I feel like I need to post one more time, explaining a few things observed. Now a slight disclaimer. For those who will be at our presentation on Sun., you will hear this there - you are forewarned! I believe I mentioned earlier that Tarutung means "Love of the Cross" and that it is the cradle of Christianity in Indonesia. German missionaries arrived 120 years ago, evangelized the area, then sent out Batak throughout Indonesia - converting many. The area around Tarutung was over 90% Christian, at one time. Now, like America, if you are born Batak, you are a christian (little 'c' intended). By the way, for those relatives that may read this, their was a slight error with the Tobin cannibals. It was actually the Tobing tribe - so we are not related :-) whew!!
The village the farm is outside of is called Huta Namora, which means "Village of the Rich". We are not sure why :-)
The Dutch owned Indonesia for centuries. At the start of WW2, Japan ousted the Dutch and took over. When they were defeated at the end of the war, they began to leave Indonesia. The Indonesians saw this as a window of opportunity and declared independence - with Japan's help. In 1949&50, the Dutch attempted to come back and take possesion. After several years of war with the Indonesians, they gave up.
This next story was related to us one day as we were having lunch with Turbo, the farm foreman. 2-3 years ago, Turbo, the original owner of the farm property, was 'camping' out on the property, praying for God to bring water to his land. (There was no 'house' on the land yet). Suddenly, he saw a large piece of ice on fire. He heard a voice tell him that in one year a man would come wanting to buy his land and that man would bring water. A little over a year later, 'R' heard about this land for sale and went out to see it. As soon as Turbo saw him, he 'heard' or sensed that this was the man that would bring water. Interestingly, to me, is that 'R' is from Alaska (the ice?). Turbo sold him some land and leased him some other and that is how the farm began.
Another observation is 'R' & 'H's visions for the farm and cows. 'R' wants to provide another protein source for the people. Beef is rare and expensive. He is hoping to be able to sell enough beef to lower the price of it and of water buffalo so that almost anyone can afford it. He is also looking at selling milk, door to door, as a protein (meat) alternative. He wants to start a discipleship school at the farm that would train those nursing students that follow 'the Way' in sharing and farming, then send them out to villages that need all 3! He is also hoping to have some English classes at the hospital compound to improve the chances of success for those who attend and to share the Truth. 'H's vision is similar, yet different. He is looking at the dairy to provide milk to schoolchildren at low or no cost. He doens't think the beef will make a difference as the people have no taste for it. He would like to see more citrus and/or vegetables with a co-op started to help the farmers market their crops. He wants English classes at the compound house for the same reason as 'R'. It is possible there may be two ministries before it is all said and done!
'R' is seriously wanting us to partner with him. As his last child is graduating this year and moving to the states for school, he is wanting to spend part of every year here to be with kids and grandkids (can't blame him for that one). He would like us to spend part of every year in Indonesia (conveniently the part that he is gone) overseeing the farm and ministry. This would be a radical change for us!! We could see ourselves going back again, but not sure when or for how long. Obviously, much prayer is needed! .
I hope this has tied up any loose ends and is clearer than mud!! I will check back a few times in case anyone has any questions that I didn't address. This has been fun, but I think it's purpose is over. Until next year!!
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Friday, December 4, 2009
More pics. added
I added some pics., especially for those who can't make it to the church presentation. I was informed today that Pastor David would like us to do the SS hour on Sun., Dec. 13th. I hope you feel the pics. I added will be worth rummaging back through the posts :-)
Thursday, December 3, 2009
We're Home
We arrived in Portland last night about 9. After getting our luggage, we headed to the hotel where we left our truck. We slept over 10 hours, 12 if you count the few times of wakefulness. That's about double the usual! We can't seem to sleep on a plane, and had been up over 36 hours. Neither of us have stayed up that long before, even as teens!
We saw more excitement the last half of the trip home than the first. It began in Taiwan. We headed out to the runway and were about ready to head off, when smoke came out of the middle of the cabin. We went back to the gate and were told by the Taiwanese pilot that it was 'no big deal' (I thought his terminology was rather funny). It turns out he was right. The stewardesses started warming up the first meal as we headed out. Evidently, one of the meals had not been sealed properly - spilled - and started burning. They exchanged that rack of trays with another one, checked out the electronic stuff, and we were once again headed to the runway. It only took an extra hour. Then after we went through customs and we had to re-check-in, in Seattle. I did the computer kiosk like a good girl, but it wouldn't print my boarding pass. It printed Steve's and printed a receipt for baggage, but not my boarding pass. We had to go to an agent to get that straightened out. Next, we headed to our gate. There was a slight commotion across the aisle, so we turned to see what was happening. A woman was being led out of a shop. Suddenly, she turned to the security officer, laid down, and said, "Now what are you going to do?" He called for back-up and just let her lay there. Once the back ups arrived (one of which was a woman), they removed her shoes, hand-cuffed her, loaded her onto a wheelchair (we think because she refused to walk) and off they went. Last, but not least, we get to our hotel in Portland and they accidently gave our room to someone else. Two couples had made reservations, but had not asked to be by each other. One was placed on the first floor and one was on the second. After complaining rudely, they were both given the first floor (the second room which was ours). They flustered the guy at check-in so bad that he forgot to change our room to second floor. He gave us the key for first floor, which thankfully didn't work. We tried 3 different keys until, finally, the woman inside said, "This room is occupied!" After a few phone calls, the mess up was cleared up and we were given the last room. We were just so thankful to finally have a place to sleep!
We arrived home to much love and attention from kids and grandkids. Way Fun!!! I will try to post one last time, tomorrow, adding pics. Thank you all so much for being interested in what happened in Indonesia, even though it wasn't what we went for (is it ever?!) HIS plans are always better than our own.
We saw more excitement the last half of the trip home than the first. It began in Taiwan. We headed out to the runway and were about ready to head off, when smoke came out of the middle of the cabin. We went back to the gate and were told by the Taiwanese pilot that it was 'no big deal' (I thought his terminology was rather funny). It turns out he was right. The stewardesses started warming up the first meal as we headed out. Evidently, one of the meals had not been sealed properly - spilled - and started burning. They exchanged that rack of trays with another one, checked out the electronic stuff, and we were once again headed to the runway. It only took an extra hour. Then after we went through customs and we had to re-check-in, in Seattle. I did the computer kiosk like a good girl, but it wouldn't print my boarding pass. It printed Steve's and printed a receipt for baggage, but not my boarding pass. We had to go to an agent to get that straightened out. Next, we headed to our gate. There was a slight commotion across the aisle, so we turned to see what was happening. A woman was being led out of a shop. Suddenly, she turned to the security officer, laid down, and said, "Now what are you going to do?" He called for back-up and just let her lay there. Once the back ups arrived (one of which was a woman), they removed her shoes, hand-cuffed her, loaded her onto a wheelchair (we think because she refused to walk) and off they went. Last, but not least, we get to our hotel in Portland and they accidently gave our room to someone else. Two couples had made reservations, but had not asked to be by each other. One was placed on the first floor and one was on the second. After complaining rudely, they were both given the first floor (the second room which was ours). They flustered the guy at check-in so bad that he forgot to change our room to second floor. He gave us the key for first floor, which thankfully didn't work. We tried 3 different keys until, finally, the woman inside said, "This room is occupied!" After a few phone calls, the mess up was cleared up and we were given the last room. We were just so thankful to finally have a place to sleep!
We arrived home to much love and attention from kids and grandkids. Way Fun!!! I will try to post one last time, tomorrow, adding pics. Thank you all so much for being interested in what happened in Indonesia, even though it wasn't what we went for (is it ever?!) HIS plans are always better than our own.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Reflections
Thinking back over the last 2+ weeks several things come to mind:
How hopeless things look with no infrstructure (roads, water, etc...)
How much we take for granted.
They seem happier than Americans - yet they have so little (students singing all the time, workers always smiling - happy to have a job, even if for one day)
God's provision when 'R' left
The frustration of the language barrier (no pics., cattle chute, no chance to get to know 2 boys who get the cow's food)
We like the culture (no immodest billboards, no taverns- although we saw a beauty saloon :-), family is #1, religion is important, very social people - they take time for others
90+% of men smoke women who smoke only do at home
Turbo is natural leader - so is Sihite - yet very different personalities.
