Birthday

So I celebrated a birthday overseas this year. That's a first for me and it was such a great weekend! Another first was being surprised with a party. Wasn't expecting that at all, and it's so nice to have brothers and sisters in Christ over here to spend it with. Thanks again to everyone that was able to come and those who sent me messages and emails. It really means a lot when you are away.

Here are a few pictures from my extended birthday weekend. 

This birthday cake was so good! It had a lot of character too. Thankful for the hands who made it!

So after the party, some of us decided to go bowling. I want to say that I am not a good bowler at all so the pictures that you are going to see in a second are completely out of the blue and it must have been some sort of birthday thing. No idea how this happened and I know that it will never happen again... 

Cordova gave the the nickname of "twin" and it must have had some power in it. Yes, I actually bowled 7 strikes in a row. Craziness!

8 strikes total with a score of 228. Feeling a little younger!

My birthday just happened to fall during a trip that we took to Thailand. We ate dinner at the Hard Rock in Phuket. 

They advertise Thai boxing by having the men fight on top of a float that is going down the street. Great marketing strategy.

The next day we got on a ferry for an hour and a half boat ride to a small island called Ko Phi Phi. They played Kung Fu Panda along the way and it made me think of my buddy Raymond. Miss you man! Glad to get off the boat though...

This is the view from the awesome tree house type hotel room that we stayed in. What an awesome view! This island was pretty deserted. I hear that they filmed the movie "The Beach" here. There were no roads to get around on. If you wanted to go to the other side, you had to ride in a wooden long boat or walk.

This will give you an idea of the type of island that we were on. Not sure if any of these are where we were though... Really pretty place and the people were very nice too. 

In all, I had many smiles on this birthday and it will be one that I will never forget. I really missed spending it with family and friends at home, but it was really great to be here too!

Ramadan

This past Sunday marked the end of the Muslim fasting month, Ramadan. Living in a Muslim country Ramadan is a huge part of life here. Muslims, who follow the teachings of Islam, fast from food and drink from around 5:30am until right around 7:38pm. The fast each day starts and ends with a call to prayer. We hear this 5 times a day and sometimes a person at the mosque will be speaking in Arabic throughout the day as well. Not being able to eat or drink in this very hot environment has got to take some adjusting!

I had the chance to break the fast with friends on a couple of different occasions. Locally this time is called "berbuka puasa" which literally means "to open the fast." While some opt to break the fast with their families at home, others choose to go to a local restaurant. In order to get a seat at a restaurant, you need to get there around 6:30 to 6:45 and sit at the table waiting on the call to prayer. The food is brought to the table usually pretty early and everyone sits and talks until it is time to eat. It was pretty interesting to take part in and I am grateful for friends who let us tag along with them. After the fast is broken, everyone usually goes back to the mosque to have another time for prayer. This may be different in other parts of the world, but that is the general practice here. Restaurants will stay open all night long serving food to those who choose to eat either really late or early in the morning before fasting begins again.

There were a couple of things that I loved about Ramadan. One is the discounted food everywhere and the night markets called "Bazaar Ramadhan," that were held each afternoon. I love mingling with the people and trying new things. Also, different restaurants would offer different Ramadan specials. I got kind of used to them and now I miss it! For example, at Subway you could get one of three 6 inch sandwiches, a cookie and a coke for 10 Rm. That's about the equivalent to  $3.30 in US dollars. I think I am adapting more to the culture here because everyone loves to talk about food.

At the end of the month of fasting, there is a huge celebration called "Hari Raya," which means "day of celebration." The official celebration lasts for two days, but people usually celebrate all week. We were invited to one of our friend's house to celebrate with them. It's kind of like one big block party in the village or neighborhood. Here are some pictures from that day. 

 

This is some traditional food eaten at Hari Raya. The food on the right is a spicy rice noodle dish called Laksa. The sauce on top had a fish in it as well. There was also other types of cookies and crackers to eat as well. The food on the left is a type of cubed rice and you dip it in the peanut sauce that is in the bowl beside it. That was really good! 

We celebrated at the home of our first language teacher. My friend Aaron and I decided to dress in some traditional Batik which went over well with our friends!

During Hari Raya children will visit their neighbor's homes where they are given a small amount of money as a way to celebrate with them. This is called duit raya. I wanted to get in on this action!

Another tradition during this week of celebration is fireworks. They are shot off pretty much all night long. These are not your typical fireworks either. We are talking about the M1000 type that sound like a shotgun going off. No idea where they purchase them either because I have never seen them for sale. Apparently the people in our apartment complex have a stock pile of them because they do not seem to be running out any time soon!

