February Update

Wow, things have changed!  It used to be that I'd write a post every 2nd day or so, which graduated to once a week, and now, sadly, once a month.  However, maybe that's not sad.  It's just an indication that I actually have a life now, or at least one that keeps my mind busy.  There have been a lot of things going on here, some worthy of sharing, others that if I wrote down would just seem kind of random, but things we enjoy regardless.  

Matthew has finished his grade 10 personal project (otherwise known as his "pp"...I hate it when people call it that) and has gone back into his old routine of hanging out more, homework less.  His project was to make a photo book about Jakarta and the surrounding areas, and he did an excellent job.  He's got a great eye for shots, and it shows.  Two days ago he and some friend from school were filming their modern take on Romeo and Juliet in our living room.  That was interesting, especially when his sports jock friend donned a pink dress and played the role of ... I'm not really sure.  

Abby is plugging along with her schoolwork and sports.  She's worked hard too, and I think both kids are ready for the upcoming Easter break.  Tris and I have gone to watch some of her soccer games and it's nice to see how much the girls have improved over the year.  Improvement is good;)

O dear, as I write this, our helper has arrived for work.  It's raining outside, she's got her big padded winter-looking jacket on and she's shivering.  I can admit to actually shivering here in Indonesia outside once...I was thrilled, thinking I'm becoming Indonesian!  She walked in saying "Dingin sekali!!  (Very cold!)"  Yes, it's a cold 27 degrees out there, with a wind chill factor.

Tris is starting into his new job, training for next year's Curriculum Co-ordinator.  He loves the position and is looking forward to the challenges that it will bring.  He'll keep teaching a little bit, but will mostly work at this position.  He's been playing guitar and writing songs lately, inspired a lot by the things we're learning about God and the roles He plays in our lives.  And he continues to golf...

He's golfing and playing guitar even more now that I've started my Masters in Arts of Teaching (MAT) and am not around to hang with as much.  I'm 3 weeks in and have got many, many more to go!  The first week was hell, I admit.  Twenty years of no reading, writing or research, and then I have assignments due that have to sound at least semi-intellectual.  However, I survived and will continue to do so until I can call myself a teacher.  I actually think I'm a bit addicted to studying, which may be a good thing, so I'll just run with it.

One thing before I head off.  There's a BC family that lives here in Lippo with us (they're from Smithers).  Their 2 year old daughter, Kiera, was recently diagnosed with Viral Encephalitis, and has had some serious symptoms from it.  After 3-4 weeks of dealing with it here in Indo and then in Singapore, Kiera and  her mom will fly to Vancouver, BC to head to Children's Hospital.  They are hoping to leave Singapore on Friday.  Kiera's dad and 6 month old son will stay here until the school year is out.  Please join our family and our community in praying for Kiera and her family, for healing, intervention, patience and stamina as they go without being together for a long time.  Thank you!

Thanks for reading.

Is it really meaningless?

"Meaningless, Meaningless...everything is meaningless!"  These words, found in the book of Ecclesiastes, are believed to be written by King Solomon, the world's wisest and one of the richest men ever to have lived.  A few verses later (chapter 2) he adds "I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind."  I remember the first time that I really read those words, sitting on my bunk bed amongst all my roommates in Tijuana, Mexico.  They really depressed me, and I didn't understand what was being said, even when I read contextually.

Twenty years later, I'm still learning what those words mean.  As always, whenever I study a topic in my bible devotions, it isn't a coincidence that the same topic is being discussed in other studies I attend and in conversations occurring around me.  Quite often it relates to what is going on in my life and in the lives of those around me.  These last few weeks has been full of the question "why?"  Right now Japan is experiencing horrors that we can only imagine, the likes of which have been written about in futuristic novels based on catastrophic events like floods, quakes, explosions and the loss of thousands of lives. I can't even begin to imagine what they're going through, and to be painfully honest, I pray I don't ever find out.  In our own school community, a kindergarten child has died after going through surgery for a brain tumor, a staff member has lost his child to a convulsive fever, and a colleague of Tris' has passed away from cancer, all within a week's time.  Hearts are stirred and I pray that people are contemplating the meaning of life, the whys of what they're doing and who they're doing it for.  Those of us who are not acquainted with the people who have lost these loved ones still are touched by the deaths, by the loss of life, by the sadness that comes from their stories.

