Christmas in Indonesia

"Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose, yuletide songs being sung by a choir, folks dressed up like eskimos..."

Even after all the years of living in the tropics, when i think of Christmas, i still think of the words above as the ideal Christmas setting...snow, fire in the fireplace, a "real" Christmas tree, family around the table for a meal and all that goes with those ideals. But, the reality is that we do live in the tropics and the normal cues for Christmas are not there...no snow it is just hot and sweaty, definitely no fires in the fireplace and no dressing up like an eskimo unless you are in a really well air-conditioned room. :) This year as we celebrated Christmas i was well aware once again that we are not in the U.S. and that we definitely live in a foreign land and this would be another Christmas of celebrating and having a mix of both our own culture as well as the culture we live in here.

We celebrated Christmas Eve with 2 other families and 2 friends. For the last 10 years or so we have had a Mexican dish called "Chalupa" for Christmas eve dinner. It is a great meal since it mainly sits on the stove top for most of the day while the meat gets tender and juicy. We had a

houseful of good friends and sharing of memories and just talking about life here in Salatiga and family and friends at home. The kids played well in our little side yard and our golden retriever, Winnie, reveled in the attention that he got from them.

We had decided to sleep in on Christmas

morning but unfortunately for me, our cat, Idaho, had other plans for me. She started meowing at 6 am and so i got up and started on our breakfast and just waiting for the rest of the family to wake up. In the mean time the power went out several times and then finally went out for a half hour about mid-morning. (This is nothing compared to my parents who had no electricity from 10:30 Christmas Eve 'til the morning of Christmas - and it is definitely too cold there to not have any electricity). The kids finally got up and we did our normal Christmas morning traditions and then at breakfast it hit me again of where we live. Usually we try to hole up in our house, keep the doors shut and the windows closed so that we can kind of be in our own little world. But during breakfast the mosque went off with the call to prayer. After all it was Friday, the Muslim holy day. So despite trying to block out the outside and just enjoy the inside warmth of our family, we still had reminders through out the day of where we live.

This is not such a bad thing and we are thankful to be living here, but there are times, like Christmas morning, where you want to escape and think about being somewhere else and having the familiar things of the holidays you grew up with. It is

kind of funny though because i think about our two kids and the way they have grown up and i realize that their idea of Christmas is very different than mine because this is where they have grown up, in the tropics, with the mosque going off every single day and the noise of the neighbors around us, the rainy season being Christmas weather and all those kinds of things. I guess it makes me come full circ

le in my thinking...i can try and make Christmas what i think it should be, what my memories drum up in my heart or i can accept where i am and focus on what Christmas is all about. It is a celebration of Jesus, of his reaching beyond His comfort and entering into our world in order to bring salvation to all people. While cultural traditions are important, the message goes beyond all those traditions and "ways" of doing Christmas, and the message is simple. Jesus

came as a baby so long ago to bring home and light to the world. We have much to be thankful for, each and

every Christmas, no matter where we are celebrating :)

Thanksgiving Indonesian Style :)

Wow...i am writing on my blog again...what a shocker! Today was our Thanksgiving Celebration-we did it on Friday instead of Thursday because we still had a half day of school on Thursday with a short teacher in-service. I definitely did not have the energy to do a full dinner after a day of work. But i did manage to get the pies made and for the first time ever, i put the turkey in a brine. I did the turkey a new way this year and i think it did really turn out well... :)

When it was time to gather around the table and give thanks, Jeff asked us to share one thing that we are thankful for this year and it struck me of how many things i had to be thankful for. My heart just was kind of overwhelmed...i am not sure why it hit right then...it wasn't anything new to think about what i was thankful for as this is a tradition we all do, but as i looked around the room today, i thought of each of the people that were there and the many years we have been overseas. This is our 13th year here in Salatiga and we have spent Thanksgiving with a variety of people. While i will always miss our family, i am always so thankful for the "family" that we are blessed with here. Every year there are old faces around the table that we have celebrated this day of thanks with before, but then each year there are also new faces at our table. Even though family is far away, we are blessed with "family" here that make these holidays feel special. We have been here so long and you would think

that i would be totally used to baking and making turkey in the hot humidness of Java but i still think back to the many Thanksgivings of being in cold weather and watching my mom do the cooking. :) I guess no matter how long you have been somewhere, we always look back with fondness at what once was! So as i reflected today on all the years spent here as well as in the U.S., i am full of thanks and just in awe at how blessed i truly am!!

