Nothing is more heartwarming than long friendships

Tuesday, September 23, 2025

The blessing of the afternoon is a group who is in hot pursuit of friendship with God. The conversations are life-giving, though we are spread around the planet and in different timezones. Indulging in a coffee-chocolate cookie from Keelee's Quiet Waters Bakery helps me focus. The verse on the back of the wrapper is my prayer:

"My heart says of you, "Seek his face! Your face, Lord, I will seek." Psalm 27:8

Somehow, God is renewing W and my hearts in the middle of a full calendar. How merciful and loving he is. I'm glad to be among his people, reflecting on scriptures, and listening to music.

I don't even have to make supper today. M has cooked rice and chicken, which W brings downstairs for me to enjoy when the meeting ends. It's been beautiful weather all day. The kids are good sports on the hilly 2.5 mile walk but we're all relieved to get home.

Wednesday

It's easy to cook breakfast with Western ingredients at hand: pears, cottage cheese, eggs, and sausage. 

Would it be fun to shop around a bit this morning? Once I get moving I change my mind. I go through some cabinets and toss 5-year old canned food from the pantry. It makes me feel shopped out. I sort things to take to our home across the sea, knowing that they're never coming back. Family things like my grandma's 6-piece Bavarian china are enjoyed during our brief stays in Seattle. 

"Take whatever you want," my mom tells me each time I visit. "I don't need anything - so please take anything you can use." I keep asking the children and extended family if there's something they would like.

We already have hand-me-downs from my auntie and uncle (tray below), plus furniture and dishes from my grandmothers. We love beautiful things, especially if they are useful. Sometimes I think how nice it would be to pull out this or that, which is stored in another country. 

We have more than enough to enjoy and host guests, whether here or back home. "The mother of all garage sales is coming up when you downsize," W often warns me. haha

Our apartment has 2 pianos, so I posted one on Craigslist a few weeks ago. The buyer who sent a $2000 cheque? Scammer. Sigh. The fake paper bounces at the bank today. Luckily W is cautious, so he catches the cheaters and we're not out any money. Why don't people work this hard being productive at real jobs rather than causing misery for others? I have a backup buyer anyway.

Speaking of scams, the blog already has +96,000 views this month. What algorithm is boosting it to the cybersphere? I'm no influencer: why would my journal be of interest? And book reviews or art blogs? Not groundbreaking. Yet writers write. My head is turbulent with words and ideas. I can either blurt them onto pages or explode. (Or lose the memories: friends know my selective/faulty recollections.)

"Don't do anything you don't want everyone to know," Jesus said. "What is hidden will be revealed." Living in Indonesia, everyone knows everyone's business anyway. I try to stay out of trouble. Admittedly, it is strange to visit another country and have a stranger say they read my posts and feel like they know me.

Let's taste some favorites before we leave for home? We order Vietnamese sandwiches from YehYehs. Pretty good.

Late in the afternoon W and I go for a short walk. The autumn berries are crisp red against the blue sky. Suddenly, my shoes start falling apart. Parts of the soles fall off and a structural piece of the footbed pokes into my foot. W gives me a thick tissue to place above the emerging hole but I still have a deep blister by the time I get in the door.

Baker Academic sends a new book Faithful Futures by Josh Packard for review and consideration as a classroom text. I forward the title to several lecturers and professors: it recognizes the unique flavors and needs of GenX and GenZ, distinct from previous generations.

Thursday

After yesterday's more peaceful pace, we are on the move after breakfast. We visit with a young family who prays for us and whom we pray for. The mom's an alumna and was in W's classes years ago. Those are the happy connections: to know something we did has been meaningful or lasting.

Lunch is at the university with NE Seattle leaders. It's nice to meet in the faculty lounge as a reminder of time well spent and conversations with former coworkers, including the alumni team.

The new university president is a former student and gives a rousing talk to the leaders present.

Supper with Don and Brenda settles our hearts. They are trusted friends and mentors who encourage us to faithfulness and faith.

Brenda gifts us with beautiful picture cards featuring photos she's taken on travels. They're too pretty to write on.

Friday

People day! starts in early morning at the Third Place Commons, my central location for meeting women from various circles each year.

