Spanish missions?

My oldest ds was going to be Zachary and we changed to Kyle. My middle ds was going to be Julian and we changed to Alex. We had 12 hours' notice for adopting our daughter so she was Natalie right from the start!

I have tons of pictures but I am not sure how to share them here? If you are my FB friend I will be posting them on FB this week. Maybe I could make a Flickr account?

Sorry! I am totally exhausted. I got home very late at night and started back to work the next morning. I haven't stopped moving since. There is so much to tell I don't know where to begin. I wrote about it for a grad school class I am taking so I will copy that here. It will give you a good idea of what I was doing there: In 1969, with the blessing of the United States and the United Nations, the Indonesian government held a vote to decide if the areas known as Papua and West Papua should be integrated into the country of Indonesia. The result was a landslide in favor of it. Unfortunately, those voting were hand-picked by the Indonesian military and many were forced at gunpoint to vote in favor of this. The political situation in Papua has spiraled downward ever since. I am writing this post from inside a home in a tiny village in the highlands of Papua. It took 19 hours to get here from Malaysia and included 5 different planes, two of which were crop-dusters. This village is unreachable except by plane. One of my layovers was in an even smaller village, whose name I do not know, where I sat on a rock under a tree next to a dirt runway for two hours while a group of villagers gathered around me and just smiled at me. I had to get special permission from the government to go “interior†because there is so much fighting between the military and the rebels of the Free Papua Movement and so many human rights violations here that they keep out anyone suspected of being a journalist. It was a harrowing journey but it was worth it because I am here to do teacher training for a small school with big hopes. My school has partnered with this village school in an effort to provide them with professional development and curriculum assistance they otherwise would never have. The struggles this school faces in terms of diversity, equality and social justice are of the level most of us cannot fathom. It begins with the politics. As Chauvel’s 2005 study on the roots of Papuan nationalism showed, Papuans share a historical grievance about the manner in which their homeland was integrated into Indonesia and, due to all the Indonesian settlers, are of the belief that Papuans have been dispossessed, marginalized and are becoming extinct in their own land (Chauvel, p. 9). My friends here are Americans and they moved to this small village in Papua 15 years ago to do community development. The situation here was dire and they realized that there is one good possibility for bringing the community together… education. I spent the last four days meeting with my friends, interviewing them regarding the issues they face here in terms of equity and social justice. To call these issues “ detractors†is a serious understatement. I asked Scotty what his vision was for this learning community. His words were powerful: “For the 30 minutes before this interview, the leader of the freedom movement and his entourage have been talking to me about enrolling his child in our kindergarten. He has to come to my house at night because he will be arrested and killed if he is seen during the day. His child will now be classmates with several kids of Indonesian military here in Bokondini. My vision is that slowly these kids, this little Papuan son of the Papuan freedom fighter and the little Indonesian son of the military man, will see each other as human, as brothers, as friends. When the parents see how their kids act towards each other they will be far more likely to lay down their 40 year grudge and desire for revenge and come together in unity. When the two little boys are playing together on the soccer team and both fathers are cheering for the same side it will have a profound affect. The atrocities committed by both the freedom fighters and the Indo military are horrible. Rape, torture, murder... I don't believe these little classmates will support that kind of behavior. Indonesia is built on a status system that was left by the caste system when Hindu princes ruled this nation for 400 years. In Papua girls are essentially owned and are treated in many ways like slaves. We write contextual stories that deal with the deep cultural beliefs that support these aspects of the culture and in a forum discussion between the child and parents they have to talk through this. The little 7 year old girl after reading the story to her father asks the question, "Why are boys more important than girls?" Because of the story, he finds it hard to answer because for the first time in his life he has to question a cultural norm that he has always assumed was the right thing. Our education promotes equal opportunity for girls and boys and we have a roughly equal number of male and female students. In the highlands only about 10% of girls graduate from high school. We are different and proving that girls are just as capable and smart as boys in school. Each generation the system becomes more oppressive and abusive than before. Teachers here regularly beat students down physically and emotionally telling them how stupid they are. Those who can tolerate the system for 12 years "succeed" and then become the teachers for the next generation. This system has been perpetuated from the original Dutch colonists to the Indonesians to the Papuans. The greatest abusers of the Papuans right now are other Papuans. Sixty years ago there was constant tribal war among these Papuan clans and ritual cannibalism, the ultimate form disrespect for the enemy. So the fact that nobody killed or ate each other today in class is wonderful progress. In our operational board meeting we talked about how the men from the four clans here have to get along for our school to be able to prosper. Each clan tries to block the other clan from every opportunity, such as coming to our school, and open the opportunity for their own clan. This is tribalism at work.†Scott and Heidi brought me in to train Papuan teachers, locals. However, I am not here to tell them how everything they are doing is wrong and they should all do it the white man’s way. And I am also not here to tell them that they are doing everything correctly because they aren’t. One area I am working with them on is classroom management. When I asked the teachers how their teachers handled classroom management when they were children I got these answers: - I was whipped with electric cords. - I was hit in the head. - I was forced to crawl across the schoolyard in the mud. - I had to salute the Indonesian flag all day. - I was called stupid, idiot, brainless. - My teacher rubbed eraser dust on my face and in my hair. - My teacher wrote “idiot†on my face. - I was forced to eat raw taro. Fear, abuse and intimidation are a way of life here. But these teachers want to do better. We spent a lot of time talking about methods of POSITIVE classroom discipline and how these methods could be adapted to fit their classrooms and culture. Then I modeled it for them and we role-played situations where they could use them. Their assignment was to pick one method and incorporate it into their class the next day. I observed the classes and gave feedback at the end of that day and we talked about how to sustain these methods. I am here to help them integrate what they know to be true and right in their culture with best practices from educators in other countries and give these best practices their own Papuan flair. Another strategy we are employing here is teaching reading and writing of English to their students along with the official Indonesian language. I met today with teachers and top community leaders and they were very enthused about this possibility. I convinced them that it is possible to learn English without sacrificing their mother tongue. To a people afraid of cultural genocide, this is very important. I feel incredibly blessed to be a part of what is happening in this community and I hope to come here every 6 months for the foreseeable future to continue professional development with this team. In the end, I learn more about leadership in a learning community focused on social justice by coming here than I could ever learn from a book.

