Our silly little man! 

Independance Day - Indonesian style!

These past few weeks have been a whir of activity here in our little neighborhood, well actually all over Indonesia. Indepenance Day is coming up on the 17th but these people are seious when it comes to having parties for things. Two weekends ago was the kickoff here with games on Saturay for the little kids and then on Sunday games for the ladies and men. Sunday's activities started earlier than we thought and so we missed the biggest of the events – the greased banana tree climb. The day before, several men came to our yard asking to cut down one of our many banana trees and then carried it away to a nearby empty lot. That day, Saturday, they worked on trimming it down to where it was just the under layer of "skin". It's very slick once you remove the outer layers. They then put a ring around the top and hung prizes from it and then hung it (upside down) over an open pit that would later be filled with muddy water.
So then Sunday morning the fun began. There were several teams each having three men on them. They could use any means necessary to get one of their team up the pole to the top to get one of several prizes! Not something I want to ever try nor do I want Joel to try it!
One of our co-workers here also lives in our neighborhood and was participating in the contest. Tim, is a bit more broad shouldered than the average Indonesian man and so he was put at the base for his team. As the game continued, new strategies were put into place. The bottom man was to push the stalk over so it would be at more of an angle, helping the guys make their way up further. Unfortunately, as Tim was able to, he swung the stalk over to the bare ground and the middle guy, unable to readjust his grasp, slipped and fell right onto the middle of his back from about 10 feet high.
Narno, the guy who fell is now in the hospital with a dislocated backbone. Thankfully it was not broken. Because our neighborhood is like one big family, they are all very involved in what happens in the lives of one of their neighbors. So, the whole neighborhood is taking turns staying with this man at the hospital. Tim has been able to go to the hospital now several times, each with his car loaded with neighbors, to visit Narno. It's been hard on Tim as he feels more responsible as it was “his doing” but the neighbors are not feeling this way and keep telling us all that we are all in this together and that it was their game.
We have been praying for Narno that he would heal quickly and recover the use of his legs again. He is of the other religion but has asked Tim several times to pray for him. This is definitely not something anyone would ever wish for, but we do know that God will use times like this to bring people to the realization of their need for Him. We are praying now for open doors to share about the hope we have. Please pray for Narno and his family as they face a long recovery, he is still in the hospital.


Please pray with us for close ties with our neighbors as we work together in this situation. Pray also that our light will shine brightly and they will see the love and compassion of Jesus Christ in our lives.

The kids all decorate their bikes for a contest! They were actually pretty creative! 

This is the final look at the tree before the contest began. Except that they grease it up with car oil! Anyone up for a try? 

Can you walk quickly with a marble on a spoon and keep it there? 

This is like the donut eating contest we'd have at home but with what's called "Krupuk" - Jack loves it! 

Hauling the tree away from our yard 

Today's scare! And another reason to get this language!!

Well, today I think my heart might have stopped beating!  We were in class, it was around 11:30 – almost done and Joel’s phone rang.  It was our home number calling – uh oh, that’s not good. Our pembantus never would call unless something was wrong.  Joel left to answer the call and I would have joined him, but the teacher was calling on me to answer the next question.  I was so distracted I got it completely wrong and then excused myself from class to find Joel and see what was going on.  He was listening to our Pembantu say something on the phone and then said, “Sebantar” – just a moment, and handed the phone to me. 

There was worry in her voice as I thought I heard her say, Jack’s very hot, he wouldn’t eat or drink he’s been crying a lot and he’s been sleeping all morning but I can’t wake him up!”  Panic struck my heart and I said, “kami pulang, sekarang!” – we’re coming home right now!  We gathered our stuff and hopped on our motorbik, (I was so thankful to have it now as it’s a ten to fifteen minute walk and I don’t think I could have stood that!) going as fast as was safe to get home.  When we got there, Jack was in Ibu Nur’s arms and looking like a baby looks when they have a fever – a far off look in his eyes.  But he was awake!  Oh, my heart just beat all the faster.  Thank God it wasn’t what I thought! He was burning up and I took him to hold him as he wimpered.  I asked her what happened and it turns out I misunderstood her completely. 

He was fine until around 9am and then she put him down for his nap. He slept for only 20 minutes and woke up crying and wouldn’t be consoled – very unusual for him.  She tried to give him his cup of milk but he didn’t want it, then offered him a snack and got the same response.  All the while he was feeling very warm and getting hotter. By the time she called, she was very worried.  I know she did everything she could to figure out how to help him during that time and I am so thankful that I know she will always take good care of him.  I am still not sure how I got that he wouldn’t wake up from what she said, but I do know that it is a new motivation for learning this language.  Jack has fought the fever all day, but is sleeping peacefully now and hopefully we can just chalk it up to teething.  When you all are praying for us each day, and you pray for wisdom and peace, this is one of those tangible ways we benefit from your prayers.  This is a country of many unknowns yet to us but we have peace knowing that it is all known to our creator.  Even our little boy is in His hands and we can trust Him!  Bethany

Once again, we're ok!

