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February 6th - 9thBLESSINGSBlessingsWritten by ElishaAll I can tell you is that we have been totally blessed! God's goodness and kindness has humbled us and we are totally great full. On the sixth of February, our little family of four had been travelling by bike all day and were quite tired and ready to rest for the night. Yet we were kind of far from a hotel. We rode our bikes past a family's home and they were hang'n outside their house enjoying the evening. We simply asked if we could set up our tent in their yard beside their house for the night and possibly use their water spout outside their house to wash up before bed. From there the blessings began to pour and pour upon our tired bodies. They laughed at the sight of us camped beside their chicken pen …aside their house. They actually loved it! They invited neighbours and relatives to come see these Americans that happened upon their yard. They insisted we all take good showers inside their house and began to bring out the coffee, hot chocolate for the kids and some tasty crackers. Than after chatting a while in broken English and sharing our Colorado family photo album with them they had cooked up a full on dinner!!! WOW! It was good after cycling all day! Rice, fish…good curry. Good night sleep and in the morning they were expecting us for breakfast as well. As Ryan and I were packing up our bikes, getting ready for a big day on our bikes, the family had taken Jade and Eva aside, bathed them once more, powdered them and put new clothes on them. This may not seem like a big deal to most of you reading this, but when you are cycling day after day, and you each brought 2-3 pairs of clothing and the only clothes washing has been done in a cold river or by hand in the sink of a hotel…..wow! Let me tell you. It was refreshing to see my two girls all freshly dressed and their cute little faces all powdered up…hair combed nice. What a blessing. It's been quite interesting…the way in which we have received life here on the other side of the world. In the states Ryan and I enjoy finding different creative ways we can bless others…the homeless, a man who needs a place to sleep and a good meal and shower for the night. It is interesting how things turn and come around in life sometimes…..actually quite unexpectedly. Preparing for this cycle tour through Asia, I was doing research on internet seeking different charities or missions we could join up with so that we could continue to bless and give of our lives…(because you know…that is the greatest joy in life…is to give of yourself. When we are self- cantered, we only seek more and are never satisfied.)We were told by a friend about this awesome opportunity in Laos…just north of Thailand …it is an organic farm community that is volunteers working together to help the poor there. Teaching the children English, making bricks to help build homes and growing crops…as cyclers, bikers…we are in a way, homeless. Seeking a different place each night to lay our heads. Travelling gypsies in a way. But it has allowed us to see the hand of God in impossible situations. What stands out to me the most is our journey over The Great Jungle Mountain Highway. (The Grik Highway they call it.)THE GREAT JUNGLE HIGHWAYSo we had a tough decision to make this fine day (7th of Feb.) We had heard rumours and read warnings on traveller's websites, about dangers in travelling up through the south eastern boarder of Thailand because there is conflict going on there even now as we speak. Bombings and random shootings in restaurants and marketplaces. The the violence is not targeted towards Americans or any foreigners; it is a conflict between Muslim and Buddhists. But if we chose not to go up north through the border of Thailand (east side) we would have to ride over a large mountain range they call The Great Jungle Highway that passes over these mountains from east to west. They warned that there were elephants in those jungles that come out from 6:00pm - 6:00am and to avoid being out in these times. These elephants are wild and will charge at you if you make noise. We chose the jungle highway. I was nervous and excited …Ryan was excited! He wanted to see those elephants! So we headed up those mountains that fine warm day. The kids were happy and clean in their new dresses, the family gave the kids some oranges and we were off! It was absolutely gorgeous jungle! Beautiful! We could hear the noises of larger animals in the trees …leaves rustling around, big thumps and grunts. I caught the glimpse, as I was riding, of a larger monkey and a very large Comoto Dragon (Iguana). It was indeed exciting! Climbing that hill was good exercise for sure! It felt good! Ryan pulling both kids in a trailer…about 150 pounds, I, Elisa, pulling all our stuff…95 pounds. But I sware that hill NEVER ended! One hour turned into 2…than 3…than about 4 hours of up hill climb on bikes. In the heat. On mountain