Tidings of blessings and growing things

Thursday, December 4, 2025

It's gloomy though the tropical sun provides light through the clouds. When I talk to my mom in hospice care at home, she says she is "ready to go Home." We pray together for relief from the intense pain she has night and day. She tells me she loves me, says "Goodbye if we don't talk again," and prays over me, my brothers, and our families. I type as fast as I can, saving her patterns of speech and what's important to her. I want to remember this when she is no longer with us.

We raised money for kids' English programs during Giving Tuesday yesterday. W and I fell asleep tired but happy at the generosity of our friends. This base fund is a godsend for volunteers who tutor neighbourhood children. Here, when kids come together, they need snacks as well as supplies.

W and I tape off the rough edges of the mosquito screens that could tear window coverings. We head to the grocer's for eggs, cocoa powder, sugar, and other baking ingredients to continue baking Christmas goodies. Today there are stars and gingerbread men on the counter when we get home.

The grocer has Christmas decor and foods.

W finds a slice of Christmas cake @$1.50 for dessert after lunch. It has good flavour for the price but none of the moistness of the classic buttery Christmas ring that Costco used to bake.

I'm looking for a bowl to bring to our daughter on our next visit - we both like choosing a decorated bowl for dessert or a treat.

The Project entrance is showing progress by afternoon. They're concrete-ing in a tall berm to reroute water from the street before it hits the driveway. The rain pours down but no river sluices into the yard from the neighbourhood.

I find a blue tablecloth that I don't like in a bag of linens. Maybe it's meant as curtains for the blue bathroom upstairs? We've kept the old floor and wall tiles throughout the Project to keep costs down (think "retro" style). I pull off the old rings and wash down the fittings before clipping up the tablecloth. Not bad.

Shower curtains are in, with extra-long liners that will sit inside the tub. Most of the curtains are hung about 4" off the ground to allow the wet mop to swing under them without making them dirty. Looks strange but it works. And in the bath, we barely cover the edge of the tub with the exterior curtain. It's all about efficient cleaning in a climate where bugs and critters want to share spaces with us.

In the garden, the lawn is in but some of the transplanted shrubs are ailing, like this gardenia.

The water apples are thriving.

We indulge in bread and cold cuts for supper. Sometimes you just need some childhood food when the world is shifting around, right? Our non-traditional addition is IKEA cranberry jam on top. A bit (very bitty) like Thanksgiving.

I fall asleep for a nap at 6PM and wake for a meeting at 8. Then I don't doze off until almost 2AM. I listen to great chunks of Ezekiel's prophecies as I wait for sleep. What a strange book. The repeated phrase is "I the Lord am holy," or "Then everyone will know I am the LORD." So that seems to be the point - a message from the One and Only God about justice, mercy, and the consequences of disobedience.

Friday

Mom calls at 4AM and repeats how ready she is for heaven. She wants me to know I'm loved. "I just wanted to say goodbye and tell you I'm ready. You've been a good daughter."

I remember how frustrated my grandma was in the last weeks of her life. At 89, she was impatient to depart earth and see the face of Jesus. She couldn't choose when she'd pass through that veil of death, though she wanted to go Home so badly. We trust God's timing for Mom and treasure the prayers she still prays over us. Again, I write down what she says.

I fall asleep for another hour before we take the dogs for a walk. It's a glorious clear morning. The air is clean and fresh. We pick up used items in a close-by city: a mattress, a cabinet, dishes ... then after a quick and cheap lunch at the nearby IKEA, we get back to work.

It's begun to pour but W walks through the rain to the Project. He's climbing ladders to put display shelves and rods on an entry wall. The crew is working on plumbing. The best news is that there is NO water flooding down the driveway into the back of the house. Wow - that's progress.

Meanwhile I pack up the bedroom. I have a stack of not-going items to give away. For the big picnic tomorrow, we're asked to bring plates, drinking cups, cutlery, serving dishes, and more. We pray that it doesn't rain - it's raining most of the day today.

Organizers of big events in our circles often borrow our stash of serving items and recycling pails. "How many forks and spoons do you need?" I ask Angie.

200 of each? I check the storage bins and there are that many wrapped and ready to go. God always knows. 200 rattan plates and 300 paper liners get loaded up for early morning delivery. 