Hello once more!  First of all, the latest earthquake, which happened on Sunday afternoon off the Island of Sulawesi has not affected any of our personnel or those they are working with.  If you are wondering what in the world is happening to this island nation with all its natural disasters, well, the folks here are wondering the same thing too!  Questions are being asked like, “Is God judging us?  Why so many things in a short amount of time?”  Please pray that as these questions are being asked, we might have some avenue to share the answers we believe can change lives.

We are into week 3 of unit 2 and are continuing to learn.  Today, while I was sharing my “pengalaman” – experience from yesterday (something we have to do in front of our class every day, in Indonesian), I came to a word I’ve heard a dozen times but so far hasn’t sunk in to memory, and all of a sudden it was there!  Joel let out a “wahoo!” on my behalf, knowing how I’ve struggled to remember this word!  I was so pleased! 

We are each getting out just about every day to speak with our neighbors and friends and are continuing to build relationships.  I am now teaching 2 English classes a week at our house. One for the neighboorhood kids and one for 8 adults from our neighborhood.  It has been a lot of fun and is also a great chance to learn Indonesian at the same time.  Pray for us as we have these folks in our home that they might begin asking questions about our faith.  We are not permitted to bring it up in an effort to evangelize so we must pray that they will be curious and ask, We are then free to share. One of our Pembantus was sharing with me the other day that all of the Christians she has ever met have been so friendly and helpful to her.  When she had a sick family member it was her Christian friends who came to her house to pray for them, not those of her religion.  Then she said, “I don’t know why, but they have all been so kind”.  It is doors like this that we hope for.  Pray for me to have wisdom as I share with her on these occasions.  She sees us day in and day out and so what I say must match what I live.  Please pray for that for us.  We want to be lights before these people but with our helpers, especially, that can be very hard!

I have one other prayer request tonight.  Many of you know that my dad has had some health problems in the past few years.  Right before we left to come here, we finally were given some answers as to what might be wrong and since then my Mom and Dad have been to several new doctors seeking concrete answers.  We still don’t know for sure what is wrong, it could be dimentia, it could be obsessive/compulsive disorder, it could be a reaction to a medication he took over a year ago, it could be alzheimers or it could be all of these combined.  It has been very hard for my family as my Dad seems to be slipping away from us.  It is hard to know that Mom is facing this and that I am not there to help her but I know our God is able to supply her every need and to be her strength.  Would you pray for us in this.  For Dad that daily life could be enjoyable and that the things that are consuming him would lessen and that he could have a clear mind.  For Mom to have strength each day to go to work and then come home to care for him.  For my brother, who is now living with them to know how to help best. And for us to trust God to care for them all.

We are so blessed to have so many people “following” us here and praying for us daily.  We are so thankful that you are interceding for us! 

In His daily care, Bethany

Most Recent Quake and Tsunami

I want to communicate that neither we or any of our team mates were anywhere near the south-western part of the isalnd of Java so we’re fine. We didn’t know it happened until this evening, Monday the 17^th here in our timezone. Just a quick update!

 

Joel

Wheels

Yahooo!!!!  No not the Internet search engine, but our engine!  Yes, we finally have wheels and thus independence.  On Friday, Joel was able to go and buy one of our motorbikes.  It’s called a Supra Fit by Honda and it has given us great joy!  Ok, well I shouldn’t take it too far with the whole joy thing, but we’re pretty excited!  We took it to school today and only had 2 close calls J!  Yeah, well, we will have to keep practicing in our little neighborhood before venturing out to the big bad world, but at least we can go when we want now!  Now even more reason to be praying for us.  Not only have we never driven motorbikes before, but we have never driven on the left side of the road before!  Lots of opportunities for God to show His ability to protect His children. 

These are coffee beans from our very own backyard, picked just today. Joel is drying them for a week and then will learn the next step in the process from our neighbor.  

Our new wheels! 

Jack wants to take a ride! 

Jack wearing his Guyana t-shirt from Gram and Gramps - hello in Guyana!!! 

A view from our front yard at night - wow! 

Has it really been 3 months?

Hello all!  Sorry for the laps in information here. We were on break and kept pretty busy.  But now our classes have begun again.  We just finished day three of Unit 2 and, whew, are we challenged.  Yeah, for those of you who find a joke in that, we are probably considered mentally challenged too!  Hee Hee.

Our break was wonderful in many ways. Our brains rested, maybe a little too much but none the less, they rested.  Our house got many needed projects finished. Jack got lots of “mommy/daddy” time and we even got away for a day without him to do some shopping in the city. 

