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.

Help Me Understand

I am fairly new to this world of blogging. I added "followers" to the blog thinking that was a cool addition the page. My "goal" was ten, but now we have 11. (Thanks for thinking this is cool enough to follow) :)

The thing is I have NO idea how to use it! I have so many blogs that I want to follow, but I don't know how. So, I just add them to the "other's stories" section. Please help me understand how to use this. I just don't get it.

So I thought I would google photo "how to use follower". I got some interesting feedback. Here's some results:

"I use my del.icio.us account as a ..." (what does this even mean??)


"follow the herd"


"are you a qwitter or a follower"


So my google image search was NO help at all but highly entertaining :) Maybe you could be of more help? Thanks!

-A

Sneezes and Updates

Achoo! Achoo! AAAAAAAchooooo! This is becoming a common sound in the Harrington (temporary) house! The house we are living in is right across the street from a saw mill. The saw mill is "noisy", but the constant sound of the saws running almost becomes theraputic. The mill dumps the saw dust on the street in front of us and burns it. It never really burns completely though. Just a constant fire for those saw dust particles that wish to burn up. Unfortunately, there's also a growing trash dump across the street too. It was small when we first moved, but word has spread and more trash is being tossed there. In many foreign countries trash is a big non-issue that most Americans don't (or can't) understand. We just try to set an example by throwing away things in a trashcan. The only way to get rid of your trash is to burn it. So once a week, Josh will burn our trash. It's just one of the things you have to adjust to, because if you don't you'll have lots of trash piling up around your house. Then people might think your place is the place to dump the trash! :)

This past Wednesday we had a meeting with the elementary and highschool principals at the international school. Josh and I were just wanting to hear what options were open. God was really great and provided a position that everyone thought would fit me best. I have no offical teaching experience. I have a certificate, graduated, and worked with kids at the church for a year. So, I have some experience, but not a full-time job experience. The position offered to me was.... drumroll.... 6th grade! As of right now, there are eight 6th graders. This position will be... drumroll... part-time! Why am I excited about part-time? Honestly, I would answer this by saying-because it's scary thinking about teaching. I'm only scared because this is my first time. I guess it's the "first year teaching jitters". Does that exist? Well, it does now. God opened these doors, and I have to trust that He will walk me through everyday. I only want to glorify God, and give these students what they need. The principals were SUPER encouraging. They said things like "we want you to succeed", "we want to help you", "you will not get fired if you struggle". You might never hear these things in a public school in the States!

So, I'm excited. I'm excited because we've been waiting on the Lord for Him to open up doors for where my place/role would be. He has a role for us all, but it's so hard sometimes to wait for Him to answer! Oh boy, but when He DOES answer- you better look out because it will be incredible. Think about it, the God who positioned the universe so perfectly also positions/plans the events in my life that shape and mold me into who He wants me to be. Wow. So, we're walking with God through this time.

Thanks for staying tuned with what's happening with the Harringtons. :)

we love you and miss you.

Groggy Sundays

After a long Sunday afternoon nap which resulted in a state of "groggy-ness or grogginess", I am going to attempt to recap some of this weekend.

Before this, let me tell you a story of our life. While we were in language school, we received news that my lil' grandma found out that she had cancer. There are very few moments when you realize how far away from home you REALLY are, but this was one for me (the other was Thanksgiving). We spread the news around and loads of friends and churches were praying for her. She started the radiation treatment, hoping it would shrink the cancer on her lung, making it easier for her to breathe. She had an appointment with a chemo doctor this past week. They ran some tests, and the results were totally a God-thing! No cancer on the lung! The cancer that was in her throat- so small, not even felt by the hand! This means no need for chemo!! Are we happy? Yes, we are. Am I praising the Lord? Yes, I am. Do I know we should be here? Yes, I do!

That very day I got word that one of my bff's from college was waaaaaaay sick. This might not be a big deal, but she lives in a different third world country. Let me tell you, we often pray for health living here. If something goes wrong, we pray that God can heal it, because it is scary going to a hospital here or any other third world country. She went, because she had to have surgery. She had accute apendicitice (hard word to spell, not sure if it's right, still groggy). We're keeping updated with her status through facebook (Thanks facebook!) So, we continue to pray for God's goodness to shine through into her life. She's had loads stories, sure there's more to come in her short time left there. Love you... you know who you are. :)

Friday I spent in Abe- no not Abe like Abe Lincoln, but like this "Ahh-bay", shopping with three other gals. Sometimes the better deals are this city, but now thanks to "the mall" there are more options here in Sentani. It was a good trip of getting to know these ladies, and buying dishes. Yes, I bought dishes. Woah. That's a grown-up moment in my life. They match too. Cute dishes, red mugs, bright colored mixing bowls, a serving dish, and a casserole dish- all around $30-$40 USD.

