Let there be light!

We're finally hooked up to a generator! After waiting a week it's on. We've had to put up with sitting in the dark, bathing/showering in the dark, finding matches to light the stove and now it's over. He came today! He came Saturday evening but the conducteur (a box that's rather necessary for a generator hook-up) was missing. Probably stolen by the last guy we paid for generator. He couldn't get a new one on the weekend so he came today. He'd said Monday morning so I put off my errands to wait for him. He arrived at 6 after telling me this afternoon that he'd come at 5. We only had to threaten him with finding someone else. {sigh}

So tomorrow I'll do what I planned to do today. Go to the bank to change some money. They take dollars here but Baba decided to send me with a bunch of dinars. Ugh! Then I'll head to BHS to sign the kids up for summer camp. The cost for the bus is about 1 1/2 fill-ups for the Range Rover so if it's for a stop at our house and not per each child we'll sign them up and save the gas. If not, then I'll be driving them everyday. The bus driver is the driver from the year the Boss went to school there and he's the boys' barber when we're here.

Then I need to call the pastor from the church we visited because he wants to get together. Since I'm halfway to his office after my errand at BHS it makes sense for me to go there. The Boss will be along to talk his ear off...I might have him take his Gameboy along so we can get a word in edge-wise.

Tomorrow evening I need to head the direction again to get the schedule for taekwondo. They don't take them til they're 5 but I'm hoping that since they've done taekwondo in Kuwait they'll make an exception.

Sometime tomorrow I need to take the Boss to the house of a friend he made last summer at camp. They went to each other's birthday parties and each slept over at the one's house. G is the youngest of 3. Both of his siblings are much older. The brother graduated from high school last year and his sister is in high school. He's a bit younger than the Boss. They've moved so I have to call her for directions.

The Boss and I walked to the librairie (bookstore) where he rents DVDs. We rented "Valiant" and "The Lion in Winter", the remake of the classic with O'Toole and Hepburn. I can't wait to watch it.

Tonight I found a CD with pics on it from our computer back in the States. It has pictures from before the twins were born and then tons of them as babies. Oh, I want more twins! Just like them.

Well, the Little Prince is almost crashed on the couch so I'd better get his teeth brushed before he's out for the count. More later.

The view from my walks

I have to say I'm enjoying my morning walks. Unfortunately my legs can't say the same. I don't think they've ever been so happy for a Sunday morning. The top 3 pics are from my route. The last one is the church down the street from us, St. Antoine's.

The picture on the wall is of Abouna Yaacob, a Lebanese priest who's now considered a saint. My neighbor explained who he was. She knew him, although I don't know how long ago he died. There are miracles associated with him. One is that a woman came from London to be healed of a large cancerous tumor in her neck. After seeing a vision of him it was gone.

This morning we visited a new church. Well, new for us. I had to drive down 2 different hills in first gear and I still had my feet on the breaks the whole way down. Fortunately one of the women there told me how to go back where I only had to deal with the hill going up from the church. They meet on the campus of a private school. It's on the steepest hill imaginable. At least the kids get to play in the playground after church. The Little Prince and the Diva had their first time on a seesaw today. They were in heaven.

They didn't care to go with the other kids for Sunday School so they stayed with me. It's a rather...charismatic (?) church so they were well entertained and their behavior wasn't bad. I'd told them they had to be quiet if they stayed with me and they were willing. I'm hoping that after a week or so in summer camp they'll feel a bit more comfortable. Plus they played with the kids after church and as they get to know them maybe they'll like the idea better. The Boss enjoyed Sunday School though so 1/3 of them did. LOL

I have to say it was nice to be able to enjoy the communion wine. After months of the homemade variety from our church in Kuwait it was a nice change. I wondered for a while if they would actually have words of institution. But after praying they distributed the elements, we held onto them, and then we ate the bread after he said the words of institution for the bread, and then the wine next.

The church was very different from what we're used to but we enjoyed it. It's a nice place for our summer worship. The man who preached the sermon preached from Revelation 7. He'd always imagined a rather small group making it to heaven. You know, the road is narrow. But then in this chapter it speaks of the multitude who are there. Yes, the way there is narrow but He's the shepherd who leaves the 99 to look for the 1. Yes, our way is narrow, not wide, but there will be a multitude with us.

9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (NKJV)

My view!

We're here! Yippee!

Above is the view from my terrace. (See why I couldn't wait to get here?) We arrived Monday afternoon and have barely left the house. I've started my morning walks on the hills. My legs may never forgive me. There are so many hills when you live on a mountain. I walk for about 40 minutes and my legs let me hear about it the rest of the day.

