Molly's Teaching Adventure

Road Trip Reflection

2011-07-10T01:02:00.002+07:00

The two weeks spent on the road were really lovely. It was a lot of time to myself, which I have learned is so important for my transition back to the states, especially this time with all the change that I have come home to. There was also a lot of time with people that I love. It was so special to get to catch up with people. To share stories of what my life has looked like the past four years. To hear stories of what God has done in the lives of others since we've been apart. The reverse culture shock was especially interesting this time because I was getting to see so many different parts of the U.S. from the Bible Belt to the Corn Husker State. In conclusion, America is a beautiful country full of beautiful people who are hurting and in need of freedom just as much as the poverty stricken people groups in third world cultures. My prayer for my time here in America is that I wouldn't lose sight of that, and that He would be able to use me here while I am here to be love to people around me.

The Mile High City!

2011-07-10T00:12:00.002+07:00

The drive from Nebraska to Denver was pretty long. There's not a lot to see in between, so I was happy when I finally arrived in the Mile High City. Denver is one of my favorite places. It is so diverse and full of amazing places to eat and shop. The purpose of my visit, though, was to see Grandma Judy. The next day we went to breakfast and she took me shopping. It was a lovely day with my spoiling Grandma.
I also got to hang out with Alex, my sister Abby's fiance. He just recently moved to Colorado Springs for a PT job. Abby will be moving there after the wedding. We went and had some of the best Mexican food I've had since I've been home.
Worlds collided again when I got to have breakfast with Emily and Joel. I taught with the two of them in Indonesia. Joel is from Denver and Emily was there visiting him and his family. It was a great visit and nice to get to share some of the reverse culture shock experiences.
This was the last leg of my journey as I headed to Albuquerque, NM for the first sister wedding. The drive to Albuquerque was really long and not very pretty. I did get a chance to stop over at Focus on the Family as well as the city of Trinidad, CO which happens to be the sex change capital of America. (Never thought all of that would ever be in the same sentence)
I was so happy to make it to Albuquerque where I got to stay with more relatives: my dad's cousin Debbie Armerding and her husband Jonathan. It had been so long since the last time I saw them. We had a lovely Italian dinner and talked about our Asian travels. Their oldest son Cole was in China for the last year and they went to visit him in March. Emily arrived that night and so began the weddingness for the weekend.

Prerequisite: Adventure

2011-07-09T23:35:00.003+07:00

From Kansas City I was on my way to Broken Bow, Nebraska to see a bunch of family that I hadn't seen since I was a baby. The road trip had gone so smoothly so far; I should have known that I couldn't make it the whole way without some kind of Griswold adventure....
I had heard that I-29 was closed because of the Missouri River flooding, so when I plugged the address into the GPS I made sure that I wouldn't be taking I-29. Unfortunately, maps and directions aren't really my thing, so I didn't realize that I-435 and I-29 were the same thing. I found this out too late when I kept seeing the blinking road signs telling me that the interstate would close soon and I would need to take a detour. I assumed that taking their suggested detour would lead me to the right place, but it didn't. When I made it Maryville, I said a little prayer and plugged the address into the GPS again. It took me on a couple back roads and I was feeling good about it. That was until I came to another road closure. The country road I was on was closed due to a bridge being repaired. This was when I discovered the Detour button on the GPS. When I pressed it, it took me down a dirt road...that turned into a "dirt road" and then turned into something that I wasn't sure was even a road. In the middle of that thought I came upon a tractor that was making the dirt road I was on. At that point the adventure was still comical. Little did I know that it was only the beginning and that the detour button would end up being my best friend. A pretty good chunk of I-29 was closed which led to taking all kinds of backroads and me asking the question, "Where the heck am I?!" Finally, after about 2 hours of detours I finally made it to I-80 which would take me to Nebraska.
I was so happy to make it to Broken Bow safely and thoroughly enjoyed the weekend. My mom had flown in the day before and we stayed in a Bed and Breakfast. It was a lovely place fit with themed bedrooms and lots of knick knacks. The room we stayed in was called the Angel Room. It was chock full o' angels including angel pull chains on the fan. The only channel available at the bed and breakfast was the Hallmark Channel so we enjoyed some Golden Girls and Frasier during our down time.
It was such a blessing to get to catch up with family. I am related to some pretty incredible people! The weekend was full of funny stories, good food and enjoying the great outdoors. It was also a relief to learn that my passion for coffee, introvertedness, and other quirks are genetic.
I hope that I get up to Nebraska again in the near future. Family is such a special thing. Despite some of the drama that comes with it, there's so much room for grace and unconditional love. I am truly blessed.

Good Ol' Missoura

2011-07-09T22:20:00.002+07:00

The next leg of my journey took me to the great state of Missouri. First stop...St. Louis to see Sierra, my closest friend from Cottey College. She's doing some summer missions work with a church in St. Louis. It was a short visit, but, like always, we picked up right where we left off. We drove to the tiny town of Vandalia where I stayed that night. The last time I was in Vandalia was for Easter my second year at Cottey. Talk about a walk down memory lane. It was such a blessing to be able to reflect with Sierra about where the Lord has brought us. Neither of us are where we thought we'd be, but He has certainly done more than we could have imagined. Throughout my travels it's been incredible to recognize His provision of brothers and sisters in Christ who are a huge part of my support system.

The next day I drove to the other tiny town of Huntsville, Missouri to see my friend Aaron and his family. Aaron and I went to Indonesia at the same time. For three years, I heard all kinds of stories about this little town and its quirks, so it was so fun to get to see it all. His family is amazing and made me feel like part of the family immediately. There just aren't words to describe what it's like to meet someone from my Indonesia Life in America. Once again, though, it was as if no time had passed at all.

Memory lane continued when I headed to Kansas City to see a dear friend from my Cottey years. Kali and I were R.A.'s together, Spanish speakers and coffee lovers. She is married now with a cute one year old and another on the way. So, a lot has changed, but I thoroughly enjoyed sharing stories of God's provision and orchestration of where we are today. That night I stayed with her inlaws...one of the more random accomodations of my trip, but it turned out to be a divine appointment when I got to meet Kali's sister in law. She just got engaged, so we got to talk about wedding craziness and everything that comes with committing to someone and their family. I was able to be an encouragement to her and made a new friend in the process.

Going back to the places where I've been was a weird feeling. I couldn't help but think of that song by Sara Groves, "Painting Pictures of Egypt."

The places that used to fit me cannot hold the things I've learned

My time in Missouri while I was going to Cottey was only the beginning of God preparing me for something big. I love looking back and seeing how He's continued to write my story further shaping my life into someone that portrays who He is.

Worlds Colliding Wedding Style

2011-06-28T10:24:00.002+07:00

Worlds collided when I made it to Hampton, Georgia to see my good friend Billy who I met in Indonesia. He was taking language school in Bandung along with his friend Kyle when I met them in August and it was such a blessing to have them as friends this past year. Billy was an excellent host and I really enjoyed the city of Atlanta. I think it would be safe to say that in the top five priorities in Billy's life, Chick-fil-a and all that it encompasses has landed a spot somewhere in there. For eight months I was educated on the menu, history and other important facts of Chick-fil-a...it started in Atlanta, there are several different restaurants that are part of the company including a pizza restaurant, the Dwarf House, and Truett's. I was quite excited to finally get to try this thing that I had heard so much about. We went to Truett's the first night I was there and I thoroughly enjoyed my Spicy Chicken Sandwich. I was also thankful that the "Chick-fil-a expert" was with me, because there were far too many choices on that menu for me to make a decision on my own!
This whole road trip idea started when I decided that I wanted to honor my dear friend Bryn, the music teacher from BAIS, by going to his wedding on the 18th of June. This last year was a huge year of firsts for him including flying, teaching, riding a motorbike and getting engaged:) His wife, Courtney, will be teaching 3rd Grade next year at BAIS. They have a pretty spectacular story, and I am so excited for them and their next adventure. They got married in Cookeville, Tennessee, so Billy and I drove up there through some of the most beautiful country I've ever seen. So, worlds collided once again when I got to see Bryn in his home state marry a dear sister in Christ who'll be experiencing her first year of teaching at BAIS in the fall. One of the coolest parts of the wedding was the Indonesian elements that they included. The bridesmaids, groomsmen, and Bryn wore Batik, which is the traditional style fabric used to make formal clothing. When Courtney walked down the aisle in her traditional while wedding dress, it was symbolic of her not only committing her life to love and serve alongside Bryn, but it was also symbolic of her committment to take that step of faith and go where God has called her...Indonesia. It was not only a wedding, but also a commissioning for them as they head to Indonesia. It was a privilege to get to sing a song in Indonesian for the commissioning portion of their wedding.
It's an incredible thing to see how God brings people into your life for a season and how brothers and sisters in Christ can become instant friends. I am truly blessed.

Sister Time in Texas and Some Culture Shock

2011-06-17T09:29:00.003+07:00

The day began with one of my favorite things...Continental Breakfast! The coffee was less than mediocre, so I made a quick stop at Starbucks before getting on the road. I am using my parents GPS thing, which is the only reason that I have made it to any of the destinations. One of the drawbacks is that it chooses the route for you and it may not always be the shortest. It took me through some backroads to Tyler, which made it farther, but really pretty and very country:) I got to spend the evening with my sister Emily, who, since the last time I saw her a year ago, has graduated college, gotten a job, an apartment, a boyfriend and a ring on her left hand. Needless to say, it kind of felt like we were meeting each other for the first time. It was a lovely time of delicious food and lots of catching up. I am so proud of her and can't wait to be a part of her wedding in 16 days.
Some culture shock moments I have experienced include the size of American portions and important consumer items that I was not aware of. Emily took me to this amazing custard place in Tyler where we got enough ice cream to feed four people. Don't get me wrong, it was amazing...and I ate the whole thing! I went into a Walmart this morning and couldn't help but snap a picture of one of the items listed on one of the signs. So funny.
After all that ranting and raving about the stupid traffic in Indonesia, it was kind of humorous, but mostly annoying to be moving about four miles an hour on Interstate 20 in Louisiana for about an hour today. Ridiculous.
I did end up making it to Monroe, Louisiana where I stopped at the Biedenharn Museum. Joe Biedenharn was the guy who came up with the idea to put Coca Cola in glass bottles. His daughter Emy-Lou had a pretty impressive collection of Bibles and traveled around Europe for 11 years while she was an opera singer. I caught the very last tour of the day with a cute little old lady. It was really beautiful.
My trip ended up in Jackson, Mississippi...yep the same one from the Johnny Cash song. Mississippi is a great state. Very friendly. Driving across the Mississippi River was one of the highlights yesterday. I also couldn't help but think about my fifth graders as I drove through Vicksburg, MS. We had a good time during our Civil War Unit this year and Vicksburg was where a major Union Victory occurred.
Today I am headed to Hampton, Georgia to see my good friend Billy. I am anxiously anticipating all of the Chick-fil-a we will be eating. Billy is a Chick-fil-a connosieur and I am confident that he will introduce me to all things southern.

Let the Road Trippage Blogging Begin!

2011-06-15T09:30:00.006+07:00

I must admit, this road trip is coming at a very good time. There's a lot going on here. A lot of good things that I couldn't be happier about. But, those amazing things combined with the craziness of reentering this country after shutting down the Indonesia chaper makes for a very large plate of transition that I certainly can't handle on my own. So, my prayer is that the next 17 days include some good food, good friends, words of Truth, and wisdom and clarity about what the next six months are going to look like.

Today was a super blessing. My mom and I drove from Flagstaff to Albuquerque together. The plan was to rent a car in Albuquerque since that's where the wedding is and where my road trip will end up in July. It was so cool to get to catch up with my mom and hear about how God's been using her.

Once in Albuquerque, I got to meet Kevin, my sister's fiance. He is in the Air Force and gave us a tour of the base which included getting to go into one of the training planes. It was pretty awesome, and I am happy to report that I completely approve:)

Once we picked up the car at the rental place, I was off to Amarillo. It's so weird to drive here. It didn't take too long to get used to driving on the correct side of the road. Every time there is a slow person in the left hand lane, it takes everything in me not to start honking at them...that doesn't really fly here in America. I also don't quite know how to handle all the open space...I miss the warungs, Tambalbans and bensin sellers. I do, however, LOVE that there's no traffic or potholes! I made it safely to Amarillo and got to see some cool things along the way, including these graffittied cars that are buried in the ground...crazy.

R.A.F.T.- ing

2011-06-01T21:20:00.007+07:00

Well, there's nothing like a graduation to make you realize that the end really is near.

Wednesday afternoon was the graduation ceremony of the Class of 2011, oh how I love them! During my first year here when I taught this class P.E., even though they kind of drove me crazy, I thought it would be pretty awesome if I were able to stay long enough to see them graduate...and here I am watching them graduate and getting ready to say goodbye to this place along with them...On June 11th, I board a plane with a one-way ticket back to America.

I've been refusing to count down the days, but when it's down to single digits, there's just no denying it. The truth is, I don't know how to leave here, I don't know how to tell this place goodbye. I've been trying to be intentional with people and tackle the art of farewell in small bites, but it still feels like an overwhelming task.

At the very same time, I am filled with anticipation as I think about what the next year holds. Weddings, reunions, grocery stores with an abundance of cereal options, new friends, new adventures. Oh man, how does one manage all these emotions and looming changes?!

The answer: By His grace alone and with a little help from...a lovely model that I learned at our Pre-Field Orientation.

Join me as I build my RAFT...

R (reconcile)--As one who struggles with pride and justification, this is not something that I am very great at. Fortunately, since I first arrived I've been learning the beauty of speaking and receiving the truth in love and keeping short accounts with others in this community. Along the way, I've said to much, not said enough, offended, insulted and miscommunicated. One group that I will need to make sure to reconcile with are my beloved 5th graders. It's been a hard year and, especially in this last quarter, each Bible Class has felt like an intervention. In reconciling with them I want to make sure that they leave my class knowing that underneath all the lectures, mean teacher voice moments and minutes taken away from free time was a deep love and desire to see them become the young men and women God has created them to be.

While in the process of reconciliation, I realized there are some aspects of Indonesia that need reconciliation...

1. The Rain--I have a deep disdain for the rain in this country. It ruins my plans, my shoes, my hair and my ability to safely drive my motorbike. The other night, though, I went on a run and within 5 minutes it started to pour. There was nothing left to do but embrace it. I finished my run and then just stood in the rain soaking it in. In that moment, I do believe that rain and I reconciled.

2. Traffic--The closer I get to the end, the greater my hatred grows for the traffic in this town. In the last month, I have found myself literally screaming aloud at the ridiculousness of driving habits. On a motorbike, it's not easy to be subtle in that. I am not sure what it's going to look like to reconcile with traffic, perhaps I will have to pray for those that make me crazy.

Lord, thank you for the ultimate demonstration of reconciliation through the death of your Son. I ask that you'd grant me the humility, grace and words to reconcile with those that I've wronged. Help me to spend the last few days loving fiercely on the people in this country.

A (affirm)--Indonesia, God has used you to break, pound and grind me down to one who fears her King, listens for His voice and is able to recognize and participate in His grace. You've given me eyes to see the beauty in differences and opportunities that have stretched me farther than I thought I was capable of. Thank you for Sambal, sate kambing, rambutan, and kopi susu. Thank you for motorbikes, outlet stores and cream baths. Thank you for KARAOKE, endless amounts of restaurants, and random adventures. You've frustrated me and made me laugh, burdened me and made me cry. There will always be a place in my heart for Indonesia.

F (farewell)--This is my least favorite part of this RAFTing thing, because it usually includes tears. I always think of that moment at the airport after I've said goodbye to my family, but I can still see them as I wait in line for security. Me turning around and waving every 30 seconds looking like a mess as I take my shoes off or pull my laptop out of the case. Ugh, I hate that.

But alas, it must happen. For me, I think my final farewell to Indonesia will be as I take off in the plane looking down through tear-filled eyes at the red-orange tiled rooves and palm trees...exactly how our first hello went.

T (Think Destination)--This stage results in a combination of excitement, sadness, and anxiety. I am so excited to get to spend some solid time in Flagstaff, one of my most favorite places in the world, with some of the most important people in my life. I can't wait to reconnect with and love on people. I am also super excited to participate in the celebration of both my sisters getting married, but I struggle to fully grasp all the changes I will face in the next three months. On top of that, I can't help but be anxious for what it's going to mean for me to be an adult in America. Last summer was hard enough when I learned that I could just stick my checks in the ATM to make a deposit...that was CrAzY! Oh man, do they even use checks anymore in America?! I have a feeling I am going to feel like an alien on a new planet for a while, but it's even more difficult when you look like someone who should know how the system works!! Que sera sera. I am sure it will result in some hilariously blog-worthy stories.

But, America is not the only destination I am thinking of these days...

In January I will be participating in a six month internship with Word Made Flesh in Bangkok, Thailand with the couple that I met back in January. It's so neat to see how this opportunity is a beautiful combination of all the things that God has put on my heart in the last year and a half. The internship will include ministering to prostitutes in the bars of the Red Light District as well as street kids and their families. Tim and Amy are hoping to create a small resource/learning center to help minister to the needs of those families which is where my education background comes in a bit. There are a lot of details that I am still unsure about including living situation and exact cost, but I am definitely "thinking destination" as I look forward to what He has in store for this next season.

Wow, the RAFT is built and there's one week until I board that plane. Once again, relying on my own strength will result in utter failure, so I turn to Psalm 55:22 "Give your burdens to the LORD, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall."

Thank you for joining me on this Indonesian teaching adventure. It was by your prayers that the last four years have been so full of His goodness, power and provision. I am forever grateful.

The Beauty of...

2011-03-07T21:10:00.004+07:00

...hearing with my eyes open.

At the start of 2011, I was asked, "What's your goal this year? What do you want?"

"I want to hear from God...hear His voice, hear Him speak."

In the last two months, He's been faithful to do just that.

Here's a couple stories...evidence that God still speaks.

Every week we have Upper Elementary Chapel. This year, our focus is on the names of God. I was in charge of the teaching the first week back from break about God being The Word and how He sent His Son to communicate and connect with us. The night before, I was trying to plan what to talk about and couldn't get the illustration out of my head that I used in Central Java to share the Truth with the students I met there. After attempting to ignore His prompting, I finally listened and it was clear that He was telling me to use that illustration in my talk the next morning. I've been at BAIS for almost four years learning what it means to teach Bible and just how inadequate I am. With that has come a fear to be bold and give the students who don't yet know Him the chance to accept Him. I chose to listen to His voice, go against that fear and trust that He had a plan. I ended up sharing the Bridge illustration the next day and sure enough, He spoke...He stirred and four of my boys accepted/rededicated their lives to Him. It was incredible. I did nothing but obey. Since then, He's been working in their hearts and I get the privilege of watching these boys grow into men of God. It's incredible.

One of the best parts about this job is getting to not only love on the little ones, but also on the high schoolers. Along with my roommate, I lead a girls Bible study. Almost every week, we don't really know what we're going to talk about until moments beforehand. About a month ago it was just me leading. I had had a rough week dealing with some relational drama and learning not to seek total satisfaction in human relationships. I felt like I was in no place to lead a Bible Study, but asked Him to be there and to speak. He ended up giving me the boldness to share my story and struggle with the girls and it turned out to be an incredible discussion and a time of healing for my heart as He would bring random Scripture to my mind as well as speak words of truth through the girls. Turns out we all struggle with that:)

I got to go back to Central Java at the end of January with the same guys I went with over Christmas Break. We got to meet and chat with a large group of high school and college students again. This time, God put some really incredible girls in my group...kindred spirits for sure! Although we came from different backgrounds and religions, it was beautiful to see Him weave our stories together. One of the guys that I came with shared some Scripture about sowing seeds and how we sow seeds with every word we speak...good and bad...and that those seeds reap good and bad just the same. This sparked an amazing conversation about the consequences of our actions and what happens when we reap the harvest of bad seeds. We talked about redemption, which is a word I've been chewing on since December, and then got to talk about hope and where it comes from and that there's a source of hope that never runs out. Our time came to a close, but we could have continued talking for days. It was really hard to leave, but I pray that God allows the seeds that were planted that day to grow into "oaks of righteousness planted for His glory!"

It's refreshing to share these stories with you because it occurred to me as I was writing this post how quickly I lose sight of Him. It's been a rough week in the fifth grade as the hormones are raging and Spring Break is next week. Weary would be a good word to describe my current state. It will be by His grace alone that we all make it to Spring Break alive. I've been consumed with the busyness of the month and the craziness in my classroom that it has turned my focus inward in an attempt to manage the chaos. Reflecting and putting these stories into words has cleared up my vision a bit and reminded me of the power that I can tap into if I choose to...the peace that surpasses all understanding...the thoughts and ways that are higher than mine...that's the beauty of hearing with my eyes open.

Next week is Spring Break...my first Indonesian Spring Break that I am not going to the islands. It's hard to not be going with the team, but I see now part of the reason for that decision. God's provided me with some time to sit alone with Him. With two and a half months left here in Indonesia, there is much to process. I need to spend some intentional time thinking through what the end of this season is going to look like and what I need to do to finish well. My prayer is that this next week provides concentrated time of hearing His voice and resting in His truth.

