Post-game party

New Year's Eve

We were invited by Ken (a teammate) to stay with his friends at their uncle's villa in the mountain(ish) town of Tretes. We just sat around, read, talked and played cards for 2 days and 2 nights. The temperature was quite a bit cooler and the view was much better than in the city; however, it was no less busy at higher altitudes. The town was packed! Bumper to bumper cars and motor bikes honked and hummed until the wee hours of the morning...so did the fireworks! Fireworks began to pepper the night sky around 7:30pm and exploded into a 270 degree spectacle of fire by...you guessed it...midnight. It was a sight to see! A truly unique experience. (Photos: See how the city just creeps up the mountain - we couldn't get away! We had a pretty sweet view of a volcano; the 5-story villa we stayed in; fireworks; firecrackers.)

Christmas

It sure didn't feel like Christmas, but we weren't about to wait around til it cooled off! We had a sweet Christmas celebration. The Guffy's invited us to spend Christmas morning at their house, so we watched their precious children open gifts. It was great. The team put in the hard work to put together a fantastic meal...NO RICE!!! We were so thankful for a big, wonderful family to celebrate with. (Top to bottom: the Ladner boys; da feast; Betty with the Guffy girls and their new slippers; the scene in the Guffy living room on Christmas morning; honorary members of the Guffy family...officially.)

Study Group

Each Thursday night we study with this group about His Word and commands for us. Josh is doing a great job leading and using at least 50% bahasa Indonesia! This group of guys is hilarious, always keeping us laughing. They rarely leave our house before 11:00 pm, love drinking coffee, and are ever-impressed with my ability to make brownies and cookies. We'd appreciate your speaking to the Father about these guys!

(There is a copy of the Word on their cellphones.... technology!)

Hanging Out with Friends...

We really enjoy our time with new friends. We've met many fun and kind people here and we pray that, having heard the Good News, they'll fall in love with the Son. [Top to bottom: at Pizza Hut (2); graduation ceremony (we were honored guests and sat one row behind the school board members and trustees!); futsal fun with believing friends; students from Josh's Level 5 English class; Betty with new friends from a university Christian Club!]