Batu: a conference to remember and publishing 3 books

The week of August 7, 2023

Sunday, our first flight lands in Bali, while the second takes us to Surabaya, the eastern-most megacity on the island of Java. First, we enjoy Titik's yellow arrangement at IESB. (The pot is about 14" tall.)

W chooses a #PremierPlace hotel 15 minutes from the Surabaya airport. Early Monday morning, after a fitful sleep, we take a taxi back to the airport.

I pop a sleeping pill in the morning to zone me out. We meet our colleagues at the airport and take a bus to Batu, with a stop at a Starbucks along the way.

The convention center is nice. We're astonished at conference venues on this side of the world. They are beautiful but inexpensive compared to the West.

A plate of treats is delivered to the door daily. Sometimes there are two!

They're served on huge dinner plates.

There's no chance for hunger. The mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks are filling, never mind the buffet meals.

The staff is well-trained and attentive, which we never take for granted. 

We walk the 1 mile loop-ish each morning. The flowers along the paths are beautiful and exotic.

This young man sees us admiring the flowers on a walk,

and clips one for our room. Sadly, he can't poke out a root for me to take along.

The food is good. I always choose noodles.

One evening, we celebrate Gigi's 60th birthday with her friends and teammates. Of course, she and I indulged in a bit of pampering earlier in the day.

The views of the city are lovely - we're in the cool mountains of Batu.

We're here for a week-long national conference. Worship is led by musicians in traditional clothing.

The hall corrals thousands of delegates from all over the islands. This is their first meeting in 7 years, since the regular 5-year rotation was interrupted by COVID. The delegates are debating and voting on points of order, bylaws, and a new organizational committee. It's a lot!

The dress code for each day includes matching jackets on the first night. A friend ends up with 2 jackets and gives me the smaller size. It fits my shoulders well but squeezes the breath out of her. One day is formal wear. Another is batik (traditionally dyed or stamped patterns on cotton cloth.) Each area has its own patterns.

There are various group pictures, formal and informal.

We run into new and old friends.

One morning, I work on Kindle manuscripts. My task is to finally publish my 3-volume set of What Made Them Think They Could? in paperback. No luck. I'm an idiot with this kind of thing. W promises to figure it out for me.

I owe three outstanding influencers a copy of the series. They wrote the books' Forewords: Dr George Wood (deceased, so I'll send it to his son), Dr Don Ross, and Dr Charlie Self. At least a dozen libraries have asked for copies. It's time to check this task off an aging to-do list.

All three volumes consider the first generation of Pentecostal women in global work. The books are about passion. History. Anthropology. Culture. Sociology. Faith. Colonization. Careers. Caring for others. And ... how to leave a legacy.

I was introduced to this group of adventurers when Gloria Robinett, librarian at the AG missionary files, pulled the records of a dozen outstanding women from the early 1900s. In the files, I discovered cross-cultural courage, mentors, and strong characters who risked everything to share Good News.

I was captured by the accounts. About 40 years ago, someone photocopied and cut out every record of AG missionaries that she could get her hands on. She popped them into individual files = what astonishing reading! The information includes applications, travelogues, and hundred of articles that the women and their acquaintances wrote about themselves and their work.

Book 1 (Ten Case Studies of Female Pioneers in Pentecostal Missions) contains the stories of 10 women (6 married and 4 single), who worked around the globe in the early 1900s. The women are diverse, but each one fascinates and inspires me.

Book 2  (American Religious and Cultural Influences) explores their heritage. Who were their female mentors and counterparts in the late C19 and early C20? Which organizations sent women around the world as teachers, preachers, and social workers? What did the women focus on and what were their challenges?

Book 3 (Shaping Theology, Policy, and Praxis) tells the story of the emerging Assemblies of God, and how rules and opportunities developed for female global workers.

Another day, I write 10 book reviews. I'm interested in the trends new books showcase. Reading books before publication gives me a window into culture and information. Lucky me!

On Friday morning, we're on our way to the airport. It takes almost 2 hours via shuttle. We have an overnight layover in Bali (no direct flights home available) before our driver gets us in Bandung.

