Over 1000 Days Old!

Happy Birthday to Finn! This year he got to celebrate with both sets of grandparents, all his cousins, aunts, and uncles, as we took a whirlwind trip back to the USA in July. We wanted to get him checked with out doctor just to be sure he is okay, and he came out with a clean bill of health! It's been over 9 months since his last seizure! Thanks for the prayers, they are helping.

During the brief stint in the States, we did lots of business, some quick family stops, and Tim bought all his books for the next school year. With worms, mold, and humidity as paper's nemeses, it was vital to purchase some fresh books that won't give the student's some funky lung fungus. Yes, it has happened before.

The graduating six of 2009 at Amazon Valley Academy went out with a grand ceremony in the transformed gym. Mr. Stewart opened the ceremony in prayer, then we enjoyed a sermonette, songs, slide shows, and salgados (salty snacks). The graduates are heading to various countries for Bible school, college, or work. We are proud of their accomplishments and pray for a grace-filled future for each of them.

Rainy season (December through May) ended with a splash! George is standing in our front yard. Our neighbor Lizzie will try to get home from school on her bike...ha! The roads were something else too! Unfortunalty, you can't take a dip when it rains like this, because the internal worms you might get will stay with you long after the puddles have evaporated.

A game night at our house with the 9/10th graders. Pictionary. No matter what country you are in, the girls will ALWAYS win!!! HA! Getting to know the students here is one of our major focuses, and time together at our house (complete with food of some sort) is the best way to do it!

An average sized latanja fruit from a tree in our yard. It's the cousin of the grapefruit, and has a thinker skin and a much more acidic taste. Always fun to see what will pop out on our trees!

Come get your program from George for Curse you Jack Dalton!, the melodrama perfomed by the AVA drama club. I (Jill) was able to co-direct, act in, and do the make-up and hair for the performance. It was a hit! But why was I cast as "Mother Dalton" when I still feel 16? Doing hair and make up in a climate where even your moisturizer drips off your face in sweat was a challenge, but I want to thank Redken hair products for their amazing hair spray and Evangeline who gave me a bottle of it!

I'll be with you in jambo blossom time

Adventures in Tropical Fruit

Chapter 2

The jambo tree (Syzygium jambos) produces bright pink flowers that are edible! The brilliant-colored stamen are tangy and refreshing, plus there is always the chance of getting a little extra insect protein. We have five big jambo trees in our yard. George and I picked several bucketfuls. The rest of the fruit provided food for countless bugs and birds.
The jambo fruit resembles an apple, in fact the people around here call it the apple of Para (our state).
The flesh of the jambo looks like an apple in color, but has a sort of melony texture. Hard to describe the taste. Some say Granny Smith, some say grape, most say jambo. It cooks into an excellent cobbler; no doubt one could also make a killer pandowdy, an astounding buckle, or an unbelievable brown Betty, if one had the proper ingredients and the appropriate motivation.

Nothing quite like a bowl of hot jambo crisp topped with cool whipped cream after a humid day in the tropics.

We're Koo-Koo For Cacao Pods

Adventures in Tropical Fruit

Chapter 1

On one of our recent walks around campus, we found a ripe Cacao ('kuh-cow') fruit. It is where cocoa comes from, except we don't call it that down here, because the word 'cocoa' means feces. After cracking the pod, we sucked the incredibly sweet pulp off the seeds. I guess if we were really dedicated we would let the seeds ferment, then dry them, roast them, polish them, and make milk chocolate out of them. But this time we just marvelled at how sweet the pulp is and how bitter the seeds are.