Fixing the Roof!

To help deal with the leaking roof we found out that we needed to clean the debris off. Jeff was pretty sure that the termite infested roof wouldn't hold him and so we asked the lightest member of our family to climb the ladder to the roof, Zach. He did a wonderful job. He brushed the leaves and branches off so the water could run off and not sit and then leak through. Everything was going along fine until from inside the house Quintin and I heard a loud "crash!" Zach's leg had come through the roof. He handled it very well and even finished cleaning off the rest of the leaves. Jeff found some old clay tiles and with Zach's help they repaired the roof. We hope the repair job will keep the rain out. It continues to amaze us how much maintance everything here requires. It's as if the jungle is determined to reclaim the land it once enjoyed.

Rainy Season is Here!

Since arriving in July people have tried to explain to us what the "rainy season" was like. We were told about how it rains daily in a downpour, not a sprinkle or a mist. We've also been told that nothing dries and everything feels wet and smells musty. Well, what we were told is correct. The rain does come down in a downpour. It is the most amazing thing, there is no rain and then suddenly you're in a downpour and it can go on for hours. It is also true about things not drying because the air is so damp. Our laundry is done in the early morning so that it can be completely dry before the rains begin. In the picture to the right you can see the rain pouring through the drain pipe. Another tidbit about the rainy season in Indonesia is that you will always have a leak somewhere in your house...and it never leaks in the same place twice! A week ago we had a "waterfall" in Zach's room! Literally! The water was coming through the roof and leaking down two of his walls, as well as streaming down his doorway. We moved his room and he is bunking with Quintin now. To look at us you would of thought we had been caught outside in the rain. Sorry, I didn't take the time to take any pictures of this "Indonesian moment" and hopefully there won't be a repeat experience. We are just at the beginning of a rainy season that will last 6 months, please pray that we have the stamina to endure the daily rain...inside and out.

Unwelcome Houseguest!

We have heard about big critters here and we've seen a few large lizards, but we had yet to see any scorpions until one evening...Quin and I were in the kitchen and he commented on the "big"scorpion. Because he is always exaggerating about the "big" spider I didn't think anything of it. I quickly changed my mind after I turned and found this fellow sitting in our kitchen. They say that the bigger the scorpion, the less lethal the sting. Fortunately no one was stung so we didn't have to test the validity of that statement. The kids were fascinated by this scorpion. Abby took it to school as show and tell. I think there are two lessons we have learned from this...first always wear shoes and second always look before you step!

Who's Your Favorite Book Character?

On Friday, October 30, the elementary students dressed up as their favorite character from a book. Zach chose to dress up as Geronimo Stilton. This is the main character from the series "Geronimo Stilton." Who is Geronimo? Well, he is a mouse that runs a newspaper, but his true passion is writing adventure stories. The books are about his adventures in which he always turns out to be the hero... somehow. Jeff and Zach enjoy reading them together. Abby dressed as Prince Caspian from the "Chronicles of Narnia." She made her costume out of cardboard and did an exceptional job on the design. The only drawback was she couldn't sit down in class!

As for me, well.... Since I have seven students this year, I had a great idea to have the whole class dress as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs! The kids were adorable. They made their costumes in class (the hats and their beards). Oh, when we discussed our costumes my class said that Snow White had to have "black hair" so yes I have a wig on! Anyone coming to Indonesia to visit us don't pack any taffeta...it doesn't breathe at all! I lasted until lunch with the dress and the wig, but it was worth it.
The day was a success. We had 100% participation from the elementary students and faculty. Everyone dressed up. Parents were invited to chapel where we sang praise songs together and the teachers performed a couple of readers' theatre from well known children's books. From 10:30 to lunch we were split into multi-age groups that rotated between hearing a few favorite books read to playing "Literature Pictionary" and "20 Questions." Then on to drawing their favorite scene from a book on a mural and participating in a school wide reading challenge. It was a very busy, very fun day!

Learning Perseverance

One of the things I've always enjoyed doing is cutting grass. Perhaps it's because I like the feeling of control, pushing or driving a dangerous machine that chews through grass before spitting it out. Perhaps it's the smell of newly cut grass or the sense of accomplishment, making tall grass become short, though I'm not completely sure that this counts as much of an accomplishment. When we arrived in Salatiga three months ago, our backyard was starting to look overgrown. I immediately found myself wanting to cut some grass.
Soon, school started and I forgot all about the tall grass in the backyard. The school sends a gardener to each teacher's house at least once a month to help maintain the property. I asked that the gardener cut the grass in our backyard since the front yard requires virtually no care. Slowly, the gardener has been "mowing" strips of our back yard. I must confess that I've been a bit disappointed with his slow progress. So, being the American I am, I decided to cut the grass myself. Filled with a sense of the pioneer spirit I decided to walk downtown to buy a tool to cut the grass. Notice I said tool not lawn mower. The walk took me a bit longer than I thought it might and my initial attempt to locate a vendor selling what I was looking for failed. I couldn't remember where I had seen the man selling tools. Before long I found a different vendor and purchased my hand scythe for 20,000 rupiah ($2 US). I returned home eager to cut some grass.

