Cale playing in the water.

November 28, 2007 - Milk or Glue?

I have something gross to say, so if you are feeling squeamish you shouldn’t read this. And if you haven’t had breakfast yet, skip to the next paragraph. Today I went to smack a chechuck with Cale’s shoe, and accidentally hit it too hard and shot some of it on my cheek. I am not sure what part of it I got on my cheek, but it was absolutely disgusting. Oh, I could have thrown up if there wasn’t a bathroom nearby to wash it off immediately.
On to something new. How about a funny Sophie story. The other day Wyatt and Emma said, ”Let’s play house.” Sophie says, “YEAH!!!! I’ll be the monkey.” Mom, Dad, and the monkey….
Today was great fun for me because we put up the Christmas decorations. I am HUGE into Christmas. We always go out the day after Thanksgiving to a tree farm and chop down our own tree and bring it home to decorate. I love the real tree smell and getting sap on my fingers…then we pick a night and let the kids stay up late and we watch a Christmas movie-usually White Christmas because it is one of our favorites, pop some popcorn, put a fire in the fireplace, and then we all sleep out under the tree with the lights on. It is such a fun time. Needless to say things will be quite different here. We do have a tree, it isn’t real, but we have a tree. We bought a package of 200 lights for $15.00-amazing, huh? The lights that were here for us to use, don’t work. I was trying them out in the outlet when I got shocked. It left a nice burn mark on my arm. So those all went in the trash. Tonight after dinner, we decorated the tree with the dorm kids. I bought an Indonesian CD of Christmas songs and had that playing. It looks really nice to have some holiday things up here. I even found some cinnamon sticks at a store and some apple juice so I am going to simmer them on the stove for a nice holiday smell.
Oh, if you come to visit us, don’t let Garth make the milk. He came in the bedroom the other morning when I was still in bed, and asked me how many scoops of powder you need for a pitcher of milk, so I told him. Later when I went out Ibu Poppi called me to the fridge and asked me with a quizzical look on her face, what was in the pitcher. I told her Pak Garth made susu (milk). I called Garth in and asked him what container he got the milk powder out of. He pointed to the container of flour. Flour!!!! Granted they are by each other on the counter, but they look totally different. He had accidentally made a pitcher of glue. Good thing no one used it.
Tomorrow my husband turns one year older. Is it older and wiser or older and wilder? Maybe wackier? Or Wierder? He is great and I am so thankful for him, but you must admit, he is a bit crazy, goofy, wacky, silly…need I go on?:) I am so glad to be able to spend more time with him. It has been nice. Garth is even helping me potty train Cale. He is winning. Cale has gone on the toilet more times for him than for me. I know, you don’t need to know all about Cale’s bathroom habits. Ha Ha. Speaking of habits, I have a habit of going to bed every night about now, so I must close.
Love you all,
Rachel

November 26, 2007 - Deja Vu

Do you ever have Déjà vu? I have had it twice since we got here. That is the weirdest feeling. The first time I had déjà vu when I was in one of the dorm girls rooms and she was getting something out of her closet, and the other time was when we were parked on the side of the road with Jason and Jodi waiting to go to the beach. How could I dream about a place I have never been before I have been there? God knew where I would end up and slipped little glimpses of it into my dreams. How cool is that?
Today was wacky hair day for the kids. I found bright pink hair spray so they were quite colorful. Yesterday we did our dorm Thanksgiving. It turned out great. I was nervous about making all that food, so I am so glad that it turned out. Our menu was probably very similar to yours. Turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, green bean casserole, jell-o, rolls, cranberry sauce, applesauce, macaroni salad, then for dessert we had 2 different apple pies and a fudge cake. It was a wonderful time for us as a dorm. I told the kids that before we eat back home we all hold hands, and my Grandpa leads us in a song that says, “ Thank you Lord for saving my soul. Thank you Lord, for making me whole. Thank you Lord, for giving to me. Thy great salvation so rich and free.” I, of course, couldn’t sing it because I was crying. I was crying because I was thinking about how special that song is, and about how many times we have sung it all together as a family, holding hands, and now we are clear across the world sharing this moment with a whole new “family”. Then we went around the table and prayed, telling God what we are thankful for. Then we ate and ate. It was so yummy, and really brought us together as a dorm. I am always amazed at the time difference of how long it takes to make a meal like that compared to how long it takes to eat it. J Every last bite was savored.
Speaking of food, I need to go work on dinner-homemade potato soup, turkey noodle soup and homemade bread.
Love you all,Rachel

These are all our kids.

Emma in the swimming pool.

Self-inflicted wet willy.

Cale is styling in the pool.

Swimmin' Soph.

Cale enjoyed wearing his birthday cake as much as eating it.

Everybody enjoyed watching Cale open birthday presents.

It's a birthday party for Cale!!

Mommy always makes great cakes.

Taking a ride to the party.

Sophie went to a "Candyland" party.

My beautiful baby gil.

Cale after Soph and Maya did a makeover on him.

Our kids hanging out at the video arcade.

Sophie had some ear problems so we took her to the clinic.

Cale and Mommy at MAF playground.

Cale playing hide-and-seek during our Indonesian class.

Josh and Wyatt at the arcade in Abe.

