A Day in Kurdistan

Sunday, the 10th of June, was sort of my first day out of school.  Really the full-time teachers still have to report this week, but technically there's nothing for me to do in the school, so I did not report on Sunday.  Actually, I used the fact that Sunday was Hannah's last day in Kurdistan as my excuse not to go to school.  Instead, we planned a shopping trip to the big bazaar that morning so the 3 of us, Hannah, Virginia, and I, could pick up some gifts to take to America.  We had also received a lunch invitation from Mrs. Linda for Sunday afternoon, so we were looking forward to a busy, fun-filled day.

At around 9:45 am the 3 of us grabbed a taxi and headed off to the bazaar where we enjoyed some shopping among the local people and in the traditional style.  There were scarves a-plenty, from which we each made our selections.  We perused small stands with henna and searched for ornate (and gaudy) teaspoons to bring to America.  I even found a great mug tree, but not for mugs.  Karoline will use it as a jewelry hanger.  You know how I love to re-purpose!  We wandered around among the sweaty people, hanging beef and lamb, buzzing flies, and noisily shouting salesmen for a couple hours, then made our way up the steep hill to the Qalat (Citadel).  Virginia loves the antique shop there and, since she's single, I guess she has the money to buy antiques. :)  She purchased some treasures, including another dagger (soooo Virginia), then we headed down the steep hill to finish the outing with ice cream or juice.  Virginia got her favorite pistachio ice cream, but Hannah and I decided to try some mixed juice flavors we'd never tasted before.  Hannah chose henar and gindora---translation: pomegranate mixed with  a melon (like cantaloupe).  I went with a safer mix, strawberry/banana.  Well, Hannah's was way better!!!!  I will buy that again.  So, happy and re-hydrated, we headed home in a taxi.  Kinley called to say our family had received another invitation for 5pm that evening!  Whew--it was shaping up to be a very busy day!  If you know me, I love it!

As soon as we arrived home after shopping, I had about 30 minutes to freshen up from the stale heat and dust of the bazaar before meeting Mrs. Linda at the school to go to her house for lunch.  Go, go, go!!!!  At Linda's house, Hannah, Virginia, and I enjoyed a small lunch of beef kebab in samoon and a soup with kuba.  We chatted about all kinds of things; family, students, TV...it was nice and relaxing.  We had tea and the sweet they call manna.  Nearing 5pm, Kinley called to ask when we were coming.  So, Linda graciously changed her clothes and drove us back to our neighborhood.  As soon as I walked in (at 5:34) Kinley and the girls walked out.  We were late for our 5pm invitation.  Oops!  MY fault.

Now, remember, this is NOT a time-oriented culture.  However, Kinley had an agenda for a small side mirror car repair and wanted to get it done before the shop closed.  So, my family left me home to shower and rest a bit.  An hour later, Kinley returned for me.  The girls were already at the home of our great Kurdish friend, Shemal!  Remember, he's the construction worker Kinley became friends with 2 years ago when the house next door to ours was being built.  So, we arrived at Shemal's around 6:45pm.  He lives at home with his parents, his wife, and 5 younger siblings.  He also has 5 older siblings, all married with children who have their own homes, mostly nearby.  We had all been invited to see the new baby.  Shemal was just married last summer, and Friday, June 8th, his first child was born--a son, Niaz.  Not all the family came for the visit, but most of them, including all their children.  I think there were 25 people, but I lost count!  I know of at least 11 more who were at the home of one of Shemal's brothers.  I was just waiting for them to show up.  It was an amazing evening--and night, of Kurdish language, food, celebrating, pictures, laughing, Uno (yes, my daughters have introduced them to the card game), and squealing, shrieking, running, and playing of lots of children.  Wonderfully, Shemal has one older sister with 7 children; 6 girls, one boy.  The oldest girl is 16 and they go on down from there to an 18 month old!  We had never met them before, but we found out they actually live on our own street in our neighborhood!!!  Amazing!  Plenty of girls for our daughters!!  Now, there was some serious language confusion between the girls, but hey, it's time to learn!  Believe me, Hannah Montana and Justin Beiber are the same in any language!  When Shemal invited us, we told him we would come in a week or so after his wife rested from the birth of a baby.  He said that's when guests come.  We are not guests, we are family and we will come when the family comes.  It was so sweet!  He calls Kinley his brother, and he means it, truly.  We had a long night, trying to listen and translate and communicate, but we were filled with the spirit of why we are here;  to love the people of Kurdistan and be a Light into their lives.  What a privilege to be called "family" by a national man and his extended family.  We left Shemal's house around 11:30pm. We are tired today, but filled with joy and overflowing with blessings of friendship!  As a matter of fact, Kate is so overflowing, she's still in the bed at 11:30am!!!!!

