10 Reasons to Visit Us in East Timor

We know how much everyone likes to go on summer vacations and right about now you’re probably starting to plan your destination. Right now you’re probably thinking that something tropical would be great – anywhere that isn’t FREEZING! Well my friends, we have just the place for you! Here we will present 10 pieces of overwhelming evidence that will convince you that East Timor is the perfect vacation destination.

10. Breathtaking landscapes –

You have the ocean and mountains within a few hours of each other. In the same day you can go hiking in the cool mountains and drive down to the beach for a relaxing picnic. You’ve seen our pictures – East Timor has got to be one of the most beautiful places on earth!

Brendan took this picture while we were driving to Baucau – look at how blue the water is!!!

9. Appreciate everything a little more –

I’ve also thought that living life with an attitude of being able to be easily amused is the way to go, but here it happens without effort. Things are a little hotter here, it’s a little harder to find familiar food, and not everything is ready for you at the touch of a button. But when you do get to that spot in the shade on the beach with a cold Sprite in your hands, it means more to you than it ever would at home. Life here is a little less comfortable, a little more hardcore, and you appreciate everything a little more.

8. Experience the thrill of climbing coconut trees –

Like an extreme sport itself, coconut tree-climbing is a physical challenge only for the most daring. Shallow notches have been cut in the tree to make climbing easier (although the locals can do it without the notches). So using the notches as hand and footholds you can make your way to the top to claim your prize. But the trick is to get the coconut you have to carry a machete with you on your climb to knock it down. But this advanced level of coconut climbing is not recommended until you’ve completed a few machete-free climbs first.

Here Brendan shows the locals how to climb a coconut tree.

7. Party with the Sisters –

These ladies know how to party! Having spent New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, and many other celebrations with them we can say that from personal experience. And how they live it up for God has attracted so many young women that they recently celebrated forming a new province because there were too many Sisters to handle! And it was a party – a church service with beautiful singing and hundreds of local people and then a party with the Prime Minister and more of the local people. There was feasting and singing and traditional and modern Timorese dance presentations and the grand finale with the Sisters dancing like crazy in the middle of the floor. Hanging out with them is joy for us!

Being here, they have helped us remember what a party life is, and in particular, being a Catholic Christian. Literally every week there is a party for something – remembering the life of special saint, like Saint Bakhita, some great achievement at the school or among the Canossian Sisters, St. Valentine’s Day, and special events in the church year…these are just some examples from the past two weeks. It’s amazing!

6. FREE Swimming Excitement –

I’ve met a few people whose dream was to go to South Africa and swim with the Great White sharks. Well, for those people, there are thrills here that are just as dangerous and for free.

So for those adventurous few we recommend swimming with Timor’s mascot, the crocodile. Where the rivers meet the sea the crocodiles like to hang out and catch the brightly-colored fish. But they aren’t opposed to having other visitors swim with them : )

More seriously though, crocodiles aren’t a big problem except around Los Palos on the far eastern edge of the island, although we were graced with one’s presence in Baucau. But there are lots of other marine life that attracts visitors to the island.

The scuba diving and snorkeling rival anything you would see in Florida. And currently, dolphins and whales are migrating past the island and can be seen on the ferry from Dili to Ata’uro Island, about an hour’s boat ride away. Our friend Donna, another volunteer, told us about her trip to Ata’uro with the boat ride past an amazing reef 100 meters from the shore and how she hiked up one of the hills and saw whales surfacing on their way past East Timor. If you like scuba diving, snorkeling, or just playing in the water, East Timor is the place for you.

5. Be a Celebrity –

Even in Dili, a city filled with UN peacekeeping officers and foreigners working with NGOs, children still appear shocked to see a white person. Everyone here has deep brown skin, black hair, and a very slight build. Anything out of the ordinary is definitely noticed.

