Business in Bali - what a blessing.

We've just come back from a conference.

The week before, the government announces that we need vaccinations plus PCR tests to fly domestically. Many people cannot make it; either vaccines aren't available or they have kids who are not yet eligible. We all scramble to find the right fit: do we go? Do we stay home? We've pre-paid our hotel and it seems a shame to waste that.

More than half of the attendees zoom in from elsewhere. A few families congregate in the middle of Java Island. Others attend the sessions via Zoom from their homes in other cities.

Airlines scramble to reschedule with so many cancellations across the country. Our flights are eventually rebooked with another airline - the only one that hadn't cancelled in Bandung. I'm not sure until I'm seated in the plane that we're actually taking off.

It is scary though. The health and document checks are thorough at the airports. And the PCR (a swab shoved up your nostrils) is uncomfortable. We need documentation from within 48 hours before each flight, coming and going.

One family takes the car ferry from the main island to Bali. It is complicated this year, but the conference committee works hard to make it happen. Even if it is a hybrid conference and not an annual working in person.

It's hard to get to Bali. So the tourist venues are empty. Our hotel is cheaper than most Holiday Inn specials in the USA. (In May, we came here for a colleague's memorial service, but there were more people than now.)

The beaches are empty. Restaurants are closed. A few places offer takeaway food.

The arts and crafts of the Balinese are stunning, whether worked in rattan, glass, stone, or wood. People make baskets, bowls, garden sculptures, furniture, and more.

It takes less than two hours to fly from Bandung, reminding us of a trip from Seattle to Vancouver. You don't go far, but you land in a different space and culture.

The conference hotel's lobby is really pretty. It's set up for large groups of arrivals. We're the only ones when we get there.

Its 40' high and wide ceiling is painted with the three rings of Balinese Hinduism: an inner circle representing the many gods, a middle layer depicting human relationships, and an outer rim picturing the animal kingdom.

We are often alone in the hallways. Four stories of rooms ... with few residents.

The brick walls around a courtyard are carved and painted in 2-meter long vignettes. They feature culture, music, and meals. There's a library of used paperbacks in one room. I read Alistair McLean's Golden Gate for the first time in decades.

Some of the rooms are alongside the pools. We keep working, even in a gorgeous setting.

Breakfast is sometimes along the ocean. There are few people on the beach though.

Some mornings we sit near the dining hall. It's time to catch up and chat. Many of us are worn out - and this is a good reprieve with people we love. We socially distance when we can. Other than eating, most are wearing masks. Many tourists get sent home (away from Indonesia) for breaking the strict COVID-19 rules this week. We make sure we're not among them.

One morning, we eat a plate of pastries overlooking the incoming tide. What a celebration of God's wonderful world.

Even the fresh coconuts juice is pretty.

Poolside, few of the lounges are occupied. All along the shore, hotels and shops were expecting to reopen July 1. Instead, a COVID flare-up across the nation has all but shut down the hospitality industry for the peak month. It's devastating for the workers. Many are on half-pay, if they are working at all.

While most of Indonesia is predominantly Muslim, Bali's background is Hindu. There's a temple on the hotel grounds.

There are statues on every corner, topped with little boxes of flowers and other sacrificial offerings.

One day we pull beanbags to gather under a big tree. Not every day is sunny. One night, a downpour wakes us a few times. The clothes drying on the balcony are soaked.

One very special meeting is for women, with a package sent along for each one from Shellie. She's with others in Jogja who haven't made it all the way to Bali.

There's time after lunch for walks, where the diversity of plant life captures our attention.

The streets, normally teeming with people, are almost empty.

They're trimming trees along the beach walk. I don't know if you can see the split legs propping the cutter above the Y in the 2nd-from-right tree. Below, the two heads of his crew show how tall the trees are.

It's perfect timing - the miles of paved pathway are mostly empty.

There's a famous statue on one of the peninsulas nearby. The water trucks are out each day.

Two men hang off the sides with hoses, hooked to the water tanks on the truck. They spray the hedges on each side of the roads. Primitive and effective.

Just a few other families are staying at our hotel and the others nearby. Some are local; others are from Europe. Very few are from the USA at this point.

One afternoon, I have a cup of tea. The pot is beautiful - the pottery is part of the craftsmanship of Bali.

I like to walk in the morning, but others stroll the beaches in the heat of the day.

Waldemar goes down to talk to the local fishermen, who have filled their nets with minnows.

There are many carved and woven structures. In high season, people are fighting for a seat. Now, it's deserted.

The boats sit quietly as the tide goes out. No one is paying for a tour this week.

I park my hat and have something to drink closer to home when the day cools off a bit. The staff comes over many times to thank us for staying with them. We talk about their families - spiritual, financial, and health challenges are everywhere.

At the beginning of the week, there are business groups meeting in the gazebo in a courtyard. They wear their uniforms to meetings. We don't! 

Bali boasts many tourists in normal times. We skip the rice and fried chicken sometimes and eat foods from our past.

Burgers and pizza. The portions are too big for one person, but perfect for sharing! Or we save the leftovers for lunch the next day.

The kids have daytime activities and an evening movie. We see them running on the beach, swimming in the pool, and generally having a great time together. 

That's another advantage of the in-person conferences: the children who see each other most years form friendships and networks around the world. They enjoy the swing and hammock that are submerged during high tide and fully out of the water during low tide.

In the evenings, we gather for a meal or coffee. We're on the wrong side of the island for sunsets but the clouds pick up the last rays before dark.

We've missed our colleagues. Everyone is involved in different causes, in different locations. As the lamps go on, the shapes of the plants and sculptures look romantic.

By dark, most of us have gathered before we scatter back to our rooms.

We only dream of such beauty. It's hard to believe we are here.

Meanwhile, our daughter has made it to Canada for a week with her grandma (my mom). It's a delight to talk to them most days.

Saturday, we land in Bandung before noon, on a flight that has been changed from afternoon to morning - and rescheduled 3X before taking off at the same time as previously announced. It's so good to see the city spread across the horizon.

Almost home, we make one more stop: at the grocer. The parking attendants send us out onto the street (facing the wrong way on a one-way) when we have to move - the lot is tightly double-parked.

We may have been there for work. But it was beautiful.

Goodbye Bali, and we'll see you another time. Hopefully there will more people around to enjoy this paradise. Pray with us for the restored health of Indonesia and the prosperity of its people.

Read more:

*Seek the welfare of the city, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. Jeremiah 29:7

*Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and forgive our sins, for your name’s sake. Psalm 79:9

*In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1 John 4:10

Moravian Prayer: Gracious God, how amazing it is to know that your love comes to us freely, unconditionally, and abundantly. May we, in response, love others as you have first loved us. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.