passes I am use to hard up hill climb and than a fun down hill reward, than another up hill climb of good endurance and than fun down hill again. But this was tough for me at least. Ryan was ok but we had not realized the lack of any place to buy any food or water. After 4 hours of up hill climb I was not giving up in spirit or endurance, but my body was running on empty and I became delusional and shaky…sweaty…I couldn't keep from swerving. I was trying to ride in a straight line but I couldn't think straight. There were motorcycles and big trucks and buses once in a while speeding past and I felt the hairs on my arm stand as a car came dangerously close to my side. Tears filled my eyes as I felt my mind going into a state of psycho! The thing was …you ask why didn't we just stop and rest a while or set up camp and continue later…there was a steep cliff(up hill) of THICK jungle on our left…no place to set a tent, and a steep cliff down on our right. When we would stop for a breather and to drink water and meet the kid's needs, the heat was intense and we knew if we didn't keep moving we would be longer without food, shelter and a place to refill on water. We were sort of desperate, you know? I usually pray…my mind couldn't. We stopped and knew we had to. We asked a truck driver parked on the side of the road, if we could put our bikes on the back of his truck and get us over the mountain to nearest town. He spoke no English, didn't understand what we were requesting and just shook hisHead…no. God had placed at that exact spot, a sort of rest stop for travellers on the side of the road. It was not much …a water fall and a carved out parking lot…but we knew we could set up our tent there. There were some Malaysian men that had been working all day, reconstructing an old, open rest stop building and were sitting down for a break at the end of their day. Eating crackers and drinking coffee!!! Ryan asked if we could buy some food off them …we had children who were hungry and we were starved from riding all day. The man God placed at that construction site was like Jesus Christ himself! Incredibly kind and joyful and excited to meet our needs. He sat us down and handed over all their coffee and crackers and fish chips. We sat there and scarfed it down so fast. This man called his friend who would be driving up the mountain and requested that he by us some food. Meanwhile …they began to prepare a place inside the building being constructed…sweeping out the building and making a place for us to set up our tent. His friend arrived with their children and brought a bag of food….2 loaves of bread, 2 cans of sardines/fish, big package of crackers, and they gave us some cold rice they had left over. It was a feast I tell you! The most needed meal! We bathed in the water stream and crawled in our tent for the night. It was a pretty funny night! There were these really obnoxious jungle beetles that were VERY clumsy …the size of your big thumb. They would fly around and hit your head and the wall and the floor….and they cry…literally sounds like weeping or wineing ! Really loud and there were hundreds of them. I held my pee so long through that night because I didn't want to dart through all those huge beetles that stick to your hair and to your back and run into your face. It was a noisy night but very appreciated! In the morning, we spent some time flicking off the hundreds of beetles that had settled on our tent for the night.Next day was a lot of up hill but we were renewed and ready. Road all day, second half of the day was ALL DOWN HILL!!!! YIPEE!!! That put huge smiles on our faces and all I did was say "Thank you God thank you God ", and sang happy songs all the way down the mountain. The blessings kept pouring on in to us. There was not a bank anywhere where we could get more money out so we could still not buy food but we still had some crackers left. We pulled into this kind of flooded village that is ment to float on water. Don't ask J but the people were happy to see us there, ask all about our journey. Our kids were filthy again and we all smelled pretty bad from our sweat of long ridding. They took one look at us and began to bring out lots of treats. They must have realized what we had gone through. We had lots of chocolate cake, oranges, sweet rolls and bananas! We washed some clothes in the river, camped up above the floating village for all their guest rooms were filled…Chinese new year…all on vacation in the mountains and such. We had some Muslim families come set up their tent right next to ours for their vacation and they invited jade to come play with their kids and gave us A LOT of food! Rice and chicken, papaya pudding, birthday cake….YES…we were blessed with an overflow of food and welcoming smiles. Ryan finally found a man who would exchange $50 so now we have $56 dollars in ringi and are feeling rather rich.As we rode out in the morning …we realized the mountain climb was not over. We were now