We made it through a week of blessings ...

 Wednesday, May 14, 2025

It's movie night, one of the favorite things we do around here! W's coming from Jakarta with our guests, but I start cooking after 4 AM. By 9, I'm done and everything's waiting to be reheated - sauces, meats, vegetables, potatoes. The rice, salad, and fruit is prepared by the helpers when they arrive at 3 PM.

We have guests arriving. It's a brutal trip to Bandung from the USA, between 30 and 40 hours, door to door. Jennifer, Adam, and W come around 10 AM. Our friends settle their luggage in their room and off we go for brunch at #waroengethnic.

Usually I chill out before movie night, conserving energy after cooking. But there's a women's study on the porch mid-afternoon with tea and cookies. I lay down for a half hour to reset my body and heart but am wakened by a downpour, thunder, and lightening.

Surprisingly, the rain doesn't stop our guests and movie night is wonderful. About 70 drop in for a big supper. Some are soaked through but everyone is happy to be here.

Tonight's movie is Arthur the King, and the question is: "What would make you willing to give up a big dream?" 

The Porch and house overflow with conversation, laughter, and new friendships. What a privilege for us to have people come.

Our friend Bryanna arrived Monday. She catches a ride down the hill with PakG to catch the 10:20 PM Jakarta shuttle. The rest of our guests linger until almost 11 PM. We tumble into bed after basic tidying. I'm getting too old for 19-hour days, I think.

Thursday

We're up again after 4 hours of sleep. Not enough! I cook scrambled eggs and sides. We eat breakfast as we chat around the table.

I want to see if Anton is ready to walk on leash with a group. The Thursday hikers are headed down a riverside trail. But nope! The walking group keeps going as I turn several times to make him pay attention. They pass rather stupid cats on the path; the canines don't walk away as Anton lunges forward at them. He won't return attention to me and is out of control. After the fourth wrestling match, he pulls me almost off my feet. He's a big boy.

Sorry doggie. I walk him back home and leave him there. (I wonder how many times God has a treat for us, but we are too unruly or disobedient for him to release us into the freedom of his generosity.)

W notices I haven't kept up but I have to use both hands to hold the dog and can't return phone messages. When he returns to find me, I'm tying up Anton at the house.

It's not a long walk today (4 miles?) We cross a few neighborhoods to the start of the river trail. On the narrowest part of the path, I chase a kitten off the side so the other dog with us will ignore it. There's a steep drop-off to the river - Anton would have pulled us all the way down the cliff. Oh my.

At first we can't figure out why there are so many food vendors along the path.

Ah. The city has transformed a former shanty neighborhood

with a colorful village-wide mural.

The work of art is worth seeing! with its glorious colors. Besides dozens the cats, we rarely meet more than a dozen people. But today hundreds of tourists are admiring the newly painted views. 

Most are terrified of dogs and shriek or scatter off the walkway as Eva's beautiful labradoodle prances by on the leash. A few locals ask if we can take photos together. Of course. (It's an expat thing: who knows whose phone we're on!)

We end with 2 loops of the forest treetop walk at ITB, Indonesia's top university.

We enjoy a Sundanese buffet (under $5 for a full plate) at Dalaraos and do a bit of grocery shopping on the way home.

After we drop our guests at the house, W and I head downtown. W accidentally wrecked the upstairs refrigerator yesterday. He was chipping off ice that forms when guests repeatedly leave the fridge door open. The coolant hose was severed.

Last time someone forced open and broke the interior freezer door, W posted a sign: "Please be careful. If you break this door, you have to buy a new one." Well, whoever broke it didn't admit it. So we're stuck with an iced-up fridge (and a broken freezer door for the third time).

We bite the bullet. We need a new fridge with a separate door for the freezer. W sets the budget. After we visit multiple stores and find one we like, it takes 3/4 hour at the cashier to pay. There are 2-5 employees handling every sale, which provides jobs but not efficiency.

We are beat! when we get back after 3 PM. The promise is that the fridge will be delivered tomorrow. I lie down for an hour to catch my bearings. Messages come and go; the most urgent work gets done. I give up on sleep before my alarm sounds.

