Being thankful feels good

Thursday, November 24, 2023

It feels good to be home. It's turned into rainy season in Bandung, with water pelting from the sky during midday or afternoon and again at night. We spend a relaxing day - it's American Thanksgiving and we are thankful to rest after the trip earlier this week.

Friday

The roses from last week's bouquet are fading and the sunflowers have lost all their petals but it's still beautiful.

Would you guess that between these houses is a jalan tikus (mouse alley) going to a whole neighborhood?

When you turn in, the lane between the houses is a veritable highway for motorcycles and pedestrians.

We have mango shaved ice.

A stream flows under the steps to the food stall.

Saturday

I go into the garden after our morning walk. The wonderful greens from last Sunday's arrangement have been accidentally tossed out so we start over.

The stems soak in the sink for an hour or two. Then the greens set the shape.

Next are bromeliads.

Then berries. I almost wish I'd left it alone at this stage.

But finally the amaryllis stems are held in place by chopsticks.

Sunday

We're celebrating Thanksgiving this weekend. We put leaves with something to be thankful for on the bulletin board.

The last group of free music books is sorted through in the office. The remnant will be donated elsewhere. Thanks to BAIS for their generosity in clearing their libraries toward us.

Some of next's week's volunteers for Health Day get together when the Community Table is done. They're planning to serve the city and it's a thrill to see their anticipation.

After lunch with a friend, we come home to a group on the Porch, the biweekly Hangout.

The flowers settle into the living room. They'll last a few more days but the ferns are already fading.

Our guests take the first seasonal selfies.

Monday

After a walk, it's off to the eye doctor. My eyes began flashing lights and some new long floaters appeared on Saturday. Better to be safe than sorry. W gets his eyes checked as well. We see a  wonderful doctor, the husband of a friend, and we are both doing fine.

W feels even better when he pays the bill for both appointments, consultations, and the eyedrops. We get an email confirming the transaction:

I pick up the groceries needed on the way home. I'm in the mood for Korean ramen.

Supper is the first time I use our Christmas plates this year.

PakG takes the last of the Christmas supplies to the hall.

The trees are sparking in several rooms in the house.

All kinds of treats lie on the ground. We've seen these fibrous balls dried and spray-painted silver or gold before being hung as ornaments. Free and pretty.

The street sweepers light fires with the leaves and garbage, producing smoke that drifts across the streets.

Anytime the dogs see us with a leash, they're delighted. See how patiently they wait for us?

Read more:

*Do not oppress the widow, the orphan, the alien, or the poor. Zechariah 7:10

*God, you know my folly; the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you. Psalm 68:5

*In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace. Ephesians 1:7

Moravian Prayer: Generous God, you have provided every blessing in abundance. As we acknowledge your gifts with thankfulness, we hear your call to share what we have received. And so, we pray that you give us glad and generous hearts and lives that abound in your service.

Loving Christ, you were the master of doing remarkable acts of kindness—feeding the masses, healing the leper, loving the unlovable. Today, we resolve to reach out to a person we do not know and treat them with kindness in your name. Thank you for letting us know how to express compassion. Amen.

Java the island Pt 2 - on the USA Thanksgiving Day

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone - esp for Americans who celebrate today. We pass on the greetings as common passport-holders.

Monday, November 20, 2023

We rest for a few hours after arriving at the hotel with Vanessa. Supper is a poolside feast under old mangrove trees (which are literally called "grapes of the sea" trees.)

The discussions are sweet.

Tuesday

We're mid-way in the island of Java, 6 hours away by train. Jogja is a thriving city of 3 million Javanese and a lot of university students and artists. Despite the size, "It feels like a small town," according to Vanessa.

We enjoy the local and international breakfast buffet by the pool.

Why are we here? W is teaching his Basic Christian Thought course. PM me if you want more info or the notes.

It's a joy to interact with the young leaders over meals and conversations.

Supper in a Middle East restaurant is delicious and fun.

Wednesday

We walk the 2-km path through the hotel grounds before breakfast. What a gorgeous setting.

Do you know now why we rarely need to take vacations? The settings around SE Asia are so gorgeous you feel like you're on holidays even when you're working! I capture a few flowers along the brick and concrete path.

After an 8:30 breakfast with a leader, W and I agree that there's so much growth and service going on that Jamie and Tasha are outstanding. Mid-morning, we chat and catch a ride to the station with Mike, Lawrencia, and Silas (whose big brother is MIA - in preschool.) Thanks, guys, for taking a bite out of your morning to meet with us.

Indonesian train infrastructure has improved since we first arrived 9+ years ago. These station officials are crisp in their uniforms.

The old stations may not yet be pulled down but the new ones boast custom teak windows and marble or stone floors with good waiting rooms.

There are only 5 stops on our 6-hr trip. Usually everyone's on the platform, drags their luggage inside, and the stationmaster's whistle sounds - within a few minutes. At the one 10-minute stop, I watch with bemusement as the stationmaster inside the building manually pulls levers to shift the tracks ahead. He knows which one's which, whew.

