A religious feast and a broken elbow

Monday, July 12, 2021

Luckily the broken elbow isn't on our bodies but under the sink. 

W crawls underneath and replaces the corroded part. "Only the chrome finish was holding this one together," he exclaims. "See the big hole? The pipe just disintegrated." The house is decades old so we replace what breaks.

W also unplugs years of grit from the drain in the sink: "Do you want to see this?" NONONONONO.

"But thank you for asking." Ugh. The owner can be grateful that W is a handyman. He repairs a lot around here, just as our kids do when they go to Montana each summer.

"What do we do now?" they message W. They fix plumbing, electrical wiring, and ceilings that have leaked with the heavy snow loads of winter ... Of course, they also send cute pics of vacationing at our family cabin.

Tuesday

I like the office balcony desk so much that we set up the same IKEA rig at home. Waldemar works mostly from home. I don't work from home very often but the dogs are happy when I do, sprawling nearby. The small wood-slat patio tables are topped by our last two "bargain bin" ceramic floor tiles.

Some coworkers are still in Bali after the conference. However, returning to Bandung has become more complicated. Direct flights to our city of 5+ million have been suspended so travelers have to detour through Jakarta. Then they have to shuttle back to Bandung, with limited seats available. After that, it's time to find a taxi to home. A circuitous process rather than the usual straightforward 1:15 flight and ride up the hill.

The women's conference gift packet included Color Street nail polish stickers. I peel the strips off their backing and press them onto my fingernails. The polish presses on evenly and sloughs off at the tip with a swipe of my thumb. Wow, that was easy. I rarely apply polish but these are still fresh-as-new a week later.

The garden offers up a mix of greens: zig-zaggy shrub clippings and fluffy grass heads that grow in the bathtubs out back. (The last tenant filled 2 nice stone tubs with mud, bulrushes, and assorted wetland plants and propped the tubs over the drainage ditch.)

I leave other 6" black-and-green UFO-style blooms on the shrub beside my new outdoor desk. I keep looking over to see if they real. Yes, and they're just as weird as upon first glance.

The neighbor tucks an amaryllis bulb into a little pot outside her fence to bloom in casual splendor. I almost walk by - it's such a common flower.

Thursday

It's amazing to see the everyday hazards that we avoid without thinking. These electric cables are strung within arm's reach of the sidewalk. People know not to touch them; they are danger-smart. Plus you couldn't sue someone if you were silly enough to try. A lot of the wires are borrowed and home-strung, patching in electricity or internet from official cables.

Friday

Our dear friend makes a legacy video of her home for family and friends. It's filled with treasures handed down by her parents and grandparents. The modern architecture highlights the antiques and her travel souvenirs. I watch it several times since I like decor. My eyes find something beautiful in every pass.

Saturday

Some younger friends come over to package 20 units of food for nearby families. We are so glad they care for others.

Everyone is masked and it's quick work with many hands - before a socially-distanced pizza supper where we all say farewell to Laurel.

Sunday

I like to cook on Sunday mornings before we meet for BIC Onlne. This morning, the initial pancakes on the griddle are black and burned. The helper has mixed (curved) spoon and (flat) spatula storage on the back rack. I pull out the flat bin - "nope not there" then scramble through the spoon bin for a flat "flipper," By then it's too late. Only a few survive in the cooler area between gas burners.

I send the helper a pic of the incinerated pancakes that get thrown out - along with a texted plea: "Spoons with spoons, flat utensils with flat please." (Below are the rescue-able pancakes.)

Parting tugs at our hearts, especially when we say goodbye to those leaving to faraway lands. Laurel's been here 2 months and we're sad to see her go. She graduates from university in the USA this December. She'd like to return after that.

We take a last selfie before she hops into the car, headed downtown to catch a shuttle to the Jakarta airport. Driving means a tangle of stops with documentation passed out at police roadblocks. The shuttle companies have worked it out. 

Her 52-hour journey home is mostly uneventful. We're glad she's in her 20s, not her 60s! You've "gotta wanna come," to get here.

Monday

It's a week of Muslim religious and family celebration. In Indonesia, it's mandatory to provide a space in shops and workplaces for 5X-a-day Muslim prayers. In the nearby garbage and recycling lot, a sign appears on a tiny new building: Masjid (mosque).

The streets are empty. We might meet 7 or 8 walkers on the mile-long route with the dogs. Usually there were dozens.

The Americana-style gelato place is deserted. Mom says my first word as a child was "wee-weem" (ice-cream). Despite that, I don't go to this cute venue very often. I'd need to walk a lot more loops if I indulged.

Tuesday

It's of great interest to me (my PhD is in Intercultural Studies) to see how stories are adapted within historical cultures. The Bible and the Koran both tell the story of Abraham being willing to sacrifice his son to God. In the Koran, the son is unnamed. In the Jewish scriptures (Genesis 22), the son is identified as Isaac.[Genesis, the first book in Jewish scripture and the Bible, is otherwise known as the First Book of Moses.]

As the story comes to Arabia and Indonesia, the celebration is about Ishmael. (In the biblical account, Ismael is the eldest son. He has already been sent away with his mother Hagar and is living in Egypt when Abraham sacrifices Isaac.) Regardless, it's a big religious festival here and in other Muslim-majority countries.

The prayers from the mosques start at sundown the night before and last for hours. The Islamic readings start in the early morning and continue throughout the day. The religious authorities have given people dispensation to pray from home rather than going to the mosques.

On our walk, the dogs are intrigued, sniffing the air and breathing out excited barks as we go by the kids' playground. About a dozen sacrificial goats are tied up, bleating quietly as we pass in the early morning light. Overnight, young men have slept nearby to keep the animals from coming to harm or disappearing.

Most neighbors buy a goat with another family or two and hire a Muslim butcher who follows religious protocols. The ritual slaughter happens later in the day. The Indonesian government has cautioned Muslims not to gather at the usual areas to get their meat. That interrupts the traditional interchanges and greetings, too.

This year, the raw portions will be delivered to minimize neighborhood interactions and the spread of Covid. During the travel season at the end of Ramadan (the previous Muslim holiday in May), Covid entered the population with a vengeance. (Ramadan travel restrictions would be like trying to keep Canadians from going home at Christmas, or Americans from meeting with family at Thanksgiving. Pretty much a lost cause.)

Everyone knows family or friends who have died recently. Many lie in critical condition in hospitals or - if their symptoms are mild - may quarantine in designated hotels. People return to die at home if they can't find a hospital bed (after trying 3-4 hospitals.)

Much of the country is on lockdown, which is even harder when festivals and holidays are special times to meet with others. It's just not possible today.

Please pray with us for the people of Indonesia! May God send healing and an end to this terrible illness.

And please pray for those who have lost their family's wage-earners or their own jobs. Families need resources to stay alive. If you want to help us provide sembako (food packages for the hungry), please contact us ASAP here. We put 100% of the funds into relief work. Next packets will go out in 2 weeks.

Read more:

*You are great, O Lord God; for there is no one like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 2 Samuel 7:22

*Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Psalm 32:1

*In Jesus Christ we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossans 1:14

*[John wrote:] He placed his right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living one. Revelation 1:17-18

Moravian Prayer: Lord of the universe, we are awed by your power and might, yet thankful that you graciously make room for us in your great kingdom. Guide us to extend that same hospitality to others in Jesus’ name.

Gracious Savior, with thankful hearts we come to this day amazed by your grace. We begin life anew because of all that Jesus Christ has done for us. Thanks be to God. Amen.