Leaving

Well here is my first blog post from Island of Tarakan! But instead of feeding you pictures of pythons, monitor lizards, airplanes and wrenches, I better I first must get caught up on the eventful last few weeks.

What have we been up to!? A flurry of events, a whirlwind of experiences, a (insert metaphor here) of activities. Our family's time in language school and in Central Java came to a close, and we've successfully moved to the town of Tarakan, on the Island of Tarakan. I'll briefly say now, being here has been just awesome, and I definitely plan to write more posts on just what this means to our family in the near future.

But first...Salatiga, where so many awesome friends of ours still remain! We were truly thankful for how down the stretch our MAF friends helped us pack our container, lent us scooters and cars when we had only feet, watched our kids when we were packing, and helped out wherever they could. What a blessing!

The morning we left was quite emotional as we said good bye to our house helpers who had become like an extension of our family. We will truly miss them, both Amy and I, and the kids! Charlotte had spent a few hours each week day with Ibu Yani for the last year. As we left town, Luke cried and cried, as he knew he would not see his friends again. 

But we have felt the hand of God watch over our family and help us along, and I don't say that just to tidy things up with a nice little cliche saying. Just today Luke told me how he loves it here in Tarakan, and loves his new school! I instantaneously thought of that morning we travelled to the airport, and how I didn't know what to say or how to comfort him, but could only hug him. I'm so thankful that God gave Luke a love for his new school and friends. Us being here is not just about Amy and I, t's about all 6 of us. But more on here (as in Tarakan) and how the other kids are doing later!

Above Amy and some of the kids have newly arrived home in Amy's favourite Javanese mode of mass transit: a Dokar (horse buggy).You can get a ride from down town to your front door for maybe $2.50-$3.00, which is relatively expensive compared to the Angkota (mini bus) which cost maybe $0.60 for Amy and 3 kids to get home. We have yet to see a horse on the island of Tarakan. There are plenty of cows, well, there were a lot of cows until a couple days ago which was the religious holiday Idul Adha...but maybe I'll save that one for next year.

 To streamline events in our last few days before leaving, Helena had her 4th birthday party at the same time as our MAF goodbye get-together. Jacinda Basinger kindly baked a purple cake for her, which I must say was delicious! Above, Helena is pre-tasting the cake to see if she agrees with me.

Getting together with the other MAF families just before someone leaves to their program on another island is a bit of tradition in language school and pretty cool. We get to say goodbye, pray together, and kind of "send" the family on to the next phase of what God has called them to do in Indonesia. As hard as it is to say goodbye, I think we're all glad that we are not indefinitely meant to be in some sort of language school purgatory:)

 Our last week in Salatiga involved a lot of good-byes, and in our neighbourhood was no exception! It is cultural to visit all your neighbours and "berpamitan" (give farewell / say goodbye). Above and beyond attending neighbourhood meetings and giving a little speech, for Amy this also meant making something to eat for about a dozen guests who came over one day before we left. If I were back in Canada, I would think, what!? Our house is in boxes, and we're trying to get out the door...could we pick a better time?

Okay, I did kind of think that, a bit. But we also laughed a bit about it too. We are, after all, on the other side of the world. We also know that here it is the way folks here show respect, and it is actually pretty neat. It also means that they really did like us! It is pretty cool how they accepted us into their neighbourhood, and having these relationships is another example of how we have seen the hand of God provide for us in this last year. Despite all our business and some stressful moments, He brought people along from our neighbourhood at the right times that required little effort to build relationships with. Our hope and prayer is that, despite ourselves, Christ was seen in us by them.

Above our some of our neighbours are enjoying the exotic foreign dish called "Pizza" (from the country of Italy) and "cookies" (from the country of Yum). The fresh watermelon, well that is plentiful in Java.

Count Down!

It actually rained a bit here this last week. According to my calculations it was early June the last time it had rained. Of course, 4 months without rain is nothing to write home about in some climates, but for a tropical "rainy" country I didn't really expect dry season to be so dry. But boy, when it gets raining here, it surely rains!

Count down till moving day! Our household has been a flurry of activities of late. All those big and little things that one needs to do to move a family from one Island to another. We will be packing our container on the 17th and hope to be flying to Tarakan on the 18th!!!

Needless to say, our next chance to update y'all from here will probably be after we've arrived, found our tooth brushes, got an internet connection, fed the kids, etc. We won't be moving into our future home right away as it is still being prepped for us (which we are super thankful for!). We'll move into another home on a temporary basis.

In case y'all haven't carefully studied a map of Indonesia lately, here's where we are now "A" (Salatiga, Central Java) and where we're heading "B" (Tarakan, East Kalimantan):



View Larger Map
We will really appreciate all your prayers as we continue to prep for the move, and also safety and sanity as we travel. This is especially true for our children, as they say goodbye to their old home and friends and prepare for their new life - something that can both be exciting and scary at the same time!

 It is amazing how pictures can capture those split second moments when everyone is actually looking in the same direction and sitting remotely close to where you asked them to sit (multiple times). 

Huh?

One of the joys of speaking an internationally accepted language (Canadian) and living in a country that does not officially speak the aforementioned language, is all those "lost in translation" moments one often observes in daily life. 

The example below is by no means the funniest, most outlandish, or accidentally inappropriate example, but, I thought it at least worth sharing to get the ball rolling for future posts. After all, it's high time I did a little laughing at someone else's failed attempt to communicate half respectably in another language...Not that we know what that is like (well, no one laughs at us to our faces, thank goodness, but that doesn't mean we don't regularly say silly stuff).

I bought a bread knife the other day, and the information on the back seemed to be a weird combo of 1/2 normal sentences and completely messed up sentences. 

