We are learning to do life here on the beach with 21 of us instead of just 2! I liken it to going from steering a little canoe on the water to steering a huge ocean liner. Whereas previously a decision could be made in seconds, it now takes calling 5 other people to make sure we're all on the same page. It is a sight to see us trying to fit everyone into our 9-passenger van + one other small rented car. The poor kids get squished in the trunk but they're such great sports. They sang all the way to the beach and back.

We are thrilled to finally have our team here on the ground with us and look forward to many wonderful years of doing ministry together here on the Beach!

my least favorite month of the year!

I have no idea why the people in this country claim to love Ramadan more than any other month of the year. i absolutely despise it. There, I said it. The entire country is turned upside down and nothing works as it should. It's a guessing game to figure out what time things open and what time they close. One thing's for sure, get out early and return to your house before 2PM. By then, everyone is getting out of work and the traffic is horrific and everyone's on nerve's edge because it's 100 degrees+ and no one can drink. I tried to go to the electric company today and there were 100 numbers ahead of me and the place was so packed you couldn't move. I decided to try another day. Today we needed to deliver 4 refrigerators, 3 stoves and an air conditioner to our team members homes. While we were waiting for the truck to arrive, Darrell walked to a nearby shop and bought ice cream cones. He discreetly brought them home and we sat on the bed eating them with sweat pouring down our faces. We were quite a sight:) Also during this month, you cannot find a coffee shop or restaurant open during the day. Those that do open down in the tourist area, have a sheet up in the window so no one can see in. Whereas our friends say during this month all the good spirits are released on earth, I rather think by the rotten attitudes and flaring tempers all around that it is the evil spirits that are running around rampant. Most foreigners get out of the country during this month. We have closed down the Family Place for 3 weeks and people basically hunker down in their houses and sleep or just sit still so they don't get hot and thirsty since they aren't allowed to drink all day. Ironically, it's the poor woman of the house who is shopping for the evening feast in the morning and then cooking it all afternoon. But if you try to commiserate with anyone about how difficult it is, they will swear that it is the most wonderful month of the year. Granted, the night life is supposedly electrifying and magical but nothing even begins until 10PM and by then, I am headed to my comfortable bed. I promise myself that I will go out for at least one evening of Ramadan fun before it's all over. All I can say is I can't wait until life gets back to normal, if there is such a thing in this part of the world!

The month in Switzerland is a distant memory. I'm so happy to have my master's behind me and not have that hanging over my head morning, noon and night. I definitely felt the Lord's help in a big way throughout the whole time of studying. I was way out of my comfort zone, studying education and administration! But I made it through and learned a lot and actually did very well. 3/4 of the way through my time in Switzerland, I received the devastating news that my nephew, Josiah Pierce Bubna, had died suddenly, just 5 weeks before he was to be married. I was paralyzed with grief and knew that I could not stay there while everyone else was in Chicago for the funeral. I desperately wanted to go and be with my sister and her family. I checked on tickets and decided no matter what, I was going, even if it meant throwing the whole master's out the window. I talked to my professors and they were full of compassion and told me to go. (and I was still able to finish all my work and graduate on time) I have experienced some deep grief in my life but nothing comes close to this. Not only my own grief but most of all the thought of the grief beyond description that my sister and brother-in-law are going through. I wish so badly that I could bear some of it for them but as my sister says, they have to walk this road alone and it is desperately lonely and painful. It's a comfort to know that even though no human can help to ease the pain, Jesus is walking the road with them and they will make it through this dark tunnel somehow with his help. Thank you to many of you who have prayed and continue to do so. It's the only thing anyone can do. Words are hollow and meaningless. May God give me grace to live each day as if it were my last. He is worthy and nothing else is.

This blogging thing is not going well with me. My life has had so little margin for the last year that there is barely time to brush my teeth or change my sheets! Life was not meant to be lived this way but it has seemed necessary for this season in order to accomplish what we were sent here to do, namely find a way for us and our team to be able to stay in North Africa long term. We accomplished that, by God's grace and are looking forward to a less-hectic life sometime soon in the future. As I write this post, I am sitting in my room in Switzerland, looking out the window at snow-covered mountains and listening to the distant jingle of cowbells as they roam across the hillside below. It is a scene so far from what I left yesterday; 100 degrees, garbage piled everywhere in the streets, stress and more stress, horrific traffic and so on. There will be stress of a different kind as I start my master's studies tomorrow. One course every week for 4 weeks! I will graduate on July 20th and I know it'll be worth it but it's a LOT of work until then. At least here, I'm able to concentrate on ONE thing and do it well, not 10 things like I do everyday back home. Before I left, I took our 2 interns and did a huge shopping for the Family Place. Here's a picture of the back of our van after shopping! I hope it will last for most of the time I'm gone.