The kids' godfather's brother (did you follow that one?) picked us up from the airport so I could drive his SUV to decide if we want to buy it. We are but we're going to have to watch the gas though. We're no longer in the land of cheap gas. But it's a good size and we can fit more than just ourselves in it, unlike the little Renault we rented last summer. We've had to wait until today (and may still be waiting tomorrow-LOL) for the man to come and hook us up to the generator. We spend at least half our day without power. We've been waiting 3 days for the man to come and hook us up. He's had trouble with one of his generators and when my neighbor called him last night to check on things he said he was getting another one this morning and should come and hook us up this afternoon. It's not so bad during the day. We don't have A/C anyway (don't need it) but we can't turn on our fans. We sit out on the terrace unless it's the sunny part of the day (all windows and terrace/garden are on the west side). Then I put the blinds down to try to keep it from heating up the house. We read a lot and the Boss goes to visit a friend upstairs. It's more of a pain in the evenings when it gets dark. We last as long as we can with just the twilight and then turn on the emergency lights and shower as quickly as we can before they go out. Then we either head to bed or visit the neighbors across the hall. Last night we just went to bed early and I listened to my iPod. Hopefully tonight we'll have generator but I've learned not to hold my breath.

My friend called me this morning and they're just going to finalize the paperwork for changing the car over to us. Then I'll finally be mobile. Then I can do something with all the Kuwaiti money Baba sent with me. There's a lot of stuff within walking distance, but not a place to change money, unfortunately. Speaking of, we walked to the square to buy ice cream last night and ran into some people we knew. One said he remembered me pushing the twins in their tandem stroller. (When we lived here for a year that's how we got around. We never had a car then.) Now the twins are walking around and holding our hands instead. It's good to be home

Well, speaking of generators (or like thereof) we're now without power. Welcome to Lebanon!

They know the Chicken Dance too!

Last night I went to my first wedding over here. It was so much fun! The invitation said 7 and I was worried that I was late. I arrived about 7:30. (Thank you, Diva.) There was only one other guest there that I knew of, another was in the room. So after a few more arrived we went in. Slowly guests started to trickle in. We sat and visited and the hijabs and abeyas came off. It was fun trying to figure out who everyone was when they looked so different from what they look like at school. I realized that K has short, kind of a bobbed, hairstyle. She was upset that she was the only one there dressed like, in her words, a hoochie-mama (she grew up in Las Vegas). She was very upset that R2 wasn't showing cleavage and wore her hijab. R2 had planned to get her hair done but due to a miscommunication thought she'd be the only one. H, who filled in as my TA was there. She's a very pretty girl, seems quiet and a bit shy. Boy, was I wrong! She was wearing the cutest, short white, dress and her hair and make-up had me wondering, "Who on earth is that?!" When the bride was escorted in by the groom it was about 9:15. (I guess I didn't need to worry after all.)

R was absolutely beautiful. Her dress was long and full, with gold trimming around it. The bolero-type jacket was a cream color. She wore a white, lacy hijab under her very long veil. The women waited until the groom and the bride's male family members left and then off came the hijab again and the party got started. R2 tried to get me up to dance. I told her I needed a few margaritas first and since that wasn't happening in this country (we're a dry country) I was sitting it out. I got up for a few simple steps though. Then the drums started in on this one song. R2 told me to do it and I said, "It's a boob shaking one. There's not enough tequila in the world for that!"

We did the dabka a few times. If you don't know it, don't watch a Lebanese. They'll add extra fancy steps that are hard to figure out. Instead follow your German friend who's been married to a Lebanese for over 20 years and you'll get it.

My only complaint of the evening were the servers. They kept trying to take half empty glasses that you obviously weren't finished with. They were almost militant. Even if you said no, they still reached for it and looked at you strangely if you insisted. I got up to dance and came back to finish my plate (which was only half empty). It was gone! So from them on if I had food on my plate I stayed put.

The groom came back in to cut the cake and take more pictures so the women who'd uncovered covered again. Then he left and they came off again. We partied until about 11:30. I'd asked R if she planned on doing the chicken dance, but apparently the DJ didn't have it in her repertoire. (Can't imagine why!) Then, before leaving, R2 said that I wanted to do the chicken dance. (I was kidding and she knew it.) So we did it a cappella. Well, actually, not really. We did it while humming it ourselves. LOL And my German friend was actually going to sit it out! Can you believe that?

The women covered one last time and T came in for his bride. We followed them to the elevator, being as loud and obnoxious as possible. Even if R hadn't been dressed from head to toe in a long, white dress and veil, it would still have been impossible to not know she'd just gotten married. Then after they finally got away from us, I mean, got on the elevator, we all hugged and said good-bye, asked to where we were travelling (no one in their right mind stays here during the summer), and said "See you in September, insha'allah."

