Last 2008 entry!

I couldn't let this year pass without one last blog about our Christmas celebration. I must say it felt different from every other year since we had none of our children with us. I realized how much I love giving gifts to them and watch them opening the gifts; that element was greatly missed this year. We spent Christmas Eve at one of our team members' house and had a delicious spread of food, shared some Christmas memories & read the Christmas story & played a game. Because one of our teammates was missing (having gone to Europe to join family) it felt like one of our children was not in the family pictures & that was a bummer. But we made the most of it and had fun anyway. Christmas Day we had the team here for brunch & later expanded our invitation to several others for our big dinner in the afternoon. The day was filled with eating, fun and games and by the time the last person left at 9:30PM I was so tired I fell into bed. It was a good day after all. And now on to 2009...we've been invited to a New Year's Eve party that promises to be wild. The only reason we decided to go is because we heard families were invited and not just a bunch of young guys. I'm sure there will be lots of drinking and dancing but you know, "all things to all men". We'll let you know how it turns out:)

So much to celebrate

I realized this morning when I went to my blog that I have not written anything this entire month! Please forgive me but somehow time just slipped away. The truth is that there is a lot that goes on here every day that we can't really write about for security reasons. I don't like writing in code language. It has been a packed month so far and we are looking forward to a little "down time" between Christmas and New Year's before we start back up with our English classes on January 4th. We had our first short-term visitor from the US this past week and he was able to experience life with us in the fast lane. We had 8 students come in for 2 days of intensive training. They all slept & ate at our house. Praise God for this big house that is so practical for these types of events. The 7 men and one woman who attended were so eager to learn & soaked up the teaching like sponges. Our #1 overall need here is for trained leaders; there isn't even one. We hope to continue to have these training events every couple of months. Needless to say, we are pretty tired out from this house full of people and in need of a little rest. Christmas is around the corner and although we've had our tree up for almost a month, it doesn't have a single present under it. This is highly unusual for me since I love to buy gifts for my family but I can't find anything here that I really want to buy and my children are far away this year. We do have some team events planned and will have a gift exchange with each other. But Christmas is just weird this year; it won't be our traditional event but hopefully meaningful just the same. It does make me realize how much our celebration revolves around family, gifts, malls, concerts, church... and how little it revolves around Christ who should be the center of attention! We have so much to celebrate during this Christmas season. The old saying that "He is the reason for the season" is still true and I pray that we will remember it more than ever this year. Christ is worth celebrating!
I'll try to do better at blogging in the New Year but no promises, just good intentions:)

Thanksgiving feast

We celebrated our Thanksgiving on Friday since that is the day off here and we had other things planned for Thursday. We had our big dinner at the LIFE center. For people who are used to mostly rice & beans, the spread of strange foods was overwhelming for some. We told them not to take too much because we didn't want any of the precious ingredients wasted! It was a joyous celebration as we remembered God's blessings in our lives by singing songs of thanks and also reading verses from the Bible. After pie and games everyone went their separate ways. I think a good time was had by all.

A village adventure

Our entire team was invited by a friend to spend a day and night in his village called "Red Garden". The village is only 30 minutes from our city but it might as well be hours away. It was very primitive and remote, as if we were in another world. We sat around the walls of a large room on the carpet, drinking numerous cups of sweet tea, one ear on the TV that was playing in the room and the other trying to catch a few Kurdish words that I knew. We had several miscommunications throughout our time there, some of them embarrassing. Oh the joys of being in the language-learning mode again after 25 years! After sitting on the floor for what seemed like an eternity, we all went on a beautiful hike through the village and surrounding areas. Our shoes were caked with an inch of mud & leaves but it was so nice to be out in nature, soaking in the smell of wet leaves and freshly cut wood. It reminded us of what Fall smells like in America. The village is surrounded by springs of water and many beautiful trees. Soon after arriving back at the house, we were served a lovely meal of rice and beans and chicken (on the floor, of course). I'm telling you, it's hard sitting cross-legged on the floor for hours. My back was not enjoying that! After dinner we sat for another several hours on the floor, talking, drinking more tea, watching Prison Break on TV. At one point they brought out bowls of nuts and seeds and put a plastic cloth down in the middle of the floor. Everyone cracked their nuts and seeds and spit the shells in the middle of the floor on the plastic. It was a funny sound to hear 25 people all eating seeds & spitting shells. Bedtime brought its own challenges as we spread our thin mattresses & blankets and bundled up in warm clothes to survive the village night. With 3-inch gaps around the windows and doors, it was pretty cold. Just as well though as the fumes from the kerosene heater would have killed us otherwise. The family divided us up into 2 rooms and we later found out that they all slept on the kitchen floor! How sad. We awoke at 7AM to the sounds of loud talking (well, the LOUD call to prayer woke most much earlier) and decided we'd better get up since we were sleeping on the living room floor. Shortly after we were served a delicious breakfast of freshly baked mountain bread with cream and honey. The honey was from their own bees in the village. The women had been up early baking the bread on a wood fire. And of course more tea! We said our good-byes and were on our way home by 8AM. What a wonderful, generous family they were and how they honored us with what they had. Yes, it was primitive and uncomfortable at times but still an honor to be in the "Red Garden" and perhaps shed a little light there in that dark place.

