Agitation and affirmation

Friday, August 29, 2025

We only have a couple of meetings today. We stop by the project and admire the desk that's been refinished. Who will study here?

W hails a GrabCar at 9:30 since PakG is away, taking his wife to hospital. We pray for her complete recovery.

It takes an hour to cross the city to visit Rocky and Lussy and their family. What a feast they have prepared!

Lussy and her mom love to cook - the rendang (coconut-infused beef) is spectacular. Their homemade cream puffs fill us to the brim.

Lussy has  a vegetable and herb garden on her rooftop. Closer to the ground, this jeruk Bali (a 7" version of grapefruit) has ripened and is sent along, along with 3 pots of herbs.

There are demonstrations around town protesting government corruption and higher taxes. We miss the crowds but friends get caught by tear gas.

At a local university, sellers sit across from the entry, offering flowers for a new crop of graduates.

Back home, I hop on a call with coworkers in Thailand and Japan, who update us on their work. Challenges abound in this restless world. It's good to know Someone is great, beyond human intentions and abilities.

Saturday

There's unrest in the city overnight, with fires and protests. The hills are quiet. During the day, civilians and civil servants clean up the mess and broken dreams left downtown by the mobs. So much property damage and loss lies in the wake of high adrenaline. Small food vendor and bystanders are among the victims of the wanton destruction.

We walk early, with leftovers for lunch - potato salad and ribs with IbuSumi's homemade bread. Grading and monthly updates are waiting but I have no heart for the work. We pray for peace in Indonesia and in the hearts of those around us.

Mysteriously, the tile in the kitchen has split into three pieces. The ruined formica atop the cabinet is hidden under a 60X60cm (24"square) floor tile. This one somehow didn't last.

A young couple comes for marriage counseling and checks out a wedding venue nearby. It's a honor to be part of a young family's beginnings.

Sunday

We love the people we serve with! This is today's volunteer crew. We postpone the board meeting as two members are missing.

It's Round Table Sunday (last Sunday of the month). We discuss a hot topic from 1 Peter 3: submission of a wife to her own husband (not all women subjugated to all men) and the sacrificial love of a husband, even willing to suffer and die for his wife.

"Who has the greater obligation and effort, the husband or wife?" W asks the attendees.

I write the monthly newsletter and wrap up some reading in the afternoon.

Monday

It's a quiet morning after a walk, with one staff updating his insurance and the other volunteering at a neighborhood clinic for preschoolers. With an empty house, there's headspace to organize a cabinet and finish grading papers from a June class (finally). I'm missing two assignments so ask for a resubmission in case those were sent to me and disappeared. After today, grades will be submitted as is.

Zeli's here to look at the little fridge that quit on us. The compressor gets hot but there's still no cooling. We head out for lunch.

The corn with chilis is as good as the fried chicken/shrimp balls.

The owls Wolly and Molly stare us down.

Along the street, the flowers are putting on a show again.

Tuesday

We're out early to walk. Anton rips the 3-part leash from W's hands and charges out of the gate to chase a cat. W catches all 3 dogs; the old ones have not run that fast for a while. When we get back home, Ruth has sent over 40 roses for our 48th anniversary tomorrow.

I make two big bouquets that cheer us as we walk through the living room and entry.

The city has been quieter overnight. It's sunny and warm. Merla brings 3 rooted adeniums over: they'll be beautiful when they bloom, reminding me of jade plants. Our currency is cookies.

Jane sends over 15 boxes of books and furniture they're leaving behind as they repatriate. Books? They'll go in all directions. We've found that few people read here. They know how - it's just not a hobby or regular activity.

Indonesian decor rarely includes a bookshelf. In contrast, British decor has books everywhere and a comfy reading chair! like at our place. That corner feels peaceful.

Read more:

* O Lord of hosts, you are God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. Isaiah 37:16

* All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. John 1:3

Moravian Prayer: Creator of all, inspire us with your divine wisdom. Help us to recognize your presence in every aspect of existence and to live in accordance with your divine will. Amen.

Food is a common denominator for meeting people

Saturday, January 25, 2025

It's a quiet morning so after getting our work done, W and I walk out for lunch. It's often cheaper to eat out than to buy and prep things. #HomeGround features Chinese-Indonesian food. My beef scallion dish is tasty, with its small bowl of rice on the side. Note the water bottle for scale. Portions are reasonable = smaller! here.

The flowers are happily blooming around an old flower pot in the garden.

An overnight guest arrives late in the evening and will stay for a few days. JD is a former team member and beloved friend to many.

Sunday

We have to leave early. I leave JD some breakfast options. Overnight oats? Breakfast bars? Or?

As the community gathers, W and I relax. Martin is leading worship and speaking. It's a Round Table Sunday this last weekend of the month, when we discuss questions around the table. Today's questions are: "How do you grow up into God's DNA as his child?" And, "How can you serve others as a child of God?"

Several families take home the table arrangements. DrG and IbuT pose with flowers that match their outfits.

The team has a lunch meeting afterward. JD joins in and gets to know the current team.

I order #MaxiResto's Chinese New Year special @$5: duck. Very good.

Hanny comes over to grab study books for starting a women's group.

We set the beautiful arrangement from #titikbadudu on the coffee table. The afternoon is filled with writing and revisions. 

Monday

The world is full of surprises, isn't it? This cute "dog and kennel" art on the street catches my eye on the morning walk. Oops, W points out that it's actually garbage and a discarded latex glove.

PakG has painted bright sienna on the re-sealed flower pot. The color will fade to "clay" color in the sun. It's quickly filled with water, as well as plants and fish from other pots. The water must still be contaminated by the paint: all the fish jump into the garden. Sorry, fishies. We'll give it another day or two for the plants to detox the water before trying again.

The bougainvillea blooms from its stump. That thick bare stick was thrust into a pot a few months ago.

W admires the "blue hairdryer" he ordered. It's a cheap, for drying Bailey after he gets washed. (That usually happens after each hike). The delivery driver has thrown three packages over the top of the gate while we are away. The glass jar W ordered smashes into 100 pieces, despite good packaging.

Overhead, the bamboo hedge towers 25'/8m tall. The bright green is energizing.

We meet Shibli at #HomeGround for his birthday lunch. As part of our team, he faithfully leads the groups that teach English in village neighborhoods.

Tuesday

Between meetings, there are walks and conversations. Oh oh! What happened? There are many dead fish in one of the Porch fish tanks. They're tossed into the garden, while the remaining 3 fish are rehoused into other tanks. The fishes in the office vase are doing well.

 I love spending time with Judy over coffee. W joins lunch with JD. The world of expats is small - many of us know each other from other settings.

This morning, it's helpful to share ideas with Keelee. After that, Nancy gives me good counsel. I'm pretty sure she'd tell these kids to get in the car ... but their parents seem ok with them hanging out of the skylight.

The #MissBeeProvidore pasta is deliciously SPICY. I pick out some of the hot red peppers. W helps me finish it.

We're home by mid-afternoon and would be ready for a break - if W wasn't working on a book with a looming deadline.

Read more:

*Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14

*A bruised reed [the messiah] will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench. Isaiah 42:3

*Jesus said, “Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones.” Matthew 18:10

Moravian Prayer: Loving Spirit, as a mother cares for her young, so you care for us. You nurture us, especially when we feel down. A light, you will not dim; you only seek to help us shine brighter. Help us to encourage our youth, ourselves, and the world with your light. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.