The New Flat

Here are some photos of our little place... somehow it makes us feel like we are at the beach (even though we are no where near the coast!)... Bright sunny light streaming through the windows, cool breezes... It came fully furnished, saving us the trouble of purchasing our own... It's perfect for us! Praise God!Within a week of our move there was a huge Habuub (sand storm) that swept through the city. We ran outside to try to capture it on film for you... So much grit and dust in the air- after just seconds you can feel the air-borne grime sticking to your face; and if you talk at all, you can feel it coating your teeth... excellent.Photos: As you walk into the apartment from the roof-top... Our wonderful, bright kitchen (my favorite)... Our bedroom (a little messy, we're still settling in!)... Our hamaam (bathroom)... The living/dining room as you walk back towards the entrance... Our veranda (as they call it), the building roof-top and sleeping place for the building's 2 local, female caretakers (most locals here sleep outside)... The Big Habuub hit before sun set- views from our roof-top...

The Little Cooler That Could

We've successfully moved and LOVE our new little flat. People warned us that apartments at the top of buildings are always hotter than those below, receiving the brunt of the suns harsh heat. We went out on a limb and risked cooking ourselves, and moved into the roof top flat of a four story building. And it is wonderful!

To cool living areas here, people use swamp coolers that work with evaporation of water. In our previous little house we had one that might drop the temp to about 85 F. Here in our new place, that little cooler of ours brought the temp down to 73 F, and it was on "low"... I woke up last night shivering... in Africa! We had to pull out a little airplane blanket, the only one we brought, to keep us warm... I guess we are adjusting to the heat!

I'll post some pictures of our place tonight...

Visa Update: Jess' passport is still in security.
Arabic Update: We are still taking 2 classes a week, offered by the school. We've decided to start learning the written as well- to help us in the city with signs...
Half-Marathon Update: We are training for a half-marathon here in December. Some Khawajas (foreigners) friends of ours have done it casually over the years. We thought it would be fun to take it to the next level and make shirts and have an aid station... We're in the process of training, 3-4 days per week at ridiculously early times in the morning to avoid the heat. Our longest yet was 7 miles... we both survived! It still isn't "fun" yet, but we're relatively committed!

Packin' Up

We're in the final stages of cleaning and packing up our current little house. Truly scary how much sand and dust accumulates here- sometimes overnight or after a habuub. We don't have a whole lot of stuff... so we moved most of our personal items to the new flat yesterday. It's in the same neighborhood about 2 miles north of us. Situated on the top floor of a 4 story building, our new place offers views of the "suburbs" sprawling out to the north and a nice "cooler" cross breeze. We are excited to have a more permanent residence for a few months!

Our good friends and neighbors (for a day, we're moving!) returned last night with their now 11 month old child- how 3 months flew by! It was great reconnecting with them and filling them in on what's been going on here. When asked this morning how they are adjusting to being back, my friend said, "I just had forgotten how plain and run-down everything is here... It's going to take me a few days to get back into the swing of things!"

It's true- while mentally seemingly unaware of it, we have been slowly acclimatizing ourselves to life here in North Africa. The weather, landscape, customs, culture, relationships, lifestyles have all become, in some ways, normal or commonplace. There are definitely things we are still adjusting to and coping through, but little by little, we are settling into this place.

Photos: Our hosch (lanai, patio) mid-cleaning/laundry... The kids room we NEVER used with a cool Nemo mural... The Doolabs (cabinets/closets) with beautiful a freehand painting of a tree... *note dust on ceiling fan... yikes...

Out And About

Finally we had a chance to leave the lights, traffic and noise of the city. Both of us being avid outdoor people, spending these past 4 months in the confines of a developing metropolis was no easy task! Alas, our friendly group of teachers and support people invited us to their yearly overnight camping trip in the desert with a stop at some historical sites... We jumped at the chance to "get away" and eagerly awaited our departure time.Around 38 of us, munchkins included, crammed into a few trucks and vans- a Khawaja (foreigner) Caravan- with food, water, mats, mosquito nets, cameras and high expectations for fun. After a 2 hour relatively uneventful drive north/north-east (?) we arrived at some large rock formations- our campsite. Tucked into the northern side, we parked, set up camp and explored before the sun set.

