More celebrations!

Dad's birthday - fancy dim sum and cake

We had a busy Christmas week as Grace and Mom were in a community choir singing on Christmas Eve, and Grace, Jasmin, Aiden, and Mom all were in the church Christmas choir for Christmas Day! So just imagine the logistics of that many choir practices and performances...

No photos of the Christmas Eve choir performance, as no one we knew was in the audience... but it went well and they enjoyed having the day together.  The church choir was the host of angels in the narrated "stop motion" play. It was much more uplifting and enjoyable as we got to celebrate wholeheartedly the real reason for Christmas joy.

After church we got to eat a festive lunch at church together before going home tired and full. We played an epic game of Catan that Aiden won for the rest of the day.

Monday we had a cross-world Zoom with family and our Penang Christmas beach feast. 

And now the girls are off enjoying the country-wide Baptist Youth Camp for the rest of the week, Aiden is attempting to spend as much time as possible with his "inhouse" friends while they are also on school break, and Mom and Dad are enjoying the few days of true rest before the new year arrives and life must go into high gear.

Early Christmas Celebrations

 Thursday evening was our small group year end finale. We take off December and will restart in January - a nod to how busy people get for Christmas season. Of course, we ate out :)  Once we were all stuffed and more or less talked out, we played a game. It was a simple find the hidden books of the Bible in a paragraph, but it proved to be a challenge - 15 minutes in and no one found all 16 books! 

Our family had split up between the two tables, which ended up being an oops as we won both tables' prizes, having found 15/16 book names each!

 Everyone laughed it off, saying it wasn't fair to compete against professionals, and we shared the KitKat prizes as there was enough for everyone. 

Sunday was another day of celebration!  Grace and Aiden joined the special flagging team for the Joy week of Advent...

 ...and directly after, we joined the SIL group for their Christmas celebration. 

Again, lots of great food, chances to talk to those we don't get to interact with a lot, games, caroling, and presents.

The girls and Dad were delighted to have new audiences for their topics of novel writing and PhD writing. It's not easy to find people ready and willing to exchange in-depth conversation on those topics :)

Christmas joy!

Tidbits of news

Schedules got all mixed around this week as the country-wide elections were last weekend and this weekend is American Thanksgiving.

Aiden is goalie for his soccer team and, despite having only one practice under their belts (because of rain, unexpected holidays, etc.), they've played 2 games already!

 Advent is starting and we're ready and eager!

Kids went climbing again, thoroughly exhausting themselves with 4 hours (we took a break for lunch though!) of challenging themselves on new and old bouldering routes. 

The girls joined a pair of Zoom calls for TCK (third culture kids) teens. It was awkwardly just before supper time, but we managed and it was somewhat useful for them to connect again with other kids who have grown up overseas.

It has rained so much this week! For all it being the end of November when the rain is supposed to dry up... it most certainly hasn't. Mom and Dad have had a tough time getting in their morning runs. Thankfully, the rain has cooperated with the times Grace needed to bike out to Chinese class.

We were going to start having Saturday suppers on the beach to visit all our favorite beaches before we leave, but there isn't going to be any dry driftwood with all the rain we've been having.

Mom, Grace, Jasmin, and Aiden are really enjoying Christmas choir at church! The only hitch is that the dress code (the choir is the angels in the play) means that we have to go shopping for whole new outfits: Aiden doesn't have a suit and the girls all don't have completely white outfits and gold/yellow accents.

Jasmin finished her first draft of her novel! (this one about Fralith) This month she entered NaNoWRiMo, a competition to write 50,000 words on a novel. Just today she finished and is looking at the prizes (various discounts for writing apps and other helps for aspiring writers). Hopefully she is not so thoroughly sick of her story that it won't get revised and published... And Grace is not too far behind with hers either.

Aiden finishes his Science course for the year on Monday. He really likes doing one or two subjects at a time and finishing them quickly instead of a little bit of everything every day all year.

Big and Little News

 We started the week with the fantastic news of Grace's acceptance at Berkelee College of Music for an online degree in composition! She will start classes in January. We just so happened to be going out that evening for a fogging supper... so we turned it into a celebration supper and went a bit farther afield to what Dad claims are the best burgers in the world. They were really good - and definitely celebration dinner worthy!

Mom's bike broke on the way 😖 Not just a flat tire or something easy - the back axle snapped from too much wear and tear! Proof we have well used these bikes of ours in the last 5 years, especially when combined with the growing number of smaller fixes in the last few weeks.

