Here's to 48 years together ... and perhaps a few more

Tuesday, September 2, 2025

Stuff comes in; stuff flows out. Today a truck arrives with 15 boxes of books and a dining set. Thanks, Jane! We unload the books onto the Porch but send the truck with its antique table and hutch onward to its new home. Nothing belongs to us: it's all God's, whether friendships or resources or time.

Don't reject what God intends to do through you. Maybe others think God's spiritual gift to you is odd. I encourage you to use it, even if it's not a traditional strength like teaching or writing. Don't reject what God intends to do through you. Give if you are a giver. Be a good administrator or accountant if you're good with plans or numbers. Etc.

Whatever God puts in your hand, use it even if your gifting is as strange as this one: being a conduit for things that come and go to bless others. "Do whatever you do with all your might to please the Lord," St. Paul writes to his friends. So stuff comes in; stuff flows out at our house. (Always has, probably always will.)

After lunch, the team comes over for an in-person meeting. It's become convenient to connect online so we don't meet in person every week. I open half of the boxes of books and let everyone choose choose the ones they want for themselves or others.

Today we enjoy the Ibus' banana bread and cookies along with tea. Daniel rehearses his Sunday talk with Della translating. We are all moved by his stories and exposition.

After the others leave, we walk through the project with Shibli and Martin. Overhead, the bare branches are starting to leaf out. Did you know that trees in the tropics drop their leaves once or twice a year, just like in the temperate zones?

I make egg salad sandwiches for supper. Not fancy but filling.

Wednesday - after 48 years?

"Stay. Don't give up. Don't run away." That's my advice for creating a lasting and satisfying marriage.

48 years ago we agreed before God, our relatives, and a church family that we'd stay married forever. Some years were wonderful. Others were difficult. But a promise is a promise so we stayed when times were tough and it seemed we had nothing in common. 

From this vantage point, we work well together. We remember the same people and their funny stories or quirky personalities. We have shared memories of events and travels, and we love our kids, their spouses, and their kids from the bottom of our hearts. Doesn't get better than that.

We measure the windows at the project - we'll use electrical conduit for curtain rods. After we walk the dogs, we have breakfast at Miss Bee.

Mine is just what I'm hungry for: scrambled eggs and mushrooms on toast.

Jane drops by for an hour of conversation and tea. It's been a while since we met so it's a treat for us both.

Then our friends Ps Yoel and Ps Ester come up the hill for lunch at Nanny's Pavilon. They pray for peace and safety for the construction crew - and take home a few books from the boxes.

When I look up, there's damage in the soffit from bats. They are destructive in clinging to the roof and chewing the wood.

A frog has wandered into the living room. W gets a dustpan and tosses it back into the garden.

A beautiful white-black wallpaper has been left in one of the rooms. The builders remove an empty box that runs along the one wall and repair the ceiling. That leaves a hole in the paper that I'll fix with a black marker. I traced the pattern a week ago to make sure we could do it. You won't even be able to tell if it's done well.

Except that, when we looked at the room yesterday, there was white paint slopped down the sides and white drips all along the top. Someone was careless with the cut-in, that's for sure. The dry paint can't be removed. I tell the contractor to take the paper down and paint the wall white. Another heritage touch disappears.

I have a canvas drop cloth the size of the windows so we cover the glass for privacy.

Thursday

I hear rustling in the early hours of the morning. When I turn on the light, a big frog is hopping around the bedroom. What's with the frogs this week?!

At 7:30 AM, the dogs eagerly hop in the car, anticipating a good run.

We're hiking in forest and tea fields today. 

Makes of pink impatiens bloom between the rows of tea shrubs. After the tea is clipped, the plants rest before the rows are weeded again in preparation for new growth. It's a few messy weeks as the pale pink impatiens take over.

It's clear enough to see trees on the volcanic slopes around us. The air is often so hazy that we can see outlines but not sharp contours. Not today. We spot the big and still active volcano on the horizon.

We eat at a friend's favorite warung (local eatery). After, we rinse our hands under a spigot pounded into a 5 gallon pail. Another bucket catches the rinse water.

Some local playgrounds may be old-fashioned but they bring back fond memories of our childhood.

Frances drops by with a letter to be mailed next week. She takes home a box of biographies. The opened boxes go to Green Gate's hall where they'll be offered each Sunday until they're gone. We still have novels and teaching materials left to sort. The oened boxes go to Green Gate's hall where they'll be offered each Sunday until they're gone.

IbuA and IbuS help me clear some bookshelves in preparation for moving them. PakG, the yardman, and W shift some shelves to a new location. It's my job to figure out what goes where; theirs is to move it into place.

Read more:

* O Lord of hosts, you are God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. Isaiah 37:16

* A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you. Ezekiel 36:26

* Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:44-45

* All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. John 1:3

Moravian Prayer: O God, allow us to really listen; to feel the Holy Spirit; to observe your love; to make love a part of everyday life; to share love with all; to try and love like you.

Creator of all, inspire us with your divine wisdom. Help us to recognize your presence in every aspect of existence and to live in accordance with your divine will. In your name we pray. Amen.