Time with 'H' was very educational. Got different perspectives of the vision from he &'R'
We feel dairy is not the direction to go, possibly not beef either. Vegetables & citrus co-op and sharecropping seems like best idea at this time.
Rain every afternoon - usually around 3 or 4
No fertility in land - similar to slash & burn jungle method
Every young person's dream is to leave; the desire to learn English is intense - it's the only 'hope' for getting out
The sacrifice the parents are willing to make to help their kids to get an education
The ability to accomplish anything is all in 'who you know' - back to relationships
I know this seems like a lot, but we had to write it down while we were thinking about it for future use :-) For those of you that will not be able to attend our presentation at church, I hope to/plan on expounding a little on these reflections and adding pics. to the previous posts. I apologize ahead of time that you may have to go back a page or two to see them all.
How hopeless things look with no infrstructure (roads, water, etc...)
How much we take for granted.
They seem happier than Americans - yet they have so little (students singing all the time, workers always smiling - happy to have a job, even if for one day)
God's provision when 'R' left
The frustration of the language barrier (no pics., cattle chute, no chance to get to know 2 boys who get the cow's food)
We like the culture (no immodest billboards, no taverns- although we saw a beauty saloon :-), family is #1, religion is important, very social people - they take time for others
90+% of men smoke women who smoke only do at home
Turbo is natural leader - so is Sihite - yet very different personalities.
Time with 'H' was very educational. Got different perspectives of the vision from he &'R'
We feel dairy is not the direction to go, possibly not beef either. Vegetables & citrus co-op and sharecropping seems like best idea at this time.
Rain every afternoon - usually around 3 or 4
No fertility in land - similar to slash & burn jungle method
Every young person's dream is to leave; the desire to learn English is intense - it's the only 'hope' for getting out
The sacrifice the parents are willing to make to help their kids to get an education
The ability to accomplish anything is all in 'who you know' - back to relationships
I know this seems like a lot, but we had to write it down while we were thinking about it for future use :-) For those of you that will not be able to attend our presentation at church, I hope to/plan on expounding a little on these reflections and adding pics. to the previous posts. I apologize ahead of time that you may have to go back a page or two to see them all.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
KL
We are at the Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) airport waiting for our flight home. I found a free wi-fi spot so thought I would check in. After posting last night, Steve, 'R', and I went to the Sun Plaza. It is the largest mall I have ever been in. It is 6 stories tall. We went to Papa Ron's pizza for dinner :-) 'R' said it was better than the Pizza Hut there, but I don't know. After we ate we walked a bit 'window shopping'. The interesting thing to me (besides the 6 floors!) was the size of the shops. They were all very small by American standards. Most sold only one thing (phones, men's clothes, girl's clothes, cosmetics, beds, kitchen appliances, etc...). On one end there was an Ace Hardware store that was 3 floors and bigger than any Ace Hardware I have been in.
About 9, we headed back to the hotel and bed. Up at 6, showers and breakfast, which is included in the price of the room. It is a very fancy buffet style. We arrived at the airport at 8 and said goodbye to 'H' & 'R'. Then we were on our own! For two not-very-agressive people, these airport experiences are hard. People push and shove in lines to check in for their flight. It took us longer than it should have as we 'allowed' several to get in ahead of us. We made it to the departure area about 20 mins. before boarding. The flight over was uneventful and here we are. We have checked in and will be heading down to the deparure area shortly. I will try and post some 'reflections' from Taiwan.
About 9, we headed back to the hotel and bed. Up at 6, showers and breakfast, which is included in the price of the room. It is a very fancy buffet style. We arrived at the airport at 8 and said goodbye to 'H' & 'R'. Then we were on our own! For two not-very-agressive people, these airport experiences are hard. People push and shove in lines to check in for their flight. It took us longer than it should have as we 'allowed' several to get in ahead of us. We made it to the departure area about 20 mins. before boarding. The flight over was uneventful and here we are. We have checked in and will be heading down to the deparure area shortly. I will try and post some 'reflections' from Taiwan.
Greetings from Medan
I brought 'R's internet card with me to Medan so that I could give it to him and he has graciously allowed me to use it to give you another update. We flew from Tarutung to Medan this morning on a, thankfully, uneventful trip. Even the young co-pilot landing the plane did so, relatively smoothly. We had never heard from 'R' exactly what to do when we arrived here - do we wait for him and where? or was someone picking us up? As we stood in the domestic flight building of the airport and discussed this, we eventually decided to try to find the international flight building and wait for 'R'. As we walked out the door to go to the other building, 'H' called out. Were we ever glad to see a familiar face! We took our luggage to his car and decided to wait the 15 mins. until 'R's flight arrived. As 'luck' would have it, he was late and we ended up waiting an hour. This would not be so bad except you have to wait outside. It is very hot in Medan - and I already warned you I get cranky when I'm hot! Enough whining :-)
Next we headed to the hotel. The difference between it and Tarutung is 180 deg. You have someone to take your luggage from your car to your room, security guards at every door, you have to have your room key just to use the elevator, our room overlooks the swimming pool/courtyard, a 'western' bathroom with tp!, etc.... The town is huge and traffic is 6 deep and constant and noisy. After some lunch, we headed off to find the 'feed' store. Was that ever a disappointment! A very small shop with several rows of bags of chicken and pig food, a few antibiotics, and some syringes. We asked about a cow thermometer and they only had a wall thermometer (but it said medical so must be the one we need!), never heard of nose snubbers or calf chains. We will have to see about sending those when we get home.
We are currently in the room while 'R' is resting. He had to be up earlier than us, so needed a nap :-) 'K' had a 'minor' procedure today to take a stent out of the kidney (that, of course, didn't need to be there in the first place). She will be released to go back to Java on Thurs. Their son will be with her and the daughter is already in Java. 'R' will head to Tarutung tomorrow to check on things at the farm, then leave for Java on Sat. to take care of family for a week or two until 'K' gets more energy back. They don't expect her to be able to go back to work until Jan. They have learned that the total for the medical care, including the medivac flight, is over $40,000. They have insurance and recently heard that it will cover almost everything. PTL!!!
We leave Medan for KL tomorrow morning at 9:40, which should be 6:40 pm on Dec. 1st. You know what to do!!
Next we headed to the hotel. The difference between it and Tarutung is 180 deg. You have someone to take your luggage from your car to your room, security guards at every door, you have to have your room key just to use the elevator, our room overlooks the swimming pool/courtyard, a 'western' bathroom with tp!, etc.... The town is huge and traffic is 6 deep and constant and noisy. After some lunch, we headed off to find the 'feed' store. Was that ever a disappointment! A very small shop with several rows of bags of chicken and pig food, a few antibiotics, and some syringes. We asked about a cow thermometer and they only had a wall thermometer (but it said medical so must be the one we need!), never heard of nose snubbers or calf chains. We will have to see about sending those when we get home.
We are currently in the room while 'R' is resting. He had to be up earlier than us, so needed a nap :-) 'K' had a 'minor' procedure today to take a stent out of the kidney (that, of course, didn't need to be there in the first place). She will be released to go back to Java on Thurs. Their son will be with her and the daughter is already in Java. 'R' will head to Tarutung tomorrow to check on things at the farm, then leave for Java on Sat. to take care of family for a week or two until 'K' gets more energy back. They don't expect her to be able to go back to work until Jan. They have learned that the total for the medical care, including the medivac flight, is over $40,000. They have insurance and recently heard that it will cover almost everything. PTL!!!
We leave Medan for KL tomorrow morning at 9:40, which should be 6:40 pm on Dec. 1st. You know what to do!!
Monday, November 30, 2009
Our Last Day in Tarutung.....
We went out to the farm for the last time :-( We gathered more soil and water for testing in Medan.
'T' will take it back with her tonight. We checked on the cow - she is doing much better. Still avoids us, but is not as skinny and eats well. The fencing looks good and the shed floor, trough and cattle chute look great. Steve did try to explain to Turbo and Sihite the need for two gates/panels for crowding a cow into the chute. As before, Turbo seemed to understand exactly what Steve wanted. Time will tell :-) Most of the workers are laid off as the fence, shed, and chute are done.
We were only able to see Turbo and the two boys who cut grass for the cows. Sihite will drive us to the airport tomorrow morning, so we will say goodbye to him then.