Aiden started soccer this quarter, but between rainy days and suddenly declared public holidays (to do with the elections this weekend), he's only gotten to have one practice 😒

Mom got Advent decorations and plans made a week early this year - maybe a first ever. Feels good, but also highlights just how fast Christmas is coming up...

We ended the week with Jasmin's news of being finished with braces! We spent pretty much the whole day out as she had two appointments - to take off the braces and get a mold for retainers, and then to get them fitted. So she got 3 hours of total freedom in-between braces and retainers 😁 A lunch out and a short shopping spree with mom for clothes to take to Canada (in about 12 weeks!?!) filled the rest of the in-between time. We're renewing clothing here as we can because there's no way you could buy 11 items for less than $60 in Canada!

Not Much to Say - or maybe there is?

There's not much to say today
This week some plants we gave away
The kids climbed walls again Wednesday
Someone has claimed our Hyml pet, they say
A few more things reminding us we're almost on our way

But then, remembrance, a rather big happening
Last Sunday after church it was, a story of Aiden's.
We'd stopped by the store to fix our bikes
Aiden went first and then, impatient, went on alone...

"My tire went flat around the spot I turn into Chinese, so I was walking home and took the short cut by the white mosque area. While I was walking, some random person came up to me and asked, "what happened?" So I told him that my tire went flat then the person told me that he'd take me home and to call my mother and to leave my bike at the other mosque by the corner. It had just so happened the mom gave me her phone while she kept Grace's. So I texted mom where I left the bike and he took me home! I thanked him of course and now I'm home. Praise God!!!"

A long list of "thank you God"s we came up with from this incident indeed! And as an addendum:

We went back on Monday to pick up the bike, get it fixed, and bring it home. But when Mom and I got to the bike store it was closed - it always is closed on Mondays but we'd forgotten that! So we locked up the bike in front of the store and went on a date instead. And on Tuesday Dad and Grace got my bike fixed and brought home because they had physio and Chinese to go out to anyway.

And today Aiden went off confidently on his own to his first soccer practice... growing up!

Sunbirds on the Balcony

We ended October all sick again
Mom and Dad together with Aiden
Then Jasmin and Grace
Fevers and aches
Coughs and stuffy noses

So the small things matter
Beautiful stormy skies
Cool temperatures after the rain
Sunbirds visiting our balcony garden
Myna birds chittering on the window sill

Fever induced boy snuggles
Good books to devour
No need to go to market
Rain on Sundays enforcing church from home
Copious amounts of ginger lemon tea 

A slow return to health and normal
Missed school work made up quickly
Old and new activities resumed
Energy to get the house clean again
Happy boy play noise drifting home

Hopefully now we can pick up the pace and get back to languishing projects and look ahead!

Proud Mom Moment(s)

Thursday we went back to Project Rock for another day of climbing. We're going regularly now, working through the 10 pass Christmas present. This week filled this Mom's heart with proud satisfaction and gratefulness...

With many 'looking forward' comments the days before
And early morning enthusiasm the day of
The heart is full of satisfaction
Satisfaction of a present well chosen
Thankfulness that in this way grandparents join our lives

Waiting for the bus
A cloud of chatter crowding in the still humid air
Words flying, swooping, crashing, tangling
Leading to amused laughter
The heart is warmed with amusing chatter topics

Breathless heat and long wait for a bus
Bus stuffed to the gills hardly a space to stand
Walk to and through the mall
Doesn't stop the chatter, word play, enjoyment
The heart is proud of uncomplaining kids

Entering, preparing, horning feet into climbing shoes
High goals announced: "All the routes on this wall"
"Every 2-marked route" "Black like last time"
The heart is full of pride
Pride in their accomplishments, bold new goals, stick-to-itiveness

Sitting against the wall
Their voices echoing loud and strong in the empty gym
Our three, working together yet with different goals
Calling encouragement, coordinating movement
Coaching, sharing, cheering each other on

Welcoming in another 4 friends
Folding them into the chorus of the encouraging coaching
Patient with differing abilities
Our three becomes our seven
The heart full of pride for the heart of these kids

Lunch late and tummies empty
No complaining, just one more climb
Then in an eager hungry crowd hunting seats in the food court
Exhausted yet full of hyper chatter still
Can this bursting heart get fuller yet?

