The Invention Convention

After much preparation, the planned Invention Convention at Cornerstone came together this past Friday evening. Our Science Teacher, Mr. M. introduced the idea to the students & parents several months ago. The grades 1-2 could do something really simple - most of them introduced a simple machine they had learned about in class. The grades 3-4 could enter the bridges they designed which is part of their curriculum. The older grades had to invent something that hadn't been invented before or improve on the design of something already invented. They could also produce a piece of original music, write a book, or think of an original recipe. We spent many dinner hours as a family inventing the strangest things - some just made us howl with laughter, others the kids tried to produce but failed, and still others bordered on simply ridiculous.

Here's the photos that would upload today... "A" is very proud of his beam bridge - it's stronger than it needs to be & it looks great too. Hannah and her friend published a children's book. It is entitled "I Do Believe in Fairies" and it is really good (unbiased mother...). "H" wrote the story and her friend painted all the pictures - it almost looks like a professionally published soft cover complete with made-up ISBN & barcode. We asked her to remember us when she becomes rich & famous... The other inventions we can't disclose because we don't want to endanger the patents that are pending....

The entire gym was filled with tables and trifolds explaining the inventions - it was amazing to see the variety & ingenuity. The evening was definitely a great success!

A surprise arrives from Ontario!!

On Thursday morning, as secretly planned, I went to the Abbotsford airport to pick up Kelly and Nikki. I knew for the past month or so that they wanted to surprise our girls - on the weekend of Lorelle's 17th birthday. It was great fun waiting for them to come home from school. They popped up from behind the counter when they came into the kitchen & shocked them all. So started a great weekend. The weather was decent - about 52 degrees F. and a few threatening clouds in the sky. While they were here they went to the ocean and spent time at a park there, went toboganning on Mt. Baker and had a fun time with friends celebrating Lorelle's birthday.

Some Hawaii Pictures...

Thursday - Na Pali Coast

Today we had another spectatular day. It was not as sunny - but still 78 degrees. We decided we should spend some time in the northern section of the island - the Na Pali coastline. We started after breakfast and our first stop was the Kilauea Lighthouse. This was the most northern point from the main Hawaiian Islands & was just gorgeous. We saw MANY whales playing in the ocean - some of them coming right out of the water. There are no words to describe the beauty - this is when the real meaning of the word "awesome" comes to mind when you think of the fact God created all of this.

We drove past the "unnamed falls" on our way to Anini Beach. This is where many of the rich & famous chose to build their homes as well as one of the safest places to swim because it's protected by a long reef.

We stopped to take a picture in Hanalei where taro fields were layed out in picture perfect fashion. This is the valley where most of the taro is grown - the staple in Hawaii's past. We haven't eaten any yet - we'll keep you posted. But we did stop in Hanalei for shave ice - Paradise Shave Ice was supposed to be the best. We stopped at the "dry cave" & tasted a chilled coconut a man was selling from the back of a pick-up. I warned the kids they wouldn't like it because I remembered my reaction in Indonesia. I was right... As we drove along the northern coast we saw soooo many gorgeous beaches - each one more beautiful than the last.

We ended at Ke'Ke Beach which is as far as you can drive on the northern shore. We hiked in a bit along the rocks & caught a glimpse of the famous Na'Pali coast. We had driven for 5 hours & we were ready to go back - the kids were getting a bit silly & annoying... We caught a quick hula show across the street at the plaza while our lasagne was cooking in the oven.

Wednesday - Snorkeling Day

Early this mornning we went to Snorkel Bob's to rent snorkeling gear. We stopped by Hilo Hattie's for souvenirs & continued on to Lydgate Park which is a great place for beginner snorkelers. All of us managed to figure it out quite quickly & snorkeled for an hour or so. We were amazed at the beautiful fish we saw - another world exists in the ocean. We drove up to admire a beautiful falls - Opaeka'a Falls. We returned to our condo & swam & snorkeled nearby for the rest of the afternoon.

Tuesday

We went to the beach soon after breakfast - the weather again was beautiful. After lunch we hauled the kids away from the water because we were all looking a bit red. We checked out some parks and drove around to admire the monkey pod trees in Koloa nearby. Again, we were very tired & just hung out in our room in the evening & went to bed early.

