Corn Syrup=???

So, last week I was reading Terry Lea's blog and stumbled across this Monster Cookie recipe.  I knew that I had to make those immediatly.  So, on Saturday afternoon Gary and I started the hunt for all of the ingredients.  When I say that I'm going to fix something I forget to put into account that I'm not in the states and don't have the same Kroger or Publix that I always go to where I know where everything is.  Some things we found pretty easily like the butter, both sugars, peanut butter, oats, eggs, m&m's and choc chips, but there were some items I became a little nervous about.  After looking a while we finally found the baking soda and vanilla, but the corn syrup was just throwing us for a loop.  The major issue was that neither one of us knew what we were looking for.  We kept going back to the corn oil and saying well maybe that's what she meant.  Instead of buying the corn oil and just guessing we decided to go back to the room and google substitutions for corn syrup. 
*Side Note:When I am at home I usually just call my mom or grandmother when I'm at the store and ask for substitutions, but since it was in the middle of the day here, that means it was in the middle of the night at home.  I don't think they would have appreciated me waking them up to ask about corn syrup.*
So, we bought all the other ingredients and started back up to the room.  On the way I remembered that we don't have a cookie sheet in our room, so Gary took all of the groceries and headed up to the room to see what we could substitute for corn syrup.  I ran back down to Cold Storage (the name of the grocery store) and grabbed the cheapest cookie sheet, which happened to be the set of 16 with 15 cookie cutters included :), then headed back upstairs.  When I got there and started looking at all the ingredients I remembered we also don't have measuring cups or spoons.  So, back down to cold storage I go, without the information  on corn syrup replacements because the MAC was frozen.  I go back to the same aisle that I got the cookie sheet from thinking that the measuring cups would be there.  At this point I have 2 options: 1)wait to make the cookies after the leadership workshop we are going to be heading to at around 4 or 2) run to Carrefour. 
*Side Note: Just a little info about Carrefour.  It is like a Wal-Mart in it's structure, merchandise, and busy-ness, therefore, running in and running out is usually unheard of. *
I decide on option 2 and scurry along to Carrefour.  Once inside I have no idea where to begin to find a measuring cup.  I would ask somebody, but everytime I ask I get no results and they just stare at me like I'm speaking another lanuage (no pun intended, well maybe a little).  I go to the cooking aisle and am having the hardest time finding one, but low and behold I finally find one hidden behind some pots.  I grab it and head to check-out, remembering that the lines are probably ridiculously long.  However, I find the fast lane and I was in and out of Carrefour in record time.  I run back up to the room and Gary says that the people who are coming to pick us up for the workshop will be there in 10 minutes!!!  10 minutes???  I had to rush and get in the shower, therefore, leaving the cookies to bake when we got home.  We got home early enough to go on another hunt for corn syrup.  Gary had finally been able to search substitutions, but he couldn't really remember them all, but he did remember molasses.  Gary had a pretty bad headache so we ran to the pharmacy to get him some medicine and saw molasses.  We decided not to buy it and go to another supermarket that Gary knew about.  The Jusco supermarket is quite close to Carrefour and I don't know how I never knew it was there.  Once again we looked for corn syrup and this time we even asked somebody.  With no luck we decided to go back to cold storage to see if we could find molasses or possibly even corn syrup.  I had asked Gary several times that day if Karo syrup was on the list and he couldn't remember.  He kept saying he didn't know what that was.  Well, I knew I had seen some in cold storage earlier so when I stumbled across it again I yelled at him to come see so he would know.  I picked it up and...what do you know...that is the same thing as corn syrup!!!!!  The hunt was finally over and the cookie making began!!!

I didn't have a big bowl like Terry does to mix her ingredients, so I had to use a big pot.  And come to find out there was a cookie sheet stored away in the oven, which was a good thing because it would have taken me twice as long to bake these cookies with only one sheet.  Oh and they use the metric system here, so we had to google everything to make sure that we put the right amount in the mixture.  Didn't know how to work the oven so after, I thought, I had been pre-heating the oven for a while it was still ice cold.  I had to call the housekeeping people to come and help me.  She really didn't know what she was doing either, but somehow she figured it out.  THANK GOODNESS!

In conclusion, I took the cookies to church on Sunday and they were a big hit!!  So, I guess all the stress was worth it huh??

If you want some great recipes check out Terry's blog.

