Another Dalager point of view

Guest Blog by Holly Dalager

I’m here!! At the advice of our former pastor and missionary friend, I decided to come halfway around the world to see first-hand what Jacob has been doing these last 9 months, to get to know the children he is working with, and  to acquaint myself with this beautiful country.  So, after months of planning, the trip is finally happening!  (Thanks, Karl for being so gracious in letting me come while you stay home and work!)

The journey was very long, but not as bad as I thought it might be.  I was able to sleep a bit during the longest flight, that being from Newark to Hong Kong (15 1/2 hours!).  The Hong Kong airport is extremely modern and navigable, so even though I was alone, it was easy to change money,  book a shuttle bus and check into my hotel without any problems.

Everything had gone as smoothly as possible until the last flight from Hong Kong to Kota Kinabalu, when we were detained on the runway for 90 minutes due to heavy traffic.  Oh well.  Jacob and I eventually had a joyous reunion with lots of hugging and tears!

My first impression of Malaysia is that it is as hot as they say…..and humid, too.  The weather is probably the biggest challenge Jacob has faced this year.  There really is not much relief from the heat, as only a few shops and malls have air conditioning.   The old, broken-down Ford van we ride around in has no air conditioning nor does the vent work.  It’s open windows only.   It cools off a bit at night, and sometimes when it is pouring rain.  (Yes, they have torrential rains that last several hours most afternoons.)  But enough about the weather — you’ve no doubt heard about that from Jacob.

Jacob’s residence is a nice house 1/2 mile from the Jireh Home.  He has beautiful tropical flowers growing in front and lots of fruits  around back.  His plumbing is less than ideal, but this is a third-world country, so my expectations were not high.

So far this week we have been taking 5 – 6 kids each day to a different outing.  This serves two purposes — Jacob is able to show me the main attractions while rewarding the kids and broadening their horizons.  The Jireh Home children are from the interior of the Borneo, and have had very few life experiences outside their villages.

The first day some of the kids went with us to the Harvest Festival.  Unfortunately we were rained out.  It was coming down like crazy for about 4 hours.  We watched traditional music and dancing, sampled some food, but finally were tired of dodging from one tent to another, waiting for the rain to subside, so we ran back to the van, dripping wet.

Tuesday we took another group to the town of Tuaran where we started the morning with bubble tea, then went to the Chinese pagoda and climbed to the top to see the view of Tuaran and the village where Jacob lives.  Out of necessity, we had to shop for new sandals for one of the boys because his kept breaking and he couldn’t walk.   They were the only shoes he owned.  Then we all shared noodles with pork

Wednesday we took some kids to a crocodile farm where we fed the poi fish, watched a show and cheered on Jacob as he attempted to dance between the moving bamboo poles.  We also had ice cream bars with red beans in the middle.

Yesterday,  others went with us to a beautiful waterfall.  Those kids are like little agile monkeys, climbing all over the wet, rocky and uneven surfaces with no problem.  (My mom would have had a nervous breakdown if she had seen them!)  They had a blast diving into the deep parts and swimming around.

Today was the “mystery tour” for those who were brave enough to select that outing.   We drove to an aquarium, which was just one room filled with tanks of coral, sea turtles and fish.  Since that didn’t take long, we ventured way out to an orchid farm.  We saw a few really amazing flowers and hiked up and down in the Borneo hills looking at orchids.  Unfortunately for us, the flowers are more prolific during the dry season — we are definitely still in the rainy season.    Afterward, we ate lunch in a halal cafe before heading back.

I brought along several toys and games, such as friendship bracelet kits, screaming balloon rockets, UNO cards, etc.  Everything has been a big hit with the kids.  It’s so fun to see their joy when they receive something so simple.  They were absolutely thrilled to each receive a glow bracelet, and they love playing UNO with me.  Jacob had also asked me to bring the Playstation, so he is excited to get that going.

The children at the Jireh Home (“for underprivileged, abused and neglected children”) really like Jacob.  They call him “brother” (actually it sounds more like “bruddah“) and it is fun to see him interacting with them.  They like to joke around, but also they respect him.  He has taught them many Christian songs which they love to sing, has improved their English and taught several of them to play the organ and guitar.

My impression of the kids is that they are fairly well-behaved and respectful.  They know what their duties are and don’t seem to complain (although I don’t speak Malay, so who knows what they are babbling about?!).  At mealtime, nobody takes a bite of their food until everyone has gotten their food and chair, and is seated out on the patio.  Then someone says “pray” and they all bow their heads to pray silently.  Then the same child says “amen” and they all begin to eat.  Each one has his/her own plastic plate and bowl and cup.  They wash their own dishes in a long sink after each meal and set them on a rack to dry.  Different children help clean the tables and sweep after each meal and snack.  They wash out their own uniforms after school and take showers before dinner.

I’m sweaty all the time……nevertheless, I’m having a great time.  I’ve seen lots of smiles and pure joy.

Jacob has sacrificed a lot to work here.  In addition to taking a year out of his young life, he also spends a portion of his own meager stipend to help facilitate special experiences for a few kids each month.  And it is amazing to hear him speaking Bahasa Malaysia fluently, having learned it in a few short months.   He is truly doing an excellent job with the kids and the staff here, and  I believe his presence here this year will leave a lasting impression in the lives of these disadvantaged children.   I’m so proud of my son! (Don’t you dare edit this out, Jacob!)

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