November 24, 2007 - Little Girls and Dolly

Yesterday when I was walking out of the grocery store there was a little girl crying on the steps with her Dad and Grandma. I went over to her to offer her a smile and the Grandma took my hand and put it on the little girl. She wanted me to touch her becasue she thought I could make it all better. So I rubbed the girl's back and talked to her in English and she calmed down and stopped crying. The Grandma was so pleased. I thought about what a sweet act that was. The Grandma thought I had something special in me that I could give to her granddaughter, and I did-Jesus. I was showing her in a small way the love of Jesus.
Today when Cale and I were walking there was a house at the bottom of our driveway with a bunch of kids playing on the porch and one of them had a ball. So I stopped to let Cale see. Of course the minute he saw the ball he wanted to go over to play so I told him he could. We had a great time. One of the ladies goes to a University and is studying English, so I was able to talk to her. Her name is Dolly.
The kids kept running into the house to bring out more balls for Cale.
He was trying to carry all 4 at once. It was a great opportunity for us, and I will go there again and try to build a friendship with those ladies.
Garth had fun this morning while we were gone playing racquetball with
2 of the ladies that work at the school. No one got hurt and they are all still friends. YEAH!
Well, our internet is down so we are up in the computer lab. I am so thankful that we can still get online and talk to all of you. I am thankful for a lot of things. Thankful that God picked us to go to Indonesia, thankful for how well the kids are adjusting, for the beautiful mountains I get to see each day, thankful for how many people are interested in our adventure here-Mrs. Hynan, Tammy from Panera-Mike and Linda across the street. .. I am so thankful for each e-mail I get, for all of the prayers for our safety and health, thankful for my family and for what God is teaching us every day here.
I could go on and on, but there is a class coming up here in 2 minutes so I have to get off.
But before I go I want you to know that I am thankful for all of you.
You guys are great. I love knowing that you care about us. So thanks.
Love,
Rachel

November 22, 2007 - Happy Thanksgiving!

Today I was interviewed for Indonesian TV! We don't actually have a TV so I will never see it, but still it was fun! Cale and Emma and I were out walking when I saw a bunch of Indonesians with TV cameras standing around and I asked if any of them spoke English, and one of them did. So I asked him what was going on and he told me they were doing a piece on why the government should not cut down the trees in the land around the cemetary by the school. He asked my opinion and I told him, I liked the trees and he asked if he could interview us and I said yes. One of the questions he asked me was why, and I mentioned that I knew that God created those trees and I enjoy seeing them everyday when I walk. It was fun-what a hoot it would be to see us on Indonesain TV. At the end Cale took the microphone and said "Terima kasi." Thank you. They were laughing.
Sophie and Garth went on a date today. First they went on a bike ride and then they went to a store with tables and chairs and got a soda.
During this sweet tender moment, Sophie proceeded to inform Garth, that when her family was all dead she would play basketball.
Emma today on our walk, was looking up at the clouds with me and saw one that she said looked like a wadded up piece of paper that got wet. Wyatt had a great time at his friend Krestin's house today after school. They are good friends and I am glad they have each other.
Next week the kids have Spirit week, each day they get to dress up as something different. Monday is crazy hair day, Tuesday is History day, Wednesday is sports day, Thursday is Twin day, and Friday is disguise day.
I just got done making Sophie's Indian costume for history day. Emma wants to be a pilgrim girl. We will take lots of pictures. Not sure what Wyatt will do.
I found out today that the lady that was ordering turkeys forgot to order ours. She laughed and said that she must have been doing something else when I called with my order and blamed it on old age.
I am trying real hard not to be upset about it. We are going to have Thanksgiving on Sunday now without a turkey. I am trying to think of ways to still make it special for the kids. We were all real excited about the prospect of a turkey, but we will still have mashed potatoes and rolls and I found 2 cans of cranberry sauce, I haven't been able to find corn, but I am still looking. And I think I am going to make an apple pie because one store here had a few granny smith apples the other day so I grabbed them.
I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!!! Wish I was there-eat some turkey for me.
Love you all,
Rachel

November 20, 2007 - Benguins and Mud

Greetings from Garth. Yes, it’s me again. I just wanted to give you an update on my trip interior. Let me start by saying, “wow!” It was quite the trip.

Jason Olver is the Field Manager for New Tribes Mission here in Sentani and he and his wife are very good friends of ours. We all met when we went through New Tribes Bible School back in the mid-nineties. They are also the ones who invited us out here last spring. Anyway, Jason asked me if I wanted to go on a short overnight trip interior. He said that a couple NTM families are wanting to move into a tribe and the husbands wanted to check this particular tribe out to see if it would be beneficial to move their families into. The tribe is called the Benguins (yes, it rhymes with penguin) and they are located just south of Lake Sentani. Jason said it would be a 3 or 4 hour motorcycle trip in, we would hang out, spend the night, and come back the next day. That sounded like fun.

Since I have a street motorcycle Jason suggested that I borrow one of our dorm kids dirt bikes. Kolbe let me use his and we were set to meet at Jason’s at 7:30 am on Monday morning. Jason and I met there and headed over to Jareb’s house to pick up him and Scott (these are the two husbands of the families thinking about moving into the tribe). After much packing (in the rain) we were on our way by 8:45 am. We were headed for Waena which is a small town just this side of Abe. At Waena we gassed up and headed south, skirting the very twisty shore of Lake Sentani. The road is very narrow but paved and climbs and descends as it winds around the lake. We drove for quite a while until we turned on a dirt road. We were on the dirt road for a while and then came upon some people planting a garden. They were very nice and liked it when we stopped and talked to them. A little farther down the road we saw a couple of guys on the side of the road cleaning their guns. We stopped and talked to them and found out that one of them (Niko) had helped some missionaries who had previously surveyed this tribe. He invited us to his house. So we went and sat on his porch for about an hour and talked and just hung out. During this time he ended up inviting himself along on our little excursion. So we rearranged the baggage on Jareb’s motorcycle and headed off with one extra passenger.

