Rockabye house - and a slip and fall

Monday, July 29, 2019
It's the anniversary of my in-laws, though DadK has been gone a long time. W talks to his mom but I'm not there when he does. I think about them all day, a long life together. And then one is left. Some day that will be W and me. Sometimes I think about that - what happens then?

It's part of my natural focus on the future. I constantly have to push myself back to live in the present. The future pulls on me every day. Most of my waking dreams are of how things will be; only a few are about what have been.

We have a study on the porch - and then head into the office. The view from our walkway is beautiful.

Tuesday
It's team day, so we take most of the morning on the devotions and catch-up. W and I present the first draft of Sunday's talk and take note of the critiques.

Over lunch, we visit with a couple who is considering non-profit work in Indonesia. Lunch at Maxi's is delicious.

Wednesday
Late Tuesday and Early Wednesday is our day off. We head for town. My eyes are fatigued and I want to make sure all is well. I meet the nicest doc and his staff - and find out his wife is an acquaintance. Small city (of 5 million)!

W and I have lunch together. W's crab and seafood plate costs $6; mine is less.

He suggests a selfie. What?! Fully acclimated to this selfie culture, I guess.

  The displays are artistic. I snap a few pictures of them.

We do a bit of shopping - browsing, really. I'd like 10 or 15 of these seats for the new hall layout - they're casual but give firm support for a body. Oh oh, when I check the tag at $80 each, it's a bit pricey! If wishes were horses...

I find a few on-sale baskets and a cute pottery pup that makes me take a second look. I'll put it on a shelf to surprise a smile out of someone. Cute, right? (Every room should have a few unexpected pieces.)

The hop itself is interesting - I like the wood spheres that house plants. Someone has forgotten to water them, though.

On the way back to the car, I skid on a round pebble, slipping off a 3" ledge into a pothole in the pavement. My shin glances off the far edge and produces a goose-egg of a hard bruise. (My knee is slightly skinned but fine.) My trousers don't even tear. (Bought them in the USA, eh?)

What hurts is my left arm. I sit still to catch my breath before W pulls me up by my good hand.

We walk to the car. "It's not far," says W.

It's a block further than he thinks, about 3 blocks from my tumble. Next time, I'll wait for the car. There's a beautiful modern building on the way, though.

Once in the back seat, I swipe a baby wipe across my palm to scrape the gravel out. W dabs a glop of sterilizer (alcohol) on the cut.

"OwH OwH OwH!" I say, almost breathless. Oh, does that ever hurt ... only for 30 seconds. Then I'm glad it's disinfected and the sting subsides.

It takes over a half-hour to get home. We buy a pack of frozen chicken going up our hill: I have to get ice on this arm sooner rather than later. And that's what was in the grocer's freezer. We send it home with the driver later, who is happy to have supper.

There's nothing broken, thank God, only internal bruising in the wrist and palm. My shoulder ligament is caught on something, too. When I rotate my arm up for comfort, the joint catches and tweaks. Yeee-ouch! Not doing that again (until Friday, when I confirm, yup, it's stuck on something.) If I don't rotate my arm that way, it doesn't hurt as much. Good plan, then.

We postpone two meetings - I'm in no condition to go out. I just rest. I'm the "one day's rest and then back to work" type, not the "suffer for a few days and then I'm out for a week of recovery."

W pampers me all evening with cold packs and a hot water bottle - I'm shivering in no time. A sleeping pill and anti-inflammatory before bedtime, and I'm out from 9 until 6, the best sleep I've had in a long while.

Thursday
While the Thursday walkers hike our favorite walk (which actually morphs into a new one), I have to stay home. My hand and shoulder are sore but by evening, I can start to grasp things with my thumb. By evening, when we go out for dinner, it's a dull ache rather than a roar. We have a good dinner at Puri Bambu, a famous old location with Indonesian-Chinese cuisine. It's fun to meet the two young men related to our host, who polish off the leftovers like they should at their age. (I remember.)

We skip a stop on the way home: I'm really finished. I toss and turn, sleeping off and on through the night.

Friday
A 7am online call starts the day - it jumpstarts my mind with theology and analysis. After I hang up, there's just enough time to make a thermos of tea, toss cookies and banana bread into my tote, and grab my art supplies. W is already walking home from his breakfast appointment so we pick him up on the way out.

We love to go to Rumah Doa (House of Prayer) for prayer and reflection. We drive through farms and nurseries up the hill. The colors are astonishing - I love the green possibilities that line the narrow road. W and the driver joke about the snake-like progress between trucks loading and unloading plants in the middle of one narrow lane and the cars and motorcycles hurtling toward us in the oncoming lane. You have to have nerves of steel or know the flow to drive here.

