Spring

I went out into the yard with my little Sony Cyber-shot and celebrated new life, the Camellia bushes beginning to bloom, pruned rose bushes letting out new growth, a wild profusion of violets and other purple flowers scattered here and there, the lilac bush budding, and even blackberry bushes and peach trees showing promise for the coming summer.

I also went down into our basement and found and old tucked-away school project, dating back to my high school days. For this particular English assignment we were asked to combine some artistic element with a poetry theme of our choice. My theme ended up being, "I Believe in God." The reason I wanted to check out this project now, was to find a specific poem I knew was in there . . . a poem that obviously said something to me as a 16 or 17 year old. It was written by Marcie Hans, probably sometime soon after man landed on the moon.

FUELED

Fueled
By a million
Man-made
wings of fire -
The rocket tore a tunnel
Through the sky -
and everybody cheered.
Fueled
only by a thought from God -
The seedling
Urged its way
Through the thickness of black -
And as it pierced
The heavy ceiling of the soil -
And launched itself
Up into outer space -
No
One
Even
Clapped.

Marcie Hans

When our projects were ready to be handed in, our teacher had us pass them around and we had the chance to comment on each other's work. Being a very shy and quiet kind of girl, this was really out of my comfort zone, but . . . looking back, I think it was one way I could let my peers know what I believed, although, not without some trepidation.

So, at the end of my project there are 39 comments, mostly positive - but varying , from "It's alright if you believe in god!" or "Jesus freak huh" to "A truly moving project" and "This is too good, the best I've seen."

These signed comments bring back images of faces long forgotten. It's been at least 35 years . . . and I wonder where they are today. Have they all had the chance to see God do something in their lives . . . something that has shown them that He is real? I would wish so.

Thank You

I’ve been thinking about you all . . . yes, you my blog friends . . . many of whom I know and many I don’t. I can’t help but be amazed that you would come and visit me. Yes, I’m thrilled . . . because it has given me motivation to organize my thoughts and a reason to write.

The google map on my sidebar shows that most of you come from across Canada and the US. Some of you come from further than that . . . not that the click is any further, but it really has overwhelmed me. Now I know that it all began with submitting recipes to the cooking blog that Lovella invited me to and so there are those who just peek in and I appreciate that too. In all, I guess what I want to say is that I feel like I've given Jesus my five loaves and two fish . . . and I'm watching to see how He will multiply that to feed many. I'm humbled by the big things He can do with our little bits . . . given to Him.

Not that visitors are a sole reason to write or share recipes, but there is just no comparison to journaling for myself, wondering if someone will read my notes when I’m dead, to getting immediate response from people now. Even these past weeks, it did my heart good to be able to take you along on a trip to Indonesia. Those of you who blog, know what I mean.

Sometimes I’ve wondered if I’m just squandering away my time or someone else’s time, for that matter. I hope not . . . and often it is at those times when I meet someone and learn that they were encouraged by something. So, thank you for your written comments, your verbal comments in passing and your emails. Thank you to you who are silent . . . I want you to know that you matter as well. I am grateful for what we can learn together, for what I can learn from you and for whatever tidbits God gives me to share. I find joy in this. . . even if only for a season.

Now . . .

“May the Lord bless you and keep you; may the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; may the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.”

Numbers 6:24-26

Love, Anneliese

From Patty Cake to Cars . . .

. . . to Happy Birthday!

Dear Landon,
Your parcel should be arriving at your door today…
The cake - I couldn’t send. We will enjoy it with the family that is here tonite

as we remember your second Birthday from afar.

We celebrate with joy, seeing what a special little boy you are! No longer a baby, but a boy with a sweet personality all your own… sensitive, caring, thoughtful and wanting to please. You have won your way into our hearts and lives. We thank God for you!

Love, Papa and Mimi

The Untold Story

About 6:30 in the morning, on our last day at there, Paeton came into our room with a handful of books and asked if I’d read him some stories. I had just come out of the shower and, when he saw my wet hair, he thoughtfully added, “After you dry your hair?” Of course I would.
I turned to the mirror, hiding the tears that welled up in my eyes and wondered how I was even going to put any make up on now. The urgency of one more story . . . from a boy who knew we were leaving soon and wanting just one more shared moment. It broke my heart.

