Ascension Day and a target

Tuesday, May 24, 2022

We wake early to record the video for Sunday instead of taking a walk. Tuesday means a team meeting online. Week to week, things may not change drastically for most of us. Month by month, there are big shifts in our involvements.

When we pass by, this thick vine curls over the neighbor's fence. Smell good, too.

The language school has kept track of our Unit 1 words and phrases in small notebooks. The teacher gave us those yesterday. They have Barbie cover illustrations. All the way home, I'm restless. I don't think I can reach for that notebook without a wince.

When we walk in the door, I grab some Golden acrylics from my office, and squirt 3 glops of color over the doll pictures. A few smears with the closest thing at hand (a housepaint brush I use to dust the keyboard) ... and Barbie is banished. All that's left is a faint outline on the front (left). The paint left on the brush covers the back.

Today we start class with simple conversations. It's also cookie day. On Tuesdays, we take a pack of IbuA's goodies along to share.

The teachers seem happy with the children's books and teaching method manuals being rehomed by our friends. "There are more. Another day." Stuff comes in. Stuff flows out.

On the way home, Kristi and I stop at the store for groceries. These apples almost make me homesick for BC. Indonesians grow a tart local apple like Granny Smiths in central Java. But most eating apples come from New Zealand and Australia as well as the north.

A friend sends 10 packages to BIC, filled with toys, pencils, and other treats to be shared with orphaned children. Our helper bakes cookies and hard-boils 20 eggs. She tucks them into the gift boxes and distributes them to the neighborhood kids.

Throughout the night, I listen to the Psalms (Mazmur). There's comfort from the ancient songs of thanksgiving and appeals to God; sometimes the heart just needs to sing along.

Wednesday

It's date morning for W and me. Will #PinoTerrace have the green noodles we've wanted to try for ages? W says, "Don't bother ordering. They don't have them." Except, this morning they do. What a good breakfast of noodles, broth, fried shrimp and chicken.

We spot a kindergarten/Gr 1? class strolling along with their teachers. We snap their class picture for them, and then they insist on taking a few with us. The kids are so cute!

One of the teachers takes my phone number.

"Did she contact you?" W asks later in the day. He's lost his credit card, perhaps while crouching down beside the children for the pictures.

I'm in 3 meetings before school and 2 after. On the way down to town, we spot two guys on a motorcycle, transporting a foam mattress. Luckily, traffic is lighter than usual. W hops out to run errands at the base of our hill.

The last meeting of the day is a special delight, a reconnection with someone who is serving Bandung well. We hear the story of how the love of God is drawing hearts to himself. That's always a pleasure to hear.

Thursday - Ascension Day

The Thursday mountain walk is canceled as today is another tanggal merah (red letter day holiday). Today we celebrate that Jesus lived, died, rose from the dead, and returned to his Father in heaven. One helper takes the day off; one comes to work.

Hey, what's that? Two guys are trekking through the property next door, so I go check it out. No squatters allowed!

Whew. It's our landlord. Of course it's on a day that there's tall grass, though the vines and other fast-growing smother-ers are chopped back. The yardman was sick last week and everything grows quickly. He didn't cut that lawn or ours this week - he was trimming back the fast-growing hedges and clearing a path on the jungle plot below instead. Oh well.

W takes down the newspaper wreath hanging upstairs. He starts to carry it downstairs but the silt and dirt slide out of the upper cones. I suggest he toss it over the balcony onto the driveway. Its day is over. It later disappears into the garbage.

A bullet-riddled target, found at the side of the road, goes up in its place. It's a reminder to plan and execute well to reach our goals. I like its primary colors and graphic shape. It tells a story, too. W hangs it high on the wreath's nail. I'll let it sit for a bit, but my first inclination is to move it down 50 cm (18"). 

The wall art reminds us to pray for the USA as it mourns the lunacy of an 18-yr-old who shot schoolchildren and teachers yesterday. Global news blazes with updates about the Texas massacre. Laws - strange ones, bad ones, and good ones - emerge from such abuses. In their attempt to curb evildoers, most "reaction" laws will have the greatest effect by curbing the future freedoms of law-abiding citizens.

Around the world, suffering is common and abundant. Much of it goes unreported. However, no loss is small or trivial to the family who suffers, whether it is broadcast or overlooked by others. News reports move on to the next crisis while the lives of mothers, fathers, and children are changed forever.

W and I walk to lunch at Kalpa Tree. The menu has been updated since we came months ago.

 My bean sprout/beef salad is exceptional.

The cupcakes in the pastry cabinet are cute but we leave them for others.

Hand-feeding children is common until they are in school. Sometimes a nanny will still be holding a 4-or-5-yr old child in a sling around her neck and waist, coaxing for as long as it takes him or her to eat. Here, one woman spoon-feeds this youngster while he sits on another's lap - and the man starts on his lunch. This is not uncommon.

This beautiful vine catches my attention as we walk home.

Today's big chore is writing next month's newsletters. I review the past for what might be important to readers - and scan information they need for the month ahead.

I study, read, and look for the sun. The sky is overcast all day. Rain sprinkles the yard as we wrap up one last meeting on the porch. Though I don't get everything done on my checklist, I'm content. That's enough for today. Thanks be to God.

Read more:

*Christ said, “I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” John 12:32

*Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing. Psalm 92:13-14 NKJV

*Jesus said, “I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.” John 16:22

Moravian Prayer: Christ Jesus, as we celebrate your ascension into heaven, we give thanks for the sacrifice of your life for the forgiveness of our sins. May our lives be reflections of the love that you have for us. Amen.