hello hello everyone! right now it is sunday about 5pm, most of us just woke up. We all got an amzing oppurtunity to go to Mt. Bromo this morning for sunrise. We had to leave last night about 11:30 and drive so we could get there and hike a lil ways to the place where you can see the sunrise. When we got there it was freezing but we all tried to stay as close as possible for warmth(thanx for the snuggling scott and steven) but once we finally got to the top and watched the sun break over the clouds and mountains it was breathtaking. Few words i could say could describe the beauty that God let us see this morning, i know that pretty much everyone on the trip has pics of it so ill just let u check those out. This morning just reaffirms the fact to me that our God is so big. From mountains to sunrises, to getting a chance to come half way around the world and find that that people here are just as loving and considerate as at home. God is big and is moving everywhere, we just have to be still and watch for him.... I cant wait to get back to the states and see everyone please keep us in your prayers and thoughts
Bud
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Nasih Goreng, Pecel and Ayam
The terms from the title are all things we have tried to eat while in Surabaya! The university students yesterday served us Pecel-which is a combination of rice, bean sprouts, chicken and green beans. It is covered in a very spicy peanut sauce, and they gave us a chance to practice grinding the peanuts into a sauce-like mixture. Although most of us have liked atleast trying new foods, when we order on our own, we usually try to stick to Nasih Goreng (Fried Rice)...
After meeting some new students yesterday at the university, Taylor and I made plans to eat lunch with two girls. We had some interesting conversations about faith and culture, and I hope that we planted a few seeds. In Indonesia if you ask somebody to go to lunch with you, you are expected to pay--so they paid for our meal! It was really sweet. However, if it is your birthday, then the custom is for YOU to take all of your friends out to eat and YOU pay for them! Quite different from America! So, since it was Erin's birthday yesterday-she treated Stephanie and I to an icecream cone from KFC. (Yes, they have KFC here. The menu is quite different though!)
It has been such an amazing week here. I can't believe we are almost at the end of our stay! EVERYONE is so helpful. I am sure the fact that we are "bule" helps, but I think the people here are genuinely very kind and helpful. They understand the importance of relationships and community! A lot of the hotel staff know a few of us by name, and we are often greeted on the side of the road even if they don't know us. If their indonesian is not very good, they will shout, "Hello Mr.!" (Even to the girls! It is hard not to correct them! Ha!)
We do most of our traveling in taxis, but when we first got here we were able to ride in a "becak". Becaks are the little bikes with seats on the front. I know we weigh so much more than your typical indonesian, but it was really fun to ride in them!
Tonight we are meeting up with some of the Culture Exchange students to see a movie (lift us up as we try nd bridge conversations into conversations about Him!) After we get back, we are leaving at 11:30pm for Mt. Bromo (the volcano) We are driving through the night so we can get to the volcano at sunrise! WE ARE SO EXCITED!
We love you all and miss you dearly!
Love,
Hannah
After meeting some new students yesterday at the university, Taylor and I made plans to eat lunch with two girls. We had some interesting conversations about faith and culture, and I hope that we planted a few seeds. In Indonesia if you ask somebody to go to lunch with you, you are expected to pay--so they paid for our meal! It was really sweet. However, if it is your birthday, then the custom is for YOU to take all of your friends out to eat and YOU pay for them! Quite different from America! So, since it was Erin's birthday yesterday-she treated Stephanie and I to an icecream cone from KFC. (Yes, they have KFC here. The menu is quite different though!)
It has been such an amazing week here. I can't believe we are almost at the end of our stay! EVERYONE is so helpful. I am sure the fact that we are "bule" helps, but I think the people here are genuinely very kind and helpful. They understand the importance of relationships and community! A lot of the hotel staff know a few of us by name, and we are often greeted on the side of the road even if they don't know us. If their indonesian is not very good, they will shout, "Hello Mr.!" (Even to the girls! It is hard not to correct them! Ha!)
We do most of our traveling in taxis, but when we first got here we were able to ride in a "becak". Becaks are the little bikes with seats on the front. I know we weigh so much more than your typical indonesian, but it was really fun to ride in them!
Tonight we are meeting up with some of the Culture Exchange students to see a movie (lift us up as we try nd bridge conversations into conversations about Him!) After we get back, we are leaving at 11:30pm for Mt. Bromo (the volcano) We are driving through the night so we can get to the volcano at sunrise! WE ARE SO EXCITED!