Katrina

Ladies Retreat in Soran

This update from Katrina after attending a retreat with 30 ladies:

From February 9-11 Katrina had the fabulous opportunity to attend a Women’s Retreat in Soran, a city about 2 -1/2 hours away. The retreat was a vision of an American lady, who is a friend of ours that we met here in 2010. She and her family live in a large house that is meant to be a guest house and retreat center for their organization, World Orphans. Because they have the space, our friend felt led to open her home to international believers for this retreat. It was so amazing! There were 30 women there, from many countries and cultures, now living and serving in 5 different cities of Iraqi Kurdistan. Some are single, some are married, some are married with kids at home, some are married with grown children/grandchildren…it was a very diverse group. Yet we were all drawn together by the Spirit! We had sweet times of worship and tremendously powerful times of joint prayer. It was a time of refreshment, encouragement, relationship building, and re-commitment for all of us. Pray with us for these women and their families and for the work God has called them here to do among the people of Iraqi Kurdistan.

Updates from Valentine's Day

While I was home sick, the girls had an opportunity to go on two field trips. Katrina with grades 5-6 and Karoline and Kate with grade 7. Here are their reflections:

Katrina:

On Valentine’s Day I traveled a few miles from our school with the 5^th and 6^th graders to visit a government school. The children in public, government school s are very low income and we went there to share a bit of love with them on Valentine’s Day. Each of our students took a gift to share. Selected students from the government school lined up to meet us outside in their courtyard area. After greetings and introductions, our students took turns presenting the other students with their gifts. We then stayed a while to play outside with some of the children during their break. We had some time also to look around the school. The classrooms were very small, dark, and dirty. The children also seemed dirty and unkept. It was a precious opportunity to whisper prayers for these children and their families, and for our students to take time to think beyond themselves. Whether they realize it or not, these are some of the small ways we are teaching our students the ways of Christ, and taking opportunity to show His love and light to others.

Karoline:

On Valentine’s Day, the seventh grade at CSM went to an orphanage. We went around 11 in the morning, so most of the kids were at school, but we got to meet some of the older girls (around ages 16-18) and talk to them. Well, kinda…we couldn’t exactly talk to them because of the language barrier, but we smiled and tried to use the little Kurdish we DO have. They live in a kind of dorm together, I think about two or three to a room. As soon as we got there, we were ushered into a conference hall and sort of briefed on many orphans there were and what the goal was for the orphanage. We couldn’t understand, so our friends had to help us. But the gist of it was that they didn’t want us to ask the kids where their parents were or why they were there. They just wanted us to show them love and care for them. They said they didn’t want us to talk about how we have families who love and care for us, but to just be normal kids and talk with them. After we saw the dorms, the girls and boys, who had gone separately to play soccer, came together to share the food we’d brought with the orphans. Then we gave the kids gifts and headed out. Since we really didn’t get to see a lot of the place, I didn’t get a really good idea of what was going on there, but from what we did see, I get the idea that these kids are cared for and loved and they’re in a good place.

I noticed one big thing that surprised me. Each day we’re available, Kate and I go to the school on the kids’ break to see them and talk to them and just generally hang out. So we get to see the kids in their “natural environment”, or so we thought. While at school, the boys (and some of the girls) are, well, mean. They’re rude to each other, teachers, and even the younger students! Since that’s what I see almost every day, that’s how I expected them to act around the orphans: rude, uncaring, annoying, and immature. But while we were in the conference hall, there was a time for questions. I was INFINITELY surprised to hear the boys asking good questions! One of them, who I’ve seen act pretty rude to a younger child, was asking if he could come back and bring his whole family to see the kids! My girl friend Sawa’s and my chins hit the floor! We looked at each other and I said “WOW. Today is the day we find out that the grade 7 boys have actual HEARTS.” She agreed. I was surprised and VERY proud at how mature and sensitive these kids were with the orphans and I’m glad I was there to see it. (I almost didn’t go)

Kate:

For Valentine's Day this year, my seventh grade class went on a trip to an orphanage to deliver gifts. The orphanage was a nice, up-to-date building with dorms for the girls and boys.The women there reminded us not to ask anything about their parents, but we were still able to have a fun time with the girls. Even though I needed a translator (my British friend helped a lot), I still enjoyed visiting the different girls for a change. While the boys enjoyed a game of soccer, the girls exchanged gifts, and set up food for lunch. Many of the girls were at school at that time, so there was only a few. But the few that we met seemed very sweet. We only stayed for a couple hours, but that was a very enjoyable time to share the love of Christ with some people we don't get to see very often.

Let the Nations Tremble!

Read this blog today and had to share.

