Oh Canada!

Monday, September 8, 2025

We overnight at the Grand Anara hotel in the airport and catch our flights with no problem. I pen a "Please Don't Wake Me" note for the flight attendants on the second leg. It's 10.5 hours of waiting for sleep. My watch says I doze for less than 2 hours.  zzzz

We get to Seattle and pick up our luggage within a half hour. Timothy is waiting for us and zips us home in good order. We hug him with thanks, unpack our luggage, toss the bedding into the dryer to heat and freshen after sitting in storage, and

fall into bed after 10 PM.

Tuesday

We're awake at 2:30 AM and can't get back to sleep until almost time to wake up. The lapse in rhythm is typical of jet lag, though we didn't used to feel it when we were younger.

We have breakfast with the kids: Kinsey makes pancakes ("See Oma, an old man with a mustache and sunglasses.") Melissa treats us to scrambled eggs and cherries. Ah, sweet cherries! We're usually in Seattle too late in the year for fresh cherries. What a treat.

A look in the spice cabinet confirms that there are too many options. Toss? When I open the glass jars, they are still fragrant and dry. Haven't been opened in years and were stored in the cool dark cabinet. I must think about that - tossing them was on my to-do checklist.

I call my mom to let her know we've arrived safely. We pick up a rental car, W does some banking, and goes for lunch with his friend Terry and son T. I head out on my own, sampling plump wild blackberries growing along the driveway. Yum.

I turn on a different street to see if it goes where I'm headed. Nope, I get completely turned around, circling through streets and neighborhoods I've never been in before. The development in the past years is unbelievable: apartments, new malls, shopping areas, and clusters of houses have grown in areas that used to be familiar.

The past few years, our trips have been packed and focused and I seldom get to drive alone. When I'm driving, I like to try a shortcut or new route. So I learn some new things in the unexpected miles before reaching my first destination.

I amble through the stores, checking out new trends in food, clothing, and decor. Forget about eating lunch! When I return to the flat, I'm hungry. I boil a few frozen pirogies from Grocery Outlet about 3:30 PM. Good enough. Along with sleep interruption, our meal schedule is askew the first week or so. This time zone is 14 hours "behind" our normal time.

I post our old piano on Craigslist: we're hoping it goes to a great home. It's resonant (tall enough for long strings) and has been kept in good shape since I was a music teacher and care about those things.

Supper is unbelievable. Melissa promised us steaks, which are seared after cooking in the sous vide bath. They are tender and seasoned well.

When he picked the guys up for lunch, Terry dropped off a freshly caught king salmon, hooked this morning. Timothy has cooked it to perfection.

K gets great news. She's made the next tier youth orchestra. She plays her audition piece for us, complete with vibrato, good rhythm, and double stops. Wow - her playing has taken a giant leap this year. Playing with an orchestra is incredible. You feel trampled and left in the dust if you're not yet up to its level. But the experience brings immediate improvement as you play along. (Cue memories of our orchestra dragging me through new music: I was not a good sight-reader but could play what I heard, so could reconcile the score with the sound the second time through.)

Isaac hauls out his guitar and plays a few songs for us as well. What fun!

Our apartment showcases relics of my parents' travels as well as our own. These East African souvenirs, picked up in the markets in the mid-1970s, now hang on our wall.

 Before we came, Timothy vacuumed the rugs and took away the spiderwebs so it's a pleasure to walk into the space we know so well. We're here for a day before we head up to Canada to see our moms. The flat is a mess of bags and boxes as we sort what goes to whom - when and where.

I throw the blankets into the clothes dryer to heat them up, do some reading and writing, and call it a day.

Wednesday

W falls over something in the night. I wake and am ravenous. I make noodles, have a cup of tea, and can't get back to sleep for 4 hours. Our sleep schedule is adjusting to a new time zone. (We get about 5 hours of rest.) We're packed and headed to see our moms in Canada today.

We're on the road about 7:00 AM after saying goodbye to our grandkids. W drives us 1 1/2 hrs north to have breakfast with friends and former work colleagues LeRoy and Lynette Johnson. She's made an egg casserole, blueberry muffins, and tea - our eating schedule is off. It's delicious.

Lynette has remembered that spekkelaas cookies are a special treat and hands over a bag from the Netherlands, plus some of her breakfast muffins = good eating to come.