Our class changed over the break. As for the students, we are now with all Americans.  Before it was the two of us and four Koreans.  Added to our class is a gal we know and are neighbors with.  She had to step out for a time to have a baby and so now is joining us. It’s been fun to have her there.  The other two students aren’t with our group – NTM but are here for the same reasons!  Amanda is a teacher at the International School here and is taking this unit while she is on summer break.  Justins parents “work” here and he has spent 11 of his 16 years here in Indonesia.  He’s a neat kid and we enjoy his youthfulness and what it adds to our class dynamic!  So we are now 5 English speakers trying to learn Indonesian and having fun together doing it. Our Korean friends are now in a class all their own and I’m sure are glad to be able to communicate together in Korean.  The class also changed in content.  We are now focusing on word conjugations.  Fun for me, but Joel finds it a little less desireable. I think it’s like figuring out a puzzle.  Right now we are learning all the affixes they put on words to change the root word from a noun to a verb and then to a command and to a passive verb, etc.  We are still learning new words every day but along with those are many more phrases for conversation.  Once again it’s like a fire hose aimed at our heads, but we just take in what we can and trust that the rest will come in time.

We’ve both just had our 2^nd RT meetings tonight for our neighborhood.  It’s amazing to me how much we are able to say and understand now. Just one month and it makes a huge difference.  I had an entire conversation about babies and how children sleep here and there, all in Indonesian!  Wow!  Oh and by the way, Indonesians have their children “sleep in” with them until they are maybe even 10 years old!  Waaaa, no thank you! I like a peaceful sleep and not being whacked in the head all through the night by a childs flailing arms!  It’s bad enough to share a bed with a 6 foot guy who forgets I’m there sometimes and whacks me with his elbow!  Add 2, 3 or 4 kids to the mix and I’m finding a different place to sleep.  They can’t believe we don’t want our kids in bed with us.  Funny how cultures can vary.  Neither being right, just different!

Ok so there’s the update.  We are still so glad to be here.  Keep praying for us.  It is making a difference!

Bethany

Sunday Morning

It’s about 8:30 here on Sunday morning.  There is a nice breeze coming in from outside, Maranatha is playing inside, we ate French Toast for breakfast with Maple Syrup and we are all healthy and content.  Well, except Jack who has decided he hates sitting on the potty!  He’ll get over it!  It really is beautiful here this morning. We love mornings like this.  Our service at church doesn’t begin till 10 am so we get to enjoy a slow quiet morning. 

We have one more week before we go back to classes again. Last week was nice and long and we were able to knock of some big projects that had been on our to-do lists.  This week will be more of the same but will have some relaxing elements to it as well.  “What do we do for relaxation here”, you might ask?  Well, there is a hotel in town that is easy for us to get to by public transportation and they have a really nice pool.  There is a little wading area, even Jack can stand up in.  We can order lunch by the pool and play for a few hours and except for the 5x a day call to prayer, broadcast all over the city, you’d never know you were in a foreign country!  We also have several little restaurants that cater to westerners, one of which is a little sandwich and fancy coffee drinks shop, called Fru Fru’s.  Joel’s been already but I hope to go this week with a girlfriend.  We also have a great big back yard and we just got some lawn furniture for it so maybe we’ll set up Jack’s blow up pool or the sprinkler and he can play in the water while we enjoy the great outdoors.  There is a place toward town called the Poncesilla. It’s similar to the town square and there are dozens of little vendors selling snacky foods, rides on little motor powered kiddie cars, and there are always lots of people there just hanging out. 

SO it’s not hard to find ways to relax.  I, Bethany left my scrapbooking stuff home so that hobby will have to wait till I can get it here.  Joel is hoping to get a bike soon so he can ride about the mountains.  Apparently there are some good trails around – it will be great exercise for him and a wonderful brain breather. 

We hope, on this Sunday morning in June, you are able to rest as we are. Relax a bit with your family and thank God for them.  Enjoy a time of peace and quiet together. Read a book, watch the stars, or play in the sprinkler.  Whatever you do, enjoy the people God has surrounded you with.  We are!

Acclamation

Well, I guess you could say we are acclamating to the climate here. We live in the hot tropics but this is dry season and it’s a bit cooler now. Without the daily 100% humidity, the heat is much more bearable. Tonight I am sitting here at the computer, wearing long pants, a long sleeved shirt and socks and I’m still a bit chilly (it’s 72* right now). We are putting Jack to bed in the same so he doesn’t get too chilled and I’ve even been bringing a sweater to class each day because I get a little cold. One step into the sunshine will change all that and within seconds, I’m sweating again. (Yes women sweat, at least in Indonesia!) The weather channel forcasts that tomorrow in a nearby larger city it will be an actual 88* but will feel like 92*. I’d say that’s pretty hot, wouldn’t you? How in the world then can I possilby need a sweater? My only explanation is that my by must be adjusting. Now if only my mind could catch up!