Angie thinks they need cups as well but I don't find them. Maybe tomorrow W can locate where they were moved. (Nope - we don't find the box of cups. What else has gone missing?)

Saturday

This would have been the wedding anniversary of Uncle Erich and Auntie Molly - but she's gone Home to heaven. I remember the warm welcome of their home, the big hugs, and good food. They were my alternate parents, my favourite aunt and uncle all through childhood and up to now. I never forgot the love they showed a young child and how patient they were with this "wild thing" though they had no children of their own.

They adopted my cousin Elaine and me on Sundays, taking us home for lunch and returning us for the evening service. Sometimes they even braved us overnight for a glorious sleepover on Saturday night before church. Wow - good memories; sending love today to my Uncle E who is 95 and still lives in Winnipeg. (The consistent loving care you offer a child will never dim in his/her mind.)

I call Mom, who lingers and prays over the family. She wants to depart for the presence of her Lord but says, "He has his perfect timing, and I have to wait." Bedsores are an unpleasant addition to what she suffers.

The big pot of spaghetti (2kg/4 1/2 lb) is cooked and wrapped for transport by 6:30AM. I walk over to the Project to meet an engaged couple at 7AM. (They're dedicated to premarital counselling to come at this hour!). At 8, PakG picks me up, along with the barang-barang (stuff) for the kids' event. He heads out after unloading to buy the volleyball someone forgot to bring along. Luckily someone else has brought two balls for football (soccer).

I am honoured to welcome the moms and their kids and pray a blessing over the day. Two years ago, the leaders of 2 neighbourhoods asked us to teach their kids English. Today I meet them again when their group of kids come from town to have a fun day with the first group of English learners. (Thanks, Kristi, for starting that initiative years ago).

I get a tour of art in storage - oh so much to choose from! before heading back to work. In late afternoon, PakG goes back to retrieve our plates and the rest.

The plants never cease to amaze me.

The fuzzy balls that appear after spiky blooms are bright green on the darkening stem.

While I'm gone, W finishes his group study. He strolls to the Project to pin up the other side of the entry "gallery" and work on house security. We clean plugged drains and check how the yard is coming along.

Lunch is at Ethnic, sitting on the porch beside the garden.

It feels like pure luxury to be outside in a short-sleeved blouse in December.

It's a full and busy day, connecting with people, doing hands-on jobs, and packing. We're more than ready to head home in late afternoon.

Sunday - ADVENT 2: LOVE

A youth choir from another congregation leads us in carols at the Gathering. (Thanks for arranging that, Della and Wanda.) We explore love, which gives, sacrifices, and cares for others like God does for us.

Titik has heaped poinsettias and greens around the stage and the Advent candles, complementing Daniel's Christmas decor. I love how people work together.

Lunch at Maxis is fun - the little boys run around the yard with their grandpa while the rest of us chat. 

The Maxis gardener is clipping the hedge. He collects some plants for us to grow at the Project. What I initially wanted was what he threw in a trash bag. But that's gone. He goes around the border again and trims things he thinks we'll want. Most of our plants are similarly acquired, whether seeds, seedlings, or trimmings. It makes for a lush and interesting garden.

Read more:

* Restore me, and I will return, because you are the Lord my God. Jeremiah 31:18

* When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

* Paul said, “We bring you good news, that you should turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.” Acts 14:15

* If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew andGentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, Romans 10:9-13

Moravian Prayer: Dear Jesus, help us to be inspired and excited to share your good news with the world. May we always be guided by the fact you came to save and not condemn the world. Amen.

Thankful and a bit overwhelmed

Sunday, November 30, 2025: THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT = HOPE

The story of Jesus is a hopeful one. God who loves the world sends his Son to carry the sins and failures of humanity. Jesus grows up in an average family though his purpose is extraordinary. At the cross, our debts are paid and his mission is completed. How we love celebrating God's goodness during the Advent season of waiting and anticipation.

It's Round Table Sunday, which means discussions around (what else?) round tables. The hall is decked for Advent, thanks to Daniel and his hardworking volunteers.

Titik has created stunning bouquets for each table and the front. I'm tied up in conversation after the Gathering and don't get table photos but these were on their way to their next event near the exit when we left Green Gate.