This month also served as a great time to pray for the people here. I love these people a great deal, and hearing the call to prayer reminds me of my need to pray for God to pour Himself out on this country and the World.

Mt. Kinabalu

Had the opportunity to visit the island of Borneo this last week. Borneo is known for it's world class scuba diving and snorkeling. It's also home to the very first season of Survivor. We have a number of friends who live there and it was just time to pay them a visit. I forgot to mention one small detail of this visit so far... It's known as Mt. Kinabalu. At 14,000ft, it is the tallest mountain in SE Asia. It took two days to reach the summit and all in all we hiked a total of a little over 18 kilometers there and back. It has to be one of the hardest things that I have ever done. We arrived at a lodge around 1pm where we ate and then went to bed around 6pm. Afterwards, we got up around 2am and started the final assent to the summit before the sunrise. We then hiked all the way down after reaching the summit.

Here are some photos of our trip

On the way up the mountain walking through the clouds. It doesn't look real!

This was the sunset above the clouds as day one drew to an end. Went to bed right after this!

We had the treat of a full moon to light our path as we climbed to the summit in the early hours of day two. 

Finally at the top!

Sunrise at 14,000ft. It was so worth the climb. This picture doesn't do it justice!

Me and my friend Danny perched at the top. Not a lot of movin' around room up there.

On our way down. It's hard to imagine how massive this mountain is without seeing it in person. The summit is granite with veins of quarts running through it. 

It was pretty steep on some parts of the mountain and this rope came in handy. We weren't fastened to it though... Just have to hold on tight. 

It was so much fun to climb this mountain. My legs are still on fire from all the hiking/climbing. It was so crazy to start in a lush jungle and end up in such a desolate place. Fyi, we did find several rats up on top of the summit. I think those things can live just about anywhere! 

Bali

Had the opportunity to travel to Bali this last week. We spent a little over a week being encouraged by many brothers & sisters in Christ. It is always funny to me when I travel all the way around the world to meet someone who grew up in my same hometown! Reminded me of being back at home. Bali is a country who's primary religion is hindu. It is such a pretty place but everywhere you turn, there a gods on display. My heart goes out for these people that the have an encounter with the one true God.

"I am the LORD, and there is no other, besides me there is no God... (Isaiah 45:5)

Here are some pictures of my time in Bali.

Enjoyed this cup of Bali kopi (coffee) looking at a volcano. It felt so good up there!

Each day the as the tide went out at the beach, this red coral surfaced. You could walk almost a quarter mile out this huge reef. This is a picture of me looking back to the shoreline. My mom always asks me to bring a rock back home from my travels. She may have gotten a little piece of this coral... not really sure if it was legal to do so or not!

    

So I had heard every morning at breakfast about how amazing the sunrises are in Bali. I had been there for 7 mornings so far and just hadn't taken the time to wake up to see one. I figured that the last morning we were there would be the day that I would get out there to see it. On that particular morning, the sunrise was covered mostly by clouds... I was then reminded of one of my favorite A.W. Tozer quotes where he said, "Were all human beings to suddenly become blind, still the sun would shine by day and the stars by night, for these owe nothing to the millions who benefit from their light." Basically, I was reminded that the sun does not rise for my glory, but for God's alone. I just get to benefit from its light and warmth. 

I was reading one of my favorite Psalms out there that morning too. Psalm 19 says,

"The heavens declare the glory of God,

the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

 Day to day pours out speech,
    and night to night reveals knowledge.
 There is no speech, nor are there words,
    whose voice is not heard.
 Their voice goes out through all the earth,
    and their words to the end of the world.
In them he has set a tent for the sun,
     which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,
    and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.
Its rising is from the end of the heavens,
    and its circuit to the end of them,
    and there is nothing hidden from its heat." (Psalm 19:1-6)

This was another great reminder of who this sun rises for. 

They terrace the land to grow rice. Makes good use of space. I also met a friend on this side of the world from Leeds Alabama who called this a "holler." He was surprised that I knew what that meant. Thanks to my Papa, I did!

I loved these old boats on the beach. They were right outside of the cottage where I stayed. What you don't see is the men always asking if you want to ride in these boats every time you pass by...

This is the view from the hotel where we spent the week. 