'H' left this morning for Medan after being awakened by the police calling at 6:30 am. They were just checking to make sure we were leaving today. 'H' told them that was the plan, as that was the original plan (when I had my dates mixed up :-) ) and the one they still have. No one gave them the corrected dates and 'H' felt it would be better to leave well enough alone. Sure hope we get out of here tomorrow before they find out differently!! 'H' will meet us and Ron tomorrow around noon and take us to the hotel. Then it's off to the 'feed store' for farm supplies. I don't think I can post from there (wasn't able to on the way over, anyway), so will try from KL and/or Taiwan. I never mentioned that 'H' is a civil engineer. He designed the water system they use for the farm and has offered his services free to the 'governor' for the community water project. He spent 5 years in Aceh after the tsunami, designing various building projects. He worked very closely with Samaritan's Purse. We have so enjoyed our week with him. He is a fascinating man. He speaks at least 6 languages. Talk about a gift of tongues!!
It sure felt like home today. SOMEONE was preparing us for our return. There was a torrential downpour starting about 3 pm and ending about 9 pm. The power went out about 3:30 and didn't come back on until 7:30. Because of this, all night classes at the nursing school were cancelled. So, we were not able to speak to the students. Interestingly, the young lady we met over a week ago, who was supposed to come over to interview us last Sunday, the 22nd, showed up tonight to interview us. We ran into her again this morning when we went to the store. She never came last Sun. because she couldn't find the house. We told her we were leaving in the morning, so she asked if she could come tonight. We told her to come after 8 as we were scheduled to speak to the students. She showed up at 7:10. Our half an hour interview lasted almost 2 hours. She is going to college to become an English teacher. She is paying her tuition by teaching English to elementary and high school students at a private school. She brought one of her classmates along. So we were actually interviewed twice. The classmate she brought along knew very little English.
The most interesting part was when she asked if we had been to the big cross outside of Tarutung and if America had any big crosses for people to go to. When we told her 'no' she was amazed as America is a Christian nation. Steve then explained how being born in America does not make you a Christian and asked her if she was Batak. She said 'yes'. Then he asked if that made her a Christian and she said 'yes'. This gave him the opportunity to explain that being a Christian means believeing in and following Jesus Christ. She agreed and admitted that there probably were some Batak that were not Christian :-)
When we were done, and while she waited for her ride, I showed the crowd in the living room pictures of my kids and grandkids and pics. I had taken in Indonesia. They seemed to really enjoy themselves. We were invited to visit her house and to meet her parents the next time we come to Tarutung.
I sure hope we sleep tonight - we are not looking forward to the next two days! Thank you for your continued prayers on our behalf.
'H' left this morning for Medan after being awakened by the police calling at 6:30 am. They were just checking to make sure we were leaving today. 'H' told them that was the plan, as that was the original plan (when I had my dates mixed up :-) ) and the one they still have. No one gave them the corrected dates and 'H' felt it would be better to leave well enough alone. Sure hope we get out of here tomorrow before they find out differently!! 'H' will meet us and Ron tomorrow around noon and take us to the hotel. Then it's off to the 'feed store' for farm supplies. I don't think I can post from there (wasn't able to on the way over, anyway), so will try from KL and/or Taiwan. I never mentioned that 'H' is a civil engineer. He designed the water system they use for the farm and has offered his services free to the 'governor' for the community water project. He spent 5 years in Aceh after the tsunami, designing various building projects. He worked very closely with Samaritan's Purse. We have so enjoyed our week with him. He is a fascinating man. He speaks at least 6 languages. Talk about a gift of tongues!!
It sure felt like home today. SOMEONE was preparing us for our return. There was a torrential downpour starting about 3 pm and ending about 9 pm. The power went out about 3:30 and didn't come back on until 7:30. Because of this, all night classes at the nursing school were cancelled. So, we were not able to speak to the students. Interestingly, the young lady we met over a week ago, who was supposed to come over to interview us last Sunday, the 22nd, showed up tonight to interview us. We ran into her again this morning when we went to the store. She never came last Sun. because she couldn't find the house. We told her we were leaving in the morning, so she asked if she could come tonight. We told her to come after 8 as we were scheduled to speak to the students. She showed up at 7:10. Our half an hour interview lasted almost 2 hours. She is going to college to become an English teacher. She is paying her tuition by teaching English to elementary and high school students at a private school. She brought one of her classmates along. So we were actually interviewed twice. The classmate she brought along knew very little English.
When we were done, and while she waited for her ride, I showed the crowd in the living room pictures of my kids and grandkids and pics. I had taken in Indonesia. They seemed to really enjoy themselves. We were invited to visit her house and to meet her parents the next time we come to Tarutung.
I sure hope we sleep tonight - we are not looking forward to the next two days! Thank you for your continued prayers on our behalf.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Our Sunday Lunch Ritual Continues
'H's wife flew in from Medan this morning so 'H' went to pick her up, then they went to church. While he was gone, we walked several blocks to the bank so that we had enough money for the flight back on Tues. Then we went to the store for more water. While there it began to downpour. We stood outside for 15 mins. under an awning before it let up enough for us to risk the walk. They got back about 1 pm and we headed out for lunch. After that 'T' ('H's wife) wanted to go to Lake Toba. We didn't have time to do the ferry trip so we went to the top of a mountain where there is a lookout. It was beautiful! I took a couple of pics. and hope they turn out. I will send one to my daughter to have her post here. ( This is a pic taken of Lake Toba, from the plane, on the flight over...... the one from the Mt. viewpoint didn't turn out )
Next, we headed down the mountain to a fancy resort, in the middle of this poor-looking town, at the end of a winding, hole-filled road. How anyone could find this place is amazing. It has to be word of mouth or a previous visit. We stopped for tea and toast. Then we headed back up the mountain and home. We have not seen so many water buffalo at one time as on this winding road.
I forgot to mention yesterday that the English teacher we talked with works for the government in public works. (Teaching English is his 'night' job.) We talked about the water situation in the village and he told us that 55% of the Indonesian people have water. The government is hoping to increase this to 75% in 10 years. That seems a long time for people to wait!
Another interesting bit of info. is that 'H' is still getting daily phone calls from the police about us (sometimes several times a day!). They want to know where we are and what we are doing. They often ask him why we are there hoping we are being paid so they can collect their share. They seem disappointed when he tells them we are volunteers.
Next, we headed down the mountain to a fancy resort, in the middle of this poor-looking town, at the end of a winding, hole-filled road. How anyone could find this place is amazing. It has to be word of mouth or a previous visit. We stopped for tea and toast. Then we headed back up the mountain and home. We have not seen so many water buffalo at one time as on this winding road.
I forgot to mention yesterday that the English teacher we talked with works for the government in public works. (Teaching English is his 'night' job.) We talked about the water situation in the village and he told us that 55% of the Indonesian people have water. The government is hoping to increase this to 75% in 10 years. That seems a long time for people to wait!
Another interesting bit of info. is that 'H' is still getting daily phone calls from the police about us (sometimes several times a day!). They want to know where we are and what we are doing. They often ask him why we are there hoping we are being paid so they can collect their share. They seem disappointed when he tells them we are volunteers.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
A Lazy Day
Today was a lazy day. 'H' had some business in town and in the village, so we stayed here. After he left, we walked several blocks to a store and bought some water and peanut butter :-) After we came back, Steve took a nap while I went online looking for a company like the Gates Foundation or USAID that would consider providing a large pump for pumping water to the village. To see the poverty, lethargy, and lack of nutrition is so hard. To not have clean water is almost unfathomable, considering where we live. If they were to have an adequate clean water supply, they could grow more food for their families and drink as much as they want without the worry of running out. We know HE will provide one in HIS time, we just don't know if we are to be allowed to help. So, we will head in that direction and see what HE does.
After a lunch of leftovers, we headed back to the store for rice. As we were walking by the nursing school, an older gentleman stopped us. He spoke fairly understandable English. Turns out he is the English 'professor'. As far as we could tell, he comes once every week or two to test the students on what English they learned since he was here last. The test was to begin in 20 mins. Steve had quite the chat with him. I was surrounded by students asking questions. "What are you doing in Tarutung?" "How many children do you have?" "How do you like the weather in Tarutung?" "When will you come back?" Sometimes I can understand them and sometimes I can't. Sometimes they understand my answer and sometimes they don't. One big plus was that the 'professor' told us the Indonesian term for rice. 'Paddy' means the rice directly from the farm, complete with hulls. 'Nasi' is cooked rice. The one we needed was 'Beras', uncooked (refined!) rice. Supposedly, he is going to invite us to speak on Mon. night. Pray that happens and for the words to say!
