Friday, March 24, 2023
It's a morning of language study. Just before noon, a neighbor drops by to check out the garden. She and her husband are redoing their yard. Our yardman is also working for them so he'll take cuttings from our place. After a handful of clippings, he said, "cukup" (enough) and off they go.
Later, they'll get vines and ferns for a green wall similar to ours. The hiss of the cicadas is constant. It is supposed to signal the beginning and end of rainy season. We'll see.
W and I sit on the porch, finishing a lunch of leftovers. Then I'm off to language school in a new location. We drive by a house that was lived in by friends when they arrived in Bandung - what an influence they have been.
The groomers drop by to clean up all 3 dogs. Gypsy gets matted and excess hair cut off his tail and back. Juno the labradoodle gets a general clip and a bath after rolling around the yard earlier in the day. Afterward, she stands in the rain, happily cooling off, full of energy with her strong tail wagging like a flag.
She needs grooming more often than most. The guys trim the hair that droops over her eyes so she can see. Like on a poodle, the hair on her feet grows constantly, making hikes dangerous if the climb is wet and slippery or we're crossing a bamboo bridge.
W and I are revisiting the BBC TV series "No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency," based on Alexander McCall-Smith's novels. It's as wonderful as we remember from 15 years ago. The scenes feel less exotic and foreign - animals crossing the road, dust and broken roads, roadside vendors ... the surroundings feel familiar to Bandung though the African culture is different.
We leave a message for our son's birthday - he's out with friends and doesn't get home until late. We miss you, Jono!
Saturday
While W leads a study, I take a 2.5 mile stroll through the neighborhoods, sans dogs. When I come back, Bailey is still fluffy white. W's off to town today and walks for miles. I'm happy doing 4 or 5 miles today, including an afternoon walk to the hall.
David completes this (A1) painting of the Lenten theme: Christ suffering for our sins, dead and raised to new life so we can live. He calls it Joy in Suffering. The accounts of Jesus' trials, death, and resurrection are recorded in the 4 books written by contemporaries of Jesus: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. (Click for a video and reading.)
On FB and in news from around the northern hemisphere, gardeners are anticipating putting in their gardens. There's hardly a day when I take the daily abundance here for granted. I love the green, the lush foliage, and the unusual flowers.
I gather seeds and plants, tucking them into the garden here and there. Most pictures of people at the house include a garden backdrop, like this barbecue last year.
As the rain pelts the yard, I am thankful for a roof that doesn't leak (much), a warm place to sleep, and God's kindness in bringing us to Indonesia.
Sunday
We're happy to participate in Round Table Sunday, a community time of discussion, food, and conversation around the tables in the hall. Today we're talking about miracles, healing, and how the proximity of Jesus allows those things to happen.
I write a few newsletters for the coming month. After W's class, we drop by a friend's. Then it's home for a lunch of favorite foods, including homemade noodles and brisket.
MondayA quick early walk, a Zoom call, and language school. The dogs express how we feel.
In the early morning air, the clouds cover the mountain slopes. The apartment building that looms over the neighborhood disappears into the fog; the view is the same as 8 years ago when we first got heme.
By afternoon, the hotel has reappeared.
After I get home from class, I combine half the clutter of vases from Sunday into a bouquet and set the others on the entry table.
My new favorite greens may be staghorn fern fronds. They have interesting shapes and not one is like the other.
FB brings up a photo from last decade: when we lived in Seattle, I already craved green life around the house. W enclosed the back deck to make a winter garden. It was cool enough to store produce but warm enough to bring the outdoors in with a few hardy plants.
We lunch at #NaraPark with a young couple exploring Bandung for language school and work. It starts to pour as we stand up so we catch a ride home instead of walking. I'm soaked on the walk from the car door to our house. Ah, a hot shower! Meanwhile, W runs errands and takes the pair to the language office.
In the evening, 3 international couples sit around the dinner table. All are called to serve. All are in transition, seeking direction for the next season. What a privilege it is to set the table and eat Volcano chicken together. Yum. We pray for each other and send them on their way.
Read more:*Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long. Psalm 23:6*There is no holy one like the Lord, no one besides you. 1 Samuel 2:2
*Thus says the Lord, I myself have spoken to you persistently, and you have not obeyed me. Jeremiah 35:14
*Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” Luke 11:28
*As he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct. 1 Peter 1:15
Moravian Prayer: Divine Companion, we are shaped by the company we keep. We need your company, so touch us that we may know we have been with you and have been changed.
Our Hope and Stay, on our own, we fall far short of your hopes for us. We go our own way. We live fearful lives. But when we really are open to your guidance, we know that we are blessed. Thank you. Amen.
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