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!