Language School

Language school is keeps on "trucking" on.  Seems like we have been studying for a long time but when we count the days it really hasn't been all that long.  It has really only been a little more than three months since we started, and we are seeing a difference in our ability to grasp conversations concepts and make ourselves understood...for the most part :)

"Sediket-sediket, pelan-pelan manjadi bukit"

little by little, slowly slowly a hill is made.

 That is how our teachers keep encouraging us in our small and steady progress in grasping the Indonesian language.  One instance was when I (Tyler) was just returning home our neighbor came out to greet us and ask where I had been.  I replied with out much hesitation and explained why I was out and that I had to go out again to pick up my other son from school soon.  It kind of surprised me how easy it all came out after months of hulted words and wrong syllobus.  Now that does not mean I am fluent now.  It just means I have some good days and other bad days when all I say is:

 " Saya mau pergi de mana saya lalu selasi"

"I want to go where after I went finsih"

Then I am back to just smiling and laughing at myself.  Which is not bad, keeps me humble and the locals entertained.

Here are some pictures of IMLAC our language school:

Some students performing at an Easter celebration we had at the school.

Instead of an egg hunt we hunted for scraps of paper that had words on it and had to put them all together to complete a Bible verse.

Teams usually consisted of families

Mountains in the background and hallways light with the morning light.

Students fill the hall for morning break-time.

A good friend of Renae's.  Hot tea is a usual break-time snack here in Indonesia, even though it is around 80 degrees.

Ibu Wulan, one of our many language teachers

Our Unit 2 class all together

Ibu Maria, helping us to comprehend that mysteries of grammer.

Renae and I passing our Unit 2 exams and holding up our Unit 3 book.

We are nearing the half way point of our Unit 3 section of language school.  It seems to be going alright although there is a ton of grammar concepts right now being taught at us but we don't really get to review it in the class before we are on to the next concept.  Part of the reason for that is some students only take three units so the school is trying to get all the building blocks out there but will review them later in other units.  You can continue to lift us up in prayer as we try to master these "building" blocks coming out way.

Three is a crowd...

One is Special, two is a couple, three is a crowd and four is just right!

  

Yep, we are expecting again!  We are very excited for this new blessing to come into our life this next October.

You know all those cute pictures?  This is how it really looks and only after 20 shots do you get something that is half way useable and even then you get to edited the picture.  Love my kids and love how they are so energetic!

Been on a walk about?

No, we really haven't been on an Australian "walk about" but it does seem like we have taken a long hiatus from blogging.  Here is a little recap of last year:

 

 Fresh out from surgery in Boise ID.  The surgery took only two hours and did not have any complications.  This is me just waking up and feeling pretty good with all the drugs I was under. 

 Still freshly shaven, first time ever that I have had my leg shaved.  Oh and the incision is healing nicely, thank you for asking :)

 Now my knee is starting to look more normal.  It still took me three months after the surgery to start to walk without any assistance.  Even after that, I had to retrain myself to walk without a limp.  So thankful for physical therapy and the people that helped me get through this injury.

 

 Even with the set back in our plans we were able to spend quality time with my (Tyler's) parents as I went to PT (physical therapy)

Had a mini Schmidt family reunion for Thanksgiving and got to meet our future sister-in-law

One plus side effect of coming back to the States is we got to spend the holidays with family on both sides.  

One of Renae's good friends from Spokane.  We spent the day at our favorite orchard (Green Bluff) in Spokane and pick some apples and have pumpkin spiced lattes. 

 One last winter for a while

Saying goodbye to my parents at the airport before we headed back to Indonesia the second time.

 

 Our team in Salatiga welcomed us with open arms, it was a lot of fun to see them again. 

Back home again!  The boys were really excited to see our house again and to sleep in their own beds.

Thank you to all those that have prayed for us and have carried us through this past year as we encountered unexpected bumps and changes in plans.  God is good ALL the time and it seems I understand it even more when I am in the hard times rather than in the good times.

Around the world and back again!

The downside to being an inconsistent blogger is that when you finally get around to doing an update, it is really long because you have so much to write/post pictures about.  So, to try to avoid writing a novel, I will mostly just put pictures and include snippets of what's been happening.

But first, here is a quick outline of our journey back to the states:
*September 2-4:  Flew from Jakarta to Japan to San Fransisco to Boise
*September 5:  Doctor appointment to confirm and schedule surgery, another MRI
*Sep. 9:  Tyler's knee surgery to repair ruptured patellar tendon (thankful he didn't have a torn ACL or miniscus, but they had to drill holes through his knee to reattach the tendon)
Since then, recovery and beginning physical therapy.
Dec/Jan:  Return to Indonesia

Also, since we didn't have much time in Salatiga, we don't have a ton of pictures, but on our last day I was able to capture some pictures of where we go to language school and some other places around town.  We look forward to having much more to share once we return (in a couple months).

 Mountainview International School's playground:

Even though our kids aren't attending the international school,

it is basically the only "park", so we visited here a couple of times

 Caleb enjoying our last visit to the playground the day before 

we left Salatiga

The soccer field and dirt track at the international school,

the field you're looking at is where Tyler's knee was 

injured while playing ultimate frisbee

 BioMart is a newer little grocery store that caters to the expats (foreigners)

in town. You can even find poptarts and goldfish, for a price!!  We didn't shop 

here too often, as it can be quite pricey.  But, they sell GREAT sub sandwiches!

 The road by BioMart

 Tyler lovin' on the kids as much as he can with an injured

knee!  Building an airport, control tower, and planes

 Jocelyn's favorite thing to do is to "membantu" or help!

