Thankful and a bit overwhelmed

Sunday, November 30, 2025: THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT = HOPE

The story of Jesus is a hopeful one. God who loves the world sends his Son to carry the sins and failures of humanity. Jesus grows up in an average family though his purpose is extraordinary. At the cross, our debts are paid and his mission is completed. How we love celebrating God's goodness during the Advent season of waiting and anticipation.

It's Round Table Sunday, which means discussions around (what else?) round tables. The hall is decked for Advent, thanks to Daniel and his hardworking volunteers.

Titik has created stunning bouquets for each table and the front. I'm tied up in conversation after the Gathering and don't get table photos but these were on their way to their next event near the exit when we left Green Gate.

Our volunteers work hard and are a blessing.

Dina comes along to sort children's books, skirting the guys who are installing the CCTVs. Shibli and Milli drop by to see what's useful to them, too. Then MrD arrives to see what we're up to and share plans for the future. It's exciting to see who is called to do what as we're serving the communities around us.

While we're having lunch at Ethnic, the rain pours down in buckets. I enjoy the nasa oncom gepuk (beef with basil and rice). Luckily by the time we finish the downpour has abated.

We say hi to Thomas as we enter our driveway in late afternoon. He's just leaving after a visit with Melvi, his fellow German teacher. They're in an intensive German course designed to help them tutor Indonesians for work in Germany. And they have a presentation due Tuesday.

Monday

I have some early meetings and do some packing. At 10AM, we're scheduled to meet the contractor at the Project. He's still not there by 11 but we have a lot to do. So we walk home. He doesn't come until 11:30. I tell him next time we're not showing up until he arrives. We're only a few minutes away. Usually we've waited a half hour to an hour for him.

Gradually I sort through books that have come in over the past 2 years.

I sell a batch of doubles online while I wait. 

PakG brings the items I packed in the morning and takes the empty boxes home. Two guys show up to chop the weeds out of the yard. They're planting grass-like spreading plants this week.

Overnight, the rain overflowed the swale at the street again. The water came down the driveway and went clear through the back of the Project. The workers squeegee it back outside. We're 2/3 of the way up a mountain. What happens in the valley below us? Hard to imagine the flooding. We pray for those affected.

In some areas, there's a water line.

Some rooms have gotten a deluge of mud as well.

The project managers and W talk over drainage solutions for an hour. Then we break for lunch. Miss Bee Providore has a "winter wonderland" theme in a room, ready for selfies.

The contractors do a walk-through from stem to stern with us, checking what's left to do. The Project has come a long way but we need hot water/ They'll plug water leaking through the walls, reroute gutters, and patch holes in the old bathroom tiles.

"No problem, they tell us. "One to two weeks, probably" before we can move in. We finish the inspection about 4PM. A whole day of ... We're tired.

Tuesday

I get blocked both by FB and WA for sending a link for Giving Tuesday. For one day only, a partner has offered $50 toward the Project for every $5 donation. What generosity! and yes, I'm sending the opportunity to as many friends as I can!

I talk to Mom, work for a few hours online, and then head for a women's gathering at IbuTetty's house.

They're trying to improve the drainage (again) in front of the Project and it's raining. So there will be quick proof if it's working or not. The helpers are baking up another Christmas cookie storm! so the house smells amazing. The timers beep constantly before the next pan comes out of the oven. Yummy. I sneak a ginger cookie (or two).

In the afternoon we get to work, fixing a shade cover. W assembles closet shelves. I have to laugh: the normally egalitarian instructions in the IKEA manual show two men lifting up the shelf - no woman in sight. No wonder, it's heavy.

This appears in the sink, a 1 1/2"/3 cm scorpion, which W scoops into a dustpan and tips into the toile.

The edges have been transplanted from our yard over the past month, but the center went from this on Saturday,

to this yesterday, including flooding ... 

to this today. "Give it a month to grow in," says the yardman. We're leaving half the property wild where it sleeps under tall Norfolk Island pines.. That shade is where the scorpions and fire ants live.

I know about the fire ants because while the guys are fixing the shade cloth, I'm untangling 20+ meters of rope. The ants bite me here and there but I swat them off and carry on. Finally I'm annoyed enough to get some Hogasan, the magic ant killer. A few sprays and they fall dead off the wood pillar they are eating.

We warm up a pizza for supper, dive into the shower, listen to the wonderful Advent devotional from Biola, and call it a good day.

We go to bed so early that my body wakes rested at 10:30. Ugh - I write and read and go back to sleep within a few hours.

Wednesday

We're handing off IES Bandung to new leadership in the coming year. So we call about getting a replacement. I'm working on an online fundraising campaign most of the day, and people are responsive and excited to give.

"THANK YOU, everyone who contributed." We are in awe of people's generous participation.

