Team Canada 2

A great group of guys!

Wednesday, May 11.16
The group is on a roll. Today, they create "life books" with the kids in their morning and afternoon sessions. Jess thought of assembling pages that contain the children's interests, goals, and autographs from their peers. The children write touching messages to the volunteers as well.

At lunch, they visit a university campus, talking to students who want to practice their English. They pass out our number: sounds like movie night is full (of students invited on Monday) so we'll invite this crowd next time.

After two more hours at the orphanage, they head to an English center to hang out with street kids. They listen to a lot of stories and come home full of gratitude for their own upbringing.

While they're gone, I'm cooking and baking. I start early and am done after lunch. In my head, the number of people coming over is 50. (I usually hear an approximate # of attendees. This weird and practical gift from God arrived when I planned alumni events years ago and continues to now.) 50 seems high. But that means I'd better get cooking!

Ibu Emi comes at 8, a helper on loan from a neighbor. I've forgotten - DrW and I arranged this 2 weeks ago but with all the coming and going, it completely slid out of my head. I am thinking about the flow of the day and that I'll have to wash dishes between food prep.

Then Emi rings the bell. Thank God! She washes pots and pans, irons the guests' laundry, and mops the floors. Before she leaves after 3, she rinses rice to fill two rice cookers. She's happy to take some food home.

• First, I bake a few loaves of "1-2-3 Bread." Recipe: 1 tsp. yeast / 2 tsp. salt / 3 c. flour, stirred with 1.5 c. water. Let the sticky dough rise for a few hours in an oiled cast iron pan. Bake with a cover on it for 1/2 hour @425oF / 210C. Then remove the cover and bake an additional 10-20 minutes = until it sounds hollow when thumped with a wooden spoon. It should slip out of the pan easily. Cool it, then cut it.
• W makes chicken wings. He's experimenting with a sous vide (water heat) gadget. I'm happy he's cooking. He grills them to brown the skins. They are a hit. 
• I cook sausages in tomato sauce, bake 2 French toast casseroles, roll and fry little hamburgers with mushroom gravy, steam mixed vegetables, and stir up mushroom gravy and white sauce. Since the oven is hot, I bake dozens of profiterole cookies (puff pastry and sugar).

By early afternoon, most of the food is arranged and ready. I take a nap and catch up on academics before Team Canada returns.

Our movie night guests arrive at 6:30-7:30. We eat, laugh, and enjoy their company. Many of them bring treats to share: chicken saté, doughnuts, murtabak, and more.
Then it's time for the movie. Tonight it's The Truman Show.

Half-time means dessert. We have plates of cookies--most from a baking binge last week. Trudy and Lorraine help clean up the kitchen during the second half. WOW - what a treat to have such hard workers (who know how to run a home!)

After the movie ends, we all exhale and release the tension. W asks our 60 guests (50 + us), "Is it better to be happy or know the truth?" That sparks a spirited discussion. The last guest leaves at midnight. And we're in bed by 1am.

Thursday
I drag myself to the computer at 3am-4am for a women's caucus meeting. Most women are in the USA. Some international attendees have a more reasonable time zone, but I'm the only board member on this side of the planet, so I get the ugly hour. It doesn't take me long to fall asleep when we're done.

Up and down the hills we go

We're up before 6. Everyone eats breakfast so we can do an easy walk around the valley. W leads 15 of us up Ciumbuleuit hill. The daily rain has made the trail slippery: the mud coats our shoes. We try not to slide on the moss that covers the stairs up and down through the villages.

We can't cross the river at the hydro dam because the rains have washed it out. Locals have dragged tree trunks across the gap over the river. We go further up the valley to the streets of Dago,

and then back down and across another bridge to our side of the river. ("We hope we are as fit when we're as old as you," says one young person. Haha -- and we wish we had your strength!)

Gypsy is a happy dog: he has a few young adults vying over his leash. It's short and sweet today: 2 hours, 4 miles. Joanna is not 100% but she's game and has come on the walk as well.

It's hot so we're sweaty as well as dirty when we arrive at Miss Bee's for lunch. They are happy to see us and provide great food and service.

Our guests go to Angklung Ujo downtown while W and I work at home. They make another trip to the English center and come home tired. But happy. We've rarely met such a diligent and creative team.

