Bus Connections

The day after our return from the mountains of Munduk, Gayle invited Jen and I to take an English class with the Compassion students.  Jen took one group and I took another, sitting side by side at tables outside.  The challenge was competing with each other with the noise of answering our questions.  We had a work sheet with three pictures of different road situations with arrows going left and right from which we were to teach basic directions: straight ahead, left and right. It was a bit of fun with Jen and I taking ideas from each other as we went and eventually joining the classes together to help the continuity, ending with the Hoky Poky song.  After the class, Dwi one of the girls who I knew from last year whose English is very good, helped show Jen around the accommodation provided for the students.  Jen then took a scooter ride back to Sukawati and Gayle and I drove back to the house, stopping to buy and eat a durian on the way.  Unfortunately this is where I think I picked up a tummy bug.  I forgot to sanitise my hands before eating and the next day I was struck down with the dreaded Bali Belly!

I decided going light on food was the best course of action.  I stayed off all food till midday when I ate a banana and some of my homemade kefir both of which are good for gut flora. Gayle gave me some medication for diarrhoea and later Benny bought and delivered some charcoal tablets and electrolytes.  Late afternoon I ate a small amount of rice and scrambled eggs.  I was feeling much better and less light headed.  I was even able to get my last blog finished and up the following day.

Saturday I was going to join Gayle and the Compassion kids on their outing but decided it was best I took another day to recuperate.  Stevenas, the Gojek driver arrived to drive Gayle, Dwi was with him and very disappointed I wasn’t going with them.  She surprised me with a beautiful homemade birthday card and on her return a bunch of flowers she had picked from the roadside. That and with all the greetings from friends all over the world, I felt so loved.  My sister Kat had remembered but Jen hadn’t maybe because she had treated me to a massage in Amed. She had been sending me other messages all morning about our next plans. I asked her if she had forgotten something.  She said “I hope not” I then reminded her what date it was and she laughed, sending me birthday greetings. Ubu Rosa arrived at 9am, when she heard I wasn’t well she started massaging my feet and calves with herbal oil.  Wow! Was it painful! Then she turned put on a praise song and pulled me out of my chair to dance before the Lord. I think she was trying to tell me the Lord had healed her when she praised the Lord just as the Israelite’s did when conquering Jericho.  After this I had a very relaxing day again eating very little and was feeling so much better.  Praise the Lord for His provision.

Sunday we were off out to church where I met Gayle’s friends from Queensland who were over for their son’s wedding.  It seems Bali is a popular place for weddings, the venues and ceremonies are so much cheaper here. The girl from Korea who we met last year was also there.  This morning’s service commemorated Gayle’s late husband, Pastor Wayen (whose birthday is the same as mine).  After the service many of the members plus our visitors joined us for lunch.  I wanted a simple soup but wasn’t sure if they had one on the menu till Gayle persuaded me with Soto Ayam (Chicken soup with noodles). It was just what I needed.  Gayle’s friend Tony who we had met the other day for lunch joined us.  He spoke at the youth service after lunch giving his testimony how he, as a Muslim, came to the Lord after a life as a gangster who was into drugs and alcohol.  He had joined a cruise ship to work and eventually ended up in King’s Cross, Sydney where someone shared the Gospel with him.  He now works in LA with his wife feeding the homeless.

Monday Gayle and I went off to do a shop before her Aussie friend Janette arrived from Vietnam where she was ministering.  She was coming to stay a few days before joining the team from her church in Melbourne.  At 11am we all went for a two hour massage which was very relaxing although I think I came away with bruises as I like a firm massage. Before returning home we stopped for some lunch at a restaurant across the road from where we were.  Then dropping Janet back at the house, Gayle and I set off to do some shopping and to drop another couple shoes of to be mended, including a pair of Janette’s.

Wednesday, Janette returned to her team and Jen came over so that we could all go together to the House of Hope where we were taking another English class.  She also wanted to work out how to get from Cheryl’s to Gayle’s by bus.  Last week Jen had returned to the bank in Ubud where she first purchased her bus card, here they explained that the money had been paid but it needed to be loaded onto the card.  This could be done either by tapping the card on the back of the phone which paid for the reload (which we couldn’t do due to the old make of phone) or at the bank.  Praise the Lord she was able to reload both her cards.  They were both ready for use and she could return to the bank (when it was open) or any other large branch of the same brand elsewhere to reload them.  What a palaver and what a relief.

To catch the closest bus Jen needs to walk 45 mins from where she is staying.  Take that bus into where she can change to catch the one to where I am.  This can be very confusing as some of the routes are only one way in places.  She got off her bus and with trepidation crossed a very busy road to catch a bus in the opposite direction.  Two bus drivers then told her she had to cross back to the other side again as the bus she wanted only went one way.  All this time she was communicating with me as I had the bus app which for some reason she was unable to download onto her phone.  She realised she needed to get back onto the one which came from Sukawati till it crossed the route for the bus to Tiara Gutzu.  Here she would need to swap buses to catch that one which was then going in the same direction as the one she had just disembarked from.  It took her nearly two hours to reach my stop.  By this time I had gotten a lift from Ibu Rosa arriving at the bus stop just in time to catch the bus Jen was on and continue on to the Tiara shops where we ate lunch. We sat here awhile enjoying the air conditioning and waiting for the next bus to arrive, arriving back at Gayle’s just before 2pm.

