Friday, March 17, 2023
It's luxury to steal away with Judy for a cup of coffee in a nearby garden cafe. The plants are astonishing, the conversation is easy.
I do my language class online. I have no energy for the 1-hr commute. Driving the streets of Bandung is like cantering on a lame horse. Besides shaking unpredictably from side to side, you buck forward and backward. You must keep eyes trained ahead for a level horizon. Close your eyes and you bounce around on the seat. That's just the way it is and you acclimate to it ... unless you have to read or write something, which is almost impossible.
Saturday
We peek through the construction fence at the precise brickwork of the facade of (another!) upcoming restaurant.
After our walk, W holds the dogs while I look at how construction is coming along at the neighbor's. This staircase fills me with wonder and apprehension. The concrete, curved without supporting pillars between floors, is topped with bricks mortared into treads. The bricks will be covered with stone and it will look solid.
It's a privilege to dedicate to God almost-6-month-old Noa. His family joins the congregation in praying that his life is blessed and a blessing. He's a dolly and doesn't even make a peep! That's somewhat miraculous - our kids howled or chattered through their baby dedications.
There's lively discussion in response to questions asked during the talk on Matthew 7.
It's a great pleasure to see the friendships and integration of visitors from around the globe.
Meanwhile in the office, a IES board meeting offers updates about good work and charts the weeks ahead. Most of us stroll down to Miss Bee for a delicious lunch. The current chef at #MissBeeProvidore is excellent. A few of us order Chicken Fajitas.
We cherish these coworkers.
W and I walk to visit a neighbor's but she's away with her family. It feels good to be moving. I study language. Nothing is sticking. What was that word? I have no idea, even after listening and watching the class video a half-dozen times.
We relax with an episode of a Korean drama and fall asleep early.
After our walk, I'm lagging. I debate: go to language school or not? Of course I go, though my head is not in the game. I don't want to be dropped from this excellent program.
"Rest and don't feel guilty," says my mother on a FaceTime call. But how can I miss more classes? W's back to full strength and meets people here and there. I stick close to home and cancel what can be postponed.
When I get back from class, I make a vegetable soup with frozen broth from the last movie night. Fried onions and mushrooms get chopped, leftover vegetables are minced, and it all goes into the pot. The hot soup puts me to sleep for a few hours. I spend an hour studying.
Moving things usually energizes me. I've been thinking about changing the living room from intense purples
to a cheerier neutral palette. Ibu and PakG make it happen, rolling up the black-and-white Ikea carpet and unrolling the Afghani one.
Since our return 1.5 weeks ago, it's rained night and day between some sun breaks. When I'm home, I try to work on the porch for maximum light. We must turn on the house lamps by 3:00 p.m., hours before nightfall at 6:00.
Thunder rumbles and lightning flashes. The dogs hide in their crates as clouds dump water on the green green garden and overflow the flower-pot ponds. I love this city. (Growing up in Chilliwack and Seattle may help - there it was dark most of the winter.)
Read more:
*Come, let us walk in the light of the Lord! Isaiah 2:5
*Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” John 8:12
Moravian Prayer: Jesus, every morning’s sunrise reminds us that you are the light of the world. It is easy to be discouraged by the darkness. Open our eyes to see the light and in some small way to be the light for others as we follow you. Amen.
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