'H' came back about 3 this afternoon. He took us to a couple of shops so that I could get souveniers for the kids and grandkids. I would think that us alone would be present enough, but as I am not sure, it is best to have a back-up! After we got back, 'H' and I made dinner.
We made fried fish, tempeh, greens and buffalo curds. Rice and pineapple were left from lunch. Pita had to go to another town to report to her boss on her store sales for the week. She sells sunglasses and reading glasses.
That's about it! I must either be boring or very descriptive as I have not had any questions about what I have written :-)
After a lunch of leftovers, we headed back to the store for rice. As we were walking by the nursing school, an older gentleman stopped us. He spoke fairly understandable English. Turns out he is the English 'professor'. As far as we could tell, he comes once every week or two to test the students on what English they learned since he was here last. The test was to begin in 20 mins. Steve had quite the chat with him. I was surrounded by students asking questions. "What are you doing in Tarutung?" "How many children do you have?" "How do you like the weather in Tarutung?" "When will you come back?" Sometimes I can understand them and sometimes I can't. Sometimes they understand my answer and sometimes they don't. One big plus was that the 'professor' told us the Indonesian term for rice. 'Paddy' means the rice directly from the farm, complete with hulls. 'Nasi' is cooked rice. The one we needed was 'Beras', uncooked (refined!) rice. Supposedly, he is going to invite us to speak on Mon. night. Pray that happens and for the words to say!
'H' came back about 3 this afternoon. He took us to a couple of shops so that I could get souveniers for the kids and grandkids. I would think that us alone would be present enough, but as I am not sure, it is best to have a back-up! After we got back, 'H' and I made dinner.
That's about it! I must either be boring or very descriptive as I have not had any questions about what I have written :-)
Friday, November 27, 2009
3 days and counting...
We leave Tarutung in 3 days. We will be glad to get home, but are not looking forward to the 'travel'. We will fly from Tarutung to Medan on Tues. at 10:30 am Indonesian time. That should be 7:30 pm Monday night Pacific time. This is the 12 passenger plane I 'love'! We will be meeting 'R' there (he is flying in just to see us off) and will spend the afternoon scoping out the 'must see' spots (if there are any :-) ). One place we will go is like the local feed store. We need to find some nose snubbers, plastic gloves for checking cows. thermometers, etc.... We will spend the night, then leave around 9:40am Wed. morn (6:40 pm Tue. night Pacific time) on the flight from Medan to KL. I don't know if I will have the ability or time to update there and/or Taiwan, but I will try.
One thing I forgot to mention yesterday, was that the 'Turbo & fence' situation was worked out while we were up at Lake Toba. Turbo informed the men that they could 'donate' the wood or he would not let them use 'his' road. As this is the only way to their property, and increases it's value tremendously, they agreed. 'H' was not very happy about this way of doing business and will talk with Turbo (explaining the difference between donating and stealing) and the other men and offer to pay for the wood.
I will have to take a pic. of the road! The 'governor' hired someone to come in with a large tractor/backhoe and smooth the road a little. It is not fixed, by any means, but is sooo much better. No huge potholes that you could lose a small car in!
This morning while the guys were getting ready to leave, 4 young kids were in the yard playing. Soon I recognized the tune to ring-around-the-rosy, and sure enough, that's what they were doing! Usually we do not see the 2 girls since they are in school (probably K & 1st). There was no school today, as it is a Muslim holiday, so we are seeing a lot more kids than normal. When Steve & 'H' were headed out of town they passed over the river and could see a fairly large crowd (about 100 people) down on the bank. Steve could see a water buffalo and a blue tarp. It turns out that the water buffalo was about to be sacrificed. It's blood and offal would be sent down the river and the meat cut up for widows, orphans, and the poor among the Muslim people.
Today would have been our last chance to speak to the English class at the nursing school. Steve is very disappointed that he didn't get a chance to 'teach'. We trust this has been HIS plan all along and we are trying to remember that - but it is still hard to give up on an 'idea' that has been there for 4 weeks. As expected, this trip has turned out much different than we had thought it would. HE works in mysterious ways, and this whole adventure has been a mystery! It actually has been the first trip we have been on where we have felt needed and used by God for the betterment of others. Our other trips were more for us than those we thought we were 'serving'. Just about everything we did on them could have been done by anyone.
One of the things I have been doing in the mornings while the guys are gone, is going through a book 'R' has, called, "Where There is no Doctor". It is very good for remote areas with limited/no animal health care services. 'R' asked if we could write down things he should know and look for involving the cows. I earmarked several pages and will now write a quick reference sheet for him. We need to convince him to have the book with him whenever he goes to the farm.
Our cook, Pita, didn't come tonight so I got to cook dinner. I warmed up some chicken that 'H's wife sent down, boiled some fresh green beans, fried some tempeh, and we ate the last of the rice. Not too hard :-) Washing all the dishes at the end was the hardest part! I think I will bring Pita back with me - I rather enjoy having someone else make my dinner each night. And she's a good cook besides! The only drawback is that she doesn't speak English. Hand signals might not always work!
I haven't had any chance to go shopping (other than for groceries), so no souveniers or gifts for my kids and grandkids or items to display for our presentation at church :-( I will have to see if I can find anything at the airport.
Until tomorrow!!
One thing I forgot to mention yesterday, was that the 'Turbo & fence' situation was worked out while we were up at Lake Toba. Turbo informed the men that they could 'donate' the wood or he would not let them use 'his' road. As this is the only way to their property, and increases it's value tremendously, they agreed. 'H' was not very happy about this way of doing business and will talk with Turbo (explaining the difference between donating and stealing) and the other men and offer to pay for the wood.
I will have to take a pic. of the road! The 'governor' hired someone to come in with a large tractor/backhoe and smooth the road a little. It is not fixed, by any means, but is sooo much better. No huge potholes that you could lose a small car in!
This morning while the guys were getting ready to leave, 4 young kids were in the yard playing. Soon I recognized the tune to ring-around-the-rosy, and sure enough, that's what they were doing! Usually we do not see the 2 girls since they are in school (probably K & 1st). There was no school today, as it is a Muslim holiday, so we are seeing a lot more kids than normal. When Steve & 'H' were headed out of town they passed over the river and could see a fairly large crowd (about 100 people) down on the bank. Steve could see a water buffalo and a blue tarp. It turns out that the water buffalo was about to be sacrificed. It's blood and offal would be sent down the river and the meat cut up for widows, orphans, and the poor among the Muslim people.
Today would have been our last chance to speak to the English class at the nursing school. Steve is very disappointed that he didn't get a chance to 'teach'. We trust this has been HIS plan all along and we are trying to remember that - but it is still hard to give up on an 'idea' that has been there for 4 weeks. As expected, this trip has turned out much different than we had thought it would. HE works in mysterious ways, and this whole adventure has been a mystery! It actually has been the first trip we have been on where we have felt needed and used by God for the betterment of others. Our other trips were more for us than those we thought we were 'serving'. Just about everything we did on them could have been done by anyone.
One of the things I have been doing in the mornings while the guys are gone, is going through a book 'R' has, called, "Where There is no Doctor". It is very good for remote areas with limited/no animal health care services. 'R' asked if we could write down things he should know and look for involving the cows. I earmarked several pages and will now write a quick reference sheet for him. We need to convince him to have the book with him whenever he goes to the farm.
Our cook, Pita, didn't come tonight so I got to cook dinner. I warmed up some chicken that 'H's wife sent down, boiled some fresh green beans, fried some tempeh, and we ate the last of the rice. Not too hard :-) Washing all the dishes at the end was the hardest part! I think I will bring Pita back with me - I rather enjoy having someone else make my dinner each night. And she's a good cook besides! The only drawback is that she doesn't speak English. Hand signals might not always work!
I haven't had any chance to go shopping (other than for groceries), so no souveniers or gifts for my kids and grandkids or items to display for our presentation at church :-( I will have to see if I can find anything at the airport.
Until tomorrow!!
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving!
The best made plans often go awry :-) We woke up this morning planning on going to Lake Toba. We would drive 3 hrs. to the resort town (that starts with a P and is really long). From there, we would catch a ferry to the island in the middle of the lake and have lunch at the hotel there. Then we would take the ferry back and shop a little at the souvenier shops, then 3 hrs. back home.