From Niko’s house the road started getting bad. It is a logging road and it shows. The rain from that day and the previous week didn’t make the going any easier. A few kilometers down the road, Scott was having major trouble because he was the only one riding a street bike. The street tires provided no grip in all the mud. After some thought we decided that his bike wasn’t going to make the rest of the trip. We unloaded Scott’s bag and put it on my bike. We unloaded Jason’s bag and put it on my bike so Scott could ride on the back of Jason’s bike. It was at this point that it looked like we were maybe biting off more than we could chew, but onward we went. Jareb had an extra passenger and Jason had an extra passenger and we were going through some huge, unfriendly mud puddles. If that wasn’t bad enough the mud that stuck to our tires was making it VERY slippery on the rocks that made up the rest of the road. It was kind of like riding on ice, but it wasn’t smooth.

The first time I wiped out was soon after Scott decided it would be better for him to walk rather than ride on the back of Jason’s bike. The ruts in the road didn’t like me. I was okay…the bike was okay, but I needed Jason to help me upright it because of all the gear I had on it. The second time I wiped out the bike landed on my leg. Once again, I was okay…the bike was okay. Have you heard the saying, “The third time’s the charm”? Well…the third time I wiped out was the last. The reason the roads are so bad is because the lumber trucks don’t use it anymore, therefore they don’t maintain the many bridges. I use the term bridges very loosely. Most of these bridges are just planks of wood crossing a gap. That’s where the third wipe out took place. The bridge that I was crossing was actually very sturdy and wide. It was the ramp up the other side that was narrow, wobbly and full of gaps that got me. As I approached it I thought I should probably just get up some speed to make it up and over this makeshift ramp. But when the front tire of the bike hit the plank, it threw me to the side and off of the ramp to the right. I landed on my side, under the bike on a small embankment. If the embankment hadn’t been there I would have fallen a good 12-15 feet into the river below. Once again (say it with me) I was okay…the bike was okay. But it was at this milestone that Jason and I decided to leave the bikes there and hoof it the rest of the way. The only problem was we had a lot of the gear. It was going to be heavy. Since it was taking so long for us to catch up with the others, Jareb decided to ride back to see if we needed help. Good thing. We packed the extra gear on his bike and let him take it since he was doing so good on the trails. But when we got to the next bridge (remember, loose term) it was time to park his bike too. We walked the next five miles through the jungle to the village finally getting there around 4:00pm and dog tired.

Anton met us and was very glad that we were there. We all sat in the men’s hut which is an elevated, wide-open, roofed meeting area for the men only. Anton and his family have lived in this village for 9 years. He said that most of the people have left because the roads are so bad, making it difficult to get in. He told us that he would stay. He liked it there even though it looked like a ghost town. There were at least 30 structures but only 3 or 4 families still living there. Anton invited us to stay in one of the houses and also told us that we could get a “shower” there. A shower meant standing on the back porch dipping water out of a 55 gallon drum and pouring it over your head. Just don’t open your mouth. I’m not sure why, but these people don’t believe in furniture. All the rooms are bare and you just sit on the floor talking or just not talking. It’s okay to not talk. Just being together is just fine. They are really very nice people. After it got dark we were able to see a little because Scott had brought a candle. But by 9:00 we were tucked in our mosquito nets ready to sleep. Sleep never came. Several factors played into this. First; the floor is HARD!!!! I know that I’m a beefy kind of guy, but my body doesn’t provide enough cushion to sleep comfortably on a wooden floor. Second; the mosquitoes are relentless. When it gets dark they come out. They aren’t very big, but they are many. I’m not sure where mosquitoes get their training (ummmmmm, could it be Hades?) but they just love to go for your ears. Try sleeping on a hard floor with tons of mosquitoes buzzing in your ears. Third; the frogs in the jungle are LOUD!!!! They almost sounded like barking dogs…and they talk to each other. It was almost comical. Fourth; it rained. Rain on a tin roof is loud. And rain on the trail made me worry about the return trip. Would the trail be even muddier? And lastly; I’m not sure why but the roosters decided to start crowing around 3:00am. It wasn’t light…didn’t even look like it was gonna be light soon. I guess they just wanted to talk. In the morning, Jason came out of his mosquito net and about thirty mosquitoes came with him. They probably came up through the cracks in the floor. His arms and legs are looking pretty bad today.

Jareb and Scott decided that they would like to stay an extra night so Jason and I said good-bye to them and our hosts and hit the trail at 8:30am.

Thirty minutes from home!

The return trip was much less eventful (although not exactly easy) and we made it home to Sentani by 1:30. It was quite the adventure. Would I do it again? Probably not. But, sitting here now in our air conditioned apartment at the hostel (alive) I’m glad I did it. Not many people get the experience to do that. It was National Geographic LIVE! And as I lay in that house in the middle of the jungle trying to sleep, I was comforted by the fact that, even though I wasn’t sure where I was…God knew exactly where I was. He hadn’t lost track of me. He hadn’t forgotten me. Psalm 139 says it best:

1Lord, you have examined me and know all about me.
2 You know when I sit down and when I get up. You know my thoughts before I think them.
3 You know where I go and where I lie down. You know everything I do.
4 Lord, even before I say a word, you already know it.
5 You are all around me—in front and in back— and have put your hand on me.
6 Your knowledge is amazing to me; it is more than I can understand.

He also knows that I need to go to bed now (I’m pooped). We love you. Good night.