A grief observed

I have just returned from 10 days in the States for my sister-in-law's memorial service. I would not have traded that precious family time for anything and was so glad I decided to go home at the last minute. Questions about death & heaven dominated most conversations as we all processed the passing of dear Jennie. We wished we could help bear some of the pain my brother was experiencing but realized that the path of deep grief is one that has to be walked alone and although painful, is somehow sacred. It is all he has left of Jennie. We will all be called at some time in our life to bear more than we think we can bear but He has promised never to leave us and he will help us to stand when we think we're going to collapse. I watched in awe as my brother grieved his most beautiful bride of 21 years; it was a picture of someone with deep faith in God who stood like a rock and praised Him in the midst of his grief. All through the day, he would break out in loud songs of praise. His faith was not shaken. I know there will be dark days ahead; I've been through the stages of grief before. But how awesome to observe the grief of a believer in Christ; it is not like the grief of others who have no hope.
At this time of year, I can't help but remember the death of my dear friend, Bonnie. It will be 6 years on November 21st. That was a dark period in my life and I still have so many questions about her senseless murder. Who are the souls who will be in heaven because of Bonnie's witness? As I think a lot about death these days, I have one enduring question that comes to mind many times a day..."Am I living my life as if this was my last day on earth?" Life is so short and none of us is promised tomorrow. I want to be found faithful when He calls me home.
Sorry this is a bit heavy, but these are heavy days. Hopefully my next blog will be more cheery!

My beautiful sister-in-law, Jennie

My beautiful sister-in-law finally lost the battle she fought so bravely for more than 2 years. She is no longer in pain but dancing at the feet of her Savior. From the moment I laid eyes on her, I was struck by her beauty and grace. She was a perfect help meet for my brother. They adored one another; when they walked into a room, all eyes turned to ask who the handsome couple was. I remember the day John & Jennie got married; it was a day full of laughter and fun as Puerto Rican culture met Anglo. We were all uptight about the lack of punctuality and they were relaxed and having a good time! Hearing Jennie stand at the piano and sing with her brother-in-law is a memory etched in my mind; what a beautiful voice she had. Jennie will be missed at our family reunions; she was the life of the party and our kids loved her. (pictured above with our daughter Rachel & playing games with the nieces & nephews) My son recently said "Aunt Jennie is the coolest person in our family". How we miss her and how we loved her. She is far better off now; no one would ever want to bring her back to the pain she endured. We who are left behind are the ones to be pitied; our sorrow is great, our sadness deep but we do not mourn as others do; we will be with Jennie one day and spend eternity together.
Thank you Jennie, for the memories. Thank you for the example of a faith that could not be shaken; that hung on until the last breath. Surely your reward is great & your crown full of jewels. I wonder what it was like when you heard the words "well done, good and faithful servant". I guess it's worth it all when we see the face of our Lord.
*I am flying home for 10 days to be with my family and attend the memorial service for Jennie. Thank you for remembering us all during these difficult days, especially my brother John. He has lost his soul mate & best friend.

A morning walk

This morning I decided to start a new habit of going out for a walk in the mornings. The weather has cooled down enough to make that a very pleasant experience. It was interesting to observe the city waking up. Some of the things I saw...
-lines of men waiting at the bakeries for their bread
-women washing their sidewalks and balconies, water running down the streets everywhere
-sleepy children walking to school, burdened down by their heavy backpacks
-stragglers at the mosque, finishing up their morning prayers
-sidewalks with cars parked on them and trees growing in the middle of them, not quite like the
beautiful sidewalks in Bloomingdale, Illinois where I used to walk
-stinky sewer water running everywhere
-vegetable stands washing off their fruits & vegetables, getting ready for customers
It was fun walking up and down the little side streets, seeing real Kurdish life and dreaming about how we can reach these people with our message of life.

Opening night

The building you see here is the one we are dreaming of buying. Actually, you can change your petitions now because the owner has agreed to sell but he's come up with a ridiculous price, so now we need to ask that he'll be willing to come down to something within our reach. We dream on...
Our English program got off to a great start last night! It feels good to be back in the classroom and mingling with students, even though I'd be the first to admit that I am not a born teacher! But I love people. The air was full of excitement as students arrived more than an hour early to pay their fees and get their books. There were unexpected reunions happening as some found their friends among the crowd, not knowing that they had also registered. It was fun to watch. We thought break time would be chaotic with all 60 students breaking at once but it was orderly and smooth. We served 60 cups of hot tea with sugar; they dumped another several spoonfuls into their cups on top of that! Kurds like it sweeeeet! It was all a great team effort and went off without a hitch. Thanks for your thoughts toward us.

