30August2011 Eid

Ramadan 2011 is over.  Our friends have fasted from sunrise to sunset for the last 30 days.  That's over 450 hours without food, drink, cigarettes, etc!  Talk about dedication! We were blessed to break the fast, once a week, with four different families, more than we were able to do last year, while living in the Middle East.  That's pretty cool! 

For the next 2-3 days they will celebrate Eid Al Fitr, the festival/holiday of breaking fast, by praying, having parties within their community, giving money and gifts to family, donating food or cash to less fortunate folks and NOT FASTING!  

26August2011 Quickshot: Initials

26August2011 Recent thoughts

A couple quick thoughts from the last month:

• There are few things on this earth that feel as good as a sincere homecoming. 
• Being able to hug and hold onto family is such a blessing.  
• Being in a room full of friends, hearing their stories, listening to their laughter, even watching their facial expressions, is wonderful. 
• The ability to physically hug someone we've been praying for over the last couple years is beautiful.

There are so many thing we took for granted in the past. 

22August, 2011 In a Jam

Thanks to Larry and Joyce for allowing P & the boys to come by and pick some of their tasty pears. 

18August, 2011 Quickshot: They're Back!

D, M and A walking the 2 oldest boys into school on their first day.

15August2011 Quickshot: Full = Half

The full moon means Ramadan is halfway over.  Praying for our fasting friends.

13August2011 Quickshot: "Birthday Biscuit"

9 year-old Z with his Birthday Biscuits.  Happy Birthday buddy! 

12August2011 Intermediary

"blessed are the makers and maintainers of peace"

Omar and Mohammad sat in chairs opposite one another.  Hussein and I were sitting on a couch between them, in Hussein's living room.  Tensions were high and the clock was ticking slowly.  How in the world did I get in the mess?

It all started with a snide comment, an angry stare, and some hurt feelings between a couple high schoolers on the bus.  Now, I was sitting in a room with the fathers of those kids, feebly attempting to mediate what had escalated into a middle eastern family feud.  My Arabic was pretty weak so I could only understand a little bit of what was being said, but I clearly understood that two of my friends were getting ready to come to blows over this disagreement.  Hussein and I were there to resolve the matter and make sure things didn't get out of hand.  He did all the talking in that regards.  My only contribution to the process was sitting in between the two men, providing a physical barrier.  After several hours and several glasses of tea the men agreed to end the argument.  Nearly as quick as it started it was over.  

This was a whole new thing for me, being the peacemaker, but an important aspect of Arab culture.  I had no idea that basically everything, from solving arguments to finding a job, is done through a third party.
Not only was this a great ethnography lesson but it also brought something I'd recently read to life.

"there is one mediator between God and human beings"

Thank God for intermediaries!

10August2011 Quickshot: Breaking Fast in America

Our family was invited to iftaar (the meal our friends have after fasting all day during Ramadan) last night.  The food was excellent but enjoying a sweet time of fellowship with a beautiful family was what made the experience. 

7August2011 Quickshot: The Fam (KY Edition)

So blessed to hang out with our Kentucky family!  Here is a very happy D with her mama and sister.

3August2011 Quickshot: B-day Feast

D made supper for her daddy's birthday last night.  The food was so good but being able to celebrate a loved one's birthday  IN PERSON was priceless. 

1August2011 Walking Lessons from a 4 year-old

This morning M decided she wanted to be my walking partner.  She loves "going" anywhere and my daily walk was her only apparent outlet, so she laced up her pink tennies, emulated some of my stretches and pronounced herself ready to go.  

I'm still on Pacific Time so we got a later start than usual.  By the time we walked onto the road the sun was well up and the humidity was already high.  We walked about a hundred yards and M informed me that, "Running is better exercise than walking." The she smiled and took off.  After 20 yards she stopped and said, "Let's walk backwards."  I declined on both counts.  

A quarter mile into our 3 miles M declared, "It's hot and my bottom's sweaty."  Quickly followed by, "You said we were only going on a LITTLE walk."  A hundred yards later she couldn't go any further.  So I picked her up, put her on my shoulders and continued our walk.  

I learned a couple lessons about partnering from M this morning:

1. A good partner will help you with pace, a poor partner will slow you down.
2. A good partner encourages you to keep going while a poor partner may stop your progress.
3. A good partner lifts you up while you may end up carrying a poor partner.
4. No matter how cute or lovable they are, not everyone makes a good partner.

These are pretty simple lessons but boy are they important.  Especially for us as we plan, evaluate and determine who our partners are going to be for our next step.  Be careful who you partner with!