Our teammates are waiting - we talk about several aspects of serving together. Periodically, it's good to consider if we are on track or on a new course.

W has to pick up a few things at a supermarket. I find some ramen I want to try. I love the noodles of Indonesia = so much variety. We drop W at a corner where he can catch an angkot (little van) home.

Pack Gum and I continue the drive. I'm off to a late lunch with the Bandung Book Group - several have birthdays, which we try to celebrate each month. The cookies and banana bread are split up between tasters afterward, when we've had our lively chats and catch up. One of the founding members is visiting from Australia: it's also her birthday so it's double the fun.

They order fish and spinach to share around the table. I don't like fish, but I'm happy with my order of spicy mango chicken and rice.

Oh yum - Akasnya Teras has good food! And I love the little ceramic tea set with a serving tray.

We're home by late afternoon. I can pick up things already - it's going to be a fast recovery, though my shoulder is still hooked up on something.

The house sways and the windows creak - there's an earthquake off the coast, felt in Jakarta (100 miles away) and here. It's gentle and kind of soothing. I wouldn't have noticed if W wouldn't have mentioned it. We walk onto the porch, but the dogs are relaxed and not concerned. "Good chance of a tsunami," W says, looking at Google. God, please keep the people on the coast safe, we pray.

Read more:
*When the ways of people please the Lord, he causes even their enemies to be at peace with them. Proverbs 16:7 

*Love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High. Luke 6:35 

*The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:9-14 NIV

Moravian Prayer: Protector of Peace, strengthen and unite the souls of all people. With our hearts broken and selfish, direct us toward service to humanity. Turn us from vindictiveness, and teach us to love one another. Amen.

Reimagining spaces and long walks

We've rested up a bit this week - but it was a fun one, too.

Wednesday, July 24, 2019
The morning is in the office and exploring the new hall configuration for August 11 = "from portrait to landscape," as one young person put it. Ruth, Daniel, and Chandra join W and me in imagining what could be. Sanny arrives and helps move everything into place. (It will be returned to the old layout Saturday before the Sunday Gathering.) Old and new below:

Old: 

New:

Working with artists is a pleasure. Their ideas are amazing - I can see the concepts in my mind's eye before they're made. Budget and personnel (builders) will be a constraint ... but if we had unlimited resources, it might not be this much fun, right?

One of the things on my heart, because of friends with physical challenges, is to ensure equal access for those who want to participate. Universal access means building a ramp, which is a project for Pak Chandra. The finishes are nice, the interlocking sides and supporting grids keep the stage stable. I can't wait to enjoy it with Bandung IC.

Thursday
It's a day in the hills - walking with a group and our two dogs. The animals are so happy to run off-leash for most of the hike. Gypsy carries the pack with water for the dogs. Working settles him down.

It's not very strenuous walk at 3 or 4 miles: we have two young kids and a new hiker with us. They all do well and the photos show a happy day. The two boys love the adventure of climbing up rickety bamboo structures.

We're in farmland - I stop along the walk for Rp50.000 ($3.55) of pumpkins (10 little sweets). Later, on our way down the mountain, we stop again for broccoli. For the same price, I get 12 heads, fresh from the fields. We give a pumpkin and broccoli head to the helpers and our driver - after I ask him if they cook at home. (We don't take that for granted; with a small family and both parents working, it's often easier and cheaper to buy something from a neighbor's cart.)

Lunch is at a new place - the food is good, the setting pretty. We'll be back.

We still stop for yogurt popsicles at Mambo's in Lembang. Mango and coconut are my personal favorites. We buy a few extras @25c each for our drivers. It's been a hot day - without cloud cover during dry season the nights are cold (66o) and the days hot (90o).

Earlier this week, I mentioned hanging posters of BIC people on our office wall. When we're driving home from our walk, I think aloud about buying slats. V offers 2 chicken crates that she has in her yard. I eyeball the slats when we drop her at home in our neighborhood: they look like the right width. W and Gum plane the rough wood and - what do you know?! - perfect size. And they're free. (That serendipity seems to happen often.)

Friday
Back in the office, there's a lot to wrap up before the weekend and the end of the month. Because I'm always planning ahead, I keep wanting to write August and September on my pages. I wrote December on one document a few days ago. Oops.

In the afternoon, DrH and I are at a book group, discussing the effects of Alzheimers on a writer. It's sad but each of us knows people with that challenge. The food is wonderful - the people friendly.
One of the group has returned from India: she brings a scarf for each of us.

While we're there, the local volcano burps steam into the sky - it doesn't reach the city but it coats a few cars in the tourist parking lot with ash.

