The Trophy

I asked the kids today how they were doing in regards to processing all that has been happening lately.  They all said that being here in Bali has helped to make it not feel as sad.  And I would agree.  Even with today being overcast and rainy in parts, we were still able to feel peace and relax.  This morning the girls got their hair braided by a lady named Kiki that was on the beach.  Sophie’s only took about 20 minutes, but Emma’s was more like an hour.  We swam, went down on the beach and watched the surfers crashing around on the crazy high waves, did a little shopping, ate at Hard Rock Café (Never done that before), saw a trophy made out of beer cans, (that also is a first), and watched a Balinese dance.  Tomorrow we will meet up with some friends from Papua and go to a water park called WaterBom.  The kids are excited to see these friends again, and go on some waterslides.  It is supposed to be another rainy day, but it won’t squelch our fun.

Bali

We made it through the final good-byes.  Praise the Lord for such a great group of friends that were surrounding us these last four years.  It took about 5 hours till we landed in Bali, since we had to stop in Timika first.  We got here to our hotel and the room wasn’t ready.  So we waited for at least an hour and then got some good news.  Instead of the connecting rooms we thought we were getting, we were upgraded to a villa!!  It is beautiful!  Two bedrooms with two bathrooms and our own little pool.  Talk about paradise!  This will be the perfect place for us to relax and reconnect as a family.  It was after 4:00 when we got into our room so we swam a little and then went to get food.  There was a restaurant right by the hotel that had these fun bean bag chairs out on the sand that you could sit in and watch the sun set while you ate.  At night they lit torches around us.  The ambiance was serene until Wyatt noticed that there was a man by us that was having his toenails clipped right there while he was eating.  You don’t see that everyday now do you?  We are making memories.

I took some pictures for you:

It’s Today

We have a few minutes before we need to leave.  Four years of our lives reduced to a few suitcases.  That is crazy!  We came here when Cale was 1 ½, and now he is five.  Sophie was in Kindergarten, now she is going into 4^th.  Emma was in Grade 2 and now she will be in 6^th.  Wyatt was in Grade 4 and now Grade 8.  Time sure looks like it flies when I think about that.

It sounds like there is going to be quite the crowd at the airport for our sending off. I need to get a few more things done and eat some breakfast.  Next time you hear from me I will be in Bali.  I think I will sleep for 3 days straight…Can’t wait to have some time to relax as a family.  That is just what we need.

Love you all

Rachel

Saying Good-Bye

Lots of good-byes today.  Lots of packing.  Lots of tears.  Garth sold his motorcycle today.  And we had Graduation.  And now, here I sit at 11:30 at night waiting on the last of our laundry and I am ready to go.  This has been an amazing time.  I could never describe what our time in Indonesia has meant to our family.  Thank you Lord for sending us here!  I know that I have not processed through the fact that we are leaving and not coming back.  We have left here before but we always come back.  I think it will hit me tomorrow at the airport.

So now, this is our plan.  We will leave Sentani tomorrow morning at 9:30 and fly to Bali.  We will be in Bali for a few days and then fly to Idaho to the MAF headquarters.  A few days there for recap, and then we are planning a road trip.  We are going to take the kids to visit family and friends in Washington, drive down the coast of California and do some visiting there as well.  Go to Arizona, Colorado, see the Hoover Dam, the Grand Canyon. And lots of other amazingly beautiful sights that we have never seen as a family.  We are all excited about that.  It will be a perfect wrap up to this chapter of our lives.  In the summers to come, the kids might be involved in sports or camp, but this summer, this time, is for us.  I am thoroughly enjoying every minute of my kids childhood and can’t wait to explore the West coast with them.

I need to say goo-dbye and try to sleep.  Thank you for being a part of this journey with us.  God has much more in store for us and I will bring you along.  Stick with us.  Pray for our safety, and that we get through tomorrow.  Also pray for wisdom as we help the kids transition through this difficult time.

Love you

Rachel

Our Path

I had a very pleasant surprise on Sunday.  The dorm girls “kidnapped” me, blindfolded me and took me to the mall.  I walked through the mall, up two sets of escalators and over to the salon blindfolded.  That was a bit tricky.  There is this “nice” spa/salon in the mall that doesn’t seem to fit with the rest of Sentani.  One of the Moms of a dorm girl paid to pamper me.  It was very nice.  I had a creambath (a conditioner put on my hair), a neck massage and a pedicure.  The girls also got me a cake with my name on it and some souvenirs.  It was a wonderful gesture of their affection for me.

Yesterday we had a birthday party for one of our dorm boys.  He turned 18.  Today Garth, Cale and I went for a ride around part of Lake Sentani.  We knew it would be the last time we did that.  So it was sad.  God gave us a beautiful clear day for it.  After that we said goodbye to some more of our local friends and went to a choir concert by Emma and Sophie’s classes.  I did get some packing done today and should be able to finish it all tomorrow.  The walls are bare, and some of the rooms are beginning to echo they are so empty.  It is really starting to sink in that this will no longer be our home.  I have been trying to keep busy so that I am not thinking about that fact, but evidence of it is creeping up everywhere.  Pray that Garth and I have wisdom in walking our family down this path.