Quick New Year's Update

Whew! Sorry I've been such an unreliable blogger lately. Christmas around Rumah Bapaku was BUSY!!! So many times, I have sat down and started to blog, only to be interrupted by a pressing Christmas or New Year's duty. And what a great Christmas and New Year's it was indeed!

As I've mentioned before, it was the very first Christmas for all of our 3 dozen kids. Christmas morning...something that just goes without saying in the West as every kid's very favorite morning of the year...I still can't wipe the grin off of my face from watching our kids get to enjoy this magical morn for the first time. As does most everything here at Rumh Bapaku, our Christmas started out with an early time of worship and thanking God for the miracle of Christmas. Seeing their thankfulness being outwardly expressed with such innocence and honesty was one of the most humbling experiences of my life.

Then came the presents! Camille and I, thanks to our chef Bu Luh and her toy-store-owner friend, were able to get a great deal on 18 Barbie dolls for the girls. By the luck of the draw, our presents were the first ones the kids opened. I can still hear the massive cheer that exploded as all of the girls, all at once, realized that they had just been given their first Barbie doll. Then there were squirt guns for the boys, clothes, coloring books, crayons, toy airplanes, My Little Ponies. In all, each child received seven presents. Mind you, the presents were not expensive - in all the cost probably totalled less than what the average American parent spends on just one present for their child. But if you would have walked in to our living room at Rumah Bapaku on that morning, you would have thought that 3 dozen kids just won the lottery...in every state...all at once. That's how much these simple presents meant to kids who had never received a Christmas present before. For those of you who support the efforts here at Rumah Bapku in any manner - Thank You. You are heroes to 3 dozen beautiful Indonesian children.

I'm actually making this blog quick because today is New Year's Day and Bunda Tash (our director) gave all of the staff except the boys' and girls' counsellors, the chef (we tried to give Bu Luh the day off, but she wouldn't hear of it!) and Camille and myself. So to make a long story short - we're kinda busy today! Last night was a blast (literally) as the kids got to barbecue corn (over here in Bali, BBQ = HOT & SPICY, just the way we like it) and then got to try to blow each other up with fireworks! Side note: completely sober people can be dangerous with explosives as well. :) Seriously though, the kids loved the fireworks that the ADULTS lit and then they got to play with what we thought were sparklers but ended up being fire-spewing roman candles that sometimes exploded and sometimes just sprayed the crowd with sparks. Sounds dangerous, but we are all trained professionals and no children or animals were hurt in the making of our New Year's Eve festivities...as much as I really tried to blow up our annoying rooster.

There are a lot of great stories that I will be sharing over the next week or so that came out of this awesome season. Right now, we have to get back over to the kitchen and get ready for another round of dishes. Camille and I will be taking off for a few days tomorrow morning for some much-needed R&R and a little surfing. I'll try to post another update as soon as we get back. Thanks again for taking the time to read my ramblings and for your support. And God Bless everyone this New Year!