Saturday
What a quiet day - W is in the city for three meetings. I head to the third floor (our storage area) to clear out some of the accumulation. While I'm there, I grab a purple IKEA slipcover for the LR sofa, just to mix things up. I'm easily bored with the same room and seasonal slipcovers and other-colored pillowcases are an easy/cheap way to stave off a full revamp. (W notices late at night after he's been through the room a few times. "Did you change the room?" Yup.)

While I was in the attic, I grabbed a huge $3 light shade we bought a few years ago at the hardware store. Downstairs, I turn it upside-down, put it on the African tablecloth Maschers (cross-cultural workers) gave me in the 1980s, and put a candle inside. Looks like a fancy sculptural vase. 

After that quick binge of creativity, I've burned off enough energy to read. I also write next week's talk and make its PPT. Pak Gum takes the dogs for two walks and waters the gardens - the heat sucks the moisture from everything. We're happy to stay in for a supper of ramen and a bag of the frozen chicken we're considering ordering for movie nights. Mmm. Tastes good.

Sunday
We decide to have a quick 7am breakfast at Pino Terrace before the Gathering. It's great to have a lot of guests again but also wonderful to have our regulars trickling back from vacation. W and I speak on the exile of Israel and Judah, a consequence of idolatry and disobedience. How many times have we refused God's best for us and reaped the consequences?

It's the last Sunday of the month, which means we celebrate a bunch of people with July birthdays. There's a red velvet cake baked by PeiPei and lots of snacks from Hela. Yum. People are still hanging out when we leave an hour-and-a-half after the Gathering ends.

The sun canopies cast shade on the entry to the hall. With the sun is beating down, it can get warm. I wear a long cotton coat over a silk blouse and leggings but it's not too hot for me. Total acclimation, I think it's called. The short-sleeved Australians who are in the Gathering fan themselves - it's winter where they come from.

After lunch at Bumi S, we head home to rest and write. Except that the groomers, due at 1:00, have already washed and blow-dried the standard poodle. They've started clipping her so they've been here a while. They're done in a few hours @Rp150.000 (=slightly over $10 "Or about the same as 10 haircuts for me," says W.) In the States, the same thing costs $80-100.

When I whistle, the dogs come running and sit down to get petted or a treat. Good doggies!

After the groomers leave, the dogs chill out on the porch while W walks to Borma on the next hill to pick up a few things. I read, write, and relax.

Read more:

*Return to me, says the Lord of hosts, and I will return to you. Zechariah 1:3

*I will look to the Lord, I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me. Micha 7:7

*Jesus said, “I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.” Matthew 9:13

*Hope does not disappoint us. Romans 5:5 

*But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law,  to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir. Galatians 4:4-7 NIV

Moravian Prayer: Loving God, thank you for scripture that reminds us of who you are. You are faithful, loving, providing, accepting, and so much more. We thank you today for holding your arms open and wanting us to be held by them. Continue to guide us on your path.

Lord, you call each one of us to come unto you. As sinners, we know your truth and the door opens. For that we are grateful. Thank you for being ever-present! Amen

Coach me! Coach me.

Gone, gone, gone - our guests have left and the house is temporarily quiet. What an amazing week it's been with Tyson and Amy deVries, friends from the Pacific Northwest. They are among the easiest and kindest guests we've had since living here. A special thanks to their partners, who sent them our way for their 20th anniversary!

Thursday, July 11, 2019
We've stayed over 2 nights after our Tuesday visa run to Jakarta, so that we can pick up our friends from the airport around noon. By the time we have all the luggage sorted and navigate traffic for home, it's 7:30pm. Fortunately, these guys are already experienced travelers and they take everything in stride.

Amy is sitting in the front seat as the driver weaves in and out on the toll road. She white-knuckles the hairy parts admirably. The rules of the road are inexplicable to us: we have long straightaways with a slow car in the "fast lane" ahead of us and no one to the side, but we toddle along behind it. Then, when there's lots of traffic and a tight space between cars or trucks, we squeeze through and spurt past.

We eat down the street at Miss Bee restaurant before walking home, schlepping the luggage upstairs, and falling into bed exhausted. Travel is brutal here.

Friday
It's a day to acclimate and strategize. What will the next week look like? Because it's hard to get commitments from Indonesians and expats alike, most of the planning has to be done at the last minute. We luckily have a big space available (thanks to great hosts at Green Gate) and a big house to spread out in. That helps a lot.

Saturday
It's Community Dinner night. After Tyson and Amy are out for a few hours, they join us for dinner and speak about life questions. The activity is listening and asking good questions - everyone has a good time.