I live on an island, and in an earthquake zone.  I have lived this way most of my life, except some of it on the other side of the world.  People in my family have died from cancer.  Illness has touched my life in various ways throughout the years, whether someone else's or my own.  I can choose to life in fear and turn within myself, to close myself off from pain and challenges, from reality around me, and ultimately, from God, or I can choose to live the life that God has always had for me.  I struggle, I struggle badly sometimes, at following God's leading.  I know I resist, and sometimes I wonder if I am missing out on something else in my life because I didn't obey Him earlier in some areas.  That I will never know on this earth, but I continue on, asking forgiveness and God, always gracious and merciful, is always forgiving and loving me to the next step.

When Solomon was saying life was meaningless, I believe he wasn't referring to living.  He was referring to what we fill our living with.  I am learning--slowly, painfully, joyfully--that it doesn't matter what I do.  It's who I do it for.  If I'm looking for approval, acceptance, wealth, prestige, wanting 'stuff', it's all for naught.  Unless what I'm doing is going to continue on after I die, then it's worthless. I don't mean having a school or a road named after me, or even having a plaque stating all my good deeds at the city gate.  I mean when I die, will I have touched the lives of others? Will they have been drawn closer to Jesus because of my words, my deeds, my actions, and ultimately, because of my relationship with the Lord?  Am I doing 'good stuff' and creating a 'happy' environment for others, but not leaving a legacy that leads people to seek, to know and to believe God, their Creator?  If so, then I believe my life is truly meaningless.  My challenge to me is, how will I make it meaningful?  I know that one, maybe two generations will know of me after I am gone, maybe even three with the way we are able to record history now.  The question is, will anybody in the generations to come know the Lord because of me?  I pray daily that this is so.

Thanks for reading.

Praying God's Word

I like to think back, ponder actually, over the last little while of my life now and then, and see if I've learned anything or discovered something new about myself (or others).  The thing that I am most excited about lately is learning, after 30 some years of praying, how to pray God's word.  It's not a new concept to me, but for some reason it is hitting home.

I know that words are powerful.  We teach our children that once you say something, you can't pull it back.  It's out there and for good.  I'm not always the best example of speaking kindly or positively.  In fact, if I was to really think about it they could probably pop some popcorn and sit back to watch a full-length show when I open my mouth sometimes...but hopefully my kids can learn from my mistakes.  Maybe me, too.

Anyways, if my words are powerful, just imagine the power of my Creator's words.  In various studies I have been encouraged to use the bible as the model for my own prayers, my prayer about others, and even to pray for events.  For many years now I have felt compelled to pray for other countries, but honestly,  rarely do because I don't know how or what to pray.  Countries are big and have lots of aspects to cover!  The other day I chose to pray for the U.S., and then asked God to lead me to a specific scripture.  He did, and I ended up using a psalm to pray that God would raise up prayers within the U.S. for the U.S.  I wrote out the prayer, and then prayed it aloud.  A few days later I reread that prayer, and was blown away.  My words and my heart were entwined with God's thoughts and heart, and it was really exciting to read.  These weren't my thoughts, but they were spoken in words that i understood:  mine.

To some this might seem elementary, to others this may be a new concept.  Regardless, it is really exciting to me and I hope that some of my excitement might rub off on someone else.

Thanks for reading.

With the passing of Easter weekend and all the significance it holds, I've been thinking about life, material wealth, health and how they're all so temporal (uh oh, here comes a deep post...). Admittedly, I find it easier to contemplate wealth and lack thereof living here. We are finding that with our situation here it is actually easier to enjoy the 'finer things in life,' which we usually link up to food and good fun. Maybe that is why it's easier to experience the sense of guilt that comes with driving through poverty-stricken areas (which, honestly, is pretty much all of the Indo I've seen, with the odd pocket of upper class neighbourhoods tucked about). We sit in our nice, new (first time for everything) car, a/c blowing and usually, a cd playing, and we drive around the streets between Lippo Village and Jakarta. I have to admit, I love the drive, except when it's a turtle's pace. No matter where we are, there's always something to look at, but again, it usually has a sense of poverty attached.

For example, you can tell that the highways ran right through some villages years ago, because right next to the 6 lane byways are farmers ploughing their fields, harvesting their rice, and shepherding (huh?) their caribow (cattle that look like buffalo). Ragged bits of clothing hang on sticks shoved into the rice paddies, to help keep the pesky birds away. You can see decrepit little bamboo huts spotted throughout the fields. They are usually leaning over so far that you wonder how anyone can keep out of the rain and stay dry in them. What is particularly interesting are the Charlie Brown trees that hold myriads of torn kites along the side of the road. It doesn't matter how little money you have, you can always make a kite!