Monday in Hawaii

This was our first full day of enjoying the warm weather. Henry & I went to Costco after breakfast and the kids went to the pool & ocean. We picked up the supplies we needed - food, boogie boards, etc. and came back ready to join them in the sun. We had warned the kids about the ease of burning & they took our warnings seriously. Lorelle made sure everyone had LOTS of sunscreen on. We returned just after noon - I didn't take myself as seriously as I should & burned worse than the kids. We saw a monk seal and a sea turtle beached on the sand today as well as several whales playing in the distance. What an incredibly beautiful island this is! We were so tired from the sun & water that we all crashed soon after dinner.

Kaua'i Here We Come!

After counting down for several months, Saturday morning was finally "the day"! The kids were sooo excited and after last minute packing we were off to the Seattle airport. Our plane left on time - and we settled in for a 6 hour flight to Kaua'i. Normally the flight is more like 5 hours but we had head winds slowing us down. We enjoyed 2 seats in first class (Henry had upgrades) and 4 seats right behind us in regular class. It was nice to share the extras & freebies with the entire family. We arrived at Lihue Airport at around 9:00 pm Hawaii time - and after waiting a bit for a rental car we were off to our hotel. The temperature was around 70 degrees - a great start to our vacation. We arrived at our first hotel - a tight squeeze with kids sleeping on the floor. We woke up early Sunday morning and all of us got ready to go to Kaua'i Reformation Church in Lihue. This is a URC church plant from the Oceanside URC church in California. We heard Rev. Hossink from Hudson Valley URC in Warwick, NY. Their services are 9:30 and 11:00 with refreshments in between. It was nice to be there and socialize with the members there. The room was quite full as they had quite a few visitors from the "mainland". Later that day we were able to check into the hotel we were to stay at the rest of our vacation.

Spring Has Arrived - or has it?

Today was a day off from school in order to celebrate President's Day. The weather was just perfect. After a long, rainy winter this is just what we've been praying for. Memories of many a gloomy day have faded in an instant - when the color of the first crocus is peaking through. I spent a few hours weeding and trimming away dead stuff in my front garden. Things are starting to look really nice - but we're never quite sure if we'll get one last snow storm, wind storm or cold snap. But, we'll just be thankful for today's beautiful sunshine & warmth. I think the gardening bug has bit....

Valentine's Day

This past Thursday our highschool leadership team hosted their 2nd Valentine's Dinner. This year the theme was Italian and on the menu was caesar salad, minestrone soup, spagetti & meatballs & dessert. They did a fabulous job - the gym was used for a formal function for the first time. The proceeds will be given to Mission Brazil - specifically to a christian school there. We had a very nice time and are proud of all the hard work & organization that this took. (The second photo show L & J performing on piano & violin - it added to the romantic theme....)

Another week...

This week brought an unexpected snowstorm - it was a pleasure this past Tuesday to wake up to realize we could all go back to sleep because school was cancelled!! The snow didn't stop the kids from hopping on the four-wheeler to pick up a few friends that live close by. The next day it was snowy but school was not cancelled - lots of long faces at the breakfast table.

My normal weekly routine would include Wednesday working in the school library but it was my day off. Instead, I volunteered to teach art to Miss K.'s 3/4 class on Thursday. The kids all managed to draw a rather handsome penguin that closely resembled the example I had given. I love this age group!

This past Friday evening we finally managed to have family photos taken as well as individuals. It had been several years since I'd purchased school photos or had a family picture taken. I now understand why - my least favorite thing to do. The following day (Saturday) Henry and I were booked to take a CPR/First Aid Training Class so we could be recertified. DSHS requires this certification to be a licensed foster care provider. We now remember what we learned 2 years ago. We hope we won't need to use it but are more confident we could respond if we had to.

Have a blessed Sunday & enjoy your day of rest!