Sunday
Waldemar and I speak at BIC in the morning and our guests host a workshop on coaching after. We have about 40 people stay for that; it's interesting and valuable information. After, we go for lunch at Bumi S and are happily resting by 2:30pm.

Supper is a special treat: Tota, Teti, and Ruben take us for Chinese food downtown - oh yum! The center lazy-suzan spins around delicious foods and we are stuffed when we stand up.

"You have to see the wayang," says Ibu Teti. A row of about 100 historical puppets lines up in the hotel lobby. "These are all the characters for our fairy tales," she explains. WOW - costumes, colors, animal and human characters. I've never seen anything like it.

Monday
W leads the study while I keep working. I can hear that people are engaged and there's a lot of discussion. Aska has brought the fantastic risoles that are a regular treat.

The non-profit team stays behind when others leave - we meet upstairs as we used to. Ibu Sumi prepares lunch for us and the chicken, rice, and vegetables are on the table when we're ready to eat.

Tyson is speaking at an English-learning event. He does a great job, according to W. Amy and I stay home and get caught up for the week ahead.

Tuesday
How about a dragon-fruit-colored smoothie with our oatmeal for breakfast?

Today is the first day of two days of coaching classes. Amy, assisted by Tyson, is a great communicator. The words she uses are simple and her illustrations cross culture easily. (We never take that for granted!) People really enjoy the sessions.

Early in the morning, I rummage through the fridge and freezer, before writing down a menu for our helpers to cook. They cook at our place and deliver the food at noon (for about 30) to Green Gate. It's delicious - teriyaki sausages, rice, vegetables, salad. We're back to class until after 3pm. (Some of the attendees are below. I don't get W photos this week: I have no capacity to remember to ask for them.)

All week long, Sanny takes care of details in the office and at the venue. Thanks, man. "Let's order pizza," I tell him after Tuesday's sessions. But he protests; he dislikes what we can afford, so I think aloud, should it be this or that? "Sandwiches would be easy, right?" (I don't have the capacity to argue. I'll just get the food ready.)

In the evening, I write out the menu for tomorrow. I take another look at the directions and start cooking the most complicated things - easy for me but hard to explain. W goes off to an organization's 70th anniversary dinner without me: I'm still cooking.

I boil 24 eggs, thaw a big veal roast, and mix all the sauces. By 7:30pm, I'm ready for bed.

Wednesday
I'm up early, making sure the directions make sense for the helper (the one today is not usually the cook.)

Oh forget it. It seems too complicated and it will take multi-tasking to get it done. From yesterday's potful of hard-boiled eggs, I make deviled egg filling. I shred the thawed roast into hot bbq sauce, make pasta, and mix up a salad of apples, steamed cauliflower and broccoli, almonds, a homemade dressing; for good measure, I toss in the leftover greens from yesterday.

At 7:15am, the others walk up the street to Pino Teras ($1 breakfasts) and order for me. I clean up the kitchen, slide everything into the fridge, and erase my complicated instructions on the whiteboard. I leave a short note: "Bake 4 loaves. Bring them and the 2 loaves from yesterday, the broccoli salad, the egg filling, and the bbq meat by 11:30." I slide into my restaurant seat as breakfast arrives.

We're at Green Gate just after 8am. There's a coaching hour before Amy and Tyson teach a full day. Lunch is tasty and non-traditional for Indonesians. It was a lot of extra work for me. Next time, we'll just order pizza (which would have cost about the same).

W prints out attendance certificates for the students who want them - it can be a big deal to have a paper saying you were at a class or seminar. We toss a ball at the end to share takeaways around the circle.

A student hands them two lengths of batik. Dr Hanna calls her tailor to see if she can make a shirt and blouse for them. (She does - and delivers the beautifully-fitted lined garments on Sunday afternoon!)

We have a nice supper at home - it takes no time to whip up something for 4 people. Then we rest.

Thursday
"We like hiking," say our friends. So we take them up into the hills above the city. The walking leader drives almost to the top so we can start the walk about 1 km below the saddle ridge called Gunung Batu (stone mountain). Someone's planted a flag and put up a few touristy statues since we were last here.

We climb up a few narrow paths between sharp drop-offs to the fields on either side. Our standard poodle Cocoa leaps down the steep 8-10 foot inclines a few times to the fields below and effortlessly clambers up to the trail. She's an athlete. We need walking sticks for balance as we climb up the steep trail to the top.

Once on the ridge, we can see Lembang on one side and Bandung on the other. It's a stunning view.

