Ube! At the beginning of September I went to the first of our dive meetings with our dive instructors, Dennis and Judy. They gave us some local sweet potatoes as parting gifts, and we baked them up that same night. Babs is pretty excited about them because, not only are they delicious, but they are her favorite color, purple! (As tasty as ube is, we do not care for many of the ways it is often prepared, including ube ice cream).
It's vollyeball season at the SDA School and our team is representing well. This photo, courtesy of Mai Rhea Odiyar, shows our team at their first game. We lost that game but since then things have changed. The team has new uniforms,they're gelling as a team, and their skill level is skyrocketing. I really do believe we have what it takes to win a championship this year. I'm so proud of them, not just because they are winning games but because they play with such a postive spirit and the joyousness that is their trademark. Missy's doing a great job coaching them too!
In the Company of Women: Our Annual Staff Retreat
The weekend of September 21 and 22 was our annual staff retreat up at the Maturana. Last year I had Grant to keep me company, but this year I was the only male in the group, and as a result the retreat definitely had a distinctly feminine flair to it. Fortunately, I've always been pretty comfortable around women. I'm enjoy a lot of the "girly" stuff . I liked the segments of the Oprah Winfrey show presented for our inspiration, embraced writing about my feelings and emotions (I do that already in my journal anyhow)and felt soothed by the candles and whatnot. I had no interest, however, in the foot baths & pedicures, so I guess you could say I "drew the line" there. Overall it was a fantastic retreat, the most restful and rejuvenating we've ever had. Bab's decision to extend the length of the retreat (allowing for, among other things, a luxurious nap Friday afternoon) and to not give us the schedule of activities (so that control freaks like me wouldn't be checking each activity off the list and noting with impatience whenever we got "behind schedule.") All the staff are hoping Babs will plan a second retreat later in the year.
Some photos below courtesy of Jessica Lee (I forgot my camera that weekend).
Mai, Judith, Missy, and Rikki enjoying the footbaths. (I read from The Namesake for a good hour or so while the ladies did their footcare and then drifted off into a nice afternoon nap)
I don't know why, but this photo just exudes the langorous pace and restful atmosphere of the entire retreat.
Judith doing some artwork
Last Saturday night, September 22, the church had a baby shower for one of my former students, Myla, and her boyfriend, Derek (Derek's next to me and Myla's next to him in the photo). Their new baby is just about two months old!
On Sabbath, September 29, two students (one former, and one current) got baptized. It was wonderful to see these kids taking their stands for Jesus.
Pastor Eliki and his wife along with Barbara escort the newly baptized students from the water
A happy mother and daughter.
2 comments:
What a month!!!
I'm so happy for Nate and Tali. Glad you were there to see the happy day!
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