Dirty laundry

Our new laundry: tucked
into our clothes closet

Those clean clothes in the closet? Once we put them on, they start getting dirty. Funny how that happens.

Think about the world. It gets washed regularly. God's wash and rinse cycles include sandstorms, rain, and wind. When there's a drought, the leaves get dusty and grey. Then God washes the dirt away with a storm.

Don't you marvel at how good God is at cleaning things? The environment, left to itself (excepting deadly toxins like nuclear waste), "renews itself." Leave a house alone and it becomes overgrown, collapses, and turns to compost to feed nature's next cycle. Let a lake or river move the garbage away and it becomes clean and clear. A forest fire torches scraggly brush, overgrown paths, and rubbish: a few years later, the woods have begun to come back, fresh and new.

That's the way it is with people, too. We bring our dirty laundry to God and he washes us "whiter than snow." We can't clean up more than the outside ourselves. Even when we look good to other people, our hidden inside needs a "deep clean" that only God can do.

An old-fashioned washboard

If you're feeling unworthy, unclean, or unloveable, approach God with a humble, willing heart. Let him clean you up - he paid a high price for your restoration = the life and death of his own Son.

If you've previously asked Jesus to cleanse you, check whether the influences of your surroundings have stained you. The wonderful thing about accepting God's forgiveness and provision is that we can start clean - over and over each day.

Read more:
*Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress. Psalm 31:9 ESV

*Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent. Acts 18:9 ESV

*Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 1 John 2:15-16 NEV

*Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 1 Peter 5:8-9 ESV

*The Christian who is pure and without fault, from God the Father’s point of view, is the one who takes care of orphans and widows, and who remains true to the Lord—not soiled and dirtied by his contacts with the world. James 1:27 TLB

Moravian Prayer: O heavenly Protector, while our days may be filled with trials and concerns, we know you are with us. With your knowledge and gifts, help us to spread the word of your everlasting love and grace. Amen.

Singapore Day 6: Laundry day and temperature regulation

Clips that fit over 1" dowels

The maid will come Friday instead of her regular Wednesday routine (yesterday). She's had to postpone twice.

I've seen the huge loads typically crammed into the front-load washing machines of Singapore (and England). My German mother (the Queen of Laundry) would freak at what goes in together. And, I admit, I'm a bit put off by it as well. I like my clothing and bedding clean, not just jumbled in a bit of water and dried off.

W tossed in a load of shirts the other day; we get soaked with perspiration in the humid 85-95oF climate. Temps indoors:

• At school, the classroom and office air-con is turned down to a brutal 68oF (20oC) and we shiver when we arrive. Students bring sweaters and shawls, just in case the lecturer likes it cold.
• We're always turning up the thermostat to 75oF (24oC). Much more comfy!
• In our bedroom and in the flat where we study and eat, we keep the dials at 80oF (about 27oC). Very pleasant. We need only a light thermal blanket for the night.

This morning I toss in our bedding and do a load of clothing. The washer are labeled "Fuzzy, Economy, Jean, Wool." I think that means: Fuzzy - choose options for speed of spin, size of wash, etc.; Economy - basic wash and med. spin; Jean - hard wash and spin; Wool - who knows! It can't mean cold - there is only cold. I choose options with the Fuzzy setting. An extra rinse for sure.

When I look it up, Fuzzy refers to technology that measures the amount of dirt and kind of load to auto-adjust the water level and cycle. The washer and dryer typically sit on a porch, with closable windows against storms. Long poles (1" dowels) stretch overhead for sheets and indoor-outdoor drying. It takes a while for me to find the u-hook pole to lift the dowels down for loading and up again into the brackets.

Drying laundry hangs outside

It's common to see laundry hanging outside flat windows: 8-10' dowels slip into metal brackets spaced 12" apart, outside the laundry room. Clothes are secured with big clips before being suspended outside the flat. I hang our dainties in the laundry room but many people's stuff is on display

The water here is soft and safe to drink. There's only cold water in the kitchen - AND in the bath, unless we click on the point-of-use water heater by the bathroom. The electric kettle stays busy for tea and coffee. We save water by having short showers and use as little as possible to wash dishes, brush teeth, etc. Water is reclaimed for irrigation and toilets, but the country also works at sustainability through desalinization (water from the oceans).

There will be plenty to do when Auntie L arrives in the morning. All three bedrooms left vacant by the Taylors need cleaning. The 15" ceramic floor tiles of the flat are white. That means mopping, maybe shaking out and vacuuming rugs ... there's enough work without tossing our bedding and towels in with everyone else's.

I'm happy to sleep on fresh bedding and dry with clean towels. A good start to another day.