The voice of a child.

Selemat Siang! ('Good late morning/early afternoon in Bahasa Indonesia) The kids are taking their afternoon siesta and we are getting a little bit of the first rain of the season. I never thought that I would be so excited about rain! Just having the clouds to cool things off a bit is nice, and the rain is SO refreshing! We are looking forward to the rainy season for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is that it will give us a chance to get some grass planted on the soccer field and keep the dust down a bit. The field is all leveled out and has about six truckloads of new dirt, but we have been playing on the dirt and between the dust and the 100% humidity, by the end of playtime we are sweaty, dirty messes! Thank God for colorful clothes that don't stain easily!

I am still in the process of trying to figure out the best way to upload pictures for everyone. So far, facebook seems to be the fastest from over here and I have been posting quite a few new pics on facebook. The upload/download times on the 'high-speed' internet over here leave somewhat to be desired, and trying to post pics to this blog takes FOREVER! I may have to start editing the pictures and making them smaller before uploading them. Facebook does that automatically for you, so for now I have been taking the 'lazy' way out and using facebook. I'll be sure to let everyone know if that changes.

I can't believe we've already been here for 3 weeks! We have to travel to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia next week to get a 'social visa' for Indonesia that will allow us to stay for six more months without having to leave the country. Kinda weird that you actually have to leave the country to get a visa to stay in the country, but I guess the government is just trying to make it hard for freeloaders to add to the already high unemployment rate in Indonesia. We are praying that everything goes smoothly with the visa process.

We are continually struck by the amount of love that emanates from My Father's Home. It's as if the kids know that they missed out on a lot of love during their first 6 to 9 years and are now trying to make up for lost time. We've been here for 3 weeks, so you think that the 'novelty' factor would be starting to wear off, but we still get mobbed every time we step out of our house and are anywhere where the kids can see us. Personally, it's something that I don't think I will get tired of and I hope that 'Om Jeremy' will always be a celebrity! Last night, after spending the evening watching 'Finding Nemo' with kids piled on our laps hugging and cuddling with us the whole time, Camille announced that if this is what our 'job' description is going to be, she can't think of a good reason to ever leave Bali. I totally agree!

For my fellow Christians, I know that you would probably agree one of the times you feel the closest to God is during worship times at church or with a group of Believers. Every day here at Rumah Bapaku, I am totally awestruck when these kids start to sing during their worship times. Eight months ago, they had no hope whatsoever. They were abused, unloved, used as slaves and many cases their innocence was stolen from them. Now they have hope, love and Jesus Christ. To see the humility and gratitude that they 'bring to the table' when they start to worship is something that has shaken me to the core. They understand God's love and His healing better than I could in a thousand years. I have yet to hear them sing and keep a dry eye. I truly believe with all that is in me that the voices of children lifted in praise is God's very favorite sound in the entire Universe. They start to sing, and He shows up. Period. At 6 years old, some of these kids know more about our Creator's presence than I do at almost 40. And they've only known Him for a few months. I'm getting a crash-course on why Jesus had so much to say about children.

I know that not everything will be 'peaches and cream' for Camille and I here in Bali. So far, though, it seems that no matter how rough the day is going, just one of these little ones can make it all worthwhile when they jump into your arms and bury their head in your chest for no reason other than the fact that they love you...just for being you. We are definitely not special. Heck, we can't even speak much of their language yet. They love us unconditionally just because we're here. For me, they are God's love in the flesh. Funny, because that is just what I came here to be for them. God has a way of turning the tables on us, huh? I guess I have to go back to my basic belief that when you decide to serve God with your whole heart and life, He gives you you cake and lets you eat it too!

Sorry if I'm gettin' a bit 'preachy'. Maybe someday soon I can get a video of the kids singing posted so that everyone else can catch a small glimpse of how beautiful it is. It has truly changed me. That's all I have for today. I'll keep everyone posted and try to update the blog before we leave for Malaysia on Tuesday (Nov. 24th). God Bless, everyone, and thank you for your prayers and support!

I'm Back!