Let us acknowledge the LORD;
let us press on to acknowledge him.
As surely as the sun rises, he will appear;
he will come to us like the winter rains,
like the spring rains that water the earth.
Hosea 6:3

Provided, Protected, Connected

2011-01-09T21:14:00.004+07:00

I am certain that I have not totally processed through the fullness of my three-day adventure to Bangkok, Thailand and I don't have words enough to explain just what He did last week. But I know that several people were lifting me up and I wanted to let you know that those prayers were received and answered in HUGE ways, just as I expected. He provided peace, courage and strength. He was my protection as a solo traveler. And, He connected me with some incredible people.

Let's rewind a bit, so as to display the awesomeness of His creative orchestration:
I began doing some research on human trafficking back in July and August, looking specifically for organizations that I could possibly work with. I was given a magazine from a particular organization that had articles written by workers from teams all around the world. My heart resonated with their stories and the mission statement and through a random series of small world connections I was all of the sudden in communication with some people that worked in Bolivia and Thailand. In the meantime, I had contacted Night Light, a different organization in Bangkok that worked directly with women in prostitution and was invited to come for a tour of their program. So then I decided to email the team in Thailand to make the most of my potential trip there...hoping to kill a couple birds with one stone. I didn't hear back from them, and started to think that maybe it wasn't going to happen. I tried one more time, praying that if I was supposed to go on this trip, I would hear back from them within the week. Within two days, I got an email explaining that none of my other emails had been received and that if it wasn't too late, they would love to have me come and see what they do. All of the sudden I was in the process of buying a ticket to Bangkok during the first week of January with both anxiety and excitement in my heart wondering what He was going to do.

The first legs of the trip were extremely smooth. I made it to Bangkok, made it through immigration, to a taxi and to the guest house all in one piece. The next day, there was nothing on the agenda until 7pm. Despite my doubts of whether or not I could handle being a solo traveler, I grabbed the Bangkok Sky Train map and was determined to do some site seeing. Site seeing turned out to be mall hopping and people watching, but that was okay with me:) My only touristy goal for the three day adventure was to eat as much authentic Pad Thai as I could...success. Although, I realized that no one does it quite like Pato...

Anyways...

That evening, I was invited to attend "Beggars Society," which is a monthly gathering of workers in Bangkok to raise awareness about what He's doing among the poor there. The guest speaker for this particular evening happened to be the woman who started Night Light, one of the ministries I had come to Bangkok to visit. It was an incredible night full of small world connections, including a girl whose brother works in Nevada, MO and knows about Cottey College and a couple girls who have had the privilege of staying at the famous Jungle Inn on the island of Sumatra. It was such a blessing to be around people with the same heart. I was encouraged and blown away at God's timing and connections. I got to hang out with them afterward and the evening went pretty late. I knew that I had to catch the sky train before midnight and headed out around 11pm. The guest house was located on the other side of town about an hour away, so I had a long trip ahead of me and hadn't been back to the guest house since that morning. When I got to my last stop, I wasn't exactly confident on how to get back to the guest house, but headed in the first direction that felt right...I then came across a pack of dogs lying in the middle of the sidewalk. We don't really have dogs here in Indo, so I was a little more than worried about having to cross their path. I figured, tip-toeing would be the best strategy...and similar to what I imagine happened in the lions den, they didn't even notice me:) Unfortunately, after I made it past them, I realized that I was definitely going the wrong way and needed to turn around. So, I took a deep breath, and tip-toed back through the pack of wild canines...this time, they got a little more excited and the tip-toeing became trotting, which became running. At that point, the dogs got really excited and started to chase after me. One of them nipped at my leg and that's when I knew I was in trouble. But then, like a guardian angel in bull dog form, out of no where came a big dog barking and cutting off the attackers and saving my life! Shaken and scared to death I made it across the street where I found a friendly taxi driver to take me back to the guest house. Praise God!

The next day, I was pretty overwhelmed with a spirit of fear from the night before and had to spend some time surrendering that to Him. But, by His strength, I headed out into the big city once again to have coffee with one of the people I had met the night before--the wife of the couple who works with one of the organizations I am interested in possibly working with. It was a really great time. We clicked right off the bat and it was so awesome to hear what God had been doing in their ministry and the dreams they have for different programs in the future. They minister specifically to street kids who work in prostitution and their families. They would like to start a center where they can help educate, train and counsel these families to equip them to get off the streets and out of prostitution. Right now, it is just the two of them, so there is a clear need for additional team members. She was excited to offer me the opportunity to join them in the near future! I am in the process of praying through this and getting more information on the logistics of what that would look like. Praise God!

The next day, I was scheduled for a tour of Night Light at 10:30am. Night Light works specifically with prostitutes in the bars in one of the red light districts in Bangkok. They go into the bars and build relationships with the girls, the bar owners and the brothel managers. They encourage the girls to leave prostitution by providing them with an alternative way to make money. They have a jewelry business where the girls work and are able to make money for their families. At the same time they share Truth with them, provide pastoral counseling and a daycare for their children. It is an incredible ministry and is very well established. Night Light also does a lot of work with trafficked women who have been brought over the border from different countries in Asia and Eastern Europe. They work with the Anti-Trafficking office there in Bangkok to help the girls get back to their home countries. Again, I was so blown away by stories of God's provision, protection and redemption. There were several people on the tour with me who became immediate friends. We all happened to be in the same place in life...at the end of a chapter, but not really sure what the future might hold. We were from all over the world...England, Australia, South Korea, America...but all have a heart to see the oppressed set free. It was so cool to see God orchestrate these divine appointments. Praise Him!

That evening I returned to Indonesia, still unsure of exactly what the future holds, but so full...full of peace, full of excitement, full of assurance in His plan...whatever it happens to be. My Bangkok adventure was only three days and I went into it not having any idea what to expect. But, as I mentioned in my last post, I prayed to see Him in a BIG way and He was faithful.

Now, of course, my tendency still remains to fret and try and come up with a plan to figure out what to do, but He continues to whisper "Wait Molly. I am still working. Just, wait for me."
So, WAIT is the word for 2011 and in the meantime, I will put my hope in His Word.

For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. Psalm 62:1

Make me to know your ways , O LORD; teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all the day long. Psalm 25:4-5

I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope;
my soul waits for the LORD more than watchmen for the morning. Psalm 130:5-6

Thank you for your prayers and words of encouragement. They are being received and answered. What a Mighty God we serve!

A New Year that holds BIG Possibilities

2011-01-03T13:04:00.006+07:00

The other night, I was listening to someone talk about New Year's Resolutions and that the reason most of us fail to accomplish them is because they are based on our own expectations and desired results and not on God's.

At the beginning of 2010, I was bound and determined to update this blog more frequently...alas, it did not happen. Let me assure you though, that does not mean there were not countless blog-worthy stories...In fact, in the time between the last post and now, He has taught me that my expectations and desires don't really matter that much and that the plans He has are much more beautiful and exciting than I could ever imagine.

My last post was a story from the Sea Tribe Trip that I went on in April. On that trip, there was a stirring in my heart to seek what the Lord might have next for me...after the 2010-2011 school year. BAIS has been my home for three and a half years now. He has established a place for me here, shaping and molding me into a totally new version of myself. He's blessed me with an incredible support system of brothers and sisters that sharpen and challenge me in every conversation we have. He's totally rocked my world! With that being said, you can imagine I was a bit taken aback when He said that this year would be my last. Despite what He's taught me about His faithfulness and how He knows the big picture, I still try to put Him in a box and couldn't help but ask, "Really? Are you sure? I am pretty sure that teaching kids is all I've got..."
Over the next several months, He continued to provide a peace that I still can't quite describe about the thought of me leaving here. At the same time, He was pressing some other things on my heart. One of those things being Human Trafficking and possibly working with trafficked women and children. I started doing some research and reading up on what He's doing in this part of the world through ministries that help prevent, prosecute, rescue and rehabilitate. He continued placing people in my path who had connections to various ministries and my pool of contacts continued to grow. Literally every time I would mention this to anyone, they would tell me of someone they know who is working with a ministry like this somewhere in Asia. I had several contacts in Thailand, Cambodia and India, so I decided that I was going to use my vacation time to explore some of these options. Emphasis on the I part of that sentence...I had grand plans for me to go to all these places and figure out what I was going to do next. When the doors started to close on those endeavors, discouragement set in and I started to question Him again. He reminded me that He hasn't left me or forsaken me, that His plans and His timing is perfect and that I just needed to wait. I surrendered my desires, plans and control and trusted that He was going to do what He wanted...I now see that His plan was to address that doubt that I mentioned earlier...that teaching is all I've got...

At the beginning of December, I was able to go on a short trip with some teachers to visit an island in the Riau that we visited a couple years ago on a Sea Tribe trip. The elementary school there got the lowest test scores out of all the elementary schools in that area and they are spending the next year working on getting them up. We were asked to bring our knowledge and experience to the teachers in a two day workshop. We were also asked to revamp their library and teach them how to use their resources. It was an incredible experience to be able to use and share the giftings that He's given us to bless this school and demonstrate His love to them. Not only were we able to give them some practical tools and creative strategies to use in their classroom, but we also got to rock it HGTV style and redecorate their library. Through this experience, I learned the creativity with which He uses the giftings of His children.

This past week, I went to Central Java with some friends of mine who've been speaking and ministering to Indonesian churches all over the country. The plan was to spend some time with high school and college students, practicing their English and sharing stories with them of America with the ultimate goal and sharing the Truth with them. We met with small groups for three days and He worked in HUGE ways. I love how He works outside my comfort zone. Throughout the three days, I was able to go pretty deep with the students in my group, talking about friendship, forgiveness, heaven and ultimately giving them the opportunity to accept JC. It was unbelievable how He worked through me. Again, I learned that the gifts He's given me can be used in any capacity, all that's required of me in surrender and complete reliance on Him.

Today, I am hopping a plane to Bangkok, Thailand. Yeah, turns out not all of the doors closed. I will be visiting a couple ministries there that work with trafficked women and children. I am going by myself and expecting nothing but big things from Him.

So, He knows the big picture. He knows what this year holds and although He's not filling me in on exactly what it is, He continues to provide evidence of His faithfulness and sovereignty. In the meantime, I will walk with Him and follow wherever He leads praying for eyes to see and ears to hear where that might be.

I could come up with all kinds of New Year's Resolutions to figure out my future and plan it out, but that would all be in vain, because it would be based on what I want. Instead, I will choose to wait on Him, expecting BIG things for 2011.

GOD is GOOD...and so is sambal!

2010-04-21T16:53:00.002+07:00

I’m not gonna lie…one of the highlights of my Sea Tribe experience is always the food. I can’t get enough of it. Gong-gong (sea snails), cumi-cumi (squid), ikan (fish), kepiting (crab), roti prata (fry bread), nasi (rice), and don’t forget the SAMBAL! Sambal is a spicy condiment made from cabe, garlic and onions crushed together into a paste. It is eaten on everything and is wonderful. Oh, how I love sambal.
I will never forget the sambal I had at Pak Ramad and Ibu Titi’s house…
Our Ibu on the first island was a fantastic cook. One night, she made the best sambal I’ve ever tasted. It was rich, savory and had just the right amount of spice. All I wanted to do was eat as much of that sambal as I could, whether it was with nasi or with ayam, on ikan or by itself. It was phenomenal. Throughout our stay, we couldn’t stop complimenting our Ibu on her gift of cooking, especially when we heard that she didn’t use any MSG! It was all completely from scratch, no flavor enhancment needed! Amazing.
Pak Ramad is the Principal of a High School on Pulau Timun. He and Ibu Titi have a lovely home. It is big, fancy and full of books! Pak Ramad has a Master’s Degree in Education and values learning. His daughter Lilis is an English teacher for elementary students. Their middle son is in university on another island and Ipin is an 8th grader. They are a very devout family take education and religion very seriously. They were very engaged in conversation with us during our stay and asked pointed questions. On the first night, we talked about teaching and what made us want to become teachers. We talked about respect and how being made in God’s image requires us to respect one another no matter what. We told the story of the Good Samaritan and what it means to be a neighbor. Ibu told us the story of how she and the bapak met. She then gave us a mini lecture on marriage: the importance of respect, partnership and compromise. Pak Ramad and Ibu Titi have a nice house, great kids, a strong marriage, and are very well respected in the community. After that first night I couldn’t help but wonder how we would share the saving power of JC with a family that already seemed to have it all together. We asked the Father for creativity and opportunities to share more Truth throughout our stay there. Unfortunately, we were never able to get deeper with Pak Ramad and his family.
In reflecting on that island experience, I realized that God and the message of JC is kind of like that sambal…unbelievably satisfying without any “flavor enhancement” needed. Although it was discouraging not to get to share the Good News with Pak Ramad and Ibu Titi, it was a reminder that it’s not about how creative our strategies are, how many stories we tell, or how many spiritual conversations we have. Instead, it’s about JC, it’s about His name being made great and sometimes that comes in the form of complimenting an Ibu on her culinary talents, helping clean up after a meal or demonstrating His love through the relationships we have with our teammates. God and His plan are good. Even when it doesn’t turn out the way we think it should, God and His plan are still good. I’ll never forget that meal, every time I think about it, my prayer is that one day Pak Ramad and Ibu Titi will get a taste of that Everlasting Goodness so they can share it with others on Pulau Timun.

"Oh taste and see that the LORD is GOOD! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him...those who seek the LORD lack no good thing." Psalm 34:8, 10

"...that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified." Isaiah 61:3

Cowbell + stomach infection + a little bit of tidak sopan = Most Memorable Weekend Ever!

2010-03-01T21:15:00.007+07:00

We adventurers here in the tropics like to take advantage of any time we get off by going on vacation. Although these trips usually include stress inducing situations like crowded transportation, frustrating miscommunication, and the occasional crises, we continue to pack as much activity and adventure into 72 hours as we possibly can with the inevitable result of having incredible stories to share afterward.

This weekend was no different...

The people: Molly, Melissa and Laura

The Plan: Car to Jakarta Wednesday afternoon, plane to Semarang, car to Salatiga, stay in guest house, talk business with international school there and explore Salatiga, attend and make a scene at the Basketball Tournament cheering for our students, car back to Semarang, plane back to Jakarta, car back to Bandung, arrive Sunday evening.

The story: We successfully made our flight on Wednesday evening, successfully caught a ride to Salatiga, and successfully slept through the loud karaoke sessions coming from a wedding located up the street. We spent Thursday connecting with people at Mountainview International Christian School. What a blessing and an encouragement to see what He is doing in other schools in this country. The next day we attended their high school chapel, and cheered quietly for BAIS at their Pep Assembly for the upcoming Basketball Tournament. That afternoon we ventured into town where we did some grocery shopping and ate lunch at an almost literal hole in the wall that I was certain was going to make us all sick. We ventured further to the pasar or local market to buy food for dinner. There we were met with several people ready to sell us anything from kilos of dill to dozens of eel-like fish called lele. Despite our temptation to purchase the dill and lele we opted for a red snapper and some fruit and vegetables to cook up at the guest house we were staying at. Dinner was a success, as was hanging up some signs at the school in preparation for the friendly competition the next day. Our first game started at eight the next morning. After a nutritional breakfast of Fruity Pebbles and caffeine, we headed to the school armed with our "cowbell," jerseys, and school spirit to root for our beloved Eagles. Both the girls and boys won their first game...with the assistance of the cowbell of course. By the end of the afternoon the boys were at 3-0, girls were 2-1. It was a successful day. At the concession stands, the Mountainview parents were serving both Western and Asian dishes for lunch. I, along with several other parents and students chose the BBQ Beef Sandwich. Unfortunately, only two hours later, I learned that my digestive system didn't agree with that decision.

The next paragraph may be graphic for those with weak stomach's.

Reader's discretion is advised.

My body was doing everything it could to get that bacteria out of me. After about an hour in the bathroom at the school with it coming every five minutes, I got a ride back to the guest house. After another hour of the same thing, it was decided that I needed to go to the emergency room. It's funny, when you're that close to what feels like death, it doesn't really matter what happens as long as you feel better. Walking into the Indonesian hospital, I could see the syringes on the floor and all the people looking at us like they had never seen a bule before, but all I cared about was getting to a bed before I passed out. I was so dehydrated and my blood pressure was so low that the nurse had a hard time finding a pulse. They hooked me up to an IV. About five minutes later, the vomiting and diarrhea had started again. I spent the next half hour in the bathroom while they decided where they were going to put me. Finally, it was time to head to the room...that was in another building. When I stood up to walk and nearly passed out, they decided to take me in a wheelchair. My room was in a old building that required traveling up a very steep driveway. Even in my half conscious state, I was able to find the image of two men maneuvering my wheelchair up a mountain quite humorous. The minute we got to the room, I made a b-line for the bed. Our "Executive Room" was far from high class with ants crawling in every crevice, a bathroom with a floor covered in water, a toilet that wouldn't flush and AC that would hardly go above 26 degrees Celsius. Fortunately, we had the room to ourselves, except for when the door was open and any neighbors tried to get a peek at the sick bule. The next several hours included my amazing friends and temporary roommates getting up every hour to page the nurses to come and change the fluids I was getting through the IV. Here, the nurses don't check on you regularly. Instead, it is the patient's job to basically take care of herself unless she is fortunate enough to have loyal and patient friends to help. It wasn't until 2:00am that the vomiting finally stopped. By that time the color had come back to my face and I was more alert. Alert enough in fact to experience the check up by the actual doctor. Again, I am not sure this hospital had ever had a white person as a patient. This was made relatively clear by the response of the doctor and his slew of nurses to the size and color of my feet. When I asked what they were doing, the doctor said, "Oh, well when we can see the veins in your feet, we know that your blood is still flowing." Nice cover up, I know you were just discussing how you've never seen feet that big! After gawking at my feet for several minutes he then moved on to poking my stomach asking if it hurt...well, it certainly doesn't feel nice when you press on it like that! He was actually a very nice man who took pride in explaining how the digestive system of Westerners cannot handle the strong bacteria here in the tropics. I can vouch for that one! Around 7:00am, we decided that I had recovered enough to check out of the hospital. A car was scheduled to take us to the airport at 1:00 that afternoon to catch a flight at 3:15. The plan was for the girls to go to the final games of the tournament and for me to rest and clean up back at the guest house. After much negotiations with the hospital staff on the definition of one night versus two, we were able to make it out of the hospital and back to the guest house.
The girls ended up with fourth place overall, and the boys lost the championship game 26-32 against Mountainview. It was a sad loss, but a very close game. Our weekend had come to a close and it was time for us to leave Salatiga. I found out that several of the students and parents that ate the meal I did also got sick, and that someone from Mountainview gave money to pay for my hospital bills and the cost to take care of the others that got sick. What a blessing that school was and such an example of godly sportsmanship as well. Although the food poisoning part was unpleasant, the weekend was quite enjoyable.

But, it wasn't over...

Our car didn't end up leaving Salatiga until 1:30 and it was an hour drive to the airport and there was traffic because it was a Sunday, so we didn't get to the airport until 2:45. The airline counter was closed when we got there, but being the bules that we are we were convinced that they would have no problem letting us on the plane. After some discussion, we come to find out that the airline arranged for a smaller plane than they originally sold tickets for, so there was no room on the plane for us anyways and we would probably have to fly out on a different airline. Oh, but all the other airlines are booked, so we were probably going to have to leave the next morning. They asked us to take a seat and wait while they tried to get us on a flight out that evening. After a lot of strong words, frustration, miscommunication and by God's grace, we were able to get out of there around the same time on three different flights all arriving in Jakarta at 8:30pm...only four hours after the time we had scheduled a driver to pick us up. Fortunately, the school driver was able to come and get us and brought us all home safely by midnight that night.

I am still processing through the events of the weekend, and I am not sure it has quite hit me exactly what I experienced. But, just like all the crazy adventures I experience here in the tropics, I can see His hand in all of it. From the blessing of staying at the guest house that was located so close to a hospital to the people at Mountainview so quick to help out in any way they could, all I can say, despite the craziness is that He's withheld no good thing.

Chasing After Him and Reaping the Benefits

2010-01-24T17:35:00.002+07:00

Not gonna lie, the last couple weeks have been difficult. Perhaps it has been the jetlag or the craziness of spring semester, the amount of pre-teen hormones in my classroom or the combination of all three. Tough times require us to lean that much more on the one who leads us beside quiet waters. I was reading a devotional last week that was stressing the importance of seeking not after blessings, but after His face. When we seek after what we think is best for us, we usually end up disappointed and even more stressed than before. But, when we seek after His face, those blessings just fall into place and usually show up in the most unexpected ways. In spite of the hard stuff, I have striven to seek His face and have ended up with eyes to recognize some blessings.
So, here's a few ways that He's blessed me in the past couple weeks:

1. High Schoolers: Last Friday, I spoke at the youth group about living intentionally. It was a smaller group, but I was confident that He hand picked the students He wanted there to hear what He was going to say through me. I had them do some reflecting on their "theme" for 2009 and challenged them to come up with a desired theme for 2010 (thanks to Pastor Bob for the idea:)). I am blown away by the high schoolers at BAIS. He is writing such incredible stories in their lives and I am so humbled that I have been written into some of them. Please be lifting me up as I continue to connect with them and attempt to pour into their lives.