Our volunteers work hard and are a blessing.

Dina comes along to sort children's books, skirting the guys who are installing the CCTVs. Shibli and Milli drop by to see what's useful to them, too. Then MrD arrives to see what we're up to and share plans for the future. It's exciting to see who is called to do what as we're serving the communities around us.

While we're having lunch at Ethnic, the rain pours down in buckets. I enjoy the nasa oncom gepuk (beef with basil and rice). Luckily by the time we finish the downpour has abated.

We say hi to Thomas as we enter our driveway in late afternoon. He's just leaving after a visit with Melvi, his fellow German teacher. They're in an intensive German course designed to help them tutor Indonesians for work in Germany. And they have a presentation due Tuesday.

Monday

I have some early meetings and do some packing. At 10AM, we're scheduled to meet the contractor at the Project. He's still not there by 11 but we have a lot to do. So we walk home. He doesn't come until 11:30. I tell him next time we're not showing up until he arrives. We're only a few minutes away. Usually we've waited a half hour to an hour for him.

Gradually I sort through books that have come in over the past 2 years.

I sell a batch of doubles online while I wait. 

PakG brings the items I packed in the morning and takes the empty boxes home. Two guys show up to chop the weeds out of the yard. They're planting grass-like spreading plants this week.

Overnight, the rain overflowed the swale at the street again. The water came down the driveway and went clear through the back of the Project. The workers squeegee it back outside. We're 2/3 of the way up a mountain. What happens in the valley below us? Hard to imagine the flooding. We pray for those affected.

In some areas, there's a water line.

Some rooms have gotten a deluge of mud as well.

The project managers and W talk over drainage solutions for an hour. Then we break for lunch. Miss Bee Providore has a "winter wonderland" theme in a room, ready for selfies.

The contractors do a walk-through from stem to stern with us, checking what's left to do. The Project has come a long way but we need hot water/ They'll plug water leaking through the walls, reroute gutters, and patch holes in the old bathroom tiles.

"No problem, they tell us. "One to two weeks, probably" before we can move in. We finish the inspection about 4PM. A whole day of ... We're tired.

Tuesday

I get blocked both by FB and WA for sending a link for Giving Tuesday. For one day only, a partner has offered $50 toward the Project for every $5 donation. What generosity! and yes, I'm sending the opportunity to as many friends as I can!

I talk to Mom, work for a few hours online, and then head for a women's gathering at IbuTetty's house.

They're trying to improve the drainage (again) in front of the Project and it's raining. So there will be quick proof if it's working or not. The helpers are baking up another Christmas cookie storm! so the house smells amazing. The timers beep constantly before the next pan comes out of the oven. Yummy. I sneak a ginger cookie (or two).

In the afternoon we get to work, fixing a shade cover. W assembles closet shelves. I have to laugh: the normally egalitarian instructions in the IKEA manual show two men lifting up the shelf - no woman in sight. No wonder, it's heavy.

This appears in the sink, a 1 1/2"/3 cm scorpion, which W scoops into a dustpan and tips into the toile.

The edges have been transplanted from our yard over the past month, but the center went from this on Saturday,

to this yesterday, including flooding ... 

to this today. "Give it a month to grow in," says the yardman. We're leaving half the property wild where it sleeps under tall Norfolk Island pines.. That shade is where the scorpions and fire ants live.

I know about the fire ants because while the guys are fixing the shade cloth, I'm untangling 20+ meters of rope. The ants bite me here and there but I swat them off and carry on. Finally I'm annoyed enough to get some Hogasan, the magic ant killer. A few sprays and they fall dead off the wood pillar they are eating.

We warm up a pizza for supper, dive into the shower, listen to the wonderful Advent devotional from Biola, and call it a good day.

We go to bed so early that my body wakes rested at 10:30. Ugh - I write and read and go back to sleep within a few hours.

Wednesday

We're handing off IES Bandung to new leadership in the coming year. So we call about getting a replacement. I'm working on an online fundraising campaign most of the day, and people are responsive and excited to give.

"THANK YOU, everyone who contributed." We are in awe of people's generous participation.

