Pierce Update

2009-09-20T18:49:00.000-07:00

July-September: Noah's first pool, first birthday, first "Cousin Week," first trip to the beach, and first trip to the Bass Pro Shop... I'm telling you -- it is SO much fun having a kid and experiencing the world through a child's eyes! This was Noah's first time in his little kiddie pool. He was very uncertain at first and felt compelled to articulate his concerns to Mom...

... which lasted for about 2 minutes... and then he was ALL IN!

Both sets of grandparents were able to come for his first birthday. One night Grandma & Grandpa Pierce gave Noah a Disney shape-sorter a little early, prior to all the birthday bash madness. Grandpa's showing him how it works...

Noah's birthday party was super fun with family and friends... the adults ate brunch while the little one's swam in the kiddie pool and Sadie supervised. (Haha. Kidding! I promise there was adult supervision of swim time!) It was really fun to celebrate, not only the gift of Noah's life, but also the huge blessing of family and precious friends that have become our Atlanta family.)
Grandma & Grandpa Pierce

Nana (Cunningham) and Noah after swim time

Pop helping Noah practice his wave

Mmmm. icing is gooooood.

I mean, icing is reeeal good!!!

"I SAID, 'ICING IS GOOOOD!!!!!' "... and I have some in my hair!

The family... after the party madness! Noah was d-u-n, done! and ready for a nap!

Our friends the Bealls came for a visit a week or two later... Carlton, Noah, & Adam

Mindy, Taryn, & Josiah (making a funny face!)

Noah loves him some bubbles (see below...)

At Flip Burger (during Noah's nap time) with the Bealls, Chris Needham, & Joel Priest

Adam, blowing bubbles for Noah to help entertain while waiting for food!

When we were first pregnant, people loved to tell us, "Wow, expecting your first! Your life is going to change sooo much!" And, seriously, we did not think they were lying! But someone truly needs to write a book and explain, "When people tell you your life will change, they mean that you will find yourself doing strange things that you never considered necessary or appropriate." -- like shoving handfuls of grapes in your pocket while grocery shopping because you realize that while you were turned around selecting apples, your kid has tossed all his snack on the ground and you don't want to give them to him again, but you also don't want to be 'that' mom who leaves a huge mess, but seriously, there's no trashcan in site and where else are you going to store them for the time-being while trying to get your shopping done - where your kid won't have access to them and where they also will not fall through the slots in the cart? Or, perhaps, your kid has some form of mashed up food all over his fingers and is just before making an even bigger mess... when you realize, much-to-your-horror, that you have no napkin or wipe... and so you quickly stick his hand in your mouth to clean his fingers, in an effort to fore go the disaster of having mushed strawberries smashed all over his shirt (or yours)! So, this is but another one of those very small examples of what, "Your life is going to change so much!" means. Instead of sitting and having adult conversation and savoring your food when it arrives when you go out with friends, you will now find yourself riffling through the diaper bag, desperate for anything with better distract-ability power than whatever you had pulled out previously as your child continues his/her I'm-way-overdue-for-my-nap meltdown... and then shamelessly whip out a container of bubbles and begin blowing while dining at the trendy new restaurant in town!

Cousin Week in Texas

Noah and Mindy went to Texas for a visit with family. Mindy's brother and his family were there also -- and it was a blast for Noah to have a week with his cousins. He learned tons of new tricks!...

The hands-down favorite was "the chicken bawk"... which resulted from a shopping trip to Wal-Mart... again, past-due on a nap, having a meltdown in the shopping cart, while Nana runs (and I mean that literally) through the store with Noah in the cart and Claire (7 years old) beside the cart. Nana asked Claire to help "entertain" Noah. And Claire dutifully begins to "bawk" like a chicken, while flapping her arms. Noah stares silently in amazement. Ten minutes later, while waiting in the checkout line, Noah peers up from the cart and begins to bawk like a chicken.

The kid is a first-class copy cat.

Nana went garage-saling prior to cousin week and found this microphone (that played music and actually amplified voices) for the girls. We couldn't believe it when Noah snatched it up one day, KNEW HOW TO TURN IT ON, and then began singing into it!

Noah practices his new walking skills, while doing the one-winged chicken bawk. I mean, seriously, who needs a television when you have children around?!

One afternoon, we went to visit with some friends (Teresa and Russell) at the lake...

Teresa let the girls "drive" the boat -- they looooved it. In fact, ALL kids loved the whole lake experience!...

Noah's first boat ride

Noah's first sand-eating

Noah wanted to swim by himself

Noah's first 4-wheeler ride

Nana with the grand kids: Kate (4), Noah (12 months), Claire (7)

Claire, Noah, & Kate

You might be wondering how we got such fantastic smiles during our photo shoot. Well, a certain mother/aunt (who will remain nameless) demonstrated her (obviously very laughable) best dancing skills while Nana snapped away...

We took a 3 day trip to the beach with some college buddies. Noah's first time at the ocean!

Clearly, the child does not have "fear-of-water" issues.

At all.

I mean, is this same child who, one month ago, was more-than-a-little apprehensive about the kiddie pool?!?!

Mindy, Adam, & Chris

Beach photo shoot -- thanks to our friend Stacy who took photos, and our friends Erin and Chris who were more than successful in their attempts to hold Noah's attention and make him smile.

OOOOhhhhh. Sand.

Yes, that is sand on the corners of his mouth. Yes, he ate some, and was happy about it.

The guys (and the girl trying to sneak in): Luke (and Park) Truex, Chris Needham, Adam (and Noah) Pierce, Franco (and Micah & Anna) Salvatori

A couple weeks ago Noah and Mindy were out with our friends Brett and Karen on a Saturday night, when Brett asked if we could make a stop at the Bass Pro Shop. He was DE-lighted when we okayed the idea, and even more thrilled to learn that this was Noah's first trip to the Bass Pro Shop.

Noah & Mr. Brett

Mr. Brett tells Noah about all the fish... and Noah LOVES IT... PS., this is AFTER our trip to Chateau Elan... where Mr. Brett hikes Noah through the vineyards to see the horses WHILE SINGING, "Jesus Loves the Little Children." (You would have to know how SERIOUSLY reserved Brett is in order to totally appreciate him singing OUT LOUD to our son.) I mean, do we have the sweetest friends on earth, or what?!

Noah loved Bass Pro Shop so much that he walked around, and around, around -- talking non-stop -- with his finger pointed straight in the air...

and around, and around, and...

He knew exactly what to do in the speed boat!

And was equally pumped about the Arctic Cat! (Watch out, Big Dave, I think he's getting ready for the next ski / snow mobile trip!)

Adam and Mindy both celebrated birthdays. Our friends Amanda & Scottie (recently relocated from Chicago to 1 1/2 hours north of here!!! - woo hoo!) came for dinner!

And Paul was in town (from Lexington, KY) for a retreat - so we got to celebrate with him, too!

2009-06-06T17:03:00.000-07:00

March and April were red-letter months for us... here are the pix from Noah's baptism, Adam's APD graduation, our first family vacation with Noah, a Mindy & Noah roadtrip, and a couple more "firsts"... Noah wasn't real interested in us committing ourselves to raise him in a Christ-centered home, but he found the overhead lights real interesting!
The first "sprinkle" of water caught him a little off guard...
But by the 2nd and 3rd sprinkle, he knew what was coming and made every effort to ward off Dan's wet hand.

We laughed out loud when Dan made a joke about Noah trying to defend himself, "And the Holy Spirit will pursue you..."

Adam, Mindy, Noah (more interested in Grandma's sparkly earring than in smiling for the camera, Grandma Pierce, Aunt Shawna, Grandpa Pierce

The Pierce Boys

Noah & Aunt Shawna

Noah and Pop (Cunningham) -- all dressed up and ready for Dad's APD graduation!

The Graduating Class

The Pierces

Mindy's Parents

Not really interested in the accomplishment, but thankful for a teething opportunity.

Noah with Nana and Pop before they headed back to Texas.

Sadie's new favorite spot in the house... awaiting any morsels that fall... it's like manna from heaven!

Noah's pulling up, and likes to check out the action across the street. Okay, or maybe it's just whatever he's found in the crevasse of the window seal...

Noah discovers the bookshelf. I mean who needs toys when you can just spend hours pulling all the books off the shelf.

When Noah climbed out of the his little "exersaucer" (twice), we realized he was pretty mobile, and it was time to get serious about baby-proofing. So, we gated off the kitchen. It's hard to believe he's already big/old enough to be INTO things!

Noah loves his "sit-n-spin"... mostly it should be called a "stand-n-pat"... but hey, he's excited about it!

OUR FIRST FAMILY VACATION!
We're all packed up for a weekend with our friends at their cabin in the "mountains" in North Georgia.

We did some bike riding, a hike to a waterfall,... We met Chris and Donia through our church community group. They have been super precious and we love our time with them... they're just a really neat couple. Donia watches Noah on Thursday nights and Saturday mornings while Adam and I ride our bikes with Chris.

Noah LOVES Miss Donia.

Noah thought the waterfall was pretty cool.

Noah's first lemon. I mean, you can only entertain a kid for SO LONG at a restaurant while waiting for the food to come... and then you start to get creative. The funny thing was that he would make these hilarious faces and then try another bite, and another, and another...

Whew, both kids were worn out -- that was a great weekend!

Noah and Mindy road tripped to see Meg and Josh Adams -- Molly and Anne were turning 4 and 2; so we wanted to be there to celebrate. (Noah had his eyes on Annie's cupcake!)

Anne & Meg

Molly, Meg, and Anne -- singing Happy Birthday!

Noah's first push toy.

Um, none of that one-handed driving, Son.

Noah's first "bike" ride with Dad.

Based on this final picture, one might assume the ride was a success. However, what we did NOT photograph was the poor kid 20 minutes later, lopped over to one side, crying his head off, and sweating profusely. Okay, so, clearly, we'll wait a while before trying that one again!

2009-02-23T14:23:00.000-08:00

2009-02-23T12:17:00.000-08:00

FINALLY... the CHRISTMAS & NEW YEARS pictures!

Noah's first Christmas parade... it was SOOOOO cold that day!

It turns out - Noah was more interested in our friends Paul & Carlton than he was in the parade!

Ahhh! Dad, your nose is cold!

This was taken one Saturday after Christmas shopping... all shopped out!

Our first annual gingerbread house! We're thinking this will be a family tradition... it was good Saturday night entertainment, after our day of Christmas shopping.

Noah got his new Christmas pajamas from his great Nonnie and great Aunt Cathy.

We had dinner Christmas eve with some friends (Derek & Angela) that live 5 minutes from our house. (We love that they are so close!) they took this picture right before we left to go to the Christmas Eve service at our church... and then Adam had to work the night shift. (boo!)

CHRISTMAS MORNING... Adam had just gotten in from working all night; we made breakfast together and then opened gifts.

(Sadie is getting bored with all of Noah's gifts)

(Well! What's that?! I think that smells like a new toy for ME!!)

Both of the kids and their "chew toys" -- Noah's favorite gift was the wrapping paper... he loved it and cried when we took it away after this picture was taken!

NEW YEARS
We had several college friends (and a Sri Lanka friend) come into town to celebrate New Years... it was a great weekend!

It was really cold -- but the sun was out -- so we headed to the park to get out of the house! (Taryn, Mindy, Emelyn)

Chris & Josiah (Chris was a very good sport!)

The visit would have been incomplete without a wrestling match: Mark and Chris gang up on Carlton; Josiah tries to save his dad; and Sadie (as always) wants to be in on the action as well.

The visit also would have been incomplete without kitchen time!

Josiah "being sweet" to Noah

Another cold day! Another trip to the park! (Noah & Josiah)

brrrr... The trip to the park was cut short due to freezing temps... we walked straight over to the pizza place!

Taryn & Josiah, Carlton, Ryan, Mark

Chris, Emelyn, Mindy & Noah

"... and, I'm done."

Work, work, work! Fun, fun, fun!

Everybody contributed to the big Italian dinner... and it was fine, fine, fine!

Ommm, who put a princess crown on my son?

Adam (a little tired after the night shift!) working on THE risotto.

Mark and Sadie almost didn't make it until midnight... whew! so tired!

Happy New Year!

Ryan, Chris, Dave, Mark, Adam & Noah, Mindy at the Brick Store

A FEW OF NOAH's FIRSTS...

With the start of the new year, Noah started eating cereal (with Emelyn)

Noah got a haircut

and of course...

Noah found Sadie's dog bone...

and chewed on it!

2009-02-08T20:07:00.000-08:00

APD Swearing In. Adam was sworn-in as a police officer in December. Since then, he has been completing his field training, and is due to graduate in March. In a lot of ways, we have seen the Lord's hand at work while Adam completed academy... it seems like Adam was MADE for this... the Lord has really gifted him for the tasks required in law enforcement... and we are excited and his wife is really proud! (In some other ways, his wife is also terrified.)

Mindy's cousin (Kasey) was able to come to the swearing in, and since she is an officer in Tennessee, she was able to "pin" Adam's badge on.

Hmmm... look at this cool shiney thing; I wonder if I can get it in my mouth...

2009-02-08T16:35:00.000-08:00

THANKSGIVING 08 Mindy's parents, brother, sister-in-law and nieces came to Atlanta for Thanksgiving... Noah... up-close and personal for his first meeting of the cousins!

Noah also had a one-on-one chat with Pop

Nana with her girls: Claire & Kate

Noah hanging out in the exer-saucer, while dinner preparations were underway... after Thanksgiving dinner, we all went to Stone Mountain Park, for their Christmas festivities.

Nana (with Noah) and Pop (with Kate)

Brrrr!! It was COLD!

Mindy & Jess sporting our snazzy 3-D glasses

Kate & Brant

Claire

Noah -- not so thrilled about the glasses, really.

Kate & Claire got to chat with Santa.

The next day, the girls (Jess, Mindy, Nana) had a kid-free day out antiquing (how do you spell that?), drinking much coffee, and eating a fun girly lunch... as our belated girly birthday celebration for Nana's 60th birthday.

Meanwhile, the boys (Pop, Brant & Adam) took the little ones to the Aquarium.

For a solid hour, Noah pumped his arms and kicked his legs with sheer excitement at all the sea creatures... then he slumped over the front of the Baby Bjorn carrier, passed out. Adam turned him around, so he could take a good nap and gear up for their next task: finding a Christmas tree!

That evening the men & kids put up & decorated the tree, and the next day, we pretended it was Christmas. We took about 84 photos of the cousins on "Christmas day." Of course, there was not a single one where all 3 were smiling in the general direction of the camera. The group shot above, however, is definitely my personal favorite. And anyone who has tried to photograph 3 children will appreciate it.

Nana found this dress while we were out shopping, and Kate LOVED it. She really jumped right into the role of Santa Clause.

Uncle Brant & Noah in their argyle sweaters

This is Noah's CRAZY happy squealing face

Brant, Jess, Claire, & Kate

Pop & Noah

"Christmas" night, some precious friends came over and watched the kids while we went out for dinner to celebrate Mom's birthday. (A good time was had by all!) This picture was taken right before we left. Again, we probably took 30 shots, and this one would be great, if Mindy wasn't about to fall over laughing at someone's smart remark about the excessiveness of all the photos.

2009-02-07T19:43:00.000-08:00

FALL Photo Op: Mindy & a friend (Alisha) decided to join forces to try to get a decent smiley picture of the kids to give to family members at Christmas... it just so happened, that another friend of ours (Ruth) was visiting from South Africa... and she just happens to be the most phenomenal photographer, so we recruited her help, too!

Noah's little lady friend: Lily

Adam, Ruth & Noah, Mindy

2008-11-05T11:02:00.000-08:00

Noah's latest trick: pprrrrbbbbb!

It's a little embarassing, because you can hear Mom in the background... but just ignore her, and focus on how amazing it is that he's already trying to copy cat and talk back!!!

2008-10-29T12:29:00.000-07:00

Noah received a "baby faith" dvd from Nana & Pop. It's like the "Baby Bach" stuff -- puppets, music, sounds, shapes, and colors that tell the Biblical creation story. It was fascinating for us to see how Noah now talks to the puppets and laughs at certain parts. He is so completely engaged and interactive!

