Friday, January 13, 2006
Going to the Beach!
Just a brief update - it's been a good week, we're ordering wood locally (at a high price to ensre legality) to start our project, and doing work around the office and finishing off the house. Today, Saturday, I'm treating the staff to a weekend at the beach, so we'll drive 3 hours south this afternoon to the southern tip of the island, where they have the 4th best surfing in the world, and we'll BBQ fish on the beach and come back tomorrow afternoon. Have a blessed weekend everyone!!
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Happy New Year 2006!!!
Well, Christmas has come and gone, and I’m back in Indonesia. First, I had the best Christmas ever – simple, homely, snowy, and quiet…well quiet for my family anyways. Thanks to everyone who made a special effort during the holiday season to see me. I appreciated seeing so many people, even when it was also a great family time. In short, a time of refreshing - from the crisp Ontario air, from the social interactions with family and friends, and from the reconnection to the body of Christ as well.
The journey back to Indonesia was the longest so far. I left Toronto on the 2nd of January, a Monday, and arrived on Nias on Saturday afternoon local time, about 1 am EST on the 7th. On the way, I visited three US states, including Alaska, three Asian countries, 8 airports, and the longest leg was 16 hours.
I had the joy of meeting Lidia Guirguis and her friend Jinny in Penang Malaysia. They are on their way around Asia, currently in Thailand. I also went to a wedding for an Indonesian couple that both work for Samaritan’s Purse. They are both Chinese, and were married in the Wesleyan church I have attended in Medan. It was a good time, with a beautiful service and a fun reception. Indonesian weddings require the guest to sing for the bride and groom, and I was dragged onto the stage repeatedly to make other voice sound so much better. Also, Chinese weddings require the bride to change repeatedly during the day. As it was a Christian wedding, this meant a white wedding dress for the ceremony, a red gown for visiting the grooms and brides family homes for tea in the afternoon, and a red wedding dress (stunning) for the reception. The wedding photos are all done before the wedding, and the poor groom had to change into different coloured tuxedos to match (for the photo shoot there were at least 10 colour changes).
Note to self: traditional Chinese brides are out! Although the bride was very beautiful – I had previously only seen her at work in Aceh in the heat, and without a high standard of grooming necessary ;) I left my camera in Medan after taking pictures at the wedding, so I (as usual) will only promise to post them now.
Arrival in Nias revealed our much anticipated order of wood is still not here – we are relying on a partner agency to provide free of charge, but on their timing. As this agreement will save us almost a half million dollars, it is worth the wait, but frustrating. I was pleasantly surprised to see my warehouse and office very near completion, including the security post, and my house up to the rafters! Now if only we could get the power utility to connect us, or the water…. Until then, we have rooms in the hotel, and we borrow power and water from our neighbour for the office.
The weather is settling down, with rain more often t night, and the heat returning – it cleared 35 Celsius today. Today is another of the 15 national holidays in Indonesia, this being the last feast of the Muslim calendar. They actually have 4 New Year’s Days here – Chinese, Muslim, Hindu and January 1. Canadian staff are allowed ten, so it’s a work day for me today, and I’m pleasantly surprised to find several of my salaried staff are in as well, with nothing to do at home.
Regarding staff, the big news on my return is that the staffing issue which I shared as causing me the most stress will be resolved soon. In other news, a good friend of mine here lost her mother over the holidays. They were all together for Christmas dinner on December 26, and shortly after dinner she had chest pains. She died on the way to the hospital from a severe heart attack at age 58. I went to visit the family after I arrived, and the father, a retired pastor, is beside himself. My friend is the youngest, with the older siblings moved away, and she worries about being able to continue med school, care for her father, and keep her mother’s store, the family business. Please pray for Dian and her family.
Of interest to some, I will be starting another blog, with a greater discussion orientation. It will be a place for me to post thoughts and questions for debate, from things I have seen. I hope some will enjoy the postings there and the follow up from friends around the world. The new blog site is at http://chrisasks.blogspot.com
The journey back to Indonesia was the longest so far. I left Toronto on the 2nd of January, a Monday, and arrived on Nias on Saturday afternoon local time, about 1 am EST on the 7th. On the way, I visited three US states, including Alaska, three Asian countries, 8 airports, and the longest leg was 16 hours.
I had the joy of meeting Lidia Guirguis and her friend Jinny in Penang Malaysia. They are on their way around Asia, currently in Thailand. I also went to a wedding for an Indonesian couple that both work for Samaritan’s Purse. They are both Chinese, and were married in the Wesleyan church I have attended in Medan. It was a good time, with a beautiful service and a fun reception. Indonesian weddings require the guest to sing for the bride and groom, and I was dragged onto the stage repeatedly to make other voice sound so much better. Also, Chinese weddings require the bride to change repeatedly during the day. As it was a Christian wedding, this meant a white wedding dress for the ceremony, a red gown for visiting the grooms and brides family homes for tea in the afternoon, and a red wedding dress (stunning) for the reception. The wedding photos are all done before the wedding, and the poor groom had to change into different coloured tuxedos to match (for the photo shoot there were at least 10 colour changes).
Note to self: traditional Chinese brides are out! Although the bride was very beautiful – I had previously only seen her at work in Aceh in the heat, and without a high standard of grooming necessary ;) I left my camera in Medan after taking pictures at the wedding, so I (as usual) will only promise to post them now.
Arrival in Nias revealed our much anticipated order of wood is still not here – we are relying on a partner agency to provide free of charge, but on their timing. As this agreement will save us almost a half million dollars, it is worth the wait, but frustrating. I was pleasantly surprised to see my warehouse and office very near completion, including the security post, and my house up to the rafters! Now if only we could get the power utility to connect us, or the water…. Until then, we have rooms in the hotel, and we borrow power and water from our neighbour for the office.
The weather is settling down, with rain more often t night, and the heat returning – it cleared 35 Celsius today. Today is another of the 15 national holidays in Indonesia, this being the last feast of the Muslim calendar. They actually have 4 New Year’s Days here – Chinese, Muslim, Hindu and January 1. Canadian staff are allowed ten, so it’s a work day for me today, and I’m pleasantly surprised to find several of my salaried staff are in as well, with nothing to do at home.
Regarding staff, the big news on my return is that the staffing issue which I shared as causing me the most stress will be resolved soon. In other news, a good friend of mine here lost her mother over the holidays. They were all together for Christmas dinner on December 26, and shortly after dinner she had chest pains. She died on the way to the hospital from a severe heart attack at age 58. I went to visit the family after I arrived, and the father, a retired pastor, is beside himself. My friend is the youngest, with the older siblings moved away, and she worries about being able to continue med school, care for her father, and keep her mother’s store, the family business. Please pray for Dian and her family.
Of interest to some, I will be starting another blog, with a greater discussion orientation. It will be a place for me to post thoughts and questions for debate, from things I have seen. I hope some will enjoy the postings there and the follow up from friends around the world. The new blog site is at http://chrisasks.blogspot.com
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