T is for Thankful

Since I didn't hop on the ABC's of thankfulness train soon enough on Facebook, I decided I would just post all my ABC's together! I have SO much to be thankful for - there is NO way I can mention all the blessings in my life , and I'm sure I will forget many things that I should mention but these are just a few (some deep, some not so much ... :)

[my goal is to put things I have especially been thankful for over the last few months here in Indo]

A - Our Apartment, airplanes, April (my wonderful aunt, not the month), and ant spray

B- Bahasa Indonesia lessons, my bed, Bluebird taxi's and my Blackbery :)

C- The one and only Cooka, My newest uncle Chris, the coolest cuz' ever, Colby, Christian education at Corban College and SPH, country music and Chris Trammell (mostly because he married the amazing Katie Trammell and because he is such a great friend to Erik) Oh, and college football [War Eagle] AND my Crockpot!

D- My Dad. I just can't say enough how thankful I am for my Daddy. He is such a wonderful example to me. He loves Jesus, my mom, and us kids with all his heart. He is a radical follower of Jesus and he is probably the coolest person I know -He is and always will be my hero.

E-I think this one is pretty obvious. I am SO thankful for my husband, Erik. He is my best friend. He knows how to make me feel better no matter what and no one knows me like he does. He loves Jesus more than he loves me, and he loves me a lot! My life would simply not be the same with out him. I love doing life with Erik. <3

F- Friends. I am SO thankful for my friends. My new friends here in Jakarta especially. I haven't made so many new friends since my first year of Corban, and I love it! And I am so thankful for my many "tree" friends all over the world - I know that you will always be there. You know who you are ;) and ... Facebook, a great way to keep up with friends and family.

G-Grandparents. Daddy Mike, Mama Jo, Granny and Gran. I am SO blessed by these 4 wonderful, godly examples in my life. And they both raised the two best parents I could ever ask for.

H- Harry Potter marathons, Helentina (one of my Kindy assistants), and my home (my earthly one [currently Jakarta] and my heavenly one being prepared for me)

I- Ibu Daisy (my God-fearing, people loving, most hilarious principal), iPod texting, iced coffee, and my in-loves. Erik's parents call me their daughter-in-love and that just sounds so much better than in-laws. But really, I am SO thankful for Karleen and Denny. I love them and I know that they love me and accept me for who I am. They raised one wonderful son :) And of course, the rest of the Fry fam! They are MY family and I love them SO much!

J-My brother Joshua. He is 14 years old and I want to be like him. He loves Jesus with all his heart, he is the sweetest thing I know, and he gives the BEST hugs. And he is pretty funny sometimes! ;)

K-Katie Trammell. I do not know what I would do without her here. Her friendship to me is priceless and I am so amazed at God's timing in bringing us both here together at this time in our lives. And of course my 24 little kindergartners - they bring me SO much joy!

L-My life would not be the same without laughter. I am also thankful for little notes of encouragement and my laptop.

M- Two very special people in my life start with this letter. My amazing mother, Melodye, and my bestest friend, Mindy ... I can talk to my mom about anything and everything. I am never afraid to be myself around her. She is funny, sweet, and encouraging. She is striving daily to follow the Lord with all her heart and she such a good example of what a loving mother and wife should be. I am so thankful for her and her friendship ... Mindy is my best friend through thick and thin. She knows me and I know her. I know she will always be there and that means more to me than anything. My life would not be the same without these two women. (I know this is already long enough but I can't leave out Mia - my fearless Kindy assistant. I have NO idea what I would do without her help and sweet smile)

N- Fried noodles (a good choice when nothing else at the school canteen sounds good), naps, and new adventures!

O- I am SO thankful for my Omniscient, Omnipotent, and Omnipresent God! What an amazing God I serve! He is ALL powerful, in control of EVERYTHING, and EVERYWHERE!

P- People, Pizza Hut delivery, pedestrian crosswalks (which are few and far between here), David Platt and PRAYER. I am so thankful that I can pray to my God anytime, anywhere, and talk to him about anything. What a blessing to be able to communicate with GOD!

Q- Quiddler games with my hubby, and quiet times - quiet times with my kiddos and quiet times with God.

R- Reading, rupiah, relaxing holidays, and my relationship with Jesus. I am so thankful for my personal, real Savior, Jesus, and the relationship that I am able to have with him and the Father because of the cross.