Bethany

Block Party

For the last few days a family down the street has been having a smashing party!  Each night the music has been loud and they’ve had people coming all hours of the night.  You’d be surprised though to find out why they are having this party.  It’s because their 13 year old son was just circumcised!  He has now become a man and the whole of the city has been invited to the party.  They began preparing the food on Thursday of last week and the last of the guests came and left tonight.  Joel and I were privileged to have been able to go and experience this very cultural event.  When we arrived we were expected to shake everyone’s hand, Indonesian style (very weakly- not like a good firm American handshake!) give our gift of cash to the father of the guest of honor, and then help our selves to the snacky food on the table.  There were chairs everywhere to sit on and so we got our food and took a seat.  What we didn’t know was that last night was the men’s night to go and tonight was the ladies.  Joel and another 2 men were the only one’s there tonight (one of whom was a foreigner like us) but no one seemed bothered. Maybe they just know we are still learning!  After the snacky food, we were invited to eat the more substantial food; rice, vegetables, soybean cakes and noodles.  We chatted with a few people and then made our exit.  This may sound to you like a rude way to appear at a party, but while we were there some 20 Indonesian ladies did the same.  People from the market are invited, people from our neighborhood and I’m sure family from other cities were there too.  All dressed to the nines!  I am not sure what underlying things are going on that we didn’t pick up on but mainly I think the purpose was to eat.  Maybe later, we’ll understand more but for now we can say we have done it and it was a painless experience… at least for us J.

From our email update

Dear Friends,

We have reached a milestone here in Indonesia!! One we are proud to say we reached! We completed our first of 9 units of language study! Hallelujia that is now behind us and those ahead of us say it is the hardest. Friday was our last day of class for Unit 1 and now we have a 2 week break before the next one begins. Looking back to the first day of class, we are amazed at how far we’ve come in just a short amount of time. We can now have conversations with our neighbors. As a matter of fact, just this morning I was talking with Ibu Samsia and for the first time, I completely comprehended what she was saying to me, without my dictionary and without having to ask her to repeat it. She asked me to teach some of the neighborhood kids English as they come often to play in our yard. I learn bahasa Indonesia from them and she suggested that when they come to play, having little mini language sessions for them in English. For them to go on in school, aparently they need to master some English so it will help them out and it helps me out! A great combination, I’d say.

Joel has been taking opportunities with the men we’ve hired to do some repairs to the house to learn language on subjects like construction and gardening. Each day they are here, he looks up words having to do with that subject and then goes out to talk, hoping to incorporate those terms in conversation. It has worked well so far and he looks forward to that time each day. It is also a great way to build relationships with the men we see often around our house!

On Friday, we set out to do a very daunting thing! We invited all of our teachers over for dinner. Ten came and so for 2 ½ hours we spoke in Indonesian. It was tiring but it was also a great way to practice what we’ve learned with those who have taught us so well. It was a really nice time to see our teachers outside of class and get to know them a little better. On Monday, they will be giving us our evaluations for this first unit. Pray we can communicate clearly what we know and that we won’t be nervous.

For the next 2 weeks, we will be trying to rest and give our minds a break from the intensity of language school, while at the same time, reviewing what we’ve learned and using it in every day opportunities. We may try to get away one night to do some shopping in a nearby city but for the most part our holiday from class will be spent at home. One of the main priorities is to spend time together as a husband and wife, going on a few dates together and also to spend time as a family with Jack. He is doing so well and we feel like he has completely adjusted to our move here. He is now walking all over the place and loves to bop up and down to music any chance he gets. He is still full of smiles and gives them away to anyone who looks his way. Our house helpers told us the other day that he said his first words to them, in Indonesian! They asked if he was done with his snack (sudah makan) and he said “sudah” – done! Then they asked if he was ready to take a nap and his answer to this was “tidak” – no! Of course, isn’t that every baby’s first word! I guess it’s that way in every language!

Our local volcano keeps on a’ puffin’! Just last night we came out of our family room to find the house covered in ash! I almost slipped on our tile floor it was so slippery from the dust. I keep asking each time it erupts if that is all and my neighbors say, “you never know. It could go on for months like this!” I hope it ends soon but I’m sure those who live closer wish that more than me. The rebuilding in Yogyakarta “Jogjakarta” after the earthquake is still going on. We have been able to help with some of the efforts there finanically, but because the volcano is between us and Yogya, we have been advised to stay here. For safety reasons, it would not be wise to be there when and if there was a large erruption. The response to the needs there has been huge. Many churches around the world are sending money and manpower to help those in need. Keep praying that God will use this to open the eyes of those who have yet to trust him for salvation. Perhaps something of this magnitude will bring to reality their need of spiritual salvation as well as physical. That is our prayer.

We have really enjoyed all the emails that you all have been sending our way these past months. It is wonderful to feel connected to home.

Keep praying for us as God teaches each day how much we need Him. We are so thankful to be here and believe God is using so many of you back home and around the world to be our team mates. Remember, for a wheel to have the rubber meet the road and keep moving forward, that wheel must have spokes and a hub supporting it. The hub is our home church and the spokes are those in between praying and giving so we can go! You are vital to this task!

We love and miss you all!

