kuching on Monday while the couple I am with did some shopping for the ministry. It was fun to wander around and look in a bunch of different shops though I got stared at quite often since I was the only white person. I got asked several times where I was from and often met by excitement when they found out I was from America. Yesterday we headed to the beach for part of the day, which was great! It was so relaxing to just hang out at the beach for awhile and not worry about anything. The beach we went to is at a huge resort so after we were done at the beach we went for a walk around the resort which has paths that cut into the jungle and have a bunch of different activities to do. We just enjoyed the walk and another swim in a small pool that was fed by a stream. While we were walking we saw dozens of huge spiders! The bodies were only about an inch or a bit bigger, but their legs were about 3-4 inches long. They were disgusting! Other than the spiders the walk was really nice as was the swim in the pool. That night we also enjoyed a nice dinner with a friend of the ministry. It is amazing the kind of support that is found here in the city of Kuching. There are so many different people and families who take part in what is going on out in Indonesia without living there. It’s huge!

The plan was to originally head back on Friday, but now I’m not sure exactly when I will be going back. We have a lot of people coming and going this week so the latest I will be heading back is on Sunday, however I am hoping to head back Friday or Saturday. It just depends on when others are heading back. I will most likely take a bus back in which means another new thing to experience. Like I’ve said before one week is never the same as the last here!

Once I am back in the village I will have only four weeks left before I will be leaving to head home. The last weeks are going to disappear quickly and at this point though part of me is ready to head home I know it’s going to be hard to leave. I have come to really love some of the kids here and don’t want to have to leave them. They are such sweet kids and you can’t help but love them. I wish so much I could bring some of them back, but unfortunately that isn’t a possibility. One thing to be praying about are the kids I work with everyday at school. At this point I have seen such improvement in many of the kids. From the one kid who wasn’t working in class and is now working to one of my students who could not read or even knew the sounds of most of the alphabet to being able to start reading. It is so exciting to see these kids start to succeed, especially since in class they find little to know success because it is above their heads. Unfortunately once I leave, at this point there is nobody to take my place and continue to work with the kids. If this happens and the kids stop receiving the help they need they will just fall back to where they were before I started with them. Please pray that somebody would come along that either already has the knowledge to teach these kids the way they need to be taught or that I could train somebody in what needs to be taught to each kid before I leave. This has been a huge concern of mine the past few weeks and I don’t want the success these kids are finding to be taken from them. So please pray God would provide the ministry with someone who can continue to teach the kids who are struggling to learn.

Rumor has it that internet at the village is back up and running, which means I can finally update again weekly, provided the internet stays up and running.

Blessings!