Saturday we hit our favorite spot- the beach. We went with three other families on a taxi boat. One of the most amazing things that we have done since we moved here, we did yesterday. We snorkled. Now you might be thinking," Snorkling? Hmmm, you can do that here too. It might be just as amazing." Well.... I don't know about that. There were no prime snorkling spots in the DFW area. Our friends let us borrow some of their gear. We saw A M A Z I N G things that most people in the world will never know exists. We met the cast and family members of the film "Finding Nemo", and they were in their natural habitat.

The whole time when my face was underwater, when I wasn't focusing on breathing through the tube, I was admiring how creative God is. Everything under the water was doing EXACTLY what God created it to do! The fish were swimming in their schools, the coral was hiding the sea urchents, the starfish were displaying their bright colors of blue to the best of their ability- not for me to see, but to give glory to the One who created him! The seaweed was swaying with the pull of the undertow and current like it was praising the Lord with a song of praise! We were there. We saw creation praising their Creator! Everyday He receives praise from dogs chasing their tails, from trees losing their leaves just to get even more beautiful ones back the next spring, from birds soaring on the jetstreams that we don't even know exist, and from the many clumps of stars, universes, and black holes- He gets the glory! All of it- it's all His! Neat. It was like when my face was underwater, I heard a loud music and voices praising God. When I pulled my head out- nothing. Head in- Music, Head out- nothing! Head in was much better.

God receives the most glory, when His creation does what they were created to do. What are you created to do? How are you bringing God the MAXIMUM amount of glory in your life? We pray the with clarity you can see what it is that God created you to do, and that you would do it! It's one thing to know and do it. It's another thing to know and life's circumstances or comfort to hold you back from really EXPERIENCING life. Not just drudging through life with a routine lacking joy. I'm on the search for the kind of life that glorifies God in EVERY action, thought, word, deed- everything.

So after this long, exciting weekend we are resting. Groggy Sundays are ok with us.

Hello, Life is calling.

As I settle into this new role of housewife, I am beginning to live a life of availability for God. If someone calls,"Hey want to go run errands with me?" Yessssss, I do. "Hey do you want to go with me to this village on the lake- in 5 minutes?" Yessssss, I do. It's amazing what God will do with you when you have an open schedule. Here's one of the adventures!

Meet my friends, Christy and Ibu Ona. We sat on this trip together this last Wednesday.



We headed by boat-taxi to a village call Yoboi (pronounced "Yo-Boy")to visit a woman from the church who had given birth to a baby boy the week before. She was having issues feeding the baby, because her milk had dried up. Christy bought some presents and some formula for the mom. Our purpose was to encourage this new mom with the Word, prayer, songs, and testimony. Her husband is not a believer, but she and her family are. Here's some of the sights from the boat:



While waiting to leave on the taxi, we heard this cry that sound like either a cry of death, a cry for help, or something else. It wasn't pleasant. We didn't know what it was, that was until we saw the goat. This goat's legs were tied up and had just arrived from a lake village. The goat would ride by ojek or a motorcycle taxi to its next stop. The ojek driver just tied the goat around his waist to keep him on the back of the motorbike. Let's hope they made it to their destination with no problems!



We also saw this fisherman in his dugout canoe. This is the trunk of a tree that is "dug out" into a canoe. They can be many different shapes and sizes.



We saw the village. This village is unique because the entire thing is built on a huge boat dock. The houses are built on stilts. To go to your friends house you can walk over the bridges, swim, or take your dugout canoe.





Our friend lived at the very end of the bridge. We think they ran out of strong wood pieces and had to revert to the use of tree bark. The bridge to a beginner (or anyone who doesn't live in Yoboi) is weak. But to the experienced, you just have to know where to step. So, Momma, came out to help us cross the bridge. Christy went first, Ibu Ona followed, and I brought up the rear... with the help of Momma.









After crossing the scary bridge of death... a little exaggeration but you get the picture... we made it to our friend's house. We walked into seeing a dark skinned Indonesian three year old bathing next to her mom who was holding her brand new baby brother. We oooed and ahhhed over the baby. He's a cutie!









Momma has her own dugout canoe. "Do you want to ride?" Yesssssss, I do! So the new mom disappears for a little while. She comes back to the backdoor with their canoe. So we all climb in with this beautiful three year old and Momma. Every movement was felt in this canoe. You turn your head, and you feel like you're going to tip. There was never a "aaahhh this is no nice" moment. It was always a "hang on to the edge, enjoy the scenery, but focus!" moment.









Here is a close up of Titin, the three year old sister, and Momma.





Here's the view of the hills from the dugout canoe ride with Momma.



They gave us a ride back to meet the boat taxi in their dugout canoe. They went to "park", and Titin had to duck. She was obedient and ducked until they had cleared the low bridge.



That was our adventure to Yoboi. It was a neat trip. God allowed me to enter into homes, hearts, and establish relationship with a lot of people. How amazing is that?

Here's some random photos of our (temporary) home and our kitty #3. This house has loads of fruit trees in front of it- pineapples, guava, papaya, lemon, and bananas.



