Into a New Year

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year, and all of that!  Yes, it may be the middle of January, but better late than never. Our fall and "winter" here has been jam packed with exciting action, none of which I have shared on this blog. Sometimes action packed means no time for much else, but that's okay! I'm happy to witness that somehow the world managed to continue on regardless.

One recent highlight was when our Pastor / friend visited from BC, Canada our home and native land! All be it only for a few days, it was so good to see Brian again, catch up on news from back home ,and be able to show Brian a little of our lives here on this island. He even got to go ride along as one of our MAF planes flew it's schedule, as any view of what MAF does here would be incomplete without seeing the area and people we serve.

Below, Charlotte is showing Brian the way to Luke & Simon's school.

Simon shows everyone his desk...

And Luke showing of his desk!

Simon sometimes enlists the help of his always-game little sister to carry his pack...and even lends his umbrella hat for a little extra shade.

 In our travels to "see all there is to see" of lovely Tarakan, we visited the monkey park located not too far from the city centre. It is about one square mile of mangrove forest that is home to a number of proboscis monkeys, a few macaque (common) monkeys, mud skippers, and you can even see a the odd snake slithering around in the muddy tidal waters.

Another favourite spot is the old Dutch guns that over look the southern tip of the island, a little WW2 history. I'm sure I've posted pictures of this area before. Below, Charlotte and Helena check out an old bunker.

Another waving monkey...

 Thanks Brian for coming! I wish I had more pictures, but alas, I do not. I'm sure you have quite a few yourself. We miss you all at CFBC and in Prince George, and look forward to visiting later this year!