Borneo

During the half-term break in October, Ethan and I took advantage of an Eco trip to Borneo offered by the Regent's school. Dustin was working at a basketball/soccer camp over the week holiday and Mark was happy to see us go as he was sooo busy with his project at work.

It was exciting to be heading to Borneo, I can remember years ago at Bayshore Baptist when Mark and I directed a children's choir musical and one of the songs talked about Borneo, thinking that sounded so exotic! Now we had the chance to go there!

Our purpose was to help replant trees into the Borneo rainforest, a reforestation project. Along the way we would be able to visit an orangutan refuge, a bat cave that is infamous with many bird nests that are harvested for the very, expensive, rare bird nest soup and the bird nest herbal concoctions. A homestay with a family in the village we were planting trees in. Staying at an Eco camp-open roofed huts with no electricity. Lots of opportunities to see many, colorful, rare, birds and the highlight had to be seeing the orangutans in the wild along with the Probiscus monkey-the ugliest monkey EVER. We also saw many rare, exotic, tropical, birds, owls, crocodiles, a herd of wild pigs, wild elephants' prints in the jungle...just a great trip.

One of the best aspects of the entire trip was the people. There were lots of new friends made on this trip, bonded through lots of sweat and hard work! I so appreciated all the bird watchers, that could see and identify most of the rare species of birds. Fun card games and interesting conversations with people from all over the world. I loved our homestay, because I just love seeing how the local people live.

Ethan had such a great attitude. Poor guy doesn't like seafood at all. You can imagine what we ate staying right by rivers in the forest-fish and rice. Our hosts were so kind and gracious to share their food and hut with us. Their extended family lived in the 6 room hut. The entire family had no front teeth, I wish I could have asked if this was a family tradition, deformity...I'm so sad that we had no camera batteries for several days of the trip, sad,sad! Some interesting things about our hosts-they were muslim but allowed us to pray over our meals with them, they kept rabbits in their kitchen and it was really so stinky. All our showers were with rainwater and a bucket, the toilet a hole in the floor, one meal we had a whole fish and rice, we had mosquito nets at night, the husband of our main host drives a truck for the palm oil industy, the industry destroying the rainforest they live in. They had 4 small children in the home and they watched Tom and Jerry cartoons non-stop on their small tv, a previous guest had sent them the videos as an appreciation gift. The main host is always eager to host visitors to better her English skills and expose her children to people from other parts of the world.

Just fyi-Borneo is the third largest island, and is made up of 3 countries-Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei. We visited the Malaysia part of Borneo, I hope that we can make a return trip before leaving this part of the world to dive on the Sipadan Islands. So much to see and so little time!

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Rayong Bakery Beach Day

Today, I took 22 girls, 4 boys and a host of staff from the Rayong Remand Center for a day at the beach or talay. We had a wonderful time celebrating Khun Chaweewan's, the bakery supervisor, birthday along with playing in the sea and sand, and cooking together. Just love these girls! It is hard because they do eventually go home or glup bahn. I'm excited for them but I will miss seeing them routinely at the prison. Selfishly, it's always hard having new girls. We now have 4 new bakers that have joined us, chosen by K.Chaweewan from the general population of current girl in-mates. There is always more waste as they come up to speed, making sure that we meet a certain standard for our customers....It also is a lot of working trying to form relationships with the new girls. The nature of running a bakery in a prison!

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Ten years this week

Ten years without our sweet Abbie, how can that be? Sometimes it seems like yesterday I looked down the church aisle taking in her joy at setting in her Daddy's lap. Other times I struggle to remember what her voice sounded like, her sweet, little, girl smell...Ten years closer to seeing her again.

Time helps and the deep, deep, wound is scarred over some. I don't think of her every day still. I can talk about her without crying. But I MISS her, I wonder what kind of young woman she would have become? It hurts but I know He is enough. I'm currently savoring an amazing book-One Thousand Gifts, it is teaching me to give thanks in all things. I am learning to celebrate greater gain through greater loss.

Some of my favorite quotes from the book:

"Rejecting joy to stand in solidarity with the suffering doesn't rescue the suffering. The converse does. The brave who focus on all things good and all things beautiful and all things true, even in the small, who give thanks for it and discover joy even in the here and now, they are the change agents who bring fullest Light to all the world."

"You may suffer loss but in Me is anything ever lost, really? Isn't everything that belongs to Christ also yours? Loved ones lost still belong to Him-then aren't they still yours? If you haven't lost Christ, nothing is ever lost."

Philippians 3:10-sharing in Christ's sufferings, becoming like him in his death, we come to know Christ and the power of His resurrection.

"The dark CAN give birth to life, suffering can deliver grace." but it is a LONG and painful process.

"Faith is the gaze of a soul. I can keep right on going because I have kept my eyes on the One who is invisible." Hebrews 11:27 states, "That is what makes us persevere through a life: to see Him who is invisible."

Such a great book, but a slow read. I have to take in the words and digest them. I'm continually learning to give thanks in all things-even in letting Abbie go to her heavenly Father at 7 years old.

I'll conclude with a sweet note I received yesterday from one of Abbie's NICU nurses. It was a unexpected blessing, there was gratefulness found through the tears. God giving me a glimpse into his using Abbie and her short life here. From Jana Z.

"I've wanted to tell you something for so long but wasn't sure how it would be taken. I'm just going to take a leap of faith and pray that it comes across the way it's meant...I always question why it seems that the "wrong" people are taken from us too early. I really struggled with Abbie's death. I hope that doesn't sound selfish to you but I have always thought of her as "my" baby. When I got the news from Karen Martin I was absolutely devastated. For all the struggle and strife she endured as an infant, triumphing over all of the odds it just seemed so unfair. After much praying for comfort and answers I was finally blessed with a peace that can only be from Him. I am convinced that we all have a job to do here on earth and I know part of Abbie's was to change me. I had never "connected" with an infant like I did with Abbie and I haven't since. Even at her weakest times I could look into her eyes and felt that we were communicating, that she knew I was with her and that I loved her. Joronda, your daughter helped to strengthen my Christian beliefs, she made me want to be a better nurse and she helped me to take a second look at my own family and see all of my blessings in a brand new light. I think of Abbie often and have told many new nurses about her and how she made me the nurse I am today. I just want you to know that Abbie is not forgotten and that she made a difference."

Thank you Lord, for this kind reminder that you never forget my hurts. That you care, that you are good, that you are trustworthy....there will be a day when there will be no more tears. I am resting in that.