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
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