Day One

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Today was our first full day in Sumatra.  We started our day with some great pancakes made my Melissa M. Julie W. and Lory G.   Thanks Ladies!  From there we had some schedule changes, as is often the case here.  The kids so far have been great at being flexible!  In fact our plans and times for meeting at the orphanage changed twice before lunch. 

After breakfast we headed off for a little nature hike.  We were planning on using a trail that students at the school here often use to go and explore the jungle.  Since it was Sunday here the school was not open and so we could not get the keys to start at the trailhead.  No problem, we will just do the trail backwards!  So we hiked around the camp to the exit point of the trail only to find that it has been overgrown making it hard to find the exit point.  Apparently they do not keep the trails groomed in the summer here.  As all of this was playing out it was a mere 92 degrees with about 85% humidity.  Not one kid complained and they all just kept drinking their water.  They did get to see some of the camp, which was nice.

After some chicken salad sandwiches it was time to head to the orphanage.  We only spent an hour there as we did not want to overwhelm the orphanage kiddos.  Well our kids could have spent the whole day there!  Each member of our group really stepped up and made some great connections with the orphans.  They really were stepping out of their comfort zone and showing love to these kids.  It was awesome to hear stories of each of their favorite kids or activities and they can’t wait to go back tomorrow.

After we left the orphanage we quickly headed back to camp to get showers and changed for church.  The service is at a hotel in the city and has people worshiping from literally all over the world.  The service is in English, which put the kids at ease.  It is very high energy and many of the kids commented on how much they enjoyed it.  The pastor had a great message on prayer and the congregation was very welcoming.  We thought it was a great experience for them.

After the service we took them to one of the malls where they got some KFC, Indonesian style, complete with rice instead of fries.  They were quite the main attraction as seeing 22 Westerners in any one place here is pretty unusual.  There were lots of stares and pictures by the locals. 

After dinner we took the students on a scavenger hunt at a department store in the mall.  Their objective was to find the shirt with the best, worst English saying on it.  Here in Indonesia they will often print up shirts that are lost in translation.  It is an, often hilarious, adventure to try and find the best ones. 

We finally made it home around 9:00.  The kids journaled about their day and then it was off to bed.  Tomorrow we are planning on painting a mural at the orphanage.  Should be another great day!