It is from a friend of mine who lives in Soran, Iraq. It is about 2 hours NE of here and very near Iran and Turkey. He has helped several villagers along the Iran border that have been forced to leave their homes. He sees Turkish aircraft almost daily.

He doesn't mention Syria to the west of us who is in turmoil right now. Or the fact that the US troops are pulling out of Iraq so the future of the south is unknown at this time.

So that means we are surrounding by many people/nations in turmoil. But "Let the nations tremble" our souls are at peace! AMEN!!

Befriending Grace - Tim Keller (3)

Befriending grace

Kindness

John 15, Eph 5, and Titus 3

If you goodness isn’t beyond the Pharisees, you have no part in me. It doesn’t mean be a better doer, but have a better root system, be a better be-er. It is the difference between a morally restrained heart and a super-naturally changed heart.

What it is not – “be kind and compassionate”. No one would say they are unkind. “It’s really good people that are the inhuman ones.” A certain kind of kindness seems to be forced and unreal. A type of kindness where the native selfishness of the heart is not dealt with and the main reason you are kind is all about you, not the other person. Niche despises neighbor love from Christianity - morality for the weak. Subjection to morality can be slavish, vain, self-interested and therefore not morality at all - similar to Jesus’ view of the Pharisees.

There is a kind of niceness that needs everyone to be happy. Why? Because it makes you feel better about yourself. Some need everyone to be grateful. All natural affection is idolatrous and needs to be purified, because it is self serving. Most of it is based in a lack of confidence and inner strength.

Some need to be humbled into kindness. They have an abundance of confidence that causes them to be harsh, busy, condescending, and rights people off. Only with a supernatural change can one have real kindness.

You have to be in touch with your own heart that makes you more human so you can have real compassion and show kindness to others.

3 things:

Practical grace to meet needs. Build others up to benefit them, not you. What do they need to hear? Not what pleases them, but what benefits them. Harsh words can be kind.

Befriending grace. Not just giving things, but giving yourself. A mutual relationship, one another. True friends have 2 elements – transparency and constancy. They will let you in and never let you down. Jesus told us his business and gave his life for us. Openness, no spin, here is who I am. They don’t NEED you to be anything. Humility and confidence comes from a sense of inner fullness.

Visionary grace – Kindness toward an end. What’s the motive? What is the vision you have when you meet people? Could be those you have known a long time; could be those you meet and will never meet again. See people as spiritual acorns. Any human that is planted in God’s love has in them such potential, so beyond what they may be right now. Holy Spirit says that’s what I am after with every encounter. We should strive to get them to their glory selves.

C S Lewis Weight of Glory:

There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations, these are mortal and their live as to ours as the life of a gnat. It is a serious thing to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person that you talk to, may one day be a creature, which if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet if at all only in a nightmare. All day long we are helping in each in some degree to one or the other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another - all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics.

We want people to play a role that will make our story better, but that is not kindness. Enter their story to move them toward more hope and love, the way God has come into your life.

Where is the power coming from? Look to the God who was kind to us through Jesus (Titus 3:4-7). His arms were nailed opened for us. Real spiritual kindness takes radical humility and radical confidence that only comes from the constant kindness of Jesus. We must be humbled into that confidence. His life humbles us because we were so bad he HAD to die for us, but affirms us because we were so valuable that he WANTED to die for us.

Be kind and compassionate to one another as God was kind and compassionate to you through Jesus Christ.

Neighbors

It has been such a blessing to spend time with neighbors and shop owners we know from last year, and also to get to know new ones. We now have gotten to know 2 new neighbors and we are excited to begin friendships with them. Also, our new house is located very close to a new shopping area with a supermarket, juice/ice cream shop, and other small shops. As we frequent those, we are getting to know the shop owners there. We try to make friendships in our community with anyone who seems open and friendly. We even had a very nice visit a few days ago with the man who cleans the streets! God is bringing us new friends on a regular basis and we pray for opportunities to shine His light!

Click here some pics from the neighborhood.

COOL THING HAPPENED: Our family was walking a few blocks from our home the other day and Karoline said, “Mom, there’s a monkey.” I said, “What? Where’s a monkey?” In a small patch of grass in front of a house, partially hidden by small trees was a wooden cage. A woman was opening the cage and feeding a monkey! When we stopped to admire, she spoke to us in English and told us her boss bought the monkey in Baghdad. Then she went inside and got a piece of lettuce for Kate to feed the monkey (whose name is Lydia). An American man came out and spoke with us briefly (He asked "Where do y'all live?" Haven't heard "y'all" in about a month, except from us). They were a very friendly couple and we hope to see them again and get to know them—and their monkey, too! :o) Thanks, God, for little surprises that make us smile inside and out!