"Bisa tunjukan cananya? ''

"Bisa tunjukan cananya? '' Can you show me the way to cook that?' We had our first language class today,as you can tell. I learned some helpful and not so helpful phrases. "Ini kakak saya adik." "This is my older brother.," Our "guru" (Teacher) is Pak Johannis. He was filling us in on what is going on politically in Sentani. He said that from August 12-the 18th 10 people have been poisoned by a group of people here that make alcohol and put poison in it. It is the Papuans trying to poison the Indonesians. They do not like each other. The alcohol is said to be cheaper than what is available in the stores, and I guess the police sent out a warning to everyone to watch out for this, but people still bought it. It can kill you or blind you for life. Three people are blind, 4 people died and 3 are in the Intensive care.
On a different note, Garth has started coaching High School boys volleyball with Jason. They have practices on Tues and Thurs and 4 of our dorm guys are on the team. Garth is loving that.
We do have more water, the towers are filling up slowly but surely. We are still trying to use as much rain water as we can. Another good thing, Garth's friend Curt is making a full recovery. My friend Angela is healing slowly. And my neice Andrea is still trying to recover from her appendix surgery. Keep praying.
Garth asked Wyatt last night to name one thing about Indo that he likes, and he said -"Just one, Dad, I have tonz!" That makes me so happy. He has a friend here, (our closest neighbor), his name is Jonathan and he is a skater and has Heelys just like Wyatt, plus they both like to draw. What a blessing. The girls are finding girls to play with, especially Lexie and Maya. They are so special to us.
I had a flood of emotions fill me today when one of the dorm girls got back from a nice store in Jayapura. She had been trying on perfumes and sprayed one on her that my Mom wears. I smelled it and started crying. She said she couldn't wait to shower, but I asked her to wait until Wyatt, Emma, and Sophie could smell her. I asked her if I could keep her shirt...That was a sweet surprise. I am doing ok homesickness- wise until something like that. If I was able to call you all, esp. my family on the phone, I would be a basketcase, so it is good that I am writing through e-mails. No one can see my tears.
Garth has been talking to the kids about how God has a plan for their lives. We need to be listening to Him to see what path He wants us to go on. He has given us His instruction book, the Bible, and we need to be reading it.
We have a bunch of Seniors that have some major decisions coming up. Hopefully God will use us to help steer them in the right direction.
Talk to you tomorrow,
Love-Rachel