I made it all the way to the highlands of Papua and back safe and sound! It was an AMAZING trip. Words cannot describe... seriously. Thank you so much for praying for me, cheering me on, sending me good vibes, etc. It worked! :)

Thank you! It has been super busy and festive around here this weekend. :)

Started Reading: Inferno by Dan Brown (American Author, DD class 800) Man Seeks God: My Flirtations withe the Divine by Eric Weiner (American author, DD class 200) Still Reading: The God Who is There: Finding Your Place in God's Story by D.A. Carson (Canadian author, DD class 200) When I Don't Desire God by John Piper (American author, DD class 200) Finished: 36. That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo (American author, DD class 800) 35. Sandstorm by James Rollins (American author, DD class 800) 34. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel (Mexican Author, DD class 800) 33. The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific by J. Maarten Troost (Dutch Author, DD class 900) 32. Bill Bryson's African Diary by Bill Bryson (American author, DD class 900) 31. The Millionaires by Brad Meltzer (American author, DD class 800) 30. Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter (American author, DD class 800) 29.The Sherlockian by Graham Moore (American author, DD class 800) 28. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (American authors, DD class 800) 27. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson (American author, DD class 900) 26. The Last Camellia by Sarah Jio (American author, DD class 800) 25. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese (Ethiopian author, DD class 800) 24. Having Hard Conversations by Jennifer Abrams (American author, DD class 300) 23.The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe (American author, DD class 600) 22. The Infernal Devices #3: The Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare (American author, DD class 800) 21. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (American author, DD class 800) 20. Why Revival Tarries by Leonard Ravenhill (British author, DD class 200) 19. The Infernal Devices #2: Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare (American author, DD class 800) 18. The Infernal Devices: Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare (American author, DD class 800) 17. God's Big Picture: Tracing the Story-Line of the Bible by Vaughan Roberts (British author, DD class 200) 16.The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag: A Flavia de Luce Mystery by Alan Bradley (Canadian Author, DD Class 800) 15.The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World by Eric Weiner (American author, DD class 900) 14. Prodigy by Marie Lu (Chinese author, DD class 800) 13. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand (American author, DD class 900) 12. The Disappearing Spoon: And Other Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements by Sam Kean (American author, DD class 500) 11. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures by Anne Fadiman (American Author, DD class 600) 10. A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World by Paul Miller (American author, DD class 200) 9. Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick (American author, DD class 300) 8. Ordering Your Private World by Gordon MacDonald (American author, DD class 100) 7. The Bungalow by Sarah Jio (American author, DD class 800) 6. The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen (American author, DD class 800) 5. Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen (American author, DD class 800) 4. The Next Story: Life and Faith After the Digital Explosion by Tim Challies (Canadian author, DD class 600) 3. The House at Riverton by Kate Morton (Australian author, DD class 800) 2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (English author, DD class 800) 1. The Dark Monk: A Hangman's Daughter Tale by Oliver Potzsch (German author, DD class 800)