I gave this post the title that I did for a couple of reasons. First off - Camille and I are back from our little mini-vacation to Lombok and south Bali. We had planned to take off for a couple of weeks at first, but after getting to Rumah Bapaku (My Father's Home) and meeting the children, we decided to cut it down to a week. Plus, we have to leave next week for about four days and head to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to get our social visas which allow us to stay in Indonesia for the next six months (and then another trip to Kuala Lumpur or Singapore). So, we are back at Rumah Bapaku and our wonderful kids! Second, I titled this post 'I'm Back!' because I have decided that the possibility of me getting any justice from my insurance company is quite slim, so I may as well return to using my real name. So, as Jeremy Youngquist, I am advising you to NEVER purchase disability insurance (or anything else, for that matter) from Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company. In my humble opinion (that oughta satisfy their legal department), I feel that they are crooks...enough said. (Except for Connie - she's been very kind and helpful, but her hands are tied. Thank you, Connie.) Aahhhh...sorta feels good to be Jeremy again.

Camille and I had an awesome time in Lombok. The surf wasn't as big as what we had hoped, but it was fun nonetheless and Lombok is one of the most primitive and beautiful places on earth. The water is crystal clear and the locals are the friendliest people you'll ever meet. It takes a bit of determination to get to a place like Mawi Reef, Lombok, but it is well worth the journey. (That is, unless you are lazy and just want to shell out the 'big bucks' to charter a boat from Bali to cruise over to Lombok and drop you off right in the lineup of surfers like Camille and I who have actually 'paid our dues' to get there. The journey truly is half of the reward - don't get me started on charter-boat weenies.) I've never been anywhere where absolutely everybody smiles and says hello when you pass - and they are genuine. Life isn't easy for most Lombok locals, so I suppose that they have come to realize that true wealth is found in relationships, not stuff.

We also enjoyed a couple of fun days in the Seminyak and Canggu area of south Bali. The surf finally picked up a bit and we got to play in some of Bali's renowned surf! The water here is so warm that even your extra-hard tropical surf wax starts to get gummy and soft while you surf. Being cold is a thing of the past, baby! I once again proved that I can be a wave-hog anywhere...hehehe. This is truly where Camille and I belong!

As we look to the coming months, we are excited to say the least. I am especially excited for Christmas this year. Camille and I have talked for years about spending Thanksgiving or Christmas day just helping the poor somewhere. Now we finally get to! Christmas with these kids is gonna be so fun! I am going to savor the entire season. Bringing the Light of Christ's love to an area of darkness is pretty much what Christmas is all about, and we are going to take full advantage of this opportunity. I spent a couple of hours today just trying to find the best deal on those little balsa-wood glider airplanes that I used to play with as a kid. You remember those, right? I want each of our kids to be able to experience the fun that I had with those gliders as a child. Playing Santa will be a blast this year!

I am still searching for the best way to share pictures with everyone. Pictures seem to take FOREVER to upload to my blog from here in Bali, so I will let everyone know when I decide on the best avenue for sharing pics. For now, I have been posting some of them to facebook - so if you're not my facebook friend, send me a request! I'll hopefully come up with a better way soon.

Thanks for 'tuning in' to the blog. I'll be updating it each day that I have a chance, so check back often. God Bless and if you're the 'praying kind', please keep us and Rumah Bapaku in your prayers. If you want to sponsor a child, go to http://www.myfathershome.net/. If you want to sponsor Camille and I, send an email to youngquistjr@hotmail.com. I'll let you know the details on how to do that. Thanks and check back tomorrow! Selemat Siang!

Lessons about Grace from 7-year-old experts.

Selemat Pagi! It's 4:30AM here in Bali and I got up early so that I could write this post. Camille and I have been here for a few days now, and already it feels like home. As worn-out as we are at the end of the day, by the time the rooster starts to crow (which could be any time of night, actually - our rooster doesn't keep very good time), I lay in bed unable to sleep, filled with the excitement of knowing that I have another day with our wonderful kids ahead of me.

