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
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Thursday, December 22, 2005
Home for the Holidays
After an epic battle to procure plane tickets, I have arrived safe and sound at home for the holidays. My journey began as I departed Nias on Tuesday morning, with no afternoon flights. On Wednesday,after some frantic last minuteshopping, I left at 6:00 am for the airport, and a quick hope to Penang, Malaysia. After few hours layover, and my second breakfast, I deprated for Taipei, Taiwan. The time in Taiwan was filled with a hot shower, a third breakfast (I did have lunch on the plane) and some email checking. Finally, I departed for LA, arriving midafternoon, after a second lunch and a fourth breakfast.
In LA, all my hopes for seeing Tinseltown were dashed as the brisk American evening was to much for my shortsleeves, and the price of a Hollywood jacket was more than my trael budget would allow. This was a good thing, however, as I quickly realized I could barely function following a leisurely meal and shower. So, at 10 pm, I ended Wednesday 31 hours after I started it.
On Thursday, I finally arrived in Toronto, via Phoenix, at 7:30 pm to a splendid blizzard. Meredith met me at the airport with her husband's coat, and we started the 2.5 hour journey to her home in Kingston. We arrived at home by 3:30 am, after several coffee break and a small collision with a reverse-rolling 18 wheel truck. Welcome to Canada, eh!
Friday was my culture shock adjustment day, as I practiced driving in snow, driving on the right side of the road, adjusting to the existence of traffic signals, and shopping in Canadian malls again. So calm and quiet...and expensive!!! Dan and Meredith have a great little starter home, and I certainly felt odd being hosted by them, as the homeless guest.
On Saturday, we drove to Peterborough, with only a few wrong turns, and visited with my mom's family. It was a good turnout, and a chance to see everyone in the semi-annual tradition. My younger cousins are grwing up so fast!!! I finally met my parents there as well.
The next stop, on Sunday was Arkell Road Bible Chapel, my home church, where I surprised many with an unannounced visit. I guess some who knew did not have the chance or perhaps desire to share this info ;) What a homecoming,as I realized what I had really missed during my time away. After church, it was time for Dad's family Christmas dinner and gift exchange at Grandma Sheach's house. There, we received the announcement that my cousin Alyssa is engaged to her long-time boyfriend Ryan. Congrats to them both.
Later that night, after a rousing game of Skip-bo with Grandma, we set out in two cars for the long haul north to Markstay. I guess my dog got tired of waiting, because by the time we arrived, he was over at the neighbour's and we didn't see him until morning. It has been nice and mild the last week, with temperatures ranging in the -5C range, and the coldest day of the week was Tuesday.
On Tuesday, we all went into town for some Chrisstmas shopping. Dad went into the office, to find that the robbers which broke in on Sunday night had come back again the next night, and left only the 200kg. fax/copier, and the oldest of computer monitors. Meanwhile, I got a message informing me that two old friends from the early days in Indonesia, Joel Crocker and Mary Lee, had eloped in Costa Rica. We rounded out Tuesday with an all-u-can eat fish fry, and a family outing to watch "The Chronicles of Narnia" in the theatre - our first family theatre event since 1988. An enjoyable film, and an adequate interpretation of my personal favourite book of all time.
Yesterday, Wednesday, was an adventure for my Dad and I, as we tried to break the beaver dam which has caused the river to flood. The beavers have cut down about twenty huge poplars, more than 30 cm. diameter and 30 meters tall. When we finally found the dam, we realized we hadn't brought the axe, the chainsaw had no gas, and the dam was covered with 15cm of snow, and 10 cm of ice. It was a good adventure anyways, and we got wet and cold.
That's the update so far - I will be staying with my parents until at least Boxing Day, and then back down to Guelph to visit with Grandma and my friends and family at Arkell Road until New Year's. My return flight departs January 2 from Toronto. I'm taking photos and video, so should have some good images for later posts!
Wishing all a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year, and God's richest blessings for you and your families during this season of joy and rememberance.
