Cookie monster and tree stumps

Saturday

It's the best kind of morning on the Porch, making calls, writing, and reading. There's a new crop of lemons - this tree bears fruit most of the year.

The goats next door are in full wailing mode. They've cleared the brush and grass from the overgrown lot next door. They are also the designated lawnmowers for the neighbor's yard.

The sun's out after a chilly night (16oC/61oF). The wind kicks up, clanging the chimes along the roofline. We try some carrot cake that we found in the freezer. Where oh where did this come from? It's delicious.

I have an in-person meeting before W and I eat lunch at Miss Bee.  I choose 3 little chicken tacos - I'm not very hungry.

Indonesia remembers Mohammed's birthday today. Without helpers at the house, we enjoy the quiet. and confirm that all is back in place after movie night.

In the evening, W  picks up our IES Bandung weekend guest at the train station. We take Neil for supper at #NaraPark.

"If I had known it was this beautiful in Bandung, I would've brought my kids," Neil says.

Overhead, I see a cloud and wonder if God is debating what kind of weather to send tomorrow. (Can you see the bent upper figure with a hand to his cheek and "hmmmm...?")

Sunday

7:30 is prayer time. 

Then we enjoy the Gathering with our speaker from Penang. There's a team member from a church plant in Taiwan, too. How cool to meet you, Georgie.

After we enjoy the Community Table, where we snack on food and conversation. It's team meeting for an hour: Hanny is preaching next week, so she gets to practice on us first.

Then a  group gather at Karnivor for lunch. Our guests have to leave early to catch the airport shuttle and keep other appointments.

Titik Badudu has made the most beautiful flowers for the hall. 

"And for your anniversary," she explains. They look wonderful with the "autumn colors" in the living room.

Monday

Walking. Calls. Editing. A university press has asked me to edit a journal article with a quick turnaround. It's due next week so it takes concentration. The proofreader did a good job. It takes a few hours in three focus sessions. Each time I'm interrupted, it takes me 15-20 minutes to reconnect with the ideas.

We meet a friend for lunch and theology insights at #WaroengEthnic. W orders the traditional nasa kuning (yellow rice).

I just love the taste of Ethnic's oncom I (rice wrapped in banana leaves, with crispy additives - plus some traditionally stewed beef).

On the way home, we marvel at the contrast: one tree is leafing out after severe pruning. The other, hard-cut at the same time, has no new growth so the vine are taking over.

Tuesday

We walk a loop with the dogs before the calls and meetings begin. This neighbor's house has a beautiful rhythm of rooftop pots: they are filled with asparagus ferns.

On the side of the road, water repairs are ongoing. The little sandbags prevent motorcycles or cars from driving into the deep hole. See the water pipe (2"/4.5cm?) below?

Overhead, some trees are flowering.

An in-person chore is renewing our access to our bank account. Vadhia says her name comes from her combined heritage: a Sundanese mom and a Minadonese father.

After lunch, the yardman sands stumps to be used for seating in the yard.

The wood needs resin to fill the cracks that showed up when it dried. It will be coated in polyurethane before being put in the rain and sun. At the back of the yard, two trees are dropping cloves by the hundreds. No one wants to pick them since COVID-19. The prices plunged and it's too little gain for the effort. (See the brownish-grey cloves ripe on the trees?)

"Then pick them off the ground," I instruct the guys. "Put a tarp under and beat the branches with a bamboo rod if you can't find someone willing to climb up for them."

No one seems enamored of the bland flavor of the current peanut butter cookies. I look up a new recipe and ask IbuA to try it out. She's a wonderful baker and cook.

If you've got a winning recipe for p-butter cookies, please send it my way. Our "35-years-of-recipes" book was lost before we came to Indonesia. I miss all recipes for Christmas baking, Thanksgiving specials, and birthdays. Oh well.

Read more:

*When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul. Psalm 94:19

Jesus said, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me, yet not my will but yours be done.” Then an angel from heaven appeared to him and gave him strength. Luke 22:42-43

*Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:15-20

Moravian Prayer: God, when our days are tiresome, please reveal your presence and give us the patience to move on. When our days are filled with joy, continue to sing your songs from heaven above to cheer us. Amen. 

New friends meet and "family" returns

Wednesday, September 11, 2024 - Movie Night, finally

Help arrives at 3:00 to cook rice, cut salad and fruit, and bake cheese balls. Last movie night, we skipped the cheese balls. It was funny to hear the many complaints: "Where are the cheese balls? We love those!" 

IbuS learned to bake the Brazilian recipe from Claudia. She and IbuA are loved by the students for their friendliness and hospitality. The rest of the food  is heated up after this morning's cooking marathon.

The students and young professionals are excited to be back, though W and I can't figure out how they hear about movie night. Word of mouth? It's only the fourth movie night of 2024. By now, we'd usually be on #8 or #9. Instead, movie night has been bumped by travels, flu, and teaching. There's only so much we can jam into the calendar.

We're reminded why we love this evening. The movie is Thelma and the questions are about limits on who we are. W checks the movie for language, violence, and sexual content since few modern Western movies are appropriate in this culture.

Before we run the movie, we ask them to consider: "How are you limiting yourself? And in what ways are others trying to limit you?" In this grandson and grandma caper, offensive words are minimized by the mild language of the Indonesian subtitles. Whew.

Guests look forward to familiar and new food options. They go back several times to load up. For many, it's the biggest meal of the month.

It's Laurel's last movie night before she returns home to the USA. We'll miss her!

Shall we sit inside or outside?

It's good company in a safe environment. New friends and old meet in laughter and noisy conversations.

This shy crochet artist creates flowers. People are hanging out. Eating together. Doing life together. It's good. 