When the dvd ends, the hostess starts talking, and EVERY TIME Noah starts crying... apparently not a big fan of the car seat OR the hostess lady! Bless his heart. We're not laughing AT him, we're just entertained by how early the little opinions develop!

2008-10-21T10:55:00.000-07:00

Adam is surviving Academy. It is definitely challenging, but we have certainly seen the Lord's hand on Adam as he faces difficult tasks and "opportunities for growth." (I don't know what else you would call running, being sprayed in the face with pepper spray, and running some more!) He is a walking encyclopedia of laws and has learned a number of new wrestling moves/submission holds. (Be advised, ol' college buddies, he has new tricks up his sleeve that he'll be happy to practice on you.) 15 weeks down; 9 to go! He'll be "sworn in" and go through 12 weeks of field training, before graduating in the spring.

Mindy is still seeing a few clients, while actively job hunting for a salaried position. We've enjoyed lots of company over the past several months; so although the lack of clients is a bummer, it has allowed more time for enjoying Noah and visitors. We're also staying connected to the anti-human trafficking / prostitution scene in Atlanta, trusting that when the timing is right, the Lord will open the doors for an opportunity to get involved in a more tangible way.

Can you believe Noah is 4 months old? People have said "it will go fast," and time really is flying. He's already out of one stage, and on to other things: Goodbye colicky screaming-all-the-time-because-of-tummy-pain nightmare; Hello smiling, cooing, giggling, trying to sit up, looking around, trying to figure things out, and chewing on hands and toys!

Here's Noah...

Noah watches his first OSU game with Dad.

Noah in his "big boy" outfit!

Nana reading Noah "The Barnyard Dance" (an excellent read -- I highly recommend it!)

Noah -- "doing what he does" in his super cute Adidas outfit.

Nana and Noah at (guess where!) The Flying Biscuit!

Noah's first day in the "exersaucer." (Hmm. Who's that chunky kid looking at me?)

Noah wore himself out batting at toys on his playmat; Sadie (the best dog ever) was there for moral support.

Noah and Dad, attending our church community group.

Noah & his Walt Disney onesie from Grandma, sporting his "Whatchu talkin' 'bout, Willis?" look.

The Greats came to visit Noah: Great Gram, Great Uncle Sandy, Great Aunt Karen

Great Gram and Noah

We went to "Underground Atlanta" (a shopping center that is, as the name may indicate, underground); Noah napped. Great Aunt Karen and Noah

Ahhh, the dreaded car seat. Noah hates the car seat. We don't know why. It is very clear, however, that he has an opinion about it.

Gram and Noah talking

Gram and Noah laughing

Gram and Noah -- errr, Noah crying.

A monumental occasion: Great Uncle Sandy gives Noah a bottle

Noah giggles at Dad

2008-09-03T10:52:00.000-07:00

"Aunt Kristen" arrived from Italy!!... and a couple dear friends came into to town to greet her...

The girls and Noah went to The Flying Biscuit -- Noah's first trip to our favorite restaurant. ("Aunt Paula" and Noah)

Kristen and Janice

Paula & Mindy

"Aunt Janice" with Noah... and some rapid arm movement.

Here are some pictures from the weekend spent celebrating Adam's 30th!

Taryn, Carlton, & Josiah came into town for the weekend.

"Aunt Taryn" and Josiah meet Noah... Taryn and Carlton had been talking to Josiah about going to meet "Baby Noah" -- so it was reeally cute when Josiah would talk to him, calling him "Baby No-No."

Josiah was really excited to see Baby No-No and to introduce Baby No-No to his bunny. Josiah also invited Baby No-No to play "trucks" with him... alas, to no avail.

Dinner out for Dad's 30th birthday... Noah was very well behaved. =)

Noah's new football pj's -- size: 6 months.

Brunch and Bocci at Piedmont Park... except I don't think we ever made it to the "bocci" part of the event. Several friends (from Asbury College) came and we just ate, talked, played with the kids, and tossed the frisbee.

Carlton and Josiah

"Uncle Paul" (surprised Adam by flying into town for the weekend) and Noah

"Aunt Taryn" and Noah

(left to right) Dave, Aden, Jax, Josiah & Carlton having guy time. I'm not positive, but pretty sure Star Wars was involved at some point during the discussion.

(counter-clockwise, around the table) Adam, Paul, Taryn & Noah, Meghan, Cathy, & Kristen

Josiah, checking out the action at the picnic table with the binoculars.

Paul, with a feigned birthday kiss for Adam.

"Uncle Paul" and Noah... ready to go eat some fine barbecue.

Walking into "Daddy D's Barbecue Joynt" -- some of us might or might not have been a little skeptical at this point. Despite the fact that our feet stuck to the floor and our hands/arms stuck to the table -- the barbecue was phenomenal. A ++

"Aunt Kristen" goes for a kiss on the forehead, but Noah's looking for some lip action. Atta boy, Son!

Look, I'm holding my head up!

Just a quick note to thank y'all for praying for us and for Noah. We went to the GI specialist on Wednesday, and were very impressed with the Emory Children's Hospital and the attention and help we received for Noah. After waiting a total of 10 minutes in the waiting room, the doctor(s) spent an hour (AN HOUR!) with us, examining Noah, asking questions, answering questions, and providing valuable feedback. There's great news, and then, well, not-as-great news:

The GREAT news is that we have a "beautiful and VERY healthy boy" who is growing very well and shows all the signs of being developmentally on target. At 8 weeks and 1 day, he weighed 14 pounds and was 24 inches long -- in the 95% range for his age. (The way we understand it, out of a hundred 8-week old babies, Noah would be bigger than 95 of them.) The doctors saw no markers or cause for concern related to GI stuff. The doctors also recommended that we take Noah off the medications previously prescribed by the pediatrician.

The NOT-as-great news is that we have a very healthy boy with no medical concerns... and therefore... no solution to the crying. So, he is, in fact, "colicky" -- crying is his current hobby -- and he will just continue crying until he outgrows it. =)

(Sweet.)

The GOOD news is that there are UPS, as well as the downs. He IS smiling and engaging more, and is learning how to communicate in other "tones" besides the enraged "wall-eyed screaming tantrum" tone. =) We have had a number of good days and nights, in addition to the rough ones -- and we feel like maybe the good days/nights are beginning to increase and the screaming tantrums are decreasing in intensity and frequency.

Thanks for your continued prayers. We are very thankful for the positive report and are encouraged by the host of people who have said, "So-and-so was colicky..." and the parents and child survived it and are no worse for the wear. The really cool thing is how the Lord has brought friends and family to visit us, and so the longest we've been without "Noah help" is a week. We had no idea we'd so desperately need help, didn't know to plan for it; He totally choreographed it for us, and it's the only way we've survived.

Super thankful!

2008-08-24T18:05:00.000-07:00

Noah: 8 weeks old this Tuesday!

We've got loads of pictures from the past 7 weeks to post... but with limited time, I've opted for posting a few of the most current pictures now, while I have a minute... and will go back and post the others when Noah starts Kindergarten or something and I have some spare time.Who says men can't multi-task? (Adam studying, while on "Noah duty")

Noah's preferred sleeping position.

Sadie occasionally likes to remind us that she enjoys having her picture taken, too!

Sadie, on "Noah duty"

Noah has just started trying to smile...

(Above: crazy smiling... and moving all around!)

If you have noticed a number of pictures of Noah in his bouncy chair (in different outfits -- so obviously a number of different occasions)... I promise we DO take him out (from time to time). haha. He just really likes it!

2008-07-24T11:29:00.001-07:00

MORE of NOAH:

Not so much a big fan of the sponge bath #1.

Nana assisted with sponge bath #2... which he loved...

well.. except for being naked.

ohhh... that's nice.

Nana, Pop, & Noah -- sporting his Happy 4th of July shirt... our first family outing.

Umm. No good explanation for this one. Just thought it had been a few hours since the last photo and Noah had probably grown, so we should take another one.
The first trip to the park. (Sadie's got her eye on a nearby squirrel and can't be bothered with looking at the camera.)

Naptime with Dad.

Little Miss Supervisor / Protector... a little depressed about the recent change in status... no more "only child."

Paul "Big Dog" and Noah having quality bonding time.

Meg and Noah. (Paul and Adam had "Noah duty" and Mindy got to go for a 'girls only' walk and lunch with Meg -- SOOO NICE.)

Grumpy Grumperman

A LITTLE less grumpy... but still not interested in opening his eyes for the photo shoot. =)

2008-07-03T19:52:00.000-07:00

Mindy...4 hours before delivery

Noah...7lbs.12oz and 19 inches

Sadie...meet Noah

2008-06-15T19:54:00.000-07:00

Here's the most recent pregnant picture... 37 weeks!

2008-06-02T10:12:00.000-07:00

Hi! It's been forever since we've published an update, but we finally have SOME resolution on a few details... and we're excited to share:

ADAM

The big, big news is that Adam has been hired by APD, & started working there as a new recruit last week; he should start Academy within the next 2 months. In the mean time, he reports to the office and is getting familiar with a whole new way of life... that, for starters, includes a bald head and no facial hair. We have been so blessed by your prayers and support and encouragement throughout this tedious process! He will attend Academy for 6 months, 8am - 5pm, Monday - Friday, and then will be assigned to a precinct. Probably one that's pretty rough. And probably third shift. So that he can get "good" experience for investigating human trafficking and prostitution.

MINDY

I am employed at a private counseling practice, where I work 2 days per week, and will continue working there once the baby arrives. Building up clientele has been super, super slow... but we're trusting that the Lord has His hand in that, and maybe it's for the best (with getting settled in Atlanta and a new baby on the way, etc.). I'm also getting to volunteer with the office to combat sexual and human trafficking at The Salvation Army's Southern Territorial Headquarters, and I'm attempting to write a grant to combat exploitive child labor in Nicaragua.

BABY

The baby is due in 5 weeks (July 9th). So far, everything is "on target" and we're super excited about the arrival of this (very active) little one. We don't know if we're having a girl or a boy; and we don't have a name yet... we might just have to wait to meet him or her...

Here are a few pictures of the baby room, which is ready (more or less) for the little one's arrival. THANKS SO MUCH for all your gifts that have helped us get ready:

(My friend Meagan & I found this dresser at a garage sale for next-to-nothing... a little bit of white paint goes a LONG WAY... I was thrilled!)

Here are pictures from the suprise shower several friends (Staci Salvatori, Amanda Blackburn, & Meghan Sternberg) coordinated for us. Carlton & Taryn Beall were in town for the weekend, and we went over to the Sternbergs for a "low country boil"... that was ACTUALLY a baby shower. Y'all are so precious -- and we felt incredibly loved!

Ever see a diaper cake?...

The "Jones Sodas" coordinated with the colors on the edible cake & the diaper cake & the balloons & giftwrap... very impressive!

YAY - gifts!

Meghan (and Aden) keeping track of the gifts and the givers...

Carlton & Josiah (age 2)

Josiah & watermelon...

Josiah & watermelon...

Josiah & watermelon
Aden (age 5+) & watermelon... & Jax (age almost 2)
(without watermelon, but reeeally wanting some)

Aden & watermelon...

The boys: Aden, Carlton & Josiah, Adam, Jax & Dave

The girls: Taryn, Mindy, Meghan

The boys supervising the "low country boil."

low country boil finished product: corn, potatoes, sausage, shrimp, & seasoning... it was FINE!

The next day, the Bealls and Pierces went to a Brave's game:

Ready & waiting on the boys (on our front step)

Out to dinner for Carlton's birthday...

Please note the yellow crocs. So cute!

Please note Carlton (behind us), chasing Josiah. haha.

A week later, I went with my Mom to Nashville for Mother's Day weekend (to be with her mom), and we drove to Texas for a week at home and a baby shower... we'll post those pictures soon! And we'll try to be better about keeping current pictures posted, especially when the little one gets here!

2007-12-10T23:37:00.000-08:00

Saying Goodbye's: Here are pictures from a couple goodbye dinners last week.

Wednesday night was dinner at Sunil's. (He's the server from Budde's - remember?- our home-away-from-home at the beach.) He has (over the span of 8 years) bought a piece of land in the middle of a cinnamon grove and built a beautiful home for his family... it's a little ways inland - was incredible quiet and peaceful. We were so impressed with the whole experience. His wife and family cooked (hands-down) the best Sri Lankan meal we've had in the past 18 months. We really enjoyed the chance to sit and chat with him in such a relaxed setting: "Superb." (as Sunil says).

Sunil and his wife and son

Sunil and his two sisters and nephew.

Adam, Sunil, & Chris

Thursday night was the staff farewell dinner at a local vegetarian place in Hikkaduwa. Kicked off with group singing...

Benjamin (Construction Technical Officer), Chris (Project Manager), and Raj (Office Manager)This is the only photo ever taken of Raj smiling... it took only 4 attemps, and Chris tickling him.

Sisila, Mark, Dinuka, Robert - leading the pre-meal sing-song.

Inoka (Livelihoods), Mindy (CCD), Kokila (Livelihoods)

Jayantha (Combatting Human Trafficking) and Tucker (All non-tsunami Projects)

Adam and the Construction Guys -

Kapila, Benjamin, Adam, Mahinda -- they are quality guys - super, super hard workers and a fantastic team.

Here's the "tough guy" picture (no smiling).

It took 3 or 4 attempts to keep Mahinda (far right) from smiling... He just can't help it.

with the CCD staff - kneeling: Nalinda (Child Development), Hasitha (Child Development), Rajendren (Spiritual Life Coordinator). standing: Mark (CCD Coordinator) & Chamani, Sahara & Ruwantha (CCD Field Officers), Sisila (HIV/AIDS), [us], Dinuka (CCD Field Officer), Eranga & Naomi (CCD Field Officers)

Benjamin gave us each a huge going away gift (wooden, hand-carved statues)

with Hasitha (CCD Child Development) and his wife Harshini

Saturday night was dinner with Mr. Ariyapala and his family (Remember? - he's the driver from Ampara). His oldest daughter (Anoma) is married to the pastor (Wijenama) of the Colombo Central Church, and dinner was held in their home in Colombo. They are a dynamic couple... love the Lord and others (just like Ariyapala). It was very nice to be in their Christmas-y home with the whole precious family... they went all out with decorations (Christmas placemats and floating candles!).

Also, a word of explanation - these dinners are a little different than the average celebratory sit-down we're accustomed to. At these dinners, where we're the "guests of honor," we sit at the table and are served by the family. One or two family members might join us (below, the two English-speaking men were designated), and then the family eats after the guests have left.

with the whole Ariyapala crew... (minus one son and a couple grandkids that couldn't make it).

2007-12-03T02:02:00.000-08:00

Elle Tournament. Cricket tournaments for the men and boys abound. And there are sports competitions for kids. Rarely are there ever organized sports competitions for the women. Our CCD Officer in Hikkaduwa set out to change that and organized a 16 team Elle Tournament for all of our women's societies. Elle is baseball (using a tennis ball), crossed with dodgeball. Once you bat, while you're running the bases, the opposing team can get you out by nailing you with the ball. Which women here are not afraid to do at point-blank range, apparently. The presentation of the teams...

The lighting of the oil lamp...

Ruwantha tells the women the rules of the game...

The judges' table...

The score board... (and, as a side note, the little lady in the dress to the left of the score board was not just a cheerleader -- she was a competitor.)

The Akurala team - ready for their turn...

After weeks and weeks of rain, we had fantastic weather. Families and friends watched wherever they could find shade...

One of the Final Four teams...

A home run...

Celebrating a home run...

One of the heavy hitters...

As you MIGHT imagine (we didn't)... 16 teams of women from 16 different communities getting together to compete in what, for some of them, was a once-in-a-lifetime sports competition in front of their families and friends... meant the stakes were pretty high - as were emotions. Unfortunately, sportsmanship and healthy coping skills were not so prevalent. As you MIGHT imagine (we didn't) -- when girls do not engage in sports while growing up and are never taught how to win or lose "well" -- this resulted in a dramatic fit-throwing rage following each match... when the losers could not cope with the disappointment of loss -- and the winners thought it was their job to remind the losers that they lost. As the day progressed, and, obviously the stakes were getting higher and the teams felt they had a lot invested -- tension increased. To the point that we actually requested that the police come monitor the final round as a "preventative" measure.