Between, we hang shower curtains. W fixes shelves to the closet wall and gets help to move a monster of a restaurant shelf into place under the stairs. (At $5 or $10? a few years ago, it was irresistible. It has been useful storage.)

Outside, they are building the entrance at the street even higher to ward off flooding. They take off the custom grate they installed 2 weeks ago and expand the gutter. The driveway is raised 8" / 20cm with new concrete poured over custom-cut rebar.

I watch the sparks fly as the workman wields his metal saw. He wears shop glasses to cover his eyes but has no ear protection. Buzzzzzz.

I don't think I've seen a fern fruiting before. This kind, which is often used in rose bouquets, apparently has black berries. Hmmm.

Some inedible fruit has fallen from trees lining the street. On the outside, it looks like a round avocado. Inside is a fibrous husk. The world is endlessly interesting, don't you think? I hear thunder rumbling as evening comes.

Read more:

* For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, says the Lord, so shall your descendants and your name remain. Isaiah 66:22

* God said, “In distress you called, and I rescued you.” Psalm 81:7

* When Peter noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him. Matthew 14:30-31

* Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” John 1:49

Moravian Prayer: Omnipotent God, you desire a humble and contrite heart. We confess that we have been weighed down by earthly distractions. Help us know what it is that holds us back and keeps us from following you without any reservation. We pray for your guidance.

Eternal Father, we thank you for being there when we cry out, “Lord, save me!” When we call out in times of distress, fear, and anxiety, open our eyes to your compassionate presence and the blessings around us that you provide. Amen.

Thankful

Thursday, November 27, 2025 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, AMERICANS!

And the warmest happy birthday to our grandson Levi. We call him in the morning before our walk and ask what he wants in the coming year. "To know God better, not just to try to do what he says." What a great prayer for a pre-teen!

All the books come off the shelves today. What a mess. There are suitcases full - first garbage bags full but they're too heavy for the cheap black bags, which split and tear. 

We empty the suitcases at the Project and then refill them at the house. We're looking forward to setting up a borrowing library for kids in their own area, too.

The big shelves for the serving-kitchen are emptied from where they've been stored in our bedroom. Shoes go in bags. Handbags are sorted and pared. As I empty shelves, I put things up for sale, hand other things off, and pack some more.

The helpers are baking for Christmas so pile after pile of cookies stack up. Today they're making iced butter-cookie stars and chocolate balls.

It's nice weather until about 2PM when it starts to rain. "When the clouds are like this, it won't rain hard," says PakG. He knows his weather.

The dogs get groomed today. Perfect for this labradoodle who loves to roll in the mud and mess up her coat.

I enjoy the view from the Porch while I can. One of the benches has a perpetual termite problem. I turn it over and sure enough. The floor is inundated with little balls of termite frass (product of eating wood.)

The yardman tries to trim the 1' / 30cm tall lawn that has been growing for a month. He's been busy transferring shrubs and flowers to the Project garden, so this is an urgent chore. Snakes and other critters like tall grass.. The weed-whacker, newly back from repairs in the shop, is not working. Apparently the repairman replaced the motor so that it spins the wrong way. It keeps flicking off the string reel. PakG takes it back to the shop. What a waste of time.

At the Project we're told that we have 2 good snakes in the front yard. "Please don't kill them. They're not poisonous and they eat rodents and frogs." Ok. As long as they leave the dogs alone, they're safe.

We've committed to attending a Thanksgiving dinner, which turns out to be a big "small group" from another church. We know 3 people. I bring fingerling potatoes and some banana breads. We have a wonderful time meeting new friends.

When we get home, someone comes over to try on the shoes - not a fit, sadly.

Friday

16 years ago we buried my sister-in-law, who died of skin cancer complications. Today we remember her laugh, her intelligence, and how she loved God, my brother, and their kids.

I skip the walk though by day's end I have the same amount of steps. We're up at 5AM, taking things off shelves in my office and the bedroom. I label a destination for everything and walk to the Project to label the rooms. 

At 8, two movers arrive in their pickup. They're not thinking straight. Each time they load, they pile the shelves too high to get under the gate header. "We can't get this in," they say, backing up as far as they can in front of the Project.

Finally, I say something - but only to W. (Men don't generally listen to women's solutions.) "Have them put a few shelves on the driveway and put the tall thing on its back." It's an obvious fix.

Do they listen? Nope. After 30 minutes of discussion on the street, they arrive at the same conclusion. They take out some shelves, lay the tallest heavy cabinet on its back, and in they come. I stay out of the way and keep my mouth shut when it happens again.

After a few trips, they demand more money. "We thought we signed up for one trip," they said. Actually, we're paying them to work a half-day. They're driving 3 blocks but say they want pay paid each time as though they're driving a long-distance trip that would take all morning.