a time to breathe deeply

The past 4 months since we've started our business have been stretching in ways I never knew possible. The learning curve has been incredibly steep. We settled into some kind of a new normal and were getting used to our life somewhat. Besides running this business, I was also taking two online courses which further added to the daily stress. I knew that May 8th was in sight and I'd be getting a break so I pushed through. I cannot tell you what a relief it was to get on the plane Tuesday morning and fly away from everything for a 3-week pause. During that last week, besides keeping up with the daily grind at the Family Place, I had 2 huge final papers to write and we moved houses! By the time we left Tuesday, everything was unpacked and in its' place. The Lord provided us with a beautiful large house up on a hill overlooking the city that will allow us to host our large team that will be arriving in August. We'll give one of them our old house as it was also a very nice house. A wonderful young couple agreed to move into our center and take over running the business for these 3 weeks while we're gone. Hopefully they, along with Liz (our 3-month intern)will be able to keep all the balls in the air while we're gone. It's a LOT of work! For now, I'm trying to forget about all that and enjoy every minute here in the US with my kids and next week, our new teammates. It has been pure bliss spending hours with my daughter, shopping, pedicures, Chipotle, Olive Garden, etc. etc. Tomorrow she will graduate with a Master's in Clinical Counseling and I am so proud of her accomplishment! Today we will be joining the Phenicie family and scattering Mom's ashes in the park where she loved to go as a child. I'm sure it will be very emotional as we haven't had time to grieve her passing. Darrell will be giving an overview of her life and a challenge to the rest of the family, most of whom are not saved. In the evening, we'll be staying at a Bed & Breakfast run by our dear friends Bruce & Eva and spending a wonderful time with them, I'm sure! Next week we spend in Wheaton, getting to know our new teammates and spending time together. The final week will be vacation time and we look forward to just hanging out with our boys for a few days! God was very kind to give us this break and I know after 3 weeks, we'll be ready to dive back in! At least I won't have online courses to deal with on top of everything else. ***We have one really important need at the FP next year. We need someone to raise their own funds and come teach at the preschool for at least 6 months but preferably a year. Some of our new team members will help out but we need a fulltime person who will be the main teacher. The preschool is run in English and there are about 15 children, ages 3-5. If you or someone you know is interested, please contact us via email and we'll give you lots more details. Here's one of our preschool kids who should really be our poster child. Her name is Jemima and she's British. She took finger-painting to a new level:)

just another day...

I was just sitting here at my desk in the Family Place, thinking about all the different things that are going on right at this moment. It kind of makes me smile to think of the scope of activities that go on in this place on a daily basis. Our short-termer Liz is sitting across from me at my desk reading her Kindle. There are 2 lovers on the couch in the cafe having coffee and chatting. Two girls in the back room watching a soccer game, 3 young people studying at one of our tables in the cafe, Darrell is putting up shelves in the kitchen, there's a prayer meeting going on in one of the classrooms, people are working out on the machines in the fitness center and an aerobics class is about to start. A couple of workers are hanging out here with their computers and enjoying the quiet, peaceful, smoke-free atmosphere. Tomorrow 40 young people from the US Embassy ACCESS program will be meeting in our conference room to listen to a lecture. As soon as they leave, we'll set the room up for a group of 20 men and women who meet monthly to talk about ministry in this country. We also have a group of 25 worker women who meet every Thursday night for a Beth Moore Study in one of our rooms. When we began this business we had no idea how God would use it and of course it's still evolving but it's kind of cool to see how many different people pass through these doors every day. Recently we've had a group of business men rent out a room for their meetings for 3 days,the North Africa partnership people (10 of them) rented a room for 2 days, 2 groups of workers meet twice weekly to learn how to tell the Story in the local dialect, several language students meet their tutors here and study language, workers love to send their children to a safe and loving preschool where they can play and learn. Who ever dreamed what the Family Place would become? Who can imagine what God has in mind for this place? I just know that we need more help to keep all the balls in the air and cannot wait for our team to join us in a few months.

a wedding on a gloomy day

We were excited to attend our first church wedding between two local believers here. Well, to say my husband was excited would be a stretch but I was. It is always a chore to get to church on Saturday afternoons because we finish serving American breakfast at the Family Place at noon and then need to come home and take showers, dress and unwind a tiny bit before getting a metro, taxi or driving our own vehicle to go to church. It can take at least an hour to get there and after a grueling week of work, we'd rather just chill at home. Because of drenching rain and cold winds blowing yesterday, we decided to take our own car. Surprisingly, we arrived in record time and found a parking place close by. By the time the bride & groom arrived, the church was packed out. Our knees were literally digging into the pew in front of us and we could not move to the right or left. Once the couple walked down the aisle, all outside doors were locked. Christians have been on heightened alert recently as several were tricked into giving an interview for a newspaper and then written up in a very bad light. There is a lot of fear throughout the believing community right now. No one was allowed to take photos except the designated photographer so I can't show you a picture of the event. There were a lot of things that were done like any wedding we've seen: congregational singing, scripture reading, exchanging vows and rings. Other things that were done were somewhat humorous: couples got up and gave advice about marriage (some very funny), trays of food and drinks were passed during the final song while we were in our pews. There were so many people that no place would hold everyone to have refreshments so we ate right in the pews. Afterward we were all walking in sticky orange soda which was spilled all over the floor! The bride and groom BOTH had a bouquet and after the ceremony they took turns throwing them over their shoulders, she for the girls and he for the guys. They also took an offering during the service and all the money went to the bride and groom. I thought that was kind of a cool idea myself. It was a great 2-hour service! The singing was wonderful and some of the worship team got so excited that they started dancing and one guy was turning around in circles. We were glad we could be there and are excited to have another believing couple in the church.