Adjusting

It is so disappointing that internet is so difficult here. I have gone down 2x this week (2 weeks ago now), to add to our blog but both times was met with difficulty being unable to post, plus I lost a whole blog! But I will continue to write and will post as I am able. 

Our Home at Sunshine Orchard 

Our first week has gone amazingingly slow. I suppose it was because there was so much adjusting to do. We had to adjust to the heat, a new living arrangement, living in a bamboo hut, new house pests (not guests), bathing, laundry and bathroom adjustments, new people, a new language and ways of communicating, new food, etc, etc. I know it will speed up especially as the time goes and we still have so much to do and get into place before we leave.

This past week, each one of us in the family has made new friends, except Lexi. She is so enjoying baby Jabez that she isn’t really interested in getting acquainted with any new girls. I am encouraging her to reach out and not let language limitations or her love for babies interfere. Plus she has been quite busy helping Emily in the kitchen cooking for us Gulah Wahs (white people), and helping take care of the 

Emily preping a delicious lunch for us to eat!

The Pantry

4 little orphans that live with the Adams in their 600 sq foot house.

My first two  friends are named Jaw Day Paw and Ei Ei Tway. Jaw Day Paw is 11 y/o and Ei Ei Tway is 9 y/o as best we can 


estimate. None or very few of the children know what year, month or day they were born. They may say, my birthday is during the rice harvest, (that is difficult in itself, as there are several rice harvests per year!), or during the water festival (in April) or they just add a year to their age each time they begin a new school year. One girl is named July Paw, and she is actually born in July, but doesn’t know what year. During 

My Friends Ei Ei Tway & Jaw Day Paw

the whole first week of taking my baths and doing my laundry, Jaw Day Paw somehow always saw me going as I headed off to the little spot in the creek where I usually go for such duties and here she would come, jumping right in and helping wash or rinse my clothes, or carrying my tub with all my laundry in it. She speaks next to no English and I speak no Karen. So we smile and communicate with hand motions as best we can. She is a very sweet and helpful girl, quite serious. I don't know her whole story, but I have heard she has had an abusive home where she had to work hard. Ei Ei Tway on the other hand finds everything funny. Everything! She giggles how I wash my hair, or when she and Jaw Day Paw are wringing out one of my skirts, or when Jaw Day Pay tells her to do something useful. She is a happy child. I know nothing about her except this is her first year here at the school and both girls are from Buddhist-animist homes. Please pray for both of these girls that they learn and grow in this safer environment and will learn to love and follow Jesus with the hope of eternal life that Buddhism does not give.

Thara Sub Let - A Prior Principal

Miles has made lots of friends, especially with the teachers. Thara Da Boo and Thara Sub Let who are true teachers, teaching him things like how to tie his lungee, (skirt), correctly, and teaching him the Karen language. Miles has been rooming with Micah Habercam and Thara Sub Let in an older 3 room hut (small rooms), so each have their own room and actually one of the “rooms” is the big covered porch where Sub Let sleeps as he is usually only here on weekends. The rest of the week he is gone for Thai language study. He is a really sweet young man. He used to be the principle here at the school, but he is now working with Thara Moo Gayle when he is not here on weekends or doing language study. Please pray that more Godly, children loving, teachers will be found to teach here at the school. It is very needed! 

Davis next to his friend Ehka Hoo

Davis has a whole group of little friends that he enjoys being with despite the fact they do not comunicate much in words, more with hand motions and laughing since neither group can use much of the other persons language. They can certainly do little boy things together and they love doing that. Everyone here in Thailand loves his hair. He got tired of everyone touching him all the time, strangers on the street or going to the market, but he has been a trouper and just smiles knowing he is a facination to them. I asked him what the names of his friends were, but he didn’t know. Why let something so mundane as a name slow a person down. Names are not his thing, that is for sure. I did find out that one of the friends he enjoys being with the most is around 10 years old (we think), and his name is Ehka Hoo. He is much smaller than Davis, which you would expect if you often did not have enough food while you were growing up and what you did have was mostly white rice, and you had to run whenever the enemy came to try to destroy you and your village. But like most of the people here, it is a way of life, and he does not let it get him down. He is always cheerful and enjoying the life he is now living here at Sunshine Orchard.

I think back on my 2 years that I was teaching on Pohnpei back in the mid 1980’s. At that time there were 400 students from K - 12 grades with the majority of the teachers being college students, 13 of us SM's along with 3 national teachers. Jack and Betty Penner were the Principal and Office Secretary/Nurse/Hair Cutter and Mother away from home. They were both wonderful and did a great job leading and making something of that school. It was the best school on the island. That meant we had all the children from the King's family, the government officials and foreigners enrolled at our school. If any of us were sick or had to be away for any reason we found someone to substitute or we didn’t get sick. There was school when scheduled. It was a calm peaceful place, and I say that meaning there was consistency and accountablility in the leadership. It was only a day school so weekends we had off as far as being around the school students, except those we went to church with. I believe but do not remember for sure, and if anyone knows differently, please let me know, the students did pay a small amount to go to our school, which helped the budget of the school and put value on what they were getting. Although I know there were some very poor students, so not sure how all that worked.

There are lots of similarities, but a lot of differences between the school back then and this school here now. The Adams do not have education or administrative training to lean on, neither did the Penners; It was a day school, this school is a boarding school plus orphanage so that adds much more complexity to the dynamics. Both Adams and Penners put much of their own money into making their school happen, with Penners building a beautiful grade and high school facility with large outdoor gym and Adams working toward that end. There  was much training to improve healthy lifestyle and living by God’s standards and I know that is desired here also, etc, etc. This school is made up of students that have so little and no 

Lexi washing her clothes 

where to go that is safe, which is different from the school in the ‘80‘s. I see lots of things I hope will happen here, but first a system and the much needed help such as additional staff, teachers and builders, besides all the prayer that each of you participates in, which makes such a difference. Thank you! 

                                                                                      

Lexi and Davis' Mosquito Tents in our Hut

This first week, has had a learning curve to it. We have been learning to adjust to the local way of doing things and trying to learn and uphold all the cultural ways of doing those things without offending. What a blessing to be able to see and be a part of another culture and see the different perspectives that come with it. I think it makes one more knowledgable and understanding to how to work with people in general when a person has had these various opportunities while in another culture; seeing things from a different perspective. I am so glad God knows each person in every 


country around the whole world and doesn't need to adjust!