I actually woke up early to write this because Camille and I are going to be taking off for about a week and heading to the island of Lombok. While we were back in Oregon planning our journey, we decided that since things have been so hectic and strange for us this year, we would take the opportunity to 'unwind' and relax a little when we got to Indonesia before settling into our schedule. Lombok has some great surf and isn't as crowded as Bali, so we purchased some tickets to Lombok (an 18-minute flight from Bali). Truth be told, now that we are here with the kids, it is going to be hard to be away from them for a week, but the tickets and hotel, etc. were already a done deal, so we're off this morning for a week. It's funny how your priorities change when you let God sit in the driver's seat of your heart!

We probably won't have internet service on Lombok, so we're not bringing the laptop. If we get a chance to hit an internet cafe or anything, I may try to update the blog, but if not - it will be next week before I have a chance to blog. I wanted to write a few quick thoughts before we leave.

Grace. It's not something most of the world spends a lot of time thinking about...let alone using. As a Christian, grace is central to who I am. Without God's grace, I would be about as valuable as a worm. God is perfect and only by His grace does he allow a dirty, imperfect sinner like me into His presence. I am supposed to turn around and return the favor to my fellow man, but you know how that usually turns out...just think about the guy who cut you off on the freeway this morning and which finger you used (or maybe just wanted to use) to wave a friendly greeting at him. You get the picture - grace is something that I will probably spend all of Eternity trying to understand.

Knowing this about me, God has decided to place 36 Indonesian children in my life to give me a daily illustration of what grace is all about. Our kids have only been here since April and May. If you've seen the website for My Father's Home, you have had just a glimpse of how horrible their lives were before then. They came to us broken, unloved and hurting. Where they were from, it was everyone for themselves. You had to be tough to make it through one day of their young lives. When they showed up, they didn't know a thing about love.

Christ changed all of that. The staff at My Father's Home took them in, loved them unconditionally (many of them had to be taught what a hug and a kiss is) and showed God's love to them. One by one, they started to trust, stopped being afraid...and they started to love. Today, they are absolutely radiating happiness and love.

One thing that they understand better than I ever will is grace. When they came here, they had that 'dog-eat-dog' mentality. Especially the kids from Sumba. Sumba is a tough place where being a warrior is respected and life is often violent and brutal. A couple of our 9-year-olds have actually run into battle with swords...real swords. Did I mention they were 9 years old? There's not a lot of time to worry about showing grace to your fellow man when he's trying to run you through with a sword! All of our kids had to fight to survive and were never shown an ounce of grace. When they opened their hearts to God's love however, grace flooded in and coming from where they had come, it must have been the best feeling in the world.

When they came here, before letting God's grace heal them, they were hard and tough and ready to beat-down the kid next to them if needed to secure their place in the food chain. That was then, this is now. Now Christ is in their hearts and without anyone having to teach them, the 'grace lightbulb' has clicked on in inside of them. I love to play soccer. So do they (and some of them are better than me, the little stinkers). Usually, when you put a dozen or more kids on the field and let them go at it hard, emotions will flare and unintentional fouls or the occasional push can escalate into scuffles or even full-on fights. It humbles and amazes me to play soccer with these kids. They are playing as hard as anyone I've ever played with, yet there is almost never any need for us 'adults' (yes, I consider myself an 'adult'...not an adult) to intervene and stop the skirmishes that you would think would naturally ensue. When one of them gets knocked down, someone will almost always rush to help him up and brush off the dirt before he even has a chance to get angry or point fingers. They're not playing like wusses, either! Like I said, these kids know how to fight and take that warrior spirit into a soccer match. I think that because of grace, and their grasp of it, they just have an unspoken understanding that at the end of the day, we love each other so we'll extend that grace to each other.

With 36 little ones running around, you would think there would be more bickering and fighting than there is. I'm not saying that they are perfect - after all, they're still kids, but there is an unseen but very much felt undercurrent of grace running through My Father's Home. The love and patience they show towards each other is something that will be teaching this 'adult' for a long time to come. It's not a show - when you walk in to a room full of these kids, you can tell that they actually love each other. In just a few days, I've learned more about grace from these precious kids than I have in the 39 years I've been on this planet.