Tomorrow we leave for Lebanon! Whoohoo! I probably won't have time to post again for a few days. I have to get it connected. Our flight apparently lasts 6 hours with no stop mentioned on the ticket. S said it doesn't take her 6 hours to get to Germany so there must be a stop somewhere. Usually it's non-stop in about 2 1/2 hours so this is a bit disappointing. At least I found a couple of electronic games for the twins (since 4 is a little young for Gameboys of their own) so that should keep they happy. We're having company for lunch and then packing tonight. I start my diet in Lebanon. {sigh}

Good home needed!

We have to find a new home for our dogs in the States. We've made the decision to find them a new home mainly because of behavior issues stemming from our absence. The people living there while we were gone took good care of them by feeding, watering, etc. but they were never around much to play with them or make them feel like they had family there. It's been a rough 3 years for them.

They are beautiful, loving dogs who are very protective of "their" children. I remember once when a neighbor came to visit. You have to understand that this man was their friend. They would run out to greet him everytime he walked his dog or came to visit. This particular day, however, the twins were outside in their playpen. When J came walking up to the house to talk to Baba, Zoe and Bandit ran barking and growling at him. They were not threatening him in any way. They were just letting him know "their babies" were in the yard and he'd better watch himself. Like I said, he was one of their best friends, but the twins were around and they weren't taking any chances. They would also keep strange dogs (or neighbor dogs that we didn't like) away when we would take the twins out in their tandem stroller. Another dog, that they liked, was allowed to walk with us until we reached a curve that said we were nearing our home. Then they politely chased her off.

Bandit is a German Shepherd and he's about 8 years old or so. He has the most pleasant temperament and is very playful. He wouldn't hurt anyone except accidentally if that person is standing next to him while he is happy. (His tail is roughly the size of a baseball bat.) If he's standing next to a garage door while happy you hear it all over the house. LOL He's terrified of storms, fireworks, and other loud noises. He has been known to tear up our screens trying to get in the house in desperation. This is the only time I've ever known him to be at all distructive. He's not normally one to chew up things (at least not since he was a puppy) but when he's terrified, all bets are off. He used to be best friends with our barn cat (who got jealouse and ran off when we got Zoe). He hasn't been around cats for a few years so he'd probably need to be socialized with them again.

Zoe is a Black Lab. I'm thinking she's about 5 years or a bit older? She was shot by the neighbor of her former owner about 5 times. She's had numerous surgeries but until her fall (actually, jump) from our truck last summer she ran faster than Bandit. I'd hate to know how fast she was before her surgeries. She did get impatient when we came home from the groomers last summer and jumped out of the back of the pickup on the road in front of our house. She messed up her knee (or was it her hip) and the vet said they could do surgery but she'd still have arthritis in it, etc. so it wouldn't have really prevented any trouble in it anyway. So when the vet said she wouldn't do it if it were her dog, I wisely heeded her advice. To my knowledge it doesn't bother her much, except perhaps depending upon the weather. As long as you're not a rabbit, opossum, etc. you're safe around her. If you are, let's just hope you're a opossum. You have a decent chance of getting away.

Both of these dogs are excellent with children. I would have no problem letting my children outside with them while I ran in and out of the house. They are very protective of them. The twins were always hesitant about petting our cat. Half the time she wanted to bat your hand instead of being petted. Whenever a dog stuck a huge face in theirs, they always reached for them. They had no fear of these huge dogs when they were a year old. Last summer they were afraid of them because they hadn't been around dogs for 2 years. Once Bandit and Zoe realized they were afraid of them, they didn't get in their faces. They kept their distance (but they always knew where they were). Whenthey realized that the Little Prince was getting over it, both of them would come up to him and he would pet them. Bandit never got the hint about keeping his long snout out of the Prince's face, though. They knew the Diva was still scared so they didn't press it with her.

If you, or someone you know, is interested in a dog without having to train a puppy, that's already known to be good with kids, and is just a sweet dog, please let me know. If you include your e-mail address in your comment I won't publish it (an advantage to moderating my comments).

We are giving ourselves a month to find them a home or a no-kill shelter. If we can't then we'll put them down. We want to be as sure as we can that they'll find a good home or spare them the possibility of ending up in a bad one. It breaks my heart to do it, but the decision had to be made. If bringing them here was an option we'd do it in a heartbeat. Please, if you can think of anyone who'd love these dogs, let me know.

I knew I liked this guy for a reason

http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=298674736712247

Why Pay More?

http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=298595377202730

Here in Kuwait we have cheap gas. I buy super with the higher octane and I'm paying around $1 per gallon. (I can't get more specific than that because I'm figuring 4 liters (we buy by the liter) in a gallon (not exact I know but close enough) and the exchange rate is around $3.75 per Kuwaiti Dinar.

You know why we have such cheap gas? Is it because we live in an oil producing country? No. The USA is an oil producing country. The difference? We're not producing! We have plenty and we're just letting it sit there. The Democrats claim that it would take years to help oil prices and that even then it wouldn't be by much? Talk about a reason not to back education bills by Democrats! How do they do that math?

