Third week of Advent: JOY JOY JOY to you and yours

Tuesday, December 7, 2021 flashback

A city policeman kindly shows up during team meeting; he's checking our security arrangements. He reminds us that not everyone is well-disposed toward followers of Jesus during the season of Christmas.  We are advised by several parties that this year, Christmas-in-person is a bad idea.

On the way home, this Rangoon vine reminds me that God is good. He lavishes his beauty on the righteous and the wicked alike. Pretty amazing.

Thursday

A walk in the mountains clears the lungs and gets the heart working. Even from our own neighborhood, the views across the valleys are spectacular.

We may not always go far, but this week's mountains have a lot of ups and downs. My watch measures only cumulative elevation - we ascend and descend many times within an elevation gain of 28 flights.

Friday 

W heads out to run errands and picks up more eggs, butter, flour, peanut butter, and cocoa. The helper reminds me that we also need more candies for the middle of the peanut butter cookies.

Tonight, we're privileged to attend Free & Safe Indonesia's end-of-year dinner. The organization works hard to lighten the load for those who need a boost. These adorable kids (plus two more) packaged cookies for attendees. Hard workers with a sweet reward.

The food is good - and I am happy to swap rice for noodles (my favorite food, after chocolate and tea?)

The updates are encouraging.

Saturday

After a walk at 6, I cut up vegetables, pineapple, and pepperoni for pizza toppings. W grates the cheese and finishes the dough while I set the table. One batch of cookies lands on a "real" plate for our guests to nibble on. Others are wrapped into paper plates for giving away. The kettle is soon boiling for tea.

This is a day for friends old and new. Everyone's only available this morning. I'm in a quandary. They're scheduled to come over at 9, 10, and 11 o'clock. What to do - shall we reschedule one or the other?

Maybe not. Indonesian time is called jam karet or flex time. The first guests arrive at 9 as scheduled. I'm delighted that Wishi has brought her mom along. They're Sundanese beauties.

Wishi met us at Community Dinner a while back, when she was working on her thesis about trade between China and Indonesia. We chat on the porch. Moms have many things in common, don't they?

The gate barely closes before 11 when the next guests come. We hang out on the porch while W prefaces pizza crusts for lunch. The final group is delayed by traffic and morning meetings so they arrive at 1:00. That's good spacing! We enjoy Waldemar's pizzas, customized by each person.

Our friends share a sweet treat in a cute box.

This amusing and tasty cake is inside!

Of course we line up for pictures by the tree.

Scattered around the house are little pieces of home, gleaned from places we have lived around the world. Last year, my mom passed along festive napkins, which we roll up in a vase on the dining table. I use one at lunch, thinking of Mom's decades of hospitality.

Our neighborhood has many aging professors and researchers. One passes away and is honored with flower signs from colleagues and friends. Muslim funerals are performed within 24 hours of death.

Sunday

It's the third week of Advent. Today is Waldemar's mom's 90th birthday, which she celebrated with family and friends yesterday in Canada. What a special milestone!

At BIC, Josh speaks on JOY, the theme of the third week of Advent. The angels shared God's promise of "great joy" to poor shepherds tending their sheep. God cares about the well-being of all, regardless of status or wealth.

I rummage through a box of sealed nuts and seeds to make breakfast cookies, and find one last package of gnocchi at the bottom of the box. The gnocchi and leftover pizza toppings from yesterday make an easy supper. We toss fresh basil leaves over it all to round out the flavors.

The house is peaceful when night falls. Lights twinkle all around the room.

Monday

Maddie and Beba drop by the office to wrap up the final 130 bags of cookies. The recipients are mostly Muslim but they don't mind a sweet celebration at Christmas. We often take guests to their workplace, where they serve us with a smile. That deserves a warm thank you.

In a big IKEA tote, we take home eight empty cookie boxes. They'll be washed and refilled for the holidays.

Meanwhile, a package from friends arrives at the gate. I put it under the tree after I peek inside. W and I rarely exchange gifts. (W's better at gift-giving than I: he ordered a macrame hanging for me a month ago, which we are using in Christmas decor at BIC.) Such treats are fun surprises.

Tuesday

In the early morning hours, I join a leadership cohort in the USA. Our network leader Don Ross presents a team evaluation system and exercise. It's an eye-opener. He's a fine trainer, and "it's like drinking from a firehose," according to one attendee. True. Lots of useful information.

I catch another hour of sleep, have breakfast with W at Nara, and then host our final team meeting of the year. We share Don's evaluation; so helpful!

Our team Christmas lunch is at Maxi's, up the street. Everyone is happy with their portions and tastes. Of course, keeping company with each other is the best part, whether we're working or socializing together.

When we leave, an ordinary-in-Indonesia scene greets us. A painter is touching up the water-stained rim of the conference room near the parking lot. He stands on a simple 6' scaffold without safety gear. He's probably done it a hundred times without falling off.

We arrive home to a kitchen fragrant with fresh baking. Chocolate, peanut butter, and blueberry thumbprint cookies fill the boxes that came home empty yesterday. The cookies go into the fridge as soon as they are fully cooled: butter and eggs spoil easily in a tropical climate.

I'm not a cookie person. However, IbuA with the help of IbuS have baked thousands of cookies this year. They are such a blessing to us and to those who enjoy their hard work. Throughout this difficult year, their sweet "little bites" have lifted the spirits of many.

Read more:

*The Lord frustrates the plans of the peoples. Psalms 33:10

*A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—

    the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,

    the Spirit of counsel and of might,

    the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—

and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist. Isaiah 11:1-5

*Truly the day of the Lord is great; terrible indeed—who can endure it? Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart. Joel 2:11-12

*Be like those who are waiting for their master. Luke 12:36

*Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 1 Corinthians 1:20

Moravian Prayer: Forgiving God, we open our hearts to you this day. Dwell within us, make straight our paths, sustain in us a willing spirit, and may all that we do be pleasing to you.

Holy God, your ways are not our ways. Your wisdom is sometimes confounding to our sensibilities. Help us to trust your guidance and grace. Amen.