Inner Turmoil

Last night I dreamed there was a tornado in the back yard of the house I grew up in.  I could go to the back door and watch unharmed as it spun around, driving the swings on my old swing set into a tangled mess and pulling up the boards off the back porch.  The colors were stunning.  I knew I should be afraid for my life, standing there with the door open, but I was mesmerized by the incredible power and beauty of the phenomenon.  I knew that there was no predicting the movements of the funnel and it could shift position at any moment, sucking me inside and breaking me like a twig.  I knew that I should run down to the damp of the basement and curl into a ball like we were taught in school when the tornado sirens went off.  But somehow I couldn't resist the urge to just stare at the tornado.  I couldn't even pull myself away long enough to go grab my camera to document what I was witnessing.  It should have been scary, yet I was calm.

After thinking through the dream, I can't imagine a better way of describing how I feel right now as I prepare to leave Indonesia and return to a life in the United States.  Everything seems to be spinning around me, moving so quickly, yet all I can do is watch.  I want to take in every moment, though I know there will be pain involved in saying goodbye to my life and my family here.

I don't know what lies ahead for me or even where I will end up.  It is exciting and overwhelming at the same time.  The emotions are swirling around me - fear, doubt, love, longing.  I feel the pressures of expectations that are held of me, both here and where I'm headed.  I feel the love of people drawing me home, and of those pulling for me to stay.  I feel the need to return to family but also to remain with the people I've learned to call my family.  I feel hesitant anticipating that those who know me best in the U.S. don't really know who I've become over the past two years, and they can never completely understand what I've experienced.  I feel the need for some kind of closure, yet I don't actually want to close the book.

To sum up, it's exhausting!

And I could never do it without the the power of the Holy Spirit that is at work within me.  That is the same power that has been working in me over the last 24 years of my life, but I never felt Him so strongly as I have these past two years when I just surrendered control and allowed the Spirit to lead.  Like watching that tornado spinning in what I thought was the safety of my childhood backyard, it should have been scary, but I was in the safest place possible - in my Father's arms.  Instead of fear of the unknown, I have been able to stand by and watch the beauty of what happens when you give up control to God.

It has been painful, yes.  But the growth that resulted has been worth every moment.

I have stumbled, of course.  Wanted to go grab the camera, so to speak.  To take back control of what I had given up or tried to freeze what was happening or show off to others, "See?  Look what I did!" But that's the whole point.  The only thing I did was to let go control and admit that I could get nowhere on my own.  That is when the amazing part began!

So that is why, even though I may be uncertain about the future, I am confident that God is in control.  I have moments of fear and doubt, but they are not from God.  I throw them back in Satan's face and cling to the promises of my Father who will never leave me nor forsake me.

THAT is the God I serve.

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.  I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Chist may dwell in your hearts through faith.  And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.  
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!  Amen.
Ephesians 3:14-21

Chinese New Year

Earlier today, after I had spent the morning soaking up some sun by the pool, I decided that we should adopt Chinese New Year (Imlek in bahasa Indonesia) in the U.S.  I would get to wear fun Chinese dresses and receive money from my relatives – that is, until I have children of my own, anyway.  The malls are adorned with red decorations and pink cherry blossoms.  There are signs all over saying Gong Xi Fa Cai – the appropriate Chinese greeting.  People are a little bit more generous (the Chinese people anyway).  People visit their relatives.  What a wonderful holiday!

It is now 7:32 pm and I have officially decided that Chinese New Year stinks!  Or maybe it just stinks in Indonesia.  Or maybe I’m just having one of those days where you need to step back and say – TII (This is Indo!)

After my typical Saturday morning of reading by the pool (in 99 degree heat) and doing laundry, I got ready for TGP (Saturday night church) – festively dressed in red for the occasion.  I found a taxi right away, but traffic was worse than usual and I spent way too long getting to the mall that is only about a mile down the road.  I thought I would finally get the chance to mail some cards I’ve been carrying around with me for weeks. 

