This week I stand at a crossroad. A road between who I am now and who I was before. I am changed. I am being restored and refined. I have a purpose.
This new road has changed my life.

So, what do you do at a crossroad in your life?

Run?

Stand still?

Look both ways?

My answer is ALL OF THE ABOVE…..let me explain.


RUN = Not in the way that most of you may think. You don’t run (away), instead you run down the path less traveled. The path carved out for you. You RUN. You run towards the ultimate goal.

1 Corinthians 9:24 "Don't you realize that everyone who runs in a race runs to win, but only one runner gets the prize? Run like them, so that you can win."

There are going to be things that look 'greener on the other side'. God has called us to plant seeds, it may take a while for those seeds to grow and HE may ask us to move on while the ground is still just dirt. Don't give up. Keep moving.
It is easier said than done, I know.

STAND = Although we are to run down the path less traveled, sometimes God calls us to stand.

1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

As I stand at this crossroads, I want to STAND when I know I am called to “wait on the Lord.” Right now, I know that path is leading back home to Iowa, but from there, the world is waiting. As am I, waiting that is, to see where God will take me on the next portion of the journey.

LOOK (ALL) WAYS = The whole world is waiting to hear the Good News of Great Joy!

Psalm 2:8
“Ask of me,and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.”

No matter where God places us in life there is always Kingdom work to do. I have learned that even in the waiting there is work to be done. Jesus always gives us the “green light” in sharing his love. We may not know our next step but we know that wherever we are we are ambassadors for Jesus.

Proverbs 16:9 “In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.”

So, I am at this crossroad. How do I fit back into life? Where do I fit?
A friend of mine who also spent the year overseas (the one who I adapted this post from), was given an image of a person wearing a coat that was too big for them at the beginning of her training. In the picture, the person swam in the coat. Like that picture, at the beginning of this part of my journey I was “swimming in the coat”. Now it is the end of this (part of the) race and it (the coat) is tight and confining. I am ready for the next size up; I am ready for the next step in my life. I am not sure what or where that is, but isn’t that a life of faith? Living not truly knowing what’s ahead.

Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do not see.”

I know I am not going to fit in the same way I did before. I know that things are going to be different. I know that I have a bigger purpose.
How do I fit now? I don't know. All I know is that I have to keep looking ahead. Not looking back at the person I was before.
I don't want to be that person.
I want to outgrow many more coats. This year was just one of many I have coming to me.

Although I know what I want and need, I still stand at the crossroad.
So, I stand here asking for your prayers, and your encouragement along this journey. I can't do this on my own.

And as “tradition” I leave you with the words to a song,

Our God is in Control
by Steven Curtis Chapman

This is not how it should be
This is not how it could be
This is how it is
Our God is in control

This is not how it will be
When we finally will see
We’ll see with our own eyes
He was always in control

And we’ll sing
Holy Holy Holy is in our God
And we will finally really understand what it means
So we’ll sing
Holy Holy Holy is in our God
While we’re waiting for that day

This is not where we planned to be
When we started this journey
This is where we are
And Our God is in control

Though this first taste is bitter
There will be sweetness forever
When we finally taste and see
That Our God is in control

And we’ll sing
Holy Holy Holy is in our God
And we will finally really understand what it means
So we’ll sing
Holy Holy Holy is in our God
While we’re waiting for that day
We’re waiting for that day
We’ll keep on waiting for that day

And we will know
Our God is in control
Holy Holy Holy
Holy Holy Holy
Our God is in control
Holy Holy Holy
Our God is in control
Holy Holy Holy

(this post is adapted from my friend Bekah who also was working overseas this year)

Hiking, Hounds, Hospitality, and Holidays

Where do I begin? This is the problem with me and blogging, when I go for such long periods between posts there is too much to catch up on and I don’t know what to include. I’m more of a twitter / Facebook status updater I guess.
So anyway, I will back-date from my last post and briefly summarize what I have been doing.


In October both D’Andra and I began teaching English courses. She has level 2 students and I have level 1; each class with approximately 15 students. It has been a wonderful experience for me; reminds me that I enjoy teaching and am honored to be using a natural and spiritual gift God has given me! I only have 1 woman in my class, so I admire her for her desire to learn and willingness to be a strong minority. All the men in my class are great as well. It is fun to run into them around town. One of my students works at our favorite fruit and vegetable stand and ends up giving us free fruit!

