Easy week

This week we had the midterm test for all of our English classes. The only reason we give the test is that the students want it. I think it makes then feel that the course is legitimate and has value. Test day is always the best attended class. This is a picture of one of the three rooms we had filled with students.

We went to Bali this week for our semi annual senior missionary conference. Bali is such a great vacation destination. This super hamburger, fries and a smoothie came to less than $5. The conference was much more of a vacation than a conference. Most of the time we spend sightseeing and just hanging out at the beach. It was hard to return back to Timor-leste.

This is a close-up of the sand on the beach. The holes are the boroughs of small crabs and the little balls of sand are the sand that they had dug out. It was all over the beach.

These are all the senior missionaries and the mission president and his wife. We attended a Hindu play which required that we wear this ceremonial wrap around our legs. All of the senior missionaries will be returning home soon. We are the last ones to leave. Of this group so far only one set is being replaced. It's hard to get senior missionaries to go to Indonesia. These are all hardy people. The couple on the left are both in their 80s.  He was born in Indonesia as part of a Dutch colony. She was born in an internment camp in Indonesia during World War II.

This is the Uluwatu Temple Amphitheatre. They are performing the Kecak Fire Dance show. In one of the later parts of the show they spread some straw around the perimeter of the stage area and light it on fire.

It's a very complicated and symbolic story that is portrayed only by actions and not speech. The performers sitting on the floor without shirts on are part of the choir that perform almost a continuous chant throughout the presentation

This is the white monkey who ends up being the star of the show

As you walk down the beach walk in Bali you go by the entrances of a lot of nice hotels. We traveled back on Sunday to Timor-leste. We postponed church until 3 to give us time to get back. There are certain advantages of having a very small congregation.

Here's a video of the play. The chanting you can hear goes on for almost an hour straight. The play runs every day and is always sold out. The theater is beautiful, overlooking the ocean. They packed the theater. Once all the seats are full then they have people set on the exit ways. The place is packed. A quick evacuation would be interesting.