It was fabulous. The only word to describe the emotional experience is... freedom. No longer concerned about what we were wearing, who would be watching us or how would we fit in, we were momentarily free... finally able to, for a night, completely relax. And it was beautiful. The stars... the quiet... the fellowship... the warm breeze...

The next day we drove another few hours northeast to some historical sites- Pyramids, jutting up out of the sandy abyss... gorgeous. And... Geocaching!!! There is supposedly a cache there, but we were not adept enough to find it- blame it on the heat, the wind, the whipping sand... we scoured the place to no avail...It ended with a short camel ride (short for both the ride AND the camel, Eddy's was a bit feeble) back to our vehicles... and a long and sleepy ride back to the city.
Housing Update: We move this Wednesday to our new flat a few blocks away...yay!
Passport Update: Jess' passport is still in security... preventing us from travelling to our target city.
People group update: There has been news regarding a family and 2 singles coming into relationship with the Lord. Please pray for them!!!
Lesson to be Learned: We are here to love people... and that not from us, but a gift and gracing from the Lord. Even if they choose to not accept it, our purpose is to show them Christ's Love.
Photos: The caravan in the desert... Eddy bouldering around our spot... The campsite... Eddy having some down time in our "tent"... Life in the desert... At the pyramids... Handicrafts and old coins... Jess in the doorway... Have camel, will travel... One last look before we head "home"...

Family Fatuur Night

During Ramadan the school hosts 2 nights of Fatuurs- a time where families and teachers meet and eat together. It's like a giant pot luck, Ramadan style with prayer rugs for men and women and dates & water for breaking the fast. Unsure of what to wear, I opted for the culturally appropriate Tob (Tub, Tuub- sounds like Toe-with a "b" on the end). Eddy, while encouraged to wear a Jalabya, but not courageous enough to spend the cash, went with the ol' Hawaiian stand by Aloha shirt. Tonight the primary school families were the main focus, so screaming children running through the yard was the back ground noise for our pleasant smorgus board. We ended up sharing the meal with an American family... I had treated her 5 year old daughter the previous day for a paper cut (her first one ever, by the way), so we go way back.Tomorrow night we focus on the 4th-8th grade students, and because of the weekend, we're expecting more families. The food was delicious- ranging from local fair to Chinese, Korean, Middle Eastern and good ol' fashion American. Towards the end of the night, it got a bit muggy and buggy outside, so we ended up in the 1st grade room, watching Tarzan with the kids...

Photos: Eddy and I in 1st Grade- note self-portrait of a student between our heads : )... The lady teachers... Jess and some of the Arabic teachers... Some of our precious 3rd graders- note T-shirt...

Ferrari Troubles

We've been told not to put our trust in cars here. The weather, the quality of the car, the road conditions... there's no end to the problems or causes! Having already done some work on our little sport car, like replace the spark plugs & general tune-up, we had our 3rd break down of the month last night, and then again this morning. This time, however, it all happened around fatuur time... not good. While it is a manual car, and thus can be started by "popping the clutch", it is also fuel injected. Thus, when the battery goes, one can only "pop the clutch" so many times before there's no more juice, therefore no more gas... So, we pushed her over to the side of a busy road and pondered what to do...
Roaming around a strange neighborhood in search of a battery charger (our guess at this point is a bad alternator) at sundown during Ramadan... good times. The first mechanic we found had a charger, and about 7 other batteries he was waiting to charge. So he connected ours and then proceeded to make a chain with cables to the 7 others. Perhaps that might have been just one too many batteries (maybe?) as within seconds the charger was burned out. On to greener pastures! The next place we found a very friendly group of locals about to start their fatuur, Ramadan Kareem! (Kinda like Merry Christmas- Happy Ramadan...?) The mechanic kindly agreed to charge it despite the hour, replaced the water... and we proceeded to wait... while watching them fatuur. We had to turn down joining them more than a few times- it's customary to welcome anyone to eat- Fatal! (Welcome!). But they did offer (encourage strongly!!) us their local Ramadan drink "Abre", some sort of tea-ish/old shoe/wet cigarette tasting drink which takes days to make... Shukran! (thank you!)

