Lake Toba Indonesia January 2010

Wow what a trip and amazing experience this 5 day excursion to Lake Toba in Sumatra Indonesia was. From moments of complete awe at God's creation to moments where we felt as though we had stepped into a scene from Romancing The Stone, this trip was filled with memory-making adventures. Lake Toba is a Voclanic crater lake created after an eruption about 70 million years ago. It is theorized that this eruption was a super-eruption that may have triggered one of the last ice ages. What is left now is an island in the middle of Asia's largest fresh water lake and a few hot springs are all that is left of the once active volcanoe. The native people around the lake are called Batak and the houses are very unique. Another unique characteristic is that this area 5 hours East of Medan is probably the largest Christian population in Indonesia. The agriculture is still very traditional but on the drive to the lake we passed modern agriculture being used on Bridgestone's rubber-tree plantation and even signs of research being done by Pioneer Seed. Sadly we saw no sign that such big industry was giving much of a financial boost to the local economy. One of favorite experiences was the day we spent on a privately chartered boat touring different areas along the island of Samosir in Lake Toba. We stopped and saw an ancient stone counsel area where the local kings would hold court determining the fate of accused criminals. Sitting in the ancient stone throne where kings had sat throughout the generations was sobering and even more so was seeing the large stone table where many had been executed. While wandering around this area a man of about 55 approached Steve and asked if we were from the USA. Steve cautiously answered yes and then the man asked us if we knew Buffalo. What!!!!? Here we are in the middle of nowhere and a local man is asking if we know of Buffalo. Well it got better. This man proceeds to tell us that he is an aerospace engineer who had worked in Buffalo for about a year before returning to Bandung Indonesia to build airplanes. About three weeks ago his brother had called him back to Lake Toba to help him. You see his brother was the king. Then the man showed us where they had buried his brother, the king, who had died just a week ago. Sure enough there was a flower wreathe that looked about a week old. He told us several other interesting stories but was so humble. Steve then asked, "So who is king now?" and the man very meekly replied, "I am". He then let the kids look into his home which stood right in front of the ancient stone court room. Wow, to find someone in the middle of nowhere who knows of Buffalo, has lived in Buffalo and who just happens to be the king! Well the rest of our experiences in Lake Toba included hikes through the farms and villages, a bit of shopping, some amazing food. The kids loved the fishing and swimming in the lake each morning and afternoon and I loved the tranquility of it all. This is a trip to remember!

Dearest Friends and Family,
Well this will be our final Christmas greeting from Singapore as we now know that we are in the final months of our life in Asia . We expect to be stateside again by the end of summer 2010. We plan to make the most of our remaining time here not only in travels but also in time spent with the wonderful friends who have touched us and made our experiences here all the richer. While coming “home” will be wonderful, leaving this “home” will certainly pierce our hearts. So here is what everyone has been up to since last December.
Steve continues to work hard at work but hasn’t traveled as much this year. We chose to spend his birthday this year in Capetown South Africa and where the Jackass Penguins were a highlight for him. He was also thrilled with two more trips to Australia. He went to Canberra for work but we went as a family to Darwin, a wonderful rural area in the northwest. We even enjoyed wild kangaroos and wallabies from horseback. He continues to enjoy growing his peppers and plants but is more than ready for a “real” yard.
Hannah, 11, has taken her love of fashion and started sewing lessons from a dear friend of ours. She has completed two outfits already, including the blue skirt she is wearing in one of the photos. She has been thriving as a homeschooler and I have to say it is a true blessing for me. She competed in her first archery completion and is coming along in her guitar.
Wyatt, 9, has also been growing as a homeschooler. He often has Hannah and I laughing with his quick comments. He is currently sporting braces but hopes to have them off soon. He too is taking archery and guitar but he finds most of his enjoyment playing outside with his buddies, cooking up new adventures. He is probably more starved for a yard than his father.
Lena, 7, continues to love school and is in first grade at SAS. She is an avid reader but is most happy looking at any book that has pictures of horses. She got to ride a horse for the first time this year in South Africa and then again while in Darwin. Now she is begging for more. She can’t wait to get a dog (if a horse is truly out of the question).
EvaLynn, 5, was our last one to head off to kindergarten and joined Lena this year at SAS. She absolutely loves school and never wants to miss a day. She is already reading some but would prefer to hone her social skills. No surprise there. She is always in dress up of some sort and loves having an older sister who will give her “make-overs” once in a while.
In addition to what I have mentioned above some of our other highlights were landing on the continent of Africa, kicking dried cow-patties in Australia, sitting on the edge of an active volcanoe in Indonesia and meeting President Obama. We have also continued to work with the Children’s Home in Batam Indonesia (Projek AnaKawan) and we will all agree that some of our most memorable moments have been made there.
So it is a bitter sweet thought to know that this will be my last Christmas greeting to you from Singapore but we hope and pray that the relationships we have made will follow us on in our next life adventure.
We thank you for your love for our family and we hold you dear to our hearts. We wish you a very Merry Christmas and a year of blessings and joys.
Always looking to Christ,
Tanya, Steve + kids

Wow am I a bad blogger or what?! That last post was almost a full year ago. To briefly catch you up to date on the Will Family in Singapore enjoy the photo updates. They show our Christmas, Grandma Walter's visit around Chinese New Year in February, and our trip to Cape Town South Africa in May.

