Not 8-5

 out and about

 a little shopping in the market

they are like movie stars everywhere they go...


Learning culture and language is definitely not an 8-5 job.  Although we are encourage/required to spend 40 hours (for Craig) and 20-30 hours (for me) a week studying...those hours definitely do not fall within your typical work hours.  We often find that Saturday and Sunday can become our busiest Culture Experience days, while the weeks days are often full of our sessions with our language helpers and studying or filing.
Today is a perfect example of that...here were are Friday night (TGIF) the time where you are ready to put your comfy pants on, order a pizza, turn on the TV and just chill after a long week.  But tonight we get the opportunity to experience something new.  Something that happens only once a year.  Tonight our neighborhood begins the Independence Day celebrations.  Our meeting began at 7:30 (about) the women in the garage on chairs and the men in the driveway on chairs.  Our usual monthly meeting things took place...which is often exchange of small amounts of money (.$50-$5) for various things within the community.  Maybe the money is for neighborhood get togethers or to pay the garbage man...then we are given a small talk from the government.  Usually along the lines of cancer related topics or obesity or something like that...then we wait more.  At about 8:30 the ceremony began.  Oh I forgot to mention that people usually dress in their traditional batik clothing for this but tonight they seemed EXTRA dressed up.  I do have to be honest and say that I showed up in my batik shirt and capris and quickly found an excuse to go home and put on a long skirt.  It is now almost 10 pm and I came home early for the festivities to put our WORN OUT children to bed.  I think they were asleep within like 2 minutes...poor kiddos!  My friend told me that it is common for this meeting to go very late into the night...perhaps even mid night to bring in the celebration.  As I sit here I hear the fireworks being shot into the air..again!  We just had about a two day break from the Idul Fitri fire works and now we have new ones :) Needless to say Craig will have plenty of "hours" of language and experience by the end of tonight.
And that leaves us at Friday night...what about a relaxing Saturday.  Maybe time to mow the lawn and take a nap...HA!  Tomorrow morning we start at 8 am taking the public transport to the city center.  Tomorrow will be a parade for the Independence Day.  We are told it could start between 9-10 ha ha!  And also that tons of people will be there.  Pray that H Boy does ok.  Sometimes large crowds are NOT his favorite.
We are so thankful for all of these new opportunities.  Just tonight as I sat beside a good friend "who called herself Stella's Indo Grandma" she told me so much about this new culture.  Such a learning experience!  I am so thankful!  Yes it is not a 8-5 job...and some days it is just down right dirty, tiring, and I feel lost...but I am so thankful for each experience that we have.  I am so encouraged by how much we are learning and growing...We are so blessed to be able to here and be part of what God is doing.  And we are soo very thankful for everyone who supports us in the prayer and financial!  We are CONTINUALLY amazed at God's work!  Keep us in your prayers  that we can stay focused and keep learning!!

 walking through town (a few months ago when my parents were visiting)

this is just a small group of my neighbor ladies that I meet with every month (not sure why I look so unhappy..oh well)

I am blessed...

The book of Titus Chapter 2 in the Bible talks about the role of older women.  It talks about how they are to not only instruct younger women but also be an example to them.  Well, I am blessed to say that I have many women like this in my life.  Particularly two that I am very close to...my older sisters!  From birth I have had two older sisters to look up to and learn from (sometimes good and sometimes bad).  When I got to the age where I wanted to know more about my personal Savior it was my sisters who sat me down and explained the details to me.  Many nights we have stayed up talking about who knows what...but I was always listening and always learning.  Early on in my life God began giving me a burden for overseas missions.  Little did I know that God gave me that passion early on...so that when the day came to board the plane to fly so far overseas I would be 100% confident that this was God's will. 
Our last few hours in the US were spent in LA with my sisters.  It was amazing to have 23 hours with them right before we left which I never expected.  It was God's special blessing to me.  If you know my sisters than you know exactly what I am talking about.  I know that I am definitely not the only person that they have mentored, loved, and taught. If you don't know my sisters well then...you should! ;)  They are amazing Godly women.  They desire to love and respect their husbands through the ups and downs.  They love their 4 children, yes they both have 4 (can't say I've wanted to be like them in that way).  They love the Lord and desire to live to glorify Him daily.  They are sound advice givers.  They are honest. They are forgiving.  They are amazing women. Sometimes they mess up but they learn and grow from it.  They are real women.  Part of me wants to write this about them separately but the truth is that I feel the same way about them both...and I'm not just saying that. 
When the day came...about 5 years ago that I was challenged with the question..."are you willing to do the hard thing for God?  are you willing to give up _________?" And we were to fill in the blank...I immediately knew my blank was FAMILY.  Five years ago God began preparing my heart to say good bye to my family that I am so close to and love dearly...he was preparing me to say good bye to my sisters.  Yes, we have computers, instagram, facebook, email, and even facetime...and I am SOOO thankful for that.  But there are days that I just wish they were awake when I am.  Or days that they could just experience where I am and what I am doing.  There are days I wish we could sit down and talk about homeschool curriculum and ideas.  Or days I wish I could hold the new born baby just for a few hours to give her a break....
I don't say this as a sob story or...look at me and the sacrifice I have made.  But rather to say....I AM BLESSED!  I am so blessed to have sisters that I look up to so much and love so dearly that I miss them this much! I love you my sisters and I am so thankful for you both!!  Happy Birthday and I wish so much that I could be there to celebrate with you!  Continue to seek the Lord and live for Him because your little sister is watching and learning...and if you don't let me play with you then I am going to tell Mom ;)

Pinching Episode...