November 19, 2007 - Counting Butterflies

Since Garth is gone, Cale and I decided to walk down the hill to the store to break up our day, and get us outside. I realized quite quickly that in Cale’s eyes the walk was not about getting to the store as much as it was about what he could find along the way-for him it was more about the journey than the destination. The small puddles of water gathered in the dips of the cement, the little butterflies fluttering on the grass, the new pink flowers that just came up, the lawnmower, airplanes and anything else that makes noise. He loves looking at all that is going on. I knew that I could hurry him along the whole way-“Come on Cale-let’s go. Come on…” or enjoy the journey with him. “Oh, look at the butterflies. Let’s count them, satu, dua, tiga…” So needless to say, we counted butterflies! And had a splendid time.
We all went to the clinic today, but the doctor was so busy with patients that we will have to go back to have Wyatt’s mole removed. Emma’s count was better, but she was a bit dehydrated so she needs to keep drinking. She is still supposed to be on antibiotics for a few more days to make sure everything gets back to normal.
Sophie came in from playing with a very wet skirt. I said “Sophie, why is your skirt wet?” She says, “Oh, Mom, it is just from wetness.” Emma wrote a story on the back of our song sheet in church on Sunday. This is what it said:
There was a Princess, she was poor. But one day, a Prince came. He wanted to help the Princess, and she said “Yes, oh Yes.” - Emma is such a romantic dreamer. I love that about her. Emma can read just about everything and is doing great with her spelling and her cursive.
Garth should be home tonight if all goes well. He is out of cell phone range so I am unable to reach him. Last night our power went off at least 8 or 9 times. One stretch for quite awhile. Of course, by the time you stumble around in the darkness, (Garth needed to take the flashlight), find the candles, walk out to the kitchen for the matches and get them all lit, the power usually comes back on. When the power is out is the best time to run out and look at the stars. The other night when Garth and I were out looking at them, Garth said, “Wow, I have never seen Orion from this angle before. It is upside down (or backwards) I can’t remember what he said. But he was right. It is so amazing that the stars are the same, that they are in the same place night after night. The Bible says that God put the stars in place and can call them each by name. How cool is that!?! Last night, the kids were trying to do their homework by the light of candles. Sophie was saying, “This is just like in the olden days when they didn’t have lights or money and traded things with each other.” Sophie has made her own “clinic” out of a cardboard box. She will tell me, ”BYE, Mom. I am going out to look for hurt people to bring back to my free clinic.” Today Cale slipped on a part of the clinic box that was flat on the ground and he fell down right on his butt. “ GREAT! “ says Sophie. “Now I have a customer.” That’s one way to get them!
Speaking of Cale, I need to go check on him.
Love to all-
Rachel

Go find some butterflies to count!

November 18, 2007 - Village Ride

Tomorrow is going to be quite different than my normal Monday: no Indonesian class, no P.E. class to teach, no wild motorcycle rides around Sentani…(just kidding, Mom.) Garth has a great opportunity to go interior into a village with a friend of ours, Jason Olver . He will get to see firsthand what it would be like to live in a tribal village. They will leave tomorrow morning and come back Tuesday night. I will be here for the first time without him. I think I will throw a party and all of you are invited!!!! YEAH! Wouldn’t that be fun? Anyways, I am glad that Garth can do this. He will take lots of pictures I am sure. Also, tomorrow I need to take Wyatt to the clinic to have a mole removed. It is at the bottom of the front of his neck, right in the middle and it looks very suspicious. I noticed it on Saturday and had a nurse look at it today. He was told it needed to be removed, and that they have an instrument that looks kind of like a hole punch and they use it to take off the mole. If that description was supposed to ease his mind at all, it didn’t. He says he is not scared, but I know he is nervous. Emma’s white blood cell count is still up: it was a +3, now it is a +2. She is still on antibiotics and Tuesday morning I need to take her back into the clinic to get checked again.
We did have a party today-Cale’s. It went very well. I am just like my Mother in that I always over plan the food, and wonder if there will be enough and there always is. We had quite the strange menu-Mie Goreng, chicken nuggets, watermelon and cantaloupe, carrots and cucumbers, and pasta salad and then I made 2 cakes and Emma made one. We had a puppy cake and a kitty cake and a sprinkle cake (Emma’s). Cale wanted to eat the tennis ball that I made for the puppy. He had fun opening his presents. I didn’t know if he would get what to do, but he sure did. He even blew out his own candles. We had the whole dorm 16 (– two are gone in Wamena), the 6 of us, the 5 Olvers, and the 4 Price’s. So it was a pretty full house.
I am going to go help Garth pack.
Love you-Rach

November 16, 2007 - French Fries and X-rays

The whole school was off today, Friday. We needed to take one of the dorm girls, Julie, into Abeh to get an x-ray on her wrist. She hurt it during a soccer practice. So the kids, (our kids), and Julie piled into THE GUS BUS, and drove the hour to Abeh, with Emma and I feeling like we would throw up the whole way. Between the roads, the heat, the bumps, the terrible shocks on the bus, and numerous other factors it is hard for us to make the drive without feeling nauseous. When we got there, Garth dropped the kids and I off at a store with a play area and took Julie to the hospital. Garth said it was disgustingly gross-holes in the walls, nothing had been cleaned and something that looked like blood was splattered on the wall. Well, the hospital said they could not do the x-ray because their power was out and we would have to try another hospital in a town called WAENA. So, after some French fries from KFC, we drove to WAENA and found a clinic there and had the x-rays done for only 50.000 rupiahs. (That’s cheap!) And got home by 1:00.
Sophie told me today in the bus that she was the karate one in the family. I said, oh, really. How is that? She said she was the karate one because she has moves that could really hurt somebody.
The kids had a fun time in the play land. You can buy tokens and then play games or ride on little rides. The rides are so different than in the States. No seat belts or safety laws. The music was so loud I put earplugs in the kids ears. But it was a nice change of pace for us anyways.
Speaking of nice, I am going to go spend some time with my husband. Have a great day.
Love,
Rachel