Somedays....

November 19, 2009 will be a day i will remember for awhile. It has been one of those surreal days where you just wonder what is going to happen next. A friend described this as one of those days where you are floating a river in a canoe and all of a sudden you hit the rapids and you get going faster and faster and you better just hang on for dear life or else you won't make it. (Tks Mary for the description). At 6:30 Mary called me and let me know that Kim Linegar, a good friend and someone whom we have served with at Mountainview for many years was going to have to be medivac-ed to Singapore because of some complications from an illness. The last time that happened to someone here was 4 or 5 years ago and it was because an older lady had broken her hip. So, we were all shocked by that. It was also then that i found out Pak Tukiman, a dear Christian man who had served faithfully at the school had passed away last night. His daughter, Ester, had passed away a couple of years ago from most likely leukemia (she was the elementary school secretary). On top of all this news the school was having a Service Day where we all would be heading out to different areas to hopefully bless and encourage others in our community. Mmm...how does one take in all these things in one day?

I guess you just get up and you get going. I had a school full of children waiting to go to the SLB school to put on a carnival for the students there. SLB stands for Sekolah Luar Biasa which translated means The School for the Out of the Normal or Ordinary which means students with handicaps. So we loaded all of our elementary students into cars and headed up to the school and spent the next 2 1/2 hours hanging out with kids from elementary to high school

age who had a variety of disabilities. The time began with the usual speeches at the beginning of any program... since i am the principal i had the privilege of saying one of those speeches - ugh, this is not one of my favorite things to do. After the speeches were made we set up games and the craziness but fun began. Our students mingled some with the students from SLB but mainly just had fun running the games and giving away the prizes. I had one girl that continued to come up and talk to me and she especially liked giving high fives :). It was fun watching a group of hearing impaired girls as they signed away at break-neck speed. All these students were very sweet and i think it was a great opportunity for our students to reach out and see things from another perspective.

So then the contrast to that was an hour later after returning from the SLB school we were heading to the funeral of Pak Tukiman. Hesti, Pita, Mary, Nick and i went together and I am always thankful to go with an Indonesian friend just to be able to watch their cues on what to do. We arrived and the funeral ceremony had started but we went in to where they had the body laid out and the family was standing to say our condolences. Before moving to this country i had never seen a dead body before and now several funerals later, i have become more accustomed to this cultural practice. My heart still sank today when i looked down at Pak Tukiman, memories of being in the same home, looking down at Ester, flooded my mind, along with the feeling of sadness of not being able to see Pak Tukiman again. I know that he is at home with his Creator and for that i am thankful, but my heart aches for those he and Ester have left behind...Mrs. Tukiman, Wiwik and Yanti. Please pray for this family and many other loved ones who will definitely be missing him.

So, that is my surreal day, hanging on and just hoping all comes out okay in the end. We still are waiting news about Kim and what the tests/labs have shown to be the problem. Her husband and daughter are with her now and her son should be flying into Singapore tomorrow. Please continue to pray for them as well.

Worst Blogger on Earth

I have decided that i am literally the worst blogger that ever lived. My last post was in May...ugh sigh. I could resolve that i should just quick this blogging but i always think someday i will get better at this. Maybe this will be the start of keeping better updates for all of you. So, here i am again, trying and we will just see how long it lasts. :)

So what is the latest news with the Armstrongs? I will just go ahead and update each of us.

