Are you leaving garbage or clean spaces behind?

Sunday, September 20, 2026
Listening to Daniel speak Indonesian while Della, his wife, translates into English, we learn new words. His encouragement goes straight to the heart.

We ask a few people out to lunch at #NaraPark. Yum for good lunch and good company. Danny beats us to the cashier. "You know what my uncles would say if I let you pay," he laughs off his generosity.

After a brief visit to the house, our guests head home. I snap a photo of the empty entry before we draw the curtains across the 8'/250cm windows. Some days are very peaceful. Being surrounded by tall trees helps filter out the noise of the main street and probably helps with pollution. The AQI (air quality) has been unsafe to toxic: 70-170 in the last week. There's paper and plastic trash in the driveway, tossed by yesterday's children. It will be collected or swept away in the morning. (We'll have to tell the kids that they're expected to throw their garbage in the garbage can by the gate.)

#TitikBadudu drops off the morning bouquet while we are out. Oh wow.

Week after week, I marvel at her fresh and artful creations. I pluck out a rose to take to Chacha's birthday party at 3PM.

Chacha celebrates at #MissBeeProvidore down the street. She's arranged for guests and family to come up the hill so W can attend, close at hand. How we appreciate being included!

She's the beautiful fairy godmother to her pastor's kids. I had an aunt like that. Memories of AuntieM are dear to my heart, many years after she passed on.

Monday
On the Porch, the orchids have fully opened. Some are on their second round of flowers. This one, from DrIngrid and IbuDhani, has been gorgeous since late August without dropping blooms. They brought it along on a visit after W came home from the hospital.

W leashes the dogs for a walk.

"Does it bite?" We pass a chameleon that's seen better days. I snap a photo: 2:1 tail-to-body length is the normal ratio.

You know your diet has definitely shifted when, instead of bacon and eggs, it's a luxury to have cinnamon apples (stewed this morning), porridge (without sugar or milk), and chia seeds soaked in cranberry juice. I cook quinoa while that's getting ready -> must think ahead when meals are cooked from scratch rather than thawed and heated, or prepped by others.

The yard seems barren of color though the transplanted shrubs look healthy after almost a year in the ground.

The yard man shows up every 2 weeks to tame the Project yard. He brings 10 pots of flowers from the nursery where he works. Once a month, we give him $17 to liven up the flowerbeds with pops of colour.

The leaves get swept away with a homemade split-bamboo broom. (They don't use rakes.) We don't actually have a lawn. Rather, it's a clearing planted with spreading green plants that don't need mowing.  Everything has begun to yellow in the dry season, despite semi-weekly watering.

I choose a side porch for an online meeting. After closing my computer, I hear a loud crash from the front yard.

One of PakDa's jobs is brushing off the tile roof. He has fallen into the garden. OUCH. I rush over to see what's going on, but he insists he's ok and can repair the ladder. The top joint of the aluminum ladder has failed? The metal hinge is bent out of shape. How did that happen?

I call W from his speech therapy session to check on PakDa. Apparently PakDa - not the smallest of guys - opened up the folding stepladder and extended it to prop on the eaves. There's no supporting middle brace; he climbed up with the metal fold on the wrong side. The simple V-joint collapsed, sending him flying to the ground. He'll be sore tomorrow!

W brings a sturdier and taller ladder. It's common for locals to "make do" with whatever is nearby, whether that is appropriate or appropriated. They seldom "bother" us to ask for correct tools. PakDa finishes the job.

There's a lot of natural debris. We hear the swish swish of the broom as heaps of leaves are collected from the walkway and under the trees. You can't let the leaves pile up under the tree canopy either, because snakes and rodents will nest in it. It may be perpetual summer, weatherwise, but it's perpetual autumn with trees shedding leaves, branches, cones, and needles.

With a forest overhead, natural debris must be removed regularly from the roof. During the dry season, they sweep off easily. It's more difficult during the rainy season, when composting foliage meshes into wet clumps. 

