People we love and beautiful places

Friday, September 12, 2025

It's overcast in Chilliwack this morning. I admire the snapdragons in a flower border.

We're renewing our acquaintance with Western comfort food - and oh my, this one's good. I make a traditional breakfast - 

GrandmaD taught me how she made scrambled eggs: the most tender scramble ever.

- Heat fat (bacon, butter, oil, or?) in a saucepan on medium or low heat.

- In a bowl, whip together equal amounts of flour and milk (up to 1 Tbsp per egg). 

- Then whisk in the eggs. 

- Fry with the lid on, slowly , stirring gently and occasionally. 

My tip: when it's almost done, turn off the burner, and sprinkle 1-2 Tbsp water around the edge of the pan. Pop the lid back on and let it steam a minute or two. It will rise like a quiche.

W stays fast asleep until 10 AM, after taking the night shift with Mom. (He can fall back asleep when he wakes, unlike me.) He eats the second half of the breakfast while I make Mom a snack and coffee. W gives her a Bible lesson which she enjoys. I take pictures of family memories, including funeral bulletins for my sister-in-law

and a dear nephew. Gone so soon - we talk about them and keep their memories alive.

I take Canadian cough drops to Indonesia (Buckey's). I can't find them until the fourth try: only a less-used pharmacy has them in stock. I also zip to the butcher for my favorite smoked sausage. Three rings can keep me happy all year: they're eaten when I'm craving non-Indonesian tastes (not often).

I'm back before noon. Mom and I check old photos, organize her tabletop items into little Indonesian woven baskets. She uses her foot massager ... and all the while, we chat. Before she heads for an another nap at 1 PM, I heat the pillow for her hip and straighten her blankets. "I'm not like I used to be," she says, creaming the dry skin on face and forearms.

I make a late lunch at 3 PM, put the leftovers in the freezer for future meals, and clean up. Mom eats like a sparrow but I'm happy when she eats at all.

W and I walk past a neighbor's yard, where the flowers are as pretty as the ones in Mom's yard used to be.

Saturday

We sleep in the room that was mine as a teen. It's full of family photos and memorabilia.

On our last morning, we talk, eat, and pray. Norm drops by for a howdy, too. Mom is the queen of photos so we take pictures together.

We leave before noon: W is hungry for a 5 Guys burger so we split one on our way to see his mom. So greasy. But good flavor.

40 miles (60 km) away, W's mom has communion with us and blesses us on our journey.

When we cross the border from Canada to the USA, we're in farming country. Some American things we never see in Indonesia: dune buggies, anyone?

How about shiny farming equipment of all sizes? I tell W I'd rather have a tractor of my own than ten gold rings. Much more useful!

We need to run errands on our way back to Seattle and get in about 7 PM. 

There's one last chore tonight. We grunt and groan, swapping the pianos in the entry and my office. Our Kawai has moved back from our daughter's place in TX and then a son's WA apartment. Someone has purchased the old Weber, which has a wonderful resonance and the original ivory keys. It's going to an 8-yr-old who wants to learn to play.

Sunday

We're on the road at 7 AM. Breakfast is at a pub restaurant; we invite the couple at the next table to join us at Montesano Assembly, where we're speaking.

One of Kirsten's dearest friends Leanna made the connection for us to be here. It's a delight to meet her husband and boys.

People are responsive and kind. I like the sign tucked in a corner:

We watch the kids participate in worship with a spontaneous circle dance.

Dustin, who we met years ago on a Middle East tour, is the pastor. He and his wife Rebekah take us for lunch at a good taco place. We haven't had Mexican food like this since we left the USA. So yummy. And what rich conversation.

We head out at 3 PM. On the western side of the state, tree farms line the highway with rows and rows of pines, firs, and other winter greens. These will be cut for Christmas and shipped to city vendors. People will carefully choose the tree to suit their homes and budget at Christmastime.

We drive across the state, almost 5 hours. I read an email: friends of our have been accepted as leaders of a sister congregation in Jakarta. Others are preparing to return to their homeland. It's both a thrill and a pang: things change and people move here and there on the journey of faith.

We pass through beautiful mountain country.

The hills turn dry and brown as the high plains fly by.

Apple orchards are being harvested on the eastern mountain ridges.

The sun lowers and reflects off the lakes and rivers.

A double rainbow dazzles us for many miles as we get approach our destination: the Tri Cities.

We reach the hotel at 8 PM, ready for rest. Goodnight, all.

Read more:

*In God I trust; I am not afraid. What can a mere mortal do to me? Psalm 56:11

Meanwhile the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and was built up. Living in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers. Acts 9:31

Moravian Prayer: In you, O God, we place our trust. We trust that you will guide us to salvation, like a shepherd guides his sheep home. May we always remember to turn to you in prayer. Amen.

Naming a hike: Angie's Walk

Sunday, May 12, 2024

When I lay down for an afternoon nap, I crash into 3 hours of solid sleep. After, I bake some easy power bars. They're just right; not too sweet. With an unstoppable ant parade in the kitchen, we store our baking in the fridge.