Nick: Last month an earthquake shook the island of Sumatra again but further south than Aceh, in and near the city of Padang. Nick went there just 2 or 3 days after the earthquake hit to

access and see what CRWRC could do to help. There is now a team set up there and they are working with a couple of different local organizations to do a disaster response which

involves distributing relief supplies such as rice, blankets, tarps, generators, etc., WASH projects (Water, Sanitation and Health) and the reconstruction of Core Houses. There were areas that were hit by the earthquake but also the earthquake also caused landslides that totally wiped out several villages. One story that Nick told that was impressed upon my heart was the story of a 3 year old girl whose family and her were swept down in the landslide. When she stopped, she dug herself out of the dirt and filth and found herself totally alone at night. She then crawled her way up out of the landslide to a ridge and walked several kilometers, all night long, until someone from another village found her. Her family was lost in the landslide and she is now living with some relatives from another village but it still boggles my mind how this little 3 year old had the guts and will to keep going all night long. Another story Nick told was of a school that had two sessions running...one in the morning and one in the afternoon because there was not enough space for all the students they had to serve. The

earthquake hit in the early evening when the second session was going and one boy was able

to get out of the building, but then remembered his sister was still inside. He ran back in

trying to find her but could not so he ran out just seconds before the whole building collapsed.

Nick met the mother as she was waiting for rescue workers to find the body of her daughter

in the collapsed building. Her story was heart wrenching...thankful to have her son with her

but mourning the death of her daughter. These are just a few of the stories that Nick has shared...i honestly don't know how he is able to go into these situations and listen to heartbreaking story after story. Please continue to pray for the work there: for Marvin and Lorraine who are working as the Relief Managers for CRWRC in Padang for the next month, for the South Sumatran Reformed Church that is working alongside CRWRC-there has been recent resistance by an organization of the majority religion accusing Christians of only wanting to proselytize in these villages, pray for God's peace and wisdom to continue to guide and direct all that CRWRC does in these villages!!

Laura: What's new with me is really that there is nothing all that new and exciting.

I basically have the task of keeping things running at home, serving at the International School and just trying (not always successfully) to make sure we are all keeping up with what is before us. I am in my 13th year of working at Mountainview ICS, my 9th year as principal here. The elementary teaching staff is wonderful and there just seems to be a real calm to how this school year is going. I have much to be thankful for-a great, very sincere staff, wonderful students who are fun to interact with and just many day to day blessings. :) My favorite job, of course, is being mom to Annaliese and Luke. Somedays i definitely realize that being a mother of teenagers is not the easiest thing to do...there are times where i miss the toddler or young elementary ages of getting the crafts out, having friends over or just watching a movie together. Our time as a family is much different now...kids are on the go, have many activities and would really rather just be with their friends than hanging out with their mom and dad. But, i do love the talks we have-both the serious and the absurd, funny ones, and getting to know our kids for the wonderful people they have become. We are truly blessed with two great children. :) Thank you Lord! Here are some pictures from our Book Character Day!

Annaliese: Annaliese is in her Senior Year. She is a beautiful young lady, both inside and

outside. She has kept very busy this Senior

with a full load of classes, along with being Editor of the school paper. She and her class are also busy doing fund raisers for their Senior Trip which will happen in March. She is also applying for University (1 in Oregon, 2 in Washington, 1 in Arizona and Boise State) and just has to finish essays on a couple of her applications. Now we just have to pray through this and trust the Lord with where she ends up. :) Some of her favorite things that she loves to do is take photos, play guitar and watch tv series all in one day.