Side note: I have only found one reliable post office here.  The only other one I know of (at the office) has failed me time and time again.  But I don’t get to the reliable PO very often. 

I arrived with 30 minutes to spare, or so I thought.  Come to find out, in the last 2 weeks, they have changed the hours of this particular post office.  It now closes at 1pm on Saturdays instead of 2pm.  Guess I’ll be carrying those cards around awhile longer. 

Well, I thought maybe I could take advantage of the holiday sales and get a new purse!  Purses don’t last long around here.  No luck – either too expensive or not the style I wanted.  No luck in the shoe department – too small, heels too high.  No luck in the clothing department – even XL is too small for this bule (white) girl.

Since I couldn’t perk myself up with some new barang (stuff), I resorted to option #2 – food.  Almost every time I visit Pondok Indah Mall, I eat at Fatburger.  It’s pretty much the undisputed best burger in Jakarta.  I couldn’t resist.  I got my usual – Fat Junior, no pickle, no relish with Skinny Fries and a Coke.  I had brought my computer along in order to do a little work.  Fatburger is also the best location in Jakarta, in my experience, to get some work done.  Plenty of space, no smoking, nice view, not too cold, can usually find an outlet, and good wifi.  The problem is, I don’t break out my little travel-size computer too often, so whenever I DO break it out, it wants to run updates.  This slows down everything else, and I basically can’t get anything done.  I wrote a couple more cards (I wonder when they’ll get mailed?) and watched the movie that was playing on the TV above me.  It turns out Men In Black 4 is still pretty funny, even without sound. 

While I was eating (at least the burger was delicious!), a tropical thunderstorm blew up.  Rain came down in sheets, trees were blowing like crazy, and I could almost hear the thunder over the loud music playing in the mall!  This is bad news in Jakarta.  Rain makes everything unpredictable – taxis, traffic, flooding, etc.  Now, I could have walked from the mall to TGP in about 30 minutes, but it was still raining slightly and the sidewalks are not too trustworthy, even when the motorbikes aren’t using them.  So I headed for the taxi line instead.  It usually takes about 15 minutes to get from the mall to TGP, but since it had been raining, I allowed an hour.  You never know!  I stopped to use the restroom on the way, but of course, there was a line. 

Lines in Indonesia have no logic.  Depending on where you are, you may be elbowed or shoved out of the way, you may end up in normal *Western* line, or you may experience what I did.  I entered the tiny two person bathroom and got in “line”.  The next woman who entered didn’t stand behind me, she squeezed between me and the lady in front of me to stand in front of the other stall.  Yes, this is quite often the case.  It doesn’t so much matter who came into the bathroom first, but which stall you choose to stand in front of.  Then there’s always the issue of trying to scoot into the stall as quickly as you can, before the bathroom attendant tries to get in to “clean” between each use.  This “cleaning” involves an extra flush and mopping the floor.  At this point, I was slightly annoyed that it took 15 minutes to use the bathroom.  Now I only had 45 to make it to church.

The taxi line was medium length when I arrived, but I spotted a friend going my way and got to budge a couple of people.  It grew to super-snaking-around-the-corner length over the next hour while we slowly moved ahead inch by inch.  My patience really started wearing thin when one lady toward the end of the line simply walked out and stole one man’s taxi right out from under him!  She drove away while the rest of us stood with mouths open and giving dirty looks.  We almost got in a taxi at one point, but were turned down by the driver.  Once we found a driver who liked the looks of us enough to let us into the car, it was a straight shot to church! 

Well, almost.  It still took another 30 minutes to get to TGP in bumper to bumper traffic.  At that point I was already 45 minutes late.  So much for meeting with the youth (two sisters) and testing out my lesson on them.  But I really wanted to see a friend who got engaged a couple of days ago!  It turned out I wasn’t the only one who got held up, or held out, by the traffic.  My newly engaged friend wasn’t at TGP.  Neither were the sisters. 