The 5-ingredient POWER BAR recipe (to which I added a pinch of salt):

• Blend 12 dates and 1/2 c peanut butter into a thick paste.
• Stir in 1 1/4c oats, 1 c. smashed almonds, and 1/3 c seeds: sesame, chia, or poppy, etc.
• Pack the dough into a baking sheet and bake 10 minutes at 350oF (180oC). 
• Cool 5 min in pan before cutting.

Eki and Lyong stay over - they have a peaceful night.

Monday

I am up 3 hours at night. Sometimes something comes into the house after a crowd. It disturbs the peace and restfulness of the house. We pray and it leaves. When I wake at 6:30, W's already taken the dogs for a walk. We make breakfast and eat together. 

I call Mom for Mothers Day in her timezone. She epitomizes this:

We're happy to chat every day. I also call my brother Norm to howdy.

Between scheduling appointments and answering messages, we pray for our friend Alice who is in surgery. It is a success though the recovery may be painful.

The rose from Mothers Day is opening. I sleep another 2 hours after lunch.

Tuesday

I take the second morning meeting in the nook and knock over a big mug of tea. It's fortuitous. I spot frass on the tile as we wipe up the spill. When I lift away the bench in the nook, there's frass on the carpet, too. The pellets signal that there are termites in the wood - and you can see the holes the bugs are eating into the wood. Yum yum.

W gave up on the top of the bench and fastened a strip of thin Tri-Plex over the holes. We spray when we see the pellets on the floor ... but the termites keep coming back.

I find another comfy (and dry) spot to continue the online meetings, relaxing on the sofa with my feet up on the glass table. Technology makes global connections easy.

The garden is massed with growth. The ground is wet from overnight rains but the sun is out in full force by day. These candy-cane blossoms are seeded from pretty weeds along our walk.

A neighbor planted bulbs along her fence. They bloom all year and today's stunner is a Porsche-red flower.

This little vine, just outside the gate, is new to us.

The fish fry are growing in the glass cylinder atop my desk. Growth is a natural progression. Why is it so hard for us to sustain growth? And why do we fear death, when that is the normal rhythm of life? Somehow the human soul knows there is more; we yearn for freedom and eternal life that animals never long for.

Team meeting is mostly in person. Nowadays, we end up with hybrid meetings (online and personal) because of scheduling issues. Daniel is leading the talk Sunday so he does a dry run for us. Very good. 

Wednesday

At #NaraPark, the servers know what I will order: spicy noodles and an extra hot pot of oolong tea. It's the only place I eat the same meal every week.

After our date breakfast, we're in a mandatory organizational meeting online. The subject is conflict resolution.

Next, I meet Nancy to debrief on the past month. Then it's off for a skin checkup. Living under the hot sun, it's a good thing to check in every few years (5 years for me ...) as a healthy preemptive routine. The Executive Clinic doesn't accept our $10/mo insurance but that's ok. The full checkup and blood tests are about $60 per person.

We check in on Alice, who is asleep. A return trip to the hospital later in the day takes us past a parade of wheelchairs outside the entry.

On the sidewalk, a frog has desiccated itself by landing in the sun and not finding his way back to shade.

The neighborhood tree-cutter chopped an enormous Benjamina ficus back to bare trunks a few months ago. It has  begun to regenerate.

Oh oh - when I pull out a bowl, it's another casualty of stone counters and sinks. Chip. chip.

Thursday

What a beautiful hike. When a beloved walker repatriates, we've begun to name a trail after them. Today, "Angie's Walk" is named; she returns to Germany in 2 weeks. As a measure of her friendship, it's a big turnout: 16 walkers today, plus 7 dogs. "Doggie daycare," mutters someone. Yes, the dogs love to run around.

This hike includes a descent and climb back up - but the waterfall at the base is worth the hill. The dogs splash in the cool water. The shiba yelps without pause whenever she stands in water - it's ear-piercingly loud. Two dogs get to close to the little lip and get swept into the pool a few feet below. We pull them back onto the mossy rocks at the side of the stream.

It's hot in the tea fields but slightly breezy while we're in the forest. Most of us wear hats and slather on sunblock against the sun and heat.

Angie brings us to a cafe she and Amy discovered in the tea fields up the road.

Veronica (hike leader) had a brainwave. She and her daughter Tessa made a photo collage of the hikers of the past years. They included the names of the places where we've tramped.

Everyone signs the back of the frame.

This should provide Angie with a few memories. She'll be missed.

We cruise around a winding mountain road, looking for the hydroponics store. It has closed. However, after crossing the hills above the city, we're on the opposite side of north Bandung. We can drop Melvi (our passenger) near her apartment. No need for her to order a GoJek motorcycle home.

Read more

*Keep your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for there is a reward for your work, says the Lord. Jeremiah 31:16

*Jesus said, “You have pain now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.” John 16:22

[Here's the definition of true LOVE:]

*If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 

If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 

If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13

Moravian Prayer: Our God now and forever, we believe that when we die, when pain and troubles are over we will be with you for eternity. Until that day, while we are on earth, remind us that you are still with us, even through pain, tribulation, and grief. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.