“Malae” is the affectionate term that will get called to you by cute children and grandmas sitting at vegetable stands. People point and smile as you walk or drive by. For most of us here this will probably be the most public recognition we will get in our lives. It’s a little disconcerting at first, but you learn to take your brief stint with fame like a Hollywood movie star – waving and smiling back and amusing them further by trying to speak Tetum with then.

4. Meaningful Interactions –

Something that all people are looking for in life is meaningful interactions and meaningful work. When you decide to come to East Timor for any length of time we will definitely pull you in to help with some of the English classes, playing games with the 2,000 students at the Canossian school, and meeting the people in our neighborhood who have practically taken us into their families. Before coming here I wasn’t convinced how important teaching English overseas was, but I’ve been finding out that it can make a big difference and it’s one of the main things young people want.

The people are dying to speak English and we have tens of people asking for personal lessons and practice times outside of the students at school who are very enthusiastic to learn English for the most part. A few days ago, I was talking with Agust, one of the boys who lives in a home for kids with disabilities in our neighborhood. The house also has a small computer lab for helping the boys learn the Microsoft Office programs. He told me that the computers and English classes were “a gift from a loving God for a boy like him” because English and computer skills are both keys to getting a job here. English and computers are their chance for a relatively normal life.

So the work here is meaningful and can really make a difference. So if you need a break from your job and want some more meaningful interactions with people, fly on over : )

3. Life on the Edge –

Not only is the terrain beautiful, it is a little rough. During Christmas Break we took a trip to Suai and back to help deliver a shipment of stuff to the Canossian Sisters there. The trip was eight hours of fun!

On the way back we were thinking about how at home we pay $15 or $20 to get into an amusement park and then have one or two minutes of high-speed, gut wrenching dips, swirls, and spins. And it’s awesome!

But here we can do the same, again, for FREE! On that trip to and from Suai, we paid nothing and we got eight hours of only slightly slower up and down, side to side gut wrenching dips. Think about it : )

2. The People –

Today we had some fellow volunteers over to our house for lunch after Mass and we were all talking about our experiences here. Everyone has come to the same conclusion: the Timorese are an incredibly generous people. They don’t feel like they have much to give, but they will give you everything they have.

Last Saturday we went with Sister Aquelina to visit a couple of homes to give Eucharist to the people. One man we visited had had a stroke. The man was a good example of the generosity of the Timorese. He was happy to see us. He and his family had Australian soldiers staying in their home in recent years. He was kind and so apologetic that he had no food or anything to offer us. He told us many things that if he had he would give to us, but we assured him just letting us be here was gift enough. All of the other volunteers had similar stories and many, because they have been here longer. But the impression was the same for all – the Timorese are a very friendly, hardworking, overly generous people.

1. Their Faith -

Lately I’ve been reading the Imitation of Christ, by Fr. Thomas a Kempis – a Catholic priest who lived in the 1300s. That was long time ago, but it’s amazing how relevant it still is for today, like many sources of great spiritual wisdom (like the Bible and the writings of the early church fathers too).

Fr. Thomas a Kempis speaks a lot about humility and staying on the right track with God and spiritual growth. One line that really struck me and that I underlined was, “Associate yourself with the humble and simple, with the devout and virtuous.” And the first thing I thought of was how blessed Brendan and I are to be here with the Timorese. They truly are all of the above. They always surprise me, because even though they have had so few opportunities compared to what we have been blessed with in America, they still have the important things in life right: God, family, and care for your neighbor. It’s so easy for us to let those things slip when we are more distracted and comfortable.

Another thing that Fr. Thomas a Kempis wrote about how adversity, if you let it, can help you to grow in your faith. He said that because Jesus faced adversity to the point of death, we should not only accept it, but expect it. Adversity shows us who we are, the good and the bad. But from what I have seen and heard from them about how difficult life is, they have faced horrible tragedies that I can’t imagine facing and yet they have remained strong in faith, hope, and love.

A chapel at a house of the Salesian Brothers where they run an agricultural development project on the outskirts of Suai.

