Visiting Binuang - Part II

Shaking hands before our game. I played for the village of Runang, and Paul played for one of the Binuang teams. It was good fun, and boy am I glad we played at like 9am, because it was already plenty hot!

One definite highlight of the weekend was the low water level in the Krayan river, making it swimmable for kids. It reminded me of summer swimming visits to the "water wheel" along the Shuswap river just outside of Enderby, BC. No, there are no crocodiles this far inland to worry about, and sightings of swimming king cobras and/or gigantic reticulating pythons are pretty rare :)  (That comment was for the Grandma's).

The dugout canoes along the shore were a main attraction as the kids enjoyed pushing them out a little ways and tipping them.

Below, Simon taking a moment to pose introspectively for the camera.

What more could a sweet five year old girl want than to find a water buffalo skull to play with!

Our kids and the local kids had loads of fun playing together. These particular girls below had a blast giggling away at everything the boys did.

Ah yes, more water buffalo bones! Treasures of immeasurable value.

Some guy must have wondered later on why a whole bunch of old bones were neatly lined up in his canoe.

Tipping over the canoe, dumping the girls!

A couple more puppy pic's...

Blake & Luke...

Here's a cool little bird that wasn't doing too well. The boys tried to give it a little TLC.

Blake, Charlotte, & bird...

I just thought I'd throw this pic in of Helena because I like it.

And of course, our kiddos ended up with a 24hr stomach flu when they got home, Luke actually got it while still there. I guess this isn't unlike a lot of holiday type experiences back in Canada! Thank goodness for plastic puke buckets and TV :)



Visiting Binuang - Part I

In August our family had the opportunity to spend the weekend with a couple other MAF families in the village of Binuang, a location MAF flies to on a weekly basis. In August, Binuang hosted the Hari Merdekaan (Indonesian independence day) celebrations for the entire Krayan region. Among other things, this meant a soccer tournament! Myself and Paul College were invited to play, Paul for one of the Binuang teams (he has played for them in the past) and I played for the visiting village of Runang.

Both of our boys were given a chance to sit up front in the Kodiak as we travelled there and back, and Pilot Paul allowed them to even "fly" the plane a bit! (I think the most nervous person on the aircraft was their mother, as she realized her sons had their hands on the controls). They both did a great job, and I might need to do some convincing that fixing is as much fun as flying.

Simon checks out the jungles of Borneo.

Visiting an interior village often means an amazing experience that leaves you a bit worn out when you get home. It is a definite part from the "norm". It combines the feeling of camping with the experience of being a guest in a home that is also a world away - culturally speaking. That said, this trip had a relaxed feel to it that we almost didn't expect. Along with the four College boys and a number of local kids, our kids played hard 12+ hours a day, running about causing havoc in a way only kids can do. Generally speaking us adults were able to just hang out; visit with folks when we wanted to, and take a break when we needed to. 

I can't understate the importance for our families to have an opportunity like this. As a mechanic, both myself and my family spend 99.5% of our lives in Tarakan. We don't often rub shoulders with the people MAF is intentionally here to serve. To be able to just hang out with these people is awesome, as it connects us better with the people, culture, and faces that get on and off our aircraft regularly. 

If I never had the opportunity to actually meet the people that we fly for, or visit a village like this, I don't think it would change how I did my job in the hangar. I would still know what we're here for is important, and that it is very much a need specific to this area. That said, I find it hard to describe what it is like to all of a sudden be around a people who both know intimately the need for aircraft here, and appreciate it deeply. In Tarakan, most people I might meet on the street know very little about MAF; I could be a tourist, or maybe a pilot temporarily stationed here from another commercial company. Often we're just a caucasian family looking a bit out of place. In the interior locations we fly, there is a good chance the first person you talk to may have a family member who at some point in the past had their life saved by a medivac flight. I visited with one guy who showed me his scars and told me his own personal story of survival, of how he got flown out when he thought he was going to die, and got all stitched back up at a hospital.

We felt like we were treated more as family than as guests. To be on the receiving end instead of the giving end was great. To "give give give" is not a healthy relationship. Despite what I would consider harsh living conditions, God gives back to our family through these awesome people in a way only they can.

Below, Reg and Paul help tighten up Pak Kalvin's (Kalvin is in the back ground) front brakes. We all stayed in Kalvin's home. Paul & Beth College have become especially close with Kalvin's family over the years.

Along with dirt bikes, there was actually the odd 4x4 vehicle in Binuang. This is because there is a road to Long Bawan (a larger village west in direction from Binuang), but it is only passable in the dry season. From Long Bawan, supplies are brought in off-road style from Malaysia. Thus, in dry season, it is actually possible to bring goods & services from Malaysia to here via road.

But as Kalvin's brother explained to me, this can quickly come to a halt. Sometimes blockades a put up on the road to Malaysia. And, as soon as the rain starts...forget about using roads! When this happens, the villages in this area become as isolated as they've always been.

To delight of the kids, there were three puppies nearby. They got treated a wee bit rough but received a whole lotta love from a lotta little hands!

Charlotte & puppy.

Tripp Flythe landed in a 206, an was greeted by Charlotte & puppy.

Helena waiting her turn with this particular puppy. Don't worry, it's not dead, and Helena got plenty of turns.

"Ooohhh, you are sooo cute! Goo goo baby puppy! He wants to have a little sleep, awwww, he likes meeee.........NOOO! MY PUPPY!! It's my turn you had him already!!....Don't do that he doesn't like it!!!  MOM!!  DAD!! She's poking the puppy and I just got the puppy!! Tell her to stop!!! " (something like that)

More pic's to come!

