This morning we walked for almost an hour! Well, Sugar and I walked and Miduk rode happily along. He really likes getting out on his scooter and having some independence. We stopped and picked up some beautiful fall leaves. I'm guessing the leaves don't change color and fall in Indonesia but I don't know that for sure. I'm assuming they have mostly palm trees but again, just a guess! I ironed the leaves between wax paper when we got home so he could keep them. Haven't done that since my kiddos were young! :)
Best buddies hanging out together
Watching the Disney channel
Today I turned the ping pong table so that Miduk could practice by himself while I folded laundry. He is really getting good at ping pong!
Tonight we sorted canned goods at CCA
Today was a good day! Usually at breakfast or lunch I will take the laptop to the kitchen table so we can "talk". Many times he understands the questions just by reading, but sometimes we use the google translator. This morning I told him all about Thanksgiving and celebrating the harvest and having a big feast. Of course he had never heard of Thanksgiving before, but liked hearing about all the food we are going to eat! Our tradition is to travel to Tulsa and stay with Shelby's parents, visit my family also and make the rounds. This year we plan to stop in Oklahoma City on the way so Miduk can meet our good friend Joan and her kids Evan and Kendall. I'm looking forward to him playing with my two young nephews Ben and Jake, and meeting more aunts, uncles, cousins and both sets of grandparents! We have so very much to be thankful for this year, and it will be so great to celebrate with our family! I hate to jump the gun on Christmas when we haven't even celebrated Thanksgiving yet, but Miduk was whistling Jingle Bells this morning so I took the opportunity to ask him about Christmas in Indonesia. Miduk said that his family celebrates Christmas by going to church. I asked him if he knows why we celebrate Christmas and he said yes, we are celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. He knows about Joseph and Mary and the story of baby Jesus being born in a manger. I was really glad to hear that! Indonesia is primarily a Muslim country, and only about 10 percent of Indonesians are Christian (mostly Catholic). When asked if they share a special meal, he told me they eat cakes. They do not put up a Christmas tree at his house but said there is one at church. He knows what a candy cane is but has never tasted one. He does not know what a gingerbread house is. He also told me that Santa comes only to Jakarta and not to his village. He does not hang a stocking. I asked if he would like to help us decorate a Christmas tree inside our house and he got so excited! I think I will even let him decorate a 4 ft tree to put in his bedroom if he wants to. Miduk said "Selamat Hari Natal" is "Merry Christmas" in Bahasa. :)
This afternoon I taught Miduk how to play concentration with a deck of cards and he was quick to catch on. His memory is way better than mine and he was matching cards in no time! Our neighbor Ben came over and took Miduk down to the field to play some soccer. I don't know who was more excited, Miduk or myself! haha Miduk likes to play soccer barefooted. He said he had a lot of fun with Ben and was sweating bullets when he returned.
This evening Kasey and I took Miduk to CCA with us. (Christian Community Action for those of you who don't live here!) We had signed up a while back to fill Thanksgiving Baskets tonight and to help stock the CCA Toy Store tomorrow. I told Miduk that we were going to help others who might need some food and asked him if he ever helped others back home. He seemed to understand and said that yes, he lets people borrow things (again the translation - maybe he meant he shares things with other people? IDK) It was a great opportunity to talk to Miduk about being a Christian and helping other people and explaining WHY we help others. I told him that God wants us love one another and to help those in need. Simple as that. In my bible study class we are reading the book "The Good and Beautiful Community" by James Bryan Smith. This week's chapter was about sharing our faith and it stated there are two ways to share our faith: through our words and through our actions. I find it difficult sometimes to talk about my faith; I'm more of an action gal myself. But I will do whatever it takes to insure that Miduk knows God, even if I have to learn how to say it in Bahasa! Miduk did great tonight at CCA helping to sort the canned goods. We had a lively group and he seemed to enjoy it but tired pretty quickly.
I had a call from Dr. Sucato's nurse today and we have an appt scheduled with the doctors at Scottish Rite on Monday Nov 28th. At that time we will learn more about the treatment plan they propose for Miduk, and it sounds like surgery but I don't know how soon. Will keep you posted!
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