A Few Summer Days

 We had the three girls with us

while their mom and dad went back to Saskatoon for a few days.

On the hottest day of the year so far,

we took them to Bridal Falls

and unpacked a fun little picnic.

 Oma Friesen's quilts continue to be a must-have in the car

and come in handy when all the tables are taken.

Papa teased Jade about sitting on the table here.

She said, "No! Picnic!"

I think it may have been her introduction to the word 

and she took it all in with gusto.

Lacey, at seven,  just amazes me with her perceptive and understanding ways.

And who would have thought that shaking out the picnic blanket 

could be so much fun!

They brought their bathing suits just so they could run through the sprinkler.

But Jade just watched.

Teddy is always the first to pull up a stool 

when she sees there's something happening in the kitchen.

It's especially fun when there is a spoon to lick.

And these are just a few glimpses into these days we had them all to ourselves.

They were full days.Tiring, yet rewarded 

with smiles, laughter, hugs

and the privilege of receiving, what sometimes feels like,

unearned admiration from these,

who love us just for who we are.

Since We've Come Home

A hodge-podge ...

Getting back to Pacific Time was a bit of a challenge,

especially when he got sick even before we got home and

I soon followed with headaches, other aches and coughing fits.

It was not the welcome back I envisioned 

when there was so much to catch up on.

I had delayed my usual mother's day potting

 so that neighbors would not need to water our plants.

This got done.

In the midst of my fog,

I suddenly also realized that it was time for strawberry jam . . .

got those flats taken care of and stirred for many hours

for the grandkids' winter pleasure.

You've seen what jam looks like, so I'll show you this

Canada Day dahlia I chose for this pot.

The pre-schoolers made up for at least one play-date they missed while we were away.

And oh, the things they get away with here.

No one got hurt.

On father's day weekend the kids hosted a wonderful brunch.

Ben and Kari have an empty room that Teddy calls her office.

This was set up for their own dining pleasure.

Not sure who enjoyed it more,

the kids or the adults.

This week Lacey invited me to her Grade 1 classroom for 

a reading or The Little Red Hen, for which she was the narrator.

It was so cute!

And last, but not least, 

I have to document this ballerina foot stance

of a sweet girl in her happy place.

I took her along to get groceries one day and,

after filling my trunk had to put the toilet paper rolls beside her on the seat.

As I was driving, the large package suddenly hit the front seat

and she giggled, saying,

"I laughed because the toilet paper 

did a back flip."

Koen came in with his mom when they picked her up.

He asked if he could have a snack.

I asked him if he wanted an apple or an orange or ...

"Did you say a cinnamon bun?" he asked.

He went home with a Tupperware container of buns from the freezer.

And that's it for my random post.

Big Finale

The view from Julene's kitchen sink window reminds me of some of the highlights 

of being in their neighborhood for such a short time.

We stayed in a guesthouse on the compound and walked up this path to their house.

From this window you could see the little school bus come to pick up the kids.

And just outside this window we sat in a mesh enclosed porch,

enjoying scones and coffee.

The kids had their last day of school on May 31.

That night we were taken to the nearest city,

about an hour's drive, to a restaurant on the water.

It was a rustic and beautiful setting.

The food was served family style.

It was delicious. 

Just one of the highlights of our time together on Papua.

The next day we all packed up for a flight to the island of Bali

to spend some time at a resort.

Travelling together was a lot of fun and

we were happy to be accompanied for a small leg of our return trip.

The welcome was beautiful!

Yes, that is the beach in the background.

The courtyard with bougainvilleas drooping from the balconies,

ponds and lush tropical plants everywhere,

made me stop in admiration.

 And you already know that I love the water lilies.

We walked the beach to a spot where Chris and the kids could do some kite-boarding.

For our son-in-law anything that flies and works with the wind has to be tried and mastered.

The kite-boarder gets strapped into a harness that is attached to the kite.

There is a lot to learn in how to catch the wind and fly with it.

Once the kite is up, the boarder gets on a board and gets pulled

along on the water by the right pull on the kite.

That's a very amateur explanation, but the best I can do

from my observation. 

One day we hired a taxi to take us to the paragliding cliff.

We drove through rough roads and wild landscapes

enjoying the natural beauty.

We had lunch, gazing at the majestic ocean.

I enjoyed just looking at it!

But of course, this was a time to watch the paragliders, especially one who 

had really looked forward to this. 

I am posting this collage partly for Chris' mom.

In this sport the pilot lets the wind catch the glider

and then soars off the slope.

We spent a lot of time by the pool.