Well, this is what we actually did :-) First, we had to stop at the bus station to pick up some fertilizer for 'H's citrus trees. He has 700 trees on 3 hectors a short distance from the farm. While trying to cut down some brush to drive to his property, he lost his glasses. We found them after he had driven over them :-( On the way back towards town to head out to Lake Toba, we were stopped by 5 men on 3 motorcycles. They surrounded the pickup. It seems that Turbo, the farm foreman, had cut down some of their trees to make the fence at the farm. They wanted to get the police involved with Turbo and possibly 'H' in big trouble. 'H' figured out that they thought he had ordered the 'stealing', so he explained what he knew of the situation. He told them he would talk to Turbo and figure out what was going on. As we headed back to Tarutung, we realized we were hungry (it was noon), so we went to a restaurant for lunch. At that point we decided that 'H' should get his glasses ordered first and talk to Turbo second. Lake Toba could wait for another day. Conveniently, it seems, the best place to get his glasses fixed was in his hometown, an hour away, and close to the southern(?) end of Lake Toba. So we did get to see it a little and took a couple of pics. but no resort town and no 'fancy' lunch - which was fine.
Unfortunately, the optician was out for the day, so he couldn't order his glasses after all. Next up, 'H' and Steve (with me tagging along) decided to head a little further north(?) to find a small farm that raised Bali cows and fed them elephant grass. 'H' was hoping to get some grass starts to plant at the farm. He stopped to pick up an older gentleman to help us find the way, and boy was that a good idea! We all agreed we would still be wandering the countryside if he hadn't. Bali cows look like a gazelle, only bigger. The most interesting thing on the way were the traditional Batak houses. I was not able to get a pic. of them, but 'H' has assured me he will find me one closer to Tarutung that I can get a pic. of. Steve says they remind him of the pics. you see of what Noah's Ark looked like.
On our way back through 'H's hometown we noticed several very large 'billboards' on the side of the road made out of flowers. They all said the same thing. When questioned, 'H' said the were condolences to the family of a deceased member of the community.
And last, but by no means least, was 'H's driving. One generally wants to be on good terms with the Creator before leaving the house, but this went beyond that! We were often scared out of our wits and there were many 'eeks' and 'aw-w-w's' uttered. But we survived and you get to read all about it!
Also, an update on 'K'. She should be released soon and allowed to stay a few days at the house 'R' and kids are staying at. They are all very excited and want to thank everyone for their prayers.
Well, this is what we actually did :-) First, we had to stop at the bus station to pick up some fertilizer for 'H's citrus trees. He has 700 trees on 3 hectors a short distance from the farm. While trying to cut down some brush to drive to his property, he lost his glasses. We found them after he had driven over them :-( On the way back towards town to head out to Lake Toba, we were stopped by 5 men on 3 motorcycles. They surrounded the pickup. It seems that Turbo, the farm foreman, had cut down some of their trees to make the fence at the farm. They wanted to get the police involved with Turbo and possibly 'H' in big trouble. 'H' figured out that they thought he had ordered the 'stealing', so he explained what he knew of the situation. He told them he would talk to Turbo and figure out what was going on. As we headed back to Tarutung, we realized we were hungry (it was noon), so we went to a restaurant for lunch. At that point we decided that 'H' should get his glasses ordered first and talk to Turbo second. Lake Toba could wait for another day. Conveniently, it seems, the best place to get his glasses fixed was in his hometown, an hour away, and close to the southern(?) end of Lake Toba. So we did get to see it a little and took a couple of pics. but no resort town and no 'fancy' lunch - which was fine.
And last, but by no means least, was 'H's driving. One generally wants to be on good terms with the Creator before leaving the house, but this went beyond that! We were often scared out of our wits and there were many 'eeks' and 'aw-w-w's' uttered. But we survived and you get to read all about it!
Also, an update on 'K'. She should be released soon and allowed to stay a few days at the house 'R' and kids are staying at. They are all very excited and want to thank everyone for their prayers.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Bits of this and that, from here and there...
I am at the house and have my 'work' done, so thought I would begin this post. Steve went to check on the progress of the chute and to help them chop the grass left over from yesterday's truckload to mix with the ground corn and sugar. They usually mix it with rice hulls, but the pig 'farmers' have bought it all. We will see how good he is with a machete, if they let him try! (They had it done when he got there so he helped Sihite load rocks into the pickup for the floor of the feed shed. Now his back hurts :-P)
One thing I forgot to mention when writing about the hospital compound is that the German missionaries who built it gave it to the Batak church, who gave it to the government in the 70's or 80's - we don't know why, but we can guess :-) That may be when the less-than-desirable housing was built. This is pure speculation on my part - 'H' doesn't know.
'H' went to the police dept. this morning to register us. It was done last week by proxy (Sihite), but the paperwork was messed up. They had us leaving before we arrived. 'H' went to verify he was our sponsor and to correct the dates, just in case an issue arises. He also has been trying to see the secretary to the 'governor' about the road, but we found out he is in Medan. Will have to try again tomorrow or Fri.
Another thing of note is that 'H' is quite the evangelist! He shares everywhere! His favorite thing to do is to go sit at the bus station and share with people who are waiting for the bus. He left last night at 8 and didn't get back until midnight. He stopped there twice during the day, yesterday, and 'questioned' several people both times. He does it at the store, at the farm, even at the market. Instead of buying all his meat from one vendor and all his vegetables or fruit from another, he will buy only one thing from several so that he can ask their 'condition' and share the Good News. Puts us to shame!! Oh, I forgot to mention - 'H' is 'related' to me too :-)
Last night, we heard the students singing Christmas carols from 8-9:30 pm. It must have been like a choir practice because they sang parts of a song several times - first boys, then girls, then both. The two we recognized were 'Drummer Boy' and 'Ode to Joy'. If they do it again tonight, we are tempted to walk down and sit in. 'H' said it would be okay and we think it would be fun. (They didn't sing tonight :-( We found out that the first year students are the ones singing.)
Pita came and made dinner again - fish, tempeh, rice, buffalo milk curds, and a vegetable that looks to us like swiss chard. She cooks it in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. The edges are wilted but the stem part is still crunchy. We had one of Turbo's pineapples for dessert.
We have been writing down Indonesian terms for various things. 'H' is very patient with us and spells things if I am not sure. The letter pronunciation is the same as Spanish, which we learned several years ago. If I can see it, I can usually pronounce it. I have been too chicken to actually try it - other than thank you.
Until tomorrow! We are supposed to go to Lake Toba. We are really looking forward to that!
One thing I forgot to mention when writing about the hospital compound is that the German missionaries who built it gave it to the Batak church, who gave it to the government in the 70's or 80's - we don't know why, but we can guess :-) That may be when the less-than-desirable housing was built. This is pure speculation on my part - 'H' doesn't know.
'H' went to the police dept. this morning to register us. It was done last week by proxy (Sihite), but the paperwork was messed up. They had us leaving before we arrived. 'H' went to verify he was our sponsor and to correct the dates, just in case an issue arises. He also has been trying to see the secretary to the 'governor' about the road, but we found out he is in Medan. Will have to try again tomorrow or Fri.
Another thing of note is that 'H' is quite the evangelist! He shares everywhere! His favorite thing to do is to go sit at the bus station and share with people who are waiting for the bus. He left last night at 8 and didn't get back until midnight. He stopped there twice during the day, yesterday, and 'questioned' several people both times. He does it at the store, at the farm, even at the market. Instead of buying all his meat from one vendor and all his vegetables or fruit from another, he will buy only one thing from several so that he can ask their 'condition' and share the Good News. Puts us to shame!! Oh, I forgot to mention - 'H' is 'related' to me too :-)
Last night, we heard the students singing Christmas carols from 8-9:30 pm. It must have been like a choir practice because they sang parts of a song several times - first boys, then girls, then both. The two we recognized were 'Drummer Boy' and 'Ode to Joy'. If they do it again tonight, we are tempted to walk down and sit in. 'H' said it would be okay and we think it would be fun. (They didn't sing tonight :-( We found out that the first year students are the ones singing.)
Pita came and made dinner again - fish, tempeh, rice, buffalo milk curds, and a vegetable that looks to us like swiss chard. She cooks it in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. The edges are wilted but the stem part is still crunchy. We had one of Turbo's pineapples for dessert.