How to make raw brownies? How about crepes? (Recipes included)

Sunday, August 10, 2025

We talk about practical faith at the IES Bandung Gathering. That includes honoring other people, respecting those in authority, and obeying the government. (See 1 Peter 2:11-17 below.) People share lively takeaways afterward. Titik is back and has outdone herself on the hall flowers.

Close up, the detail of the leaves, roses, and mums are lovely.

We eat at #HomeGround, with spicy Szechwan beef and rice for me and chicken for W. I walk back, noticing electrical boxes dangling from the trees along the street. (That can't be good!)

The hoya vine on the Porch is flowering again, scenting the entry. The little (6"/15cm) pot half-filled with soil seems unlikely to support the lush growth but it blooms off and on all year.

W and I stay on the Porch for a few hours, reading and wrapping up post-Gathering Sunday chores.

Monday

We walk all 3 dogs on a leash, with Anton occasionally jumping over Juno's back toward cats. W drapes the leash behind his legs so Anton is pulled back if he tugs - his choice.

The beautifully woven standard from the weekend's wedding has been pulled down. Now it's just strips of grass that will be burned with whatever else is lying along the street.

We take some calls and work while the morning is young. W and our grandkids enjoy the gaming aspects (and competitive nature) of the Duolingo language app. I just want the information. W has a streak of +1300 unbroken days while I'm at 1100. We have completely different experiences. He uses his computer and is learning quickly. Because he likes music and background noise, he constantly plays Indonesian jazz radio. He hears more language. Meanwhile, I crave silence to refresh my sanity.

The pine cones from last week's hike are starting to dry and open.

I write next Sunday's talk, toss the ball for Anton, and start writing the introduction to my book. After 2 hours, my focus is kaput. Meanwhile, W leads a hybrid study = online and in person.

On some trip, I bought an Indian cuisine packet (spinach paneer). I mix it with azuki beans. Along with okra and mushrooms, it's a healthy lunch.

Tuesday

Juno comes to be petted after her morning wriggle in the garden. What a mess - though the mud flakes off and she'll be dry within an hour.

During a few meetings online, I throw the ball for Anton to run off some of his energy. It works. When we walk the neighborhood, Anton ignores 5 cats without jumping at them. Wow. That's never happened so is worth noting in my journal. ha.

Look at this pretty clump that is fruiting along the neighbor's driveway.

Fruit and flowers are constantly in season.

I taste the Raw "Brownies" I made last night: no eggs, gluten, or dairy. Pretty good! Here's how to make it for yourself:

• Soak in hot water for 15 minutes: 1 1/2 c raw or roasted walnuts and 1 1/2 c dates. (Can adjust the size with 1 part walnuts; 1 part dates = as long as you have at least 1 c. of each.)
• Drain off the water. Add 4 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa, 1-2 Tbsp chia seeds, 1 tsp vanilla, and 1/4 tsp salt.
• Blend in a blender until fairly smooth.
• Press into a lined pan or roll into balls. (I lined a 5"X7" teflon saucepan and pressed the mixture flat into it.)
• Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

110 people have signed up for movie night tomorrow. Only 70 can fit comfortably in the house and Porch. I shop for salads and prepare sauces for movie night (tomorrow). PakG drives me "straight down the hill" to the supermarket and back.

Team meeting is online today. After that, we check on the project. It's coming along ... the roofline is almost done. I get an idea of the trajectory of the sun for transplanting our garden in a few months. Much of the ground is in deep shade under tall pines.

Back home, I think about lighting and imagine the hallway: 4 sockets in a row. What do we already have ... besides the white IKEA paper globes that cover every naked bulb in our place?

Hmmm? Didn't we get bulb covers on a trip years ago to a handmade paper factory in Chang Mai? Yes - there are 4 small ones for the hall plus a larger cover for another room. Good enough!

For supper, I feel like eating crepes. It takes a few minutes to whip them up and a few more for W and me to enjoy them with orange marmalade and whipping cream. Want the recipe? I usually heat 2-3 little saucepans (6-8") at once, so it's a quick process.

SIMPLE CREPES

Mix together: 

• 1 c flour
• 1 tsp each baking powder, vanilla (optional), and sugar (optional)*
• pinch of salt

Beat together:

• 1 T melted butter
• 1.5 c milk
• 1-2 eggs

Whisk the dry and wet ingredients together until the batter is minimally lumpy. (HINT: A pourable measuring cup will make it easy to add batter to the pan.)

Swirl oil/butter around a hot pan, dumping excess fat from the pan into a glass measuring cup. (Reuse that hot butter/oil between crepes to re-grease the pan.)

Pour 2-3 T batter into one end of the oiled hot pan. Tilt the pan to cover the bottom with a very thin layer of batter.

Cook for up to 2 minutes. When the batter is dry on top, the crepe can be tipped out of the pan onto a serving plate. No need to bake it on both sides.

*If you skip the sugar and vanilla, it's ideal for savory fillings.

W and I have read the Sunday talk so I confirm events on the weekly calendar: women's study (hopefully), movie night, a hike, a family-style supper and travel night, and a potluck on the weekend. Sounds like a lot of cooking, eating, and people, doesn't it?

