Indonesia - Part 4: Bali

As soon as Ann started her spring break, 

the three of us took off for our adventures.

 It was a VERY early flight, and Ann didn't want to be bothered. 
Let the girl sleep in peace, I suppose.  :)

 Phil snapped some pictures from the plane as we were flying from the island of Java over to the island of Bali.

This lookout point shows one of the famous beaches in Bali...Padang Padang.

This was our ride for the entire day.  We hired a driver for ten hours, and his car was TOTALLY bedazzled with jewels and bling.  Just our style.

My appetite was unpredictable and volatile (to say the least) while traveling in a foreign country.  Ann and Phil were incredibly gracious about letting me choose the restaurants, but there were occasions in which we just had to go with whatever was available. 

Our driver brought us to this place that specialized in Suckling Pig.  Now if that doesn't whet the appetite of a miserably nauseous pregnant woman, I just don't know what does.  I cleaned my plate without know what I ate...probably easier that way.

We spent the afternoon at a beautiful beach.  Ann and I sat in the little lagoon while Phil snorkeled for a couple of hours.  Bliss!

After a day at the beach, we made our way into central-Bali.  That is where we really began to see the culture (temples, statues, rice fields, etc.).

Not gonna lie...dinner tasted much better than lunch!  Phil ordered something unique at every meal.  I ordered something safe.  I really wish that I would have had a stronger stomach while we were there, but I'll just have to wait until next time.

 The rest of our Bali visit (Ubud) will be in the next post.

Indonesia - Part 3: Apryanto (Part 2)

Apryanto Visit - Part 2

After visiting Apryanto's home, we loaded up for a trip to the mall.

 There were 11 of us crammed into an 8 passenger van, so it was quite a ride...not to mention the fact that the roads (as seen above) were barely wide enough for one car...let alone a huge van.

Apryanto had never been to the mall, nor had he ever eaten at a food court.  Allowing him to choose the restaurant would be like allowing me to choose a taxidermist.  He chose A&W, and Phil and I treated 11 people to a fried chicken, rice, and root beer lunch.  It was only $32 to feed the gang, but it was an experience we will never forget.  We learned that rice MUST accompany every meal in order to be deemed a meal. 

After lunch, we took Apryanto (and his mother and sister) shopping.  This was, by far, the most powerful part of the day.  They are not used to shopping in a superstore, and they were visibly overwhelmed as they walked up and down the large aisles full of luxuries they had never seen.

We kept telling them to get what they needed, but they (namely Apryanto's mother) were so tentative to put anything in the cart.  There was a striking moment that I WILL NEVER FORGET, and that was when they were staring at the rice...which as I mentioned is an absolute staple in their culture.  They typically buy a small bag (probably 2 kg.), from a vendor within their little village, and it is just enough to get them through the week.  The store carried big bags (10 kg.), bigger bags (15 kg.) and HUGE sacks (20kg. - which is close to 50 lbs).  Without anything spoken, my husband and the translator picked up the 20 kg. sack and put it in the cart.  Her entire demeanor changed, and the translator told us, "That just changed their lives."

 In addition to the staples that filled the cart (rice, oil, noodles, soap, etc.), we figured that there should be some special treats as well.  We walked the kids down the candy aisle, and they immediately transformed into playful kids without a worry in the world.  Oh...the power of some bubble gum and chips. :)

The cart was full and spirits were high!  We spent $70 on groceries that will last them nearly TWO MONTHS.  When is the last time that you made it out of the store with a full cart for $70?  We spend nearly that much just filling up our van with gasoline, and that is TWO MONTHS rent for Apryanto's family. 

We were humbled, humbled, humbled!!!!

Lots of smiles after a successful shopping trip.

JOY!

Enjoying some bubble gum while waiting for our ride.

As we were waiting for our driver to come back, Phil noticed that Apryanto's flip-flop had a broken thong.  It's pretty impossible to walk around with broken flip-flops, so Phil suggested that we head back into the mall to buy him some new shoes.

My Grandpa Hahn started the tradition of buying shoes for the whole family, and it was a special outing once a year.  My parents have carried on the tradition, and we still anxiously await our new pair of shoes every year.  So, we let Apryanto, his sister, and his mom pick out a new pair of shoes.  For $11 total, the three of them had brand new sandals and a spring in their step!

It was incredibly special when Phil turned to me and said, "We are carrying on the tradition."  To add to the sentiment, it was on March 22nd...
my Grandpa Hahn's birthday!

 Our last stop of the day was spending time at school with Apryanto.  We were VERY impressed to watch a classroom full of 6-7 year olds open their Bibles and read scripture together.  They knew exactly how to navigate to James 1:17 and read,
"Every good and perfect gift is from above."

 I showed them where Florida was and how far we traveled to get there.

We had snack time with the class, and I sampled the "some kind of bean and ginger soup."

Phil immediately gave me a look that screamed, "Do not eat another bite.  You are pregnant, and we have no idea how that was prepared." 

 He proceeded to eat the rest of my bowl, and let's just say that he took one for the team.  He had "Indo Belly" for the next five days, and that meant that we could never be more than a couple minutes from a bathroom.  Poor guy! 

Apryanto's Class

The Compassion and school staff

For just $38 a month (approximately $1.25 a day...less than it costs to buy one 20 oz. soda), we are able to partner with Compassion International and give this little boy a chance.  Compassion believes in helping children go from just surviving to THRIVING!  We saw the impact.  We witnessed the effects of our sponsorship. 
We believe in this ministry!

If you have any questions about Compassion International, let us know!  If you're considering sponsorship, we highly encourage you to PICK A COUNTRY THAT YOU MIGHT VISIT SOMEDAY.  You can make a difference!!!

Indonesia - Part 2: Apryanto (Part 1)

On Friday morning, March 22nd, we headed into the slums of Jakarta (with a bag full of gifts) to meet Apryanto...our Compassion International sponsor child.

We had no idea what to expect, but we were thoroughly impressed with the organization of the program.  We met with the Compassion staff and the church staff before meeting our little guy.

 It was pretty surreal when Apryanto walked into the room.  We've been praying for this child for months, sending him cards, and watching him grow up...
and then it was like he became alive.

Compassion had outstanding record-keeping of everything that had to do with Apryanto and our sponsorship.  They had copies of every letter we had sent, there was accounting for every extra financial gift that we had sent, and they have documentation of the progress that Apryanto has made since he started the program through our support.

It was neat looking through pictures with him.

Apryanto was incredibly nervous for the first part of the day.

We went to his "house" to meet his mother and sister.  Our picture was framed on the wall and attached to his graduation picture from his first year in the program.

This was their backyard.

This was their bathroom...a whole in the ground (towards the center of the photo).
We have no idea how they bathe.

These are a few of the letters that we sent, and they were hanging on the wall next to the family bed.  The translator said that he looks at them every night before going to bed.

This is where the entire family sleeps...all four of them...no AC.

This picture gives a perspective of their one-room shanty.  I am facing the bed, and the kitchen (a few pots and pans) is right behind me.  That's it!

If you look carefully at those bags, you can see HUNDREDS of tiny little toys.  Apryanto's mom spends an entire day labeling those little toys...which probably get shipped over to the states.  She gets paid $0.35 (YES...just 35 cents) for a day of back-breaking work.  That is something we will NEVER FORGET!

Apryanto's mother and sister spent the rest of the day with us.  His father drives a truck six days of the week, so he is rarely home.

We brought lots of gifts from home, 

and you could tell that they were overwhelmed.

Apryanto was really excited about a new pair of shoes...something other than sandals.

This was just outside their home...on our way to the mall 

(which will be highlighted in the next post).