Life Tidbits

Grace's bike is giving her trouble again:

The chain comes off frequently

Jamming between gear and frame

The twin verdict of two stores: 

Her gears are worn out

Her bike is ancient so the needed parts are no longer made

One last hope on Sunday - a bike store near church

If not, what work arounds can we find?

Only need to make it through 4 more months...

Four more months seeming very short when

Mom joins the choir with Grace for the Christmas concert

The girls sign up for Youth camp at the end of the year

Details of our "last month" start to need to be planned properly

A bucket list of "to do before we leave" gets written up on our wall

And things don't seem that far off...

A happy week of special meals

Sunday lunch with newish friends we haven't seen in awhile

Monday hosting a friend visiting from the States

Cheerio breakfasts because that's what the kids asked for him to bring them!

Tuesday supper with someone new

A mom lunch with an old friend returned to live here again...

Routines are finally falling into place:

Long awaited tennis lessons for the kids finally begun

Settled dates for Rock climbing fun

The right speed of schoolwork more or less attained

Cool days because of monsoon rains

Times of working in flow...

Accomplishments!

We got back to rock climbing this week. The kids didn't start themselves off easy, but rather set themselves all sorts of challenging goals. We are most proud of Aiden who persevered through multiple fails to accomplish some tough climbs.  He was so sore the next day!

The moment of victory!

A video of one of Jasmin's attempts to show the true level of victory it was to accomplish this climb! 

And, apart from the rock wall victories, Jasmin also reached this accomplishment this week: her final project for one of her art courses, a beautiful embroidered bag. Another project that took a fair amount of perseverance - without the post-finish tiredness and soreness!

 

September Just about Gone

 A few new things for the girls:

Grace was in her first (here) choir concert last Sunday. It was hosted in a very fancy hotel ballroom!  She enjoyed herself, of course, and got good reviews from those around her.  This despite having joined late and missing a number of rehearsals being away in August. There is one more concert only of this choir as the director is retiring, at Christmas.  Mom and Jasmin attended, and although they forgot to dress up, they were let in and enjoyed sitting up close to the orchestra, and picking our Grace/s voice where possible.

Jasmin's new experience was a visit to the local SPCA to exercise and socialize the dogs and cats up for adoption.  She thoroughly enjoyed it, though with using public transport and going with other volunteers made it take a whopping 5 hours for maybe 1.5 hours of dog/cat time! So, we are looking for how we can cut down on travel time in order for her to be able to add this longed for volunteer position into her schedule.

 Mom's new happening was a bit of a bike accident... nothing involving other vehicles. Just a tangle with a sidewalk fence while trying to squeeze between traffic and the edge of the road.  Thankfully, lovely (?) colored knees, a sore hand, and a bit of a limp were the only negative outcomes.

It didn't even stop the morning runs, although throbbing knees did slow her down!  But the lovely morning sunrises she gets to watch and the satisfaction of goals met kept mom getting up to run as her bruises healed.

And now we're home

 In the 2 weeks since we've been home...

Jasmin has rescued her plants from bugs - again!

We've all been sick (Mom brought back something like laryngitis)

Not yet been back to church because of Sunday morning rain and said sickness

Grace started a songwriting class at Dalat

We started and have nearly finished a new read aloud book

Jasmin and Aiden have started school

Grace is preparing for a choir concert on Sunday

Grace started her second online university course

Mom has almost finished her second vacation crochet project

Aiden has reconnected with friends within and without our condo complex

Dad has almost caught up on the work left idle while we were away

Chinese classes and music lessons have resumed

... in other words, we're almost all sorted and back into normal life rhythms after our most wonderful time away. Because of that wonderful time away, we have energy and enthusiasm for diving back into life (at least, now that we are all recovered from post-holiday sickness!)

Things we're going to have to think about in earnest soon...

Fixing the fridge - the freezer doesn't work and anything in the door of the fridge freezes

Jasmin starting a pet sitting job that has been in the works for over a month

Sports opportunities that keep popping up for Aiden

University applications, portfolios, and auditions

A bucket list for our last 6 months here - yes, already!

How to best prepare for a return to Canada

Christmas plans

and lots more, no doubt.

Time in another favorite place (part 2)

Mondolkiri

 About a 7hr (if you go fast) drive northeast of Phnom Penh, Mondolkiri was our final destination for our time in Cambodia. It is up in the hills, beautifully cool and breezy. The girls took lots of landscape pictures - inspiration for their book worlds.

