Bananas, visits, and beautiful trails

Tuesday, August 26, 2025

The bromeliads are at it again!

We walk early while the streets are almost empty. Many people who live on the hill - and those who drive up from the city - "do the loop" at 7 AM. Construction workers gather before the gates open at the Padma Hotel. This premier Bandung hotel is undergoing a complete renovation and a huge crane hangs in the sky above the worksite.

Anton is a pill. He is jumpy, uncooperative, and general puppy-mischievous. W hangs onto the 3 big dogs while I keep walking with little Bailey. I'm late to the first meeting anyway but forgiven.

Today we're trying a new kind of bread, panettone made with the failed "nut bars" of last week. The bars crumbled into granola instead of holding together so we've been putting it atop yogurt for breakfast. Why not try it in bread? It tastes a bit "peanut"-y but otherwise is tasty and soft.

We visit our friend in hospital. Chandra is recovering from his surgery yesterday. Prayer and something sweet (not us, but banana bread?) is in order. It helps that his sister is a doctor: she can interpret the charts and give lucid updates.

On the way home, Veronica and Kiki send up some extra-ripe bananas.

IbuA and IbuS know exactly what to do with those! Mind you, we run out of eggs again, so PakS goes to get another 3 dozen so they can finish baking. When we're done we have 5 fresh loaves. One goes back down the hill to Veronica's. Two more go out the door to others.

Our team meeting in early afternoon shares updates and completes 30 weeks with a devotional: Faith, Friendship, and Focus by our friend Rebekah Vicknair Metteer. It's been a great blessing to us.

At the project walkthrough, we clarify areas to be painted, simplify water needs, and approve electrical outlets.

We admire the work already done and hand over a banana bread. IbuA and IbuS's baking is greatly appreciated by the crew! and by the time we turn around, the box is empty.

We walk home, admiring a clump of flowers beside the street. The lilies bloom 3-4X a year, glowing as night falls.

As a series, they are spectacular.

Wednesday

I'm up during the night, my mind churning with the project checklist that's been growing in the past few days. I write it down. My DuoLingo language assignments is accomplished for the day, too.

At 6 AM, my favorite monthly meeting starts. This Mastermind, a co-mentoring group led by coach Kim Martinez, has been life-giving to me for years. Today we welcome a new member, a high-capacity young leader living in Jakarta.

I'm happily surprised to get Mom on a call, though it's later than usual for her. She prays for peace, thanks God for his faithfulness, and asks for blessings over the family and those we encounter.

W and I have our date breakfast, this time at #WarungEthnic. I am craving rice with oncom, fermented something-something that has a very peculiar taste. We sort plans and schedules. A hectic month lies ahead.

Afterward, W and I sit on the Porch for the Sunday read-through. This one's a doozy: wives submitting to their husbands and husbands being prepared to die for their wives. (Which one do you think is harder?!) It's going to be a Round Table Sunday, which means noisy discussions around the tables.

We track the sun at the project to check where plants will thrive. I take pictures at various hours.

The women's group is a joy.

The meeting I hurry home for is delayed and then cancelled.

Thursday

We're on the way to Lembang by 7:30 AM for a hike through the forest up to the Dutch Fort. 

Every tall pine is being tapped for sap. Many trees have toppled, weakened by repeated scarring.

Some parts are steep or rutted by motorcycles.

It's rained so the air is clean and we can see across the valleys.

There are entry gates to the forts.

It's hard to imagine those young men killing each other and being killed because of the ambition and aspirations of others.

There's a memorial to the fallen soldiers above the forts.

I look down the deep air shaft above the center fort.

Some campers have left a heap of empty coconut hulls.

We have more dogs (5) today than people (4.)

Lunch at Balibu is good. I pick the salted /fermented fish off my rice before I eat though. The dogs will go crazy for those later.

The oncom is not as good as #Ethnic's.

The restaurant's handmade bamboo chairs are a work of art.

