the taste of home

Just as April did, May is flying by at lightning speed and I find myself struggling to keep up with what day it is! So far it is still comfortably in the 70’s/low 80’s because we have had a fair amount of rain this spring. However, the heat is coming, like it or not! We have been working hard to get things ready for the slew of interns we have coming to work with us this summer. We hope to provide a great experience for them and to bless the community around us. Note—shameless plug to follow—we are always in need of people to come out and serve with us, so if you are interested and want to know more please contact me.

I had a recent request to write about some of the ways we get a “taste” of home. Meals and cooking are a big part of our everyday experience, especially with two growing boys in our house. I’m pretty sure Zeke tells me no less than 6 times a day that he is hungry…and believe me, we ARE feeding him plenty! I imagine this is how it goes with little boys and probably gets worse as they get older. Anyhow, I have found that being able to figure out ways to cook foods we know and love has been something that has made us feel more at home here. I have learned and cooked many local foods as well, and that influences all of my cooking. I have also learned to get beef straight from a butcher and have it cleaned up the way I like. However, some staples in our house are pizza, grilled cheese and tomato soup, burritos and spaghetti.

Fortunately for us there are many ingredients available to us. It’s just a matter of taking the time to put things together from scratch. I have gotten very quick at making pizza crust and loaves of bread. I also have learned the fine art of canning so that I can make some things convenient for cooking after I have made a big batch of marinara sauce, for example. Produce here is incredible and inexpensive, so I buy tomatoes in bulk when I make my marinara. The craziest thing I think I have made that I never thought I would was gyros. I love gyros and I found a good recipe that came out great. It was a bit expensive to make since it has beef and lamb, but for a unique treat it was worth it. It took all day being in and out of the kitchen to prepare it, but it gives me such a sense of accomplishment to be able to make something like that myself. I spend a fair amount of time in the kitchen, which sometimes I like and at other times I don’t.

I would say my culinary skills have definitely grown and gained an international flare since moving here. I also find myself trying to slip in as many fruits or veggies as I can to get lots of healthy things into my family without them even knowingJ We are so blessed to be in a place where so much is available to us. I definitely get tired of cooking many days, though, and either Scott will take over or we’ll just go out. The great news here is that pretty much all restaurants are kid friendly and even have free child care in the form of a waiter taking my boys over to play with the rest of the staff for a bit! I’m starting to realize that I may be a bit spoiled here. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

what happened to April???

I find myself relieved to be on the backside of an incredibly busy month! I'm not even sure I remember the calendar changing to April and all I know is that it is suddenly May! I regret to inform you that as I was attempting to download pictures from my camera to share of all that has gone on, for some reason there was a glitch and my pictures were erased, so I won't be sharing any pictures in this blog. Ah, technology...both a friend and foe! Anyhow, in the spirit of moving on from that disappointment in my day I will try and share a word picture of all that has gone on.

We had the privilege of hosting two teams this month. One came to learn and experience a bit of the work we have going on here and the other came to serve. Teams definitely change the dynamic of our week, but in a way that can be very refreshing. We love to share about our life here and all that God is teaching us so it really is a joy to partner with folks who want to come out here for various reasons. The second team that came helped us utilize the Easter season by organizing and planning a women's party AND a drama for our Easter service. This is the first time we have had a team come in to do a drama for us. Every Christmas and Easter we put on big community productions, and as I was the one to lead that production last Christmas I can tell you what a huge burden was lifted off of our team's shoulders by these guys coming in prepared to share and serve the people here. They did a fantastic job of sharing about Hope and really connecting with the culture and people. Once again....a HUGE thank you to the team who took the time out of their busy lives to make this happen!

This past weekend we helped a friend prepare for his wedding and went on another picnic. The picnic was earlier in the day on Friday while the wedding was that evening. This picnic spot is probably my favorite spot of all that we have been to. We started driving back into the mountains pretty early on in our journey and then just kept heading further and further back. At every turn of the road the landscape opened itself up into an even more breathtaking display of fields, wild flowers and mountains...as well as brilliant yellows, reds, greens, browns and a beautiful blue sky! This country is so incredibly beautiful and words (and even pictures at times) just can't do it justice. I guess maybe you should think about coming out and seeing it for yourself:-) Our spot was nestled into some lush green trees and alongside a babbling brook (arg, I keep thinking of all the pictures I took...). Someone had built a few pavilions into this area so there are nice areas to set up our picnics. A new feature to this picnicking area that I haven't experienced before were some roaming musicians! For a mere 5000 dinar (about $4.50) they would sing a song about you! As we danced around our friends kept handing over money so they would keep singing. Their group was composed of two men, one playing a jimbay type drum and the other playing an instrument called a shimshall, It was sort of a mix between a recorder and a clarinet. It was a very cool experience. I just wish I could have understood my whole verse, but it was just too quick! I heard something about smiling and beautiful, but soon my turn was over and they were onto somebody else. Our friends bought little rubber balls for our boys so they spent the day playing with those and having a blast eating way to many cooking and getting lots and lots of kisses.