I'm not crazy about being dependent on a nonrenewable resource. I would certainly be eager for our government to work overtime trying to get us off of oil before we're desperate. However, in the meantime, so that hard-working people can feed their families and get to their jobs so they can feed them, we need cheaper gas available in the USA. Must Americans have to take jobs overseas in order to do that?

Don't get me wrong. Kuwait is feeling the pinch on food prices and the cost of other things that are rising. The cost of living here can be very high. However, gas is cheaper over here than water. I pay about .065 per liter of gas and a liter of bottled water costs me .100 at the nearest bakala. I doubt that more drills in the USA will bring gas prices THAT low, but isn't it worth it to lower it what we can?

Saudi Wife Shows us into her Home (part 1)

This was another very interesting video I found today. Enjoy!

The Veil - My opinion

If you've watched the two videos I embedded earlier I hope you enjoyed them. For the last two school years I've worked with women who cover, either with a hijab or the niqab. Most of them wear a hijab but there are several (more in this school than my last one) who wear niqab. I posted these videos with a two-fold purpose. One, to share with my western friends about women in this part of the world, from their religious background. Two, I found it naturally addressed the issue of covering among Christian women as well.

I agreed with the second woman interviewed in the first video. She dresses the way she does for God, not for herself. She is absolutely right. When a woman covers, it should be done with the intent of pleasing God. Not because someone tells you that you should, not because you want to fit in with others. Not because you father wants you to or your husband. It should be something you feel compelled to do by God. While a husband or father certainly should have some say in the matter, it's a decision to be made by the woman only. It should be based upon what God is compelling her to do, by studying Scripture, constantly being confronted on the issue, whatever. If a woman does not feel a conviction to do so, she shouldn't do it. Period. If she feels compelled to do so and her husband isn't on board with it, then they should find a middle ground. She doesn't have to wear a doily on her head, she can wear a fashionable scarf, wide headband, snood, hat, whatever. There's a multitude of ways a woman can cover her head without embarassing her husband, if he's uncomfortable.

The woman interviewed in the second video had the wrong reasons for wearing a hijab and she was correct to stop. If you go to YouTube and read the comments left for the second video she received criticism for her decision to stop. Someone asked the difference between spending time trying to look perfect covered and trying to look perfect to remain uncovered. I think, personally, it should be obvious. The purpose of covering is modesty. There's nothing wrong with looking your best when you're dressed modestly but if you're spending a large amount of time fretting over your appearance, then your heart is probably not in the right place. She began covering because she was not modest. She recognized the error of her thinking and made the appropriate changes. If you are covering for any other reason than pleasing God, then you're doing it for the wrong reason. Period.

I have to make one more comment. As Christians it really doesn't matter if we cover or not. Covering is a work. We are saved by our faith, not our works. Yes, our works should be a natural result of our faith, but they should not be considered the source of our salvation. Our salvation is by grace through faith. Covering is no more likely to get us into heaven than not covering is to keep us out.

I have several online friends who do cover and I mean no criticism toward them at all. I respect their decision to cover because I know from reading their posts on discussion boards why they cover and they've made that decision for the right reasons. You go, girls!

Everywoman - The veil - 16 May 08 - Part 2

Here's part 2. Comments to follow.

Everywoman - The veil - 16 May 08 - Part 1

This is a very interesting story from Everywoman. I'll also post part 2 after I preview it.

This one's for you, Jungle Mom!

Two Years Ago

Two years ago now we were living in Lebanon. It had been a wonderful almost a year. The Boss was finishing up the 2nd grade at Broumana High School and getting ready for summer camp.

In the 2 weeks between our neighbors from the States came to visit and see the country. We went all over the place. We visited places I hadn't seen since my first visit to meet Baba's family when the Boss was a year old.

Since Baba was working here in Kuwait we visited places with my SIL and Baba's aunt. SIL took us to visit Our Lady of Light, where a Greek captain's ship had been saved because he saw lights on the mountain which led him to safety. We went to Moussa's castle, which is a real treat. The re-creations of traditional Lebanese daily life is neat.

We visited Our Lady of Lebanon on our own. It's pretty easy to get to. You have two options. You can drive to Jounieh and go down to the coast to catch the Teleferique (or, as our friend called it, the Tele-ferique-me-out) and ride up in a cable car over the highway, apartment buildings, trees, up the mountain to Harisa to the shrine. With all the daily power outages in Lebanon we'd never been stuck in the Teleferique until that trip up with our friends. We were almost there, hanging over the pine trees, when we suddenly stopped. S and her son were facing us so she found it easier to keep her eyes open as we were swinging. The kids and I, however, were facing the horizon, so keeping my eyes open just made me rather sick, so I preferred to keep them closed. I expected a jerk when we started up again but it was very smooth. However, I have to say I prefer to just drive up to Harisa. It's not a bad drive, very nice, actually.