The garden waits to be discovered, wherever you look. This 8"/20cm x 1"/2.5cm cylinder has appeared in the shade of a thriving palm tree. Some plant is making its way into sunlight. It won't twist off. I cut it to add to my collection of natural wonders. (Don't worry, there are more!)

There's no way to keep up the Project alone. The staff works hard to maintain the inside and outside. We are grateful for each one.

Tuesday
We agree that oatmeal porridge is better than the quinoa leftovers from yesterday's supper. W dislikes the texture. It was savory, cooked in broth, and I prefer a sweeter breakfast.

The yardman has to sort the garbage from the compost piles. Locals explain to us their habit of throwing plastic, food, and other waste on the ground, wherever they are. "We used to live off the land, so whatever we threw away decomposed. We've just continued the custom of throwing down our garbage when we moved to cities." Some street sweeper picks or sweeps it up, burning it in toxic piles along the street.

Bottles, bags, and other debris have been mixed into the piles of leaves raked against our fences. Those must come from someone who worked in the yard. No one else has access. Today, one guy gets to clean it up. Looks much better when he's done.

I spend over an hour researching and sorting research for an upcoming book. I intend to walk down to the women's study but have left it too late. I catch a ride instead.

Afterward, PakG drops me off for lunch and then takes two other women to their house. I'm sleepy and need a nap. My dad napped for  10-15 minutes after every lunch, then woke refreshed into a "second morning." Good idea, though I usually forget until it's too late in the afternoon.

It's a full but quiet day, the best kind. W keeps working on the pool. It's not yet ready for water aerobics or water therapy, but we're getting closer.

Read more:
* Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you. Psalm 33:22

* May those who love your salvation say continually, “Great is the LORD!” Psalm 40:16

* Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:23-24

* [Jesus said,] I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved. John 10:9

* For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. Philippians 1:21

* The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and save me for his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. 2 Timothy 4:18

Moravian Prayer: Gracious God, we thank you for the beauty of creation, a reflection of your steadfast love. As we place our hope in you, lead us through the gate of Christ to salvation, trusting in your mercy and eternal care.

Mighty God, you are our salvation and our strength. We rejoice in your love and proclaim, “Great is the Lord!” Rescue us from all harm and lead us to your heavenly kingdom. To you be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Understanding the present through the past

Wednesday, September 16, 2026
We're watching for the pop-up pink car around the loop. It's been parked in at least 3 different places. For a few weeks, one like it (only pinker, if that's possible) sat on the side of the road. It was covered up with plastic for a while, and then it disappeared. Life here is a mystery.

One monthly meeting of international leaders has moved to 5AM. It's not a night with a lot of rest. After waking at 4:10, I decide to snooze. My alarm doesn't go off. I miss the beginning of the conversation. Grrr. After we log off, I send Mom a video hello. Well, I send it to Sandi, who oversees her care and passes it on.

W and I love sitting on the Porch in the morning, praying and eating breakfast together.  I cook apples and pears, and make a nuts-and-seeds porridge. W has put a lot (a lot!) of chia seeds into the juice so it is a thick pudding. We look up whether you can eat "too much" chia. It's possible but unlikely. Every morning, we pull out the overnight juice-and-chia jar from the fridge and have a half-cup with breakfast. Our cardiologist suggested it as a food substitute for blood thinners. Stroke patients should also take meds, he says. W goes for both.

W is improving day by day. He has speech therapy at 9, while I prepare for the Book Group meeting next week. I don't have a copy of the book, but Amy loaned me hers yesterday. I have to finish Theo of Golden, a book recommended by several friends. I read Amy's book today and return it by mid-afternoon so she can take it on her travels tomorrow.

This insider's account of the 1960s military coup in Indonesia explains much of what we observe. We have wondered about the ongoing role of intellectuals: the readers, the well-educated, and the articulate groups who forged the nation after Dutch colonialism. We know Indonesian scientists and teachers but haven't met many authors, poets, and philosophers.