Between, we hang shower curtains. W fixes shelves to the closet wall and gets help to move a monster of a restaurant shelf into place under the stairs. (At $5 or $10? a few years ago, it was irresistible. It has been useful storage.)

Outside, they are building the entrance at the street even higher to ward off flooding. They take off the custom grate they installed 2 weeks ago and expand the gutter. The driveway is raised 8" / 20cm with new concrete poured over custom-cut rebar.

I watch the sparks fly as the workman wields his metal saw. He wears shop glasses to cover his eyes but has no ear protection. Buzzzzzz.

I don't think I've seen a fern fruiting before. This kind, which is often used in rose bouquets, apparently has black berries. Hmmm.

Some inedible fruit has fallen from trees lining the street. On the outside, it looks like a round avocado. Inside is a fibrous husk. The world is endlessly interesting, don't you think? I hear thunder rumbling as evening comes.

Read more:

* For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, says the Lord, so shall your descendants and your name remain. Isaiah 66:22

* God said, “In distress you called, and I rescued you.” Psalm 81:7

* When Peter noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him. Matthew 14:30-31

* Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” John 1:49

Moravian Prayer: Omnipotent God, you desire a humble and contrite heart. We confess that we have been weighed down by earthly distractions. Help us know what it is that holds us back and keeps us from following you without any reservation. We pray for your guidance.

Eternal Father, we thank you for being there when we cry out, “Lord, save me!” When we call out in times of distress, fear, and anxiety, open our eyes to your compassionate presence and the blessings around us that you provide. Amen.

Thankful

Thursday, November 27, 2025 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, AMERICANS!

And the warmest happy birthday to our grandson Levi. We call him in the morning before our walk and ask what he wants in the coming year. "To know God better, not just to try to do what he says." What a great prayer for a pre-teen!

All the books come off the shelves today. What a mess. There are suitcases full - first garbage bags full but they're too heavy for the cheap black bags, which split and tear. 

We empty the suitcases at the Project and then refill them at the house. We're looking forward to setting up a borrowing library for kids in their own area, too.

The big shelves for the serving-kitchen are emptied from where they've been stored in our bedroom. Shoes go in bags. Handbags are sorted and pared. As I empty shelves, I put things up for sale, hand other things off, and pack some more.

The helpers are baking for Christmas so pile after pile of cookies stack up. Today they're making iced butter-cookie stars and chocolate balls.

It's nice weather until about 2PM when it starts to rain. "When the clouds are like this, it won't rain hard," says PakG. He knows his weather.

The dogs get groomed today. Perfect for this labradoodle who loves to roll in the mud and mess up her coat.

I enjoy the view from the Porch while I can. One of the benches has a perpetual termite problem. I turn it over and sure enough. The floor is inundated with little balls of termite frass (product of eating wood.)

The yardman tries to trim the 1' / 30cm tall lawn that has been growing for a month. He's been busy transferring shrubs and flowers to the Project garden, so this is an urgent chore. Snakes and other critters like tall grass.. The weed-whacker, newly back from repairs in the shop, is not working. Apparently the repairman replaced the motor so that it spins the wrong way. It keeps flicking off the string reel. PakG takes it back to the shop. What a waste of time.

At the Project we're told that we have 2 good snakes in the front yard. "Please don't kill them. They're not poisonous and they eat rodents and frogs." Ok. As long as they leave the dogs alone, they're safe.

We've committed to attending a Thanksgiving dinner, which turns out to be a big "small group" from another church. We know 3 people. I bring fingerling potatoes and some banana breads. We have a wonderful time meeting new friends.

When we get home, someone comes over to try on the shoes - not a fit, sadly.

Friday

16 years ago we buried my sister-in-law, who died of skin cancer complications. Today we remember her laugh, her intelligence, and how she loved God, my brother, and their kids.

I skip the walk though by day's end I have the same amount of steps. We're up at 5AM, taking things off shelves in my office and the bedroom. I label a destination for everything and walk to the Project to label the rooms. 

At 8, two movers arrive in their pickup. They're not thinking straight. Each time they load, they pile the shelves too high to get under the gate header. "We can't get this in," they say, backing up as far as they can in front of the Project.