So after church, there was nothing I wanted more than to take the 10 minute bus ride home and watch a good movie on the couch.  Wouldn’t you know?  The bus window was closed.  My hopes were further dashed when, after finding a taxi, we came to a dead stop.  That’s when I pulled out my computer and started writing this post!  I did finally make it home – one hour and $4 later!  Ok, so $4 doesn’t sound like so much, but it’s almost twelve times what I normally pay to get home from church!

 What did I accomplish today?  Aside from spending some quality time studying the Jakarta traffic, I perked up my tan a little bit, wrote another card, and finished this blog!  And this is only Chinese New Year’s Eve!

Surprise!

Normally, I'm not big on birthdays.  If I don't make a big deal of my birthday, then there is no risk of disappointment!  So this year, I had planned to do a little painting project with my small group a couple of days after my birthday.  

On October 23, the night before my birthday, my roommate decided we would have movie night and asked me to pick out a movie.  At 10:30pm, the dvd froze and we could not get it past a certain scene no matter what we did.  I was ready to give up and go to bed, but Jasmin insisted we had to start a new movie.  We were still getting to know each other, and I didn't want to be rude, so I said okay and picked out a new movie.  At midnight, I heard a little tapping on the door.  I thought it was going to be the neighbor, complaining that our movie was too loud, but it was some friends with a cake!  

Prima, Wilner, Jasmin (my roommie), and Virgil gave me a new dress - purple!  I could sleep in the next day, but they all had to go to work in the morning!

 Thankfully, someone had talked them out of letting me go to bed before midnight and surprising me awake at midnight!

The next morning I received another surprise - a huge bouquet of roses hand delivered from one of my small group friends, Anita.  It was the first of THREE bouquets I received that day!

Next stop, Monika's house for our weekly time of chatting, eating, catching up, and prayer.  When I arrived (I just walk in), another surprise was waiting for me!  Monika also knows my favorite color is purple.

 Monika had let me know ahead of time that she had to leave early this time for an appointment at the immigration office (kantor imigrasi), so our usual lunch was replaced by a yummy apple dessert.  I asked Monika for a ride to imigrasi and then I would take a bus the rest of the way to the office for our weekly staff meeting.
When I arrived at the office - another surprise!  They had decorated everything and ordered pizza for lunch! Who else was there?  Monika!

After we had our staff meeting, I suggested we take a group picture.  I was a little confused when everyone suggested we go outside for the photo - we've never done that before.  I should have KNOWN better.  Wan, the jokester/big brother, is known for his favorite prank of dumping flour on people!  We posed for the picture, the guy we grabbed to take it counted to three, and Wan dumped baby powder on my head.  And to think they would have forgotten this part if I hadn't reminded them!

 Next stop, weekly coffee at Starbucks with Gaby, my 15 year old mentee.  Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of us :-(  But Gaby added another surprise to my day with a gift from her and her mom.

I had a dinner date with Jasmin and Berna (friend and volunteer youth ministry coordinator/the person who keeps me organized).  But when I showed up at Tin Pan Alley, my favorite restaurant in Jakarta (their Aloha burgers are heavenly), there was a whole table-full of friends waiting for me!

 I was so blessed by these friends who made me feel very loved on my birthday.  No need to try and avoid disappointment with this bunch!  The problem is, how can I ever have another birthday as good as this one?

Two days later, we had my self-planned celebration with a painting project at home during Bible study.

One of the benefits of having a roommate who is a fresh arrival to Indonesia is being able to see it through a new perspective.  I was reminded today of what an adventure it is to take various modes of public transportation.  I’m so often moaning and groaning about how I miss being able to hop in my own car and drive anywhere I have a mind to without obstacles like traffic, not being able to find a taxi, finding a taxi with a driver who doesn't know where to go, etc. 