Lukas: Luke is in his Sophomore year of high school. He spends most of his time playing

sports and hanging out with friends. He does school because he knows he has to but i don't think it is really his favorite thing to do in the world. :) He played Varsity soccer and managed to not dislocate his shoulder until the semi-finals of the end of the season tournament. That was a major bummer especially since he dislocated it just jumping up and cheering for his teammates making a goal!!! Oh well. As many of you remember he had surgery in June for dislocating his wrist as well as breaking it and tearing the ligament. He recovered well from that but we knew we were facing another surgery because of the shoulder dislocations. So that just happened last Monday and so he is now recovering from another surgery. Crazy kid. We hope this is it...but one never knows. He hopes to be able to start playing basketball in January but it will depend on his recovery. The damage in the shoulder was more extensive than what we had realized.

So...now that catches you up on us.

Two Funerals, A Wedding and a Baby

Today we came home from our house fellowship and found out that our 89 year old neighbor, Pak Lapin, had just passed away at 1 pm. We were quite shocked as he had been fine and we had just seen him two days prior sitting on his front porch, as always, waving and smiling to us as we drove in or out of our driveway. The four of us nicknamed him “grandpa” and each day was not complete without his waving to us. When Nick and I walk, we often stop and talk to him-he would always take my hand and pat it, which is not really common for a Javanese man but I  think it just showed his sweetness and love for people. His son said that Pak Lapin didn’t care who you were, he treated all people the same!

When we arrived home we went directly over to the house and the body was being bathed. There were probably around 20 neighbors surrounding the body that was on a cart and they were taking care of him for the family. Then, they wrapped him in white cloths and put him on a table in the living room where he will be watched by someone until the funeral and burial at 10 tomorrow morning. I will try and go to the funeral but Nick leaves for Sumatera in the morning so Luke offered to go with me. I think this showed me how special Pak Lapin was to us because it sure is not normal for a 15 year old to offer to go to a funeral, especially one here, even if it means getting out of school. It will be a Muslim funeral so there will be a short service and then the family, friends and neighbors will walk with the body to the graveyard, about ½ kilometer away where they will bury him.    

Pak Lapin was one of the pillars of our small community and his loss will be felt for sure. But his was not the only funeral we recently attended was the grandfather of a friend of our kids here in the neighborhood passed away about a week and a half ago. He was probably in his late 70’s and was a man who had converted to Christianity after being imprisoned for 6 years in the 60’s for supposedly being a member of the communist party (you can look up Indonesian history to understand that is`was common for a poor farmer to join for practical, not ideological reasons).  Mas Yohanes, the grandson, shared this story with Nick as we sat in the room with his grandfather’s body. I never was one to really like seeing dead bodies (don’t know who really does like seeing dead bodies), but being in this country has given me much more experience in this area than I ever imagined.

A couple of weeks ago we attended a wedding in our small neighborhood as well. The area leader's son was married. These ceremonies can go on for a bit so since it was close to our house, we listened to what was being said over the loud-speaker (yes, loud-speaker that was on for at least 2 to 3 days with all kinds of Javanese and Indonesian music...definitely time to use those handy-dandy earplugs) and waited to head over to the outdoor ceremony until we knew it was close to being finished. I know this doesn't sound very courteous but you would have to step into our "foreigner" shoes to understand. Weddings and ceremonies here are very different from our "American" way. They are very long, involve a lot of sitting and inhaling  smoke from the smokers and can be hot if you get seated where there is no shade. So, we have to be strategic at times in how we do the neighborly thing. As it turned out we did get there just for the end, in time to be served lunch and to shake hands with the bridal party. :) Pretty good timing if you ask me. 

On another happier note is that one of our friends had a baby...this is their third son and i just had to show you some of the cute pics we got to take of him. :) He is a cutie. 

P.S. Luke and i did attend part of Pak Lapin's funeral...it was very well attended by the neighborhood and others. I can't drive into our home without thinking of Pak Lapin and missing him dearly. He definitely was one of the joys of living here...tomorrow (Sunday) will be the 7 day after death ceremony, part of the Islamic culture here. Food is already being prepared and the neighbors will gather once again to remember Pak Lapin and hope that he is on his way to another place.