That afternoon we went with Gayle to the House of Hope, this time joining the middle and high school kids together for a joint class.  It was lots of fun as we put those who knew English better with those who had very little English to help them build confidence.  We revised directions from our last visit, singing the Hokey Pokey, then introduced names of clothing and colours with a worksheet which Jen (a teacher) had put together.  The students were to draw what they were wearing and colour it in.

The following day Jen and I wanted to explore some of the bus routes, in particular how to get to the airport as Jen’s friends were arriving on the 18^th and my friend Vi-Lay on the 4^th of July.  This mode of transport is the coolest and cheapest way to get around, as long as you have a bus pass and time to enjoy the journey.  Praise the Lord it was very easy from Gayle’s house as the bus K3B goes to the terminal where we swap to K1B which goes to the Domestic terminal.  Both Jen and I enjoy sitting on the bus observing Bali life as it passes by and noting what’s on that particular route.  It only took us an hour to get to our destination where we hopped off, taking a short cut across a road under construction to the International Airport.  Here we wandered around to see where the best spot was to wait for the international arrivals.

When returning to the bus stop we decided to go through the airport buildings to stay cool.  Unfortunately this was a much longer route weaving in and out of buildings till we reached the domestic terminal and finally the bus stop.  Looking at my app I could see the next bus was miles away so we decided to have some lunch while we waited.  We found a locally priced warang serving locals.  The food was quite spicy but nice.  As we finished we moved up the shared table to make room for two others wanting a seat. I pointed at Jen’s water bottle and suggested she move it too.  Then checking the bus app I jumped to my feet as it said we needed to go as it was about to pull up.  We only just got there in time when Jen said; “Do you remember telling me to collect my water bottle? Well I left it on the table.”  Fortunately she was ready to part with it as she wanted to get one with a wider opening which she can use when ordering drinks and desserts on the streets.  We were glad we had eaten and didn’t need to get off the bus again till it was time for us to change routes.  I was the first to get off and caught the K3B back to Tiara Gutzu to buy a few things before returning home and Jen to the GOR bus terminal to catch the K2B back to Sukawati.

After my shopping at Tiara I check the bus app to see when the next bus was due and saw there wouldn’t be another one for over an hour!  The buses here are so irregular!  As I had bought fresh milk for my kefir I decided to catch a Gojek home.  Much easier and still only 7,000 or 65c.

Thursday evening Gayle was out and I had a zoom meeting with the Coastal Community Garden committee members in Perth which was rather interesting while they celebrated receiving a grant with champagne and antipasto.   There were two of us who were unable to attend in person. Gayle arrived home during this meeting, she had another visiting church team from Melbourne to meet.

I’ve been doing quite a bit of cooking which I enjoy, so it’s ready for her when she gets home.  The following day we had a few things to do in the morning before she joined the team again.  We collected some shoes which were being repaired then stopped off for a coffee at Gosha where I often went last year.  By this time Gayle wasn’t feeling very well, so after collecting a new gas cylinder for cooking we headed home.  Gayle then called for a Grab car to take her to the clinic to check her health and cancelled all other appointments.  She came back a few hours later; heart was ok but an appointment with another doctor later that evening revealed she had low blood pressure and high acidic levels in her gut.

Two of the girls from church came and stayed overnight just in case communications in Indonesian were needed. In the morning I showed them how to make pancakes which went down well although I was told I hadn’t made them sweet enough. Later that day while Gayle was recuperating one of the girls took me on her scooter to the shops so I could stock up our supplies.  Gayle was up when we returned and looking a little better but she still felt woozy.

Gayle still wasn’t 100% on Sunday and although she wanted to attend church I suggested she take the time off and trust her team to look after the newcomers of which there were quite a few including the team from Melbourne.  Praise the Lord Janette was there and stepped in to assist.  She was very involved with the church and the school in the early years so knew many of the older church members.  Later that afternoon she came for a visit and to fill us all in on the activities.

On Monday Gayle decided she needed to visit the hospital as the follow up appointment she had been given was for the following Monday and she wanted answers for her condition. They took more blood tests but nothing was conclusive.  The rest of the day we took it easy.

That night I couldn’t get to sleep so by 10pm took something to help. I woke at 6am feeling refreshed and ready for the big day ahead, meeting Jen’s friends coming from Melbourne and staying the night at Cheryl’s so that I could join them all the following day on a new adventure.

Photos:  1. Chinese lantern – Abutilon pictum    2. Dwi’s bday card    3. Dwi and me    4. Jen and me teaching    5. Posing with the teachers    6. House meeting at Gayle’s.

Prayer & Praise Points:

Praise the Lord for His provision and protection.  For Jen’s visit and for helping her sort out her bus cards.

Please continue to pray for Gayle’s ongoing health needs and total healing for her eyes.

Please pray for Jen who has injured her leg from falling down one of the many holes in the paving.  For our safety as we navigate the roads here in Bali.  Pray also for ongoing good health and protection against disease.

Please continue to pray that I am sensitive to the Lord’s leading and prompting as I look to Him for guidance.

Please continue to pray for Elsie and Ross Winchester as they continue their cancer treatment. Please also pray for my good friend Anthony Higgs who is needing a shoulder operation. Believe with me for the Lord’s intervention and total healing for them all.

Continue to pray with me for world peace both in the Middle East, Ukraine and Russia.  Pray for all those caught up in the suffering that both these wars have caused.  Pray that God’s peace may be known by all people especially for those who live in despair, that they will find hope in Christ Jesus.

Please keep my sisters, Tricia, Jen and Kat, in your prayers.  Pray that they will come to know the love of Jesus.