2. Stories: We are continuing to prepare for our trip out to the islands in April. Our last meeting was focused around stories...my story, your story and how those connect to His story. It was so cool to hear some of the encounter testimonies from the students and leaders and to see His clear hand of provision, protection and power. He's put together a pretty strong team this year. I am anxious to see what He's got in store for us. Please be lifting up the team and the finances as our deadline and departure date quickly approach.

3. Dancing: Last semester, along with trying to learn "Thriller," I taught my students and several other classes the "Cupid Shuffle." This semester, I brought back two new songs for my kids to try: "The Electric Slide" and the "Cha Cha Slide." With fourteen students on the verge of their teenage years, times can get a little tense in the 5th grade, so to provide some relief, we dance! After they agree that dancing is cool and not lame, they have a blast and afterwards, everyone is in a better mood:)

4. Singing: I have also found that another method of relieving stress is karaoke. I confess that I have a slight obsession with this pastime. After a day of crowds and traffic, a few of us decided we needed to do a quick session of karaoke before a birthday dinner we had to go to. Now, here in Asia, they do karaoke differently. It isn't in bars. Instead, you rent private rooms with a TV, karaoke machine, micrphones, and couches. You can order food and drinks to be brought to your room as you are belting out Shania Twain and Kelly Clarkson. It is a beautiful thing and definitely a reason to visit me here in Indonesia:) I am still trying to come up with a creative and educational way to integrate karaoke into the 5th grade curriculum, but in the meantime I will do outside the classroom any chance I can.
5. Sharpening "Sisters": I am blessed with some amazing "sisters" here in Indo who are incredible listeners, strong shoulders to cry on and solid sources of wisdom and truth. He is so good to provide people like that who can tell it to us straight, but do it in love. I have been blessed by their friendships here and am humbled each time He uses us to strengthen and support one another.
My prayer for you is that you would seek His face intead of the blessings and that you'd have eyes to clearly see how His love and beauty are chasing after you each day.

Off to a good start...

2010-01-12T15:29:00.003+07:00

Today was our first official day of the new semester. Monday was a workday/recover from jetlag/catch up with all the peeps/prepare for the week. Oh how I love this community I work in. It is truly like a family, which makes it hard to be productive in the classroom and try to catch up on what we've been up to during the past three weeks. Nevertheless, the kiddos came today and reality has begun again. Plans for the week include beginning Maniac Magee and writing persuasive essays in Language Arts, multiplying and dividing fractions in Math, and understanding the parts of plant and animal cells in science. In Bible today, we spent most of the time sharing what we did over Christmas Break, but we also came up with some goals for our last semester of 5th grade. We talked about New Year's Resolutions and their purpose, then came up with personal goals. We put them up in the classroom, so that we can help keep each other accountable. Although my perfectionistic ways have mellowed a bit, I still tend to get a little carried away with wanting things in my classroom to run smoothly and in the process leave out that oh-so-important element of compassion. So, I decided that my goal for the last semester of this 5th grade class was going to be to each day remember specific reasons why my 5th graders are the best. In other words, intentionally recognizing the ways that they blow me away each day. Tomorrow, we will be coming up with classroom goals that we can aim for collectively. I am anxious to see what they come up with:)
It is so good to be back...back in Indonesia, back in a routine, and back in my classroom!

A New Year's Resolution and a Semester in Review...

2010-01-06T01:25:00.003+07:00

You will be happy to know that one of my 2010 resolutions is to update my blog more often in order to keep you more in the loop on my teaching adventure in the tropics!
I have been in Flagstaff for the past few weeks for Christmas Break and have had a wonderful time catching up with friends and spending quality time with my family. Despite the freezing weather (yes, I have become a wuss to the cold thanks to my time in the tropics), it has been a blast being here over the holiday. As the calendar year is wrapping up and I get ready to head back for semester number two, I can't help but reflect on this past semester and give Him all the glory for what I have gotten to experience.
The contrast between the first and second year of teaching is unbelievable. Even though I moved up a grade this year from 4th to 5th, it has still gone remarkably smoother than last year. I definitely have more confidence and a stronger relationship with my kiddos, but I attribute it more to the fact that we have AC in the classroom this year! It's amazing how much better I teach when I am not completely drenched and cranky. It's great. Actually, I really think teaching has become easier because I have lived in Indonesia for over two years, the land of "rubber time" and flexibility, and it has rubbed off on me. Yes, structured and perfectionist Molly has chosen to no longer sweat the small stuff but rather embrace the chaos:)
I LOVE 5th grade. There are a few more tantrums, breakdowns and squabbles, but there are also more in depth conversations, more growth and deeper relationships. He is doing some amazing things in the hearts of the 13 ten-year-olds in my classroom which constantly reminds me of Philippians 1:6. He is doing a great work and I am privileged to play a role in it for this season. A few highlights of our semester have included a field trip to the lake, hands-on learning activities about the digestive system, spending a week in "Antarctica" during I Love to Read Month, dancing the Cupid Shuffle, How-To presentations, and a bowling party! This semester we have the Lock-In to look forward to where I am hoping they will agree to do karaoke with me:)
It has also been amazing to be in our second year at the new campus. Again, remarkably smoother than last year! This is partially due to the fact that BAIS has been blessed with some pretty amazing new staff. With an addition to administration and a couple extra hands in the business office, we have become an even stronger team. New staff means new friends and new friends means new adventures! We had a blast last semester taking random motorbike trips to different locations, spending a week in Malaysia, and celebrating Thanksgiving at the beach. All of which of course included adventure dining. The best thing I ate this semester was at a place in Penang, Malaysia called the Wet Market. It was full of vendors selling breakfast foods. We became pretty tight with an Indian man and his wife. He made the Roti (fried bread) and she made the kopi susu (pulled coffee with sweetened condensed milk). Amazing! Although this community that I live in can feel like a bubble sometimes, I have certainly been sharpened by my brothers and sisters. What a blessing!
Another highlight of the semester was a week devoted to serving outside the walls of our campus called Week Without Walls. Everyone in the school participates in projects created and run by the teachers. The theme this year was Love-ology. I was in charge of a project for high school and middle school girls that included working with the Islamic School down the street to create "Boxes of Love" for local kampung girls. It was a phenomenal experience where He showed me that love comes in all kinds of forms. We were asked to wear head coverings while working at the Islamic School. Although this was a bit outside of our comfort zones, it was humbling to see Him work through those insecurities and allow real friendships to blossom among the two groups of students. During our time with the kampung girls, we got to spread the love through games, singing, dancing and giving gifts. My favorite part was dancing the Hokey Pokey with 60 students between the ages of 3 and 17. Yes, love comes in all forms:)
Looking back at this semester, all I can say is "Great is His faithfulness." Every good thing comes from Him and I love that He has given me eyes to see those good things: good friends, an amazing class, challenging tasks, and fun adventures. It's in the joy of remembering His faithfulness that I have the strength to look upon the coming year with anticipation for what He's going to do!

First Week Down

2009-08-23T20:49:00.002+07:00

I can't believe how much easier the second year of teaching is compared to the first. Despite the fact that I am teaching a different grade, it is amazing how smoothly this last week went. I guess it helps to have almost all the same kids:) I am so anxious to see what He's got in store for this class this year. I am confident He's going to do some awesome things in the hearts of these kids. He's already working in and strengthening mine for sure. My first week was good, but not without its difficulties. Midmorning on my first day of school, I got a skype message saying that my grandpa had passed away earlier that day. As I wrote in my previous post, we knew that he was sick, so it was somewhat expected. But, earlier that morning, I had just read an email from my dad explaining how he was doing so well and they were talking about starting physical therapy this week. That afternoon his breathing got really heavy and he was gone by that evening (morning here). I am so thankful that I can trust in the timing of the Blessed Controller of all things. I am confident that since that weekend in July when we thought we would lose him, He had been working extra hard on Papa's heart, and by Monday evening, He was done. He's now where He was made to be with his Redeemer and my Tita:) It was definitely hard to get this news on the first day of school, but I think it is the start of a year full of relying heavily on His strength. I have been blown away by the peace that has consumed me this week. It is weird to be far from home, but I have a family here who has come around me in such a sweet way and He has truly been my Comforter this week. I am so blessed and so excited to see Him continue to work.
"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior."
Isaiah 43:2-3

A Summer of Transition

2009-08-17T08:52:00.003+07:00

When I was getting ready to head back to the states in June, I will admit, there was a part of me that was not looking forward to returning. After being in Indonesia for ten months straight, this place had become my home. I am by no means an expert here, but it had become that familiar place where you kind of know what you’re doing. It had been an intense ten months full of changes, challenges, laughter, tears and goodbyes, so I was definitely in need of a break, but I knew that my other home would hold just as many challenges, changes, laughter, tears and goodbyes. I was coming home to a world of transition and change: two of my grandparents had strokes in May putting my parents in the tough spot of making the necessary arrangements, several of my good friends graduated and moved away while I was gone, my sisters are all grown up and in unique seasons right now, and I was also going to have to face the fact that Flagstaff is no longer my home. Boarding the plane to head back, I knew that it was going to be hard, but I also had the assurance that He is the blessed controller of all things and that He would go before me.
Believe it or not, I am not a huge fan of change. Sometimes I jump right into it and make life changing decisions like moving to the tropics, but most times I like to avoid it. No matter the situation, I have noticed that it is easy in times of change to “paint pictures of Egypt” and think that everything was perfect way back when. I was doing just that this summer when I came home to all the changes: remembering back to a time when I didn’t have to worry about whether I was going to see my grandparents again, or when I didn’t have to miss my friends because they lived right next door, or when my sisters and I were all in the same town, or when Flagstaff was the only place that I called home. How easily I forget about the hardships I faced back then and the miracles He’s done in my life since those times. He has used the amazing opportunities, hardships, and people He’s brought to my path to shape me not just into the person I am today, but into a version of myself that can be better used by Him. I was challenged this summer to live in the present, not the past, not the future, but the present. I miss opportunities when I dwell on how good I used to have it or when I get caught up in the stresses that tomorrow might bring. We are not called to dwell or worry; we are called to wait on Him. He is one that can be trusted. I know that not just because of what it says in the Word, but because I can point directly to moments where He provided and protected. He never lets go.

You Never Let Go
By David Crowder

When clouds veil sun
And disaster comes
When waters rise
And hope takes flight

Ever faithful Ever true
You I know
You never let go
You never let go

When clouds brought rain
And disaster came
When waters rose
And hope had flown
Oh, my soul Overflows
Oh, what love, oh, what love
Oh, my soul
Fills with hope
Perfect love that never lets go

In joy and pain
In sun and rain
You’re the same Oh, You never let go

Through the transitions of this summer, He opened my eyes to see that life is not supposed to be easy and predictable all the time. Change will come, and will probably not be fun, but He’s still going to be there. I am not called to have everything figured out and together, I am called to trust Him and follow Him wherever He leads. He opened my eyes to the fact that my home is neither here in Indonesia or there in Flagstaff, my home is with Him. It’s not about my job, my location or even the people around me. It’s about Him getting the glory He deserves.

So, it is with fresh perspective and an excitement for what He's got planned, that I begin my third year of teaching at Bandung Alliance International School tomorrow!

It's Storytime!

2009-04-22T21:13:00.005+07:00

I've been working all week on the book of stories by the 2009 Sea Tribe Team, and it has been so cool to read about what He did in their lives and through their lives to impact the islands we visited. What an amazing time! One of my highlights included getting to know the INCREDIBLE high schools students that were on our team...seriously, I am so lucky:) Another highlight is told in the following story.

JC Loves the Little Sponges
While strolling through one of the islands, I came across a group of three or four year old boys who were shooting rubber bands up into the branches of a tree. Curious as to what they were shooting at, I ventured over to check it out, and to take some pictures. They all saw the camera and began posing for a photo, a.k.a. fighting to get the best headshot. We took some photos together, then decided it was time to play. The group started small as we began the counting game of Do-Mi-Ka-Do, but as word got out, kids were coming from every corner. The group grew to about 15 kids ranging from three years old to twelve, and all their eyes were on me. We all laughed hysterically as we sang “The Hokey Pokey,” sticking our elbows, noses and heads in and out and dancing around. We sang “Head Shoulders Knees and Toes”as fast as we could and as slow as we could. Sweaty, tired and out of games to play, I decided it was their turn to teach me something...then came the issue of the language barrier. I couldn’t understand a thing they were saying, and at one point they were all pointing at me and screaming something in Bahasa. After each of them took a turn trying to explain the game to me, I finally realized that they were trying to teach me Duck Duck Goose J By the end of our 20 minutes of play time, these sweet ones had a piece of my heart. I had hardly any language ability, and yet these kids listened to every word I said. At one point, I noticed a little girl holding my hand; no matter what game we were playing, she wanted to be right by my side. Interacting with kids has always come naturally to me, but in taking a step back to analyze the scene I was getting to play a role in, it occurred to me that these kids weren’t attracted to anything that I had to offer, but instead, were attracted to the source of joy inside me.
So often in our training for this trip we refer to the kids on the islands as possible distractions. We stress the importance of being ready with toys or games to take the kids out of the room during a deep conversation. This scenario is very common on the islands; Satan likes to use anything he can to distract or prevent deep connections with the islanders. Though, I learned during this trip to the islands, how important those kids are to the work that is being done. They are like little sponges, soaking up every word, and mimicking every action. For the remainder of the time on both islands I heard several kids humming, singing and teaching the songs that we had taught them. What a reason to be intentional about your actions and your words! Jesus knew how important the children were. When the disciples started to lead them away, thinking they were a distraction, Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me because the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” (Luke 18:16) I got to teach the song “I’ve Got Joy” to a group of kids on each island.

I’ve got joy down in my heart

deep deep down in my heart.

J-O-Y down in my heart,

Deep deep down in my heart.

He gave it to me

and no one can destroy it.

I’ve got joy down in my heart

deep deep down in my heart

As we sang the words to that song, I couldn’t help imagine what an island would look like if these little sponges were overflowing with the joy of Christ.

These are the little rubber band shooters. Turns out they were shooting at cicaks (geckos) up in the tree. I fell in love with the one making the fish face...he would come to my house every morning ready to play or put on a WWF show in the front yard. On the last morning, I gave whole bag of rubber bands that we had brought with us.

After the games, the girls came over to our house where we decided we would play with the fingernail decals. The boys soon found out, got jealous and wanted shiny heart stickers on their nails too. By the end of our time together all the kids were calling me Kak, which means older sister.

This is just one of the many stories. Can't wait to tell you more.

Thank you to all who were lifting up our team while we were away!

A Few of My Favorite Things...

2008-12-31T11:12:00.001+07:00

I never really understood why that song was included on various Christmas compilations, but the other day as I was thinking about how I haven't updated my blog in over three months, that song got stuck in my head. So, now that I've got it stuck in your head, I will now give you a snapshot update on a few of my favorite things that have happened throughout this first semester that I have survived.

These are a few of my favorite things...

1. Wearing a scarf in the tropics- In October we went on a trip to Bromo, the coldest place in Indonesia. We took the train for 12 hours to the other end of the island, went on a quick river rafting trip under bat infested waterfalls, then traveled up the mountains. The next morning, we woke up at 3:00am to go see the sunrise over the volcanoes. We took a jeep up the switchbacks and parked behind the hundreds of jeeps that had beat us to the mountain top. Our driver took us to a special spot with a perfect view. It was freezing at 4:00 in the morning, but the view was absolutely worth it. The rest of the morning we did a little hiking, enjoying the fact that we got to wear an extra layer in the tropics. 2. Crossing things off my "bucket list"- On that same trip to Surabaya, our driver Jojo had much knowledge on the city and all its features. Somehow on our drive down the mountain the topic of coffee came up, and then of course came the topic of Kopi Luwak, the coffee beans that come from the poop of a cat-like animal. Usually this coffee is extremely expensive, running from $100 to $600 dollars per pound. Jojo had the hook up with a place that had it for only $10 for a small pot. So, I made the rest of my non-coffee-drinking friends come along on this special occassion to witness me cross something off the things off my "bucket list." The coffee was pretty good, nothing too spectacular. The process was pretty cool and the experience was unforgettable. 2. A taste of home- Pastor Mark and Laurie (from my home church in Flagstaff) came to visit in November. They came to lead a staff retreat for the BAIS teachers, and to see exactly what it is that Charity and I do here in the tropics. It was such a sweet time of fellowship, encouraging conversation, laughter and good, solid teaching. They were such a blessing to our staff, and fit it perfectly here in our community. Both Mark and Laurie spoke in chapel and devotions and got to spend time with various families around the city. It was so cool to have them here. It felt like all of Grace was getting to see me in my new home doing what I love. I am so thankful for Grace, for Mark and Laurie and for all of you back home who encourage and pray for me while I am here.3. Coffee- There is a coffee place here in Bandung that has been around for almost 80 years. They are said to have a special way of roasting their beans. I know that Pastor Mark shares my appreciation and addiction to the legal addictive stimulant, so I thought it would be a perfect place to visit while they were here. Turns out the process includes hundreds of bags of coffee sitting in a storage room for 5-8 years. I didn't quite understand all the details, but being around all that coffee was totally worth it:) 4. Ideas that work- Social Studies and Science are both my worst subjects. I have very little knowledge and am totally intimidated by all the information I am supposed pass on to my students in a manner that helps it stick in their heads. So you can imagine how excited a successful moment in a Social Studies unit would make me. For the end of our Middle Ages Unit, I had each student choose one of the important people we talked about in our readings. They then had to research and prepare answers to various interview questions about their character's background and role throughout the Middle Ages. On the last day of the unit, the students dressed up as the character they chose and were the special guests on "Middle Ages Morning with ME and JY," a 4th grade talkshow:) They did such a great job. Their costumes were awesome and they really got into their characters. I had a blast playing the talkshow host along with my ESL student Joo Young. That afternoon we celebrated the end of the unit, and their acheivement of their I Love to Read Month class goal of 15,000 pages, by eating pizza and watching Princess Bride at my house. It was a great day in the 4th grade:)5. Indonesian Thanksgiving- On Thanksgiving Day the BAIS staff did a progressive dinner in Kota Baru. Our house was in charge of appetizers. It was a fun day of cooking and our Stuffed Mushrooms, tomato, basil and mozzarella, 7 Layer Dip, and eggrolls were a total success. It was a wonderful day full of fellowship, laughing and telling stories. The next day a group of us along with some BAIS parents went up to Garut to a Sunda Resort where we did some interesting teambuilding, ate some spicy Sunda food, played with water buffaloes and went on a scavenger hunt in the local kampung. It was so good to take a break from the bubble, spend some time in worship and fellowship, and be reminded of why I love the people in this country. The scavenger hunt was the best part, forcing us to get out there and practice our Indonesian, pour into the lives of strangers by asking them for their signature, if we can hold their baby or fry some kerupuk in their kitchen:) Not quite like the cobra, but an unforgettable Thanksgiving for sure.
6. A Water Buffalo named Mona- During our trip to Garut, I met Mona, a baby water buffalo who lived at Mulih ke Desa. She was so cute and we bonded while I gave her a bath after teambuilding/playing in the mud. It was definitely one of the coolest things I have ever done. I asked my roommates if we could get one...a water buffalo...but we don't have a yard, or a rice paddy for it to help plow. Maybe next year:)7. Cats (yeah, I know...)- So, one morning as we were getting ready to leave for school there was a visitor waiting outside our garage door. It was a tiny kitten with the cutest little face you've ever seen. Jennie and I (surprisingly) were ready to take the poor little orphan in as our own, but Emily and Emma were very much against it...only because they were strong enough to resist being swayed by the adorable blue eyes and that tiny little meow. We agreed that if the cat was still there when we got home from school, we would talk again about keeping it. I was the first one home that afternoon and there it was just waiting for me. The Crowthers came by (a family who lives around the corner during the week) and I told them our story and they agreed to take the kitten and care for it and said I could be an "auntie." I fed the little guy and took care of him on the weekends while they were away. Unfortunately for Tom (that's the cat's name), he had ringworm, so they had to give it away. Kind of a sad story I guess, but little Tom helped me gain a greater appreciation for felines.8. Christmas Cheer- The thought of staying here for Christmas was a lot easier to think about in September when it was so far away, but as the season got closer and I was reminded of all the traditions I was missing out on, all the things that have in the past made Christmas such a memorable time, the homesickness set in quickly. Fortunately, there were a lot of things to look forward to this holiday season. Our cookie baking marathon/house decorating night was a success, I even made Peanut Butter Fudge. We then had several families and friends over to help us eat all the cookies. We had the first Christmas Program at our new campus. The kids were so cute and I got to sing in the Hallelujah Chorus. Our Staff Christmas Party was a sweet time of fellowship, carol singing and eating Mexican food! I got some great packages from family and friends that included some of the things that put me in the Christmas spirit including marshmallows, potpouri, fake snow and the movie Elf:) One of the traditions I missed out on this year was the annual picture of my sisters and I with Santa. Fortunately, plastic, dancing, and Indonesian Santas were plentiful. So family, you may take your pick of pictures to stick in the album.