October was an eventful month for us. Not only did we start our teaching, but we also had a team of 4 guys from Dallas Baptist here leading a conference on leadership (and in between I had a bout with the flu – no fun!). What a wonderfully busy and productive 8 days while the team was here!


We hosted a 4 day conference here in Koya for educational leaders from all the major cities of Kurdistan. Around 80 people attended and were infused with the idea of servant leadership. It was really remarkable to watch the participants grow in their understanding throughout the 4 days. The culture and climate of Kurdistan – in many facets of society, is that of just getting by. Looking back at their history of war and oppression, it is no wonder why people are not empowered and don’t know how to lead even in small ways. My passion is education so it was an even greater joy to see that these administrators and leaders were learning a concept of serving those whom they were leading.
Not only did the team from DBU lead the conferences, but because they were here we had some amazing experiences.

We had the university president and VP and his wife over for dinner, we were the VIP group (on Kurdistan TV!) at a celebration of a famous Kurdish singer, we had lunch with the mayor at her home, we went out for dinner with the staff of the Ministry of Education in Erbil, and the thing that topped the cake……we went on a real live hog hunt (complete with machine guns and all!)!






Many great relationships were formed while the team was here that will lay a foundation for future work. Many people were greatly affected by those few days. And for D’Andra and I – we were greatly refreshed and encouraged by having the team here! You know me – I thrive from being around people so it was wonderful to have a full house for a few days!

Also, in October, the same time the DBU team arrived, 2 contractors from TX arrived. Eric and Ryan will be here through December 18 and have been a huge blessing to us. They are working on various aspects of getting the project ready to begin again. And they have been a joy and blessing in our lives. We have had some fun times having them around.

A few weeks ago (early November), Eric, Ryan, D’Andra, and I took a weekend hiking trip around the mountains of Kurdistan. We saw some of the most breathtaking views and I was in utter amazement of God and his creation; amazing mountains, canyons that rival the Grand Canyon (and are more beautiful in my opinion), waterfalls, etc.











There were many “adventures” on our weekend trip which will have to wait for “in person stories”. But one of my favorite was as we were at one scenic point, waiting for Eric to rock climb his way up to a cave, this un-Kurdish man walked up to us and in perfect English (with a beautiful Indian accent) said “Are you Americans? It is so wonderful to see you! My name is Van. I am from IL and travel all over the world!” He proceeded to tell us he had been to over 150 countries in the world! It was defiantly one of those amazing God moments.

Another highlight of the fall has been “our puppies.” In Islamic culture dogs are considered unclean animals so there are many that run wild and are filthy and unkempt. In fact, people are downright cruel to the dogs; we often see children kicking and throwing stones at the dogs. Well, a momma dog in our neighborhood had puppies a few weeks ago and we have taken them under our wing. They are now known as the “American’s puppies” and even the little boys are nice to them – they made them a little house, bring them food, and check on them and play (nicely) with them on their way home from school. There are 7 puppies – the biggest of the bunch who looks just like Marley!






As for hospitality, not only is that the greatest thing about Kurdish families (they are so welcoming and inviting; you never meet strangers), but we have been trying to be good hostesses! We have had our Kurdish family over several times along with some of the other American workers. The other team that’s here had all their female workers off at a women’s conference in Thailand; so while they were gone, we had the “single parenting dad” and the 3 kids over! It was so much fun!

Then there comes the holidays. This was the 2nd Thanksgiving I have spent overseas (the first being with the Adair Community Choir in 1998 to Vienna), but the first Thanksgiving without my family. While I did miss gathering together with them and giving thanks, there were 22 of us (20 Americans and 2 Kurdish friends) who gathered together to celebrate. And I must admit that it felt like celebrating with family; cuz after all, we are all brothers and sisters in the Lord. And wow, we had some good eats, not going to lie! We can whip up some pretty tasty traditional Thanksgiving food using what’s available here and from generous packages from back home. It was a beautiful and wonderful day (we even watched “Elf” – oh yes, a holiday classic!).