Finally, I say something - but only to W. (Men don't generally listen to women's solutions.) "Have them put a few shelves on the driveway and put the tall thing on its back." It's an obvious fix.

Do they listen? Nope. After 30 minutes of discussion on the street, they arrive at the same conclusion. They take out some shelves, lay the tallest heavy cabinet on its back, and in they come. I stay out of the way and keep my mouth shut when it happens again.

After a few trips, they demand more money. "We thought we signed up for one trip," they said. Actually, we're paying them to work a half-day. They're driving 3 blocks but say they want pay paid each time as though they're driving a long-distance trip that would take all morning.

The friend who recommended them gets on the phone with them and protests. "You drive for me for a whole morning, going to -- and back. This is just around the block." No go. W increases the amount but no one is happy with them.

The library area gets the first shelves. Having books at the head of the stairwell will deaden the noise from upstairs to downstairs and vice versa.

W directs the guys to place things and screws on fan blades in the office. He sets the fan moving in the right direction for warm rooms (counter-clockwise.)

Across the street is a pasta restaurant where we drop in for a late lunch.

I order mushroom-chicken noodles @$5 (including tax and tip). It hits the spot.

PakG picks me up after a very quick meal. One of the "jolts" of the day is remembering I'm expected at the Bandung Book Group in the early afternoon. Apparently I'm presenting the book Everything Sad is Untrue. It is about Persian refugees who arrive in Oklahoma, and told as a child's memories of assimilation. Very good.

We sit outside at a cafe, having very lively discussions about the responsibilities of parents to their children. We talk about the ongoing refugee crises, including who gets returned to the danger of their homeland.

I've never seen this tree bloom - it has a 2' /60 cm strand of flowers where I walk back to the car.

The house looks like it's been hit by a tornado. Bags and boxes of bedding, books, and kitchen goods line the sides of the rooms, where they were pushed out of the way for the movers.

Saturday

Anton's actually learning to walk on the leash! What a relief. He briefly darts toward some cats (would have been a full-out sprint a week ago) but W hangs on and says, "Good boy" when we pass other cats without incident. 

I find a "before" photo of the kitchen ... do you see potential or potential disaster? Those empty trim boxes on the ceilings had to go, right?

And (below) this is now - not yet done. But the second-hand library shelves are in, the shop lights are hung, and the tablecloths cover the windows. It's not a conventional renovation but a creative one, for which things have come to us for the past year.

In my head, the place is full of people. It's noisy around the tables, with art on the walls. People are laughing and talking to each other and there's a buffet on the kitchen "island" (2 library tables). Can you imagine it?

We look forward to movie nights, community dinners, and welcoming those who visit, just like in our current place. Our lease here ends soon so this is good timing. A bonus is that it is close to our walking loop.

I spend all day unpacking books and sorting them onto shelves. My whole body is dusty! The 3 guys working today choose 5 books each for their kids/grandkids from the heap of children's books. We have only three more suitcases of books to move over.

They've installed a lockable iron gate so no one walks away with laundry and "dirty kitchen" supplies.

We eat lunch at #NaraPark. The street is already narrow. Someone parks their horse on the left across from the gate so kids can have 20c rides around the block. Traffic goes in and out of the parking lot, already a tight squeeze - never mind that street traffic is negotiating past motorcycle parking on the right.

I order spicy noodles, a good treat on a hot and humid day. W has his usual bento box with rice.

There's a corporate party for families, with children playing on the lawn and gliding little airplanes from the top of the hill. It's a great place for them - they can watch the hedgehogs, owls, and huge tortoises that live around the perimeter.

We prepare for Sunday with a shower, review, and (hopefully) early sleep. We are grateful from the bottom of our hearts for the goodness of God and the help of good people.

Read more:

* [A prophecy about Jesus as Messiah] A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;

    from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. 

The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—

    the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,

    the Spirit of counsel and of might,

    the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears;

but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.

He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.

Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist. Isaiah 11:1-5

* The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me. Psalm 138:8

* Having been made perfect, Jesus became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him. Hebrews 5:9

Moravian Prayer: Saving God, you sent Jesus to us to show us what perfect love is. We ask for your divine guidance so that your love may unfold in us. Grant us this day, and every day, the strength to hold onto your promises. Amen.