To descend, we poke our walking sticks into the deep cracks on the path, our shoes slipping downward on dry clay. We tramp across a meadow, push through the forest, and walk beside orchards filled with lemonade lemons. It's a short walk today (1.5 hours) but it's warm at times. Our guests are fantastic - they don't complain. All of us are happy to call the drivers to get us before the final steep hill that goes up to the restaurant.

Our lunch seats are on a cliffside. The city spreads below us, deep valleys cradling old villages. We order pizza and drinks and relax. (Though they do another personal coaching session in the evening.)

Friday
First thing in the morning, Tyson and Amy coach individuals on the team. Amy and I get a ride to the city - first to the souvenir shop for tablecloths, then to lunch. After, we stop at Baltos (a local mall filled with little shops on 3 floors) to buy 2 batik dresses for her daughter ($7.50 for both). I am drawn to an original batik fabric picture of a sassy lady. I can't decide whether to pay $5 for it. ("Is that too much?") Later I regret leaving it behind. Maybe I'll go back another day.

We meet the guys at Rumah Mode, an outlet super-store filled with batik and export clothing. I buy a scarf for a friend. Our last stop is at Setiabudi Supermarket. The coffee and take-home snacks on our minds are soon in our carts.

We're happy to call it a day with a good meal at Kalpa Tree. The driver drops us off and parks the car in our driveway, before heading home. After we walk the few blocks to the house (all downhill - yay!), the guys unpack the car. We're all tired and happy to sleep.

Saturday
After breakfast, W heads to town for a few meetings and the deVries do more coaching. They help me work out so many half-thought-out ideas and get clear direction: I need an assistant to help with our events and teams. What will that look like? They also advise me on leadership and offer conflict-resolution skills. I've soaked up their good help all week.

W brings back a lovely packet of green beans - I would have brought them in a baggie but our artist friend Ruth sure knows how to deliver.

It's our oldest grandchild's 8th birthday. Already! I stay up late and wake W so we can say hi to her before her special day starts. Happy birthday, Miss K.

Sunday
As usual, the bouquet in the hall is stunning. Ibu Fenny provides the flowers each week.

Our guests speak together in the morning and teach a final workshop afterward.

I chat with four gifted volunteers - would they be interesting in designing our hall when we change the layout in a few weeks? They're excited about it: few hours later, they already toss out wild, fantastical ideas beyond most people's imagination. Welcome to the new BIC design team! Can't wait to see what they come up with.

I climb the stairs to the second-floor office to wrap up the morning. The digital media team is taping next week's announcements and hanging out.

Dr Hanna gives the couple a batik scarf and tie. Ibu Ruth ties a beautiful sarong around Amy. Such generosity. Of course, I snap a few pictures.

Our team has lunch together at Bumi. We debrief on the week. Everyone agrees. The information and especially these two friends have been extraordinary gifts to us.

In the afternoon and evening, it takes W and Tyson a few hours to book the shuttle for tomorrow (Jakarta run), while Amy packs upstairs. W orders mango sticky rice delivered to the house via motorcycle. Yum - it's a wonderful final evening.

Monday
Tyson leads the study with amazing questions. His stomach is churning from the sticky rice last night.

Attendees bring along many snacks to share. It's an extravaganza of fried bananas, rose apples with spicy peanut sauce, risoles, and more. Helper Sumi says, "I think we don't need cookies today," and makes the usual pots of tea for everyone to enjoy. At the end, everyone expresses their appreciation for a great week and we take a group photo.

Tyson, Amy, Waldemar, and I ride into town. Tyson's stomach is rumbling - so he goes easy on food. The rest of us sit in a table enclosed in a massive bird cage. We eat sup rawon (candlenut soup) and nasi goreng (fried rice) and sip our tea. Then it's off to the shuttle station.

Our friends wave goodbye from the shuttle door. They are dropped at their Jakarta hotel over 5 hours later (120 miles/160 km). Yes, that's what traffic is like. In the morning, they will fly back home to America, and we're still here.

Read more:
*Since my youth, God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come. Your righteousness, God, reaches to the heavens, you who have done great things. Who is like you, God? Psalm 71:17-19 NIV

*Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice!  Psalm 130:1-2

*Those of steadfast mind you keep in peace—in peace because they trust in you.  Isaiah 26:3

*Jesus spoke to the disciples, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” Matthew 14:27

*We want each one of you to show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope to the very end. Hebrews 6:11

Moravian Prayer: O God, we put our trust and hope in you. We cannot wait for the glorious day that we will be with you. Thank you for the peace of knowing what is to come for your children.

Lord, hear our cry. At times, we tend to walk away from you, yet know we should never stray. Guide us away from the darkness and take away our fear, that we may know that you are with us. Thank you for never forsaking us. Amen.