I accept an invitation to teach another seminary course in July. It's online, thank God. W refuses to teach online because he wants the vibes of a classroom. But I prefer Zoom, when I can see each student. I like that they can send questions without disrupting group interactions or the lecture.

In the evening, we host the first three hours of a conference at the hall. Alice and other helpers have set up the chairs and tables. W sends the driver home, driving himself and our guests for supper and their introduction to the translator. Alice has found an exceptional translator named Shirli.

I walk over after crating Anton. Night falls and when we get home, the dogs are ready for sleep, as are we.

Friday

Mom calls as I'm waking at 5 AM. What a privilege to have our mothers at our age! but it's hard for my mom to remember what time it is at our house.

Anton and I are looping the streets by 6. The banana bread left from movie night becomes breakfast. And then it's time to finish and send off a syllabus for an upcoming class.

The fridge comes as promised, is hauled up the steps by the delivery guys (@$1.50 bonus for each), and is soon humming with cold.

The evening gathering is good, pack with useful information and practice.

Saturday

After a dog walk, I gather flowers from the garden for tomorrow's bouquet. I've caught a second cold from movie night. This one hurts less in my lungs but I'm sneezing, coughing, and generally miserable. I should rest but don't want to miss a thing.

We breakfast on the beautiful grounds of #Narapark before a 6-hr training session at the hall.

We hasten home to meet with an owner and a contractor renovating a property nearby. The gushing rain prevents them from coming for almost two hours. I put out tea and cookies and send some home as usual. The chocolate chip cookies with Kopiko (hard coffee-flavored candy) are a hit.

Sunday

I walk the dog as usual at 6 AM before resting for an hour. W takes the flowers and our guests to the hall.

I walk over to the hall in time to introduce my friend, who is speaking today. She encourages us to live in the kingdom of light, leaving the kingdom of darkness behind.

Remember masking in public during COVID? Yeah, it feels strangely familiar to cover my face with a 4-layer mask to keep the sneezes confined.

Afterward, there's social time around the Community Table before the final few hours of training. 

I sit to the side and enjoy the teaching from a distance.

We eat lunch at Maxis before coming home to rest for the day - it's been a full week of blessings.

Read more:

*Blessed are those who have regard for the weak; the Lord delivers them in times of trouble. The Lord protects and preserves them—they are counted among the blessed in the land—he does not give them over to the desire of their foes. The Lord sustains them on their sickbed and restores them from their bed of illness. Psalm 41:1-3

*I rejoice at your word like one who finds great spoil. Psalm 119:162

*[Jesus said,] "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and reburied; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field." Matthew 13:44 (read the rest of the story by clicking the link)

Moravian Prayer: King of heaven, sovereign God, what greater treasure is there than to serve in your kingdom now, to be with you in the kingdom to come, with all the saints, basking in the light of your love? Help us work in your fields today. Amen.

Goodbye, new visitors and prep for the week? Check.

Saturday

It's mild and sunny in the morning. I finish a 3' (1 meter) flower arrangement for the hall when we get back from our walk.

W starts to walk Anton today. We not only have to train our smart and willful creatures but the humans who interact with them. 

"Oh, he sits when I say sit!" exclaims Melvi, who plays fetch with Anton when she's outside. It's true: he's starting to obey.

I keep working my way through the book survey, on #80 of +270 responses. Reading comments from expats and global workers brings their challenges to life.

Sunday

After a walk, I change from my damp clothes - it's been hotter in the mornings, a sign that dry season may be coming. Then we're at the hall for a talk on God's care for us. The worship team snaps a photo after they serve.

Feibe is celebrated on her final Sunday. We pray for her and go out for lunch as a team. Her grad school will not permit monetary compensation or gifts so Hanny and Alice purchase a beautiful batik blazer for a thank you.

Back home, we let Anton out of his crate. For the most part, the creatures get along very well. They lie as close to me as they can when I work on the Porch.

Anton and I finish our 5 miles for the day (10-11,000 steps) and come home to play fetch and wear him out. Good boy! He is persistent: when I toss a ball, he will keep looking over the whole property until he finds it. Then he brings it right to me. If he doesn't return it, the game is over and the ball is put away.