Looking good

I thought I'd post a few photos of our newly completed center so you can see how good it's looking. With the limited resources here in this country, we are really happy with how it turned out. Be on the lookout in the coming days for our monthly update which will give more details. We will begin registration on Oct. 6th and classes on Oct. 12th. Thanks for remembering us on those dates! We're always looking for English teachers, short-term or long-term, so if you're gifted in that area, please contact us.

An inspiring evening

Last night we attended a conference that was held for all Evan churches in Iraq. Almost 1000 people packed into the auditorium at 5:30PM to begin the worship service which lasted for 3 1/2 hours. Explosive, electrifying, contagious, alive and over-the-top are words that could describe the worship experience we were able to share in with these dear brothers and sisters. With colored flags, jumping, dancing and spontaneous clapping & laughter, these people who have known such horror and tragedy in their lives, worshipped God with all their hearts. I found myself completely caught up in the experience and hardly realized that 3 1/2 hours had passed when it was over. The Ugandan pastor, who himself has lived through dark days in his country, gave a powerful message on the obstacles to breakthrough in prayer. Hundreds of people went forward to receive deliverance from a spirit of bitterness and unforgiveness and also from addictions. People who have watched their loved ones slaughtered in front of their eyes were begging for God's forgiveness as they struggled to forgive. There were many who ran back to their seats, free at last. It was truly a night to remember and just what I needed to refuel my dry soul. God is amazing in his faithfulness to us.

The Baazaar

Not having the ability to include sounds & smells in this blog will not give you the full picture of what a morning in the baazaar entails but use your imagination! A teammate and I headed for the baazaar early on a Friday, thinking we'd beat the crowds & the heat but what we didn't realize is that most schools opened today in the city and everyone was in the market yesterday to buy school supplies and clothes. We also didn't realize that people are already starting to plan for their big celebration at the end of the month of Ramadan, buying food, clothes and all kinds of things for the biggest event of the year. The place was mobbed with people; we could hardly move at times. We wandered aimlessly through the alleyways, not knowing where we were going and lost half the time. We passed carts loaded with "meat" (mostly the organs of cows & sheep). They washed the meat and threw the bloody water down a trough that ran through the center of the road. You can imagine that smell on a hot day! We passed through the vegetable market and row upon row of spices & pickled everything. We happened upon hundreds of men standing around with pigeons, doves, turkeys, ducks, birds of every kind. There were birds in boxes and cars and cages, thousands of birds everywhere. We have no idea what that was all about! I guess pretty much anything you could desire, might be found in that baazaar, but how to find it??? We tried asking for different things and were sent on wild-goose chases down alleyways, only to NOT find what we were looking for. During this month of Ramadan when people are suposed to be fasting, the restaurants all put up sheets out front to show respect to the fasters; the funny thing is that the places are packed with people inside. Very few observe the fast in this city, though we've heard in other cities it is very strictly followed. It was an exhausting morning and I think my friend now knows who NOT to invite next time on a trip to the baazaar. But at least now I can say that I've experienced it and who knows, I may just venture down again sometime when the weather is cooler.

A week for the record books

This morning when I walked down the street to get bread, this is what it looked like. Ordinarily we can see mountains and buildings in the distance but today, only dust. It began yesterday afternoon and this morning everything was covered, both inside and out! There is so much to tell you about the past week that I hardly know where to start but I'll give it a try...
We have had 10 people living in our house for the week and 4 students staying with other team members. They all eat 3 meals a day here however. I'm sure I have made at least 25 large pots of sweet, strong tea over the past 5 days. And I never knew there existed such large trays & pots. I bought the biggest I could find in town. Between preparing 3 meals a day & AM and PM coffee breaks, it has kept me hopping. But the laughter, the stories, the tears, the deep sharing has been so rewarding. Darrell has had a workout too, teaching 8 hours a day, Romans & All. Doctrine. Needless to say, we both fall into bed exhausted by 10PM, even though our living room is still alive with people talking late into the night!
In the middle of the week, 2 of the students decided they wanted to be baptized. Since there is no water anywhere near here, we went and bought a kids' pool and had the baptism in our front yard. What a great time of celebration it was, followed by a pizza party around the pool. Of the 11 students that attended the short term classes, 6 of them were from another background. The fellowship around the table and in the living room has been so special to see as these brothers bond together. Some of them have suffered terribly because of their faith. Some are in deep pain even now as they struggle to survive in a hostile environment. We feel privileged to have a small part in the training of these fine leaders. We will miss them when they leave tomorrow. Tonight will be a final farewell dinner at a restaurant & they will all leave to go back to their homes in the morning. Thank you to all of you who have helped to make this week possible!

