Advent begins

Let's start! with Titik, who surprised everyone in the hall with this magnificent arrangement on the first Advent Sunday.

Tuesday, November 28, 2023

Breakfast at Nara is rice porridge (bubur ayam) for me. W kindly order the noodles I usually get because i'm craving Rica (HOT sambal sauce) with the rice. It hits the spot. He enjoys the noodles sans spicy sauce.

Once again, the owls flap us away from their perch and squeak a warning.

We finish our part of the Christmas decor in the hall: benches, wrapped gifts, setting up a few trees - and  we leave the creche and rest of the hall up to the artist Daniel. I lay homemade twig stars down for a garland. Daniel will top them with letters matching his font elsewhere: "God with us."

He's more of a perfectionist than I am and when I come back, the garland is hanging up.

He designs a beautiful tree near the stage.

I love the communal culture here. Walking home, we pass groups of women arm in arm, coming back from the market together.

The neighborhood house should be rebuilt soon - the soft clay bricks that make up the walls (plastered over) have arrived.

There's not much left of the house: you can see the house across the street from it through the ruin of the house. That's deconstruction.

Recognize any of these houseplants from your last trip to the nursery? This neighbor has a beautiful display, year-round.

Lunch is a meatball dish on top of vegetables, made by IbuA.

I look through old photos: yikes what a different a few years make. Left is our 2-storey living room assembled for the annual faculty Christmas in Seattle. Right is now, where it's also starting to look festive.

Wednesday 

It's my 4-year tooth cleaning appointment. I'd intended to get in sooner though everything is healthy. "Are you a tea drinker?" asks Dr Gati? Oh yes. And I know that my teeth are stained like an old mug after a cup of tea. She sorts things out in the most gentle way - and look at the view out her window. Her patients gaze across the hills to a beautiful scene or choose from 2 monitors (above or ahead) to distract us from the sound of the wire cleaning brushes.

Thursday

I try my first walk in months. If I can do this "easy" walk, I'll be a regular.

We stroll down the mountainside, and inwardly I groan. It's a loop walk, which means every step down costs a step up afterward. It ends up = 32 ascending flights of stairs (going down doesn't count. Neither does an up and down, just total elevation.) And 5-ish miles (8+ km) with 13,000 steps. Not bad.

The dogs run ahead on the path through the tall grass, warning off snakes and lizards that might be warming themselves on the rocks or mud.

It's a dogs' day with 7 happy critters and 6 walkers.

Ronny brings delicious chocolate cookie treats, just in case we use up a few calories.

I try a herbal drink. "We have a smilier mix in the fridge from our friend," says W. Really? Let's get to it then. It's delicious!

In the evening, we attend the funeral of fellow walker, Monique. The hall ebbs and flows with people who knew this dear lady. She founded a yogurt company that is unrivaled in our city, so some of us know her from hiking, some from her French connections, and some from the food company.

William  puts up a display of photos. I recognize some that I took on our Thursday walks. I browse  my phone for others and send them to William for her sisters to enjoy.

Traffic is relentless. It takes some people 2 hours to get to the French Institute for the memorial.

Friday

It's the first day of Advent. Every day I hang an ornament from the basket of Advent balls onto the tree. I made them the second year we were here, so they're getting old.

There's a verse on the back of each numbered ornament.

Breakfast is leftovers-soup that fills my stomach and heart. It's a chilly 20oC outside and blustery rain arrives nearly every afternoon.

We head out the door about 10:30 and don't get home until almost 4:00.  We try a Palestinian restaurant that is DELICIOUS. Will definitely go back. The job today is to knock off some errands: buying white elephant gifts, supplies for movie night next week, and dropping off a transformer for repair.

I find Christmas lights and admire the shops full of chandeliers along the way.

Saturday

W's study is cancelled so we work on tomorrow's talk. When we're done it's mid-morning and we walk around the loop and past the #PadmaHotelBandung. I like the cardboard trees in their lobby!

A few blocks down the hill at #WarungEthnic, W orders a steak and mashed potatoes, too heavy for my taste.

I have oncom (rice steamed in a banana leaf, with peanuts sprinkled on top), with some veggies and beef rendang (a 2X2" square of beef, hard-stewed in coconut milk and spices). Not so light after all. Both are excellent.

W goes downtown for a lunch meeting while I wrap presents, refine tomorrow's talk, and bring down items from storage. By nightfall, all is calm.and bright as the Christmas lights come on in the house.

December 3, First Sunday of Advent

The readers read the prophecies of Isaiah (chapter 52-53) and we begin to wait for the coming king. Our 2023 Advent theme is "God with Us."

After, lots of selfies happen around the hall. This is a season of guests, returning old-timers, and friends celebrating the birth of Jesus together.

W brings home a decorated candle from a friend. It goes into a candleholder, adding to the festive spirit around home.

We travel to the next hill to cheer on Tanikota's Health Day. Doctors, a dentist (Dr Gati and her team), nutrition counselors (Dr. Hanna's Jemika group), medical professionals (Watada's teams) and others serve over 100 neighbors with healthcare and basic pharmaceuticals.

The volunteers are awesome, led by Shibli, Angie, Herbert, and many more. All goes smoothly and the hard rain that drenches our hill patters by the event across the valley. Thanks be to God for answered prayers!

Monday

At 2:30 a.m., I wake up with a head full of to-dos. By the time I write them down, 15 minutes have gone by and there are over 20 things that need attention. They range from completing a syllabus for a January class to movie night prep for Wednesday, team meeting tasks for tomorrow, overdue calls to make, financial transfers to chase down, and more.

By 4:30, I haven't fallen asleep but the "get-to-me-soon" list is longer. Almost 30 tasks? That's ridiculous. I'd better get up. I don't have time to do more than those this week.

We take a walk of course. Dozens of starfruits lie untouched on the ground under a tree.

Back home, I make a big pot of tea and call those I can bother early in the morning. Then it's time to start to checking things off the list. No, blogging wasn't on that list.

Read more:

*Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress. Psalm 31:9

*Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience of my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. Isaiah 7:13-14

*His disciples awoke Jesus, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” But he said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then he arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. Matthew 8:25-26

*But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: with the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.

That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. 2 Peter 3: 8-13

Moravian Prayer: O Lord of sea and sky, calm our fears and grant to us a quiet spirit. As we transition from one season to another, let us find comfort in these words of hope and promise. Restore our faith. Amen.