We have been writing down Indonesian terms for various things. 'H' is very patient with us and spells things if I am not sure. The letter pronunciation is the same as Spanish, which we learned several years ago. If I can see it, I can usually pronounce it. I have been too chicken to actually try it - other than thank you.
Until tomorrow! We are supposed to go to Lake Toba. We are really looking forward to that!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Tuesday
Steve & 'H' went to the farm about 9 to walk the boundary and make sure it was all marked well, and somewhat permanently. Then 'H' will contact the local official in charge of that sort of thing to have him come out to 'survey' and give an owner's certificate. No idea how long that will take. I stayed 'home' to wash breakfast dishes, sweep, and boil water :-)
I decided to try and describe the road leading to the farm. It starts out pretty good for Indonesian standards. Too narrow for my liking, but that's my problem :-) As we make our way out of town, passing shanties and rice paddies, we begin to wind our way up the mountain. The road becomes even narrower. Good thing most 'vehicles' are motorcycles! There are a couple of literal u-turns where horns are sounded to make sure no one is coming from the other direction. It would not be a pretty site if they were to meet at the turn. Once we make it to the village closest to the farm, we begin to pick up passengers - generally the farm workers, but not all. What is interesting, at least to us, is that the road from the village to the farm has 3 high ranking officials living along it. The 'governor', the secretary to the 'governor', and the police chief. Once we get past their places, the road, as we know it, ends. Now it is a mud track. Twice a day the pickup drives up and down this track going out to find feed for the cows and bringing it back to throw over the fence. (Hopefully, that will end or slow as the fences get done and the cows can be moved to different fields that have some pasture.) At least once a day, the pickup drives the track for other purposes. Combine that with the daily deluge, and you have a VERY muddy track with big holes - that are getting bigger. Sometimes we slide sideways for several yards before righting and continuing. Our boys would love it!
Since the farm has water - and no one else around does - 'R' & 'H' are trying to swing a deal with the 'governor' to rock the road to the farm and bring electricity to it (it stops at his house) in exchange for water. Currently, he has a water truck that is filled and kept at his house. The goal is to convince him of the need for a larger pump that would enable water to be pumped to the village for use by those that live there and those that live on the surrounding 'farms', as well as him. He doesn't have the authority to do much, but can present the need to higher officials under the 'community betterment' theme. Pray that comes to fruition in HIS time. Currently, everyone catches rain water, and/or walks a steep trail to the river. Those that use only rainwater start to lose their teeth by 35-40 because of a lack of minerals in the water.
Steve & 'H' came back around 1. After a short, 20 min. siesta, we headed to the hardware store for some chain and locks for the new gates to the new pasture. We arrived about 2 pm, chained and locked the gates, then let the cows into the new pasture. Boy, were they happy! I expect Sihite and the two boys that help him get feed twice each day, are happy too. They should have a couple of days reprieve before starting that ritual again. The next pasture should be fenced soon. Work has begun on the cattle chute. They didn't set the posts as Steve had instructed, but the cement was set, so we will see how it works.
The young lady that 'H's wife had help with dinner last night, came back tonight and made us dinner. It was so much better than a restaurant. We even get a little vegetables!
We bought 2 pineapples from Turbo today for our meals for the next 3-4 days. They are so good!, and only cost us 25 cents each!
Just got word that 'K' was moved out of ICU and was even allowed to walk to her room. She is improving remarkably each day.
I decided to try and describe the road leading to the farm. It starts out pretty good for Indonesian standards. Too narrow for my liking, but that's my problem :-) As we make our way out of town, passing shanties and rice paddies, we begin to wind our way up the mountain. The road becomes even narrower. Good thing most 'vehicles' are motorcycles! There are a couple of literal u-turns where horns are sounded to make sure no one is coming from the other direction. It would not be a pretty site if they were to meet at the turn. Once we make it to the village closest to the farm, we begin to pick up passengers - generally the farm workers, but not all. What is interesting, at least to us, is that the road from the village to the farm has 3 high ranking officials living along it. The 'governor', the secretary to the 'governor', and the police chief. Once we get past their places, the road, as we know it, ends. Now it is a mud track. Twice a day the pickup drives up and down this track going out to find feed for the cows and bringing it back to throw over the fence. (Hopefully, that will end or slow as the fences get done and the cows can be moved to different fields that have some pasture.) At least once a day, the pickup drives the track for other purposes. Combine that with the daily deluge, and you have a VERY muddy track with big holes - that are getting bigger. Sometimes we slide sideways for several yards before righting and continuing. Our boys would love it!
Since the farm has water - and no one else around does - 'R' & 'H' are trying to swing a deal with the 'governor' to rock the road to the farm and bring electricity to it (it stops at his house) in exchange for water. Currently, he has a water truck that is filled and kept at his house. The goal is to convince him of the need for a larger pump that would enable water to be pumped to the village for use by those that live there and those that live on the surrounding 'farms', as well as him. He doesn't have the authority to do much, but can present the need to higher officials under the 'community betterment' theme. Pray that comes to fruition in HIS time. Currently, everyone catches rain water, and/or walks a steep trail to the river. Those that use only rainwater start to lose their teeth by 35-40 because of a lack of minerals in the water.
Steve & 'H' came back around 1. After a short, 20 min. siesta, we headed to the hardware store for some chain and locks for the new gates to the new pasture. We arrived about 2 pm, chained and locked the gates, then let the cows into the new pasture. Boy, were they happy! I expect Sihite and the two boys that help him get feed twice each day, are happy too. They should have a couple of days reprieve before starting that ritual again. The next pasture should be fenced soon. Work has begun on the cattle chute. They didn't set the posts as Steve had instructed, but the cement was set, so we will see how it works.
The young lady that 'H's wife had help with dinner last night, came back tonight and made us dinner. It was so much better than a restaurant. We even get a little vegetables!
Just got word that 'K' was moved out of ICU and was even allowed to walk to her room. She is improving remarkably each day.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Not much to report
'K' is doing much better today. She was sitting up in a chair and not connected to a respirator when 'R' and kids arrived this morning. She was animated in speaking and was not laboring to breathe. The drs. are saying she will be out of ICU tomorrow and out of the hospital Thurs. or Fri. All Glory to the Creator of all things!
Not much happened today. 'H', the Indonesian partner, arrived at 3:30 this morning. He woke up about 9 am and we visited until almost 11. He is a very interesting, strong, believer. We now have a clearer picture of the vision for the farm, the cows, and the house on the hospital compound.
That's about it.
Not much happened today. 'H', the Indonesian partner, arrived at 3:30 this morning. He woke up about 9 am and we visited until almost 11. He is a very interesting, strong, believer. We now have a clearer picture of the vision for the farm, the cows, and the house on the hospital compound.
We had breakfast/lunch then went to the farm arriving a little after noon. Tiime to check on our cow first :-) She is doing better every day. Next we went to the small shed to see how the cattle chute was coming along. They have the dirt prepared for a brick & cement floor. Then we were off to look at the peanut plants. They are about 3 in. tall and have 4-6 leaves. A lot of growth in just a couple of days! We took a soil sample and are hoping to be able to 'bring' it home for analysis. After that, we went back down the trail to the river to see the source of the water supply. We actually went all the way down this time and I took some pics. of the pump houses and the trail.
We discussed some things with 'H' about mineral for the cows, the need to get them moved to a different pasture ASAP, and general feed issues.
We arrived back 'home' at 6 and 'H's wife was here making dinner. It was way better than any restaurant! I don't think I have ever described/explained the house here. The local hospital was built in the 1920's & 30's by German missionaries. They also built several houses for the staff that worked in the hospital. They added the nursing academy and some dorms later (I don't know when) It is quite a large compound. 'H' has a house here because his wife is an eye dr. They lived here for 5 years until about 3-5 years ago when they wanted a better education for their son and moved to Medan. His wife agreed to come down every Mon. to see patients and they were allowed to keep the house.
Since then it has been used for ministry purposes whenever possible. We estimate there to be 30-40 houses here. Most are wood construction and comfortable (except for the bathrooms :-) ) A few, however, are pretty sad. We wondered if they were added later as a need for maintenance person, school cook, canteen operator, etc... became apparent. We actually have one in our backyard. There is a small covered walkway from our back door to the other house. We did not realize how close they were until 'H' opened the back window this morning. No wonder it sounded like people camped on our back doorstep all the time - they were!