The Italian arrives

Up until now we've been managing with our small Chinese-made generator, altho it only runs 1 A/C and a frig. We realized that we needed a much larger one that would do several A/C's at a time. Rated at 25 amps, we learned that it was so ineffective because in truth, it could produce only 10 to 12 amps. After lots of discussion with our leadership and a day of shopping with 2 diesel experts, we concluded that we could best afford a $5,500 Italian Lombardini rated at 13 KVA which translates to about 50 amps. Even with this, the seller recommended running only 3 A/C units on it for maximum life. It will be tight, but this will be enough when we are holding language or theological classes in our Training Center and when students or visitors are sleeping upstairs in our Guest House.
Affectionately named "The Italian", the photo shows its arrival in front of our house at rush hour yesterday. Our team of Kurdish language students were meeting in our front yard with 5 prospective language teachers. Confusion was rampant as the driver of the "winch" did not hesitate to block traffic on our busy street while off-loading the Italian.
We launched into an immediate disagreement as the company changed all the agreements we had made before the sell. They said they would pay for the pickup carrying the Italian but I had to pay for the winch. Then they said I would have
to pay for set-up. At the show room I was told that the purchase price included "set-up." The man now said he never promised that. I asked if his word counted only if he added, "I cross my heart and hope to die?" There is a definite problem of language since I did the transaction in Arabic with a Kurdish man who spoke Arabic.
But that gave him lots of wiggle-room to claim a misunderstanding. Finally he said he would come the next day and hook it up. But today he arrived with an Electrician who he said I would have to pay 75,000 dinars plus parts. Through a Kurdish friend I told him that before I purchased the machine he treated me like a son but once the money changed hands, he treated me like an orphan.
To be ready for the electrician to do the hook-up, I had to fill the tank with diesel fuel. I contemplated several trips to the gas station filling my two 5-gallon plastic jugs with diesel fuel. But then I had a great idea. I would ask my neighbors to send the man who fills the tank of diesel fuel for their generator.
I should have perceived something was up when they kept asking, "How many liters do you want?" My response was, "I don't know. I want the tank filled."
So a man shows up in an oil-covered pickup truck with 5 barrels in the back and 2 very dirty boys in the cab. He offered to drop off a barrel with 120 liters of diesel fuel in it. Of course my response was, "How would I ever get it into my tank?" Well, it turns out that the guy has a pump with NO meter on it. So to make a long story short, he filled my 20 liter jugs with his huge hose and then poured them one at a time into the generator's tank. Thus he knew how many liters he gave me. Now don't think this was a neat operation. After a jug was filled, he would jerk the hose up into the air above the level of the barrel on his truck to shut off the flow. He spoke neither Arabic nor English so a friend told me how much I owed him. I told my friend to tell him that there were still a few spots on my driveway that he had not spilled diesel fuel on if he wanted to complete soaking everything.
I paid him, gave toys to his 2 boys and he was on his way.
So now I was ready when the electrician returned with his supplies and I thought we would have back-up electricity by sundown. But today is the first day of Ramadan, the month of fasting from dusk to dawn and although many here do not fast, this man did. So at about 3 in the afternoon in 110 degree heat,the poor guy says he's just too tired to finish the job today. Could he come back tomorrow? What could I say? He did not even pick up his tools, but left them scattered all over the place.
So the story of the Italian should end tomorrow. But if it does I will be the one who is most surprised, since nothing here goes as you plan or hope.

remembering a sad day in 1988

Today we started out on a journey to the town of Halabja. If you don't know the history of this town, let me briefly tell you. In 1988, within a 5-minute period, more than 5,000 people were killed from the poisonous gas of Saddam Hussein. The picture of the statue depicts a father lying on top of his young son, trying to protect him from the poison. They both died together that day. The young man who accompanied us today has his own heart-breaking story. On that same day in 1988, he was 6 years old, on a school bus when a bomb hit the bus and blew up 30 of the 31 children on board. He was the only one to survive. He woke up 3 months later in a hospital in Iran with both legs missing. He has since found new life and has a vibrant testimony. There are 1000 graves shown here and entire families are buried under each grave stone. The village is dotted with unmarked graves of children and mass graves, some containing up to 1500 bodies. It is sad to think of the suffering these people have endured. Our day included a picnic by a stream; you know we're getting acclimated when we thought 103 degrees was rather cool. We were accompanied by two body guards who never left our sides; we didn't think it was necessary but they are very keen to make sure we're safe here. Our picnic food consisted of a huge pot of rice with nuts and raisins, beans with lamb, chicken, salad and ice cold yogurt thinned with water & salt added. I could have done without the yogurt drink! When we left our picnic site, we headed up the mountain and stopped at a place where we could look over into Iran. It was a great and memorable day!

A trip to the bank

This morning I made my usual trip to the bank to withdraw money. I asked for my money in Iraqi Dinar today which meant it was quite a large bundle.($1=1,200 I.D.) In fact, it was downright huge and I wondered how I would carry it out. In the middle of the transaction, the electricity went out. Everyone acted like this was a normal event and just sat patiently waiting for it to come back. It seemed like an eternity to me. The girl then handed me a black plastic bag in which to pack up my bundle of money. While I was there, there were young boys hauling in huge bales of money in wheelbarrows and a man standing nearby with a Kalashnikov to guard them. Somehow this didn't seem like the usual bank atmosphere that I'm used to. Upon completing my transaction, I left the bank carrying my large black bag bulging with money. It's normal; everyone else has theirs too.