Lorelle's Profession of Faith - Jan. 13/07

Sunday, January 13 was a very special day for our family & especially for Lorelle! It was a nice, sunny day and in the morning service Lorelle and 4 others made profession of their faith before God & witnessed by our congregation (Eph. 4:20). It can only bring us before God in thankfulness and humility - He has worked in their hearts to respond to the promises at their baptism. It was nice to have friends & family from the valley as well as Henry's sister Joyce from Calgary to join our celebration. After the service soup & buns were enjoyed by many in the Cornerstone gym. The second photo shows all them with their Dad's - we thought it was worth a photo to remember that each one of them had a Dad in consistory at the time of their profession.

May I recommend a good book?

Well, our unofficial "book club" has finished what we set out to accomplish!! After approximately a year (give or take) we are quite proud to say we've read "Total Truth" by Nancy Pearcey. The subtitle to this book is "Liberating Christianity from It's Cultural Captivity" and it's definitely not read for entertainment. At times it was a tough read but we all agreed it was wonderful to have read it. It changes the way you think - the way you accept what the media says, the way you read other books and the conversations you have with both believers and unbelievers. We agreed it was good to have the accountability of a group to get through it - I may have put it down if I didn't have the group to keep me plugging through. Check out the Pearcey webside at www.pearceyreport.com for more info. Any recommendations for another book study?

The holidays are over....

Well, it's Sunday evening and all the kids are a little sad... We've had such a relaxing Christmas break that it's hard to believe we need to go back to the scheduled routine of school. We really can't tell grand stories of new experiences these past two weeks but it's been great to just relax and enjoy each other's company. We went bowling together as a family, did a little shopping for Hannah and Jocelyn to spruce up their wardrobe, had 24 people around our Christmas dinner table, played wallyball at the YMCA, went ice skating and rollerskating and ate lots of good (not as in "healthy") food. The kids read a LOT of books and Alec played very long and hard with his new Castle Lego set - any kind of lego is great according to him. Well, we'll get right back into the busy-ness as it is our week to clean the school - yaaah!! Well, we'll get through that too. As well, I hope to start with a regular Monday evening volleyball team - nothing like a bit of exercise to work off all that "good" food.

P.S. Sorry, no photos! Our camera has had an extended stay at the repair shop - apparantly unfixable. Now we have to decide whether to buy another one & which kind. I thought buying a Canon was a good choice - not this time....

Happy Holidays!!

While I was away, our dear friend & neighbor Lisa spent most afternoons at our house making sure our family had dinners taken out of the freezer, lunches made and generally keeping the house a "warm" place to come home to for the kids & Henry. It worked out well & the kids really enjoyed it! During that time Lisa used her photography skills on the kids - here's a few great shots of them. I was hoping to use them as Christmas cards but just didn't quite get that far. I am happy to say I am not feeling any pressure to conform to the expectations of a commercial & hurried Christmas season. We're looking forward to a relaxed 2 week vacation for the kids - definitely doing some sleeping in (so don't call us before 9:00 a.m.), maybe going up Mt. Baker, having family here for Christmas dinner, and visiting some friends.

If you are someone who didn't get that Christmas card from us this year - here's the photo. Our family wishes you a wonderful Christmas and God's blessing in the New Year.

Our last day in Bali...

The last day was spent at this nice hotel in Bali - the Jayakarta. It was a very beautiful hotel - with many pools, gardens and trees. When we landed at Bali airport we saw signs welcoming delegates to a Climate Change Summit being held in the city. Is it just my strange sense of humor - but if you lived in this country and bought into the idea of global warming you'd be on this committee too!! (100 degrees is warm enough, thank you)

Time to say Good-bye

Monday morning we packed our bags and cleaned up the house. Ed & Femmy came at 9:00 and we visited until Y & ML arrived. We all drove to Kupang airport - our plane was delayed by 3 hours. This was apparently very normal - some days the plane doesn't go out at all. It was for this reason that we booked this flight 2 days before our Bali flight to Taipei. We arrived in Bali on Monday afternoon and our flight out was for Wednesday. We were able to change this to Tuesday without a problem. Both of us were ready to go home to be with our family and familiar surroundings. It was a wonderful trip - we were very thankful we were able to make this trip and that we were blessed with safe travels.

