Is the red light on??

Something that is waaaaaay different here is electricity. Normally in our town we are on an electricity cycle. Our normal power outage day is Tuesday but has switched to Thursday. This usually means that all day we're without power. All day means 9AM-5PM or earlier/later.

Homes are equipped with different electricity items too. We have a "stablizer". This regulates the power throughout the whole house, and hums when too much stuff is being used. When the red light is out, it means no power. When it's on, you should have power. It's become routine for us to pull into the driveway and automatically look to see if the red light is on. It's kinda like "Krispy-Kream" donut, but when our red light is on it means something totally different and unfortunately there are no fresh donuts. So we use this:



Know what this is? I didn't until I got here. It's an answer to prayer when your power has gone out. It's a generator. It generates electricity and allows us to pretend that our power is really on, even though it's not. It powers the AC, you can have internet, watch tv, run some fans. Wow, it's like the power isn't even off. The only downside of this "gift" is the loud noise that it makes while it's running and the horrible smell of deisel fumes that come out from it.

In other news: I have really been loving this song by Jeremy Camp called "Trust in You". One line says "I will trust in you, and I will not be afraid". Living here we have to trust for soooo much. We have to trust for health, for friends, for safety, for flexibility, for safe food to eat, for safe water, for a house.... blah blah blah. So the other night while I was thinking (aka worrying) about all of these issues, I decided to make a "Do Not Worry" list. I put things on here that I am choosing NOT to worry about. Our major one right now is 1. we need friends. 2. we need a house.

1. We have people that we're getting to know, but everyone is in a totally different place than we are. They have their schedules, friends, circles, and we just don't fit into those because we're new. We are the only married couple (probably in all of Indonesia) that don't have kids yet! That was only a very tiny exaggeration. Honestly though in all of Sentani, we probably really ARE the only married couple with no kids. We have a kitten and are "dog-sitting".

2. We need a house. Right now we're living in a temporary house that is totally amazing. This house has hot water for showers, an AC-ed bedroom, cable tv, fast and reliable internet. We were totally spoiled moving here for our first home in Sentani. The home is a home to a family that is visiting the States and come back in October. So we'll stay until the end of September, but will need to move obviously before they get back. They might not want us to be roommates :) So we've started looking for other options. Here's the thing- there's not really anything permanent opening up. The first time I heard that I thought "Yeah right, in ALL of Sentani, NOTHING is opened." Here's what this means: no homes that were previously lived in by Westerners are available. Lots of Indonesian homes are open. This means that they need lots of renovations done to them. The cost of building material is very high right now, so building or renovating is kinda out of the question. So our other option is to house hop. We move from temporary home to temporary home until something long-term opens up. See how this could be a stressor??? BUT I have chosen NOT to worry about this issue. I have to believe that if God has called us here, provided everything (and more) thus far, He must have a place that we can afford and are happy in. So we wait.

I will trust and not be afraid, worried, anxious, freakin' out, or strrreesssssed! No. I will love God and be thankful for EVERYTHING He has freely given to us! This is small stuff in comparison to what our Indonesian friends deal with daily. They love God, trust Him for everything, thank Him for everything, and truly set the example of what it means to trust God. They are teaching me so much more than I am teaching them. Just sit back, watch, and learn. We can learn so much when we stop thinking we know everything and just listen. That could go for not only learning from others, but also learning from God.

So, maaf (i'm sorry), but

close your mouth,

listen.