Here's A New One

"Okay, what do you get when a gecko crawls in an outlet?"  I think everyone knows the answer to that one.  We're not sure why the gecko crawled behind one of the 22O outlet covers in our kitchen, but I do know that when I touched him he squirmed in further.  About the same time that Jeff was trying to grab him, the gecko's tail suddenly went very straight.  In this moment, both Jeff and the gecko got the shock of their lifetime.  For the gecko, it was his last moment.  For Jeff, it was a surprise that left his hand and arm a bit numb for a few minutes.  Unlike the gecko who remained very still, Jeff was fine.

I can honestly say that we never know what to expect and life is definitely not dull here in Indonesia.  Part of the reason for that is the nature that surrounds us.  Just this morning I was telling Jeff that it was extremely noisy here, between the birds, the insects, and our neighbors' goats and chickens...let's just say that it's hard to sleep beyond 6 am.  There are many other noises throughout our neighborhood that are beginning to become a part of our life.  I think we've gotten used to the neighborhood mosque and their call to prayer at 4 am.  In fact we don't usually hear it anymore, it has become background noise. 

As for the geckos...they are everywhere, small ones, long ones, dark ones, light ones.  The little ones, an inch or so long, are quite fun as they will crawl all over your hand trickling you with their small feet.  They do provide a bit of amusement, if you can catch one.

The Wedding

After being in Indonesia for eight months the thought of returning to the states was....I don't think there is a word for what I was feeling.  I was sad that the rest of the family couldn't go as well, but was extremely happy to be returning to "what I knew!"  To finally hear "English" or at least "Okie English" and to be able to read a menu without having to translate a word at a time and to walk into Walmart and know that I could buy everything in one stop...needless to say I was a bit excited and didn't sleep much the entire 38 hours it took to arrive in OKC.  The best part was seeing my family waiting for me past security and to actually touch them instead of only seeing them on SKYPE. 
The entire trip is a bit of a blur considering I was sleep deprived when I arrived and didn't get much sleep while there.  I am thankful for a few aspects of my trip.  I am glad that Pleasant View Mennonite Church gave me the opportunity to share about our family in Indonesia.  It was "wonderful" being with our church family and expressing our gratitude for their support.  I wish I had had time to visit our church family at Bethesda Mennonite Church in Henderson, Nebraska.  We also thank them for their support, love and prayers that they send our way.
I also had the special priviledge of visiting Thomas Fay Custer Public Schools and visiting with former students and co-workers.  I miss working in that environment and with the students there and continue to pray for them.  I was also able to visit with my family, my aunts and uncles, as well as many cousins.

But the whole reason for my visit was to be there for Betty and I am very glad I was able to.  I will be honest when I say that the lure of relaxing at a tropical location was a perk, but then again at present I am living on an island that has beaches.  Pretty ironic when you think about the fact that I traveled from one tropical location to another one on the other side of the world... but all the travel was worth being with Betty at the beginning of her marriage to Eric.
Before leaving I was told that it would be hard to return to Indonesia after being in the states.  They were right.  When I am surrounded by what I know I am very comfortable and returning to a place where everything is unfamiliar is in one word "uncomfortable."  But maybe God doesn't always want us to be comfortable and maybe when we're "uncomfortable" that's when God is able to work through us and in us.  Our prayer will continue to be that God is able to work through our family while we are here in Salatiga, Indonesia.

My Poems by Abby

I fly through the sky on a golden airplane

As a butterfly swiftly flies in the rain

Belle

Active Pup

Likes to jump

I miss her so

Dog

Let's Play Some Basketball!

At the beginning of January I was asked if I wanted to coach the JV Girls Basketball Team.  Because I didn't want to do it alone I recruited some help from my loving husband.  We actually make a good coaching team and seem to compliment each others strengths and weaknesses.  The most important attribute is that we both love the game!  We have been very lucky, our players are very eager to learn and to improve their game.  We have ten girls on the team and so everyone gets playing time.  The JV Team's season is very short, only about six weeks.  We only have two weeks left.  So far we've played five games and are 3 - 2.  The girls improve with every game and as coaches that is what we want to see.  We are also getting to know the girls in a different setting, the gym instead of the classroom.  Which can also be reversed...the girls are getting to know us in a different setting as well.

