Home Sweet Home

Boy is it nice to be home.  There is nothing better then getting off the plane and smelling the sweet, clean air of Washington. It is a nice change from the smoke and humidity.   Now that we are back in the states and I have a bit more time on my hands I will try to get this blog caught back up.  So many things have occurred over the last month and I want to make sure and get them recorded before I forget.

I have decided to continue on with the blog even though we are back in the states in hope that it helps us stay in touch with friends abroad. Our family adventures are far from done so I hope you will continue to want to follow along.

The following video is a little sneak peek of the surprise party thrown for us by the orphanage with help from our friends Wendy and Shane.  The night was the perfect ending to our time in Rumbai.  It was tough to say goodbye but we no know our relationship with this orphanage is going to continue.  We believe that God has called us to support His work in Pekanbaru and that is exactly what we intend to do.

Answered Prayer

Our God is faithful.  Happy is on her way to Bible school.  On the last day, at the last possible minute, her tuition came through.  Thank you to the person who heard the call to help her out.  We are getting close to having all the kids sponsored.  Four more to go!  It takes such a load off my shoulders to knowing the program will be up and running before we leave.  I am excited to see what God has planned next for the orphanage. 

This week was quite the week.  Sorry for the lack of posts but I have been beyond busy and am pretty much exhausted by 9:00 pm. I got to babysit Samuel a few evenings this week, which was super fun. Samuel is the youngest child at the orphanage and he is absolutely ADORABLE.  He is going to be 6 months on the 18th.

The reason he was busted out of the orphanage was because he needed a medical evaluation and some TLC.  We found out he is doing really well.  He just a tiny bit behind but with some more tummy time he should catch right back up.  He such a good baby.  I could seriously just gobble him up.  Oh...Indonesia why won't you let me bring him home?? 

Tomorrow, I can sum up in one word "PACKING".  We have a lot to do.  I am feeling a bit behind so tomorrow the plan is to get most of it done. It should be a busy but productive day.  If we get a good start we are hoping to go to town and pick up the last few things on our list.  I have a hot tip on a rug that I am hoping to bring home.  I will keep my camera with me so you can see how it goes.  Wish me luck!

A God of Miracles

A huge thank you to those of you who have been praying for the sponsorship program and of course those who have heard the call to get involved.  All I can say is that we serve a God who is in the business of miracles.  The funds are coming in and I believe we may be fully funded by the end of the week.  To Him be the glory!

Please continue to pray the additional sponsors will come forward.  Also, please pray for Happy.  She is scheduled to leave tomorrow and her funds are not totally secured yet.  I know God will provide for her needs.

A little bit of this and that

I thought you might get a kick out of some of the other little updates we have received over the last few months. This is Paul looking ready for the red carpet. Paul is really fun. He loves books and we often find him hiding under tables picture reading. Paul is well known for striking a poise for the camera. This picture cracked us up.

This email was a thank you for some new toys the kids received.
I guess they made quite a mess with this water toy.

Samuel sporting some stylish glasses lounging in his new baby seat. We picked him up a baby seat in hopes that would help him get more interaction. He was spending quite a bit of time playing in his crib and his head is getting pretty flat on the back. They keep him in his crib to keep him from getting stepped on by the kids. There is a lot of action in the orphanage. This will allow him to be set somewhere and be part of the action without being on a blanket on the floor.

Playtime with some new toys!

Painting progress

Color Swatch Anyone?

About three times a week, John and I get a quick little update from the orphanage. We love it because most of the time there are photos attached. Today's update was in regards to the exterior paint. They have been working hard to get it finished and its almost done. We had to crack up at their color choice. Indonesians love orange. We are thankful they chose orange as their accent color not the main exterior color.

Orphanage Dress Up Day

Tinkerbell

Dress up Day :

One of the fun things about going to the orphanage is coming up with new things to do with the kids. This week’s theme was "Dress Up" thanks to Brooklyn giving up some of her old dress up clothes. The little girls loved it. I also learned a few things in the process. I definitely need more plastic dress up shoes. I also need to take the big girls shopping to get new church shoes. You should have seen them trying to squish their feet into tiny little plastic shoes.

Mani/Pedi:

My thought for the older girls was doing their nails. I really should have thought that one out better. As soon as I brought the polish out they were wildly painting their nails. It was a total mess. I remembered to bring nail polish remover but I forgot the paper towel or cotton balls to use with the remover. Whoops! Of course the orphanage did not have any toilet paper so I was out of luck. Luckily, my friend Wendy had some Kleenex. Oh, well! Lesson learned. Also a pair of fingernail clippers is a must. I am definitely putting that on my next shopping list.