Around the Home

Meet Guster, he's a pug, he comes from Surabaya on the Island of Java, and his favourite colour is unknown. The types of dogs you can procure locally don't always work out well as pets (as we found out first hand)...hence we are happy have Gus!

Gus meet the Eadies, Eadies meet Gus.

Simon and Gus, love at first sight! All of our kids are really good with Gus, and he adds a little extra barking security to our yard (which is one of the main reasons we got another dog, as having even a little one in the yard means folks will think twice before jumping the fence uninvited).

Charlotte's 3rd birthday happened in May, what a big girl! It is weird to remember how she was about 6 months old when we moved to Indonesia. Below, she is sporting a princess dress she got for her birthday.

An all girl party and pink princess cake rounded out her day...

For Luke's birthday in June, one of the events was they had to build a specific type of lego contraption (that I thought up, but I now cannot remember what it is I requested) in a short amount of time. Here are the two teams with their creations...

Notice Luke sporting his new Canucks hat and T-shirt. Oh the faith of little children, my heart is still recovering from the final game 7 in 2011.

Here the kids are standing right outside the front gate of our home.  I cannot remember who they were waiting for at the time, probably the ice cream man...So they can scream and jump in an uncontrollable ice cream frenzy and then turn to me and plead for me to buck up and pay. Yes, we actually have an ice cream man here, who'd of thunk! He uses a scooter with an insulated icebox contraption on the back and plays a catchy electronic ice-cream tune. He certainly markets himself well to those of us that originate from ice cream eating cultures who are lured ever closer by the comparatively low prices and hot Borneo heat. 

Visiting a Friend

A friend of ours recently moved from Tarakan "city" to a community further up the island. Although not out in the jungle, this area is definitely a little more country-esk. We went out as a family to visit Orpa and her son Sem once they were moved in.

Luke checking out the kitchen!

The reason for our friend Orpa's move was because her husband's family had a home they could live in rent free, so they could save to one day buy their own home. Charlotte thinks any home with tricycles in it is Aye-Okay!

Below, Orpa and her sister visit with Amy. It was a sunny day, and as the tin roofing heats up to molten lava temperatures, it creates a convection style oven in the house. I took this picture sitting in front of a fan. Orpa's husband works off island, so it nice for us to see their family with a home to live in, even though it is a bit of a drive from town.

A view of the "street" outside the house. When it is raining hard (as it often does) I'm sure there would be a small river or two to cross. It certainly is less noisy out here though!

One bonus of a Torajanese style house built on stilts is that it is noticeably cooler underneath the house, and also makes a great sandbox! Our kids spent most of their time here playing with some local kids - dirt is universally fun. I always love how kids here know how to strike a picture perfect pose in a matter of seconds. If I ever try and get our kids to line up like this it usually ends in tears :)

Attending a Funeral

Recently, I attended a funeral with a few others from the hangar. The daughter of a long time friend of MAF, Pak Coa, was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident the day before. We left the hangar mid-morning and met at the family's home.

Dealing with death here is certainly different than back home. The body is usually kept in the home before the ceremony and burial.

Below, the procession to the grave side starts as they cary the body from the home to a waiting vehicle. According to their beliefs & customs, the body is only wrapped; no box or coffin is used. The body also has to buried within 24 hours of the time of death.

Below, the family helps with the burial.

After the burial, a ceremony is performed. Pak Coa is the older man (below) in the centre foreground. For 30 plus years he has worked on and off for MAF on a contract basis - fixing homes, building projects at MAF hangars, acting as a night guard, etc. He has personally worked for Amy & I helping fix up our home here and is greatly appreciated by all of us here! Last year, another daughter of his passed away from cancer, leaving a husband and children. Now, he has lost two daughters in a seven month period. I ask that you pray for both Pak Coa and the two family's that have experienced this loss.

Going Solo

Last week our newest pilot Pete Neal flew solo for the first time here in Indonesia. It has been a long standing tradition to give a pilot a nice bath right after his/her first solo flight. Anyone can participate, especially the little ones who know no mercy, nor when enough is enough...because when to comes to soaking someone, it can never be enough.

 Oh, the anticipation!

 A few shots of random MAF kiddos...looking cute & preparing for battle.

 Above is Pete & Joy's son coolin' off in the tight-ee white-ees while waiting patiently for Dad to get home.

 It's go time! Pete did come prepared with his own water gun and water balloons, but in the end it only further encouraged the children to refill their weaponry multiple times.

Craig giving Pete a dry set of pilot bars. Good job Pete! It takes several years specifically dedicated to preparation to get to this point. It is a pretty cool testament of God's faithfulness to us over the years each time one of us reach a big milestone like this.

More Mid-term Pic's

All the snow in Revelstoke made for a pretty good play ground for our Luke, Si, Helena, & Charlotte. They had their cousins to show them how it is done!

Luke is working on a snow fort. It is funny how I now agree with the "no-tunnels-because-it's-too-dangerous" policy. As a child I did nothing all winter but build giant mazes of tunnels throughout our front yard, and could not imagine a heaven without winters that last 100 years and snow piles 200ft high. Oh the hypocrisy of fatherhood.

Charlotte experiencing her first winter experiences!

Helena just loves playing in the snow, whether it is with others or just solo.

Poppy, Helena, & Charlotte testing Grandma's cookies!

No snakes to worry about here! Just frost bite.

Home sweet Home. It's hard to see any houses from the street at this time of year.

An "action" shot of Gabe & Simon jumping off a snow pile.

It was so cool to see our kids play with their cousins like they've always lived next door to each other. Gabe & Si are two peas in a pod. Unfortunately I don't have any pic's of Luke with Levi out in the snow.