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!

A blessed Indonesian Independence Day to our friends!

Friday, August 15, 2025

Early afternoon unfolds after a morning of putting furniture and home accessories back where they belong.

Reclaiming the details of the house is a challenge after stripping out the rooms for movie night. Nature provides its own combination of details and beauty to inspire us.

After a few hours, the furniture is in place, art sits on the picture rails, and the dishes are in the cabinets. I check the paintings stored upstairs and add one to the wall. The shelf makes it easy.

The library chair was previously covered with a quilted batik blanket made by my friend Kim. When we shift the chair back into place, I wonder: how about a pink sarong to cover the chair? Why not?

Then, would the former batik cover look good on the black loveseat?

Yes, as it turns out. The blue, red, and gold combine into a calming pattern.

The velvet cushions that formerly disappeared into the black upholstery match, too.

W and I walk to #WaroengEthnic for lunch. I can't face a third run of leftovers. My stomach isn't happy anyway. The narrow alleys which are the front streets to village homes have been decorated for Independence Day. Homeowners extend their square footage by building over the paving. Since there's no building code, we walk warily under the overhangs.

On the next street over, an African tulip tree blazes with orange blooms.

The vine at the restaurant's entry lights up in pink a few times a year.

My choice is oncom and spicy beef rendang. The basil sambal (spicy sauce) is delicious. W decides on deep-fried mushrooms and rawon soup that is made with beef and candlenuts.

We're surrounded by plants and the sound of water splashing down the far wall of the courtyard. I feel my soul begin to unwind. "Sometimes," we say to each other, "we still can't believe we live in a place where this is just around the corner."

Coming home isn't a hardship either. The Porch is quiet after buzzing with people for the past two days.

W has coffee and a good discussion with someone who is struggling with the logic of faith in Christ. W loves to learn about God and talk about him with friends.

Saturday

We get pics of my "best uncle"'s 95th birthday. His friends celebrate him - and of course the china is on the table and homemade German baking is outstanding. That's how things are done.

It's refreshing to have a walk in the morning. An impromptu call to my WPPR friends connects us across continents. We get updates and pray for each other.

We swing by the project to meet the contractor. I'm tracing the arch of the sun so we know where to plant things.

For Indonesian Independence day, the owner brings a crew to clean the yard and paint the entry, which goes from this,

to this. Much crisper. The owner asks what we'd think about planting a pink vine on one fence. Turns out it's the same one we admired yesterday @WaroengEthnic! Sure let me ask if we can get clippings to root.

Rooms get very dusty because homes are not airtight. Time to clean lamps today? I hang them near the window. With bright sunshine outside, it's easy to see and wash off grime and dirt.

I update the checklist for what will go where when we move. The tenant here before us took the faucets, shower fixtures, and lights. They left 3 bulbs and mostly empty light sockets, along with some fading furniture. We replaced what was missing and gradually filled the house with our own acquisitions. Now it's time to consider what to leave behind and what to take along.

Sunday - Hari Merdeka. Indonesia's 80th Independence Day

Before the IES Bandung Gathering, tables and a shade cloth must be set up for the potluck. We've brought the tent, plates, cups, cutlery, flowers, recycling pails, and more to the hall from our stash of hospitality items. W unloads the car, thanks those who run over to haul items from car to hall, and calls for help in setting up the shade cover. It's black so the temperature heats up underneath it.

There aren't enough tablecloths so I walk home to get some. A man calls out from behind the gate of the project: the night sentry has locked himself in. I don't have a key with me but promise to send W when I return to the hall. W walks down the street to let him out so the guy can go home to celebrate his freedom, national and personal.

Angie organizes a few games for after the Gathering. Indonesians mark their national day with an abundance of play.

There are snacks for the winners.

At the food tables afterward, there's plenty for everyone. Alan and Jani (@Roadrunner) have made 200 pieces of chicken! an abundance of good taste among other fine dishes. I made overnight potatoes and a big green salad.

It's so hot in the bright sunshine that shade is needed, even if self-made.

We are from 17 nations this morning, appropriate in Indonesia which has 17,000 islands.

We enjoy the Family company and warm mood. Conversations are noisy and friendly. Afterward, once things are cleaned away, we pack up and unload our stuff at home. W and I are content to rest in the quiet house after the 3 big events.

Monday

The flowers are ready to be moved around the house. Each table had its own red and white arrangement: mums and dill from the garden at the potluck yesterday.

After some morning alls, we drop off light fixtures at the project. Deciding on details is part of the process, like, "Where do lights go in this hallway?"

I'm starting to think about window coverings, which means more measuring. Old buildings have custom and handmade shapes and sizes.

It's not uncommon to have someone drive down the center of the lanes between cars. Today "someone important" has a police escort parting the waters for them.

W picks up a hiking backpack and I find some $20 storage baskets on clearance for $6. I record everything in our itemized notebook.

We host afternoon company with tea and banana bread. They bring a cake to share as well. It's Anton's first family who gifted him to us. They're visiting family in Bandung. He's all bouncy when he sees them. And we are happy to meet them for the first time in person. Thank you, Adam and Akmal.

Read more:

*I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on your name. Psalm 63:4

*All the people saw the one [who had been healed,] walking and praising God. Acts 3:9 (Click on the link for the story)

*Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:1-2

Moravian Prayer: Divine Creator, pour out your abundant blessings upon us. Guide our steps, illuminate our paths, and fill our hearts with gratitude. May your blessings overflow, touching every aspect of our lives. Amen.