Reminiscing -what was & what might have been

We have come to Jordan for our annual field retreat. We came early because of flight schedules and are spending a few days in Aqaba, packing up our things & visiting friends. There is a deep sadness as we look around and see all the work that went into our house, all the relationships that took time to build and still go very deep. I cried myself to sleep the first night in my comfortable bed, a bed that has been mine through several houses and countries. I woke in the morning to my beautiful back yard & my special place where I used to have my devotions. The trees that I planted were now tall and beautiful. Sitting in that sacred place with my coffee, I listened to the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir singing "He is worthy of our sacrifice". Ugh, why is life so stinkin' hard? Sometimes the sacrifice seems too great. I wonder how many more times I will have to move? How many more times will I make deep relationships only to cast them aside once again? I have been forced to bury so many memories, so many friendships...it is agonizing when friends pour out their hearts to me and I am helpless to do anything but pray for them. I can no longer bear their burdens; I have other burdens to bear now and they must learn to rely on another. Life is all about pain and sacrifice. That I have learned. I have also learned that I am able to bear far more than I ever dreamed I could & that the God who called me is more than able to provide all I need to live a victorious life. I so love this place & long to be here but God has other plans and as I obey, I am confident that he will give me a love & passion for the new place he's taken me to. I guess it comes down to "can I trust Him?" I know I can, so I blindly follow, holding his hand as he leads the way.

Oh for a sausage McMuffin

We started out on an early-morning trip today. We decided we'd go an hour and then stop for breakfast. We were curious to know what kind of foods were offered here in this country for breakfast. I have to admit that even after 25 years in this area of the world, the choices shocked me a bit: grilled chicken pieces, lentil soup or rice & beans. Of course that comes with the sides of onions, olives, pickles and delicious flat bread. It was very tasty but it didn't feel like we'd just eaten breakfast. Seems they have the same thing 3 meals a day. I've learned that you really can get used to anything.

All in a Day

I have always said that there's no such thing as a "normal" day here. We rarely know what a day will bring forth and never plan more than a few hours ahead. Today was no exception. We woke to find that our water tanks were empty. The motor on one of our water coolers burned up, causing smoke & a nasty smell to fill the upstairs, the white boards that we ordered for our classrooms were covered with large bubbles & impossible to use PLUS there was a cockroach in my shower! (well, there's always a cockroach in my shower, but I keep hoping the source will dry up one of these days) Anyway, in the midst of all this chaos, the rest of our team arrived to go with us for a meeting with the vice-president of this region. (we just got the call last night that this was to take place) A friend came and took all of us. We were escorted into the inner sanctums and waited in an air-conditioned room to meet this man. When he arrived, we all stood to shake hands with him; he then gave a flowery speech about how welcome we are in his country and anything we need is ours for the asking. Darrell then explained why we've come here and what our plans include. He was very happy and told us that this is what his country needs. After a photo op, we all shook hands again and were ushered into another room to drink tea & coffee. All in a day here...BTW, we later discovered that a switch had been turned off and thus our water pump was not working. We now have water again. PTL!

Sleepless in Suli

After two nights with very little electricity, we are all a bit blurry-eyed. All you can do is toss and turn and pray for a little breath of air to pass your way so you can get back to sleep! This morning as I sat at my desk looking out the window, I observed the little old lady that shows up every morning to wash her stairs with her little red bucket. I watched her as she bent her body in half, carefully washing each step, something she has probably done for the last 60 years of her life. At the same time a man came by with his son and a wooden cart, digging through the garbage and pulling out treasures that they might be able to eat or sell. I also thought about the lady I saw yesterday who sat in the dust with her skinny baby, begging so she could feed her family. I was suddenly jerked back to reality and the fact that I live such a blessed, rich life...full of meaning and purpose. I don't have one ounce of room to complain about anything! So, yes it's hot and dirty and nothing happens the way you plan it or think it should. But still, life is good and walking this road with God is even better.

It's HOOOOOT

Our team of 3 families arrived safely last Wednesday and it has been a very busy time since. Trying to get them all settled into homes, buying furniture and orienting them to life here, all in 115 degree temps, has been a challenge! There's just no two ways about it - it is hot beyond imagination and our electricity has been horrendous. We usually have 3 sources of electricity and 2 of them are broken down right now. Our personal generator is in pieces in our driveway and the neighborhood generator has been broken for 2 days. When we have power, all 8 of us huddle in one room and try to keep it cool. The gov't electricity only comes a few hours a day so you can imagine how miserable it can get after awhile. In spite of this, everyone has great attitudes. We have had some profitable visits from "interested" people and that makes everything worthwhile. It may still be a few days before the folks can get moved into their own places; things just don't happen very fast around here. Living together in one house makes for a great bonding experience!