We stayed in this lovely house with one of our translator friends.  He showed us around Sen Monorom - totally unrecognizable from what we saw on our last visit!- and introduced us to some of the Bunong translation team.

  One place he showed us was this house tucked away in the forest that holds a video recording studio! Dad was unexpectedly able to help them fix the aircon so the small padded space wouldn't get so stifling during recording. 

We got to visit a Bunong village and meet the leader of the church there with our friend doing sometimes double interpretation duty from Bunong and Khmer.

  We stopped to visit with this grandma weaving a traditional skirt. The more intricate the pattern, the more sticks required - the process looked quite complicated!  We were offered one for sale, but we didn't have enough money on us, nor the luggage space to mom's disappointment.

This is the new church building being built in the village as they can put together the funds and have
the time to work on it.  it has an interesting design as part way through they worried the roof might be too heavy and needed extra support columns inside...

 

Of course, throughout the day there was plenty of hanging around time while mom and dad talked....

There was still time for some green and blue therapy in the afternoon too: a visit to one of the many waterfalls...

walking across the top of the waterfall

 

And some other fun: the kids were introduced to pool at one of the restaurants! This one was extra fun as the resident cat insisted on joining the game...

A final few from our long journey there and back again:

Quality Krud is what this sign proclaims! 

A bird in a cage on a car roof Jasmin saw along the way

 Our journey back to Malaysia was rather ragged as we had a few short hours of sleep in KL airport. This photo is after we woke the kids up to catch the 5am bus only to be told it was at 5:30... Aiden continued to sleep wherever he could until we got home: bus, train station, train, ferry terminal, ferry, taxi!

too early for being awake

Despite the hiccups, long layovers, missing meals and sleep, everyone did really well with all our adventurous travels.  We're sure glad to be home though - on our way down from Mondolkiri mom started to feel sick and by the time we got home she barely had a voice. And the next day Jasmin came down with it too... Glad it didn't spoil any of our time away.

Time in another favorite place (part 1)

From Thailand, we went to Cambodia for another 10 days. We have lots more pictures because we were with others who took them or suggested that we did😄

We had a very full planned schedule, as our intention was to show the kids a number of different ministries a bit more hands on as well as try to catch up with old friends. We think it was a grand success on both counts, but we do wish we'd had more time with friends as there is always more you wish to say and do than there is time with old friends!

tuktuk transport - with e-hailing!

We got to reminisce about our time living there, sharing then now with kids old enough to remember! Grace doesn't remember anything (she was 2 when we left) but somehow the taste of the food was familiar to her. 

Cambodian version of halo-halo (Philippines) or cendol (Malaysia).
Shaved ice with mixed toppings and condensed milk.

Inside a market stall looking at scarves and shawls

We were humbled, honored, and encouraged to see what God has done with the little time, effort, and love we were able to give during our short time here 15 years ago. Dad was asked to share with a youth Bible study. We were welcomed with a large bouquet of flowers that made our hotel room smell lovely and feel more homey our whole stay!

Grace particularly enjoyed this night, even being asked on the spot to sing a song of hers and play the piano leading singing.

 As usual, we ate together afterwards, a wonderful feast! And there was lovely impromptu worship and an easy comradery among the youth that opened their arms for Grace and mom to join in. Unfortunately, Mom's Khmer wasn't up to coming up with songs on the spot, nor fully following and translating the flowing banter for Grace.

On Sunday, at our old church, all the kids did something new on the spot! Jasmin taught her first every violin lesson (we worked out she's been learning for 10 years now, so...)

Grace preached her first sermon - with about 5 minutes of preparation!

And Aiden... kicked his sandal onto the roof...

.. but it was an easy rescue by some willing church members!

 ...And managed to stack 4 water bottles!                                                              He got good at entertaining himself while the rest of us listened to presentations or caught up with old friends. 😉 And there was lots of time for this as we met with, toured, learned about 10 different ministries during our week in Phnom Penh!

Being remembered so well after 15 years was a welcome surprise. Hearing stories of God at work since we lived there and seeing the fruit of it in the lives of old friends was so encouraging. Being asked by nearly everyone when/if we were coming back to live was rather a surprise too... we'll see what God does. 

It was a fantastic week and felt too short! But, next on our list was a quick trip (3 days: travel up, spend a day, travel back) to Monolkiri to visit a translation project....