In most societies, there are rulers, their advisors (scholars/philosophers), warriors, and peasants. It is unpopular to admit that most of us are worker bees, but that seems normal in stable kingdoms.

While the sun is high, the air is still. Rain is predicted in a few days, which would be a relief. The clatter of capri shells on the Balinese mobiles at the front entry and the ting-ting of the Porch chimes signal winds brushing across the mountains morning and night. 

I like the memories FB tosses up. Today, there's a photo of a teaching seminar we hosted for local educators (thanks to Korrie Taylor), an inquiry on how we kept from having "helmet head" when biking to work in Seattle (run your fingers through your hair when you get to work - ha), an alumna asking about German high foreheads, another alum exclaiming on the presence of God during suffering, 2 dog pics, and a nanotank saltwater setup. Pretty random bits of personal and professional history, going back 18 years.

W and I are tired but it's too early to turn in. We head outside walk a few thousand steps around and up the hill. Firetrucks pass us, still trying to extinguish the garbage fire on the upper hillside. The big dogs are happy to trot along with us.

The house is still being put in order after last week's guests. IbuSumi has found time to bake a loaf of seed bread so that is supper. 

Thursday
We're still not hiking but have a long neighborhood walk with the creatures. Last week, I was thinking about our two old dogs, who may not live much longer. One walks with us, but only when his arthritis isn't too bad. The labradoodle is 11 but loves walks and long sprawls on the terrace. Should we look for another poodle next year? I ponder whether and when to contact Lizzie, the breeder of the wonderful dogs we rehomed. Maybe one of hers will be ready for retirement. I commit it to prayer. "God, whenever," and forget about it.

Someone offers me 2 free dogs that he purchased from Lizzie as puppies. He lives in Jakarta (3 hours away) and is moving out of the country. He sends me photos of the dogs, their papers, and their vaccination certificates. They're gorgeous and healthy. "They are like my children, not pets." Well, they're pets here, though we love them.

The standard poodle is as big as 2-yr-old Anton. K's dogs are 6 years old so will be more settled. The doodle is the daughter of our labradoodle Juno. I'm interested in the standard, but I was considering next year. What are the chances? Weird.

"I will bring them to Bandung to see if you are a good home." Hmmm. I WhatsApp friends to see if anyone is interested in rehoming the labradoodle. I am often a conduit rather than the final destination for incoming blessings. W rolls his eyes but doesn't say no. Yet. I guess we'll meet up; hopefully I can raise interest from others.

We return our dogs to the yard after the walk and head to #NaraPark for a date breakfast. Beside our table, a 7'/120cm hedge flaunts false-bird-of-paradise blooms.

I order a hotpot with rice noodles. The noodles have steeped too long in the broth and have clumped together. The taste is good after I untangle the mass. Yeah, I prefer my usual mie rica (spicy noodles).

By the time the workers leave, the house and yard are back in order. We are ready for the next crowd. Let's see who God wants to bless at the Project. We've had several inquiries about private retreats since last week's group left.

Most local people aren't readers, but we store our books on the shelves. Sometimes people borrow them, though I seldom get the books back. The 6 sections of the dining room shelves mix function and ornament: vases, cups, plates, and serving pieces are interspersed with books, candles, and art.

Friday
Is this potted plant a coffee tree? It's similar to what we see in the mountains, where entire tea plantations are being ripped out to make room for coffee. 

"Indonesia is the world center for coffee." It's yesterday's bold claim by a local.

Walking to the meeting place for the WHW (women who walk), this elegant petal catches my eye. Dozens of pinks hang on a tall tree beside the street.

Seven of us start down the hill. A block from our gate, I zip back inside home to swap out of my Merrill sandals. The sole is flapping and coming off. A hazard of this climate and walking is that our shoes don't last long. Most often, the sole separates from the footbed. I grab old Nike trainers and off we go. They're neon pink and blue, 10 years old. 