Then, the day after Thanksgiving while crazy folks in America were “celebrating” Black Friday, our team celebrated Quarbani (or Eid Al Adha, the Feast of Sacrifice) with our Kurdish friends. We went to 6 houses in 1 day; and ate sweets and drank coffee/tea at every one! Talk about a gorging experience. The Feast of Sacrifice is one of two great festivals in the Islamic faith, the other being Eid Al Fitr, the Feast of Breaking the Fast, which occurs at the end of Ramadan. Eid Al Adha occurs on the tenth day of the last month of the Islamic year, Thul-Hajjah, which also coincides with the last day of Hajj, the pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca. Eid Al Adha is called the Feast of Sacrifice because it is observed to commemorate the prophet Ibrahim's (Abraham's) great faith in his willingness to sacrifice his son as an act of supreme obedience to Allah (God). Since Abraham is a revered prophet who was considered a friend of God and father of the faithful, Eid Al Adha is the greatest feast in the Islamic year. Every Muslim household is required to make a sacrifice on this day. Many families chose to kill a sheep to commemorate Abraham's submission to God (thanks to my friend Bethany for letting me “borrow” the explanation of the holiday from her, http://agape824.blogspot.com/). Many people here seem to celebrate it as a cultural holiday rather than a religious holiday, like its history suggests. But because the historical nature and focus of the sacrifice, it is a great time to share about the ultimate and complete sacrifice of Jesus. If nothing else, we were able to plant seed and share our joy. At one house, we were watching CNN and Steven Curtis Chapman was on Larry King Live, and we were able to watch the interview and him perform a song from his new album –all with our Kurdish friends! It was pretty spectacular, I must say!


Although these are days of mixed emotions for me, I look forward to my final 28 days in Kurdistan with eager expectation to see, experience, and be a part of the work of God. I have been reminded again in these days that nothing in this life is mine, really. Everything belongs to the Lord. So, as “tradition” has it, I will close this post with selections from Steven Curtis Chapman’s song “Yours”:

It’s all Yours God, Yours God, everything is Yours
From the stars in the sky to the depths of the ocean floor
and it’s all Yours God, Yours God, everything is Yours
You’re the maker and keeper, Father and ruler of everything

It’s all Yours, God

The glory is Yours, God
All the honor is Yours, God
The power is Yours, God
The glory is Yours, God
You’re the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords

And it’s all Yours God, Yours God
Everything is Yours
From the stars in the sky to the depths of the ocean floor
And it’s all Yours God, Yours God
Everything is Yours
All the greatness and power, the glory and splendor and majesty
Everything is Yours
It’s all Yours

I’ve walked the valley of death’s shadow
So deep and dark that I could barely breathe
I’ve had to let go of more than I could bear
And questioned everything that I believe
But still even here
in this great darkness
A comfort and hope come breaking through
As I can say in life or death
God we belong to you!

Hunger, birthdays, feet, and prayer

I realize it has been a while since I have posted a blog update. Every time I begin, trying to determine what to include, I feel as if not much has happened. But each time as I recall the happenings since my last post I realize that just as time passes – sometimes it seems slow and other times fast, regardless of how it seems there is “reality”. And though my “reality” is maybe not how I expected or imagined, I am reminded that God is at work, even (sometimes especially) in the mundane.
Life around here for the last month or so has been a true cultural experience. For Muslims, the holy month of Ramadan is one of five pillars of the Islamic faith (the 5 pillars of Islam that Muslims are called to: reciting the confession of faith, praying five times a day, giving alms to the poor, making hajj - journey to Mecca, and fasting). Each year, the exact date Ramadan starts depends on the sighting of the moon, which means that this year, it was from August 22nd to September 20th. From sunrise to sundown people refrain from eating, drinking, and marital relations for the entire 30 days. It made for no normalcy of daily life. At 2AM every morning, a “drummer boy” would go through the streets banging a drum to awaken the women so they could get up and cook. The families would be up to eat around 3AM because they had to be done by the 4AM call to prayer. Because of this, the city pretty much shut down from 11am-5pm. every day, with everyone home resting. The bazaar would open again around 4-5pm. so they could get their food to make dinner – which would be ready at 6:30pm. As soon as the evening call to prayer began, they could eat (which meant that the streets were empty at sundown too!). Then, at the end of Ramadan they have their “big celebration of the year” – Eid! It lasts for 3 days and they celebrate by giving each other gifts, eating sweets, and visiting each other’s homes. I joked that they were all celebrating my birthday, because Eid began on September 20!