That's just a few days. I'm supposed to be here to teach them...looks like the tables are being turned! Isn't that just like God? What an adventure we have started! It is with very mixed-emotions that we take off today on our little mini-vacation. Lombok will be fun and relaxing, but our kids are here in Singaraja, Bali. Truth be told, if we didn't already have the tickets, we would probably postpone the little vacation. Like I've said before, when God gives you your cake, He lets you eat it, too. Don't be afraid to serve Him - He makes doing His will the only thing you want to do! I'll update this blog in a week the first chance that I get. Until then, I'll try to post some stuff on facebook on my iPhone while we are gone. God Bless!

Smitten...

WE'RE HERE!!! As I write this, I am sitting in my new living room in our house in Singaraja, Bali, Indonesia. I am sweaty, caked with dust and dirt, jet lagged and generally exhausted...and I'm the happiest I've been in a long time. I just spent the day playing, eating, drawing and praising God with 36 of the most beautiful children I've ever seen. Camille and I just became part of a new family. I'm pretty sure that in one day, our hearts have been changed forever.

I actually started a blog yesterday as we sat in the airport in Seoul, Korea. It was a pretty good post, if I may say so myself! Right as I went to publish it, I found out that my computer had dropped the internet wi-fi at the airport and hadn't saved any of my work...one blog entry down the toilet! Luckily, the wi-fi is a lot more reliable here in Bali. Before the literary catastrophe yesterday, I was writing about how one of the things I love the most about being a part of the family of God is the fact that we have instant family everywhere we go. Before yesterday, Camille and I had never even met any of the kids or staff at My Father's Home except for over the internet, yet we loved them already, and we knew that they loved us back. Well, today confirmed all of that, big time!

If you're reading this blog for the first time, you may want to start from the bottom of the page and work your way up. Camille and I have quite a story that has led us to the other side of the globe to love kids whom we had never met. For now, I'll just say that the pictures on the web and the lovely brochures for My Father's Home don't even come close to doing any of it (the kids, the home, the staff, the area, etc.) justice. These kids stole our hearts the moment they jumped off of the school bus and into the arms of a couple of Americans who they hadn't even met, but already knew as uncle and auntie. 36 little ones, who up until this last April hadn't ever been told that they were loved or given any reason to even smile, were instantly crawling all over us and showering us with hugs and kisses. And you should see their smiles now! Camille and I spent the rest of the day being loved so unconditionally, so wholeheartedly...I learned just how little I knew about true Christlike love today.

I already have funny stories to share and touching points to make, but in addition to being dirty, sweaty and worn out from one of the funnest (is that a word?) days in recent memory, I'm completely jet lagged. I'm probably just rambling to begin with, but I know that there are quite a few of you who are waiting for an update so I wanted to at least post something quick this evening. I promise that we will start taking pictures tomorrow (WARNING: Looking at pictures of these kids may cause an uncontrollable urge to get on an airplane and come to Bali), and hopefully I'll get some time to share a little bit more.

For now, I want to thank everyone who is praying for us and supporting us in any way, even if it's just happy thoughts. Our journey to Bali from Oregon was long, but comfortable. All of our bags made it here unscathed, even after the first airline tried to convince us that our surfboards would never make it all of the way. Truly, thank you for your prayers and support. I plan on updating this blog almost daily now that we are settling down in Bali. Thank you for being a part of our new adventure. Bali is truly as beautiful as all of the brochures claim - but what makes it spectacular are the wonderful people. The 36 kids at My Father's Home and the staff who serve them are the 'cream of the crop', and we now have the honor of calling them our family. We sit here tonight smitten. Smitten by the kind of love that only God gives. Smitten by children from unspeakably horrible backgrounds who are finally getting to learn how to just be children. Smitten by the knowledge that we now get to be on the receiving end of the love that they have only recently discovered is inside of them. Yep, we're smitten. Let the adventure begin!