And so begins minggu tiga...

Today marks the beginning of my third week of formal language study! I can't believe I've only been at this for two weeks. It is coming along. We spent a lot of time today filling in some sentences and I was pleasantly surprised to discover that my vocabulary has expanded immensely! Don't ask me to recall any of those words when I'm trying to have a real conversation...but they are in there! Eventually, they will find their way out ;-)

I loved all of your comments on my last post! Apparently, I need to write more about these types of things - I've never had such a response! Granted, it is a subject very deserving of a response, isn't it?! I do want to say, though, that I have decided that I am going to have to try some anjing (dog) at some point. I have talked to many Indonesians who truly love the stuff and I wouldn't want to miss out on a good thing. It would be best, though, if I didn't know what I was eating until after the fact! I love dogs so much...it would be hard to eat one knowingly! However, I just realized that I'd probably feel the same way about eating any animal that I knew very well! (I'm one of those who could easily be a vegetarian, and at times in my life, much to my father's consternation, I have been.)

We had a big "party" on the street in front of our house on Saturday night. It was a celebration, a time of thanksgiving, now that Idul Fitri is over. Our entire neighborhood put the party on and we were, of course, invited. We put the girls to bed and then stepped out to see what there was to see. There were many people sitting in chairs, watching these adorable kids perform a song. I was content to simply blend into the crowd (ha! as if.) and just watch but we were yanked to the front of the crowd of people, paraded in front of the stage where all eyes were sure to watch me stumble my way along, and directed right to the buffet line. We were encouraged to eat and to take more and to sit and to drink tea and to go back for seconds and to get some dessert. It was really an enjoyable time, though to say I was out of my comfort zone would be a bit of an understatement.

All of a sudden, as I sat and looked around me, I realized how incredibly awesome and blessed I am to live in Indonesia. It was one of those (rare) moments when I'm able to see what is happening through the eyes of a different me - the younger me that couldn't wait to become a missionary and world-traveler, the me that used to dream up all sorts of amazing scenarios and adventures that I wanted to be part of my life.

I couldn't have imagined this.

And there I sat, an alien surrounded by friendly and kind people who were accepting me as one of their own, enjoying food that I didn't even know the name of, and listening to speeches in a language that I'm just barely learning...on a hot, crowded street in a land that is easily 10,000 miles away from my homeland. Sean and I were both overwhelmed with the thought of it.

If I could have reached across the miles and plucked you up and brought you here to sit next to me that night, you wouldn't have believed it was real...and yet, it's already becoming so normal to me that I barely recognize the adventure and blessings that I experience daily.

I get so stuck in the midst of my struggles - feeling so out of place and unsure of myself and downright uncomfortable that I easily miss what's going on. But God allowed me a glimpse again with fresh eyes at this life He's called me to.

I couldn't be more amazed at how perfectly God designed me for this.

I couldn't be more humbled that I actually get to do what I do.

I couldn't be more blessed that God has brought me here and chosen to use me. Me! With all my quirks and hang-ups and inside-ugly (with which I am recently re-acquainted).

It was a good moment.