Naked Hair:

I had taken a bunch of old hair bows with me with the orphanage thinking I would put them in the little girls hair. I expected the younger girls to love them. I did not expect the older girls to also love them. It was fun seeing a hair bow in every girl’s hair. I am definitely going to have to go through the rest of Brooklyn's hair bows and find some more that can go to the orphanage. Brooklyn cracks me up because she always says her hair is naked if she doesn't have some kind of hair accessory in her hair. I think she was seriously relieved to find out the kids no longer had naked hair.

Story of Hope:

The more I learn about the stories that brought the kids to Insan Permata the deeper my commitment becomes to helping this orphanage. Some of the stories are down right horrific and the intentions of some of the people involved down right evil. I am so thankful for Pak Jonedy and Ibu Anna who are willing to do something about it. Learning to trust again is a huge issue for these kids for obvious reasons. It is a slow process. I am watching it happen right now with the three newest arrivals. Having new kids enter into this big family is not always easy. There are LOTS of challenges. Each child reacts differently to coming to the orphanage. Some withdraw, some become people pleasers, always trying to do the right thing so they are not sent away while others become down right difficult. There is one specific little girl that is so angry about being at the orphanage. She is loud and obnoxious. I am amazed at how patient everyone is with her. They are slowly chipping away at her protective barrier she has put around herself. I watched Ibu Anna patiently feed her lunch yesterday. She did not want to eat her vegetables and she was being quite a stinker about it. Ibu Anna never lost her cool nor got upset. I think this little one has definitely met her match. In the end the vegetables were gone as was a little piece of the wall that keeps everyone out. I got the pleasure of giving Ibu Anna a break during the vegetable match. I think the novelty of a crazy white lady making airplane noises distracted her and the vegetable were gone pretty quickly. The victory definitely goes to Ibu Anna.

Next Steps:

I haven’t had any luck getting any organizations willing to take on the kids from Insan Permata into their sponsorship program. Riau province is very corrupt and most non-profits don’t want to touch it. We are praying for guidance as we begin take the next steps in securing monthly funds for the orphanage. I know that God will provide for them. I am excited to see how this is all going to come together. I am also thankful that we get to play a little part in His plan.

Snow White

Campbell getting some love!

Trampoline Uno.

Scooter Time
Thanks Melina and Miranda!

Sydney enjoying another day at the orphanage.

Grace. What a great smile.

Playing Basketball.

This picture was taken by Grace.

I

Spiderman?

Sweet Angel Fitri.

Princess Lisa.

John getting some baby time with Samuel.

Hannah the ballerina takes a call!

Painting Finger Nails.

Wendy getting Samuel to smile!

Before and After

Living room area in the old orphanage

New living room

Girls Room at the old orphanage

Little girls room

Kitchen at old orphanage

New clean kitchen

Garage

New boys room

What's your idea of the perfect Saturday?

My idea of the perfect Saturday is spending the morning with my family and my afternoon hanging out at the orphanage. I can't tell you how much my whole family loves spending time there. Today just Sydney and I went with some girls from camp. We had a blast. I played Uno, made things out blocks, drew pictures, played basketball, snuggled a little one who was not feeling well and had an overall amazing time. I tell you there is nothing better for giving you perspective then spending time with these kids. They have been such a blessing in my life. I am dreading the day we leave because I am going to miss them so much. However, I know we are going to be involved in this orphanage for a long time. There is much more work that can be done in Indonesia. I am so thankful that God has allowed us the opportunity.

John is going to have to put on a mini clinic for the neighborhood kids. These kids are crazy for the game. We need to raise the hoop to the proper height because I could almost dunk. They could not believe that I knew how to play. I tried to explain to them how to play the game of pig but it dawned on me half way through the game that this wasn't the best idea (for the neighborhood kids at least). Um...I am in a Muslim country. We will have to change the name the game to something different maybe...cat??

Wanna shoot some hoops?

Check out that hat!

Can you find Hannah and I?

Uno, the perfect game when you speak different languages. This is Grace in the black shirt!

Seri putting puzzles together.

Neighborhood kids playing with my snap cubes.

Puzzle Time with Tiffany!

Sydney teaching Lisa how to dunk! It reminds me of my brothers helping Sydney dunk. Lisa is new to the orphanage.

Sweet Hannah wasn't feeling so well today. I got lots of snuggle time with her.

Can I read in English?

How does this game work?