One lesson I taught the first week was about writing friendly letters. For practice, I asked the kids to write a letter to their parents. From the quotes below, it looks like the kids are enjoying the new school year as much as I am:

• School is pretty fun for me.
• I’m having a great time in school. Miss Barbara is a great teacher.
• I like school, a lot!!!!!!!!
• School actually feels like daycare because I have so much fun.

More stuff to sort and pack: 35 packages of school books for next year!

Today I’m sorting and packing as I get ready for the next phase of my Home Assignment. Although it seems like I just arrived, my time here in California will soon be over.  I will spend some time in Washington and then Wisconsin (and then one last week in California) before returning to Indonesia.

So, with less than 2 weeks left here in California, I’m getting ready to move out of the home that my church here so graciously provided. Thankfully there’s plenty of room here to sort all my stuff:

Stuff to go back into storage in San Diego
Stuff to take with me on my trip to WA and WI
Stuff to take with me to Indonesia
Stuff I still need here for the next week or so
Stuff I want to leave at my Dad’s house for my last week in CA
Stuff to mail to Indonesia

Sorting and packing stuff seems to be a recurring activity in the life of a missionary.  I think this is more because of the frequency with which I move, rather than the amount of stuff I own, and yet the Lord has certainly blessed me with far more stuff than I actually need.  Living overseas and seeing firsthand people with far less has really driven that point home.  

God has also blessed me with so many wonderful friends, and both churches and individuals who give to support this ministry. During my time here I’ve visited with many supporters who have given sacrificially to further the reach of the gospel. Instead of buying more stuff or spending the money on themselves, they choose to invest that money with an eternal perspective.  When you put it in perspective, all of this temporal stuff that I’m sorting and packing is pretty meaningless compared to the  need to share the gospel with the unreached people of the world. 

Well, that’s where I’m at today: sorting, packing, and extremely grateful for those who have sorted their priorities and chosen to put God’s Kingdom first. Thank you for encouraging me!

Crazy Day at West-Kal Academy

It has been one month exactly since I arrived in the USA for my Home Assignment. From the pictures I received last week, it looks like our school in Indonesia has gone crazy in my absence!

What have I noticed as I’ve adjusted back to life in America? First of all, everything is bigger here! The refrigerators seem huge to me. The portion size in the restaurants is far more than I can or should eat. The vehicles are bigger too – lots of cars on the road with just one or two people, as opposed to many motorcycles with two or more people.  The people are taller here too, and it’s kind of nice to no longer stand out in a crowd.

It’s a lot colder here too. OK, so I’ve been in southern California which isn’t really all that cold compared to the rest of the nation, but still, even with the beautiful weather this last week, it’s nowhere near as hot as living at the Equator. My first week back was much colder, and quite an adjustment for me.

Lots of other things I’ve noticed too – some that I miss, and some that I don’t.  Whether it’s traveling to a new country, or returning to my home country, it seems there are always changes and adjustments. I’m thankful that this has been a smooth adjustment.