Today starts is a new round of recruiting volunteers for an English program. Kristi started it a few years ago, and it's transforming the future for village kids and their moms. The wisdom of getting older is knowing what does and doesn't belong on your plate. I don't serve there directly but I help in other ways.

Monday

We walk and then we work. There's a tall pile backing up: syllabus, editing, prep for a seminar, etc. It is another red letter day so only one helper is here. We give her lunch money as she starts baking banana bread and head out the door. There's a new pasta restaurant at the end of our street ($10 for both of us).

It's easier to eat out than filling the kitchen with cooking and dirty dishes as baking trays go in and out of the ovens. Tomorrow the helpers will make cookies - the last batches disappeared quickly.

Back to coursework. There's SO much new information on academic writing. My job is to decide how much students need to know. Do I gather links and let them do further research if they need it? How good is their English. Updating a course in a few weeks is a full-time job but I don't have the hours. Lord have mercy.

Bryanna arrives in late afternoon and will stay a couple of nights. She's in Indonesia for 2 more months before she heads back for veterinarian school. After work, Melvi also joins us for a light supper - she and B know some of the same people so they have lots to talk about.

Tuesday

We take B for breakfast at #NaraPark. The day flies by: she'd like to duo some outlet shopping (B finds her clothes) and buy snacks. It's mandatory to bring back snacks for your team when you travel!

This bush is so jazzy! at the first outlet store.

PakG takes B a few more places after lunch, while IbuA and IbuS finish baking and cleanup for movie night tomorrow. The house smells of banana bread and cookies.

After checking that his tech is working for tomorrow's movie night, W heads into Jakarta to pick up guests. It can be confusing to land in a country with little English signage and few English speakers. He sleeps overnight in a capsule hotel at the airport. He'll meet them after they land in the morning and bring them home on the shuttle.

I continue movie night prep and edits. I'm working my way through the book chapter by chapter. My head gets foggy after a while, simplifying language and making sure of the format. This book is a compilation of academic presentations, papers, and other research so my task is to hand it back as a homogeneous work. It would be harder if the author weren't such a good writer. (It's still a lot of work.) 

There's time to chat with Bryanna in the evening. My head is full of the week ahead. 

Read more:

*As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”

These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng.

Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. Psalm 42:1-5

*Yet your people say, “The way of the Lord is not just,” when it is their own way that is not just. Ezekiel 33:17

*Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! Romans 9:14

Moravian Prayer: O God, nurture in us the growth that comes from the study of your word and way. May we see the examples of the people of the Bible and learn from them. Increase our hunger for your presence. In your name, we pray. Amen.

Cough cough, cookies, and a lot of steps

Tuesday, May 6, 2025

Anton walks beside me and sits when he should because I have treats in hand. Ugh, my palm is greasy from small fatty chunks of "dog beef" found in the freezer. Oh well, he pays attention and does what he's supposed to. Worth it, 5300 steps later. Another walk comes later in the day. We're sure getting our steps in.

W and I are preparing for a full week ahead: overnight guests, events, and more. W snaps my picture and sends it off to the academic dean who will obtain a visa so I can teach in his country. I finish writing Sunday's talk. W reads it through with me and helps edit it into shape. My head is less fuzzy today, thank God.

How about a gardenia from the shrub beside the Porch? Its fragrance fills the entry. The other good smell is IbuA baking chocolate chip cookies. Her version adds smashed Kopiko candies for a crackling coffee flavor.

Two fond memories pop up on FB: the first is the 17-year friendship with my college choir director #SylviaPittsFry. I was her choir pianist all three years in the 1970s (!). One year I even played a 10-day choir tour with mononucleosis (rousing just enough to coordinate the accompaniment with her conducting at the front and end of each piece. I did the rest mostly asleep.) 

Sylvia and I were young and anything was possible. She'd just finished a bachelor in music and done some composing. I was working on a piano performance degree, so music flowed between us on autopilot. I'd hear what I was playing when everyone else did, without much forethought. My fingers slid into harmonies without conscious placement, unless we were following a score.

A second memory is from 11 years ago: I was trying to rehome Lewis, our toy poodle, in preparation for moving to Indonesia. Sylvia didn't have a dog at the time we were packing up, but I remembered how she spoiled her Pekinese "Sonatina" during college years. She generously took our Lewis home to Toronto, where she renamed him "Buddy" and pampered him until he died earlier this year, aged 18. He became a therapy dog for many in her seniors complex, beloved by all. Good boy! (and she was a good friend.)