As for my birthday, as with most things here, things never go as planned. Originally we were going to go to Erbil to celebrate with some friends there, but because of Eid, we ended up staying home. Though I must say that our overnight stay at the Sheraton earlier in the month (which included a massage!) – graciously “taken care of” by our new friend Doug from Dallas, was definitely an “early birthday treat”! D’Andra invited over some of the other Americans over on my birthday and we celebrated 3 birthdays (another gal, same age as me, and a 16 year old boy –their birthdays on the 17th and the 18th, respectively). We had the ever famous chocolate chip cookies and the “traditional” Red Cake! It was a fun evening. I also got to talk to lots of family and friends on Skype and phone calls on and around my birthday which also made the day very special! The highlight, though, probably was receiving a stack of cards from my biological family and my Faith family. There was even a video of people wishing me a Happy Birthday! It was a little piece of joy!
The months of August and September have been interesting to say the least. I guess the “biggest thing” for me (that has spanned the last 2 months), as many of you know, was that I fell and hurt my foot. I am rather protective of my ankles (after the “job” I did to mine in college), so this time I favored my ankle and instead my toes curled under my foot while in sandals and I stepped all my weight down on it. After a month of going through the various shades of black, blue, purple, yellow, etc. and it still causing pain, I finally went to have it checked out.

Taking advantage of the socialized health care, I went and got an x-ray of my foot for $1.50. The doctor here said he thought he saw a crack in the outside bone of my foot. I sent the x-ray back to the states to my cousin who works for orthopedic surgeons. One of them looked at it and did not see a crack, but rather the beginning of an avulsion of the tendon at its insertion - that pretty much means that there is a small tear in the tendon. Either way, there’s nothing they can do for it, it’s just going to take another couple of months to completely heal. It is getting better, currently I have gone several days without icing it or taking any ibuprofen!
The title of this blog may puzzle you a bit – so let me tie it all together. Prayer has been the summary and backbone of the last 2 months. Not only prayer, but prayer and fasting. Ironically, the spiritual lessons God has been teaching me tie in ever so well with the cultural lessons (prayer and fasting is what the month of Ramadan is all about). There have been many ups and downs of this journey. We are all created as 3 part beings – physical, emotional, and spiritual. All of my “beings” have been tested over the last while; and while I have taken some big hits physically (my foot and struggling with the lack of exercise) and emotionally (I have been missing my support system - family and friends), I believe this time has strengthened me spiritually. I can honestly say that never in my life have I had to rely on God (and only Him) more than now. Circumstances have provided many opportunities to go back to his Word for Truth, comfort, peace, and promises I know will never fail. It has been a trying but enlightening time for me. The times that I have had in the Word and Prayer have been unlike any other I’ve ever experienced. I am coming into a new appreciation for the role of intercessory prayer in our lives and circumstances. I am so often a “doer” and I know God calls us to “be” more than “do” (the Mary / Martha lesson), so I believe that through my circumstances here in the last few months, God has taught me that our time spent in prayer is just as (if not more important) than the “things” we “do”. Whether that is prayer for your own circumstances or prayer on behalf of others, NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF PRAYER! I have gained more passion, heart, and desire through my times of prayer than I ever could “doing” things. God has revealed much in this time. We still need to be doers of the Word and not only hearers, its true, but everything goes hand in hand. For everything, there is a season.
I could go on and on, but I will leave you with one last “ah”. The line that summarizes things for me is “You don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone!” In a way, this makes me sad, why can’t we realize the great things before they are gone?!…..but as I have unpacked it, I am realizing the fundamental truth that we don’t always want to admit, God knows us better than we know ourselves. And the greatest blessings in our lives are often the things we take the most for granted. Although I have been taken away (literally physically removed from) all the things and people I love, it is for a purpose. God never does anything without a reason in the greater picture and never for our harm, but rather our good. The verses from Luke 14:26-27 (26"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. 27And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.) have been a challenging lesson for me to learn, but I believe that God is using this season of my life to draw me into an even deeper relationship with him. What I am learning from my experience is that it is not at all wrong to love your family (or friends) or even your own life; and in fact you should! However, if you are putting them (or anything) before God, that’s when there’s a problem. I know God has created me as a people person and I love being with (and thrive when I am) my friends and family. But as with many things, our strengths are often our weaknesses (or temptations). Not that I wasn’t before, but I am so much more appreciative now of what God has given me – aka. the people in my life! I also am coming to a deeper realization of how God designed us – that our families truly are the core of who we are. We don’t get to choose them, God places us within them (for a reason). Because we live on earth tainted by sin, there will be good and there will be evil within each of us and our families; but for whatever reason, it is where God has placed us. During this season (and hopefully always) He is my all in all; and I thank and praise him for the people in my life, from afar. And while I know that this separation is temporal for me, I am also reminded that life here on earth is short (in light of eternity), and we need to take advantage of every moment. Even in the Word we are never promised tomorrow. Which is all the more reason to live for what’s important; the acronym my mom always used was JOY (Jesus, Others, You). Tell the people in your life that you care about them, tell them what they mean to you, how special they are, and most importantly that you love them! We only have 1 life to live, so we each must decide what is important (JOY) and spend our time, resources, and energy on that.
As I look ahead to October, there are still many details to work out but we will hopefully be starting to teach English classes, the university students return, there is a team coming for 2 weeks to do leadership training with the Ministry of Education, and hopefully 2 contractors from the states will be coming over and construction will resume on the Freedom Center. The weather is finally cooler, people are back from vacations, and we are on the verge of many new opportunities (everyday provides interesting experiences!).
As always, I thank you for all your emails, calls, thoughts, and prayers. Keep them coming. Love and miss you!
P.S. Prayer request - I have misplaced my camera battery charger and extra battery. Please pray that I find them so I can continue to take pictures!