Friday
Our driver drops Team Canada at the orphanage in the morning, and drives to the top of the next hill to fetch our friends David and Paula from Jakarta. They bring McGregors to meet us. Alex M is a pro at placing service teams and interns around the world. We've been praying about effective ways to connect volunteers with opportunities in Indonesia - and here they are to advise us. So grateful!

We sip tea, eat bread fresh out of the oven, cookies, and a fruit salad in the morning air. We chat on the porch until after noon. I'm so engrossed that I forget to take pictures during the breaks in information.

The team is connecting with university students again at lunch, but W and I hop in the car to join them in the afternoon. The team also introduces two new local volunteers, met on our walk yesterday.

"We can come every week," the two women tell administrators. Great! How nice to connect them to this worthy (and fun) place to read, sing, and spend time with the kids.

Three gals favor us with a Sunda dance they learned at dance academy. It is graceful and beautiful.

Lorraine shares her story of becoming a commercial airline pilot. The kids are attentive. She persevered when everyone told her she should quit. She has attained "captain," in charge of flights on Airbus 319, 320, and 321. Two translators consult each other to communicate her words.

"I took every job I could," she says. "When the doors seem closed, you have to be persistent." She works in a male-dominated industry (3% of pilot captains are women.)

Lorraine encourages the kids to "follow your dream, even if you don't have money or think you can't make it."

We hand out candies and take our leave, a long process . Of course, we pose for pictures with the children. "Please come back," the kids say to Garry-Trudy-Kaylee-Jess and Ron-Lorraine-Aaron-Joanna.

Truly a caring staff - a farewell picture

The 4 young adults head home with the driver to freshen up. We and the parents walk the narrow village paths down and up the valley toward Setiabudi Grocer. The team picks up food and hand-carved wooden spoons (gifts for friends back home).

Kaylee and Joanna make a wonderful salad. W whisks the pre-mixed gado-gado salad dressing (peanut sauce). Upstairs, Jess prepares garlic bread. I stir gravies, vegetables, chicken breasts, sausage, German broth cubes, rice, and more into a hearty and flavorful soup. Oh my, we have lots of it! We only make it through 2 of the 3 full pots.

Over the meal, we review today and think ahead to tomorrow, our last day with the Canadian dream team. Their final assignment will be to write up the opportunities they've had for others who will follow.

Yup, we're canceling that early trip to the market in the morning. All are in agreement! We're tired.

Aaron has supper with a guy from Wednesday's movie night. About 7, several young people show up to hang out with Aaron on the porch. Love it.

Meanwhile, the dads wash up and tidy the kitchen. Impressed? (So am I!) Then they talk tech (yawn) and faith (cool!)

I have to write a backlog of books reviews and blog. The other women go downtown. They walk the streets with a charity group that cares for women and children.

"We're solving the world's problems," W says when I ask what the guys are talking about on the porch. We are so grateful for thoughtful friends. But it may take more than a discussion in the sweet night air to set everything right.

Read more:
*Sing to the Lord, all the earth; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens.

Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his dwelling place. Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him. Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness. 1 Chronicles 16: 23-29 NIV
*I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes-I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me! Job 19: 25-27 NIV

*But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord's praise, for he has been good to me. Psalm 13: 5-6 NIV

*There is forgiveness with you, so that you may be revered. Psalm 130:4 ESV

*If we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:7 ESV

Moravian Prayer: Thank you, O Father, for being our vision and leading us in the paths of righteousness. Help us to open our spiritual eyes to experience your greatness and your divine presence. These things we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

C. S. Lewis in Experiment in Criticism. On grief:
Real sorrow ends neither with a bang nor a whimper. Sometimes, after a spiritual journey like Dante’s, down to the centre and then, terrace by terrace, up the mountain of accepted pain, it may rise into peace—but a peace hardly less severe than itself. Sometimes it remains for life, a puddle in the mind which grows always wider, shallower, and more unwholesome. Sometimes it just peters out, as other moods do. One of these alternatives has grandeur, but not tragic grandeur.

Eye fur: who knew!

Saturday, April 30.16
Can it be the end of April? Yikes. It's hard to tell the months apart when it's always summer. Summer is our favorite season, so we're okay with that!

W models the batik shirt he got for teaching;
I have a beautiful scarf

Saturdays are terrible days to be in traffic. So usually we walk or stay in the neighborhood until Jakartans go home mid-Sunday. (They're often stuck in traffic jams on the way home. The 120-mile trip can take 8-10 hours on holiday weekends!)