We love you all and miss you dearly!
Love,
Hannah
Friday, August 1, 2008
chopedy chop
The past two mornings we have gone to Ubaya university for a culture exchange program. Their students sang us some Indonesian songs, taught us some of their games ( which Steven attempted to dive across the floor and did the Carlton dance ) , and taught us several different things about their culture. The people here are some of the nicest people I have ever met and it seems to me like they all know each other even though they are strangers. After they shared we sang some songs for them, shared some of our games, taught them the cha-cha slide ( oh yeah ), and shared with them that our culture is not always what they see on the movies. At the end of each day we broke off into small groups. These groups have helped us get to know the students better and get into important conversations. We have plans to hang out with these students, so continue to lift up these relationships to Him and ask for our eyes to be open.
Oh yeah, we went to sing karaoke last night with some of our new friends and it was one of the funniest night of my life. We sang songs from O-town all the way to Elton John. It was a very cool place. We had our own room with about fifteen of us. Me, Buddy, and Steven are thinking about starting a boy band in Indonesia! Any name suggestions?
He is doing work all around this place! And I believe sometimes we may never know how much while we are on this earth.
In Him, Scott
Oh yeah, we went to sing karaoke last night with some of our new friends and it was one of the funniest night of my life. We sang songs from O-town all the way to Elton John. It was a very cool place. We had our own room with about fifteen of us. Me, Buddy, and Steven are thinking about starting a boy band in Indonesia! Any name suggestions?
He is doing work all around this place! And I believe sometimes we may never know how much while we are on this earth.
In Him, Scott
Toilet
OK so I have yet to really do any blogging but I wanted to take this chance to fill yall in on the toilets over here. The water does not really spin clockwise our counter clock wise, it just kinda goes strait down, or gets sucked down if you will. As for the toilets themselves you are required to stand and poop, and pee as well if you are a girl. If you are confused dont you worry pictures will soon follow, hopefully we can get them posted on the blog soon??? Oh and you have to take your pants off so as not to get any one yourself.
If you were thinking that was all that could be interesting about the toilet you would be sorely mistaken. They do not use toilet paper here!!! They have a hose that eerily resembles the one we have in America on the kitchen sink (you know the one you clean your vegetables with). They expect you to use this to wash your bottom after pooping!!! or Peeing for the girls
Dont worry we have a volunteer that will demonstrate this action in photos or maybe a video if we are lucky? Her name is Hannah, some of you may know her, yeah???
So the next time you are cleaning your vegetables remember Indonesians use that same hose to clean a certain part of their body :-) A popular saying her is that if it is wet then it must be clean!!!
SO lets recap shall we
1. The water flushes strait down, no swirling!
2. You must poop, and or pee standing up, with bottom off cause it can get kinda messy otherwise.
3.you must not wipe, but use a hose that looks like the one on your kitchen sink.
4. If you make it through all that you just have to put your bottoms back on without getting them all wet
But remember in Indonesia WET IS CLEAN!!!
sorry for any bad grammar or misspellings, they have my mind all fried over here, and im not very good with the english language
If you were thinking that was all that could be interesting about the toilet you would be sorely mistaken. They do not use toilet paper here!!! They have a hose that eerily resembles the one we have in America on the kitchen sink (you know the one you clean your vegetables with). They expect you to use this to wash your bottom after pooping!!! or Peeing for the girls
Dont worry we have a volunteer that will demonstrate this action in photos or maybe a video if we are lucky? Her name is Hannah, some of you may know her, yeah???
So the next time you are cleaning your vegetables remember Indonesians use that same hose to clean a certain part of their body :-) A popular saying her is that if it is wet then it must be clean!!!
SO lets recap shall we
1. The water flushes strait down, no swirling!
2. You must poop, and or pee standing up, with bottom off cause it can get kinda messy otherwise.
3.you must not wipe, but use a hose that looks like the one on your kitchen sink.