Need tools?

It ain't Home Depot and believe it or not, it
was 127 degrees when Cheryl took this picture of
a man who's become a good friend. There is a row of 20 shops like this and when this man does not have what I need, he goes shopping with me till he finds what I want.
Nearby, Cheryl & I entered the bazaar where
we walked through covered alleyway after alleyway full of fridges, stoves, TVs and everything you need for the house.

Friday evening stroll

It was still 103 degrees outside at 7PM but we decided to venture down to the market for our Friday evening outing. Seems that's the place to be on a Friday night. My big purchases were a pound of plums for $.50 and a clock for $6. Not bad, eh? Although it was hot and smelly, it was fun to explore a bit and see that you can buy just about anything if you're willing to be adventurous. Only half the stores were open since Friday is the day off here. Can't imagine what it's like mid-week when everything is open.

making progress

This will be our new coffee shop/language center. We rented this large room plus 2 classrooms in the basement. We can also use the balcony for an advanced class. The building is brand new and will need a minimum amount of work. We still need to install a kitchen. The new center is only 5 minutes from our house. Life here continues to be challenging! It takes all of our energy just to provide the basics of living. We are finding people very open and friendly, making lots of contacts.

Home again

5 stops and 28 hours later and I am finally home. And my baggage was waiting for me at my final destination. When I arrived here, there was no electricity in the airport and everyone waited in line for 15 minutes for them to get the generator going. Then it took another 5 minutes for the computers to boot up... O yes, I'm home and I love it. Darrell had done a ton of work on our house in my absence and it looks so great. My homecoming was even sweeter knowing that my mom finally made it back to her home in Toccoa (my brother drove up to the hospital in Charlotte and brought her back on a mattress in the back of his van) and is surrounded by lots of family & friends. She is still very weak and needs time to get back on her feet. I think being home will help a lot. Please continue to remember her and my dad during these days.

change of plans...

Things have been changing constantly during the past days. After my mother was released from the Pittsburg hospital her condition improved slightly and we made plans to leave Tuesday and head south to their home in Georgia. We only got 3 hours on our way and she became very weak and unable to walk. We stopped for the night, hoping that after a good night's sleep we could continue on our way. In the morning it was obvious that she needed medical care so we went to the local Emergency Room in West Virginia where we were. 3 1/2 hours later we started on our way again but only made it to Charlotte when we had to call an ambulance to get her to a hospital. She was very weak and unable to walk at all. They have admitted her here and trying to stabilize her before they can go on home. It may take several days which means I'll have to leave them here and head to Atlanta to catch my flight back to the Middle East on Saturday morning early. It so happens that we have good friends in the area who have already been a great blessing to us. Mom & Dad are happy to be in this beautiful hospital and are getting good care. Because the pituitary gland was mostly or completely removed, Mom will need hormone replacement therapy for the rest of her life; evidently this is very tricky to regulate and will take time. Please remember my parents through these difficult days. Thanks to all who have written and prayed.

Let me update you all on things in Pittsburg...my mom was released from the hospital Thursday and able to make it up 13 stairs to her bed in the home of friends. She has been exhausted and weak which is understandable after 23 days in the hospital and having had brain surgery. Yesterday we were concerned because of unusual fatique and a little confusion so we took her to the emergency room and found some of her hormone levels to be very low. After large IV doses of medication she perked up and we brought her home. She continues to gain strength and we plan to head for Georgia by car on Tuesday after seeing the doctor one more time. I'm happy to be with my parents for this short time and glad to help them get re-settled in their Toccoa home. I fly back on Saturday, the 12th. Thanks for your concern and prayers.

Long days

This is my mom's 21st day in the hospital. It's only my 4th and the days are getting so long. We are definitely seeing improvement and hope to get her out of here on Friday, the 4th of July. Our plan is to stay here in the Pittsburg area until the following Tuesday when she has a follow-up visit and then head for Georgia. This way I can help my parents drive down and get re-settled in their home there. I fly home on July 12th. Pray that all of these things will happen in perfect time. Thank you for your prayers for my mom. She has been through some very difficult times but seems to be coming out of it now. There's still a long road ahead but we believe she will recover much more quickly if she gets in her own home. She's never been one to like anything to do with hospitals or medicine.

P.S. to below blog

Just wanted you to know that I had a wonderful, restful sleep last night and now I'm sitting at Starbucks with fast speed internet! Doesn't get much better than that. Coffee & computer...that's all it takes to make me happy. Life is sweet.