Wednesday

We're up early, walking and meeting our dear friends, JP and Judy on the loop for their last time. They move to the USA today. How we will miss them!

Life abroad means constant adjustments of relationships and interactions. People come and go. Between are initial invitations, warm friendships, good working relationships, meals together, and emotional goodbyes.

I sit on the Porch with a breakfast of fresh bread and NZ nut butter, writing book reviews. I track down the syllabus for an upcoming class. It needs revisions due to new texts, research tools, plagiarism detectors, and - of course - defined ethics for using AI to write or revise theses and papers. My general philosophy is if students do their own research and initial writing, getting help from a spell- and grammar-checker is a good idea.

We have pizza for lunch. Then W heads out to a study while I do another walk. If nothing else, I'm getting more fit with two long walks a day. Looking at the grey clouds above, I take Anton out early, wandering here and there up various side streets until we've gone over 10,000 steps. I'm happy to come home.

The joy of doing research is discovering new data. I'm wading through 270+ responses to a survey and finding it really interesting. The first task is spotting trends and worthwhile suggestions. I make popcorn and munch it on the Porch as I evaluate. There's even time to finish an upcoming Macomber novel and write a few reviews.

The rain comes after 4 PM. The yardman is gone until tomorrow; today he clipped the lawn-ish ground cover (whatever it is). The helper leaves before the sky darkens. Then a hard rain descends, and lightning jags between the mountains. Most of us are inside and dry. What a blessing, which we don't take for granted.

Thursday

We usually hike but most people are away and I'm still lung-compromised. We settle for long neighborhood walks (5 miles, usually). Living on the side of a mountain, there are enough inclines and descents wherever we walk. We pick up Casey's old crate - she's happily traveling with her people and all arrive safely in Atlanta.

Today's a bonus workday since we don't have to travel to hike. W goes to town to get his phone fixed at the tech mall while I go through survey data on the Porch. We're ramping up for a seminar next week, so I check in with team members.

A friend drops for an hour of discussion, tea, and cookies. We learn that it's a Dutch custom to eat only one item with a cup of tea: one cookie, one snack, or one piece of food. To eat a second, you must be served a second cup of tea. We tell him to load up and send a bunch of cookies home for his wife to enjoy.

Friday

First up is a meeting with a counselor, the monthly check-in to make sure I am on an even keel while living abroad. Then IbuSiti comes to give me a thorough massage. Loosening the remains of the past two weeks is a good idea. We call the grandkids and enjoy a visit online - they're getting over a cold so are coughing more than I.

I want to join the Book Group but most members are seniors. The last thing they need is what I had. I stay home. I send 6 books and take photos of what I send over so I know where my books are. They keep 3 and send 3 home.

W visits a friend down the hill and comes back with 2 huge smoked-chicken burritos @50.000 (student rate: $3.00 for both.) They're so big that we eat only half and put the delicious remains away for tomorrow. 

Read more:

*I will not fail you or forsake you. Joshua 1:5

*The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul.

The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.

The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.

The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.

The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever.

The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous.

They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold;

they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb. Psalm 19:7-10

*Suddenly the heavens were opened to Jesus and he saw God’s Spirit descending like a dove and alighting on him. Matthew 3:16

Moravian Prayer: Faithful Father, God, we thank you for the assurances you give of your abiding love and care for us, and that you allow us to share your love and compassion with the world. Amen.

Too tired to get really mad ... but close

Saturday, May 3, 2025

It's an early morning with a walk - and another walk in late afternoon. On the way, a group of young boys is gathered around one kid who is sitting. We stop to check what's going on. The youngster is crying - he's skinned his knee badly. The other boys are sympathizing, not making fun of him. The satpam (sentry) down the lane waves the boys over to wash the knee and put on a bandage.

I spot a new-to-me kind of bulb blooming.

Outside the gate, the avocado tree is dripping with fruit.

There was a wind-and-rain storm overnight and many trees blew down. Cleanup is underway. I snap off 2 branches and drag them home from our walk - then get a few flowers from the garden to finish an arrangement. I'll pull it into place tomorrow. PakG drops it at the hall after noon.