Tidak Mengerti! I don't understand

Today I decided to ask my neighbor to help me understand some of the things that went on at the Ibu Ibu Meeting last week. I thought, this will be a good way to get some language time in, get answers to my questions, and maybe even get some good sentences to analyze the grammar with.
Well, I went to find her and ask if she had time to help me. She was willing, so we walked over to my porch to sit there while we talked. I told her I just wanted to ask questions and write down her answers to look up later for understanding, expecting to get short sentences. Dumb idea. I suppose the concept of keep it simple may not be in their culture and the answers were more like paragraphs. I wrote as fast as I could but the Javanese "accent" is very difficult to understand. Specifically, their constanants sound similar to one another. It's hard to hear the difference between a "t" and a "d", a "p" and a "b", etc. so as I would write what I heard, she would repeat the word with an emphasis like, "no Bethany, not a "b" a "p"". Well if Idon't get that right, Iwon't be able to look the word up.
So I supposed I learned a lesson today. I don't have enough language to do this kind of questioning yet. I should keep it simple too! Oh, I so badly want to understand and communicate well. Talking about the trees and whether it's hot or not, or what we ate or who came over seems so shallow. I want to know what makes them who they are. Patience, Bethany, patience!

Arisan Dasawisma Ibu Ibu - a cultural experience!

Here on the Island of Java, each city is divded into several smaller communities called R.W.’s or “air –way’s” and within those communities are even smaller divisions and those small communities are called R.T.’s or “air – tay’s”. We live in R.W.- 1, R.T.- 4. Basically, our R.T. is our street. It is quite long and has many homes on it. There is one man who is an elected volunteer (nice how that works!) who is recognized by the government to represent his R.T. and he is known as Pak R.T. or Mr. R.T. Each month, the R.T.’s have meetings for the men and women (separately, of course). This past Monday was when the official meeting for June was held and we were able to go.
Our closest neighbors offered to come and get each of us and take us to our respective meeting. It is important for us to make a presence at these as we are new here and to truly be a part of your community, they must see you participate in this way.
Ibu Zulaika came to get me promptly at 4 and we made our way to the house where the meeting was being held. We were both dressed nicely, I in a skirt and she in slacks, which I came to find out later was the better of the two options. When we arrived there were already 30 or so ladies there all seated on the floor on ratan mats with their legs bent and feet pointed toward the wall or “indian style”. This is a very important thing for me to know, as to point one’s foot at someone is considered very impolite. This is where wearing pants comes in handy. Now you must understand that these women, for the most part are a good foot shorter than me and it is much easier for them, in a small room with up to 50 women in it, to sit scrunched together with their legs tucked nicely under them. Not to mention they’ve been sitting like this for hours on end their whole lives. Well this spoiled American, who is used to sitting in chairs was to learn a lesson. First of all, a knee length skirt is not suitable for sitting on a floor and second I’d better get used to being a bit uncomfortable.
As everyone arrived (all 50 or so), they paid what seemed to be dues to several different ladies who were collecting different sums of money. Once all the money was collected a young girl began the meeting by reading from a laminated card with what looked like the schedule for the afternoon’s events. Next another lady welcomed everyone and specifically noted that they had 2 new members with them, myself and another gal, like me, a “M.” who was new to the area also. Then followed a “prayer” silently with everyone standing and bowing their heads hands clasped in front of them. It lasted about 5 seconds and then they all sang what sounded like an anthem of some kind. I later found out it was the neighborhood song declaring that they wanted their neighborhood to be a place where all are welcome and where they care for one another. I was impressed with this and thought that perhaps back home we could learn a lesson or two from these ladies about hospitality!
The evening proceed and with each phase of the program, I observed, in silence, all that was going on. I cannot truly communicate with these ladies yet, and being there was a great reminder to me of why I am here learning this language. I desire to build relationships with them and without the ability to communicate verybally, I am hindered from ever doing that. This evening was a great cultural experience for both Joel and I at our respective meetings. As we learn more about this culture, we are made aware of the mixing that exists in their beleifs. Animism is still at the heart of each person here and layered on top is the fastest growing religion in the world. It is our hearts desire to see our friends freed from bondage and to understand the freedom they can have only through Christ. We hope one day that they will be able to understand clearly from the Word what has been done for them by their Father and that they can know Him personally, without reserve!

A Day in the Life

Are you wondering what it is we do at a language school 5 days a week? Well we thought we’d give you a glimpse of one typical morning for us!

