Pictures Taken From A Moving Vehicle In Bali

How's that for a title?!

These little alters with umbrellas covering them were everywhere... always with little square baskets of food stacked in them. We saw these small baskets of food (a sacrifice?) outside shops, on the floor at the entrace to the airport lounge... really everywhere we went. Bali is mostly Hindu.

We saw these little shelves of oil all along the road. We weren't sure what it was... cooking oil? Maybe a drink of some kind? We found out that it is fuel for motorbikes. You pay for the fuel, pour it into your tank (one of these bottles fills a motorbike tank) and put the empty bottle back on the shelf. This picture was actually not taken from a moving vehicle, however it was taken from a vehicle. Caleb snapped this shot of us at a roadside fruit stand. Cows were roaming in the weeds on the side of the road opposite the fruit stand. Cows by the side of the road were a frequent sight.

Balinese women are very talented at carrying things on their heads.

Just a few guys piled in the back of a truck.

There are many, many motorcycles and motor scooters in Bali. Unlike Shanghai, there is not a separate lane to accomodate them, and they are constantly weaving in and around the already crazy traffic. Fortunately they seem much better about wearing helmets, which are almost never seen on a local in Shanghai. Too bad this little girl didn't have one... she looks like she might fall asleep on her feet! Big yawn!

Mr. Wu is forever telling us how Shanghainese "very like" KFC... I guess it's popular in Indonesia, too. This was a pretty large establishment.

We thought maybe this was a temple, but we were told it was a monument. A monument to what wasn't clear. Many of the temples we did pass had this same type of intricate design.

Hangin' Out At Seeds Of Hope

Here are a few more photos from our time at Seeds of Hope Children's Home. Seeing these pictures makes me hope for a return visit to be with the children again. They sure made their way into our hearts quickly!

Caleb and a new friend shoot in tandem.These four girls worked for more than an hour creating this little scene from play-doh, even adding bits of cotton as snow on the roof and tiny tree. They were pretty pleased with the results! It was so interesting to see even older kids be so interested in the craft supplies we brought... Thumb wrestling match with Scott... so fun!

More play-doh creations...

Preparing the afternoon snack
See Gwenny in the middle of the group? She almost blends right in! Her skin was actually a few shades lighter than the local kids.

Showing some little ones how to make a paper lantern. Sandra, the mother of the home, is in the background.

Madelyn and friends creating things out of colored paper.

At first just one girl and I were doodling a bit with the colored chalk, but soon our doodle grew into a big, rainbow heart that this whole group wanted to be a part of adding to. This was right before we left on our last day at Seeds of Hope. I was not looking forward to saying good-bye to the kids... part of the reason this heart got so big! Maybe if we add one more color around the outside, I can stay a little longer...

Lunch by the Beach

Have you seen the movie Mr. Bean's Holiday? Here is Caleb's impression of Mr. Bean eating his seafood lunch.

Say Again, Please?

This little sign was posted at the registers in a small grocery store in a shopping area near our hotel in Bali. We were a bit baffled by it at first, but after going through the check out line to purchase a few items, we soon found out what it meant. The currency in Indonesia is rupiah, and it is incredibly inflated. One US dollar is equal to between 10,500 and 11,00 rupiah, depending on what currency you are exchanging for it and where. This makes figuring out how much something is really worth tricky for math challenged people like me! The price tag says 295,000... let's see, how much is that, really?

Since the rupiah is so worthless, I guess it makes it difficult to make small change. So if the amount of change due back to a customer is of a certain small amount or less, the customer is given candy instead of money! This is what the sign means, and we experienced it on several occassions, in different stores. Twice it was a wafer cookie type candy bar, and another time our change was a couple of pieces of hard candy.

Like my mom always says, it's interesting to see how different cultures solve life's universal issues. :-)

Seth's Juggling Lessons

One of the afternoons we were at Seeds of Hope, Seth passed out tennis balls and gave an informal juggling demo and lesson to some of the boys. It seemed to be a big hit! Bringing the balls had been Seth's idea... so glad he thought of it. This picture shows the outside space the kids have to play in... Having one's tongue out seems to be key to proper juggling technique!

Young Lifeguard

We were in the water a lot last week, and as a result, Gwen gained a lot of confidence swimming and by the end of the week was really doing well. She was able to swim a fair distance in water over her head on her own, as long as she had her goggles on. At one point toward the end of the week, I overheard her calling out to Madelyn, who was out in the middle of the pool, in water well over both her head and Gwen's.

"Madelyn, do you need any help? Can I help you Madelyn?"

Perhaps there is such a thing as too much confidence!