An hour later, freshly charged battery in hand, we headed off to the car, hooked up the juiced battery, drove 5 minutes... only to have it die again. Stranded once more. This time at night, in a less commercial area. We opted to leave the car where it was and took a bus home.

The next morning we returned to our little Ferrari, recharged the battery again, hoping to make it to a friend's house for fixing... to drive it about 7 minutes... in the middle of a busy intersection... It ended with us taking transport to the friend's house, getting a larger battery, returning to the car, hooking the larger battery up via jumper cables to the little dead battery hooked up to the car praying that a) we would make it to said friend's house, b.) the hood, loose to accommodate cables, would not fly up mid-journey, and c.) the engine, hood, car, us would not burst into flames... Well, long story not so short, after almost a full day of focus, it all worked out and the car is now fixed and parked in our hosch... phew!

Housing Update: We've been looking and have found some great options and some not so great ones... and prices seem to be ridiculously high. Praying for wisdom to choose- Location, space, temperature/water (top floors are cheaper, but hot and less/no water pressure).

Visa Update: Jess' Passport/Visa are still in the security office... We'd like to travel to our target city after Ramadan (there is a short holiday then called "Eid" celebrated by Muslims), but need the passport/visa to travel...

Photos: Car troubles, first time...Fatuur at the Mechanics... Car troubles next morning... Car troubles mid-day... Waiting for the fix--Ice Cream ALWAYS helps : )...

Ramadan & English Club Blues

Ramadan is the Muslim month of fasting and prayer... a time to focus on Allah and self-denial, "making up" for the the bad they have done through out the year. Muslims here generally fast all food and water (some refraining from swallowing their saliva) from just before sunrise to sunset. After which the family and extended family and friends join together for Fatuur (break-fast). Just prior to the Fatuur they pray and then break their fast by eating a date. Fatuur is generally a large shared meal. After Fatuuring, they then pray again and retire with family for the evening. They usually eat at least once more before sunrise in the morning as well. It's believed that one night during this month of fasting is the "Night of Power". On this night if one stays up praying and fasting all night, he will be granted automatic access into heaven. The only trick is that this night is not known this side of death-- one can guess and carry out the fasting and praying, but if performed on the wrong night, it does not "count".

Pretty much everything stops around 5:00 pm here; Businesses, in general, close even earlier, around 3:00pm, in preparation for fatuur. If caught without a ride around 5-6pm, good luck! The streets are empty, shops are closed; everyone is fatuuring! Everything then re-opens after fatuur around 8-9:00 pm.

Since the start of Ramadan we have been unable to teach English club, as their requested class time would be around 9:30 pm to 11:00 pm. While we love to teach and thoroughly enjoy the discussions that arise, going to sleep around midnight when we have get up around 5 am would be brutal! We explained our dilemma and are searching for someone else to pick up the slack in our absense. Jess' Visa Update: Still MIA; although it was seen by Eddy at the visa office with a plethora of other US passports. They keep telling us to come back tomorrow... Eddy is not amused.

Housing Update: We're still on the hunt, as our little house will be receving its normal tenants back from the states here in a few weeks. We sure have loved this place- great area, nice size, wonderful little hosch (patio)...

Photos: Jess by the Nile, a short walk during fatuur time... The Nile swells and receeds a lot during this time, with heavy rains in the south... The market area- you can pay a boy about $1-2 to cart around your goods as you shop (a great way to support industry and hard work!)... Eddy sweeping after a Haboob(dust storm)- it's nice having a hosch, except during haboob season, where we will sweep up a pile like this every couple of days... argh!