Back to teaching

Monday, August 4, 2025

My friend Gail Johnsen and I teach a Singapore class online this week. We've co-taught this doctorate-level course before.

After a short neighborhood walk with the dogs, W accompanies me to the office to check that the Zoom call is ready to go. Nope! It's a good thing he is there; the internet needs rebooting. He tries everything and then connects me to a different router. Whew. In-house tech support. He heads home while I teach 4 hours. These students are attentive, experienced, and interactive.

We eat a quick lunch at Maxis. Our helper volunteers at a preschool this morning and isn't around to cook for the household. We meet PakG backing the car out of the gate to get his lunch, which feels a bit strange. (His son has his motorcycle?) He drops off a banana bread at a friend's and brings more bananas from her.

It pours rain in the afternoon. No working on the Porch for me. Besides pacing out the class hours for tomorrow, I draw up a final lighting plan for the project. W prints an oversized copy for the aging eyes of the electrician and me. 

In my mind's eye, people are already sitting around tables, enjoying each other's company. While parts of the renovation are exciting, much of it only "shows potential" at this stage. Most of the damp and falling-down ceilings have been removed. Some will be replaced with drywall. In other rooms, like this one, the concrete ceiling will be painted and left exposed for additional height.

Tuesday

I'm in the classroom before 7 AM. The Singapore host lets me in and off we go! We have so much to cover that I'm resigned to not finishing 10 days of material in 2 days - but we actually wrap up the last slides with minutes to spare.

Doctoral cohorts may be small but they are interesting. This cohort makes class presentations and handles their Q&As professionally. When we're done, the comments are enthusiastic and the takeaways are on point for the first two days. I send them my PowerPoint and ask them to review it before tomorrow. Dr Gail takes the next two days. Friday is a review day.

During one break, I lean over the third floor balcony to see what's going on next door to the office. The roofs get in the way of the stunning landscaped park on a half-acre. It's complete with a security house and toilet. We've only seen it from the street, through the gate in the 10-12' front wall.

 

During another break, I look on the other side of the office to another neighbor's yard. They were starting to garden during the pandemic when I used the balcony. Now the gardens are lush, with a greenhouse, vegetables, French lavender, and other European herbs. Ah, I was wondering where I'd find lavender for the next garden. Maybe there?

My computer/thermos/books/binder/art supply-bag is heavy. W carried it to the office for me but he's in Jakarta by noon, picking up our passports from the USA embassy. I tote it home myself, bag on one shoulder, purse on the other, and my tall tea mug firmly in hand.

When everything's put away, it's time to eat the delicious nasa goring sapi (fried rice with beef) that IbuA has prepared. While I'm in class, she and IbuS baked 6 banana breads. The whole house smells sweet. I set one aside for them to take home.

After lunch, I smash together walnuts, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, and black currents for IbuS's home-baked loaf. SO good. I'm ready for a nap, having had a short and restless night with too much to think about (= including wondering how class would get through all the material. Yay, we did it.)

All but one of the team have inescapable obligations during our weekly meeting time. Since this week's reflection is a good one that we'll want to do together,  the meeting is postponed to next week. I set aside one banana bread for the person who showed up = attendee bonus.

The sky clouds over into a soothing backdrop for rest. By the time it rains, I'm inside and working in warm comfort.

Wednesday

I'm up early so call Mom to find out how her 90th birthday party went. She's full of life and memories. "It was a foretaste of heaven. Everyone was in unity and it made me think of how wonderful heaven will be." She talks about her peacemaking calling, "Since I was a child, I didn't want stress between people. I just wanted everyone to get along." She has fostered that, accepting those she meets without judgement. I end the call, happy to have time with her.

 

We drop by the project. We take a few measurements to see if the wooden desk being taken out of one room can be repurposed to fix a cupboard. (Shelves were stolen long ago.)

A chameleon is sunning itself on the ledge.

Thieves have broken in overnight to steal the crew's welder, pump, and cables. That's a financial loss to local workers who will have to replace them. But then, criminals rarely consider those they hurt. Until God changes a heart, no amount of rituals can transform a person.

Two young neighbors hailed W outside the locked gate as we walked by. They asked W if they can be our night guards ... even before we discovered the theft. Obviously, someone saw the thief who broke in last night and has told others.

We have our date breakfast at Nara Park. Cats walk in and out of restaurants here.

We watch the servers set up a picnic theme for a birthday party later today. Hmmm, it's definitely for kids. Partygoers our age might easily get down but not everyone could get up again. hehehe

I have the usual - noodles, "popcorn" dumplings, and 3 kinds of hot sauce.

Back home, the yardman starts digging up shrubs. What?! 

We hadn't planned to transfer the garden until late this month or October when the rains come. I quickly draw a yard map and show the yardman where to plant larger plants that provide the structure. There's a separate planting page for each area. He says he understands the plan. (Now to see where the plants end up!)

I've forgotten to spray myself with DEET and the mosquitoes start to eat me alive. Oh yeah! run inside to slather my skin.

Read more:

*Is it not you, O Lord our God? We set our hope on you. Jeremiah 14:22

*Do not devise evil in your hearts against one another. Zechariah 7:10

*God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his son. 1 John 5:11

*Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 1 Peter 3:8

Moravian Prayer: Dear divine Creator, grant us the strength to endure life’s trials, the wisdom to navigate challenges, and the courage to face uncertainty. May hope be our guiding light, illuminating our path with resilience and optimism. 

Gracious God, inspire us to embody the profound command of Christ: to love one another selflessly. May our hearts overflow with compassion, kindness, and understanding, fostering a world united in the bond of love. Amen.