Wait like Abraham

Movement. That's what's going on around us. Amid the normal flow of work, there are several extras that we enjoy. I keep thinking about this little pottery perfection at the Semilir Hotel. Each time, the boy's face makes me smile.

The government may have put social distancing and Covid restrictions in place, but we see 4 banks of flower boards congratulating this young couple on their wedding. (Fewer than 1/4 of the boards are below). At least a few of the parents are professor or doctor. Distinguished group. The place is packed.

In our own garden, the gardenia plant offers non-stop blooms.

The porch has settled into its new configuration with the second-hand benches. The old pleather sofas with their ripped seats and arms are being enjoyed in homes elsewhere.

Saturday, (February oops) March 6, 2021

This is the second time today that I've written "February" instead of today's month. I think my mind balks at the thought that our faith community hasn't met in person for a year. Next week, we'll being starting into Year 2 of the pandemic for us.

Last year at this time, W was in the USA for business. I  had Covid, hacking a dry cough to the point of lung pain, with severe headaches. I couldn't catch enough breath to walk around. Smell and taste disappeared within weeks and took a while to return. Thank God that's over, though I did get a good rest.

This year, praying for people, calling friends and acquaintances, and working at the office keeps me grounded. 

--

Of course we start the day with a 6am walk. Lots of people - masked and unmasked - stroll by, getting their exercise as we are.

I'm always happy to upgrade our surroundings, right? The BIC kitchenette is clean and tidy, thanks to IbuS's work yesterday. Under the shelves, there are cans of Porsche-red spray paint. How convenient! 

I find a few empty cardboard boxes that can't be thrown out yet. The plastic packing sheets inside are perfect for painting the re-purposed cookie pails that now hold put coleus plants. Bright red! So painting is my first job of the morning - but I decide against painting them all.  

Don't you love a pop of color? I sure do! (And sometimes less is more.)

"Watch out with coleus; those have to go in the shade," says my mom when she calls. She's a self-taught master gardener. Everything thrives in her garden - flowers, vegetables, shrubs ...

I remember planting coleus under trees and along house foundations on the West Coast. Here, they grow tall and colorful in full tropical sunlight or partial shade. They'll have morning shade on the office porch. That should work.

While the pails dry, I host a few morning meetings and a discussion about Easter options. W meets me for a good lunch at Kalpa Tree. This week, most meals come with rice, though we can't eat the big portions on our plates. We pass some to table companions, who are happy to have more. So. Much. Rice! It's the Java island staple.

We see something new to us: a gender reveal party. The very pregnant mom-to-be and  not-happy sibling are dressed in white like brides. I wonder if it's a boy or girl! We leave too soon to find out. God bless you, baby!

In the afternoon, I'm privileged to meet with a young friends before heading home at 3:30. "Do you work every Saturday?" she asks. Since we walk in the hills on many Thursday mornings, we catch up on Saturdays.

Pizza night is today, too! It's turned cold (70o) and so our guests come from a swim nearby and relax on the porch until it's time to eat. Our pizza style is to let you choose your own toppings (which I prep that day). W starts on the pizza dough on Tuesdays, let's it rest for a half-week in the fridge, and then lightly pre-bakes the disks before guests arrive.

Our friends planned to order in desert, but it's raining and yucky. I pull out bananas and coconut muffins instead. Good enough - in fact, pretty tasty. The muffins are from my friend today. And two bananas are more than enough for all of us. Look at those monsters, shared by our very kind neighbor.

We play a few rounds of a family game before our guests leave.

Sunday

"Cmon, let's walk faster!" I urge W, who is on a slow casual walk with the dogs. I snag the leash and click to the dogs, "Hey, let's pick up the pace!" Alone, I usually walk a mile in 18-19 minutes. I check my tracker. Almost 21 minutes so far, before we do doggie-do stops ... nope I'm not imagining things - we're dragging.

"Are you upset?" W asks. Nope. But a relaxed stroll doesn't clear my brain like a fast clip does. There's a lot on my mind this morning.