Dessert Song

So for those of you who know me (if you are reading this, lol, you probably do!), know I enjoy music. And I can’t go for very long before I quote a song lyric or use a song in an analogy. What can I say, I am good at it. And I will forever be “scared” for hearing new songs and thinking “Oh my goodness, this would be perfect [insert scene here] for the mime!” (Yes, Todd and Jacob, I will send you any inspirations for 2010!).
And then there are those moments when you hear a song and it brings you to a screeching halt – because it speaks straight to heart. It truly is amazing how song lyrics combined with music can speak to the soul and define a season of life better than almost anything else (except maybe the living and active Word of God!).
I can think of a “handful” (it’s a big hand!) of songs that have spoke to me over the years…..especially on the journey of the last few of getting where I am today. Each one could have a story to go with it (you might just see that in future blog posts!), but to get us started, just to name a “few” (and I’ll give credit to the artists! If you need some new “good” music, go download some from I-Tunes!): “Mighty to Save” – Hillsong, “I’m Letting Go” – Francesca Battistelli, “History Maker” – Delirious, “If You Say Go” – Rita Springer, “Whatever You’re Doing (Something Heavenly)” – Sanctus Real, “Gotta Go My Own Way” – HSM2 (I know right!), “Yours” – Steven Curtis Chapman, “Life Light Up” – Christy Nockels, “I Want To Set the World on Fire” – Britt Nicole, “Jesus, All For Jesus” – Mark Robin, and “Speak to Me” – Josiah Smith Band.
And the latest song – the reason and title for this blog post. If my memory serves me correctly, I first heard this song during a prayer time in our prayer room at our stateside office back in March. And it has been tracking with me ever since. It is called

“Desert Song” – by Hillsong

Verse 1
This is my prayer in the desert
when all else within me feels dry
This is my prayer in the hunger in me
My God is a God who provides

Verse 2
And this is my prayer in the fire
In weakness or trial or pain
There is a faith proved
Of more worth than gold
So refine me Lord through the flames

Verse 3
And I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon formed against me shall remain
I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here

Verse 4
And this is my prayer in the battle
When triumph is still on its way
I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ
So firm on His promise I'll stand

Verse 5
All of my life
In every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship

Verse 6
This is my prayer in the harvest
When favor and providence flow
I know I'm filled to be emptied again
The seed I've received I will sow

Honestly, I could write pages of how the lyrics of this song have spoken to me in the last 6 months (how crazy is that….I moved from Iowa 6 months ago!). Not only have the words resonated with my own life and experiences but I have shared them with a handful of others who are going through “desert” times in their lives.
Collectively, the lesson I most glean from the song is that regardless of our circumstances, God never changes. And it is in the mist of our circumstances that God calls us to live our lives – for Him. Each verse (for simplicity sake, I have titled each portion as a verse) speaks to a reality, a truth about who God is and who we are in Christ. Promises we can stand on and realities that will not fail – when all we can do is STAND.

