August 20, 2007 - Our First Day of School!

Today was the first day of school, and all 13 of our kids did great! The high schoolers are still trying to figure out their classes and changing their schedules before it is too late, so that is a little crazy for them. But they were all up and ready on time this morning. YEAH! And so was I-YEAH again! Wyatt, Emma, and Sophie had a lot of fun. It did rain during the day but the play ground is all under a huge roof to protect them from the sun and the rain-so the rain didn't bother recess time. We still don't have water. During the day all water here was turned off and water to the school was on-there wasn't much for the school, but there was some. Then tonight they let us have some for showers, but we are very low. The school got someone in to put in a new pump-it is working but filling up very, very slowly 125 liters(I think?) an hour, so it will be quite awhile before we are able to be back to normal. The pembantu's used the rain water for washing laundry so that was great.
We are still working out the cooking here with the pembantu's. I had an interpreter come in in the morning to talk to "the boss" Ibu Poppi. Poppi has been a pembantu for 32 years and cooking here forever-I have been told she could run the dorm for me if I ever need her to. Through the interpreter I told Poppi that I need her to cook lunch and dinner since I am still learning how to make things here, plus she is used to cooking both meals as that is what she has been doing here for years…long story short-we spent a long time talking over menu ideas, she told me what else she needed from the store, I went and got it for her…she made lunch for us, hamburgers, they were great, and then at 2:00 we saw them all walking down the road. I ran to the fridge to see if there was anything for dinner but there wasn't. So… tomorrow we will try with a different interpreter to get this all figured out. I have been spending a lot of time in the kitchen and would like to use that time with the kids. We started dish detail tonight with the first team and they did a wonderful job cleaning everything up and that was a great help to me.
Garth and I did help the school interview a lady for a position teaching Indonesian to the high schoolers, Ibu Betty. That was fun! She taught us numbers and days of the week. And starting either this week or next we will have a tutor come to the house on Tues. and Thurs. and teach Garth and me Indonesian. I am looking forward to learning more as it is difficult to do much of anything without knowing the language. Thankfully we have had a lot of helpful neighbors. And now that the dorm kids are here they can help with that too since they all know Indonesian. They helped me tonight buy tortillas and sweet rolls from some ladies at our door. It sure seems like we have a really good group of kids here. Tonight Garth wanted me to share my testimony with them so they know where I am coming from. He will go tomorrow and then they each will take a turn so we feel more like a family. They will be fun to spend time with and get to know. We are looking forward to it.
. If there is a family, or families, or Sunday School group etc. that would like to take on a project please let me know. There are some definite things that this dorm and the school could use. Most of the stuff would have to be shipped over from Jakarta and would cost a fortune here, but could easily be bought at Walmart in the States for so much cheaper. I know of a few people that will be coming this way that could hopefully bring some or all of the stuff. I have a running list going, but just to give you an idea, it is things like potholders, oven mitts, chalk, erasers, whiteboard markers, crayons etc. and things like new curtains for the dorm… so if you are interested let me know.
I shared with the kids tonight how cool God is to bring us all here at this exact time from all over the world. He is going to do some amazing things. Just so you know, What my friend Angela had could have been fatal if not treated-I still don't know the word, and she is trying to recover now at home. Our friend Curt, is also working hard at recovery and making some progress. He is beginning to remember who he is, and our niece Andrea LaCroix is recovering from having her appendix out this weekend. It is hard forus to be away from those we love especially when they are sick or hurt, so the rest of you need to stay healthy, O.k.? Tremah kasi, thank you!
Love ya,
Rachel