9. Reminders- Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were very special. Emily (my roommate) and I got to have Finnish Porridge on Christmas Eve morning with our music teacher and her family. That night we went to the Christmas Eve service at our church. It was such a cool reminder of the reason for this holiday season--the arrival of a Savior, born to save the world. Emily and I woke up Christmas morning, called our families and enjoyed a cup of coffee in front of our Christmas Tree listening to good old Bing Crosby. We went to breakfast at Matt and Rachel's house (other teachers at BAIS) where we had real bacon!! It was also a sweet time talking about our traditions and telling funny Christmas stories. From there we went up the mountain a bit to the Crowther's house. They are a British family with three kids at BAIS, including one in my class. It was so much fun to be with a family where we could participate in the excitement of new toys to play with. The little one Sienna is so cute, we had a great time reading books together on the couch while the boys played war with their new army men. We ate a ton of great food including roast beef, potatoes, and pumpkin soup and trecle tart and chocolate mousse for dessert. They are such a blessing. As an end to a busy Christmas Day, Adam was able to get A Christmas Story for us to watch (an Evans' Family favorite). It was such a great holiday, reminding me of the "family" I have away from home. It was hard to not be home with family, but I am immensly blessed here and was reminded of that through these celebrations.

10. Gaining Perspective- I got my license to drive my motorbike about a month ago and no longer had an excuse not to venture out into the scary crowded streets of Cimahi. The first weekend, I went for the first time through Cimahi to Bandung to church. It was a successful drive. I made it through the pollution, the horse carts, the angkots and potholes alive and unharmed. After such a successful trip in, I chose to ride once again with the whole motorbike gang into town for a Seatribe meeting. It was a nice, smooth trip until we got to a place where you merge onto another road. I had my ipod in my ears and a little too much courage when I decided to squeeze between a car and the curb. When the car decided to move over, I slammed on my brakes, hit a rough patch in the road and crashed into the curb. Fortunately, Adam and Aaron were behind me and there were several Indonesian guys who ran to my rescue after the crash. I popped up off my bike, tangled in my bag, with only a few scrapes and a pretty massive bruise on my hip. Our Father was definitely protecting me in that moment, there could have been a lot more damage. I learned something that day though. The week before had been pretty rough, still trying to learn how to live in this community and be a better teacher. I've been working on relying on Him for my strength and not myself which requires a lot of trust on my part in His plan, His sovereignty, and His ability to handle things. On the bike, driving through traffic, things can get really hard, really crowded, kind of treacherous to the point where I am not so sure that I can handle driving through it. Trying to speed through a tight opening in traffic or make it through a crowded intersection with my lack of experience can be dangerous. In comparison, the straight and narrow path is not an easy one either. There are a lot of obstacles, a lot of potholes and other distractions. Attempting to face them alone, with my lack of wisdom and courage is dangerous. All those things are easily confronted and conquered with the guidance of the Father. Getting in that car accident reminded me that the road is not going to be easy, it’s going to be hard, and there are going to be times when I crash and burn. It isn’t my job to be the perfect driver and successfully make it through all the obstacles successfully and efficiently. My job is to let Him guide me through the crowded streets and help me over the deep potholes, and protect me in the moments where I crash and burn. I came out of that accident with some scrapes and bruises, but mostly with some perspective on the journey I am on here outside my comfort zone.

When the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I'm feeling sad

I simply remember my favorite things and then I don't feel so bad.

My favorite things: the beauty of His creation, the fellowship with good friends, the little things that bring joy, successful times with the nine little minds I am steward over, good meals with amazing people, celebrating the coming of a Savior and learning lessons in the hard stuff are all things that help me get through the difficult days. They remind me of His love, His provision, His blessings. I can't survive here with my own strength, I can't be an effective teacher, a good friend, or a witness using my own abilities. I need Him. So, as I continue in a season of refinement, looking forward to this second semester, I remember the ways He has healed, protected, provided and blessed me in the past and my fears, worries, anxieties and doubts fade away. The dogs will definitely bite and the bees with probably sting, but we serve a Father who already knows the things that are going to hurt us and make us sad. He's the blessed controller and He is the ultimate healer of those hurts, and that's a reason to trust Him and rely on Him and worship Him.

As you look forward to 2009, remember those "favorite things" of 2008, the things that remind you of His love, His provision, His blessings and be encouraged and strengthened.

Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.

I say to the Lord, "You are my Lord;

I have no good apart from you."

Psalm 16:1-2

It's all about grace...

2008-09-24T17:21:00.005+07:00

It's 5:30pm on Wednesday evening and I am cleaning up my desk, getting ready to head home and find myself reflecting on what He's been teaching me these past six weeks since I last posted. The phrase that comes to mind is what I have heard ever since I started going to Grace Community Church..."It's all about grace." The past several weeks have been just a taste of what I am certain is going to be a year where I lean on that grace more than ever. This requires some explanation...but first...

I have a confession to make...My name is Molly and I am a perfectionist. As a perfectionistic first year teacher, I put myself in danger of heading down a path of destruction. In holding unrealistic expectations of myself, I set myself up for failure. Not only that, but I also get in the way of Him touching those nine precious hearts He's placed me in charge of. When I worry and stress about having perfect lesson plans, a flawless literacy program, no behavior problems and a classroom that looks like it was pulled off the Mary Engelbreit website my eyes are clouded and I miss my purpose, but worse than that, I miss out on His grace.

Every morning I have the blessing of coming into work when the sun is just peeking out from over the mountains that surround our campus, reminding me that His mercies are new every morning. No matter how painful, stressful, tiring the day before was, He still grants me just enough strength to get through the next one. The minute I step foot into my classroom I've got to be intentional about laying down those unreachable expectations and remind myself of the lyrics to one of my favorite songs:

Your grace is sufficient for me
Your strength is made perfect
When I am weak
All that I cling to
I lay at your feet
Your grace is sufficient for me

I am starting to find out what people meant when they said that nothing in my teaching career would be as difficult as my first year of teaching. Although I continue to experience days where I feel like I have no idea what I am doing, I have a to-do list that never seems to end, and stress seems to be a constant companion of mine, I can't imagine being anywhere else. I was asked last week "So, are you just loving teaching?!" A twinge of guilt came with my honest answer of "Loving? I am not sure if that is the word I would use." It is kind of like asking a kid who's bruised and skinned up, "Do you just love riding that bike?!" when they haven't been able to ride more than a couple feet without falling. I am still working on getting the hang of the teaching thing, I am not a huge fan of the falling part. I do love getting to know my kids, I love working in the school community and I love the journey that our Heavenly Father has me on right now. As I get used to the days where I have no idea what I am doing, the long to-do lists and the stress, I am also starting to get used to tapping into His grace, laying those perfectionistic tendencies at His feet every morning and glorifying Him as I live out my purpose here on the other side of the globe.

Psalm 127:1-2 (Msg)
If God doesn't build the house, the builders only build shacks.
If God doesn't guard the city,
the night watchman might as well nap.
It's useless to rise early and go to bed late,
and work your worried fingers to the bone.
Don't you know he enjoys
giving rest to those he loves?

Allow Him to give you times of rest today as you live for Him. Tap into that grace:)

Some Pictures...

2008-08-18T19:06:00.003+07:00

This is just a sampling of pictures from the new place we are living. You can find more by clicking on the "My Pictures" link on the right

This is our house in Kota Baru where me, Jennie, Emma and Emily live.

This is the bike I just purchased and am learning to ride.

This is my bedroom.

This is our school!

This is my classroom!

A Reason to Persevere

2008-08-13T17:32:00.005+07:00

My journey back to the other side of the globe started off exceptionally well. I didn't have to pay overweight charges for my bags from Phoenix to Los Angeles. I ran into a former student of BAIS who ended up being on all my flights back to Jakarta. My carry-on was incredibly heavy because it had all my books in it. When the little man helping me picked it up and nearly fell over, I knew they were going to make me check it. Fortunately, they checked it free of charge. In an attempt to survive my journey on the airline made especially for the height of the Asian population, I requested a seat with more leg room. When the man across the counter asked "How about an emergency exit row?" it took everything for me to not leap across and give the little flight attendant a huge hug! I ended up getting an emergency exit row all to myself. That in combination with a Tylenol PM resulted in one of the best flights I have ever been on! When I got into Jakarta, I had to get a temporary visa because my paperwork was late getting to the states. The line was relatively short, and I was able to get a visa without question. All my bags arrived, and customs was a breeze. Jennie and I arrived at the same time and had planned to order a taxi to take us back to Bandung. Due to some computer problems, there was never a taxi ordered for us. Fortunately, the former student who was on my flight was meeting her family in Jakarta on their way to Bali, and they were sending their empty car and driver back to Bandung. We were able to hitch a ride free of charge. Like I said, my journey back to Indonesia started off exceptionally well...and the honeymoon period ended the minute we left Jakarta city limits.
When Jennie and I got home, we were surprised to find our house rather filthy and not exactly what we had expected, which didn't make sense. Over the summer, we hired our former Jaga (night watchman) and his family to stay in our house, keep it clean and work on some projects so the house would be ready when we returned. We hoped he would show up in the next day or so, but when we couldn't contact him by phone and hadn't heard anything for three days we knew there was a problem. We also realized that he had a copy of our house keys as well as the spare keys and registration to my roommates bikes. We talked to various families in the area to figure out what we should do next and talked to a few Indonesian workers at school who thought they might know where to find him. After about a week, we got a hold of him, he came to the house and we ended up giving him his things and sending him on his way. It was a really tough way to end things, especially because he had been working for Jennie for years.
In the meantime, our school was a bit in shambles because the moving process didn't exactly go the way we had hoped either. We had been careful to label all boxes and furniture with the correct room numbers so that the moving men could take them to their designated classrooms. Instead, they just dumped everything in the hallway of the first floor. Volunteers from church and families near the school came to help everyday to move boxes and furniture so that teachers could eventually set up their classrooms. Although this was an inconvenience, it gave us a few days to focus on getting at least one aspect of our lives set up--our house. Our helper had come out to clean the house and do laundry, and her husband came out to do some painting and work on some other projects that didn't get done over the summer. While in the process of making our house look more like a home, we were finding out more surprises like a waterfall in our backyard caused by a malfunctioning water pump, a beehive in our mailbox, simple appliances blowing the electricity, none of the water heaters working, and not being able to set up any form of internet. All resolutions to those issues are still pending:)
All this chaos and lack of control was really taking its toll on me. At the Pre Field Orientation training I went to this summer they showed us a culture stress model that showed that normally you experience a honeymoon period in a new country before the stress part kicks in. I had jumped straight into full blown culture stress the minute we drove into Kota Baru and I was starting to question whether I was going to be able to handle it, fearing all the other things that could possibly go wrong. Then I was reminded of the reason I am here. I am not here in Indonesia to have a house that is perfectly set up, I am not in Indonesia to have a perfect classroom with decorations and nice furniture. I am not in Indonesia to have a comfortable trouble free life. I am here to be used by my Heavenly Father to pour into the lives of children.
I am still learning how to handle the chaos and unfamiliarity of living out here. Everyday I am asking for eyes to see the little blessings in each day, and He has been faithful. My bedroom is all finished, my classroom has come together nicely, we've had some really sweet times of fellowship with the staff, and we are all looking forward to the students coming next week. I think episodes like what we've experienced already are only going to continue, which it is why it is so crucial for the staff at BAIS to come together and seek His face in the good and the bad. Please be lifting up our staff as we continue to learn how to adjust out here. He is still working and things are coming together. Our school looks like a school, our classrooms look like real classrooms:) The only thing missing are those kids who make BAIS what it is. Tuesday is the first day of school. At 7:35am, nine fourth graders will be walking through the door of my classroom. Nine fourth graders that I will get to spend 36 weeks with growing a learning together. That right there is a reason to persevere.

A Plethora of Pictures!

2008-07-17T05:05:00.002+07:00

I have finally uploaded all my photos from the last year onto my online Picassa Website. Please check them out when you get a chance. There are a lot so you may need to do it in phases:)

http://picasaweb.google.com/mvioletpics

Bracing for the Waves

2008-07-08T03:17:00.001+07:00

There’s a scene in Castaway after Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks) has lived on the island for four years, when he finally figures out a plan to get himself home. He has built this raft, he’s checked the direction of the wind, and he’s got a plan to tackle that huge wave that was an obstacle on one of his first attempts off the island. He and Wilson are all packed and ready to go. They venture out, rowing furiously as the waves fight hard to keep them from being successful. When he cuts the rope letting his sail come up he is able to get past that last hard wave. He is now in the clear, past the obstacle that kept him from leaving before and free to venture home away from this island he’s been stuck on for four years. He is full of excitement as he rejoices in his success, but excitement suddenly turns bittersweet as he stares back sentimentally. The music strategically slows as he realizes that the place where he felt trapped had really become his home, a place that molded and shaped him into the person he had become. As we watched this clip at PFO this week, I could feel his exact pain as he stared back at that place with a twinge of anguish and heartbreak. I am currently in that place where I can’t wait to leave, but I know I am having to say goodbye to a piece of my heart. That clip was the start of reflection on where I have been this last year, where I am right now, and where I am going this year.

It was about this time last year that I was getting ready to go student teach at Bandung Alliance International School. A year before that, I couldn’t even locate Indonesia on a map, let alone dream that I would ever live there. Shortly before leaving I met with my cooperating teacher who had just been to PFO. In our hour long coffee date she gave me a crash course in transition that basically told me I was going to experience some form of psychosis around October or November; so you can imagine that there was a little bit of anxiety packed in that suitcase along with my lack of expectations. I initially left for Indonesia planning to be there for just the semester. It was very outside my comfort zone, and most days I wondered what in the world I was doing on the other side of the globe. I was in the honeymoon stage of culture stress pretty much the entire semester, posting everything we did on my blog and seeking other new awesome experiences to share with people back home. In October, when that psychosis was supposed to kick in, something else happened. God and I had been talking a lot about working overseas, and my future in it. Throughout that honeymoon stage, He was revealing to me a version of myself that had been hidden deep inside while I was in my comfort zone back in the states. I was starting to come out of my shell with strengths and gifts I never knew I had. He made it clear that he wasn’t finished with me in Bandung. At that point I began talking to the school to see where they could use me that next semester, which throughout the spring semester became teaching high school and middle school ESL, helping with the spring drama, subbing when needed, and teaching PE during the last quarter. Needless to say, it was a very stretching semester for a rather extreme “J.” In fact, I think if I were to take the Myers-Briggs again, my score would be a lot different based on my experience in learning to “write with my left hand” this semester. On top of that I was finally experiencing transition and culture stress as I was trying to get used to this place that I could officially call my home. Where I was this last semester was a place similar to the scene where Chuck Noland battles the waves in the small yellow raft. A lack of knowledge about culture stress, third culture kids and being a single overseas made some of those waves a little difficult to overcome, but I am very thankful for the way He worked things out in His timing. If it weren’t for that, I would not be where I am right now.

It has been incredible to be at PFO after spending a year in Indonesia already. During the TCK talk, I had pictures of my students and various experiences I had last year running through my head. I have also been able to share some of my experiences this year and offer advice to my small group members. The part that hit me the hardest was the Transition talk about RAFT and saying goodbye well to those back home. When I left for Indonesia the first time, I was more than ready to leave the familiar, leave the drama, and step outside my comfort zone. With an anxiousness to leave, I fear I may have neglected some pretty important conversations of closure. I am so thankful that I kind of get a second chance at saying goodbye and really affirming the people back in Flagstaff that have become an even stronger support system for me in my absence. It was during that clip from Castaway that I described earlier, that I first realized how difficult it is going to be to leave Flagstaff this time. It took me leaving to fully recognize the impact it has had on my life. This time, I will look back with full appreciation of the way it has molded and shaped me into the person I am and since my return to the states, has encouraged and supported the person Indonesia has helped me become.

I am returning to Bandung Alliance International School this fall as a fourth grade teacher and I can’t wait to see what God’s got in store. This year will be full of firsts for all of us at BAIS with the new campus location, new housing for the teachers, and learning how to function in the unfamiliar. I will also be living with three other single girls, which will be fun, but is sure to have its share of challenges. In my relationships with those I work with, I hope to be more concious of personality differences, and more aware of how I work best with others. Although I had a great time last semester wearing many hats and learning how to be more flexible and spontaneous, I am looking forward to something with a little more familiarity. This year holds struggles of its own, but I am confident that BAIS is where I am supposed to be. Everyday I am humbled and stand in awe at the fact that the Creator of the universe has chosen to make me a part of the NICS story that is having such a great impact on young lives all over the world. I know that being a first year teacher will be difficult, but I feel well equipped and know that it is through my weaknesses that He is made stronger.

In his first attempt off the island, Chuck Noland was equipped with hardly anything but a small pathetic raft, a little bit of hope the goal to just survive. When those waves came, not only could his raft not hold up, but his hope was dashed. I survived my first year in Indonesia, but there were times when I definitely felt like Chuck, trying to battle the waves of culture stress and obstacles at school with hardly anything. Fortunately for me, I had my Heavenly Father, and I was able to get through this year of refining and came out stronger. My time at PFO has helped with those final preparations to get me off the island successfully. By the time I head back to Indonesia, I will have built my strong “RAFT,” and packed my bags with a little extra confidence and hope. I don’t want to merely survive the next two years, I want to thrive. I want to connect with my Third Culture Kids. I want to be a teacher of excellence, and I want to learn how to love the culture of Indonesia even more. The waves will still be tough, but I will get through them by leaning on the support of the “Wilsons” in my life, as well as my ultimate source of hope and confidence, my Heavenly Father.

So many firsts...

2008-05-26T13:43:00.008+07:00

If I were to name a theme of this semester, I would have to call it "Season of Unexpected Firsts." Here are some from the past quarter, a collection of blog posts that I meant to make if you will:

PE Teacher- Since I got back from the spring break, I have been teaching upper elementary and high school PE . I know, right? Molly Evans teaching PE?! I laughed when I found out too, so feel free to chuckle at the irony. It has definitely been a stretching (pardon the pun) experience, but I have really enjoyed getting to work with so many different classes.

Drama Assistant- I was in charge of the stage crew people. For the first time ever I painted backdrops and helped design tickets and programs. I worked with a great group of students who worked really hard. The drama was a couple weeks ago, and it was so cool to have had the opportunity to be a part of something like that.

Volleyball Coach- I had the most awesome experience coaching the girls volleyball team throughout the months of April and May. Ever since middle school, there has been a special place in my heart for the sport of volleyball, so it was such a blessing to get to coach for the first time. I co-coached with the fourth grade teacher. We had nine girls on the team, and although it was more of a learning season, I was so proud of their improvement from the beginning to the end. It was so much fun to get to share my knowledge of the game with them. It was also interesting to realize that I have been blessed with some of my father's competitive tendencies, thanks dad:) Our last game of the season was against some of the female teachers. The other coach and I played with our girls and put up a good fight, but lost three games to zero in the end. I had so much fun, and I hope to coach again next year.

Housing Contract- Jennie, Emily, Emma and I finally got a house about a month ago, and because I will be here for the next two years, I got to sign the contract. It is a nice house in a nice development about a three minute drive from the school. We have a nice big living/dining room, five bedrooms and three bathrooms. It has been quite a challenge trying to negotiate all the little details that our Indonesian landlord doesn't always understand, but it has been really neat to see the Lord provide housing, not just for us, but for all the teachers one by one. It will be a challenge next year, learning how to live without the luxuries of Starbucks and the grocery store being right down the street, but it will be nice to have a good support system at home.

Neighborhood Goodbye Party- Our school is moving at the end of July out of a community where we've been for over fifty years. We invited the Indonesian people that have worked at our school, as well as the helpers of the teachers at BAIS. It was a traditional goodbye party with music, stories, and Indonesian food. I haven't been here very long, but it was still cool to hear the stories of the legacy this place will have left.

Pampered Weekend- We took a weekend trip to Jakarta at the beginning of the month. We took the train and stayed at a nice hotel near the good shopping and dining. One of the days we spent at the amusement park, that turned out to be everything an Indonesian amusement park should be:) One of the highlights was a new ride called Extreme Log. It was one of those simulation rides kind of like Soarin' Over California at California Adventure. Rather than para-gliding through the Sunshine State, you are a tree on the painful adventure of becoming a log. Nope, I'm not kidding. It definitely places as one of theweirdest things I have experienced here in Indonesia. We all came out a little confused, but got a good laugh out of it:) That night we went to see Iron Man at a luxury movie theater. This place was amazing! We each got our own personal leather recliner with a blanket and had dinner brought to us. That is definitely the way to see a movie, totally worth the $12!

