Bags and tags - and a fishy fail

It's a privilege to talk to a former doctoral student. He is interviewing people around the world. He prays for me before we say goodbye across the breadth of a continent. His country is much colder, so he's bundled up in his office while I'm in shirt-sleeves in mine. Oh the wonders of technology.

Two staffers and I wrap up our work in the office for the week. We have to make 20 more Advent packs: the initial 50 flew out the door early in the week. As we wrap up the day, there's not a bag in sight. Gone - delivered and picked up. It's a good thing.

We start to get messages from the BIC community: the devotional from Hillcrest church (Bellingham WA)  is appreciated and the cookies inside the bag taste sweet. (My first Advent gift to the Update WAG is by request: a recipe for the cocoa cookies. "They're like little round brownies!" someone exclaims. Yes, they are.)

Saturday

No walk around the neighborhood today.My feet feel like lead - I haven't been sleeping well either. That's the way it goes, sometimes. My heart is heavy with a hard decision ahead. I take it easy. Pray. Eat. Read. Rest. That helps.

We head to Borma supermarket to buy souvenirs for our grandkids. Usually we collect them all year and take them to Seattle as treats - one a day of our short stay. We have almost nothing stashed away. Today seems like a good day to leave the house for a quick shopping trip.

We are almost on the last month of the year. I peek ahead at the December pictures on the annual calendar our Daughter-in-love Melissa makes for us. Love those kiddos - and their mom and dad, of course.

On the way back, we make a quick stop at Setiabudi Market for meat and vegetables for the week ahead. I haven't shopped for a few weeks and we've run out of salads. 

At the meat counter, one man chops up a heap of chickens lying on the shelf, while another passes me the drumsticks and chicken breasts I ordered. "Please give me fresh meat, not the ones turning brown, ok?" He complies with a smile.

The fish on the counter nearby have clear eyes and fresh-looking skin. Too bad I know nothing about cooking fish.

We have some heavy things and some good things coming up. I text dear friends to pray over us, to ask for God's help and favor.

With groceries put away, I'm in the mood to cook and bake. How about 24 pumpkin-oatmeal muffins? That will get us through the weekend. I freeze a dozen for another time. We have no helpers today, so I can cook whatever we want for lunch.

Checking into the office later in the day, I put away the tape, scissors, paper, and other items lying around. If things are put away, no matter who pops in, the place looks welcoming and tidy. My German roots have sprung a whole branch of organization the last half-decade. When I leave the campus, all is ready for Monday's work.

For supper, W offers up salmon brought from Seattle. Why not? The expiry date is 2024, so it should still be fresh. The salmon we've tried in years past from this company has been delicious.

 Ugh. When we open the pack, the fish is dark-colored and tastes of chemicals. I toss most of it, but my stomach churns all evening. Wasn't a good evening to break my "no-fish-please" rule. I write a note and send pictures to wwgourmet.com, the parent company. I title the email "A "Fishy Fail."

Sunday

After a 2-mile walk up and around the neighborhood hills, we stop at the office to fill up the fish tank and feed the fishes. Before 8, we warm up pumpkin muffins for breakfast. Delicious. 

After the Gathering with BIC Online, W hosts the pastor chat on Zoom. I enjoy the call from my perch on the porch. I watch the fishes swim round and round the bowl we brought from Bali years ago. No filter, heater, or light needed - just change the water every week or so.

In my home office, the long-term betta-fish seems happy. He's still gorgeous and provides rest for the brain and the eye as he swims between the plants. I tear another few rayon sarongs into strips. No energy to sew, but soon the strips are ironed and piled. When I'm ready, they'll be at hand.

I was thinking of making vegan chili for lunch but peek inside the freezer to see what other possibilities pop up. Instead of chili, I fry roti parata, which we fill with sausage, baby corn, and dark veggies in a cream and hoisin sauce. For sides, we have a Caesar salad and apple slices. It matches my appetite better than the chili (which we eat Monday).

We spend a restful afternoon reading, watching a drama, texting with friends. Thank God for Sabbath rest.

Monday

We walk. And we talk. We confirm the steps forward with our trusted counselors.

Nature is renewing for the soul. The trees twine their branches overhead in a green canopy. They've recovered the leaves they dropped 2 months ago. Many are in bloom in response to the daily rains. 

Even the bromeliads along the street are in flower. This one has 1-2' pink-tipped leaves, with a 3" crimson center that bursts into periwinkle florets when conditions are right.

The city did road repairs last week so there's a block of new paving in the neighborhood. The extra asphalt was pounded into 2 potholes a few days ago and is lifting already.

It's a full morning of calls and meetings, seemingly in every direction. We try some of Ibu Apong's peanut butter cookies after eating the ribs Ruth sent over for lunch. The chocolate centers make them even better.

A little sweetness goes a long way at the beginning of the week.

Read more:

*O Lord, all my longing is known to you; my sighing is not hidden from you. Psalm 38:9

*May the Lord cause you to flourish, both you and your children. Psalm 115:14 NIV

*They will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. Mark 13:26

*His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. Luke 1:50

*You know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. James 1:3

Moravian Prayer: Lord, we pray in Jesus’ name. You know our inward thoughts and worries. We share these with you all day long. Sometimes we need help getting back on track, and we turn to you for guidance.

Steadfast Lord, your mercies are shared throughout the world and over time. The richness of scripture reveals your mercies across generations, across time, and across miles. Praise be to God. Amen.

