We're going to visit a remote village in the jungle...yay! Trekking through the jungle to get there. Sleeping under the stars in mosquito nets. Will be back in 3 days and will let you all know how it went!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Sarah's photos
Well, it was time to have a go at the camera myself. While I'm no Ben Adams, I do love shooting, and the kids are fantastic. They have been holding the portable flash for us and dragging round our heavy bag with all our camera stuff in it too. Ben wants to bring them home with us!
We've mainly been taking photos the last couple of days and have plans to go to a village tomorrow, it just depends on whether we can get the right paperwork or not. There's so much red tape and not a lot of people willing to help, but we'll get there.
We've mainly been taking photos the last couple of days and have plans to go to a village tomorrow, it just depends on whether we can get the right paperwork or not. There's so much red tape and not a lot of people willing to help, but we'll get there.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Walk to the Workshop
Yesterday afternoon we headed to the workshop to get some photos. This is Mark and in the background you can see his Kijang, which he rolled off one of the roads here a couple of months back. It is only by God's grace that he is still alive and he is a pretty amazing guy. You can also see a bit of their view - the beautiful mountains of Borneo - alot better then your average mechanics!
On the walk there, we took some photos of these workers - they are working on the trusses for the Bakery which is being built at the moment. Afterwards, it was back to the room for a rest, as we are both still not well, but are finally on the mend - thanks for all your prayers!
On the walk there, we took some photos of these workers - they are working on the trusses for the Bakery which is being built at the moment. Afterwards, it was back to the room for a rest, as we are both still not well, but are finally on the mend - thanks for all your prayers!
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Grace Gradens
Still Ben blogging. We have had a team of Malaysians staying here for a week, they have been teaching Chinese to the children here. They have also been working hard down in the 'Grace Gardens', this is where they grow a lot of vegetables and bannana's. The Malaysians have been digging a whole heap of new garden beds and planting vegetables, some of which have already sprouted - which they were quite proud of!
This is David, he was great to have a chat to, he helped me translate our design work into Chinese for us. They all left here on Saturday morning. Currently we English speaking visitors are being outnumbered by the dutch - they are everywhere!
This is David, he was great to have a chat to, he helped me translate our design work into Chinese for us. They all left here on Saturday morning. Currently we English speaking visitors are being outnumbered by the dutch - they are everywhere!
Big Bad Boys from Birmingham
Ben here, I have hijacked Sarah's blog - so say goodbye to any good writing styles for the next couple of posts! Its Sunday afternoon here, and there's not much going on, we were trying to catch a ride into town to get some sweet supplies - but we are not in luck today!
So the other day we went and took some photos of our British friends working hard in the orchid here. They had the unenviable task of digging up the soil around the 230 trees in the orchid to allow the water to soak into the soil. It was another stinking hot day, we felt pretty bad just rocking up and taking a few photos while they sweated out enough fluid to water all the trees. . .
These boys are a mean looking bunch - not to be messed with, especially the one in the middle - Rob (aka 'Bobert') the leader of the pack who also doubles as a tax advisor. . .
So the other day we went and took some photos of our British friends working hard in the orchid here. They had the unenviable task of digging up the soil around the 230 trees in the orchid to allow the water to soak into the soil. It was another stinking hot day, we felt pretty bad just rocking up and taking a few photos while they sweated out enough fluid to water all the trees. . .
These boys are a mean looking bunch - not to be messed with, especially the one in the middle - Rob (aka 'Bobert') the leader of the pack who also doubles as a tax advisor. . .
Friday, July 24, 2009
Swimming in the River
On Thursday afternoon, we headed down to the river for a swim...it was so refreshing! I haven't been well the last few days, but I am so glad we went.
The river is where they get the sand to make the concrete for all the construction work going on here - they simple pump it out. Some men live down by the river in this little floating house to keep an eye on everything.
