Happy Birthday Adam! Sunday was Adam’s birthday, so we enjoyed dinner-for-two at our very favorite get-away: The Lighthouse. This place is something to behold! Guests have appetizers while watching the sun set and the waves break on the rocks; and the Cinnamon Room upstairs begins serving dinner at 7:30pm. It was the perfect place to celebrate God's goodness to us and the glory of His creation! The ambiance, food, and service CANNOT be improved! And since it is “off-season” here, we had the whole upstairs restaurant to ourselves. It’s a crying shame, really!





The Lighthouse is designed with very open architecture... with indoor water features, fed by natural rainfall.

Handover Ceremony. Last week, several officers from The Salvation Army (TSA) came to Hikkaduwa to join us in a ceremony where 11 families were officially given the keys to their new homes at the Gallagodawatta Site. This house is the "standard" size and blueprint for all the houses TSA has built here, to date, and will be building on various other sites in the future. It is amazing to see these housing communities - and to see the signs that announce who donated the particular section of homes: Ireland, Italy, Kuwait, China, Baptists, Methodists, Buddhists, Habitat for Humanity, UNICEF, etc. The government designates a piece of land, then the organizations come in and build "x" number of houses-in-a-row. So, within one housing community, there can be 6-8 different donors -- but all the houses are roughly 500-700 square feet, and are built to very similar specs. If you are in awe of how fast we build houses… these were built before we arrived. The family pictured hosted the ceremony at their new home. It was complete with an appearance by the "town drunk" (not pictured)! The fascinating part of all this is the irony - as we were celebrating with these families who have gone through all the right channels and steps and have been waiting patiently... directly across the street, we were joined for the celebration by the "encroachers." These are individuals who used to live on the land, before the government “donated” it. They decided they would like a house, since they were here first (valid point). So, they paid a bribe to the police - and now the Salvation Army can't get them to leave. Which creates a real dilemma if the word gets out that you can just move into a house and nothing will happen... then, people quit going through the proper channels and we have single families owning 4 houses, charging others rent, making a profit off the donated houses.



(The group on the porch are the "squatters" across-the-way.)

Cultural Tidbits: A Few Differences from Life in the US
1.) Sri Lankan’s are – by far – and I mean no disrespect to other cultures – the kindest, most generous, hospitable people we have ever encountered. They greet us on the road with smiles and an excited, “HiHelloWhatcountryfrom?!”
2.) Women walk along Galle Road – dressed in skirts, dresses, or elaborate sari’s, carrying umbrellas (either to ward off the harsh sun or the torrential downpour, depending on the day) – feminine, poised, and gracefully walking to the market or to work, as if they were headed to the Presidential Inaugural Ball.
3.) Marriages are arranged. Which means high priority is placed on how women conduct themselves in public. If you do anything to bring shame to yourself or your family – you cause problems for your marriage options.
4.) Suicide rates are said to be the highest, per capita, in Sri Lanka – because of arranged marriages. Young lovers, distraught over not being permitted to marry their true lover, are big fans of the Romeo and Juliet solution.
5.) Power outages happen randomly. About 5-6 times daily (daytime and nighttime) for an indefinite period of time.
6.) Air conditioning is a luxury item. Which means windows are usually open. And although this is a culture where the people are pretty private, family honor is paramount, and homes are guarded by large concrete walls – houses are also very close together and with open windows you hear life happening all around you. For example: we hear the baby crying next door; we also hear the wife call her husband when breakfast is ready; we heard Mom being mad at Daughter and Dad trying to plead the daughter’s case… and as you walk down the street, you just hear life happening in the homes as you pass. It’s amazing.
7.) Also, because houses are so open – ants and mosquitoes are the other residents in our home. Mosquitoes are fierce! So we wear insect repellant in our house!
8.) Boys – play together out in the community. Girls – well, I don’t know where they are, but they are not seen playing in the community. I assume they are at home, helping Mom cook and clean, learning how to be good wives, and waiting to be promised to a man they don’t know. Literally, parents publish “want ads” in the newspaper to find a suitable marriage partner for their child.
9.) Sri Lankan’s also have (generally) no personal space. Affection is often demonstrated between 2 boys (or a group of boys) – they are very warm and friendly. Adult men are often seen walking closely together and they think nothing of linking arms or having their arms around another’s shoulders. Likewise, girls are affectionate with girls. However, what you don’t see is couples being affectionate with one another. Ever.
10.) Sri Lankan food (directions for making your own): go to Wal Mart, to the section where they sell curry and chili. Buy all that they have. Add it to a pot of rice. Throw in some chicken – bones are good, too. Eat with your hands. Your whole body should be on fire.
11.) Starbucks: not so much. Coffee: not so much. Anybody for some Instant NesCafe that tastes like it was stored in a moist locker with somebody’s dirty gym shorts in a very hot country for 5 years? Perfect. We’ll take two, with sugar, please.
12.) Canned fruit and vegetables: are you kidding? How about fresh coconut, pineapple, mango, banana, passion fruit, lemon, lime, tomatoes, onions, peppers, carrots, etc.: this makes up for the coffee situation!