Sunday - at Ed & Femmy's

On Sunday we went to Ed & Femmy's church and then to their house for the day. It was a very hot day so the kids decided to cool off.

To the beach we go...

On Saturday afternoon we went to Laciana Beach with everyone in Y & ML's household. That includes two helpers - Nika and Febbe, the driver Mun, four students from Sumba Rian, Sony, Daniel & Waseri. ML took marshmallows with - she had quite a few bags from people who visited from Canada and we roasted marshmallows on the beach. In the one picture, Becky is eating a "wood potato". It is a tuber like vegetable that looks like a piece of wood but tastes like a sweet potato. They just threw them into the fire till they were black and then picked them back out and peeled off the black "skin".

Saturday - fitting in the last few things before leaving.

We visited someone who makes the traditional Rotenese musical instrument - the sasando. Since Yonson is from Rote Island he explained a bit of the background. A young boy played the instrument (somewhat like the sound of a harp), then the dad came out to play the bongos, then the mother came out to show us the dance and finally a little boy came to show us his dance - a fast paced, foot moving dance that took a lot of energy.

Farewell Evening

On Friday evening, Yonson & ML organized a farewell evening for us. Most of the people there were family members, some neighbors, their pastor, and some student teachers from the school. The helpers cooked most of the food - they did a really nice job. At this point we were able to eat rice again without our stomach objecting.

Fresh pineapple - Yum!!

These, on the other hand, are super delicious when they're picked fresh. We were amazed at how the land provides so much for the people living here.

Fresh coconut...

We discovered that the coconuts we buy in America are actually very old. Indonesians would probably feed them to their babi's (pigs). They cut the tops off the coconut so we could drink the clear liquid inside and then the white is very soft. We were embarassed to say that we actually preferred the old ones - it's really what you're used to.

The December Tree

This tree is in full bloom - bright red (orange) and translated is called the December Tree.

Friday - going out with Ed & Femmy

Today we spent with Yonson's brother Ed and his wife Femmy. They had suggested an outing to Baum which is at a somewhat higher elevation and cooler than Kupang. They took us to a place that cooks BBQ pork - and we sat there and talked for quite a while. The pork was delicious - and our stomachs were feeling better. On the way back down the mountain Ed stopped at many different places to let us sample different fruits being sold at the side of the road, or pointing out different trees and plants. Ed loves plants and the back of the car was soon full of all the clippings and "starts" he picked for his yard. The large green fruit you see in this photo is called the "jack" fruit - it's definitely huge. We all could eat from it and still have leftovers.

Ed and Femmy's kids came with as well - Moses (5), Grace (3) and Micah (1) as well as Ed's older sister Nona and neice Angel. We needed to be home by 5:00 because ML had planned a Farewell Evening for us.

Starting to feel better....

This morning we were scheduled to help the students in the Junior High with their English. We were feeling a bit better but still very weak. We dragged ourselves out of bed and were picked up by the driver, Mun and dropped off at the school. Most of the kids did very well - but they need the practice in having conversations instead of learning the "theory" of the English language. Later that day we went with ML to her church where they teach an English class to the neighborhood kids. There were quite a number of them ranging from age 5 to age 13 (?). After a brief bible lesson, we taught them the song "In the Jungle" so they could practice animal words and then played Red Rover with them. Lots of fun.

How many ways can you cook rice?

For breakfast, lunch and dinner....but mostly plain white rice with some vegetables and fish on top. I think the change in diet caught up with us because today (Tuesday) we both woke up sick. We had stomach issues, felt feverish and achy - and we were very happy that the bathroom was close to our bedroom.

Here's a few pics or ML & kids.

Monday, Nov. 26

Today was spent with Mary-Lynn and kids. We taught Dawid & Victor while ML taught Becky. We went to the little store down the street just so we had a few familiar items to use in the house we're staying in. There are many "stores" here - just the front of someone's house where they sell food, some produce or resell some store items. Many people don't have transportation or a lot of money to make a big trip to a grocery store so they make a lot of little purchases. We did our own laundry - just a bucket of soapy water and lots of muscle. We are even happier with our washing machines than before... Here's a few photos of the place we stayed in.