So, I know we’ve probably convinced you to come to East Timor and visit us. Just let us know when you’re coming and we’ll make room for you : ) And if you can’t make it that’s ok too. Just keep the people of East Timor and us in your prayers!

Much love,

Rachel and Brendan

Magnificent Mom

Magnificent Mom! That makes her sound kind of like a superhero doesn’t it? Well, in a lot of ways she is like a superhero. Intrigued? Read on…

Here is my Mom, right before we left on this big adventure. She is wrapped in a prayer shawl and watching all of us kids goof around with the new scarves Jian had given us.

But back to Mom being like a superhero. Superheroes have day jobs, but whenever they have extra time they are doing hundreds of big and little things to make peoples’ lives better – stopping accidents that could hurt people, stopping bad guys, etc. And they rarely get credit and they don’t ask for it. They simply know that even if it’s difficult, it’s worth making just one person’s life better.

No, my Mom doesn’t wear spandex that I know of, but take that prayer shawl you see her wearing in the picture. My Mom is a busy lady, but in her spare time she makes prayer shawls (like a really big wrap-around scarf) for people that are having a difficult time.

She knits them in cool colors and the whole time that she is working on it, she prays for the person who will receive it. She knit a dark purple one for me when I was headed back to ISU one year. I have had it since and in many dark or stressful times I would crawl into bed, wrap myself up in that prayer shawl, and I could be at peace. And they aren’t just for her children, but for more distant friends and relatives who are sick or having troubles.


thought this picture was a great description of my Mom. Here she pins a boutonnière on Johnny before our wedding. She is always doing stuff like that – little practical things that could be left for someone else to do, but she jumps in and does them and does them well. Who will remember the little things like that after all the action of the day? Well, I did, and now you will : )

One of the things that my Mom did that made a very big impression on me was when I was in high school, sometimes I was super busy with school and other activities and I would let the room I shared with Laura get messy. Sometimes I would eventually clean it up, but other afternoons I would come home and it would be clean. Mom never said anything, but I knew it was her. I started to realize that it takes the strongest people to do secret good things like that – and to not ask for recognition.

And even more important was one other thing she did. Every morning she sits in the same chair by the window and does her devotional and prayer time. She either reads the Bible or other spiritual books. I also know that she prays for our family and others while she walks on the treadmill at the YMCA in the mornings. This is all just to make a point – this is one more area that my Mom is genuine and consistent in. She has never tried to get our attention, “Hey kids look! I’m reading the Bible, and you should be doing this everyday too!” While, as a family, we do talk about the importance of reading and knowing the Bible well, it’s the example that gives those words meaning. That Mom is so in love with Jesus can make us curious – hopefully curious enough to dig in and find the Truth and make our faith our own. To me what has the biggest impact on people is this: the witness of a person genuinely in love with Jesus and who cares for people not so they can get recognition or get something back, but just because Jesus is in them. That witness always impresses people. My Mom is one of those beautiful examples.

I know she would deny this, but I feel that she is a perfect role model for a wife and mother. She is a woman who has the heart of Mary, Jesus’ Mom – humble and pure. She has a Master’s degree, but for the past twenty-three years she has devoted herself to taking care of seven crazy kids and my wonderful Dad. I have so many stories of her being a very creative, fun, and wise Mom. We’ll just say that I will be asking for her a lot of advice when we start having kids!



So my Magnificent Mom is like a superhero. She is quietly transforming the world we live in one life at a time, making it a better place. She is saving the world and warming souls with her prayer shawls, her pinning boutonnières, her cooking and cleaning – all these things that culminate in her wonderful example. Her witness has touched each of us kids and with Dad as her co-superhero, they have given us confidence to go out and save the world too. This is one of the greatest gifts a Mom can give.

Mom, I’m so proud to be your daughter, and I hope I grow up to be like you! I love you and happy birthday!!!