Three officers showed up. And, following the championship match, before we could hand out the awards to the top four teams... the police officers promptly watched the women beat the tar out of one another... and allowed Adam to go break it up.

This guy DID go pick up a bat. We're unsure whether this was a precautionary measure (so the women didn't grab the bat and go after one another) or a proactive measure (he was going to start swinging on them).

OK, right. And, back to the awards ceremony...

Adam hands the winning team members their prizes... saying, and I quote: "Congratulations. Stop fighting."

Well, we like to call this a "good learning experience." The CCD staff that worked their tails off organizing the tournament, visiting communities to coach them during practice, etc. were mortified and apologetic... and promised to never organize another event like this again. We challenged their response -- and asked them to consider WHY the women behaved the way they did: because there are no sports programs for them and because they've never been taught how to win and lose. With a commitment to sports ethics education, more sports opportunities, and a no tolerance policy that says, "You start mouthing, you and your team all go home, immediately," -- we're looking forward to the next women's Elle tournament extraordinaire.

Adam and I couldn't resist agreeing: "Man, that was like the parents at the peewee league in America!" "Yeah, or church league basketball..."

2007-11-22T09:09:00.001-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving! Several months ago we made some new friends (Americans - yay!! From the South - double yay!!) There are two single gals and two families with several kids that are as fun to be with as they are cute. So for those of us missing nieces and nephews and just the "feel" of family in general, we really enjoy spending time with them. Here's our second Thanksgiving in Sri Lanka... Clockwise from Lana (pink shirt), Chris, Tucker, Jared, Adam, Mindy

Clockwise from Wesley (solid blue shirt), Donielle, Debbie, Steven, Charlotte, Sanjeeva

The kids' table emptied rather quickly (they move fast!)... only Erin was left by the time I made it there with my camera.

Another reason I love my husband (he believes that women who cook, don't clean up).

And then we watched football -- the Colts/Patriots game.

(In the next several pictures, follow the red fireman helmet.)
Brooke & Steven
Brooke & Stephen
Brooke & Lana

Brooke cheering for the Colts. (Brooke, where's your helmet?)

Brooke & Tucker

Brooke

Wrestling...

Jessica, Brooke, Caleb, Daniel

Katelyn & Allie

Daniel

Mindy & Charlotte

Wesley (with Wyatt) and Steven (with Erin)

Erin

Brooke & Erin introduce Chris to their finger puppets.

Chris watching the game (with finger puppets).

The highlight of the evening was whenever the Colts scored, and Chris and the girls would hold their palms up in the air with the finger puppets waving overhead. The girls looked a little nervous at first as to whether or not the finger puppets liked being treated in such a manner, but eventually decided it was fun.

After watching the game, it was time to play. Daniel dug out his football uniform (AKA: he ran to his bedroom, put on his bicycle helmet and crammed stuffed animals into his shirt as football pads).

Then (of course), time for playdough.
Erin, Daniel, Wyatt

Jared's infamous cheesecake.

2007-11-13T04:47:00.000-08:00

Well...I would like to apologize for taking so long to write an update. I have a long list of excuses...but I will spare you those and get down to the nitty gritty.

We just finished up a fiscal quarter and at the end of the quarter, the SW office (the one I oversee) had finished 84 houses with 50 under construction. We started 2 community facilities and finished one of those (it was a small remodel). We missed our housing goal by about 2 houses...not bad. But we missed our community facilities projection by at least two (we have 8...so missing it by two is bad).

Heading into the last quarter...and the last quarter that I will be in Sri Lanka...we are looking to have the last 50 houses complete and all the remaining community facilities started. That is a tall order, especially since it has been raining every other day for the last month. But, I have confidence in our staff...we should be able to get the project where it needs to be.

The overall project. By the end of 2007, we will have completed over 250 houses. Which is over half of the housing target. The Southwest office will be overseeing community facility projects into April or May of next year. The East coast office will have to handle the remaining 250 houses. That will be a lot of work, but I think they will manage. They can build about 60-70 houses per quarter...so that puts them right at the mark.

Prayer request...(1) no more rain! We have two community centers slated to start in two weeks, one to start in three weeks, and one to start in four weeks...(2) pray that this really happens. I have to have these projects started before I can come home! We hired a second engineer a few weeks back...(3) pray he works out.

This is a project consisting of 10 houses. The land was provided by the government and then we provided the construction of the houses. As you can see it is on the side of hill so extensive work had to be done with excavating, retaining walls, and drainage systems.

The above house is part of the same project shown in the first picture. This is the "model" house, finished first so that we can determine color schemes, finishing touches, etc. Those who who will be living in the houses chose the color.

This house is part of the owner driven program. Some people were not permitted to move back to their original property (like the houses in the first two pictures, it's called a donor driven house). This beneficiary was allowed to build back on his original land, we gave him 5 installments to build his house. He did everything from choosing the design to building the house.

The above picture is one of our community facility projects. Whoever built this hall for tsunami victims did a terrible job on it. The roof was about to collapse and it was unfinished. We tore off the roof, put in a lintel level (re bar in concrete beam that supports the weight of the roof above the windows and doors), built the wall back up, put on a brand new roof, refinished the floor, finished the class room, installed iron windows and door, new steps, wired it for electricity, and painted it.

The same community mentioned above still does not having running water to their houses yet (government's responsibility). They requested a bathing well, which we provided. Equipped with his and her bathing sides and an intertube just in case someone happens to fall in (below).

2007-10-21T02:39:00.000-07:00

Ella - also called "Ella Gap" - Mindy was coming back from Ampara, Chris was going to Ampara; so Tucker and Adam drove with Chris, and we all met halfway. "Halfway" between Ampara (our east coast office) and Hikkaduwa (southwest coast office), there's this tiny mountain village, Ella. We stayed the weekend at a quaint guest house that's cheap and quiet (untapped by tourists) and offers spectacular views and hiking. Here's the view from the porch: The way transportation panned out, Mindy got there early on Friday (bummer) and spent the day typing quarterly reports and enjoying the view on the porch.
(Above) the view to the right of the guest house.
(Above) The afternoon stormclouds rolled in.

The afternoon stoms roll out... and sunset.

Below, we got up for the sunrise (we also went back to bed after watching the sunrise). We didn't want to miss it -- so... we were a little early.
sunrise 1 "Who told us to get up this early?"
sunrise 2

sunrise 3
sunrise 4
sunrise 5

sunrise 6
sunrise 7, last pic. we refer to this as a "strong pre-game."
The pre-game was GREAT; the actual 'game' - not as spectacular. And no post-game action.

We also hiked... but Tucker has the pictures from those adventures, so we'll have to get them and share that later.

2007-10-14T07:06:00.000-07:00

Another week in Ampara. The CCD Officer on the east coast was recruited by the UN (grrrr!), so Mindy spent the week in Ampara interviewing replacement possibilities and visiting the vocational and educational trainings that our CCD team has started there. Adam held down the fort on the southwest coast... was sick (boo.)... and conducted orientation for his new Engineer (yay!)

Mr. & Mrs. Ariyapala (one of our favorite people in this world and his equally precious wife)
English class for kids (in a Muslim community)

English class again (and Mindy)

unloading sports equipment for an English class... (What? It's hard to understand why an English class needs sports equipment?) We believe bribery is an effective tool for motivating strong study habits. Plus, kids gotta PLAY, too!

Captain Sam (middle) with the teacher that helped form the class and organize all the details (left) and the English teacher (right).
Captain Sam (and the leaves used for a weaving vocational class)
weaving class; they were giggling about having their picture taken...
the weaving class... They all introduced themselves and told about their families (family details are so integral to personal identity). It was interesting to hear them say how they have 4 brothers and 3 sisters or 5 children, etc. One lady shared about having one daughter - who was only 1 year old when she was killed in the tsunami. She didn't mention her husband or having other kids, so I asked someone later, and was told that her husband left her after their daughter died and married another woman (Muslim men can marry up to 5 women, so this is pretty common). Just when I feel like I'm familiar with the culture, or when I think the tsunami and its devastation are a thing of the past, I get "checked".
sewing class
the cutest kid of the week...

... and his friends.

2007-10-01T22:51:00.000-07:00

What's not to love about "celebrating children"?!

In celebration of World Children's Day (Oct. 1), we had a children's talent show on Sunday afternoon. Here are a few video clips...

OK, I'm such a huge fan of surprises, but I often get so excited about what's to come, I just can't hold out until the right time (True, it's a real dilemma!). Thus, I'm showing our favorite FIRST instead of last. If you come for a visit, we can probably negotiate a one hour dance lesson for you. (I know some people who know some people.) He's 10, and I seriously have no idea where he gets it...

Then there's the little NON-dancer. Find the kid who does not move a muscle (it's not hard).

I know... Bless his heart!

Watch out for the little girl in the hat -- and the little Muslim boy in white -- they will rob you blind and you will not even know your heart is missing!

The teenage girls... right on the money, and then their music stopped... uh, oops. (giggle, giggle.)

Take 2: Ope, and... we're back on track.

Some days, it's probably really not fair to call what we do here "work."

2007-09-22T06:55:00.000-07:00

Sri Lanka with the Cunninghams, in 10 days or less! Here are a few highlights (of the 600 taken! not kidding!) of our time with Mindy's parents...

The Elephant Orphanage

Oh my, I don't know about this...!

Dad & Mom. With elephants. In Sri Lanka.

Oh, he's so cute!

'Scuse me. Comin' through.

I may be smaller, but I'm not easily intimidated... comin' to get ya!

Kandyan Botanical Gardens) Well, hello intricate flower... that-surely-must-have-just-resulted-from-an-accidental-explosion. (riiight.)

Kandyan cultural show with dancing and fire walking. (See video clip at the end of the post.)

Fire dancers

Yes, he is walking on a bed of fire, and we can testify that it was hot enough to singe Adam's leg hairs from where we were sitting!

(We visited The Temple of the Tooth)... above, at the temple, one of the thousands of statues of Buddha in Sri Lanka.

The Nuwara Eliya Botanical Garden, created in the 1800's (this is the rose garden section).
the favorite rose

The "fernery" section. How cool.

Dad & Adam helped get the "hand tractor" up the hill...
Peek - a - boo! I have cool hair.
We toured the Pedro Tea Estate. (Sri Lanka's the #1 tea EXPORTER in the world. There are other countries that make more, but they consume most of what they make.)
Mom, enjoying her post-tour cup of tea.

Dad, also having post-tour tea.
Cute tea pickers. Who work really, really hard...

earlier this year they were on strike for better pay; now they make a whopping $2 per day.

A common site: cows grazing in the trash bin. (Families often own a cow - or a herd - without having the resources/land to feed them. So during the day, they walk the road and graze on whatever they find, including trash... and then walk home at dusk.)

Adam drove 1100 kilometers during the 10 days.

Dad did a lot of silent co-piloting. =) Typically a quiet man -- the roads here really left him speechless! Except for one point, after about 7 hours of road time... where we had been dodging large pot holes, cows, hand tractors, mange-y dogs, school children, monitor lizards,

drunken men on bicycles, ox carts,

maniac bus drivers, etc.... there was one brief moment, where yet another crazy person hoping to die pulled out in front of us and my dad just said (in his calm, understated way), "Pleease, Mister..."

We passed vegetable stands, fruit stands, clay pot stands, etc. along the road...

and stilt fishermen.

and a mammoth statue of Buddha.

and, eventually arrived for the sunset at Budde's in Hikkaduwa!

We visited the Galle Fort - built by the Dutch (I think in the 1800's?)

Here's the view from Mom & Dad's hotel room... BEFORE the tsunami warning came and the hotel staff moved everything from the first floor onto the second floor... including all sorts of furniture and a freezer full of fish... into my parents' room. What's not to like about sleeping in a storage room that smells like fish? We opted for family time at the Team House...They met Milo the cat.
And Shadey the dog. (Whom Adam will only refer to as "Dumb dog" or "Stupid"... the funniest thing I have witnessed in a while is my husband in his mock-high-and-excited voice saying very kindly "Who's a dumb dog? You are! That's right! You're a dumb dog!" And Shadey wagging her tail, thrilled to be the recipient of his attention.)

We went shopping... this is Shiela and her friend (?); they made several skirts for Mom to take back as gifts.

Bring your parents to work day! Dad led our morning team devotion and then we gave them a tour. Above, with Mark (the CCD Coordinator) & his wife Chamani.
We visited several of Adam's construction sites. Penakolandia is almost finished: 10 houses in a Muslim community.
There are lots of rubber tree plantations (this one is near the construction site).
They cut into the side of the tree and collect the goo to use for manufacturing rubber.

Mindy's birthday (cake made by Adam). Dave & Tucker, laptops open, tracking the tsunami wave that was due to arrive any moment, according to warnings...

Chris and Phyllis

Our favorite seafood place in Colombo (The Lagoon)...
Choose your seafood.
Choose your marinade and how you want it cooked.
The last photo.

The video of one of the dances from the cultural show in Kandy.

2007-09-04T09:01:00.001-07:00

We cashed in some of the weekends we've worked and spent 2 days in Negombo -- we enjoyed having some time together, celebrating Adam's birthday, and seeing a friend who was "in town" (ha!) to share at a women's conference. The time was too short, but was much-enjoyed!
Adam, Mindy, & Paula

Mindy (who apparently did a terrible job with the sunscreen!) & Paula (in her fun Indian punjabi suit)
Adam's birthday sunset from our balcony...

A fun outdoor restaurant, where we went the evening of Adam's birthday.

2007-08-29T05:04:00.001-07:00

117 kids. 3 communities. 3 days. the Hikkaduwa Salvation Army community center.

Hasitha, CCD's Child Development Officer, organized a 3-day summer camp; we hosted about 100 kids at the community center that also serves as a local church and as our project's base of operations.

The weekend was similar to a previous foster care program, but longer, and with one distinct difference: the children hopped on buses and traveled from the many communities where we're doing housing, livelihood, and community work. Approximately 8 different tsunami relocation communities were represented; it was pretty incredible to see all these children together -- and gave us a strong sense of the lives we have the opportunity to influence through this project.

Pumica (far left, with her mom, and sister) and I became great friends during a community meeting that was conducted entirely in Sinhalese. My ADHD tends to kick in about 30 minutes into these all-day affairs. (ha!) With Pumica's knowledge of English, and my ability to say my name, ask her name, and count in Sinhalese -- we had a blast. I got a fantastic pen tattoo on my hand out of the deal, and she got the longest, dangliest earrings I happened to have in my purse that day. It was fun to see her again, and get to interact with her mom and sister.
We call this "Lunchtime Recreation in the Community Center" - otherwise known as a lunch time drumming / singing / dancing session in the Church. Some of our Salvation Army CCD staff: (L-R) Eranga (CCD Officer in Galle), Anusha (CCD Volunteer in Hikkaduwa, Ruwantha (in back, CCD Officer in Kalutara), Sahara (in blue, CCD Volunteer in Kalutara), and Sisila (HIV/AIDS Officer).
The camp session was much fun. Kids Reach is a local Christian NGO; they brought their whole troop and led all the songs, games, activities, and discussions -- the kids had a blast and adored them. Hasitha did a great job of playing the "bad cop" role and keeping all the kids in line -- corralling 117 kids of different ages from so many different communities was no small task. Kids Reach staff with the kids...

Cute little girls -- the tall "little girl" is actually an adult, and one of the staff from Kids Reach. (Estimating ages is really tricky here!)

Parents were invited also...
I was asked to "teach" the parents' session on Saturday. Which I found highly ironic, since the lady on the far left has TEN children! I really enjoyed it and learned a lot. I was surprised at how interactive the 8 adults were, and how willing to share their ideas and raise questions -- which has not been very common in group meetings. Guess what disciplinary problems they have with their children! Lying, yelling, disrespecting their parents, drinking, drugs, risky sexual behaviors, watching too much television, making poor choices (unhealthy friends, stealing)... hmmm sounds kind of familiar!

