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!

the things that confound us...

Scott here, adding my occasional two cents.  This time, actually, you get two stories, each only worth one cent.  So that makes two I guess. 

First Cent

Those of you have read our blog for any length of time know the great amusement we glean from everyday events that just confound us.  Like how today I brought Zeke to school only to be told it was a public holiday and the school was closed.  No schedule, no notes home, no mention of it from the teachers yesterday despite the fact that we interacted for several minutes!

 In our last newsletter update I talked about the privilege of visiting a several-thousand-year-old village with a student-friend of ours.  He drove, did the asking of locals near the site, and was convinced we found it.  It looked old!  We found broken pieces of pottery that looked like pictures we found online.  The geography, the grid of ruined house foundations, everything seemed right.  The site was excavated in the 1950’s, and relatively unknown even to locals.  It is still largely unspoiled.  A teammate and I, along with our local friend, took tons of pictures to corroborate our find!  You can tell where this is going…

A few weeks later I wanted to show another American friend the spot.  Word spread and soon we were 20 foreigners in 3 trucks headed to the site.  (I had forgotten it was a religious holiday in which people visit the graves of family members; our dirt road took us right through a cemetery.  Talk about sticking out like a sore thumb.)  Because we had no local with us, I thought it best to make contact with the villagers living at the site.  2 families have rebuilt houses right on the old ruins!  This way they wouldn’t call the cops on our sizeable group.  The family was very friendly, even offering, insistently if not insincerely, to have us stay for dinner (it was 2pm).  As the group spread through the site, taking pictures, in wonderment of the history upon which they were treading, I talked with the teenage son of the village family…

“This is amazing that you live here.”  “Yes, I know.” “This place is very old.  Why did your family build here?”  “We always lived here.” “Really?  What about in the 50’s when the guy came to do the dig?”  “What guy? You mean the one who dug up X?”  “Yes.”  “He worked over there.” (points finger far away)  “You mean this isn’t X?”  “No, this is Y.”  “Then what’s with the ruins?”  “In the 1980’s the dictator’s army destroyed our village.”

Talk about jolting your historical epochal context!  Houses here have been built largely the same way for thousands of years (we even saw an old-fashioned, Old Testament-style threshing floor!) and with the systematic destruction of villages in the 1980’s, it was nigh on impossible to tell the difference.  As the group gathered back in, I told them about the mix-up, and none were disappointed.  It was an honor to experience the kindness of a family that firsthand endured the devastation of recent history.

Second Cent

Katie’s birthday is October 31.  You know how you project your own expectations for these sort of things?  I hate hoopla for my birthday. I love a quiet day with my family, without much work, and a piece of cake for dessert.  So naturally that is what everyone else wants, right?  I readily admit I have been a slow learner.  I STINK at planning ahead for birthdays.  Last year for the big 3-0 her mom and I put together a roller rink throwback party with friends and family.  Preparing nearly killed me.  (Already said it, I STINK at this sort of thing.  But you should have seen me 8 years ago!)

This year I knew a party was going to be impractical, so I thought I better get it done with a tremendous present to show her that I listened to her hints.  (I provide Katie a written wish list by April 1 every year.  My birthday is in June.)   At a local department store they’ve brought in these neat Chinese footbaths, like a spa for your feet.  Given the dry dusty climate we have Katie thought that would be a nice way to relax.  So, back in late summer I wrote that note down and in early October bought one.  I even got it on sale so it was close to our budget.  I hid it in the garage, quite proud of myself.  On the morning of her birthday last week, with great pomp I presented the box to her.  She opened it up, and voila!  There were 50 brand-new kitchen knives in the box.  That explained the weight of the box.  I figured I had to exchange it at once before Katie found a use for those 50 knives!

Lesson learned.  Next time you buy that boxed up barbeque grill off the shelf at Home Depot, open the box to make what the outside pictures is actually on the inside, and not filled with door handles or Christmas lights.  (By the by, the store clerks were embarrassed and replaced it; that gracious act itself completely surprised me.  AND the footbath is really relaxing.  In the end I think I still nailed it.) 

Let the races begin...

Something that we consistently deal with in living in this part of the world is having things that constantly change our routine.  Last month it was Ramadan.  This month it is an election.  The current election is for voting in a new parliament for the region, but not for the country as a whole.  Therefore, it is an incredibly personal thing for the folks here as their loyalties have to do with their families, jobs and even social standings. 

It is interesting how politics are organized here.  One thing is that campaigning is only allowed for one month prior to the election.  While this might sound brilliant to some American folks who deal with what seems like endless campaigning for at least a year or more prior to a big election, it also makes for one crazy month here; particularly because campaigning looks a bit different here.

One thing that happens is decorating.  Overnight on the first day that marked the thirty days of campaigning we all awoke to a much more colorful city.  The primary colors we initially saw were green, blue and red.  These colors represent the three primary parties that are at play in this election.  However, over the coming days we saw additional colors pop up representing other smaller parties who wanted to be a part of it all.  We also saw tons, and I mean TONS, of pictures go up of the various representatives for the parties.  When people vote they choose a party and they also vote for one person from within that party.  Then, when all of the votes are tallied it is determined what percentage of seats each party wins.  Then those seats are given to party candidates who received the most votes.  Interestingly, you don’t hear much about what individuals stand for, but rather one decides based on what that party can do for them.  Historically, the largest party (the green one) has been the most popular in our area and also provides a ton of jobs.  However, there is a newer party (the blue one) that has captured the hearts of many of the younger adults in our city because they use the idea of “change.”  It is unclear to us as foreigners what change exactly they hope to affect, but folks like the idea of a group that wants to change the status quo.  There is also great passion behind those who devote themselves to various other parties and the result basically is a mix of folks who party and celebrate the process, and those who engage in violence and brutality in the name of their beliefs.  This gets particularly muddled when you mix politics and religion, which is also a common occurrence here.

decorations in the bazaar

the "green" party's headquarters

various party's candidates

Another interesting aspect of the campaigning is the traffic jams.  In the evenings we have learned to stay away from one particular road where traffic can be backed up several miles as cars, covered in banners, drive around honking their horns while the passengers hang out of the windows waving flags.  Some of the cars will even stop so people can get out and dance!  One of the parties decorated their headquarters with Christmas lights!  It is quite the festive scene at times.  Festive, that is, if you don’t need to be anywhere in any particular hurry!

traffic...plus the car on the left you can see some flags

Elections are scheduled to be held in approximately two weeks.  So we are half way through this season and wondering what next month might bring!  We remain neutral on any political positions and try our best to communicate to our friends that we are simply for them.  We also remain flexible and try not to let inconveniences bother us too much.  We also try to remain diligent in being aware of what goes on around us, as politics can bring out the worst in some.  I hope this has given you a picture of our part of the world.  We are one little snapshot amongst a backdrop of some nearby dire political situations.  We work hard at being aware of all of these situations and seeing how we can be a part of affecting things for good.  I encourage you, although you may feel very far away from here, to educate yourself on what’s happening in the world.  Don’t expect to be able to cover everything, but find a couple of good news sources that highlight things outside of the U.S.  Knowing these things rounds out your worldview and even informs your prayer life.  This is very much still a work in progress for me, so I am simply inviting you to join with me as we grow in this area!

This video is taken near one of the offices for the "blue" party.  It is their message that is being broadcast to those nearby.