A Belated But Heartfelt Merry Christmas!

Today is our first day back from our Christmas trip to Lombock Island, and although I was able to write a blog it wouldn't post while we were there. I'll revise it a bit but the following was written while we were still on holidays there:

I know that it’s been a while but better late than never...Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Selamat Natal dan Tahun Baru!!

We’re still on the island of Lombok, a small island east of Bali, which is east of Java, which is where we live. As I write this, we have no internet connection, but I want to record a bit of what we’ve experienced in the last week. It’s been an incredible experience for all, including mom and dad, and it’s been a blessing having them with us on all of our adventures. Not sure where to start, but since I am writing the blog I guess I can give you my perspective on our travels.
In order to keep our luggage down, we chose to have an early Christmas at our home in Lippo. However, we still brought stocking stuffers with us and opened them together on Christmas Day. It was very, very different from anything that we’ve ever experienced before, but it was a treat. We sat out on our deck with the ocean breeze blowing some of the heat away from us, and took turns slowly opening our small gifts (not the usual pattern of stockings in the White house!). Unfortunately we had to wait every now and then for Tris to run to the ‘library’ because of some bug he picked up, but waiting isn’t hard to do here. When you’ve got hot sun and no agenda, what else is there to do but wait?

Waiting has become the pattern for us in the past 3 days as this bug that Tris got has made its rounds with mom and dad as well. Our hope is to take a boat to nearby islands (the Gili Islands) and go snorkelling, but tomorrow is our last day and mom’s out for the count today. One of the things we’ve experienced here and elsewhere in Indonesia is that hygiene isn’t a high priority in some places. One question I would love to ask a local would be “why do muslim men wash their feet and legs before entering a prayer room, yet nobody seems to wash their hands after using the toilets?” This is one thing I have noticed time and time again...lack of hand washing. Add that to the constant public nose-picking (not picking the publics' noses, just doing it in public) and sneezing without covering mouths, and it seems we’re surrounded by other peoples’ bodily excesses. Not sure how to combat that but we do find ourselves blessing our food and washing our hands with antibacterial liquid without fail!!

I think that even without the photos [Note: I am now able to add photos and will do so throughout] that we were able to take of our trip down to the southern part of the island, I would love to still share with you what a special day it was for me. Two days before Christmas we rented a car and Tris drove us all down to Kuda beach, a beautiful white sand beach in a very quiet area. We had lunch at a beautiful resort Novotel hotel, and then when we asked if we could linger on the beach of this pristine paradise we were told we’d have to pay $30.00 for us all. Very disappointed, we left the premises and drove a short 2 kilometres only to discover, as we crested a very sharp hill, our own personal white sand paradise. Not only was the beach in a safe bay where the family could snorkel, there was also a beach hut (just like on Surf’s Up!!!) where I hunkered down out of the sun.
You’d think that this little beach would be quiet and private, but as soon as we set up our stakes, some local boys came and tried to sell us some green coconuts with straws in them. One of the things that I have been blessed with while living here the last 6 months is time, and I’ve used some of that time to learn the local language. This came in handy with these boys ( I was able to tell them that I don’t like coconut juice) and we had some basic conversation. They must have run off to tell a local man that a bule was speaking Indonesian, because soon after a man arrived with his 4 year old precious little son, and we had a good chat for about 1 ½ hours. This man, Pak Jana, is a caribow (oxen) rancher of a sort and lives in a village just a bit away from the beach. He asked a variety of questions such as where do I live, how many caribow do I own (I tried so hard not to chuckle at that one), how many children I have, where does my husband work, does he make a lot of money, and how big my house is. All these questions lead to one main question that he was heading towards (and I didn’t see it coming...I have tears in my eyes as I write this). This was “Would you like to take my son home with you?” I’m not sure how serious he was, but almost 20 years ago I was asked this same question by a pastor, father of 9 children, in the Philippines. Just as hopeless now as I was then to take and care for someone else’s child, I said I would love to but I cannot.

One thing I forgot to mention. While we were sitting under the shelter chatting, the rancher, his 2 sons and a few other boys and I shared some snacks together; a little while later mom came along and hung out with us as well. I played marbles with the little guy and then he snuggled up with mom for a bit. We're not sure if he has a mom or not, but he thoroughly enjoyed the attention. I was able to take 2 very touching photos of first his departure from us and then later, our short reunion as we drove out. In the first photo he keeps waving and waving as he walks up the path with his daddy. In the second, as soon as he saw us, he tore himself from his dad and ran as fast as he could to see us. No matter how often I look at these photos, I cry. I think I would definately rate this as my top day in Lombok.

I am eager to upload the photos from my camera when we return to Lippo but unfortunately I can only use my words to describe this day for you. No day better describes the differences between my life and those of millions of Indonesians who live in the same country as I presently call home. While here mom and dad have had a quick overview of the poverty that exists here and I have had doors opened up to me to somehow help relieve, however insignificant my participation may be, some peoples’ situations. How and where, I do not know, but I am praying that when this holiday is over, when mom and dad head back to Canada, I might find the place that God has for me here.
I hope and pray that as my family is basking in the sun and I in the shade, that you are all enjoying a blessed white Christmas. Our hearts are missing our friends and family even as we have my parents here. We miss the hugs, the traditions, the food (although we did have a great turkey/lamb meal on Christmas Day...most of us...dad and Tris were sick at the hotel), kissing the little cousins’ fat cheeks, participating in the White Family Christmas Dinner, having our annual Christmas Open House, and the list goes on. God bless you and the time you spend with loved ones.

Thanks for reading!