Started Reading: That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo (American author, DD class 800) Still Reading: The God Who is There: Finding Your Place in God's Story by D.A. Carson (Canadian author, DD class 200) When I Don't Desire God by John Piper (American author, DD class 200) Finished: 35. Sandstorm by James Rollins (American author, DD class 800) 34. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel (Mexican Author, DD class 800) 33. The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific by J. Maarten Troost (Dutch Author, DD class 900) 32. Bill Bryson's African Diary by Bill Bryson (American author, DD class 900) 31. The Millionaires by Brad Meltzer (American author, DD class 800) 30. Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter (American author, DD class 800) 29.The Sherlockian by Graham Moore (American author, DD class 800) 28. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (American authors, DD class 800) 27. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson (American author, DD class 900) 26. The Last Camellia by Sarah Jio (American author, DD class 800) 25. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese (Ethiopian author, DD class 800) 24. Having Hard Conversations by Jennifer Abrams (American author, DD class 300) 23.The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe (American author, DD class 600) 22. The Infernal Devices #3: The Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare (American author, DD class 800) 21. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (American author, DD class 800) 20. Why Revival Tarries by Leonard Ravenhill (British author, DD class 200) 19. The Infernal Devices #2: Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare (American author, DD class 800) 18. The Infernal Devices: Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare (American author, DD class 800) 17. God's Big Picture: Tracing the Story-Line of the Bible by Vaughan Roberts (British author, DD class 200) 16.The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag: A Flavia de Luce Mystery by Alan Bradley (Canadian Author, DD Class 800) 15.The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World by Eric Weiner (American author, DD class 900) 14. Prodigy by Marie Lu (Chinese author, DD class 800) 13. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand (American author, DD class 900) 12. The Disappearing Spoon: And Other Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements by Sam Kean (American author, DD class 500) 11. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures by Anne Fadiman (American Author, DD class 600) 10. A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World by Paul Miller (American author, DD class 200) 9. Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick (American author, DD class 300) 8. Ordering Your Private World by Gordon MacDonald (American author, DD class 100) 7. The Bungalow by Sarah Jio (American author, DD class 800) 6. The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen (American author, DD class 800) 5. Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen (American author, DD class 800) 4. The Next Story: Life and Faith After the Digital Explosion by Tim Challies (Canadian author, DD class 600) 3. The House at Riverton by Kate Morton (Australian author, DD class 800) 2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (English author, DD class 800) 1. The Dark Monk: A Hangman's Daughter Tale by Oliver Potzsch (German author, DD class 800)

This made me cry. Thank you for these words. I really needed to "hear" that. God is in control... God is in control... God is in control...

In less than 24 hours I leave on a PAC750 airplane to travel to Bokondini, Indonesia. I have been so excited for a few weeks but now that it is here I am having a series of anxiety attacks. For the past two days I have been swinging from being excited to waking up in a cold sweat from a nightmare about the plane slamming into a mountain. I have never been so nervous about something in my whole life. Not even when we moved here. My little plane lands on this little dirt strip: http://www.panoramio.com/m/photo/3968851 Wanna freak out with me? Or tell me it's all going to be ok?