The car overheats before the border crossing. Before we meet W's family, he pulls over and parks the SUV at the side of the road. No further! W's brother-in-law Gord comes to get us. We have his family lunch at C-Lovers (seafood), a favorite of W's mom. After taking her home, Gord comes back for W, who calls AAA for a tow to our hometown 70 km (40 miles) away. 

My brother sends an Uber taxi to the restaurant to return me to our hometown and Mom's house. The sun is out and hot! as I wait outside for 15 minutes. The Indian driver tells me about his family, growing up in Australia, joining his cousins in Vancouver 13 years ago, their cricket club, and what he likes about countries and food and community. It gives me lots of prayer ideas for him. Dropping me at Mom's, he drives back to W's mom's city where he picked me up.

At Mom's, two caregivers explain the routines of her care. I make supper (which she picks at and refuses) and hear the details of her day and her philosophy of life. She likes the ginger drink (bandrek diluted 4X) and sips as she talks. It's a precious time, not one I take for granted: Mom is 90 years old. 

Mom tells me over and over that I should get a good rest tonight "as someone will be here soon to give me the night pills." I explain each time that the caregivers are not coming for the next days: it's W and me. Sandy will bring her breakfast at 6 AM. W washes the supper dishes and joins Mom and me for an hour or two before heading upstairs for sleep.  W and I are beyond ready for rest. (Our Indonesian clock stands at 9 AM, so we've been "up all night" two days in a row.)

I excuse myself with "goodnight" and shared prayer at 7 PM. Mom turns on a favorite TV program while I close the drapes, make sure the doors are locked, and report it to Mom. After making myself a cup of tea, I'm off to bed as well.

Hopefully we'll sleep well. W keeps the night shift monitor beside him and his alarm is set for Mom's meds at 10 PM. I have trouble falling back asleep if I'm wakened while he's asleep within minutes. I'm glad W is already in deep slumber by the time I get to the bedroom. I'm completely done in: I've had 11 hours (counting generously) of sleep since we left Jakarta 57 hours ago. zzz

Thursday

Nope - 4.5 hours of sleep, though W gets up to give Mom her meds in the night. A flower is blooming in the living room, a gift from her son in Switzerland a year ago.

We walk a couple of miles to and from the Canada Pension office. The car's still in the shop. Late summer flowers are finishing their run.

Such different climates and plant life than where we live.

In the government office, cheerful and capable Marilyn helps us fill in the forms. We drop by the Main Street Church office to howdy and set up lunch.

I wake Mom, who chats, eats a big snack, and refuses lunch. She falls asleep when W and I leave for lunch with Ps Shaun. My rice & Thai green curry is good.

We have a lively discussion about Bible passages and our purpose in the world. I walk home while W goes for another discussion with a group of men. I'm at 7 km/4.5miles - feels so good to be outside.

I cook for Mom and she sends me on a few errands in the house. We find the family histories collected by uncles and my dad. There are old family photos, too. This one is of my paternal grandmother at her wedding in the early 1930s.

Then Mom and I agree: at 5 PM, it's time for a nap.

Read more:

* God will send forth his steadfast love and his faithfulness. Psalm 57:3

* The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Galatians 5:22-23

* Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 5:7-11

Moravian Prayer: Holy Spirit, we are steadfast in our faith because of the calm you bring. Guide us and be gentle with us so that we may enjoy your peace and love. Through you, we pray. Amen.

A shifting season

Saturday, September 6, 2025

We're packing and sorting this whole week. Some things have been tossed. Others are rehomed. There's more to do, that's for sure. Yesterday W and PakG hauled away a few loads of tables and chairs.

We met with the builders yesterday afternoon, walking through a checklist, updating details, and confirming what goes where.

Mostly, we are trying to do less at the project while keeping it functional. Today I write up whatever I remember into a list of agreements and sent it to the reno group to keep everyone on the same page.

We say farewell to a beloved uncle as Uncle Albert passes away. He was Mom's last remaining sibling. My father and his siblings have passed on.

Mom tells me stories of Uncle Albert, a quiet brother born 3 years after she was. "He was most like our father," she muses. "Both were sharp dressers. They loved their families and were hard workers."

