The flight into Sibu was pretty rocky. I felt bad that Gene and Ann have to fly like that all the time, but even they said it was a pretty bad flight. Ann said that she thinks the beginning pilots are given the Kuching-Sibu route. I was practicing my deep breathing and holding my belly on some of those bumps! President Clement picked us up at the airport – I guess he picks up all the missionaries when they get in. He lives in Sibu-Jayu and drives a taxi there.
Gene and Ann’s home is beautiful. They say it is pretty big for just them, and they are welcoming all the noise Elise brings. :o) There are 3 bathrooms, and they are pretty cool, because there is no separate shower area; the whole thing is tile and you just shower in it. I love it! After making visits tonight I took a cool shower – didn’t turn on the hot water at all, but the water was hot by the time it reached my toes! It is so hot and humid here!
At 5pm we went to a neighborhood called Sentosa (pronunciation here is very similar to Spanish) because Gene and Ann do a mini-seminary lesson with a 14- and 17-year-old sister and brother. Their parents (Igal & Tara) don't speak a lick of English, similar to my Malay, but they smile a lot and were very kind. They fed us chicken curry, rice, corn and watermelon (and don't tell the health department lady, but I ate some watermelon), as well as juice (which I really can't drink - they don't use filtered water) and hot Milo (like hot chocolate, but not so sweet). I've never had chicken curry before, and it was GOOD! Elise loved the rice and corn. At the end of the dinner Ann invited 5 kids who were playing outside to come in and play Book of Mormon Bingo. It was fun – the kids are so cute! It’s nice that smiles go across language barriers, because my Malay is limited to only a few words: tarimi kasi (thank you), cantik (beautiful), bagus (good), anuk (child), tuju (seven) and selemat pagi (good morning).
During the lesson there were a bunch of kids playing outside in the front, and soon Elise slipped out to the porch to watch them. She also wanted to see the rooster and chickens. After a little while she came in and quietly told me, "I feel a little embarrassed because they all have black hair and I have blonde hair." I told her that I understand completely how she feels - how many people did she see with spots all over them like me? But then I reminded her of the color of her eyes and told her to look at the other children's eyes - they were all brown, just like hers. She brightened up and ran outside again. This experience is something I'm so glad we can share with Elise. She is soaking everything up and not being very shy at all - even when the people touch and exclaim over her hair. :o)
After visiting with Raymona and Alexander we went to visit the newly called primary president, Umban. She is probably younger than me, and she and her husband have a 7-year-old boy. They lived in a house similar to Gene and Ann's, the exception being that they lived in one room. Other families rented out the other rooms, and they share the kitchen and bathroom. All their belongings were in that one room, and most of the space was clear. A bed (a mat on box springs) for them, a mat for their son, a tv, a small refrigerator and some shelves for clothes. That is it. Sister Umban also brought us snacks, and fortunately we had an Iban elder with us to translate, so he could explain why Elise and I couldn't have the juice (doctor's orders, you know).
These people are amazing. So happy and willing to give us all they have. I was so done being a tourist in Singapore and Kuching – so glad to be home in Sibu!
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