Everybody here has seen the movie "Titanic"... so we looked at how kids' behaviors (and adults') are like icebergs. If we only react to what we see above the surface (actions/misbehavior) without paying attention to what's underneath the surface (feelings and thoughts motivating the actions), we miss important aspects of their lives and important information on how best to respond / intervene.

2007-08-25T03:41:00.000-07:00

Lima Beans and Forgiveness

The wood paneling came half-way up the wall, where it met our circa-seventies wall-paper: an off-white background with flowers – gold, orange, green, – kind of smallish flowers, in vertical rows, with brown lines. Nearly 20 years ago I was sitting at the dining room table: staring at the wall in front of me, then back to the 12 or so lima beans on my plate, at the wall in front of me, and back to my plate. I’d been there for an eternity or, more likely, probably 20 minutes. Maybe 30, or 45. It felt like days, and this was not a one-time incident... I was convinced my cruel parents were conspiring against me because they wanted me to be miserable.

I was too stubborn to just give in and eat something that I hated; I didn’t care if it was “good for me.” But I respected my parents too much to just leave the beans on my plate and get up from the table. I was torn between wanting things my way (dessert without eating vegetables) and wanting to obey. Eventually I learned tricks: I could hold my nose when I swallowed or smother the vegetables in ketchup and not taste them. I could also hide them in something else on my plate (a little left over meatloaf), show the plate (void of lima beans) for approval, then promptly discard the leftovers (and evidence) in the trash. Or, my personal favorite, put them in my mouth, then wipe my mouth with my napkin and spit them into it (I think I learned that one from my brother).
– – – – – –

Ten years later, I was on a date with Adam. We were at a fantastic Italian restaurant and he about fell off his chair laughing at me as I contorted my face in disgust and took another bite of a dark green leafy salad; it was FULL of antioxidants and reminiscent of leaves straight from a tree in your back yard. Meanwhile, Adam was thoroughly enjoying his pasta, “I don’t understand why you would order something that you know you don’t like; what a waste! Eat something you like!”

“But it’s good for me, and I want to be healthy.”

It’s true: I made it to the age of 28 without eating all my vegetables. And, despite my defiant childhood, I apparently got the message that sometimes we eat un-fun things – because they’re good for us.
– – – – – –

A few weeks ago, I realized that I have lived 28 years without ever having to forgive someone that I really wanted to hate. The “that I really wanted to hate” part is an important qualifier. Because I’ve been in situations where I needed to forgive – and have been able to do so.

Sometimes, forgiveness is manageable because the offense is relatively small. Although I wanted to stay mad to prove a point, it ended up not being worth the mental and emotional energy necessary to stay angry and vengeful at someone that I really liked and cared about.

Other times, I forgave out of sheer convenience. It is inconvenient to hold a grudge against someone with whom we really need to interact every day. Whether it is a spouse, coworker, teacher – avoiding that person, being rude to him/her, and not working together just creates additional difficulty. Furthermore, it can be “unprofessional,” where there is a job to do or a task to complete. So, in order to continue working towards a greater cause, in order to not be irresponsible, we must work respectfully with the offender… reconciliation becomes possible, in light of the bigger picture.

Where friends or family have done hurtful things, forgiveness results because, at the end of the day, we have a history. And history has taught me that this person really loves me. History means I can trust that “unconditional love” motivated the person to be willing to hurt my feelings in order to expose truth, inspire growth, or to improve ultimate well-being. And where their motives were impure and their actions were self-centered, history provides a catalogue of priceless memories and a foundation that concludes, “Our relationship is worth far more than clinging to anger regarding this particular incident.”

The circumstances brewing here for the past several months don’t fit within my very limited exercises in forgiveness. This experience is different from times where I felt hurt by someone I knew, loved, respected, or cared about. It’s a situation where I have been hurt and have watched people be hurt deeply. Not just “oops, that was a thoughtless thing I did” kind of unintentional offenses. People have been taken advantage of and victimized. They’ve been wounded. I’ve been wounded. And the people who were in a position to help the wounded continue to fail miserably, increasingly so. Thus, the cancer grows: no longer angry just at the original offender, I learned that there were more people offending others, plus those who, through inaction or misaction, facilitated (and continue to facilitate) the injuries.

And so, without a friendship or a common history, without a basic appreciation of the instigators and perpetuators, without any signs that they are even remotely remorseful for the hurt caused, without respect for their personal or professional lives, without a bond of some kind, without something – anything – that would serve to make me think that they deserve forgiveness… and without the option for completely avoiding these individuals… I opted out of forgiveness.

It has surprised me – the extent to which I can harbor feelings of fury and resentment, longing not only for justice and retribution, but for flat-out revenge. Like the, I-want-you-to-hurt-bad variety or I-want-your-name-slandered – in-NEON, preferably.

So, refusing to move beyond what they had done; I pitched a tent and camped there. And every time I had to interact with the offenders, I would convey a reminder that their actions were wrong, that I had not forgotten, and that we would NOT be sweeping this under the rug and moving on. Instead, I camped there in their mis-deeds, shooting distress flares into the sky (as often as possible) to notify anyone (who failed to miss the obvious signs) of where exactly I stood on the issues.

Although I don’t remember when I made the decision to hold on to the anger, I have been conscious of its presence for months. The burden was present as I put my feet on the floor to start my day, and it stayed with me. It cropped up in my interactions with others that I wasn’t even mad at. It rapidly morphed from anger into revenge, then hopelessness, flourished into bitterness, and then burgeoned into misery. Despair, is impossible to ignore.

Unfamiliar with the destructive nature that results from carrying around unforgiveness, it took some time to realize that the bitterness and depression eating away at me, the chasm separating me from the Lord – was my own choice to not let go of the wrongs of others.

And then, suspecting that the Lord wanted me to forgive the offenders, the real struggle began. Determined to cling to the truth that what these people had done was wrong and they need to “pay” for it, I did what I imagine most would do when they feel that the Lord is ignoring someone else’s wrong, or that He’s not protecting or defending as He should, or that He’s not living up to His promises, His word, or His character… I added the Lord to my list of offenders. Meanwhile, I worked really hard to convince myself that I liked being angry – and I’m sure part of me did. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel more right, or more vindicated, I felt more miserable.

Eventually, I asked the Lord what He wanted me to do. Through scriptures, books, prayer time, teachings from our pastor in the US, the counsel of wise friends, Spiderman 3 (I’m not kidding!) and Truth impressed on my heart, the Lord said He wanted me to forgive. “I don’t want to and I don’t even know how to. I can’t.” This was half true; what I left out was my feeling, “They don’t deserve it.” The response I heard spoke to what I had left un-uttered: “Neither did you.” Along with a firm reminder that Jesus hung on the cross for my sins so that I could be forgiven, before I was born, without my having done anything “deserving” of Salvation. “It’s obvious, through your misery, that this decision to be angry is not working. You CAN forgive them, out of the forgiveness I gave you. So, is it that you CAN’T or you WON’T?”

What’s amazing is that, in addition to all the truths that confirmed that forgiveness was what the Lord wanted, there was an additional clarification…
– – – – – –
Forgiveness compares to eating vegetables. They’re not fun to eat; I’m never enticed by the thought of devouring a plate of vegetables. I prefer chocolate and peanut butter and Crispy Cream donuts. Vices aside, invariably, after eating vegetables, my body feels better. And my body responds really well to nutrients – improved functioning, more energy, clarity of thought, decreased headaches. Vegetables provide nutrients that even equip my body to fight off illnesses and diseases that can kill me (kind of like unforgiveness, apparently)… from the inside out.

My knowledge of the benefits of vegetables does not change the fact that I sometimes eat terribly because I like the taste of those terrible foods or because it is sometimes more convenient to eat junk. Just last week I had a Snickers for lunch, followed by a piece of cake for dessert. Interesting how I like the immediate sensations; but it’s not really fulfilling, and it makes my body feel like trash. Eventually, I start to show outward signs… the evidence that I’m consuming unwholesome food is confirmed by my increasing pants size.

I also think that some of those other times I forgave people were nothing more than tricks for making my lima beans disappear, so I could go do what I wanted.

I have never had cause to forgive just for the sake of forgiving, just because it’s good and right. In the past, I forgave because it served my best interest – I wanted to get down from the table and play and it wasn’t worth wasting the whole night at the table. Or I wanted what would only come after I forgave: I had to finish my vegetables first if I wanted to eat dessert. Or I forgave because I could cover it in ketchup, ignoring the harsh realities of the lima bean taste and texture.

There are times in my life where I have thought the Lord’s standards for our behavior (“Eat your vegetables.”) were punctuated with, “Because I said so.” Other times, it seems that the Lord sets standards that are motivated out of love and consideration for others. Despite my best wrestling, arguing, and avoidance tactics, I am certain that the Lord is setting forgiveness and unconditional love – including praying for my enemies and the whole nine yards – as the standard. Man, has that ever been hard to swallow! I have thought that perhaps the Lord, like my parents, was conspiring against me to make me miserable.

And while my forgiveness is to be selfless, I also feel the Lord saying, “Mindy, I want you to forgive – really forgive and love unconditionally – despite the fact that what was done was wrong. Not just because I said so, but because it’s GOOD for YOU.”

Not “good for you,” as in, “you’ll get dessert when you do this,” or because forgiveness is a great manipulation tactic for getting what I want. But GOOD FOR YOU, as in “I know it’s hard to swallow, but this will give you what you need for Life.” (And, furthermore, “We can stay here as long as it takes. I’m doing this because I love you and I want you to be healthy.”)

I’ve concluded that forgiving others (at age 28) compares with having to eat my vegetables (age 5-15). And I have the same dining room table choices! 1) The spit-it-in-the-napkin DECEPTION trick, 2) The leave-the-table-and-accept-the-consequences; at-least-I-don’t-have-to-eat-the-lima-beans AVOIDANCE option. or 3) The hold-your-nose-and-swallow / do-whatever-it-takes-to-be-OBEDIENT option. Neither task is necessarily pleasurable; in fact, both can be incredibly difficult. Painfully so. It strikes me as interesting that my parents never force-fed vegetables to me, and the Lord hasn’t forced me to choose forgiveness.

So, I sit staring at a plate full of lima bean forgiveness, wanting to choose obedience and praying for grace to accept and endure what is NOT ENJOYABLE, in order to ultimately enjoy real Life.

[Sidenote: There is a phenomenal sermon by Steve DeNeff at College Wesleyan Church, that indirectly addresses these matters called “The Midnight Hour” (date: 8/12/07). It’s available as an I-Tunes podcast, or you can go to their website www.collegewes.com – I’d say that it’s one of the most powerful, needed messages I’ve ever heard.]

2007-08-21T03:01:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer:
In no way am I belittling the woman in the following story. She knows more English, than I do Sinhalese. In fact, I found this government office very cooperative and willing to help. This is just an amusing tale of the struggles we face with the language barrier.

I visited a local D.S. office a few weeks ago and had an interesting conversation. I would like to recap the highlights. - D.S. would be the equivalent of a mayor in the states.

Adam: Good morning!

DS: Good morning.

Adam: My name Adam Pierce, and I am with the Salvation Army. I wanted to discuss our interest in pursuing a project in your division. Last week, some beneficiaries approached us and requested a community center in their village. This is the village ( I hand her a site plan and she nods). Do you have any plans of putting a community center in this location?

DS: No.

Adam: You don’t have any plans for community center?

DS: No

Adam: Or no, you don’t want a facility here?

DS: No.

Adam: So, you don’t want a community center?

DS: Right.

Adam: Why don’t you want a community center? Is there something more important?

DS: Yes, very essential.

Adam: Very essential to have one or not to have one?

DS: Right.

Adam: That was a question. Yes, you do want a community center or no, you do not want one?

DS: Yes.

Adam: Yes, you want a community center?

DS: Right

Adam: I thought you said...umm, never mind...Great! In order for The Salvation Army to proceed I have to have a letter from your office allocating the specific site and then reserving that site for The Salvation Army.

DS: You are asking for a letter from us requesting that you build....

Adam: No, I am asking a letter of permission from your office to pursue the construction of a community facility in this village.

D.S. Right.

-I then take one of their field officers out to look at the site and determine the most suitable spot for a community center. Three spots were “available”. One had rocks on it the size of a house, the other had playground equipment on it and was too close to a marsh, and the final plot consisted of us sharing the ground with a shrine of the lord buddha. With only one option, that being the sharing with lord buddha...I drafted a letter of intent and took it back to the D.S. This is where our conversation picks up the next day.

Adam: Hello, I visited the site yesterday and we concluded on this location. (She takes the site plan reviews and then says)

DS: What about these spots (she points at the other undesignated areas on the plan)?

Adam: One is marshy land, it is the lowest elevation of the site and is prone to flooding...the other site is covered with rocks...big rocks.

DS: Are you sure?

Adam: Yes, the rocks are as big as this office. Too costly to clear the land.

DS: But this site is far away.

Adam: Far away from what?

DS: From the entrance and the houses.

Adam: (I repeated my earlier descriptions of the plots and then said) If you move the community center to this side (away from lord buddha to the site with the rocks), then it is far away from these houses (the two plots in question were at exact opposite ends of the village). The site I am requesting is the one the community requested.

DS: Will this facility interfere with the lord buddha?

Adam: I certainly hope not.

DS: Ok (head bobble)

I believe at this point she had conceded to the idea and we discussed some of the details of the building. We then set a time in which I would hear back from her office with the letter granting permission to proceed (I then took that date and added 20% to it for the real date in which I would receive the letter).

2007-08-01T05:53:00.001-07:00

SHADEY (not Sadie). Rip - was the pup that adopted us, well, actually before Adam and I even got here. We knew he had a "real" home a little ways up the street, but he seemed to like it here. Then, one day, he turned up with a bright red collar -- which we understood to mean: "this dog has an owner." So the boys said no more feeding the dog, and we couldn't let him in the yard again. He also was bringing his very pregnant girlfriend/sister around and I think the boys did not want to be responsible for raising pups.

Not long after, someone dropped a puppy off at the community center. She was cute. But keep sneaking into the center and "going potty" in the church. That did not go over real well. So, the local staff were going to do what you do with dogs that you don't want -- take her to the biggest local town and drop her off so she would die from disease, starvation, or getting run over.

Mindy was fundamentally not okay with that. So the dog came to the team house.

It was soon discovered that the dog was not only scratching because she had flees. She also had mange, which would need to be treated, or we could all possibly wind up with mites burrowing under our skin as well.

The long story short is that they don't treat mange here. And they look at people who ask about treating mange like they just asked for directions to the moon. So, we looked a number of places -- the vet, the ayurvedic clinic, the pharmacy, the grocery store. Mindy got online and started looking up home remedies, which all required ingredients not available in a developing country. We eventually received word from a vet at home that coating the dog in motor oil, and leaving it on for a week, would do the trick.

So, we gave the dog a motor oil bath. Covered her in it. Which she promptly licked off. We figured that probably wasn't really good for her -- nor would it effectively kill the mange. So we tried again. Realizing that we would need one of those "cones" that dogs get after they've had surgery so they don't pull their stitches out or aggravate the wound.

Again - we live in a developing country. So, Dave and a I fashioned a bright yellow empty ice cream bucket for our new puppy to wear as an anti-licking device. (see below)

She was pitiful for a good hour. Running into things and whatnot, but eventually she adjusted to it.
We reapplied the oil daily for 10 days... to make sure that the mites were staying smothered. The FUNNIEST part of the whole equation is that we were very intentional in how we explained this whole ordeal to the housekeeper. And THOUGHT we were clearly understood. The other funny thing is the fact that we have neighbors. And because we're foreigners, there is already extra curiosity about every thing we do, anyway. So, of course, the neighbors stopped Phyllis one day and asked her, as you might imagine, why we forced our dog to wear a yellow bucket on its head. At this point in Phyllis's recounting of the conversation -- Mindy was quite proud of the fact that she had taken the time to explain the whole thing so clearly to Phyllis, even demonstrating with hand motions, etc. how the little mites burrow under the skin and it's very uncomfortable, and how you have to kill them, etc. So, we all nearly fell off our chairs when Phyllis relayed how she had told the neighbors that our dog was wearing a bucket on her head so that she wouldn't escape underneath the gate.

