THE TRIP WAS FULL OF BLESSINGS

Good morning to All from baby Alexandro Bupe

It was a wonderful trip indeed . Since I left Los Angeles and on my way back to Singapore I was so eager to leave for the orphanage. In fact I was only staying some 3 hours at home( Singapore) before heading back to the airport and to Jakarta. Peggy was waiting for me at Jakarta after she took our children back from the orphanage to return to Singapore for their schooling. Our children were helping their mother for some 3 weeks during their December school breaks. Since I left Los Angeles the weather was great all the way and in fact all the way from Jakarta to the orphanage ( Timor) too. It was a blessed trip indeed. This time I was taking the morning flight from Jakarta to Timor not like our usual trip where we were taking the evening flights. I choose to try the new Mandala airline's because of the new A320 that the airline has putting for the flight to Timor. It left Jakarta at 7 45 am. I got the chance to meet up with the pilot and making our friendship to each other.

It was a great day indeed as I am seeing all the children well and happy especially when they were seeing us upon our arrival at the orphanage. The smallest baby Alexandro has been growing well and healthy as seen on the picture. It is the rainy season now so the place is looking so green but the floor were showing some dirty marks because of our dog named "Jet"has been running in and out the field. the corn plantation are doing great and we may expect some good harvest in few weeks time. May be some will be harvested in about 4 weeks time while some which were planted at different timing may be in 6 or 7 weeks time. The main thing that the trees are growing well ( especially those corn tree at our farm as seen on the picture).

our corn at the farm

Because of the rain we are also having the bread fruit tree showing its fruit too and we are hoping that in some 3 or 4 months time we can have some snacks derived from it. Bread fruit can be a substitute for Carbohydrate source too.

our bread fruit

Beside the bread fruit tree were also having a jackfruit tree which already giving us some fruit and I was having the privilege of eating it during my short visit too. The fruit was so sweet and we are always keeping the seeds for planting some more else where.

the jack fruit tree

On the next day after Peggy and I were arrived at the orphanage , we were having a dear friend from Singapore coming and to join us for 3,5 days . bro DS ( that is the name that he wants me to write his name). It was a honor for us to have him and seeing him leaving his comfort zone just to be with us . The encouragement that he gave me and Peggy was so great . We really appreciate him for coming all the way to the orphanage. He said that he wasn't sure why he was making the trip just to be with us but he said that he will do his best to help us to see the whole picture about sanitation and trying to work out our priorities so that the orphanage's progress can be better. Once again our thanks to bro DS for his ideas, effort and view about how to make things better and more efficient. He asked me what the orphanage's need at the moment and I said that tomorrow I will go to the furniture shop to buy some book shelves for the library. Indeed the next day we went to buy some book shelves and bro DS insisted that he will pay for it . So we are having some 5 new book shelves from bro DS which we will put them in the class room and the library . The shopping went further and we end up being blessed again by bro DS with 36 new single beds for the children when they are occupying the new building that we have built for them . We have made the order and the beds will all be coming in two weeks time. To equip the beds bro DS also bought 36 mattresses and 36 pillows . Praise The Lord for the blessings through bro DS

One of the happy moment was when I share the" Bika Ambon" cake to the children. The Bika Ambon cake was sent all the way from Medan by sis Uca Felita . Not only the children enjoying the Bika Ambon cake but we adults too were enjoying as sis Uca was sending 5 big cake for us to sharfe. After the Bika Ambon feast we gave them a chew able vitamins ( some kind of multy vitamin) which was sent all the way from LA by sis Betty Gumira . Our thanks to sis Uca and sis Betty .

Bika Ambon cake and vitamins

The evening before bro DS went back to Singapore , he suggested that we will treat the children with Kentucky fried Chicken . The KFC was very recently opening its outlet in Kupang city ( some 11 km from the orphanage). We asked the children to meet up at the new building and gathered for the KFC night. It was raining heavily when we went to buy the KFC so we were quite late upon bringing the KFC to the orphanage. The children were enjoying some thing different that evening . After the meal the children as usual taking turns to sing their songs . Some where singing the song from their Sunday school , the Hymn or playful songs from the local village. It was a great evening indeed.

About our water truck:

It was a pity that I wasn't able to pick up the water truck my self while I was there . The water truck was departing from Surabaya when I was just about to leave the orphanage. The ferry carrying the water truck will be arriving tonight ( as what the ferry's owner just told me few minutes ago when I called him). The orphanage will be a happier place as we will be getting enough water soon. Praise The Lord .