Verse 1 – For me, being in Iraq, I can very much relate to the desert (physically and spiritually). I have been missing folks from home a bit more lately, and I know you all are just a FB chat or email away, but I am also reminded that nothing in this life can satisfy (not people, not things, not ideas). God is the one who provides, what I need, when I need it.
Verse 2 – This is a scary prayer to pray. I have learned through my life – don’t pray for something unless you are ready for it or really want it to happen, because God is into answering prayers. I want to be refined by God – but the “fire” process is not always that pleasant. I definitely have felt weak (unqualified, inexperienced, etc.) – and it is through these times that I know God is the one pulling me through, because I cannot do it on my own. In fact, getting through the pain part, and coming out on the other side – then I know it was God and not me. I am willing to endure pain if I am being conformed more into the person God wants me to be. It is, after all, what Christ did for us. I want to be refined in the flames and come out with a faith that is proved more worth than gold!
Verse 3 – I love this verse, “I will bring praise!” No matter what is going on around me in my circumstances I will give the glory and praise to God. Plus, the victory is already sure, we know who wins in the end!
Verse 4 – I think that this is the verse for my current season. It has seemed that so many “little” things have happened that have been, or at least seemed like, defeats or set-backs. Whether it was a sports program that was canceled, or a change of schedule, or an extra step in a process of obtaining a document – it has seemed like we can’t catch a break. But we do have the confidence in knowing “Who we are in Christ” and the promises we are assured in the Word. And at times, all we can do is STAND.
Verse 5 – ALL of my life…in every season….you are still God….I have a reason to sing, I have a reason to worship. As true as this verse is, for me at least, it is the hardest to live out. In “theory” I believe it without question, but when you are living through circumstances that incite emotions of pain, hurt, sorrow, fear, disappointment, etc. it is much harder. In those times we must take every thought captive, and believe in what we do not see (or even beyond what we feel or experience).
Verse 6 – Now more than ever I am the sower. In all of my “callings” – from Riverside, to teaching, to my time in Marion – I have sown many a seeds. And so often I have come to realize, in this work, if you are sowing you most likely are not reaping what you sow (that’s a blessing someone else gets to have). All of my life I been okay with that – but here it has been more of a struggle, and at first I wasn’t exactly sure why. After much reflection, I think I have discovered the reason. In every other season of my life, even though being a sower was my primary responsibility, I also was able to disciple those in differing levels of the faith journey. In this season, however, there is only sowing. I am learning how to completely and only rely on God, his spirit and his word to fill me so that I can continue in what he has called me to do.

As I conclude, I am reminded of a student of mine from Marion – who so wonderfully shared his insights from songs over the years (thanks for that Jacob!) and I hope that this will speak to many of you in the seasons of life that you are living.

A new country, A new home

When we finally arrived to Iraq on May 16, we drove the 1+hour “home” from Erbil just as the pink and orange hues were painting the morning sky (yes, here that is approximately 5AM! No daylight savings time). There was still green (a bit of spring left) mixed in with the brown on the “hills”. In my “Iowa” mind they are mountains….but really hills.

As we bounced along in the jeep along the paved but bumpy road, I was amazed at how “at home” I felt. You know those special places in your life where you are “happy”?! Some people love the ocean, or lakes in Northern Minnesota, or the bustle of the big city. Me – I enjoy (am in my “happy place”) in the rolling green hills of late Iowa summer, the grandeur of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, plus western Idaho, the lushness of tree-filled Tennessee, the rocky yet green landscape of northeast Iowa (Decorah), my favorite place of all time = on the 120 acres of land along the Skunk River under trees that form a canopy (the Holy Ground of Riverside ), and my new favorite – Kurdistan.
I would say the landscape compares a lot to New Mexico, in fact, I almost mistakenly have thought a few places looked like scenes from HSM?! ;) LOL/JK (sorta).

