Wednesday October 24th Yeah ! Back to China......
This is a photo of the Bottle Brush Tree in full bloom on our front lawn. Dad likes to keep it well trimmed.
So..... I signed my contract yesterday with SMIC ( the school I was previously working at in Pudong Shanghai. I have been appointed as the new ESL Head of Department and will start in early February ( after Chinese New Year and the beginning of the second semester. ).I'm excited and kind of re leaved, after nearly a year of not knowing where I was going. It's been a great time back home with Dad, resting and getting to know people in Whangarei but I'm ready for the security of a job again for awhile.
I'm going to spend the next 3 months with a Chinese Tutor and get my Chinese back up to scratch so I can communicate better with the Chinese teachers and parents.
So..... I signed my contract yesterday with SMIC ( the school I was previously working at in Pudong Shanghai. I have been appointed as the new ESL Head of Department and will start in early February ( after Chinese New Year and the beginning of the second semester. ).I'm excited and kind of re leaved, after nearly a year of not knowing where I was going. It's been a great time back home with Dad, resting and getting to know people in Whangarei but I'm ready for the security of a job again for awhile.
I'm going to spend the next 3 months with a Chinese Tutor and get my Chinese back up to scratch so I can communicate better with the Chinese teachers and parents.
Saturday October 14th Back home in New Zealand..................
It's a cozy Saturday morning. It's windy and rainy outside and I've been reading and drinking coffee in bed. It's good to be back with family and friends in Whangarei. I had the second skype interview on Thursday with the Principal of SMIC Private School in Shanghai. He was very relaxed and put me at ease straight away, saying that they would like to hire me but depends on my Post Grad TEFL qualification being accepted for a work visa. The HR Department will go to the visa office on Monday. I know this is in God's hands and not the visa departments. My contact number here is 09 436 2201 and just a reminder my email is [email protected]
Friday September 28th I'm off on another adventure .............
So, here I am teaching one of my last classes.. Yes, ! I know it's a bit of quick turn around but I'm leaving Mt Hope tomorrow ( Saturday 30th ) I will be in Kuching for a couple of days then fly back to New Zealand
arriving on Tuesday October 2 at 11:45 pm at night.
Whoa....... you're probably thinking what happened ? I got an email last Friday from my old school in China asking if I'd be interested in applying for the ESOL Coordinator position. I wrote and asked for a job profile and as I read it, I felt a rising excitement " I could do this , I thought ". I've actually been asking God the last month or so if I could go back to China ( where my heart still is ). I have a skype interview this afternoon with one of SMIC Administrators ( I already know her so won't be too formal an interview hopefully ). It's amazing how I always get asked when God wants me to move on to another job.
Looking back, I've really enjoyed the teaching here and getting to know the students and staff. I have just had no peace in my spirit about being here long term. It's a great place to come for short term missions exposure. Please continue to pray for and support Mt Hope. God is doing a good thing here and a lot I don't understand, but I just have to " Be still and know He is God " His heart is towards this place and people. Maybe God might bring me back here in the future, once it's a bit more developed.
arriving on Tuesday October 2 at 11:45 pm at night.
Whoa....... you're probably thinking what happened ? I got an email last Friday from my old school in China asking if I'd be interested in applying for the ESOL Coordinator position. I wrote and asked for a job profile and as I read it, I felt a rising excitement " I could do this , I thought ". I've actually been asking God the last month or so if I could go back to China ( where my heart still is ). I have a skype interview this afternoon with one of SMIC Administrators ( I already know her so won't be too formal an interview hopefully ). It's amazing how I always get asked when God wants me to move on to another job.
Looking back, I've really enjoyed the teaching here and getting to know the students and staff. I have just had no peace in my spirit about being here long term. It's a great place to come for short term missions exposure. Please continue to pray for and support Mt Hope. God is doing a good thing here and a lot I don't understand, but I just have to " Be still and know He is God " His heart is towards this place and people. Maybe God might bring me back here in the future, once it's a bit more developed.
Students doing a pair work speaking activity..............
Sunday September 23rd Chilli concan and fern leaves ........
It's Sunday evening, you can see the pink sun set through the door of our little house. I made Chilli concan for the girls that come to our Tuesday and Thursday morning prayer group ( at 5:30am in the morning ) They also went up into the bush ( jungle ) behind our house and collected bamboo shoots and fern leaves which they took off the stalks and cooked. So we had Chilli concan and fern leaves ( an interesting combination ).
It is quite a procedure cooking western food here. You can't just hop in the car and go down the supermarket . I found a shop in town that sporadically sells beef from a freezer ( not the fly blown type at the market ). I had previously bought the tin of tomatoes and jar of chilli concan in Kuching and transported it back here. We had no water until late in the afternoon and the power went off twice today. It certainly makes you appreciate everything more. I had to go over the road to buy some drinking water. I was in Kuching last weekend getting anti biotics for a bout of broncitus that has been going around here, I was sick for about a week so hence the lack of blogging.
. I'm actually seriously thinking of coming home soon. It's mid term now and as soon as I give my mid term test and hand in my grades I can leave. Please pray for me that I make the right decision. I won't leave a gap here as we have an extra teacher who is doing office work, as they gave me his job teaching.
It is quite a procedure cooking western food here. You can't just hop in the car and go down the supermarket . I found a shop in town that sporadically sells beef from a freezer ( not the fly blown type at the market ). I had previously bought the tin of tomatoes and jar of chilli concan in Kuching and transported it back here. We had no water until late in the afternoon and the power went off twice today. It certainly makes you appreciate everything more. I had to go over the road to buy some drinking water. I was in Kuching last weekend getting anti biotics for a bout of broncitus that has been going around here, I was sick for about a week so hence the lack of blogging.
. I'm actually seriously thinking of coming home soon. It's mid term now and as soon as I give my mid term test and hand in my grades I can leave. Please pray for me that I make the right decision. I won't leave a gap here as we have an extra teacher who is doing office work, as they gave me his job teaching.
Wednesday 12th September To wait and rest ............
" I am satisfied as I wait on God to complete His will in my life. To wait and rest in the ever unfolding wonder of His eternal life, which even now is like a seed growing in me. " ( a quote from I promise you a crown ) " You call to me in my restless discomforts. You guide me by my own confusions.... out of myself into You ( page 53 same book ).
Confusions would be the operative word for me as I try to figure out how Mt Hope works, how the leadership operate and how things get done around here. I was expecting some culture shock but didn't realize how much I'd encounter . I'm really enjoying the teaching and can contribute a lot here, but unless God does a number on me I don't feel I can live here long term. I am committed to finishing out my 6 months.
Sometimes God puts us into hard places so we will press deeper into Him and to trust Him more. He keeps saying " Be still and know that I am God " I know He has a plan for my being here. I still believe this time at Mt Hope will be a doorway to another adventure in Asia.
Confusions would be the operative word for me as I try to figure out how Mt Hope works, how the leadership operate and how things get done around here. I was expecting some culture shock but didn't realize how much I'd encounter . I'm really enjoying the teaching and can contribute a lot here, but unless God does a number on me I don't feel I can live here long term. I am committed to finishing out my 6 months.
Sometimes God puts us into hard places so we will press deeper into Him and to trust Him more. He keeps saying " Be still and know that I am God " I know He has a plan for my being here. I still believe this time at Mt Hope will be a doorway to another adventure in Asia.
Saturday 8th September Rubbish Day ....
It's 2pm Saturday afternoon and so far I've had quite an interesting day. I got up at 6am to get ready for school at 7am. We were joining with another High School in Balikarangan to pick up rubbish in the community. There is some serious rubbish on the streets here ! We spent nearly two hours cleaning up the stretch of road from Mt Hope into town. I was with some of my Class 7A students ( the picture was taken this morning when we finished the clean up.) We were each given a medical glove to wear while picking up the rubbish. I had a great time with my class and lots of fun chanting " We love rubbish " as we picked up disgusting pieces of garbage that litters the countryside.
I came home, rested for the morning, and then went to a Batak Wedding in a village near by ( the pictures below, were taken about an hour ago of the bride and groom ) It was held under a large awning in front of a church. We were given food when we arrived and seated. The wedding ceremony had been held in the morning and now the families were ceremonially exchanging gifts of money and Indonesian sarongs. The families presenting the sarongs all danced up to the couple , before blessing them and placing the sarongs around their shoulders. All this was done at ear splitting speaker volume. Indonesians love to do everything loud and proud !
I came home, rested for the morning, and then went to a Batak Wedding in a village near by ( the pictures below, were taken about an hour ago of the bride and groom ) It was held under a large awning in front of a church. We were given food when we arrived and seated. The wedding ceremony had been held in the morning and now the families were ceremonially exchanging gifts of money and Indonesian sarongs. The families presenting the sarongs all danced up to the couple , before blessing them and placing the sarongs around their shoulders. All this was done at ear splitting speaker volume. Indonesians love to do everything loud and proud !
Saturday 1st September The view from Mt Hope............ ( no I don't live on a mountain ).
I love the rain ! It's been raining for a couple of days now and brings the temperature down to about 24C ( it feels cool ), The air is fresh and smells like the jungle and best of all, it's too wet to burn the fields, so the air is clear. I took this photo early yesterday morning, from just below where I live, of the distant mountain surrounded by low lying mist.
A quick note: Doni and Uli had a baby girl on Monday morning her name is Feng ( Honesty ). She was born at the midwife's home in Balikarangan.
Please note my new email [email protected] ( I've given up on Hot mail as they blocked my second account.
Also my mobile number ( 0062 812 56 140457 )
Yes, please call ! ( We are 4 hours behind NZ and one hour behind China ).
Some verses to pray over me:
2 Samuel 2:36 God is my strength and power. He makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of dear and sets me on high places.......... You enlarged my path under me so that my feet would not slip...... He brought me out into a broad place. He delivered me because He delighted in me.
A quick note: Doni and Uli had a baby girl on Monday morning her name is Feng ( Honesty ). She was born at the midwife's home in Balikarangan.
Please note my new email [email protected] ( I've given up on Hot mail as they blocked my second account.
Also my mobile number ( 0062 812 56 140457 )
Yes, please call ! ( We are 4 hours behind NZ and one hour behind China ).
Some verses to pray over me:
2 Samuel 2:36 God is my strength and power. He makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of dear and sets me on high places.......... You enlarged my path under me so that my feet would not slip...... He brought me out into a broad place. He delivered me because He delighted in me.
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Wednesday August 28th - Peace be Still ........
God has been talking to me about being still, and knowing HE is GOD. I can't figure Mt Hope out and it frustrates me sometimes but God is saying " Let go Janet, It's OK I know what's going on here. Just do what I've called you to do. I am in control ! " He's also teaching me to TRUST HIM, to wait when He says wait. To hold when He says Hold your position. I want to be faithful in completing my six months here. I have so appreciated your prayers, encouragement and support.
# Another photo taken at my birthday. Maton the little boy was helping me blow the candles out.
Things don't always work out the way you'd expected. Check out this short Olympic inspirational video clip. It brought tears to my eyes. Scoll down to near the bottom of the page for the video clip.
http://necessity4failure.com/Default.html
# Another photo taken at my birthday. Maton the little boy was helping me blow the candles out.
Things don't always work out the way you'd expected. Check out this short Olympic inspirational video clip. It brought tears to my eyes. Scoll down to near the bottom of the page for the video clip.
http://necessity4failure.com/Default.html
Wednesday August 22nd Sponge Bob Square Pants in Indonesia.........
