Some Photos & Catching Darryl

This last week two new MAF families successfully arrived in Salatiga, and have begun getting used to their new surroundings - something we're still doing :)   We now have nine MAF families here, eight of which will (God willing) serve in Papua in varying capacities, and one that is headed to the Province of Kalimantan on the island of Borneo. This last week also brought our family some more runny noses, fevers, and chicken pox to Charlotte. But that said, it's not all bad as it is more an annoyance than a problem. And, having Charlotte with chicken pox at her young age is a great thing to cross off her "to do" list.  Amy has not had chicken pox yet (although she may have been immunized by exposure), so we are praying that she doesn't get them.

Helena sporting some new pink shoes, with a pink shirt and a pink back pack to go.

When I saw this picture of her shoes, I could not help think of her great grandmother (not mentioning any names...Barden) in a pair of slippers. Cute!

As I write, this "rodent" trap pictured above is sitting outside our house in the dark with a piece of cheese in it, waiting for our little back yard friend "Darryl" to give into his curiosity and hunger (please do not be offended if your name or the name of a loved one is Darryl...It was just the first human name that stuck to our furry little rat friend the first time we saw him. We didn't really consult the meaning in a name book or anything). Darryl has to go. Darryl loves to dig holes in places we don't want him to, he gets into our garbage, and he loves to make Amy scared to visit the washing machine around the side of the house.

The question is: What does one do with a live rat? Yes, some MAF families have pet pythons who would love a live rat for a delicious snack (again not mentioning any names...but you could look up various old posts on this blog: www.theforneyflyer.blogspot.com). But I don't have a snake, nor do I want one. I need to be more Canadian, which means I should either shoot Darryl with a high powered hunting rifle meant for a full grown Moose, or, I could start a rat wildlife refuge and promote the rehabilitation of "Problem Rats". A good catch and release program will both create jobs AND ensure a healthy population of rats for years to come. Back home this might be a viable option, but I just don't think the government in these parts would jump on board with the funding to make it happen.

So...I'll either release Darryl with the knowledge that statistically there is a very high chance he will re-offend, or I might just give him a swim in a bucket with some concrete shoes so-to-speak, capital punishment for rats. Or maybe he/she just needs a good rat Parol Officer to periodically check in on him as we integrate him back into rat society (how about it Dad). But what I really should have done is purchased the style of rat trap from the Pasar (market) that catches and kills them dead all in one go. They're kind of like the rat traps back home, but they're a bit more menacing with big metal teeth. They looked like they'd create a bit of a mess to clean up so I went for the cage.


Yes, the last three paragraphs were in fact about a rat. My sincerest apologies. That said, I'll definitely keep you updated on whether or not I even catch the little critter.