They have turned the speaker from the local mosq in our direction recently. I hear it more clearly than usual. Perhaps they have turned up the volume as well because the call to prayer holds a tighter reign on the people at this time. It is the month of fasting for them now. This means they don't eat between sunrise and sunset, although there is much feasting otherwise. The students tell me it is to feel the suffering of the poor and one girl added that it makes her feel more thankful for food. Many more women cover their heads as well as a sign that they are fasting.If we leave, Iraq's neighbors on all sides will face a refugee crisis and be drawn into the war: Iran to protect the Shiites; Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jordan to protect the Sunnis; and Turkey to protect its control over its own Kurd population. Iraq is a crossroads where Arab meets Persian and Kurd, Sunni meets Shiite, so if it's not a peaceful buffer, it can easily become a tinder box for the region.Personally, living in the Middle East, this is something I would rather avoid. Now I am going to go look up what other Presidential Candidates think will happen if the U.S. pulls out of Iraq.
“Whenever there is a storm in the spirits of saints, and the winds of their emotions are high and loud, it is easy to see who has stirred up the tempest. The devil practices his black art on unmortified lusts, that enable him to raise easily many storms of division among believers. Paul and Barnabas, for instance, set out in a calm together, but Satan sent a storm to part them in the middle of their journeyings: “And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other” (Acts 15:39).I really Identified with the lyrics to this song, although I haven't been to Rwanda.
I haven't posted for a week and I hadn't even realized it. I have not been really busy, but more of my life takes place face to face when I am in the States. Instead of e-mailing friends I call them up and we go out for coffee. Instead of scheduling Skype calls with my family we sit down together and play a game on a whim. Thus, my computer sits neglected and forgotten. I have to admit that I don't miss it. I think lots of things we spend our time on we wouldn't miss if we had found something better. Sometimes we have found something better we just don't realize it. For example, I didn't miss TV when I first left my parent's home. My roomates and I didn't get TV channels and life was perhaps even nicer with books and real people instead of the flashing light box.
So, I haven't missed my computer or spending hours reading e-mails and checking the news. I know I will go back to that when I move back overseas this fall. For when I am there, that lifestyle is the way to communicate with my dearest friends and my wonderful family. But for now, for me, things like sight, touch, and smell are gifts much too beautiful to give up for telephone calls and feelingless typed words.
Paul's speech on the Areopagus (Thanks to blueletterbible.org [RSV])| Your Personality is the Rarest (INFJ) |
 Your personality type is introspective, principled, self critical, and sensitive. Only about 2% of all people have your personality - including 3% of all women and around 1% of all men. You are Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling, and Judging. |
1. Strangely enough the first thing I have come to appreciate is the government. Let me explain. I know very little about American politics and I grew up thinking many politicians were corrupt and out for themselves. This all may be true, I don't know. But I do know that they at least deal with issues in the country, they do accomplish things, and they are not nearly as corrupt as people in some other governments. Our politicians don't pocket the government's money, take bribes as a matter of course, or spend all their time vacationing somewhere far away. They also don't have armies; imagine the Democrats and the Republicans each with their own fully trained military! All in all, considering all the things that they have to deal with, our country is doing pretty well. In addition, despite the fact that most people in foreign countries supposedly dislike America, it is still where they all want to live. Anyway, my point is, my country's government isn't so bad.
2. America is trash concious. We don't throw our pop cans on the ground, their are fines for littering, and we put trash cans in public areas. If Americans go on a picnic, generally they pick up their trash before they leave. People in the Middle East don't. There is trash everywhere. In fact, we joke about how the world's supply of plastic bags must grow on the trees there and be "harvested" and shipped around the world.
e Middle East there are many kinds of temptation and it all depends on the person. For me, I fought against loneliness, comparing myself to others, and self-pity. Here in the U.S. those things are still temptations, but things are added that I never really dealt with too much overseas. For example, today I got my financial reports and began worrying about money. There aren't any new problems or anything, it is all pretty much the same stuff and the same needs. But I began to be anxious. After about 10 minutes it hit me what I was doing and thinking and how I just let myself fall into it after being free from those sorts of things for a good long while. I refuse to be a slave to my worry. It is not hard for me to trust God in some areas, but sometimes I get blindsided by old struggles I thought I had passed beyond. But there is a beautiful solution. I love how the Bible says, "if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." I am so blessed to serve such an amazing God.
I am sure there is more to come later...
You know the funny thing about the word "kumquat" is that although I knew it was a fruit and if you had asked me what it was I might have thought I knew... but when I saw these for the first time, I had no clue what they were. Although I have grown up having learned the word "kumquat" and even knew how it was spelled, I had never known what it really was. Now I know... they are a small citrusy flavored fruit with very large seeds in the middle.
ACTS 28:31 
I wasn't using a flash on my camera for fear that the momma kitten would be scared and run off leaving kitten 1 on the stairs. Now what? Kitten 2 was out of the hole behind our shower and was now wandering around and crying IN the shower.
This one was considerable nicer than the first one and I caught it easily with a potholder (just in case it was diseased and scratching). Then I proceeded to carry it upstairs to the balcony. We brought the tuna up and it ate a little in between howling. Finally, I saw a shadow move out of the corner of my eye. It was the momma cat, back for Kitten 2. It was here that we discoved why Kitten 2 fell down the hole. Kitten 2 is a rebellious kitten... Despite the whining, Kitten 2 (whom one of my fellow teamates suggested we name Draino) wanted nothing to do with Momma Cat. Kitten 2 ran into the house! What? NO! Not there! So I ran in and did the only thing I could... I grabbed Kitten 2 and put it back outside. Momma Cat was eating the tuna. Then, does Kitten 2 run to missing mom with glee? No, where did it go... back into the house... there was a hole in the screen. Catching Kitten 2 (again!) we returned him to the balcony. Firmly standing in front of the hole in the screen, my housemate chased Kitten 2 back towards Momma Cat, who by this time had finished the tuna. After she picked up the kitten in her mouth, it was a simple leap and a bound over the wall and off to wherever they live. Ahh... no more kittens... at least until one of them falls down the hole again.
Here are some guys playing chess, obviously. I played 3 games of chess on one of our picnics.
But can you imagine swimming next to such a beautiful view!!