On the way home, we visit Daesy in the hospital.

We drop Veronica at her place, have a quick shower, and head back down the hill to visit Chandra and Titik at Boromeus. The kids are headed home from school on the angkot, little van-buses.

Some boys hang onto the open door and then jump off when they reach their stop.

After our dirty dogs are brushed out and fed, we relax into the evening. W and I watch My Dog Skip, looking for a film for the next movie night. Most people in Bandung are afraid of dogs so we don't show many dog movies.

Read more:

* [A poem about the value of scripture:]

Your word, Lord, is eternal;

    it stands firm in the heavens.

Your commands are always with me

    and make me wiser than my enemies.Your faithfulness continues through all generations;

    you established the earth, and it endures.

Your laws endure to this day,

    for all things serve you.

If your law had not been my delight,

    I would have perished in my affliction.

I will never forget your precepts,

    for by them you have preserved my life.

Save me, for I am yours;

    I have sought out your precepts.

The wicked are waiting to destroy me,

    but I will ponder your statutes.

To all perfection I see a limit,

    but your commands are boundless.

Oh, how I love your law!

    I meditate on it all day long.

Your commands are always with me

    and make me wiser than my enemies. Psalm 119:89-98

*If you obey the Lord your God: Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field.” Deuteronomy 28:2-3

*You ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures. James 4:3

Moravian Prayer: Gracious God, teach us to pray aright. Grant us humility, sincerity, and faith as we come before you. May our prayers align with your will and bring glory to your name. Amen.

Wonderful weekend

Friday, August 22, 2025

After our walk, we have a date breakfast at #NaraPark. I order my usual oolong tea, chatting online with Mom while waiting for W to drop the dogs at home. He and I reconcile our weekend calendars  as we eat, then head home to work.

My first appointment is canceled: her child is ill. After the fading flowers are pulled from last week's arrangement, the feathery dill still looks green. I clean the sprigs and put them in fresh water. Let's see if they root. The bamboo stems left by Clau 2 months ago are finally putting out shoots.

I pull up the book manuscript. With so much data, finding patterns is a priority. Specifics will come later. As people share personal stories and their advice, I plug them into the outline.

Sigh. The outline felt so orderly before stories start to overlap from one section into the next. The rough draft is usually an initial blurt that needs to be organized. Then comes cleaning up information and writing for clarity.

The book club celebrates Anu's 50th with lunch at #CafeBrunswick. The company is wonderful, including Anu's daughter who is an Oxford undergrad majoring in Fine Arts. What fun to see the hopeful future ahead of her.

The book selections are always interesting and often international. This is the next one.

Birthday blessings come with cookies, of course.

It's back to books at home, too.

W is the king of online orders. Today four glass light shades arrive to replace the missing ones from an inherited ceiling fan. My job is specifying "get something like this" and texting him a link. He does the rest.

Saturday

It feels good to walk first thing. Dogs want to go inside the gate with us? they have to sit first. All four plunk their hind ends on the street.

IbuSiti is back for a bi-weekly unknotting of my muscles. We're updating websites, reading and writing, and making calls. Afterward, A and E arrive for their initial marriage counseling session. It's a joy to be part of new things.

W brings back a burrito (a good one!) from the student food court down the hill. Dr Tom arrives mid-afternoon to stay with us overnight. He's at dinner with a friend. We're happy to stay home with a supper of leftovers.

Sunday

W leaves at the usual time but Tom and I walk to the hall before the Gathering, where he gives a touching account of his journey of faith.

Today seems to be blue day. We line up for a photo.

Lunch at Maxi's is time for conversation and updates.

Monday

Another week rolls out with a walk and meetings. Tom joins us for breakfast at #NaraPark and after he leaves there are more meetings. A friend takes home some banana bread after we have tea together. 

Other friends send over a bed frame they purchased in an antique shop over 25 years ago. Since they're repatriating in 2 weeks, they are shedding life here.

