Small decisions and friend moments

Monday, July 21, 2025

Walk. Meetings. Work. That's Monday's rhythm. Between, I talk to Mom, who turns 90 in August. She's praying and caring for the family and affirming her caregivers even as her body grows frailer.

In the side yard, pink flowers bloom atop 6' (2 meter) stalks. Where did they come from? The leaves look similar to papaya.

I complete a checklist of to-dos before lunch. W meets our Korean friends for lunch at their place. I have to get going on a class I co-teach in 2 weeks. Since next week is full, the coursework needs to be settled this week. It can be disappointing to miss connections as I prioritize what needs to be done. In this case, my students will be ready so I have to be diligent in preparation for class.

I make a quick lunch of pasta and pasta. Carbs are my go-to when my brain gets fuzzy or unfocused..

The deluge of data from MS Forms drives me crazy. The information is there. I can read it online or in an Excel sheet. I click on individual answers and get a popup of "more details" from the replies to each question. But I can't print the pop-ups, which have the meatiest content.

I can't figure out how to capture information in chunks that are intuitive to me - all MS offers is a survey or a huge spreadsheet. For a half-minute, I consider wading through all 300 survey returns, tabulating responses one by one into the narrative. 

There's no way a workplace admin would use such a clunky method; it should be easy to print "More Details" in a block rather than printing the limited data in the summary. I watch a few YouTube explanations that leave me where I am. My conclusion is, "I don't know what I'm doing."

Perhaps W can figure it out when he returns? He doesn't get overwhelmed the way I do by numbers and random-to-me data. But he doesn't find a better solution.

Tuesday

Calls start after our walk. The 3 big dogs prefer to walk on one leash. The little guy gets a separate walk later on.

My dear friend Keelee sent along "comfort cookies" - chocolate coffee flavored - from her @QuietWaters bakery. Every month or so, I pull one out of the freezer as a treat. The verse for today is: "Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you." Psalm 116:7. So true.

A young mom pops in for a few hours and a morning cup of tea. In the afternoon, our team arrives on the Porch for updates, tea, and cookies.

Wednesday

We walk the dogs, taking them before our weekly date breakfast at #NaraParkBandung. Near our table is a tabletop rotting away in the sun and rain. Tropical weather is brutal to unsealed wood. Our favorite table is smooth and stable, thanks to its resin finish. Iqbal is a good server, bringing us extra-hot tea.

A neighbor has chopped tall pines to their bare trunks, 30' (10 meters) high. See the stub? Will that regrow? Our friends say, "Yes of course," and look puzzled at why we ask. Everything grows here.

Jane and I visit for 2 hours before lunch on the Porch. Then W and I take the yardman and PakG to the project's yard to help with planning the garden. The contractor offers a proposal about the broken tile around the kitchen sink. I take photos of the ceiling, where wallpaper has peeled off and holes are being patched.

We have a month to decide where to pull the lighting through the ceiling. We lay out the table placement, step back to see the line of sight, and consider the options.

While I do some business from home, W is off to a men's study.

Thursday

Only a few are available to hike so we skip the drive into the mountains and walk down the hill along the river. The stairs in various neighborhoods are steep and uneven. You need healthy knees to negotiate them. Fortunately, the paths are dry today so it's not slippery. 

The village across the river has been painted as a mural but the crowds of tourists from a few months ago are missing.

We take up the offer of the owner of a maggot factory to tour his set-up.

I snap a poster of the process from food scraps to adult worms that are used for fishing and chicken feed. He sells the compost generated by the maggots for Rp5000/kg (15c/lb.)

The wildflowers are abundant.

This one looks like an exotic bird about to take off.

We complete two loops on the university's Treetop Walk. Then we walk halfway back up the hill (13 flights) to shop and pick up bananas from Veronica's. PakG picks us up there - our watches read 5 miles (7+ km), which is enough.

Our friends arrive about the time we're coming home from lunch. The mom and her sister lived with us when they arrived in the USA for university. Their family helped settle us into Bandung. Today, we take the dogs for a walk together. The 3 beauties, a mom and her daughter, pose on some grand steps.

The helpers bake a few loaves of banana bread, which we enjoy along with pastries from Jakarta sent by Livia, Kristi's mom. Yum.

At night, I hop on a call as a beta tester for a crowdfunding platform. It's designed to fund worthy projects around the world. Very exciting, which cranks up my energy about the time I need to fall asleep. Might as well write the talk for Sunday, which W and I have discussed this week.

Read more:

*For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. Psalm 62:1

*Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will take a stand for me against evildoers? Unless the Lord had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death.

When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your unfailing love, Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy. Psalm 94:16-19

*It is indeed just of God to repay with affliction those who afflict you and to give relief to the afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven. 2 Thessalonians 1:6-7

Moravian Prayer: God of justice, we often need to be reminded that those who hurt others are human, too. Our enemies deal with struggles and challenges just like we do, so help us remember to pray for their souls and the healing of their hearts. Amen.

