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!