Makenna, a lot of time in the pool. 

 One night we had dinner by the ocean, to the sound of the waves crashing.

Other nights we ate in courtyard cafes off the resort

and spent time looking at the shops.

We had two rooms between all of us

with the kids taking turns coming to sleep in our room.

And that about sums up how we 

pack a year's worth of family time

into a holiday in Indonesia.

Tiny Update

We just spent a beautiful week of vacation at a beach together 

and today we say good bye for another year. 

Happy and sad emotions hard to describe ...

but so very grateful for the time we've had.

From the Roadside to the Table

You never know what you're going to see as you drive through town . . . 

motorcycles piled high with wares to sell or equipment, such as a ladder, to take to a job. 

Cyclists somehow manage to arrange and hang a whole vegetable stand right on their bike.
One day we followed this truck with bulls, their heads buried in corn stalks.

Driving along the road you will see merchants setting up stands,

very much like a lemonade stand. 

If you drive through a market area, you will see row upon row of local vegetables

in neat piles.

Often times you will see a truck on the side of the road selling fruit or vegetables.

Small grocery stores sell staples such as flour, sugar, oil, soaps, snack foods. 

Our granddaughter says it's hard to generalize what they sell, 

because they sell what they have and you may get something once but not the next time.  

I kept asking where the coconut was because I was intent on making coconut pancakes 

when finally Julene stopped by the side of the road. 

Not a place I would have dreamt of getting shredded coconut. 

She asked the young man to shred a coconut for us and he proceeded to cut one in half, 

pour out the milk and put it through a grater, 

while I just stood there dumbfounded at this unexpected procedure. 

The shredded coconut was a mix of brown and white, 

so I asked if he could peel a coconut before grating it.

Happy to please a foreigner, he started again.

And this is how we got shredded coconut. 

I have to smile about how we buy it nicely packaged and dried 

and only care about what kind of shred it is and wether it's sweetened or not. 

Here we got white coconut in fine shred, moist and fresh, unsweetened.

The coconut pancakes were yummy, made with coconut milk and shredded coconut. 

The pineapple on the table was picked in the yard.

A small taste of getting food on the table.

Flight to Kirimu

Early Monday morning we took off on a flight to an interior village in the mountains.

We had had a big thunderstorm late into the night and it was

still raining when we woke up.

Even as we left for the airport, the sky was overcast, 

but we were told it could change very quickly. 

The pilot assured us that if conditions would not be right to land,

we would simply turn around.

Not far into the one hour flight, we saw the sun.

In Papua, alone, MAF flies into about 180 remote villages

who, without air transport, would not be able to get outside help.

It would mean weeks of treacherous hiking over mountain passes.

On this trip the plane was loaded with rice and noodles.

The landing strips are prepared by the locals by clearing a patch of land.

The pilot can face many challenges in these landings,

but they are very well trained
and we have reason to be proud of Chris and all of them.

I have to say that I had not put much thought about going on this trip

and was rather unprepared for what I saw and experienced.

Of course we have heard of children running to see the plane come in,

but I guess I had not expected to see it for myself.

As soon as we stepped out of the plane, 

a small tribal man came and put a nokan

around our necks, a symbol of welcome

such as a leis would be in Hawaii.

I was overwhelmed with emotion,

tears brimming as I looked and saw what appeared to 

be half the village come out to see us. 

I had not expected this kind of a greeting.

Here is a better look at my purse, made of bark and
decorated with bird of paradise feathers.

For years we have supported our kids and heard stories,

but to see these people takes it to a more personal level.

Through translation, I asked how they get their clothing,

and the gentleman who appeared to be a leader,

told me that it was the gospel that changed their lives.

The answer surprised me.

It seemed too simple but I got what he meant.

God's love shown to them through Bible translation and

providing for their needs

gave them a way out of their idol fetishes and warring.

We had about an hour to interact with them as best we could,

and they became surprisingly dear to us in such a short time.

Small groups sat on hillsides ...

Others came close.

Some happy to pose.

In my desire to communicate with them, I went to a mother with a small child in her arms 

to show her a picture of my most recent grandchild.

Immediately others eagerly crowded in to look

as I scrolled through photos of grandchildren on swings, playing or eating.

They smiled and chatted among themselves and we felt a small connection.

We're all the same, loving our kids and grandchildren.

It was hard to think of leaving, 

feeling so helpless in being able to communicate,

but one man came to me just as we were saying good bye and, with a smile, 

pointed upward and said something that I understood as, 

"One day we will meet in heaven."

What a day that will be!

After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language,standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.

Revelation 7:9