7:40 – leave the house for our 10-15 minute walk to school (Bethany with her trusty umbrella – for rain in rainy season and for the hot sun in dry season, and Joel with his thermos of coffee!!
8:00 – class begins by singing an Indonesian folk song or praise song (we go to a school specifically for “M’s” to learn this language.
8:15 – we each take turns telling about what we did the day before – all in Indonesian. It’s amazing how with each day we can say more and describe things better and more comfortably
9:00 – we go over the new text for that day. For example today we learned how to ask the following questions:
What does an Indonesian say when he goes to visit someone who is sick? Apa yang dikatakan orang Indonesia waktu menengok orang sakit?
What does an Indonesian do when he has a guest? Apa yang dilakukan orang Indonesia waktu ada tamu? Why do Indonesians open and close doors quietly? Mengapa orang Indonesia membuka dan menutup pintu dengan pelan-pelan?
Why do Javanese not like to talk or laugh loudly? Mengapa orang Jawa tidak suka berbicara atau tertawa keras-keras?
9:25 – Fluency practice. Basically for the next 50 minutes we say the text over and over with the same tempo and intonation of the teacher so as to learn to sound like a natural speaker. Sometimes this can be quite funny if our teacher is very animated and we aren’t hearing the correct intonation for say, a question. To emphasize the way it is supposed to sound, they will say it very exaggerated and then we all laugh and we attempt it again!
10:00 – Break time, and believe me we need one by now! Already, our brains are full and we find ourselves yawning!
10:20 – Pronunciation practice. Now is our time to learn how they pronounce certain individual sounds, letters or combinations of letters in their language. A typical class period may find us saying the following words consecutively:
nyonya, nyoba, nyapu, nyamuk, nyanyian, bunyinya, menyepak, menyakiti, bernyanyi, menyadari, menyatakan, menyembah, penyanyi, nyokap, Benyamin, etc…
10:35 – Vocabulary. During this class, we either learn the answers to the questions from that day’s text and thus learn new words in the process, or we learn the words for things like weather, numbers, mathematics, family, etc. On any given day, from when we begin class at 8 to when we finish at 12, we will have been given anywhere between 50 and 100 new words!
11:00 – Grammar. Again we practice the text from that day. Continuous drilling is the main method of teaching here. I find myself dreaming in the text sometimes or that it is going over and over in my head as I do the dishes! This class also gives us new vocab as we replace some words in the text with others to learn where the subject goes, the verb, adjectives and so forth.
11:40 – Text drilling. Our favorite time of the day other than when we see Jack’s smiling face at the door as we arrive home. This is when we get to role play with the text, one on one with a teacher. We make substitutions for words based on the situation we are role playing. For intstance in stead of asking what would an Indonesian do when he has a guest, we would ask what he would do when he is in an accident or at the pasar (market), etc. Yet another opportunity to learn and use new vocabulary!

Ok, so that is a look at a morning in the life of Joel and Bethany. What Jack does, well, someday we’ll have to ask him! For now, it’s Friday and I’m done thinking about school. Have a great weekend everyone!

photos

I’m attaching some photos here from Joel’s recent trip to see the volcano as it was errupting on Friday.  He was some distance away, thank goodness, but got some cool photos from a nearby rice field.  On the way home, our friends and he decided to stop for a snack – eel and frog anyone?  I was envious that he got to see the volcano but enjoyed my cookies at home – thank you!  Also a recent photo of Jack in his new favorite position – standing all by himself!

Bethany

Our big boy!  

These rocks are actually lava rocks left from the last volcanic erruption! Amazing! 

How 'bout some Eel? Mmmm tasty! 

Can you tell where the smoke starts and the volcano stops? 

Mt. Merapi on the left a little quieter than this morning 

bird flu

Ok so my ignorance and lack of a tv or time to surf the web will show through now as I give you our update on the bird flu here in Indonesia! 

WE KNOW NOTHING!  Except that we couldn’t get chicken at a restaurant a few weeks ago!  I’m sorry to say we haven’t heard much here. Maybe that’s good but maybe not.  Most of our neighbors aren’t aware of that kind of a thing either so …  sorry to those who’ve asked. I can’t tell you much!

Mt. Merapi

Every morning when we arrive at school, we have a wonderful view of our local Mt. Merbabu Volcano.  Thankfully, this volcano is dormant and has been for a very long time.  There is no threat to us at all!  The one just beyond however has been spewing clouds of ash for weeks now.  Today we watched, as every few minutes, another cloud of ash rose to the sky and then the winds would carry it away over some unfortunate town nearby.  At every break between classes, we would poke our heads out the door to see it spew some more.  There were several eruptions today that were quite large and we are all anticipating the big one to come in the next few days.  Our windows are now covered and closed for the most part and our Pembantu’s dusted 2 times in 4 hours this morning. When we arrived home at 12 noon, there was already more ash on the floor and furniture.  We have heard that they evacuated the people around the volcano on Monday and we are hopeful that they have all chosen to leave that area.  We are fine here and have enjoyed it from a distance!  Just thought we’d update you all on the situation before the news did!  Bethany

This is the hill to our house, the other side is just as steep! 

Count 'em - there's around 20 in this photo!!! 

One typical afternoon in our yard "halaman kami" 

Jack playing with the neighborhood kids. "Jack bermain dengan anak-anak tetanga". 

Reality hits!

As promised, more photos. This is a typical afternoon around 3:30pm in our yard. Between 15 and 30 kids usually show up when the gate is the slightest bit open and we're out on the porch. They won't come in until I say "Silakan" - please (or help yourself) and hold out my hand in an invitation. But then once they do, watch out cause they sure know how to have fun! Jack is always the center of attention with both boys and girls - he loves it mostly. He loves his walker and they always ask for us to bring it out. He is taking more steps every day but still prefers crawling as he can go much faster that way. He is a bit wobbly on his feet still.