The mother of all trips

I'm in the Vienna airport on my way home to be with my mom (who's very ill) for 2 weeks. I have a super fast internet connection here so I'll take advantage and post some pictures and comments here. I left my home at 9AM with a taxi driver who went at top speed for 3 hours through the mountains. He didn't like his seatbelt so just put it on when we came to police checkpoints (which was at least 20 times). He'd then take it off and let it beep for a full minute before it stopped. He also had a car that beeped loudly at 120 km per hour. Much of the trip the car was beeping because we were often going more than 120. It was scary to say the least! He was supposed to take me into town for lunch and then to the airport but I told him to take me straight to the airport, even though I was 4 hours early. I arrived in Vienna and had booked a hotel on-line. I asked the tourist desk where this hotel was and she pointed me in the right direction. I got on a bus and went 1/2 hour, then was to look for the underground train. I walked for 1/2 hour looking for the train and everyone gave me different directions. I finally found a young man who was going to the same place I was going so he said to follow him. When I got off the train he pointed me in the direction he thought the hotel was. I got out on the street in a busy city and had NO idea what to do. I nabbed some random man and asked him and he said to follow him. He "happened" to live right next to the hotel! We walked for 15 minutes and came to an obscure small hotel that I never would have found on my own. By now my feet were blistered and my back hurting since I'd been carrying my heavy computer bag on my shoulder all the way. I found a cute little Italian restaurant and had some pizza and then fell into bed. A truly exhausting day!

Thank you!!

As you can see in the pictures below, we have a beautiful house and car and are so thankful for both. If it wasn't for all of you, we wouldn't have anything! Thank you so much.

our new (used) Nissan Pathfinder

our big red house

Update - July 2008

Dear friends,

Most of you have access to the web and thus have been able to keep up with our happenings over the past couple weeks. We've been here for a little over a week and it seems like at least a month! We have accomplished much and are beginning to feel like we're home. I say that even as I type this letter with the sweat running down my back and no electricity at all. This is the biggest challenge of living in this place; the lack of electricity and the extreme heat. We were able to find a large house the day after we arrived and are slowing furnishing it. It is a perfect set-up for guests and short-term teams. We live downstairs and upstairs are three guest rooms with a large sitting area. So come along for a visit. There are certain months of the year that we understand are very pleasant, mainly spring and fall. The winters and summers are brutal. We have also purchased a Nissan 4X4 which will be great when traveling these mountains. We've begun to pick up a bit of this language and I am enjoying it a lot. I was worried that at our age we might not be able to learn too much but it's coming. We forgot what it was like to not understand a thing that's going on and the frustration of trying to communicate. There are very few here who speak English. We've met several important people in the government and have been warmly welcomed everywhere we've been. Pray that we'll be able to find a suitable building for our language center.

When we left the States on June 17^th my mother (Nancy Pierce) was in the hospital in Pittsburg suffering from pulmonary emboli (blood clots in the lungs) and a tumor on the pituitary gland. Our family encouraged me to go ahead and get on the plane as she was stabilized and getting good care. Since then she has had all kinds of setbacks and complications and is really suffering. My sister Debbi has been there with my dad through the past couple of weeks but now has to leave. My family has decided that the only solution is for me to fly home for 2 weeks to help with her care; it is a lot for my dad to handle alone. So I have a ticket to fly to Pittsburg on Friday, the 28^th of June and return on July 12^th. Please pray urgently that my mother will come out of this crisis and get back on her feet; she has suffered terribly through this ordeal. Pray for strength for my dad also. You can imagine the strain of sitting all day long in a hospital watching your loved one suffer. Thank you for remembering me as I travel in the coming days. Darrell will be here alone; he has many projects in this house that will keep him busy for the next 2 weeks. We know that God's timing is perfect; we are at peace even in the midst of this storm. He does all things well. Just pray.

If you'd like to help out with any financial needs, please send your gift to:

The Alliance

P.O. Box 35000

Colorado Springs, CO 80935-3500

Forever grateful for YOU,

Darrell & Cheryl

Thankful

It's been a wild few days as we've moved into our new home. As many times as I've done this, I always forget what's involved! And in this country a lot more is involved than anywhere else I've lived. The electrician has been working for two days to hook up our generator to the house, hook up air conditioners in every room and numerous plugs and lights that are broken. Now we have 3 colored lightbulbs in the kitchen window to tell us where the electricity is coming from. This morning when the electric came on at 7AM (it had been off since 3), we sat down for breakfast at our new kitchen table, music playing, fan blowing overhead and we were overcome with how good our life is. SO much to be thankful for. We had a meeting with a very influential person yesterday, we've been welcomed warmly by everyone, found a beautiful house in one day, bought a car (sight unseen from a friend in another city - a Nissan 4X4) we go for our residence permits tomorrow & hope to get 6 months or a year. In spite of the heat, lack of electricity and ferocious dust, we are beginning to feel at home in this place; we're picking up some words in the language and will soon venture out in our car alone. The driving is crazy but no crazier than other places we've been, just don't know where we're going yet! Today I wish I had a video of me trying to get into a taxi holding a carton of 30 eggs, my computer on my shoulder and maneuvering a grocery cart piled high with stuff, going down a steep ramp. It was a sight to behold. Hopefully we'll have internet in our home in a few days. I'm going through withdrawal. I come to this smoky cafe once a day.