Along the street, there's a 4' lizard in a cage.

We eat at Naughty Nuri's (Sanur) for the first time. The ribs are delicious - and the roasted corn is good, too. It's the best meal we've had on this trip.

The coleslaw is exceptional because the vegetables are crisp and fresh. Dipping my fork into 1/2 teaspoon of dressing on the side flavors a big plate..

We stop for gelato on the beach, walking back to the hotel.

Everywhere. And I mean everywhere. Shops. Banks. The airport entry. Homes. Street crossings. Everywhere in Bali, there are temples and statues and offerings made to the gods for luck, for fortune, for health, for good business ...

I've never noticed these plants blooming in Bandung, but look at the little openings all along the stem. I break a thin branch off a red frangipani tree and W tucks it into his bag. We'll plant that in our garden at home.

We are invited to a friend's birthday but won't be home in time. We send a box of cookies with a warm "Happy Birthday" in our place.

Saturday

Breakfast is plain and indifferent in the hotel. There's not enough time to go out to the fabulous eateries without the pressure of "being on time" (getting to the airport early). It's peaceful dangling my feet in the small pool.

Our initially booked flight is canceled so we're rescheduled to an hour later. In the check-in line, we meet Zoe from Ottawa, who is doing a semester abroad from a university in Toronto. She joins us in the airport lounge as our guest. We wish her a safe trip home and W prays a blessing on her travels.

The lady sitting beside me on the plane is a first, too. Her lips move as silently reads the Koran, which has a commentary written in the margins. She reads Arabic with Indonesian phonics underneath. What makes her unusual is that most Indonesians aren't readers. Judging from the plethora of covered heads, many passengers on this flight probably came from Lombok or another Islamic area - Bali is mostly Hindu.

I'm read from two books during the 1.5-hour flight: Brene Brown's Atlas of the Heart (on emotions) and Johann Hari's new book Stolen Focus. The first is encouraging. The second was sent to me for review by the publisher.

Stolen Focus offers shocking documentation on how distraction is built into tech and apps. It reviews studies that show how the constant skimming of information is rewiring interactions from the brain and body outward. Everything is designed to keep you scrolling, to keep you online. [PS Many app designers do not let their kids use a smartphone or apps - that's how corrosive and damaging they consider the technology.]

I need both books - and will be considering how to change some interactions because of them.

We finally land in Bandung about 2:00. A quick trip to Setiabudi market for groceries, and we're on the way home. I raid the garden for flowers for the 12 tables at the hall; tomorrow's a potluck at IESB. I'll cook 3 kg of spaghetti and make a monsterous salad in the morning. IbuA's freshly-baked cookies are already waiting in the fridge at the office.

Read more:

*Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble. Psalm 119:165

*I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.

Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Luke 12:4-7

*Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom. Colossians 3:16

Moravian Prayer: Spirit of truth, your teachings fill us, surround us, and nourish us all our days. We seek to love your truth, and to share it with one another with the wisdom and gentleness that can come only from you. We pray, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Anticipation and discomforts

Saturday, August 6, 2023

We drop off coffee grounds for the neighbor's garden.

Shortly into the morning walk, W smashes his nose, running with our 3 dogs. We head home to disinfect and wipe off the blood.

The biggest dog is the least aware of her surroundings: Juno. She zooms across his trajectory to chase a cat. He trips over her and lands on his face. I come around the corner to see him flat on the ground with 2 women bent over him, trying to lift him to his feet. Heart-stopping.

The dog lies on the porch most of the day, aware that we're not happy with her.

The neighbor's vanda orchid sends out sweet fragrance as we head home.

We send 2 trays of cookies to the event we were supposed to attend; W's in hospital getting x-rays, bandages, and salve. When I offer to go along, he waves me off.

The living room is dark and comforting. I'm stressed about going to a conference with 18 sessions planned. It's in Indonesian. I usually try to avoid crowds of strangers. Listening to people discuss, vote, and decide things I don't understand of sounds mind-bending-ly uncomfortable.