The house is filled to capacity even with the least-even number of countries-of-origin: 7 nations. Where are our Africans? And Turkmenistan is the only -stan country today? With unrest in many places, it's harder for foreign students to take advantage of Indonesia's generous government scholarships.

Bella met us as a student years ago. She brings her baby (one year old next week!) and her husband so we can stay in touch. Sigit, we prayed for you for years, that Bella would find her true love. And here you are. We love this young family.

Our last guests depart at 11:00 p.m. We shower, fall into bed, read a while, and thank God for these lovely younger-s who hang out with each other and us.

Thursday

What a good hike, short at 5 km but with a lot of ups and downs. We start a half hour early as the weather is warming up. Dry season is cooler without night-time cloud cover. Once the rains start, we have a warmer start to the day. In wet season the sun comes out after a rainy night so it can be cooking-hot and humid. Luckily, it's often breezy in the mountains of Bandung.

We're detoxed by the beauty of nature, even after a short night's rest. It's a forest and meadow walk, mostly shaded. 

Water droplets are still evaporating from the moss-covered pines.

We find pods with a cotton-like fiber inside.

Lichens and mushrooms cling to bark and decaying branches. These are massive (10"/20cm) above our heads.

Even plain brown mushrooms on a fallen tree have pretty rippled striping.

A few trunks are covered in white fungi.

There's wild ginger.

The grass is twice as tall as we are. No using a lawnmower for it. The stalks are chopped by farmers wielding machetes, bundled, and hauled out on backs or motorcycles to feed livestock.

In some sections the trail is more visible than in others. The trail hugs the side of the mountain for a while. We stick close to the upper bank as mini-landslides take the mud downhill from under our feet. The dogs run ahead, the clatter of their feet warning snakes and other creatures away.

New 4"(9cm) fiddleheads of the ferns poke up 3-4'(1-1.5m) above the ground.

A startling red 5"(12 cm) flower sits flush on the natural compost. There are no leaves in sight. Perhaps it's a bulb?

Ah, what a relief to get to the car and pull off our trainers and socks. Back into flip-flops = comfort.

It's Daniel's first Thursday hike; we met yesterday at movie night and he's come along in our car. We enjoy a Balinese-style lunch before heading home.

Sigit and Bella brought us a pretty batik for our anniversary. No use waiting to wear it; as we restore the furniture and accessories in the house, it spruces up the nook table.

This coming Sunday, IbuA marks 10 years with us. She can throw a party with her family or fund a project with her 10-year bonus. We sit together in the nook. I ask the annual questions, "Do you want to keep working here? Is there anything you'd like to ask me?"

It's rare to have such valuable long-term employees. Each person who works here is greatly appreciated as God's gift. Their assistance makes it possible for us to teach, launch community projects, and lead IES teams.

There's one last meeting at 9:00 p.m. I haul out my notes but feel barely awake for the committee that is reviewing my book topic. They discuss what would be most useful to them and most supportive for cross-cultural workers. They share personal stories and offer advice on creating a survey to collect data.

They invite me to return as I make progress. I'm slowly writing the book chapters. The process? Browse the outline that sits in plain sight on my desk. I fill some pages if I feel inspired and then tuck it away until next time. 

Writing is the least difficult part of any project. Focus and energy seem the most limiting with our current obligations. I send an email reply: "Sure," as a university press asks me to edit an academic article. I'll be turning one of their dissertations into a book over the next few months, too.

Curiosity drives me. I wonder what people are thinking and experiencing. Editing is one of the easiest ways to do a deep dive into trends and ideas.

Friday

Pink cowboy hats? Well, the neighborhood exercise class seems to have a Western theme this morning as we walk by.

At #NaraParkBandung, the tortoises are strolling, eating grass as they go. They are huge.

This one apparently wants a proper breakfast.

Just a moment ago, this man was standing upright, pulling sacks of garbage onto a pickup truck at the local dump. Talk about good balance ...

W points out another deceased insect. The colors of nature are mind-boggling. God spends this much effort on bugs? Think of how much he cares for you!

Ibu A and IbuS worked tirelessly at movie night Wednesday. Yesterday they reset the furniture while we were away. Today IbuS calls in sick; a molar is infected and her whole mouth is swollen. OUCH. Get well soon.

There are only hot and wet seasons in Bandung. We're in a seasonal transition now. Last month, the old leaves were pushed off the branches by young growth. It felt like autumn as dry leaves heaped up and were swept away each day. But no chance of grey branches. The new red or bright green leaves appear within days.

When there's a seasonal change in the northern and southern hemispheres, I switch out our interiors. I'm reading about spring arriving in Australia and fall coming in Canada.

Today we go from summer greens to autumn browns by swapping pillow covers. Let's pretend we're not 6 degrees south of the equator.

Even the pillows on the "retreat chair" in our bedroom get neutral covers. The fold-out chair was a "steal" 10 years ago when we arrived. We've used it as a daybed once, as a chaise a few times ... but as a reading chair many times. The broad arms are perfect for setting down a book, a mug of tea, or a snack.

I make  lunch for everyone from leftovers and noodles, do the dishes, write for a few hours, and then call it a week's work. The house is back in place, IES Bandung hosts a guest speaker this weekend, and there's a team meeting on Sunday. Other than that, not much is going on. haha

"Don't worry about tomorrow. Each day has enough trouble of its own," Jesus tells his followers (Matthew 6:34). So true.

Read more:

*Maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute. Psalm 82:3

*In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

*May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all. 1 Thessalonians 3:12

Moravian Prayer: God, we know you are the defender of the weak and those in need. Lead us not to do them injustice but to share your love with them. As you provide for us, may we be good stewards and provide for those in need as well. Amen.