Box away

Boxing Day Tuesday, December 26, 2023

We have 6 guests staying over, including a most-beautiful baby girl, Eleanora. We connected with these young adults through movie night over the years.

We have breakfast together at Ethnic Resto. Our guests leave for home before noon and the house is quiet.

We talk to our families many miles away, including the moms and my brothers. Keeping the time zones straight takes some thinking. My mom had a wonderful time with the brother living in her town (Canada).

At our oldest brother's house in Switzerland, our niece's family and my youngest brother are celebrating Christmas. My youngest brother's children live in Kenya and Vancouver. We talk to our kids in the USA as well. We're a global family.

While W wanders 11 km to town and back, I clean up and put things away. The delivery guy comes by with a tube that contains enough translucent film to cover 4 windows - $4.50 including shipping.

Wednesday

W and I make a trip downtown for next year's Christmas ornaments. We eat lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant. On the way home, we stop to see a friend in hospital. She's had surgery - and her two sweet daughters are at her bedside. It's wonderful to see how families rally around each other during time of need.

We're looking for a replacement oven - we need more heat at least in one oven. The last repair didn't bring the oven temperatures above 400o (200C).

At the building supply, we find 60cm (24") tiles @$1.50 each. Periodically we replace the tiles that get chipped on top of old table frames. The tiles atop the upper balcony's IKEA slatted tables create a clean workspace for guests. An old window found in a shed sits on 2 marble-look tiles on the Porch = upcycling at its most basic.

The helpers wash Christmas dishes and the floors today after their absence yesterday. One had a family funeral; the other didn't want to tackle the house alone. Yesterday, the robot vacuum did two rounds around the spaces so the dust and dirt doesn't just land in the stone tile cracks and get mopped around. By the time the women and yardman leave, all is in place.

Thursday

Instead of hiking with W and the others, I head out the door at 6:00 a.m. to loop three times around the neighborhood. It's not quite equivalent of a hike. I climb 13 flights instead of the usual 20-30, 5 km/3+ miles worth of asphalt instead of 5-8 km of rough rock and forest trails. So it's not as healthy for the feet. It takes the hikers almost 2 hours to drive back from the mountains in holiday traffic. Veronica, Troy, and I join them at Nara for a convivial lunch.

Look at the crew stringing electricity to new home. See the bamboo ladder? See the guy uncoiling the wire from the spool by the truck parked under the electrical box? See his coworker pulling the wire down the street to measure the length?

On the next round, the 3 men string the loosely-measured wire from pole to pole through the tree branches. The guy up in the tree is almost hidden - he's wearing flip flops as he climbs the bamboo ladder. He perches on a branch as he guides the wire.

Another neighbor's plot and his 8' high fence are disappearing. Leave a property to itself for a month or two and the leaves and vines take over.

I call the rest of my family to wish them Merry Christmas before starting the bread maker on a yogurt cycle - it's done by afternoon.

Just off our porch, the rustling of branches indicates a creature nearby. Can you spot the chameleon at the base of the picture? They're shy lizards. We only see its 12" (30cm) body and 24" tail when it moves. (Head pointed up, lower right of the main trunk.)

Friday

When I wake up and check the time, it says 2:30 a.m. We had an early night so I think "that's enough sleep" and get to work. Except ... the battery has fallen out the back of the alarm clock so it's still on yesterday afternoon's time. Oh well, I fall back asleep after an hour or two.

We head to town once more. W's researched a new oven with a slightly bigger capacity and hopefully more heat. At the third store, we find one for half price on a floor model with a rotisserie (does anyone use that?) and a heating element bottom and top! inside the oven. (Yeah, that's not common except in expensive models.) W installs it and pulls out the old oven.

We buy the rest of our ornaments for giveaways next Christmas. At 70-90% off, we don't mind storing them for a year. Since we were at ACE on Wednesday, half of the racks of decorations are emptied. We're not the only ones bargain-hunting.

I print out the "Promise Verses" for the end-of-year gathering at IES Bandung (Sunday) and read through the talk with W. The house is tidy, the lights are low and the sliding doors closed. Tomorrow is the last weekend of 2023. How did that happen?