Ever been to a Dutch war fort?

 Thursday, July 17, 2025

Our best hike in a long time? The path is rock-free and wet but not muddy.

There are four of us and four dogs, the perfect size to explore new trails. We finally rediscover the track we used to take by going backwards to the old Dutch forts in the mountains, and returning the same way. We've missed the turnoff so many times and ended up on a cliffside. Now we know which fork to take.

It's a short distance, just over 4 miles (7 km), but the first half is uphill. That means a descent to the pickup point. Hurrah.

We try Kilogram, a new concept cafe: picnic tables inside tents. You pay $8 to get in, which is applied to whatever you choose from the menu. That keeps kids from lounging for free wifi without purchases. The setting is nice - forest and 4-sided open tents, but the food is not great. The soup bowl comes half empty. I send the tea back because it's barely warm ... and the small cup is 2/3 full. Disappointing.

On the way home, the one-lane road has shoulders wide enough that passing traffic only has to take one set of tires off the paving.

W drops me off at home while he does a pick-up from the Yard Sale group. When the contractor calls, we walk over to the project to discuss next steps. You need imagination to think of it as livable.

We sit outside on our Porch until the mosquitoes chase us indoors. The garden's beautiful bromeliads collect water and mosquito larvae. The adult mosquitoes "bug" us before sundown.

Friday

We walk - only Juno the labradoodle comes along. Gypsy the mutt refuses the leash. Anton the poodle is a mess of high energy and brings me a ball to toss. We're limiting his exercise until next week but he has the poodle zoomies.

I start grading papers before a pause: those leftover crepes are a breakfast reward. After a monthly check-in with an advisor, I fill another mug of tea and get back to grading. I'm done for this round by 1 PM. It's time for lunch!

Saturday

We walk all 3 big dogs on a single leash after Anton threatens to pull my arm off on his own leash. He's quite happy to trot in the middle of the pack. 

It's nice to talk to Mom after trying for 3 days; she gets so tired she doesn't pick up the phone. On our end, IbuS comes to massage out the travel kinks. Afterward, W and I sit on the Porch and read through tomorrow's talk.

The birds are chirping, the dogs are resting, and the fish are swimming in their bowls. The hum of neighbors and motorcycles on the next hill completes the background music. All is at peace.

We have a late lunch at Saka Bistro. Even after living here for 11 years, I marvel that it's possible to eat outside all year. We're under cover in case of rain or hot sun. The pesto gnocchi is good.

Their Vietnamese-style Pho is as tasty as any in town.

The kids' English class is going well on the next hill. We hope to offer the same for our neighbors next year.

Sunday

Our first grandchild is 14 today! We call her to find out what's new and to wish her a Happy Birthday. She gets a trail ride on a horse as part of her celebrations. Her siblings chime in with their own updates about a stay at our Montana cabin and their other fun activities.

We go to the hall and set up for the Gathering as usual. Today we speak about being citizens of heaven who are strangers and foreigners to the worldly systems (1 Peter 1). We share a wonderful lunch and conversation at Maxis.

There are things to wrap up, dogs jumping around happy to see us, and a quiet time-out in late afternoon as we prepare for the week ahead.

Read more:

*This is what the Lord says: “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord. Jeremiah 9:23-24

*Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved. Jeremiah 17:14

“So that you may know that the son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—Jesus said to the one who was paralyzed—“I say to you, stand up and take your stretcher and go to your home.” Immediately he stood up before them, took what he had been lying on, and went to his home, glorifying God. Luke 5:24-25

Moravian Prayer: Healing God, often we are gripped by feelings of unworthiness; too often, we are paralyzed by fear. In these moments, there is nothing left to do but ask for your healing strength. Heal us, O God, and make us whole. Amen.

Catching up on history as we chart the future

Saturday, July 12, 2025

So good to be home! The creatures are happy to see us, though Lyong has done a marvelous job taking care of them.

When we arrived home, there was a new-to-us sofa in the entry. W helps me position it across from our existing one. Two faded black pillowcases, casualties of windows that admit tropical sunshine for the past 10 years, match the dark grey upholstery. Perfect size and color. We pop them on the couch for a more finished look.

We walk out to breakfast, admiring the fruiting shrubs that line the lanes.

At our favorite breakfast courtyard, orchids are tied to branches.

We love to sit in the open air to eat.

The server brings a pot of tea while we decide on breakfast noodles.

DrG sends over a delicious cheesecake. The delivery motorcycle, complete with little fridge, meets us at the entry to the neighborhood and hands off the treat.

It's catch-up time, but what better place to sit and work than overlooking the garden? The green is restful for screen-weary eyes.

After a day of preparation and settling back in, we walk up to Homeground Szechwan for a spicy supper.

As usual, groups are lining up for selfies.

Sunday

The Gathering is such a blessing. We rehang artwork by David, who lives in Japan with his wife Georgina and their two kids. In the short time they were with us, David produced some lasting beauty in the hall, including the mural.