Meet kitty #3. Her name is Molto. What is "molto"? Molto is nothing special, but it's a fabric softner used to make your clothes smell nice used by many Indonesians. I had no idea what this was until my (temporary) househelper brought it to use it on our clothes. She mixed Molto (the fabric softer, not the cat) with water in a spray bottle to use while she was ironing. When we got the cat, we were told a spray bottle will help quicken the training process. So, she would try to climb our legs and we would spray her. The very first time she was sprayed she smelled like flowers! We couldn't figure out why, until we realized we sprayed her with Molto. Lucu (pronounced Loo-chu, this means funny/cute) story!






So that's all for now. I'm glad we have this blogspot to share with you about our daily life here. It's a little different from the States, but Indonesians take joy in many of the same things you do. You have a lot more in common than you may think!

-A

"Let the Road Pave Itself"

That is the title of a new cd that I bought on Itunes a few days ago. His name is Phillip LaRue. I really like his sound, and the lyrics are fresh.

This weekend we really did let the road pave itself. Our friends invited us to go to the beach with them. They forewarned us that this "wouldn't be the "normal beach trip" that most Westerners take. It's not the "touristy" beach trip. We're going to a village with our househelper, and we have no idea what it might be like. It'll only be for the day, you can come or not, it's up to you." We were undecided until Friday. We committed to this adventure. Saturday morning welcomed us with rain. I thought this was our scape-goat! I called," Are we still going, even with the rain?" My answer was "Yep!". So we loaded up and met up for an adventure.

We got into two cars, about an hour behind our schedule,

***Side note***
Schedules really carry no importance with most Indonesians. They value relationship more than schedule, so being an hour behind is still "on schedule" for our friends. :) ***end of side note***

a car for the girls and car for the boys. After about an hour or so, we pulled up to a dock parked with boats. This is where would catch our "taxi" that would take us to Ibu Dina (our friend's househelper)'s village. We load up all of our stuff, bags, cooler, sunscreen, hats, and head to our destination. We left this dock and saw some amazing things along the way!



Here are some shots from the boat trip.

This was one of the many beautiful beaches we saw. It looked pretty deserted to us. At one point, all of our friends were yelling at people that lived on the very top of the mountain. They had a garden up on the top. We had no idea! So, we started yelling too!



We bought these hats to protect our face from the harsh sunlight that blesses us everyday! We felt a little goofy, but our faces are safe! Years later our faces will thank us!



Our half-way point was a stop at another village along the way. This small village had a school that one of Ibu Dina's boys went to. So, we dropped off a nurse that lived in the village and picked up her son and his school teacher and headed on our way. This was the water that we saw when we pulled up! Sooooo clear!



When we pulled up, a group of boys were swimming in the ocean. They were having a great time!


The village.


So we "docked".


This boy was hanging from the boat. He had the right idea and wanted to come along. It didn't last long, because the driver yelled at him to get off.


We unloaded, reloaded, and set off again.


Once we got to our destination, Bukisi, we unloaded and headed straight for the water! This is Bukisi.



It was soooo refreshing after being on the boat for about an hour. The kids all stripped down and ran for the water. They loved rubbing the sand all over themselves and then running to the water.



I made some friends with some of the older girls. We swam together and took a walk through the village. Frila (the girl on the right) had a relative that lived in the village. As we walked through the village, I noticed that people not only stared but when I waved or said hi they got very shy and either turned their heads or ran away! Then my new friends told me that I was the first Westerner that had come to their village. How amazing!





I just couldn't handle that these kids were just watching our group. Why didn't they join in? I was so confused. They were shy. So I asked if we could play together. We tossed around a soccerball for a little bit. At first they were very serious, but the first time one of their friends got hit in the back of the head with the plastic ball everyone started laughing! Everyone was watching- people from the boat, and people from the village!



The day was coming to an end, and we needed to get back. So we loaded up on the boat again after a great day at the beach! Here are some photos from the boat on the way back.

Opening Doors

I have officially hit the streets of Sentani. Yes, that means I am driving now. It's very different than in the States, because Indonesians drive on the opposite site of the road. The steering wheel is on the opposite side of the car. Our car is a standard/stick shift model. I have only sat in or practiced a few times in one of these. Now we own a standard, so I have to learn if I want to leave the house. So far, so good. No damage to me, the car, landmarks, or Indonesians. I feel like I'm 15 all over again.

Since we moved here we have introduced ourselves or been welcomed about three times. Tonight is the third time. We have to tell a plane story (guess who will be doing that one) and a personal God did something amazing story. God does amazing stuff everyday. We can say it in English and someone will translate, or we can say it in Indonesian. I think I would like to say it in Indonesian. We went to school for about 9 months to learn the language, there's no better time to use it!

I never realized how much of a door opener language is. Language is one of the keys to understanding, the key to building a relationship, the key to feeling comfortable or "in the know" of things. Language allows someone to know that you are important and worth the time. It's really quite amazing.