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).

Indonesia - Part 1: TRAVEL and Jakarta

On Monday, March 18th, Phil and I embarked on the trip of a lifetime.

The first 34 hours were spent on airplanes and in airports (Tampa to LA was 5.5 hours, LA to Taipei was 14.5 hours, and then Taipei to Jakarta was 5 hours).

 We had a 3.5 hour layover in Taipei, and it was 6:00 AM (although time has no meaning when you're traveling internationally), when we feasted on a bunch of authentic Chinese cuisine.

 Phil wanted to try something new and adventurous at every meal (Exhibit A: Thousand Year Old Egg) while I simply wanted to find something that wouldn't upset my already nauseous pregnant belly.

We arrived in Jakarta at 2:30 PM on Wednesday, and the two hour cab ride back to Ann's apartment was a quick introduction to Indonesia.  For lack of a polite way of saying it, I barfed ALL OVER MYSELF on that herky-jerky drive through the crowded streets of Jakarta.

This is the view from Ann's apartment on the 20th floor.

  

If you've read this blog for any length of time, you know that it's impossible for us to visit a new place without also visiting its zoo.  On our first full day in Indonesia, we went to the zoo.

After 8 blessed years with my dear husband, it's time that I confess that this is purely an act of love on my part.  I am not an animal person.  I am not a zoo person.  I am not a "walk around in the stifling heat and humidity while miserably pregnant" kind of person.  I kept snacks in one hand and water in the other,
and that is how I will remember the Jakarta Zoo.

Phil, on the other hand, was a CELEBRITY!  NO JOKE!  There were multiple times on our trip that he was asked to be in a picture with the locals.  They must have thought he was someone famous, or a basketball player or something,
because they just couldn't get enough of him.

The zoo was enormous...although many of the habitats were empty or overgrown.  It gave us a greater appreciation for Busch Gardens.

 These were the two kangaroos...one of which I was certain to be dead.

 We had to pay extra to see the primates, but our tickets included "assurance"...INSURANCE.  Just makes you wonder when/why that was added to the price of admission.

So...there you have it...Jakarta and The Zoo!

Growing...

What is Growing?

Our family and my belly!

We are thrilled to share that God is blessing us with another little life.  After a devastating miscarriage several months ago, we were reminded that life is such a gift and such a miracle.   We knew that we wanted another baby, but we also knew that God was in control of our family's future.

On February 11th (my birthday) we took another positive pregnancy test, and now we're almost starting our second trimester.  I wish that I could say time flew by just as quickly and smoothly as that, but it has been pretty brutal.  It should be called "all day sickness" rather than "morning sickness."  I have been flat on my back and totally out of sorts ever since the end of February.

My belly popped very quickly...as if to say, "Ahhh...we know what to do from here."  I haven't felt the baby move yet, but I watched the little squirt dance around for about 25 minutes last week.  It was a beautiful sight!

Clare was born at Brandon Regional Hospital.  Isaac was born at St. Joseph's Hospital.  This little one will be make his/her grand entrance at Labor of Love Birthing Center.  We are SO EXCITED to experience birth (and all of our prenatal care) from a very natural/holistic angle.  We had our first official appointment today, and it was completely different than any appointment we've ever had.  We LOVED it, and we are thrilled that we get to walk this journey in a whole new way.

Where Have We Been?

We've been off the reservation for the past several weeks.  There are thousands of pictures to post and dozens of stories to tell (which will come in due time), but the basic gist is that we recently returned from the trip of a lifetime!

We flew over to Indonesia to visit my sister!

We traveled through Indonesia.

We experienced Bali.

We ventured through Australia.

 We came home (after two weeks, ten flights, and close to 30,000 miles of travel) and hit a wall.  We could have slept for a week, but life had to resume.  I promise to get with the program and post more SOON!
My sister posted some fun pictures on her blog, so you can get a sneak peek there.