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!

So long GPS (well at least for the most part...)

I have finally weened myself off the GPS to get around my near surroundings. Never thought in a million years that this would happen but it finally has. It is still needed when we travel to new places, so it will keep its place of prominence hidden in my glove box/compartment thing. (Its called a glove box/compartment because years ago driving with gloves was the proper thing to do. Kept hands clean. Also, most cars did not have a hard top and they  prevented the driver's hands from getting numb due to the fast moving air.) So my GPS will continue to be housed here b/c we are not using gloves any time soon!

We spent this last week in the mountains on our island, and had I been driving, the GPS would have been needed. I was surrounded by men who have been in the harvest field for a long time. Just being able to sit and listen to stories of God working through them for His glory was a blessing. As we were there, I remembered  our church meetings on Wednesday night as we prayed for them on their birthday and during Christmas with Lottie Moon. It is great to serve alongside with these brothers & sisters on this side of the world. What a joy it is to be the hands and feet! 

This was the view from the place that we stayed. Below is part of the island that we live on and the mainland in the distance.

 ^"And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness." Genesis 1:3-4

"God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day." Genesis 1:5

We watched a thunderstorm come in from the water. What a display! As we watched this, I was reminded of a passage in Job. God asks, “Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, that a flood of waters may cover you? Can you send forth lightnings, that they may go and say to you, ‘Here we are’?" Job 38:34-35. I cannot do these things, but thanks be to God that He can! 

This is the 13.5km bridge that I will run across and then back during a marathon in November. Already praying and I will start training soon!

^35 36 This quote hit me at my core, and I am thankful that the Almighty has no need for a GPS to track me as I go from place to place. "With every step of our lives we enter into the middle of some story which we are certain to misunderstand." G.K. Chesterson. 

Easter in Southeast Asia

This year Easter looked a lot different for me than years past. There are not a single bunny or eggs to be seen, unless you are eating them... I'm kind of okay with that too. Such a refreshing thing to experience a time that we are so familiar with in a different way. The great thing about it is that although my surroundings may be different, my God is the same! Hebrews 13:8.

The sun was rising as we drove from the island to church. What a great picture and a great time to reflect on the true Son that is risen. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4. 

We celebrated communion during the service. I love being able to do this with brothers & sisters on the other side of the world. Matthew 26:26-29. 

Some of the songs that we sang were different, but some were the same. We sang one of my favorites, "Christ Is Risen" by Matt Maher. It warmed my heart to hear it and sing along with my Southeast Asian brothers & sisters. Here are some of the lyrics...

"Christ is risen from the dead

  We are one with Him again.

  Come awake, come awake!

  Come and rise up from the grave.

  

  Oh death! Where is your sting?

  Oh Hell! Where is your victory?

  Oh Church! Come stand in the light!

  The glory of God has defeated the night!"

Besides great praise and worship, I had the privilege of going to see a friend preach this morning. Although Easter did look different, the gospel presented in my friend's sermon is the same. We were treated to two different lunches today. Completely different "Easter-type" food than what I am used to, but it was so good!

We had a global meal with the church. We had some Chinese, Indian and even some American food. The American food was chicken salad sandwiches. Haven't had it since I got here and it was really good!

While we were eating the first meal, the pastor inited us out to eat as well. This was some of the spiciest Indian food that I have ever had. It's called Banana Leaf. They place different vegetables and meat on a banana leaf. Pretty original name for a dish if you ask me... And yes, we went "hands-on" for this meal. Reminded me of my two trips to India. 

Lastly, I wanted to share Isaiah 53:5-6. "But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; 
and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." Hallelujah, what a Savior! 

Singapore!

Last week we spent a few days in Singapore. What a great place! Singapore is actually not a country. It's a republic with a cabinet, prime minister & a president. Had no clue where Singapore was or they type of government they had until I arrived on this side of the world... I love traveling to new places, and one thing that makes me smile is to see my passport pages filling up. These pages and the places they represent remind me that we are Christ's ambassadors. 2 Corinthians 5:20.

On this trip we were allowed to be straight-up tourists and we took advantage. God provided us with an amazing place to stay. So thankful for a family of Christ followers that we are connected to through our church. They were out of town during our visit, but allowed us to stay in their house. Such an affirmation of this Scripture. "And he (Jesus) said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Matthew 22:37-39

We were there a total of 2 full days and we went to the Singapore Zoo one day and Universal Studios the next. We also ate really great food too! Here are some photos of our trip...

None of these three animals were in cages. When you walked up to them, they did not look real! Especially the bats. 

