Memories In Asia: March 2014

We are all proud of our kids. But let's be honest, most of the time when we brag about one of child's accomplishments, there is a little (or maybe a big) piece of us bragging about ourselves because we managed to do something right in this difficult task of raising children (and we should be proud of ourselves). So here is my, "Pat Myself (and Chris) on the Back, disguised as Look How Awesome My Kid Is" post!

Photo Credits to Mr. Miller

Last month, we took a family trip to deliver flood relief. This was Chris and Dustin's first trip into a Jakarta Kampung. We explained the purpose of the trip to Dustin, but I honestly didn't think he got too much out of it. He's not a fan of the attention he gets by the locals in Indonesia and this attention was at a premium in the Kampung. He shied away from the constant touching and spent most of the day clinging to Chris and hiding from photos.

We talked about the trip at dinner that night, but other than hearing Chris and I talk about flooding amongst ourselves or us asking Pak Firman how his family was faring with all the rain, we never really talked about it with Dustin again.

Last week, as we were walking to school, it started raining. Not a measly little Arizona rain, but a true tropical downpour. Dustin watched the water accumulate into puddles very quickly and turned to me.

"Mommy, those people we visited are going to get flooded again. Their houses are going to fill up with water. Do you think they will still have food?"

I honestly told him I didn't know.

And he said, "Mommy? Maybe we should bring them some."

Insert swelling heart here.

I was so proud that my 4 year old made such a great connection nearly a month later and that he was able to see the consequences of the weather beyond the fact that it meant he wasn't going to be able to play on the playground that day.

These JIS Volunteers are standing on the river bank. You can see how the homes are below the river and will easily flood every time the river overflows.