Another thing in Bali is the currency. The conversion is a little under 10,000 rupiah to one dollar. When the money was transferred, I became a millionaire in Indonesia. It is so hard to warp your arms around so many zeros. Not sure how Bill Gates does it...

This last week was a great encouragement to me and it also gave me a little time to relax. Thankful for all the people who made this last week possible and it was very nice of them to invite me. Great food, seeing friends and nice weather makes for a good week! Hearing really good preaching along with that is just icing on the cake!

Out and About

Had a great friend and brother in Christ come and visit a few days last week. Life has been moving at a really fast pace and it was fun to see someone else experience it with us. We pretty much covered the most northern end of the country and then flew down to the southern end in 3 days. During that time, we traveled by car, motorcycle, ferry & airplane. It's always so much fun just to make yourself available and see what God will do. Need to surrender to that more often!

In the north, we spent a little time "rubber tapping." They have been doing this for many years in Southeast Asia. The latex (rubber) collected from these trees is used to make anything from medical/household gloves, balloons, rubber bands to clothing. 

The field of rubber trees. Waiting on someone to come and harvest the crop.

As you can see, the trees are ripe for the harvest! That white substance is latex.

Our friend taught me how to do it, although it's not as easy as it looks!

This is some of the rubber that was collected. Ready to be sold at market.

After a morning of work... I needed a little break! Enjoying time with new friends in a village.

Had a chance to play with some of the kids in the village. That was the favorite part of my day. We were kicking a ball around playing a game like "hacky sack."

We then flew down to the southern end of the country and spent some time with some friends and teammates who live there. Very encouraged by all of them. During our visit, we stopped at a local university and found this...

A fast pitch mens softball tournament! This is not something you see everyday on this side of the world. Being able to sit and talk baseball with these softball players reminded me a little of home. I just needed a hotdog and coke to make it complete. 

All in all, we all had a great time and were able to do good work all over the country in a short amount of time. Very blessed to be surrounded by great people and I wouldn't trade it for anything. These last few days served as a reminder of the harvest field that we live in and that there are so many workers needed. I always see it best when God gives me visual reminders of the harvest field. For example, the field of rubber trees, but also the harvest field of kids and softball players that we spent time with too. 

Love you Mom!

Mother's Day looked a little different this year being so far away. It's also great to have a new mom, Mallory in our family this year too! 

I was able to talk to my mom & my nana via Skype on Mother's Day weekend. So thankful for technology. It was the first time that I was able to talk and see my nana & aunt Allison. Love them so much. My brother was there and took a photo of them Skyping with me. Too funny! I will say that the internet does not take the place of being there in person though.

Looks like I'm in prison or something...

My family has been a great source of support & encouragement to me while I have been here. It has been such a blessing! It's so hard to believe that I have been away for over 5 months now. Man time flies.

Mom & I were talking about Mother's Day in the years past, and it was funny to remember that for some reason that was the weekend that worked out for me to move apartments almost every year I was down in Mobile going to the University of South Alabama. Mom was always there to help and I am so happy that she doesn't really like a whole lot of fanfare on that day, and it will be so great to celebrate Mother's Day when I get home. Who says that you have to wait until May to do that.

Just wanted to tell my mom that I love you and I miss you a lot!!

Not your typical Alabama gulf seafood!

So the other day some new friends invited me to eat seafood with them. I was excited about this because the great state of Alabama has some amazing seafood. Haven't really eaten any of it since I have been here. Hard to believe because I live on an island! So off we went and here is what I see... It was all very interesting and there were different characteristics with each of the different foods that made it unique.

Not like any other shell fish I have ever eaten! They did not want to come out even with the toothpicks.

My friend Victor is demonstrating how to get them out. Takes a little technique.

These snails are called Balitong. Basically you just suck them out of their shells... I just ate one.

Muscles. Really good sauce too. Although people here call it gravy. I continue to look for biscuits and gravy when they say that!

Speaking of bread. Steamed bread that you use to dip in the different types of gravy.

These are called mantis prawns. They were a little over a foot long! You have to peal their backs and they taste like boiled shrimp.

Crab. They were served in a really good chili sauce.

The seafood is extremely fresh. These crab were caught and eaten in the same day.

These are the men and women processing the fish that were just caught. Looks nothing like "The Original Oyster House" back at home!

Needless to say, I had plenty of food and some great friends to enjoy it with. I think more than one of them asked later on in the week if I was feeling okay after eating all that seafood. Good to go and ready to go back. Eating right on the water reminded me of spending time with friends at the lake in Alabama. Fun times on both sides of the world!