NEWSLETTER: June 2015

Five Weeks Complete

A new life has definitely started in all aspects.

About five weeks ago we arrived at the village. So much has happened in such a short time that I don't even really know where to begin.

Our home is slowly coming together. We were able to get a few more pieces of furniture last week and get a couple things up on the walls. We very blessed to have running water and solar power.

Right now our main goals are to continue language learning and also to learn more about the culture. We did a homestay this month. For this, Melody and I each stayed with a different family for five nights. We did everything that the mom did. I was amazed at all the cooking we did. The family did everything from corn flour for me and we even made two different types of bread over a fire.

Most days we go for a walk around the village to greet people and try to start friendships. We have spent a couple days each week in town getting things for the house and taking care of business items.

About 15 km down this road you will find a little yellow house...

That little yellow house is my new home. It comes complete with running water, one solar panel, and promises of a journey packed with moments to remember.

This is what I look like on a typical day.

This month my brother, Jon, graduated from basic training for the Army. He has previously served 6 years with the Navy and has returned to Monterey, CA for more training.

The time is starting to pass by quicker than I ever thought it would. We often tell people we will be here for two years but the truth is that we have been gone almost six months already. Events are happening at home in America and we aren't there. Little kids that are dear to us are having birthdays, weddings are happening, and babies are being born. In all of that we aren't there. I bet know you are think that this is leading to the phrase "home sick". But the truth is that I do feel at home here. I saw something a long time ago that said...

"You will never be completely at home again, because part of your heart will always be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place."

This is becoming more and more true each day. The little girl next door that will run and give me a hug as we sit down in the front yard for dinner brings back memories of other kids in my life that did the same. Meeting people in town is just like randomly seeing a friend while running errands on an average Saturday in the states. 

I am blessed to call many places home.

Everything I ate was cooked over a fire...

Everything I ate was cooked over a fire and I wasn’t camping….at least not what those in the western world would think of when the word camping is used.

Initial and random thoughts on homestay:

Homestay is a period of time when missionaries in a new location live with a family for the purpose of learning more about life in that area and possibly learn some language as well. We were fortunate to have a base knowledge of some language. Some people go into homestay not knowing any of the local language.

-everything we ate was cooked over a fire

-I thought we (Melody and I) were living a simple life in our new home until I saw how simplified things were for the family I was living with for the week. I now feel like we live in a palace.

-It seemed completely normal to have the young children sharpen the machete on the concrete blocks outside.

-Fire was a bit of a mystery. I would love to know where it started. People would go get hot coals from whoever had them so no one really started a fire from nothing.

-The sense of community was overwhelming especially when it came to providing a little of this and that. A few times a day people would come to ask for a little salt, tea, or other items.

- there was very limited expressions of love through physical touch and through words

-sweeping a dirt yard everyday and even multiple times a day really does make a positive difference

-farming by hand is fun for a few minutes

-seeing rice get bought in the market, made into flour, and used to make bread was definitely pretty awesome

-I was very entertaining to many (especially children) as I tried to do so many new things

-I will always enjoy connecting with kids cross culturally through tickling, especially since they never seem to figure out that they can tickle me in return

-language learning is so, so very hard and often right when I think I understand something, I figure out how extremely wrong I was in my thinking

-cooking with my hands was quite enjoyable, who needs a spoon to stir when God provided hands?

-I can carry firewood on my head but not much else

-people here are so resourceful; for example: using grass and a twig to tie a bundle of firewood