So there's the poverty along the roadside. It's more evident in the city, and I've posted a lot over the last 2 years on what I've seen there. However, there's also another kind of poverty here, and it's worldwide. It's the kind where people strive to look good, whether it's financially or physically, in leadership or employment, in making a name for ourselves while we're here. Here in Indo, presentation is everything. I don't think it is much different in North America much of the time, even if it is a subtler idea. Ultimately though, who cares? I know that I put years of paint, scrubbing, sewing, trim (well, that was Tris), and finally we put in new floors and windows into our house. It looked good for a time, but there was always something else to change, to fix, to improve upon. We're no longer in that house and I was still spending precious thought time (which I have a lot more of here) thinking of those horrible metal sliding doors we had in our bedroom. WHY? I still want to change them and we don't even own the house!!!

As my thoughts swirl and spiral about, it comes down to this: all is for naught, if you don't know why you're here. It's not to look good. I am a Christian, I believe that I have been put here, as God promises, for a purpose, and although I don't always know/believe what that is, I still trust that He knows what's going on and that if I give Him control, He'll give me direction. I still strive, although I'm not sure why or for whom. Probably myself most of all. As I age, as each Easter passes and I contemplate the death and resurrection of Jesus, I hope that I will one day get it, understand it to the core, that He really is the only reason I exist, and that He's the one who is in charge of 'looking good,' not me.

Thanks for reading.

Please Pray

Yesterday we received some troubling news about a young woman we were in relationship with within the first ten months of our arrival to Indonesia. Last week she had a baby boy who was born without an anus. Because she and her husband were unable to pay the 4.5 million rupiah (approx $450 Cdn dollars) for the first necessary surgery, the hospital discharged her and her baby with the expectation that the baby boy would go home and die. Because of a combination of lack of communication due to language barriers, and of how stories sometimes grow in drama from the initial truth, a friend of mine who is in contact with this young woman wanted to get the correct diagnosis of the baby's health before anybody stepped in to help. She met the woman, her husband and the tiny baby (1.3 kg only) at our local hospital and took them to an appointment with a reputable doctor.

The news we received last night is that the baby was to stay overnight in the hospital and if he makes it through the night, they will operate today. This will be the first of many necessary operations to correct the defect as this little guy grows.

The good news on the financial front is that the Karawaci Ladies have been approached and have agreed to pay the hospital costs for the surgery. However, I know the women that I hang out with and I know that if no one else was to step forward, we would have found the money somehow. Today there is a concert at the university (UPH) and Karawaci Ladies have been baking to raise money for our hospital fund. It's this very fund that will pay for the surgery of this little baby, so it's nice to know that all the fund raising over the year pays off in this way. It's nice to know it's helping someone local, and someone we've all at least met once during our time here.

Please pray for this precious little baby and his mom and dad. I'll keep you updated as to what happens in the lives of their little one as I hear it.

Thanks for reading. Thanks for praying.

I don't have a lot to say but my aunt sent me this via email and I thought it was a good one. It made me think, although my thoughts wandered from the content of this email to the school that we're involved with. It's interesting being part of a Christian school community in a predominantly (read 90%) Muslim country. I love how the focus is very Christ-centered, and it's more than just praying with the kids in the morning or having devotions. The teachers are encouraged to incorporate biblical worldview into all classes. This isn't always easy to do, especially in classes like PE and Food Tech, but it's still encouraged. There are some muslim, buddhist and hindu students in our school, and they're expected to participate in devotions and discussions as much as the Christian kids. I like it that the kids are challenged to think about the information they're given, and to think about their own spirituality, about whether or not it's important to them, regardless of whether it's important to their parents. They're challenged to make their spiritual growth their own.
One thing that is interesting about our school (and the public domain in general) is that although we have wheelchair access to most rooms, there is not one obviously physically handicapped student in our midst. Curious. Anyways, I digress. Here's the email. . .

After being interviewed by the school administration, the prospective teacher said:
'Let me see if I've got this right.
'You want me to go into that room with all those kids, correct their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse, monitor their dress habits, censor their T-shirt messages, and instill in them a love for learning.
'You want me to check their backpacks for weapons, wage war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, and raise their sense of self esteem and personal pride.
'You want me to teach them patriotism and good citizenship, sportsmanship and fair play, and how to register to vote, balance a checkbook, and apply for a job.
'You want me to check their heads for lice, recognize signs of antisocial behavior, and make sure that they all pass the final exams.
'You also want me to provide them with an equal education regardless of their handicaps, and communicate regularly with their parents in English, Spanish or any other language, by letter, telephone, newsletter, and report card.
'You want me to do all this with a piece of chalk, a blackboard, a bulletin board, a few books, a big smile, and a starting salary that qualifies me for food stamps.
'You want me to do all this and then you tell me. . . I CAN'T PRAY?