I had a "I don't want to hear or speak Indonesian" day today. Joel has been very gentle with me and has allowed me to busy myself with other things. One day in 8 of language study isn't bad right? That's what I'm telling myself. :) He is still a rock and sponge all at the same time! Hey that could be a riddle. He's solid for us as a family and has hardly had an ounce of culture/language shock. His brain is a sponge and is just soaking in all the new words every day. In class each day we are getting around 75 - 100 new words to use and phrases to say. Needless to say at around 11am, I'm done! Then we have to get up in front of our teacher and other student (Caleb- from Korea) and act out the text we learned that day. Whew! That's
just the morning! I have to get in another 2-3 hours of study and talking in Indonesian and Joel has to get at least 4 hours! Bed time comes none too quickly for us each day and we are sleeping hard!

With each new day comes the grace and strenght to begin again. God renews us through his Spirit within us and we march on as soldiers of the cross. And when I say march that is literal. We have to walk to school each morning and that includes 2 very large hills (see the other photo included here)! God has enabled us though and will continue to do so! Thank you for
praying for us and supporting us in this endeavor. Some day we'll know enough language to lead someone to Christ. That will make the process worth every moment!

Bethany

Joel and Bethany Potter 

One big cluster! 

Fallen 

Chopping down a banana tree 

What kind of neighbor do you have?

Yesterday afternoon, we were out in the yard full of kids playing games and soccer and our neighbors from across the street were out in their yard. We walked over to chat (of course, with our limited vocabulary) and the subject of trees and what they are good for came up.
The past few days they have been picking coffee berries and had some drying in their yard. Of course this hooked Joel and his curiosity in the whole process was peaked!
They also have a banana tree in their yard with a beautiful flower on it and so I asked what it was called. This led to us talking about how to know when bananas were good and it dawned on me to ask them about the bananas on the trees in our yard. We have two clusters on two different trees but one looks better than the other. So we invited them to our yard to have a look.
The gentelman (we still haven't been able to completely understand his name yet so for now we'll call him Pak Neighbor) took one look and said the tree was dead. Well it hangs directly over our laundry patio and so I asked how we should take care of it. He said it should be cut down or it will break the roof when the bananas fall. So we offered him the job!!
Now in our minds, we're thinking he may come back tomorrow with what he needs and take care of it but before we knew what was happening, he had a ladder, a pole wite a string on it and a machete. He climbed the laddar tied the string around the trunk of the tree way up high and began chopping away at the cluster of bananas. In just a minute the whole lot of them was coming down just feet away from me, missing our roof by just inches!
The best part... the bananas were still going to be good and would continue ripening off the tree. He chopped down the rest of the trunk and carried it off into the back area behind our yard. We still don't know enough of the culture to know what to do now, whether to pay him or just say thanks. So Joel called our friends who have been here longer and they said to offer his family the cluster of bananas. So that's what we did. We told them the other cluster was more than enough for our family and that they were welcome to take the one he cut down home to enjoy!
What an event! I bet you don't have a neighbor who climbes trees and chops them down for you in just seconds!

Mt. Merapi in the distance (active) 

Earthquakes and Volcanoes

Dear Friends,

Yes, there was an earthquake here yesterday morning and yes, we felt it! We were sleeping in our beds and I woke first to feel the bed shaking and heard our dining room hutch shaking and the dishes inside moving around. Joel was out cold and had I not woken him up, I think he may not have even noticed! J We live about 2 hours away from the town of Yogjakarta where the earthquake did the most damage. We are far enough away that we had no damage here but there is much damage there and lives lost. I’ve heard from others that close to 3000 people have been reported to have died due to the earthquake. NTM does not have anyone stationed down there but there were two families there doing some shopping, I think. They said their hotel ceiling had plaster falling off of it and they had to leave the hotel. They should be here tonight and we’ll see them and get the scoop from them.

There is also a report that the nearby volcano, Mt. Merapi (the photo attached was taken from town. Mt. Merapi is seen in the distance and is recently active and Mt. Merbabu is the dormant one in the forfront) had some activity just before the earthquake but they aren’t sure yet whether the two are connected. In all honesty, you all there at home probably have more info than we have here. Without a TV yet or international news, we are slightly limited in the information arena. I did try to find some things online yesterday right after it happened but I guess it was too soon and the official reports hadn’t been released.

Our mission has asked that we not travel anywhere near the volcano so we won’t be making any trips in that direction. We can see it from town (about 10 minutes ride on the bus from here) so should it go, I think we’d likely go there to watch from a safe distance. Please pray for those who live in “Jogja” – as we call it and also those around Mt. Merapi. Their homes and lives are there and they are very hesitant to leave to get to safety.

Thank you for all the emails and prayers for our safety and our teammates safety. It is so encouraging to us! Please pray that we can learn this language quickly. It is at times like this that people face the true reality that life on earth is temporary and we could be sharing with them the hope we have for this life and the life to follow. Without language though, we can only live it out before them.

We value you and your support via prayer, finances and encouragement.

Your teammates,

Joel and Bethany Potter

When do we get to do ministry?