We start with a visit with heart friends who have traveled from around WA state. It's an honor to meet in person! instead of just online.

Kim shares drinks and pears (oh yum). Stuff continues to flow in and out of my life, even on such a short trip. I pass out three "feather" canvases that came my way yesterday.

A dear WPPR sister shows up after noon to share a gluten-free quiche for lunch and stories about where we are now.

Sue drops in for a few hours of catch-up. What a wonderful day with people we have loved and worked with over the years.

I'm home in late afternoon with time enough to eat leftovers from yesterday.

I show the grandkids videos of when they were little before we say "goodbye for now." W and I are hopping on a plane to TX, early tomorrow morning.

Read more:

*Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. Hosea 6:1

*The Lord said, “Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread and your earnings for that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good.” Isaiah 55:2

*Jesus said, “The widow out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” (Read the story in Mark 12:44)

*Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:7-10

Moravian Prayer: Lord of all creation, there is nothing that is of this world that we can offer to you. Our greatest riches are but a drop in the sea to you, but we can offer you ourselves, our devotion, and our faith. We humbly give what we can. Amen.

"Our eyes are on you ..."

Monday, May 19, 2025

Mom calls at 3:50 AM. I always take her call, no matter what time. That early, I'm barely coherent so it's a short conversation. We pray with each other, she catches me up on some news, and I lie in bed, trying to sleep until my alarm goes off at 5:30. No luck.

Mt. St. Helens blew its top 45 years ago on May 18, 1980. That day, our first child was overdue by 2 weeks. To my relief, he was born a day later (15 days 'late'). How grateful we are for Jeremy! Happy Birthday, son!

W and I walk the loops and come home for breakfast. IbuSiti arrives after 8 AM to give Jenn and me massages. W hosts a hybrid morning study: on the Porch and online.

Today my plan is to rest, but I get caught up in reading survey results. I write several respondents who offered comments and stories. What interesting lives people live across the world!

After noon we head to town, grabbing groceries on the way down the hill. We sample some Indonesian chocolate but leave it on the shelf.

 Lunch at Ambrogio is always good. The brisket sandwich is a hit.

I enjoy a $6 lamb shank - and later the dogs love the gristle mixed with their kibble!

The guys drop Jennifer and me at a traditional market on their way to the tech mall. By the time she and I have browsed a few shops, she has found what we came for. The guys text that they're on their way back to pick us up. A perfect coordination of time - 4 people who don't like shopping make it quick and efficient. 

We have a restful evening at home. Thank you, God!

Tuesday

The night is short due to 5 hours of "wide awake" in the middle. In the morning, I call our son to wish him happy birthday on his side of the planet. I take a quick nap before noon to catch up on rest.

It's good to finish another chapter of editing. The publisher checks my progress. Though this is an academic press, I don't get paid. It's a labor of love - and satisfies my curiosity about others' research. I've got a mid-June deadline but the author is getting impatient. I can only work on a chapter at a time before I lose focus. I've got 2 chapters of text left before editing footnotes and other details.

The survey continues to capture my attention. I wade through another 20 responses. Then I listen to a few book summaries and pass along recommendations in response to questions from online coworkers. (I subscribed to Blinkest @90% off for my Christmas present to myself. What a feast of ideas.)

I'm feeling much better, after 3 weeks of being ill. The helpers make lunch and we send food to a friend down the hill. The women set out tea and cookies for the team who gathers at our big dining table. Jennifer does a wonderful job with our team - what a blessing she is. She visits a neighbor's house afterward.

Anton and I always play a few sessions of "fetch" during the day, besides his early walk. This dog is persistent and smart. He roams the entire yard and gardens until he finds the ball, regardless of how long it takes. Then he runs back to give it to me for another round.

Nightfall is 6 PM and I'm ready for sleep within the hour.

Wednesday

Breakfast at NaraPark is a nice walk from home.

Jenn is busy until after lunch with a group of volunteers and staffers. She finds them as interesting and adventurous as W and I do. The rest of the day flies by with this and that.

I unwrap a box of chocolate coffee cookies from Keelee, sent along on my last trip - and arrange them inside the freezer door within easy reach. (Check out Quiet Waters Bakery. YUM.)