I checked in with an advisor earlier in the week for insights into what bothers me about attending. "Everything I know about you is that you're wired for connections. Spending a week without being useful to others, without offering meaningful links between people or resources, is a violation of your calling." Ah. It's also an act of obedience to leaders who determine how our self-employment can be lived out.

I find an envelope from a dear friend in a newly sorted box. Keelee's written these instructions. "When you need a pick-me-up, comfort, or want to treat yourself, open me."

I open it. Inside is K's perfectly tatted doily. The interconnections of threads remind me of our significance as part of a whole rather than in isolation. Message received and I'll be back home when it's over.

A whole bottle of "Calm" chocolates that numb the internal overload go into the suitcase. I pack extra noise-canceling IPods and construction-rated earplugs to mute the extreme volume of Indonesian events. I take notebooks in which to write and draw.

I could pretend that all is well. Yet, honestly, when you cross cultures, discomforts are part of everyday life as well as work. Everyone finds coping mechanisms. That the reality of living and serving abroad.

Sunday

We're off to the Gathering, the Indonesian flag flying at our gate. By early August, the national colors of red and white flutter on most gates and along most neighborhood streets.

Breakfast is delicious: spaghetti and creamed spinach, left over from movie night.

When we get home, the Porch is full of young people, enjoying their Hangout.

Read more:

*The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure,  enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb. Psalm 19:7-10

Artificial seasons and real connections

Sunday, July 30, 2023

We're at the hall early to set up Round Table Sunday. Today's discussion is Matthew 24, where Jesus warns his followers that, though the end times will be difficult, there is hope.

The 12 vases of table flowers are delicate - a stem of maidenhead fern and some red berries clipped from a weedy shrub. Yesterday's trip into the garden was one of the simplest.

A box of Korean books (from the library clear-out) goes home with its new owners. He's a prof. She's a certified Korean language teacher.

W is worn out after the morning. We eat lunch at home, a switch from our Sunday routine.

Monday

W feels well enough to walk before my first meeting at 6:30. It feels good to stretch our legs in the cold morning air (60oF/15oC) BRRR. I grab a sweater before we head out the door.

The neighborhood "influencer" has 6 spotted deer in his front yard pen today, including two fauns.

They scurry away as I point my phone camera through the fence grate.

Further along, this big tour bus is in trouble if the driver tries to navigate narrower roads. This street is considered wide and accessible (2-lanes in Indonesian standards). Note that the bus takes up 2/3 of the pavement, though it has pulled off to the shoulder.

Drainage is being installed along the tall stone fence. Plastic piping will be hidden behind blocks of grey stone on the street side.

More stuff is coming and going. PakG makes two trips for 5 solid bookshelves (@$14). A few weeks ago, God provided books. Now he sends over book storage for the village school and IESB. I'm not sure whether to watch the flow of resources streaming by with surprise or amusement. In it comes. Out it goes.

We get an update from a community English program, staffed by volunteers. It's grown over the past year from a dozen or so kids to a good group, plus about a dozen moms.

The last dozen-or-so book boxes and bookshelves are moved from the Porch to our shed area. These volunteers will retrieve them to create a village library.

The nook has gained and lost some items. You can't have houseplants in the house without being willing to deal with ant nests and creatures inside the pots. No thanks. Someone gives us green "silk" ivy, which looks just fine on the shelf.

Around the neighborhood, flags are going up for National Day in 2 weeks.

These cute kids play games in a neighborhood common space.

Movie night is a whole-week affair that goes something like this:

• Monday: invitation and guest list
• Tuesday: shopping and organization, some shifting of furniture from the living/dining room
• Wednesday: cooking (starts whenever I wake up), final room and media layout, kitchen buffet setup, and then at 6-10pm, dinner and a movie
• Thursday: cleaning. Rugs, furniture, and lamps return to the living/dining room
• Friday: finish resetting the house (pictures, decor, etc. put in place; cooking/serving pieces migrate to storage.)

Is movie night worth a week of work? Watching new friendships emerge, weaving a broad net for students to expand their resources and relationships, and feeding 50-60 students a big meal (some don't eat well) ... It's definitely worth the effort. Though I get tired thinking about it in advance.

