It Is Friday morning June 5th

Hello from Karawaci

Well it has been a good week still loving my students and enjoying my time here. Tomorrow more sight seeing as we will go to Bogor and see the Botanical Gardens. I will take some pictures to post so you can enjoy this as well.

I now am back to three classes, four hours each. Two are the same Marriage and family but the class was large and difficult as far as classroom mgt. was concerned. So I had nineteen students that wanted to come on Wednesday it gives them a chance to sleep in as class begins at &:15 and ends at 10:50. I try to give them two breaks in order to prevent them from getting up and walking out to the restroom or use their cell phones. Cell phones are big here it seems everyone has one attached to their ear at all times. I admire the way they can text and walk at the same time. I barely can text or walk in a straight line. But then you all know how very graceful I am right?

I thank Pastor Carl and Laura for the use of their IPOD it has been a great blessing. I fall asleep listening to one of my pastor boys preach. Last night it was Dan. What a talented and gifted bunch we have at SHC. I really miss everyone but on;y on occasion due I have a twinge of homesickness. My girls are always on heart and and mind and I hear from them pretty frequently.

We were hoping to have Fridays off but Sheldon has not cleared that yet. I do kinda stir crazy being tied to this desk which is too high and my shoulders get tired typing but hey it is a place to get work done and visit with students as they come in to ask questions about assignments.

The students are bright and about half are visual learners the other have is a combination of audio and kinisetic. The students do well with group work and are able to connect previous learning with the subject being taught. This is refreshing as some of our students are a little slow in connecting the dots.

One thing that has been nice is I have been able to use scripture, Bible stories throughout my lessons. I have not had any students come and say they were offended. PTL. However, that does not mean it has not happened as the people here do not confront anybody for fear of hurting your feelings so all I can do is rely on the Lord and the Holy Spirit to accomplish His will in their lives. They do marvel that I am teaching and reasonably active at my age.

The Mall here was burned down during the riot and rebuilt. it is humongous and carries almost everything one could need. It is fun just to walk around. The Muslim women wear their head coverings and I am told they are not the militants but more liberal in their lives. I did discover to win them over is pay attention to their children. They will even drag them over to talk with you and boy are they cute. One little guy I blew a kiss too and he reciprocated. I was thrilled, probably another sign of my age.

Things have gone well for Lela and I we have separate bedrooms and bathrooms. The school has housekeepers that come in three times a week to clean. Although I wish we had a few more cleaning agents in the apartment, we may go buy a few things. We did purchase extra towels. One place in the Mall sells towels by the pound, while another place will give you a slip and then you receive back the merchandise when you check out. Every store has their employees wear a uniform including employees here at UPH sounds likes oop pa haw. Sounds just like I spelled it.

Monday I will go to the high school to try and assist the school counselors. I met with two Sarah Weider, she is from the states and Angeline who is from here and Chinese. Sarah and I are the stocky ones the others are size o or smaller. Trying to find any clothes to buy is a real treasure hunt.

Well I will close for now. Write when you can using my Corban account. Thanks for your prayers and please continue for health for both Jim and I as he has been sick twice. Also for our classes that we will represent Christ well and serve these students and point them to a stronger relationship with Christ and for those who are not Christ Followers that they may be touched by the truth

Tuesday in hapel which is held at 7 am Johnathon the Proctor spoke about vision , call and the Lord's work being done through three types of people who were all transformed by the Word and the Lord. His examples were Joshua in Joshua I and he used the same verses when God called me to go to get my masters; Nehemiah when he had received the news about Jerusalem and how he prayed, confessed for his nation and himself and then when asked by the king how God supplied all he needed to reconstruct the Wall inspite of those who came against him and the work of God both inside and outsiders who were Jew's and gentiles alike, and finally good old Peter and we know of the Transformation in his life and service for the Lord in spreading the gospel. Alll in all it was a good reminder of God;s calling on my life and how faithful He is when I rely on Him alone to use this broken clay pot for His glory and honor. Please pray that I willbe obedient and not let My lord down.

My love to you all until God brings us toggether again. Love, ellen

Wednesday the 3rd: 9 am

Hi again, thought I would write a little note and share some of what is going on. First thank you all for praying the elevator is working and the lights keep going out. Lela and I were at the mall yesterday and sure enough the electricity went out as we were looking for towels. We happened to be on the second floor. Talk about an interesting time trying to find our way around to the now stopped escalator and walk down praying it would not start up until we were on the first floor. PTL the lights came on shortly after arriving on the first floor.

My classes are interesting and lively. The students would not make it in the states bot because of their intelligence but their inability to sit for any length of time in class. They come and go at will but hopefully that will change this next week as the add/drop time is over this Friday. Because of this flex I am not exactly sure how many I have in class. I broke my Marriage and Family class into two separate classes Monday and Wednesday. Hopefully this will help on classroom management as I will be able to implement some guidelines for attendance, tardiness and their talkativeness. Not having textbooks for the sudents poses a different problem. the students now copy my notes, and agendas. They are wonderful kids and very respectful so you don't know if you have offended them or not. Five of them want me to be their grandma. they also have some real hardships. Some are experiencing abandonment from their parents. Once they are sent to school regardless of age, the parents place the rearing of their children in the hands of their teachers. They fell rejected and hurt and do not understand why? Other students have mixed faith parents like one girl whose father is Muslim and mother is a Christan. She says there is not any arguing or apparent conflict in there home so I am having her interview them as her couple. She is a sweetie and it is very hard not to love these kids, even the goof offs. Most of these kids are bright but have no idea about what t0 do with their education. I'd like to bring some of them home with me.

