Weather phenomena

I've talked over the years about some of the crazy weather phenomena here. I managed to catch one crazy storm that blew in for a few, short minutes on video. This one wasn't as dust filled as many of them are, but it was still pretty cool. Enjoy!

Kids camp

Despite the many things that are going on around us, we continue to move forward with life. Two weeks ago we had a team of folks from New Jersey join us for hosting a kids English camp at our center. 

The team prepared themes and activities for kids age 6 to 13 that would help them to interact with and learn English. The camp was five days a week and lasted about three hours each day. It might not seem like a ton of time, but camps like this zap all your energy, especially with temperatures outside reaching near 110 degrees!

The team members were real champs pushing through jet lag and sickness. The local kids had a blast and they even let some of our own older kids participate. 

Liza even got in on the fun a couple times when I was hanging out helping with crowd control. 

The last day of the camp there was a little graduation for the kids.  The parents came and got to see each age group share a song or a poem and then receive a certificate for participating. 

It was a great couple of weeks, but we are looking forward to getting into a regular routine with our adult classes starting this next week. I know our kids could use some stability and routine, for sure! And with the routine, a hope for cooler weather...

Living in limbo

Life here over the years has been pretty normal most of the time (normal for here!).  However, at other times it an be quite the wild ride.  Because of the constant changing dynamic of the middle east, we live in sort of a constant state of limbo.  We find ourselves there once again.

What I mean by this is that despite what we see going on around us we have to continue to make plans for the future and move forward with our work.  So many times over our six years here we have had a situation come up that makes me pause and wonder if we should put everything on hold: don’t make that purchase quite yet, don’t set an arrival date for that new intern, don’t make plans for that short term team to come and serve.  However, all of the past times have shown us to be wise to have continued to make plans and move forward because this giant teeter totter we live on has continued to balance rather than throw everything topsy turvy like we may have thought it would.

With all of the conflict around us seeming to escalate we are once again pondering a pause.  It makes me very sad even as I write this to think how we don’t know how much time we have left in this place.  However, that reminds me that we never know how much time we have in a place.  This should push us on to boldness and fervor, but I’m afraid more often than not, the unknown pushes us to quake in fear and inactivity.  I am reminded of where the Bible talks about how God’s wisdom is not the same as our wisdom.  How God can see whats happening as well as through it and yet His plan remains the same.  This brings me comfort in knowing that wherever He leads us that He has a plan for that place, that time and how He would like to use us in it.  This comfort does come with a cost, though.  As I trust in Him, I know it could mean having to leave friends, leave material things and homes behind.  I choose to fight the anxiety and fear of the unknown that rages in my heart.  I choose to trust the Lord with all things, including my very life, knowing that to die is gain.  These choices are what get me out of bed each morning and continuing on in the face of the many questions and concerns that arise each day.  My ability to choose this is greater than what the enemy would like me to passively receive.  Please pray with us for the middle east.  The Prince of Peace is the only answer to every tragedy here.

Catching up

We are thankful to be entering into a season that (hopefully) won't be as insane as the previous half of 2014. We enjoyed some wonderful time out of country this summer with family and friends that has left us fairly refreshed!

Last week was one of my favorite times to be a part of this culture...the end of Ramadan holiday. This is a very festive time of year in this part of the world. For three days we pack in as many visits as possible with as many friends as possible. It's an amazing time to connect and reconnect. 

The first day is mostly a family day, but a fun neighborhood thing is that the neighbor men all gather fairly early in the morning and do a quick visit to one another's houses. We had heard about this happening other years, but never saw it in the other neighborhoods we've lived in. However, it does happen in our current neighborhood!

Here they are gathering outside of our house at about 8:30am. 

Since the first day is a family visit day we restrict our visits to those we are closest with. We even got to join a friend and his family for a wonderful lunch!

My favorite part of this visit was when all the kiddos started getting a little fussy our friend's brother got out a lighter to entertain them with (insert sarcastic tone)! Quality entertainment in these parts, let me tell ya!

The two days following this one were filled with visits that were carefully planned around meal times. We wanted to fit in as many visits as we could, but you don't want to arrive at a friend's house past a certain point where they are then obligated to invite you to stay and eat. It's quite the challenge trying to get that last visit squeezed in, but wondering if you are pushing your luck!

Something I love about these visits is seeing the very different ways people decorate their homes. One of our neighbors took the cake in having the fanciest room I've seen in awhile!

Liza had her own little, gold, princess pillow to perch on while she enjoyed her candy and juice!

This process can be a tiring one, but it's how we enter into the lives of our friends in a meaningful way. It's not always convenient, the kids miss naps, get all sugared up and even a bit wild, but we know each interaction and time spent in a friend's home is an investment in something greater. Therefore, we count it a joy to be inconvenienced!