My own classroom- On each of our trips out to our new house, we always make sure we stop by the new campus to see the progress made. They are currently working on the main building where everything will be until we get enough money to build a separate auditorium, gymnasium and office building. It is going to be really nice when they finish it. Every time we go, I have to take a couple minutes to stand in my classroom and try to picture what next year is going to look like. I don't think it has quite sunk in that I will have my own classroom next year, but I look forward to the memories that will be made in there.

Learning to say goodbye- When you live in a transient community such as this one, you have to not only learn how to say goodbye, but you've got to learn how to do it unexpectedly. There is no room to procrastinate when it comes to spending time with people, because you never know when they might be called somewhere else outside of Indonesia. As the year comes to a close, I am faced with the question of how to say goodbye to some co-workers who have become my family , and some students that have captured my heart over the past year. I'm not sure if there is a perfect answer to that question, but I do know that I can trust my Heavenly Father to help maintain those deep relationships despite the distance. While a little heartbroken, I am excited to see how He continues to work in and through them.

As you can see, this semester has been full of life changing experiences with a lot of learning, laughter, some stress, some tears, but above everything, full of His grace and provision. Along with these "firsts," I have learned what it means to be refined through the fire. Each of these experiences has held a special role in chipping away at a version of myself that was more prone to wander, wallow and worry. I am able to look at next year with new eyes that can face the fears of the unknown knowing I don't have the strength, but with utter certainty that He does.
I leave a week from tomorrow to head back to Flagstaff for the summer. I am excited to come home for a little break from the world of teaching and to get charged up for next year. My plans include lots of time to spend with you, catching up and sharing stories and pictures from this semester.

Here's a more detailed itinerary:
June 3rd- Arrive in Flagstaff
June 6th- Abby graduates
June 7th- 9th- Road trip with Abby to her camp in New Mexico
June 10-22- Hanging out in Flagstaff
June 23-July4th- Pre-Field Orientation in South Haven, Mississippi
July 4th-July10th- Visiting friend in North Carolina
July 10th-July 28th- Hanging out in Flagstaff
July 29th- Head back to Indonesia

You know you're a terrible blogger when...

2008-05-06T19:22:00.003+07:00

Your co-workers start asking if you have retired your blog.

A post is in the works I promise:)

Power Outside the Comfort Zone

2008-04-08T21:33:00.001+07:00

With pockets full of stories, ready and anxious to share some truth with the people on the islands, 18 students and six adults got on a boat headed to that powerful place outside the comfort zone. During the preliminary meetings at Base Camp the first day, I realized I had stuck some insecurity and fear in my pockets along with my stories of hope. I didn’t have any confidence in the stories I had to tell, I feared that my lack of language would hinder me from making connections, and I was sure that I was going to fall short as a leader. Fortunately, our Father has His ways of drawing us back to Him. The morning we would depart for the first island, I sat on the edge of paradise with my cup of coffee and the Word. Amidst the voices in my head telling me I wouldn’t make it, I could hear His voice of truth telling me that He is bigger than my fear, bigger than my insecurities and ultimately the blessed controller of all things. Later that afternoon, as we got on the boat, I had a choice to make: I could let those fears be the largest and heaviest items in my backpack, or I could hand it off to our most reliable travel companion and trade it for some courage…
The courage and strength He gives is the kind that kicks in when you least expect it. I had not only survived that first island, but I came away with tremendous confidence. Not confidence in myself, but confidence in His power, and His ability to make His strength perfect in my weakness. This was made obvious once again in a touching moment the last evening at our host family’s house on the second island. Ibu Ilis had a seven year old daughter with a walking disability. From the moment I met Anna, there was a sparkle in her eye that I recognized, tremendous strength she had despite her handicap. The girls in our house had asked our Ibu to tell us the story of her daughter, how this disability came about. After the big farewell party, and after I had had about as much people time as physically possible for an extreme introvert like myself, we realized that we still hadn’t heard the story of her daughter. We decided we had better stay up and talk one last time. Through the story we learned that Anna had had Polio when she was a baby and the handicap was a result of the extreme fever. Despite going to many doctors and former Sea Tribe teams praying for Anna, there was no way to repair the damage done by the illness. I could see the despair in the family’s face, thinking there was no hope, and she would have to live with this permanent imperfection. It was in that moment I remembered why I recognized that sparkle in Anna’s eye. Her strength reminded me of my sister Emily. “Hey, I got a story.” I told them about how when this 6’2” soccer player was a senior in high school, she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, a disease that attacks your nervous system. I told them how it was really hard for my family, but that we prayed for strength to cope. Through the tears, I explained that there is no cure for MS, and someday Emily may not be able to walk at all, but despite the difficulty she chooses to glorify God in her illness. She is always looking for opportunities to share God’s love and her testimony of how he is still using her. Finally, I said, “I told you this story because your daughter Anna reminds me of Emily. I am so impressed by her strength.” In that moment when I thought I had nothing left, God was able to use the story of my sister to connect the hearts of strangers-- a true testament to the power that lies outside the comfort zone.

I've got more where this one came from. As time permits, I will try to post more stories. Thank you all for your prayers for me during this life changing adventure. I can't wait to share pictures and video footage with you when I get home.

To the Islands...

2008-03-16T11:40:00.005+07:00

Spring break is coming up, which means the Sea Tribe trip is nearly here. This week a group of 24 people (six leaders and 18 students) will be leaving for Batam, an island Northwest of Bandung close to Singapore, to work with the Sea Tribe Islands for ten days. We are going to go to two different islands to interact with people who may have never met Westerners before and probably have never heard the gospel. We will be doing a work project at each island, teaching the kids English, and sharing Christ's love through conversation and stories. To say this trip will be life changing is a bit of an understatement. This experience is going to stretch me in all areas. With the anxiety about the challenges we will be facing, I am excited to see God work through our weaknesses and surprise us with what we are capable of.

Here is the itinerary and some prayer needs we have as a group:

19th – Leave Bandung at 5.20 pm and arrive in Batam
20th – Leave by boat for base camp (appx. 2 hour ride); briefing and prep for island stays
21st - 24th – Island stay #1
24th – Morning return to Base Camp; refresh, debrief, rest
25th - 28th - Island stay #2
28th – Morning return to base camp for debrief, resting, playing
29th – Leave Base camp for Batam… leave Batam at 7.25 pm to return to Bandung

Prayer Needs...
- Strength and energy as we enter into this trip, it has been pretty busy and stressful the past couple weeks, and we would hate to be exhausted when we get there.

- Physical safety (travel, food poisoning, injuries)

- For courage and boldness in our interactions with the people

- Open hearts for us and for the people we will meet

- That the language barrier would not be an obstacle, that those of us who do not speak Indonesian would have extra patience in dealing with translators

- Team unity- we are a very large group which can make this difficult

- For spirits of humility and service--that we would focus on putting on the attitude of Christ

- That we would have a clear picture of what our role is on the team and be content to serve joyfully in that

This is going to be amazing, I am fortunate to get to join in this experience. Thank you for your prayers through this. I look forward to updating you when we get home.

Wearing Many Hats

2008-02-25T16:00:00.000+07:00

In high school I had quite the array of after school and summer jobs to help keep my bank account out of the red. For four years, I worked as a "Tax Preparation Assistant" at spending my after school hours in front of a copy machine hoping and praying that the Lord wouldn't call me to be an accountant (no offense mom:) One summer I was a server in the dining room of an assisted living home. Again, I enjoyed getting to know the residents and hearing their stories, but was pretty certain that God hadn't blessed me with the patience to serve the elderly. Another summer, I was a landscaping assistant at a hotel got in touch with my inner handyman. I remember reminding myself when the copy machine had jammed for the four hundredth time, or when I had to hold my tongue after a resident complained about their food again, that these jobs were only temporary and that one day I would be doing something that I love.

Now that I am on the other side of college just starting out my first real job, I find myself reflecting on where I thought I would be back when I was grumbling in minimum wage jobs. I never expected God to bring me here to do some of the things I am doing now, in fact I always thought I was never cut out to work overseas. Nothing compares to looking back on years past and seeing the hand of God guiding every step and being reminded that it isn’t about me, but that it is all about Him.

The past month or so has been very busy. The majority of my time has been spent at school either planning for my ESL classes, planning for projects like tree planting for Week Without Walls or the all-school work day, subbing in all kinds of classes from PE to computers, or working in the bookroom with Jennie. I have been so blessed to have worn quite the number of hats here at BAIS lately. I have been learning a lot about myself from hidden gifts to limits that seem to pop up in stressful times. I am being stretched and molded in ways I never have before. Through the challenge of these experiences God is drawing me closer to Himself reminding me that “I Need Thee Every Hour.”

After years of knowing I would never be working in an accounting office or an assisted living home or landscaping at a hotel, today I can say that I am exactly where I am supposed to be. Not anywhere close to where I thought I would be, but smack dab in the middle of my Father’s will.

A Snapshot Update...

2008-02-25T15:31:00.002+07:00

Amazing places I have gotten to see:

Borobudur: A few weeks ago we went to Jogjakarta and got to see the sunrise at a large Buddhist temple and one of the seven wonders of the world. Although it was painfully early, nothing beats watching God's creation wake up with the sun:)
We took an eight hour train ride to Jogja and got to see some pretty amazing scenery that reminded me that I am kind of afraid of heights:)

Cool things I have gotten to do:

Plant trees!: A group of fifteen students and four leaders planted about 150 trees. We planted 50 right off the toll road with a group from a local Muslim school. The next day we went a planted 85 trees out at the new campus. It was really cool to see the students step out of their comfort zones and sweat for Jesus:)
This past weekend was an all school work day. The goal was to purge all classrooms and offices of things that we don't need anymore. It was challenging, but really cool to see everyone work hard with a common goal.

Crazy things I have eaten:

Horse Sate: It is a specialty in Jogja, but not much of a specialty in my mouth:) I think I prefer spicy woof woof:)
Pigeon: I know, this one was pretty interesting. We also ate this in Jogja at a Japanese restaurant. It tasted like chicken, not a whole lot of meat.
Indo-mex: We went out to Mexican food this weekend, and it was surprisingly good. Growing up in Arizona, I have become a Mexican food snob, but I was pleasantly surprised by the food at Lada's.

Things to look forward to and be praying for:

SeaTribe: We are headed to the remote islands of Indonesia in about three and a half weeks to spend time with the people there. Pray that some of His love would rub off on them through our conversations with them. We will be working hard, teaching some English, getting eaten alive by mosquitoes, and eating all kinds of fun foods.
Please continue to pray for the New Campus Project: the details of the building, the transition for the teachers, the housing for next year, the moving process and the hiring of new teachers for the five positions that are currently open.

Thank you for your prayers and words of encouragement. I hope you are all doing well. Please keep me updated on your lives, so I can be lifting you up in prayer as well:)

With Your Likeness Let Me Wake

2008-02-01T12:48:00.000+07:00

Jesus draw me ever nearer
As I labour through the storm.
You have called me to this passage,
and I'll follow, though I'm worn.

May this journey bring a blessing,
May I rise on wings of faith;
And at the end of my heart's testing,
With Your likeness let me wake.

Jesus guide me through the tempest;
Keep my spirit staid and sure.
When the midnight meets the morning,
Let me love You even more.

Let the treasures of the trial
Form within me as I go -
And at the end of this long passage,
Let me leave them at Your throne.

We sang this song in church last week, and I was reminded not only of His sovereignty and provision, but also that it is through the storms or that refining fire that something beautiful is produced. Last year, as I was anticipating my semester on the other side of the globe, fear and anxiety were constant companions. Although I knew where I was going and what I was going to do, January sat there looking like big question mark. I had no idea what I was going to do, and being the controlling type that I am, I hated having that huge unknown at the end of my calendar. Through the struggles, challenges and downright painful times, God was shaping my character and equipping me with the strength to face what this semester would hold.

This year the theme is all about trust. Everyday I have to surrender my worries about finances, my worries about my ESL lessons, my worries about projects being completed. Last Sunday I was feeling the weight of these worries and as tears streamed down my face, I soaked in the lyrics of this song, and was able to hand over all those worries in the hands of my Heavenly Father. I hope that this song brings a little hope into your day, because it certainly was a pleasant reminder for me this week.

And the to-do list gets longer...

2008-01-28T07:04:00.000+07:00

I cannot believe it has only been three weeks since I arrived back here in Bandung. Life has been pretty busy here in the tropics, but I love having a full to-do list. Last week I told you about the Open Houses that Jennie and I were in charge of planning. Just for a recap: Bandung Alliance International School is in the process of building a new campus about 45 minutes from its current location. It is a slow process so far, but it is coming along. We have outgrown our current campus, and this new one is going to be wonderful!
The New Campus team has had a couple booths at local malls in Bandung to promote the new campus and recruit new students. They have also scheduled three open houses, two here at the school and one in Jakarta. Last week they gave those three open houses to Jennie and me to plan. We worked hard to get the staff excited to help, and to make the event look nice and professional. Wednesday was the first open house. Jennie and I joked that it was kind of like planning a wedding…you spend all this time planning it, and then it is one three hour period of time. It turned out great! The booths were awesome, the set up was really nice, and we had about 15 families show up, three of which started the registration process. Saturday’s also went well, we had about 40 families come. I have really loved planning and organizing these events.
Next thing on the list is Week Without Walls. This outreach event is school wide and will happen next week. The students will participate in various projects all over Bandung. Our project is planting 50 trees on the toll road on the way out to the new school. Jennie, Aaron and I are the leaders of this team in charge of planning. We have been working through details since December, and are pretty excited. Especially now that we have trees to plant! The government donated 200 trees (25 of which are durian trees). The president’s wife wants to plant one million trees in Indonesia to help fix the deforestation problem. There is a group of 15 students that we’ll be working with along with a group of about 15 students from a local Muslim school. The three day project will be full of building relationships and working hard for the Lord. It’s gonna be a little outside the comfort zone for a lot of us, seeing as how there isn’t going to be a bathroom or water, or really anything out there. I’ve never had to use a hole in the ground before…can’t wait for that one:)
As you keep me in your prayers please remember to pray for Week Without Walls next week, for safety, for successful planting, and that lives would be impacted through all the projects.

Congratulations, Molly, you're now an adult...

2008-01-19T17:48:00.000+07:00

My lack of posting should give you a hint of how crazy my life has been since arriving back in Indonesia. I was able to enjoy a couple days of playing and relaxing before school started. The morning after I arrived Jennie, Aaron and I visited the orphanage we had taken presents to in December, and the culinary adventures once again commenced. The head guy was raving about this fruit that he claimed was worse that Durian. As he was telling us about it he asked one of the kids to run up the street and buy some for us to try. It wasn't nearly as bad as durian. It is called Jenkol and tastes kind of like a turnip. It leaves a terrible taste in your mouth for hours after eating it. We were warned never to eat too much because it would cause kidney stones...yikes!
Emily's birthday was on the 10th, so last weekend we celebrated by racing go carts at the Bandung Super Mall. It was so fun, and I actually didn't do so bad...turns out the Grandma Boat (my Buick LaSabre back home) was good practice for speed racing. I got third place. This mall was pretty amazing, there is a whole carnival type thing on the top floor with a roller coaster that only costs a dollar to ride. It was really fun. We then went to a Sundanese restaurant, that also turned out to be a culinary adventure. It was set up buffet style where you pointed to the foods you wanted to try. The fun part was that none of us really had any idea what we were choosing to eat. Special items included cow skin, salty fried squid and snails. The cow skin was jiggly and salty, and not very good. I didn't try the salty fried squid, but I heard it was hard and very fishy tasting. I was excited to try the snails, because I had passed up the opportunity when I went to France about 12 years ago. They weren't bad at all, in fact, they tasted fine. Not sure I would choose to eat them again, but they weren't nearly as bad as I would have thought. No worries though, we were able to cleanse the palate with some yummy cappuccino cheesecake afterwards.
This week I started my first real job. I teach two classes a day: high school ESL first period and middle school ESL seventh period. I have ten students total, nearly all of which are Korean. They are a lot of fun, and I am learning a lot...the English language has quite a bit of rules:) On Monday I was worried about having enough to do during the time that I am not teaching, but that problem was quickly solved. BAIS is moving to a new campus that is currently under construction. Right now, we are in the process of recruiting new students as well as developing a plan of attack for the big move out there. On Tuesday, Jennie (my roommate and one of the high school science teachers) and I were given the task of organizing the three open houses that will occur this week as well as that plan of attack. Our evenings and free periods have been full of developing a plan for these open houses and getting enough people to help and making sure that it all comes together on Wednesday and Saturday. This has been quite the challenge, but also really fun to be a part of something so important for the school. I have learned a lot about how to best utilize the organized/perfectionist/linear/practical side(s) of my personality. Luckily, Jennie and I work really well together. The big productions will be Wednesday evening, Saturday morning and next Wednesday afternoon. Please be praying for these open houses: that they would come together, that people would be come to them and that ultimately God would be glorified through them.
I feel like I arrived in Bandung and hit the ground running here this second semester, and God is constantly teaching me to trust him in all things. Thank you for your prayers as I continue on my teaching adventure here in the tropics!

Lessons in Trust

2008-01-10T10:21:00.000+07:00

I am back safely in Bandung after 48 hours of travel! We left from Flagstaff at 5 in the morning in a blizzard snow storm that lasted for about thirty miles down the hill. The weather was pretty much horrendous all the way to Phoenix consisting of snow, rain and fog. God was good though and got us to the airport in plenty of time. My flight out of Phoenix was on time, and I got to sit in the emergency exit row to soak up all the leg room I could get in preparation for the lack of it I would experience on the very long flights.
When I got to L.A. I had to get my bags and book it from Terminal 1 to Terminal 4, thank goodness for those carts, otherwise it would have been impossible with the two very large suitcases I brought back. I successfully checked in with China Airlines. I took my bags to the xray machine where I was hassled by one of the security guys who was maybe attempting to flirt or give me a hard time, but was mostly a jerk and kind of put me in a bad mood which only worsened as I approached the very long line to security. It was going slow and the security people were getting frustrated with the non-English speaking passengers who couldn't figure out how to take their laptops out of their bags or make sure they shoes off. After about a 25 minute wait I was finally at my gate waiting for my flight to Taipei. I hadn't even started the longest leg of my journey and I was done with traveling. The 14 hour flight to Taipei went well, the movies were working and the seat in the middle was empty so I had a little extra room. I have to say though that Cathay Pacific has better food that China Airlines. China Airlines had the typical airplane food--plastic in taste and unidentifiable in appearance. They do know how to do coffee though--nice and strong! It wasn't until we were about to land that I checked my ticket to see how much time I would have before my flight to Jakarta. I thought that I was landing at 8:30 pm and leaving at 9:30 pm, but I had read it wrong. I would not be leaving for Jakarta until 9:30 am, which meant that I would have to stay in the airport. I did have the option of staying in a hotel, which I kind of regret not doing. Instead I headed to the departure hall in search of a nice bench to rest. The entire night the airport got more and more empty, quiet and creepy. I could hardly sleep because I was paranoid about keeping an eye on my stuff or getting in trouble for staying in the airport. It was really awful. I have never been more lonely in my life. I think I got a "solid 40 minutes" of sleep. In the morning I went searching for a ticket counter to check the time of my flight because it wasn't showing up with the other departures. On my search I ran into Alyssa, the second grade teacher at BAIS, who had also had to stay the night in the airport. We were both so relieved to see a familiar face. She was on my flight to Jakarta, which was fortunate because she had the gate on her boarding pass and I didn't. Not sure what I would have done if I hadn't run into her. The flight to Jakarta was great, although they made me check my carry-on because it was too heavy. I got to sit in the front row with extra leg room and an empty seat next to me. I had a terrible fear about all my luggage arriving in Jakarta, but after making it successfully through customs, we only waited about 15 minutes and all my luggage had come through.
Jennie had ordered a taxi to take me home to Bandung that was supposed to meet me. What I didn't know was that Donna, the preschool teacher, was arriving a little earlier than me and had taken my taxi, after calling Jennie and Donna, we had the guy turn around and come and get us. It took about three hours for us to get home, the traffic was awful.
Emily comes home tonight and Emma comes home tomorrow. I am so happy to be home, and I am doing okay with the jet lag so far. It is good to be back with my roommates, catching up on the exciting things that happened over break. Through the 48 hours of craziness I endured I was forced to trust that God was going to get me home. He provided everything I needed from extra leg room to a travel companion. At the end of the day I had to praise Him for getting me through this trip. God is good!
School starts on Monday, so I will be spending some time this weekend getting ready for my first week of being a real teacher...ahhhh!
It was so good to see you all while I was at home. Thank you for your prayers and encouragement while I am over here.