I like the story of Our Lady of Lebanon. She was built looking over the sea. But during some bad fighting during the civil war, she suddenly turned and now faces Beirut. Apparently the Vatican has sent people to investigate how it happened and they haven't been able with all their experts to figure out how it happened. You see Christians and Muslims visiting her. Mary is very important in Islam, being the mother of one of their prophets. In fact, this last summer there was a Muslim family visiting when we were. The mother was fully covered. Her kids were up on the stairs climbing up to the statue and her son was yelling down to her. About all I could see of her was her eyes and that was enough...the universal look a mortified mother.

After our trip back down we walked around in Jounieh. It's an old port with lots of picturesque charm. If you like sidewalk cafes and quaint shops...you'll love Jounieh.

While our friends were with us the Boss began to complain of a stomach ache. He had them very frequently and it was getting to be a regular occurance. But this time he was really moaning and complaining but he's known for going for the drama when he's wanting attention. And, let's face it, the twins were getting most of it due to being 2 years old. We were getting in the car to go to the movies and all of a sudden he started crying loudly and saying that it really hurt. We went back inside and rested until my appointment (I had made an appointment with the doctor because I wasn't feeling very well) and then I took him with me. The dr. examined him first and said it felt like his appendix. He called his surgeon friend at Bhannes hospital and said he was sending us there. I stopped by the house where our friends were watching the twins and let them know where we were heading. I took him to the ER and they immediately put him in a room and had him hooked up to an IV. The last time he'd had a shot it took myself, my SIL, and the doctor to hold him down. I wasn't going through that again. He'd gotten a GameBoy for Christmas so I told him, when the dr. mentioned a blood test, that if he was good, I'd get him a game cartridge. When the nurse came in with the IV before we even saw the doctor, I said I'd get him two. Then when the doctor said it was his appendix and he was doing surgery, I upped it to 3.

I called Big M (their godfather) and he got in touch with Baba who arranged to come in the next day. Two days after the surgery the Boss was discharged and we hopped in the car and drove to Jeita Grotto for more sightseeing (since the surgery had interrupted that). M and Baba carried him up and down the multitude of steps but otherwise he did fine.

The next day we went to St. Charbel. I like his story too. He was a priest in Lebanon who was very devout. The other priests in his monastery were jealous of him and decided to play a trick on him. One day he asked someone to bring him a lamp. As a joke they decided to fill the lamp with water instead of oil. When he put the match to it, it lit! Imagine their surprise. Guess the joke was on them, huh?

We had so much fun with our friends that summer. They'd heard about Lebanon about us for ages and they finally got to see it for themselves. A few days after they left the Boss started summer camp at BHS. Not long after that Israel and Hezbollah started going at it and S was worried about the people she'd met and the places she'd seen. But that's another post.

In a week and a couple of days we'll be there again! Whoohoo! I think the first restaurant I want to visit is Alcatraz. They have the best fish. They have other stuff too but I can't get enough of that fish. We're heading to the beach. Summer camp doesn't start until the 8th so we can hit it on weekdays and miss a lot of the crowds, I'm hoping. I have a new swimsuit that I ordered last summer and didn't get to wear until a few weeks ago at the water park. I'm looking forward to putting it to very good use. I'm also putting all those hills where we live to good use and walking with my iPod everyday so I don't look so hideous all summer in that swimsuit. LOL

The kingdom of heaven is near

Today's Gospel reading was from Matthew 9:35-10:8. The sermon began with two words that he said we'd probably never heard used to begin a sermon before: bowel movement. (Was he right?) He said the ancient Greeks believed that the bowels, which are a major part of our body, were the seat of our emotions. The word used to describe Jesus' compassion really means his bowels moved. Obviously the translators of the Bible couldn't really use that translation since it has such a different meaning for English speakers. So they used the word compassion. When we feel, we tend to feel it in our gut. Whether it's fear, excitement, whatever, we tend to feel something right about there.

The word translated as harassed had different meanings as well. It could mean a flayed corpse; wearied of a journey that never ends; vexed by evil people using words (I was writing frantically so I didn't get the exact definition of that last one but you probably get the idea). The word translated as helpless could mean to lie on the floor and not move; prostrate on the floor like your were dead. When He saw them in this condition, his bowels moved-He felt it in His gut.

Matthew, who was writing this Gospel, made a point that they were lost sheep. In the OT God is referred to as the shepherd of Israel. Jesus had "stepped in" as the Shepherd. He was the Lord come to shepherd His people. Matthew, as a tax collector, was one of an unlikely bunch of people chosen to tend to these sheep. He was an outcast himself, and he was being sent out to the lost sheep of Israel.