Some days are full of tech. Others are full of people, food, and tech. That's today, a connected Monday indeed.

The tablecloths from the potluck last week are ironed and ready for the next event. They'll go back to the hall tomorrow.

Titik combined colors and textures beautifully in the Sunday floral arrangement. 

I take a closer look at here bouquet.

Look at the twisted end of a vine.

Together, it's an amazing combination. What a specialty florist - though Titik insists flowers are her hobby. We missed her while she did a 4-month trip across Asia and Europe and are happy she's back, creating beauty.

W and I relax after an early afternoon of work. I start to cull bathroom and kitchen items. We check progress on the project and then watch My Fat Big Greek Wedding 2. It's a warm-hearted spoof on family ties and traditions.

Read more:

*The Lord said, “I do forgive, just as you have asked.” Numbers 14:20

*[Jesus told his disciples,] This, then, is how you should pray:

"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."

For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Matthew 6:9-15

*[Jesus said,] Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. Mark 11:25

*On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let 

anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” John 7:37-38

*Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Moravian Prayer: Heavenly Father, shower us with your boundless grace and forgiveness. May we humbly accept your mercy, letting it cleanse and renew our souls. May the act of your forgiveness remind us to forgive others, too. Amen.

Happy birthday, Kirsten!

Tuesday, August 19, 2025

Today we're celebrating our daughter's birthday. She has been God's gift to us. She's a lovely woman and that makes it hard to live so far away. At the beginning of COVID, we happily spent 11 months together in Bandung since she was unable to fly out to her next destination. Those months were a divine gift and left happy memories.

Happy Birthday, dear Kirsten!

"Money comes and goes. We are the richest people on earth because our children love God," my dad often said. I agree.

The rain begins as we head out with the dogs but we finish our loops. W takes down a bright LED strip from the Porch. We're considering where things will go.

Undeterred by the rain, Anton fetches until I make him take a break. He's soaked but happy. The Porch is a mess from his wet and muddy dog prints. In contrast, the older dogs are glad to take a break.

Anton's breeder lets us know that 7 new Standard Poodle puppies have been born from the exact same stock. If you live in Indonesia and want an Anton lookalike, PM me and I'll pass your info to Elizabeth for consideration. Here they are, strong and healthy pups a few hours old.

By the time calls and writing are done, it's almost noon. As we schedule our annual fundraising trip, many details await confirmation. I'm working on a book about global workers and their relationships to parents. It requires so much focus that I can only stop and start in bursts rather than doing protracted work.

If you're working abroad and have some advice about how you deal with parental expectations and stay in touch, please message me! I'd love to include your observations.

Supper is leftovers made into a salad: chicken, mac and cheese, acar (cucumber salad), and more. So yummy.

Wednesday: Kirsten's birthday again!

It's a pleasure to have a daughter. We think ours is extra-special. It's wonderful to talk to her after she has a birthday day supper far away. We're a half-day ahead which makes calls to family tricky, time wise. It means that we get to celebrate those we love for a day-and-a-half, though 😊.

After our walk, the dogs greet the yardman with loud barking as he starts to cut the grass. The usual process is squatting on heels to cut with a machete. W bought a mower years ago to make the chore easier for the last yardman but the guy quickly broke the mower. This yardman works at a nursery and is more skilled. He buzzes the lawn with the new weed-wacker. W replaced the last one that burned out.

It's too loud to work outside so I cloister in an office piled high with things to be moved in a few months.

We try out lampshades, deciding what comes with us and what stays behind. After W removes the snowflake chandelier above the nook table, he puts back the back-to-basics socket. I assemble a new lampshade ($3.50 at IKEA As-Is), which is bright and cheery. Ok, we're take that along, too.

W is a willing tester. He holds up the basket-shades IKEA was clearing out. While these seem exotic for us, a local friend asks, "So it will be a rustic holiday theme?" Maybe.