"From behind, you look like a tourist," exclaims one walker who is near the back of the pack. Is it my shoes? The wide-brimmed hat? The long strides? I forget to ask. We cross a few bridges that wouldn't pass a civil engineer's inspection. They hold up just fine so we take photos on it. When bridges break or wash away, they're rebuilt the same way.

We stop at a student food court (OBC) and descend to a friend's Korean restaurant. It isn't open for another half hour, but the server makes the drinks we order.

Around the corner from OBC is a Dutch-style restaurant with an artifact wall for selfies. "Looks Dutch for sure," says my friend in the USA, who immigrated from the Netherlands to the USA 50 years ago.

The servers wear little caps and ruffled aprons, apparently Dutch style. I've never before seen a historical European lace cap pinned on top of a hijab (kerudung). 

Most of the menu isn't ready to serve yet. They order deep-fried bananas and fried tofu as a midway snack. Do you like deep-fried foods? Seems oil is always heating in Indonesian kitchens.

It's a nice pause before the last hill to our starting point.

The ladies relax on the Porch for cookies and coconut water, ordered by Alice for us all. Then we invite Waldemar and Reuben to eat with us at a restaurant across the street.

W and I take one more walk around the neighborhood. People used to argue when I said, "We're getting older," in our 50s and 60s. Not any more. They agree. haha

Today's log is16,000 steps and 14 flights. We are grateful for vigor, the ability to run steps, and sustained energy in the heat. It's 85F/30C and muggy. Helps to maintain the same weight and keep mind and body active, that's for sure. 

For supper, I fill spring roll wrappers with leftover chicken and vegetables, roasting them in the air fryer for 15 minutes. Too long, but tasty.

Saturday

The morning is quiet and normal. I'm reading another book about cultural revolt, equally heartbreaking to Tuesday's memoir about Indonesia in the 1960s. This novel is about Romanians living under the Ceauşescu dictatorship of the 80's and 90's. It's unimaginable what people can endure. It's described as "a historical heart-pounder" (Wall Street Journal). Agreed.

W cleans the very dirty whiteboards used at the Saturday get-togethers. I write a note at the top of each: "Wipe clean after class." When they leave it dirty (barely wiped off) each week, the accumulation turns the boards grey. 

Sayaka comes to work with W on facial function. He makes leaps in clarity of speech after each session with her. I send a banana bread along for her family. An abundance of gifted bananas from Veronica allows us to share. The volunteers today will enjoy a loaf for their post-session snack, too. 

We welcome almost 100 kids plus to the afternoon's English conversations. We smile as we listen to them chatter together. Later, they walk or zoom off, chattering like little birds.

Read more:
* The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Psalm 9:9

* Bless the LORD, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits. Psalm 103:2

* Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. 

 

On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:9-21

* Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress. James 1:27

Moravian Prayer: Mighty God, our refuge in times of trouble, strengthen us to serve those in need with humble hearts. Let our faith be lived through love, caring for the oppressed and vulnerable, and by reflecting your mercy and justice in all we do. Amen.

It's a "people" weekend

Saturday, September 13, 2026
We eat the same boring seed/grain porridge after a walk.

Our guests at the Project say farewell after they pray a blessing over us. Those prayers mean the world to us.

I attend an online women's leadership call. The speaker is a former Miss America, who tells us to listen for God's Voice in every situation. She encourages us to withdraw from distractions, challenges, and busyness to seek God's face. "Then don't just listen when he speaks, but obey completely and quickly." Good counsel.

The neighborhood kids are back! after a long break. Yay! Someone donated pencil bags with a few supplies. The +70 kids are happy with the gift, and delighted to reconnect with the volunteers they love.

I make chili & eggplant noodles for supper and bake an apple cobbler (low sugar) for dessert. Neither is terrible but neither thrills the tongue. Oh well.

