Christmas in Sentani

How is Christmas in Sentani spent you ask?  Well, I am ashamed to tell you that Western culture has totally infected the people and the mall here.  Christmas decorations were up before Halloween and they put up fake Christmas trees for sale.  Most of the Papuans don’t put up a tree but many will put up a “Pondok Natal”.  Christmas Pondok which means a small hut in their yard that gets covered with Christmas lights from which Christmas music blares night and day.  Everywhere you drive you can hear the music. I even saw a man with his car decorated as a Pondok Natal and was driving all over town “sharing” Christmas cheer!  . 

It is sort of nice but gets old @ 5AM.   Here @ MAF we had one on either end of the complex in the neighborhoods.  They only conflicted occasionally.   When 1was quiet, the other was going. As if that weren’t enough, they also set off fireworks beginning 2 weeks before Christmas and it continues I understand for a week, or so, after New Year’s.  Christmas music is so incongruous with fireworks.  I would expect patriotic music like 4^th of July.  Combine that with the heat and it just doesn’t feel like Christmas.

Christmas had to come from deep within this year! Not such a bad thing.  We went into the

 thriving metropolis of Jayapura on the 23^rd for my Birthday with some teacher friends.  It is only

about 60 miles away but takes nearly 2 hours to get there due to traffic and poor roads.  We

shopped and had dinner.  It was good to get into the big city.  Not really very big but it better than

what we have here in Sentani.  We had dinner with friends on Christmas Eve but then I woke

 Christmas morn with fever and chills.  Poor Miles had to spend Christmas alone as I slept 

 through 90% of it and into Monday night.  We are expecting 4 packages from the states.

 One had Miles Christmas gift in it.  It still isn’t here.  It will be nice to have even if it doesn’t

 come until his birthday in March.

Here is a sweet ditty that a teacher friend here wrote about Christmas in Sentani. 

It is called Jungle Wonderland and sung to the tune of Winter Wonderland.

Birdies sing, are you listenin’

In the lane, raindrops glisten

A beautiful sight, we’re happy tonight

Walkin’ in our Jungle Wonderland.

Christmas time in Sentani,

Skies are blue, air is balmy

If we wanna see snow,

we wait ‘til furlough,

Walkin’ in our Jungle Wonderland.

In our backyards we have lots of palm trees.

We can string some lights upon them all.

We’ll pretend that they are Christmas trees…

Or buy a great big fake one at the mall!

Later on, if you’re willin’

At the beach we’ll be chillin’

Or Kali Biru, or maybe the pool.

Livin’ in our Jungle Wonderland.

In our frontyards we can build a pondok,

For playing Christmas music all through town.

We will keep on turnin’ up the volume!

And hope that no one comes to knock it down.

When our gifts finally get here

That our Gramma sent us last year,

We’ll frolic and play, the Papuan way!

Livin’ in our Jungle Wonderland.

Livin’ in our Jungle Wonderland

Update on my road rash.  My leg got infected about a week after I finished my antibiotics.  I am now on my second round and my leg is looking much better.  It is hard to heal open wounds in the tropics.  I have to be counterintuitive to what feels good which is dry, and keep it moist and covered. 

Update on my dad: He went back into the hospital on Christmas Eve and was released to home on Monday with Hospice.  My brothers have been there with him and my sister arrives this weekend.  I have been struggling with my need to be with my dad and his last conversation with me to not come home if anything should happen to him.  I know the logic of not going home but I am having a lot of angst over it.

Dad loves the Lord with all his heart!  He told us on many occasions while we were planning that if anything happened to him while we are over here in Indonesia not to come home.  He will just see us in heaven.  That has been one of his many joys, that all of his children and grandchildren love the Lord and we will have a grand reunion on that day, or when we are each called home to be with the Lord.

He will be at home, at rest soon! 

Please pray for the family during this difficult transition loosing such a vital part of our family here on earth!

After I wrote this update on my dad, I was overcome and decided to ask @ MAF how much it would actually cost for me to go home.

The lovely Papuan people who work in the office did not understand that I was only looking for information.  The next thing I knew I was scheduled to leave here on Saturday AM and my exit re-entry visa has been ordered and will be at the MAF base by tomorrow (Friday) afternoon.  I was at first stunned when they told me.  Then a peace flooded me.  I am going home for 2 weeks.  School starts Jan 16^th.  I will arrive back here on the 15^th.  I am flying in and out of LAX, renting a car and driving to Yuma AZ.