Our apartment is very nice even luxurious but they only use a bottom sheet, no paper towels, and one fry pan was supplied. thank God for air conditioners though or I am not sure I would make it for very long here. We are fortunate to have a washer and dryer because most people do not have a dryer as they are a luxury. We do our own laundry but had a sweet gal offer to do it at a very reasonable price and she irons it as well. So, I gave her some cotton skirts and a top, they were done very nicely. So, I gave Jim Hills the gals name and number and he is thankful he no longer needs to wash and iron his own shirts. All of us eat out alot because it is cheaper than buying groceries.

Now for anyone who wants to come next year here are some suggestions: don't bring much in the line of stomach and diarrhea meds you can buy them here. I left several of skirts at home thinking they would be too hot, wrong. Close toed shoes a must. Have not used my sunblock, too muggy to stay outside. Be prepared to buy or bring an extra towel. hey do furnish one bath towel and hand towel but nothing more. You can tell this is a very poor country as they earn about $4000 a year. Television is another area you might want to bring DVD's to watch as there is very little on our TV. Fox news and CNN have no access for us. But on a brighter note they have Saturday Night Market where small vendors bring there wears. It is surprising to see how many come to the open square. Prices are good as well but finding something in our sizes can be a challenge. For entertainment there are singers with their bands, and a man covered in sparkled gray makeup with a peasant hat and fishing pole in pantomime. What a treat to watch.

We did discover a Wendy's always good for a baked potatoe vs rice and salad. Lee and I went to eat these the other night and a couple from Arkansas joined us. Sharon, the wife, suggested a beverage called Shanghai something, Let me see if I can explain the taste .. It was very colorful red on the bottom and the rest was green . Now as I sucked up the concoction through my straw the first thing to hit my taste buds was the odd flavor of corn, yes corn. On the bottom of this sweet drink was beans and corn. On top was a scoop of ice cream with chocolate syrup drizzled over it, the ice cream was good but the rest? Well needless to say horrible would be too mild word unless you added yukky with it.

Last night i met with Sarah and Angeline from the High School as they have asked me to do some training in how to help their students. Lord willing I can help some. But anyway we went to a restaurant,sports bar, for dinner. It was nice but reeked with cigarette smoke. The burger, yes a good old fashioned burger but no mayo, and fries. What a treat. Afterwards as we were leaving a horrible thunder and lightening storm occur ed. Scary!!!

They have Sunday church service at 7:30 am and Chapel on Tuesday's at 7 am. I have really enjoyed both. They sing all old hymns and use an interpreter most of time for us yanks. The Proctor spoke yesterday and it was a great reminder about Joshua, Nehemiah and Peter's calling in spite of their fear, present position or personality to always trust in Hm who does the calling and supplying of strength for the task at hand.

I will close for now but please write as it gets rather lonely for news from home. Very little news of the world around us and although everyone is friendly and nice I miss my family, friends and Church staffers. In case that is not subtle enough it would nice to hear from SHC pastors and staffers...

My love to you all,
ellen

P.S. pray I will not run into a cobra snake.

Hi from Karawaci

Well it is 4:30 pm and I am home from school. My marriage and family is now two classes., one will meet on Mondays the other on Wednesdays. The students here are very sweet but squirrly so I hope the division will help with class control. That is almost an oximoron. They walk in and out at will. Talk when other things are going on but that is there culture. They are very poor so the students came and got my notes and copied them as US textbooks are to high. It makes for an interesting class when they donot have a textbook to refer back too.

The electricity went out at midnight and I woke up drenched in sweat. Oops, I forgot horses sweat and women glow and boy was I glowing. It came back on about 6 am. And to my surprise the elevator was actually running so I did not have to walk down the stairs carrying my computer case.

Tomorrow I meet and have dinner with two student counselors at the k-12 school to discuss a seminar regarding issues with their students.

Lela and I are off to dinner at the Rice Bowl which was recommended to us. So, I will close for now and hopefully stop yawning. Working on a computer makes me very tired.

Blessings and don't forget to write. I'll answer those ho wrote me sometime this week.

Love, hugs and blessings, ellen

Sunday Evening May 30th

Hello, sorry I have not posted for a few days but by the time I get back to the apartment I am pooped. Between the jet lag and heat it was all I could do to teach my classes and work in the office. But good news I think the jet lag is over. I have slept the last three nights till 5 am.

Our classes begin at 7:15 but office hours are 7 am to 4 pm. Everyone has been helpful and are very kind. I have some students that want me to adopt them as it is sad that some feel abandoned by their parents and are not sure how to handle that disappointment.