The fern wall is drooping as I walk into the gate. I spend an hour puttering and decompressing from the walk. I fasten the ferns to the grid, water the plants, and feed the birds and dogs. A little "farm-work" goes a long way for relaxation. Breakfast is two banana muffins from the freezer (thanks, IbuA) and one huge banana = breakfast. Tea of course, is in hand by the morning gathering.

Like most Sundays, W and I lead the BIC Online community at 9am. This week, we examine the blessing of God on Abraham and his children, Ishmael and Isaac. Even today, the huge families of those two sons have global influence and bring blessings to the world. You can catch the talk by clicking here.

The story is mostly about waiting. Abraham has to wait 25 years for his promised son. How about you? When you have a promise or a plan in view, does it kill you to wait for it to happen? I'm wired to act as soon as I have direction, so sometimes "the time between" vision and reaching the goal feels like the longest time ever. I'm waiting for 2 things this week ... so far.

#1 We'll be adding this little guy to our troop. He's retiring from the breeder's to our home on Thursday. His collar and crate arrived yesterday. Elizabeth sends me a picture of his new haircut (below). His show-style lion cut (first pic) has to go; our groomer can't maintain it.

Check out Elizabeth's website if you're looking for a good companion dog ... there's nothing like the adoration of a poodle to make you feel appreciated!

#2. I also have to wait all weekend to finish the office porch. In my mind, it's done and I'm already sitting in the morning shade. My work is resting on a table. In reality, we don't have the car this weekend so the chairs, table, and plants have to wait for Monday. I sweep, spray for ants, and have done my part. Now I wait.

"Big deal," you may think. "So you wait 2-3 days. Or a week. How long is that?"

However, these small patience-builders are big to people with my go-go-go temperament. It's God's way of pausing us, of inserting a comma into our lives. I don't pray for patience - why would I want more waiting? Instead, I think, "Monday and Thursday are coming. Will be great. Hang in there."

In what areas of your life do you need to know that God is in control? That your patience will have a rich reward? Trust God to work it all out.

Monday

Walk. Office. Meetings. A typical Monday morning. PakG delivers chairs, a table, an indoor-outdoor rug, and a palm plant from home. He also takes back the cleaning supplies to declutter the kitchenette.

I arrange the seating and have my meetings outside in the warm shade. Nice perch, right?

It's even more comfy after I snag a blue cushion and bring out my cuppa tea.

Read more:

*Stand up and tell them everything that I command you. Jeremiah 1:17

*For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:1

*We do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord. 2 Corinthians 4:5

Moravian Prayer: Dear Jesus, may we always proclaim you as Lord to all the earth. Because of your sacrifice on the cross, we are made victorious. Christ and him crucified remain our confession of faith. Amen.

Shadow, sunshine, and creative life

Tuesday, March 2, 2021

It's been overcast much of the last week. Even in gloomy weather or when you're depressed, there's so much beauty around us that it's staggering. God shares generously.

The Bandung night rains assure that the garden plants are bursting with color. Everything's trying its best to brighten up the yard. This pot reminds me of the African black-and-white pottery my parents brought back in the early 1970s.

I snag enough "tiny blooms" to overflow a 3" pot we bought at a ceramics factory in Bali last year. These sit in the back hall for a little visual pop of color.

W finds a 2-meter-long vinyl map in the back of somewhere. After washing, it fits perfectly across the shady wall near the gate. He tacks the plastic sheet behind a grid holding young ferns. We tip the grid on its side for a better fit.

Hmmm. Guess I'll be retying the ferns in another direction. The wall isn't big enough to have it the original way. (The right side used to be the top.) Let's see how those birds nest ferns grow.

Dr Hanna sends over another assortment of coleus plants. The first lot are in a new 3' border by the old flagpole. The latest plants will go on the "new" BIC balcony. We are due to meet the generous plant donor later this week. Can't wait.

The BIC office is dusty from construction. Most exciting kind of grit, in my opinion. W and I film the Sunday talk on Abraham and how he learned patient trust - and then head home before 8:00 a.m.

When we come back after lunch, the door frame is in. Won't be long and we'll have a working door, an accessible balcony, and a day for clean-up. Most of the office furniture is covered in towels and tablecloth from the storage room.

