Happy Chinese New Year!

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!

This is our front door. I couldn't wait to decorate it. The city is filled with Chinese New Year decorations. All red and exciting and fun. I think that I will always want to celebrate THIS holiday!

They have "cherry tress" like we have Pine trees. The ornaments are so pretty and exotically enchanting... Yes, you know..."all things Chinese" fascinate me.

I would like next year's Christmas Tree to look like this! A Happy and Prosperous New Year to you.

Remember: clean your house well before February 14. Throw away all things old and not of good use for your lives. You don't want them in this new year! Then: don't sweep anything on February 14 or you will sweep out your GOOD FORTUNE!

Chinese New Year, Day 9

Chinese Proverb:

Heaven bless man with mountain

So man learn to climb.

Man not wish mountain

Wish hill instead

Foolish man who climb hill

Find small reward

Wise man who climb mountain

Find reward close to Heaven.

Old Chinese Proverb

Old Chinese Proverb:

Happy is man who work soil

And children follow

Who plant rice

And children follow

Who tend rice

And children follow

Rice crop fail

Eyes of children say:

What can we do Father?

Father plant rice

So children can follow.

Water buffalo in Miri

These white birds hang close by them

There are about 5-6 water buffalo

does this not seem like a scene from another time and place?

Thought for Chinese New Year

Confucious say:

When the sun rise in East

Smile at Sun

Sun smile back

Smiling sun mean: Do not wonder:

Is today happy day or unhappy day?

Decide: is happy day.

One happy day and another happy day is up to you

Many happy days mean happy life with going down of sun.

Pujut Corner

Just wanted to share with you a bit of what we are doing. We spend a lot of time teaching at Pujut Corner. It is a large area of Kampongs.

This is an everyday sight. There are always clothes hanging out to dry. From windows and ropes and doorways and poles, and wire... This is the Dryer. The grass is a welcome sight...not typical.

This gives you and idea of how the houses are built and what materials are used. Occasionally, someone has a little paint... and in this case, used it for the door...and a little bit more... Materials are gathered from any and every source. A board here, a door there, a piece of rope, a tire, a car hood...

Pujut corner is where the Ringkai family live. They are a a beautiful family. We teach them each tuesday night. They are the ones with 2 candles for light. We play a game with them and their children each time after the lesson. It is so fun. This week it was "Don't eat Pete!" This week, we learned to our great distress, that Tantus their boy of 11 years, is not in school. The reason: They didn't understand how to fill out the paperwork! That is our goal this week: Get Tantus in school! He will have to begin as a first grader. But imagine, being 11, or 15, or 19 and not knowing how to read!!!

The children play out in the dirt with nothing. They make kites out of grocery bags and sticks. We see them at times going through the garbage....not for food... but for anything that looks interesting.... or that they could make into a toy.

This is not an abandoned house. People live here.

Pujut Corner is also where Dandi, Manda and Winnie live. They live next to the county recycle center. No bins, or containers....just stuff dumped there for recycling.

We also teach them on Tuesday nights. This week as we sat there, a huge (about 3"-4"long) flying bug flew in and darted from person to person. Everyone was ducking and swatting, until Dandi captured it ! Then it kept flying at the window and banging into it. It has a hard shell so is very noisy as well as unnerving!

Manda and Winnie are members. Dandi is "listening"...but the excuse many here give is: "My heart is not yet open" In many ways it is very descriptive and honest.

We think he maybe has felt the spirit and is a bit panicky, So Dad is taking some Jerky to share with him next week, and just going to make it "an establish friendship visit."