Love always,
Rachel and Brendan

English Club

Now that we’re fully recovered we’ve begun teaching an English Club primarily for the seniors in high school. This will be an especially good group to be working with because we can help them with their English just as they are applying for scholarships for universities. We have heard of many opportunities for students who can speak English well – many developed, English-speaking countries have generously offered a few full scholarships to Timorese students. We’ve already been able to help one of the students with a scholarship application and she has been recalled for a written test and an interview. Please pray for her and the other students – for many students, academic scholarships are their only means of going to university.

On Wednesday we had our first English Club. We were nervous as to how many students would come because they already had a full day of school and must be very hungry (there is no school lunch here – students get out at 1:30 pm instead and go home to eat), but forty-one students came!!! Obviously it’s the first day and many won’t come everyday, but it was so encouraging. Most of them are coming to practice speaking. They know some English, but no one practices because everyone normally speaks Tetum or Indonesian.

We started with a prayer, and did introductions, showing them a few pictures of us and our families. They really liked the pictures. Then we explained the details of English Club before playing a game. They love games in English because it’s a fun way to practice. We played the ice breaker “You’ve got mail.” They loved it and were laughing so loudly we had to shush them many times as we tricked them into practicing listening and speaking.

Then, since it was the first day we gave them introduction questions to answer in small groups to practice speaking while we did one-on-one interviews to find out everyone’s names, what they wanted most to get out of English Club, and we secretly gauged their level of English so we know what level we should teach at. You can tell it was really exciting : ) We teach one of the university classes too, but this is different because we can just make this fun – no homework, tests, etc.

Things we’re looking forward to:

- Movies!

We will be trying to show a movie every other Friday for the kids. This Friday we showed Finding Nemo and there were forty kids there again! We put on the English subtitles and had a flier prepared in English and Tetum about the plot and characters. These movies will be a good chance to intensely practice listening and speed reading and then we’ll discuss after the movie for comprehension and helping them understand new words. It seems to be going well, but we’ll be looking for ways to improve it as we go.

- Games! Coming up with lots of games to work into the class!

- Field trips!

Whenever we can we will try to organize field trips to go to different NGOs (Non Government Organizations), government buildings, and embassies and get a tour in English and have a discussion. It will be good for the kids to practice, but also will let them know about opportunities in Dili and we hope might help them make some contacts at NGOs that might turn into jobs at some point.

Hope all is well back home!
Rachel and Brendan

Thoughts From the Day

Today was another beautiful Sunday. Maybe not beautiful in the sense of the weather this particular day, but another day surrounded by good people and meaningful interactions. And that’s what really gets to you.

Here are some of the things that inspired me today:

~ 10:30 English Mass – I love this Mass and it’s one of the things I look forward to most during the week! Today I was inspired by the energy and attitude of reverence of the director of the choir, the sincerity of our friend Mary as she was reading the scriptures, and a quote that was on the hand out:

“They alone are alive, those who live for others; the rest are more dead than alive.”


~ The Communion Song was also inspirational. I had never heard it before coming here, but it’s a song with good music and simple, but encouraging words. And there’s a key change at the chorus and you really feel your spirit almost physically lifting up. Beautiful.

Here are the words:

Hide me now under Your wings
Cover me with Your mighty hand.

When the oceans rise and thunders roar
I will soar with You above the storm
Father, You are King over the flood
I will be still and know You are God.

Find rest my soul in Christ alone
Know His power in quietness and trust.

And that’s it, but it gets me every time we sing it.

~ How rewarding it is to be able to help others (and how great it is to be healthy again so we can help). Today we were able to give car rides to our neighbors, visit with a busy friend, and get some medicine to another friend who’s sick. This is one reason why we’re here and we feel so blessed to be in East Timor.

~ Visiting the Sisters…again. We are so fortunate that God led us to volunteering with VOICA. We went to visit the Sisters today at Balide and once again we were overwhelmed by their generosity and self-giving spirits. Not only do they provide for our housing, utility, and monthly food needs, but they are always checking on us to make sure that we are ok and healthy. It has been wonderful and we hope that God will lead many others, maybe even some of our friends, to volunteer with the same organization.