Our pastor talked about how much help is needed in Kuwait now. There are 95 Phillipino women being detained in one room who are in need of various hygiene products. There are a group of Phillipino men who have been jailed for about a year and all they need are tickets home. There was a maid who was beaten by her Kuwaiti employer until the flesh on her back was shredded (definitely one of the meanings for harassed above). There is so much need for help here that it's easy to be overwhelmed by it. When you're overwhelmed with need for help in helping others, pray for labourers.

A fellow monk of Martin Luther, when Luther left to go out in the world, told him that he'd pray for him. One night he dreamed of a huge field ready for harvest and there was one, lowly figure trying to bring it in. He recognized Luther and felt convicted by what he saw. The next day he joined him in the harvest.

Muslims often use this part of Matthew's Gospel to "prove" that Jesus' Gospel wasn't universal- just for the Jews. (They believe that Mohammad's revelations were universal.) But the Jews were just the ones who had the first chance to receive Christ. They were God's chosen people so they had first chance, so to speak. But they were not equipped as messengers to Gentiles. They were the lost sheep of Israel. They couldn't lead anyone anywhere.

Jesus' message brought spiritual help. He said the kingdom of heaven is near. Why would they walk out into the desert to hear that? They felt God had abandoned them. He was up in heaven and far away from them. Here was the Good News that He not only hadn't abandoned them, but He was near! The Jews of Jesus' day lived in a pagan culture where the gods were viewed as playing a giant chess game with the people on earth. They didn't feel that God was near them. How many of you have ever awakened feeling abandoned, alone, helpless? Jesus is here! That was Good News for the Jews that He was there with them.

Jesus gave His disciples a list of things to do. How many of us think that list doesn't apply to us? First he told them to proclaim the good news that "The kingdom of heaven has come near." Second, He told them to cure the sick. Well, there weren't a lot of doctors back then so that would have been a rather necessary thing for them to do, but we have plenty of doctors now so we don't have to try that ourselves, right? The word for sick can also mean weak-go give strength to the weak. We can do that, can't we? There are certainly plenty of opportunities here in Kuwait. Other places as well. Third, raise the dead. How on earth do we do that?! There's a spiritual condition of being dead. We can certainly share the Gospel with people so they can find new life, right? Fourth, cleanse the lepers. They were cast out of society and rejected. They felt dirty and that they couldn't possibly be in the presence of God, right? We can certainly help the outcasts in our society feel welcome and whole, can't we? Fifth, cast out demons. How many of us have seen someone possessed by demons. Besides, isn't that really just a form of mental illness? Not so fast. We can confront evil. We can name it and get it out in Christ's name. There is plenty of evil in society over here. There's plenty in society in the US and elsewhere.

There is a thing called compassion fatigue going around. There is no place in the life of a Christian for compassion fatigue.

Still bad

You know it's bad when the Arab Times website has a pic of it. Not too many of those I've noticed. Anyway according the article I just read online this Bawareh should last until July 30th. The ports have had shorter hours due to this weather and there were 30 accidents on Saturday. (Of course there are numerous accidents everyday anyway due to poor driving so when you throw in a bunch of dust it makes for a very bad combination.) Hospitals and clinics are reporting a high number of people complaining of breathing problems. People with asthma and other conditions are advised to stay indoors.

Two more weeks, actually 2 weeks from yesterday, we'll be in beautiful Lebanon! My plan is to hit the beach every weekend. I might even be persuaded to hit a beach on a weekday if the kids don't have camp (unless it's a holiday and then we'll avoid it like the plague). The sand in Lebanon is where all sand belongs, on the beach. Except for the playground at camp, most of which ends up in the twins' shoes. But I can deal with that.

This past weekend the Boss had a party to celebrate the end of exams. I had 6 (including him) 10-11 year-old boys in our apartment. They were pretty well behaved and had fun. They would go downstairs and play on the giant sand pile from where they're doing construction. What it is about big piles of dirt and sand that's so appealing to boys?

The twins had asked earlier if they could have their friend over, but the one they were probably thinking of has already left for the States with his mom. Luckily I saw the little boy across the hall poking his head out and so I invited him and his sister to join us. He's 6 and his sister is 4, the same age as the twins. They had a blast! The Little Prince liked having a boy closer to his age to play with and the Diva kept pushing me out the door and telling me to go out so she could play with her new friend without being bothered by a grown-up. It was so cute. We're going to be in such trouble.

The friends who came for the Boss's party were a real mix. Two of the boys are Indian, though one claims South Africa as his home, though he hasn't lived there for quite a while, I think. One boy (who's from our church as well as the Boss's school) is from Holland, one boy is a Christian from Egypt, and one is from one of the few Christian families here in Kuwait. You'd wonder how such a mixed group of boys could get along so well. It's because they speak the one truly universal language. No, I don't mean English, although they go to the same English school. The one truly universal language they all speak...video games. It doesn't matter who the kids are. Be they Muslim, Christian, Hindu, whatever. Give them a video game system and you have a group of friends. Maybe the next time Israel and Syria meet in Turkey they should throw away the treaties and just break out the video games. It would certainly be more fun and they'd probably get a lot more accomplished. Palestinians and Israelis...same thing. Give a bunch of (overgrown) boys a game system and watch the magic.