After we say goodnight, I light a candle across from my library chair as evening falls, relaxing with a book, pen, and paper.

A lizard hangs on the window, looking inside from the Porch.

Thursday

Instead of hiking the slippery muddy trails, we spend a tourist day with our guests.

These fragrant blooms catch my eye as we leave the Porch.

It's been years since we've taken a whole day exploring nearby attractions. We start with a visit to the main Lembang city market. We drop into a resort restaurant to admire the tables that are boats floating in the water ... it's a stunning surprise along the main highway.

Our goal is to see the big volcano up in the mountains. Unfortunately, the crater is socked in under a cloud. So we bargain for some souvenirs for our friends and imagine what it might look like from the rim of the crater.

We stop beside one of many tea plantations, before the guys buy pastries at one of W's favorite bakeries.

Nearby, a young man carries hugs bags of spicy chili peppers, freshly picked and ready for market.

The Lembang Floating Market is a must-see. Groups of friends take selfies - Jenn and I photobomb a group while their photographer (and Waldemar) snap pictures. They laugh and welcome us in.

Artificial lakes offer various pedal and motor boats to enjoy with friends. 

We walk through the gorgeous landscaping along the lakes' edge, where Adam and Jenn see a rice paddy for the first time. 

Flowers hang from trees and flower vines drape above the paths.

The orange-flowered vines ripen into long (8-10"/20-25cm) pods.

Little yellow flowers peek from the juicy red ends of stems.

We buy a variety of lunch foods from vendors cooking in little boats near shore. We admire animals in the petting zoos and cages. 

From exotic chickens to civits to horses, to .... well, there are a lot of creatures.

We pass two traffic "ghosts" on the main street. They're panhandlers dressed as spirits. Young women in ghoulish makeup park their motorcycle on the side and wind between the cars, begging for money. (Rainy window, sorry.)

Our final stop is a mall where our guests hope to find a Starbucks mug from Bandung. We enjoy the stroll along bright walks under a skylit canopy. They're out of luck with the logo cup. We sip our hot drinks on the way home.

Friday

I walk Anton but take a hard spill over him onto the pavement - he lunges back and forth, tripping me as he tries to catch a cat. I pick myself up with bruised ribs but no other damage. Onward we go. He's a big pup and cats are still his kryptonite, igniting an explosion on a walk. W's nursing a rumbly stomach so stays home.

We sign an agreement that we've waited on for a few years. Official signatures are written across a glued-on strip paper that you buy from the Post Office or similar official outlets (@60c each).

W and I also need groceries. He has keys duplicated and we're home for lunch with our friends. IbuS makes egg sandwiches on fresh bread, just right for a rainy day.

In early afternoon, we join a Zoom meeting of SouthEast Asian leaders. It is both encouraging and challenging. We close in prayer.

While Jenn meets people all day, W and I take a breather while the rain pours down outside. Even the dogs droop, dripping anytime they leave the Porch's overhang. This season has been unrelentingly wet. By now, we should have had a few dry months. At least it's cool outside. (70o is cold enough that I wear a sweater.)

Read more:

*We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you. 2 Chronicles 20:12

*The Lord knows our thoughts, that they are but an empty breath. Psalm 94:11

*The Lord appointed seventy-two others and said, “Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’” Luke 10:1,5

*Do not deceive yourselves. If you think that you are wise in this age, you should become fools so that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. 1 Corinthians 3:18-19

*Jesus said, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life.” Revelation 21:6

Moravian Prayer: Almighty Lord and God, who do we think we are? Let us see ourselves for the fools that we are and return to you, cling to you and your word. We can be fools for you and wise in your ways.

Christ, our conductor, our eyes and ears are open to the music of your world and the needs of our neighbors. We look to you. Direct us, keep us free from error as we speak of your love and peace. Amen.

Goodbye, new visitors and prep for the week? Check.

Saturday

It's mild and sunny in the morning. I finish a 3' (1 meter) flower arrangement for the hall when we get back from our walk.

W starts to walk Anton today. We not only have to train our smart and willful creatures but the humans who interact with them. 

"Oh, he sits when I say sit!" exclaims Melvi, who plays fetch with Anton when she's outside. It's true: he's starting to obey.