Our first Sunday

Our first Sunday was spent with Yonson & ML - at their church in Oesapa - in the city of Kupang. We socialized afterwards and had a nice time trying to comunicate with the people there. This church is a mission post and does not have afternoon services yet. We had lunch with the Dethan's, read books to the kids and went with Yonson to the church at Tarus (top photo). We could walk to this church - a couple doors down from Yonson & ML.

Catch that plane!!

This morning Yonson and MaryLynn were supposed to pick us up at 8:00 in the morning to catch our 10 o'clock flight to Kupang. They arrived an hour late (true Indonesian style) and we had to literally run through the airport to catch the plane. Actually, Yonson ran ahead of us with our tickets to make sure the plane wouldn't leave without us. Because we didn't have tickets we were not allowed to enter the secure area. We stood there not knowing what was going on - till finally Yonson came back to get us. We made it on our plane and after 1 1/2 hour flight arrived safely in Kupang. Yonson had hired a "bemo" and his driver was there with their van to pick us all up. Oh yes, did we say it was hot?? When we ask people here what the temperature is they just smile - no idea... just hot... everyday... We are guessing it's around 100 degrees farenheit. We arrived at Yonson & ML's house and just rested, played memory with the kids. It rained very hard for maybe 20 minutes - but it's still hot when the rain is done.

This photo is of a sign in Kupang airport - just one of the many things that kept us laughing. Between the awkward moments in trying to communicate and translate, to being reminded to uncross our legs in church (big faux pas), to having to use the squatty potty during our travels, there was never a day that we didn't have a good laugh about something. Well, maybe the day we were sick we didn't have too much to laugh about...

A Day in Bali

We're exhausted after a long day touring the island of Bali. We started with an earlier than asked for "wake up call". It appears that the front desk person did not have complete understanding of the English language and we were awakened at 5:30. Rather than go back to sleep and miss our 9:00 arrangement with Yonson and kids we got out of bed. Yonson had a van rented and two friends who were our drivers. They took us through many villages with traditional houses, crafts, carvings, etc. We stopped by a rice field where we ate our packed lunch in the car. We went up Batur Mountain and had a buffet lunch (supper?) at 3:00. It really doesn't matter what time it is on this island - whatever works... We stopped at a monkey sanctuary and watched these funny creatures fight and steal Victor's toy out of his hand. I think he's still in shock. Just when Lorraine was falling asleep in the car we learnt that we were scheduled to stop by some friends of Yonson and MaryLynn (just a little out of the way...) Not only did we need to visit but out came the rice dishes, sauces, etc. and of course we were expected to be polite and eat lots. Well, we are back and figuring out a few technical things before going off to bed. Tomorrow we get up at 7:00 and prepare for our flight from DenPasser, Bali to Kupang, Timor. We'll keep you posted.

We've Arrived!!

It's Thursday evening as I write this - at least Thursday on this side of the world. We arrived without delay - the first leg of our trip was only 12 hours instead of the 20 we had miscalculated. We slept for a good part of it so we got to Taipei quite quickly. From there we boarded another Air China plane and left for Bali. This leg was 4 hrs. & 40 minutes. Yonson met us at the airport and took us back to the hotel - where Becky jumped out of the bushes at us. When we opened the door to our room MaryLynn and the others jumped out of closets and bathroom. A nice surprise!! We swam for a while in the pool and then walked to the ocean - Kuta Beach. It was a very beautiful but busy beach - a real party place for tourists and locals. After watching the sun set we took two horse & buggies back to our hotel where we enjoyed dinner. We're very tired and off to bed. More updates later....

Around the world....to Indonesia

Well, the day has arrived to say good-bye to everyone and begin our trip to visit my sister in Indonesia. I'm going with my older sister who flew in today from Ontario. After many emails and phonecalls over the past couple months it's actually happening. My feelings run from excitement to nervousness, to "almost" regret, and more... (oh the rights of a woman) The kids say I should be excited - they wish it was them going. I hope to email little updates along the way and if my family can figure out the blog thing you may just be kept somewhat up to date on our travels. Pray for safe travels and an enjoyable trip. See you Dec. 5.