Wednesday, August 13, 2025
It's been a while since we hosted over 100 people in a week, but here we go.
Movie night? We look forward to the evening. However, it means getting out of bed by 5 AM to cook. When I reach the back kitchen, W already has a bit pot of water boiling for 3 kg (6.5 lbs) of spaghetti. After that's done, the same water is used for vegetables (cheesy cream sauce is made while I wait). Finally the bakso (meatball-like flour balls) are boiled, drained, and marinaded in black pepper sauce. Whenever a utensil needs a rinse, it goes into the water. We end up with a rich broth for the helpers to take home.
While food is boiling, I bake sausages (curry sauce) and chicken nuggets (sweet and sour sauce). They're stored in the oven or covered with thick towels so they stay warm all day. Here, no one gets sick from food that sits on the counter all day in 80o (27oC) heat.
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Today I only need to make a few sauces. I double the recipe for curry and black pepper sauces every second month and freeze them. Today I thaw last month's extras so I'm finished with the stove by 8 AM.
The cutlery, tablecloths, and trays come out. I write a list for the helpers (cut fruit and salads, cook rice, bake cheese balls, etc.) They probably know all that, but a checklist doesn't hurt.
While W makes a trip to town, I postpone my nap in case our passport courier comes by. But our renewed Canadian passports are delivered in the afternoon.
When W returns, I make a simple lunch of warmed-up spinach paneer plus Korean black bean ramen. After writing a bit, there's a little window for a nap.
The mid-afternoon women's study on the next hill is rich in friendship and sharing life. What a blessing to know these women. Tetty, who facilitates today, is a wonderful hostess.
I'm back home in time for last-minute chores. The university students and young adults are usually hungry when they come. For some, it's their biggest meal of the month. For the most part, we've adjusted the seasoning to their taste. Some will add gobs of sambal (hot sauce).
Birthday kids always eat first!
We post labels above the dishes so people know what food they are eating. Most attendees are respectful of the amount specified for the first round through the kitchen. For example, we limit meats to 3 of each kind so everyone can taste them. The hungry can return for seconds, of course.
After years of menu-testing, our "kids" complain if we leave out a familiar dish: "But I was looking forward to the curry sausages (cheese balls, green salad, etc.)! I can't believe you didn't make it this time." So I cook the same old same old: (*prepared by the helpers when they arrive at 3 PM)
- roasted potatoes
- spaghetti
- creamed vegetables
- curried breakfast sausages
- black pepper meatballs
- sweet & sour chicken
- rice*
- mayo eggs*
- cheese balls*
- green salad*
What's for dessert during intermission?
- cookies
- banana bread
- chips and snacks (lots today! = whatever they bring to share)
- fruit and yogurt*
Usually the helpers take leftovers home for their families. Tonight we set some food aside for tomorrow's dinner. I cooked extra portions to make sure there's enough for today and tomorrow.
The tables are noisy and interactive. Later, a few people tell us about their new acquaintances and making new friends.
21 countries are represented and about a third of attendees are first-timers. 120 people signed up between Monday and today so many did not get to come.
People on the waiting list are happy when someone drops out and they move into the guest list.
The Porch is full, too. The breeze cools the garden and the house.
The movie is a hit! "Lion" examines the longing for family. We ask these questions at the end: "what kind of family do you want to build in the future?" And, "how will you work toward creating a family that cherishes each member and wants to stay connected?"
There's a slough of selfies at the end.
Wait a minute or two and a crowd rushes over to be in the photo.
It's the liveliest and most emotional movie night to date. Many talk about the meaning of family and how they appreciate being our "kids" (after they've been here 3X.) We affirm their good decisions and pray for them throughout the month. The last person goes out the gate and we lock up after 11 PM.
Thursday
All hikers cancel or are unavailable so W and I head uphill together for a 4 km walk with Anton on the leash. The neighborhoods are being dressed for Sunday's Hari Merdeka (Independence Day.)
Kiki, Veronica, and Troy join us for lunch at Hidupan, a downtown restaurant with an excellent vegan buffet. We're celebrating Kiki's return to health after a fall and serious concussion.
The helpers go home at 3 PM as usual. I rest before heating up main dishes and arranging desserts. Will there be enough food? I cook another 1kg/2 lbs of spaghetti and sauce, just in case. Before guests arrive at 5:30 PM, the dishes and serving pieces are out, the tables are ready, and recycling pails are in place.
Everyone brings food to share - it's good to have extra bowls and serving trays! The tables fill with almost 30 people.
I listen as I bag up the leftovers and tidy the kitchen.
More spaces are cleaned and cleared out.
Painting is ongoing and systems that were ripped out are being replaced. We need replacements for cabinet hardware that's been stolen.
The evening wraps up before 9 PM with warm goodbyes and the leftover food gone. What a privilege to have a venue to host friends.
Friday
We have a good walk - the weather is perfect, 20oC/68oF, and the breeze is cool. We meet 1-year-old beagle Molly, who is up for adoption to a good family. (Contact me if you're interested.)
They're making steady progress on the project.
I have to put on a sweater: it's too cold to sit on the Porch without it. The chimes sing, the birds chirp, and the dog keeps bringing back a ball to throw.
I talk to Mom, who reminds me that I used to set the table when she had people over. I'd tidy the kitchen and do dishes for her like IbuS is doing for us this morning. "I sure missed you when you married and moved away," Mom says. "Suddenly here was no one to help when people came over."
My hosting DNA was passed down by my mom. The skills of making people "feel at home" were learned from watching her, my aunties, and the grandmothers host big and small gatherings in their homes. However, they didn't have the resources we do now. Everything was cooked from fresh ingredients and food they canned or pickled themselves. Their homes were small and their kitchens limited. We squeezed in and made fond memories anyhow.
Read more:
*Just as I have watched over them to pluck up and break down, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, said the Lord. Jeremiah 31:28
*You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. It is written: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’”
So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God. Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. Romans 14:10-13
*For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly. Titus 2:11-12
Moravian Prayer: God of compassion, forgive us when we get distracted by the things of this world and fail to set our sights on you. Help us remember these things are fleeting and do not last, but your love is forever. Amen.
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