That evening I stayed home with Ethan while Scott and Zeke went to the wedding ceremony. Ethan has been getting several new teeth and has the tendency these days to shriek and cry so we thought it best to keep him home. However, Zeke had a great time participating in it. This is the first wedding where he has been somewhat aware of what is happening. He did do the classic kid thing, though, and ask questions in a voice loud enough for those around him to hear. Questions like: "why are they getting married...are they having a baby?" Gotta love how kids think! He came home with lots of details to share with me. Boy do I love my little guys! They bring so much joy to our lives!

SO this month will be a little bit more normal as classes continue and we take advantage of the few remaining weeks to enjoy picnics. We will be preparing ourselves to receive our new interns who will be arriving in early June. We will also be getting ourselves ready for a very busy summer. These are good times and as we take time to listen we hear God speaking to us about balance. Until moving here I don't think we fully understood the importance and necessity of a sabbath day. Anyhow, we are a work in progress!

what is normal?

Our life here tends to go in cycles that follow the seasons and the center schedule. Currently we are fully into a new term of classes and trying to enjoy this season that inevitably leads to summer, which means unbelievable heat! Scott is enjoying his new class of students and we are looking forward to welcoming a team who will be staying for a week with our team in order to help and check out our work. These are very fun, but busy times. More than usual we find ourselves having to really plan ahead because time is going so quickly that we will find ourselves unprepared for the next thing if we don’t get a head-start on it.

Its sort of funny lately as I reflect on the fact that we are nearing our 3 year anniversary of moving here. So many things that were once foreign have become normal. Even the protests that started here about 2 months ago have become somewhat normal, along with the increased sounds of security and ambulances passing by the main road near our home. Don’t get me wrong, we definitely continue to be aware and even cautious at times, but it amazes me how quickly you can become used to something and allow life to go on. I think when times get stressful or tough it is human to desire “normalcy” so even if the situation around you doesn’t return to the normal of before, we automatically create a new norm that will allow us to relax a bit and go on with our days.

I sometimes think about these sort of things when I am driving around our city and hardly notice the differences between western and middle eastern architecture; the dust storms that spring up are still a pain, but somehow expected; I no longer think that a quick, spring rain shower will clean my car off; I no longer get frustrated when I pull into a turn lane and cars around me create a 3 or even 4 deep and wide turn lane. I praise God in all of this realizing that He has made us to be adaptable. I think it is easy for us to fight against change when it comes, but ultimately we have to adapt, and we do! Sometimes we think that we can’t handle certain things, but God assures us that He will never give us more than we can handle AND that He will walk along-side of us through it all…if we choose to accept His help.

This coming week we will be hosting the afore-mentioned team, we will get to invite our friends to another women’s event at our center and we will be celebrating Easter…its gonna be a busy week, but a good one. I am going to attach some recent picnic pictures below to enjoy more of the beautiful scenery of this country. Also, if there are things you would like to hear more about in relation to life here please leave a comment and let me know…like I said, it’s all become so normal to me now that I no longer see it all with fresh eyes, so I am open to your suggestions

so many questions...

I had an experience today that has left me very contemplative. It has brought up many questions in me to which I don’t know the answers. The biggest question in all of these thoughts is wondering if we have failed. By “we” I mean American culture. In my time overseas I have learned many skewed views that people all over the world have of the U.S. Most of these are not flattering. The funny (or not so funny) part about these views is that they affect me personally, even if they don’t reflect at all who I am. This is where another question comes to mind: who is responsible for how the world views Americans? Is it the media, our government, celebrities, who? Now I know that it isn’t fair for anyone to make a generalization about any culture and pin that label on individuals. However, when do we, like a parent who is seen in a bad light due to their child’s ill behavior, have a piece in that responsibility, even as individuals? There are a lot of images, perceptions, and impressions that have been sent out into the world regarding American culture. Is that who we are? I very much appreciate the freedom that our country has fought for and the battles that have taken place so that I can choose to be who I want to be. However, another question comes to me: what has the price of that freedom been? Who is taking responsibility to see that our freedoms are used and not abused? I know as one person I feel pretty powerless to even begin to answer these questions, let alone make a difference. But I figure its gotta start somewhere! What can I do to make a difference in the world and leave a positive mark on those whom I have influence over? Over the last few years I have railed against the views of my culture, thinking it’s not fair that labels are placed on me that I have not earned. However, is fairness the thing to be railing against? Will that get me anywhere productive?

These questions span further when I think about my faith. As a representative of Jesus, how do the people around me view my actions and attitudes? Is it fair that the images of American pop-culture are seen in tandem with Christianity? Fair or not, that is the situation I find myself encountering over and over again. And the lasting impression it leaves me with is this: we have to do better; we have to BE better. I don’t know what that looks like. I think some of it starts by taking personal responsibility in becoming educated about the world. I hear a lot of opinions out there (some of which are mine) that are based purely on bits and pieces heard around us, versus having researched, asked questions and learned the objective facts. The other thing that needs to be done is that we need to reach out to people, to truly love in a sacrificial way. Now I know the U.S. does a lot of good work around the world and that there are many NGO’s out there that are plugging away at some of the tougher challenges facing our world. However, what are we doing in our own culture? Many of my friends here think that if they could just immigrate to the states that all of their problems would be solved. I am left wondering, though, if they did emigrate who would reach out to them? Who would teach them how to live in a new culture and how to see the good through the bad? Would it be a government agency or would it be the people who live right next store to them? I know it can be intimidating reaching out to other people and cultures that we don’t understand. There’s the issue of language barriers, misunderstandings and then there’s the issue of not having enough time. When are we going to make the time? When are we going to put ourselves out on a limb, even if it means making a fool or ourselves? You never know, but it might make a huge difference in the life of another person. These small changes, I believe, can affect the world and all it takes is one person reaching out to one person; making the time, making the sacrifices it takes to really influence a life. I know I am in no position to stand on any sort of soap box, but I feel a responsibility to slowly begin to answer some of these questions. I’d love to hear some of your thoughts and to hear about how God may be moving in your heart through some of the journey He is taking me on. Until next time!

picnics, Picnics, PICNICS!!!

We are fully into the swing of spring here and what does that mean for us? Picnicking season has arrived! It is all kicked off by the big new years celebration (naw roz, see previous post) and for the next 8 weeks (at least) we will go on a picnic every Friday. It is a great way to connect with people and really take advantage of the beautiful weather.

For the holiday week we chose to go with some close friends of ours to a place that we found by chance this time last year. It is a beautiful spot that you can only get to by dirt road. Once you drive down a mountain and into the valley there is nothing to be seen but rolling hills and more mountains. We have learned that for the people here the best places are near a stream and surrounded by trees. When we previously went to this spot we weren't near either of those things (although it DID have a waterfall that you could see in the distance). We thought we remembered a place that might work to meet all of our needs, so we set out for the 45 minute drive from our house to this spot. When we got there we really lucked out! Where we thought we remembered a small grove of trees, not only were there trees, but a stream! So after parking and rolling out a mat onto the grass we immediately put our watermelon into the stream to chill (a popular practice here).

Making chicken kabobs.

Green is starting to burst out everywhere!

This should be a picture for an American car commercial...the truck is a Ford and our Chevy is on the right:-)

We ate delicious food, talked, and even did some hiking. Zeke absolutely loves these times and Ethan is starting to really get into it. We were very tired by the end of it all, but it was a day well spent. I will include a video below that shows you the road we drove in on (the spot shown is past where we were picnicking since we were in an adventurous mood). Expect more posts to come on picnics and beautiful scenery!

Naw Roz 2711

It is that fun time of year for us where the entire city around us is ready to celebrate. According to the calendar of the people here it is the year 2711 today. To kick off the holiday they have a parade of people the day before. Everyone gets dressed up in their cultural clothes and goes out to walk along a street that is closed off for about a 2 mile stretch. We love to participate in this holiday. It is the most festive and everyone gets into it. Everyone is in a great mood and enjoying being together. This year we were able to recycle an outfit from 2 years ago for Ethan to wear. However, we weren't able to get a new one for Zeke this year, but I got a new dress. Scott continues to wear his same outfit since the men's outfits never change style!



Our house is only about 2 blocks from the big street that everyone goes out on, so we packed up the boys into strollers and headed out. Just in the last week it has warmed up into the 70's and the sun is out. We are so thrilled to be done with winter! The boys are finally starting to shed some of their extra layers of clothing and we are starting to open up windows to air out the house after being closed up all winter. The day of the parade was absolutely perfect. We were able to stay out for several hours before the boys were overwhelmed and Scott and I could no longer walk due to the blisters and cuts our shoes were causing. Ah, the things we do in the name of looking good! It is so much fun, however, to get all dressed up for this holiday. Everyone has a unique outfit that has been made just for them. The women have slightly different styles that come out each year. I'm hoping that the dress I picked for this year will be a bit more of a "classic" look so that I don't have to get a new one every year:-)



There is tons of music and everyone you look at gives you a smile. Our family was followed by a photo journalist for awhile until we finally lost him in a crowd. The boys had tons of pictures taken of them, especially Ethan since he was wearing the traditional clothes. Both boys handled all of the pictures, cheek squeezes and kisses like champs! Despite the huge crowds we always find friends and people that we know.
This is my absolute favorite time of the year. It is finally spring and it is great to see everyone getting out and having a good time. Another aspect I love about not only this holiday, but the culture in general is how all of the fun transcends generations. You see groups of people dancing and singing and its not just the young or the old, but a mix of everyone. It really resonates with me having celebrations and times of fun where everyone in the family has fun and has a place in it all. We really love our home here and the people we work among. The rest of the week will be picnics and other outings...stay tuned for more!

**birthday fun**

It is very hard for me to believe, but Ethan is already a year old! It is crazy for me to think how we were just returning from Jordan about this time last year with our new little guy. He has brought so much joy to our lives and we are so grateful that God has blessed us with him. We weren't able to have his party on the actual day so instead we made a little family celebration where he experienced birthday cake for the first time and got his birthday present from us:

I think we have a fan!

A few days later we invited some friends over and had a small party. Because the day we had planned to have the party ended up being a day where many people in our city intended to have a very large protest we decided to make the party earlier in the day, so instead of doing a lunch, we did brunch, complete with a pancake cake!


I discovered that a morning party is much easier than one later in the day. Breakfast foods are so easy and many of them can be made the day before. I think this may become the way we do it from now on! It was a wonderful day. Ethan had his brother and four little friends there with him. We are very blessed to have people around us who love on our children and want to celebrate how unique and special they are right along with us. It makes it easier when we can't have family with us during these special times. As always God provides all that we need:-)

Still ticking!

Once again I find myself in need of apologizing...yes, life has been crazy, yes we've been busy, but I am still sorry to those of you that check in every week with us and over the last month have been left wanting. I will strive to do better! That being said, I would like to give you a short overview of the last month and then over the next week post some additional blogs with more detail to make up for my laziness during February.

This past month life has been a bit different for us as protests have rippled through the region over political corruption and want of freedom, finally hitting our city nearly 3 weeks ago. We experienced our first city wide curfew after the first day of protesting erupted into violence between local security and protesters. We haven't had a curfew since that first night, and people have fought to demand change in a peaceful fashion. Protesting is also happening in others cities around our region as well as in the rest of the country. Some of these demonstrations are not happening peacefully. It has been sort of surreal for us as our friends tell us different stories about what has happened. Interestingly for us, many seem hesitant to speculate on what the future will bring. Usually people always are willing to offer a thought or opinion, but like us, are watching and waiting to see what will come. Life is going on as usual in many ways. We just finished up classes this past week and only had to cancel one coffee shop night (the night of the curfew). We have had some days where we have planned to stay home due to questionable circumstances, but as each day passes, thankfully, nothing big happens. It has become our nightly routine to check in with a local blogger who is chronicling each days events from the center of the city where the primary protests are happening. These are interesting times, to say the least, but we continue to trust in God's sovereignty over all things and live our lives accordingly.

Ethan celebrated his first birthday this last month. I will write about that in more detail in another blog. I also had to say goodbye to by sister a couple days ago as she finished her 6 months of serving with us here. It was wonderful having family here with us and for our boys to get to know their Auntie. We have had a number of times meeting with friends and enjoying the weather as things are starting to warm up. Zeke and Ethan are doing great. They are playing together more and more, which means that we are dealing with lots of fights over who gets which cars. Ethan has already learned the skill of grabbing a car from his brother's pile and trying to hide it behind him while his brother grabs at it! I am loving watching their relationship grow and develop!

Even though we are in uncertain times it is encouraging to know that we serve One who knows all that has been, is and will be. No matter where you are, it is all about walking daily in trusting all that God has for you. We continue to do that and will keep you posted as things in our context develop. Check back soon for birthday party details!