Our first week in our new home has been very exciting! It started the day that I got on the bus to head home. Travis was getting ready to do his laundry, when the roof of the kitchen fell down! Forget laundry! Now he had something more interesting to do! He and our trusty caretaker headed down the road to the local roofing guys, and bought all the grass panels that they would need to install a new roof for the kitchen. No sooner had they started to put up the first one when the floor collapsed! Now they really had some work on their hands. So, when I arrived, I found piles of building materials in the yard, and a brand new roof already installed. It was really nice too. But, as I stepped onto the kitchen floor, I quickly found that it was like walking on shaky, broken sticks. It would not do at all! So, we then ordered new flooring for most of the house. That meant that our new neighbors, and our caretaker had to drive out to the jungle and spend several days cutting bamboo, and then splitting it to make it flat. They should be finished with it today or tomorrow, and then we can install the new floor! Now all we have to do is replace the walls, and the rest of the roof and I will have a really nice house.

The morning after our caretaker, who is also our language teacher, left for the jungle, I woke up feeling really lonely and discouraged. It seemed that being away from my husband and friends was more than I could handle. So, I got up and got out my bible and began to read. That always cheers me up, but I asked the Lord during prayer time if he could just send me a friend. I would love to just have someone to talk to! No sooner had I finished breakfast, when the neighbor lady, KingSay, came over and made herself comfortable. She does not speak any language that we know, which was a curious thing, but we soon learned that she is Poe Karen! ( they are Karen, but they speak a different language!) So, Travis and KingSay and I pointed and gestured and tried to figure out what the other was trying to say for several hours that morning. We really had fun! We are going to teach her English. She already has “banana, yes, and I don’t know” down pretty well!

Next, the local delegation of white people watchers came over and perched themselves on the rocks in front of our house. They started out at the top of the rocks, but that did not satisfy them. They then came down to a lower rock, and peered at us from there. Finally, one little girl came INTO the house and sat on the floor in the kitchen and watched us! She then became quite bold and told me exactly where to go to get all the things on the floor picked up. (I was cleaning) Then Travis gave them a little water gun to play with, and now the kids come into my house whenever they want and get the toy to play with. They love to squirt Travis with it! I have all the company that I could ever want. You really have to be careful of what you ask the Lord for, since he has a way of answering prayer!

We are not only working on rebuilding the house, but also cleaning up the creek and the yard. People here do not have garbage service, and they are afraid to burn the garbage due to the smell. (they believe that the smell causes infection) So, the best way to dispose of garbage is in the creek! Of course I didn’t really like that since it would be a really nice creek if it were clean. Besides, I was doing my dishes in that creek, and taking a bath in that creek every day! ( I found a hidden corner where the locals have not discovered yet, so I have not had any audiences for bath time. I don’t know how long it will take them to figure it out, but I will have the tucking of the Sarong down pretty well by then…. I hope!)

I am still working on trying to get internet and a source of electricity for my home. Things take a long time to accomplish down here. But, I did find a better computer to use at this Internet place, so I will be able to keep updating you more regularly now.

Getting settled is a lot of work in a new area, and I won’t even try to explain language learning to you this time, but I am really looking forward to the day when we can do what we came here to do!