90 degrees and 90% humidity, 365 days a year! I love Malaysia!!!

My oldest is 15yo and he has never had chickenpox. He was vaccinated. I work at an elementary school and we have not had a single case in 4 years.

I looked at the label again and it is the "equipment" warning not the "facilities" warning. Yikes. They don't do allergy labels on food in Malaysia so it is a gamble. We avoid the obvious and even the maybes but there is a good chance that he is exposed to allergens in ways we cannot predict (food made in local restaurants, in local factories, etc.). Malaysia has not really gotten with the allergy warning program. :(

Did your child's peanut allergies get worse over time? My ds was diagnosed a year ago. Up until now he only reacted if he actually ate peanuts. Well, some new staff members that just arrived here from Montana brought us Huckleberry Pancake Mix and this morning I made them for him. Within 15 minutes he was covered in hives. Poor little guy. I read the package again and there is an allergy warning that says it is made in a facility that processes peanuts. So either he is allergic to Huckleberries or his peanut allergy is getting worse to include foods packaged in places that process peanuts and not just actual peanuts. Thoughts? I hate peanuts.

I'm so sad. This is the first week that I didn't finish a book. I am several ahead of schedule so it is no big deal but still... :( I had a huge paper to write for my class and that took up all my free time. Ah well, I have a long plane ride this weekend so I will get a lot of reading done then.

I have a 15yo, a 9yo and a 3yo so the age span is definitely an issue with vacations. We just got back from a beach vacation and it was awesome. All three of them LOVED it. Perfect for all ages. :)

Of course we talk about it. We talk about it a lot. My ds is VERY aware of the risks of premarital sex and his knowledge of this further strengthens our family's view that sex before marriage is not worth the risk. He is aware that there is no such thing as "safe" sex. We are very direct and very open about it. Movies, television, books are all teachable moments for us as to how Hollywood and the media are brainwashing everyone into believing that casual sex is not only acceptable but desirable. We don't want our kids fooled into believing that. He is also being raised in an environment where dating and teenage sex is not the norm and the teens here are all brought up to believe that waiting until marriage is the norm. He would have a very difficult time finding a girl at this school who was willing to do it. So his classmates and friends are all supportive of each other in focusing on their studies and their faith. There are very few kids who date at this school at all. In addition, expat teens can't get jobs here or a driver's license so their freedom is rather limited. Plus, with a small community, everyone knows everything...there are no secrets. So if he was venturing into dangerous waters I would know about it by the end of the day. This gives him time to grow up and mature before making adult decisions like who to have sex with.

We do not allow dating before age 18. Having said that, I agree with Bethany and we teach our children the biblical view of sex.

I call it a stick or stick shift but here in Malaysia they call it a manual.

We are going more Paleo so all grains are out . I use mostly almond flour and coconut flour in all my baking now.

That's right! I forgot. I am so excited to see them again. I am currently picking up little gifts for their kids whom I adore. They have such an amazing ministry in Papua and I am blessed to be a part of it (even if the MAF plane scares me a little).

That so cool that you got to do this kind of thing all the time! I'm sure it will all be fine but it does make me a bit nervous. I think I've watched too many "Man vs. Wild" episodes. :) Thank you for all the great advice. I am so excited!

It will be either a Pilatus PC-6 or PC-12. Here is a pic of it: https://www.jaars.org/donate/5358 I've never had air sickness before but I've never been on a plane this small before!

Penang to Jakarta is on Makaysia Air Jakarta to Jayapura is on Batik Air (that made me laugh) Jayapura to Bokondini is with Yajasi

66% left 34% right Your Left Brain Percentages 61% Sequential (Your most dominant characteristic) 54% Reality-based 43% Linear 30% Logical 17% Symbolic 14% Verbal (Your least dominant characteristic) Your Right Brain Percentages 44% Nonverbal (Your most dominant characteristic) 37% Concrete 29% Fantasy-oriented 17% Random 6% Holistic 0% Intuitive (Your least dominant characteristic)