As Kirsten notes, "Mom, by the time you're done, the place will have a unique foreigner's decor." If only she were here to lend her creativity!

It's a day of good memories! I call Mom (now 90 years old) after finding old photos of her playing peek-a-boo with the great grand-kids a few years ago. She and I talk about God's faithfulness, his lovingkindness, and his generosity.

The project is coming along, but what a mess in process. Brick is smashed away to make room for pipes and conduits.

Across the street is a pasta shop. W orders a lasagna swimming in cream sauce.

My linguine is coated in pesto.

It's dark and starting to rain when we head home.

Thursday

I dream that my mom comes to visit, knowing she's bedridden. Then Grandma D shows up - and I know she's dead. We have a lovely visit, looking forward to a reunion in heaven. I wake up feeling so happy and peaceful - what a blessed Hope for the life and death of the follower of Jesus.

After some morning calls, we pick up Veronica on the way up to a hike in the Lembang mountains.

The grasses sport multi-colored blooms.

Flowers peek out on every side.

Some plants have finished blooming and are fruiting. These 7" (15cm) "beans" emerge from a frilly-leafed shrub.

We duck under trees or climb over the ones have fallen across the trail.

Mushrooms in various colors grow on the felled trunks.

The rain brings fresh greens on each side of the trail. W stands under the lower leaves of a towering fern.

All manner of ferns, lichens, and moss grow on the damp tree bark.

Sap collection is forbidden in the pine forest but happens anyway. After the bark is dug away many times, the 25 meter (75') tree will collapse. In one area, new saplings have been planted to replace the thinning canopy.

Some grasses are very tall. It's a mostly overcast day, perfect weather for hiking, whether we're in the trees or not.

We leash the dogs before a collection pond in a valley. They have their own dogs and we don't want ours running off. As soon as we're past, the dogs are off-leash again.

Of course when the trail goes down down, you have to come up up. My watch counts a total ascension of 21 flights of  stairs, not counting valleys between. Someone has kindly built a cement staircase in the middle of nowhere. Up we go. Then it's back to leaf-covered mud.

It's not raining but dew collects on the tips of the moss. The droplets glow like pearls.

The trail wanders through grasslands and forests. In some places, the path is wide and flat. In others, it's narrow, cut into by motorcycles, or slick from wet clay. Multi-colored leaves make it prettier.

Near the end we spot a two-eyed monster (a cutout tree trunk).

This thick moss-covered trunk resembles a giant snake.

Lunch on the way home is at Sidang Reret, a resort where multiple groups are feasting on custom buffets. W orders oncom (fermented tempe), rice, and meat.

The traditionally roasted sweet-salty peanuts are good, too.

The dogs have a great run of 3.5 hours. They rest while we eat and are happy to head home where they eat and then fall asleep on the Porch.

W's off to a men's meeting. I'm glad to stay home this afternoon.

Read more:

* His eyes are on the ways of mortals; he sees their every step. There is no deep shadow, no utter darkness, where evildoers can hide. God has no need to examine people further, that they should come before him for judgment. Without inquiry he shatters the mighty and sets up others in their place. Because he takes note of their deeds, he overthrows them in the night and they are crushed. 

He punishes them for their wickedness where everyone can see them, because they turned from following him and had no regard for any of his ways. They caused the cry of the poor to come before him, so that he heard the cry of the needy. 

But if he remains silent, who can condemn him? If he hides his face, who can see him? Yet he is over individual and nation alike, to keep the godless from ruling, from laying snares for the people. Job 34:21-30

* Make known his deeds among the nations; proclaim that his name is exalted. Isaiah 12:4

* [Jesus told his disciples,] Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. Matthew 28:19-20

Moravian Prayer: Lord, make us bold witnesses in the world. Guide our words and deeds to reflect your love and truth. May our lives draw others to you and glorify your name. Amen.