riding the ups and downs across the top of the mountain. We were a little concerned about not having refilled on water yet and desperately needed a gas station to buy water at. I prayed for a gas station as I was riding around the first corner and there..was a gas station in which the employees of the gas station began to heap more blessings upon us! They pulled off their shelves, bags of chips for the kids and juice box drinks and candy all free of charge…took our pictures and sent us on our way, stocked with electrolyte/ recharge drinks and lots of water! When we stopped for lunch at a little outdoor resonant, this Chinese family came up to us and gave Jade and Eva little toys and two lime cakes to enjoy for the ride. Wow…we are going to get fat I thought. Than after our full day ride into a city…we had found a bank but the ATM would not work so we enjoyed a drink and the air-conditioning at a Kentucky Fried Chicken and the manager came out and insisted on buying us two full meals with mashed potatoes and chicken and fries, cokes and ice cream!!! I tell you the blessing just keep coming, and places to rest, the Malaysian people wanted to keep on blessing. I remembered that God, my GREAT maker in Heaven is my personal friend and loving Father who said through Jesus Christ, " If a child asks his father for some bread to eat, to fill his hungry belly, will his father give him a stone? Of coarse not! He will give him what he needs. In the same way…your Father in Heaven knows your needs and will care for you."I remember the verse: " Now to Him (God) who is able to do, immeasurably more, than ALL we ask or can even imagine, according to His POWER that is at work within us! To Him is the GLORY in the church (all Christ's followers) and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever, Amen!"He took care of our little family abundantly more than all we could even ask or imagine! We are humbled by His POWER to do GREAT things! If you do not trust in God, Savoir of the world from its DARK powers (wars and violence and evil) …I encourage you to give God, YOUR maker and LOVER OF your individual soul, a chance.You will never regret it. I have a joy in my soul that the world can never steal away. The pleasures of this world…money, nice cars, big houses, vacations around the world, great success…can all be swept away with only one Tsunami, only one hurricane in New Orleans,one Earthquake or tornado or land slide….and it is ALL gone! For those of you reading that have been through something like that…you know. But the joy that comes from the lasting love to our souls from the HOLY spirit of Christ in YOU, is forever! Knowing that no matter what happens here on Earth…we have a REAL home in Heaven! Where we are NEW! No more tears…no more death…no more pain, Jesus told us through His word. I stand by this till I die.Feb 10th-12th Written By RyanI am sitting by a beautiful nice quite steam.Jade is swimming in the steam being the little fish that she is.Eva is playing in the shallow water under the close watch of Elisha.It is one of are many Kodak moments and I should be at peace and happy.Maybe humming a tune our reading a book.When in all actuality I am fuming over my map wondering why I can't find the stinking road that is clearly shown on my map.Hasn't anyone here in Malaysia heard of a thing called a street sign.We are kind of lost in the middle of nowhere and now we are down to about $10 dollars again, because apparently the Chinese own all the banks and seeing it Chinese New Year there all off parting somewhere and no bank where open in the last town Garik.Great dad I am, broke and lost.Well eventually we began to attract the attention of the locals as we always seem to do. Something about three beautiful blond girls, the bikes with the rickshaw carriage and the crazy guy with the shaved head, Malaysians find very interesting.Most of the time when we pull up anywhere there is a mixture of smiles, laughter, and dumb founded stares usually followed by snacks given to the kid which Elisha and I help them finish off as soon as we are out of eye site.Anyways soon we have about twenty people gathered around the crazy foreigners down by the stream in a little village that's not even on the map.Soon we turn into the afternoon entertainment at the village with people playing with Eva, Elisha and a several Malaysians trying to knock coconuts out of the trees for coconut milk, Jade getting a ride on the motor scooter, and the men hunch over my map on the ground explaining that the road I am looking for no longer exist.How a road just ups and disappears I am not exactly sure but apparently that is what has happened.I tell Elisha and jade that we should drink and eat as much of coconut as we since we don't have much ringi for food.The couple that took jade on the motor bike ride want to know where we will sleep to night. We tell them we will probably camp right here by the stream. They insist that we stay with them at there