4. If you make it through all that you just have to put your bottoms back on without getting them all wet
But remember in Indonesia WET IS CLEAN!!!
sorry for any bad grammar or misspellings, they have my mind all fried over here, and im not very good with the english language
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
greetings and hallucinations--
those are not my words, but the words of pak ken, a career "M" who, on one of our first nights here, fed us dinner and charmed us with a very informative powerpoint presentation on life here in indonesia. everyone on the team--all the "M"s--are gracious and helpful. i'm so glad for this chance to see and experience life here so that i can lift them up, join with them, even after going home.
my first time in asia has been eye-opening and i think will even prove to be shaping of who i am from here on out. i underestimated what kind of effect it would have on me, honestly. i am now seeing and understanding what jessica's life has been for the past year and a half--i'm excited for it. and i am also now beginning to understand the weight of what it is to be a light to "cousins" all over the world.
okay so today we spent time at an orphanage in the city. the kids were older than i expected! in fact most were in the 10 to 17 range and only a few younger than that. we sang songs, played games, shared pictures, and they taught us a few of their songs as well. they are beautiful, so kind, and shy, for the most part. it's a frustrating thing to not be able to go any deeper than just a few short phrases in conversation with them, but what a neat thing that through songs and games we are able to fellowship with them regardless of the language barrier. i will say, again, their english is better than my indonesian. it's the trend it seems.
we are trying new foods every day. we are experiencing the full joy of squatty potties and spicy chicken feet. today in our spare time the girls got a cream bath = a $3 version of an upper back and scalp massage (whoop). we are learning to press through the remains of jet-lag and throw ourselves fully into the day at hand. we are loving indonesia and PROMISE to actually truly really post pictures soon soon soon.
stephanie
those are not my words, but the words of pak ken, a career "M" who, on one of our first nights here, fed us dinner and charmed us with a very informative powerpoint presentation on life here in indonesia. everyone on the team--all the "M"s--are gracious and helpful. i'm so glad for this chance to see and experience life here so that i can lift them up, join with them, even after going home.
my first time in asia has been eye-opening and i think will even prove to be shaping of who i am from here on out. i underestimated what kind of effect it would have on me, honestly. i am now seeing and understanding what jessica's life has been for the past year and a half--i'm excited for it. and i am also now beginning to understand the weight of what it is to be a light to "cousins" all over the world.
okay so today we spent time at an orphanage in the city. the kids were older than i expected! in fact most were in the 10 to 17 range and only a few younger than that. we sang songs, played games, shared pictures, and they taught us a few of their songs as well. they are beautiful, so kind, and shy, for the most part. it's a frustrating thing to not be able to go any deeper than just a few short phrases in conversation with them, but what a neat thing that through songs and games we are able to fellowship with them regardless of the language barrier. i will say, again, their english is better than my indonesian. it's the trend it seems.
we are trying new foods every day. we are experiencing the full joy of squatty potties and spicy chicken feet. today in our spare time the girls got a cream bath = a $3 version of an upper back and scalp massage (whoop). we are learning to press through the remains of jet-lag and throw ourselves fully into the day at hand. we are loving indonesia and PROMISE to actually truly really post pictures soon soon soon.
stephanie
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Indo
Hey everyone!! Indonesia is amazing. It is so different than anything i am used to and have been around but i can tell that he is doin incredible things through these people.
We just got done eating some classic indonesian food(chicken feet mmmmmmmm) at the orphanage. The kids there gave us so much love and loved all the songs and skits that we did. Their smiles were contagious and everyone had a great time. I still havent learned many indonesian words yet but smiles are universal!!
Yesterday me,steven, an scott got a chance to play indoor soccer with a team from the university in indonesia. I was a lil nervous considering that i havent played soccer since mightymites but we dominated lol jk! I believe we get a chance to redeem ourselves thursday because they called and invited us to play again, so we'll see how that goes..........
We have so much more left to do here and i can see that he is working through everyone of us here. Please keep us in your prayers! bye ttyl
much love Buddy
We just got done eating some classic indonesian food(chicken feet mmmmmmmm) at the orphanage. The kids there gave us so much love and loved all the songs and skits that we did. Their smiles were contagious and everyone had a great time. I still havent learned many indonesian words yet but smiles are universal!!
Yesterday me,steven, an scott got a chance to play indoor soccer with a team from the university in indonesia. I was a lil nervous considering that i havent played soccer since mightymites but we dominated lol jk! I believe we get a chance to redeem ourselves thursday because they called and invited us to play again, so we'll see how that goes..........
We have so much more left to do here and i can see that he is working through everyone of us here. Please keep us in your prayers! bye ttyl
much love Buddy
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Oh Happy Day!