I keep working my way through the book survey, on #80 of +270 responses. Reading comments from expats and global workers brings their challenges to life.

Sunday

After a walk, I change from my damp clothes - it's been hotter in the mornings, a sign that dry season may be coming. Then we're at the hall for a talk on God's care for us. The worship team snaps a photo after they serve.

Feibe is celebrated on her final Sunday. We pray for her and go out for lunch as a team. Her grad school will not permit monetary compensation or gifts so Hanny and Alice purchase a beautiful batik blazer for a thank you.

Back home, we let Anton out of his crate. For the most part, the creatures get along very well. They lie as close to me as they can when I work on the Porch.

Anton and I finish our 5 miles for the day (10-11,000 steps) and come home to play fetch and wear him out. Good boy! He is persistent: when I toss a ball, he will keep looking over the whole property until he finds it. Then he brings it right to me. If he doesn't return it, the game is over and the ball is put away.

Today starts is a new round of recruiting volunteers for an English program. Kristi started it a few years ago, and it's transforming the future for village kids and their moms. The wisdom of getting older is knowing what does and doesn't belong on your plate. I don't serve there directly but I help in other ways.

Monday

We walk and then we work. There's a tall pile backing up: syllabus, editing, prep for a seminar, etc. It is another red letter day so only one helper is here. We give her lunch money as she starts baking banana bread and head out the door. There's a new pasta restaurant at the end of our street ($10 for both of us).

It's easier to eat out than filling the kitchen with cooking and dirty dishes as baking trays go in and out of the ovens. Tomorrow the helpers will make cookies - the last batches disappeared quickly.

Back to coursework. There's SO much new information on academic writing. My job is to decide how much students need to know. Do I gather links and let them do further research if they need it? How good is their English. Updating a course in a few weeks is a full-time job but I don't have the hours. Lord have mercy.

Bryanna arrives in late afternoon and will stay a couple of nights. She's in Indonesia for 2 more months before she heads back for veterinarian school. After work, Melvi also joins us for a light supper - she and B know some of the same people so they have lots to talk about.

Tuesday

We take B for breakfast at #NaraPark. The day flies by: she'd like to duo some outlet shopping (B finds her clothes) and buy snacks. It's mandatory to bring back snacks for your team when you travel!

This bush is so jazzy! at the first outlet store.

PakG takes B a few more places after lunch, while IbuA and IbuS finish baking and cleanup for movie night tomorrow. The house smells of banana bread and cookies.

After checking that his tech is working for tomorrow's movie night, W heads into Jakarta to pick up guests. It can be confusing to land in a country with little English signage and few English speakers. He sleeps overnight in a capsule hotel at the airport. He'll meet them after they land in the morning and bring them home on the shuttle.

I continue movie night prep and edits. I'm working my way through the book chapter by chapter. My head gets foggy after a while, simplifying language and making sure of the format. This book is a compilation of academic presentations, papers, and other research so my task is to hand it back as a homogeneous work. It would be harder if the author weren't such a good writer. (It's still a lot of work.) 

There's time to chat with Bryanna in the evening. My head is full of the week ahead. 

Read more:

*As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”

These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng.

Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. Psalm 42:1-5

*Yet your people say, “The way of the Lord is not just,” when it is their own way that is not just. Ezekiel 33:17

*Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! Romans 9:14

Moravian Prayer: O God, nurture in us the growth that comes from the study of your word and way. May we see the examples of the people of the Bible and learn from them. Increase our hunger for your presence. In your name, we pray. Amen.

Too tired to get really mad ... but close

Saturday, May 3, 2025

It's an early morning with a walk - and another walk in late afternoon. On the way, a group of young boys is gathered around one kid who is sitting. We stop to check what's going on. The youngster is crying - he's skinned his knee badly. The other boys are sympathizing, not making fun of him. The satpam (sentry) down the lane waves the boys over to wash the knee and put on a bandage.

I spot a new-to-me kind of bulb blooming.

Outside the gate, the avocado tree is dripping with fruit.

There was a wind-and-rain storm overnight and many trees blew down. Cleanup is underway. I snap off 2 branches and drag them home from our walk - then get a few flowers from the garden to finish an arrangement. I'll pull it into place tomorrow. PakG drops it at the hall after noon.