house. Well sure how can we refuse. It is Chinese New Year vacation and Nazri his wife their 2 sons and 3 other families (all relatives) are all staying together at grandma and grandpas house in the village.We immediately are made to feel very welcome and encouraged to take showers, maybe more for there sake then ours. Then all sit together on the floor for a regular Malaysian feast.I actually enjoy eating Malay style on the floor with your hands (I know this sound rather primitive but actually they are probably cleaner people then us always washing their hand and taking baths).In the states I think we try to stay some what disconnected to our food. Everything is neatly packaged from the supper market.Here it seems most things are home made and home grown. When you are eating a fish, it's a fish with the head not some clean piece of white meat.When eating with your hands you take some rice, a little meat, some sauce and you put it together in a nice little package on the first three fingers of your right hand and use your thumb to push it into your mouth.You try and never use your left hand because that is saved for duties that follow maybe a couple hours following dinner.Maybe I should clarify.If you have never had the pleasure of using an Asian or Middle Eastern toilet you are not missing much.It is a very un relaxing squatting proposed trying to hit the poop hole (and not fall in as jades foot got stuck once) and cleaning with the LEFT hand with the help of water and no TP.I actually have thought of a new strategy the US should use against the Taliban. Have a team of covert plumbers sneak into there camps and install nice western toilets for a proper sit down and maybe sit a copy of riders digest in Arabic on the back of the toilet.They would all enjoy there sit downs so much that they would not feel like planning any roadside bombs are blowing them self's up.Anyway sorry for going off on the bathroom humour, I will get back to our new friends. We are really treated as honoured guest and I think the first night we eat three meals at two different houses, so much for having to fill up on coconuts.They all really love our kids and I think that is part of the reason for the overwhelming kindness.Another plus in that many of the Malaysians speak fairly good English so we are able to have some good conversations.The "chief" of the village comes to the house and he is very happy that we have paid his village a visit.After a long night of eating and laughter we go to bed very happy and content. One of the things I have really come to enjoy about this trip is that usually the lowest moments are quickly followed by the most memorable moments.One minute you can be lost, broke and frustrated and the next being treated as if you where long lost friends by complete strangers.One moment I can be truly struggling up a mountain pass with my 150 lb load in 90 degree heat and the next moment I am experiencing sheer bliss flying down the most beautiful jungle highway imaginable.Maybe I have regressed to childhood where you truly live in the moment.The next day is an absolutely a wonderfully relaxing day.We start the day off swimming in the beautiful crystal clear stream directly behind there house with jade, Eva and the Malaysian children.The water is cool and very refreshing.Elisha out of respect of their Muslim culture gets to swim fully dressed. There is definitely a little discrepancy between men and women in the Muslim culture as for as dress goes.The men come to dinner in a bath towel and the women must wear a multi level dress and complete head covering (When we arrived at the house Elisha was fitted out in a wrap around dress and shirt). Anyways it all good because I am a man Ha Ha, you got a bath towel I need to get ready for dinner. I have lost track how many times we have eaten today, five maybe six? Are you sure you don't want some more rotti chini (a wonderful thin pancake you dip in curry or sweet milk) maybe some more curry chicken, or how about some coconut rice. Before we left on this trip maybe we should have conditioned our self for the eating rather then the cycling.We do more swimming in between eating.In the after noon we go to a Muslim ceremony for a baby dedication.When I approached the house I wonder why all the men are sitting outside on the porch. After ten minuets of singing/chanting I am ready to join them.I make my escape when the "chief" ask me to visit his house and I leave Elisha and the kids with the chanting women, the baby in the ceremonial hammock, and the more food that will surly follow.After the "chief" quickly uses up his English phrases I take out my photos and show him my Ebo(mom), papa and then we kind of just stare at the wall a bit till I tell him I must find my wife.He tells me he is very happy I visited his house and wants us to spend the night at his house. I have to decline because we have already accepted an invitation to stay the night neighbours house.I suppose if it went