The good news is: it worked. The mange is gone. Shadey is now bucket-free and happily annihilating any shoe left within reach. And the neighbors have not (to our knowledge) reported us to the authorities for animal abuse.

2007-07-24T09:03:00.000-07:00

Fourth of July in Bangkok, Thailand! Thanks to a special allowance in our contracts called "Rest and Relaxation" we got to adventure to Bangkok for a(nother) fantastic "family" vacation.

Adam's favorite part of the whole trip was "leaving Sri Lanka." ha! No, really... we relished the opportunity to enjoy a new culture and some of the comforts of "home" (with only a 3 hour flight, as opposed to 32 hours of flying time)! This trip came at a time when our team was ready for a break, not just from work, but from some of the aspects of Sri Lankan culture that can be quite taxing.

We shopped in mammoth, air-conditioned malls; enjoyed Starbucks; had the best New York Steak of our lives and some phenomenal Cajun food (who knew?!); watched Superman 3 on IMAX; and tromped around a local "weekend market" that was so huge it took us 2 hours just to walk around the outside perimeter, and we weren't doing much lingering.

The founder of an amazing organization called Night Light (see www.NighLightBangkok.com for more info) agreed to meet with Mindy to discuss their work. So, we all went together and spent several hours learning about their ministry to women who have been prostituted. We were blown away by the professionalism of the business venture they've started and by the huge success it's generated in providing a way for women to leave a life of commercial sexual exploitation. (Sorry, no pictures of our time there, but it was a definite high point, and there are photos on their webpage.)

(Above) Traffic in Bangkok; orange-vested bike drivers are actually motorcycle taxi's. (Below) Fresh off our flight, ready for the big city.

Our goal was to spend as little time in our hotel rooms as possible... so, the free hotel shuttle (above) and the Sky Train became our home away from home.

There were enormous malls EVERYWHERE. Some were super expensive and others had some pretty good bargains. It was kind of a funny disappointment though that their largest women's shoes were 3 sizes too small for Mindy, and an XXL shirt fit as if it was stolen off a Cabbage Patch doll.
"Rest and Relaxation" at Dunkin' Donuts, after a loooong day of shopping.
Ferry ride...

A nice, romantic dinner... with all the boys. The spot really had ambiance... and we did have some time just to ourselves and a dinner without the boys.

We went to the Royal Palace... I think the Thai King was fond of gold...

The reclining Buddha:

... he was L-A-R-G-E.

Below, families would work together to run these little stands of food with grilled vegetables and meat, boiled corn, soups, etc. They smelled great and we were really tempted, but never actually sampled.

Pretty ingenious, I thought. This was the Thai version of "drive through" breakfast on the way to work. Sometimes, we'd pass by and there would just be a line of 15 backs facing us, where the diners were hunched over their bowl o' breakfast.

So, significant pictures that are missing from our experience in Bangkok are the ones of 1) the hotel where we stayed, 2) the unbelievable number of western, middle-aged men walking around with prostitutes, and 3) the owner of the chocolate cafe' where we went to celebrate Dave's birthday before catching our flight out. The most interesting fact is the link between all three. (You won't believe this.) We were halfway into our desserts, really pleased with our chocolate, our time in Bangkok, and felt like we'd even enjoyed the educational experience of visiting Night Light in our venture to continue learning more about human trafficking... when the owner/chef walks up to our table and strikes up a conversation:

"So, how was your time in Bangkok?" (Fine, Great, We loved it.)

"Great, where did you stay?" (The Davis Bangkok Hotel, right across the street.)

"Oh, fantastic. Yeah. That's a really nice hotel." (Yeah, we really enjoyed it. It was quite nice.)

"Yeah... do you know the owner of the hotel? Mr. Davis?" (No.)

"Well, he's a close personal friend of mine and he's a great guy. He's known as the Brothel King of Bangkok." (silence. several mouths fell open. someone said, "What's that again?")

"Yeah. Mr. Davis. You know, he owns most of the brothels in Bangkok. And he actually built that hotel with the intention of using it as a brothel, but the hotel is located in a residential area, which does not permit brothel licenses." (Really? we all put our forks down and can no longer stomach the fudge brownie.)

"Did you notice the huge bathtubs in your rooms?" (yes.) "Yeah, Mr. Davis is the largest retailer of bathtubs, those were a special feature for all the rooms, you know, because his intention was for it to be a brothel." (You don't say.)

"Sure. Yeah, he pretty much runs the whole brothel ring. And he ran for office to become the Prime Minister, but people just laughed at him. He's a great guy, really, and I think he'll probably run again in the elections this time around." (Interesting. That's great news.)

And that was the conclusion of our very last moments before leaving for the airport. We were absolutely dumbfounded. We learned a lot from spending several hours with the staff at Night Light discussing how their organization is running and the impact it's having on the lives of prostituted women... we were shocked by an equally important truth from a 5-minute uninvited (un-wanted!) discussion: generally, we as consumers have NO IDEA where our money is really going and what causes we're actually funding. And we as anti-human trafficking advocates are only just beginning to grasp the far-reaching implications.

2007-06-20T23:38:00.000-07:00

Child Development program for "foster" children and parents. I mentioned in an earlier email about a program our CCD team organized and hosted at the Hikkaduwa Community Center. Basically these children either lost one parent or both (or a sibbling) in the tsunami.

Above, the opening started with song time -- song time with kids (especially in Sri Lanka) always means dancing and movement -- some of the kids took a little time getting warmed up...

There was a good bit of laughing and giggling.

Above, it's the ol' shave-the-balloon-and-see-who-pops-it-first game....

...except that the balloons were clean-shaven and never popped! So, Plan B: the girls had to sit on them and pop them. Except that the balloons still wouldn't pop. So they were scooting all over the floor on top of the balloons, trying to get them to pop.

Hasitha did a great job of organizing games that were fun for the little kids and the older guys. There are a couple that y'all should all include at your next party. This game starts with 4 guys on stage in a line (see above). While music was being played, the guys had to dance while also passing a plate of shaving cream down the line. When the plate gets to Guy #4, he turns (still dancing) in a circle, and passes the plate back up the line. Guy #1 then does the same thing and passes it back... until the music stops (Musical Chairs, style). The guy stuck holding the plate then selects a friend from the audience to come on stage for a "dance off" competition. The best dancer is selected via audience cheers. The lesser of the two dancers then gets a face full of shaving cream (see below); the winner exits, stage right. (So, if you're smart - you choose your friend that can't dance!) And it continues until the last guy is standing.

There was also a story time, then small group discussions, and craft time.

Hasitha, above, leads the group discussion for the middle school kids.

Above, the kids completed a "wall hanging" craft - pictures were taken in front of a banner that states "I am special;" then they decorated the sheet with markers, stickers, seashells, and pencil shavings (resourceful!). Storytime, small group discussion, and the craft focused on how the kids are special because God created each child in His image and He loves them very much.

A common practice at cultural celebrations is to choose a "Beauty Queen." Mindy often gets tasked with the job of judging these contests, ie, choosing the "prettiest" girl. (Mindy is not a fan of this at all!) Here, the kids were divided into groups, given a role of toilet paper, and told to decorate their queen in cultural attire for the beauty competition.

This was the first place group, due to fantastic "artistic expression" and their attention to accessories! In addition to her toilet paper sari, she had a necklace, arm band, bracelet, ring, a bouquet of flowers, and headwear.

This is the final event... and the other game you all might add to your party list. It's really fun when you pair people up randomly (like a group of 20 people, you divide them into 2 groups, number them off 1-10, and then tell them to find their partner). You play music, and the pairs dance with the balloon in between their faces, hands behind their back, until the balloon drops. It kind of has a way of neutralizing the dance floor - and everybody participates. I love it! "Uncoordinated" dancers don't look quite so bad. And even good dancers don't look quite so coordinated. It is FUN-NY -- especially when the partners are 6'4" and 5'2"!

Parents attended as well and an awarness session was conducted specifically for them. We were quite touched by one parent’s following comment about the program: “I wondered what this program is about, when I came in the morning. But now I understand how much this program is important for our children and for us as parents. I lose my beloved wife and my daughter by the Tsunami disaster. Now all I have is my little son – Malindu. Thank you for organizing this program for children. It is a good attempt to bring up these tsunami victim children to have positive relationship with the society. After listening the parents awareness program, I understood that I’ve done nothing to my child. I promised myself to care for my child in the best way I can and to love him without conditions. Tears came to my eyes after the session. Thank you for your kind advice – we want this kind of programs in future too.” -- Mr. Viraj Kumara Gajaweera.

2007-06-13T05:51:00.000-07:00

construction update: highs and lows

In the last update I told you that we hired an engineer…that engineer is no longer with us…I guess she found a better offer…not real sure…she was never real honest with me about why she was leaving…she gave her two week notice and then did not show up for those two weeks…didn’t call…e-mail…not a thing! Nice.

This was a minor set back because we had planned projects around having an engineer…so we had to call an audible at the line of scrimmage and try a new approach (those who are female and are not sure what “call an audible” is referring to, ask a guy about calling an audible in football). We have a new plan and it looks like we will get real busy, real fast.

I have hired a Technical Officer, which basically means he is in charge of quality control. He visits all the sites to make sure contractors are doing what they are suppose. So far he is doing a great job, I wish I had two more just like him. So currently there are three of us in the SW Construction Office. Adam, Benjamin - Investigator/Technical Officer, Mahinda - Technical Officer. I will need to hire at least one more technical officer in the next few weeks.

Since the last construction post, we have gone through a holiday (that lasted three weeks) and had some weather issues…all of which impeded the progress of completing construction and getting the designs we wanted in the timeframe we were expecting. We were told that the month of April would be difficult but we did not believe it until we were in our second week of no trash pick up, 80% of businesses and restaurants closed, no bread (unless it was a Muslim bakery, they don't celebrate the Buddhist New Year), no water delivery, and nobody working on job sites!

I have decided to give projections instead of concrete stats…because rarely are the stats concrete.

West Coast (the project I oversee)
Projected for the end of June…
51 houses complete.
36 new houses under construction

Projected for the end of July…
30 partial rebuilds started (homes have completed 80%, still need some assistance).
3 Community Centers under construction
All remaining Community Facilities Designated (this means we will know exactly
what we have left to build).

East Coast (Dave oversees these projects)
Projected for the end of June…
35 houses completed
Sports Complex under construction
Dave started a new office on the East coast in January, and the construction process is completely different over there, much more time consuming…so 35 is pretty impressive.

We have been off on some of our previous projections (mostly with designs for big projects) but we remain optimistic…striving to meet these goals.

We started our biggest (financially) project in May. The pictures below are of the beneficiaries and of the stone laying ceremony. We are building 10 houses in a Muslim community for 10 Muslim families. These families were given homes in another community, that was not Muslim, and let’s just say they were not welcomed with open arms. So, the local government approached us with this property and asked us to build for these families. The site sits on a hill and will take extensive excavation in order to be ready for building houses. The excavation is well underway and we are looking forward to starting the house in the next few weeks. This project will probably take 6 months to complete.

Above are the families who will move into the houses.

Did you notice no one is sitting in front of the platform? It's hot in Sri Lanka, even hotter in the sun and at the time of the ceremony...the shade was on either side of the platform...enough said. The funniest thing...the speakers didn't look out to either side at the people...yup...straight forward at a pile of dirt!

We just finished the houses below last week and have handed over the keys to the families. In case you were wondering...the house color is pumpkin...they brought me two options and this was the lesser of two evils. Good Times.

Thank you for praying. We miss you and love you.

Adam (and Mindy)

2007-05-22T05:42:00.000-07:00

Sigeria is the name of this huge rock. Hundreds of years ago, a king claimed it as his fortress. Now, they let foreigners pay USD 25.00 per person to climb up it (locals pay 30 cents).

Below, these notches were the original "stairs" that the people used to climb up to the top. Seriously now, that's pretty impressive.

Lots and lots of stairs. We're not exactly sure who does the maintenance checks to ensure that the stairs are still connected to the rock.

At this point in the climb (see picture below)...

... we read this sign and nearly collapsed with laughter (or exhaustion). please note the part where it says "WE KINDLY EXPECT..."! We did all participate though - in the restoration of the 8th wonder of the world. And we intend to indicate as much on our resume's.

Below, Adam's 'I'm so amused at this pay-25-bucks-to-hike-some-stairs-and-carry-up-some-bricks-deal' face.

Group photo at the top: Logan (Dave's wife, who was here for the week from Sierre Leon, sp?), Dave, Tucker, Chris, Mindy, Adam.

2007-04-22T06:43:00.000-07:00

April is the month of the Sinhalese and Tamil New Year... here is the #1 photo of today's New Year's Festival (taken by Adam). Adam just shot several pictures, one after the other, and when we were scrolling realized what he had captured on this one. It is NOT NICE to laugh at small children when they face-plant... but this kid's face is 8 inches from the ground, his body is completely horizontal, and he is still holding onto his Salvation Army "potato sack." (If I remember correctly, he bit it hard, then rolled, and ran.) If you look closely, to the far left, you can see the other kid who was already on the ground.

No children sustained (long-term) injuries during the taking of this photo. =)

2007-04-06T07:08:00.000-07:00

Ampara -- here are a few pictures of the trip to "Ampara" this week. We have set up an additional project office on this coast (it's an 8-9 hour rough ride from Hikkaduwa). We say "Ampara" -- the house is in Ampara; but the office is located in Kulmanai, on the coast, and that's where the construction/livelihoods/community work is taking place. Dave (the Construction Coordinator) set up the house and the office and got it all running; he's now stationed there 3 weeks out of the month (thus the reason that Adam is overseeing all the construction on the southwest coast). They've already finished their first house -- they've been working looong, hard hours. Livelihoods have also hired several officers and are investigating beneficiaries and working to conduct business trainings and handout assets. We've been overwhelmed with CCD work in the southwest - trying to get programs up and running, so this was our first CCD trip to Ampara. The purpose of our CCD trip was to conduct the field orientation of our newly hired Ampara CCD Officer, to visit some of the communities with him, to begin needs-assessment in those communities -- basically, to generally orient ourselves to this "field," and to hopefully conduct some community meetings.

Children from a tsunami-affected school in Kulmanai, where we're hoping to help provide shelves for their library, build a playground, and provide child development and psychosocial awareness programs for parents and teachers.

Welcome flowers, a tradition at community gatherings... here we were at an HIV/AIDS awareness program in a Muslim community, where many are also receiving housing help. One of the meetings was held in an unfinished house -- in true Muslim style -- with the women (about 35-40) together in one "room" and the men in a separate "room."

A few of the women who are receiving grants from The Salvation Army to complete their homes. The government gave enough money to lay the foundation; our construction guys are helping them with the completion of their homes.

Kulmanai is home to Sinhalese, Tamil, and Muslim people... much of our time this week was spent in the Muslim communities...

An afternoon along the coast... Kulmanai was shockingly different from Hikkaduwa and the southwest coast. The ruins of houses stand as if the tsunami hit yesterday, so walking around provided a vivid opportunity to imagine the dramatic / traumatic impact of the waves.

Above, 1 of 2 Muslim burrial grounds in this small community. The sticks coming out of the ground represent unmarked graves. Mr. Munaffeer (our CCD officer) helped gather 175 bodies here the day after the tsunami.

Young boys, just finished school for the day.

Brightly painted houses in one of the Muslim communities...

2007-03-25T05:52:00.000-07:00

Weekend Adventures at Yalla National Park... several weeks back, we took a "family vacation" to Yalla National Park. We heard that if you ever wanted to see a wild Leopard while on safari, this was the time of year for it. So, the guys (naturally) thought this would be a great time to go camping. Mindy, however, posed several questions, like -- Does anyone know WHY this is the best season to see the leopards???... Are they hungrier than usual?... Is it mating season? Have the mothers recently given birth and now they have to procure food for the family?