I've just returned from visiting a local Dyak family. We sat on the floor chatting, eating apples and watching " Sponge Bob Square Pants " in Indonesian on TV ( he's everywhere ! ). I met Gewi on the bus going to Kuching a couple of weeks ago and she invited me to visit her home.
Gewi came to fetch me on her motor scooter and I enjoyed the cool breeze as we zooped along the bumpy road. Gewi is an English teacher at a local Middle School. In the government schools they don't start learning English until Middle School ( about 13 years of age .) I asked her what she was teaching them, and she said " A,B,C ". It made me realize how much more advanced the students are at Mt Hope, as we can have simple conversations
.
Gewi came to fetch me on her motor scooter and I enjoyed the cool breeze as we zooped along the bumpy road. Gewi is an English teacher at a local Middle School. In the government schools they don't start learning English until Middle School ( about 13 years of age .) I asked her what she was teaching them, and she said " A,B,C ". It made me realize how much more advanced the students are at Mt Hope, as we can have simple conversations
.
An visit to a Malaysian Muslim's home ..............................
One of the Muslim homes we were invited to on Sunday in Kuching. Everyone is in Muslim clothes and the furniture is ornately carved wood.
The above photo is of Zach ( a young builder here from NZ ), Kim from Malaysia and myself with the Indonesian Consulate and his wife. We are dressed very casually as we didn't know we were going to visit ( another surprise for us ).
The above photo is of Zach ( a young builder here from NZ ), Kim from Malaysia and myself with the Indonesian Consulate and his wife. We are dressed very casually as we didn't know we were going to visit ( another surprise for us ).
Monday August 20th The end of Ramadan..........
After a month of not being able to eat or drink during daylight hours, Muslims then have a weeks holiday. They open their homes to family
and friends and you go and visit and sit around eating small cakes and sweet
biscuits, drinking Coke and Sprite and chatting.
When I was in Kuching for the weekend we were invited by a friend to visit the Indonesian Consulates home to celebrate the end of Ramadan. We drove up with the friend and were waved into the courtyard ( while everyone else had to park outside ). It turned out that the friend that took us was the wife of a politician in Malaysia and she was renting the palatial house to the consulate ( hence the VIP treatment ). We were greeted by the consulate and his wife and ushered into the large lounge, dinning room area to find a buffet laid out and told to help ourselves.
The picture on the left is of a teacher's home we were invited to here in Bali Karangan yesterday. On the low tables you can see jars of cookies, sweets and cans of drink. They clean their homes, paint and put up new curtains for the week long celebration. The Muslim people are so friendly and generous. I love visiting their homes and I can sit and pray for them while I'm eating and chatting. ( or should I say listening to the chatter while someone interprets. ). Yellow and green are the colors of the Muslim festival. They also decorate their home with lights and Christmas like decorations that are green and yellow and have pictures of people praying . On Saturday night I had a great view of all the fireworks going off in the Kampongs ( villages ) across the river from the hotel. It's also very similar to Chinese New Year with the fireworks going off at midnight.
When I was in Kuching for the weekend we were invited by a friend to visit the Indonesian Consulates home to celebrate the end of Ramadan. We drove up with the friend and were waved into the courtyard ( while everyone else had to park outside ). It turned out that the friend that took us was the wife of a politician in Malaysia and she was renting the palatial house to the consulate ( hence the VIP treatment ). We were greeted by the consulate and his wife and ushered into the large lounge, dinning room area to find a buffet laid out and told to help ourselves.
The picture on the left is of a teacher's home we were invited to here in Bali Karangan yesterday. On the low tables you can see jars of cookies, sweets and cans of drink. They clean their homes, paint and put up new curtains for the week long celebration. The Muslim people are so friendly and generous. I love visiting their homes and I can sit and pray for them while I'm eating and chatting. ( or should I say listening to the chatter while someone interprets. ). Yellow and green are the colors of the Muslim festival. They also decorate their home with lights and Christmas like decorations that are green and yellow and have pictures of people praying . On Saturday night I had a great view of all the fireworks going off in the Kampongs ( villages ) across the river from the hotel. It's also very similar to Chinese New Year with the fireworks going off at midnight.
Saturday August 18th Orangutans in the jungle...........
Life is full of surprises here. We found out that we had a holiday on Friday and Monday as it is Indonesia's International Day and the end of fasting for Ramadan. A bit like China we only find out at the last minute what's happening. ( it's ok, nobody else knows either ). So four of us headed into Kuching for the long weekend.
On Saturday I was able to go to the Orangutans Rehabilitation Sanctuary about half an hour out of Kuching. We arrived and were given a talk by a keeper about how to behave and then we all quietly filed along a jungle path to the feeding area. At 3pm the orangutans ( about 20 of them ) swing in from the jungle where they are living wild, to feed at the feeding platform. We all stood quietly taking photos and enjoying the seemingly ease and grace with which these huge animals swing through the trees. The one in the photo has a bunch of bananas in his foot, a few minutes later his friend swung by and took them from him.
On Saturday I was able to go to the Orangutans Rehabilitation Sanctuary about half an hour out of Kuching. We arrived and were given a talk by a keeper about how to behave and then we all quietly filed along a jungle path to the feeding area. At 3pm the orangutans ( about 20 of them ) swing in from the jungle where they are living wild, to feed at the feeding platform. We all stood quietly taking photos and enjoying the seemingly ease and grace with which these huge animals swing through the trees. The one in the photo has a bunch of bananas in his foot, a few minutes later his friend swung by and took them from him.
Wednesday August 15th Our dusty little Bali Karangan .. . . .
This is a picture of Bali Karangan, the small town about 10 minutes walk from Mt Hope. It's full of trash, motor bikes and friendly people. It's noisy from all the motor bikes puttering up and down. You can buy all sorts of things from TVs to toilet brushes. I like to walk into town after work some days, just to get a bit of exercise and meet some new people.
Friday August 11th Ok here's a challenge....
Do you like puzzles ? So here's the challenge..... see if you can guess how many people we loaded on to this small red van the other morning on our way to the boarder. I'll give you a clue it was 6:45am and most
of them were school children. I was a lucky one, I was inside. Note the ladder by the back door, that is another clue.
As we trundled along on a warm sunny morning we stopped to pick up groups of Middle and High School students on their way to school. Half way there we were squashed like a bunch of grapes in the back of the van. There were children crouching on the floor and I almost had one sitting on my lap. New Zealand school rules would be
Don't hang out the door of the bus / Don't sit on the roof / Don’t sit near an open door
Indonesia allows all the above and more. We creatively packed 28 children on the roof, hanging out the door and squashed in the back ( a world record ? ..... ) . I counted them as they got on and double checked as they got off. I’ll keep you posted if we break this record.
of them were school children. I was a lucky one, I was inside. Note the ladder by the back door, that is another clue.
As we trundled along on a warm sunny morning we stopped to pick up groups of Middle and High School students on their way to school. Half way there we were squashed like a bunch of grapes in the back of the van. There were children crouching on the floor and I almost had one sitting on my lap. New Zealand school rules would be
Don't hang out the door of the bus / Don't sit on the roof / Don’t sit near an open door
Indonesia allows all the above and more. We creatively packed 28 children on the roof, hanging out the door and squashed in the back ( a world record ? ..... ) . I counted them as they got on and double checked as they got off. I’ll keep you posted if we break this record.
Thursday August 10th Some quirky Indonesian things ............
The students here have to take their shoes off to come into the
classroom, but you can imagine how dirty the bottom of their socks get
so........... all the students wear these socks that the top half is white and
the soles are black. They wear black school shoes so you don't see the black
soles when they've got their shoes on.
Indonesian love to fry everything in batter. My flat mate was just thinking about eating steak
( we get little meat here ) " You know the battered steak you can get " mmmm...
Battered steak that's a new one !
Two cases of Dengy Fever ( from mosquitoes ) has been reported in our local town. One of our students has it. The government said they wouldn't spray the area until 10 people had it. Any volunteers ? Bags not me !
A passage that struck me the other day in my Bible reading " I want to move you to a great hunger for holiness and purity. The moment you look up when you are in a place of affliction with the
Lord Jesus, the heavens are opened "
. My own thoughts " I feel like a camel going through the eye of a needle. To enter another culture, you need to let God remove everything that can be removed and go through in His Grace.". Now that's pretty profound !
"
classroom, but you can imagine how dirty the bottom of their socks get
so........... all the students wear these socks that the top half is white and
the soles are black. They wear black school shoes so you don't see the black
soles when they've got their shoes on.
Indonesian love to fry everything in batter. My flat mate was just thinking about eating steak
( we get little meat here ) " You know the battered steak you can get " mmmm...
Battered steak that's a new one !
Two cases of Dengy Fever ( from mosquitoes ) has been reported in our local town. One of our students has it. The government said they wouldn't spray the area until 10 people had it. Any volunteers ? Bags not me !
A passage that struck me the other day in my Bible reading " I want to move you to a great hunger for holiness and purity. The moment you look up when you are in a place of affliction with the
Lord Jesus, the heavens are opened "
. My own thoughts " I feel like a camel going through the eye of a needle. To enter another culture, you need to let God remove everything that can be removed and go through in His Grace.". Now that's pretty profound !
"
Wednesday August 9th Hot and smokey.....................
August has brought the heat and it's also the month for " burning off land "ready for planting, so we have a blue pall of haze over the surrounding jungle and temperatures in the early to mid thirties. Due to all the rain and burning off, the ash has seeped into our water supply, so we get this Smokey tasting water, interesting !.
I've been feeling a lot more settled this past couple of weeks ( thanks for all the prayer ) and enjoying the challenges of teaching in another culture. I'm beginning to understand the Middle High Schoolers English level and am able to design lessons around their needs. They loved the lesson I did today on Past Simple using the Mr. Bean clip at the opening of the Olympics and also the song " Our God is greater, Our God is stronger " as an introduction to teaching comparatives. It was great to be singing Christian songs at the top of our voices in class today.
# Photo taken this afternoon about 5pm of the blue haize over the jungel surrounding Mt Hope.
I've been feeling a lot more settled this past couple of weeks ( thanks for all the prayer ) and enjoying the challenges of teaching in another culture. I'm beginning to understand the Middle High Schoolers English level and am able to design lessons around their needs. They loved the lesson I did today on Past Simple using the Mr. Bean clip at the opening of the Olympics and also the song " Our God is greater, Our God is stronger " as an introduction to teaching comparatives. It was great to be singing Christian songs at the top of our voices in class today.
# Photo taken this afternoon about 5pm of the blue haize over the jungel surrounding Mt Hope.
Sunday August 3 A trip to a village church ..........
A team of 7 people have arrived from KL Malaysia for the weekend. So today they asked if I'd like to go with them to minister in a small village church. The lady pastor is from Tawamungu Bible College. She has 18 children living with her in a few very small rooms at the back of the church. The children live with her as their families live too far from the schools in the area. The village is about a half hour ride from Mt Hope and Mt Hope helps financially with the children. I sat through part of the sermon and then went out to help with the children's program and ended up teaching them a song. At the end of the service we got to pray with some of the adults.