Late Night Reflections of a Weary Traveler

2007-12-23T09:50:00.000+07:00

It is now 12:30am in Flagstaff, Arizona. Yes, I have arrived safely home after about 36 hours of travel. It’s rather chilly and I can’t sleep. What better to do in the midst of jetlag than snuggle up with a nice cup of tea and some of my mom’s amazing English toffee and update the blog?
Today, the last 36 hours, has been full of God’s provision. Now, when it comes to travel, especially travel abroad, I have the tendency to panic with worry about something…or everything going wrong. The night before departure, I sat at the kitchen table going over every “worst-case-scenario” that could possibly happen. Appropriately enough, my dad had sent me an email that morning by Max Lucado about worrying only about the problems that today holds because the strength for tomorrow’s issues will come tomorrow. How appropriate. All that worrying did nothing but increase my stress level and made it easier to forget how he has provided in the past. Emily and I left Bandung at 4:00am on Friday for Jakarta. My flight was to leave at 9:15am and hers around 11. We arrived at the airport at about 6:30am. There was no line at the ticket counter and no problem with my reservation. I made my way to the immigration counter where there was a man whose sole purpose in life is to make worry-wart bules nervous by taking two extra minutes to check her passport and visa. He let me by, and I spent about fort five minutes chillin’ in a rather empty airport until my flight for Hong Kong was to leave. The flight to Hong Kong went very smoothly. Got to spend some time reflecting on the past semester and dreaming about what God has planned for next semester. I arrived in Hong Kong, went straight to Starbucks, got a little lost, but eventually found my way to an excellent people watching spot near my gate. The stretch from Hong Kong to L.A. is the longest of my journey- 12 hours. Those 12 hours are rather torturous when the in-flight entertainment system is down. Without any movies or television to pass the time, I spent the majority of the 12 hours sleeping and reading. It was pretty rough, but praise God that I had a little more leg room because of an empty seat next to me. I made it through the long flight and in the end the crew felt so badly about the technical difficulties that we got about $50 worth of vouchers out of it. We landed in L.A. at about 1:30pm, and my flight to Phoenix, leaving from Terminal 1 on the other side of the airport, was to leave at 4:00pm. While I stood in the customs line watching the one attendant work slowly through the 30 people in front of me, I figured it was about time to tap into that strength for the issues of the day. From what I could see it was going to be a miracle if I made my flight to Phoenix. About 2:30, I had made my way through customs, had successfully collected my luggage and was on my way to the final leg of the journey. It was a rather perilous trek through parking garages and dodging some scary L.A. drivers, but I made it to the ticket counter for Southwest. Because I had a luggage cart I was able to get into a shorter line and avoid a little bit of Christmas travel craziness. God was so good, he provided the strength I needed exactly at the moment I needed it. The remainder of the trip went well until I arrived in Phoenix and couldn’t find my family. Without a cell phone or way to contact them I wandered through the arrival gate looking for them. They had gone to the wrong arrival gate and ended up running into me on their way to the pager thing. Not exactly that Hollywood arrival with hugs and tears, but that’s the Evans Family for ya.
I am so happy to be home…or at least I will be when the jetlag/unconsciousness wears off:) Tomorrow is already a full day: I have to get my visa stuff sent off asap (be praying for that when you get a chance), I am getting my hair cut, and meeting up with my roommates.
I am sure more updates are to come from the Evans Family Christmas 2007:)

Happiness is...

2007-12-05T20:41:00.000+07:00

...a little bit of rain, Ella Fitzgerald singing "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," a Peppermint Mocha, and laughter with good friends.
Have you ever experienced anything you wish you could just bottle up and keep forever? I have had the privilege of experiencing many times like that: long chats with good friends at Campus Coffee Bean, walking across Cottey Campus on a fall morning, road trips to Denny's with Sara Groves in the background, worship at sunset up at the peaks. Moments like that help put life back into perspective. Life can be chaotic, stressful and even painful at times, but praise God that he provides moments of complete contentment. This afternoon was one of those moments.
I have been done with student teaching for about a week now. My days have been filled with various odd jobs around the school. I have sat in on the ESL classes, getting a taste of what next semester holds. I visited third grade yesterday, spent some time in the high school Spanish class this morning and helped with the first grade Ancient Egypt play this afternoon. Tomorrow and Friday I am helping with the Christmas program. Although the odd jobs have been fun, it has been hard phasing out of the fifth grade. That's been my place for the past three months, and now I have to work on moving out of there. On top of the transition with that, the homesickness and stress with the return home fast approaching has resulted in a rather worn out Molly in need of some chill time.
Some of the elementary teachers have made it a weekly ritual to go to Starbucks after the staff meeting on Wednesdays. The plan is to go and work, but it usually ends up with all of us chatting. With all of the stress that the end of a semester can bring the Starbucks crew has dwindled to two or three. I have only gone a couple times, but this afternoon I knew that I was in desperate need of some new scenery and a Peppermint Mocha. In fact, I don't think I have ever looked forward to a Peppermint Mocha more (oh the joys of culture stress) :) Lindsey and I had to ride through the rain and some crazy traffic to get there, but the end result was well worth it. We splurged and got a cheese bagel and a piece of Oreo cheesecake to share along with a peppermint mocha and a hot chocolate. The other teachers who had come were Becky and Donna (Kindergarten and Preschool teachers). We had all brought something to work on, but ended up chatting for about two hours. We laughed about the funny things our kids had said that week, spoke with excitement about our plans for Christmas break, and soaked up the festive atmosphere that this Indonesian Starbucks provided. It was a little slice of heaven:) The combination of the air conditioning inside and the rain outside made it feel a little like winter time. The Christmas music and Peppermint Mocha made me feel for a second like I was back in the states. I have traveled to some pretty spectacular places and been rendered speechless by God's creation, but nothing compares to a good cup of coffee and good conversation with people you love.
Christmas is my favorite time of year. I love the music, I love the traditions, I love the Peppermint Mocha, and I love the memories, stories and laughs that I associate with this holiday season. As I look forward to returning home in two weeks to add some more memories to this time of year that I cherish so much, I am also thankful for the people God has placed in my life here in Indonesia.

Filling in the Gap

2007-11-27T16:40:00.000+07:00

This week, my student teaching is coming to a close. I am giving a test in Social Studies and a test in Bible and on Wednesday I am officially done teaching in the fifth grade. In the last month and a half or so I have been working on figuring out what next semester will hold. After the jungle trip, I determined that I wanted to pursue returning in the spring to be a substitute and help with all the details of the move. A couple weeks ago, I was called into the principal’s office and offered a part time position teaching Middle School and High School ESL. I have accepted the position and will be returning to Bandung January 8^th. I am so excited, but still can hardly believe that I have my first real job. God has been faithful in his timing and is currently working out every stressful detail that comes up. A year ago, I was trying to wrap my mind around the fact that He was sending me here to student teach, and now I am calling this place my home and the people that I have met here my family. God is good, and I am excited to see how he uses this next semester to shape and mold my character. As far as in the fall, that is still up in the air until December decisions are made and we know what positions are available, but as of right now I am hoping to return in the fall.

In the last few weeks of this semester before I return to the states for Christmas, I will be working on taking care of the details that go into me being an actual employee here, and would really appreciate your prayers in that. I will also be doing some more observation in the other elementary grades and begin spending some time in the ESL classes to get a feel for what I will be doing next semester. It is hard to believe that this semester is almost over, but it is amazing to see how much I have grown because of the experiences I have had.

Snakes on a Plate

2007-11-27T16:33:00.000+07:00

The following post may cause some of you to lose your lunch.

Reader’s discretion is advised:)

In past years my Thanksgiving celebrations have included the usual: turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, pumpkin pie, and of course the occasional spat in the kitchen. When living overseas, they advise that you try not to recreate your traditions from home, because they usually end in disappointment. I was realistic enough to not set my expectations for this Thanksgiving too high. A turkey in this country can cost up to $100, and we don’t get any time off of school for the holiday anyway. The group of singles that has become my family this semester decided we would not attempt to recreate any traditions, but instead come up with a brand new one. In years past, people have tried to venture outside the box, eating turkey made out of tofu or enjoying a feast of Mexican food instead of the original Thanksgiving spread. Never before have I heard of anyone stepping this far out of the box. Thursday November 23, 2007, Jennie, Lindsey, Emma, Emily, Donna, Alyssa, Aaron and I ventured out in search of a restaurant that serves cobra...yes the snake. After a bit of an adventure and asking some locals for directions, we finally arrived at NAYA. I was expecting an environment similar to that of Indiana Jones with dim lighting, snake skins hanging from the ceiling, and maybe a snake charmer in the corner with his flute. It turned out to be a rather regular looking restaurant that just happened to have a cupboard in the back full of cobras awaiting their culinary destiny of being fried up and served with rice. We had heard from a fellow teacher that you could go in the back and actually see the snake that would eventually become your dinner. After ordering, we asked the waiter if we could and he agreed to take the eight bules (boo-lays) with cameras in hand to the back to see the snakes. We entered the small room next to the kitchen. To the right was the cupboard full of mesh bags that were full of 15-20 snakes. In the middle was the chopping block, or a stump on which the head of the snakes were removed. On the floor were two buckets: one for the guts and skins, the other for the actual meat of the snake. One of the men whipped out one of the three-foot-long cobras that, in the minutes before its death, hissed at jabbed at the hand holding it tight. He then put the cobra’s head in a vice-looking thing and with a large cleaver chopped off the head. The head was still moving as they squeezed the blood from the body of the snake into a cup. It really was a gruesome sight that I could hardly stomach. I did get pretty good pictures though. When we returned to our table, we were presented with two small shot glasses that contained the blood that had just been squeezed out. The blood was set on the Lazy Susan in the middle of the table and made its way to everyone. Aaron downed one of the glasses in one swift gulp while the rest of us squealed and gagged as we choked down a tiny sip. I was the last one to take a sip and after a few minutes of working to break down the mental block similar to what I had with the spicy woof woof, I was able to take a taste. The room temperature and the thickness made it difficult to convince myself I was consuming something other than blood. In the end, it tasted kind of like cough syrup. The actual snake wasn’t too bad, it wasn’t that good either. It tasted like chicken but the texture was more like fish. It was difficult to enjoy a meal after (1) witnessing the decapitation and (2) drinking the blood of your main course. We all sat there silently replaying the gruesome scene we had witnessed and questioning what the heck we had just eaten. I am pretty sure this is the most insane thing I have ever eaten! With the exception of Aaron, we had all gone in there sure we were not going to drink the blood, but darn that peer pressure, we all gave in and exceeded our personal limits of adventure eating!

Sunburned yet Satisfied

2007-11-20T15:30:00.000+07:00

The full time portion of my student teaching experience came to a close last week and as a celebration Charity, Kelly and I took a long weekend trip to Bali. Who would have thought I would every use that phrase in my life "weekend trip to Bali?!" Anyways, we left Thursday morning and returned Sunday evening. It was four days full of total relaxation, some major Christmas shopping at the markets, and some of the best food I have had since I have been in Indonesia. We stayed in the Aston Bali, a really nice hotel with a private beach, an incredible pool and a yummy European breakfast. The first day we went and had lunch at the Bali Deli, where I got the first turkey sandwich I've had since August. We ventured into the markets for a little bit, where you have to barter with the merchants and try not to get ripped off. I was totally overwhelmed and nearly on the verge of heat exhaustion...I thought Bandung was hot and humid! That evening was the highlight of the trip. We got picked up from our hotel and went to Sharky's, a seafood place right on the beach. We got there right at sunset and were seated outside. It was absolutely gorgeous. Then, we got to go pick out our dinner. They had fresh fish, prawns and crab just waiting to be cooked up on the grill. We got Red Snapper, Prawns, and crab. It was so yummy! Then to top it all off, there was a group of Indonesian men playing all kinds of instruments playing mostly cover songs. The majority of the people at this rather romantic dining establishment were couples, so the songs that these guys were singing were sappy love songs. As they made their way towards our table, I couldn't help but wonder "what kind of songs to you sing to a table of single women?" Well, they ended up serenading us with a rather painful eighties song like Every Rose has its Thorn or something. It was really funny.
The next day we went up to Ubud, a smaller town in the mountains with more shopping, more great restaurants and a monkey forest. One of the families from school hooked us up with a car and a driver to get us up there which was really cool. On our way up we got pulled over by the police, saw a very large, smelly chicken truck, and stopped at one of the Hindu Temples. The temple was really beautiful and elaborate. In the Hindu religion there are hundreds of gods that they worship, and they have people whose job is to prepare the offerings for all the gods according to their preferences. About mid-morning the streets and steps of businesses will be covered with these small offerings. It was really interesting to see. The monkey forest was quite the adventure. In my attempt to give bananas to only the monkeys who I thought deserved them, I got attacked by who I deemed the "Banana Bully." He wouldn't leave me alone, I guess I was waiting for him to say please or something, but because he was bothering me, I refused to give him my last banana. That ticked him off, so he jumped and tried to snatch it out of my hand. I freaked out, screamed and ended up throwing the banana at him. I was a little traumatized and ended up learning my lesson:) It was pretty cool to see them so close up though. The remainder of the weekend was spent near the pool, reading, listening to my ipod, and people watching. Even in an attempt to not even be in the sun, I still got sunburned...it's inevitable I guess:) I had a great time, and my next trip to Bali is going to include snorkeling and maybe para sailing!

Pajamas, Rain, Field Trip, Rain, Fairytales, Rain, and Holiday Cheer

2007-11-06T19:32:00.000+07:00

Oh my it has been a while since I have updated you all on my life in the tropics. I recovered nicely from the Jungle Adventure, and was excited to take on five weeks of full time responsibility. The past few weeks in the fifth grade have consisted of lots of reading. October was I Love to Read month where all the kids were reading every minute they got a chance. they were all striving for the first goal of 2400 pages so they could go to dessert with the administrator. My class as a whole read about 24,000 pages! Because of I Love to Read month, we got to do a Pajama day on the 26th where the entire elementary got to come to school in their pajamas and read books all day. It was so much fun. We moved all the desks back in our classroom, and brought pillows and blankets so we could comfortably indulge in some literature of our choice. At the end of the month, instead of celebrating Halloween, we have Story Book Day. This year's theme was Fairytale Fun. The elementary teachers dressed up as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs...I was Doc. My kids did a hilarious play called Cinderella Bigfoot. It was hilarious!
Earlier that week, I led my very first field trip. We went to Premier Plaza, a nearby grocery store to finish up our Digestion/Nutrition Unit. I split the kids up into "families" of four, and gave them a budget of Rp.40,000, similar to that of a Kampung family. I challenged them to make up a menu for a well-balanced and healthy meal using only the hypothetical amount. We went to the grocery store to price the items, and to see if they would have stayed within budget. It was a little crazy, but they had fun. They were all able to stay within budget after making some changes to their menus. It was a fun field trip and I think a rather eye-opening experience especially because a lot of them are businessman's kids who don't ever really go the the grocery store.
Also this month were Report Cards! We have been working all semester to recreate the elementary report cards, and a couple weeks ago we finally sent them home. This was a task that I was not looking forward to, but we figured out a system, and were able to get them done without having to stay at school until all hours of the night.
As only two weeks remain of me teaching full time, we have moved on to some fun units. In Social Studies, we are learning about the Renaissance, which has required quite a bit of studying on my part since history is my worst subject. We are reading a novel called Frindle together in literature circles and in math, I am attempting to teach measurement which is turning out to be a rather dry unit. I can't believe it, I have made it through the toughest part of this experience. Next week, to celebrate and relax a little, Charity, Kelly and I are going to Bali for a long weekend...it truly is a rough life I lead here in the tropics. I am looking forward to the food that awaits us there along with some good souvenir shopping.
Rainy season has most definitely arrived, which makes it a little easier to imagine fall weather here. It rains pretty much everyday after lunch and into early evening. Coming from the desert, I was not prepared for this kind of precipitation. It is really intense. One must leave the house with all rain gear they might possibly need, because there is no telling when the clouds will open up and you will get soaked head to toe.
The holidays are quickly approaching and the dates have been set in the house for decorating, cookie baking and Christmas music! Although it is difficult when there is no snow, and I am wearing capris and flip flops to work, it is nice to know that we can at least create the illusion of a "White Christmas."

Some Final Thoughts...About the Jungle

2007-10-25T19:36:00.000+07:00

In the craziness, laughter, and challenges physically, there were moments where I had to pause was reminded first that I was actually trekking through the Sumatran Jungle, and second, that the God who created the breath-taking views that surrounded me is the same God who has me in the palm of my hand, and knows not only what these next few months hold, but also has planned what I will be doing next semester. One can do a lot of thinking while they are drenched in sweat, dehydrated and physically spent. Since I found out I was coming to Indonesia about a year ago, I viewed January as a huge drop off. I knew I was coming here, and that was great, but I had no idea what my future would hold. Now, January is still an unknown, but God is faithful and I can see that he is slowly filling in that gap. As I continue to pray for guidance in what exactly I should do next semester, I have to pause once again and bask in the peace that passes all understanding and praise Him that he is not a God of worry and chaos, but he rather the blessed controller of all things.

Chapter Five: Welcome Back Jungle Trekkers!

2007-10-17T22:20:00.001+07:00

We spent the evening just hanging out with one another, we attempted Phase 10 once again, and I was able to redeem myself from the previous pathetic attempt. We laughed a lot and reflected on the amazing day. The next morning, we had breakfast, packed up and headed back out on the path we had taken only 36 hours before. Around 10:00am we boarded another Jungle Bus to head down the mountain to the Tiara Hotel in Medan complete with a pool, hot showers and plenty of towels. The ride down was not nearly as painful as the ride up was. It was really cool to get to see the scenery during the day. The road was just as bumpy, but this was time also ridden with cattle, children with air guns, and a pig. It was the holiday for the local people, and every year at this time, the little boys get a new plastic gun. They were everywhere: on top of buses, and in the middle of the road. We safely arrived in Medan after a long three hours.Our first destination in Medan, unfortunately, was a Crocodile Farm that Pak Barhum recommended. It cost only 50 cents to get in and see groups of thirty crocodiles stuffed into 12X10 foot shallow pens. It was one of the most disturbing things I have ever seen. I have no doubt that if our friend Mr. Steve Irwin had really been on the trip with us, he would have been appauled at this sight. At the Crocodile Farm were also other animals including puppies, some monkeys, and a couple snakes. We left that place a little traumatized and rather speechless.There is nothing that compares to walking into an air conditioned hotel after a couple days in the nice humid jungle. The Tiara Hotel was an excellent way to finish up our trip. That night we went down the street to a huge fancy mall. We walked around and did some window shopping, then decided it was time for dinner. We decided to try out a Korean Restaurant. After a twenty minute wait, we were seated at a round table in the back corner, and within minutes the waiters were bombarding us with trays of food for us to choose from. It was extremely stressful, and they kept coming throughout the entire meal. It was very good food, my favorite dish was the soft shell crab.The rest of the night was spent playing Phase 10, we were determined to get to Phase 10. There was a lot of laughing, some trash talking, a little bit of bullying, and a lot of storytelling. At 1:00 in the morning we had finally reached Phase 10! We would be okay if we never saw that game again:)

Chapter Four: Indonesian Bubba, Extreme Trekking and a "Compliment," with a cherry on top!

2007-10-16T21:51:00.000+07:00

There are hardly words to adequately describe the trekking experience. It was kind of like extreme hiking, steep slopes, slippery rocks, huge trees, twisting vines, enormously large ants, orangutans swinging in from all places, waterfalls, flowers, not to mention the interesting men who were our guides and the humidity that truly took our breath away. I have never sweat more in my whole life, Lordy it was hot! For the scenery and the experience though, it was worth it. I took some pretty nice falls and got pretty dirty and gross, I felt like a true Jungle Trekker, and sort of even looked the part (Abby you would be proud).

The nine of us were in the hands of three jungle men. The lead guy, whose name none of us could remember, had long black hair, a gotee, and a cigarrette in hand at all times. He wore a shirt with the sleeves cut off, cut-off shorts and flip flops. Fortunately he knew English, so he was able to tell us about the orangutans as well as the different plants and other animals in the forest. Quite the knowledgable fellow. I would say he is the Sumatran equivalent of Bubba, the maintenance man at the Sea Scape Resort. At the end of our journey, the most perilous section, I was bringing up the rear along with Jungle Man. I forgot until we hit the steep slope heading down to the river that I have a slight fear of heights, ok, a pretty significant fear of heights. Which apparently can make the fear of slipping and falling to a painful death a little more scary. During the 45 minutes we spent repeling down the mountain with nothing to really hold on to but roots and vines, my heart was pounding and the pressure to find the right footholds was made greater with Jungle Man telling me the whole time "Slow is best, ya? You go down backwards, ya?" Nonetheless, after eight hours of intense hiking, good stories, friendly visits from the orangutans, and indescribable views, we had successfully reached the river that would take us back to the Jungle Inn.

Never before have I wanted to go swimming so much, what a refreshing end to such a long journey. After a couple spills on the rocks, some splashing around and nearly getting swept downstream by the strong current, we got into the rafts that turned out to be inner tubes tied together. Funny story: I was aware, prior to my arrival in this country, that I was going to stick out. Not just because of the white skin, but because I would tower over 3/4 the population. Up until the moment we took our places in the raft, I hadn't faced too much discrimination, some stares, yes, but no blatant comments. I had planned to ride in the two person raft with Jennie. As I began to jump on, one of our guides ran over and said, "No, you go in the other one. You too big." It didn't end there. I got up and moved to the other raft and began to get in behind Emma, and once again the same guide said, "No, no. You sit here, you have special figure, must sit here." How does one respond to that, especially with the language barrier it was clear he wasn't meaning to hurt my feelings or anything. He wasn't aware of what he was saying, which allowed me to maintain a laid back attitude and respond with a "Well, I'm gonna take that as a compliment...praise God I have a 'special figure.'"