(Dave, Mindy, Adam, Chris)
So, in the end, we opted out of camping, but we DID go and we did rise at 4:30am for the safari - and here are the pictures... which are not quite as majestic as the real deal -- but at least they offer some idea of the experience.

The splendor of a sunrise that was well worth the effort.

More splendor. In the form of a Peacock.

Mr. Peacock, strutting his stuff for Miss Peacock (and us)!

That's right -- We got the 360 degree show. It was seriously something to behold.

Another Mr. Peacock, hanging out in a tree, scoping out the women.

Monkeys... watching us drive underneath them.

Monkeys seeking shade from the heat... between a rock and a hard place.

Adam was the driver, with Chris in the passenger seat, Dave in the left rear, Mr. "Tracker" sandwhiched in the middle rear, and Mindy in the right rear seat. Adam was trying to drive fast enough to cover some significant ground, and get us far enough into the park to actually SEE animals, but slowly enough to actually spot animals along the way. Meanwhile, the passengers (with heads hanging out the windows) searched intently for anything indicative of the fact that we were on a safari. Periodically, Mindy would gasp - Adam would brake HARD - 4 heads would whip around, trying to catch a glimpse of what Mindy had seen... suspecting that it was most likely either an elephant or a sloth bear... or maybe even: THE LEOPARD.

Then the Tracker would say, "Oh. That's a jungle fowl." (AKA, a VERY colorful, VERY bright, VERY beautiful... chicken.) The guys would then let out a disappointed grunt and return to their lookout positions. After several of these disappointments where Mindy gasped or yelped and was thrilled about seeing something like a Green Bee-Eater (aka, a green bird) or more Jungle Fowl (colorful chickens), or the 53rd Peacock of the morning, Adam coined the phrase "safari foul." Which all the boys would shout with great conviction ("SAFARI FOUL!!!"), any time Mindy was marveling at some lesser miracle of God's creativity and attention to intricate detail (like birds).

The "common" wonders were the flowers, butterflies, birds, monitor lizards, deer, and water buffalo. We did also see a mongoose and a couple families of warthogs.

Another highlight of the safari was when the tracker directed Adam to turn onto a certain path. It quickly became a (very) narrow strip of high ground. Let me define my adjectives -- NARROW, as in, enough room for the truck to fit. barely. And HIGH ground, as in, a good 10 foot drop-off on either side. The "high road" ran in between a pond (to our left) and a marsh (to our right). At first we were very entertained by the scenery and the heard of wild water buffalo (which included several babies... and so also, naturally, several protective mothers) to our immediate right -- and the number of crocodiles in the pond to the left. We had driven about a quarter of a mile, when we came to where the road was no more. As in -- it had recently been washed out, and there was now a 10-15 foot gap. So, Adam, in his ever-excitable way, says, "Uhh. No road." (half statement, half question.) The tracker is equally surprised and he responds with, "Oh. No road. Well, we're on safari." (As in, "Yeah, how about that? What are the odds?")

So, with no option to move any way except for backwards, we all turn around to examine the scene behind us. To find that the water buffalo are now crossing over the road, from the marsh into the pond. And there's one very large mother bull now standing in the road, looking straight at the truck in a somewhat confused but generally less-than-pleased manner. I think Dave tried to climb out of the window to take a picture and was promptly yanked back in. We're all making comments now like, "Oh. Well that's kind of fun. We ARE on a safari... Looks like our options are: Mamma bull, the crocodiles in the pond on the left, the marsh on the right, or a Dukes Of Hazard stunt to get across."
Thank goodness Adam passed the driving-backwards-on-a-narrow-dirt-path-for-a-quarter-of-a-mile-in-a-high-pressure-situation portion of his driver's exam and we all escaped unscathed.

Eventually -- many "safari fouls" later -- we did see a few elephants.

And we saw the leopard! In fact, it was such a big deal to actually SEE the leopard, and to get pictures, that the tracker tried to send us back towards the Park entrance/exit. He assumed he was done for the day since we'd seen the leopard. (Little did he know!!...Mindy was not yet done seeing colorful chickens.)

At the end of the safari, we stopped at the beach (see the picture of the group, above) to stretch our legs and put our feet in the water. Overall, it was another fun, memorable "family" vacation. Wish y'all could have been here with us...

2007-03-25T04:11:00.000-07:00

A few of our International Donor Partners (ie, representatives of the organizational bodies responsible for the funding of our project) are here March 21-31st for their 3rd monitoring visit. All 3 visits (quarterly) have had a very distinctive and different tone / purpose. The first visit was the "oh-my-goodness-what-are-we-doing-here?-our-initial-plan-is-falling-apart-and-we need-to-construct-a-completely-different-one-FAST" monitoring visit. The second visit was the "we-put-together-plan B-and-we-now-need-you-to-use-your-influence-to-intervene-for-us-so-we-can-actually-carry-it-out" monitoring visit. HALLELUJAH, monitoring visit #3 has (finally) been the "yay!-we-can-actually-show-you-how-we've-been-putting-your-money-to-use-and-meeting-the-project-goals" monitoring visit. =) Here are the pictures of Thursday's welcome parade -- Traditional Sri Lankan Style -- for the international donor partners, at the Hikkaduwa Community Center.

Yeah, I'm not exactly sure why we thought the parade should start on Galle Rd -- thus endangering the lives of the Donor Partners.

Above: just beyond the dancers -- left to right -- Chris, Project Manager; Manjita (look hard!), Canada Salvation Army Donor; Celine, Netherlands Salvation Army Donor; Corrie, Netherlands Salvation Army Donor; and Dave, East Coast Construction Manager.

The Dancers -- dancing their way around the corner and into The Salvation Army gate...

(Background) 1 bus passes another, around a corner, on Galle Rd... meanwhile, the Dancers lead the way for the Donor Partners...

Dancers have danced their way into the gate... the Staff are dressed in their Salvation Army shirts, ready for the occasion.

Manjita (Canada), Corrie (Netherlands), & Celine (Netherlands) receive their Welcome Necklaces from the preschool students.

Meanwhile, the dancers are still dancing/drumming towards the front door...

The dancers then formed a tunnel in the hallway... which we all ducked through... and then we all went into our daily staff meeting. =) It's kind of funny -- these moments of color and vibrance and true "pomp and circumstance" that are the cultural norm... which lead directly into the normal tasks of daily life. This is such a great picture of the "regular" pardox that we are constantly interacting with: the normal, unpretentious, routine, modest, simple, humble -- paired with the beautiful, distinguished, exceptional, elegant.

2007-03-07T03:15:00.000-08:00

Vocational Training Ceremony at The Salvation Army Community Center in Hikkaduwa. The Community Capacity Development (CCD) department of the Tsunami Project, in partnership with Hikkaduwa Corps Officer Major Wijesiri and the National Christian Counsel (NCC), celebrated the grand opening of the English, Computer, and Sewing Classes on 5 March 2007. The ceremony was held at the Hikkaduwa TSA Community Center (below) --

-- where the weekly classes will take place. The projected number of participants for the first year of classes (at this site alone) is 75-80. (With implementation plans for similar trainings currently underway in 8 other communities.) The fact that these community members will now begin receiving skills-training to improve their livelihood capacities is indeed something to celebrate!

The festivities commenced with a traditional ceremonial parade, led by The Salvation Army Hikkaduwa Montessori Marching Band (see below).

Honored guests included Major Noel LaPena (Community Services Development Director) and Major Fernando (Field & Community Services Secretary), who attended on behalf of Territorial Headquarters.

Following the traditional lighting of the "oil lamp" (below), opening speeches (I say speechES, because there were 8 of them... this is not unusual... and it would be a false assumption to think that they are short.) were made by Major Wijesiri, Major LaPena, Major Fernando, Mr. Balasooriya of NCC, Christopher Needham (Tsunami Project Manager), Mindy Pierce (CCD Project Officer), and Mrs. Major Wijesiri (Community Director), and a representative of the community. Mark Edwards (CCD Coordinator) served as the translator for all speeches.

Formation of these classes has been a lengthy, involved process, requiring extensive coordination. Major Wijesiri recruited teachers, served as a liaison and publicist with the community, and planned the ceremony. Major also coordinated with NCC (who contributed a significant amount of funding to the start up of the computer class). The CCD department tracked down details and submitted documentation necessary for board approval and gathered quotations (purchasing protocol requires a minimum of two "legitimate" quotations for each item, which are then submitted to Boards and, if approved, the items can then be purchased). CCD then procured the equipment necessary to set up the classrooms (sewing machines, tables, benches, computer desks, chairs, white board, etc.); facilitated electrical work (fans, outlets, installed an AC); and printed and distributed publicity materials. CCD will continue to coordinate with Major on matters related to monitoring and evaluation, quality assurance, and sustainability of the programs.

By "lengthy process," that means the above steps for the sewing and computer classes have been 2 years in the making... thus the cutting of the ribbons was clearly no small matter.

The English classrom (below) will also double as the sewing classroom.

Below, group photo of some of the students and teachers:

Currently, efforts are underway in Kalutara and Galle to implement similar vocational training programs at a number of sites. “Relocation” communities in need of CCD programs and willing to partner with TSA have been selected; community conversations identifying desired programs and existing resources (and/or resource deficits) have taken place; volunteers and teachers are being recruited; and materials and classroom space are being procured. This is where it helps to have connections with the Construction department (AKA, my husband), we have communities that want/need a class, but have found it somewhat difficult to hold sewing and computer class under a tree (English classes are, of course, no problem). So, Adam plays an important part -- by allotting a certain portion of his budget, time, and resources to building community centers -- in providing classroom space for us.

At this point, our efforts in vocational training are limited to the southwest. We hope to focus on programming for the east coast in May/June, since we officially hired our Ampara (east coast) CCD Officer this week (yay! Another huge answer to prayer!).

Below, the ribbon thieves, running away with our cermonial ribbon.

And then, caught "red-handed" - I love the kid on the left, who's hiding the ribbon behind his back, with the "What?-I-don't-have-anything!" expression... yeah, nice try. Almost couldn't even see it - except for your friend who's holding it right out in front!... No respect for sacred ceremonies, I tell you. =)

2007-03-01T01:14:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's March already! I am posting this because Mindy has been threatening me...trying to get me to post this update...so here we go.

Life has been moving fast since we have returned. We hired an engineer who will be helping with drawings, specifications, and quality control and will had a full time investigator/technical officer join the construction team today. We have officially split our project and Dave has moved to Ampara to begin construction work there. I will be overseeing all the projects on the west coast and Dave will be overseeing all the projects on the east coast. My main role is to find the places to build and then our help coordinate our technical staff so they can make it happen.

Our current progress to date:
24 houses complete.
26 houses under construction.
2 community centers in design.
1, 10 house scheme in design.
16 houses will be started in the next 3 weeks.

I am currently looking at as many as 100 - 150 more houses to build, at least three more places to build community centers, two or three places to build or update market places, and possibly a cemetery (keep reading).

We had a community meeting to share our community center design and to get their feedback on any changes or additions they would like to see. These are some pictures.

We will be building the community center here...hopefully.

Sri Lanka is a tough place to live and work. I am serious. Forget the fact that it is a beautiful tropical island and that we have a 5 minute walk to the beach from our house. We have everyday frustrations of working within a system, language, and mentality that is completely different than what we are use to. Everything we do takes a little bit longer…or a little bit more effort.

Sri Lankans see a lot of tragedy…we see a lot of tragedy…and that is tough. In the above mentioned community meeting we were asked if we could prepare/build a cemetery. Mindy and I kind of smiled at each other thinking that this request was a bit unusual but have since thought about it more and realized that death is something that Sri Lankans deal with on a very regular basis…almost too regular. It’s a tough place to live because of the tragedy that these people see week in and week out.

Last month, the husband of one of the families we are building a house for was hit by train and killed while crossing the tracks in his Tuk Tuk (3 wheel taxi). He left a wife and two kids. Two weeks ago in a local community in which we have been running programs, a man with two boys on his motorcycle were hit and killed by a train while crossing the tracks. Mindy and I both have seen and heard of numerous accidents on the road where people have been killed. It’s not just transportation…this country has been in civil war for years...and we all understand the death that war brings. All of this tragedy and we have not mentioned the deaths that occur due to illness, virus, and disease. And don’t forget the reason why we are here…that in one day, within a few hours, thousands died as a result of the Tsunami. These people see death way too often.

So I am looking into building a cemetery. I will meet with local Government officials to see if there is suitable land available in this community…because this is important to them and a very real part of their everyday life.

I say this so you will pray for the people Sri Lanka. Pray for emotional and spiritual healing. Pray that they will find God in times of tragedy. Pray for their salvation. Pray they will find their peace and strength in Jesus Christ. Pray for a peaceful end to the conflict. Yes, this is a beautiful island with beautiful people...but these people are hurting and crying out for help. And finally, pray for us so that we know how to love them like Jesus does.

Thank you for your love, support, and prayers...we couldn't do this with out you.

Adam

2007-02-20T01:05:00.000-08:00

Sports Program in Kalutara.

Our CCD (community capacity development) program is finally beginning to take form! The CCD program is spread out over 4 main areas (HIKKADUWA - where we live & where the Tsunami Project is based; GALLE - 30 minutes south; KALUTARA - 90 minutes north; and AMPARA - 9 hours east). Then, within each of those main towns, the program is trying to reach out to 4-5 villages or relocation communities... establishing and facilitating a whole host of activities that extend from the women's groups, men's groups, children's groups, and youth groups. For example: savings groups, sports programs, educational assistance, leadership training, moral development, cultural programs, awareness programs (parenting skills, HIV/AIDS, anti-human trafficking, health and nutrition), and livelihood training (English, computer, sewing, painting, service industry, masonry, & carpentry classes).

So! Mark - the CCD Coordinator - and I
have hired 3 "Outreach Officers" (for Galle, Hikkaduwa, & Kalutara), we have the Ampara Officer "in process," and after today's interview, may have (FINALLY) found a Child Development Program Director. An interesting problem we have faced in hiring qualified, experienced professionals who are committed to the communities -- is that those who are qualified were hired by big organizations (NGO's), paid 3-4 times what someone in their position would normally make, those big organizations have finished their "relief" work (now it's more about rehabilitation) and are leaving, but the local people quite enjoyed their MAMMOTH salaries (who wouldn't?), and now small church-based organizations like The Salvation Army can't afford to match those salaries. And so, we've found and lost a number of great personnel - due to the salary being a dealbreaker. We ARE learnering though... no more waiting until the person comes for the interview to discuss the salary. Now, we call to set up the interview, "Hi, we received your resume' and it looks good. What's your expected salary? Here's what we're working with... Still interested? Great. Come interview!"

After months and months of details, delays, and (I won't lie) disappointments - the sports program is off the ground and running in Kalutara!! Oh my - and it was sooo much fun! Nothing has the power to chase away the frustrations of politics and pettiness like spending time with some kids who are PUMPED about getting to PLAY.
Of course, they all told me their names, and I practiced them over and over - and can only remember one. First picture, red-shirted girl on the left -- that's Ameesha. She was really cute and energetic and had absolutely ZERO tolerance when I forgot her name or mispronounced it (her method worked!). Names or not, I am praying for their little hearts and minds and bodies... that this sports program will be a great opportunity for all sorts of positive growth, to experience the love of Jesus, and to just be valued as a child.

2007-02-07T03:08:00.000-08:00

CCD Seminar, “Therapeutic Techniques for Counselors Addressing Abuse and Trafficking” The Community Capacity Development department of the Tsunami Project organized and hosted a 2-day seminar on February 2-3, 2007. The seminar was held at The Salvation Army's (TSA) Training College in Colombo and was designed to target all individuals working with community members, including various TSA staff, personnel, and leadership, as well as other community-serving organizations: Administrators, Community Counselors, TSA HIV/AIDS Counselors, Corps Officers, residential home Staff, and non-TSA personnel from CARITAS and PEACE.

( Above: Tucker Rader & Eranga Sudarshana, paired together during a counselor-client exercise.)