When we first arrived here we joked that one word/action we would easily learn is "pinch".  The reason being that this is a common thing for people to do, especially to our fair skinned children.  You know what I mean, that typical Grandma "oh you are so cute" type pinch.  Where they get a little skin but really no harm done.  Of course our two year old is not typically fond of these type things at all (a little too close for comfort) but overall a fine thing.  Not tonight...
As we stood waiting for Dad to pull the motorbike out of the tightly packed little lot (which usually requires moving a few bikes here and there to get yours out) the kids and I stood just outside the entrance to one of our favorite restaurants.  As we stood there in the dark a little girl about 6-8 years old walked up to us and very sweetly said Hi to the kids.  She walked over to S and stood really close.  I kind of though she might pinch her cheek but honestly didn't think anything of it because it happens all the time.  Also I figured S would react if she did something to her.  The little girl quickly walked from S to H and stood close to him.  He however was NOT happy with her.  He yelled no at her and pushed her away and immediately burst into tears.  At this she ran to the other side of the road.  I then realized that S was standing there with tears streaming down her face and she was holding her arm.  The little girl had pinched them both....and this was no granny pinch.  I couldn't even look at the little girl I was so confused, angry, and hurting for my kids.  Daddy was done by this point and ran over to find out what was going on. Typically he would say something or talk to the parents or something...but right now it was clear that wasn't going to do anything.  Not only was there a language barrier there was a major cultural barrier that had been crossed.  Fighting the urge to go across the road he stood there are glared at her.  To which she responded in her language "don't worry about it...its ok".  All that was within me was saying NO ITS NOT OK.  My kids have welts on their body because you just walked up and pinched them and you don't see anything wrong with it.  But there was a little something in the back of my mind saying, "She doesn't know anything different.  This is what she has been taught.  This is normal to her."
We drove the short ride home both kids still in tears.  We sat them on our laps and hugged them close.  They both definitely have little welts and even bruises :(  Holding them close it was a good opportunity to remind them that mommy and daddy can't always protect them.  Even if we are standing right there we can't always see what is going on or feel how hard someone is hurting you.  We talked about how they have to take responsibility to look someone in the eyes and tell them NO!  If you don't like how someone is touching you or treating you then you have to let them know and make sure they know you are serious.  We even talked about the words they would use in this new language.  For the last hour or so we have been practicing with them...but it is so hard for them to role play how it would really be.
I can honestly say that I am thankful for this overall experience and the reminder it is to help our kids know how to protect themselves.  Although it breaks my heart that this little girl would hurt my kids for no reason...just because she thought she could get away with it.  I know it was a good way to talk about these important things with our kids.  They are young but they can learn to say no to people when they are not comfortable with what they are doing or saying.  We love our kids and want to protect them...and sometimes that means giving the to right tools so they can protect themselves.  Praying that next time this will have different results with less tears and no welts!   

Before we moved here I shared with some of my dear sisters in Christ that I often felt like David from the Bible.  The reason I felt this way is because I felt like I was about to face Goliath and I knew it wasn't going to be easy.  I knew I was going to face this giant with a few stones in comparison to his shield and sword...but I also knew that I was going to be prepared just as David did.  When you look at David's life you realize that it wasn't like God just said, "Hey go fight that Giant for me."  Instead little by little God was preparing him for this HUGE step of faith...and this would continue on throughout David's life.  Sometimes he would step out and faith and sometimes he would fall flat on his face.
Today is a day I feel like I fell flat on my face...
Why you may ask?  Although I can't exactly pinpoint the precise cause it is just a general overall feeling of homesickness, exhaustion, loneliness... I think a lot of these feelings came out today as we started something new in our session.   Having to finally say these words that we have been hearing over and over again proved to be QUITE humbling and difficult.  I so badly want to be good at learning this language.  I want it to come quickly and so we can move on to the other region and help out...but instead here I am inching along.  Barely able to say "This is a dog." or "That is a woman." 
I don't say all of this to whine...but rather to Praise God for the way He has faithfully prepared me for this day.  I didn't know when it was going to be or how it was going to hit...but I knew there would be good days and bad days.  And I am sooo thankful for a faithful Heavenly Father who is willing to carry my through today and into tomorrow.  Where once again I will try and say, "This is a ____"  Thank you Heavenly Father....and thank you friends and family praying for us.  We ALL need it...keep them coming!

