A steep climb ahead

Saturday, August 4, 2018

I've left my watch on the night table and so I assume the time on my computer is correct. It is ... but only in our home time zone. Something buzzes on the phone, I glance at the time, and suddenly I've lost an hour. It's 1:00 not noon - and I'm still writing and in my pajamas. Oh oh.

Tucked in a flowerbed along my walk

I dress, paint on eyebrows, and am in the dining hall a floor above my room - all by myself. Hmmm. The gals sitting next to the covered food trays are peeling vegetables. Why am I the only guest? The meal schedule says lunch is 12-1:30.

I introduce myself as a guest lecturer and they call the cook in. "We are closed at 1:00," she says. (I guess it's time to update the printed materials for visitors.)

They're very gracious, handing me a plate of cold food with warm rice - and point to the microwave. Yes, chicken and vegetables (with some meat) sit out at room temperature. Would freak out our American friends but here none of us seem to get sick.

I put the plastic plate (eek) and the food into the microwave for a minute. It's hot and tasty. My plate is hot, too...

I save half the chicken breast for a chicken sandwich later on. (I wrap it in serviettes and tuck it into my handbag with no refrigeration.) I wander the grounds for about an hour. The campus is full of nooks and crannies. I go as far up as I can on one edge, then down halfway, cut across, and down all the way I can go on the other edge. Unfortunately, that means I have to come back up. (See the stair path on the right, below?)

It's hot in the sun but the clouds often blow over to cool things down. Here's a bit of what I see:

Someone loves plants and flowers - these beauties are scattered all over campus.

Besides the traditional bulbs and plants, I recognize some alpines from my teens, when I worked at Manning Park, Canada. They brings back good memories.

Since the institution is built on a mountainside, there are steps up - and slopes - and steps down. I count to a hundred and lose my place. 

I keep walking. With an elevation the same as Denver (+5000 feet), it's good for my heart and muscles to acclimate. Monday, I'll have a heavy computer and book bag to drag up to class with me.

The rest of the day is spent sitting at a desk. I read a book I've put off and make notes. A teacher's work is never done.

Sunday
I skip breakfast and listen to Charles Stanley speaking on TV (In Touch program). It's my first time actually hearing a sermon by him (don't judge me). Reminds me of good speakers from my childhood.

Not sure there's food service at the institution today. Someone left fruit, bread, peanut butter, cornflakes/milk, and a coffeemaker in my room (though without a knife, plate, or cup). I can't starve but I'll have to wash my hands when I'm done.

But what does this mean? Your best guess? Quoting from a page inside my welcome packet: "Cafeteria Schedule (open Monday to Sunday) (except Sunday lunch only (closed) no meals are served"

What's your vote? They serve lunch only? No lunch, but other meals will be served? I'll toddle upstairs to see in a few hours.

Read more:
*Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few. 1 Samuel 14:6

*Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Mark 11:24

*Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. John 3:14-18 NIV

Moravian Prayer: We come to you, Lord, to give thanks for the saving gifts we have received to share with our brothers and sisters. May we never forget how to share your light inside of us with the world. Amen.