Today, we introduce to you: Budde's... the hole-in-the-wall place directly down the street from our house... when we're not at home or working - this is our other home. Literally, it is not an exaggeration to say that we are there 4 or 5 days out of 7. The team goes there to catch the sunset and have a 70 cent "lime and soda" at the end of the workday, and we do eat a lot of meals there, too. (The prices and service absolutely cannot be beat. For example: Adam and I had: 2 lime and sodas, a bottle of water, a cheese/tomato/onion omelet, a chicken and rice dinner, and a banana pancake with chocolate sauce and ice cream -- for five dollars and 30 cents.) And on the weekends, this is homebase while we play in the water, go for walks, sit and journal, etc. And just when you get good and hot, the pink signs welcome you in from the beach for the best lime and soda you've ever had... served by the best server you've ever met ("Sunil"). We love him; and, welll, needless to say, he loves us. =) And the view isn't all that bad either, from this spot on the beach:


The other thing that is great about Budde's - is that he has about 4 dogs that hang around and go banana's at any dogs or sketchy strangers that walk up trying to get the customers to give them money. (Mindy loves this feature.) Our favorite dog, who we deamed the namesake for the restaraunt ("Budde") - but whose actual name is "Charlie" - is the Alpha dog of the whole beach. He has more scars than you can count and is missing part of his ear. His right front leg got jacked and now bends forward instead of backward at the joint. He is a fantastic manipulator and likes to use this paw to beg... which worked on Mindy. Until the day she saw him FULL OUT sprint on all-fours (can you believe it?!) and tackle another male dog that had tried to enter Budde's part of the beach. (The other dog could be heard yelping for the next 5 minutes as he ran away.) Job complete, Budde hobbled back lifting his right leg up in front as he walked. Unbelievable. He looks a bit demonic below, but he is fantastic. He propped his jacked up leg up on Mindy's chair in hopes of receiving due love and affection (and food)...

The past two weeks, our main tasks have been tracking down supplies needed for the house (hangers, towel racks, an iron, a coffee maker, and a mirror, for instance) and office (additional phone lines, computer equipment, paper, a carpenter to make desks, an air conditioner, etc.). We were also working together to come up with a list of questions to ask a "Focus Group" of people who have already received houses (like the ones we'll be building)... to help us in planning and preparation. Examples of topics we discussed are: general satisfaction with the housing they've received, waste management, bathing, water/electricity, health concerns, sources of financial income, how their income is spent, distances families have to travel to school/market/work and how they get there, etc.

They were divided into a men's group and a women's group and the information and response we received was FASCINATING and provided extremely valuable feedback. Many organizations have built 100's of homes - but they are leaking. And there is no water erosion system in place - so the homes flood during monsoon season. And there is no waste disposal - which attracts scavengers - which spread diseases and fight with one another - causing danger for the children who are caught in the middle of angry, diseased dogs. And these houses have been built so far from the sea (for protection from tsunami's) that there are no nearby schools, work, medical facilities, post office, transportation system, etc. So, their homes were destroyed by the tsunami - and now they have had to relocate away from all that is important in sustaining livelihood and all that is familiar. We also learned that many people were living in their new homes because the structures were complete -- but they waited a year for the government to deliver electric and water... which meant women (who don't show their shoulders or their legs in public) were bathing at the public well with no privacy. For a year! The homes are also so small and in such close proximity that when one family member catches a cold, it immediately spreads to the whole family, and then to the house next door, and the house next door, etc. So, while it was somewhat disheartening to receive such negative feedback -- the people were eager to help provide us with information -- and we are eager to implement this information into our construction plan and also use it in the trauma counseling.