Come on a motorcycle ride with us

November 16, 2007 - Apples

Well, we woke up this morning to the “beautiful” sight (I am totally exaggerating) of our cat with a rat. Garth was a lot more excited about it than I was. He was saying “Good, one less rat around here.” The pembantu’s took it and threw it over the edge down into the ravine so I wouldn’t have to see it. Don’t worry-we don’t have a bunch of rats running around. In fact, there has only been two. But it does explain the ruckus I heard from the cat at 3:30 this morning.
We had a tremendous storm last night with very high winds. There wasn’t thunder and lightning, but it was very loud. The wind and rain kept Wyatt and I up off and on during the night. The weather was quite a bit cooler and that sure was a relief.
Wyatt did a great job in his skit this morning. Cale is still sleeping (9:00 a.m.) so Garth and I just were able to walk up to the school to watch the skit without interruptions. Sophie took me outside yesterday and showed me where she sniffed out the new land. “Right here, Mom. This is a good spot. But if I sniffed it over there it would have been stinky.” I washed Emma’s hair last night and then rolled it in pin curls and secured them with bobby pins, so this morning she has curls. It is funny how excited you can get over a few curls. She is loving it. We have been having fun with our kids playing “Go Fish”-the game that Sophie renamed “Gut A Fish”. She wants to make everything ordinary, extraordinary, to make life more interesting. I took her to the clinic to have her ears checked, and they looked good. She has some swollen glands so we got some ear drops and a decongestion and hopefully that will take care of it all.
Our Indonesian tutor was working on teaching us some prayers yesterday, and that was great. I love learning stuff like that. We also had to work on numbers-he would say 150.000 really fast in Indonesian and we would have to figure out what the number was. I do not enjoy that, but Garth sure does. He is really good at it. Cale is getting a little more used to people picking him up and touching him when we are out. He still looks at me with the “Please rescue me” look, and I don’t blame him. Our nice grocery store, Hypermarket, is really coming along. They have a dairy section now!!!!! All the other stores will have one stand up cooler with cold drinks in it and maybe a few things more, but no dairy. Hypermarket now has cream cheese, pudding, lettuce, green peppers, and even Yoplait yogurt. Only mango flavor, but still!!! I am so excited. The other day we went and I bought some apples. I put them in the bag and gave them to a worker to weigh and price. She gave them back and I kept shopping. Awhile later she ran over to my cart and said something to me in Indonesian , took the apples and walked away. She reweighed them and put a new price on it. So I kept shopping, and then one more time she came over and said something to me, and took the apples. This time she didn’t give them back. So we asked a friend of ours that was there that speaks Indonesian and English, and she said that the store was going to get a shipment of apples in that day and wanted me to have the ones that were fresh. So they kept the apples that were a few days old. How’s that for customer service?
Garth agreed to help out with a PE class two times a week with a guy named Scott. It is 3rd and 4th grades. So he teaches Mondays and Thursdays for 45 minutes. His first class he had them play baseball, of course! No one plays baseball here. But the kids loved it. I think Garth and Wyatt play baseball in their sleep. You guys are all sleeping so you will get this when you wake up.
Love you-
Rachel

November 13, 2007 - Shoes and Ears

Emma is going to be Mary in the Christmas program!!!!! I am so excited and so is she. There is an older boy that will be Joseph, so hopefully that won’t make her shy. It sounds like she has a solo to sing: a lullaby that she sings to her baby!!! We will take TONZ of pictures and video-don’t you worry about that. I had to take Emma to the clinic today and we found out that she has a urinary tract infection, so she is on an antibiotic. We have to go back next Tuesday to check how she is doing.
Yesterday Garth got Cale up in the morning and Cale said “owie” and pointed to his foot so we looked at his toe and sure enough he has a cut under his pinkie toe. We cleaned it out and put socks on to keep it clean. As we were putting on his tennis shoes, I noticed that they were starting to get small, so we decided to go get him a new pair of shoes. When we got to the store, at least 5 sales clerks came over to help us. They were all handing us random shoes to try on. There is no rhyme or reason to Indonesian shoes-size 19 was smaller than size 27, but size 8 was bigger. But some size 19’s were bigger, so it was quite confusing. And the shoes are not kept together by girls, boys, adults-they are just put out however with no sense of organization. One of the sales clerk brought Cale over a shiny pair of pink, zip up, sequined boots- and of course, Cale was trying to put them on. I wondered why he brought them over until it occurred to me that the guy thought Cale was a girl because of his hair. I told him “laki, laki” (boy) and he was embarrassed, but laughed. One guy knew English and said, “This is so funny!” We did eventually find him a pair of shoes with balls on them (perfect) for only $4.50. Cale loves them. But today, however we found a down side to Indonesian shoes. They really don’t have traction on them. Cale kept wiping out in the grocery store because the shoes were so slippery. He has a bump on his head to prove it. We will have to hold on to him better.
Wyatt’s class is doing an all school chapel on Thursday and Wyatt has many lines that he had to memorize. He is amazing with things like that. Not only did he learn all of his lines, but he knows everybody else’s lines too. He is really looking forward to doing the skit because it will be the first time he will be up in front of the school. He is not nervous. You can be sure we will take pictures of that as well.
Sophie, the crazy girl, told me today when she was sitting on my lap during a motorcycle ride, “ Mom, today I was sniffin’ out our new land.” I said “Really, how did you do that?” “Just like this,” she says as she sniff, sniffs with her nose. “How did it smell?” I ask. “It smelled good!” she said with a big smile. Then later she complained about her ears hurting (I will take her to the clinic about that tomorrow), and I asked her how does it feel-what does the hurt feel like? She says, “Well, my one ear feels like it is dead, and the other ear feels like it is dying.” Only Sophie would describe it that way.
Hope your ears are feeling good-I hear it is getting cold so keep them covered.
Love you all-Rache