Saturday August 2 My bathroom...... ( people have been asking )
Yep this is it. We heat some hot water in a kettle on the gas stove so you don't have to pour cold water over yourself. You take a scoop of water, pour a bit of hot water into it and then just pour it over yourself in the middle of the bathroom ( there is a hole in the floor for the water to drain.) The squat toilet is in the corner, ( yes, it is a bit tricky squatting first thing in the morning or in the middle of the night ( but I haven't fallen in yet ! Although I have lost a role of toilet paper down there). Indonesians don't use toilet paper, just scoops of water ( don't ask me how that works ). My flat mates also do their washing by hand sitting on a stool with tubs of water. I get to use the washing machine in the guest house ( thank goodness ). Zach came and taped up several holes in the bathroom ceiling yesterday so that we won't get all the brown stuff falling down from where the rats run around in the ceiling..... yeah I might be able to keep the bathroom clean now. It was very dirty when I arrived but I scrubbed it tile by tile. We have the extra blue tub as the water supply comes and goes. It sure makes you appreciate water when you don't have it. Also reminds me to keep filling up on God's presence. When the water goes off ( sometimes daily , your'e glad you took the time to fill the tub.)
Friday August 1 My Classes.................
janet2mthope@hotmail.co.nz and my new mobile number ( 0062 812 56 140457 ) Yes, please call !
I have two classes 7A and 8A. They are very different, one is full of life, like a bubbling pot and the other is quiet and intense and very easy to teach, they just absorb everything quickly. Guess which one this is ? I got my camera out and in a few seconds they were on the desks posing ( with no prompting from me ). This is their Wednesday uniform, I like this one the best.
I have two classes 7A and 8A. They are very different, one is full of life, like a bubbling pot and the other is quiet and intense and very easy to teach, they just absorb everything quickly. Guess which one this is ? I got my camera out and in a few seconds they were on the desks posing ( with no prompting from me ). This is their Wednesday uniform, I like this one the best.
Tuesday July 31st My Birthday.........
Ok, so life is full of ups and downs. Today was an up ! I got invited to Kim and Bob's for breakfast ( they are a Malaysian couple who are responsible for the foreign staff and guests here. ) I returned to my apartment, after breakfast, to find my flat mates waiting with a " Jelly Cake " and lit candles. I shared the cake at the teacher's office later that morning, and brought my class some snacks to celebrate my birthday. There was a card from one sister and a phone call from Helen, my other sister.
In the evening I was invited back to Kim and Bob's for a special dinner of spaghetti and garlic bread. At 7pm Kim said, " Ok let's go ! " ( Oh no I thought, another unscheduled meeting. ) but it wasn't a meeting it was a surprise party for me at our apartment with some of the teachers from the Middle High School, they'd all brought a plate of food to share, and we had lots more jelly and even ice cream ! I felt so homered that they would do this for me and humbled after my disgruntled attitude the last week or so. God is good !
# Please continue to pray for the young teachers here. They have all graduated from Tawamungu Bible College ( run by Sam and Carol Sukota who had the vision for Mt Hope). Most of them are not trained teachers. They have also had to leave the comfort of civilized Jakata to come and live more simply here in the jungle. They have also left families and lots of the young married couples have young children who don't see thier grandparents very often. They are on very low wages and work very hard. Please pray that their individual relationships with God would be strong and that they would continue to grow in thier faith and love for God.
# Picture was taken on Tuesday night in our apartment, at my surprise party. Yes, this is our lounge ! We don't have any chairs but the good news is you can fit more people in.
In the evening I was invited back to Kim and Bob's for a special dinner of spaghetti and garlic bread. At 7pm Kim said, " Ok let's go ! " ( Oh no I thought, another unscheduled meeting. ) but it wasn't a meeting it was a surprise party for me at our apartment with some of the teachers from the Middle High School, they'd all brought a plate of food to share, and we had lots more jelly and even ice cream ! I felt so homered that they would do this for me and humbled after my disgruntled attitude the last week or so. God is good !
# Please continue to pray for the young teachers here. They have all graduated from Tawamungu Bible College ( run by Sam and Carol Sukota who had the vision for Mt Hope). Most of them are not trained teachers. They have also had to leave the comfort of civilized Jakata to come and live more simply here in the jungle. They have also left families and lots of the young married couples have young children who don't see thier grandparents very often. They are on very low wages and work very hard. Please pray that their individual relationships with God would be strong and that they would continue to grow in thier faith and love for God.
# Picture was taken on Tuesday night in our apartment, at my surprise party. Yes, this is our lounge ! We don't have any chairs but the good news is you can fit more people in.
Sunday July 29th ............Yeah! I got to watch the opening of the Olympics.
I found out late on Thursday afternoon that there would be no school on Friday so I left early Friday morning to go to Kuching for a couple of days. I wanted to watch the opening of the Olympics in English, and no one here even knew if Indonesia would screen it. I set my alarm and got up at 3am.Tucked up in a soft bed, in an air conditioned hotel room, with coffee and biscuits I sat and watched for nearly 4 hours.
I saw the sun rise over the Sarawak River through the window, as all the teams were marching into the stadium. In 2008 I watched the last Olympics in Shanghai all in Chinese, and mostly just showing the Chinese athletes, so it was a treat to hear the English commentary. I phoned my sister in New Zealand and was touched to think we were watching the same thing live.
I saw the sun rise over the Sarawak River through the window, as all the teams were marching into the stadium. In 2008 I watched the last Olympics in Shanghai all in Chinese, and mostly just showing the Chinese athletes, so it was a treat to hear the English commentary. I phoned my sister in New Zealand and was touched to think we were watching the same thing live.
Tuesday 24th July .........So what is Ramadan all about ?
Last Friday was the beginning of the month long fast for Muslims called Ramadan. It started with a two day holiday. The hotels were advertising Ramadan Specials, two night packages at cheaper rates. In Bali Karangan ( the small town near us) they are displaying fancy new clothes to buy and lots of fire crackers are being sold on small stalls. It's a bit like Chinese New Year when everyone buys new clothes. They are not allowed to eat or drink during day light hours. It gets light at 5:30am and dark about 6pm here .
The van driver was complaining about being sleepy on my way back from Kuching, saying he had a sleepless night because of Ramadan. I supplied him with cool wet handy towels to keep him awake ( I wanted to get home in one piece ). They party up large once it gets dark and there are lots of Ramadan buffet dinners on offer. We hear them singing from their Muslim prayer towers over the loud speakers more often. Now at 3 am, 4:30am, different times during the day and 6 to 10 pm. Then they get up at 3am to eat before it gets light ( so not sure when they sleep )
The Picture was taken in town; a stall selling fireworks.
# Please pray for a special coverng over Mt Hope children and staff over this month of Ramadan
Please pray for the many local children that come to school here. That as they hear the gospel it will impact their lives and also their families and communities
Change a Child, Change a Community, Change a Nation !
The van driver was complaining about being sleepy on my way back from Kuching, saying he had a sleepless night because of Ramadan. I supplied him with cool wet handy towels to keep him awake ( I wanted to get home in one piece ). They party up large once it gets dark and there are lots of Ramadan buffet dinners on offer. We hear them singing from their Muslim prayer towers over the loud speakers more often. Now at 3 am, 4:30am, different times during the day and 6 to 10 pm. Then they get up at 3am to eat before it gets light ( so not sure when they sleep )
The Picture was taken in town; a stall selling fireworks.
# Please pray for a special coverng over Mt Hope children and staff over this month of Ramadan
Please pray for the many local children that come to school here. That as they hear the gospel it will impact their lives and also their families and communities
Change a Child, Change a Community, Change a Nation !
Monday July 23 Ahhh... KFC !
Yeah I did it ! I went to Kuching by myself on Saturday. I had serious " Cabin Fever" by Saturday ( I needed to get out and see something different ) so I left at 7:30am and was checking into my hotel ( with swimming pool ) at about 10:30am after 3 hours traveling. Oh the bliss of opening my hotel room to air con, English TV, a soft chair and a chance to swim and do some exercise. I only stayed one night but it was just what I needed ,some time to myself. I'm actually a bit of an introvert so amazing God would have me living in this lively community at Mt Hope .
I get my energy from being by myself, so it was good to be able to shut the door, have some peace and quiet and just enjoy being with God. He knows what we need. I remember when I first went to Hong Kong for a year, I thought I had to become Chinese, I got so stressed out trying to take on the Chinese culture. I finally realized it was ok to be Janet from New Zealand , who likes to be quiet, drink coffee and watch sun sets. I can immerse myself in the other culture and language but I'll never be Indonesian. Over the years I've learnt how to balance my cultural; needs with the culture I'm in. If I have to go stay in a hotel once a month, then that's what I'll do. Teaching today, and I was glad to be back with these warm hearted and fun loving people. Thank you for those who prayed for me over the weekend, Yes my emotions have settled and I’m over the speed bump. And yes, I had KFC for lunch yesterday !
# The picture is one of my students in class 8A.
I get my energy from being by myself, so it was good to be able to shut the door, have some peace and quiet and just enjoy being with God. He knows what we need. I remember when I first went to Hong Kong for a year, I thought I had to become Chinese, I got so stressed out trying to take on the Chinese culture. I finally realized it was ok to be Janet from New Zealand , who likes to be quiet, drink coffee and watch sun sets. I can immerse myself in the other culture and language but I'll never be Indonesian. Over the years I've learnt how to balance my cultural; needs with the culture I'm in. If I have to go stay in a hotel once a month, then that's what I'll do. Teaching today, and I was glad to be back with these warm hearted and fun loving people. Thank you for those who prayed for me over the weekend, Yes my emotions have settled and I’m over the speed bump. And yes, I had KFC for lunch yesterday !
# The picture is one of my students in class 8A.
July 19th So, the honeymoon is over..........
We have two days National Holiday for the beginning of Ramadan, the children are not here, but the staff are still required to keep working. I'm in the office now preparing for next week. I taught for the first three days this week and enjoyed being back in the classroom after nearly a year. We're having quite a relaxed time though, eating and playing with Demus ( the 9 week old baby, who belongs to a young couple who are teachers here ). If I get tired of working I just go over and have a cuddle with him.
So..... the honeymoon is over, this is week five and this is when reality hits ( I remember from previous times ) . I was longing to l leave for a break again yesterday to eat western food, use a western toilet, sit on a soft couch ( instead of the floor ), watch some western tv , have a shower and have some peace and quiet to myself. But here I am living in the jungle ! What to do ? I was saying to God " I need some encouragement today. I just need something ! " During the morning one of the teachers came into the office and said that there was a truck in town selling Bougainvillea plants and his wife offered to take me in on her motor bike to buy some. I was so excited as there is no where to buy plants here. When I got into town I found out the truck had come 9 hours from Singkawang to sell the plants ! I was so amazed that God would send people 9 hours so I could have some plants for my garden ! Wow ! What a tender, loving God we serve. He knows what we need . I also went for a walk into town by myself later in the afternoon. I was heading to the market to buy some bananas and wondered why there were so many policeman in town. It turned out to be a parade by the Muslim school children for the start of Ramadam. They were dressed in their best traditional costumes and waved and smiled warmly at me as I took photos. I was so touched and almost cried at their friendliness. I have such a growing heart for Muslims. Again I was so touched that God would prompt me to go into town at the right time to see this and remind me what I’m here for. To be honest I'm not so excited about the teaching and God said to me yesterday " Janet you're here to teach, but there's more than teaching, be open to opportunities. "
# Please pray for opportunities to meet people outside of Mt Hope
# Pictue taken from the second floor balcony of the Middle School. The students line up at the start of the day to hear notices
So..... the honeymoon is over, this is week five and this is when reality hits ( I remember from previous times ) . I was longing to l leave for a break again yesterday to eat western food, use a western toilet, sit on a soft couch ( instead of the floor ), watch some western tv , have a shower and have some peace and quiet to myself. But here I am living in the jungle ! What to do ? I was saying to God " I need some encouragement today. I just need something ! " During the morning one of the teachers came into the office and said that there was a truck in town selling Bougainvillea plants and his wife offered to take me in on her motor bike to buy some. I was so excited as there is no where to buy plants here. When I got into town I found out the truck had come 9 hours from Singkawang to sell the plants ! I was so amazed that God would send people 9 hours so I could have some plants for my garden ! Wow ! What a tender, loving God we serve. He knows what we need . I also went for a walk into town by myself later in the afternoon. I was heading to the market to buy some bananas and wondered why there were so many policeman in town. It turned out to be a parade by the Muslim school children for the start of Ramadam. They were dressed in their best traditional costumes and waved and smiled warmly at me as I took photos. I was so touched and almost cried at their friendliness. I have such a growing heart for Muslims. Again I was so touched that God would prompt me to go into town at the right time to see this and remind me what I’m here for. To be honest I'm not so excited about the teaching and God said to me yesterday " Janet you're here to teach, but there's more than teaching, be open to opportunities. "
# Please pray for opportunities to meet people outside of Mt Hope
# Pictue taken from the second floor balcony of the Middle School. The students line up at the start of the day to hear notices
Tuesday 17th School has started ......