W sends the invitation. A constant pinging of text signups interrupts the August and September video shoot. The goal is to finish 8 videos, which takes all morning. I send them to W for processing when they're done.

I make German comfort food for lunch: Kartoffel Klöße with mushroom gravy.

Over several days, W and PakG take the main room apart. First it empties of all but movie night essentials. The helpers sweep and wash the floor once the carpets are removed.

W uses previous pictures of the setup to shift the furnishings into place. The inside projector is hung from the coved ceiling.

Beanbags and pillows are spread out with small tables within reach. We make one last check to ensure that everything is ready. 

Wednesday - Mom's 88th birthday

Happy birthday to the best mother ever. We call to celebrate her and hear the fun things she did. She tells us how her friends spoil her. What a great celebration.

Cooking starts after 7:00 a.m. so I can be done before noon. As usual, I write the menu on the fridge whiteboard and strike through each dish as it's completed. I wash dishes as I go since pots are used multiple times. The last go-around, I leave them for the helpers. They also cook the rice, cut salad greens and fruit, and fill the deviled eggs I cooked last night.

After lunch, I read and nap before the fun starts. About 6:15 p.m., the house begins to fill up with over 60 participants. We start with dinner.

Today we represent 14 countries.

Everyone chooses a seat to eat and watch the first half of the movie.

Lights are dimmed.

Outside watching a second screen, the porch is almost as full as the house.

The sad part is that nearly every month, we have to say farewell to longtime "kids" as they leave Bandung to work and study around the world.

Thursday

It's a short night (11-4) but nature helps us decompress. The hike an hour north of Bandung starts in the cool and breezy forest. Our tradition is to take a picture beside this banyan tree. Today someone has slapped up a vinyl sign near it.

It's hot and sunny in the tea fields.

Hardest on our feet is the stony and overgrown road. Our ankles tip and tilt, while the soles of our feet take a beating on the uneven rocks.

W takes a picture of the tea trimmers. They lift the tarp where tea is unloaded so we and the 7🐶 dogs can walk past without damaging the leaves. Those are loaded onto little trucks and taken to the nearby factory for processing into tea.

When we get home, PakG works his magic on Bailey, returning him to a fluffy teddy bear. After this shot, I trim his eyes so he can see.

We pack up serving items for Saturday, the Tanikota end-of-term picnic. Volunteers pick it up in the afternoon. "Who has 150 spoons, forks, & cups, 120 plates and liners, and a water dispenser to loan out from their house?" Yes, we can put our hands up for that. (Sunday, this will be used for Hangout. Next weekend, they're needed for the IESB Potluck!)

Friday

W and I walk to #NaraPark for breakfast. All morning, movie night is put to rest for another month. We create our own seasons in lieu of the annual seasons we grew up with. Instead of the once-a-year spring clean, the house needs seasonal deep-cleaning from dust and dirt blowing in through the open doors and unsealed windows. The nook gets its own revamp with a tablecloth from Bhutan.

Summery green boxes in the Kallex buffet are exchanged for quieter black ones. The dining table returns to the main room with blue and black tablecloths.

IbuS dresses the sofa with purple slipcovers and pillowcases. She washes and stores the bright tablecloth, beige sofa slipcover, and light-colored pillowcases until next year (after Christmas and Valentine reds are done.) The house breathes in and out, ready for the arrival of our next guests.

Read more:

*The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness. I will build you up again, and you, Virgin Israel, will be rebuilt. Again you will take up your timbrels and go out to dance with the joyful. Again you will plant vineyards on the hills of Samaria; the farmers will plant them and enjoy their fruit. There will be a day when watchmen cry out on the hills of Ephraim, ‘Come, let us go up to Zion, to the Lord our God.’" Jeremiah 31:3-6

*For me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, to tell of all your works. Psalm 73:28

*He entered the temple with [Peter and John], walking and leaping and praising God. Acts 3:8

Moravian Prayer: God, when we talk about you and your goodness, we do feel closer to you and know you as our strength and our refuge. May we never keep to ourselves what we have experienced of your love and your care. Amen.