Nice weather

Dusty weather could last till Friday

Published Date: June 09, 2008
By Ben Garcia, Staff Writer

KUWAIT: Al-Fintas Astronomical Observatory Director Adel Al-Saadon predicted that Kuwait will experience dusty weather till Thursday or Friday. He added that it will re-occur occasionally throughout the month of August due to the onset of Bawarah season. "The Bawarah season is here, (characterized by dry, hot and windy weather). This season, which last for 40 days, always experiences harsh and dusty weather, especially since rainfall is very less during monsoon. This year, we recorded even lesser rain," noted Saadoun.According to Saadoun, a tropical depression in the Indian subcontinent is also currently affecting Kuwait's weather. But such occurrence is normal during the Bawarah season, he added. "Strong winds are responsible for the dust storm we are experiencing right now. But it is expected," he reiterated.He explained that if Kuwait had experienced enough rain (during monsoon) there would have been fewer occurrences of sandstorm. "The rain plays a significant part on weather. We already knew that dust storms were in store because od low rainfall this year," he mentioned.The Bawarah season wind usually blows from the north and the north-west with a speed touching 50 kilometers per hour.However, dust storms are a mixed blessing. Temperature usually declines up to five degrees. A dusty atmosphere normally helps block sun rays. "The weather is just normal, nothing unusual. But we expect hotter temperature right after this," he concluded.

Only two more weeks until we're where the sand is where it belongs...on the beach!

Big Deal!

I enjoyed reading this opinion in the Arab Times. But just so you know... Kuwaitis throw the wildest parties you'll find here (from what I've heard) but due to wasta, even if they get caught, no big deal.

Big deal!
By Ali Ahmad Al-BaghliFormer Minister of Oil
A NUMBER of tribal MPs were furious over a report published in Al-Rai daily about a party, organized by Royal Hayat Hospital to celebrate its first anniversary, in which the revelers allegedly behaved inappropriately. The event took place in a private hall where only those who are invited were allowed to enter, hence, it is illogical for some people to claim that it is against Kuwait’s customs and traditions. Photos published in the newspaper depicted the happy faces of several members of foreign communities, who attended the event. No one was gloomy, just as some MPs want them to be. The revelers expressed their joy in a private place, instead of partying in a public area — similar to what a few Kuwaitis and expatriates do when they are in another country. It seems like the Parliament is bent on showing its ability to dampen the high spirits of people while watching the poor performance of its members.
These MPs have declared themselves the nemesis of ‘happiness’. They threatened to grill four ministers over the party. Many people wondered why the ministers of health, interior, commerce and information were implicated in the Royal Hayat Hospital issue. If the MPs had criticized the hospital for charging exorbitant medical fees or committing medical errors which might have led to death, we would understand their reaction as they would be fulfilling their responsibility to defend the public’s interests. Focusing on absurd issues such as a hospital party is outright interference in people’s freedom, which is guaranteed by the Constitution. MPs, by setting aside vital issues to concentrate on trivial, ones are hiding behind the shadows of their colleagues who are strong enough to address the serious problems of the country. ‘Big Deal!’

http://www.arabtimesonline.com/kuwaitnews/faqdetails.asp?faid=900&faqid=9

Psalm 33

Today we finally made it to church again! Yeah! The pastor began his sermon by telling us about Yemen. Yemen is a very hard country to live and work in. There are many people who feel called to live and serve God there. They have good friends who are from Singapore who live there as missionaries. Their 10 year-old daughter had an asthma attack a few days ago. On their way to get her treatment,she died. The question that her family is struggling with is, "How can this happen to a missionary Christian family?" We live in a world where pain and sufferent affect all people. Today's sermon was dedicated to her.

"By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, by the breath of his mouth all the heavenly hosts." We have a sovereign God. What we don't always appreciate is the sheer size of creation. The universe is a very, very big place. The sun's center is about 50 million C. If he could make the tip of his pencil 50 million C, Kuwait City would be incinerated. He used objects held by worshippers to model our solar system. A teacher doing this presentation to a class would need a football field, or two. Holding Pluto would require getting in your car and driving a km or two away. The next nearest sun, if doing this to scale, would be in Africa.

If we were to circle the Earth 7 times at the speed of light, it would take 1 second. The Andromeda Galaxy, the nearest galaxy to us, is millions of light years away. Ursa Major is billions of light years away. "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, by the breath of his mouth all the heavenly hosts." We worship a very big God.