The dorm for the nursing students is at the end of our 'road' and the academy is 2 buildings away on the other side. They pass by several times every day - always singing. It has been fun to hear.
That's about it.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
It's a snake!!
Really it's just me and Steve. Our 'sunburns' are coming off and boy do we look funny. I would post a pic. but am not going to take one, ha-ha!
We just heard from 'R' and 'K' is doing much better today. She has double pneumonia and, because of the surgery, coughing hurts a lot. Although they want her to move around, they won't let her get out of bed yet, so 'R' and the kids are massaging her legs and back. He says she is enjoying all the attention. If she keeps improving, she could be home next weekend.
Being Sunday, we had no ride to the farm until 2. I stayed 'home' and Steve went to check on the cow. She is moving a little slower than the rest, but came up to eat and drink with the herd. We are very relieved. Our reputation as a 'professional' was on the line!
Last night we decided to be brave and walk a few blocks to the restaurant that 'R' had taken us to. They were closed :-( Tonight, we tried again and they were still closed. (We thought we would branch out from pb sandwiches.) On our way back 4 teenage girls stopped us and asked if they could have their pictures taken with us. We laughingly said we should charge them. While waiting for our cup-o-soup to cool enough to eat, we heard what we thought was gunfire. Looking out the window, we noticed fireworks. I ran to get the camera - and they quit. So no pic. of that either.
Hiss, hiss :-)
We just heard from 'R' and 'K' is doing much better today. She has double pneumonia and, because of the surgery, coughing hurts a lot. Although they want her to move around, they won't let her get out of bed yet, so 'R' and the kids are massaging her legs and back. He says she is enjoying all the attention. If she keeps improving, she could be home next weekend.
Being Sunday, we had no ride to the farm until 2. I stayed 'home' and Steve went to check on the cow. She is moving a little slower than the rest, but came up to eat and drink with the herd. We are very relieved. Our reputation as a 'professional' was on the line!
Last night we decided to be brave and walk a few blocks to the restaurant that 'R' had taken us to. They were closed :-( Tonight, we tried again and they were still closed. (We thought we would branch out from pb sandwiches.) On our way back 4 teenage girls stopped us and asked if they could have their pictures taken with us. We laughingly said we should charge them. While waiting for our cup-o-soup to cool enough to eat, we heard what we thought was gunfire. Looking out the window, we noticed fireworks. I ran to get the camera - and they quit. So no pic. of that either.
Hiss, hiss :-)
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Saturday Evening News
First, an update on 'K'. She is doing a little better. Drs. in Singapore concluded that she did not need the surgery that had been performed, instead she had an infection in her kidneys, liver and lungs. They began strong antibiotics and is expected to be in ICU for 3-5 days. Thank you all for praying!
As of 5pm on Saturday evening, 'R's Indonesian partner, 'H', has not arrived. He was supposed to be here yesterday afternoon, then this morning, then this afternoon....you get the picture:-) We are doing very well without him, so that's good. Sihite, whom I mentioned earlier, has been put in charge of us until 'H' arrives (poor guy!).
Last night, when Steve came back, I asked about the cow. Evidently, she was feeling better as she charged at him when he went into the brush looking for her. Thankfully, she just got his arm before he managed to 'scare' her into heading the other direction. Something about this 2-legged creature that puts a rope around her neck then pokes her with several needles isn't impressive! She thought she would get her licks in first! The water trough was coming along fine and barbed wire for the fences had arrived. For dinner, we ate the rice (cold) that Sihite had brought at 3. Not real exciting, but we didn't want to go out and try finding something else.
Sihite stopped by this morning about 8 and we headed to the farm. First thing we did was check on the sick cow. She jumped right up and walked away from us. She looked like she was straining and that she hadn't been drinking. We were told that they take food to her twice each day, but there was no evidence of water. We hoped she was getting some when no humans were around. Next, we went to the 'back 40' (actually 15), to see if the peanuts planted with the grass was coming up. We were very excited to see some little heads peeking up from the soil. After that, we decided to follow the trail to see where they were getting their water. We knew that they were pumping it from the river, so followed the hose. I wish I could send you a pic.!! It was so steep that they cut steps into the dirt to keep from sliding down. They would not have been able to stop once they got started! We walked at least 400 ft. down this trail before giving up (we could see the river another 200 ft. down and decided that was good enough!). What amazed us the most was seeing where they had been cutting trees down to make boards and posts for the corral and chute. It was down this trail! We just can't fathom the strength in those men. About this time, as we are huffing and puffing, it dawns on us as to why we are so tired (all the time, not just at that moment :-) ). Tarutung is at about 4500 ft. above sea level and the farm is over 5000. That's almost a mile! I know, I know, we are slow. We are blaming it on the altitude!
Next, came lunch. Turbo invited us to eat with him and the other workers. We were leery because of sanitation, but felt we couldn't refuse again (we already had twice). We had rice and spicy pork. Jordan would have loved it! They cube the entire pig; innards, skin and all. Trying to politely pick through the dish to only get 'meat' was interesting.
After lunch, we checked on our cow again. She wasn't looking very good, but still wanted nothing to do with us. After speaking with the vet, who doesn't work weekends, it was decided to give her some homemade electrolytes. He wanted us to 'drench' her, but we didn't think we could get that close. Two young men carried the 5 gal. bucket of water mixed with salt and sugar. We set it down to see if she would drink and PTL she did! We honestly didn't think we would have been able to get close enought to put a rope around her neck and stick a bottle of the electrolytes down her throat - several times! It should make her feel better and thirsty for more water. We are curious to see her tomorrow.
Well, it is almost time to figure out what to do about dinner. We still have some rice left and, of course, bread with peanut butter. Just a little short on protein, forget the veggies - they don't eat many as far as we can tell :-)
As of 5pm on Saturday evening, 'R's Indonesian partner, 'H', has not arrived. He was supposed to be here yesterday afternoon, then this morning, then this afternoon....you get the picture:-) We are doing very well without him, so that's good. Sihite, whom I mentioned earlier, has been put in charge of us until 'H' arrives (poor guy!).
Last night, when Steve came back, I asked about the cow. Evidently, she was feeling better as she charged at him when he went into the brush looking for her. Thankfully, she just got his arm before he managed to 'scare' her into heading the other direction. Something about this 2-legged creature that puts a rope around her neck then pokes her with several needles isn't impressive! She thought she would get her licks in first! The water trough was coming along fine and barbed wire for the fences had arrived. For dinner, we ate the rice (cold) that Sihite had brought at 3. Not real exciting, but we didn't want to go out and try finding something else.
Sihite stopped by this morning about 8 and we headed to the farm. First thing we did was check on the sick cow. She jumped right up and walked away from us. She looked like she was straining and that she hadn't been drinking. We were told that they take food to her twice each day, but there was no evidence of water. We hoped she was getting some when no humans were around. Next, we went to the 'back 40' (actually 15), to see if the peanuts planted with the grass was coming up. We were very excited to see some little heads peeking up from the soil. After that, we decided to follow the trail to see where they were getting their water. We knew that they were pumping it from the river, so followed the hose. I wish I could send you a pic.!! It was so steep that they cut steps into the dirt to keep from sliding down. They would not have been able to stop once they got started! We walked at least 400 ft. down this trail before giving up (we could see the river another 200 ft. down and decided that was good enough!). What amazed us the most was seeing where they had been cutting trees down to make boards and posts for the corral and chute. It was down this trail! We just can't fathom the strength in those men. About this time, as we are huffing and puffing, it dawns on us as to why we are so tired (all the time, not just at that moment :-) ). Tarutung is at about 4500 ft. above sea level and the farm is over 5000. That's almost a mile! I know, I know, we are slow. We are blaming it on the altitude!
Next, came lunch. Turbo invited us to eat with him and the other workers. We were leery because of sanitation, but felt we couldn't refuse again (we already had twice). We had rice and spicy pork. Jordan would have loved it! They cube the entire pig; innards, skin and all. Trying to politely pick through the dish to only get 'meat' was interesting.
After lunch, we checked on our cow again. She wasn't looking very good, but still wanted nothing to do with us. After speaking with the vet, who doesn't work weekends, it was decided to give her some homemade electrolytes. He wanted us to 'drench' her, but we didn't think we could get that close. Two young men carried the 5 gal. bucket of water mixed with salt and sugar. We set it down to see if she would drink and PTL she did! We honestly didn't think we would have been able to get close enought to put a rope around her neck and stick a bottle of the electrolytes down her throat - several times! It should make her feel better and thirsty for more water. We are curious to see her tomorrow.