We started school yesterday and I took my first English class for nearly a year. It felt good to be back in the classroom. The students here are quite lively and like to have fun. School starts at 7am and has eight, forty minute periods. We finish at 1pm for lunch. My day starts at 5am, when I get up and then we have a prayer and praise meeting at 5:30am until 6:00 am. Breakfast of rice, tofu and veges is served at 6:00am and then we have time to prepare for school starting at 7am. It's funny by 9am in the morning your day is half finished ! The children wear three different school uniforms during the week, one is worn on Mon, Tues, another on Wed, Thursday and the third on Friday. I guess I'll know which day of the week it is. They wear ties and look very smart.
Please pray for :
my classes: that I will be able to teach to their level and have fun, interesting classes.
Safety: as we walk along the edge of the busy road into town
My students: that I'll have opportunities to have some quality time with individuals and really get to know them. .
# Picture taken on Sunday of a teacher and her family that came to visit. It was taken in our lounge / kitchen, yes we sit on the floor.
Please pray for :
my classes: that I will be able to teach to their level and have fun, interesting classes.
Safety: as we walk along the edge of the busy road into town
My students: that I'll have opportunities to have some quality time with individuals and really get to know them. .
# Picture taken on Sunday of a teacher and her family that came to visit. It was taken in our lounge / kitchen, yes we sit on the floor.
Saturday 14th A trip to the market.......
My flatmate Tabitha and I got up and went to the local market this morning at 7am. We bought vegetables and shrimps to cook for lunch. When we got home I sat on the floor with her to pick the cassava leaves off the stems before cooking them. She dipped the shrimps in batter and I made a jelly with coconut milk and pieces of coconut jelly. I was thinking about the small achievements I've made in the last month here. They seems small but have taken a long time and feel like big achievements.
1. I'm connected to the printer and Wi Fi here at Mt Hope ( a great feeling ! )
2. I can read some lines of Indonesian songs and I know what they mean
3. I can have a simple chat in Indonesian about their name, where they're from, if they have family,
4. I know how to walk to the local town by myself and where the money changer is.
5. I have an Indonesian SIM card and my phone is connected
6. I've bought a water dispenser for our flat so we don't have to boil water
7. I've bought a brighter bulb so I can see to read in my bedroom.
.
# Picture taken at the covered Vegetable market this morning about 7:30am
1. I'm connected to the printer and Wi Fi here at Mt Hope ( a great feeling ! )
2. I can read some lines of Indonesian songs and I know what they mean
3. I can have a simple chat in Indonesian about their name, where they're from, if they have family,
4. I know how to walk to the local town by myself and where the money changer is.
5. I have an Indonesian SIM card and my phone is connected
6. I've bought a water dispenser for our flat so we don't have to boil water
7. I've bought a brighter bulb so I can see to read in my bedroom.
.
# Picture taken at the covered Vegetable market this morning about 7:30am
Friday 13th July Two days in Kuching......
Woops this really is my new email account janet2mthope@hotmail.co.nz ( must be in love and fuzzy headed )
and my new mobile number ( 0062 812 56 140457 ) Yes, please call !
I've just returned to Mt Hope after two days in Kuching, getting some supplies and finding my way around Kuching. The trip back was quite a saga, but fun. First we got a taxi to the bus stop, then we waited and got on a green local bus that was going to Sirian (a town near the border, an hours trip ) with loud blaring music ( at Pop Concert noise level ) then we waited for 45 minutes for a small taxi van to fill up with eleven people ( and three tv sets ) for the half hour trip to the boarder. We walked across the border having our passports chopped on the Malaysian side and then the Indonesian side. While waiting for another half hour ( on the Indonesian side of the border ) for an even smaller taxi van to fill up, we got chatting to an Indonesian Muslim lady who was very friendly and ended up buying us all some boiled bananas in pendang leaves.
The bus trip to Bali Karangan town was another half hour and we started off with 10 people ( which would fit 6 people comfortably ). We were sitting sideways on small forms facing each other. It was quite fun chatting and eating boiled bananas hunched up. As we drove along, the bus stopped periodically to pick people up. We were already jam packed so the new passengers climbed up on to the roof rack and at one time there were three guys hanging out the door ! ( I was wondering if they only had to pay half price for that privilege ) At one point we counted 19 people. When we finally arrived at Bali Karangan town. We were ferried by motor bike to Mt Hope. It was such a small motor bike and a thin man, I thought the bike might to a wheel stand with me and my heavy bag on the back. So as you can see ,life is not so easy over here but it's definitely more exciting ! Some of the new students have now arrived and are doing an orientation and we start school proper on Monday.
# Picture of the new man in my life ! Tall, handsome and the silent type. We met at the marekt place today, it was love at first sight !
# No seriously please pray for Abraham and Malane ( the leaders here ) For unity and wisdom for the leadership team.
- for Nora and Betty two single Indonesian ladies here who head up the Elementary School and Middle High School. They work very hard
- for the young families with children under 5 ( we have a lot of them ) for strong marriages
- for Doni's wife Uly who is 7 months pregnant. For a good birth. Only a mid wife available here, no hospitals for 3 hours !
.
and my new mobile number ( 0062 812 56 140457 ) Yes, please call !
I've just returned to Mt Hope after two days in Kuching, getting some supplies and finding my way around Kuching. The trip back was quite a saga, but fun. First we got a taxi to the bus stop, then we waited and got on a green local bus that was going to Sirian (a town near the border, an hours trip ) with loud blaring music ( at Pop Concert noise level ) then we waited for 45 minutes for a small taxi van to fill up with eleven people ( and three tv sets ) for the half hour trip to the boarder. We walked across the border having our passports chopped on the Malaysian side and then the Indonesian side. While waiting for another half hour ( on the Indonesian side of the border ) for an even smaller taxi van to fill up, we got chatting to an Indonesian Muslim lady who was very friendly and ended up buying us all some boiled bananas in pendang leaves.
The bus trip to Bali Karangan town was another half hour and we started off with 10 people ( which would fit 6 people comfortably ). We were sitting sideways on small forms facing each other. It was quite fun chatting and eating boiled bananas hunched up. As we drove along, the bus stopped periodically to pick people up. We were already jam packed so the new passengers climbed up on to the roof rack and at one time there were three guys hanging out the door ! ( I was wondering if they only had to pay half price for that privilege ) At one point we counted 19 people. When we finally arrived at Bali Karangan town. We were ferried by motor bike to Mt Hope. It was such a small motor bike and a thin man, I thought the bike might to a wheel stand with me and my heavy bag on the back. So as you can see ,life is not so easy over here but it's definitely more exciting ! Some of the new students have now arrived and are doing an orientation and we start school proper on Monday.
# Picture of the new man in my life ! Tall, handsome and the silent type. We met at the marekt place today, it was love at first sight !
# No seriously please pray for Abraham and Malane ( the leaders here ) For unity and wisdom for the leadership team.
- for Nora and Betty two single Indonesian ladies here who head up the Elementary School and Middle High School. They work very hard
- for the young families with children under 5 ( we have a lot of them ) for strong marriages
- for Doni's wife Uly who is 7 months pregnant. For a good birth. Only a mid wife available here, no hospitals for 3 hours !
.
Sunday July 8th A young Prince......
Waking up this morning with dappled sun light flickering through the bank of trees behind my bedroom, my first thought was “ Sunday ! I wonder what we’ll do today ?“. Moving quietly into the kitchen so as not to wake my room mates I start boiling some water for coffee when Tabitha stumbles out to tell me we have a church service starting in 10 minutes time.
Later that morning I find we are also going to a party. We’ve been invited by a Muslim family to their son’s “ Coming of age Party” That is to say he’s just been circumcised at about age 11. As our car pulls up in a small village we are greeted by the festive bright yellow and green draping of a tent, loud music and someone who could have been the boy’s father. We sign our names in a guest book and are each given a small gift box. We are then ushered into the awning which is full of turquoise green chairs in rows and different buffet stands. I choose the safe,r beef ( rather than the offered goat meat ). We load our plates and are given small deserts and glasses of water to take to our seats. The young girls serving at the different buffet stands have elaborately embroidered clothes and thick make up. After eating our tasty lunch I’m assured that this is no ordinary party, but these parents of one our Mt Hope children are very wealthy and work in the government.
I was amazed by the booth set up like a small palace complete with wall to ceiling live waterfalls ( magically falling over a waterfall painting ) on either side of an ornately carved wooden throne where the young boy was seated in richly embroidered gold and red silk clothes. His mother looking like a princes also in thick make up, coiffured hair and pink sequined gown. I was ushered into the booth and encouraged to take photos with them, after greeting individually all the older important looking men in their Indonesian Muslim head gear and batik shirts. What a surprising contrast to my visit to the village not far away where they are living in subsistence conditions. Indonesia is surely a country of contrasts and surprises and my days here are full of new experiences.
Later that morning I find we are also going to a party. We’ve been invited by a Muslim family to their son’s “ Coming of age Party” That is to say he’s just been circumcised at about age 11. As our car pulls up in a small village we are greeted by the festive bright yellow and green draping of a tent, loud music and someone who could have been the boy’s father. We sign our names in a guest book and are each given a small gift box. We are then ushered into the awning which is full of turquoise green chairs in rows and different buffet stands. I choose the safe,r beef ( rather than the offered goat meat ). We load our plates and are given small deserts and glasses of water to take to our seats. The young girls serving at the different buffet stands have elaborately embroidered clothes and thick make up. After eating our tasty lunch I’m assured that this is no ordinary party, but these parents of one our Mt Hope children are very wealthy and work in the government.
I was amazed by the booth set up like a small palace complete with wall to ceiling live waterfalls ( magically falling over a waterfall painting ) on either side of an ornately carved wooden throne where the young boy was seated in richly embroidered gold and red silk clothes. His mother looking like a princes also in thick make up, coiffured hair and pink sequined gown. I was ushered into the booth and encouraged to take photos with them, after greeting individually all the older important looking men in their Indonesian Muslim head gear and batik shirts. What a surprising contrast to my visit to the village not far away where they are living in subsistence conditions. Indonesia is surely a country of contrasts and surprises and my days here are full of new experiences.
