Wet start to the week

The blur of rain overflows the pond and
pools water in the backyard

"Whatever rain we were deprived of in the last month, here it is." W gets the floor squeegee ready and puts a bucket under the drip in the laundry room. The wind gusts through the louvers into the house, roaring past the drops outside to swing the capri chandelier in the living room.

Jakarta has had flooding in the past weeks but Bandung has been quite dry. Now the drain spouts spit water from the roof for several feet, adding it to the little river that's the ditch in front of the house. Our guppy pond overflows: I exchanged the fish and water today, moving the guppies from the house back to the pond and catching new ones. Hopefully not too many fish get washed into the grass.

When I sit to write, I feel like nothing has gone on in a day or a week. However, my 2015 "word of the year" is steadfastness. Keeping on keeping on can be rewarding. As in,

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know 

that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. (James 1:2-3 ESV)

Measuring the slope by touching heads to the ceiling

Sunday, January 18
We get a call in the afternoon: are we up for a quick visit at Reading Lights bookstore with a friend? Sure. I'm not driving much and want to be mobile if we have an emergency. So I drive down the hill. The squeeze between angkots, cars parked in the road, and students strolling near the shoulder makes it an exercise in focus. We get there safely, have coffee and tea, and talk with S.

Something is on the roof. We hear it at night, walking on the tiles. "Just stay on that side, please. Out-side that is." The neighborhood cats prowl on the porch and knock over wood scraps left by the carpenter.

Monday
I stay home while W is researching alarm and alert systems for the neighborhood council. He's gone for a few hours, putting 14 km on his shoe soles. He walks down to town and between the tech centers. Before coming home, he drops by the hospital to read and pray with a sick friend.

Water, sun, and warmth. Perfect for plants.

Back and forth go the emails and WhatsApp messages. We're trying to arrange two life groups this week. Seems like there's no great time for everyone so the point persons have to choose a time and place. As many as possible will come.

In the early evening, we visit a neighbor with Dr W translating. Mrs W is moving at the end of the month and has been working night and day to clear things out of the house. She's moving to her home across the valley. I can't believe how much she's accomplished.

"Up until 4 in the morning sometimes," she admits. What a chore. Seems like we just finished wrapping up our house in Seattle.

Tuesday
I'm up by 4:30 and can't get back to sleep. Martha and I talk on the phone. She's calling on Monday night and I am already at Tuesday morning. We discuss our reading assignment (Mere Christianity by CS Lewis), prayer requests, and life lessons.

Ibu A arrives shortly after 8. We have a morning appointment but are back for a delicious lunch at 12:30. At 1, we take the batik purchased two weeks ago and walk with Dr W to meet her neighborhood seamstress. The lanes, some 3' wide, wind between full-sized houses and small dwellings. We recognize a lot of people along the way: we often walked this route toward language school last semester.

Odd little blooms, little mouths of
white blossoms tucked between vibrant leaves

The seamstress brings out her husband's tailored shirt to show Waldemar what is possible. He decides on a pattern to wear to formal events. I'm looking for a long skirt. And Dr W wants a blazer. All possible by the end of the month. Wow.

There's more back and forth about scheduling the life groups as the rain starts. The thunder and lightning are close by. The growl comes and goes for an hour. We're cozy inside except for water in the back hall. The power goes off.

W walks to the neighborhood warung to pick up some freshly-made chicken and rice. We eat by candlelight, marveling at how spoiled we are to have power. When the electricity comes back, the breakers click off and we're in the dark again. W finds water shorting out a connection in the back wing. We leave the power off back there and run a temporary extension cord from kitchen to back fridge. The disruption to the computer means I don't finish an assignment. Ah, lots to do tomorrow then.

Read more:
*The Lord spoke and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. Psalm 33:9 ESV

*See how I love your precepts; preserve my life, Lord, in accordance with your love. All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal. Psalm 119:159-160 NIV

*The centurion answered Jesus, “Only speak the word, and my servant will be healed.” Matthew 8:8 ESV

Moravian Prayer: Creator of everything, we give you thanks. We are blessed by your creation and your healing every day. Thank you for believing in us, broken though we are. Remind us that we are still another part of your wonderful creation. Amen.