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!