That’s been a question I’ve been asking myself almost everyday since we got here and even before we got to Indonesia. We’re missionaries; ministry is what we do, right? We’ve had 4 years of training and preparation to come to this country and minister to people, or so I thought.

Being a missionary is my career, it’s my wife’s career. So we finally get here, to the place that we’ve been preparing to come for many years and now we have to wait. Wait 18 – 24 mos. before we can actually do what we’ve planned on. Sometimes, it seems like it’s our lot in life to wait.

But, a new thought from the Lord has often penetrated my wondering. Our God, who is the chief shepherd, who cares more about discipleship than we’ll ever know, has so much more in mind for us than just ministry. I think His work of molding and discipleing us is more important to Him, than our ministry is. He most likely has many things to teach us and expose us to for our own growth before He qualifies us to serve others. He sees the big picture and knows best how to prepare His children to serve Him.

So yeah, I’m a missionary, a highly trained one at that, but In reality, I know that God has so much more in mind for myself and Bethany than just doing ministry. It’s easy to think that what we do, is the most important part of who we are. So if we’re not doing what we “think” we should be doing (ie. Running a guest house, buying supplies, supporting our tribal teams), it’s easy to think that we’re wasting our time.

But the truth is what we are is more important than what we do.

What we are is children of God, constantly in need of growth and His shepherding. Constantly in need of understanding of His word and what it says about us. And I’m confident that God is going to use the rest of our lives whether we’re learning language or serving our missionaries or doing something other than anything we’ve ever thought we would be doing, to continue to shape us to what gives Him glory and praise. So in the end, what we are is far more important than what we do.

So with that in mind, please be praying for patience and the willingness to be content with what God wants to do with us right now. We start our formal language study tomorrow.

-joel

earthquake

Yes, in case you are curious we did feel an earthquake this am around 5:45 or so. I’m not sure yet, but my neighbor says it’s because Mt. Merapi blew. I’m checking online now so stay tuned!  Wow!  Joel’s first earthquake and my first since living in California!!  What a wake up call!!!!

 

Bethany

Singing in the Rain???

Ok, well I finally have my own interesting blog to write!  I decided it was time to venture out on my own and head to town via the public transportation, no translator and no help! I had quite a few things on my list to buy and from several places but was pretty confident that I knew the stores to go to and what to ask for.  I had my truly handy new electronic dictionary with me just in case, and with that and several bags for carrying my items home in, I headed up the street to catch the Ankota (minibus).  It took me about an hour and I had found everything I was looking for and felt I got good prices, despite my lack of ability to barter yet. 

So I headed back to one last store, which was near where I would get on a Dokar (Horsedrawn carriage) to take me and all my stuff home.  I was in Ramayana (our biggest store here in Salatiga) for about 10 minutes and when I entered it had begun to rain lightly.  By the time I was ready to leave the store however, it was raining quite hard, so I decided to wait it out a minute and see if it would let up. 

While waiting with about 25 or 30 other people, a woman walked toward the store entrance in the rain.  She had on a Jilbob (Muslim headcovering) and was wearing jeans and carrying a bag full of various items.  Before she actually got to the entrance though, she set her things down with a ballcap on top (like she was ready for tips) and began “preaching” to the crowd, while removing her jilbob.  Of course her discourse was in Bahasa Indonesian so I couldn’t understand a word of it.  It was all quite amusing to me and everyone else watching this crazy woman rant and rave and dance in the rain.  That is until she singled me (the only white skinned person in view) out and walked up to about 6 inches from my face and began screeming at me!  My immediate reaction was to say, very firmly, “Tidak!”, Which means no!  The more she talked, the more I said “TIDAK!”  In just a few seconds a couple of police officers/security guards were by my side and telling her to leave me alone.  She did, whew, and I stood there stunned.  “What just happened?”, I thought!  I looked over to the officer on my right and asked him, “tidak apa apa?” – am I ok?  He gave me a hesitant “ya” – yes and smiled apologetically.  Ok, now what?  I need to get home, it’s raining cats and dogs and I’m afraid if I walk through this parking lot, she’s gonna follow me and then what!?  So I stood there like a deer in headlights, wondering when my brain would kick in and come up with some brilliant idea.  Then it hit me!  “Call someone to come get you, you idiot!”  So that’s what I did and my new friend, Anna came to my rescue about 10 minutes later!  She promised me that had never happened here to anyone else and she’d never seen anything like it!  I believe her, but oh, why me? 

I have now recovered and have since ridden the Ankota to town again.  Get back on the horse, right?

Bethany

Joel

Yesterday afternoon, Joel began to feel achy and has felt really tired since the night I got sick.  Last night before bed, he was burning up and his temp was 101*.  Around 4 am I woke up with the mosque’s call to prayer and checked him again and this time it was 102.4*  He’s been taking tylenol but it doesn’t seem to be helping much.  Hopefully this is just his way of dealing with the same thing I had, but he’s pretty miserable right now.  Please pray for him today to feel better and that this will pass for both of us quickly.  We have a language session this afternoon and he won’t want to miss it.  Thanks!

 

Bethany