Finally, after we were all situated in the rafts, we headed down the river hoping to beat the storm cloud that had began to form as soon as we got out of the jungle. The rapids were true white water rapids. The ride was amazing! Definitely my favorite part of the day. It was about thirty minutes before we were back where we started earlier that morning. To top it all off, at the entrance to the reserve was a mother orangutan with her baby. That was one thing I was hoping to see before the day was done, and it was a perfect ending to an amazing day.

Chapter Three: Breakfast- Complimentary Creepy Crawlies and Sour Bean Milk

2007-10-16T20:12:00.000+07:00

I awoke the next morning to find a nice giant spider in the bathroom, a bonus that they failed to inform us was included with the room:) After dousing myself in 100% deet and sunscreen and donning my polka dot bandanna, I was ready to tackle the jungle. Every jungle trekker needs a good breakfast to fuel them for the treacherous journey ahead of them. Good thing the Jungle Inn puts extra protein in their pineapple juice, yep there were some nice little orange bugs in my pineapple juice, but no worries because risk-taking Molly laughs in the face of swallowing unidentified insects. After breakfast we headed down to the river to go to orangutan reserve. We had to take a canoe across the river. It was hooked to cables, and was navigated by a man in his skivvies. Quite the sight at 8:00am in the morning, but also a rather nifty way to get across the river.

When we got to the other side it was breakfast time for the orangutans. There were a couple in cages when we first entered the reserve. We hiked further into the jungle to a platform where a dominant female name Suma was coming to eat. She was quite the character, giving us the eye every once in a while as she at her 25 bananas and dumped out her cup of sour bean milk. We found out later that she was pregnant which explained some of her moodiness and...eating habits. I had watched a show on Animal Planet a month or so ago on which Steve Irwin visited this same place. In honor of him, Emma and I had fun adding commentary to the amazing creatures we were going to observe. I will try and get footage of that, as humiliating as it will probably be:)

After visiting Suma, we separated from the rest of the tourists and embarked on our eight hour trek through the Sumatran Jungle.

Chapter Two: Swiss Family Robinson with a Hippi Twist

2007-10-16T18:07:00.000+07:00

We took a bus up the mountain for almost three hours.
Nine teachers
three very interesting guides
no AC
four wheeled drive road
no leg room
anti-motion sickness pills
Indonesian music
rooftop riding

This is what made this particular leg of the journey unforgettable. When we finally got to Bukit Lawang and were dropped off by the bus, our friendly guides took us on a "10 minute walk, good for body." It was more of a twenty minute hike back through the Kampung until we finally reached the Jungle Inn. Jennie split us up by birth date, two to a room. Alyssa and I got the best room. We had read on the blog about a room that was literally built into the side of a mountain, with a balcony and a hammock right next to a waterfall. That was exactly how it was. The Jungle Inn is by no means a four star resort, although Pak Bahrum would beg to differ, but it is a pretty awesome place.

It really looks like the house on Swiss Family Robinson, fully equipped with jungle men playing guitars and singing Pearl Jam. It was 12:00am when we arrived at the Jungle Inn and we were scheduled to begin the day at 7:30 that morning. That night I fell asleep to the sound of the waterfall wondering/fearing exactly what the "jungle trek" would entail.

Chapter One: Christmas Trees, Tears and Shrink Wrap

2007-10-16T17:42:00.000+07:00

This trip came at the best and worst time. The combination of being sick the weekend before and missing out on two whole days to get up for the following week and starting my first week of teaching full time made for one of the most difficult weeks since I have been here. Lessons were tough, the to-do list was long, and my energy level was low. I left school on Thursday burnt out, discouraged and about ready to quit. God is good though, he knew that I needed not only a break away from school to recharge, but an adventure that would challenge all the things I never thought I was cut out for.
We successfully left the school at 11:45am on our way to Jakarta. Jennie planned to use various discriminating tactics to make sure the taxi rides and room placements were random. So all the tall people rode in one car, and the shorter people in another:) The ride to Jakarta was really fun. We agreed to try only to talk about school unless absolutely necessary. This provided for quite the conversation in the vertically blessed taxi:) We talked about everything from car accidents to Christmas Trees! Praise God for hardly any traffic, we were able to get to Jakarta in about 2 1/2 hours, which got us to the airport with about three hours to spare.
While waiting for our turn to check in, we sat on the floor near a machine that shrink wrapped luggage. It was rather fascinating to see the items that people wanted shrink wrapped, still not quite sure what the purpose of that was, but it was entertaining nonetheless.
In the three hours we had to wait, we filled the time by playing the game Phase 10. Who would have thought that that game would have become a theme of the trip, and the bane of my existence. Seriously, it was awful. The object of the game is to get through ten phases of card combinations, if you don't, then you collect points throughout the game for cards you have left over. Apparently, the object of the game for Molly was to fail miserably and rack up more points than all the other players combined. It took about four or five rounds for me to finally make it to Phase 2.
We were able to check in without any issues, and got on the plane without elbowing too many Grandma's in the process. On domestic flights there are no assigned seats, so it is a free-for-all when the lady announces that the plane is boarding. We ended up sitting relatively close to each other, and the majority of the flight was spent resting up for the crazy bus ride that awaited us in Medan.

Coming Soon: Chapter One of the Sumatran Jungle Adventure

2007-10-14T22:08:00.000+07:00

We have safely returned from the Sumatran Jungle with some bug bites, some sore muscles, and hilarious stories galore! From the physical challenge of trekking in the jungle for eight hours and getting to see some of the most breath-taking views of God's creation to the hilarious moments and amazing conversations with with my brother and sisters in Christ, this trip changed my world. Stay tuned to the Sumatran Jungle Adventure Series!

Insert National Geographic Theme Song Here

2007-10-10T21:23:00.000+07:00

The jungle adventure begins tomorrow afternoon. As soon as that clock hits 11:45am, nine anxious teachers will be piling into taxis on their way to Jakarta to catch a plane that leaves at 5:55pm for Medan on the island of Sumatra. We will then all pile into one...yes one...van and head four hours up the mountain to The Jungle Inn. The next morning we will eat breakfast before we go watch our distant relatives chow down on their breakfast at the Orangutan Reserve. After feeding, we will embark on a six...yes six...hour "jungle trek" in hopes of seeing more of our distant relatives. You may think the adventure ends there, but it most certainly does not! At the end of our "trek" we will be white water rafting down the river back to the orangutan reserve. After one more night at The Jungle Inn, we will head back to Medan, but not without stopping at the crocodile farm first:) Saturday night we will stay at a hotel and head back to Jakarta on Sunday morning. That is the itinerary, and you may be asking yourself "why in the world is Molly Evans going on a trip like this?" I have been asking myself that same question...and the answer is because Indonesia has turned me into a risk taker, and I live with an adventurous roommate who is very persuasive:) Plus, I am an Evans and adventure...or disaster in some cases... is inevitable on any vacation, so why not take a chance in the jungle?
I hope to return on Sunday with amazing pictures and tons of hilarious stories. Please be praying for safety and health for all of us who are going:)

Recovering from what felt like death...

2007-10-07T08:00:00.000+07:00

If you all were readers of my blog from Ecuador, you probably remember how sick I got. I was certain that nothing would top that horrible experience, but I was wrong. Friday after lunch I started to feel pretty nauseous, and then by the end of school was hardly able to think I felt so gross. The rest of the evening consisted of me getting sick almost every twenty minutes...not exaggerating. It was awful. I don't get sick very often and I especially don't get the upset stomach kind of sick, but this most certainly tops the charts. I had heard of a lot of people in the past having to go to the hospital due to dehydration after an extreme case of Bandung Belly. I was almost sure that was going to have to be me, because there was nothing left in my body, and just the thought of putting something in it made me get sick. That night I got a little bit of sleep, and the next day felt a little better, but still couldn't keep anything down. Spent the day on the couch watching a marathon that could have been called "Random/Awful Movies from the 90's." This morning I feel a lot better. Pretty weak because I have nothing in my system, but much better. I have never been that sick before in my life, and hope that it was the first and last time I have to experience it.
In other news, this past week was great! I took over almost everything except Language Arts. All my lessons went well, I think the fifth grade has finally figured out a routine that works. Next week I start my six weeks of teaching by myself...kind of scary, but I will be fine.
Also, this Thursday we head to the Sumatran Jungle to hang out with the Orangutans. We have all been taking our Malaria meds, and are ready for what will most definitely be an adventure!

Everything is an adventure...even bowling:)

2007-09-22T18:16:00.000+07:00

This is the story of how, what should have been, a regular group outing to Indo food and pool became a night full of spicy food, Southwestern souvenirs, crazy traffic, drive-by serenades, near death experiences, and bowling.
Aaron, Emily, Jennie, Lindsey and I had originally planned to go to out to dinner at an Indonesian restaurant and then play pool afterward. Little did we know what the night would hold. Dinner was successful, spicy, but successful. We left the restaurant to head up the hill to a possible place to play pool. When we walked into the food court/mall, I got a little taste of home. Right there at the entrance was a collection of Southwestern Souvenirs for sale. Good heavens, you would have thought you had walked into the Trading Post on your way to the Grand Canyon:) I have never been more tempted to buy a canteen in my life:)
When we walked up the stairs to where a game of pool should have been waiting for us, we were reminded that during the month of Ramadan any place or activity that promotes things like drinking and smoking is closed down. We then attempted at plan B--finding another pool place...plan C finding another pool place...plan D sit in the middle of the road for ten minutes and try to think of something to do on a Saturday night. Finally, we decided on Plan E: go bowling downtown! We ventured out in search of the bowling place that turned out to be a mall near downtown. The combination of the insane traffic and attempting to follow the fearless leader of the pack made for quite a perilous journey. Lindsey and I were nearly hit by a car two or three times. While stopped at a light, we were serenaded by a group of college students asking for money. Now, when you are in a car you can roll up the window, lock the doors, but when you are on a bike, it is rather awkward. How does one react? All Lindsey or I could do was laugh:) We safely reached the mall, and headed up the stairs attempting to follow the signs to the bowling place. After three flights of stairs, we entered a narrow corridor resembling the setting of a horror movie. We finally came to a door with the sign for the bowling alley, but ended up entering through a side entrance. What a sight--five white people all of the sudden appear through the back door of the bowling alley, so much for being subtle:) As if we hadn't stuck out already, we ended up having to borrow socks from the bowling alley to wear with our bowling shoes. These weren't plain white socks, no, no, no, these were red and pink socks. The game of bowling was successful, as usual I had my spurts of athletic ability getting two or three strikes, but ended up with the fewest points. It turned out to be a really fun night, full of laughter, a couple near death experiences, and really great material for my blog. I am realizing that everything here is an adventure, especially when you least expect it:)

Welcome to Reality...

2007-09-15T14:50:00.000+07:00

It has been a rather long week and a half, hence the lack of a post lately:) I guess you could say that the honeymoon phase of my adventure has worn off for the moment, and I am starting to slip into a routine here in the tropics. As my responsibilities grow, so does the stress level, but I am working on taking it day by day. For the past two weeks I have been teaching math to our 14 perfectionist fifth graders. My lessons have been going really well! I also got to create the final project for the Maps and Lakes of the World Unit. The students had to discover a new make believe country, and then create an expandable map that includes a map, a list and description of the resources and features of the country, a description of the people and why I should visit their country. They turned out really well, these kids are extremely creative! I am getting more comfortable in the classroom, the students are getting used to having two teachers in the class and I am learning so much. This week our Yearlong Plans were due, along with the revised copy of our "Parent Friendly Curriculum," and report card templates. The elementary teachers have been working hard to create "Parent Friendly Curriculum" to post on the school's website, we also are redoing the report cards to make them more elementary grade friendly. So basically the past couple of weeks have been full of curriculum. It has been a long process, but I have learned a lot about standards, benchmarks, learning expectations and measurable objectives--the nitty gritty stuff that teachers do behind the scenes:) We got it all done though, turns out that Charity and I make a pretty amazing team!!
I haven't had much adventure lately, but I did take my first Ojeg on Wednesday. An Ojeg is the motorbike taxi, yes, Molly rode on a bike with a stranger and survived. Last night we went to the boys soccer game and then to a Chinese restaurant where you can order the all you can eat and order everything on the menu if you want. The catch though, is that if you don't finish all the food, then you have to pay the individual price of the dishes you order. It was really good food, and don't worry we were able to polish off everything:) After dinner we headed up to the indoor ice rink, where I decided that the Indonesian onlookers were not ready to see Molly Evans ice skate. I guess I haven't fully recovered from the fall (and embarrassment) of 2003...Alli, I think you were the only one who was there for that:) Anyways, Becky, Melinda, Tobin and I went to shop and get coffee instead.
Today, I have been working in the classroom trying to get the Social Studies projects graded and my lesson plans written for next week. I have been really productive and my introverted side has had a chance to recharge:) Next week we get to go on our first field trip to a lake about 2 and 1/2 hours away. It should be interesting:)

Little Bit of Poetry and Some Lessons Learned

2007-09-05T20:26:00.000+07:00

This week during literacy centers, Charity had me run the center on poetry. We went over shape poems, haikus and limericks. I never realized before how fun limericks are. As a small group we wrote a limerick together. Here are two examples:

Billy the Buffalo lives on a boat.

His best friend in the world is Chunky the goat.

They eat spam from a can,

and drink hot spicy jam

That burns as it goes down their throat.

Eating fried chicken makes Frederick quite happy.

Although after a meal he behaves rather slappy.

Dancing around

and making strange sounds,

His performance deserves a loud round of clappy.

I had so much fun writing these with the students. They are so creative!

This week is Spiritual Emphasis Week. We have chapel everyday with special speakers that have traveled here from the states. The elementary kids are learning about "Building a Foundation of Faith." I am loving it, our speaker, Karen has been talking about how a strong foundation consists only of Jesus Christ and nothing else. She read this amazing book today called Sydney and Norman. It is about two pigs. Norman is one of those perfect pigs that always looks put together, is on time to work and has always done well in everything. Sydney on the other hand is a mess. His house is a mess, his clothes are a mess, and he can never seem to do anything right. One day both pigs get a note from God asking to meet with them. Norman is certain that God is going to tell him how wonderful he is, and Sydney is just sure that God is going to tell him how disappointed he is in him for missing the mark again. Norman walks into his appointment with God, and God says "There are three things I want to tell you: 1. I love you. 2. You are not a great as you think you are. and 3. Your pride makes others feel bad about themselves." Norman is totally in shock, he doesn't expect God to tell him that and walks home with a heavy heart. Sydney comes into his appointment fifteen minutes late with his shirt hanging out and a hole in his pants. Sydney cringes as God smiles and says "Sydney, I have three things to tell you: 1. I love you. 2. I love you. 3. I love you." Sydney can't believe that God would love him despite all of his imperfections. Sydney wakes up the next morning a little more content, and Norman wakes up a little more humble. By the end of the story, I was in tears. Isn't it cool though, when God uses something like a children's book to soflty remind your heart of his love, mercy and grace?

God has shown me so much in the last week. I am in the midst of some anxiety with the increase in my responsibilities fast approaching. This week I took over math, in a couple weeks I will take over Bible and Language Arts, and in about four weeks I will have full control of the classroom for six weeks. Yesterday, as Charity and I were mapping all this out, I nearly fell out of my chair. Although I was on the verge of a breakdown, I had to remind myself of Deuteronomy 31:8 "The LORD himself goes before you, he will not leave nor forsake you. Do not be discouraged, do not be afraid." I have to constantly remind myself to take it day by day. A month ago, I was terrified thinking about taking over just one subject but he has gone before me this week and math has gone really well. I have a choice to make when it comes to worrying, I can choose to be hard on myself and wallow in anxiety, or I can choose to rely on God for the strength and ability to teach. In the last two weeks I have been convinced that not only is teaching a ministry, but it is the ministry and the purpose to which I have been called. If this is the purpose to which I am called, then that means God's going to do his work through me, which means that I have nothing to worry about. In my weakness and feelings of inadequacy he gives me strength and ultimately, it is him who receives all of the glory, not me.
Please be praying for all the staff at BAIS though, as Ramadan is fast approaching and can be a really dark time spiritually.

Hi My Name is Molly...

2007-08-31T17:44:00.000+07:00

Ok, so I am not sure what happened to the former version of Molly Evans. You all know her, the one who rarely took a risk without weighing every feasible thing that could go wrong, the one who was on the other side of the spectrum when it came to spontaneity. I am telling you she has disappeared and this new Molly has taken her place, a Molly that embraces adventure (even if it means she may not get a shower for a couple of days), who "doesn't even trip" when she can't use her hairdryer in the morning due to the danger of the house blowing up, and jumps at the chance to taste unappetizing foods like spicy woof woof and durian. You will believe me when you hear about the trip that she has chosen for the group to go on for Idul Fitri weekend ( the end of Ramadan in October, we get Friday off). Eight of the BAIS staff will be going to the jungles of Bukit Lawang. We will hopefully leave on Thursday October 11, right after school to catch a plane in Jakarta that night to Medan. From Medan we will take a three to four hour non-air-conditioned bus ride to The Jungle Inn (kind of sounds like the Sea Scape Inn). The Jungle Inn has nice rooms, from what we hear on the blogs of those who have stayed there before. There is only electricity sometimes, and there is no hot water. The morning after our arrival we will get up at 7am to go to the orangutan park to view the feeding time for about three hours. We will then proceed, with a guide, on a six our hike through the jungle. Be aware that on this hike, it is very likely that we will run into wild orangutans and maybe some tigers and snakes. At the end of our hike we will then take a raft or tube, we aren't quite sure exactly what mode of water transportation we will be taking, but somehow we will go back down the river to the start of our hike. The rest of the day we will be relaxing, or possible recovering from orangutan attacks, back at the inn and leave the next morning to go back to Medan to stay in a hotel with showers so we are not totally dead when we return on Sunday evening. Yes, I chose this trip, why? I am telling you, coming to Indonesia I must have left my former uptight, control freak self in Flagstaff. I am really excited for this trip. It should be amazing! Mom, dad, don't worry, I'm gonna be fine!
In other news, this week I totally bombed a math lesson, well, not totally, Charity and I were able to salvage the period in the end. It was not good, not good at all. But what are you gonna do? I also had the opportunity to sub in the 4th grade class for the afternoon, talk about a challenge. I was happy to do it, but totally scared out of my mind. I have only been observing a teaching a lesson here and there, I have never had a class to myself! I know God allowed that to happen for a reason though, and I am pretty certain that he is going to throw me into scary teaching situations like that more this semester. I also got to experience being on the other side of an Open House for the first time. Charity and I split up the presentation and got to know the parents a little bit. It went really well!
Happy to report that our electricity is back to normal. We can have more than one light on in the house and not fear that the roof will catch fire. It was pretty scary there for a while, and we fried a couple CD players in the process, but we are alive and well and our house is still in one piece.
I am having a blast getting into the school routine and laughing through all of the craziness with my awesome roommates:)

Birthday Festivities!

2007-08-27T21:12:00.000+07:00

Ok, so seriously one of the funnest birthday parties ever, aside from that fifties/Grease party I had when I was in elementary school:)

On Saturday, some of the girls took me to sushi where I tried fish eggs for the first time...cruchyish. Then we went over to the gelato place we visited during the first week I was here. They have this amazing menu selection where you can choose eight flavors and it feeds like four people. I got to choose the flavors, and unfortunately, if you want a colorful display on your cool ice cream plate you have to choose yucky flavors. Ours was rather boring looking, but it tasted great! The flavors were almond, hazelnut (my new favorite), coffee, tiramisu (everyone hated this flavor), white chocolate, Oreo, lychee (an Indonesian fruit that tastes a little like fruit cocktail), and mint chocolate chip. It was so much fun. Then we went to the movie store where I bought a couple movies for like $7--it's a beautiful thing:)

On Sunday afternoon was my fruit party. Jennie and Lindsey worked hard to make sure nearly every fruit available in the city of Bandung was present at the party...including Durian. Ever since I knew I was coming to Indonesia, Charity has been telling me I have to try Durian and how awful it is. Everyone that I have talked to hates Durian, not even Indonesians like it. It is a giant green spiky fruit that when cut open, the pulpy fruit inside smells close to rotting flesh and kind of has similar consistency. Hotels and other malls prohibit the stuff from being in their building "No Smoking, No Food or Drink, No Durian!" To be honest, this was the fruit I was most excited to try last night because everyone talked about it so much. So, they waited until the end to bring it out, because it would stink up the whole house, and I grabbed my fork while people got out their cameras and anxiously awaited my first bite of Durian. The yellowing flesh was rather slimy in texture, but the taste...it is terribly hard to tell you what it tastes like, because it tastes like something I have eaten before, but it should not be the flavor of a fruit. It kind of reminded me of seafood casserole. I actually took three bites in an attempt to place the flavor and everyone was impressed. Most people can't get past the smell of the stuff and they say that after three bites you're supposed to love it. I can't say that is the case for me, but I am glad that I tried it. It really was probably the worst tasting thing I have ever put in my mouth:) The fun didn't end there though. Last weekend, while Jennie and I were participating in one of our favorite pastimes--grocery shopping--we came across century eggs. I thought they looked rather awful, the thought of even purchasing an egg that's 100 years old made me nauseous. Joking, Jennie said she would get it for my birthday, starting a new BAIS Staff Birthday tradition. Well, turns out she did purchase them, and whipped one out after we had all suffered through the Durian. A century egg a duck egg preserved in a mixture of clay, ash, salt, lime and rice straw for several weeks. The finished product has the consistency of a hard boiled egg with a pale, dark green colored yolk, and the egg white is black. It took a while for me to put a piece of it in my mouth. I couldn't get the Fear Factor episode out of my head where they had to eat the rotten duck eggs. It really didn't have any taste, it was the appearance that was worse than anything.