"Please keep and store the knife away from children"

Okay, understandable, straight forward.

"Do not take it by and when knife dropping down."

Don't take it where? When? I guess anytime a knife is 'dropping down' it's not good.

And don't forget, what the customer needs to know about this bread knife apart is:

"Specialized manufacture, specialized production-runs equipment, cutting high-rigidity, sharp and practical."

THE END IS NEAR!!!

Well, as far as us living in Java and receiving formal language training - the end IS near. Just not THE end of everything, as is commonly inferred in the statement "the end is near". I thought it would help sell papers.

LIVE! BREAKING NEWS!! Read this fascinating update of general and somewhat recent happenings with and around our family...

• We are (well, mostly Amy is) beginning to pack up our home. The actual planning behind packing and moving began long ago, but the actual putting of things inside of boxes, or the equivalent thereof, is now beginning. We have accumulated some furniture and living items here, as Java is both cheaper and has more options for such 'stuff'. We will be using a shipping container to move it to our new home in Tarakan, Kalimantan, as the local airlines don't let you check bunk-beds.
• We have an unofficial date for the move! We are hoping Oct. 18th is our get-on-the-plane date. That's about 11 months and 2 days since we arrived in Indonesia. 
• We thank God that our crates from Canada have been successfully processed in Jakarta and are on their way to Tarakan! We just hope they still have lids on them and don't go for a saltwater drink when being offloaded at the port. It has happened before.
• I (Ben) will be writing 4 aircraft maintenance related tests this coming Monday in Jogjakarta. These are so I can get the licensing I need to work on aircraft in Indonesia. I would appreciate your prayers for me to find enough time to sufficiently study so that I can pass 'em all. After all this time learning language, it's hard to remember what size propeller thingy needs what size elastic band.
• Still at No.18...Yes, haven't caught a rat recently, nor have I tried. When business and change descends on a family, often the those simple yet enjoyable activities that can be both are relaxing and character building get neglected and sometimes altogether forgotten.
• Charlotte can officially climb out of her playpen. She's a climber. Not too cool with tile floors throughout the house (just a little bump, she's just fine). The good news being she will have a "big girl" bed in Tarakan, just like big sister.

Okay, enough of that, time for some various pictures...

 Usually, 1/5th of the bubble juice gets turned into bubbles by a very happy girl, and then 4/5th's get dumped on the ground. No prob, dish soap is cheap.

 Simon, super excited about his new playmobil skater dude from Grandma White!

 Charlotte LOVES running around outside.

 Two kindred spirits...

 Okay, I'm not sure if this picture made the mix because I secretly want to show off my super rad coffee mug Amy bought me, or for merely documenting a common occurrence when living bersama-sama dengan semut (living together with ants). Here, some little ants are using our counter to transport a bigger ant who has recently deceased. Usually, if they show their little ants faces, Amy gets 'em good with toxic cleaning fluids.

The above picture is not great, but it shows Charlotte charming some girls who are from the boarding school nearby. She loves to help sweep, hence the broom. Waving and looking cute transcends language and culture!

Almost Done! (dan pasti belum lancar)

Wow! Chalk it up, language school unit 8 of 9 complete!

Four more weeks and Amy and I will be completely fluent in the Indonesian language, we're actually already so awesome only the well trained ear is able to discern us from our Indonesian neighbours and friends.

Yes, I'm joking. BUT! I will say this: I am proficient enough in Bahasa Indonesia to explain to someone that I didn't understand 1/2 of what they just said to me. Not bad. Or as a plan "B" alternative, I now have enough cultural street smarts to know when smiling and nodding my head will just make it easier for everyone involved. It truly is a learned skill to function in a world where bits and pieces of what is said to you constantly fly right over your head. (Maybe the hundreds of hours back in my youth standing in front of a big guitar amp numbing my eardrums has something to do with it. My Mom would say: "Ben! don't forget to wear ear plugs!  I would respond: "Huh?")

Occasionally, there are those special moments when the planets align, and I seem to understand a conversation, and - that's not all! - I even know how to respond in a understandable fashion. Amazing.

No seriously, that is quite amazing for a guy who came from a proud generational heritage of flunking out of French in High-school. This includes:   1. Dad (Post World War 2, but before the cuban missile crisis)  2. My brother Jordan.  3. Me.

The fact alone that I - of all people - would spend a year of my life learning another language (and like doing it) reflects a wee bit of the character of God who has brought us gently along for ten years, to the place our family is right now. A God who can break pride, use the linguistically challenged - in a linguistic manner, and, let's not ignore the situational humour of it all. My lovely French teacher whom is now with Christ, and whom once even had to threaten to expel me from high-school (due my less that stellar behaviour...I blame my parents), deservedly would have (or is having) a good chuckle about my current language acquisition sitcom. Although, I know she'd heap nothing but encouraging words upon me...between fits of laughter.

I now know way more Indonesian than I ever new French!

The truth is, God uses us in our weakness. The bible is full of examples. It keeps our heads from puffing up and becoming clouded from the reality of who really is doing what. If I was awesome at language, I know myself, inside I might just become more and more impressed at how awesome I was, until I was constantly bathing in my own awesomeness. When the truth is - I am now, and always will be: needy and weak, alone and hopeless - without my Creator. But with Him it is so different!  How cool it is that it is really the power of God that accomplishes good through us. It really takes a load off our shoulders. Jesus is no burden, the yoke of Christ is actually light. He's covered our sin with His blood, and promised Himself to us, forever. By ourselves we are weak and prone to fail. With Him we are unbreakable.

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

2nd Corinthians 12:9 (esv)