Lazy Sunday Morning

It's a lazy Sunday morning here at the White house. Tris went back to work Friday after being off for 9 work days, and the kids had their usual heavy weekly work load for school. Sundays in Canada always involved church in the morning and usually something social or at least outdoors later, so our Sundays here are so much longer. Now we head to church in Jakarta on Saturday nights, and Sundays we mostly just rest, rest and rest some more, except for ultimate frisbee at 4.

For the past two weekends we've had speakers from the Ravi Zacharias ministries (North America) come and speak at church, and they've been really challenging. I've been challenged in the area of forgiveness (last week) and simply looking to God's word on a daily basis for wisdom and strength (this Saturday night). These are reoccuring themes that come from the pulpit, but typically what comes from the pulpit usually coincides with what's going on in our personal lives...ever find that? I don't believe in coincidence. I do believe that God loves to talk to us and wants us to just listen to what He has to say. It's sometimes through the bible, sometimes through circumstance and sometimes in ways that He knows will register with us.

Our update on Tris is a good one. He went to physio on Thursday for the first time since the surgery, and although there are a few things he has to work on, the prognosis seems good. This morning he went to the pool to allow his right arm to float on the water's surface; he's just working now at strengthening (read: gaining some basic muscle strength) his arm muscles. He still has pain but it's more because the atrophied muscles are tired, so as he strengthens his entire body he should find more relief.

We are now in the middle of Ramadhan. I don't find that the calls to prayer are nearly as loud this year as they were last year. It is difficult to remember not to eat or drink in public, but we're in the 2nd half of the month and I believe the fasting ends around the 21st of September. After that every muslim it seems goes back to their village of origin. Not a time to be travelling. Originally we'd booked a homestay in the city of Jogja (where I went with Dale) during the holidays for a language school, but we've since cancelled because of Tris' shoulder. Friends who have lived here for years have reassured us that we REALLY didn't want to be in Jogja at this time. Apparently it's a major muslim area and it gets incredibly crowded during this time. Matt's opinion on going to language school during the holidays was not the most positive; we've come to the conclusion that he'd probably rather stick a hot needle in his eye. Needless to say, although we haven't yet broken the news to him, he'll be glad to stay put.

Thanks for reading!

Surgery's Over and all is well

Well, Tris had his surgery this morning. It lasted an hour and a half at least, and he was pretty out of it when I arrived on the scene. He's got this huge wrap around sling on, and bandages everywhere under it. Once the anesthesia wore off he was in great spirits, especially once he was able to make his right hand and fingers move. That concerned him a bit, but the nurses said he was unable to move them because of all the drugs and painkillers in him. IF he was able to feel them right away that wouldn't have been good. Prognosis of recovery is good. Thanks for your prayers. It's been a very peaceful time.

The surgeon came for a visit in the afternoon and showed Tris a video of the surgery. Needless to say, although I am better able to take blood, a video of someone cutting and stitching my husband was a little too much for me. I was burying my head in a book, just peeking over the top now and then to see what was going on. Tris is excited to show it to his physics kids when they do 'physics medicine' or something like that. At least it's not as weird as my brother Darren's biology teacher in the 1980s, who kept his first child's placenta in a jar of fermaldahyde in the classroom. To tell you the truth, what I saw looked very similar to National Geographic photos of the planet Mars. Bizarre.

I love Singapore. The stores in this area are quite expensive, except for one little 'local' mall right in the middle of the famous shopping haven "Orchard Road." This country is definitely east meets west. Sometimes it seels like Asia and sometimes home. I love to just listen to the Singaporean accent...it's very singsong and beautiful.

We had a chuckle last night when I opened a bar of the hotel soap. It actually had an expiry date and had a line "fat content 89%" on it. Like I'm gonna eat the thing!

Anyways, all is well and we head home tomorrow. Tris and I had a great conversation today about God, his will, destiny, pain and God's discipline. Maybe when I get it all sorted out in my head I'll blog it. I am just thankful, ultimately, that no matter what is going on, my strength and peace comes from God as I trust him. Sometimes I don't want to, but I know it's the only way to go.

Thanks for reading.