Through field-research, coordination with government workers / other organizations, and interaction with the community and TSA personnel, it became apparent that within tsunami-affected communities many people have suffered and remain vulnerable to abuse and human trafficking. Due to the loss of home and livelihood, many tsunami-affected individuals were powerless and extremely vulnerable while living in IDP camps, with neighbors, or family members -- completely depending on others to meet basic needs and offer protection.

This seminar was designed in an effort to 1) educate TSA staff about the existing problems and relevant issues, 2) build a foundation for educating the community, aiming at both prevention and response, 3) develop skills for helping others to address these issues, and 4) continue ongoing coordination and networking with other professional organizations who are also working in these areas.

Facilitators included Mark Edwards (Community Capacity Development Coordinator), Mindy Pierce (CCD Project Officer), Tucker Rader (Program Assistant), Chamani Edwards (HIV/AIDS Community Officers), and Sisila Samarage (HIV/AIDS Community Officers).

(Above: Mark Edwards explains the “triggers” group exercise.)

(Above: The seminar was presented in both English and Sinhalese. Which made for two completely exhausted presenters at the end of two full days!)

The seminar was attended by approximately 30 participants; the format was that of an informal lecture and also included group activities, partner interaction, and brainstorming sessions. During the afternoon of the first day, desks were moved into a large circle for the purpose of encouraging more dialogue. Day 1 topics addressed included the following: 1) An Introductory parable, 2) Biblical motivation and encouragement for community counselors, 3) Definition of child sexual abuse & commercial sexual exploitation, 4) Definition of consent, 5) “Triggers” activity, 6) Effects of sexual abuse, 7) Prevention & response, 8) General factors that increase vulnerability of trafficking, and 9) Resource list with contact information. Day 2 focused on practical therapeutic techniques for working with people in our communities who have been abused and/or trafficked. Participants entered into the discussions, practiced the techniques, interacted with one another, and were given opportunities to recognize and confront their own ideas, beliefs, and perceptions. Topics included the following: 1) Psychosocial assessment, 2) Psychoeducation, 3) Stress management (controlled breathing, relaxation training, and thought stopping), 4) Emotion-identification and expression, 5) Cognitive coping, and 6) Trauma narrative.

(Above: Captain Thujanthini and Ms. Kumarage work together; Adam & Major Jaya have a discussion in the background.)
Several in attendance remarked that they perceived the training as extremely valuable and found that they were learning new information. The seminar team was also invited to extend these trainings to other areas of the island, including other tsunami-affected communities. In addition, a couple of individuals identified their own personal experiences with sexually abusive situations.

(Manel- far left- helps facilitate group discussion; Chamani records the group's ideas.)

Overall, we perceive this 2-day seminar to have been a successful first step in increasing awareness of abuse-related issues and in building skills to help address these issues while serving the community. This topic is a very sensitive cultural issue, and brings with it a long history of avoidance, secrecy, and embarrassment. We were thus encouraged that the audience was not only receptive, but even willing to engage in discussions and activities, and requested follow-up trainings. We look forward to additional opportunities to continue the work where we have just begun to scratch the surface.

2007-02-07T02:43:00.000-08:00

The new bedroom. Formerly: walls were white-ish (now khaki with a red accent wall - love it!); sconces were scary (below, close-up of new ones); no bedside tables; no bedside lamps; scratchy green sheets - now softer (perhaps still a far cry from "sateen," but we're moving up!) white sheets; no fun throw pillows; dark curtains that were great for hiding the sun AND large spiders. yikes. (no more curtains.)

I was really impressed that he thought about all this before we even left for Christmas, talked to Chris about it, checked the rental agreement (to find out if we could paint), had given thought to the plan, and then when he returned, had it all accomplished within a week. I know Trading Spaces does wonders in 48 hours - but this is a whole different world!!

So, when we leave Sri Lanka and are seeking gainful employment -- Adam and his redecorating skills will be available, for a very reasonable price. =)

2006-12-12T08:29:00.000-08:00

COMMUTING TO COLOMBO... (These pictures were actually taken by Dave, when he, Paul, & Tucker went to Kandy, but they'll give you an idea of the story that follows.)

Colombo train station, fairly empty.

Passengers like to hang off the train... or hang their heads, arms, etc. out the windows.

Paul, thrilled to be squished... Tucker, sweating, just a little. I believe it was at this time that Paul dropped the quote: "I haven't been THIS close to some of my girlfriends."

Optimal traveling position...

Today Mark Edwards (my Sri Lankan colleague and supervisor) and I had the opportunity to ride the 5:59 am “business crowd” train, to attend a meeting in Colombo.

In order to take the 5:59am train from Hikkaduwa to Colombo, we would need a tuk-tuk (taxi) at 5:30am. Which meant making specific arrangements, as tuk-tuks do not run that early in Hikkaduwa. So, we found a driver. I spoke to him in English – he promised it was no problem, he lives 2 houses down from us, and he would be there to pick me up... No problem. Mark spoke to him in Sinhala, and he assured us: No problem. Mark said, “Great. What’s your phone number?” (just in case) He would pick me up, then we would pick up Mark, then to the train station. No problem.

5:40am: No tuk-tuk driver. I call his mobile phone. No answer. I wait 30 seconds (patience is, after all, one of my greatest virtues). I call again. He turned his phone off. I look up and down the street. No tuk-tuks.

I go back into the house and wake up Adam and explain the situation. We go pick up Mark (in the team truck), and he drops us off for the train.

We make it in time, and we buy our 77 cent tickets. We wait expectantly for the train. I watch, as people are streaming in – the “business people,” professionally dressed and ready for the office. As I watch people filing into the train station, I notice a sense of urgency: now they are running to certain ends of the platform. This is quite fascinating to me – the fact that Sri Lankan people are running, as their typical gait is very slow, deliberate, never in a rush. You know how in the Bible, things that are repeated twice are being especially emphasized or highlighted? Well, verily, verily, I say unto you – the Sri Lankans were running. And, equally noteworthy, there was not yet a train in sight. So I look at Mark and ask, “Where are they running?” He laughingly indicates that it’s time for us to join them. We are now running, apparently jockeying for position, for the train that is not yet here. But it quickly approaches and then men start trampling women, small children, and the elderly in order to get a good spot (aka, a “seat”) on the train.

We make it, and Mark is excited that we find a seat. Two bench seats face each other, and each bench seat would comfortably seat 2 Americans – or would likely seat 4-5 Sri Lankans.

I should explain here that when I first arrived in Sri Lanka, in an effort to be culturally sensitive, I asked Chris, “How do Sri Lankans feel about personal space?” His reply: “They love it… They love other people’s personal space, and they love to be in it.” This is of course very true – and apparently never truer than when on the 5:59 train.

So, I am now seated in between a Sri Lankan man that I don’t know, who is leaning against the open window, and Mark… and across from 3 people. I am (barely) able to maintain my let’s-not-touch-each-other buffer zone, and I have a seat (yea!) for the 2 hour ride.

Fifteen minutes later, the train stops.

As we are pulling into the station, there is another train stopped there, and more business people are whistling and ambushing our train with even more urgency than when we first boarded the train. People from our train lean out of the windows and whistle back. People on the platform start throwing their bags in through the windows. Mark explains that the other train has broken down, that all these people are also going to Colombo to work, and they will now be on our train. Had I been standing, at this point, I believe I would have assumed the defensive “boxing out” stance that I learned in Jr. High basketball. However, I was seated and already squished, so I just braced for impact.

So, 2 more people join the bench seat across from me. And I now have a stranger’s knee in between my knees and on the immediate either side of my knees. One more man joins our bench seat. I am now shoulder-to-shoulder and hip-to-hip with a complete stranger and with my colleague/supervisor… and sweating. It’s obvious that Mark is feeling squashed and is trying to respect my space, but is being pushed into me. The Sri Lankan man on my left is leaning left against the window, so I lean left as well. Trying not to touch him too much, but I’ve long since given up on the 2 inch buffer zone. Then 2 more people come and stand IN BETWEEN our seats. I look up at the pair of seats in front of us, where there are 4 on each bench seat, with 5 people standing in between the seats, and I’m really thankful to be where I am. One man reaches down and moves Mark’s knee so that he can straddle Mark’s leg and the leg of the woman sitting directly opposite Mark. This man’s trunk is all of 3 inches from her face…

Somehow my involuntary facial expressions kicked in at this point (I think my eyes widened and eyebrows lifted), and everyone in our immediate vicinity – which was about 10 people – laughed at me, very amused.

Then the train started moving. This is not a streamlined metro system. It’s a Sri Lankan train – maybe the first one ever built. So, now, we are all rocking/jerking side to side, with an occasional forward lurch. And I am trying SO HARD not to be completely all over the people near me. So, I am leaning left with my torso, while the western hemisphere of my rear end is bearing all of my weight in an effort to keep me from just smashing right into Mr. Window Man (who is now asleep). And my shoulders are curved so far inwards that a good shove from either direction, and I think my sternum might snap and then my shoulders would be touching. Meanwhile, all the people within eyesight of me (about 30-40) are smiling at me, because they think it’s GREAT that a white foreign girl is on the train. Trying to look as excited as possible to be on the train, with feigned cultural ease and comfort, I smile back.

Then we make another stop. Mark now has 2 men straddling his right leg. (What personal space?) The man on the end of our seat has his face planted in a woman’s chest region (I can only hope he is her husband). I feel violated just looking around – but every body else is about as happy as a hog in mud. And, at this point (this is my favorite part), someone pulled out a 15” x 20” cross-stitching that has been framed, which was passed around the whole car, for everyone to admire. I have no feeling in half of my rear, and my lower back is throbbing; I can’t quite get my arm up…Oh, eye contact, and here comes the frame, they’re smiling, “Ohhh, yes, that’s nice. Very nice.” Smile back. Pass it to Mark, OK – he’s asleep.

I also liked the 3 people in our immediate area who established a rotation system. They stay at each spot for about 10 minutes, then rotate: 1) seated; 2) standing, straddling the seated person & Mark’s leg; then 3) standing in front of the window. It’s somewhat annoying, but the ingenuity of the system is equally impressive, and I’m sure it prevents extreme discomfort – what a great idea.

It’s been about an hour now, with a remaining 45 minutes to travel in this manner. I am completely torn between utter amusement with the whole situation and utter discomfort in my body. I begin contemplating my options. One, the only immediate option for increased personal space would be directly under the seat. Or, I could scoop up Mr. Sleeping Beauty on my left, slide over and set him on my lap (since he’s about 1/3 my size) – and we might all be more comfortable. Option 3 is to quit trying to contort my body / maintain some sense of American personal space and dignity, and just fully embrace the culture. (Man my back is killing me! Do I even have a left leg? Oh, they’re smiling. Smile back! Other people have someone on their laps…or Maybe I could just join the rotation... What would happen if I just stood up?)

I finally decided I was not ready to completely relinquish the last shred of my personal space. I mean, I am all about embracing the culture… “when in Rome, do as the Romans do” and the whole nine yards, but I believe this is where I draw the line. I have observed from the street, train passengers standing on the stairs in the doorway, hanging outside the train, and had wondered about that. It now makes a world of sense: looks like they get a pretty good breeze and a nice view.

And so we arrived at our destination. A typical day’s commute for the average business person. No worse for the wear… just drenched in sweat. Ready for an 8 hour committee meeting.

Sometimes, honestly, these experiences can be pretty trying (Oh, this is so uncomfortable and so not what I am used to!); other times, they make us so intensely aware that we are, in fact, living in Sri Lanka, not America, that they actually become a reality check and a source of gratitude: Oh yeah, I live in Sri Lanka and I love it. And it is different. That’s part of what makes it Sri Lanka. If everything was American-ish, then it sure might be comfortable or familiar, but we would be missing out on an opportunity to see God’s creativity and ingenuity in another culture. So, we live in Sri Lanka, where it’s different – which can be annoying – and where the concept of invasion of personal space is taken to a completely different level. In a very weird/backwards way, I guess I conclude: Yea for sweaty space invasion and smelly trains!

2006-12-01T00:14:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving Dinner... What an absolutely fantastic celebration of not only God’s goodness, faithfulness, and provision – but also of new relationships, diversity, and living examples of the Lord’s creative genius and His intricate weaving of our lives.
We have enjoyed sweet times with family members and friends, especially around the holidays – and while I will not say that this surmounts those… it was definitely a highlight for me.
A few things that made this gathering extra special were: 1) The hunt to track down recipes online, searching specifically for recipes that had ingredients that would be likely to be found in-country. 2) The team-wide participation in preparation – it was quite the joint effort.
A few weeks early: we sought out non-perishables, to see what would be available, and to make adjustments to the menu/recipes as necessary. A week beforehand: we did a major scavenger hunt at our two favorite “supermarkets” in Colombo; I had the list, the boys would go search the store over for a particular item (or 5) and bring back their findings. And they REALLY were such good sports… it may have something to do with food being a great motivator for them – I’m not sure. =) A few days before: we bought all the fresh spices and ground, grated, & chopped; baked the pumpkin in the oven & puréed it for the recipes that called for “canned pumpkin,” made pastry shells for pies (I really missed the ones that come packaged in two’s in the Frozen Foods section of Wal-Mart); and confirmed our order for 12 kilo’s of turkey from the Hikkaduwa Turkey Farm. Adam did a last-ditch search in Galle for the elusive items we had not yet found: cornmeal, a few spices, and the second rack for the oven…. then Adam bought a hacksaw. And sawed 1 inch off the length of a wire rack, so that it would fit in the oven & we would now have 2 racks. And Adam made a pumpkin roll (for dessert). The day before: Phillis and I went to the local Hikkaduwa market and bought the fresh vegetables and picked up Tom and Talulla Turkey (who were dead AND plucked – what a relief!!). The night before: Phillis and I wrestled the meat off of the hugest (raw) turkey – because we realized he would fit in neither the pressure cooker nor the roasting pan. This was a real bonding experience for us and quite an adventure. We did a lot of sweating in that kitchen! And when the boys came in to check our progress, they did not stay around long (aparently the scene of us hacking the turkey apart was a bit gory). The turkey & the turkey meat went into the “brine” overnight.
The day of: Chris & Martina went to Galle to rent a projector, and to buy bread, more vegetables, and a meat thermometer. Adam, Tucker, & Dave arranged furniture, set the table, chopped vegetables, washed dishes, poured Mindy a Diet Coke, and assembled the green bean casserole. Dave selected flowers from the yard and created a festive arrangement. 3) The excitement and anticipation of the Sri Lankans – and their absolute curiosity as to WHAT this celebration is about, and WHAT we would be eating and WHAT it would taste like. There was quite a little buz about what to expect! 4) The experience of having such a completely diverse group of people around the family dinner table together: Sri Lankan, Buddhist, American, Irish, Hindu, Catholic, and Christian, English-speakers, Sinhala-speakers, Tamil accents, & Texas accents, from all walks of life… who genuinely refer to one another as “family” (and mean it in a positive sense, as a term of endearment). It wasn’t “diverse” just for the sake of being “diverse” because it is the cultural or politically correct thing to do. We were together celebrating the holiday with our family. And we had to have an interpreter. I loved that. 5) While we were eating, everyone shared something they were thankful for. What a precious time. Talk about a life-changer! 6) Ohio State beat Michigan – and we got to watch it on a big screen. Ahhhh college football, how we’ve missed it! 6b) The Sri Lankans, watching the boys watch football. 7) The food really did come together well. The Americans seemed delighted that it actually tasted like American Thanksgiving food. And the Sri Lankans seemed delighted that it was different than rice and curry - and still edible. Except for some mashed potatoes and dessert, there were NO leftovers. 8) God is faithful. And I love to see how He takes our little efforts and does so much more through the situation than we can ask or imagine.

I love the passage in 2 Samuel, Chapter 24, where King David is asked by God to build an altar at a specific place. As the story unfolds, the owner of the property insists on giving the land to David – but he persists on buying the land, saying, “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” Approaching this Thanksgiving, I anticipated the planning and preparation being quite overwhelming… even maddening. But the Lord was faithful to remind me of the concept of bringing Him a sacrifice of praise. Meaning that it would cost something (not only in terms of finances, but in terms of sweat, effort, time, frustrations, language difficulties, misunderstandings, etc.) What a challenge! And what better opportunity – than at Thanksgiving? What was pretty astonishing to me, was how much my perspective on the process was changed when I set my heart on viewing problems and annoyances as a “sacrifice of praise.” And what further amazed me, was to feel like the Lord really received that praise offering from my heart and used it to bless others.