This orangutan was asking for some sugar cane. He was right above our heads. Very cool!

I was also just hanging out at the zoo.

I come all the way to Singapore and find a guy wearing an Auburn shirt! He had this puzzled look on his face because he is from Switzerland and had no clue about Auburn University. I told him that it was his destiny! It all made sense after this picture was taken. He may have been a little drunk too... War Eagle!!

In front of Universal Studios Singapore

This cracked me up. They have a Jurassic Park ride that is a lot like Thunder River at Six Flags Over Georgia. Apparently Asians do not want to get wet on these types of rides so they were selling ponchos for the equivalent of $2 dollars a piece! How funny is that? 

I'm not always a fan of inside jokes, but this is for my friends at State Farm. Miss you guys! This was in the Shrek portion of Universal Studios.

We had chili crab our last night there. It was really good. They brought us a crab seasoned with pepper to try as well. 

Singapore at night.

This was a nice place to walk at night. Several nice restaurants and coffee shops along this thoroughfare. It had these tall things that looked like mushrooms or fake palm trees to block any rain or sun. 

This is a peach danish from a restaurant called "BreadTalk." It was amazing! It reminded me of a peach muffin from O'henry's coffee shop back at home. I was saddened to find out that "BreadTalk" has not made its way to the United States. We should look into a franchise...

Yes you are reading this correctly... It is $1,000 Sing dollars (approx $800 US) fine if you are caught riding your bike on the sidewalk here. They have tee shirts everywhere that say, "Singapore, a "fine" city." ("Fine" has two different meanings there.) They have also outlawed chewing gum in Singapore. They don't sell it anywhere and you are fined if caught smuggling or chewing gum. 

As you can see, we covered a lot of Singapore in the short couple of days that we were there. Can't say enough about how great of a place it is. As I travel to new places I am finding out just how a large a world that we live in. God has created so many great things for us to enjoy! I hope that everyone gets a chance to get outside and explore new things.

Indian Wedding

We were recently invited to a traditional Indian hindu wedding. This wedding was none like I have ever seen. What an experience and I am very appreciative to our friend for inviting us. Although there were different gods worshiped here, I was so thankful to the One who created this institute of marriage. He has given us marriage as a picture of our unity to Him through Christ. There were no words spoken to the audience during the ceremony and I will try my best to explain with each of the photos below.

This is what we saw when as we were entering the building where the ceremony was to take place. The design on the floor was made out of a sandy type substance.

This is where the ceremony takes place. There is a golden seat where the bride and groom will sit. Right in front of this seat is a fire that will burn during the ceremony. The fire is the centerpiece. During the ceremony, the bride and groom circled the fire a number of times.

This is a photo of the area where the fire was burning during the ceremony.

 The bride and groom. Prior to the ceremony, it is the custom that he presents his bride with a brand new sari. A sari is what the garnet the bride is clothed in above. This is the traditional Indian dress for women. During the ceremony, the bride and groom both have a long piece of fabric and they actually "tie a knot" in it to signify unity. This is where the phrase comes from. Learn something new everyday!

After the ceremony everyone was treated to a great meal. This is nasi kandar.  (Look below for an explanation of nasi kandar) This meal was lamb, chicken & vegetables all cooked in different types of curry. Watermelon and a fruit salad was on there too!

Nasi Kandar is traditional food that was brought to this region of South East Asia from India. Nasi (rice) Kandar (balance). It derives from when vendors would walk around with rice in one bucket and chicken or vegetables in another bucket. They were both balanced on a pole that he would have on his shoulders. 

Again, I am so thankful for new friends who have opened their country to us as we are sojourners here in South East Asia. I am also encouraged by Luke 10:2-3. "And he (Jesus) said to them, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.'"

It doesn't take much...

It doesn't take much to amuse me. Little things make me laugh. I also find that I love to see everyday advancements in technology. Having a smart phone (iPhone) that has a little camera on it is an awesome advancement in technology. It allows me to stop and take a picture of things that make me laugh or just scratch my head. Warning, with this first picture, please do not look for a rhyme or reason, just accept that everyone is different, and that makes the world go around!

Here are some photos of things along the way that have made me laugh...

Yes, that is a diaper on a cat. It caused it to walk funny too!

Grits have made it to South East Asia. Not only grits, but instant ones at that. I would argue that 99.999% of the people here have no idea what this is! The price made me laugh, b/c that box of grits here would cost about $7.00 US dollars. 