November 11, 2007 - Rain and Noodles

We woke up to a bright, sunny Sunday. We needed rain so bad, but so far it hasn’t come. Sophie, as she was getting ready, said “Mom, I think I will bring my umbrella to church today.” I told her she could but that it didn’t look like it would rain. She reminded me that we have been praying for rain, but decided to leave it. During the church service however, it began to pour. Sophie looked up at me and said, “See, Mom! That’s why I should have brought my umbrella.” Ahhhh, the faith of a child. Maybe she will grow up to be a meteorologist. It didn’t rain long and she was able to walk home without getting wet. During the service, we had communion. There was a time of silent prayer and I whispered to Sophie and asked her if she had anything she wanted to talk to Jesus about, anything she needed to apologize for, or wanted to thank Him for. She replied with an “OOOOH yes. I need to talk to Him about a few things. I was SO bad yesterday.” That would have been an interesting conversation to eavesdrop on!
Later, I had a great opportunity to trust in God and not fret. Garth had just left to take almost all of the dorm kids and Wyatt to Abeh (about 45 minutes away) to go shopping when again it began to mega downpour. I was thinking about how they were driving on the road and going past the very spot that my Aunt Carol had her bad car accident years before, and I was thinking about how the bus doesn’t have many seatbelts and how dangerous some of those curves in the road are, and how slippery the road can get…and I started to worry. I almost called Garth to have him call me when he got there so I would know he was safe, or to have Wyatt talk to me while they drove so I would know they were ok, but then I realized that I was totally forgetting that all of it; the drive, the rain, the bus, the kids, my family…are all in God’s care. The rain doesn’t freak God out and make Him wake up and suddenly start to pay attention to what is going on. He knows about it because He is in control of it all. So I did the only thing I could, and that was to pray for them, and then I went back to making muffins. And God gave me peace. They were all o.k. and made it back safe and sound. YEAH!! The whole thing may have been to teach me to trust God in every situation. It seems like I am learning things, but just a bit at a time.
The girls, Emma and Sophie and I had so much fun here while the boys were gone. We painted. I found some paints (watercolors) at a store here and some brushes, so we painted all sorts of pictures. That is therapeutic for me. Very relaxing and calming.
Last night, many of the dorm kids were at a birthday party, and since for Saturday dinner we never all eat together (it is just grab leftovers and heat them up whenever you want) so Garth and I decided to take our kids to a little place here for dinner. Some of the food was cold, but it was good. Cale had Mie Goreng-noodles with seasoning on them. He LOVED them. It was the funniest thing watching him eat. It looked like I hadn’t fed him all day the way he was wolfing them down. People were watching and one lady was taking a video. When he stood up, he had noodles and rice everywhere, and I am so NOT exaggerating. Next time we will bring the camera. Also, yesterday, Cale went potty on the toilet. It was just a coincidence, but we celebrated anyway. He has been dribbling the soccer ball lately-not bouncing with his hands, but dribbling it between his feet while he walks. And he is amazingly good at drop kicking the ball too. He has the timing and the hand- eye- foot coordination down pat.
The kids all send their greetings! We love you all so much-
Rachel

Just a bunch of friends.

Now THAT'S a long boat!

November 9, 2007 - Me-Human

I hope that I am not coming across as being “more than human” in my e-mails. I don’t want you to think that I am doing things that you could never do. That is so not true. I try in my emails to talk about the funny stuff and the good stuff but by doing that I often leave out the things I am struggling with and that may give the wrong impression. I am totally like you except that I am here and you are there. The last few days I have been trying not to be discouraged. Even though I tell myself not to have expectations, I know that I do. I expected the kids to see how much we care for them, and really like us. They didn’t have to love us, but I did think they would like us. And I thought with so many people around I would just fall into a group of friends that would accept me and include me in everything, and I would find a place where I fit in doing the things I love. But, it is not like that. And I have been having a hard time getting past that. I have no doubt that God wants us here right now, that is a given, but I am just trying to figure out the details of my life that He is still working on. And trying to be content while I wait for God to show me His plans. My Mom gave me a great verse that I have taped to my bathroom mirror: “Lord, when doubts fill my mind, when my heart is in turmoil, quiet me and give me renewed hope and cheer.” Psalms 94:19 I read that every day and ask God to take away the doubts, and give me peace. He seems to encourage me just when I need it through your e-mails, through Garth, my kids, or this gorgeous view- and He always encourages me through Bible verses. I have been trying to use this as a great opportunity to spend more time with God, even just talking to Him more, asking Him to quiet me, quiet my thoughts. And He does. Please do me a favor and remember that I am so just like you-God has chosen to use me here in Indonesia for awhile, instead of where you are. God will use anyone that is willing, no matter where you are, or who you are. Even just typing all this out has encouraged me because I know that most of you will be praying for me after you read this. Thanks.
O.K. now on to the funny Sophie stuff. The other night the kids had all been running around playing outside together, and one boy in particular (we will say his name is Tommy) is quite the trouble maker. That night at bedtime Sophie said to me, ”Mom, I have been thinking. If Tommy is the guy that I am supposed to marry, like if he is the guy God picked for me, then I will probably end up in jail.” I told her that we would have to approve of who she marries and that we wouldn’t let anyone bad marry her. That put her mind at ease.
Today I substitute taught for Kindergarten and that was a blast! I really enjoyed it. We learned our letters and sounds through a fun BINGO game and acted out some books and did songs and read a stack of books and did a Math game, plus Music and Indonesian…Sophie loved having me there. She tried to be my helper. When one girl was being bad Sophie went up to write her name on the board-but I stopped her and said that I could handle it. She burst into tears at one point and said that she was missing her Grammo, and Grampo and their dog Timber. Not sure what made her think of that in the middle of our “Five Little Ducks” song, but it took her awhile to get over that.
We had some friends over for dinner, and Garth decided that was a good enough reason to try the Indonesian Haagen-Dazs ice cream we just got in the stores here. So he bought 2 pints, Choc. Chip and Cookies and Cream. Do you even want to know how much it cost? $20.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had a hard time forking over the bills for that purchase, but we will just say it is his birthday present. I asked him if it was good, and he said it was alright. (I didn’t actually have any.) He said it didn’t taste the same as the States. It was a nice treat for everyone and it went well with my brownies.
Time to go as it is almost tomorrow and I am still awake. Thank goodness for Saturday’s. Hopefully we can sleep in!
Love to all-Rachel

We visited the site of Carol's accident that happened 11 years ago.