Finally here

We have arrived in our new country and are slowly getting settled. Things do not move very quickly or efficiently here! Fortunately we have experienced some of the same things other places we've lived so it's not a total shock. The electricity comes from 3 sources: the government, the local neighborhood supplier and your personal generator. Everyone's lives are controlled by the electricity, wondering how many amps they can run in the house . (depends on the source) Last night after having slept for only 4 hours, we woke up in a pool of sweat and couldn't sleep the rest of the night. The electricity finally came around 7:30AM. The water is also a huge problem as there's very little of it and has to be rationed. We've tried to get to a reliable internet cafe and have finally found one. Although it's packed with people and very smoky we are enjoying uninterrupted electricity and the opportunity to get caught up on our e-mails. We found a very large house (needs lots of work) and are anxious to move in there maybe Sunday. It is bright red on the outside so easy to point people to. The people here love bright colors. We'll live on the bottom floor and make the top floor into guest quarters. The best thing is that it has a well which is a goldmine here we're told. We should have no problem with water ever. We even have a small lawn in the front yard which is partly green. Things are more expensive than we were told and we're finding we really have to be careful; the money is going fast! Thanks to everyone who gave to help set up our house; it's such a blessing. There is also a phone line in our house and we will be able to get DSL so that will be a bonus also. It is good to be here finally and although life is a bit challenging right now, I'm sure we'll find ways to make things more comfortable once we get into our own house. We're staying in a "hotel" right now and you might call it a 1/2* hotel?? It's pretty rough:) Thanks for hanging with us.

Last-minute details

My niece's wedding in Pittsburg was beautiful. The road trip was fun with our kids. Of course we were all sad that my mom was hospitalized the day before the wedding and not able to attend. The bride showed up in her hospital room afterward which was a big surprise and helped her to feel a part of things. Now reality is all around us; in 48 hours we'll be boarding the plane for our new destination. No matter how organized you think you are, when the last hours are upon you there seems to be a myriad of things that need to be done! Getting our 6 suitcases to all weigh 50 lbs is a challenge. Cancel insurance, cancel cell phones, pay bills, change address, confirm airline tickets, get international driver's licenses, write thank-you's...these are just a few of the things on our "to do" list. But in the end, everything always gets done. We are experts at this by now. Next entry will be from K-country. Stay tuned...

Mom and Dad Pierce

Our family

Rachel and Josh Ellison

Update - June 2008

Dear friends,

Wedding news

May 31^st was a beautiful sunny day in Chicagoland! It was the wedding day of our daughter, Rachel. Family and friends gathered for the occasion and it was truly a wonderful celebration. The above photo is of our three kids. We praise God for our new son-in-law, Josh Ellison. Nathan was able to fly in for 3 days from his overseas post and Glenn was the photographer for the wedding. My brother John was a huge help in setting up the reception and my sisters and parents gave him a helping hand. Some of Rachel's childhood friends from the Middle East were also present and they added an Arab flavor with the traditional Arab dance (debkeh) which everyone joined in with. All in all it was a fun, relaxing wedding and all the work that went into planning it was well worth it. Now it is a rush to the finish as we finish packing and saying our good-byes here on this side of the ocean; that part never gets easier.

Departure

This will be the last time we write to you from the USA. On June 17^th we will fly from Chicago to Iraq, via Vienna. We covet your prayers as we embark on this new adventure. Life promises to be challenging in our new place of ministry and we will count on you, our faithful partners, to stand with us. We have set up a website where you can follow what's happening in our lives and ask questions/make comments... The address is: ww.phoeniciekonnection.blogspot.com No, you have not been misspelling our name all these years; that's my son's creative mind at work:) (and it makes it more difficult to “find” us)

Opportunities for financial partnership

We have enjoyed getting to many of your churches during the last 6 months and sharing what God is doing in the Middle East. You have been so supportive and we return once again with the strong sense that we belong to a wonderful family of partners and friends. Thank you to those who have given faithfully to our support over the past 25 years. As you may know, the GCF has suffered recently for several reasons, one being the falling value of the dollar overseas. Field budgets have had to be cut and ministry opportunities put on hold. Please consider how you might be involved in seeing this crisis come to an end. Send your gift to the C&MA address below.

As we begin in a new country, we will rely heavily on our Work Funds for different ministry needs & projects. You can give to this need by marking your gift for our Work . Soon after we hit the ground, we hope to rent or buy a building for a community center where we'll teach English and have a coffee shop/student center, etc. We'd love to be able to purchase a building so that we can renovate it to suit our specific needs like we did in the last place we were. If you'd like to give a gift to this project, please refer to account #1-47200-45-59-09012. You can contact us about bringing a team out to help do manual labor and/or teach English at the center. We count on your partnership to help make this center a success! Thank you so much for your sacrifice as we work together to see the Kingdom expanded in the Middle East. We look forward to reporting great things to you very soon.

Send gifts to: The C&MA P.O. Box 35000, Colorado Springs, CO 80935-3500

Under His Care,

Darrell & Cheryl