~ Brendan surprising me today when he turned on some music and danced with me in the kitchen while we were making supper : ) He’s the best, and I am so lucky to be married to him!

~ The message at the prayer meeting tonight. It’s a simple gathering, but full of life. The speaker’s message today was actually a question: Are you a Christian? We talked through many New Testament verses discussing living an authentic, and not hypocritical, life as a Christian. It’s an important question to ask ourselves regularly.

To be a Christian literally means to be Christ-like. When you look at Jesus’ life in the gospels it’s not something that can be lived up to easily. To live authentically as a Christian is tough – you have to be always changing and growing and humbly giving up your trouble areas to God so He can heal them. To be Christlike you need a lot of grace from God and a personal decision to constantly focus on God and what’s really important.

It also means we have to work on giving up the things that are for short term pleasure and long term disappointment. Things are parallel to us eating a whole back of peanut butter M&Ms in a few hours – at the time it feels amazing and exciting, but not long afterwards you always wonder “What was I thinking!?!” Anyway, we’re slowing learning and growing and hopefully we’ll get to the point where we’re not scarfing bags of pb M&Ms as often : )

So, it’s difficult, but worth it. Choosing Jesus is the best thing you can ever do! Brendan and I often say that Jesus was the best thing that ever happened to us - life is just more exciting with Him! And that’s what we want for all of you: an exciting, deeply fulfilling life!

All in all, another great day of experiences in Timor Leste! Wish you were here : )


Love,
Rachel and Brendan

The Future of East Timor

This morning we were invited to go to the official graduation of last year’s university students. There were sixty of them that came back to the school for their degrees. They were all dressed in their school uniforms and official IPDC jackets.

At the front of the room was a long white table where Sr. Sonia, as director of the Canossa Foundation, sat with Sr. Teresina, their principal, and the heads of departments. There was a prayer to begin, followed by a song sung by about thirty of the current university students, and then speeches by each of the directors and Sr. Teresina. And finally the students were presented with their certificates. They walked up proud and shook hands with Sr. Teresina.

After the formal ceremony there were snacks for the teachers and a dance for the kids and everyone was running around taking pictures and talking in groups. Hopefully this is the time of their lives when everything is ahead of them. They are the future of East Timor.




Lots of the students, even ones we had never met before, came up to ask to take a photo with us. After some normal group photos, we surprised the students by asking if they wanted to do one where we would hold up someone in front. They had no idea what we meant for awhile until Brendan and I picked up Vasco, a talkative kid in our English I class, and showed them. Once they got the hang of it the guys picked up Vasco again and we took a picture : )

After everyone was tired of taking pictures, we asked them to teach us some Timorese games. One girl, Bela, got everyone organized with a flurry of Tetum and we were sitting in a circle with a crumbled up pink napkin and ready to play. It turned out to be their version of Duck, Duck, Grey Duck, but instead of saying grey duck to pick someone to chase you the person who’s “it” drops the napkin behind one of the other people. The person chosen has to pick up the napkin and then run and try to catch the person.

Next they showed us a game where you’re in a circle again, except now standing up. It’s a game that formalizes what happens at dances anyway. One person goes in the middle of the circle and claps and sings a song that in English is the equivalent of “Follow, follow, fol-low me (3x), follow YOU!” During the song the person dances however they want and everyone has to imitate them until someone new jumps in whenever the song gets to “follow you.” So a few people danced and then they threw me into the middle (Brendan was a slacker and wouldn’t play because he wanted to take pictures).