S- Sisters. My two sisters are two of my favorite people in the whole world. I would hang out with them anytime, anywhere. They make me laugh until I cry, they encourage me, make fun of me, and inspire me. Lauren and Natalie are two amazing younger sisters who I look up to. They are my very best friends. And of course Skype! :)

T- Teachers who help me become a better teacher, time off, and God's timing - it IS perfect, always!

U- Even though some days I dread putting it on AGAIN, I am really thankful for my school uniform. I love not having to worry about what I am going to wear! And my Uncle David!

V- Very well behaved children, and Victory in Jesus! One of my favorite songs says it like this: "There in the ground His body lay

Light of the world by darkness slain Then bursting forth in glorious Day Up from the grave He rose again And as He stands in VICTORY Sin's curse has lost its grip on me For I am His and He is mine Bought with the precious blood of Christ"

W- Water, walking, Clorox wipes :)

X- Hmmm ... nothing's coming to me ...

Y- Yummy food, (and Yummy brand stuff ... they have good cheese, milk, and ice cream here)

Z- I am thankful that I have a zillion things to be thankful for :) .. I could go back and add at least 10 more things to every letter and still not have said even close to all the little (and big) things I am thankful for. I am SO blessed and as I count my blessings this year I am thankful to my GOD and Savior who has given me all of these wonderful things that I don't deserve and that I didn't earn.

Thank you Lord <3

Busy times!

Well, the last few weeks have been pretty busy here in the life of Erik and Amanda! Here are some of the things that have been going on since I last checked in ...

• Two professors from Corban came to Jakarta! Dr. Matt Lucas is the Provost at Corban and Janine Allen is the Dean of Education. Matt is one of the main people who really encouraged me and Erik to come here. Their main connection recently has been UPH (University Pelitah Harapan) - the college here. Their main reason for the visit was to do some work there and to also visit some other schools! It was SO great to visit with them and see some familiar faces.

{left~right: Janine, Katie, Chris, Me, Erik, Matt, Kaitlyn and Chaney}
{Kaitlyn and and Chaney are two other teachers here from Corban}

• Last weekend Erik, Chris, Katie and I went out to one of the other SPH campuses and participated in a fund raiser trivia night. Chris got these fake mustaches from his brother so we decided to theme ourselves around the mustaches! It was a fun night! We didn't end up winning - but we were close - even if we were one of the youngest tables there :)

{left~right: Chaney, Grace, Patrick, Erik, Me, Lindsey,
Katie, and Becky. Ben and Chris are in the back}

• My class led chapel! Each Wednesday, the primary school (K1-G2) get together for chapel. Each week a teacher/class is assigned the story part. Luckily, my time didn't come until October! :) Our story was baby Moses. Leading up to chapel my kids were soooo excited. We even had a countdown chain - that's how stoked they were! Here is everyone right after we acted out the story of Moses!
  

• We had our first parent teacher conferences. I met with 24 parents, and Erik met with about 6! Overall, they went very well and they were very encouraging. You never know what to expect from parents in a new place and because I am basically a first year teacher, I was pretty nervous. But, I can really say that the majority of my parents are wonderful and very supportive! :)
  
  
• Mixed in with our parent teacher conferences, we had professional development days. Our campus (Kemang Village) hosted all the other schools for these 2 days. There are 3 other campuses so it was a lot of fun to be all together for those days. We hosted two of the teachers from the other schools during the training - so that added even more fun :)
  
  
• Some totally random news [but very exciting for me] ... We started having a maid (or helpers as they are called here) this week. She works for our friend during the week, but we will use her one day a week now. I came home today to a spotless kitchen and bathroom - so I am a pretty happy girl tonight!
  
  
• This Friday [November 4] a group of 10 of us are heading out to another island (West Timor) in Indonesia to visit an orphanage there. The city there is called Kupang and the name of the orphanage is called Roslin. I am SO, SO excited. We are taking a lot of supplies and resources the them to use. Many kids at Roslin, also attend the school there so they are in need of lots of supplies - and of course lots of hugs, kisses, and love which I will bring endless amounts of! Please be praying for safety, health, and rest during the trip. We leave on the 4th and return the 7th. Then we start school back on the 9th so we will have a day to rest and get ready for the rest of November and December!
  
  
• We are planning two awesome trips for our Christmas holiday but I will have to tell you about that on another blog :)

Well, I think that is about it for now! Life is busy - but we are lovin' it! <3

bye.for.now.