Saturday July 7th Ahhh.... the food
What are you eating over there, you're probably wondering ? Well there are three things Indonesians can't live without. Rice, Sambal ( hot chilli sauce ) and Tempa ( everything imaginable fried in batter ). It puts a new slant on the old New Zealand fish and chips. I was going to take photos of breakfast, lunch and dinner and see if you could tell the difference. For breakfast we eat rice, veges and tofu. For lunch we eat rice, veges and maybe a hard boiled egg and for dinner we eat rice, veges and maybe a skinny leg of chicken or a small fried fish. All washed down with spoonfuls of hot chilli sauce and with the addition of multitudes of fried and battered things such as fried fish, fried taro, fried banana, fried tofu. You name it we fry it ! I’m only a novice with the chillii sauce but no doubt I'll catch up to the Indonesian consumption after a few months. I actually enjoy the food here and don't mind the slight monotony. I buy fruit at the local market at NZ prices ( not cheap as it's all imported ) and am pleased to say I'm slowly loosing weight ( something I need to do ).
News Flash !
A big apology, my hot mail email account has been sending out spam and I came back from our beach holiday to find my account had been blocked. I've opened a new account [email protected] would you please take a moment to eamil me as I'm unable to import all my email address from my old account. Much appreciated .
My new Indonesian mobile number is 0812 56 140457 so to call me you put 0062 in front and take off the 0 ( 0062 812 56 140457 ) Just remember we're 5 hours behind NZ and one hour ahead of China and Malaysia.
# Picture of fisherman's shack on beach with TV satellite dish, made me smile
I# I'm going through a patch of Home sickness ( it's like turbulence when you're flying on a plane ) it comes and goes.
# Please pray that I'll use my time here wisely for language learning and for divine opportunities with people
My new Indonesian mobile number is 0812 56 140457 so to call me you put 0062 in front and take off the 0 ( 0062 812 56 140457 ) Just remember we're 5 hours behind NZ and one hour ahead of China and Malaysia.
# Picture of fisherman's shack on beach with TV satellite dish, made me smile
I# I'm going through a patch of Home sickness ( it's like turbulence when you're flying on a plane ) it comes and goes.
# Please pray that I'll use my time here wisely for language learning and for divine opportunities with people
Thursday 6th July Visiting a village......
Riding along on the back of Doni’s motorbike with a cool breeze blowing in my hair while hanging on to a bag of warm food ,I felt extremely happy . We are heading to a nearby village to deliver lunch to 6 people. Doni a young teacher, has a wife who is 7 months pregnant. He delivers the food 4 days a week, and another teacher goes 3 days a week. I’m loving the freedom of riding along without a helmet, but at the same time praying for God’s hand of safety to be on us.
Ten minutes later we turn off the main road and up a bumpy concreted path that winds between huts and houses . This is a village of farmers that live by harvesting palm tree oil in the jungle. Stopping the bike on the path, we climb off and negotiate a ditch to get to a dilapidated old wooden house painted pale green. The front door is open and Doni calls out “ Permissi ? “ (Can we come in ? ) We leave our sandals with the others scattered on the porch and enter into the semi darkness of the house. The walls are bare untreated wood , darkened with age and misshapen in places with holes of light showing through. Smiling nut brown faces greet us. This seems to be an extended family of little children, working men, a nursing mother and a grandfather. The shy skeleton thin face of a women in her thirties peers around a roughly made wooden door and I realise this is who we have come to deliver food to. Her emaciated figure is clad in an Indonesian patterned blouse and a sarong. A pervading yet pleasant oder of burnt fire wood permiates the walls.The kitchen at the back of the house where we sit is blackened and aged by the open wood cooking fire. The air is slightly blue and hazy smoke wafts lazily from the embers in the fireplace. Senikon was born crippled and spends much of her life in doors pulling herself along the floor with her hands. I felt an immediate connection with her and with Doni’s help and my faltering Indonesian was able to chat and laugh with her and her family who all gathered around to listen. I asked what she likes to do and she said she loves to read and she can also make grass mats. I have been thinking what I can do to improve her situation
We visted with three other people ( which I'll write about later ). I felt so touched and had such a compassion for the plight of these people, at one stage I wanted to gather a thin old lady in my arms and just craddle her. I felt tears welling up in my eyes ,as she was so emaciated and had cateracts blinding her eyes.
Ten minutes later we turn off the main road and up a bumpy concreted path that winds between huts and houses . This is a village of farmers that live by harvesting palm tree oil in the jungle. Stopping the bike on the path, we climb off and negotiate a ditch to get to a dilapidated old wooden house painted pale green. The front door is open and Doni calls out “ Permissi ? “ (Can we come in ? ) We leave our sandals with the others scattered on the porch and enter into the semi darkness of the house. The walls are bare untreated wood , darkened with age and misshapen in places with holes of light showing through. Smiling nut brown faces greet us. This seems to be an extended family of little children, working men, a nursing mother and a grandfather. The shy skeleton thin face of a women in her thirties peers around a roughly made wooden door and I realise this is who we have come to deliver food to. Her emaciated figure is clad in an Indonesian patterned blouse and a sarong. A pervading yet pleasant oder of burnt fire wood permiates the walls.The kitchen at the back of the house where we sit is blackened and aged by the open wood cooking fire. The air is slightly blue and hazy smoke wafts lazily from the embers in the fireplace. Senikon was born crippled and spends much of her life in doors pulling herself along the floor with her hands. I felt an immediate connection with her and with Doni’s help and my faltering Indonesian was able to chat and laugh with her and her family who all gathered around to listen. I asked what she likes to do and she said she loves to read and she can also make grass mats. I have been thinking what I can do to improve her situation
We visted with three other people ( which I'll write about later ). I felt so touched and had such a compassion for the plight of these people, at one stage I wanted to gather a thin old lady in my arms and just craddle her. I felt tears welling up in my eyes ,as she was so emaciated and had cateracts blinding her eyes.
Tuesday July 4th.... Lessons learnt at Singkawang Beach
9 hours with only half my bum on the small seat that I was sharing with another teacher and her baby. Slowing down every few minutes, the bus had to swerve to avoid pot holes in the road and I had to wedge myself between the seats so as not to be thrown about. "Ok, I thought. How do I cope with this ? One hour at time. I'll just concentrate on handling it for the next hour and then I'll deal with the next hour after that. “ And that's how I got through 9 hours ( one hour at a time ).
Arriving shaken, sweaty but relieved about lunch time we were allocated our rooms. After having prayed for a room with a sea view I excitedly opened my hotel room and found to my shock I am in a windowless room !. " Ok, Give thanks to God for all things, so God I'm thanking you for this room ( even though I'm feeling claustrophobic, the bathroom is filthy and at this moment in time I’m desperately wanting to go home ). But by Sunday I was actually thanking God for my windowless room as it was relatively quiet compared to the outside rooms where the sound of buzzing motor bikes ,ice cream vendors loudspeakers and general fairground noise level was quite an irritation. Lesson learnt " In everything give thanks" ( even when you don't understand the situation ).
Later picking my way down the litter strewn steps on to the beach and past crowds of swimmers, or should I say floaters ,in old inner tube tyres ,I headed in the direction of the least people and was rewarded by some peace and quiet. Beautiful golden sand, waves lapping gently, palm trees further down the beach ahhh... " This is more like it ! " Chickens strolling along the beach with their chicks, scratching for food. A coke bottle floating on the waves, a man crouching in the bow of an old turquoise green wooden boat checking his nets, another young man walking along the beach with his motor bike helmet on, fisherman's shacks perched on the sand dunes with TV satellite dishes beside them, just a few of the strange sights of an Asian beach.
# The picture was taken in one of the shacks on the beach. I am drinking coconut milk with one of the teachers who has a 9 week old baby I get to cuddle everyday.
Arriving shaken, sweaty but relieved about lunch time we were allocated our rooms. After having prayed for a room with a sea view I excitedly opened my hotel room and found to my shock I am in a windowless room !. " Ok, Give thanks to God for all things, so God I'm thanking you for this room ( even though I'm feeling claustrophobic, the bathroom is filthy and at this moment in time I’m desperately wanting to go home ). But by Sunday I was actually thanking God for my windowless room as it was relatively quiet compared to the outside rooms where the sound of buzzing motor bikes ,ice cream vendors loudspeakers and general fairground noise level was quite an irritation. Lesson learnt " In everything give thanks" ( even when you don't understand the situation ).
Later picking my way down the litter strewn steps on to the beach and past crowds of swimmers, or should I say floaters ,in old inner tube tyres ,I headed in the direction of the least people and was rewarded by some peace and quiet. Beautiful golden sand, waves lapping gently, palm trees further down the beach ahhh... " This is more like it ! " Chickens strolling along the beach with their chicks, scratching for food. A coke bottle floating on the waves, a man crouching in the bow of an old turquoise green wooden boat checking his nets, another young man walking along the beach with his motor bike helmet on, fisherman's shacks perched on the sand dunes with TV satellite dishes beside them, just a few of the strange sights of an Asian beach.
# The picture was taken in one of the shacks on the beach. I am drinking coconut milk with one of the teachers who has a 9 week old baby I get to cuddle everyday.
Wednesday 27th June A walk in the thunder......
There is something enigmatically satisfying about walking along a late afternoon, dusty road. Sweltering, eating dust and trying to avoid motor scooters that swarm past like bees, with the sky gathering darkness and rain clouds over head The dust begins to swirl around you and the wind picks up dropping the temperature, and warning of the on coming promise of rain.
I wander through a small housing area and meet a group of giggling young Muslim girls with their heads covered with brightly patterned head scarves , they scuttle away after smiling shyly and calling out "Hello" in English between laugher and friendly nudges.
Picking my way through the gray stagnant, litter strewn puddles that have formed near the covered market place. The gathering storm clouds have made it twilight under the market roof and it’s hard to make out who’s selling the sweet finger bananas I’ve come to buy. A smile appears out of the gathering dusk. “ Berapa an ? I ask . I know how to ask "How much ? " but can’t catch the answers yet, so I get out my pen and paper and the vendor patiently writes down 3,000 rupees. ( about 50cents NZ ). I pull out my dirty worn notes and carefully examine how many zeros are after each number. I’ve already given away 50,000 for a 5,000 purchase much to someone’s delight. Feeling pleased with my careful purchase I stuff the bananas into my backpack and head out in to the splotchy rain. The impending storm is an excuse to pack up early and I watch as shop keepers scurry to pull down their wares .
There’s also something earthy and satisfying about arriving home in the gathering twilight, now cooler from the rain. Wrapping a sarong around myself I pad across the wooden floor in my bare feet to boil some hot water in our large aluminum kettle on the gas stove perched on the kitchen bench. The simplicity of taking a bath with scoops of warm water sploshing all over the tiled bathroom floor ,washing away the dust and heat of the day and then settling down with a cup of ginger tea to update my blog.
# Please pray that God will enlarge my heart for the people here and this nation of Borneo.
I wander through a small housing area and meet a group of giggling young Muslim girls with their heads covered with brightly patterned head scarves , they scuttle away after smiling shyly and calling out "Hello" in English between laugher and friendly nudges.
Picking my way through the gray stagnant, litter strewn puddles that have formed near the covered market place. The gathering storm clouds have made it twilight under the market roof and it’s hard to make out who’s selling the sweet finger bananas I’ve come to buy. A smile appears out of the gathering dusk. “ Berapa an ? I ask . I know how to ask "How much ? " but can’t catch the answers yet, so I get out my pen and paper and the vendor patiently writes down 3,000 rupees. ( about 50cents NZ ). I pull out my dirty worn notes and carefully examine how many zeros are after each number. I’ve already given away 50,000 for a 5,000 purchase much to someone’s delight. Feeling pleased with my careful purchase I stuff the bananas into my backpack and head out in to the splotchy rain. The impending storm is an excuse to pack up early and I watch as shop keepers scurry to pull down their wares .