Meanwhile, in our bedroom, there's some kind of spill and a plethora of ants. At least it's near the door and they haven't tramped across the room. Leave anything - from a dead cockroach to a drop of soda - on counter or floor, and you have nature's cleanup crew come in with their troop. We wipe it away.

Wednesday

When I walk, I look up to see a tree sending its roots toward the ground from 30' above the sidewalk.

The feathery roots are shaved above head height so we can stay on the sidewalk.

We start three meetings with one for international churches - when shall we reopen? Who is doing what in this country? It's a mixed bag. In open areas, communities of faith are unrestricted other than sterilized hands, masking, and social distancing.

The second is a meeting of global leaders, examining trends for the coming years. And the final one is our own local team, planning and sharing what we've been doing. Each is a meeting of minds and heart.

Thursday

There's no room for me in the car up to the walk since we're including a first-time walker. Great - I will catch up on things I've had no time for, things that renew me. I walk a few loops (a few miles) around the neighborhood. Then I sew a new headboard cover in fiery-colored ikat. We picked the fabric up on the same conference trip to Bali last year. (That's also where we visited the pottery factory, above.)

The helpers come to the office to clean the dust from the putting in the new door. We have a new porch  for meeting outside. 

This is the rough space, along with spray against the hundreds of ants marching along the walls. I'll post the update next week once it's furnished. For now, it's nice to have a door and a clean office ...

Friday

After a walk and a few hours in the office, W picks me up for a special visit. Dr Hanna's friends have created tranquil modern spaces in their hotel, gallery, and home. She has obtained an invitation for Dr Wuri, Alice, and us to join her there. I don't know what to expect.

Pak Dr Nugroho has made a harmonious and breathtaking yard. The rhythms of the plantings - repetitions of coleus, ferns, and fig-like shrubs - sit against vine-covered walls.

The flowers trail from above.

while interesting leaf-shapes and berries shine from below.

Every corner has a focal point.

The 4' concrete paving blocks are beautiful and practical, inside the buildings and out.

Bromeliads bloom from where they nestle in the bare trunks of the plumeria (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plumeria).

Dr. Nugroho's family has been artistic for generations. They created beautiful batiks handprinted or with historic carved stamps like this one).

There are several books written about the family and the artists they support or promote.

The artist's work is on large canvases.

This one captures our attention - look at the detail below.

The gallery is very personal. Each item has a story and was selected by Dr Nugroho or his family. Various other artists are also featured in the Bumi Semilir hotel and gallery: check it out here.

These humorous ceramic figures from Jogja capture our attention.

There are one-of-a-kind porcelains, painted in past centuries.

And there are rugs - from denim patchwork to fine silk weavings.

There is furniture, historical and more recent.

An old wooden bed is complete with carved hooks for mosquito nets.

I love this porcelain figure, amusing and unique in its perfection. It sits under another painting in the restaurant.

This is the menu we choose from in the restaurant.

The rissoles which I always enjoy is one of the favorite relics of Dutch occupation.

We go from a mixed salad that unwinds from cucumber skins to a variety  of vegetables and greens - 

to the smooth and creamy pumpkin soup -

to the 1/2 and 1/2 meals (2 more-than-half portions because we can't decide) of chicken rice and beef teriyaki -

to an irresistible coffee pudding and crepes (W has chocolate lava cake) - 

The restaurant is a socially distanced but intimate space to enjoy great company and good food! We are so honored to be personally taken through the spaces by our hosts. The care and selection feeds body, mind, and heart. We are completely FULL when we leave.

We highly recommend the gallery and restaurant when you visit Bandung. It's in the cooler north end of the city and you'll feel like you're on a special retreat for the soul.

Read more:

*God says, “I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations.” Genesis 17:7

*Do not fear, for I am with you. Isaiah 43:5

*We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed. 2 Corinthians 4:8-9

Moravian Prayer: God of beauty and grace, thank you that you share vision and sound and touch with us. We cannot imagine life without your creation. Yet we often forget how much you love us and how you long to share yourself with us.

O great Comforter, our lives have been overshadowed by economic calamity, social conflict, and the threat of a global pandemic. In faith, we turn to you as you carry us in your heart through troubled waters. Surround us today with the soothing sights of nature and the joy of healthy relationships. Amen.