Church begins at 7:30 am and I am trying to get a video of the service to bring back home so you can see how it is done Indonesia style. The school and denomination is Reformed Dutch. I am so impressed with their worship. This weeks sermon was somewhat difficult to follow. It seems that they read a passage, proceed to share their concerns and then return to the passage. The have a literature's who leads the worship and I really enjoy him and his prayers and insights.

Jim Hills has been a little under the weather and taking alot of Pepto Bismo tablets. So, much so that his tongue turned black. When we were in church Sheldon came over to speak with Jim and he asked Sheldon what he thought might be wrong and poor Sheldon's face dropped, Jim laughed. After church we went to a brunch held at the Country Club. It was expensive but very good.

The discrepancy between the rich and the poor is massive. They have a silent population that you do not see much but is quite large, the homeless. It seems most people work at something even if it just sweeping the street with a broom made from some form of straw like material. Those who sweep take great pride in what they do. One man has made it almost a dance as he sweeps. Many police and security people as well although I am not sure I feel anymore safe because they just look in the car or your bags and let you go. Some of us discussed this and came to the conclusion that their is pride in work even if it is menial, it is still work and with that comes a sense of satisfaction.

Lela and I are showing signs of aging. The elevator only works some times. So, the last three days we have had to walk up six flights of stairs which by themselves is a feat but when you are either carrying groceries or my computer case we have to stop between floors and catch our breath. Between or backs and feet we are a sight!

We were able to go to Jakarta yesterday. Again the contrast between the poor and rich, the old and the new is striking. The malls are unbelievable. There are some 10 stories high and the others are about 6 stories. We visited the Batik floor which consists of multiple sections and each section is a different vendor.

We had lunch with the Proctor, Sheldon and several other higher ups. It was nice. Then a few of the ladies in my office took us to lunch at a real Chinese restaurant. Very different.

Will close for now and I will attempt to upload some pictures Lela took. It would be nice to hear from you folks.

Blessings and love,

ellen and lela

Wednesday Morning

Hi all, it is wednesday and my Group Dynamic class closed so I am sitting at the desk preparing for class tomorrow.

Yesterday we wnet to Chapel and the speaker was very good. At noon we had lunch with the Rector, I think, and his wife, the heads of two departments, Sheldon and Jamie, and Jim, Lela, Sharon and Ian, they are from Arkansas. It was a great meal was able to foods I had not eaten before. One thing I can attest to they are great hosts.

Unfrtunately, the elevator was out so had to climb 6 floors to get to the apartment. I was pooped. Then had a return trip only down this time to be in the psych department at 7 am. Unfortunately, I am still suffering from jet lag. I tried my best to saty awake last night so maybe I could sleep past 2:30 am but to no avail. I died at 8 pm no matter how hard I tried. My boss, PaDiddy has been gracious and has let me leave at 2 pm. I am told my body should adjust in a week. I pray that is true.

He is quite bright and has written a book on rural psychology which he using in the classroom. He and his wife are going to take Lela and on an outting. He wanted to know if I was interested in the night life which he states is like Manila. I declined, we would like to go to the ocean.

Jim and I have talked and to say our experience has been two-fold, wonderful and somewhat disconcerting due to lack of textbooks and our students are very sociable in class and appear to havre a case of weak bladder as they get up out of class and come back anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes later. I am going to try and make a different start with my class tomorrow. Please pray for us , Jim and me, that some struture can be implemented without too much backlash.

One thing is for sure you can really understand what a great country we have and appreciate what we have access too.

I am sorry no more new pictures as I brought my camera but left the cable in the apartment.

Hope all is well and Jakie is doing okay. I miss you all and as much as this has so far been a great experience when the time comes I'll be glad to be home.

Love and blessings,
ellen

Classes began today

Good Afternoon, it is Monday at 3:20 pm. Today I held my first class of 39 students in attendance. It was a little nerve wracking because the students did not have textbooks or any articles which I had sent for copying. The students really like to talk while I was lecturing, but Stephanie Husk had forwarned me about this. Although it chatter can be disconcerting when we did a focus group the students knew the material. My second class may be cancelled because only 5 students signed up. Jim Hills had a struggle as well, wrong classroom, and student list.

Unfortunately I am still on Oregon time and woke this morning again at 2:30. The sleeping pills I bought so far has not corrected this problem. I keep hoping each night to sleep until at least 5 am. As a result of my tiredness after teaching 4 straight hours Lela and I had lunch and I returned to work but was so tired I left early and came home to take a short nap, hopefully this will help me to up later so I can get up at a decent hour.

The food here is good and very reasonable. It is cheaper to eat out than buy the food and cook, but it is still nice to stay home too. It rains and is in the 90's daily. The electricity went out this morning for about 20 minutes,

Tomorrow we have chapel at 7 am. Then at noon we will have lunch with the Presidents and other dignitaries. They really go out of their way to make us comfortable and that all our needs are met.

I am also including more photos from both Lela's and my camera. Hope all is well with you folks. We send our love.