Saturday, March 1, 2014

there and back again

While Mark was away in another S.E. Asian country,
this (below) was his home away from home:

The open-air deck (upstairs) is where Mark and his roommate slept, 
for the sake of a little bit of air flow on those hot, stuffy nights.  

 E, a little girl who helped out around the house, 
poses by the only running water source at the house - an outdoor tap. 

 Mark does his laundry -  each cycle required a manual fill and drain, 
and the clothes had to be moved into the spinner after washing.
(Great time to pause and give thanks for my washing machine...)

 The upstairs of the house where the 14 staff members slept.  
Through the 'Hobbit Hole' at the back of the photo is the balcony that was Mark's room.
(Notice his mosquito net-covered mattress on the floor?)

Mark poses with F, his room mate for 3 weeks.
F's servant's heart was so evident as he voluntarily swept and mopped 
the dusty upstairs floor every morning before work,
singing as he cleaned.

Above: a few shots from around the city.  Its claim to fame is that it's at the equator.  This friendly man on a scooter not only showed Mark the way to the equatorial monument, but also gave him a ride there!

Mark ran almost every morning he was there. 
He took this cool shot of one of his running companions on a hazy morning.

Mark had a few opportunities to explore the city - usually with his fellow-workers (top).
The little guy on the bottom left was a little wary of this strange man, but with some prompting from his mom gave Mark a thumbs-up.  And the friendly "bus" driver on the bottom right talked excitedly to Mark until he figured out that Mark didn't understand his language.

The world is a book, 
and those who do not travel read only a page.
- Augustine

We're so thankful you're back home, Mark,
but grateful too that you could make this journey...

2 comments:

Betsy de Cruz said...

I've been so busy, I haven't had a chance to read blogs, but I'm glad I saw this one. Great pictures. That's amazing about your husband's roommate doing all that cleaning. Blessings.

Rosalie said...

Thanks for sharing these. Makes it easier to picture him there. Thanking God for good seed being sown and praying for good fruit.