Happy birthday, Kirsten!

Tuesday, August 19, 2025

Today we're celebrating our daughter's birthday. She has been God's gift to us. She's a lovely woman and that makes it hard to live so far away. At the beginning of COVID, we happily spent 11 months together in Bandung since she was unable to fly out to her next destination. Those months were a divine gift and left happy memories.

Happy Birthday, dear Kirsten!

"Money comes and goes. We are the richest people on earth because our children love God," my dad often said. I agree.

The rain begins as we head out with the dogs but we finish our loops. W takes down a bright LED strip from the Porch. We're considering where things will go.

Undeterred by the rain, Anton fetches until I make him take a break. He's soaked but happy. The Porch is a mess from his wet and muddy dog prints. In contrast, the older dogs are glad to take a break.

Anton's breeder lets us know that 7 new Standard Poodle puppies have been born from the exact same stock. If you live in Indonesia and want an Anton lookalike, PM me and I'll pass your info to Elizabeth for consideration. Here they are, strong and healthy pups a few hours old.

By the time calls and writing are done, it's almost noon. As we schedule our annual fundraising trip, many details await confirmation. I'm working on a book about global workers and their relationships to parents. It requires so much focus that I can only stop and start in bursts rather than doing protracted work.

If you're working abroad and have some advice about how you deal with parental expectations and stay in touch, please message me! I'd love to include your observations.

Supper is leftovers made into a salad: chicken, mac and cheese, acar (cucumber salad), and more. So yummy.

Wednesday: Kirsten's birthday again!

It's a pleasure to have a daughter. We think ours is extra-special. It's wonderful to talk to her after she has a birthday day supper far away. We're a half-day ahead which makes calls to family tricky, time wise. It means that we get to celebrate those we love for a day-and-a-half, though 😊.

After our walk, the dogs greet the yardman with loud barking as he starts to cut the grass. The usual process is squatting on heels to cut with a machete. W bought a mower years ago to make the chore easier for the last yardman but the guy quickly broke the mower. This yardman works at a nursery and is more skilled. He buzzes the lawn with the new weed-wacker. W replaced the last one that burned out.

It's too loud to work outside so I cloister in an office piled high with things to be moved in a few months.

We try out lampshades, deciding what comes with us and what stays behind. After W removes the snowflake chandelier above the nook table, he puts back the back-to-basics socket. I assemble a new lampshade ($3.50 at IKEA As-Is), which is bright and cheery. Ok, we're take that along, too.

W is a willing tester. He holds up the basket-shades IKEA was clearing out. While these seem exotic for us, a local friend asks, "So it will be a rustic holiday theme?" Maybe.

As Kirsten notes, "Mom, by the time you're done, the place will have a unique foreigner's decor." If only she were here to lend her creativity!

It's a day of good memories! I call Mom (now 90 years old) after finding old photos of her playing peek-a-boo with the great grand-kids a few years ago. She and I talk about God's faithfulness, his lovingkindness, and his generosity.

The project is coming along, but what a mess in process. Brick is smashed away to make room for pipes and conduits.

Across the street is a pasta shop. W orders a lasagna swimming in cream sauce.

My linguine is coated in pesto.

It's dark and starting to rain when we head home.

Thursday

I dream that my mom comes to visit, knowing she's bedridden. Then Grandma D shows up - and I know she's dead. We have a lovely visit, looking forward to a reunion in heaven. I wake up feeling so happy and peaceful - what a blessed Hope for the life and death of the follower of Jesus.

After some morning calls, we pick up Veronica on the way up to a hike in the Lembang mountains.

The grasses sport multi-colored blooms.

Flowers peek out on every side.

Some plants have finished blooming and are fruiting. These 7" (15cm) "beans" emerge from a frilly-leafed shrub.

We duck under trees or climb over the ones have fallen across the trail.

Mushrooms in various colors grow on the felled trunks.

The rain brings fresh greens on each side of the trail. W stands under the lower leaves of a towering fern.

All manner of ferns, lichens, and moss grow on the damp tree bark.

Sap collection is forbidden in the pine forest but happens anyway. After the bark is dug away many times, the 25 meter (75') tree will collapse. In one area, new saplings have been planted to replace the thinning canopy.

Some grasses are very tall. It's a mostly overcast day, perfect weather for hiking, whether we're in the trees or not.

We leash the dogs before a collection pond in a valley. They have their own dogs and we don't want ours running off. As soon as we're past, the dogs are off-leash again.

Of course when the trail goes down down, you have to come up up. My watch counts a total ascension of 21 flights of  stairs, not counting valleys between. Someone has kindly built a cement staircase in the middle of nowhere. Up we go. Then it's back to leaf-covered mud.

It's not raining but dew collects on the tips of the moss. The droplets glow like pearls.

The trail wanders through grasslands and forests. In some places, the path is wide and flat. In others, it's narrow, cut into by motorcycles, or slick from wet clay. Multi-colored leaves make it prettier.

Near the end we spot a two-eyed monster (a cutout tree trunk).

This thick moss-covered trunk resembles a giant snake.

Lunch on the way home is at Sidang Reret, a resort where multiple groups are feasting on custom buffets. W orders oncom (fermented tempe), rice, and meat.

The traditionally roasted sweet-salty peanuts are good, too.

The dogs have a great run of 3.5 hours. They rest while we eat and are happy to head home where they eat and then fall asleep on the Porch.

W's off to a men's meeting. I'm glad to stay home this afternoon.

Read more:

* His eyes are on the ways of mortals; he sees their every step. There is no deep shadow, no utter darkness, where evildoers can hide. God has no need to examine people further, that they should come before him for judgment. Without inquiry he shatters the mighty and sets up others in their place. Because he takes note of their deeds, he overthrows them in the night and they are crushed. 

He punishes them for their wickedness where everyone can see them, because they turned from following him and had no regard for any of his ways. They caused the cry of the poor to come before him, so that he heard the cry of the needy. 

But if he remains silent, who can condemn him? If he hides his face, who can see him? Yet he is over individual and nation alike, to keep the godless from ruling, from laying snares for the people. Job 34:21-30

* Make known his deeds among the nations; proclaim that his name is exalted. Isaiah 12:4

* [Jesus told his disciples,] Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. Matthew 28:19-20

Moravian Prayer: Lord, make us bold witnesses in the world. Guide our words and deeds to reflect your love and truth. May our lives draw others to you and glorify your name. 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.