Love to all, Chris
In LA, all my hopes for seeing Tinseltown were dashed as the brisk American evening was to much for my shortsleeves, and the price of a Hollywood jacket was more than my trael budget would allow. This was a good thing, however, as I quickly realized I could barely function following a leisurely meal and shower. So, at 10 pm, I ended Wednesday 31 hours after I started it.
On Thursday, I finally arrived in Toronto, via Phoenix, at 7:30 pm to a splendid blizzard. Meredith met me at the airport with her husband's coat, and we started the 2.5 hour journey to her home in Kingston. We arrived at home by 3:30 am, after several coffee break and a small collision with a reverse-rolling 18 wheel truck. Welcome to Canada, eh!
Friday was my culture shock adjustment day, as I practiced driving in snow, driving on the right side of the road, adjusting to the existence of traffic signals, and shopping in Canadian malls again. So calm and quiet...and expensive!!! Dan and Meredith have a great little starter home, and I certainly felt odd being hosted by them, as the homeless guest.
On Saturday, we drove to Peterborough, with only a few wrong turns, and visited with my mom's family. It was a good turnout, and a chance to see everyone in the semi-annual tradition. My younger cousins are grwing up so fast!!! I finally met my parents there as well.
The next stop, on Sunday was Arkell Road Bible Chapel, my home church, where I surprised many with an unannounced visit. I guess some who knew did not have the chance or perhaps desire to share this info ;) What a homecoming,as I realized what I had really missed during my time away. After church, it was time for Dad's family Christmas dinner and gift exchange at Grandma Sheach's house. There, we received the announcement that my cousin Alyssa is engaged to her long-time boyfriend Ryan. Congrats to them both.
Later that night, after a rousing game of Skip-bo with Grandma, we set out in two cars for the long haul north to Markstay. I guess my dog got tired of waiting, because by the time we arrived, he was over at the neighbour's and we didn't see him until morning. It has been nice and mild the last week, with temperatures ranging in the -5C range, and the coldest day of the week was Tuesday.
On Tuesday, we all went into town for some Chrisstmas shopping. Dad went into the office, to find that the robbers which broke in on Sunday night had come back again the next night, and left only the 200kg. fax/copier, and the oldest of computer monitors. Meanwhile, I got a message informing me that two old friends from the early days in Indonesia, Joel Crocker and Mary Lee, had eloped in Costa Rica. We rounded out Tuesday with an all-u-can eat fish fry, and a family outing to watch "The Chronicles of Narnia" in the theatre - our first family theatre event since 1988. An enjoyable film, and an adequate interpretation of my personal favourite book of all time.
Yesterday, Wednesday, was an adventure for my Dad and I, as we tried to break the beaver dam which has caused the river to flood. The beavers have cut down about twenty huge poplars, more than 30 cm. diameter and 30 meters tall. When we finally found the dam, we realized we hadn't brought the axe, the chainsaw had no gas, and the dam was covered with 15cm of snow, and 10 cm of ice. It was a good adventure anyways, and we got wet and cold.
That's the update so far - I will be staying with my parents until at least Boxing Day, and then back down to Guelph to visit with Grandma and my friends and family at Arkell Road until New Year's. My return flight departs January 2 from Toronto. I'm taking photos and video, so should have some good images for later posts!
Wishing all a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year, and God's richest blessings for you and your families during this season of joy and rememberance.
Love to all, Chris
Saturday, December 03, 2005
Twentieth Century Tragedy
Dear All, I have spent the last two weeks trapped in the decades of no internet access! The UN office is no longer providing an internet service, and the local internet cafés run so slow that my work email server times out, after trying to load the page for five to ten minutes. I apologize to all who have not received a much deserved response, but I must deal with the work emails first. I am out in Medan for two days for a meeting, so I’ll try to catch up with as many as possible. Other than email, the project is finally rolling at a great pace, and we may reach our readjusted targets.
God bless you all, Chris
God bless you all, Chris
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