It was a little traumatizing all around, but classic. I lost them on “the sprinkler.” They tried it, but you could see it in their eyes: Is this girl crazy? What is this? They tried the washing machine and pop machine too, but I think only out of respect for us. Only afterward did I think about what I’d done – all those things are totally unfamiliar to them. They don’t have yards with grass in them, they don’t have sprinklers to water those yards or even irrigation systems for fields that we’ve seen in Dili, they don’t have washing machines, and there are no vending machines. So those dance moves aren’t something they can connect any personal experiences to. Well, we live we learn : )

After more social butterflying we were dragged into an empty classroom by a few students to learn some Timorese dances. They reviewed the Timorese line dance for us, and taught us the steps of the Timorese slow dance. In return we made them try a dance where you click feet with another person and do some spins.

Student highlight:

We met a student today named Leonardo, who graduated from the computer tech program. Now he is running a computer course out of his home for the people in his area, but soon he will be heading to Indonesia because he got a scholarship to go to university there also. A lot of the students that we talked to are trying to continue their education and working while they see if they can.

The university here is almost a vocational program. There are two programs – Office Management and Computer Technician. This isn’t like Iowa State where there are a bajillion different majors and lots of resources. The university here is a two-story building with about eight classrooms, some computers (now with internet!), some offices, a cooking classroom, and a business room. And this is some of the best of the best in East Timor. It’s a little different, but they’ve done incredibly with what resources they have.

We’ve been asking other people who have been here for awhile and they’ve confirmed what we’ve been seeing: better education and healthcare are the keys to the development of this new nation. It’s especially needed in the rural areas, but even in Dili it will be very important to significantly improve both of those.

Now we’re taking a quick siesta time in our house and soon we’ll head back up to the school to meet with the students for a lunch. Then at 4:00 we have Bible study at church and afterward Brendan will go play basketball with some of the students. And then REST on this “lazy” Saturday : )

Interesting fact: In East Timor students go to school all day, Monday through Saturday – 6 days a week! We have heard it is the same in Indonesia. We think it’s a little rough on the kids (and are glad that we only had five days a week), but hopefully it helps.

We hope you’re having a good day too!

Love,
Rachel and Brendan

Highs and Lows

Hey, everyone there’s been a lot happening lately as we get back into the swing of things. So sorry that we can’t write you everything, you’ll just have to talk to us when we get home. But we can give you a quick taste of some of the good and not as good.



High 1 We’re getting better!

We’re finally able to get up and do stuff and have some energy leftover! Dengue wasn’t too bad, but it’s been two and a half weeks now and the fatigue hangs on like you wouldn’t believe. So after a long prescribed rest we are feeling ready to go again and pick up where we left off. Which is good, because after two weeks of being stuck in our house, some of our students and even our neighbors thought that we had left the country with our Australian housemates. Last night when our neighbor Jose found out we were still here he was SO HAPPY – it was exactly the encouragement we needed to get back into volunteering.


High 2 We’re getting involved!

Brendan and I have officially joined the Bible study and choir at the local church, as well as another Christian prayer group led by our Bible study leader. Those experiences have been incredible.

Bible study meets at the church on Saturdays at 4. For the past few weeks we’ve been delving into the Bible at the very beginning and making connections all over the Bible and applying it to our daily lives. Our coordinator is Iwouzo, one of the UN Peacekeepers from Nigeria.

This man is a perfect example of “they will know they are Christians by their love.” Anytime he is not working he is giving people rides, visiting sick officers and volunteers, or doing things at the church. He’s a give-you-the-shirt-off-his-back before you even ask kind of guy. He can always be found at early morning daily Mass and with a rosary around his neck. We have been blessed to get to know him, and I can only hope that we will be more like him someday.

Also, at Sunday English Mass we sit behind a substantial international choir and last week they put out the invitation for new members. We love to sing and we know some people in the choir from Bible study, so we thought we would try it. We went to our first practice last night and it was really fun.