Well, it is almost time to figure out what to do about dinner. We still have some rice left and, of course, bread with peanut butter. Just a little short on protein, forget the veggies - they don't eat many as far as we can tell :-)
Friday, November 20, 2009
Alone
'R' left early this morning after getting word that his wife was being medivaced to Singapore. We have been praying that she gets the help she needs and that he can get the needed flights to be with her soon. It doesn't sound good. With the loss of Nathan just a little over a year ago, this seems to have hit us pretty hard. We only met 'K' once, last year. All other contact has been with 'R', but it has affected us deeply, just the same. He left us his internet card for which I am very grateful!
Steve didn't sleep well last night as he was extremely nauseous, so we decided to stay 'home' this morning. We walked to the store a block away and bought some bread and water. We had peanut butter sandwiches, tea and water for breakfast and lunch. He took a nap at ten and another at one. He was much better after that. Sihite, the head of the workers, and 'R's driver, stopped by at three to check on us and take us to the farm. He also brought us some rice and soup. (When he had stopped by earlier to take 'R' to the closest airport, Steve mentioned that he wasn't feeling well.) Since it was raining (the usual afternoon condition), Steve wanted me to stay 'home' so that neither of us had to ride in the rain. I am writing this while waiting for him to return. So you may get two posts in one day!! I don't remember if there was something I was supposed to elaborate on from earlier posts, so if you want information on something I have posted or just have a question, feel free to leave it in the comment section and I will read and answer from there. I have tried several times to post a pic. here or send one to our daughter, but have had no luck the last two days : (
We have not had much opportunity to interact with the nursing students, but 'R' had arranged a chance for us to speak to the 'English language' class. We just don't know when it is! So Steve has also not been able to teach, but there is still time.
Please continue to pray for 'K', 'R', their kids, and us. This is a very unsure time for us all.
Steve didn't sleep well last night as he was extremely nauseous, so we decided to stay 'home' this morning. We walked to the store a block away and bought some bread and water. We had peanut butter sandwiches, tea and water for breakfast and lunch. He took a nap at ten and another at one. He was much better after that. Sihite, the head of the workers, and 'R's driver, stopped by at three to check on us and take us to the farm. He also brought us some rice and soup. (When he had stopped by earlier to take 'R' to the closest airport, Steve mentioned that he wasn't feeling well.) Since it was raining (the usual afternoon condition), Steve wanted me to stay 'home' so that neither of us had to ride in the rain. I am writing this while waiting for him to return. So you may get two posts in one day!! I don't remember if there was something I was supposed to elaborate on from earlier posts, so if you want information on something I have posted or just have a question, feel free to leave it in the comment section and I will read and answer from there. I have tried several times to post a pic. here or send one to our daughter, but have had no luck the last two days : (
We have not had much opportunity to interact with the nursing students, but 'R' had arranged a chance for us to speak to the 'English language' class. We just don't know when it is! So Steve has also not been able to teach, but there is still time.
Please continue to pray for 'K', 'R', their kids, and us. This is a very unsure time for us all.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Another Day
After breakfast,
we headed to the farm. Steve and I ride in the back of a small 2 seater pickup for half an hour up a winding mountain road. As we are usually facing backwards, we get to see the peoples reactions as they see these 'white' people. We often hear "Hello, Mister" as several try out their limited English. This is usually all they know. Once at the farm, we found the sick cow and determined she needed more antibiotics.
'R' called the vet, who came out and administered more. The cow seems to be doing a little better, although we feel she has pneumonia. We spent the next several hours under cover as it was raining torrentially, so didn't accomplish much today.
Tonight we went to a restaurant and ordered food to go as none of us felt like eating in and being stared at :) As we headed out the door, a group of young people stopped us to ask questions, aka - trying out their English. We were bombarded with questions! The student's teacher (actually just a college age young person) asked if they could all come over on Sun. to 'interview' us. 'R' won't be here so it should be interesting.
'K', 'R's wife, had surgery today, but is not doing well. 'R' will be leaving us early tomorrow to go to Java to be with her. He is hoping to be able to have her flown to KL as the drs. here have made several mistakes. This will leave us the only white people, that we know of, in Tarutung.
As 'R' will be leaving, he will be taking the internet connection with him. I may not be able to email or post for several days unless I can get to an internet cafe AND we can communicate! Thanks for praying!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Things of Interest...
'R's wife, 'K', will be having surgery tomorrow for kidney stone obstruction. It couldn't wait for a trip to KL. 'R' will not be able to make it in time so they both agreed he would just stay here. 'R' will be leaving on Fri. to meet his son in Medan, but they both will be here on Sat. We may be on our own all of Fri. and Sat. morning.
This has been another interesting day. After breakfast, we went to the local market. It was huge. There were several booths of dried fish. There would be several bowls heaped with various sizes of dried fish, from 2 in. to 6 in. There were booths of live fish, where you pick your dinner. Even the local slaughterhouse was there! Many, many booths of fruit and/or veggies - lots and lots of people - smells both good and bad - and people wanting money to have their pics. taken. I let 'R' take most of them. I even met a 'cousin'!
Next up was a trip to the farm. We were asked to design a catch chute for work on the animals. We drew a plan, then showed the foreman, Turbo, what we had in mind. He understood exactly what and why. We also noticed, when looking at the animals, that one was by herself and not looking good. She wouldn't let us get very close, unfortunately. The foreman went into Tarutung to look for a vet. Three hours later he came back with a vet and some rope. Steve put some rope around her neck in the hopes of making a halter, but she decided she wasn't that sick after all. After quite a bit of 'give and take' on her part and Steve's, the vet was able to get close to her. He has not worked on large animals before and seemed a little nervous around this rather large cow. He wanted to give her two shots in her neck, but Steve felt in the hip would be better. He asked about doing it there but the vet said 'no, she would kick'. Steve took over (and the vet seemed happy to let him) and gave her the two shots without her moving a muscle. He has had enough experience to know that it isn't as safe when given in the neck. We will see how she is tomorrow.
By this time it was pretty hot. Steve and I both have sunburns. We spent the next hour or two in the shade eating fresh pineapple - yum! yum! Turbo, who lives next to the farm, grows pineapple. We also walked through the new seeding - hand planted tufts of baracharia grass. It will take 6-9 months to fill in enough for the cows to be on it.
I sure wish I could post more pics. I may have to go through when I get back and edit the posts by adding pics.
This has been another interesting day. After breakfast, we went to the local market. It was huge. There were several booths of dried fish. There would be several bowls heaped with various sizes of dried fish, from 2 in. to 6 in. There were booths of live fish, where you pick your dinner. Even the local slaughterhouse was there! Many, many booths of fruit and/or veggies - lots and lots of people - smells both good and bad - and people wanting money to have their pics. taken. I let 'R' take most of them. I even met a 'cousin'!
Next up was a trip to the farm. We were asked to design a catch chute for work on the animals. We drew a plan, then showed the foreman, Turbo, what we had in mind. He understood exactly what and why. We also noticed, when looking at the animals, that one was by herself and not looking good. She wouldn't let us get very close, unfortunately. The foreman went into Tarutung to look for a vet. Three hours later he came back with a vet and some rope. Steve put some rope around her neck in the hopes of making a halter, but she decided she wasn't that sick after all. After quite a bit of 'give and take' on her part and Steve's, the vet was able to get close to her. He has not worked on large animals before and seemed a little nervous around this rather large cow. He wanted to give her two shots in her neck, but Steve felt in the hip would be better. He asked about doing it there but the vet said 'no, she would kick'. Steve took over (and the vet seemed happy to let him) and gave her the two shots without her moving a muscle. He has had enough experience to know that it isn't as safe when given in the neck. We will see how she is tomorrow.
By this time it was pretty hot. Steve and I both have sunburns. We spent the next hour or two in the shade eating fresh pineapple - yum! yum! Turbo, who lives next to the farm, grows pineapple. We also walked through the new seeding - hand planted tufts of baracharia grass. It will take 6-9 months to fill in enough for the cows to be on it.
I sure wish I could post more pics. I may have to go through when I get back and edit the posts by adding pics.
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