Read more:

*But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in Your hand; Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, And from those who persecute me. Make Your face shine upon Your servant; Save me for Your mercies’ sake. Psalm 31:14-16

*You cause the grass to grow for the cattle, and plants for people to use, to bring forth food from the earth. Psalm 104:14

*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: Creator of all things, as the world changes and seasons come and go, we reflect on your artistry in all of creation. We give thanks for the blessings of this beautiful, complex world. Amen.

Merry Christmas from Indonesia

Saturday, December 23, 2023

It feels like we're on track. Except the weather forecast says "100% rain" on Christmas Day. We appeal to the God of rain and sky to give us a dry window during Monday's Christmas potluck.

The Turkish tea kettle is hissing. In the top pot are tea leaves and a strong brew. The lower kettle holds hot water to dilute what's on top. Somehow, the tea doesn't turn bitter. I drink one 16 oz mug after another.

Teeny sugar ants crawl over the computer screen and up my arms while I'm writing at the dining table. Squish. Squish. A dozen down, many more to go. You can't see them until they move; they're a neutral light brown.

A few nights ago, our bed was crawling with those ants at bedtime. I killed 40 or 50 on my side of the blanket and a dozen or two on W's side. We hate to spray ant poison inside but I followed their trail up into the ceiling, sprayed, and turned on fans to air out the room. I also sprinkled diatomaceous earth around the feet of our bed. Supposedly that dries them up into little carcasses. We don't go barefoot inside; we get dust on our indoor sandals. (I'll try anything once.) Hati-hati! It's slippery on the stone tiles.

Outside, the guys have scrubbed the rabbit hutch. It is our "big weird" White Elephant gift this year. 

Someone will choose a pretty box from under the tree, with a card and picture of the hutch inside. Then W will bring it to the recipient from the back hallway. I'm hoping for laughs and fierce trading rather than stunned silence! But you never know. That's the fun of the White Elephant Exchange.

One of the enjoyable parts of the end of the year is the evaluation: a look back and a look ahead. I've mostly forgotten the past and the future is out of my control. I review my journals and blog posts to see what was accomplished. Failures are lessons for what to do better or avoid. The coming days rest in God's hands but there's no need to plunge into foolishness that can be avoided.

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FOR YOU DEAR READER, here are 2 tools I recommend that you check out before you evaluate your year. They'll give you an understanding of "why" for "what happened" to you. 

1. The Enneagram explores how you're hard-wired to follow or lead. (Free test online.) I'm an 8 and have always been called bossy or "too much." I immediately click to vision and solutions, whether walking into a group of people or a room full of furniture. My best trick is keeping my mouth shut and letting others figure it out unless I'm asked to lead or fix something.

The second tool is a book: 7 Primal Questions by Mike Foster. My friend Kim (one of the smartest people I know) first told me about this approach to our responses to situations and people. Kim is a conflict resolutions coach who works with the PQ methods and emphasis on strengths. So if you've been struggling in life or work in 2023, I highly recommend a session or two with her.

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As night falls, Nara Park sends over a Christmas dinner - chicken and all the fixings. Wow!

W enjoys some but we save most for tomorrow.

Sunday, Christmas Eve

It's a quiet morning - W and I walk to the hall in case someone has missed the notice that we don't have a Gathering in person. I walk home but W's there when one person shows up.

Laurel and I moderate the online service and chat. We get the giggles at some of the auto-generated subtitles.

About 10:30, Josh brings Eki, Diana, and Lyong from their house. They'll stay over a few nights.

Clau sends along treats from Ambrosia bakery. Better than excellent.

Our dogs adore Lyong.

I prepare Christmas lunch but our guests are fast asleep upstairs. So W and I eat, prepare for the evening's Lessons & Carols, and head for the hall in mid-afternoon.

Titik has done an amazing job with the flowers. There are lights on the palm trees outside. Lanterns and candles are glowing. The hall is beautiful - Daniel's tree, the wreaths, and garlands are lit. I love how everyone's creativity makes the world a more beautiful place.

This is the strangest year: we have one day (today) in the fourth week of Advent. We light the 4th Advent candle and the Christ candle in the center. After singing carols and listening to the beautiful Story of God's love for us, we pass around the light from person to person. God with us. 

What a mystery. What kindness and mercy.

Monday, Christmas Day

Merry Christmas, everyone! I'm up at 4:30. W's already started the water boiling for spaghetti. By 8:00, hundreds of sausages and meatballs, 4.5 kg of creamed spinach, and sauces are done.