The rainy season, which used to be -ber months (Sept. - Dec.) is still dragging on. At least part of each day is sunny and water dries off the roads quickly. As we walk, we notice how the rain is gouging out roads and yards. 

Drainage pipes spill neighborhood run-off into paved creeks. These gush and churn their way downhill with water, soil, and garbage. Between the drains cutting through the walls above the waterways, water for houses runs in long pipes. Everyone buys water for drinking. Cables and electric wires also hang off the walls.

The middle class is emerging in Indonesia, but there are still huge disparities between richest and poorest like everywhere in the world. Some houses are enormous. (The one above takes an entire city block, though that's hard to see in the panoramic shot.)

Very poor kampungs (villages) lie within easy walking distance. Houses crowd each other up and down the hillsides. Every spare inch is crammed full, with paved or dirt walkways of varying widths between. In many neighborhoods, there is no car access and motorcycles can barely fit between buildings.

A 20'-high woven wedding marker: someone's
getting married in the neighborhood

Sunday
After church, we eat at Bumi with Dr H. She's chairing a fundraiser featuring top folk-dancers from Bali. The benefit is for victims of domestic violence, a worthy cause. We help with program notes for church and suggestions for their advertising bookmark.

Dr H comes along to the afternoon study at the Bamboo Shack: Genesis 40-41. As always, the assurance that God knows what he's doing - though we may feel abandoned or frightened - is welcome.

We ponder if Joseph could have had access to Pharaoh's resources - and provide food for Egypt and surrounding countries - any other way. What ups-and-downs in his story! The whole region would have starved without his gifts of leadership and administration. He began to facilitate food storage 7 years in advance of a 7-year famine. It is mind-boggling as we read the story of God's care for all peoples - and the personal and patient suffering of Joseph that brought God's provision.

We stop for a short hospital visit on our way home. Dr H's help is invaluable: she chats and translates for us.

Monday / Tuesday
Language school starts. My friends have promised to pray so we can acquire solid skills.

Getting there takes 30-40 minutes by car: more if traffic is bad. We have 3 initial days of language school before our schedule takes over, so they are determined to give us a good start. I'll take the resources with me on our travels.

W has advanced beyond me so we have separate classes. That way, I won't hold him back and I won't get confused in the "jabber" as he plunges ahead. Because he is quick with words, he usually jumps in and speaks to people while I stand by. (Like most spouses, I tend to "check out" when the other is negotiating or working things out.) So while he been accumulating language and practicing his words, I've gotten left behind.

This language method assumes that one should not be forced to speak before one has heard well. The tutor repeats words but we don't have to say them until they settle in our minds. We can ask questions at any time, and the tutors know enough English to explain or affirm what we think they're saying.

Words about tubuh (body) and hutan (forest)

After we hear a set of words, we take a picture of the items. We record the tutor's pronunciation as we point to toys and pictures or perform an activity. After we've finished one or two rounds of pointing, the tutor says the words in the order in which they appear in the picture. What a significant reference!

Tuesday, a friend and I catch up on a missed call. We hate to miss even one because it's so encouraging to both of us. Brandy and I are in steep learning curves and cultural transitions. She's calling from Phoenix this morning (her night). I leave our call ready to tackle another language session.

My lovely friend shares encouraging words
and cultural moments

Did you know that animal fur and eyelashes share a word (bulu)? Yup, eyelashes are "eye fur." Well, don't worry if that's new to you. I didn't know that until today either.

We go home after a few hours of one-on-one help, exhausted. At night and in the morning, we listen to the recordings and consolidate sounds. I grab my dictionary to make sure I've heard correctly. What a blessing! to begin to put words and meanings together.

"The house help will be happy that I finally know the word for sapu (broom)," I say, along with my thanks to the guru.

How will I remember sapu? I connect it to sapi (cow, which is eaten in the kitchen that the sapu cleans.) Sometimes I pause, closing my eyes to allow my brain to connect spelling, sound, and meaning.

And the dust pan? pengki, pronunced "punk-y". (Will I have to be a punk to use it?) Every word seems a struggle to remember. Hopefully, when words become stuck to an association and I can use them, they'll be mine for good. I'm so grateful for each one.

