Oh, the stories they could tell …

There were many moments during our trip to Kalimantan where I grieved my inability to communicate with the beautiful locals in their heart language.  I longed to more fully understand their stories.

One mother moved to a new village with her husband and two young children to find work.  They have no family in the village they now call home ~ no family in a village that counts it’s inhabitants by numbering the families.  30 patriarchs.  She is 37 years old and she is starting again.  I asked if her family was living in a near-by village along the river.  “I am the only one”, she replied “they have all passed away”.

Another mother bore her first child at 16 years old, not unusual in her village.  The baby, a beautiful little girl, was born with significant disabilities, but there is no access to medical care where they live.  She does not speak, has difficulty eating, and is often sick.  The father rocks her in his arms.  Their second child was born just two years later.

In both villages we visited the children are eager to learn, their faces are filled with hope, their laughter echoes.

So many faces, each representing a life filled with hopes and dreams, each with a story to tell …

Back to Borneo

Red dirt roads, jungle, heat {unrelenting}!

Spiders, monsoon rains, risk-your-life-and-limb driving {insane}!

Teenagers everywhere …

Music, soccer, fun {so.much.fun}!

A few pictures from Sheldon’s trip to the middle of somewhere …

~ Place & People ~

“Bring me home a slippery rock from Slippery Rock”

There were games to be played, songs to be song, faces to be painted, beads to be strung and crafts to be … well, crafted.

There were meals to be prepared, dishes to be washed, floors to be swept, and squatty-potties to be scrubbed.

There were mattresses to be purchased, rock walls to be built, and piles of dirt to be levelled.

Amazing memories.

But it’s the stories shared that will stay with me long after those memories fade.

Stories shared by the husband and wife team who run this children’s home; their stories, the children’s stories.

Stories of trials, perseverance, opportunity, hard work, and dreams.

Stories of faith, and stories of Gods faithfulness.

Their stories have inspired and challenged me.

They are now woven into the fabric of who I am.

A Cappuccino River Runs Through It ~ Cappuccino is best served with good conversation ~ part 4

A few quotes from our time in the river village that will always bring a smile to my face …

“Luar-biasa!” {“extraordinary” ~ describing our whole river-village experience}

“I would like to live here”, said Koover of the small wooden home in the middle of the jungle, a half hour river boat ride from the village {literally in the middle of no-where}. “Why?” I asked. “Because there are puppies, monkey’s, motorbikes, guns, riverboats and no people” he replied.

“I’m going in, I’m going in … ughh … I’m in!” {I need to work on my rickety bridge balancing skills}

“Mom, I climbed even higher than this!” {Koover says from half way up a very, very, very tall tree in the middle of the jungle with a HUGE grin on his face. I am SO glad I did not see him at full height as I would have been an overprotective mother and told him to get down}

Then later that day … “Your son slipped a little while climbing the tree, but don’t worry, he didn’t panic.  It’s a good thing he has such strong arms to hang on!”  {I am SO, SO glad I was not there to witness the “slip”!}

“Oops, I think I just shot a whole in the water pipe.” {I guess that’s what happens when you put the target on top of the pipe ~ lesson learned}

“This is my favourite day!” {Abby loved the leaky river boat ride up the small jungle river with a group of crazy new friends}

“Ambil photo, ambil photo!” {“Take my picture, take my picture” ~ so I did}

A Cappuccino River Runs Through It ~ River Boats, Rickety Bridges & Rifles ~ part 3

A Cappuccino River Runs Through It ~ Let the Laughter Ring ~ Part 2

Games … songs … crafts.

Smiling faces waiting to play.

Abby ~ the “pied piper”.

Koover ~  interpreter ~ the language of soccer.

“Shake it all about” ~ more than 150 bodies doing the hokey-pokey.

Rest & Repeat

~ Contagious Joy ~

The Cappuccino River Runs Through It ~ Kalimantan ~ part 1

4:00 am, July 9th, the journey began.  Driving, flying … then driving some more … a. lot. more.

Windy roads, rickety bridges, palm oil plantations and rubber tree farms … it. was. hot.

Squatty potties, extra spicy chilli chips, disney tunes and the Beatles … road trip memories.

Destination ~ River Village, Kalimantan, population 2,500.

The dirt road ended. The cappuccino-colored river snaked through the jungle.  A few small, stilted homes sat along the rivers banks.  One man languished on his porch, smoke swirled in to the still air from his cigarette.  He watched us curiously.Our welcoming committee …Their faces dusted with powder to show that they had newly bathed.  An afternoon mandi (bucket and scoop washing), a daily routine for everyone living this jungle community life. They too were waiting for the ferry. Waiting to get to the other side.

The ferry approached.  We walked on ~ there are no cars in the river village.  The driver didn’t care if the children dangled their feet over the side.  Young boys in a river boat laughed and waved.We arrived. Welcome.