Weird foods and all, I had a wonderful 22nd birthday. Although I was away from some of the people I love the most, it was so cool to feel loved by so many people that I only met three weeks ago:)

Charity and I have started our second week of school off on a pretty good foot. I feel like we are really getting to know the kids and they are getting to know us. I get to teach a math lesson tomorrow morning that should be really fun.

Hope I didn't gross you out too much with my stories:) Abby...no gagging!

Row Row Row Your Boat (the video)

2007-08-25T12:58:00.000+07:00

Here is the video of the song we created at the hot springs using the glass bottles. It is pretty dark, but you really just need the sound on to hear our lovely rendition! Enjoy:)

Happy Birthday:)

2007-08-25T12:46:00.000+07:00

Today, in Indonesia, I am 22 years old. In the states I am still 21. Weird how that works:) I have been away from home before on my birthday, so it hasn't been to hard to be away from my family and friends today. It certainly helps to have amazing people here to make me feel loved! Yesterday, Charity and Kim made brownies for our class. The only candle we had was a table candle from Charity's house...oh the life of a missionary:) The kids sang to me and the brownies were amazing!
This afternoon, some of the girls are taking me to a really yummy gelato place at the fancy new mall where Carrefore is. They have a selection on the menu that allows you to choose 9 different flavors of gelato...my kind of dessert! Then we might go to a movie afterwards. By the way, you can go to a movie here including popcorn and a drink for like $3, kind of makes you sick that we fork out close to ten bucks in the states:)
Tomorrow is the big shindig- Jennie, my awesome roommate, has planned a fruit party. She has purchased nearly every fruit available in the Bandung area for me (and the other new people) to try. Thirty five people have RSVP'd, good heavens I have never felt so popular:) I am excited, there are some pretty crazy looking fruits in this country. Many pictures will come of tomorrow's festivities.
Thank you for all of the birthday wishes.

Tough Week

2007-08-23T17:45:00.000+07:00

God is so good about humbling His children. This week, it was my turn:) This week I was lucky enough to be suffering from a case of Bandung Belly as well as a head cold. As tough of a transition this week has been, it was even more of a challenge when I wasn't feeling so hot, but God is good. He gave me the strength to get through the day and allowed the sections of class that I was in charge of to go really well. I am still not feeling 100%, so if you all could be praying for me I would greatly appreciate it.
In other, more exciting news, I have stepped way outside of my food comfort zone this week. Mr. Brian McArthur, I did this one for you:) Hendri, one of the national staff who helps with visa stuff, loves to introduce the brand new staff to "spicy woof woof." Yes, dog. He brought a package to school yesterday and I had told Jennie that I would be willing to try it. During lunch, Emma and I stared a the rather unattractive meat sitting on the plate for a while trying to get up the courage, and get past the picture of our own "best friends" back home so we could try it. I sat there for about ten more minutes and determined I couldn't do it unless Charity cut a piece for me and through it on my lunch plate, for some reason I just couldn't get myself to touch it. Finally, Charity picked off a piece for me and in a spurt of bravery I took a bite. It was terribly spicy, but really just tasted like beef. I will never try it again, but for your entertainment I sacrificed:) That has been the strangest thing I have ever eaten, and the strangest thing in Indonesia so far. I am told there is a snake restaurant, where you pick out the snake you want to eat and they chop off the head and cook it right in front of you. Fortunately, I am not a huge fan of snakes, so probably won't have such a hard time taking a bite:)
Thank you all for your prayers for my health, hope you all are doing well!

First Day Report!

2007-08-20T20:15:00.000+07:00

Today was the first day of school. I could hardly sleep last night because I was so nervous. Charity and I agreed to meet up early so we could pray before staff devotions. I got the school around 6:30am. After devotions at 7:15 we went back to the classroom to wait for the new 5th graders to arrive. There are a total of 14 students, 5 girls and 9 boys. They are a diverse bunch, but should be a fun group of kids. The first day doesn’t give a very good impression though because they are all rather shell shocked coming into the oldest elementary grade classroom. Then again I was rather shell shocked today too:) Being the first day, our schedule was full of get-to-know-you activities, going over rules and procedures and getting back into the swing of being in school for six hours a day. Tomorrow we will start teaching the subjects. My responsibility for the next couple of weeks is to mainly observe and assist every now and then. After lunch today I got to read a book to them, The Brand New Kid by Katie Couric, and tomorrow I am going to run “Parts of Speech Bingo!”
I am really excited to get to know the students better. I learned so much today and I know that this semester holds a lot more!

Greased pole, motorbike ride, Row, Row, Row Your Boat:)

2007-08-18T22:26:00.000+07:00

Today was mostly spent watching men attempt climbing up a greased bamboo pole--quite a sight to see! After almost three hours, they finally made it to the top where there were presents waiting to be distributed. The teachers also got to participate in the festivities.

Now, onto the most exciting adventure of the evening. Due to the first day of school being on Monday and the long week of orientation we all endured this past week, Jennie decided to plan a trip up to the hot springs. The group included just about all of the singles and three married couples, there were 15 people in all. Eight of us rode on motorbike and seven rode in a taxi. Now, I couldn't take pictures without losing my life so my picture painting rhetoric will have to suffice:) I got to ride with Lindsey on the back of her bike. (Yes, grandma Molly, as some of you like to call me, rode on the back of a motorbike today!) Lindsey likes to go really fast, but she is a good driver. The other day we had a couple of close calls. Let's just say I have learned a lot about trust:) The trip was expected to take about an hour going up a curvy mountain highway. Keep in mind there are no rules really when it comes to driving a bike through busy Bandung traffic, we get cut off and sometimes cut people off--it really is great fun as long as I am tightly gripping the back handle:) It was about 5:00 when we headed out, which meant we would be heading up the mountain just at sunset. Once I got past the fear, I got to enjoy the breathtaking view of the sun setting over the rice paddies of Bandung with the wind blowing in my hair. It was truly exhilarating! The whole time we are driving up the mountain I am thinking "Holy cow, if my parents knew what I was doing they would flip:)" and "I am so fortunate to get to see something so beautiful, seriously the best student teaching experience ever!" I am pretty sure the drive up the mountain goes pretty high on the list of the most amazing things I have ever done:)
The hot springs part was nice and relaxing too. Kind of embarrassing, but funny nonetheless, we all got drinks from the snack stand and in boredom figured out how to play "Row, Row Row Your Boat" using our glass bottles filled with various amounts of water. A video on YouTube should be appearing shortly:)
Today was awesome, I got to experience some pretty cool things. I am so fortunate to be here in Indonesia. It has only been two weeks, but I have gotten to experience so much. Can't wait to see what these next four months have in store.
My next post will probably be reporting the First Day of School! One of my most favorite days of the year; I have had my first day of school outfit picked out for weeks:) Please keep Charity and me in your prayers as we start off this semester.

Pictures!

2007-08-17T17:03:00.001+07:00

Happy Independence Day!

2007-08-17T16:24:00.000+07:00

August 17th is Indonesia's Independence Day. At exactly 10:00am on August 17, 1945 Indonesia proclaimed their independence, but did not legally become indepedent from the Netherlands until December 27, 1949.

Over the past couple weeks the streets of our neighborhood have been decorated with flags of various colors including red and white in celebration of Independence Day. The Kampung's (neighborhoods where the nationals live) do a bunch of activities including climbing up a greased bamboo pole to get presents:) Today, Charity and I went to Starbucks to talk teacher stuff and on our way to getting an Angkot to take home the road that is usually bustling with traffic and people was nearly empty and there were no cars. Except near the mosque, there were a bunch of people sitting and standing listening to what sounded like a sermon. It was really interesting. Later, Jennie, Lindsey and I went to visit our Jaga, Pak Ade and his family. In their Kampung, all the children dressed up in various costumes. His daughter, Pani, got to wear a very fancy gold outfit and rode her elaborately decorated bicycle. It was so cool to get to see where he lives and interact with all the kids. We took a lot of pictures and they really enjoyed that. We didn't get to see a whole lot of the activities, but the national staff from BAIS is having a carnival at the school tomorrow, there I will get to experience all the games and stuff they do. Very exciting!

A week of encouragement and learning!

2007-08-16T17:03:00.000+07:00

I have made it through orientation. This week has been full of long meetings, moments of encouragment, moments of stress and a lot of long hours spent getting the class ready for next week. I have been telling my co-workers that I have learned enough in just the past two weeks to write a book. I am so lucky to get to participate in all these meetings and preliminary preparations for the school year. I would guess that a lot of my former classmates are not getting exposed to this kind of stuff. I am also fortunate to get to experience working in a school where almost all of the people I work lwith ove the Lord. In the past, school has always been the place where I had felt the most spiritual oppression. Here, I am refreshed and encouraged by the fact that we are all on the same page spiritually. For example, today we did a prayer walk through the campus, praying for safety on the playground, growth in our classrooms and protection from the enemy. It has also been amazing to see God make it clear to me that this is the exact place I am supposed to be at this exact moment in time. This is what gives me hope when I think about the stress, struggles and low times that this semester holds. As much as I may struggle, I know that he is bigger and will not only carry me through it, but in the process strengthen my character and further sharpen me for my purpose. Praise God that he is in control and that I don't have to worry!

New pizza flavors and a day of pampering!

2007-08-12T20:01:00.000+07:00

Today I went to lunch with Becky. She is the kindergarten teacher from Colorado and my "big sister." We went to this pizza place near Ciwalk. She had me try a banana blackberry pizza. It was actually really good. Tasted kind of like dessert, but it might just be my new favorite flavor!
After lunch Emma and I were feeling adventurous and in need of some relaxation so we decided to go all by ourselves to SetiaBudhi (the international grocery store/shopping complex) to get coffee, a Cream Bath and a pedicure. A cream bath is this deep conditioning hair treatment thing that includes a shoulder massage. Unfortunately, I am not a huge fan of massages, I tend to be a bit ticklish (Alli can attest to that:)). Every time I flinched it made the lady laugh. The cream bath and pedicure were exactly what we needed before this intense week of orientation begins. We hailed a taxi all by ourselves and made it back to Complex Lipi (the name of our neighborhood). I was so proud of our successful trip:)
All the old teachers are back, and this week is full of fun meetings about policy, curriculum and year long plans. Fortunately, Charity and I have our room almost all the way set up, which means we get to work on lesson plans! I get to start off with a geography unit on the Lakes of the World which includes a field trip to a lake near Bandung!

Pictures!

2007-08-09T15:06:00.000+07:00

Beautiful Rice Paddies.
Superheroes at the mall at CiWalk.
Gecko in the Durham's house.
Near downtown Bandung.
My house.
My bedroom before the paint.
My Bathroom with the weird shower.

Earthquake!

2007-08-09T07:26:00.000+07:00

So, apparently there was a pretty big earthquake last night that hit around midnight off the coast of Java near Jakarta. My roommate said she was nearly knocked off her bed, but me...I didn't feel it. I woke up this morning and she told me I should probably notify people back home that I was alive and well because they will probably see it on the news. Wish I had a cooler story like I had to hide underneath something, but no. While the rest of the country was scrambling for shelter I was tucked into my bed not realizing the earth was shaking:) Everyone is fine, we haven't heard of any damage anywhere. There are probably more on the way, maybe I will be awake for those:)
In other news: my room is painted, thanks to my amazing Jaga. I got to try brocculi juice yesterday and it was quite tasty. My bites are healing up quite nicely, and I think I have gotten used to the time difference without a lot of jet lag symptoms. Today we are doing some more training and then hanging out at Ciwalk, an outdoor shopping mall with giant paper mache disney characters hanging off the signs...pictures will follow:)
Hope you all are doing well! I love getting your comments:)

Visitors, Showers, Helpers and Carrefore!

2007-08-07T14:40:00.000+07:00

Sorry I haven't written in a while, we haven't gotten the internet in our house set up yet. The past couple days have consisted of real Indonesian food, shopping, church, and settling into our new living spaces. I really like the house that I live in. My roommate Jennie is awesome. She teaches high school science, is from Kansas, and loves eating adventurous food including sushi! I am really excited to get to know her better this semester.
So far I haven't eaten anything too crazy. We went to a hole in the wall outside the neighborhood for authentic Indonesian cuisine. I was expecting to get sick from the looks of the kitchen, but the food was very good, I especially enjoyed the pineapple juice. We had an amazing chocolate dessert on Sunday similar the Molten Chocolate Cake at Chili's (what a relief to know that I won't have to live without that for four months:)).
One aspect of living in this country that I am not sure I will ever get used to are the visitors in our house. These visitors include geckos, cockroaches, mice, and rats. The geckos are everywhere, yet they move so fast that I haven't been able to get a picture. They are actually pretty cute and eat the cockroaches and mosquitos. The cockroaches like to come up through the shower drain, so I brace myself for creepy crawlies every time I step foot in the bathroom.
Speaking of the bathroom, the shower is another thing that is extremely different from the states. Some have the enclosed bathtub like you see in the states and others simply have the shower head in the bathroom, meaning you stand in the middle of the bathroom and take a shower. Of course mine is the latter, but it actually is not that bad, you just have to make sure not to get everything in the bathroom soaking wet.
Every house has two helpers: a pimbantu and a jaga. The pimbantu does everything around the house--cleaning, cooking, laundry etc. She irons all my clothes and even makes my bed everyday. Her name is Ibu Nancy. She's a cute older lady that comes up to about my hip:) The jaga is our night watchman/handy-man. He hangs out outside our house at night, and during the day will repair any electronics that aren't working, build anything we need him to build or paint. Sometime this week he's going to paint my room:) I was telling my mom she needs to move here so she can watch HGTV and then ask her Jaga to do what she just watched. It is really nice having them and we get to support their families.
Yesterday we took a trip to Paris von Java, a huge shopping mall 15 minutes from the house. I was worried I wouldn't get to shop for the next four months...little did I know that Bandung is shopping central! This mall was amazing! They have great restaurants, and every store imaginable including Carrefore, the Indonesian equivalent to the Super Walmart. Talk about overwhelming. We were there for a total of four hours because the Durhams and the Emily's had to get everything to set up their houses. I got a few essentials including a hair dryer, some picture frames, towels, and a new cell phone. Funny story: so when setting up my cell phone the clerk asked for my Kitas, or police registration card. I don't have one of those yet, so she grabbed the police registration card of one of the other store clerks and entered his number. So, my phone is registered under some random guy who works at Carrefore. Apparently this is a common occurrence--to get a driver's license you pay money for someone else to take the test for you and if they pass you get a license:)
I am still loving it here. Charity and I are getting the classroom set up. I helped put up some bulletin boards today--kind of a pain, but they turned out nice. I have gotten quite a few mosquito bites including one that blistered exactly like the one I got in Ecuador...weird. Mrs. Durham is a nurse and has been making sure that I wear more bugspray:) Tomorrow we are doing some more shopping at an electronics market where I am hoping to get a coffee pot so I can start enjoying the coffee here!
I hope you all are doing well!

I have arrived!

2007-08-03T14:33:00.000+07:00

After an exhausting 39 hours of travel I finally arrived in Bandung, Indonesia last night. Praise God for his provision--when I arrived in Los Angeles to meet Charity we were expecting long lines at the ticket counter and through security. There was no line at the ticket counter, the guy got us really good seats on the plane and some of her bags were overweight, but they didn't care. It took us about ten minutes to get through the security line and we were at our gate in no time. I ran into Brian Sun, a friend at NAU on his way to Fiji, what a small world!
The fifteen hour plane ride to Hong Kong was...long. The plane must have been made for shorter people, because I could hardly fit. So that made for a rather uncomfortable attempt at sleeping. Charity on the other hand slept rather well. We landed in Hong Kong at about 4:30 in the morning. I got my first international Starbucks!
We met up with the Durham Family in Hong Kong, the father, David, will be teaching high school science. Him and his wife Kim have four kids--Grace (14), Emma (12), Jeff (9), and Abby (3). They are the cutest kids, I became Abby's playmate right away!
The plane ride from Hong Kong to Jakarta was only about 6 hours, so it wasn't too long, but just as uncomfortable because I am so tall:( We arrived in Jakarta at 1:00 in the afternoon. We all got stamped and were allowed into the country. Praise God we all got our visas ahead of time because the line to purchase visas was terribly long. Everybody's luggage arrived (29 in total!!) and the customs people only had me put my carry-ons through...weird:)
The final leg of the journey consisted of a four hour bus ride to Bandung--although we were all tired we were forbidden to sleep so that we would be able to sleep through the night and avoid jet lag. This country is absolutely gorgeous! It is so different from anywhere I have every been or seen. Rice patties cover the landscape, even in the middle of crowded Jakarta. There are goats everywhere, kind of like the dogs in Mexico, they wander the streets and hang out on the side of the highway in Jakarta. It is a third world country so the poverty is apparent as well as the wealth. On one side of the highway you can see high rise apartments and fancy shopping complexes, on the other side are hundreds of shanties built on top of each other. The other aspect of this country that is significantly different is that it is a predominantly Muslim country. There is a Mosque on almost every corner and each of them have large speakers at the top that announce four times a day the call to prayer. The funny thing is though, that they are not all in sync, but go off within minutes of each other. I heard it for the first time last night around seven and it kind of sounded like cattle, a moaning sound. So you can hear the guy through the speakers, but then you can also hear the people actually praying. It is really fascinating.
We went to the grocery today for the first time this morning with Sarah and Zoe, wife and daughter of Joey the principal. I was rather overwhelmed, and had received a nice welcome basket, so I just followed Charity around while she got groceries. They had some interesting things, but actually a lot of things we have in the states. Can't wait to purchase some coffee!
Tonight I get to move into my house with Jenny and Lindsey. I live really close to the Durhams, the new teachers Emily, Emma and Erin, and the Beeson's! We have already done a lot of walking, so I will definitely be in good shape when I get home.
So far, I am just trying to take it all in, I can hardly believe I am here, but I am excited. Thank you guys for your prayers, God is really going to stretch me these next four months. Please leave a comment and I will write back as soon as I can! I love you all!

Welcome!

2007-07-04T08:24:00.000+07:00

Last July I spent five weeks in Quito, Ecuador and used a blog similar to this one to keep people back home updated. Once again, I am fortunate enough to travel to a new culture outside of my comfort zone. This time I will be working in a classroom of fifth graders at Bandung Alliance International School. I will be fulfilling my student teaching requirement for my elementary education degree from Northern Arizona University.
Here's the story: During my experience in Ecuador, I determined that I wanted to student teach abroad. NAU offers a program in which you can student teach through the Department of Defense on a military base in Europe. About the time I was in the process of filling out my student teaching application, Charity LaMertha, a missionary supported by Grace Community Church who has been teaching in Indonesia for four years, was in Flagstaff on furlough. I was telling her how I was looking into student teaching in Europe, and she said that there may be some opportunities through her organization to student teach abroad. She expressed her desire to have a student teacher, and that she would be returning to Indonesia next August (the exact semester I would be student teaching). It just seemed to fit. She talked to her principle and I talked to my advisor and thus started the process.
I really had to sell the idea to the administrators at the College of Education because only two other people have been allowed to student teach in a country at a school other than what NAU offers. I had to research whether the school was accredited, the curriculum they use and prove that my experience there would be comparable to student teaching here in the states. They agreed to take the risk and allow me to student teach in Bandung, Indonesia.
Bandung Alliance International School is located in Bandung, Indonesia about an hour and a half outside of Jakarta. The school is owned and run by the Network of Internation Christian Schools, which is an organization that goes in and takes over international schools that are struggling, spruces them up and provides them with qualified teachers. They have schools all over the world, including South America which could turn out to be a my next destination:) I will be living with two other teachers in a house three or four minutes in walking distance from the school.
I am excited for this adventure, but terrified at the same time. Those of you who know me, know that I have a lack of confidence when it comes to teaching, and on top of that I will be in a completely new culture on the other side of the world very far outside my comfort zone! I am excited that you all are interested in staying updated on my trip, and I would greatly appreciate it if you used this as a reminder to be praying for me as I take this huge step of faith. Despite my nerves, I know with all of my heart that I will be in the center of my Heavenly Father's will.