Remembering those who went home to heaven, thankful for those who were still with us.

This lady had been at the accident and helped pull people from the wreckage. She remembered Carol.

Ibu Poppi can always count on Cale to help in the kitchen.

Your family in Indonesia.

November 8, 2007 - Balloon Head

I keep being reminded that God cares about the little things as well as the big. This morning we were running behind in our plans to see my Aunt and Uncle off at the airport ( I won’t go into details as to why except to say that it had something to do with Garth and the “library”). Well, we got to the airport and they were already through security and I didn’t know how to find them. I was walking around but they weren’t anywhere. Then we “happened” to see a man that we know that speaks English and he helped us get through security and took us right over to where they were! That was a blessing! I would have been so disappointed if I didn’t say good-bye.
We had our Friday night game on Thursday because the High School has a big event going on on Friday. So, tonight when we were watching the soccer games, there was a huge kick and one of our players headed the ball. It was cool and I said, “Sophie, did you see that?” And she says, “Mom, I can totally do that with a balloon!” Like it was no big deal. Funny girl.
Wyatt either sprained or broke his big toe last week jumping down from the playground. He however, is such a fast healer that he is doing much better and can get his shoe on and was even trying to play soccer by kicking with his other foot. He used crutches for a day or two but now is hobbling around on his own.
Tomorrow is a big day for me. I am substitute teaching for the Kindergarten class. Sophie has clued me in to who is the trouble maker and what that girl will try to get away with. I am really looking forward to teaching. I asked Garth to come in for 15 minutes and read “Bear Snores On.” That is such a great book, and he does the best sound effects.
Please pray for a little girl here named Lily-she is in first grade and I think 6 years old. The other day she had a seizure and our doctor treated her, but felt like they should take her to Australia for further testing. The family did and just found out that she has a tumor at the stem of her brain. Pray that they are comforted and that the doctors know what to do from here.
I need to go get my sleep so I am bright and alert for the Kindergarteners!
Love to all-Rachel

November 7, 2007 - Life

I messed up my Indonesian words today. I thought the word for thirsty was “home”-so when Cale came in from outside, and drank a bunch of water, I told Ibu Poppi “ Cale home.” She looked at me funny so of course I said it again and she still looked at me funny. Then she realized what I was trying to say and laughed. The right word is “house” not home. I was close.
Yesterday we were able to go with my Uncle Russ and Aunt Carol and my cousin Randy to the place where my Aunt was in a terrible car accident 11 years ago. She and 3 other ladies were driving back from a conference when a drunk driver in a bus came into their lane and hit them. Two ladies were killed and my Aunt was seriously injured, and had to be airlifted to a hospital in Australia: the other lady was injured but not as bad. There is a monument set up in honor of the ladies who died. When we went to see it, there was an Indonesian lady there that helped when the accident happened. She remembered it all and was filling in the details. She planted flowers in the spot where the car flipped and landed. We took some time to pray and thank God for sparing Carol: we are so thankful that she is alive. Wyatt prayed before dinner, “Lord, thank you that we could go see Aunt Carol’s monument. Thank you that you kept her alive.” That night the girls were praying. Sophie prayed that that “the driver would come over and tell Aunt Carol he was sorry and then go see the police, and never drive again.” Emma prayed, “Thank you God that you let my Auntie Carol live.” It was so moving to be there and think about what could have happened. Life is short. You never know when it might be your last day. It is so easy to take it for granted that we will wake up in the morning every morning. Randy was talking about how at the time of the accident he was 9 (same age Wyatt is now). Randy said he was playing Legos with a boy whose Mom was one that died in the accident, when the phone rang. The phone call said that 2 ladies lived and 2 ladies died. So during the drive to the hospital they didn’t know which category Carol fit into. I can’t even imagine being a kid in that situation. I remember getting the phone call back in the States, and all we could do is pray. Boy, did we ever pray and pray and pray…Thank you Lord.
Randy spent the night last night so he went to our Indonesian class with us. That was fun, and Carol babysat Cale while we had class. She was going to take him over to the airport and watch the airplanes take off and land. I am sure he will want to stay, and not come back here. He was so fine with us leaving him. We just said “Bye” and he waved and said “Bye” while he held Auntie Carol’s hand. No problem. He doesn’t seem to have any sort of separation anxiety like some of our other kids had.
Time to Go,
Love to all-Rachel