Thanksgiving

 It seems like I just caught up on the blog - and here a week has gone by again. I blog to remember. So much happens in the times between when we're "on the job" that it's easy to forget special moments and good people. I'm glad you're reading along with me ... enjoy. It would be wonderful to have you join me for breakfast on the terrace this Thanksgiving morning, but you'd have to get here by 7am. At 8, we're leaving for our weekly mountain walk.

Today is American Thanksgiving Day. It kicks off the Christmas season - we used to buy a fresh fir or pine tree the weekend after Thanksgiving. Below is a 12' tree from years past in Seattle. We had a 17' ceiling, so put the tree stand on a round birch table.

One year we bought a spruce ... which began a steady rain of needles that lasted 3 days (hiss hiss as the needles spun through the emptying branches to the floor.) I scooped those needles into 2 boxes and used them for potpourri for years. The tree, already decorated, kept only a handful of needles on its empty branches. We still laugh about that "Charlie Brown Christmas Tree." No more spruce!

The local seed pods include pinecones similar to the long-needled Ponderosa pine of BC and Washington state. But the trees drop many more-interesting seeds and pods: the one above is 6-7" long, with a stiff wooden stem about 10" long. It opens to the most unique colors and seeds.

Saturday

In the morning, a group comes to pack 50 packs of Sembako (food for the needy) at Green Gate. It's wonderful to hear people nearby! The kids are good helpers, too.

Later in the day, W and I walk to the corner restaurant. The paintings are huge (4'X6/7') by local artists.

The colors are bright, the figures crisp..

Thanksgiving season flowers of Indonesia are amazing. This 8-10" tall bloom has yellow tips that emerge from red petals. It grows on a hedge filled with such all-in-one bouquets.

The food is pretty but indifferent in taste.

Sunday

In the afternoon, we join friends at the RoadRunner Cafe. No one is masked and there's no table outside. We sit at our own table, masked unless eating. When we go to catch a cab back, there's a big rat lying on the stairway of the nearby taxi stop. Looks fat, happy, and ... dead. Whew.

Monday

FB says it's my birthday, (It's not - mine is in March.) The greetings are sweet and the 60 flowers sent by a friend are beautiful.

The note that accompanies the flowers is lovely, as well as heartening. 

Tuesday

This is a week crammed with meetings, drop-ins, and redo's. I've mostly packed the Advent bags, but we fill them with butter-based cookies, stored in the fridge until needed. "Put them in a box so they don't get broken. Don't stack them." I look in the fridge. Hmmm. Oh well.

Before long, we're out of bags - we'll have to make more. Luckily, we've ordered another 20 bags ... 

Many families and friends drop by the office to pick up their Advent packs. There's great joy at being able to celebrate this season together, though not in person.

A group of non-profit workers come by and we pass out goodies, eat cookies, and drink tea together before sending them away with Sembako. Thanks, Simon, for the introduction. They pray a blessing over us as well.

We keep hearing of casual meetings where COVID is spreading. Some people become very ill - others have no symptoms. There's no predicting what response a body has to the virus.

Thursday

We leave in the morning for the hills. We start walking while it's cool. When we reach the forest, the fresh air from the trees is all around us.

New houses and restaurants are always being built. This one, on stilts, overlooks a beautiful valley.

It's a short walk today: 3 miles (5 km) but there are slick jungle trails with clay churned up by the rain, village walks, and gorgeous vistas on every side.

The rain has brought the farmers into their fields. Steep hillsides are no match for their terraces of potato and tomato crops.

The dogs are thrilled to be out and about. They plunge through the muddy puddles with glee. We avoid them as best we can but our legs, shoes, and socks are splattered with mud.

When we first walked here, there was no viewing platform, just rocks that ended on the cliffside. Below is a deep ravine that stretches 29 km (20 miles) and is the Lembang Fault. Now there is a toll booth to collect money - which is happening more and more - and "improvements" to draw in tourists.

For now, we lean over the new railings and admire the view.

We take the obligatory photos, and enjoy each others' company.

When the world explodes around here with the next volcanic eruption, there's a good chance that the Lembang Fault will toss lava and boiling steam from its river and the cracked earth into the air.

The heat catches up with us but too soon, the walk is over.

The cloud formations between us and the distant hills is unlike what we've seen before. 

We have 3 husbands along today. That's the most in ages. The guys walk slowly behind us and take pictures.

Though our feet get muddy from the dogs running by and a totally clay-sludge trail, we slip into sparkly shoes and flip-flops when we finish up.

Usually, back home from a walk, we rest and catch up on office work. In the house today, the flowers are dropping off the branch plucked from the yard. Floating around the water, they are beautiful.

Yes, the slipcovers are now changed over to red for the season. But that's as much decorating as I've done.

On our street, someone puts an empty metal paint tray into a pothole. Everyone will avoid the hole until it's fixed. The spikes are up - woe to the person who doesn't see the shine tray before the hole is repaired.

Read more:

*And now, our God, we give thanks to you and praise your glorious name. 1 Chronicles 29:13

*I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with those who are contrite and humble in spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite. Isaiah 57:15

*Jesus saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. Mark 6:34

*Give thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:20

Moravian Prayer: Jesus Christ, you have a knack for turning things upside down. You elevate the humble and lowly. You are the shepherd who dies for sheep who love to wander. You pay the debts your servants owe. You show us paradoxes of the Christian faith. Help us to know your ways, we pray. 

God our Father, we give you thanks for the bounty of the earth. We give you thanks for the presence of your son, Jesus Christ, who teaches us to give praise at all times.Amen.