Not only are Jeff and I involved in JV Basketball, but Quintin is playing on the Boys JV Team.  His team is made up of 7th and 8th graders.  He is improving daily with his skills as well and seems to be developing a love for the sport, or maybe it's a love of the 3-pointer.  During one game his team could not seem to score.  Coach put Quin in and he shot a three and sunk it!  GO QUIN!  I'm not sure who looked more surprised...Quin or his parents...

 

Life's Questions

Who is the one and only?

Who made the earth?

Who do the mountains bow down to?

Who can make the earth be covered by water?

Who do the angels worship?

Who made man?

Who made you and me?

Who is the three in one?

Who is this that Christians sing of?

It is the Lord, God Almighty!

 - Quintin

A Few Days at the Beach

We have a new appreciation for those who have the discipline to update blogs or journals daily or even weekly for that matter.  Blessings to all of you who have a gift for communication.  Please continue to be an inspiration to everyone.  For those of you who have difficulty maintaining contact with people in far away places, may God bless us with new gifts and nurture what we have been given. 

During our first six months in Indonesia we didn't venture too far from Salatiga.  Salatiga is basically located in the middle of the island of Java.  Java is home to Indonesia's capital city, Jakarta and 130 million of Indonesia's 242 million people.  This gives the island of Java a population density of roughly 1000 people per square kilometer.  In farming terms, this is roughly 1000 people per half section of land.  Living in the city we feel the population density.  So, during our Christmas break we wanted to see a bit more of Java and be reminded that we do in fact live on an island. 

After celebrating Christmas in Salatiga, we headed to Pacitan, a city located on the south coast of Java.  We spent our time at Happy Bay Beach (HBB).  We had a great time relaxing and playing with friends.  The kids had a great time learning to boogie board that first evening.  The next day we couldn't get them out of the water.  None of us realized how potent the sun is at the equator, and we were all a bit pink by the end of the day despite multiple applications of 60 SPF sunscreen.  Quintin and Abby were in the most pain.  In fact Quin spent the rest of the time recouperating in the hotel room. 

Abby didn't let the burn stop her, but it did slow her down.  During our stay in Patican, our family discovered a new "love"...Boogie Boarding.  According to Zach "At least there is one good thing about living in Indonesia...the Beach!"  Jeff & I even tried to boogie board, I have to admit it is quite a feeling to catch the "perfect" wave.  Missing in these pictures is our camera woman, Dana, who braved crashing waves with the camera raised high in one hand.  Also missing is Quintin, who despite his mother's best efforts eluded the camera by staying out in the deeper water.

Having visited the ocean only a few times previously, our trip to Pacitan was both restful and full of new and interesting sights.  We look forward to visiting more of God's creation here in Indonesia.  If you are willing to come to Salatiga we promise to take you with us.  Blessings. 

Christmas Morning

Mery Christmas!  We've had a wonderful day here in Salatiga.  We woke up early (not as early as Zach, he was up at 4 am wondering if it was time to open presents!) and then connected with family in Thomas, Oklahoma via skype.  The kids opened their presents while Papa & Grandma Jackson watched.  Thank goodness for technology.  Unfortunately even technology is unpredictable.  Our electricity went out during the call, but we were able to reconnect with them later in the morning.  We did finally open the rest of our gifts.  The picture shows our family showing off our new Hesston College t-shirts from Papa & Grandma Selzer.  We are proud supporters of the Larks and always welcome new paraphernalia.

Jeff & I decided to get the kids sarongs, traditional clothing worn in Asian countries.  We went shopping at a Batik store downtown and chose fabric.  From the reactions of those standing around we were probably charged three times the original price.  At some point we will start to make sense of the Indonesian language.  Ibu Ti's husband is a tailor (she is one of our pembantus) and he sewed the fabric into sarongs for us.  Abby & Zach were very excited about the sarongs and have had them on most of the day.  Quin's reaction to the sarong was a little different.  In fact this picture may be the only time he is seen in it!

The rest of our day has been a mix of eating, sleeping and playing, all with Christmas in mind.  We are always mindful of our loved ones at home and you are always in our prayers and in our hearts.  We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!