The friend who recommended them gets on the phone with them and protests. "You drive for me for a whole morning, going to -- and back. This is just around the block." No go. W increases the amount but no one is happy with them.

The library area gets the first shelves. Having books at the head of the stairwell will deaden the noise from upstairs to downstairs and vice versa.

W directs the guys to place things and screws on fan blades in the office. He sets the fan moving in the right direction for warm rooms (counter-clockwise.)

Across the street is a pasta restaurant where we drop in for a late lunch.

I order mushroom-chicken noodles @$5 (including tax and tip). It hits the spot.

PakG picks me up after a very quick meal. One of the "jolts" of the day is remembering I'm expected at the Bandung Book Group in the early afternoon. Apparently I'm presenting the book Everything Sad is Untrue. It is about Persian refugees who arrive in Oklahoma, and told as a child's memories of assimilation. Very good.

We sit outside at a cafe, having very lively discussions about the responsibilities of parents to their children. We talk about the ongoing refugee crises, including who gets returned to the danger of their homeland.

I've never seen this tree bloom - it has a 2' /60 cm strand of flowers where I walk back to the car.

The house looks like it's been hit by a tornado. Bags and boxes of bedding, books, and kitchen goods line the sides of the rooms, where they were pushed out of the way for the movers.

Saturday

Anton's actually learning to walk on the leash! What a relief. He briefly darts toward some cats (would have been a full-out sprint a week ago) but W hangs on and says, "Good boy" when we pass other cats without incident. 

I find a "before" photo of the kitchen ... do you see potential or potential disaster? Those empty trim boxes on the ceilings had to go, right?

And (below) this is now - not yet done. But the second-hand library shelves are in, the shop lights are hung, and the tablecloths cover the windows. It's not a conventional renovation but a creative one, for which things have come to us for the past year.

In my head, the place is full of people. It's noisy around the tables, with art on the walls. People are laughing and talking to each other and there's a buffet on the kitchen "island" (2 library tables). Can you imagine it?

We look forward to movie nights, community dinners, and welcoming those who visit, just like in our current place. Our lease here ends soon so this is good timing. A bonus is that it is close to our walking loop.

I spend all day unpacking books and sorting them onto shelves. My whole body is dusty! The 3 guys working today choose 5 books each for their kids/grandkids from the heap of children's books. We have only three more suitcases of books to move over.

They've installed a lockable iron gate so no one walks away with laundry and "dirty kitchen" supplies.

We eat lunch at #NaraPark. The street is already narrow. Someone parks their horse on the left across from the gate so kids can have 20c rides around the block. Traffic goes in and out of the parking lot, already a tight squeeze - never mind that street traffic is negotiating past motorcycle parking on the right.

I order spicy noodles, a good treat on a hot and humid day. W has his usual bento box with rice.

There's a corporate party for families, with children playing on the lawn and gliding little airplanes from the top of the hill. It's a great place for them - they can watch the hedgehogs, owls, and huge tortoises that live around the perimeter.

We prepare for Sunday with a shower, review, and (hopefully) early sleep. We are grateful from the bottom of our hearts for the goodness of God and the help of good people.

Read more:

* [A prophecy about Jesus as Messiah] A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;

    from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. 

The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—

    the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,

    the Spirit of counsel and of might,

    the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears;

but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.

He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.

Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist. Isaiah 11:1-5

* The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me. Psalm 138:8

* Having been made perfect, Jesus became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him. Hebrews 5:9

Moravian Prayer: Saving God, you sent Jesus to us to show us what perfect love is. We ask for your divine guidance so that your love may unfold in us. Grant us this day, and every day, the strength to hold onto your promises. Amen.

Sorting and building

Sunday, November 23 2025

The last "Ordinary" Sunday of the year. We remind everyone that Advent starts next week. Titik provides a beautiful arrangement of flowers.

It's a marvel of creative shape and colors. We have a good crew of volunteers today.

After lunch, W and I hang more sheet-curtains in the Project. Slowly the backdrop is coming together. The dogs race around the yard, ensuring it is cat-and-rat-free. We've haven't seen the pool snake since last week, when it was digesting a frog.

On the way home, I marvel at the "rotten teeth"seeds lying in these almost-done flowers (zoom in).

Monday

After a walk and meetings, we head to the Project to work on details. I inventory the stash of Christmas decor. W starts to put up the picture rails. We hang drapes, pause for lunch, check how the transplanted garden is doing (some great - some looks dead), and talk to the workers. We're worn out by late afternoon; sure don't have the stamina we had at 35! haha

An old school cabinet has become an upper cabinets in the kitchen. We'll need doors on the other (former) bookshelves to keep out rodents and cockroaches, too. Might have to have someone build them. Shall we try to match doorknobs? These aren't very even.

We haven't watched a movie in months but we landed on Family Plan last week when we needed a break. It was so full of "action" that we stopped halfway through (had our fill) and didn't finish until today. We read books and write emails as we watch, missing the extended shoot-em-up scenes.