This drink is called "Cendol." I was visiting with some friends who insisted that I try it. Sometimes when you purchase a drink, they sell it to you in a plastic bag and tie a straw around the top with some string. Pretty smart if you ask me! Can't really put it down though... What made me laugh about this drink was the ingredients. This drink is called Cendol b/c that's the name of the green rice that you see at the bottom. It also has coconut milk, brown sugar, sweet corn, red beans and ice in it. What a combination! You know, I can't say that I really enjoyed this one so much. Thankful for the friends who bought it for me though!

One of the everyday advancements in technology over here is found in parking decks of all places. Remember, it doesn't take much for me to be impressed! 

In the parking decks at some of the malls they have little lights above the spaces to tell you where an empty one is. They also have these signs that tell you how many free spots are to the right and to the left. As you can see, there were 64 free spots to the left and zero to the right. How cool is that!

I also love going to the top of a hill or mountain and being able to look out at what God has created. This is overlooking a city that we spent time in the other day. In the distance is the Indian Ocean. 

This is a closer look at the ocean that you see in the distance on the previous picture. I am always amazed and just at peace when I come to the beach.

Psalm 33:6-9 says, "By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host. He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap, he puts the deeps in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him! For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm."

Jackson Doss Pruitt

My nephew was born this week! Wow, my heart is so full. Jackson Doss Pruitt was born on March 2, 2012. He will be called Doss and that is such a great name! Doss is a "family name" and I know that he will represent it well. It is my Nana's maiden name on my mom's side of the family. I was also really close to my great grandmother, Edna (Gamma) too. My great grandfather, Harold Jackson Doss Sr was killed prior my being born, but I have heard so many amazing things that he did while he was alive. My great-uncle Harold Jackson Doss Jr and my uncle Randle (Randy) Doss Hurst all share these names. My brother's full name is William Jackson Pruitt. Pruitt, of course is our family name. So happy to have Mallory, and now Doss who share this name.

I can also remember growing up, how close Will and I are with our aunts and uncle. The first time I ever drove a car was sitting in my aunt Allison's lap, all of 6 or 7 years old, steering while she pushed the gas. We didn't go fast and it wasn't but maybe 10 or so feet, but it was fun! My uncle Randy has always been like a big brother and we have always found a way to have a good time! So many great memories and I can't wait to make some with Doss!

God has shown me a great deal of comfort and peace while I am away. I am thankful and grateful to Him for everything He has given. Including the birth of Doss! Doss also has newly minted grandparents who will not spoil him at all I am sure. If they don't then Mallory's sister, Lindsey and/or I will make sure that we spoil him as well! My prayer is that we all reflect Christ to Doss as he is "fearfully and wonderfully made." Psalm 139:14. Actually, the entire Psalm 139 is my prayer for all of us!

My first name is Thomas, and I am named after my grandfather (Papa), Thomas Hurst. He passed away prior to Doss getting here, but I will be sure to tell him stories of this great man. His poise, demeanor, serving others and the way he loved the Lord are all qualities that he and my dad both share. My prayer is that Doss will grow up to be like him and my dad. My grandfather was so proud of Will & me, and I know that both my dad and Mallory's dad are so proud of Doss!

Doss was actually born on Dr. Seuss's birthday. How cool is that?! It's right up there with me sharing my birthday with Will. So little man, from the words of Dr. Seuss himself..."Today you are You that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is You-er than You." One of my favorite books by Dr. Seuss was his last one that he wrote. It's called, "Oh the Places You'll Go!" Here are some quotes from that book that encourage me about Doss. There are some great life lessons here too.

"Oh, the Places You'll Go!"

"Congratulations!

  Today is your day!

  You're off to great places!

  You're off and away!"

Doss you have been created by God and I am so happy that you are here! Psalm 127:3, "Behold, 'children are a heritage from the Lord...'"

"You're off to great places!

  Today is your day!

  Your mountain is waiting. 

  So... Get on your way."

The great thing is that I will be there with Doss, and we will have so much fun together! The much much greater thing is that he has a heavenly Father who will be with Doss too! It's hard to imagine that He loves this little guy more than any of us could. Thank you God for your love. Jesus said, "let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven." My prayer is that God reveals Himself to Doss and that he grows in Truth.

Please also pray that Doss will get to go home soon! He came a month early and is spending a little time in the NICU. I get a report almost daily and I hear that he is growing stronger with each minute. I am resting in the truth of knowing that God has made all things, and He is at work in all the details of our lives. John 1:3. Even all the little hairs that are on Doss's head! Luke 12:7.