First Flowers from Balikpapan

One of my goals is to learn how to grow orchids. 'haven't seen as many here as there are in Thailand but they do well here. I haven't even taken any photos of them, yet! And bananas aren't flowers, I realize that ... that shot's thrown in for free!

Balikpapan, First Photos

New construction -- very common. Fresh air -- the norm!






Well, our adventures continue! There is no comparison between Nigeria and Indonesia and to try to list the contrasts would be too time-consuming. However, this region of Indonesia (and pretty much anything outside of Jakarta or Bali) is still in the "developing" world. So the typical city things are missing. But a new mall looks almost ready to open and there's a Starbucks' "Brewing Soon!" sign. I hope that's still true (based on the fact that Jeri lost "her" Starbucks in Ubon Ratchathani, it's a bit scary!) Of course, I still don't drink coffee and I'm not a big fan of Tazo Teas but, hey, ya gotta love the ambiance!!!

Many of the photos were taken from our 8th floor hotel window. We've not been able to venture out much, yet. Security is not a problem but getting a driver who speaks even 5 words of English is!

So, I've started on my own online Bahasa Indonesian crash course! It's got to be about the easiest language in the whole world! It uses the same alphabet as English, minus a few of our letters. Get this -- each consonant that they use makes only one sound! Sheesh! And the only vowel to make two sounds is "e" -- it's usually an /uh/ sound with an occasional /ay/ when at the end of words or an open syllable.

(These last two photos were taken at a fabulous new beach-side restaurant!)


We'll be in this hotel for the rest of this week. Then, we hope to be into temporary housing by the weekend. Our assigned housing won't be ready until near the end of July. Either way, temp house or perm house, the compounds are right along the beach. I'm not crying!!! ;-)

However, the adjustments in leaving Nigeria are still pretty strong. (Okay, definitely worse for me than for Jim!) I miss some of the rare and precious people and I miss the certainty of the known. Here everything, though lovely, is unfamiliar. And many of the expats have made their summer "exodus" (their label) so we might feel more on our own here, for a time! But, all in all, we're all smiles!

Our Last Few Days in Nigeria

Jide, his youngest child -- only daughter, Grace. Wife, Iyabo.
Lilies on one of our balconies.









Jide, Jim, and Michel -- having a good laugh!













Jim's last day in his office.














Notice the spelling on our cane chair ... but the shippers did a great job of packing!









Farewell party with some girlfriends! They gave me this custom made vase with an inscription on the bottom.





















We use candles every evening because the power fluctuates so much. This is what was on our coffee table prior to packing! It is a sight I often enjoyed but never photographed until now.



















Our compound, from out of our living room windows.

As I learned from watching numerous missionary slide shows as a child, everyone must end with a sunset!
They are rare here. (Yes, the sun does set each day, but it's usually nothing spectacular. This was an exception!)



Well, the day has finally arrived -- the day that we say "tomorrow we are leaving!" It's a day we've anticipated for a long time but it's also been a time of sadness. Good byes are never easy but the good byes here are especially tough because we know that our dearest Nigerian friends will probably never leave Nigeria and we will, undoubtedly, never return. Therefore, this side of heaven, we will not see them again.

I just called Lucy, our Port-Harcourt maid, for our last visit. She thinks of me as her "momma" and looks to us for advice (and money! ;-) ) so it's tough to leave her. We've given our gifts to "our men" -- Michel, our cook, and Jide, our driver. We'll see them bright and early in the morning (4:45 a.m.) when we leave for the office to take the company's airport bus. But our more meaningful goodbyes have been said already because we know we'll probably all be pretty incoherent in the morning! Jide, ... he's the toughest of all for us to leave. What an amazing guy! We will stay connected with him and his family. I know that Jim and I will each shed tears tomorrow when we say our final farewell to him.

We are so thrilled that God has guided us to new jobs for Michel and Jide -- for good pay and with good people. And our beach hut sold to a guy who's sooooo jazzed to have it! And our flat is going to someone who's been wanting it since they arrived here half a year ago. God's hand is all over everything and we are leaving with a sense that all is settled as best it can possibly be!

The entire week in the office was a scattering of daily goodbyes. Tough stuff, really.

As I've told so many, Nigeria will always have a place in our hearts. Our ears will perk up whenever we hear any news from the place.

I believe the sadness we feel in leaving is largely due to the helpless and hopeless condition of this absolutely crazy country. Most of the locals just hope for the best but expect the worst. The worst would be another civil war (highly unlikely) or a revolution (more probable). Actually, most people believe that those scenarios would not be negative because they have hope that war would bring about positive change. For them, the worst option would be for everything to remain as it is --- abject poverty for most and vile opulence for a few, corruption squeezing out the rare, honest, hard-working folks.

I've told Jim so many times -- if I thought we could actually make a difference I'd stay here and die of old age here. But change will only come from local, God-honoring men who are strong leaders and, most importantly, men of integrity. "Scarce" would the Nigerian word for that description!

We will always remember Nigeria -- in our hearts and in prayer.