While I send Anton on energy-draining "fetch"es, a snake quickly winds across the lawn from one flower bed to the other. I spot him on the edge of the pond the next day, too. He's thin and 3-4' (1 meter) long. He slithers off into the flowerbed when he spots me.

Between dog walks and work, W and I eat lunch at Homeground Restaurant where a full meal with sides costs $3-5.

A bowl of fried Cajun-ish chicken is good, too ($3.50).

I carry on with Duolingo day by day. You'd think I'd know more Indonesian by now ...

Kirsten and I call - we compare our dogs' sizes to our feet. She.

We. 

We rack up 11,000 steps again today. Every day, Anton understands more of what I'm asking of him and becomes more willing to obey.

Hendy comes over on his way to the Hash dinner. Where did he get full Mexican gear, a sombrero and jacket for Cinco de Mayo? W walks a few blocks with him and his friend to the Hash's Taco Special. The runners finish their trek and join in.

After a few games of fetch, the dogs are ready to "go to bed" = a run into the crate with a treat waiting. I close the doors behind the dogs, each in his/her own crate. They settle down for the night and so do I.

Except, I stay up an extra 2 hours to take the fresh panettone loaf out of the breadmaker. It's a dismal failure. The machine hasn't even stirred in the currents. And it hasn't risen. Ugh.

Sunday

I cough my way through the night and should stay home. It feels important to show up at GG to pray over JP and Judy on their last Sunday in Bandung. They have managed the hall we rent and become dear friends. Now they are embarking on a new adventure, life in a foreign country (to them) ... the USA.

I walk home after prayer and join the Gathering online (cough cough). Feibe, our outstanding STTB intern, is speaking today. I can pray over her and enjoy the talk via livestream - but I wish I could cheer her on in person. (Makes me smile: she's wearing heels instead of comfy shoes she's in when leading the children.)

W jumps in to host the team meeting afterward. Good to have a strong partner when you can't lead. The morning is dark and gloomy. It starts to clear up before noon and then goes back to overcast - and wet.

Monday

Martin and Sayaka are gifted as pastors. They naturally and sacrificially think of others - and this morning they send a dark healing tea to help me recover. It immediately starts to soothe my throat.

This week's dog assignment is teaching Anton to sit when I stop. He hardly pulls when we walk and is paying attention (more and more) when on leash. Before he comes home, he has to sit outside. That gets him lots of affection and praise. Then "pulang" (go home) and he bounces in the gate after me.

Look at all the colors on this flower! orange, blue-black, pink, white, and greens ... 

We give input on a crowdfunding video. W teaches a study while I open my book survey = so much good information to sort through ... before we shop for food. For lunch, we try a Chinese place that our friends highly recommended. Very good food at a reasonable price - and we have leftovers for supper. 

W drops by friends while I go home for the last dog walk. I'm exhausted from being out but the training session is a real hassle. I gave express instructions to W and PakG not to walk Anton at all, never mind with the other dogs, until he can obey without question. Anton is too big, strong, and willful to be let loose.

However, this morning while I'm busy, the driver clips Anton to the other dogs on the group. I don't see them go out the gate or I would have stopped them! Anton predictably pulls like a Komodo dragon, runs all over the place, and is almost unmanageable. I sternly warn the driver afterward again, not to take Anton out without my permission. (It will take a few weeks until he's ready for that group walk.)

I'm angry: when I walk Anton in the afternoon, the uncontrolled morning walk has undone almost a week of obedience training. He will hardly focus, stubbornly jumping around, pulling, and refusing to listen. We wait for almost an hour in one alley until Anton agrees to sit. Sigh. I've been sick all week and don't have the energy for nonsense, whether with person or beast.

But we'll do it all again in the morning. How does God put up with our willfulness, day after day, and year after year? 

Read more:

*Lord, turn my heart to your decrees and not to selfish gain. Psalm 119:36

*In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us. Titus 2:7-8 

*This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. 1 John 5:14-15

Moravian Prayer: Lord God, you know our hearts. Our impulses are not always pure. Forgive us, please. Make us aware of our falling short, so that none are lost, but all are found. Amen.