Basketball Tryouts & Struggles of the Heart

Eddy and I will both be coaching the Basketball teams here at the school and we held tryouts last week. Currently only the 4th-6th grade (under 11) are in season; Grades 7-8th will start after Ramadan because some of those students are fasting. We had about 15 girls and 30 boys show up for tryouts. We kept 11 of the girls- all based on behavior during the drills (were they listening, talking, not paying attention?). As to actual skills... most could not even hit the rim or dribble... it's going to be a great season! The boys' team is a bit more challenging, with so many kids and such a short season. All seemed to really make an effort, making the selection process difficult. Eddy and Jeff (the coaches) are really torn- to keep or to cut? The realization that keeping a kid on the team could potentially change his life- as it did for a lot of us at that impressionable age! They will make the decision this next week.
As days turn into weeks and weeks turn into months, our adaptation and adjustment to this nation and these people go through different phases. Some days we love it here and are so grateful to be walking out a part of God's vision for our lives and for this country. Other days we struggle, searching our minds, hearts and God for insights and answers to troubling thoughts and questions. Why are we here? What effect are we really having? What does it mean to sacrifice? Is it wrong to long to be somewhere else at times? If problems increase here, and safety becomes an issue, is it wrong to want to leave/leave? Or should we, as Christ modeled for us, willingly lay down our lives in others' place, whether recognized or not? What is sacrifice?

Daily we contemplate and struggle with the reality of Life- it is, to the human mind, unfair. We are unable to choose where we were born, but where we are born, for the most part, dictates the style of life we will have; I don't want to say the "quality" of life, because that can be totally subjective. But style of life, in that some of us will live in freedom, with great wealth and privileges. Others will be born into extreme poverty, denied freedom and opportunities. How do we cope with this? How can we understand this? Is it wrong to live/want to live where you are from, in the way that you are accustomed to, all the while aware (or unaware!) that others are not as privileged, persecuted or suffering? How does that impact us and, more importantly, what do we do in the light of it?

We continually ask God for understanding, revelation and His heart for these dilemmas, for this country and, really, for the world. We must constantly remind ourselves that God's love and salvation are not based on what we do/have done, our works, but is a gift of grace and mercy through Jesus. While what we "do" for him, our "work", is valuable, it is not an end in itself-- in that His ultimate desire is not for our works, labors or sacrifices. His desire is for our us; for our obedience and devotion to Him. (1 Sam 15:22, Psalm 40:6-8)

So, that pretty much sums up our thought life at this point!

***We've watched a few good movies that stir up these sort of questions or perhaps make them more acute- Shooting Dogs, a depiction of the Rwandan genocide and The Kingdom, a look into militant Islam.

***Jess' Visa/Passport Update: Eddy went to the dreaded office again and actually SAW my passport, but it was promptly placed back in the box from whence it came, along with A LOT of other American passports... Bokra, Insha Allah (Tomorrow, if God wills it)!

Photos: Eddy and Jeff leading the boys through tryouts... A donkey at a market (suuq) outside of the city...

Khawaja Outing

Eddy and I have started "running" (loose term for a ridiculously slow jog with copious amounts of sweat, pain and panting) in the mornings before the sun rises/heat. We went yesterday, stopping by a friend's house to take her along. Afterwards we were invited to go to a local wrestling match, held in a different section of town. We quickly accepted the invitation, as it is always fun to experience cultural events.These wrestling matches have been going on for years, especially in one tribe from south-central part of the country. The matches are held every Friday, supposedly all day, in a "suburb" outside of the city. Surrounded by a fence/wall made of blankets and carpets, the "arena" is 2 large concentric chalk circles placed on the sand/dirt. People, predominantly men (there were approx 5-10 women out of the 1000+), crowd in along the perimeter, sitting on the ground, on mats, homemade chairs and standing. It was a fairly organized event, costing about 50 cents to get in, an announcer commentated about the competitors, the calls and the matches. We were 2 families and a few stragglers, all khawajas (foreigners), standing out like sore thumbs in the packed arena. We managed to befriend some of the locals in our "section" and learned a little more about the event. Some of the wrestler's names were pretty colorful... In Arabic: The Foreigner Without Any Money, Gun Powder, School, Kaka (a famous soccer player from Brazil)... While a bit on the hot side, we still had a fabulous time cheering on the contenders!