There's a rope swing too...and yes I did have a couple of swings and it was a LOT of fun!! A couple of the guys climbed up the tree and jumped in too, but I wasn't quite that brave (or stupid).
As it hasn't rained much lately, the water is fairly clear, which means it's ok to swim, as we can see the snakes...yes, snakes! We didn't see any, thank goodness, and it's so hot here even the thought of them in the water didn't put me off going in!
The river is where they get the sand to make the concrete for all the construction work going on here - they simple pump it out. Some men live down by the river in this little floating house to keep an eye on everything.
There's a rope swing too...and yes I did have a couple of swings and it was a LOT of fun!! A couple of the guys climbed up the tree and jumped in too, but I wasn't quite that brave (or stupid).
As it hasn't rained much lately, the water is fairly clear, which means it's ok to swim, as we can see the snakes...yes, snakes! We didn't see any, thank goodness, and it's so hot here even the thought of them in the water didn't put me off going in!
Graphics
Earlier in the week, Ben and I designed some simple donation and sponsor forms for Living Waters. Ronny (who runs this place) is often traveling around speaking about what they do here, and encouraging people to sponsor a child or donate. While we're not going to win a prize for our designs, we did have a lot of fun doing them! We then had them translated into Chinese (thanks to some visiting Malaysians) and also Bahasa (thanks Evelyn).
Tuesday saw our team leave - we hope they had a safe, air-conditioned coach trip back to Jakarta! Tuesday also saw me rise at 4am to help with kitchen duties before devotions. I never knew I'd be chopping up cabbage at 4am in the middle of Borneo - but God did!
Tuesday saw our team leave - we hope they had a safe, air-conditioned coach trip back to Jakarta! Tuesday also saw me rise at 4am to help with kitchen duties before devotions. I never knew I'd be chopping up cabbage at 4am in the middle of Borneo - but God did!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Welcome Jude!
We are the proud aunt and uncle to beautiful baby Jude Lucas Baker! We are very sad to have missed his birth, but are very much looking forward to meeting him when we return. Until then, this will have to do...
Also, we have fixed up the comments option, so anyone can post a comment without having to sign in. Hope that encourages the Adams' family to comment, as Ben is feeling neglected.
Also, we have fixed up the comments option, so anyone can post a comment without having to sign in. Hope that encourages the Adams' family to comment, as Ben is feeling neglected.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Soccer in Mangala
On Sunday, we had a sleep-in...yay! Then we had church, which was great. Even though we can't understand the language, it is still wonderful to be able to get together and sing and worship God with people from all over the world (Holland, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand etc). Half way thorugh the service, we went out with the children and they had Sunday school. We played Kings, Queens and Jacks first - and the kids thought Ben and my attempt to play was hilarious (we lost badly).
In the afternoon we went to Mangala to watch the Living Waters' soccer team play - it is amazing to see the difference between the two places, even though they are only 10 minutes apart. Living Waters has no rubbish, fresh water, clean clothed children etc while Mangala was strewn with rubbish, most of the houses were half finished and the children were dirty and many malnourished. It was very sad to see, but also highlighted the amazing work that is going on here and the hope and future it gives to the children.
Ben made friends with some of the local kids and spent the time playing with them (in fact, none of us really paid much attention to the soccer match)- here are some of his photos...
In the afternoon we went to Mangala to watch the Living Waters' soccer team play - it is amazing to see the difference between the two places, even though they are only 10 minutes apart. Living Waters has no rubbish, fresh water, clean clothed children etc while Mangala was strewn with rubbish, most of the houses were half finished and the children were dirty and many malnourished. It was very sad to see, but also highlighted the amazing work that is going on here and the hope and future it gives to the children.
Ben made friends with some of the local kids and spent the time playing with them (in fact, none of us really paid much attention to the soccer match)- here are some of his photos...
That same day...