I decided to cut a strip of the backyard like the gardener had been doing. Five minutes into my lawn cutting project I soon realized why the gardener only cut a small section of the yard at a time. It's not particularly hard work just slow. Two hours later I finished my small section of the lawn. Dripping with sweat, I look with satisfaction at the small area I had cut.
It is amazing how two hours of cutting the grass had changed my expectations. Normally, I like nice straight lines when I mow and an even cut. With my hand scythe, I was pleased to just cut the grass. There are no lines and it is certainly not cut evenly but at least it's cut. The grandeur of my accomplishment quickly fades as I survey the rest of the yard. The good news is that there are only about 5 more hours of cutting to do. The bad news is that I don't know how to keep up with "hand mowing" 14-16 hours a week during the rainy season. These reality make me feel discouraged and hesitant to even continue the lawn mowing project.

When despair starts to set in I like to put my situation in perspective, theologically speaking. Dripping with sweat and bleeding from two self-inflicted wounds due to my lack of experience with the hand scythe I'm reminded of other situations in my life when I've felt similarly. These memories are some of God's best gifts to me. Some of the memories are triumphant where everything works out just like a Hallmark made for television movie. Some, remind me of failures; times where my knowledge, strength and/or perseverance failed. While I don't like to dwell on failure, these stories remind me that despite the negative outcomes, God has seen me through them. I know it sounds cliche but maybe that is the point. Through good or bad, God is faithful. Through good and bad God calls us to be faithful. Perhaps God will use my hand scythe and love of mowing to teach me more about faith. As I learn I'll pass it on. God bless. Jeff

Becaks, Buses, and Trains!

MICS's Fall Break began after school on Friday, October 8. Students and faculty were all excited for this 10 day break to begin. Our family decided that during this school break we wanted to do a bit of traveling. We enlisted the help of three of the single teachers to serve as our tour guides; Leah Koger (Abby's 4th grade teacher), Christine Switzner (2nd grade teacher) and Hannah Van (Quintin's Geography teacher). Our destination was Yogyakarta, there are many accepted spellings including Jojyakarta (which is how it is pronounced). For transportation we decided to catch a bus from Salatiga to Solo City, which is what we did, literally. We went and stood on a corner where the buses travel past and waited until the one we wanted (the air conditioned one!) came by. The man in the picture was trying to get us to ride in his mini bus that was not air conditioned...we decided to wait.

After being dropped off in Solo, we hired three becaks (bicycle-rickshaws) to transport us to the train station. We were excited about riding on the train since Jeff was the only one of our family who had ever ridden a train before. We weren't sure what to expect before arriving...first impression of the station and trains took us back into the past to maybe the 1940's. We arrived at the train station early and so we waited right on the tracks, literally. After the train arrives people quickly get on board to claim their seat because you don't want to stand or have to sit on the floor since there is no limit to how many people are riding. Fortunately there were not many passengers headed to Yogya.

The train stops multiple times in Yogya. The first stop is at the airport, second is in the middle of town, and the third stop will let you off on Jalan Malioboro (Yogya's main shopping street, the street to the Sultan's palace and to the motel where we were staying). Unfortunately we got off one stop early and weren't quite sure where we were... our tour guides stepped in and used their Indonesian to ask a few of the locals how to get to Malioboro. After asking for directions three different times we finally arrived on the right street.


Upon arriving in Yogya we didn't have reservations for a place to stay but had been assured by our three tour guides that that would not be a problem. Our first choice was the Bladok Losmen (meaning lodge) and Resturant. In the "Lonely Planet Guide to Indonesia" it describes the Bladok as "having oodles of charm". They are right, our family has decided that we will definitely stay there again.
During our stay in Yogya we ate at McDonald's twice, had delicious doughnuts from JayCo Doughnuts. went bowling, and yes of course went shopping on Malioboro. This street is one long bazaar of souvenir shops and stalls selling batik (printed cloth made by coating part of the fabric with wax, then dyeing it and melting the wax out), leatherwork, woodwork, jewelry, and so much more... It was very over-whelming. You can bargain with the vendors on the street to get a lower price for items or head to Mirota, which is a multi-level store with fixed prices. We enjoyed Mirota, for one it was air-conditioned and for two no bargaining! Although the bartering allowed us to practice our Indonesian, or at least our numbers.

Even though our stay in Yogya was short, we had a good time experiencing Indonesian transportation as well as being introduced to Java's cultural center, Yogyakarta. This trip was definitely a success because of our new friends, Leah, Hannah, & Christine. We look forward to more visits to Yogyakarta, maybe with some of you.

Zach's Birthday!

We celebrated Zach's birthay on October 3. We can't believe that he is 9 years old...but that is what happens, they continue to grow and get older. Zach decided that he wanted to spend his special day at home with family, his birthday presents, and pizza! When we moved to Salatiga in July all of the kids had to make very hard decisions in what to bring and what to leave in Oklahoma. Since arriving here we've second guessed all of our packing decisions. Zach even realized after being here for a week that he did not pack his favorite toys, legoes! Unfortunately we are unable to buy any legoes in Salatiga. But fortunately his grandparents and his aunt sent him some via the postal service for his birthday. Now we're good.