KATHY AND JOHN ARE HERE

Halelujia and Yipee!!!  Kathy and John arrived!  They got here on Firday morning, May 3 at 12:40 am -- that's right AM.  We had to wait until way into the night to finally get to see them.  I was so excited I couldn't sleep anyway.  I just ran to them when I finally saw them in the waiting area.  I was bawling and laughing and crying and smiling so so big.  What a wonderful day/night.  And we have been going ever since.  Friday was spent showing them around KK and letting them get accostomed to the heat and humidity.  When we walked out of the airport they both went Whew at the same time.  The humidity always takes people by surprise.  I guess we are used to it now because I don't hardly notice it any more -- except for my hair.  My hair really takes notice and sits up and salutes and twists itself into a tight coil.  Well, I digress.  Enough about my hair.

This is at the over look with all of KK city in the background.  You can also see  the sea ports and some of the mountains from this outlook.  It is a spectacular view.  On Friday we also took them to the open air fruit and vegetable market and then they went with us to visit a potential project we are working on.

Saturday, Kathy and John were doing white water rafting on the Padas River.  It has class 3 and 4 rapids.  We were picked up at our condo early in the morning -- 5:15 am (what's all this am time?  Makes me tired)
From our condo we were put on a very nice motor coach bus with nice seats and air con.  Great.  We had to ride on the coach for about 1 1/2 hours to the city of Beaufort.  In Beaufort we had to transfer to a train for the rest of our voyage into the interior -- jungle.  The first train we got on was probably built in 1940/1950 and was pulled by a steam engine.  There were about four passenger cars with seating for only about 20 per car.  There were a lot more on the train than that.  (Aside -- it is election day in KK today and apparently you must go back to your original Kampung--village--to vote. Kinda reminds me of having to go to Bethlehem to pay taxes).  Back to the train,  two kind boys did offer their seats to Kathy and me but Ben and John had to stand all the way to the next station where we had to transfer trains again.

This is our next train.  Only two cars and all these people are waiting to get on.  There is the red car and the white car.  The red car had seats -- the white car didn't.  It was standing or sitting on the floor only and was like a cattle car.  In fact, we all saluted with a loud MOO as we got on.  Guess which car we ended up on?  Not the red one.

 If you look behind the Marlboro man in the white shorts, you can see Kathy and John standing behind him

These are a couple of views from inside the white cattle car.  They did keep the doors open so we could get some air.  It was a very bumpy, hot, jerky, hot and crowded ride.  I got a new appreciation for the poor Jewish people in WWII.  But it was a great experience.  We all four said how we were really enjoying ourselves and experiencing something 90% of the rest of the world will never get the opportunity to try.  We loved it.  We really did.

Ben and I got off at this station in the middle of nowhere.  A rather nice station don't you think?  Most of the other stations were nothing like this.  Just a bench on the side of track where you waited for the train to come by.  The Padas river is on the right side.  Kathy and John continued up the river on the train for about another 20 minutes til they got to the place where they put in.  Ben and I weren't comfortable rafting since we are missionaries, so we didn't do the actual rafting.

I thought I would walk the line and see if I could catch up with the rafters.  Isn't it beautiful countryside?  It was truly a beautiful ride all the way.

But we did help this lady, the lunch cook, with her supplies and food for everyone's lunch when they got off the river.

Kathy and John getting off the river after rafting.  They both said the water was great and the waves and white water was also fantastic.  John got thrown out of the boat on one stretch.  But he is such a river rat anyway that he was back in the boat before he was missed.  I'm so glad they got this experience and I'm so glad we got to go with them.  I just so much enjoy being with them after all this time.  I can't stop smiling!

This is the nice picnic area where we had lunch.  It was really Kathy and John's first taste of true Malaysian food and they really enjoyed.  Of course there was rice, but there was also watermelon, honey dew melon, cabbage salad, beans, chicken and lamb.  It was pretty good.  After lunch it was back on the two car train for the ride back to Beaufort.  We transferred to the four car train further down the line and Kathy got this picture looking out the window of the four car train.  

Here we are sitting -- we actually got a seat this time because we cheated but that's another story -- in the four car train on the way back to Beaufort.  It was hot and jerky and hot and bumpy and hot and crowded but again, what an adventure.

We all came home and rushed and got showered and headed over to the church for a baptism.  Sis. Verronica was baptized and she is quite the new member.

Today is voting day in Malaysia.  Every five years they elect a new prime minister and cabinet and other offices.  There has been a whole lot of campaigning going on.  And today it comes to an end.  We only had one hour of church with both branches combined today so everyone could vote. Pres. Mains and the Hong Kong Asia Area Presidency advised all missionaries that they were to go directly home after the meeting and they were to stay in their apartments the remainder of the day.  They didn't want anyone proselyting or visiting today.  In the past elections they have had some trouble, so just to be on the safe side, all missionaries are to stay home.  Not much fun for John and Kathy being cooped up all afternoon.  But Ben, Kathy and John did take a hike on the hill behind our condo.  That's our condo in the background.  See me waving from the 14th floor right hand corner?

What a great week we have had!  Did I mention Kathy and John are here?  Can you see my big smile reflecting in the sun?  One thing would have made the week better -- GRANDKIDS!!!!

Love to all and we miss all of you so so much.  Please drop us a line if you can.  We would love to know what is happening in your lives too.  God bless you all.  E/S Read