Did you know that five-year-old boys are the most fun age to read a story to? The questions, the imaginations and conclusions they come to are funny, uplifting and wise beyond their size. I had forgotten how enjoyable it was and now that I know again, I am reminded of what I have missed.
But as I have pondered this, I believe God, in His ultimate wisdom and compassion has given me a measure of comfort. The comfort of the untold story. Maybe He just gave me a glimpse of what His story is really all about. Jesus said, “ And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.” ( Matthew 19:29)

Pondering this verse … I hear words of comfort that ring true when I really open my eyes. How else can I explain the peace that passes understanding when I realize that my grandson’s missed story time with me, is a tiny part in allowing many children in the villages of Borneo to hear illustrated Bible stories read to them. My giving up of a daughter to another people, has given me time and opportunity to be a mom to others, through sharing on this blog. And my missing out on day to day family times, has given us multiplied joys when we do get together. I have learned that God is not trying to spoil things for us and that His grace is there to carry us through. In fact, He does more than just carry us through.

So, as my fears and tears have brought me to this place, I hope that in some way this can encourage someone today.

On the Riverboat

For our last afternoon together we went on a river boat ride that would take us to see the orangutan reserve on Kaja Island.

We boarded with a lot of excitement when we saw what a nice boat it was! It was recently built by a Dayak craftsman and he proudly showed us around to see even a romantic bedroom on board. My H planted himself on a comfy lounge chair and smiled.

The kids immediately found the snack bar and Tehya came to serve us something she thought we should try. Lemper is chicken or beef wrapped in sticky rice and then in banana leaves. You don't eat the leaves - the rice is quite tasty.

After our snack we began to seriously be on the lookout.

I was in the process of trying to get a nice picture of Paet, when suddenly he noticed something - yes he spotted one!

The name orangutan comes from two Indonesian words, orang (person) and hutan (jungle).

Makenna loves wearing her sunglasses just like her mom. When she sees that Mom is wearing them on top of her head, she also does the same.

We saw a mother with a baby on her back! We also learned that orangutans build a new nest every night.

We saw some big ones that thrashed around too much or did not give us a good view to get a nice photo. I liked this cute little one.

And back to this cute little one . . .

. . . a little monkey we kept on our laps as much as possible. (Did you notice the low railings?) We continued on back towards civilization along the river, very much aware of a simpler way of life.

A way of life where people actually live on the water, using the river to wash or bathe in and as a source of food and travel. One can't help but realize that no one has a choice about where one is born. I could have been born in a shack on the river, never knowing the feeling of a tub of warm sudsy water, a bed with pillows or a table set with china.

We began our time in Indonesia seeing the finest and ended it with observing the harsh realities on the rivers where Chris spends a lot of time . . . and the people Julene thinks of before she throws out leftovers. It was good to be reminded of the challenges they face and learn how to better pray for them.

On a Walk

One morning we headed out for a walk. People here don't go for a walk - maybe mostly because of the heat and humidity - so they wonder what we are up to. Those who know a sentence in English, will use it.

This particular early morning it was actually quite nice. During the night we'd had a huge thunderstorm and so the world looked washed and people just generally seemed to be happy to be alive.

One of the first women we met was in the business of delivering fresh vegetables. When asked if she would mind being in a picture, she seemed flustered and thrilled at the same time.

The woman across the road excitedly told her to go for it and they laughed and kept chatting as we went on.

Looks like first thing in the morning the laundry gets done

and hung in creative fashion.

The main mode of transportation is a little moped. I thought this place looked cute with it's fenced in garage, so to speak.

Indonesians are not afraid to use color on their buildings. I was struck by the ones that took pride in making their little spaces look beautiful.

This is the closest to a park bench that we passed.

On one of the main streets, we passed a mosque.

Back on a smaller street, a nursery . . .

and a little grocery store that looked quite organized. A lot of fruit gets sold at fruit stands beside the road. Eggs are also found in the most surprising places - never refrigerated. One store we went into on another day, run by a husband and wife, sold motor oil and teddy bears in the same shop.

We passed an interesting fruit tree. If you like to try new fruits, there is no shortage here.

And speaking of fruit, it's time for breakfast. Thank you for coming along.