Here, fishy froggy! ... tortoise?

Monday, July 24, 2023

After a short night, online meetings start at 6:00. Well, I'm late to the first one. A roach lies on its back in the shower. I wait until W tosses it into the toilet for me. The drain flies get smashed and washed away, one by one.

By 8:00, with 2 meetings down, W and I walk to a delightful breakfast with our Indonesian "kids" and Jakarta friends - Jojo and Kristi. We love to catch up - they're entrepreneurs and fun to be around, all grown up with a family of their own.

Speaking of families, the tortoises at #NaraPark have bred. Nine 6" babies sun themselves in a dry aquarium near our table. Cute! They'll grow to be 2-3' long.

I'm happy when Jojo and Kristi take a couple of boxes of sports-themed books from the Porch stash. We offer Bibles to various friends, too.

Before noon, I replace an older fishbowl on the Porch with a new one, picked up last week at the Bali glass factory.

I trim the plants and change the water in the other Bali bowl. First, a frog has to be fished out. Ugh - I toss it into the garden. I scooped away hundreds of tadpoles during the last water change during a catch-and-destroy mission. One little black swimmer apparently evaded the net. When it's big enough to capture, it will be tossed into the garden with its mother.

IbuS grabs a broom to sweep another frog off the string of porch lights. It needs suction feet to get up there!

W and I prep for the week of meetings ahead and relax over lunch. The weekly delivery of sprouts (peas this time) arrives and we add some to our meal.

We thank God for a garden that feels as relaxing as time in Bali. The birds are tweeting up a storm, the chimes are ringing, and the wind coming over the hill cools the sun-kissed air. The fruit seller sends over a watermelon and a half-dozen mangos.

I either need to toss or dye a weird pink and black hat. It's too "granny" even for this grandma. A few years ago, my mom sent Rit Dye packages (30 years old?) along. I am gradually using them up. "Chocolate brown," today?

Into the color bath left over when the hat is done, I submerge a white shirt, stained outdoor beige pillowcases, and a tote bag. Lots of brown things, suddenly. After rinses, a soak in vinegar water, and drying, they're ironed to set the color.

W is ill again, but he's alert enough to capture another roach in the shower at night. By evening, my throat is sore and my gums ache. I cancel tomorrow's meetings - no one wants this stuff.

Tuesday

The intention is to lie low and rest. A group comes to sort books for the village library. On my end, messages about other matters fly back and forth.

I have to shop for groceries; we're out of most things after last week's trip. By the time the helpers and village volunteers leave, I'm ready for a long nap.

Wednesday

An online group study early this overcast morning, then W and I walk to breakfast at Ethnic. This charming space used to be a home. Now its quiet garden is resplendent with fountains and covered tables.

OH! look at the 8' (2.5 meter) "false bird of paradise" in bloom! It's like bamboo - a quick spreader, but in a variety I don't  have. We ask the gardener to send us some shoots the next time he prunes it back.

Instead, he walks to the flowerbed with his mattock and digs out two long stalks and roots. PakG loads them into the car and PakA plants them in the garden. Seen and done. Nice!

My rice and vegetables, covered in peanut sauce, are delicious. I pack up the crackers for the helpers.

Neighborhoods are decorating for Indonesian Independence Day (August 17). This alley is painted the colors of the Indonesian flag. (Turn it upside down and you have the Polish flag.)

As the sky clears, temperatures rise. About that time, I make a pit-stop at the hall to see what work still awaits. The worship storage room was cleared and cleaned while we were in Bali last week.

All this (below) needs to be sorted and returned (or tossed) by the music team. That way, the leaders know what "stuff" belongs to them - and where it's stashed.

But, oh yikes! I poke into one more area, the media booth. It hasn't been cleared out for years either. It looks like the first space did a few weeks ago. Look out, clutter! Here we come - well, maybe next week when we've recovered.

After morning calls to Thailand, Canada, and the USA, the day has truly begun. So much work is behind the scenes with gradual and ongoing results. We plan meetings, connections, and watch God at work. (For me, it's pure fun to see what emerges.)

Someone writes, "Do you want these books, too?" Sure why not. It looks like a simple 3-shelf rack. I send PakG to the school library, an hour away.

A seller in that city posts a commercial (rotating) cake stand for $6.50.

When I put my name down, I see that young moms in our neighborhood have purchased various kid-items from the same online yard sale. Do they want PakG to bring their things as well, since he's there?

"Sure, it would be nice if you brought ours."

In early afternoon, the carload of books arrives. Wow - those are more volumes than we thought! PakG and PakA sort them into bags. We set aside a few classic children's books for friends with little kids. The moms come by and look through the stacks. 10 bags of books will be picked up by a village school tomorrow.

The Porch fills and empties as things are sorted, retrieved, or await delivery. The flow this month has been messy, abundant, and unusual. We're watching God move things around to please himself and bless others.

Meanwhile, in the ponds, the frogs are chirping. How many do you see in the 4' (1.3m)-wide kolam below?

Read more:

*Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. Isaiah 44:6

*You bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover them with favor as with a shield. Psalm 5:12

*May your unfailing love come to me, Lord, your salvation, according to your promise; then I can answer anyone who taunts me for I trust in your word. Never take your word of truth from my mouth, for I have put my hope in your laws. I will always obey your law, for ever and ever. I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts. Psalm 119: 45-49

*The one who was born of God protects them, and the evil one does not touch them. 1 John 5:18

Moravian Prayer: Lord, we will lie down in peace and rest in safety for you are our ever-present protector. Whether we are threatened by foes real or imagined, we will rest in the shadow of your wings. Nightmares have no power over us when you stand ready to scatter them away. When morning comes, we will thank you for never leaving us. Amen.