for the fact that we would get so fat that we wouldn't be able to mount our bike let alone ride them we could probably go on for a week staying with people in the village and eating.It in now about 10:00 pm and I going out with a man I just met (the son of Rokiah the lady staying with the second night) to tap some rubber trees.I hind find out tapping rubber trees consist of tramping around in the woods with a sharp knife tool and scrapping a small layer of bark off so the rubber continues to drip.I think I will appreciate my next new set of Firestones much more.After a filling breakfast we are sent off by are large group of are new friends. There is about a half hour of shaking ever ones hand Malay style.You hold their hand with two hands bow slightly and bring your hands to your heart symbolizing that they are close to your heart. If the person is much older then you might either kiss their hand or touch your head to your hand.We get many invites to come and visit the different families that live in various parts of Malaysia when they are not on holiday. In a strange way I feel like these are good friends even though we have only known them for a few days. We all say that we hope to meet again knowing that there is a good chance we will not see each other again.We make plans to stay with a lady named Sarah on the Island of Padang off the west coast of Malaysia.She and her husband have three kids (two girls that are close in age to jade and Eva) and she is very excited about us staying with them.It is about a two day cycle about 100 mi with a nice mountain pass to go over. The pass is very steep and beautiful.There is almost no traffic on the road and the ride down is probably one of the most fun down hills I have ever experienced. The road is smooth and curvy and the jungle mountain vistas are stunning.Both Elisha and I are smiling and laughing so much that we have a good little collection of bugs in our teeth by the time we are at he bottom of the pass.Lick your teeth and swallow and now you have your protein for the day After dinner and decided to cycle a bit through the quite villages in country side.It is starting to get dark and we are looking for a camp site whena group of young teen age boy on motor scooter ride up along side us.This has happened several time where people on motor scooter ride along side us and we have little conversations while riding. It is quite entertaining and you don't lose any time cycling. When we tell them that we will camp they all keep on saying home stay, home stay.Whatever a home stay is it sound good so we follow them. They take us to a house in a little village that has a sign in the front yard that says home stay in English.The family comes out on the porch and invites us in and gives us tea.These Malaysian people all have such easy smiles and a kind and gentle way about them I always feel so at ease with them.Shamsudun and his wife and three daughters run this home stay which is like a bed and breakfast but they also make you dinner.They typically charge 20 rg, about $6 per day for food and lodging.When we explain or problem of not being able to get money and tell them we will be very happy to camp.They insist that we stay at no charge and proceed to make us some of the best Malaysian food we have had to date.There house is modest but probably one of the nicest we have stayed in since being in Malaysia. Even though they know we have no ringi they are really trying to persuade us to stay multiple days and see more of their village, which we probably would have if the family in Padang was not expecting us. When we leave in the mourning they give Elisha a cloth skirt and jade and Eva a ten ringi note each.I find all the generosity we have experienced in the last week very humbling.Shamsudun is a teacher and probably makes very little, here we should be paying them for the home stay and they are giving us gifts and money. We take down their address with hopes to send them a gift later. If I had known the bank situation I would have never tried to travel for a week with a wife and two kids on fifty dollars.I think if I had felt all self sufficient with my pocket stocked with ringi I would have not had to rely on the amazing hospitality and kindness of people and missed out on the huge blessing of seeing God providing for us when ever we had a need.The amazing thing about giving is you see the pleasure it give to those that are giving and you realize that everyone is getting blessed.Elisha and I talked tonight and we both want to continue to minister to others with hospitality and opening our home to others so we can meet their needs and receive the blessing of serving others. Later in the day I finally find an ATM that works. As I but the ringi in my pocket there is not the feeling of relief I thought I would have but more of sadness. Perhaps life on the road is better when your pockets are empty and your heart is full?
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