Side of the road dining

After the Cell Group Steven Shee and his wife Eileen took us back to the hotel.  Well, when we are with Steven and Eileen they like to show us the good places to eat.  We had a little to eat at the cell group, but we were both still a little hungry. 

We were driving a long the road and out of nowhere a restaurant appears.  It was a pretty busy road that we were on and cars were just pulled over to park for this restaurant.  It was quite scary!  But the food was not scary at all, it was delicious!!!

I ordered apple juice and this is what it looked like.  It tasted just like a granny smith apple!!  I LOVED IT!!!!

The restaurant from the road.  I would have scooted back further, but I might have gotten run over.

From the side parking lot.

Gary, Steven, and Eileen

Jalapenos for appetizer?? 

My delicious food.  I don't remember what they call it, but it was good!  So, Terry Lea are you happy I took a picture???

Cell Group

I can't remember the reason they call this the cell group, but it's something about a nuclues and how it grows and forms or something like that.  Either way, cell group is for non-Christians/newer Christians.  The care group that we had the night before was for the more mature Christians. 

When we arrived there were not very many people there, but as the time passed more and more people started arriving.  There were only 2 new students there, but we hope to have more next week. 

We shared a lot last night.  First of all, every Sunday the youth group "checks in" with each other.  They tell the 3b's...Blessings, Burdens, Breakthroughs that they have had that week.  Well, last night we just narrowed it down to 2b, Blessings and Burdens.  We then changed from burden to complaint, to make it easier to understand.  We each told our name, what we do, and our blessing and burden for the week.  My blessing was of course my PROMOTION and my burden was my India Visa.  Gary and I are supposed to be leaving for India next Friday and I still haven't recieved confirmation on my visa...SCARY!!!  I even just checked again while typing this : ). 

Then Chee Hoe had a couple of other questions that he asked to open up the discussion.  The first one was "Why are you here?" and the second was "Do you have a group of friends who meet on a weekly basis and if you don't do you want one?"  I think these were good questions to start off with for the new guys.  They were able to hear why we all came and how we will continue to be interested in coming so hopefully they will do the same and bring friends along. 

Matthew and Chee Hoe, the leaders of the group

Gary and Nanan

view from front porch of church building

This was also the first bible study that took place in the new church building.  There have been some members who took off work this week to make sure that the building is ready for our meeting on Saturday.

Care Group

Last night Gary and I had the opportunity to attend a care group in the home of Brother Gan and his wife Christi.  They do this for the college students who have been with them for a while and are ready to move on to more meaty Bible study. 

Our study was on Luke 14:26-35.  It just amazes me how things that I can read over and over again can bring out new meanings and applications when studied with a new group of people.  It was so inspiring and uplifting to be there.  We are looking forward to attending a cell group tonight. 

Brother Gan

Singing before the discussion

The whole group

Back Row (L to R): KC, Samuel, Kerson, Adrian, Gary

Middle Row (L to R): Hua Feng, Gan

Front Row (L to R): Me, Jesslyn, Christi, Esther

KC, on the top row, is from Singapore.  He just moved to Malaysia about a week or so after I did to work here as well.  He was an elder in the church at Singapore and is very wise man.  I have enjoyed getting to know him and learning from him.  

What a way to start a morning

Yesterday the two other girls from Nashville and I received an email from our Account Manager back home saying that she was meeting with everybody in the office to discuss promotions.  I read the e-mail but it just didn't really stick with me.  I then recieved a meeting maker saying that we would have a conference call this morning.  Once again didn't really think anything about it. 

On our way to the office Jessica and Angela were talking about how they were so nervous and had been thinking about it all night.  As you can tell from what I thought about the emails I obviously hadn't thought twice about it. 

Jessica was supposed to be the first one to meet with her this morning, but she tried to call 4 times and Erica never answered.  I tried a little later and was able to get a hold of her.  So, here I am sitting in a huge conference room in KL, Malaysia talking to my AM in Nashville.  At this point I have decided that I will be content with whatever decision has been made.  I don't really remember what all she said until she said, "and that's good news for you!" 

I GOT A PROMOTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  WHOOO HOOO!!! 

On top of that the other two girls got one too!!!!  We have all just been on cloud nine all morning and can't get the smiles off of our faces!! 

I can't wait to go home and tell Gary!  It's almost like God wants us to be here because he is providing the financial needs!