On Saturday before the treasure hunt, we also took photos of the new children for their sponsorship cards (children have sponsors here - similar to Compassion). There were 63 in total - and it was a mission to get them all! Luckily we had Evelyn and Candra to translate for us and someone else to round the kids up and bit by bit we got there.
Later that night, we headed off to celebrate Mark's birthday with real chocolate cake (it's been too long already) and yummy slice too. Mark and Kerry are missionaries from our church that live here and look after the mechanic's workshop and teaching.
Then we got together with everyone in the Training Centre for the monthly birthday celebration. Everyone born in July had to get up the front and dance! There were about 25 children and foreigners up there and it was very funny. They were given coke and chocolate, so it was definitely worth it.
Afterwards, we all sat around in groups on the floor and shared curry puffs and other Indonesian savoury snacks before the kids crowded around the small tv and watched Ironman before bed.
Later that night, we headed off to celebrate Mark's birthday with real chocolate cake (it's been too long already) and yummy slice too. Mark and Kerry are missionaries from our church that live here and look after the mechanic's workshop and teaching.
Then we got together with everyone in the Training Centre for the monthly birthday celebration. Everyone born in July had to get up the front and dance! There were about 25 children and foreigners up there and it was very funny. They were given coke and chocolate, so it was definitely worth it.
Afterwards, we all sat around in groups on the floor and shared curry puffs and other Indonesian savoury snacks before the kids crowded around the small tv and watched Ironman before bed.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Treasure Hunt
Sorry it's been a while - we will try and update more regularly I promise. We've been very busy the last few days and having a lot of fun of course!
On Saturday we helped our team run a treasure hunt for the kids - there were about 120 children running around having the time of their lives! During the week the kids had made their own bandannas, pompoms and team flags, so they looked fantastic. They had to complete 9 different activities and be the first back at station 10 to get their treasure map. Then they had to follow the map and find the buried treasure (lollypops and plastic medals). It was so much fun to see them running around and they really loved it!
On Saturday we helped our team run a treasure hunt for the kids - there were about 120 children running around having the time of their lives! During the week the kids had made their own bandannas, pompoms and team flags, so they looked fantastic. They had to complete 9 different activities and be the first back at station 10 to get their treasure map. Then they had to follow the map and find the buried treasure (lollypops and plastic medals). It was so much fun to see them running around and they really loved it!
Friday, July 17, 2009
Cute Kids
Last night we also ran another kid's program while Judy talked to the adults about general health and hygiene in the Training Centre. We had different stations which the kids moved around - chalk drawing, games, photos, bubbles and craft. Ben and I had a ball taking pictures of the children - here are just a few..
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Working hard
The last three days have been a lot of fun. We've been up bright and early (5am) and after devotions and breakfast I've headed off to the building site with Ben and the other workers. We've been digging trenches for the plumbing and also jack-hammering holes through the concrete walls for the pipes to go through. It's hard work on the best of days, so with the heat and humidity, it's even tougher.
After what seemed like ages on Wednesday, I was so shocked to find out it was only ten past nine in the morning - that's one of the 'joys' of getting up so early! We've been having our smoko at 9.30am, which consists of coffee and biscuits (when we're lucky) and then it's back to work until lunch, which is at 12pm.
I don't know if I've mentioned it yet, but the food here is fantastic - it's like eating Thai take-away every day! I'm going to help out in the kitchens soon and am hoping to learn a lot about how they cook so I can do it when I get home. Ben likes this idea alot.
After lunch, the guys go back to the building site but I've been cleaning up and having a bit of a break before heading out in the afternoons to help with the kid's program some of our team are running. The kids have been having such a good time playing games, singing, doing craft and making paper hats. They are all so adorable and we are learning a few key words in Bahasa so we can encourage them.
After dinner on Thursday we played 'jacks' or 'knuckles' with a group of kids - they are all really good at it...and we're not! A lot of the kids carry around 5 small rocks and they play the game whenever they have a little time to spare.