Read more: (ESV unless noted)
*I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. Psalm 51:13

*I will give them a heart to know that I am the Lord. Jeremiah 24:7

*Jesus said, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” Mark 1:15

*“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.” John 14:27

*Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Romans 12:12

*Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead. 2 Timothy 2:8

*This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our
brothers and sisters. 1 John 3: 16  NIV

Moravian Prayer: Have mercy on us, O God, have mercy. When we seek the good news of the kingdom, you always show us how to let the Holy Spirit lead. Help us to put our trust in you for all your promises.

Father, you constantly remind us that you will never leave us or forsake us. Help us give our hearts to you so that you may fill them with your grace and mercy. Amen.

Climbs and classrooms

Panoramic view from the crest of Gunung Batu: stunning

We're slated to start language school next Monday. I'm excited rather than apprehensive, which I attribute to the prayers of friends and the interesting way language is taught there. Not having to speak right away is huge for me.

Thursday, April 28.16

Don't we look fine before the heat and climb get to us?

We start early in the morning, taking 2 gals with us up the mountains. 11 of us walk today. Everything is done by relationship and being together is a great way to get to know people. It's also healthy, nice to get out of the city.

That's the "Rock Mountain" behind us

We walk up to Gunung Batu (Rock Mountain), a hill that pokes up after a long uphill trek.

We can see miles of fields and villages from the tip-top of the hill

The whole walk is close to 5 miles (8 km?), so it's not far. But it's up and down for good exercise.

We perch on a gate made of long bamboo stalks

The dog carries his pack and behaves wonderfully. He's working. After his start as a "wild thing" on the trails, we are relieved.

W enjoys taking pictures
but these are from my phone camera

It's great to be on the way down.
A little Indonesian lady passes us, going up.

We eat together afterwards. This day's walk includes Indonesians, Australians, Americans, and Canadians.

The rains are washing out the roads, day after day. The thunder and lightening is fearsome. But on our walks, we have had glorious weather. God's provision.

Washing away, bit by bit

In the evening, a group of women gather at Wild Grass to say farewell to Bridgett. I met her on the walks and later, in church. Her husband is in the military and has been posted to Korea. They're off in the morning: she missed her last walk to supervise the movers.

"After they packed up, the movers are sleeping in the truck outside our house," she exclaims. "My husband says they'll take the truck to the port in Jakarta tomorrow." = the new normal.

Friday
We have breakfast with Pascal, Yunnie and the handsome Desmond. W and P meet every week but Y makes a special effort and is at Ethnic by 8am. Wow! I'm impressed.

We walk to Bumi where the national science research organization (LIPI) rents classroom space. We teach 3.5 hours (Teaching Methods) with these VIPS (very intelligent professors). Most are more comfortable in the lab than the classroom. We share ideas to keep students engaged in their fantastic information.

Whew. Whenever Indonesians meet, they share food. The days is no exception. A delicious lunch of cream chicken soup, gado-gado (peanut-dressed vegetables, fried tofu, and egg slices), and a "main course" (Help!) of stuffed chicken, fish, rice, and broccoli with bread crumbs. We taste a bit of everything - delicious - and are full.

The hour after lunch is known as the deadliest for drooping students, but the lecturers gamely participate. And of course, a mid-afternoon tea break with pastries means more food sampling.

W wraps up his session with a Q&A that goes overtime. And then, as the pelting rain begins to fall, DrW drives us home. Whew - we walked here and the ride is most welcome.

I get in touch with several children's organizations. An incoming group of volunteers is interested in working with children and youth.

W has prepared a roast in the sous vide (big enough to eat over a few days). The bag has burst in the water so the beef has boiled but since the water temperature is under 60oC, it's not too tough. We try it for a late supper. 

It's time to pack up the day with paperwork, prayers, and reading. And tea of course. 

Something has bitten W. He puts a few dabs of liniment on the bumps. The smell reminds me of my paternal grandma. I miss her: after all these years, her kindness and love of home remedies come back in the scent of pungent medicine.

God is good.

Read more:

*Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. Deuteronomy 7:9 NIV

*For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. Job 19:25 

*The Lord says, “I will not continually accuse, nor will I always be angry.” Isaiah 57:16

*For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. Luke 19:10

*God saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace. This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 1:9

Moravian Prayer: Savior, your grace sustains and surprises us! You give us this gift freely, no strings attached. As a result, we feel your calling on our hearts—to follow where you lead—to serve. Thanks be to God! Amen.

