Bananas, visits, and beautiful trails

Tuesday, August 26, 2025

The bromeliads are at it again!

We walk early while the streets are almost empty. Many people who live on the hill - and those who drive up from the city - "do the loop" at 7 AM. Construction workers gather before the gates open at the Padma Hotel. This premier Bandung hotel is undergoing a complete renovation and a huge crane hangs in the sky above the worksite.

Anton is a pill. He is jumpy, uncooperative, and general puppy-mischievous. W hangs onto the 3 big dogs while I keep walking with little Bailey. I'm late to the first meeting anyway but forgiven.

Today we're trying a new kind of bread, panettone made with the failed "nut bars" of last week. The bars crumbled into granola instead of holding together so we've been putting it atop yogurt for breakfast. Why not try it in bread? It tastes a bit "peanut"-y but otherwise is tasty and soft.

We visit our friend in hospital. Chandra is recovering from his surgery yesterday. Prayer and something sweet (not us, but banana bread?) is in order. It helps that his sister is a doctor: she can interpret the charts and give lucid updates.

On the way home, Veronica and Kiki send up some extra-ripe bananas.

IbuA and IbuS know exactly what to do with those! Mind you, we run out of eggs again, so PakS goes to get another 3 dozen so they can finish baking. When we're done we have 5 fresh loaves. One goes back down the hill to Veronica's. Two more go out the door to others.

Our team meeting in early afternoon shares updates and completes 30 weeks with a devotional: Faith, Friendship, and Focus by our friend Rebekah Vicknair Metteer. It's been a great blessing to us.

At the project walkthrough, we clarify areas to be painted, simplify water needs, and approve electrical outlets.

We admire the work already done and hand over a banana bread. IbuA and IbuS's baking is greatly appreciated by the crew! and by the time we turn around, the box is empty.

We walk home, admiring a clump of flowers beside the street. The lilies bloom 3-4X a year, glowing as night falls.

As a series, they are spectacular.

Wednesday

I'm up during the night, my mind churning with the project checklist that's been growing in the past few days. I write it down. My DuoLingo language assignments is accomplished for the day, too.

At 6 AM, my favorite monthly meeting starts. This Mastermind, a co-mentoring group led by coach Kim Martinez, has been life-giving to me for years. Today we welcome a new member, a high-capacity young leader living in Jakarta.

I'm happily surprised to get Mom on a call, though it's later than usual for her. She prays for peace, thanks God for his faithfulness, and asks for blessings over the family and those we encounter.

W and I have our date breakfast, this time at #WarungEthnic. I am craving rice with oncom, fermented something-something that has a very peculiar taste. We sort plans and schedules. A hectic month lies ahead.

Afterward, W and I sit on the Porch for the Sunday read-through. This one's a doozy: wives submitting to their husbands and husbands being prepared to die for their wives. (Which one do you think is harder?!) It's going to be a Round Table Sunday, which means noisy discussions around the tables.

We track the sun at the project to check where plants will thrive. I take pictures at various hours.

The women's group is a joy.

The meeting I hurry home for is delayed and then cancelled.

Thursday

We're on the way to Lembang by 7:30 AM for a hike through the forest up to the Dutch Fort. 

Every tall pine is being tapped for sap. Many trees have toppled, weakened by repeated scarring.

Some parts are steep or rutted by motorcycles.

It's rained so the air is clean and we can see across the valleys.

There are entry gates to the forts.

It's hard to imagine those young men killing each other and being killed because of the ambition and aspirations of others.

There's a memorial to the fallen soldiers above the forts.

I look down the deep air shaft above the center fort.

Some campers have left a heap of empty coconut hulls.

We have more dogs (5) today than people (4.)

Lunch at Balibu is good. I pick the salted /fermented fish off my rice before I eat though. The dogs will go crazy for those later.

The oncom is not as good as #Ethnic's.

The restaurant's handmade bamboo chairs are a work of art.

On the way home, we visit Daesy in the hospital.

We drop Veronica at her place, have a quick shower, and head back down the hill to visit Chandra and Titik at Boromeus. The kids are headed home from school on the angkot, little van-buses.

Some boys hang onto the open door and then jump off when they reach their stop.

After our dirty dogs are brushed out and fed, we relax into the evening. W and I watch My Dog Skip, looking for a film for the next movie night. Most people in Bandung are afraid of dogs so we don't show many dog movies.

Read more:

* [A poem about the value of scripture:]

Your word, Lord, is eternal;

    it stands firm in the heavens.

Your commands are always with me

    and make me wiser than my enemies.Your faithfulness continues through all generations;

    you established the earth, and it endures.

Your laws endure to this day,

    for all things serve you.

If your law had not been my delight,

    I would have perished in my affliction.

I will never forget your precepts,

    for by them you have preserved my life.

Save me, for I am yours;

    I have sought out your precepts.

The wicked are waiting to destroy me,

    but I will ponder your statutes.

To all perfection I see a limit,

    but your commands are boundless.

Oh, how I love your law!

    I meditate on it all day long.

Your commands are always with me

    and make me wiser than my enemies. Psalm 119:89-98

*If you obey the Lord your God: Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field.” Deuteronomy 28:2-3

*You ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures. James 4:3

Moravian Prayer: Gracious God, teach us to pray aright. Grant us humility, sincerity, and faith as we come before you. May our prayers align with your will and bring glory to your name. Amen.

Back to teaching

Monday, August 4, 2025

My friend Gail Johnsen and I teach a Singapore class online this week. We've co-taught this doctorate-level course before.