November 4, 2007 - He is all we need

The beach was so fun!! It was different than it usually is. For some reason there were a lot of people there-a Youth Group and a group of Indonesians that are learning English. Plus the tide was in so far that the beach was covered. Russ and Carol and Randy took us down the beach to see what used to be their favorite spot. It was beautiful.
There is a tree out over the water with branches that you can climb and jump off of. They all got fried-we actually didn't. I am trying different suncreens and some of us wore shirts this time to protect us more from the sun, so that worked out great.
Garth and I taught the Kids Church program today. It was just like old times. I love doing that with Garth. He does such a great job explaining Bible stories in simple ways so the little kids can understand. And I love doing songs and motions and teaching Bible verses. We had 18 kids from ages 4 to 9. Garth talked about how God gave the commandment that we are to have no other "gods" but HIM.
There are a lot of other things that can get our time and focus and distract us from even thinking about God. Sometimes it takes a disaster or someone getting sick to make us think about God, but He desires for us to have a relationship with Him beyond that. He loves us, He died for us and provided us with a way to have a relationship with Him. He simply waits for us to realize that all the other things we are seeking for in the world will never fill the emptiness that we have inside. It can only be filled by Him. He is all we need. I took Him with me here to Indonesia. I think that is why I am ok here-I am being taken care of - just like I was in Wisconsin. God didn't forget about me because I moved. God is here with me, giving me all I need to get through these crazy days of new experiences, and encouraging me through other people. Like you guys, and my family.
Carol was a big help yesterday when we got home from the beach. We were working on getting dinner ready and out, when the power decided to go out for quite some time. She sure knows her way around the kitchen and before I knew it we had the meal done. I found a store here that has chicken nuggets, so we had those for dinner. YUM! One store, the new big one we showed you pictures of, just got Haagen-Das and Baskin Robbins ice cream. Tiny little half of half pint size containers for about $9.00 but they sure look good. Strange flavors like Green Tea...Maybe some time we will try them.
I need to go.
Love you all-I am dreaming of fall leaves and bonfires and sweatshirts...
Rachel

Riding The Palm

November 2, 2007 - Family

I HAVE FAMILY HERE!!!!! You don’t even know how much that encourages me!!!!! It has been so wonderful having my Aunt Carol, Uncle Russ and my cousin Randy here. Nine years ago they were here as missionaries with the same organization, MAF, that we are with. My Uncle is a pilot and will be flying in Aceh, an area that was badly damaged three years ago when the tsunami hit. My Aunt Carol will be helping ladies there learn how to cook and sew. Randy is going to work as a mechanic there also. We have been having a great time getting caught up, looking at pictures, hanging out, playing ping-pong, racquetball, sharing recipes etc. God knew I needed this to help me feel energized. Tomorrow we are taking them to the beach-our new favorite place.
My family sent a bunch of stuff with my Aunt and Uncle-what a treat that was, outfits, candy, jello, balls for Cale, music for the girls, a fun Look and Find game for Wyatt and everyone else (that they made-you should see it! It is amazing). Like Christmas in November.
We took a bunch of the little kids here trick-or-treating on Wednesday. Garth will try to post pictures on the blog. Cale was a sumo wrestler, Emma and Sophie were movie stars and Wyatt was a Cubs player. Eating the candy has actually been a surprise since we can’t tell by the wrapper what we are getting, we can’t read most of the words, so you just try it and hope for the best.
Today we had a Fun Festival after school full of booths and games (and more candy). In one booth you could pay a ticket for a bucket of water to be dumped on whoever you chose. Of course Garth got wet, I did too, but not quite as bad as he was. The kids had a wonderful time at the dunk tank, bean bag toss, flipper walk, cake walk etc.
Pray for the dorm to be healthy. Right now strep throat is going around the dorm and three kids have it. I know you do pray for us and that encourages me too.
Love you all,
Rachel

This guy was the Wardle's yard worker over 10 years ago. He was so excited to see them and remembered Randy as a little boy.

Bean bag toss at the Fun Festival.

Cale dressed up for Halloween as a Sumo wrestler.

The whole gang dressed up for Halloween.

Sophie and Emma were rock stars.

Cale and his big cousin Randy.

The Wardles finally arrived in Sentani! Yahoo!!

Do you have one of these greeting you as you drive up your driveway?

October 31, 2007 - Funny Times in Sentani

Today when Garth and I came back from shopping our gate guard (penjaga) opened the gate for us with a gun in his hand. I thought that was weird, but I know he is here to protect us so I didn’t think much of it. Later when we went out he was standing there with a 5 foot snake (alive) in his hands and up his arms. The head of that snake came too close to our heads for my comfort-he was asking us something, I don’t know what, but I do know whatever he asked my answer was “NO!” I was wishing he had the gun instead. YUCK!! Our friend Jason bought the snake from him for 30.000 rupiahs, about $3.00. They have a snake cage that was empty and wanted to fill it. In my opinion, it should have stayed empty. The guard had been swimming in a river nearby when he saw the snake go by and swam to get it. He said he knew that the Westerners would buy it. It was NOT poisonous-thankfully. Emma is supposed to go over to their house tomorrow for a birthday party…I said “Yes” that she could go before the snake, but now…ugh! I am sure it will be fine, however, I do know that the last snake they had escaped out of his cage, and disappeared. In situations like this I am SO thankful that God is in control, and I can know that He is with my little girl wherever she goes, and nothing can happen to her that God does not allow. I thought about that last night. We had two earthquakes. That is the fifth one since we’ve been here. A friend of mine that has been here 5 years says that she only felt 5 quakes in her time here. So for some reason, they are becoming more frequent. If anyone knows about why that would be, let me know.
Today, I took Sophie and Emma to our clothing store, (our one and only big clothing store), and Sophie was waiting for Emma over by the shoes. She was standing very still being so patient. I saw a grown man standing there looking at her, so I watched to see what he was up to. He walked over and poked her cheek, she jumped and he jumped. Then he saw me, and said in broken English, “I thought she was a doll.” He was from West Java and knew quite a few English words so we had a good laugh about that. Sophie said later, “Mom, it was so weird. He poked my cheek.”
Funny times in Sentani.
Love Rachel.