Meanwhile W checks things off the list for the yard. Eki helps him take furniture to the back and covered carport. The women and I sit for a few minutes between dinging of the timer as things roast in the air fryer W makes a second run to the hall for food in the fridge left from last night while I tuck poinsettias from the hall around the garden.

The checklist is done. We light the candles and enjoy the still spaces that will soon teem with people.

Christmas Day, with the White Elephant gift exchange is our noisiest event of the year.

The helpers come at 8 to cut salad and clean up. I've washed 3 sets of pots and bowls already. Our huge commercial pots get used for multiple dishes. IbuS focuses on making mayo eggs while IbuA ices the cookies she baked last week. I assemble her 5 recipes into 3 cookie trees and sprinkle other cookies between. The food is plated. I think we're ready.

At 10, the first guests arrive. I disappear for 15 minutes, eat a Calm chocolate (Good Day company), and change into Christmas clothes. Then people start to line their shoes on the porch steps ... and c'mon in!

We are thrilled to meet little Eleanor, daughter of Bella and Sigit. 

Every corner, from gate terrace to the back yard, is full of friends.

We open the sliders for air flow.

Guests bring food and a gift to share.

The line stretches out the door.

We read the Story from scripture. Then it's time for the gift exchange. 

3 guys from Indonesia, Tanzania, and Germany don "elf" hats, pass out numbers, and keep us in stitches with their comments. They keep the flow going by cutting open the gift wrap and even opening gifts for slower responders. It's hilarious - 

It's a fun and noisy part of the day. And out goes the rabbit hutch!

At 5:00, the house is empty and the dogs are unleashed. Eleanor gets her first "horsy-ride" on Gypsy. He's a patient dog! We'll clean tomorrow but tonight things are tidied and most is put away. Sigit, Bella, and Eleanor join the 3 others upstairs for a sleepover.

W brings the box with homemade carrot cake from the back room, which we saved to eat tonight. I've hardly eaten in all the excitement. It's DELICIOUS. But what's that moving at the foot of the bed? Hundreds of ants have invaded the box. I kill them and W puts the cake in the freezer to get rid of the rest. We'll have more cake in the morning. Seriously - enak seklali.

I wake at 10:30 p.m. when W gets up to read scripture. I listen to the prophet Isaiah for an hour. No luck sleeping, so I turn on the light and write until early morning. There are still many hours before Boxing Day, right?

Wishing each one of you a Merry Christmas, with a special thanks to those who prayed with us that it wouldn't rain. On Christmas Eve, there was a downpour while we were in the hall: it was dry before and after. For Christmas, it poured buckets while we were unwrapping gifts - and then cleared up for guests to depart. We are grateful to the God of weather for his timing.

And I reflect again on this - God with us. I'm never going to understand that kind of love for creatures who are mostly ungrateful and unaware of his goodness. I'm glad salvation doesn't depend on us or our good works. "He has done it!"

Read more:

*Jesus is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. Hebrews 1:3

*[Mary said,] The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. Luke 1:49

*And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.

Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.

Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men!”

So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.

Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.

Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them. Luke 2:1-20

Moravian Prayer: With excitement, great God, we, like the shepherds, look for your glory to be revealed in the birth of Jesus. May our proclamation be filled with joy and promise. Come Lord Jesus, come.

Today, we celebrate in our homes and churches; we rejoice in the Savior’s birth. Let our focus today be on the word that was made flesh, our Lord, Jesus Christ. We give thanks to God for this most wonderful gift today. Amen.

A little dancing, a little fighting, and a lot of recycling and dumping

Tuesday, December 19, 2023

After a late meeting last night and a short sleep, it's up and at 'em. First, some creativity. I like to start the day thinking about or seeing something interesting or beautiful. These photos catch my eye as I scroll through messages.

The traditional game of stones and coordination is filled with silk flowers and pinecones for a hall arrangement (Ruth's gift last year and Titik's update.)

Ingrid's orchid lights up a corner of the outdoor plant rack.

The household is coming apart for sorting and reassembly - from porch railings to dog crates to all the junk stashed at the carport. Furniture is scrubbed, recycling is collected, and piles of broken wood and garden pots are discarded. The dogs watch us and relax. Crazy humans.

We make a run to the wholesaler for next week's cookout. We never know how many guests to expect but usually 80-100 show up for the annual Christmas potluck.