Read more:
*Put away the foreign gods that are among you and incline your hearts to the Lord. Joshua 24:23

*Paul said, “I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you. I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.” Acts 20:20-21

*Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human authority; whether to the emperor as the supreme authority or to the governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong adn to commend those who do right. For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.

Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil. Live as God's slaves. Show proper respect to everyone. Love the family of believers. Fear God. Honor the emperor. 1 Peter 2:11-17

Moravian Prayer: God, when we stray, guide us back to your loving embrace. Grant us the courage to repent, the strength to seek forgiveness, and the humility to return to your divine presence. This we pray in the name of your son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. 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.

Easter weekend is here!

Thursday, April 17, 2025

After cleaning mud from the hike off our bodies and clothes, we feel almost human again. Shibli and Tanikota intern SanSan drop by for over an hour. She has done a wonderful job teaching children during this university semester. Now she's moving elsewhere for work. We send a small gift and thank you card with her.

GOOD FRIDAY 2025

It pours down rain. Oh what lousy sleep. I manage 6 hours with a long break in the middle. I start the breadmaker at 2:30 AM so a loaf will be ready when I wake. We bake a second bread in prep for lunch guests.

It's a meditative morning, with reflections and a blog post on the great gift of Jesus. It's unfathomable how much we are loved and what He has accomplished for us.

As I cook and clean, I note the silicone pan liners are in terrible shape.

It takes a half hour of scrubbing to remove the baked-on gunk. Every once in a while my inner "German-Hausfrau" goes on a rampage to give something a deep clean. Today's the day for the liners.

I make gnocchi, egg sandwiches (on fresh bread), salad, and sausages for lunch. Dessert is cookies, of course! Having friends over is a pleasure around the big round table. Everyone spins the central lazy-Susan until the food they want reaches them.

J and N bring gifts of homemade jam and some tea. Perfect! We talk about the spiritual treasure we share in the death and resurrection of Jesus. The conversation nourishes our souls as we feed our bodies.

Great flashes of lightning strike in the early evening. Thunder rolls across the sky. The power of God is on display tonight.

Saturday

Lots of people are walking the Loop before 7 AM. Indonesia officially celebrates Good Friday but not Easter. Families get together on days off and extend days on either side if they can. This is a long weekend for many.

Alice orders lily stems at the last minute; I didn't mention it earlier in the week because she was ill. She's amazing at finding what we need! Ding-dong, the gate bell rings and there they are. Thanks (x100 for all you do), Alice.

A trip to the yard yields bromeliads and maidenhead ferns. Most of the lilies are closed. Hopefully they open by tomorrow. I add pretty white-flowered weeds from the morning walk to make a 4' X 2.5' (130 X 80cm) arrangement. That's big enough. We drop it off at the hall.

W's in the mood to go to the mall. The last time I went to PVJ, I was wearing a mask. That means it's been years. The empty storefronts are full again, the mall has been upgraded, and the aisles swarm with shoppers. However, the fashions? Look at these polyester knit patterns, straight from the 1970s. Retro is in, I guess.

Lunch is spicy noodles, which live up to their name. The taste is worth the heat. I pick out as many hot red peppers as I can find, but my lips tingle for hours afterward. Thank God for a healthy stomach. 

W enjoys his wagyu croquette, a mass of egg, meat, and cheese, on croissant-like bun. He finds a new batik shirt and I buy small gifts for next year's Christmas White-Elephant gift exchange. (Yes, I dislike pressure-shopping enough to gather barang barang or hal hal = stuff = far in advance. Best case scenario: I never have to shop for a "need.")

Inside the mall, a play area is full of kids and bunnies. I don't see if they're selling the bunnies but 2 banks of cages have dozens of rabbits in them. Whether they end up as saté or pets is up in the air.

We drop by Veronica's to check on Kiki and hand over her humorous book about growing up in 1950s-'60s Australia. So much is relatable to Canadians of that era. Remember Massey Ferguson tractors (no John Deere in Canada)? Remember when school discipline was a smack on the palm with a chalkboard pointer, and every classroom had a British flag and a picture of the Queen?

How about family chores? Back in the day, no kid expected payment for doing chores; it was every family member's duty to contribute. I laugh while reading parts aloud to W on the drive to the mall.

W helps me figure out what's missing for the survey I need to write my next book. Apparently I've been stalled for a month by a simple instruction to "make and send the shortened link" for returns. Sigh. Should have asked him sooner!

What a spiritual journey this Lenton season has been for me, reading through the book of John. John was the beloved friend of Jesus and an eyewitness to what Jesus said and did. I finish the final (Lent Day 40) blog post in late afternoon. Read it (and catch up on the others) here.

Read more:

*For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. John 3:16

*He is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

*In Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. 2 Corinthians 5:19

Moravian Prayer: Prince of peace, we confess our faith this day as we remember your last breaths, your cries of anguish, and the blood spilling from your side. Bless and comfort us, gracious God. Remember us as you go into your kingdom. Amen.