She is always sweeping or wiping things with kleenex or towels

 Crafts the boys made while attending preschool at Illumination.

They do really fun activities and have a great jungle gym too!

 Visiting friends at IMLAC, where we all go to language school.

This is the day we left Salatiga to begin the journey back.

 The hallway where all the classrooms are

 Where we have chapel once a week, and also serves

as a classroom

 From the other end of the hallway...the chapel is to the left

 The inside of a classroom.  Usually there are anywhere from

1 to 6 students in a class at a time.  There are 9 units total, each 

unit is about 4 weeks.  Including breaks, language school takes almost a year.

 Looking down from the walkway around the classrooms.

The Best Laid Plans

Some of you have already received our prayer update through email and know what is in process for us right now.  For those of you who don't....here it is!  (by the way, if you want to get on our email prayer update please message me and send me your email address)We've been sharing about Tyler's knee injury that happened over two weeks ago.  Initially the results we received did not point to an immediate need for surgery.  However, on Friday we received results from a doctor in the U.S. that we had sent digital images of the MRI to.  We were disappointed that the news was much worse than we thought.  Tyler has a ruptured patellar tendon, a torn ACL and meniscus, and possibly some other damage.  The biggest problem is the ruptured tendon.  While there is adequate care in Jakarta or Singapore, which we initially wanted to do, MAF leadership in Idaho decided that the best decision for our family is for us to come back to the states for immediate surgery and rehab.

Talk about shocking news!!  At first we were disappointed to be told that we had to go back.  In fact, we are still disappointed.  We have barely been here a month, are just beginning to feel more comfortable and familiar with the city, and have just begun to learn language.  BUT, we also are thankful that MAF cares about our family enough to make a difficult decision for us that in the long run will be the best option.   

The main reason for this decision is that the road to recovery and rehab for Tyler's knee will take somewhere around 12 weeks, and there really is not adequate physical therapy in or near Salatiga to help Tyler's knee heal completely, which he will need to have as healthy as possible for his career as a pilot!  Also, I (Renae) will have more support and help during Tyler's recover in the States than would be possible here.  

We will be leaving for Jakarta on Tuesday (9-02-14), and flying from there to the States on Wednesday.  Just like before, it is a really long, intense trip and we ask for your prayers for stamina for all of us!  Because of Tyler's injury, he will be mostly unable to help with the kids or carrying luggage, and will be in a different row/seat for much of the trip in order to be able to keep his leg straight and hopefully up, since he is unable to bend his knee.  Lots of prayers needed....we are trusting that God is going before us and knows what we need to make it through the flights. We would ask that you specifically pray for: 

• Tyler, being able to schedule a surgery sometime in the next week, and for the reconstruction of his knee during surgery. 

• Our kids,  they have done great transitioning to Indonesia and have just settled into a routine, including preschool and having our own "home" again, and now we are uprooting once again.  

• Pray that we would have peace and Tyler and I would do our best to lean on the Lord be a great example to our kids by having good attitudes no matter what the circumstances. 

We came to Salatiga to learn the language and culture and build relationships to help prepare us for our place of service in Indonesia.  Though it feels like the reasons we came for are being disrupted, we also know that God's plan for us is to teach us to trust Him, to be sanctified, to learn to praise Him despite our circumstances, and give thanks in all things, doing everything we do to the glory of God.  I say this to remind ourselves of these things but also ask you to pray those things for us too. We look forward to returning to Salatiga and our new home here in a few months time

with grateful hearts,

The Schmidts

A Picture View of our First Weeks in Salatiga

Here is an update about our life in Salatiga, so here are a few pictures of our adventures.

 Enjoying our first meal in Salatiga with some dear friends
who brought us supper

"The milk tastes a little different"  

Caleb and Aaron going to their first day at Illumination preschool

One of our first rides on scooters!

The friendly geckos that help take care of the ants in our homes

Not sure what this one is...

This beauty likes to sneak into our bathroom every once in awhile...
we think they're coming through the hole where the pipe is under the sink.  Nice surprise
when you go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

Our new "Harley" in Salatiga!

The boys are so excited to have helmets and our own scooter.

There are plenty of kids out and about in our neighborhood.
Thankfully swords and light sabers don't need to speak the same lanugage.
Neither do scooters or bikes!

We have a nice, gradual hill right outside our house that is
perfect for riding their scooters down.

Going for a little walk around our neighborhood.
Usually we don't use the stroller, it is pretty cumbersome
on the tiny roads here

Our teachers at IMLAC (language school) had a potluck and game event for everyone
to celebrate their Indonesian Independence day.

The ladies lining up for a "eat the biscuit for a string" game.

Trying to be the first one to eat their hanging snack, tasted like fried shrimp...

This lovely competition consisted of grabbing eels out of a tub of water and running
to the other end of the grass to put it into a coke bottle.  Yes, they were alive and squirmy.
No, we didn't actually do it because Tyler couldn't (knee injury) and I was a chicken!

They didn't want to go in easily

the eels....

The view from a lovely restaurant in town

Rice fields and the burning of the husks

So beautiful

Caleb and Aaron playing in the field

This was a perfect tree to climb in, but there must have been a caterpillar in it because
Caleb had a horrible rash on his arm and leg afterwards.  The fuzz on their skin tends to cause this rash if you touch them.

A group of Asians LOVED Jocelyn and kept trying to get
their pictures with her.  Her first experience in stardom...she didn't like it so much.

Ben and Kathleen, our dear classmates who have also been
picking us up since Tyler's injury.  We enjoyed seeing some new sights and
restaurants with them.

This restaurant had GREAT grilled chicken!