We're loving it here and are excited that our adventure has only just begun - it's challenging and very rewarding!
After what seemed like ages on Wednesday, I was so shocked to find out it was only ten past nine in the morning - that's one of the 'joys' of getting up so early! We've been having our smoko at 9.30am, which consists of coffee and biscuits (when we're lucky) and then it's back to work until lunch, which is at 12pm.
I don't know if I've mentioned it yet, but the food here is fantastic - it's like eating Thai take-away every day! I'm going to help out in the kitchens soon and am hoping to learn a lot about how they cook so I can do it when I get home. Ben likes this idea alot.
After lunch, the guys go back to the building site but I've been cleaning up and having a bit of a break before heading out in the afternoons to help with the kid's program some of our team are running. The kids have been having such a good time playing games, singing, doing craft and making paper hats. They are all so adorable and we are learning a few key words in Bahasa so we can encourage them.
After dinner on Thursday we played 'jacks' or 'knuckles' with a group of kids - they are all really good at it...and we're not! A lot of the kids carry around 5 small rocks and they play the game whenever they have a little time to spare.
We're loving it here and are excited that our adventure has only just begun - it's challenging and very rewarding!
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Too many photos for one blog...
Ben suggested the title - I couldn't choose which photos to show! Today has been a busy day. Up at 5.30am for devotions (this is a daily routine - argh!) then breakfast and off to work.
Firstly, we delivered the school shoes and socks which we brought over with us - 130 pairs of cute little black shoes :)
Then I went to the medical clinic and helped the doctor with some patient record filing. Wilika is from Holland and is here for 2 months. She has organised the clinic and written up patient files for all the children and has done a wonderful job of sorting through the medical supplies so there is some order in the clinic.
Ben went off to document the team's movements before joining the building team. They're digging trenches for the sewage pipes at the new medical clinic building.
After lunch we went off to the school and taught some basic first aid to the teachers - I was the patient and had fun having my arms and legs bandaged!
When we came back from the school we spent some time playing with the kids - they are all so beautiful and friendly. We let a few take some photos with Ben's camera - here is the one we took of Ben.
We've got a worship meeting tonight (they are on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays), so we're looking forward to that, and then an early-ish night before it all starts again!
Firstly, we delivered the school shoes and socks which we brought over with us - 130 pairs of cute little black shoes :)
Then I went to the medical clinic and helped the doctor with some patient record filing. Wilika is from Holland and is here for 2 months. She has organised the clinic and written up patient files for all the children and has done a wonderful job of sorting through the medical supplies so there is some order in the clinic.
Ben went off to document the team's movements before joining the building team. They're digging trenches for the sewage pipes at the new medical clinic building.
After lunch we went off to the school and taught some basic first aid to the teachers - I was the patient and had fun having my arms and legs bandaged!
When we came back from the school we spent some time playing with the kids - they are all so beautiful and friendly. We let a few take some photos with Ben's camera - here is the one we took of Ben.
We've got a worship meeting tonight (they are on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays), so we're looking forward to that, and then an early-ish night before it all starts again!
Our first few days...
Saturday started with an early morning flight to Denpasar, Bali - which was quite quick and uneventful (which is a very good thing when you're flying with Garuda Airlines). After the church teams had some immigration issues which meant we almost missed our connecting flight, we did make it to Jakarta Saturday night and loaded up the church bus with 28 people and LOTS of luggage.
We went to GVI church the next morning and then caught our flight to Pontiniak, Borneo. Our 'air-conditioned coach' turned out to be an old mini-bus with open windows and our 11 hour trip turned out to be 15 hours - probably has something to do with the driver stopping for dinner...and then to take a shower at his house...and then to have a sleep...and then to have a smoke...and then to have another nap...you get the idea!
We are now at Living Waters, which is amazing. There are orphanages, volunteer quarters, a training centre, workshop and heaps more. We're finally off to bed now but will update more on what we'll actually be doing soon.
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