Fun and food with family and friends

Thursday, November 13, 2025

It's Kirsten's last day in Bandung. Tomorrow she flies to Malaysia for the next leg of her travels. We have some fun on the main tourist street.

We're looking for travel pillows. There are many funny characters to choose from.

K orders a croissant at #MomsBakery for lunch.

I have a sourdough beef sandwich while W tries a chicken schnitzel on foccacia bread. The food is always fresh and nourishing.

We browse the galleries and street artists nearby. I like a rough sketch-like painting but leave it there.

On the way home, motorcycles buzz around the slow traffic by driving in the lane of oncoming cars.

We relax when we get home; K's knee is acting up. We hang out and before we know it, it's time to pack her suitcase into the car and head for the airport shuttle station. We hug goodbye and pray together. 

W hops into the car with her to make sure she gets off without a hitch. We usually go in the day before to stay in the city overnight when we're flying out. Traffic is unreliable; it can take from 3-8 hours to get from Bandung to Jakarta airport, 100 miles/160 km away. Luckily, K catches an earlier shuttle which leaves minutes after her arrival.

The trip is bumpy: she's on the bucking bronco flyover, a poorly constructed part of the highway. While it is level side to side, the paving droops between supports so that the neck is yanked up and down every few seconds. The driver stops for the usual rest break so passengers can use the toilet and eat snacks. Finally she checks in to the airport hotel for a good night's sleep.

She's left her pastries from @MomsBakery in the car - W enjoys them and shares the rum balls.

W and I are on a Zoom call from 10-11PM. International meetings are a vital part of our work but they're disruptive to rest. It takes a long time to fall asleep.

Friday

K catches her flight without any problems. She is thankful when a porter walks her from the hotel to the check-in desk. Our friend Tabitha picks her up from the airport and takes her to the hotel.

W and I hang some paper globes around a few lightbulbs. W takes down the cheap drapery tracks and puts a sturdy curtain rod up in the bathroom. I clip and pleat each curtain, tying up the folds. The pleats probably won't last with day to day use but they have a good start.

W finds a sale price on ceiling tracks for the blackout curtains in the bedroom so we head to town to pick them up. Besides the tracks, we find some knobs for furniture doors.

"Old price," grumbles the owner as he hands over 35c cabinet hardware. Will we like them? If not, spending $3.50 on 10 knobs isn't too painful.

For lunch, we stop at #FatPho, a Vietnamese eatery that's moved to a new location. The owners remember us and stop by to say hello.

They've combined several eateries. Featuring Japanese, Vietnamese, and Indonesian cuisine, there's lots to choose from. The food is excellent and inexpensive.

We order a mashup of sushi, fresh spring rolls, pho (my favorite hot soup) and bun (W's preferred cold noodles.) We've enough for supper, too.

After we drop the building supplies at the Project, we head home to read, write, and nibble on homemade popcorn.

Saturday

On our walk, I spot an extension cord hanging from a tree. A bar with 4 sockets is wired into the electrical wires overhead. That provides electricity for elections, special events, and concerts in the park. An open garbage bin leans under it - which is probably collecting water. What a combo.

W hangs the drapery tracks and I wander around planning what goes where. Some glass tiles found in the yard slot perfectly into 3 wooden brackets = shelves in a bathroom. Does anyone know what this kitchen cabinet is for? The door is propped by a diagonal piece of wood. I can't figure out its purpose. We'll remove the brace and put a shelf insert inside.

I write book reviews and eat pho leftover before falling asleep. A few hours of rest make up poor sleep in the past weeks.

Sunday

There are no flowers left in our garden. So I arrive at the hall without an updated bouquet. But the three-week-old structure by Titik is on the stage. Doesn't it look like a fall bouquet with its combination of leaves and dried flowers? I pluck a few greens from the yard near the hall to fill it out. Done.

We serve with core volunteers from many countries.

After, we lunch with another international group. That's the blessing of an international community; you can befriend people from around the world.

I order oncom rice, a favorite when combined with a few tablespoons of sambal (chili sauce).

A friend tours the Project with us, praying a blessing of peace over the property and its future use. Walking home, tall flowers catch my eye. As they fade, toothlike protrusions emerge.

I fall fast asleep in the afternoon. My phone and watch were outside in the hall overnight so I had no idea what time it was but I lay awake for hours. I'm trying a new routine of no tech in the bedroom to see if sleep improves. (Last night = nope!)

Monday

I wake without any idea of time but feel rested. So I get up, flick on the light, and edit a journal article for a couple of hours. Then I check the time: 4:30 AM. Back to sleep, I guess.

Read more:

* You must not be partial in judging: hear out the small and the great alike; you shall not be intimidated by anyone, for the judgment is God’s. Deuteronomy 1:17

* Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Psalm 90:14

* The aim of such instruction is love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith. 1 Timothy 1:5

* All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

*But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. James 2:9

Moravian Prayer: God Almighty, we trust that the sun will rise in the morning and set in the evening, but we do not always trust in the things we cannot see or feel. Help us to trust in you—the rock on which our faith depends.

God of justice, so often we take it upon ourselves to judge others by appearances, social status, or petty grievances. Help us to remember that, as your servants, our task is to love, forgive, console, and understand. Amen.