We are working... here are the pictures of our hike to one of the sites for building. The scenery & group shots are the views at the Monrovia Phase 3 site (where we will be building homes) -- and we included some shots of Mr. Monitor (along the way, during our hike). Chris says that the first day he stumbled upon Mr. Monitor while walking with some Sri Lankans, he screamed like a girl, and they promptly laughed at him. Mr. Monitor is supposedly a lizard -- about the size of a smallish alligator. The group shot at the building site includes Adam, Martina (our newest group member, from Ireland), Tucker, Dave, Benjamin, Chris, and Mindy (taking the photo). We'll try to get some additional shots of the site as it progresses. So when we post Monrovia Phase 3 pictures in the future, you'll know this plot is where it all started!

The Amazing House... this is our "little" haven in Hikkaduwa. We live with Chris, Tucker, Dave, Rip (the puppy), and Axel (the 4 week old co-dependent kitten). Paul will be joining us next week for a few months... and Dave will most likely get his own place when his wife gets here in February (she's currently interning with the UN in Sierra Leone as an international human rights lawyer). It is a mammoth house... and I have to tell you, I'm not sure how "real missionaries" make it living in sub-par conditions. It is the hugest blessing to have a nice, clean, spacious home to come back to at the end of a day... when you've otherwise mostly felt all out of sorts. Plus it's nice that the house is large enough to find "space" when we need it. Community living can sometimes be overwhelming - but so far the convenience and, well, "community" of living together has been a great comfort.

The inside pictures are of the living and dining areas... and a shot of the 3 French doors that lead out to the "veranda." The French doors (complete with curtains that blow in the breeze when the doors are open), along with Fran the ceiling fan (we named her - she's that significant!) are our favorite fixtures in the house.

The "tuk-tuk" ride around Colombo (read previous post for a further explanation)...

The group photo includes: Tucker (who is Coordinator for the Mobile Medical Clinic and a few other projects), Adam (who is making Buddhist hand motions we learned at the museum), Chris (college friend & Project Manager), Dave (Construction Coordinator), and Mindy (not pictured, taking the photo). We have a few more team members who are still en route.









We spent one day exploring the Sri Lankan culture in Colombo: we went to a national museum (see the group shot, under shade tree near the museum); visited 2 Buddhist temples; fit 4 (large, sweaty) Americans into a (small) "Tuk-Tuk" -- a 3-wheeled taxi... a site that was met with more Sri Lankan smiles than you can imagine; and had a traditional Sri Lankan dinner at our friend/co-worker Swarna's home.

More Hong Kong pictures... here are a couple pictures of the shipping yards. You would not believe the number of train cars stacked 5 or 6 high and rows as far as you can imagine... all those clothes and goods we love to buy! The other is just another picture of the city as we were leaving on the train. And we stumbled upon a "garden" or park where we found people of all ages practicing meditation, and every kind of martial art known to man. Individuals, pairs, groups of little elderly women or little old men -- were stretching, doing Yoga, sparring, whatever. One corner of the park had playground / gymnastics equipment specifically designated for the "elderly." We didn't get good pictures; we were trying to be descrete, because, well -- who wants a foreigner taking pictures of them while they're working out? Not me! So, just use your imagination...

Hi! Welcome to our Blog update. Posting this is a first for me -- so maybe Adam can make it look prettier in the future! In the mean time, here are some of our pictures from Hong Kong. You might think that these are postcards or that we stole the pictures from online... not true! It's really that beautiful! We were amazed. And we'll work on posting some of the Colombo pictures, too!