While I send Anton on energy-draining "fetch"es, a snake quickly winds across the lawn from one flower bed to the other. I spot him on the edge of the pond the next day, too. He's thin and 3-4' (1 meter) long. He slithers off into the flowerbed when he spots me.

Between dog walks and work, W and I eat lunch at Homeground Restaurant where a full meal with sides costs $3-5.

A bowl of fried Cajun-ish chicken is good, too ($3.50).

I carry on with Duolingo day by day. You'd think I'd know more Indonesian by now ...

Kirsten and I call - we compare our dogs' sizes to our feet. She.

We. 

We rack up 11,000 steps again today. Every day, Anton understands more of what I'm asking of him and becomes more willing to obey.

Hendy comes over on his way to the Hash dinner. Where did he get full Mexican gear, a sombrero and jacket for Cinco de Mayo? W walks a few blocks with him and his friend to the Hash's Taco Special. The runners finish their trek and join in.

After a few games of fetch, the dogs are ready to "go to bed" = a run into the crate with a treat waiting. I close the doors behind the dogs, each in his/her own crate. They settle down for the night and so do I.

Except, I stay up an extra 2 hours to take the fresh panettone loaf out of the breadmaker. It's a dismal failure. The machine hasn't even stirred in the currents. And it hasn't risen. Ugh.

Sunday

I cough my way through the night and should stay home. It feels important to show up at GG to pray over JP and Judy on their last Sunday in Bandung. They have managed the hall we rent and become dear friends. Now they are embarking on a new adventure, life in a foreign country (to them) ... the USA.

I walk home after prayer and join the Gathering online (cough cough). Feibe, our outstanding STTB intern, is speaking today. I can pray over her and enjoy the talk via livestream - but I wish I could cheer her on in person. (Makes me smile: she's wearing heels instead of comfy shoes she's in when leading the children.)

W jumps in to host the team meeting afterward. Good to have a strong partner when you can't lead. The morning is dark and gloomy. It starts to clear up before noon and then goes back to overcast - and wet.

Monday

Martin and Sayaka are gifted as pastors. They naturally and sacrificially think of others - and this morning they send a dark healing tea to help me recover. It immediately starts to soothe my throat.

This week's dog assignment is teaching Anton to sit when I stop. He hardly pulls when we walk and is paying attention (more and more) when on leash. Before he comes home, he has to sit outside. That gets him lots of affection and praise. Then "pulang" (go home) and he bounces in the gate after me.

Look at all the colors on this flower! orange, blue-black, pink, white, and greens ... 

We give input on a crowdfunding video. W teaches a study while I open my book survey = so much good information to sort through ... before we shop for food. For lunch, we try a Chinese place that our friends highly recommended. Very good food at a reasonable price - and we have leftovers for supper. 

W drops by friends while I go home for the last dog walk. I'm exhausted from being out but the training session is a real hassle. I gave express instructions to W and PakG not to walk Anton at all, never mind with the other dogs, until he can obey without question. Anton is too big, strong, and willful to be let loose.

However, this morning while I'm busy, the driver clips Anton to the other dogs on the group. I don't see them go out the gate or I would have stopped them! Anton predictably pulls like a Komodo dragon, runs all over the place, and is almost unmanageable. I sternly warn the driver afterward again, not to take Anton out without my permission. (It will take a few weeks until he's ready for that group walk.)

I'm angry: when I walk Anton in the afternoon, the uncontrolled morning walk has undone almost a week of obedience training. He will hardly focus, stubbornly jumping around, pulling, and refusing to listen. We wait for almost an hour in one alley until Anton agrees to sit. Sigh. I've been sick all week and don't have the energy for nonsense, whether with person or beast.

But we'll do it all again in the morning. How does God put up with our willfulness, day after day, and year after year? 

Read more:

*Lord, turn my heart to your decrees and not to selfish gain. Psalm 119:36

*In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us. Titus 2:7-8 

*This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. 1 John 5:14-15

Moravian Prayer: Lord God, you know our hearts. Our impulses are not always pure. Forgive us, please. Make us aware of our falling short, so that none are lost, but all are found. Amen.