C. S. Lewis in The Problem of Pain: On kindness

Love is something more stern and splendid than mere kindness. For about a hundred years we have so concentrated on one of the virtues—“kindness” or mercy—that most of us do not feel anything except kindness to be really good or anything but cruelty to be really bad. 

Such lopsided ethical developments are not uncommon, and other ages too have had their pet virtues and curious insensibilities. And if one virtue must be cultivated at the expense of all the rest, none has a higher claim than mercy. . . . 

The real trouble is that “kindness” is a quality fatally easy to attribute to ourselves on quite inadequate grounds. Everyone feels benevolent if nothing happens to be annoying him at the moment. Thus a man easily comes to console himself for all his other vices by a conviction that “his heart’s in the right place” and “he wouldn’t hurt a fly,” though in fact he has never made the slightest sacrifice for a fellow creature. We think we are kind when we are only happy: it is not so easy, on the same grounds, to imagine oneself temperate, chaste, or humble.

You cannot be kind unless you have all the other virtues. If, being cowardly, conceited and slothful, you have never yet done a fellow creature great mischief, that is only because your neighbour’s welfare has not yet happened to conflict with your safety, self-approval, or ease. Every vice leads to cruelty.

Grasshoppers and grit

An enormous grasshopper

Sunday, April 24.16

We arrive at church at 7:45am. W continues on his walk with Gypsy: he'll be back at 9. I'm in music rehearsal for the service. Church attenders typically call the music and prayer portion of a church meeting "worship." It's our community response to God, enjoying his presence and singing words of adoration and thankfulness to him.

It's the first time in years that I've play for "worship." I've had piano lessons since I was four; when I gave up playing to focus on other things, it felt like part of me had been amputated. Every few years (in the last two decades), it's nice to be back. 

I watch artists wield their brush in natural sweeps and dabs. It's fun to hear a speaker who's worked at her craft. It's a pleasure to read a writer who has honed his skills. 

And even after so many years away, the sounds come up with minimal effort from the keyboard. The ease with which I play doesn't mean I don't have to practice and focus. But my reach across the keys is a combination of reflex and attention. Playing refreshes my soul.

Our $2 typically Indonesian lunch: chicken saté

We have been trying a used keyboard at home. It sadly won't be suitable. The keys are unequally stiff, which makes control of the "touch" in classical music impossible. (Imagine speed-typing on a keyboard where several keys inconsistently have to be pushed harder than others.) But even with the problems, my fingers are warming up, playing nearly every day.

A beautiful setting

We eat lunch at Bumi, the restaurant at a conference center a short walk away. We sigh over the beauty of Indonesia: families play in the pools or gather to eat and visit. How we miss our grandkids when we see all the little ones running around!

At this neighborhood gathering spot, food is cheaper than most other places = $2 for chicken saté. (Fees to play tennis, use the fitness club, and hold meetings must cover groundskeeping and maintenance costs.)

Family playground

In the afternoon, we study Genesis 38 with friends. It's the story of a charismatic man, a visionary leader who is gifted in administration and management. Whatever the situation, he works hard, brings God's blessings to the business, and rises to second-in-command - entrusted by his boss with everything in the company. Does he prosper? Sure ... before he is sabotaged by the interests of others and unjustly punished.

We talk about the consequences of our honesty and integrity. Good character, great skills, and hard work are not always rewarded and applauded. Politics, insider relationships, and jealousy can sideline us. 

Wherever we are, we are called to faithfulness. To work our hardest and invest our talents. "It is God you are serving," says scripture, so we do our best, as did Joseph. Eventually, God elevates him and saves both Egypt and his family through him. 

But we're not there yet in the story. I'm feeling the awfulness of Joseph's dismay and his shock at being attacked and abandoned - because of his attractiveness and success. He's in prison. And still serving. Still working. Still using those strong leadership gifts, even in jail.

"Hang in there, everyone." I want to shout encouragement to readers who feel it's not worth trying because your hard work, popularity, and honest efforts are overlooked - or even punished. "God sees you and is directing your path - he's your Boss, in control even when life spins into wild territory."

A friend comes by to talk over choices for the future. A few doors have closed. Others are opening. We pray for God's direction and peace of mind for her.