Jasmin was eager to learn how to get around using some of the other methods available to us.  I remember wanting to learn that!  And I did branch out quite a bit from plain old boring taxis.  Hey, I remember when even taking a taxi was new and exciting and, yes, a little bit scary for me!  Can you tell I’m from Clinton?  At some point I tried the Transjakarta Busway (or just busway for short).  One day when I was still a brand new expat I felt spontaneous and tried a bajaj (but won’t do that again, GAG!)  After some time, Jessica introduced me to the Metromini bus.  Then there is the angkot or Mikrolet bus/minivan.  And just recently, my eyes were opened to the world of the ojek! 

Today started off with a trip to Blok M Square, a city block and shopping center area catering to multiple levels of social classes.  Jasmin was up for being introduced to a new area and learning the route via Metro Mini.  I spent $.20 for a 20 minute bus ride, then $2 for my lunch, then $4 on a small coffee at Starbucks. 

I had to leave Jasmin to fend for herself and headed off to meet one of my teens.  Rode the busway for 15 minutes, a $.35 trip, hopped off and walked to a place where I could grab an angkot (small minivan) = $.20 for 25 minutes.  Arrived at the mall right on time and spent another $4 for a fruity drink, praying and catching up with Gaby. 

Transjakarta buses use the center lane.  Pedestrians must use a bridge to get to the bus.

Busway

Angkot or Mikrolet.  Passengers ride on benches along the outside walls.

Next stop, core team meeting for TGP, our Saturday night fellowship.  Traffic was zipping right along and none of the angkots seemed to want to stop for me, so I enjoyed a nice 30 minute walk back to the busway where I joined the “line” of ladies waiting to get on the ladies only area of the bus.  There really is no such thing as a line in Asia, except maybe in Singapore.  I did stand behind the woman in front of me, rather close for Western standards, but was reminded I wasn't in the West when three ladies came after me and somehow elbowed their way between me and the lady I was already practically stepping on. 

Walking can be difficult.

This is where my thinking was flawed.  On this particular road, the busway has a lane that is designated for Transjakarta buses only – and it is actually enforced.  My thinking was that I could avoid the traffic jam (which was at a stand-still) by using busway, thereby saving much time and money.  After all, there is no jam in the busway lane, right?  I failed to consider what time it was (6pm), and also failed to remember all of the times I noticed (from my taxi) people practically falling out the doors waiting for the bus to come around this time of day, then trying to squeeeeeeze onto the already crammed bus.  Too late, I had already crossed the bridge and paid for my ticket.  I wasn't backing down now.  Plus, this was all part of the adventure!

I ended up waiting 30 minutes before I actually got on a bus.  I think either four or five buses came and went in that time.  And NO more ladies elbowed their way in front of me.  I only elbowed one lady out of my way.  I don’t think she even stood as high as my shoulder, so she wasn't very intimidating.  Another 30 minutes on the bus.  I didn't even have to hold on to anything because we were squished in so tight you couldn't have fit a paperclip anywhere in that bus!  I ended up getting a nice massage from someone’s elbow jabbing my shoulder.  Luckily, all of the ladies standing around me had bathed this morning.  I think the woman in front of me used plumeria scented shampoo, though it was hard to tell – I had to bend over a little to smell her hair. 

It wasn't quite this crowded as I shoved my way on, thank the Lord.

I had looked up ahead of time which stop I needed to take in order to make it to my meeting in a neighborhood I’d never been to.  What the map did not tell me was that the street where I intended to get a taxi is one-way.  The traffic was not headed in my direction, of course.  So I did what I normally do in that situation, started walking.  After about 15 minutes of walking, the street did divide into two lanes, but still no taxis or angkots or buses to be found.  I was beginning to wonder if my adventure would be a complete and utter failure when an ojek pulled up in front of me, saving the day!  The adventure was far from over!