She remembers her brothers and sisters in occasional stories. She was the frail child among her siblings and almost died of pneumonia. At 90, Mom is the last direct descendent in her generation.

Today is my hard deadline for sending in class grades but I keep getting distracted by things that are more fun. Things that are necessary but not as urgent as the grading. I submit the final grades before noon.

The double blooms are out.

The three-toned bush is displaying its beauty.

Lunch at HomeGround Restaurant has the best Szechwan flavors on the upper side of the city. Noodles for me, of course.

The kangkung (water spinach) is a delicious side dish.

We take dessert home: a bomb and a mango cheese, whatever that is.

Packing complete, we tidy up the house. My best hiking shoes are wearing, as much from washing as from use. Kirsten offers to find me the discontinued shoe. She's the queen of searches and finds a pair.

W and I discuss tomorrow's schedule, watch a movie, and fall asleep early.

Sunday

Baptism Sunday! a highlight for God's people around the world, including at IES Bandung. Hanny is hosting classes to explain the Good News about becoming part of God's Family through Jesus Christ. W does the cold work of baptizing in an unheated tank.

Each Sunday, we offer an ABC reminder of what it means to accept salvation through Jesus:

• A: We admit that we cannot earn our salvation (Romans 3:23). Our efforts are not enough: we need God's help for forgiveness and reconciliation to God (Romans 6:21-23).
• B: We believe we are loved and saved by God (John 3:16-18). He himself has paid our debts of sin, forgiven us, and invited us into relationship with himself. He has provided a new birth and living hope. We cannot design our own salvation but become a new creation in Christ, as laid out in scripture (Romans 8:1-4).
• C: We commit to living for God. We confess our sins (1 John 1:9). We accept his forgiveness through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ his only Son (Romans 10:8-10). This is how we become His children, beloved and known by God (2 Corinthians 5:16-21).

Baptism is the outward sign of the beautiful hope of Good News. Our new inner reality is expressed in the act of baptism: as we are lowered into the water, we identify with the death of Christ. Coming up out of the water, we say we have been raised to new life in Him.

Titik has made a beautiful bouquet. I'm stunned by her creativity, week after week - a kind of visual worship offered with love.

The volunteers gather in the Prayer Room before the Gathering.

Daniel shares a message of hope, while his wife Della translates.

After a board meeting, we head home. When we drive down the hill to catch the airport shuttle, I leave my carry-on luggage in the entry. W discovers that when we unload our luggage. Oh oh! Between W and Melvina (who orders a GoSend motorcycle), my carry-on arrives 10 minutes before our shuttle leaves for the Jakarta airport. 

Our 3.5 hour shuttle ride takes 5 hours in Sunday traffic. There's all kinds of traffic, including fruit-laden trucks. 

We're safely dropped off near the airport hotel before 7 PM and sleep deeply until morning.

Read more:

* May the Lord cause you to flourish, both you and your children.

May you be blessed by the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

The highest heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth he has given to mankind.

It is not the dead who praise the Lord, those who go down to the place of silence;

it is we who extol the Lord, both now and forevermore.

Praise the Lord. Psalm 115:15-18

* Never take your word of truth from my mouth. Psalm 119:43

* They exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Romans 1:25

* At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. 

And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Moravian Prayer: Lord, too often we stray from you. The world has myriad distractions to take us off course. Your word is like a map providing us guidance to find our way home. May we follow where you lead. Amen!

Here's to 48 years together ... and perhaps a few more

Tuesday, September 2, 2025

Stuff comes in; stuff flows out. Today a truck arrives with 15 boxes of books and a dining set. Thanks, Jane! We unload the books onto the Porch but send the truck with its antique table and hutch onward to its new home. Nothing belongs to us: it's all God's, whether friendships or resources or time.

Don't reject what God intends to do through you. Maybe others think God's spiritual gift to you is odd. I encourage you to use it, even if it's not a traditional strength like teaching or writing. Don't reject what God intends to do through you. Give if you are a giver. Be a good administrator or accountant if you're good with plans or numbers. Etc.

Whatever God puts in your hand, use it even if your gifting is as strange as this one: being a conduit for things that come and go to bless others. "Do whatever you do with all your might to please the Lord," St. Paul writes to his friends. So stuff comes in; stuff flows out at our house. (Always has, probably always will.)