Here are some of the pictures...

Phillis & Mindy. Phillis lives with us Monday - Friday and is the Preserver Of Sanity & Team Unity (she cooks and cleans - making it possible to work and live and recreate with one another without having anger in our hearts because someone tracked mud through the house or refuses to wash their dishes, put away their clothes, etc.). She was worth her weight in gold during preparation for Thanksgiving. She is SUPER resourceful & is teaching us her tricks - like using the metallic bag from your cereal box for transporting fish from the fish market, so you don't get blood everywhere. (Uhh, cool!)

The Kitchen, where we bonded.

The kitchen, part 2.

Chris referred to the extras, like Dave's flower arrangement, as "Getting our game face on!"

Dinner served! Tucker, Mark, & Chamani in the food line. Chamani was real curious what this food would taste like... she participated in the preparation though, and was pretty excited about the sweet potatoes with brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, and "snow" (marshmallows) on top.

Thanksgiving!

Here we are... bottom left corner, moving clockwise around the table: Sisila, Chris, Mark, Chamani, Major Wijesiri's Daughter, Raj, Tucker, Benjamin, (Dave's empty chair, he's taking the photo), Martina, Phillis, Adam, Mindy, Scott.

Late-comers: Mr. & Mrs. Major Wijesiri, and their son.

LtoR: Chris, Martina, & Tucker watching OSU & eating dessert. (Selections were apple pie, pecan pie, white chocolate cheesecake, pumpkin cheesecake & a pumpkin roll.)

Dave, watching OSU beat Michigan

LtoR: Chris, Tucker, & Adam - glued to the game. I really wish I had a picture of them yelling... the one below is the Sri Lankan's laughing at the guys, who were yelling and getting a little animated.

Chamani's brother (this was our first time to meet him & I am embarassed that I cannot remember his name. He drove 2 hours just because he wanted to see what American Thanksgiving was all about.), Mark & his wife Chamani, & Phillis.

Chamani & Mindy

Dave's flower arrangement, now accompanied by flowers from Martina & from Benjamin & Raj. It is a huge cultural practice that ANY time you go to someone's home for dinner, you bring a small gift. Common examples would be: sugar, tea, rice, powdered milk, or a sweet treat.

The Clean Up Committee: Tucker & Chris.

2006-11-20T09:13:00.000-08:00

Meet Kapuri...

Our friend Paul, who we mentioned in an earlier post has been here for about 6 weeks helping us out wanted to ride an elephant before he headed home in a few weeks.

So on a beautiful Sunday morning we set out to find an elephant to ride and we found Kapuri...she lives in Bentota which is about 45 minutes from our house. She is owned by one of the local hotels and as the pictures show...we had a great time.

Meet Kapuri...

2006-11-11T01:51:00.000-08:00

Construction Update…

*I placed of Key of Terms at the bottom of the page in the event I use a term in which you may not be familiar. Hope it is helpful!

It’s hard to believe that we have been here for three months. Over the course of that time I have been heavily involved in preparation for building…not actually building yet…but planning. We have been meeting with government officials, NGO’s, beneficiaries, and everyone in between. The information we have been gathering is in regards to who still needs houses, what communities still need infrastructure and facilities, info about schools, and anything else you could think of.

We were going to do most of our building of homes in the Galle district (where we are currently living). But we found out that there are enough houses for the beneficiaries that needed them…no need for us to build more…even though the government was still pushing us to build 236 homes in Galle (long story). We had to reassess our entire project and focus it on where the need is…and then put together plans for making that happen. We have had to spread our project out over the entire southwest and to the east. We will be working in at least four different districts, building as many as 500 homes and numerous community facilities.

Our project is called PD 2553. Our project is phase 2 of Tsunami rebuilding. The first phase was called PD 2416 and is coming to the close in the next few weeks.

We are excited to announce that a contract was signed last week to build 14 homes in Kalutara (see pictures below). These houses are not actually under project PD 2553 (the funds came from a different donor)…regardless, we are excited that there is construction underway. We signed the contract on Thursday and construction started on Monday and at the end of week one of construction, 7 of the 14 homes will be started. We hope to have the construction on these 14 homes done by December 15. Pretty quick turn around!

We have finally gotten approval to start the project (PD 2553) that we were brought here to help with (long story). This means that the next few weeks will be very hectic. We will be sending Requests for Proposal out every week for the construction of homes, community centers, market palaces, and playgrounds…reviewing the proposals, signing contracts, etc. We will also be involved in monitoring the construction process, insuring that building is quality and being completed in a timely manner.

We count it a blessing to have so many people praying and supporting us, thank you. Please continue to pray for us as our work load gets heavier and our work days get longer.

Key of Terms:
Beneficiary – Tsunami affected person who is registered with the government and eligible for assistance.
NGO – Non Governmental Organization. Groups like World Vision, Caritas, Red Cross, etc. These agencies are the ones who go to countries to provide development help.
Community Facilities – Community Centers, Marketplaces, Playgrounds, etc.)
Buffer Zone – After the Tsunami, the Government decided to reclaim some of the beach. You are no longer allowed to build or have homes between 0 – 50 meters from the beach. Which means that those home owners who lived inside of 50 meters have to relocate.
Owner Driven – Beneficiary who will build back on original land outside the buffer zone.Donor Driven – Beneficiaries who lived inside the buffer zone and have to relocate to another community.

These pictures are of a of beneficiaries who will be recieving houses. The house they are standing in front of was damaged by the Tsunami and temporarily fixed to be liveable.

Some of the beneficiaries needed places to stay while their house were being constructed. We gave them tents and helped set them up.

Part of the responsibility of the beneficiary is to tear down their existing house so we can quickly come in and begin construction of their new home. The below pictures are the same houses as the above beneficiaries, three days after we asked them to begin demolition. Quick work!

Construction began this week and this picture was taken on day three. The are almost finished with the foundations of two homes and should have started a total of 7 house by the end of week one.

2006-10-31T02:03:00.000-08:00

The Post Office
"how many people does it take to process a package?"

Running errands is an adventure here…and a trip to the post office deserves to have its story told!

We have packages sent to our main headquarters in Colombo to ensure that it makes it to a physical address. Our office in Hikkaduwa does not have a street number…nor does our house (we are not even sure if the street our house is on has a name!). When a package comes that is too big to be delivered to the physical address (which is anything over the size of a 10" x 12" envelope")…a pick up voucher for the package is delivered to HQ and then passed on to the intended recipient to go and pick up.

The first time we received verification of a package to be picked up I went by myself to find the post office…which took an extra 45 minutes (I missed the street and ended up on the other side of town…nice!). When I finally arrived at the P.O., and found a place to park (10 minutes), and made it inside…I am sent upstairs where I find a long counter the length of the large room, with literally 20-25 men behind it. I walk up to the counter and show them my voucher (that looks like a newspaper) that indicates I have a package waiting for me. The man behind the counter tells me to go see the man sitting at the island counter directly behind me (what he really did was point...mumble a word or two in English...then a bunch of words in Sinhalese...but I figured it out!). Here is where it all begins... the man behind the small island counter begins the processing of my voucher. He asks for my passport, to fill out my address, and to sign the document in about three different places, I am then given a number and asked to wait until it is called (the number is not always called in English…nice!). That’s 1.

A man comes from behind the long counter, retrieves the voucher from the first guy, and takes it behind the long counter and puts in a stack. That’s 2.

Another man takes my voucher and disappears into another room (sometimes there are two men who leave with the form). The man reemerges with a box…which I hope is mine and I hope still has everything in it. He sets the box down on a table behind the counter. That’s 3.

A different man (sometimes this is done by two people as well) takes his razor blade out and begins to open the box. That’s 4. Once opened, he then shows the contents of the box to another man, who writes mystery numbers down on a piece of paper. That’s 5. The man who opened the box now begins to close it with string and then places it on the floor behind the counter (again this sometime can be done by a completely different person).

The man who examined the box and has written mystery numbers on my voucher…now passes that paper to someone else that looks it over and writes down some more mystery numbers and passes the paper back to the first mystery number writer, who confirms the mystery and signs it. That’s 6 and 7. (In case you are lost…5 (5) gave a mystery form to 6 (6) who filled it out and gave it back to 5 (7) to process again)

The voucher is then passed to another man who is the cashier. He looks at all the mystery numbers and determines a mystery price. That’s 8. The price depends on who is there that day. I have had two different prices, from two different people, on basically the same type of package. The first one was 150 Rupees and the second was 230 Rupees (Approx. $1.50 and $2.30 U.S.).

My voucher is then passed on to another man…who checks all the forms, the mystery numbers, my passport to verify I am the person whose name is on the package and started this whole ordeal, and gets me to sign their log book. That’s 9.

And finally, there is a man who sits and waits for me to sign the log book, then picks my package up from the floor behind the counter and hands it to me. That’s 10 (and this could fluctuate by about 3 people depending on the day).

This process will take at least 20 minutes if they are not busy and 30-40 minutes on a typical day.

It takes approx. 10 men to process a package the size of shoe box. If you are wondering what all the other men are doing (I quoted 20-25 men behind the counter at the beginning of the story)…your guess is as good as mine?

Thanks for the packages! What's in the box is well worth the adventure!

Adam

2006-10-23T02:42:00.000-07:00

Fran the Fan, who is a very important contributor to our quality of life, recently became a little less efficient and a whole lot louder. In the absence of a ladder, we put our heads together, and came up with a resourceful solution. (Actually, there were two solutions; this is the second. The first one, which hypothetically might have involved a rope and the second-floor railing, ended before it began, so there are no pictures.)
Dave disected the fan and applied WD40 while Paul read a book, Chris shielded Paul's head from falling debris, and Adam hung on to Dave for all he was worth. Meanwhile, Mindy took pictures, handed tools, and said, "Please don't drop him." and "You guys are out of your minds." While we are pretty sure we did not actually fix the problem, Fran at least acknowledged the effort and the TLC and has given us no problems since.

2006-10-14T23:48:00.000-07:00

Art Exhibition. The Salvation Army Community Center in Hikkaduwa houses a pre-school, for about 25 kids, ages 3-5. Recently, they had an Art Exhibition (similar to the "Open House" we had as kids in elementary school) and parents / grandparents were invited. Mindy tried to stuff one of the kids in her pocket (how cute are they?!?), but the parents noticed, so she had to return the child. =) One of our favorite works of art was the flower arrangement, created with tin cans, tissue paper, and candy wrappers. Another was the grape "piece," constructed with tissue-covered bottle caps.

2006-10-03T04:07:00.000-07:00

Pets! Here's Rip, the two-timing pup who adopted us and spends half his time at another home and half his time with us. He likes to eat eggs, rice, chicken, and sausages. (No actual "dog food" here.) =) Axel is the kitten that we "rescued" from a drain pipe. She'd been there several days, was too young to be away from mom, and was starving - and Chris felt sorry for me (not the cat) - so he brought her home. She cried nonstop, but she adored the boys (especially their facial hair) and you should have seen the 6 foot something men trying to comfort the inconsolable kitten... it was a valiant effort; however, we have mourned the loss of a team member as Axel didn't make it. So, our only pet is Rip the two-timer, who is really not all that bright, but makes up for what he lacks in brains with being cute and excited when we come home. He's not very street smart - which has lead to a few near misses with the 15 other dogs in the neighborhood who ARE street smart. But he is the fastest dog on the street - which is the ONLY explanation for why he is the one dog in Hikkaduwa that has zero scars.

2006-09-23T04:26:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, we rented dirt bikes and spent the afternoon enjoying the Lord’s handiwork, seeing the countryside – it’s amazing how creative we are becoming in the absence of a television! The scenery was magnificent, as was the weather, and we enjoyed the interaction with the locals we met and passed on the street. In an effort to avoid Galle Road, we rode back to some pretty remote villages, where we were greeted with smiles, waves, cheers… and some gawking. When Chris asked a Muslim man for directions, before responding, the man just looked at him and then poked Chris’s white skin, like he was really not quite sure what to make of it. A couple kids high-fived us as we rode past and about 15 construction workers stood on the roof of a house, jumping around, with their fists raised in the air whooping and hollering as we rode by. We weren't sure if the locals were intrigued just because we were white, or because there were FIVE of us in a parade of dirt bikes, or if they had just never seen anything quite like our friend Paul, AKA: "Big Dog." He's the one with a white hat turned backwards because the bike shop tried every helmet they had, but did not have one that didn't cut off circulation to his brain. We even got stopped by the police (it's illegal to ride without a helmet, and they love to fine tourists - extra money). When we demonstrated why he was not wearing a helmet (by trying to pound it onto his head), the officer laughed, had no idea how to respond, and waved us on. (Paul is a good buddy from college; he just arrived as a volunteer to help with the project for the next 3 months.) Wish you all could be here to enjoy these fun times with us. What a refreshing day! It was 6 dollars well spent!

Some of the views from the back of the bike (starting with Chris, immediately prior to being completely covered in mud):

2006-09-10T04:27:00.000-07:00

Gallegodawatta Ceremony to celebrate the handing over of 101 houses. (This was the reason behind getting dressed up in the sari's). The whole Gallegodawatta community was invited and most of The Salvation Army Headquarters personnel made the trip from Colombo. The ceremony started with a formal parade - in the rain - complete with Kandyan dancers, drummers, The Salvation Army officers, children handing out flowers, and two white girls in sari's (Ha! Not kidding! The Sri Lankan's were so excited to see Caucasians in sari's, they told Mindy & Martina to walk in the parade). Here's a few shots from the day...

2006-09-10T00:45:00.000-07:00

Sari Stories. Our first week here, we were invited by Swarna (1st picture, HIV/AIDS and Anti-Human Trafficking Coordinator) to her house for dinner. In addition to a fantastic Sri Lankan meal - she gave me 6 meters of fabric to have a Sari made, as a gift. Adam and I went to Galle, where I was measured for a jacket and an underskirt. The seamstress took 22 measurements for the jacket, written straight down the page in a line, in the middle of a spiral notebook - with not a single word of identification as to what was being measured. It's a miracle that it didn't turn out with 3 arm holes or something. I was shocked when it was ready when she said it would be -- and astonished that it actually fit. The day of my sari debut at Headquarters, Mrs. Major Jaya (2nd picture, the wife of my boss's boss) invited me into their apartment to help me get dressed. FORTY-FIVE minutes later, we emerged. Both wringing wet with sweat. It is no small feat to get yourself into a sari and have all the pleats gathered, stuffed, and laying just right -- with the right decorative end showing in the right direction -- in a manner secure enough that you don't lose your clothes, yet loose enough that you can still walk without hiking your sari up (that's a big no-no).

We had a huge community ceremony at Gallegodawatta last Saturday. So, Martina (our Irish team member) agreed to wear sari's. Gida (orange & white shirt) lives on our street and invited us into her house, where she would help "drape" us. Her English is fantastic. She is the mother of 2 daughters & twin sons. Her parents live with them and her husband is working in Iraq as a logistician for the American Army. (It is not uncommon for one family member to move to the Middle East for employment and send their earnings back to the family.) She is absolutely delightful and has the sweetest spirit. She invited us into her home -- spent an hour per person "draping" Martina and me -- and served us tea. Her hospitality was overwhelming. We later brought her flowers as a "thank you," and since then, she has been inviting us for tea every day when we pass in the street.

Mindy, Martina, & Major Pat Kiddoo (Assistant Director of SAWSO) - trying to look as stately as possible at the Gallegodawatta ceremony.

2006-09-09T01:23:00.000-07:00

Cultural Landscape: Galle Road. Here are some of the common sights between Hikkaduwa and Colombo. Except for the first shot, these were taken through a windshield, while moving, so some are a bit blurred...

2006-08-31T09:42:00.000-07:00

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.

2006-08-31T09:17:00.000-07:00

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.)