On the train ride back to Bandung, we catch snippets of community and farm life. 

Some rice harvests are over, waiting for the fields to be burned or plowed under for the next planting.

In other paddies, the rice is almost ready for harvest. Cloths wave on sticks to ward off birds that eat the grain.

Along the tracks, someone is drying bamboo, perhaps for scaffolding, perhaps for building.

At every crossroad, motorcycles line up. During rush hour, hundreds of them wait for us to pass.

Our final landmarks include the Bandung end-station for the high-speed WOOSH train from Jakarta, which unfortunately lies far away from most of Bandung! but will probably boost development in the southeast area of town,

and this futuristic mosque.

As the sun sets, we wonder if this is employee housing: every residence is the same and built in tidy rows.

We arrive to a full train station and a safe, winding trip through traffic, thanks to PakG. What a blessing he is to us. We're home by 7:30 and don't stay up much longer.

Read more:

Psalm 8 (a song of King David and one of my favorite poems of worship):

Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens. Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.

Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Prayer of thanksgiving: O God of all created things, world and everything in it, today we offer our worship. Nothing in heaven or on earth compares to you. Help us never to worship created things but to reserve our adoration for you alone. Give us grateful hearts for the people, places, and resources that you so bountifully supply. We are full of thankfulness to you, our Lord and King. Amen.

Java the island Part 1

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. Today American celebrate the goodness and generosity of God and spend time with their families and friends. So I'm jumping ahead I'm this blogger-journal with a happy bulletin board designed by artist Angie. We are thankful for so many blessings today.

Saturday, November 18, 2023

W returns from Taiwan via Jakarta in late evening. He's tired and happy to be home. He gathers everything together for the morning, when he will speak at IESB. His series is "Can we trust the Bible?" He's a university professor, so it's thick with information worth considering. (Link to the four November 2023 sessions here.)

Sunday

We're up and out early, ready to worship God in community. In this season of saying thanks, I'm grateful for good teams who lead in many ways.

That includes Titik, who surprises us with a beautiful arrangement every second week. For those who notice the world around them, such gifts draw us into thanksgiving, too.

Lunch is with friends at #NaraPark. The team there takes good care of us with nourishing and delicious food. We leave nothing on the table, not even infused water. (Makes my heart happy to enjoy a repast so thoroughly.)

When we get home, the IESB kids and their parents are wrapping up their semi-annual potluck on the Porch. How grateful we are to share the abundance of our spaces.

Monday

We packed yesterday afternoon and are on the train to Jogja (mid-island) in the early morning.

The views on both side of the train are stunning but we're in the same seats and on the "hillside" both ways. We assumed the train would loop so we'd have both outlooks. However, the staff rotates the seating so an engine can be locked onto either end. That means we see beauty on the south both ways but not the open valleys to the north. Next time.

No worries. The rendang (spicy coconut-beef stew) is delicious and the 6-hour ride is smooth.

Java is mountainous. The many rivers provide irrigation for rice paddies.

Locals carve the terraces out by hand or break up the soil with small hand-driven gas plows. Old clothing waves off the birds who love to carry off the ripened seeds.

Rice provides abundant and cheap carbohydrates for a burgeoning population.

We arrive without incident. Once again, the number of motorcycles catches my attention. See the row of helmets and bikes on the upper parking lot? Every public parking space has a separate area where motorcycles cram side in by side. Cars park in a separate area with lines defining the narrow slots.

Vanessa picks us up at the station and takes us to the Hyatt, an unexpected (and unearned) upgrade where we'll stay 2 nights. 

The grounds include a 2km (1.4 mile) walking trail. It's flat as it winds through the grounds. We take advantage of it before breakfast.

The staff is friendly and the ladies in the foyer ask for a selfie. Batik is more patterned and less floral here.

The flower arrangements in the foyer catch the eye and my imagination.

W and I dump our bags in the room and head into the neighborhood to explore what's nearby. Look at this nifty speedster lounging in an open shop.

It's about 4oC (6-8oF) warmer here than in Bandung so we share an ice-cream cone. Think, "Indonesian DQ" - and you've nailed the flavor. However, here's it's still under 50c (7,000) for a huge waffle cone topped with a generous serving of ice milk.

The Hyatt decor makes me smile. Look at these seed pods, sprayed silver.

They're on a tree made of harvested rice stalks. Aren't people creative?!

So why are we in Jogja? It's not for a vacation. But, more about that in Java Pt 2.

Read more:

*How can a mortal be just before God? If one wished to contend with him, one could not answer him once in a thousand. Job 9:2-3

I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.” Luke 15:18

Moravian Prayer: The grace that you have extended to us, dear God, is difficult to comprehend. Your forgiveness of our sins is so radical in a world where people still seek an eye for an eye. Thank you for setting this example, and for being our strength when it is our turn to forgive a wrong done to us. Your grace is life-giving. Amen.