IES supports Indonesian families in Berlin and Taiwan, too. The latter family joins us and Ps Kornel speaks. We host them and our team for lunch at Nara. The kids love all the animals: owls, hedgehogs, tortoises ...

They walk to the project with us to pray a blessing over those working there, as well as the renovations. A group is picnicking under the trees. What a great space.

Monday

We walk a short few blocks, taking Anton out for the first time since his tick infection. He's pulling like an alligator again. We return 20 minutes before our meetings start. That's enough time to cook a plate of crepes. W and I enjoy them at the table on the Porch.

It's our last lunchl with Vieiras, good friends and coworkers with Alice and us. They move to Panama later this week. We've watched their teens grow from little kids. Josh gives us a copy of his method book, a labor of love.

Clau passed her dissertation defense Saturday - so is now a Doctor of Architecture. Hurrah! They understand hospitality and the kindness of strangers as we do. We drop past the project with them to pray a blessing on the spaces and people who will come and go.

A door has been knocked through a wall to provide access to a room. We are amazed at how easily and quickly spaces can be amended here.

Tuesday

Our morning walk is beautiful and uneventful - the best kind.

There's a great variety of blooms today.

This two-toned plant opens little mouth-shaped pods with white "teeth" inside.

Renovations of the #PadmaHotelBandung are going full steam ahead. Construction crews are erecting temporary housing and offices in their parking lot.

It's a people day. Dyna and her two boys come in early morning to hang out on the Porch.

We need new passport pictures so over the noon hour, we head for #JonasPhoto downtown.

School pictures are not taken at the school but at a photo studio. 

Some high-schoolers pose on the staircases for selfies. Giggling and pushing, they examine the knicknacks in the shop before their teacher walks them back to school.

The team shows up in early afternoon for conversation, tea, and baked goodies. As they're leaving, a good friend from Jakarta arrives. Tirza tells us funny stories of college days with our son.

Alice joins us for a spicy Szechwan dinner at #HomeGround just up the hill. Darknss falls while we eat; the cafe windows glow as we walk back to our house.

Tirza and I discuss the utter joys of leadership as women. There can be challenges in male-dominated settings, too.

"People automatically turn to my husband with leadership questions," I tell her. "It doesn't matter that I'm actually leading the team." I've become used to it. Typically, a man - including W - doesn't even notice when it happens.

I think about the common obstacles women face as leaders. Most are called "bossy" or "demanding" when they participate equally, so they must gauge when it's safe to show up as fully present. It's distracting if we're ignored when we are responsible for charting the future and making decisions for a company or team. Sometimes it gets downright weird.

Women around the world (and across cultures) have observed to me that guys rarely notice when women are sidelined. Typically, when a man is addressed when his female team leader is also present, he jumps in with a response rather than referring the question to her. It can also be frustrating to be excluded when the boys' club heads out together, assuming a female leader won't want to join. Sigh. Human interactions are complex.

Wednesday

W and I take Anton on his first full loop with the other dogs. He's bouncy and eager but sits immediately when we stop. "Good boy."

The dogs are happy to come home and sleep off the walk.

W and I make some big decisions (plans for next summer, cabin repairs, and renovation updates) before he heads to a meeting. In the backyard, I spot massive plants against the back wall. The leaves are 3-4' (+1 meter) and the blooms are 6-8" (+15cm) long.

Tirza and I enjoy breakfast on the Porch. I make scrambled eggs, toast, and sausage. Later, we walk down the hill for lunch, passing more beauty. This strange little plant catches my eye along the curb.

These contrasting colors and shapes can't be missed.

Ethnic serves a good tenderloin for $8. No rice for me today!

When they came to NU, Tirza and Kristi were the first Indonesians we'd met. We thought if every Indonesian was as nice as they were, it must be an amazing country. (It is.) Tirza shares a photo of their first autumn in Seattle, when we took them to Snoqualmie Falls.

She catches the high-speed train back to Jakarta and home in the afternoon.

There's one final meeting at 8 PM and then it's time for sleep. It's been an active and busy week and I think I need the hike tomorrow more than ever!

Read more:

* Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Psalm 25:4

* Lord my soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you. Isaiah 26:9 NIV

* But where are your gods that you made for yourself? Let them come, if they can save you, in your time of trouble. Jeremiah 2:28

* In the morning, while it was still very dark, Jesus got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. Mark 1:35

* My beloved, flee from the worship of idols. 1 Corinthians 10:14

Moravian Prayer: Compassionate God, we often find ourselves slaves to our possessions, our money, our jobs, or our own wants, forgetting that these things are temporary. You are permanent, everlasting, and eternal. May we always remember this. 

O God, thank you for sending your son, Jesus, to save us and to show us how to love and offer grace to others. In the morning, in the evening, and all day long, we are reminded of your steadfast love for us. With gratitude, we pray. Amen.