Christians all over the world like to give advice to God. Tell Him what we think needs to be done. We like to try to bring Him down to our size. "Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all who dwell in the world stand in awe of Him." It is incredible that this God shows any interest at all in us. That we can live on this planet at all. If Earth were just 1 degree off its angle (or however exactly he phrased that), we wouldn't be able to exist. We are exactly the right distance from the sun. "But the Lord's will stands fast for ever, and the designs of His heart from age to age."

When he thinks of their friends' daughter who died in Yemen, a cyclone in Burma, and the earthquake in China, he thinks about the largeness of God. The Christian message is that God loves us and He has come down to our level in the person of Jesus Christ to suffer, die, and rise again, and through Jesus we can see hope for the future. He doesn't understand why his friends' daughter died or why thousands of parents in China experienced the same kind of loss, but God has seen that suffering and we can hold onto Him.

He and his wife discussed what they thought losing one of their children would do to their faith. They think it would drive them closer to God. He knows us by name and He's chosen us as His own.

Miracle baby - What a cutie!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1024297/Mothers-anger-turns-delight-baby-survives-abortion.html

Yes, I disagree with the decision she and the baby's father made to begin with, however, never having been in their shoes I can't judge them. They didn't make their decision from the stand that the baby was unwanted. They didn't make it lightly. They wanted to spare the baby the possible same fate as her first baby. Her anger wasn't from finding out she was still "stuck with" an unwanted child. It was that the emotional upheavel they went through in making their decision was all for "nothing". But it wasn't, was it? God knows what He's doing.

All I can say is thank God he survived and that he's healthy.

What's the point of taking this picture?

I mean seriously! You can't even tell who's who! How does that prove to anyone that you even there. You could be passing off a picture of someone else. (Yes, that's me in front of the Eiffel Tower. Yes, that's me at Macchu Picchu.)

I forwarded the e-mail these pics came in to my Egyptian friend and an American friend at my school, both Muslims. Don't get my Egyptian friend started on women who cover. She respects them and their right to do so, but she really gets going when she explains that it's not Islam, it's Bedouin/Arabic culture. "Mohammad said a woman needs her face and hands uncovered so she can shop and work." Actually it's rather easy to get R going on a lot of things, usually parents (before anyone gets in a huff, she's the mother of two school-aged children as well), and she's really rather funny. I'm surprised we haven't gotten into a ton of trouble with the American friend I mentioned (she's the elementary coordinator so kind of our boss) for how silly we tend to act during staff meetings.

Oh, and the American friend? The other day we were sitting around complaining about the TA my neighbor and I share. L was about ready to go after her and talk to her about what she'd pulled that day but she was afraid she'd say something not-so-nice. She yanked on her hijab and said, "Don't let this thing fool you." (We're hardly fooled. We love how politically incorrect this woman is.)

I'm counting the days until we hop on the plane for Lebanon for the summer but I'm sure going to miss my friends. Thank heavens for e-mail!

Oh, and the point of this picture? Apparently...



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LOL Now you know why I was rambling. Had to put something in the space between these pics.

Ugh!

Last week the twins were under the weather. One thing I like over here is that I can go to the Ministry clinic for our area, pay one dinar, and see the doctor, gets tests, medications, etc. It's very handy and very affordable. One thing I've noticed about the Little Prince is that he often has a tummy ache. Even when there's nothing else bothering him he complains of a tummy ache. Of course a lot of the time it's when he's supposed to be eating something that doesn't get him too excited, but it also pops up other times. For one dinar there's no reason to let it go, right? But you have to go to the right clinic for your area. When we first moved to the area where we live we had to continue to go to another area because our IDs still had the old area on them. A major pain in the neck, to be sure, since it's in the middle of "restaurant row".

Last week when he was at the clinic I mentioned the frequent tummy aches to the doctor. She wrote a referral to the hospital lab for a CBC and a stool sample. The lab is only open to patients from the clinics from 7-12 Sunday through Thursday so that requires Baba to be responsible for that.

This Sunday Baba took him to take care of the tests. Unfortunately I had the Prince's civil ID with me since I was the last person to take him to the clinic. Baba's ID was at my school since they're in the process of transferring my residency. So without the "proof" of where we live they wouldn't do the tests. (You remember one of those was a stool sample, right?) Now explain to me how a wealthy country, with technology out the ear, doesn't have a computer system that allows someone to just take your ID number (which is also on your insurance card and your driver's license), enter it in the computer, and see that, Oh, yes, you do live in the right area! Duh! (But you also have to realize that when a friend of mine was in an accident and she went to the police station to file the report, they were handwriting all the forms in triplicate!)

So yesterday they go back to the clinic with their 2nd sample and got the tests done. The Little Prince was a very good boy. He described what they did to his arm and how they got blood. He also told me about the most important part of the trip. He got candy! Whoohoo! Bravo, my brave Little Prince!

I just realized that I've posted about the Little Prince a couple of times lately but not the Boss or the Diva. I'll have to do something about that soon.