Pulling up in front of our house, I had the excitement equivalent of moving into my townhouse in Marion, though I knew these were very different circumstances, yet it was as if God was granting me the reassurance that this was my “right” next step. We left all of our 17 bags on our “hosha” (the front gate area) and walked into our new home. If only our internet connection were better, Bethany got it all on video, I could upload it for you all to experience with us. But, you all will just have to wait for that until I come home!

Bethany soon put down the camera and joined D’Andra and I as we set out to explore our home. We were like “kids in a candy store” – excited about everything. We have a great kitchen, 2 living rooms, 3 bedrooms (each of us got our own - though Bethany was my “roomie” the month she was here! I wish she could have stayed!), 2 bathrooms (a washing machine in the downstairs one), a door to the roof, 2 balconies, cute furnishings, and great paint colors (thank you to the team last fall for all the work!). It is wonderful!


1st floor salon (living room)


1st floor salon (living room), again


1st floor salon (living room) with desk area and stairs heading to 2nd floor


The 1st floor bedroom - extra for now. We use it for drying our laundry!


Our "office" (on our 2nd floor - attached to the living room)


Our 2nd floor living room - more like a family room (where we hang out/TV)


My bedroom, its on the 2nd floor


My cute pink curtains, rug in my bedroom


My vanity in my bedroom (notice all the hearts on my mirror!?!)


My bathroom


My shower


Hallway from my bedroom, by bathroom, heading to 2nd floor livingroom


The stairs heading up to the 3rd floor (door to roof and D'Andra's room)


D'Andra's room

We did have to go for the first 2 weeks with no generator (as they had to rewire all 3 houses in order for it to work) or air conditioning in my bedroom (we had to buy a split to install), the first month without a hot water heater, and the first month and a half without internet – but we are all good to go now. And for those of you who know me, my neat/clean-freakishness – you will be glad to know that I attempt to keep that up here too. But it is much harder as we have to dust practically every day. Sometimes I just give up and live with the dirt (but not for too long). It truly is amazing how crazy fast everything can get incredibly dirty. And it also seems like just when one thing gets fixed and seems to be working, something else stops working. It is a vicious cycle. Ah, the joys of living in a foreign country. But I truly can’t complain, things are way above all of my expectations. I am so thankful to have Mohaned (our national Global Hope worker) around to be our fix-it guy. God always provides (thanks again to the Houston church for donating the generator – we love and appreciate you more than you can ever know! Can’t wait to meet some of you “soon”!)


Our house(s) are on a corner – Global Hope rents 3 + a flat. We are in the house on the main street. Next to us on the first level is a print shop. Above the print shop is Heather’s flat (2nd floor). Her door, along with the other 2 houses, is along the side street. All of our roofs connect to each other, so that’s kind of fun. In the middle of the 3 houses, we also have a connecting court yard (really like a few square feet of concrete). We really are blessed.

FAQ
What do you eat?
Well, right now we are cooking for ourselves (vs. hiring a cook) so it is pretty simple, though we are learning to be domestic (our newest favorite creation – Chicken Enchiladas). Breakfasts – cereal (expensive but worth it) or eggs (inexpensive and plentiful), fruit, and yogurt (though the locals make fun of us for putting sugar/splenda or fruit in it; they eat it plain, with bread, or salt). Lunch is lighter – bread, leftovers, fruit, etc. Dinner – lots of chicken, rice, pasta, bread, fresh fruits and veggies (tomatoes, onions, eggplant, cucumbers)…..and of course tea (though we have our coffee in the AM!).
We bring chocolate chips from America – and my mom’s cookies are a hot commodity!
We also have found some “goodies” here – snickers, Diet Pepsi , M&M’s, microwave popcorn, peanut butter, pancake mix/syrup, pizza dough, shredded cheese, nutella (always great to add to most any snack), yumyum yogurt (unfortunately it’s not the low fat kind so in moderation!)……it is weird what random foods excite you when you find them.

When we visit homes – the traditional Kurdish food is dolma (a rice/beef mixture stuffed in grape leaves, tomatoes, or onions), breanni (a rice dish with raisins, almonds, cinnamon, etc. – a mouthful of yum!), LOTS of bread, tomato/cucumber salads, chicken, rice, and sugar with a little tea (I love the tea but could try not to stir in the sugar, too bad I’m not a southern girl!).