Ojek = motorbike taxi

The driver did not know how to get to my destination.  We asked a few people, took a shortcut down some dirt roads, through a kampung (local village), and around a giant empty field (yes, smack in the middle of the 10^th largest city in the world) and finally, finally, arrived.  Dinner was at 6pm, meeting started at 7pm, and I arrived at 7:30pm.  FYI, two other members of the core team arrived after I did.  I was just so happy to get there that I paid the $2 my driver asked for. 

So, after aaaalllll that, the scariest and most expensive part of my day ended up being the taxi ride home after the meeting at 10:30pm.  The driver was in such a hurry that he was trying to squeeze past other cars at stoplights by folding in his side mirror and edging up onto the curb.  I guess he was spurred into action by all of the honking from the previous stoplight where he had fallen asleep.  Good grief!  I felt like God was assuring me that His protection matters more than how protected I believe I am just by the mode of transportation I choose to take.  At least 30 minutes in the taxi = $5.  I arrived home safe and sound, very dirty and probably a little stinky.

Total miles traveled: 20.82
Dollars spent on travel: $8.10
Number of times I had hiccups throughout the day: 4
Experience gained: priceless

The scariest part of the day!

Faith

I'm reading the book Reckless Faith: Let Go and Be Led by Beth Guckenberger with a couple of my teen girls.  This image that the author used to describe faith really touched me...

"If faith could fit in a frame, the way a painting does, then we might get tired of looking at it after a couple of years.  But faith, as it grows, keeps demanding a new and larger frame to be housed in.  I think the Lord loves to do things that are unexpected, things that are beyond what we can control or predict.  It forces our canvas to get bigger.  These days I just try to expand first and wait till later to figure it all out.

Ultimately, God moves me.  He consistently breaks the boundaries (my frame) with which I've surrounded Him.  It means admitting my finiteness and rigidity.  It means he is dangerously greater than I can define or even understand." 

It inspired an end of year project last May as the girls were finishing up their sophomore year and I was getting ready to go home for the summer.  Without too much planning, except to decide who was doing which letters, we came up with this...

It hangs above my bed and reminds me of how often God has broken the boundaries on the faith I had created.  I plan on expanding!

Things I praise God for:

New youth volunteers!  We now have 15+ adults to help lead small discussion groups on Sundays and various other activities during the week!  This was a huge request coming into the new school year.  The first 20 minutes or so of the youth service is spent playing games and praising God in music, but for the majority of the time we break into discussion groups to study the Bible.  It makes such a difference when there are enough adults to help out with leading, getting to know newbies, administrative stuff, etc.  Yesterday we had 56 teenagers!  Praise to God for directing these adults to join the youth ministry and for their willingness to respond to His call.

The Gospel of Matthew!  This year in the youth program we are studying the New Testament book of Matthew.  When I came to Indonesia and started in youth ministry, the previous style for the youth service had been to invite different speakers to share with the youth on a topic relevant to their lives using Biblical principles.  We continued with this format for a while, but grew increasingly unhappy with the results.  The teens are stuck in school all week listening to lectures.  There was no continuity from week to week because none of the speakers had the opportunity to hear the sermon from the previous week.
One major role change for me this year has been the shift from finding Sunday speakers for the youth service to writing small group lessons based on the book of Matthew.  Since we have such a large group of kids, break-out groups seem to be the best way to develop relationships, find out what the youth know, and answer questions.  They also provide the opportunity for students to get involved, instead of just being consumers.
Despite being well accustomed to writing lesson plans, I was a bit apprehensive about writing lessons this year.  First of all, I am the only person who has ever had to follow my own lesson plans (except for substitute teachers, but that's a different dynamic).  Writing a plan for someone else to follow is much more complicated.  Secondly, I have never written Bible studies and don't consider myself very experienced or knowledgeable when it comes to theology.
However, I have really enjoyed this new part of my job!  Even though I am the one who undoubtedly learns the most, I think I'm starting to get the hang of the whole thing.  My plans are just a guide, with possible discussion questions, and tidbits of background context and interesting facts that help understanding.  Some of the volunteers follow the plan, and others don't rely on it so much because they have their own ideas to bring to the group.  It all works out well and I'm loving it!  Pray that I will be sensitive to the Holy Spirit in this task.