Sunday
We walk. Anton the poodle keeps lunging for cats, his kryptonite against good behavior. He's not chill this morning.

Last week's flower arrangement is reconfigured into two smaller bouquets.

They brighten the guest spaces.

Character pruning isn't fun when it's personal; part of you gets cut off and left behind. I'm reminded of that with the heap of fading greens trimmed away this morning. I save some stems and will try to root them. Let's see if they have enough life in them to regrow.

IES Bandung is wonderful as usual. We pass the Lord's Supper to each other with, "His Body broken for us. His Blood shed for us." Amen.

Lunch at Maxis is with a group who loves to serve God and others. My beef skewers are served on an unheated satay grill. Nice presentation, but they cool quickly because they're exposed to air on all sides. The hot peppers are lifted off to one side. I'm not quite back to my heat index since being in the USA.

We pray for each other before leaving. One couple heads to the station to catch a train for Jogjakarta while the rest of us pulang (go home) around Bandung.

We lock up the guest quarters, eat a supper of homemade cold cuts (who knew! = a successful food experiment), and are ready for a relaxing evening. W has installed a screen flap on our bedroom door, which means we can air the room in the morning and before bed. And that's without a mosquito invasion. The view of a thriving palm is relaxing with not a person nor chore in sight.

Monday
Thank God for ordinary mornings with walks, meetings, and meals. I update the calendar for the next week, marveling at how appointments flow naturally from one to the other. The afternoon's "sweet-smelling" delivery (at least my farmer dad said it was sweet - she wrinkles her nose) is 6 bags of horse manure for the gardens.

Tuesday
A friend comes by for tea. She's never tried crepes so asks for them and cookies - done! I cook before she arrives so we can visit. We interrupt our conversation many times as I go in and out of the house fulfilling various requests.

Daniel and friends haul away wood decaying in the yard.

I'm working through a mandatory course from our company. 16 sessions with a workbook and 8 hours of videos? Yikes - that's a lot. I glaze over before lunch with a young friend. We head to the restaurant across the street. I have the capacity to cook one meal a day for company. I love time with Madelyne.

The afternoon passes with the intermittent wail of firetrucks.

Fires are burning about a mile (1.5 km) away. Garbage (littered food wrapping, plastic bags, and household waste), leaves, and plant trimmings are regularly burned streetside and in yards. Fires are often lit at the base of trees or near other flammables. This one got out of control and spread to the neighborhood hillside. Since the area is densely populated, it is burning near homes.

Two cars can squeeze by in the narrow lane to our old neighborhood but one firetruck takes up most of it.

Our old neighborhood has the closest fire hydrant. Trucks line up to be filled with water, while the firemen rest nearby.

W is curious about what is happening so we walk by to see how things are going. Construction of the white palace is closer to being finished. It replaces a plain home.

The 10'/3 meter flowering hedge is backed by a tree flaring in yellow against the evening sky.

We planted an avocado tree at the old house. It had hundreds of tiny avocados on it when we moved away. This tree, completely full of blossoms and little fruits, had nothing edible most years. We got one durian from either this one or one that it's overtaken. What is this?

Supper is leftover crepes with chicken and vegetable filling, plus chickpea wraps with a mud-colored eggplant mixture. Hmmm. Not very appetizing from the look of it. Tastes good. It's a warm humid evening with wind whipping through the valleys. No rain is in sight. Prayers appreciated, that the fire is soon under control. Thanks.

Read more:
* David and all Israel were dancing before God with all their might, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and cymbals and trumpets. 1 Chronicles 13:8

* What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 

Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[b] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:31-39

* Rejoice always. 1 Thessalonians 5:16

* But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 1 Peter 2:9-10

Moravian Prayer; Joyful God, we lift our voices in praise, rejoicing always in your goodness. Like David, may we worship you with all our might, singing and dancing in your presence. Fill our hearts with unshakable joy as we celebrate your endless love. Amen.