We finally arrived in Surabaya two days ago, and it has been whirlwind already! We apologize for not updating this sooner, but since we missed two days due to our unexpected stops along the way :)- we have been going full speed!
It has already been a remarkable journey. Despite the third world surroundings, we have all come to see how beautiful this city is. Each room in our hotel overlooks the city from high above, and every time we hear the "Call to prayer" 5 times a day, we are reminded that we are not in Kansas any more, Toto! Yesterday all of us made new friends at an English chat club, and exchanged numbers to meet with them later this week! It was incredible to see how closely they leaned on every word we said. Even though they were mostly excited to be around new "bule" (term for white person!), as conversations deepened, we could see the beginning of new friendships forming! It was hilarious, and a little embarassing as we taught them the "Cha Cha Slide", but they were eager to learn this "bule" dance.
The Food. This needs a whole paragraph! The first couple of meals were ok, and some were actually very tasty! We went to the local grocery store and bought a loaf of bread for breakfast, only to cut into it and discover CHOCOLATE goodness inside. What a treat!Our favorite sate (peanut sauce with rice) and chicken friend rice (which is served at EVERY meal, including breakfast!) We have not had any problems until today when we visited the local schools and were served typical indonesian food. This was a little bit of a struggle for some of us as we tried to force down jelly filled banana leaves, tuna floss, "mystery meat balls", gizzards...and Scott's favorite: Coconut everything!
The School. I think this day put a smile on everyone's heart and soul! It was amazing to see the faces of these little children- all decked out in their uniforms, ready to learn american songs like boom-chicka-boom and head shoulders knees and toes! (Please insert asian accents...so cute!) We had to be very flexible, as we did not know what to expect. They loved watching us make fools out of ourselves as we did our skit and showed funny pictures from our lives in America. It is amazing to see the power a smile can make! It breaks all language barriers! These children were so smart. By age 3, they could already speak small English phrases.
We definitely have a chicken living outside of our hotel in a cage. Seriously. We don't know why he is just hanging out? He's a lurker.
Word of the day: Terima Kasih (Thank You!) We have to say this alot. "As bules" we need all the help we can get here!
He is definitely here and at work. It is amazing to be able to join Him in this journey! What a great dad!
We love you all. We promise to post pictures soon, we have just been so busy!
Love, Hannah and Erin
It has already been a remarkable journey. Despite the third world surroundings, we have all come to see how beautiful this city is. Each room in our hotel overlooks the city from high above, and every time we hear the "Call to prayer" 5 times a day, we are reminded that we are not in Kansas any more, Toto! Yesterday all of us made new friends at an English chat club, and exchanged numbers to meet with them later this week! It was incredible to see how closely they leaned on every word we said. Even though they were mostly excited to be around new "bule" (term for white person!), as conversations deepened, we could see the beginning of new friendships forming! It was hilarious, and a little embarassing as we taught them the "Cha Cha Slide", but they were eager to learn this "bule" dance.
The Food. This needs a whole paragraph! The first couple of meals were ok, and some were actually very tasty! We went to the local grocery store and bought a loaf of bread for breakfast, only to cut into it and discover CHOCOLATE goodness inside. What a treat!Our favorite sate (peanut sauce with rice) and chicken friend rice (which is served at EVERY meal, including breakfast!) We have not had any problems until today when we visited the local schools and were served typical indonesian food. This was a little bit of a struggle for some of us as we tried to force down jelly filled banana leaves, tuna floss, "mystery meat balls", gizzards...and Scott's favorite: Coconut everything!
The School. I think this day put a smile on everyone's heart and soul! It was amazing to see the faces of these little children- all decked out in their uniforms, ready to learn american songs like boom-chicka-boom and head shoulders knees and toes! (Please insert asian accents...so cute!) We had to be very flexible, as we did not know what to expect. They loved watching us make fools out of ourselves as we did our skit and showed funny pictures from our lives in America. It is amazing to see the power a smile can make! It breaks all language barriers! These children were so smart. By age 3, they could already speak small English phrases.
We definitely have a chicken living outside of our hotel in a cage. Seriously. We don't know why he is just hanging out? He's a lurker.
Word of the day: Terima Kasih (Thank You!) We have to say this alot. "As bules" we need all the help we can get here!
He is definitely here and at work. It is amazing to be able to join Him in this journey! What a great dad!
We love you all. We promise to post pictures soon, we have just been so busy!
Love, Hannah and Erin
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