Adjusting to life without a roommate!  Although I would prefer having Jessica back, I am adjusting to living alone.  The biggest worry for me (and maybe my mom) was food.  I just never seemed to develop that sixth sense for throwing together a meal using fresh ingredients.  I'm really good at mac n cheese and spaghetti sauce from a jar as noted in my previous post.  Apparently, it has been good for me to be forced out of my cooking comfort zone!  One by one, have learned (mostly from youtube) about storing, cutting, preparing, and seasoning vegetables and incorporating them into my cooking.  Here is the latest successful dish made for small group...

Finances!  One of the biggest steps of faith for this coming year was knowing that I would not have enough money to pay my student loans while living in Indonesia.  While the church is very generous in covering my expenses here, those monthly loan payments back in the States are the problem.  While I was home, my church took a love offering for me.  That, combined with other generous contributions from people at home as well as a donor here in Jakarta, totals to more than what I need to make my loan payments for the next year!  I was overwhelmed with God's faithfulness!

My prayer requests:

An opportunity to see my parents.  My parents will be in Thailand in a few weeks ministering with other friends from home.  When my "bosses" here at the church found out, they insisted I grab the opportunity to see Mom and Dad.  It is an incredibly inexpensive, 3 hour plane ride to Thailand, where I'll be able to enjoy the beach during the day and see Mom and Dad in the evenings.  I'm thankful for the chance to see them and for the means with which to do it.  Pray for their team's preparations for working with the kiddos there and for God to bless our time together.

Alone time.  I am an introvert.  I'm fairly certain that is not a surprise to you.  Not having a roommate means that I have more time to myself.  I have found that the more me-time I have, the more selfishly I guard it.  Isn't that strange?  Yes, it does allow me to get a lot done, be more reflective and prepared.  But I want to make sure that I'm using my time wisely.  Is this how God wants me to spend it?  Pray that I will be sensitive to what He wants and be willing to change if needed.

The teens.  It is the same all over the world.  Teenagers are looking for acceptance and love.  My continual prayer is that the youth will learn how to place their identity in God alone instead of getting fulfillment from grades, friends, media, etc.  Those three things are the biggest competition.  Pray that through this study of Matthew, the youth will be able to grasp the overall themes such as Jesus as Son of God, being "heavenly minded"  and thinking about the coming Kingdom, the double-love ethic (love God, love others),  and the great commission.
So many of them are perfectionists.  As a recovering perfectionist, I can relate.  Pray that they will understand that God's glory is made manifest in their weaknesses.  That they cannot be perfect for teachers, friends, parents, or God, but that they can claim a perfect Jesus who makes them acceptable in God's eyes.

Thank you for partnering with me in prayer.  I would love to read your comments here or emails at sally.b.thompson@gmail.com!

You never thought you'd hear me say this...

My veggie crisper drawer is full to the max!

I felt the loss of my close friend/roommate/personal chef right away when I returned to Jakarta two weeks ago.  I learned many things from her including how tasty vegetables can actually be!  My usual single person specialties include things like grilled cheese, spaghetti, pbj, cold cereal, frozen pizza, or macaroni and cheese.  Seeing as many of these items are either very expensive (cheese, peanut butter) or non-existent (frozen meals, mac&cheese) I've had to go green!

With a little help from friends and the internet, I now have a few recipes that will go a long way.  I won't say I enjoy cooking just yet, but don't be surprised if there are more "meals I cooked myself" related posts coming soon.

Just a few examples...

My Back Yard

If you have known me for any length of time you may have noticed that I work best with a deadline.  So, I've been given (can't assign it myself, it doesn't work that way) the 5th of each month as a due date for a new post.

This may be cheating, as I originally intended to post something requiring a little bit deeper thought, but as the date approaches and also happens to be a Sunday this month (busy time of week for me), you get a little bit lighter material for now.