After lunch, the team comes over for an in-person meeting. It's become convenient to connect online so we don't meet in person every week. I open half of the boxes of books and let everyone choose choose the ones they want for themselves or others.

Today we enjoy the Ibus' banana bread and cookies along with tea. Daniel rehearses his Sunday talk with Della translating. We are all moved by his stories and exposition.

After the others leave, we walk through the project with Shibli and Martin. Overhead, the bare branches are starting to leaf out. Did you know that trees in the tropics drop their leaves once or twice a year, just like in the temperate zones?

I make egg salad sandwiches for supper. Not fancy but filling.

Wednesday - after 48 years?

"Stay. Don't give up. Don't run away." That's my advice for creating a lasting and satisfying marriage.

48 years ago we agreed before God, our relatives, and a church family that we'd stay married forever. Some years were wonderful. Others were difficult. But a promise is a promise so we stayed when times were tough and it seemed we had nothing in common. 

From this vantage point, we work well together. We remember the same people and their funny stories or quirky personalities. We have shared memories of events and travels, and we love our kids, their spouses, and their kids from the bottom of our hearts. Doesn't get better than that.

We measure the windows at the project - we'll use electrical conduit for curtain rods. After we walk the dogs, we have breakfast at Miss Bee.

Mine is just what I'm hungry for: scrambled eggs and mushrooms on toast.

Jane drops by for an hour of conversation and tea. It's been a while since we met so it's a treat for us both.

Then our friends Ps Yoel and Ps Ester come up the hill for lunch at Nanny's Pavilon. They pray for peace and safety for the construction crew - and take home a few books from the boxes.

When I look up, there's damage in the soffit from bats. They are destructive in clinging to the roof and chewing the wood.

A frog has wandered into the living room. W gets a dustpan and tosses it back into the garden.

A beautiful white-black wallpaper has been left in one of the rooms. The builders remove an empty box that runs along the one wall and repair the ceiling. That leaves a hole in the paper that I'll fix with a black marker. I traced the pattern a week ago to make sure we could do it. You won't even be able to tell if it's done well.

Except that, when we looked at the room yesterday, there was white paint slopped down the sides and white drips all along the top. Someone was careless with the cut-in, that's for sure. The dry paint can't be removed. I tell the contractor to take the paper down and paint the wall white. Another heritage touch disappears.

I have a canvas drop cloth the size of the windows so we cover the glass for privacy.

Thursday

I hear rustling in the early hours of the morning. When I turn on the light, a big frog is hopping around the bedroom. What's with the frogs this week?!

At 7:30 AM, the dogs eagerly hop in the car, anticipating a good run.

We're hiking in forest and tea fields today. 

Makes of pink impatiens bloom between the rows of tea shrubs. After the tea is clipped, the plants rest before the rows are weeded again in preparation for new growth. It's a few messy weeks as the pale pink impatiens take over.

It's clear enough to see trees on the volcanic slopes around us. The air is often so hazy that we can see outlines but not sharp contours. Not today. We spot the big and still active volcano on the horizon.

We eat at a friend's favorite warung (local eatery). After, we rinse our hands under a spigot pounded into a 5 gallon pail. Another bucket catches the rinse water.

Some local playgrounds may be old-fashioned but they bring back fond memories of our childhood.

Frances drops by with a letter to be mailed next week. She takes home a box of biographies. The opened boxes go to Green Gate's hall where they'll be offered each Sunday until they're gone. We still have novels and teaching materials left to sort. The oened boxes go to Green Gate's hall where they'll be offered each Sunday until they're gone.

IbuA and IbuS help me clear some bookshelves in preparation for moving them. PakG, the yardman, and W shift some shelves to a new location. It's my job to figure out what goes where; theirs is to move it into place.

Read more:

* O Lord of hosts, you are God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. Isaiah 37:16

* A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you. Ezekiel 36:26

* Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:44-45

* All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. John 1:3

Moravian Prayer: O God, allow us to really listen; to feel the Holy Spirit; to observe your love; to make love a part of everyday life; to share love with all; to try and love like you.

Creator of all, inspire us with your divine wisdom. Help us to recognize your presence in every aspect of existence and to live in accordance with your divine will. In your name we pray. Amen.