one year in

A year ago today, I stepped foot into this beautiful, hot, wonderful country. It’s unbelievable that that much time has already passed. It’s been full of laughter, awe, worship, tears, challenges, and pretty much anything else you can imagine.

10 things I love about this country (aside from the people):

• The cicaks – these little geckos not only eat the mosquitoes that carry malaria and dengue, but I also think they’re super cute.
• The food – when I first arrived in this country, I’ll be honest, I wasn’t a big fan of the food. It was a lot of rice, and it was spicy. But now, it is some of the best food in the world.
• Fresh fruit juice - Divine.
• Speaking in another language – Okay, so I’m far from fluent, but it’s still really cool to be able to understand and even slightly communicate in another language.
• Driving a motorcycle – Yeah, there are some times when I fear for my life and others when I battle road rage, but all in all, it’s a rather fun experience.
• The landscape – Turn one direction, mountains. Another, the beach. Does it get any better?
• Batik fabric – this beautiful fabric is wonderful, and each province has their own unique style.
• Greeting friends with a cheek-to-cheek embrace – I loved this when I was in France, and I was thrilled to discover it’s here as well.
• Being community-oriented – Honestly, this took me a while to adjust to: neighbors coming in and peeking in my room, asking about every little thing, etc. My housemates have stories of, while battling dengue, waking up to find neighbors standing over the beds, watching them. Now, though, it’s a source of comfort. Our neighbors have our backs. The first two weeks after we moved in, the little ibu next door sat outside our gate every night, making sure we got home safely. Relationships matter.
• Dependence on the Lord – There is absolutely no denying our dependence on the Lord in this country. Day in and day out, it is very clear: WE NEED HIM. Need Him for sanity, need Him for comfort, need Him for strength, need Him to do it all really… In the States, that fact can be clouded, but here, it is very, very evident.

10 things that have changed:

• Ideas of cold - 70 degrees is coooold. Guess that’s what happens when you live in 90-degree weather with high humidity year round. When we went up to the mountains, I wore a sweater and shivered.
• How comfortable I am with physical contact with the same gender - It’s a totally normal thing now to walk hand-in-hand with a good girl friend. Nothing is thought of it. Extremely awkward at first, now it’s a common thing even among my American girl friends.
• My eating habits - Remember when you were a kid and your parents always scolded you for eating with your hands? Yeah. Forget that.
• The definition of an address - Want to know what we say when we give our address? It’s the blue and grey house next to the red house in the neighborhood behind the orange building on this one street. To receive a package, I get a text message from the post office telling me to come pick one up. To pay bills, I take last month’s bill down the street to a guy’s house who has a computer set up in his living room. Mailboxes are a thing of the past.
• My idea of showering - Warm water spraying down automatically from a shower head above me is a faint memory. Now, my arms get a daily workout as I dump cold water over my head. It’s rather refreshing in the middle of blazing hot day in the tropics though.
• My cooking abilities - Not that I’m this awesome cook or anything, but through being under some pretty awesome ladies, I can now successfully make some things taste like America (some things).
• My driving abilities – Piggybacking off of loving to drive above, my driving abilities have also changed drastically… and not necessarily in a good way. I’m a lot more aggressive now… I’m pretty sure I’m going to be in trouble when I get back to the States.
• Handshakes - After lightly shaking someone’s hand, you bring your own up to your chest. Please don’t think I’m weird if I come back and do this. It’s a really hard habit to break.
• Standards for movies - Going to the theater here is a magical experience – It’s dark, they’re speaking in English, we’re eating candy and movie popcorn… It’s almost like being in America, and it’s worth watching movies that I would never consider seeing if I was actually back in the States. 
• Ideas of cleanliness - When it comes to the bathroom, wet is clean. If the food has no roaches, it’s good. Ants? Extra protein.

It's been a crazy year, but I am so thankful for the opportunity to be here and witness what the Father's doing. Thank you, Asia, for making me more like Him. I'm looking forward to the year to come.


"And we know that for those who love G-d all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

What then shall we say to these things? If G-d is for us, who can be against us?"
- Rom 8:28-31

Hello, 2012

Happy New Year! On this side of the world, New Year's is a big deal. Bigger than Christmas. I didn't really understand why, so I had a friend of mine explain what a typical New Year's looks like.

All year, people save up their money so that they can go home to their village, even if it requires selling their belongings. Their whole family gets together for the holiday, and they spend time talking with one another and enjoying each other's company until midnight. After the clock strikes 12, the party begins. Fireworks. Everywhere. In people's backyards, in the middle of the road (who cares if they're blocking traffic?).

Then the children apologize to their parents and ask them to forgive them for any wrongs or hurts they may have caused them during the year, and the parents do the same to their children. I even got some sweet text messages from friends asking me to forgive them for any wrongs. And then, at 2 a.m., they feast.

We didn't celebrate New Year's in a village, but we did ring in 2012 with some Cranium and fireworks!

 

 

2011 was a whirlwind for me. I learned so much about myself, about what it means to walk with Father, about complete and utter dependence and sacrifice. I have been emptied and broken for people, for my own failings, and have fallen on my face more times than I can count. And I have been changed. Here are some things I've learned in 2011:

11 Things I Learned in 2011

1. Don't put off doing anything that requires electricity, such as emails, drying your hair, or even showering, because you may not have it in an hour.
2. When crossing the road, apparently putting out your hand and crossing confidently is the only way to get them to stop. Except for buses. Never, ever cross in front of them. They will not stop.
3. Don't be fooled: the little peppers are much, much spicier than the bigger ones.
4. Always try whatever food is set in front of you. Eat first, ask questions later, even if it looks like  brain. You don't want to know beforehand that what you're trying is pig's blood, believe me.
5. Southeast Asians are very, very gracious and helpful (usually). They are willing to listen to you mangle their language, forgive you when you unknowingly commit a big no-no by arriving late to a housewarming party, or even lift your car out of a hole without being asked.
6. Even the toughest-looking men light up when talking about their children.
7. Celebrate every victory, no matter how small.
8. Sometimes, obedience will rip your heart out, but it's all worth it in the end.
9. Real gold fears no fire.
10. Feeling inadequate is a good place to be. His grace is sufficient, and His power is made perfect in my weakness. (2 Cor 12:9)
11. I really know only a whisper of who He is. The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know.

On a completely different note, this past week we went to an orangutan forest! It's one of the only places left where you can find orangutans in the wild. Here are some photos for your own personal enjoyment: