enjoying the great outdoors

Because summers here are so incredibly hot we worked hard at trying to enjoy the cooler days of spring. Fortunately for us, this summer hasn't been too bad so far either so we have had an extended time of enjoying the great outdoors,

We took Zeke and Ethan to the park several times and enjoyed family walks as well. One time we got to meet up with Zeke's best friend and his family and they enjoyed the slides and even watching tadpoles in a little pond.

Zeke especially loves going on family walks in the park. This usually involves a short drive, playing on the playground for awhile and then finally packing up Ethan in the stroller and walking the perimeter of the park which has beautiful landscaping and lots of other families walking around.
One day we had some family pictures taken by a friend of ours, and while we were there Scott took the opportunity to show off his abilities on the jungle gym while Zeke played on one of those blow up jumpy slide things.
We really enjoy the beauty of this country, and when its not dusty out there are lots of ways to get out and enjoy God's creation. It is very hard for most people to believe just how beautiful this country is until they see it with their own eyes. I'm tellin' ya though, there is no place like it!

Feet and Heads

Scott here, putting in my 2 cents. Two cents at a time over the course of our 3 year blogging history I may have put in a whole 20 cents. For actually writing blogs and communicating, I am grateful for my wonderful, patient, well-spoken, and beautiful wife, Katie.

The prime thing that keeps me busy here is building deep friendships. It’s my heartbeat, my passion. This means spending time with local people telling jokes, stories, and sharing our lives. It also means doing lots of new and interesting things. Recently I got to go with a friend to eat a local delicacy called serupe, literally “head and foot.” (wasn’t that a disease in sheep a few years ago???)

Serupe is traditionally prepared very late at night and the shops open around 2am until 6am. It’s mainly construction workers who come and eat this very filling meal. Because of the heat they usually work from 4 or 5am until 12pm; serupe supposedly gives them all the energy and brainpower they need to work all morning without a snack break.

One of our interns and I arrived in the otherwise deserted market area around 2:30am with our friend. Not knowing what to exactly to expect, we soon found professionally prepared serupe consists of a goat or sheep stomach filled with rice (you don’t eat the stomach lining, but the rice is cooked inside it), boiled goat or sheep tongue, some kind of yummy broth, and, best of all, fried goat or sheep brains. It isn’t that bad if you don’t think about what you’re eating. The tongue was good, a bit like liver. For dessert you get to gnaw the fat off a boiled goat or sheep hoof. Mmmm!

A Family Update

Life has been busy lately, but we really try to prioritize one day a week where we don't work and we focus on our family, particularly quality time with our boys. In cooler days this meant family picnics, trip to the parks and walks. Since it has warmed up it has meant ice cream, swimming in the kiddie pool and getting creative with indoor play.
Ethan has been showing us more and more of his personality. He is very funny and cuddly. He does great with long periods of entertaining himself, but will then come and find either me or Scott, give us some quick hugs and kisses and then he'll be on his way. His tender little heart has been such a blessing to our family and we look forward to seeing how God is going to use that part of him. The kid loves to eat; however, part of the fun for him is throwing his food! He makes such a huge mess every time he eats, and if its something with sauce then he feels compelled to wipe it all over his face and in his hair. About a month or so ago we buzzed his hair and that has been such a time saver in that we can pop him under the running water after a meal and just rinse him down instead of needing an entire bath. He is very friendly and isn't at all stingy with the kisses (which our friends absolutely adore about him). He has been walking for about two months now and pretty much runs wherever he goes. He insists on holding our hand and walking down the stairs like a big boy and cries every time someone leaves the room. So far he isn't talking much, but definitely understands much of what we say to him. When he wants something he also has found many ways to communicate his need and uses the few sign language words we have taught him to communicate far more than the words themselves mean!
Zeke has really grown a lot in these past few months. He just finished his third month of preschool and completely loves learning. He has only asked one time not to go to school and it was because he was sick with a fever! He loves pointing out all of the shapes, letters and numbers around him. In one of his books the other day he pointed to a picture of a stop sign and said "mommy, that's an octagon!" He often won't display his new knowledge when we ask him to, but we see it come out in every day interactions and when he is playing. His imagination is something else! His latest creation is captain pickles (pictured above). He's been more interested lately in super heroes (because of his best buddy Micah's influence), but still loves cars, books and blocks. He's a very strong boy and is naturally athletic. I think it is going to be sooner rather than later that he will get the best of me! He has a great sense of humor and loves to play with his brother, although his brother is really more of a prop than a person to him at this stage.
Scott celebrated his birthday this month and we were able to meet up with some friends to commemorate the occasion. Life may look a little different than we would have pictured ourselves growing up, but God has really blessed us with an amazing family, friends and all that we need. This month we will be heading out for some much needed vacation time, so I will not be posting again until late August. Until then, enjoy your summer, family and all the blessings around you.

A new camping experience

We had the opportunity to take an overnight camping trip while we were between courses at the center. This was a great time for our team to be able to get away, enjoy the great outdoors, and just have a good time together.

We decided to team up with some friends who run a community center about an hour from our city. They knew of a beautiful, secluded spot where we could set up tents and enjoy our first middle-eastern style camping trip. As we drove out initially towards our destination it was so dusty that we could hardly see in front of us! Us ladies and the kids got to hang out at our friends home while the guys were kind enough to set up the tents. Our friend's have a coocoo clock that Zeke became enamored with so he spent half an hour asking repeatedly when the little bird was going to come out. When the time came it was a split second and then all over with because it was the half hour. However, Zeke was excited and couldn't wait even more to see the next one when it would come out and chime the hour.

When we all got out to the camp site we enjoyed grilled cheese burgers and other various goodies. We had a camp fire, smores, sang together and had a great time. The dust cleared up a little, but after awhile we got used to it. The boys did well being their first night sleeping in a tent. They were a little rascally and Zeke kept wanting to watch the city lights in the distance through the small tent window, but he too finally fell asleep. They were up bright and early (about 5am!) because it was bright daylight and we could hear some sheep making noise on the other side of the hill. When I sat up I tried to run my fingers through my hair, but there was so much dust in it that I couldn't do anything!

We praise God for experiences like this. We are so blessed in many ways and know that these experiences and memories are what makes life rich. May God bless us with a life full of adventure:-)

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!