Experienced travelers know about jet lag and how it wakes you up at early hours.  I decided to capitalize on that and get into a habit of morning walking.  I am blessed to live in an apartment building with a lovely little walking path in the back.  It's not very big, so I can't go too fast or I might get dizzy!  But it is quite a treat to be able to withdraw into a green sanctuary amidst the noise and pollution of the big city.  I also get to greet a few of my neighbors who enjoy a morning walk.

The futsol field.

Bamboo lines one wall.

View from the opposite end of my walk.  At this end I am reminded that I still live in Jakarta.  The smelly stream of garbage is on the other side of the fence

Workers are always out sweeping, hosing off the sidewalk, clipping the grass (notice how short) with a large pair of scissors, or "fluffing" the grass with a screwdriver.

Do you see what I see?  Wildlife in Jakarta!

Coconuts

POTD

"What is a potd?" you may ask.  Since coming to Jakarta, I've been overwhelmed with little everyday things that I want to share with my family back home.  I started out by trying to explain them in emails.  I would even make daily lists of all the crazy, curious, and comical things I wanted to tell them.  Well, I soon got too busy for that and since the I'm blessed with having a data plan for my phone - I thought I'd start sending a picture each day of something interesting that I had come across.  Thus, the potd (picture of the day) was born.
I'll just give you a sampling of some of my potds...

Found this store at the mall.  Mmmm, nothing beats fresh corn in a styrofoam cup with ketchup on top!  

Youth lunch

Rick and Kathy brought WI cheese back to Indo with them!

They bring me all kinds of luxuries!

This small box of rice "bubbles" is a mere 174.000 Rp ($18.79).  Needless to say, I stick with corn flakes (no, not Kellogg's)

The perfect day off

I got to attend a church retreat as the "nanny".  This is what I did with my 30 minutes of free time.

Sundays are the one day with little to no traffic.  Even on the bus!

A day at a friend's infinity pool on the roof

Just a few of the animal-parts-on-a-stick that I have to choose from at lunch time

Daniel, fellow youth worker, really fits in

I'm forever on the lookout for 4+ people on a motorbike

One of the Muslim holidays involves sacrificing a goat.  You can find them on  almost every street corner around that season.

These are all nannies waiting for their 'kids' to get out of Sunday school.

Lots of fun tshirts with nonsensical sayings in English

How to take inventory in Indo

Ever been to a movie theater concession stand that had calamari or fried sausage on the menu?

This is SO Indo.  I got in this elevator on the ground floor (labeled SL here).  What follows?  No, not 2nd floor, but LG (lower ground), then G, UG (upper ground), and then?  You guessed it! 1st floor.  Surprising part is, there is actually a 4th floor.  Normally, there is no floor that ends with 4 and no 13th floor.  Bad luck

You've heard of kopi luwak?  The coffee that is made from beans which have been digested by the luwak (a furry opposom-like animal).  $33 per cup

Rafa, one of the students where I take Indonesian lessons

For some reason, this mess of boys was being chased down the street by a man with a big stick

Went to an angklung performance by one of my teens

MOM!

Mom playing in a waterfall after a long hike

Christmas day campfire with s'mores

Common sight in a public restroom

A day at my pool

My roommate, Jessica, and me enjoying a bowl of mom's beef stew with dumplings 

One of my teens skyping with her role model, Bethany Hamilton (the real 'soul surfer')

First time playing piano in 8 months!

Chinese New Year decorations in the malls

My roommate and my mentor (both from Germany) inviting Mom to have a piece of cake for her bday

This is one time when we don't ask why

Ann speaking in our youth service (they loved her, of course)

Ann driving me around on a motorbike in Bali

After snorkeling and kayaking through a mangrove forest, we stopped to enjoy the view of  Mt. Agung volcano and have a warm coke

She let me do the driving this day

They were going faster than I was

Warm waters of Bali