There’s also something earthy and satisfying about arriving home in the gathering twilight, now cooler from the rain. Wrapping a sarong around myself I pad across the wooden floor in my bare feet to boil some hot water in our large aluminum kettle on the gas stove perched on the kitchen bench. The simplicity of taking a bath with scoops of warm water sploshing all over the tiled bathroom floor ,washing away the dust and heat of the day and then settling down with a cup of ginger tea to update my blog.
# Please pray that God will enlarge my heart for the people here and this nation of Borneo.
Monday 25th I live in a long house........
People have been asking to see where I live, so here it is, the Teachers' apartments. The families live up stairs with babies and little kids, and the singles live down stairs. I live in the second door from the left downstairs . You walk into the lounge / kitchen which has a wooden floor and not much else. We tend to sit on the floor for prayer meetings and meals ( this is Indonesian custom ). I've kind of got used to having little furniture. There is a long communal balcony along the front. We take our shoes off before we stand on the balcony . I like to sit on the steps watching the sunrise with my cup of coffee. I get to chat with all sorts of people. It's a cross between living in a student dorm at university and being on a continuous church camp, always laughter and chatter to be heard but as we all have to get up for prayer at 5:30am everyone settles down quite early ( which suites me ). Floors and ceilings are wood, so you can hear neighbors walking around. TV's, thumping music from theguys dorm next door, children playing ( and I thought China was noisy ! ) It must be God because I'm actually enjoying the communal living.
# A quick answer to prayer. The lady I was sitting next to at church last night offered to teach me Indonesian. I didn't ask she just offered. So thank you for praying. I was actually hungry tonight for the first time in two weeks, so my stomach must be getting better.
# A quick answer to prayer. The lady I was sitting next to at church last night offered to teach me Indonesian. I didn't ask she just offered. So thank you for praying. I was actually hungry tonight for the first time in two weeks, so my stomach must be getting better.
Friday 22nd June .....a snake and some garlic
" Saya dapat sedikit berbicara behasa Indoneisa " ( I can speak a little Indonesian ) " I've discovered there is a whole community outside my door who are willing to help me with my Language learning . Late this afternoon, I gathered my Indonesian pocket dictionary and notebook and headed out for another language learning adventure. Some of the high school girls were watering the garden and were happy to stop and help me read a children's book in Indonesian. Strolling down to the kitchen I found some of the younger girls helping to peel garlic so I sat down and spent a great hour or so peeling garlic and learning lots of new Indonesian phrases. After, as I was heading home just before dinner, I came across a group of excited boys in front of their dorm. One of them had found a snake and was proudly showing it off. I asked if I could touch it, and found it to be cool and slimy to the touch , and with a soft , pink underbelly. They assured me it wasn't poisonous when I asked., but later one of the teachers said don't believe them when they say it's not poisonous ( they don't know what the word poisonous means ! )
I've just had a couple of days of the old " delly belly" and feel slimmer already. I guess we have to adapt to the local bugs. After feeling quite weak on Wednesday I slept for 18 hours from lunch time to the next morning and felt better.
Please pray for a strong stomach and quick adaptation to the local bugs.
Please continue to pray for my language learning that it would be quick and easy. I'm really enjoying it and have never has such an easy time learning a language.
# Picture of snake taken this afternoon, outside boys dorm.
I've just had a couple of days of the old " delly belly" and feel slimmer already. I guess we have to adapt to the local bugs. After feeling quite weak on Wednesday I slept for 18 hours from lunch time to the next morning and felt better.
Please pray for a strong stomach and quick adaptation to the local bugs.
Please continue to pray for my language learning that it would be quick and easy. I'm really enjoying it and have never has such an easy time learning a language.
# Picture of snake taken this afternoon, outside boys dorm.
Tuesday June 19th Back to Work..
It’s 8pm and I’ve just been visiting with my favorite girls. They live in the dormitory just below where I live in the teacher’s long house. I’ve been sitting on the tiled floor ( which is pleasantly cool ) with a bunch of 6 and 7 year old girls teaching them some action songs. They are so focused and quick to learn it’s unnerving ! there are 36 girls looked after by two teachers in one dorm and another 30 or so in the other gir'ls dorm.
I started work yesterday, and have been allocated a desk in the teacher’s room. I will be teaching in the Middle High School and Abby and I are starting on the curriculum for next semester. I'm really enjoying chatting with everyone and learning Indonesian which is so much easier to learn than Chinese.
Thank you for your prayers for my language learning, it's never been so easy !
# the pictre to the left is some in the Teachers' room and below are some of my little friends, taken this afternoon ( behind is the Girl's dorm )
I started work yesterday, and have been allocated a desk in the teacher’s room. I will be teaching in the Middle High School and Abby and I are starting on the curriculum for next semester. I'm really enjoying chatting with everyone and learning Indonesian which is so much easier to learn than Chinese.
Thank you for your prayers for my language learning, it's never been so easy !
# the pictre to the left is some in the Teachers' room and below are some of my little friends, taken this afternoon ( behind is the Girl's dorm )
Friday June 15th My First Morning at Mt Hope....
6:45am I can hear birds, crickets and the bubble of children’s voices rising and falling in excitement over at the dormitories. I’ve just eaten a breakfast of rice, tofu and green veges washed down with sweet black tea. I was awoken in the deep darkness at 4:30am by the Muslim call to prayer. I lay half sleep as I listened to my room mate getting up and bathing, by pouring water over herself from a tub, onto the bathroom tiles. Sipping coffee on the steps of the veranda about 5am. I watched as the pink dawn spread across the horizon silhouetting the dark mountains against the mist. Sleepy teachers yawning and slipping past in the predawn, to the prayer house at 5:30am. We left our jandels before the veranda and sat on the polished wooden floor listening to quiet guitar music as people assembled. The worship was so soft, full and inviting. . A body of worship that was so in unity, I was amazed and felt it was worth coming all this way just to hear that. These Indonesian people know how to worship with all their heart. Feeling rested, my heart is warm from the greetings, smiles and hugs. Maybe I can do this with Your help God ! Please pray this song over me, I love the song, now I need to learn to live the life !
Song by Marien Weber “ Dedication “
I will go anywhere I know, You go before me,
Jesus I have made the choice,
I will live to know your voice, and follow You
Any burden I’ve held dear, I lay it at your feet and trust in You.
For this life is not my own, and I live to dedicate my all to follow You.
I will give everything O Lord to have your presence
Jesus you have paid the price, now loving not my life, I follow you.
Any treasure in Your place, You have given Lord, I now receive the grace to let it go
For this life is not my own, and I dedicate my all to follow You.
.
Song by Marien Weber “ Dedication “
I will go anywhere I know, You go before me,
Jesus I have made the choice,
I will live to know your voice, and follow You
Any burden I’ve held dear, I lay it at your feet and trust in You.
For this life is not my own, and I live to dedicate my all to follow You.
I will give everything O Lord to have your presence
Jesus you have paid the price, now loving not my life, I follow you.
Any treasure in Your place, You have given Lord, I now receive the grace to let it go
For this life is not my own, and I dedicate my all to follow You.
.
June 13th I've arrived !
Early Tuesday morning as I sat in bed drinking coffee and having my quiet time before I left for Auckland airport my usual pre departure thoughts roze again. " What on earth am I doing ? ". As I continued on with my daily reading I read Acts 7: 3 " Get out of your country and from your relatives and come to the land which I will show you " ( I just about fell out of bed ! ) The scripture God gave me when I left China was " Return to your country and to your father's house and I will deal well with you " and now here I am 11 months later, and on the day of my departure of a new adventure, God lines up Acts 7.3. I was so encouraged !
I arrived at the hotel here in Kuching about 1am last night ( 4am NZ time ) and after a shower fell into bed. Pulling the curtains open this morning I found the sunrise glowing over the river. The sun was breaking through a gap in the clouds and looked like an open eye winking at me. I enjoyed a relaxing swim early this morning, getting all the kinks out from 15 hours of travel. I've just met one of the managers at the hotel ( who just happens to be from Xian China ) and after chatting for awhile he has given me unlimited Internet access for the duration of my stay, instead of the usual one hour complimentary access. ( yeah God's favour ).
# Picture taken from my hotel room in Kuching. Mmmmm... I like Kuching ( a cross between Hamilton and Shanghai ). Kim from Mt Hope is coming to pick me up on Thursday to take me shopping for supplies ,and then through the boarder to Indonesia and my new home.
I arrived at the hotel here in Kuching about 1am last night ( 4am NZ time ) and after a shower fell into bed. Pulling the curtains open this morning I found the sunrise glowing over the river. The sun was breaking through a gap in the clouds and looked like an open eye winking at me. I enjoyed a relaxing swim early this morning, getting all the kinks out from 15 hours of travel. I've just met one of the managers at the hotel ( who just happens to be from Xian China ) and after chatting for awhile he has given me unlimited Internet access for the duration of my stay, instead of the usual one hour complimentary access. ( yeah God's favour ).
# Picture taken from my hotel room in Kuching. Mmmmm... I like Kuching ( a cross between Hamilton and Shanghai ). Kim from Mt Hope is coming to pick me up on Thursday to take me shopping for supplies ,and then through the boarder to Indonesia and my new home.
June 9th A day full of Rainbows
The autumn sky was full of rainbows yesterday as I travelled by bus from Whangarei to Hamilton . I was reading a copy of Mathew Needham’s book " What should I do for Jesus ? " ( given to me at Crossroads Church ). As I began reading about taking every opportunity to share God's love, I stopped, closed the book and prayed " God give me an opportunity to share your love today ".
On the leg to Hamilton, a young Chinese woman sat next to me and we started chatting. I was amazed to find my Chinese was still good enough to chat and laugh together as we found out how much we had in common ( from being in Henan, living in Shanghai and sharing the same Chinese family name ). About ten minutes out of Hamilton I gave her a Steps to Peace with God and suggested she might like to read it when she had some time. She opened it and read it from cover to cover straight away. I also felt prompted to give her a copy of Psalms ( that my connect group had given me the night before ) as she had a long journey ahead of her to Hastings. As she read, she smiled and said " I can feel peace touching my heart ". She then shared that she thought she was pregnant and had been worried as she waited for the test results.
I was grinning from ear to ear as I got off the bus to find Joy and Peter waiting for me. Wow ! it was so easy, comfortable and such a joy to know God had used me to bring comfort. He arranged it, all I had to do was follow His promptings. It made me realize again how many opportunities we have around us each day to touch people’s with eternity.
I'm on my way to Indonesia !
# Photo taken from the bus window.
On the leg to Hamilton, a young Chinese woman sat next to me and we started chatting. I was amazed to find my Chinese was still good enough to chat and laugh together as we found out how much we had in common ( from being in Henan, living in Shanghai and sharing the same Chinese family name ). About ten minutes out of Hamilton I gave her a Steps to Peace with God and suggested she might like to read it when she had some time. She opened it and read it from cover to cover straight away. I also felt prompted to give her a copy of Psalms ( that my connect group had given me the night before ) as she had a long journey ahead of her to Hastings. As she read, she smiled and said " I can feel peace touching my heart ". She then shared that she thought she was pregnant and had been worried as she waited for the test results.
I was grinning from ear to ear as I got off the bus to find Joy and Peter waiting for me. Wow ! it was so easy, comfortable and such a joy to know God had used me to bring comfort. He arranged it, all I had to do was follow His promptings. It made me realize again how many opportunities we have around us each day to touch people’s with eternity.
I'm on my way to Indonesia !
# Photo taken from the bus window.
May 30th The suitcase is out !
