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.