A week of new things

Sunday, July 26, 2026
W walks the whole neighborhood loop today. The sun's out but it's breezy. The dogs are happy to go the distance, too. Our daughter calls and cheers us up. 

Chandra brings Titik's floral creation over - it lights up the whole space.

The enormous bouquet is "just right" for the serving kitchen, sitting on the 3m/9 1/2 foot table.

Her mix of colors and textures is an inspiration.

When IESBandung dismisses, almost 30 people walk the 2 blocks to the Project to sit on the Porch with W. I make tea and set out cookies.

They pray for God's healing on W and favor in recovery. They mention me regarding the duties of caregiver and my next week of teaching. We cherish this community and have missed them since resigning as their pastor in March! We take a picture before most leave for lunch.

I make lunch for W and me on the Porch while the young adults hang out on the upper balcony for a few hours. The dogs bark their greeting as pizza and other treats come to the gate for them. Delivery is cheap and quick in town.

By the time I clean up, plan supper, and everyone's gone, it's 2:30PM and the house is quiet. It's time to review information for tomorrow's online class, which starts at 7AM.

Monday
The first day of class starts at 7AM. I'm awake in time to cook and eat breakfast, set up Zoom and class notes, and send a video to Mom who is in care in Canada. W walks the 1-mile (1.6 km) loop with me, anxious lest I am late for my class. I tell him to stop stressing on my behalf: I've got it worked out. Class starts on time.

W has a speech therapy session at the house. Agnes is persistent and competent; she tires him out but he makes progress.

Online, the class gets through 3 or 9 student presentations. The material they have researched is stuff I would have to cover - and already have class notes for. They do a good enough job - @2 students per topic - that I'll hand over my PPT at the end for anything they've missed. 

Meanwhile we're smoking through material. I used a full week to teach this course material the first two rounds. With half the week now shared with another fantastic lecturer, I skim and encourage deeper study on points that interest students.

After lunch, W heads for a sunny balcony while I review, revise, and print out the class notes for the next 2 days. Two houseguests arrive and choose their rooms. One is studying; the other is escaping a noisy kos (guesthouse) for the week. Both say they're on call if we need help. That's greatly appreciated.

We take another loop walk around the neighborhood in late afternoon, this time with the 3 big dogs. Anton lunges at a cat and almost knocks W over. Sometimes Anton just can't help himself; he's a powerful and athletic canine.

Tuesday
After a good night's sleep, we walk a loop. There's no water in part of the house. W figures out what's wrong (a stuck valve, and later, overflowing torens - water storage tanks.) Then it's back to work. I make lunch: a lentil stew. We have oatmeal for breakfast. W's not a fan of the pecans I add. Generally, he's been good about the new diet. Right now, it's a guessing game. "Wanna eat? This is what we have."

Factoring his tastes into healthy meals is harder than when I cooked vegan for myself, 20 years ago. I cooked and ate, whether it tasted great or not. Being vegan for 7 years became a spiritual discipline; I simply couldn't function with animal ingredients in my food. 

The 7AM class stays engaged and active for 4 1/2 hours. Good thing I'm a morning person. We don't have time for many of the class interactions used when I have a full week to present the material. We pray for each other, discuss their presentations, and end class on time.

When our neighbor Christine repatriated years ago, we got her Champion juicer. Today we use it for the first time. She said she made peanut butter with it, so we try it out. Perfect = natural PB without sugar or salt added (well, except for the cheat of some roasted peanuts from Bali.)

I revise my notes, catch up online, and rest before another bout of work and food prep.

Wednesday
I get up 1 1/2 hours before class starts at 7AM. By the time I make breakfast, there's not time to wait for W to finish his meal. I do a quick 1km/ 3/4 mile and head up to click into the classroom via Zoom. Meanwhile, W has a session with the speech therapist.

Today, I complete my part of class, other than grading. What a great group - they're engaged, motivated, and interactive. Students who share their experiences with each other learn the most, so my lectures are sprinkled with class exercises. 

Before we end, participants offer in-depth takeaways that let me know they've captured both the information and the spirit of the class. I send them links for further study and the class PPT, and make sure all assignments have been submitted.

Lunch takes an hour: to prepare the kinda Mexican main course by the time the black beans cook. We add in corn, sprouts, onions, garlic and spices. It's served with red rice and salad. I make a new grocery list, 

W and I walk a neighborhood loop before I check in with insurance for W's healthcare reimbursement. Then we confirm appointments for tomorrow's hospital visits.

Hopefully things settle down after tomorrow's doc visists. Should be easier without 4 hours of teaching n the morning, though I've thoroughly enjoyed the students! Thanks everyone who is praying for us, especially for restored health for W. We appreciate each encouragement and petition.

Read more:
* Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. Isaiah 44:6

* O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. Psalm 6:1

* For our sake God made the one who knew no sin [Jesus] to be sin, so that in him we would become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21

Moravian Prayer: Great Potter, you find us as broken vessels in need of repair. Though we are broken, you still see in us the perfection of your craftsmanship. Because of you, we are made whole again! May our gratitude be evident for all to see. In Jesus' name, we pray. AMEN