I took this photo on a trip to Patua one weekend. My daily Autumn walks are filled with blue sky and sunshine as I enjoy the last couple of weeks in our beautiful country.
My One Year Multi Entry visa arrived in just 3 days ! Thanks for the prayer. I've had my last Hep A and B shot and I'm just gathering some resources to take. The suitcase is out and I'm firing things into it. ( only 12 days to go ). I'm heading down to Hamilton next Friday June 8 for a couple of days and then back up to Auckland to my sister's for a couple of nights. I fly out on Tuesday June 12 at 1:15pm. I arrive in Kuching Malaysia about midnight and will stay in a hotel a couple of nights so I don't arrive at Mt Hope jet lagged. Kim from Mt Hope will be collecting me from the hotel on Thursday 14 and will help me get supplies and then drive me through the boarder. All sounds simple.
A big thank you to those who have given financial support. I'm using some of it to buy resources to take for Mt Hope. The Indonesian language learning is coming along. It's a lot easier to learn than Chinese as it has Roman script.
I'm reading a very inspiring book at the moment " Hosting the Presence ( of God ) " by Bill Johnson ( Bethel Church, Redding ) It's about stewarding the Presence of God in our lives by not grieving or quenching the Holy Spirit.
You can find my Indonesian contact details if you scroll to the top of this page and hit the " Contact Information " tag. Yes, I love getting letters and cards ( as well as emails ). My skype address is Janet4asia ( Indonesia is about 4 hours ahead I think )
My One Year Multi Entry visa arrived in just 3 days ! Thanks for the prayer. I've had my last Hep A and B shot and I'm just gathering some resources to take. The suitcase is out and I'm firing things into it. ( only 12 days to go ). I'm heading down to Hamilton next Friday June 8 for a couple of days and then back up to Auckland to my sister's for a couple of nights. I fly out on Tuesday June 12 at 1:15pm. I arrive in Kuching Malaysia about midnight and will stay in a hotel a couple of nights so I don't arrive at Mt Hope jet lagged. Kim from Mt Hope will be collecting me from the hotel on Thursday 14 and will help me get supplies and then drive me through the boarder. All sounds simple.
A big thank you to those who have given financial support. I'm using some of it to buy resources to take for Mt Hope. The Indonesian language learning is coming along. It's a lot easier to learn than Chinese as it has Roman script.
I'm reading a very inspiring book at the moment " Hosting the Presence ( of God ) " by Bill Johnson ( Bethel Church, Redding ) It's about stewarding the Presence of God in our lives by not grieving or quenching the Holy Spirit.
You can find my Indonesian contact details if you scroll to the top of this page and hit the " Contact Information " tag. Yes, I love getting letters and cards ( as well as emails ). My skype address is Janet4asia ( Indonesia is about 4 hours ahead I think )
A video showing the vision for Mt Hope ( Including a University )
May 14th "Bringing Hope to Indonesia, one child at a time"
I think most people have caught up with my news that I'm heading off on a new adventure to teach at Mt Hope Training Centre. It is a school set up by the Soukottas to enable the children of the Dayak Indigenous people to be able to have an education. It is a voluntary situation and I will be initially going for 6 months. under the covering of Crossroads Community Church Whangarei. I leave on Tuesday June 12 and will return to NZ on December 7th ( one month Indonesian school holiday ). I will report back to Crossroads Community Church here in Whangarei ,and if all is well head back to Indonesia in January for a longer term.
Revelations 3:8 " I know your works, see I have set before you and Open Door and no one can shut it, for you have little strength and have kept my word and have not denied my name. " The map opposite shows where Mt Hope Training Centre is in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. My letter of invitation arrived today from the Soukottas so I was able to send off my visa application ( Please pray they give me a one year multi entry visa ). Below are a couple of photos of some of the children at the school. They teach from Kindergarten to Junior High School level. There is one other teacher from NZ there at the moment. You can check out their web site http://mount-hope.org/ .for more photos to give you a better idea of where I'm going.
Revelations 3:8 " I know your works, see I have set before you and Open Door and no one can shut it, for you have little strength and have kept my word and have not denied my name. " The map opposite shows where Mt Hope Training Centre is in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. My letter of invitation arrived today from the Soukottas so I was able to send off my visa application ( Please pray they give me a one year multi entry visa ). Below are a couple of photos of some of the children at the school. They teach from Kindergarten to Junior High School level. There is one other teacher from NZ there at the moment. You can check out their web site http://mount-hope.org/ .for more photos to give you a better idea of where I'm going.
- Please pray for my visa to be processed quickly. I am asking for a multi entry one year visa.
It’s all about working together to get the job done no matter where we are from. Together we become a powerful force to break the poverty cycle. Change a Life, Change a Community, Change a Nation.
25% of West Kalimantan children don't get a Primary School education
50% of West Kalimantan children don't get a Secondary School education
83% of West Kalimantan students don't get a Tertiary School education
April 27th
I took this photo one evening recently as I walked across the field to my sister’s house for a visit. You can see the beautiful view we get of the harbor from the peninsula where we live.
" Sing O barren,... Break forth into singing... for more are the children of the desolate...enlarge the place of your tent and let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings... do not spare: lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes
" Sing O barren,... Break forth into singing... for more are the children of the desolate...enlarge the place of your tent and let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings... do not spare: lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes
April 10th
A picture of my sister Helen and my Dad on his 83rd birthday yesterday and still going strong. Just to update you, I never heard back about the job I mentioned in Malaysia in my last post ( guess I didn't get it ). Well, I did ask God to open or close doors.
I was reading Revelations 3:8 yesterday " I know your works, see I have set before you an open door and no one can shut it; for you have little strength, have kept My word and have not denied My name. " Today I got an email from the Soukotos at Mt Hope asking if I would be interested in helping as an English Teacher at their school in Borneo Indonesia. Without any prompting from me, my pastor ( here in Whangarei ) wrote to them and told them about me. Have a look at their web site http://mount-hope.org/ . They are doing an amazing job over there and teams from Crossroads Church Whangarei go once or twice a year.
It would be very different to my time in Shanghai, with no wage and few resources but could be quite an exciting new adventure. Please pray with me as I wait on God, and watch this space again. I value your prayers !
You can have a free Weebly site too:
For each friend who joins Weebly and publishes a website, we'll give you both 1 free month
of Weebly Pro (up to 6 months free)! http://www.weebly.com/link/yIKO3o
I was reading Revelations 3:8 yesterday " I know your works, see I have set before you an open door and no one can shut it; for you have little strength, have kept My word and have not denied My name. " Today I got an email from the Soukotos at Mt Hope asking if I would be interested in helping as an English Teacher at their school in Borneo Indonesia. Without any prompting from me, my pastor ( here in Whangarei ) wrote to them and told them about me. Have a look at their web site http://mount-hope.org/ . They are doing an amazing job over there and teams from Crossroads Church Whangarei go once or twice a year.
It would be very different to my time in Shanghai, with no wage and few resources but could be quite an exciting new adventure. Please pray with me as I wait on God, and watch this space again. I value your prayers !
You can have a free Weebly site too:
For each friend who joins Weebly and publishes a website, we'll give you both 1 free month
of Weebly Pro (up to 6 months free)! http://www.weebly.com/link/yIKO3o
March 26, 2012
That's me in the distance on a walk I did around some bays at Whangarei Heads with some friends recently. Yeah , thank you ( prayers answered )I'm starting to make friends here and feel like I'm getting involved with Crossroads AOG Church. I also have a part time relieving job at an Early Childhood Center, but they haven't called me in yet. When God first brought me back to New Zealand nine months ago He said He was birthing something new in me. I just realized I've been back nine months now so eagerly expecting something new.
Today I applied for the following job with the British Council : ( it sounds like me and I have the qualifications )
We are looking for independent, flexible and self-motivated teachers/teacher mentors to be part of an exciting
new project with the Malaysian Ministry of Education starting late March 2012 (negotiable). This is an
excellent development opportunity for anyone interested in teacher training/mentoring in a rural, primary
context and a unique chance to experience the biodiversity of Borneo from within its fascinating culture.
You will be part of a team of mentors working to provide Malaysian early primary teachers with methodology
training, teaching resources and continuous professional development in order to improve the teaching of
English in Malaysia. Working as a local teacher mentor within a cluster of primary schools in Malaysian
Borneo, you will provide on-the-job support through a variety of development activities, including a range of
innovative British Council training courses.
I've also been reading a great book called " The Land Between " by Jeff Manion " Life is full of transitions. It is our response to the land between that will determine whether our journey through the desert will result i deep growth or prove destructive to the soul ". I'm hoping my transition journey is bringing deeper growth as I learn to Trust God for all things, and also that God is enough and being here with Dad is enough if that is what God wants for me.
You might be interested in the following link to Setting Captives free. I've done some of the Lord's Table for eating and it has been a blessing.
http://www.settingcaptivesfree.com/courses/lords-table/
Please continue to pray for:
Today I applied for the following job with the British Council : ( it sounds like me and I have the qualifications )
We are looking for independent, flexible and self-motivated teachers/teacher mentors to be part of an exciting
new project with the Malaysian Ministry of Education starting late March 2012 (negotiable). This is an
excellent development opportunity for anyone interested in teacher training/mentoring in a rural, primary
context and a unique chance to experience the biodiversity of Borneo from within its fascinating culture.
You will be part of a team of mentors working to provide Malaysian early primary teachers with methodology
training, teaching resources and continuous professional development in order to improve the teaching of
English in Malaysia. Working as a local teacher mentor within a cluster of primary schools in Malaysian
Borneo, you will provide on-the-job support through a variety of development activities, including a range of
innovative British Council training courses.
I've also been reading a great book called " The Land Between " by Jeff Manion " Life is full of transitions. It is our response to the land between that will determine whether our journey through the desert will result i deep growth or prove destructive to the soul ". I'm hoping my transition journey is bringing deeper growth as I learn to Trust God for all things, and also that God is enough and being here with Dad is enough if that is what God wants for me.
You might be interested in the following link to Setting Captives free. I've done some of the Lord's Table for eating and it has been a blessing.
http://www.settingcaptivesfree.com/courses/lords-table/
Please continue to pray for:
- Grace and patience to wait on God’s timing and purposes
Willingness to go deeper in God ( to pay the price of stillness and letting go of my own plans )
God's kairos time for a job that fits my calling
Feburary 2012
This is a picture of some of my nephews, great niece and my sisters at my nephew Stuart's wedding late January. It was great to have everyone together and was a beautiful sunny day. I love being with my family.
Well I finally feel like I've arrived back in New Zealand after nearly 7 months. I've made lists of things to do, and am working though them with the view of getting a part time job ( hopefully for just 3 days a week ) so I can continue with my art.
I still believe I will be in Asia again this year sometime but it hasn't worked out as quickly as I'd thought. The team leader in Penang has said they are busy the first part of 2012 and hadn't anticipated any one joining. He suggested the best thing was to wait and go on the three month Father Heart Course ( in September at Orama, Great Barrier ) and then they could get to know me more and see if it was a good fit for me and them. To be honest I was rather disappointed but appreciate that their key for team building is relationship.
I’m still staying with dad and have set up my room so I can do some painting. I’ve been planting some flowers and veges and teaching dad how to cook. I’m starting a beginner ballroom dancing class tonight for 10 weeks. I’m starting to get to know people at Crossroads Church here in Whangarei and joining in with prayer and home groups.
