Our weekend

Hello friends and family! This has been a busy couple of days/nights and for that I am truly thankful. I definately don't want to get into the habit of being too busy but it sure is nice to have things scheduled and goals to work towards. Sometimes quiet is nice but at other times it can really get to your head :) Obviously if you asked Tris or the kids they would probably have a different perspective because they're at the school 5 days a week (Tris is there almost 10 hours a day).

this is Ethan, Terrence and Henny's youngest

On Saturday we spent the day with Terrence and Henny and their three kids. Terrence is from Canada and Henny is a national. It's great hanging with her because she speaks the language...takes the pressure off of us. We had originally planned on going to mini golf but after lunch, as we were driving there, the black clouds rolled in huge and low. Although it never did rain we decided to explore a bit instead. They took us a market area that sold dogs, fish and plants.

Koi sucking Matt's finger (shocking that it's him, isn't it??)
There was probably more in the market but we didn't go too far from the koi once the kids discovered them. The vicious little monkey that tried to gouge my sons eyes out was a main attraction for them as well. You'll be happy to know that the monkey was on a chain and that Matthew is doing just fine; there have been no reports of nightmares of tiny monkeys flying at his head.

I am so excited...I found seeds! This is the first time that I've ever seen them. Lavender, mint, cilantro, nasturtiums, parsley, basil, lettuce, yellow zuccini, chives...the list goes on. I am going to try to grow some lavender, mint, and nasturtiums. Although few people have been very successful, I am going to try my hand at it. This is a case of 'don't give up until you try it.' Henny has tried a variety of things and she's got some beautiful pepper plants. Tomatoes grow here but the plant goes scraggly and doesn't produce much fruit. I was thinking that maybe I could try them and keep pinching of the ends. Not sure the humidity will be very good for them.

On Sunday we went to a wedding shower...yes, my whole family attended. There was a great turnout of SPH staff (the couple got married July 5 and teach at SPH) and unfortunately we didn't have our camera, or we could have shared some of them with you. We started the 20 minute walk there but someone from our taman was kind enough to pick us up. We declined her later invitation to drive us home because we felt we could walk. About 5 minutes after she left there was a huge downpour (probably saved up from the previous day) and so we had to get Bruce Comrie to drive us home. The Comries have been very generous and patient in getting us places.

Last night (Monday night) I had the opportunity to begin a 13 week class taught by Judy Comrie called "Understanding Christian Education: a workshop series for educators". I haven't subbed yet but we figure I might as well go for the class and participate in it. It was very interesting and I even get homework...that's a thrill for me! After class I drove 1 1/2 hours with a woman named Coral to an orphanage. It's a different kind of orphanage in that the kids have all been there for the same amount of time, the youngest is in grade 6, and they don't leave until after university. The story of the orphanage is awesome and I'll save it for a little later, when I have more space and time to write. However, ultimately what I experienced last night is that I went prepared to be washed over with compassion for some poor, undernourished kids. Not a chance. They have full lives, are well loved, educated, well fed and are treated as a big family. They get family devotions, most love Jesus, and get opportunity to worship on a regular basis. As usually happens in situations where dozens of children are being raised by 2 parents, there is a need for funding for all of their needs. However, they have amazing stories of how God has provided for them. One day if I can get permission I will post some photos of this beautiful huge family.

I'm encouraging the rest of my family to post a blog for you so that you don't always get my perspective...however, they're all a little busier with school so you might be stuck with me for a while.

Thanks for reading.