I play fetch with the dogs as I work on the Porch and am grateful when the sun goes down.

Tuesday

Mom calls at 4AM. It's been a short night already, but she's worth picking up the phone for. We talk and pray together. She calls again with good news at 6:30 during our morning walk. She is beyond thrilled: someone has committed their life to Jesus at her place. Mom reminds us that no matter what the age or circumstances, God works through people. He wants to draw everyone to himself through those who know him.

After working on Advent resources, we pick up home supplies, which takes most of the day. We find shelving for storage, office hooks, cabinet pulls, and curtain rods -  all very exciting, right? We're tired when we get home in the late afternoon.

Meanwhile, IbuS waxes the floor tiles in the pantry, which go from this ...

to this.

Someone swings by in the evening but he forgets to remind us he's coming. We don't hear him at the gate.

He writes: "Sorry to miss you. Can I come see you after work tomorrow? I'll be there at 6:30." Sure. When you get up at 4AM, 7PM seems late.

A cockroach scrabbles across the bedroom floor at 10PM. I flip on the light but he crawls up the bookcase by the bed. That doesn't help our sleep. I spot it and try to smash it (nevermind the stench - I just don't want it alive!) but can't catch it. W can't find it after it disappears into the bookcase. We're up until after 2AM.

Wednesday 

We wake and walk early. Anton gets a hard training session of leash work - he's smart and does well. For breakfast, we try a stollen made by Dutch bakers. It's not like Mom's. It's heavier and wetter and the marzipan is grainy with sugar. Was a good try.

When the helpers arrive, we stop by the supermarket on the way to visit Nicole. She is having surgery later in the day, which is successful but painful. We bring her a banana bread to share with company.

W walks miles from the hospital to run errands downtown. He's searching for latches, exploring CCTVs, and doing our banking.

I get a call as PakG is driving me home. "There are now 25 people coming to the Thanksgiving dinner. Can you make those fingerling potatoes you offered earlier, in addition to what you're bringing?"

Oh brother. We loop around the mountain roads on the way back to the supermarket. Apparently the owners have noticed that I buy 6-7 net-bags of those cheap potatoes each movie night. I've encouraged others to buy them as well. They're now packaged in styrofoam trays and much more expensive. I take four packages to the cashier.

Back home an hour later, I sort shoes, give away a half-dozen, tag some for washing, and bag up the rest. We're getting things ready for storage and use. Big garbage bags are filling up with things to move. The Christmas stuff will go up as soon as we move in. Movie night guests and others enjoy the decorations with us.

In the afternoon at the Project, I assemble bathroom shelves while W screws in cabinet knobs. He brings out some anti-rust solution for the old kitchen sink. We're repurposing as much original material as we can. The local inclination is to toss everything and start over, but Indonesian garbage dumps are already overflowing. We go from this ... to a sparkling clean surface.

It's like having a new sink. "Good thing the rust didn't corrode this sink," remarks the building manager. It's made of decent stainless steel. Around it, the old stone counters are stained but beautifully functional.

It's astonishing to see how far the Project has come. They've screened ventilation openings above windows, pulled more wiring, and are wrapping up plumbing projects. There's still quite a bit left to do: install hot water heaters, laundry hookups, connect 2 sinks, and install the rest of the lighting.

W notices water damage on the soffits of the new roof in 2 places. He walks around the Project with various workers. We'll do a walk-through with the boss on Saturday. Hopefully things will be finished by then.

Internet goes in today. The young men are quick and efficient but the sun is going down when we walk home.

Our young friend says he's on the way at 6:30PM. We're fading fast after 7:15 as we wait for him. W asks, "When is he coming? We have maybe a half hour before we fall asleep." Oh oh.

He comes at 7:20. "I had to take my friend to the hospital. He was hit by a fast-moving car as he left work."

Oh my! He stays for a while, sharing the work he wants to do in the world: boosting children from poverty and stunting to broader opportunities. He needs advice on writing an admissions essay to an European university. We enjoy hearing God call young people to do his work and fulfill their purpose = loving God and loving each other.

Read more:

* As an eagle stirs up its nest, and hovers over its young, the Lord spread his wings, he caught them, he carried them on his pinions. Deuteronomy 32:10-12

* Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth. Psalm 46:10

* The Lord said, “I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” Isaiah 49:6

* My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. John 10:29

* During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them. Acts 16:9-10

Moravian Prayer: God of light and truth, you are a light unto the world. Give us a willing heart to be beacons of faith, love, and hope to those in darkness. With thanksgiving, we pray in your holy name. 

Gentle Shepherd, bring us close to you to comfort and calm our fears. Through the unexpected struggles we face, you have always been there to provide for us. May we fully trust in your amazing care. Amen.