I felt it was time to get on with living here until God opens doors again into Asia. “ The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He MAKES me lie down in green pastures and leads me beside still waters.” I’m finally getting it ( I’m meant to rest awhile longer ). I was asking God what is my name for this season and He said “Hadessa”, I looked it up and it is Esther ( star, secret, hidden ) He was kind of reassuring me that I’m in a new time of preparation. God is doing something new in my life. The Prophetic word is that 2011 was a year of shift, realignment, transition. God is moving people strategically for His plans and purposes. It’s not about me but His purposes. 2012 is a year where God is giving more governmental authority in the spheres where He is placing us, educational, business etc. In 2012 we will carry an new anointing of authority and now we should be setting aside time and making seeking God a priority.
Please pray for:
- Grace and patience to wait on God’s timing and purposes
- A part time job to bring in some income
- That my time with dad and family would be a blessing to them
- For continued rest and resoration
Week 11 - Only one week to go !
I've enjoyed the last three weeks of oils. We've painted lots of different subjects from this sea scape to portraits and I did my firt " Prophetic Picture " I was praying for a young guy here who is quite depressed and I saw this image of a hand " Reaching into the light " The portrait of the lady is someone on our course. She has quite a poor self image and I wanted to paint how God sees her. She has beautiful eyes and that is what I wanted to major on. I hope it blesses her. Dad is flying over to Orama tomorrow for my last witi week here and will help me take my luggage home. I've so enjoyed my classmates this last month and we've had lots of laughs. I feel rested, refreshed and ready for a new adventure. I stil haven't started any movement towards going to Malaysia as I'm waiting for God's timing in this. If you look in the sand on this painting of our bay you will see the words " I will carry you " That's how I feel about Malaysia ( I can't make it happen but God can ).
Hot Pools - November 6th Week 9
" Turn and take your journey " We had a 45 minute bush walk into the hot pools yesterday. The bush was so pretty and the pools had moss green water, and were as warm as bath water. People have dammed up small rock pool areas where we could lay and soak in the warm spring water. This week we started on oil painting. I have enjoyed this new challenge but am notoriously messy, even with an old shirt on and rubber gloves I still manage to get paint on my clothes. It's quite a messy business cleaning up but the art is worth it. I've added a three of my paintings this week. Just remember I've never touched oil painting before this week.
Swimming with the dolphins - Sunday October 30th
I was just walking on to the jetty this morning to go swimming and I spotted three dolphins over the other side of the bay. I hopped in and started swimming and straight away 3 fins headed twards me. I had a quick second take " I hope those were dolphins I saw". Phew, sure enough they were. They circled and played around me for about ten minutes. I was laughing and singing and just enjoying their antics. They were rolling over , jumping out the water and fluking their tales like wales. I was thinking " wow you pay a lot of money for this and here I was enjoying it for free. They really seamed to be playing with me, swimming away and then swimming back and circling and diving. There is sculpture of a wooden dolphin by the bay and it says " Dolphins are like playful waves they are a blessing from God.
Week 8 Tsunami warning and sheep shearering..
Last Saturday morning as I sat in my room sipping my early morning coffee I heard quick heavy foot steps down our corridor and an urgent know at my door. " You need to get dressed and be ready to go up the hill as there is a Tsunami alert ". I quickly put on yesterdays clothes that I found on the floor. Grabbed my day pack and thought quickly what I'd take. I ended up with my bible, a novel to read ( in case we got stuck wating up at the car park area.) my wallet and that was all. I wasn't too worreid and settled down to finish my coffee. A short while later another knock and apparently the warning had been cancelled. There had been an earth quake in the Cumadeck Islands above NZ somewhere but no Tsunami after all. Yesterday ( Friday Octber 28th ) we went up to the shearing shed to watch the sheep get shorn. There were only about 10 of them but they hadn't been shorn for two years so they looked a bit like " Shrek ". I've been swimming quite a bit this week. We have new students coming in on Sunday and start our Oil and acrilic four weeks of painting. We've just finished our fourth week of water color and I feel like I'm beginning to get hold of the washes, hard and soft lines and negative painting. This is a hilarious picture of some of our art class sitting on camp chairs doing some outdoor scetching near the gate to Orma Property. It looks like we are all sitting on wheel chairs. We laughed our heads off when a guy in a van stopped and asked what we were doing.. Don't blame him for wondering.
The Lamb
A piture taken this morning ( October 25th ) of my favorite little family here. I'm also helping Cooper ( standing in the green at the back with his reading.
Week 7 - Stars and a Lamb
Some high school friends of mine Linda and Anne visited me the week before last for a couple of days. I went back with them to Auckland and then on to visit the Bramwells and church friends in Hamilton. I came back to Great Barrier Monday morning refreshed and painted a couple of my best water colors so far. Last night I woke at 1am. It was so still and warm that I took my flash light and went out on to the lawn to a clear sky full of stars. Its awesome out here as there are no city lights and the sky is ablaze with stars. Today ( Sunday ) our church service was about lambs and we had a special surprize. One of the guys went up to the paddocks and brought back a new baby lamb to illustrate " The Lord is our Shepherd who takes care of his lambs ". Needless to say the lamb was a great hit with the kids ( and us adults ) This afternoon I went for a couple of hours walk and saw this Wood Pigeon in the tree on the way back. I had a swim too, still a bit brrrr.... but exhilerating !
This is the bay where I went swimming this afternoon
I found these beautiful colour leaves and shells on the beach this afternoon when I went for a swim.
Week Five Kayacking and Swimming
We have two new students this week and another student has finished. We started water colour, which is my favorite but I've really been struggling to create clean washes without sharp edges. Here's one we did on Tuesday that got a bit muddy . I had a bit of a melt down on Friday night ( feeling frustrated with my art, missing family and mum and feeling lonely ) but after a good cry and an early night I felt better I went Kayaking one afternoon this week and loved the freedom of discovering the many little bays in our harbour. I even pulled into a sandy beach and went swimming. Well more like I went into the water until I felt numb and then swam around like crazy for a few minutes and got out quick smart... but very exhilerating. This is a water colour of a bay we did earlier this week
Spirit of Adventure and Dolphins. . .
Last Weekend we went for Tiki tour around the island to Claris and Medlands. We stopped and had coffee in a cafe and also came accross a quaint little museum. Here is a picture of me on a look out on one of the beaches we visited. On Sunday I was sitting having a prayer time under a tree near our bay ,when the " Spirit of Adventure' old yacht in full sail glided past our bay. I've started thinking about returning to Malaysia. Part of me would like to stay here for the rest of my life, just wandering around the hills and bays sketching and enjoying God but I think God has other plans for me. We have also been delighted with a pod of dolphins that keeps swimming into our bay several times a day. " Live for the King , having concern for His interests must be the master passion of the soul. Putting God first and loving Him, should be the basis of all we do. " God has been taking me into a time of Intercession for the leadership and community here at Orma. Please uphold them in prayer as this is a special place God has and is using to birth new vision for His Kingdom.
Week Four - Pastels
Week Four has been learning to work with color pastels. We attempted larger works. I enjoyed doing the portrait, even though I have a long way to go in learning how to create accurate flesh tones and it's a bit lopsided. This is the end of the four week scetching unit. Two of the students have returned home and two new ones will join us for the next four weeks of Water color.
Friday 23rd September. . . . the end of week three
We learnt how to use pastel and conte this week, working on different color papers using only black, white and grey pastels.I discovered more about seeing tones and using different types of pressre to achieve lightness and dark. I am enjoying going for my daily walk in the morning up the drive before our classes begin. There are some very friendly and helpful people on the course with a real heart to pray, so some good prayer times.
I've been re reading my journal and found this from my Women of Destiny Bible ( hope it blesses you )
" Your destiny can only be accompished moment by moment. God is calling you to a wider and deeper expression of who He is. The past is under His blood. . . I call forth from the deepest reaches of your soul, the unique combination yohave yet to make, to your home, church and commuity. The greatest gift you offer to the body of Christ isto discover who you really are and to accept and walk in it. Being the best of who you are is your greatest comtribution to the kingdom of God "
I've been re reading my journal and found this from my Women of Destiny Bible ( hope it blesses you )
" Your destiny can only be accompished moment by moment. God is calling you to a wider and deeper expression of who He is. The past is under His blood. . . I call forth from the deepest reaches of your soul, the unique combination yohave yet to make, to your home, church and commuity. The greatest gift you offer to the body of Christ isto discover who you really are and to accept and walk in it. Being the best of who you are is your greatest comtribution to the kingdom of God "
Sunday 18th Check out Facebook page " Prophetic Painting School " below are the three peices of my work from the first two weeks. I've discovered I have a passion for portraits and am learning how to draw eyes, mouths and noses.......... hmm can be challenging. I'll keep working on them. Watch this space.
Dad, Dianne and I
This is a photo of my Dad and one of my younger sister's Dianne. I"m hoping they will be able to come over to visit at Great Barrier Island during the school holidays and bring my two nephews ( taken the day I flew over to start my painting course
Saturday September 17th
So this is week two of the panting school. We did pencil sketches last week and went on to pen drawing and pen and wash landscapes and portraits this week. I discovered I had a passion for drawing portraits this week and am challenged and excited by trying to capture a person's personality. Above is a picture of me taken this afternoon on a three hour hike over to a nearby bay. We stopped a lot and took photos of the Manuka draped in white Clamatis, such a beautiful sight. " In quietness and rest is your strength and salvation ". I am so ENJOYING God !!! There is a lovely little Prayer Hut here on top of a hill overlooking the bay. They have lots of IHOP cd's and it's such a delight to just lay back in a bean bag watching the waves lap on the beach and listen to worship. I have to pinch myself sometimes to make sure I'm really here and not on a crouded subway train in Shanghai anymore.
"Return to your country and to your father's house and I will deal well with you"
The above is from Deuteronomy somewhere. God spoke that to me in Shangahi last year. So.......... here I am on the coach with my nephew Ethan heading up to Whangarei to spend some time with my dad sister and nephews. ( July 2011 )
Thursday September 1
I've just finished packing and Dad and I are back down to Auckland tomorrow and I fly over to Great Barrier on Sunday to start the Prophetic painting course.
Friday September 2nd I'm down in Auckland at my sister's now and unpacking my two boxes that have arrived from Shanghai.
Some Web Sites to give you more of an idea of where I'll be and what I'll be doing:
A clip from You tube of Graham Bradock taking about Prophetic painting : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKj9DhNOb6I
Unspoilt beauty of Great Barrier Island : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWzbQYnkmv0&feature=related
Great Barrier Island a little piece of haeven : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhswZfWllS8&feature=related
Flying into Great Barrier: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIpI_Ep8QnI Flying to Great Barrier
A web site about Great Barrier Island : http://greatbarrier.aucklandnz.com/maps.html
Orama Christian Center Accomodation : http://www.orama.org.nz/accommodation/
Thursday September 1
I've just finished packing and Dad and I are back down to Auckland tomorrow and I fly over to Great Barrier on Sunday to start the Prophetic painting course.
Friday September 2nd I'm down in Auckland at my sister's now and unpacking my two boxes that have arrived from Shanghai.
Some Web Sites to give you more of an idea of where I'll be and what I'll be doing:
A clip from You tube of Graham Bradock taking about Prophetic painting : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKj9DhNOb6I
Unspoilt beauty of Great Barrier Island : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWzbQYnkmv0&feature=related
Great Barrier Island a little piece of haeven : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhswZfWllS8&feature=related
Flying into Great Barrier: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIpI_Ep8QnI Flying to Great Barrier
A web site about Great Barrier Island : http://greatbarrier.aucklandnz.com/maps.html
Orama Christian Center Accomodation : http://www.orama.org.nz/accommodation/