Cooking Eggs

Tison is only speaking English now with an occasional Indonesian word thrown in when he doesn't know the word. He told us he wanted to cook some eggs. So he began giving us the list of things he needs just like a good cook. First, eggs and then a bowl. He took a fork and mixed the two eggs in the bowl. Then he said I need some bawang puti. That is garlic and he let us know it was not onions. No--not onions. He carefully sliced the garlic and put the slices in the eggs. He put the coconut oil in the frying pan and poured the eggs into the pan. It wasn't long and he was enjoying his eggs.

He is so much fun. This summer has been really full for him. He spent a lot of time at the lake with friends. He told us about the fox and beaver he saw at the lake. He will be in line for his next surgery this month--one more step closer to repairing his injuries.

Feeding the Bears

Normally--we would be told to NOT feed the bears. But Tison got to see and help feed two black bears owed by Ron and Sharon Richards. Samson the male and Delilah the smaller female have been a part of Ron and Sharon's family since they were very small. They live in a five acre fenced forested area and are not treated as pets. These huge bears are respected as wild animals but are cared for and nurtured by the Richards.

Tison got the chance to see these bears last night. He was amazed and even got to watch Ron feed them. Tison asked a lot of questions and helped prepare the food they would have for their meal. He loved the experience and kept talking about the bears all the way home.

Approved

Tison has had three surgeries in the last six months. He had a cold on the day his second surgery was scheduled, so it was set back three weeks due to the congestion. His left foot is really looking good. The graft around his ankle has allowed the foot to start to lay in the normal flat position. He had remarkable changes in his burned right hand and scaring on his face.

It was clear that he was in need of more surgeries and would need more time here in the U.S. We made the application to extend his visa. He was awarded another six months stay in the U.S. Our hope is he will get the surgeries he needs in the next six months. His right foot needs the same surgery he had on the left foot. His ears need reconstruction and he has heavy scars that really bother him.

Tison has done well and is speaking predominately English. He has a couple friends he likes to play with. This summer he has been to Hawaii and jet skiing on Harding Lake. It is amazing to him that it is light so late into the night.

BGAN

The amazing technology of this day allows us to communicate with our leaders in Indonesia. We have a satellite phone for emergencies and outgoing calls. We also have a system called BGAN to send emails. It connects to a satellite and then sends the message. We are charged a flat rate and beyond the allowed minutes we are charged for each additional minute.

I am writing about this because right now the BGAN is out of operation. It is being repaired but could take some time to be installed at the base.

We are actually looking for a better system. Hopefully we can upgrade the communications. These are the challenges to being so remote. We are at the end of the earth.