The driver drops us off in stalled traffic on the busiest street in town. We're looking for our favorite china "reject" shop but it has closed for good. We walk a few blocks toward the car, wondering where it is parked. See W in the distance? I get further and further behind, dodging groups of pedestrians and sellers. 

Indonesians seem both more aware and more oblivious to those around them. They park trucks, cars, and motorcycles helter-skelter on any side of the street so that vehicles can barely squeeze between. They stand in the center of the sidewalk to discuss what to buy. In a clear spot after circling around another group, I whip out my phone for a photo of W's back.

This is typical: W and I are theoretically walking together. We find the car and get home in time for lunch with Laurel, who leaves behind the cutest cactus.

The gift exchanges have started, with people and packages arriving at the gate. Where did HaRini find the Yardley lavendar soap of my teens? And Sioe's fragrant soaps and oils? The food - pastels, chocolates, fried banana? Such sweet surprises in this Christmas week.

Sayaka's homemade Japanese cheesecake is wonderful.

Komori's sprouts are exceptional quality. I've looked forward to the weekly delivery for the past months. This one has some kind of sinking middle. Their excellence in customer service is unprecedented; they replace it as soon as they see the picture, no questions asked, though none of us know what happened.

In the evening, we drop in at the neighbors for tea and cookies. Such time is precious. It's warm enough for short sleeves as we walk home before 9:00, though a light breeze drifts by.

Wednesday 

We start with breakfast at Nara. My Christmas-preparation checklist is long and detailed. We're doing much-needed maintenance this week. The house is full of helpers: G and AD are paving parts of the driveway (hand-mixing and knocking cement into the cracks). They clean the yard while we women work inside.

On my way out the gate to a mid-morning event, I have to return to the house a few times. Where are those keys? The guys catch me at the gate for money to buy more concrete/sand. Etc. I'm running so late that PakG drops me off on his way to buy supplies. At GG, the cleaning company (friends of DrH) gifts us with a cleaning and disinfection of the hall - what a kind and useful thing to do. Look at all those chairs drying in the sun.

DrH has arranged for a group of young people from the orphanage down the hill to come for lunch at GG.

Some distinguished guests join us as well.

Three overseers from the orphanage pose for a selfie in the hall.

Two other groups of children arrive an hour later and impress us with their skills. A school club of young Sunda dancers shows off their traditional choreography.

Then their classmates demonstrate Pencak Silat, the martial art of Indonesia.

Wow, these kids are flexible. The coordinated movements display balance and fitness, stabbing the air with kicks, toy swords, and bamboo "spears".

After a few short speeches to thank the children for their efforts, we pose together for a final snapshot before lunch.

The dancers couldn't eat before because it would ruin their makeup. Don't you wonder how long it takes to apply full face paint on little kids'? The Sundanese are known for their culture of beauty and the arts.

And I have to run - there's no more putting off the checklist at home.

Friday

After some calls, W and I walk to the hall to record Sunday morning's Christmas Eve message. One take and it's done. I'm grateful to have a professional speaking partner! W replaces the burned-out lights in the hall and we walk home.

One more errand on the next hill for lights, gifts, and other last-minute things. As we're sitting at the traffic light, we make a quick "Merry Christmas" video. The streets are so bumpy side to side and forward and backward that it's like riding an unpredictable horse. You can't write, read, or record a video while the car is in motion. We post it on FB and stroke another item off the list.

I'm proud of the IES Bandung family, who is on track to meet our giving project goal. Angie sends this graphic.

The groomers come over and make our dogs look young and beautiful. The dogs are retirees and/or seniors.

We pass out goodies to various people who have been a blessing in our neighborhood and other circles. 

As part of my annual evaluation, I listen to a podcast by Hyatt's Full Focus group. I highly recommend them: they offer many free resources, including this podcast on achieving realistic goals.

Before we know it, the day is almost done. I wrap some gifts, start to sort the greeting cards in my office, and run out of steam. Tomorrow is another day.

As night falls, I read a wonderful compilation by Phyllis Tickle: The Night Offices: prayers for the hours from sunset to sunrise. I love meditating on the scriptures and prayers in the night hours.

Read more:

*For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  

Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. Isaiah 9:6-7

*Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.

A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” Isaiah 40:1-5

*Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 2 Corinthians 3:17

O Lord of ancient lands and places, let your Spirit rest upon us. Help us to claim your promises of freedom and new life in your heavenly kingdom. In your name, we pray. Amen.