The missing months were not all that exciting as we didn't travel much. I continue to visit the Children's Home (AnaKawan) each month and am launching a brand new ESL (English as a Second Language) program there. If you are interested in sponsoring a child please let me know (tanyalwill2@gmail.com).

I started a ministry for preteen girls -- writing the "curriculum" and leading an 8 week class. The group wants to continue so we will start up again soon. The highlight for me was seeing God's faithfulness in leading me down this path. I have said it was like God told me to complete a puzzle but gave me only one piece at a time AND I had no idea what the final picture looked like. As I said, He was faithful and being able to experience this was awesome. We ended with a Mother/Daughter Tea and I hope to post some photos from this. Hannah and a dear friend did all of the food and decorations.

Speaking of Hannah, I forgot to say that I started homeschooling! When asked how this past semester went I simply reply, "I am looking forward to seeing how much better God will lead me this semester". Hehe. Truthfully, the challenge is not in the homeschooling but in protecting my time and keeping firm boundaries. Wyatt and Hannah will both be homeschooling this next year while Lena and EvaLynn head off to SAS.

We also spent a very quick weekend in Darwin Australia and enjoyed a horse ride with roos hopping all around and long walks through the bush. In July we spent a few days with Steve in Bandung (south of Indonesia) where we got up close and personal with a steaming active volcanoe. Pretty stinky I must say. I will try to post photos from both trips.

My blog is beginning to resemble my mom journal and the kids' baby books -- not very complete. Well at least it should give you a glimpse into our life here, which was my goal to begin with. Well back to the photo uploads! T

An Anakawan Christmas

Its official! My heart has been opened and layed bare --vulnerable. But it is in this state that I have found the depth of love God has allowed me to feel for 2 adults and 29 kids who were but strangers to me just two months ago. The kids and I, along with reps from 5 other IBC (International Baptist Church) families, lugged gifts, decorations and enthusiasm to Batam so that we could treat Pastor Willy, Ibu and the (as they are now called by us) Anakids to a very special Christmas party. While most of us set up and decorated for the party at a generous, yet probably less than a half star hotel nearby, Wyatt and Hannah joined the group that went to fetch the kids at the children's home. I heard later that when the vans pulled up a mob of kids came running out chanting, "Wyatt! Wyatt! Wyatt!" I wish I could have seen it but I was back at the hotel with the little girls and some others decorating and arranging the gifts for everyone. IBC families had purchased enough (really nice!) gifts so that each Anakid, as well as Pastor Willy, Ibu and their two adult kids could have three gifts each.

When the kids arrived the party began with games and swimming in a swimming pool, something the Anakids had said last summer they would love to do "someday". There weren't any swimsuits as the kids all swam in their clothes (probably one of their very few sets) and most couldn't swim so there was the occasional "going under", but there was also splashing and laughter galore! After games and swimming everyone changed and headed to the "banquet hall" (It was NOT fancy but to the Anakids it was). The rest of the evening was filled with eating (trying to convince the kids that the food was unlimited and that they didn't have to clear their own dishes was interesting), singing, laughter and so, so, so many smiles. Look at some of the girls in the photos with their gifts. I want to say Thank you to my siblings and nieces and nephews who sent photos and cards. You will see the cards in some of the photos too.

The next day (after a night of sleep that was WAY too short) we headed out to their home where the "party" continued. We did a craft, handed out goodie bags (real ones) and "goodie bags" (with new toiletries). It was here that I fulfilled my assigned task. Somehow I was the lucky one chosen to give the "dental hygiene talk". Ever been to a Christmas party with a dental hygiene talk? Seriously though, it gave me a chance to practice my VERY limited Indonesian and read a script that I had written in English and then translated. No one laughed - so my Indonesian was either amazing, unintelligible or they were very polite. My guess it was their manners. After another long day we headed back to Singapore exhausted.