After a short neighborhood walk with the dogs, W accompanies me to the office to check that the Zoom call is ready to go. Nope! It's a good thing he is there; the internet needs rebooting. He tries everything and then connects me to a different router. Whew. In-house tech support. He heads home while I teach 4 hours. These students are attentive, experienced, and interactive.

We eat a quick lunch at Maxis. Our helper volunteers at a preschool this morning and isn't around to cook for the household. We meet PakG backing the car out of the gate to get his lunch, which feels a bit strange. (His son has his motorcycle?) He drops off a banana bread at a friend's and brings more bananas from her.

It pours rain in the afternoon. No working on the Porch for me. Besides pacing out the class hours for tomorrow, I draw up a final lighting plan for the project. W prints an oversized copy for the aging eyes of the electrician and me. 

In my mind's eye, people are already sitting around tables, enjoying each other's company. While parts of the renovation are exciting, much of it only "shows potential" at this stage. Most of the damp and falling-down ceilings have been removed. Some will be replaced with drywall. In other rooms, like this one, the concrete ceiling will be painted and left exposed for additional height.

Tuesday

I'm in the classroom before 7 AM. The Singapore host lets me in and off we go! We have so much to cover that I'm resigned to not finishing 10 days of material in 2 days - but we actually wrap up the last slides with minutes to spare.

Doctoral cohorts may be small but they are interesting. This cohort makes class presentations and handles their Q&As professionally. When we're done, the comments are enthusiastic and the takeaways are on point for the first two days. I send them my PowerPoint and ask them to review it before tomorrow. Dr Gail takes the next two days. Friday is a review day.

During one break, I lean over the third floor balcony to see what's going on next door to the office. The roofs get in the way of the stunning landscaped park on a half-acre. It's complete with a security house and toilet. We've only seen it from the street, through the gate in the 10-12' front wall.

 

During another break, I look on the other side of the office to another neighbor's yard. They were starting to garden during the pandemic when I used the balcony. Now the gardens are lush, with a greenhouse, vegetables, French lavender, and other European herbs. Ah, I was wondering where I'd find lavender for the next garden. Maybe there?

My computer/thermos/books/binder/art supply-bag is heavy. W carried it to the office for me but he's in Jakarta by noon, picking up our passports from the USA embassy. I tote it home myself, bag on one shoulder, purse on the other, and my tall tea mug firmly in hand.

When everything's put away, it's time to eat the delicious nasa goring sapi (fried rice with beef) that IbuA has prepared. While I'm in class, she and IbuS baked 6 banana breads. The whole house smells sweet. I set one aside for them to take home.

After lunch, I smash together walnuts, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, and black currents for IbuS's home-baked loaf. SO good. I'm ready for a nap, having had a short and restless night with too much to think about (= including wondering how class would get through all the material. Yay, we did it.)

All but one of the team have inescapable obligations during our weekly meeting time. Since this week's reflection is a good one that we'll want to do together,  the meeting is postponed to next week. I set aside one banana bread for the person who showed up = attendee bonus.

The sky clouds over into a soothing backdrop for rest. By the time it rains, I'm inside and working in warm comfort.

Wednesday

I'm up early so call Mom to find out how her 90th birthday party went. She's full of life and memories. "It was a foretaste of heaven. Everyone was in unity and it made me think of how wonderful heaven will be." She talks about her peacemaking calling, "Since I was a child, I didn't want stress between people. I just wanted everyone to get along." She has fostered that, accepting those she meets without judgement. I end the call, happy to have time with her.

 

We drop by the project. We take a few measurements to see if the wooden desk being taken out of one room can be repurposed to fix a cupboard. (Shelves were stolen long ago.)

A chameleon is sunning itself on the ledge.

Thieves have broken in overnight to steal the crew's welder, pump, and cables. That's a financial loss to local workers who will have to replace them. But then, criminals rarely consider those they hurt. Until God changes a heart, no amount of rituals can transform a person.

Two young neighbors hailed W outside the locked gate as we walked by. They asked W if they can be our night guards ... even before we discovered the theft. Obviously, someone saw the thief who broke in last night and has told others.

We have our date breakfast at Nara Park. Cats walk in and out of restaurants here.

We watch the servers set up a picnic theme for a birthday party later today. Hmmm, it's definitely for kids. Partygoers our age might easily get down but not everyone could get up again. hehehe

I have the usual - noodles, "popcorn" dumplings, and 3 kinds of hot sauce.

Back home, the yardman starts digging up shrubs. What?! 

We hadn't planned to transfer the garden until late this month or October when the rains come. I quickly draw a yard map and show the yardman where to plant larger plants that provide the structure. There's a separate planting page for each area. He says he understands the plan. (Now to see where the plants end up!)

I've forgotten to spray myself with DEET and the mosquitoes start to eat me alive. Oh yeah! run inside to slather my skin.

Read more:

*Is it not you, O Lord our God? We set our hope on you. Jeremiah 14:22

*Do not devise evil in your hearts against one another. Zechariah 7:10

*God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his son. 1 John 5:11

*Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 1 Peter 3:8

Moravian Prayer: Dear divine Creator, grant us the strength to endure life’s trials, the wisdom to navigate challenges, and the courage to face uncertainty. May hope be our guiding light, illuminating our path with resilience and optimism. 

Gracious God, inspire us to embody the profound command of Christ: to love one another selflessly. May our hearts overflow with compassion, kindness, and understanding, fostering a world united in the bond of love. Amen.