Cats, Coffee and Prophets

We have adopted a mascot here in Malaysia. On the walk home last night from the night market, Niklos and Hailey picked up a stray cat. This cat has a tail, which believe it or not is rare for cats here. Most of the cats around here look like their tails have been cut off at some point. A couple of our roommates don't like the cat, but my Dutch friends in charge of the house like him so he stays! The girls named him Shadow, which if you ask me is quite a cliche name for a black animal, but no one liked my suggestion of Frank. He looks like a Frank.

I finally got my package from my aunts and uncles today. It was much needed, with the coffee and all. I have given away a couple of the Slim Jims in the package and so far Peter and Adrian love them, which prompts me to watch them closely. I have already had some coffee and I am soon to have another cup. It is so good to be off of the dissolving rock "coffee" that is Nescafe. Getting the package, however, wasn't the easiest thing I have done since I have been here. Peter, a Malaysian-Indian co-DTS student, accompanied me, which was really beneficial in the long run. We had to take cab to the jetty to catch the ferry to the mainland, which is where the customs post office is. It took us about 2.5 hours to get there. At the post office, I had to open my package in front of the customs agent, let him rummage through, and then wait in another line for the people to decide if they wanted to tax me for "importing." Of course, since Peter was with me, some other languages were being spoken and I got out of that line tax-free. After that, I had to wait in another line to sign for the package, where they needed my initials and my passport number. I reached in my pocket and realized my passport was on my shelf back at the house. I froze. Instantly my mind began racing, "Deportation...detention...etc." Then Peter wrote his ID number on the slip and they thanked us and sent us on our way. Needless to say, I was relieved. All in all, it was about a 4.5 hour trip, but the taste of good coffee makes it worth every second.

The past couple of days, we have stayed on the Bible overview from a historical standpoint. It has been great. I really enjoy learning about hitorical perspective of biblical times. We are a considerable way through the OT, that's "Old Testament" for you new christians, spending just a little time on the prophets. It has been a pretty enjoyable week so far, but nothing soul shaking has happened yet. If it does, I promise you'll be the first informed. Thanks for reading!