The next day sitting at my QT table, I prayed for the Anakids as I usually do and I was overcome with emotion. It hit me that I am going to leave this part of the world some day soon (soon is relative). Will my little ones even remember after a few years? Will they remember us? God has us here for a purpose. I believe these experiences are part of it. But, I have to say that for every gift of joy, laughter, warmth and love I recieve from my time with them, there is now a price--pangs of hurt as pieces of my heart seem to break. I know in the back of my mind, its not forever.

Christmas Kicks off in Singapore

The weather hasn't changed, but the mood sure has as Singapore kicks off the Christmas 08 season. Orchard Road (like Rodeo Drive of Asia) is all decked out and most of these photos were taken in front of the Tanglin Mall which is the beginning of the Orchard Road drive. At this corner they are decorating with a Green Theme, with all the decorations made from recycled materials. The added fact that most of them were made by mentally challenged adults makes it even more impressive. The kids are enjoying Singapore's only "snow" made from soap flakes mixed with water and then forced out into the air through fabric tubes. Although it was kind of gross to think about and way gross to smell, the affect was rather neat. The kids had a great time and are begging to do it again. The mall shoots the snow several times a week throughout the Christmas season. For my (Tanya's) family members, Can I use a photo of an ornament for the Tacky Ornament contest? See if you can find the ornament I would have submitted. Feliz Navidad everyone (and oh by the way, Happy Thanksgiving.)

November 08 Return to Batu Aji

I did it! I went by myself, with all four kids, not only back to Indonesia, but also to the Children's Home in Baut Aji (See Project Anakawan post). Ok so I had help from a friend who hooked me up with the driver/translator and Steve made some phone calls so I could breeze through customs...but hey I still did it and for those of you who have known me for years recognize the awesomeness of this. Ok anyway this isn't about me. The kids and I ventured back to visit the kids and Ibu (mom) at the Batam Children's Home. We really had no intentions other than to continue growing our relationship with the kids. Since I can't do much more than play UNO with my limited Indonesian, I decided to take a craft project. We took the makings for tamborines. The kids and I showed them how to make these tamborines and then they used their new creations to put on a "recital/dance show" for us. Music is truly universal (as are smiles which we shared many of). I loved helping Ibu phonetically learn how to sing Oh Holy Night in English. She and I can't say much to each other in words, but I am in awe of her love for all of these kids. We left feeling so good and so much closer to these wonderful people. We can't wait for our next visit.

October 08

Well October has ended and we are on to Lena's 6th birthday and plans for our upcoming trip to Yogyakarta Indonesia at the end of November. Off to the right you will see a couple of new slideshows. One is of a tour that Hannah, Wyatt and Steve took of the USS Ronald Reagan which was docked here for a bit. It is the world's largest war ship. Besides Wyatt getting yelled at for sticking his head where it didn't belong (yes Steve got a photo before they caught him) and Hannah asking one of the officers the very difficult question, "what would you all do if this ship sunk?" I think it was a great time -- not to mention a great excuse to miss a morning of school.

The other slide show of course is of Halloween, which is always an interesting experience. From our Mello Lanterns (name given by a friend of ours) to the sweltering humidity in which we had to go trick or treating, Singapore Halloween is certainly different. In case a translation is needed, Hannah is NOT Paris Hilton, but is Hannah Montana. She is really wanting to know who Paris Hilton is now because all she knows is that Paris spent time in jail. Wyatt's costume was inspired by his new love of Steve Urkle from that 80's favorite, Family Matters. He said he might be Mr. Bean next year. Hmmm.... Oh and the other two can speak for themselves.

Well thats it for now. I will check back in after November's excitement, I hope.

Project Anakawan in Batu Aji Indonesia

Our whole family was so blessed by the opportunity to help clean and fix up a small orphanage in Indonesia last weekend. While there is still so much to do to just bring things up to livable it was an amazing time. We scraped, scrubbed, painted, washed, sweat, and more. I will try to get photos posted soon, but know that they can't even come close to communicating the experience. We aren't sure how long we need to wait before we rule out dysentary in the little girls who were armpits deep in the mucky water cleaning painting tools. Hannah has just had her second of 5 rabies shots needed after being bitten by a dog there. And Wyatt...I think he was spared any risks but came away asking yet again to be baptized. Both the older kids have expressed sincere changes of heart and a desire to do more. You will see in the photos some of the kids sporting yarn braids in their hair or on their body. These were made by Hannah and she hopes to return with supplies to do more things like this with them. Wyatt was so energized by the experience of reading the bible to a group of boys and can't wait to go do this again. He said there was a connection between him and the boys that he couldn't explain, even with a language barrier. I found that my Bahasa Indonesia has reached the amazing level of being able to play UNO and connected immediately with the kids over a HUGE load of handwashed laundry. My three unfolded loads sat back at home. Ironic. Steve was in his element working hard with a team to carry out a meaningful purpose. We hope to go back sometime soon.