Visa Update: We will go AGAIN to the visa office... Jess' passport/visa still MIA.

Photos: The Arena (panoramic view)... Our friend Christine and I taking in the event... One of the matches, note the wrestlers right arm; pieces of the Koran are placed in small leather pouches and tied around the upper part of the arm for protection... Another match... A little girl selling sunflower seeds and peanuts... The contenders would strut around the arena, at times carried around by teammates (WWF style)...

Everyday Reminder

While we have gotten considerably more busy and seemingly consumed with school life, we still are daily reminded of why we are here and the purpose we long to fulfill. Every morning around 4:30am the prayer calls start and then continue throughout the day 1:00pm, 5:30pm, 7:00pm and 9:00pm. Now that Ramadan is approaching the prayer calls tend to linger, with chanting, praying and singing, and in some instances, passionate yelling, for hours.

As you wander through the streets at these times, people everywhere, in shops, offices, gas stations, at the visa office, on the sidewalks and roads, stop where they are, roll out a large woven mat (or if they are alone, a small rug) and begin the ritualistic movements of the prayers. Everything stops. They take off their shoes and wash their hands, feet and faces and rinse out their mouths. Bowing before they step on the mat, they take a place, forming rows of devoted followers. After a few minutes, a leader appears and begins to guide them through the by-now routine 'stand-up, bow down, head touches the floor, return to standing' procedure of the Islamic prayer time. After a few minutes they remain kneeling, turn their heads to the right, greeting the "good angel" and to the left, greeting the "evil demon"... saying, "Asalaam Aleykum", peace be with you. It has become a common thing for us to see. But we have yet to let it become common place and routine in our hearts. A constant reminder for us to pray, ask and believe God for revelation and salvation. At times overwhelming, the depth of their devotion and discipline, we know that God is victorious and His desire is for redemption of all nations, tribes and tongues!

Visa Update: Jess' passport and visa are still MIA... we will try again today.
Housing Update: We have one month left in our current home... the search is on!
Photos: Prayer time at the gas station; cars were waiting in lines to be serviced... Women gather in lines in front of a Sufi mosque... A little girl in front of a house in a now developed refugee camp... Eddy coaching at school...

Church Meetings

Some of our Family here go to the same church in a refugee camp outside of the city and organized a week of nightly teachings/meetings. Eddy and I both had the opportunity to share to the body of about 250+ in their jammed pack mud church about 45 minutes away. The theme was foundational teachings. I taught on hearing God's voice and Eddy on the Holy Spirit. It was a powerful time for the church, with worship, prayer, listening to the Word and questions. As they gathered over a few hours (start times are hard to enforce!) and sang out there soulful African worship, the immense realization of how privileged we are to be used by God; to share in the fellowship of the saints and to lead others to Him. Wow.

We wanted to share a bit about a Family member here that lives in this camp and helped organize the meetings. We have known him and his family for quite sometime now and it was our first visit to his home. We didn't realize that he was living in the camp, or that he had lived there for over 15 years. We were humbled. He and his family and extended family (12-15 people) live in 3 mud huts in a small mud compound. As is the culture, they usually sleep outside. There is no electricity, no running water, no plumbing. He is a man after God's heart and his desire is to continue growing in the Lord- he hopes to study with other Family members during a "second level school" here. Please pray that he will receive the finances that he and his family needs to be a part of this school ($200+ cost of living).

**Visa Update: Jess' visa is still MIA... they said tomorrow (bukra) yeasterday and today told us in 2 days... Insha Allah...




Photos: The Church outside of the city... Our friend and his wife, and 2 nieces... 2 ladies drinking water before entering the church... Eddy sharing some good news!