Practices are in the wonderfully air conditioned front room of the Filipino Embassy. There is a stark contrast between the big, white, super-secure U.S. Embassy and the Filipino Embassy. For the choir practice we walked right in, no security checks, no nothing. Later on in the practice the Filipino ambassador came in and gave hugs all around : )

Anyway, we practiced the new songs for February for a few hours. The choir is a good mix of internationals and a growing number of Timorese. The new director is Rene, a man from Nigeria, who directs with an energy that I have never seen and who has a range that I have never heard. He knows and can sing all four parts to help each section (sopranos, altos, tenors, and basses). With his waving and stomping and snapping he can get us to sing with power, rejoicing in the Lord, and I feel like I’m in an African choir.

The rest of us in the choir are a good mix: many Filipinos, Timorese who come to the English Mass, some from different parts of Africa, and Brendan and I representing America ; ) There were seventeen of us at practice last night. There was lots of joking back and forth between the members and the atmosphere was very welcoming. At the end of practice some of the members approached us and we were even invited to a Filipino gathering tonight where there will be a little concert. All in all it was a wonderful experience and we can’t wait to see everyone on Sunday!

We’ve also been meeting our neighbors in our neighborhood, “Delta 3”, many of whom want to have us over or want to take us with their family on a trip around Dili. They are super friendly and try hard to be able to communicate with us. Some of them speak English very well and we enjoy getting farther in conversation with them.

God seems to have been gracing us with at least one really good conversation a day. Lately we’ve had good ones with the four Zambian UN Police that live a few houses away from us. One of them, Freddy, speaks often at the prayer group. They all invited us into their house…and to come to their houses in Zambia!

We also were able to talk with Alberto, a Timorese teacher at school who has been incredibly helpful when we need translations. The other day he told us his life story; it just kind of tumbled out. He has had it rough, but is so resilient. When the Indonesians came in 1975, his family moved into the mountains to try to stay safe. After two years up there his Mom and the baby she was pregnant with died for an unknown reason. The next year his father died. Throughout the years he has helped his family, but many of his brothers and sisters have also died. But he was able to get an education and now teaches at one of the best schools in Dili (Canossa : ) and works very hard. He is a wonderful man who has really taken life’s lemons and made lemonade.

And another day we spoke with Jose, our neighbor. He is an East Timorese with a passion for helping the young people and for the English language. He is handicapped and has to use two sticks to walk, but you wouldn’t be able to tell from his positive attitude and his faith. Yesterday he was discussing his plans to have an English class for our whole neighborhood. He will teach and we will support and especially help with refinement of conversational English and stuff like that.

He is a hero and exactly what the East Timorese need. We will only be here for a time, but he is a servant leader from among their people. This guy works hard all day, and then he wants to volunteer to teach English to a whole neighborhood just out the goodness of his heart because he knows that English is one of the keys for the future of East Timor.

Anyway, to sum it up, we’re getting involved and meeting people. And these people are unforgettable. Hopefully we can all learn from their example.


High 3 We got our first package!

Thank you to everyone that put some little gifts in one of our Christmas packages. My family and some of the Davises put some practical stuff together in two boxes. Both left as priority mail January 8th, one via Portugal and one via Australia. The one from Portugal arrived yesterday (the 29th), so now we know that it takes priority packages three weeks to get from the U.S. to here via Portugal and hopefully the Australia one will arrive soon.

Inside were bug spray, super glue, soup, a puzzle, Purell, and…goodness itself…PEANUT BUTTER M&MS!!! All of the practical items were appreciated a ton, but none have disappeared as fast as the full bag of pb M&Ms. Between Brendan and I the bag lasted five hours…only because the three middle hours of that we were in the choir practice. Wow! My stomach was kicking me later that night because I haven’t had much junk food here, but it was so nice at the time… So we’ve learned our lesson now and in case the Australia package has more peanut butter M&Ms we’ll savor them : )

So thank you thank you thank you to everyone involved. Not only are all the contents things that will be important for us to have here (we were almost out of bugspray and Purell), but the meaning behind the gifts is much more important to us. We miss you all A LOT and any word or sign from home is wonderful! You saw how excited we get for peanut butter M&Ms…and you know we love you much more than those.