Avocado juice: tastier than it looks

Monday

We have a new attendee at the Bible study, an encouragement to us. This week, I read Pete S's blog on the impact of life-on-life with a few. He notes that Jesus spent most of his time investing in 12 disciples, though there were bigger groups and crowds around. We want to faithfully pour our lives into others, too.

A new part-time helper is trying out this week. She speeds through the upstairs, scrubbing lizard poop off the walls, washing grime off window ledges, and mopping the floors. How quickly things decay in the heat and moisture. The cracks in the home-built windows let in the dust of the fields and city. 

The dynamics of household help require harmony between workers, just like in any office or factory. There are long-standing relationships (and family ties) among people in these hilly neighborhoods. The workers here and at the neighbor's house know this lady or members of her family. They welcome her and there's a lot of chatter this first week.

Tuesday

I meet with a social worker at a nearby orphanage to organize classes and connections. The task would be impossible without Sharon, a friend who shows up early on her motorcycle. She gracefully negotiates times and subjects. I leave with our calendar ready to go.

W is already in the next meeting with Josie and Pauline, our language tutors when we first arrived. These dear friends advise us in many aspects of life in Indonesia. The walls ring with laughter whenever we meet. Today is no exception. We learn a lot, but always have fun together.

Then we're off to check out a new language school. It's not that far, but takes over a half hour to get there in relatively good traffic (up to 25 mph!!) 

We get a sample lesson and my whole body breathes with relief. We won't have to speak right away: the first stage is pointing to a toy or picture, or doing an action (running or walking in place, sitting, standing, etc.) They'll send home a photo and sound recording for review each day.

One pressure in learning the language is that only one sense works strongly at a time for me. When I'm forced to repeat a string new words, my mind focuses on the sound, blocking understanding and retention. I hear: "Apa ini blah blah blah."  2-3 words, and my brain blanks out. I zone in only to the unrelated sounds; I have no idea what is being said. (Other friends complain of the same problem, while learning Indonesian.) After I connect meaning and sound, bit by bit, it begins to make sense and stick. 

We stop for groceries on the way home. Suddenly I feel sensory overload from people, cars-motorcycles-carts-near misses, language, noise, movement. Ah, get me home.

Out the car window: carts, motorcycles, pedestrians, vans ...

I'm exhausted but it's suppertime. I manage to make ramen, tossed with peppery greens and other vegetables from our fridge. Yummy.

Wednesday

Today is crunch day. I have to finish a PPT for the 3-hour presentation W and I give on Friday. We'll engage local scientists and researchers in Methods of Teaching Adults. Typically in Asia, a teacher tells students information. Students memorize the facts for tests. However, these scientists want more options so their students can grasp the implications of knowledge and can manipulate the info.

Participants are accomplished university lecturers. Many will not have studied pedagogue. Most speak limited English. We're counting on those who are more fluent to help out. I've taught the subject elsewhere but never here. Should be fun. Back to work!

Read more: (ESV unless noted)

*Does God not see my ways, and number all my steps? Job 31:4

*For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. Psalm 100:5

*Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like me. Isaiah 46:9

*For us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist. 1 Corinthians 8:6

*God reconciled us to himself through Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:18

*Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Hebrews 4:13 NIV

Moravian Prayer: Lord—Father, Son, Spirit—you call us together as your people. You bless us with gifts and abilities to use in service to you and your children. Everything comes from you; today we pay special attention to that grace.

Lord God, you amaze us by not rejecting your sinful children! If we came before you on our own merits, no one would stand. But thank you for choosing to love us and to work wonders through us. Your love never ends and never fails. Thank you for the grace which redeems us through Jesus. You see what is unrevealed and redeemable in us.  In Jesus’ name we give thanks and say alleluia! Amen.

The Shape of Life

(Note: this is a repost of an older blog. Enjoy.)

One night, my neighbor and I stood in her front yard and shone her little flashlight on the apple whips. It was only 7pm but already dark. The temperature was plummeting. I’d promised to show her how to prune the fruit tree in front of her house, but it was late before I’d gotten to her.

We shivered in the darkness, and without good lighting, resorted to feeling the hard, cold buds along the branches. One of the sides of the tree was elongated, oddly shaped with a jutting branch that she had been too afraid to prune back last winter. In the summer, the uncut branch put out several twigs that hung over the lawn, making mowing underneath difficult.

“Feel this bud. Do you see how branches will come outward in both directions if you cut here?”  I showed her the little protrusions. “Just cut it back; it will reward you with a good shape.”

