Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  We hope this Advent Season has been a time to remember God's love for all people.
Last year we were blessed to host our friends from Nebraska, Jay Dee and Wendy Janzen during the holidays.  This year, we decided to travel a bit in an effort to see a more of Indonesia before we say good-bye in June.  Our travels took us to Bali and then on to a small island just east of Bali called Gili Air.  Our journey began with a 27 hour bus ride to Bali.  Normally, it takes around 16-18 hours however due to some flooding it took us much longer.  The flooding forced traffic to be diverted through one particular city.  As a result, the roadway was over run with the increased traffic.  It took us 6 hours to travel through the largest traffic jam I've ever experienced.  I was thankful that the flooding had receded by the time we were to return home.

Part of our journey included a 45 minute ferry ride
from the island of Java to the island of Bali.  We welcomed
the chance to get out of the bus and walk around on the top
deck of the ferry.  

One of the ferries carrying cars, trucks and buses
from Java to Bali.

Travelling by bus in Indonesia is very different from the US.  In Indonesia, buses have the right of way or that's how bus drivers drive.  While I was thankful that our trip home took only 18 hours, there were moments when I questioned whether anyone on the bus was going to make it home safely.  At times I felt like was in a race car, as the bus would tailgate or "draft" behind the vehicle in front of us before zipping out into on-coming traffic to pass the slower moving vehicle.  Thankfully, on-coming motorcycles would pull to the side of the road and on-coming vehicles would stop as the bus whipped in and out of the heavy traffic.  Sometimes we would meet other buses or large trucks in the on-coming traffic lane causing our bus driver to lose his nerve,  and slam on the brakes before ducking the bus back in behind the vehicle in front of us.  So violent were these changes in speed that Dana lost one of her flip-flops as it slide forward along the bus floor coming to rest behind the bus driver's seat.
All in all our trip was very enjoyable, of course this is much easier to say now that we are home and my backside  no longer is sore.
Merry Christmas to all and may God bless the year that waits you.