Low 1 First earthquake

It was actually pretty shocking and exciting at the time, but we had to come up with at least one low to even it out : ) To be fair it was a little scary, kind of like the first time we saw a crocodile in the wild – you know it’s real and could do some damage. We were at the school and the earthquake shook the building, but only for a few seconds. It had stopped, but we left the building just in case there would be any aftershocks.

We’ve talked to some locals about it to see what they thought. To some of them it was a little scary, to some really exciting (mostly teenagers), but they all thought it wasn’t too big of a deal. There are little earthquakes felt regularly in Dili. So we’ll be cautious, but it’s reassuring to hear that it’s not too bad.


High 4 Discovering Dili

Dili is starting to feel more like a home. We are learning more of the parts within the city, more than just the Comoro area where we live and the school is. As we’ve been meeting people we’ve been invited different places and now we checked out a few of the beach front restaurants with friends and went on a date for our eighth monthsary of being married, we know the areas with the convents around the city, the main churches and the cathedral, the best grocery stores, and the area around the national hospital. The maze of streets (most without streets signs) is starting to be less of a maze. It’s an exciting place and an exciting time.



High 5 Our first house!

Although having our first real house together has come about by unfortunate circumstances (with the Australian sisters going home for health reasons), we are still grateful. Ever since we’ve been married we’ve been living with other people, and it’s exciting to work together and then be able to come home and spend time with each other just doing normal things: cooking, cleaning, reading the Bible, going on walks, playing cards…all the essentials : )

I was thinking about it and this is such a blessing from God! Never again in our lives (probably) will be able to spend so much time together. This first year of marriage is a great time to be able to build the foundation for our marriage in Christ and with a lot of practice of good communication and shared experiences as we learn more about how to work together effectively and run a home. Can’t get much better than that!


High 6 New close cheap internet!

Lastly, the university has been very progressive and put in a few computers with internet at the school, mostly for students and teachers who are researching for class things in their spare time. To cover the cost of the installation students and teachers pay $1 an hour. But this is great for us, because we’ve been having to drive far into the city to use the internet where it’s reliable, but $2 an hour. Now at the school we will be able to use it more often, since we’re there everyday, and it’s cheaper. So that means more blog updates (aren’t you lucky ; )!



High 7 Meeting the Prime Minister of East Timor!

Right before we got sick the Canossian Sisters had a massive party to celebrate there being so many vocations that they are forming their own province. They had a Mass with hundreds of local people and then many of them went to the Becora convent for a “festa” with food, music, speeches, and dancing.

After the beautiful Mass, Brendan and I walked to the convent and went in one of the doors. We were lucky because it was the door for special guests and we signed the guestbook and went in past the security. The security should have been our first hint. Inside we were talking with different people when someone pointed out the current Prime Minister and former President, Xanana Gusmao, across the room. He was a famous freedom fighter during the Indonesian occupation and much loved by the people.





Here we are with Xanana Gusmao. The only problem was there were four cameras going at the same time and he and Sister Lucia didn’t get the memo to look at our camera : )

We were introduced to him and he talked with us for a few minutes. He was surprisingly accessible – a good mix of formal and informal with internationals. He told us about when he was the President of East Timor and was able to come to Washington D.C. and meet with President Bush three times which he really enjoyed. It’s a crazy world – where we can meet the President and Prime Minister. I think when we go home and do introductions my new interesting fact will be that I’ve met the Prime Minister of the newest country in the world! Good conversation starter : )

You should have seen him with the people! He gave a formal speech, but the rest of the time he joked around. There was a choir to sing for the occasion and he jumped in the back and lip synched and made everyone laughed. Later there was a cake for two Sisters celebrating 25 years of being consecrated to Jesus and the Sisters cut it together and the Prime Minister opened a bottle of champagne…but when we opened it he held it up in the air and it sprayed all over, including on one of the Sisters! Oh the stories we be able to tell our grandkids…

We hope things are going well at home. Can’t wait to talk to you soon!

Always,
Rachel and Brendan