“I’m not sure I have the courage to cut so far back.”  She sighed and pointed to another joint about a foot further up the branch, “I think I may cut only to here, and then perhaps that will be enough. If not, can I cut it again next year?”

Sure, I thought. You could, but every year the branch grows thicker and the trauma of the cut is greater. Why not just trim it back early on, rather than letting it put out whips that have to be cut completely back.

The evening reminded me of how much pruning God does. He lets me cooperate to the extent that I decide. Sometimes things that should be lopped off have been left to grow and bother those around me. I resist the hard cut-back, worrying that too much of me will disappear and I will be unrecognizable and ugly. What if I never recover and I am stunted in that area? What if an important part of me is taken away forever?

Like on Kathy’s tree, God lets nature have its way. When I resist the loving hands that wield the scissors I find all kinds of stray growths poking out of me. I become an asymmetrical, misshapen life, far removed from the symmetry and wholeness of God’s plan for me.

In John 10, Jesus talked about His Father as the husbandman who would prune away dead growth. He allowed His life to be shaped, and achieved what He was sent to do: “I do nothing on my own, but I only do what the Father tells me."

Lord, give me the courage to submit to the hard cuts and skillful trimmings under Your hand, knowing You will  shape me into a useful and beautiful design. Amen.

Questions: Why does God allow pain and disappointments come into our lives? How is God in the process of pruning your life today?

Walk with us

Traditional Indonesian food

Thursday, April 21.16
The first hour of the morning is the most precious, time for scripture reading and prayer. Some days we study for a few more hours, making notes for future talks and classes, sketching plans for the future, or consulting with others.

We got news yesterday that I am to appear for American citizenship interview and tests in May. That's months sooner than we thought. And it may interfere less with the summer schedule. W will start looking for cheap tickets ASAP and I will plan to be away a month so I can get a passport.

This morning, we and three friends leave our place about 8:30. We meet others and drive out of town for a walk through the hills. We've done the walk before, but never when the rainy season has been in full swing. We have to wade through a rushing river partway. And one of the trails is now half-waterfall.

Come along with us via pictures?

Fighting our way through tall plants

What goes down must come up - the steep bits 

Almost psychadelic blue and gold butterflies

A pause in the tea fields

Overgrown trails

Determined to cross on makeshift bridges

Soothing aching feet in cold pools

A brief stop to admire the view

The rivers and waterfalls are full.

Everything grows like crazy in rainy season
so the trails are often narrow and overgrown.

Bamboo sculptures

The little bus takes us up the hill for a late lunch

The view from the tables is pretty.

And back down we go - a van festooned in ribbons.

We are tired after +12,000 steps and over 5 miles (8 km). W and a few others get sunburned.

We are home at 4, in time to meet a worship leader. She comes over to practice for the upcoming Sunday's service. (I'll play keyboards in church for the first time in years.) When she leaves after 6, she takes some cookies along for her family. I baked 20 dozen yesterday, stocking up for just such occasions.

I'm ready to rest.

Read more:
*But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord's praise, for he has been good to me. Psalm 13:5-6 NIV

*But now, this is what the Lord says--he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. Isaiah 43:1-3 NIV

*The God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed. Daniel 2:44 ESV

*John wrote: Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, proclaiming, “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Messiah.” Revelation 12:10 ESV

Moravian Prayer: Savior of our lives, we rejoice that your kingdom is near. Let us work for peace and justice until it comes. Find us ready to enter into your immediate presence, having fulfilled your call to prepare the way! Amen.
C. S. Lewis in Miracles: On God
It is always shocking to meet life where we thought we were alone. “Look out!” we cry, “it’s alive.” And therefore this is the very point at which so many draw back—I would have done so myself if I could—and proceed no further with Christianity. 

An “impersonal God”—well and good. A subjective God of beauty, truth and goodness, inside our own heads—better still. A formless life- force surging through us, a vast power which we can tap—best of all. 

But God Himself, alive, pulling at the other end of the cord, perhaps approaching at an infinite speed, the hunter, king, husband—that is quite another matter. There comes a moment when the children who have been playing at burglars hush suddenly: was that a real footstep in the hall? There comes a moment when people who have been dabbling in religion (“Man’s search for God”!) suddenly draw back. Supposing we really found Him? We never meant it to come to that! Worse still, supposing He had found us!