Here the girls demonstrate their tandem diving routine for the camera.

Faces From Seeds of Hope

A few of the beautiful faces at Seeds of Hope...

A New Child at Seeds of Hope

Yesterday afternoon we went back to Seeds of Hope. There was a darling little boy there in a striped polo shirt, tucked into dark blue jeans. He had big bright eyes. I recognized that he had not been there when we visited the day before. Sandra whispered to me, "A new child today." As I questioned her, I found that the woman with him was his mother, bringing him to the children's home because she must work and there is no one to care for him while she is gone.

I was incredulous. Could nothing else be worked out? Will she just leave him at Seeds of Hope during the day and come get him at night?
No. This is it for this mother and her very small son. He will live here now.

As it turns out, this is the case for many of the children not only at Seeds of Hope but also at the other children's homes in Indonesia. There is no free public education here, so a parent's best hope of helping their child have a better life than they do, is to send them to a children's home where they will be sent to school. The education costs for the children at Seeds of Hope are paid for by a church in Ohio somewhere...

Okay. So the parents can come visit their children here? Do they come often?

No. They can't afford the transportation. But at Seeds of Hope they try to take the children to see their parents twice a year.

Sigh. Sigh. So different from anything we can imagine.

I asked Sandra how the children adjust. It is as you might expect. It is very hard for them at first. But Sandra said she tells the children that she loves them, and that they will be able to get an education, and eventually they are okay.

As she and I were talking, I heard this new child crying. And crying. The mother had left. Sandra directed one of the older girls (did I mention that Sandra had a stroke several years ago and is herself disabled?) to go get the little guy. I watched her carry him around for a little while, and then bring him to the table to join the other children who were cutting colorful paper.

Free public education. What a concept.

Seeds of Hope

We're in Indonesia right now, on the island of Bali, for the Chinese New year holiday. It's a gorgeous place... warm, lush greenery, very tropical. We've been enjoying the beach and the the pool and the sun.

Yesterday our vaction took on a little different flavor. Part of the reason we came here this week was to go to Seeds of Hope children's home, an orphanage that houses about sixty children, ranging in age from three years old to twenty. The children all ran to greet us as we pulled up, calling hello and smiling hugely. They all wanted to shake our hands, and asked our names. It was a joyful welcome! They led us into a room with tables and chairs, where they all sat down while we met the couple who started the home nine years ago, a pastor and his wife. A group of the children played some local instruments for us... they were amazingly talented. Something about hearing "Amazing Grace" being played in a sweaty room by Balinese orphans... well, I know I cry easily, but it sure tugged at my heart. We learned that the children play in hotels several times a week to raise money for the orphange. After the music, we brought out some pipe cleaners and beads we had brought along... we had fun with those with all the girls and the younger boys for several hours! 1000 pipe cleaners became butterflies, spiders and spider webs, crowns, baskets, and when combined with the beads, lots of beautiful bracelets. Scott and our boys and the older boys played soccer, basketball, and catch with the football, all in a small cement courtyard.

The children were so happy. Maybe because of their wide range of ages, they seemed to be like a family. At one point Gwen fell and scraped her foot and knee, and one of the older girls took her and washed her and put bandaids on for her. Towards the end of our time there, we were all outside. Caleb was in a one-on-one basketball game with another boy. A big group of the kids watched and cheered for every basket made, on both sides. I stood with the girls and cheered. As I stood in that group of beautiful Balinese girls, with their black hair and skin several shades darker than Gwen's, I wondered if any of these kids would want to leave this home if they were given the choice. As far as I know, Indonesia is not open for international adoption right now. But maybe that's okay. These children are living in what we would consider a very bare bones environment- no AC, living right below the equator, is a big one for us soft westerners, and that's just the beginning of all the things they seem to be lacking. But Thomas and Sandra have created a family here, where the children are loved and are hearing the truth of the love of Christ. It's good.

We asked Sandra and Thomas if they need anything for the children. They're saving money for a railing on the third floor to be repaired. They need toothpaste and shampoo. Is that all? It seems like they need so much, to me. No, Sandra said, toothpaste and shampoo is all. So we'll stop at the Carrefour here on the island on our way back to Seeds of Hope this afternoon and get toothpaste and shampoo and maybe a new basketball or two. I'm all out of beads and pipe cleaners... maybe we'll draw together today. I wish there was a big project we could do for them and with them... we asked in several emails before we came, we asked again yesterday while we were there. But maybe this is okay. It's so good to be a tiny part of what Sandra and Thomas have given their lives to.

Do you ever wonder what you're doing with your life? Seeing Seeds of Hope has made me ponder... what else might God have for us?