Today was an encouraging step from the Lord.  For the last 5 weeks or so we have been attending a small local church.  Although there are times of discouragement of not having any idea of what is being said (unless we use google translate).  The songs are becoming more familiar which is fun.  Also we are becoming more familiar with the people.  Usually we go to the worship time and then I leave and take the kids to Sunday School.  This is divided into two groups younger kids and older kids.  It is really fun because most of the moms also go with their kids.  This is an awesome opportunity for me to get to know them.  Also I have really loved learning the simple kids songs (Halla lu halla lu halla lu hallelujah...Pujian Tuhan!)  Also it has been fun to be able to understand the stories a little too.
Today after Sunday School the Pastor's wife came up to me and put her arm around me and asked me how I was doing.  I said fine.  She asked again..how are you really doing?  I said honestly we are doing pretty good.  She asked specifically how Hudson and Stella were doing.  I explained to her that Hudson had been having a hard time but overall was doing better.  She then told me that her 5 year old son prayed for our kids the other night.  She said he said he wanted to pray for his new friend Hudson...and she said what Hudson and he said "the one from church you know Stella and Hudson."  WOW!  What an encouragement!!!    Truly the body of Christ at work!  Now it is important to mention that this whole conversation was in broken english and indo.  Can't wait to be able to communicate more.  Day by day....little by little!

just when things were starting to seem "normal"...

This next month is a very important month for the people that live near us.  It is different than any other month.  As this time approaches it seems as though the people are really excited and yet really hesitant all at the same time.  In the recent days there have been many out  of town visitors to our neighbors.  There has been a lot more noise in the evening including fire crackers and such...and we have been told to expect this more and more in the coming days...
With all of this surrounding us I definitely feel myself tense up a little.  I feel the hesitation towards feeling culture stress.  According to one article I read culture stress can be defined as, "Culture stress is the stress that occurs when you change to a different way of living in a new culture. It is what you experience as you move beyond understanding the culture to making it your own so that you accept the customs, becoming comfortable and at home with them. If you are trying to become a real part of the culture, to become bicultural, you are likely to experience culture stress as you assimilate some of the conventions to the point that they feel natural to you."
YES!  That is me right now!!!  I feel this tension and towards nothing in particular.  Just toward things being different...and now even more different.  I know this is not a wrong feeling.  However, I also know that it is something that I have to trust God with 100%.  As one of my all time favorite songs says, "He never said it would be easy...He only said you would never go alone!"  Thankful for my personal relationship with God, thankful for friends and family who are praying for us daily, thankful for my sweet children who reminded me in their prayers  tonight to just be THANKFUL even when things are not easy!  God is good!!! 
Recently I read this, "Whenever you start to feel anxious, remind yourself that your security rests in God alone, and He is TOTALLY trustworthy. You will never be in control of your life circumstances, but you can relax and trust in His control!"

its all part of the learning process...

About a week ago a couple girls came to our front door.  Instead of knocking like I am accustomed to they stood at the door and made lots of noise until I opened the door.  As I did they smiled and handed me this little blue box.  Right away I noticed a paper on the top of the box with a picture on it.  The girls did not say much.  However, I noticed that they had a bunch of other boxes just like the one they just gave me.
I quickly sent a text to a friend who has been living here for just over a year.  She has been a huge help to me as she knows a lot of culture and language.  She told me it was probably a baby announcement and we would be expected to visit the baby that day or the next.  We also needed to bring a small gift but NOT bananas.  Didn't  get all the details...will have to learn more about this later.
The next day I asked my neighbor and she told me which house I needed to go to and said that she had already gone to visit the baby.  (I was hoping to be able to go with her so I knew what to do.  oh well!) My sweet little girl who loves babies was my perfect companion.  We built up our courage (ok maybe it was just me) and headed down the road.  Opened the gate and approached the door. I reached out to knock and then remembered what the girls had done at my house.  I made noise talking to Stella said, "HELLO"quite loud in my opinion.  But the TV inside was really loud.  Finally they came to the door.  It was the grandma, mother, and sweet baby boy. Just over a month old.  We stayed for about 15 minutes and gave them our gifts of crackers. They gave us tea, chocolates, and other treats.  We talked a bit.  Mostly just me trying out the few phrases I know.  "This is my daughter.  She is 3.  Oh sorry, she is 4. Her birthday was June 22. I have a son.  He is 2. Is this your only child?  My older sister just had a baby, a girl." 
We said thank you for having us and then we headed back home. They seemed happy to have us there.  I was so nervous to go.  But they were so welcoming and kind.  I was so thankful for my little companion...I don't think she even knows to be nervous.  Next time visiting will be that much easier...