Eid Al Adha

I woke up to sounds of a big celebration this morning: Firecrackers, music, and kids laughing and having fun. It made me sick. Today, is a holiday for the muslims called Eid Al Adha. It means sacrifice. Simply put, everyone got up and went to the mosque around 5:30 this morning. Then, they went to their homes and took their animals they had bought and slaughtered them. If they had yards, this was done in their yards, but for most of the city it was done in the streets and many of the streets are filled with blood. After that the meat is butchered, and all of it is eaten within the next three days. This is done with hopes of improving their chances to go to heaven.

As we walked around our neighborhood this morning, we watched as the poor people stood outside the gates of the villas, waiting for some meat. It is very important for them to eat some of the sacrificed meat. I watched as one lady received a peace and held it so proudly. Her children were rubbing on it. It brought them hope.

Lord, please use us in this needy land. We know that you are the living sacrifice and their is no need for any other. Use us, Lord, to spread Your Word. Send more laborers into the field for Your glory. We love you, Lord Jesus!

God is so good. God is so good. God is so good to me! The last couple of weeks have been difficult, yet rewarding. The weather is finally cooling down!! Yay! I thought we were over the worst of the heat when we had a couple of cool days in the beginning of October, but it warmed back up to the high 90"s and we even saw 5-6 days in October over 100 degrees. Now, the weather is absolutely beautiful. Highs in the low 80's and lows in the mid 60's. We are trying to spend all the time we can outdoors and take advantage of this!

I have had a chance to meet up and begin a relationship with a girl that works at Pizza Hut. Her name is Rasha. She is about 26 years old, been married for about a year and is a follower of Islam. Our conversation is limited right now, but I pray to be a witness to her more as I learn the language. Please be in prayer.

I have dealt with some culture shock during the last couple of weeks and have been a little homesick. I think some of it is because it is normal for the amount of time we have been here and some of it is because I have been thinking about the holidays coming up. The holidays will be different without the big family get-togethers. However, it is my desire to see the Lord glorified here in Egypt and I am so glad to be here, doing His work. Also, David, O what do I say! There's no words for my husband. He is the most incredible man I know. He is the most godly man I know. His life convicts me. When he prays for something, I Know the Lord is going to answer. He treats me like a queen. He is an amazing dad. And, he is a bold witness to those he is around!! So thankful that God gave me the most wonderful husband in the world!! I sure do love him!!

Also thankful that my kids have been so healthy since be have been here!!

I didn't mean for so much time to pass before writing. Things have been so busy. We have settled into our new house and it is beginning to feel more and more like home. Joshua had a difficult time for a while. I believe he went through some culture shock, even though I never predicted that one since he is so young. We celebrated his second birthday last weekend! We had a nice party with americans, egyptians, and family that attended via skype. Sandy is six months now, and is such a blessing! She is a wonderful baby! She cut her first tooth a few days ago. I can not believe how fast both of my children are growing and developing. Please pray with us for wisdom and persistence as we train them up for the Lord.

Language school has been difficult, but rewarding. It is so nice to be able to pick out a few words when people are talking and to be able to say some sentences. I stay with my children in the Church nursery on Sunday mornings. That used to be one of the most difficult times for me. I was lonely, and even though I was with other women, I wasn't able to talk to them hardly at all. This Sunday I left feeling so good about what I was able to say and understand. Don't get me wrong, I know I have a long way to go, but we're making progress.

David is doing great! I am so proud of him; I always am! He is so determined and works so hard to get this language down. He is a bold witness to those he is around. Not to mention, that he is the best husband and father in the world!! I truly love him more and more everyday!

Always thought I would dread cooking from scratch on the mission field, and it is more time consuming. However, it has really become a hobby. I love looking for new recipes and trying new things. I made a buttery apple cake tonight. Just tried a bite. It was ok. David likes it. I'll probably give most of it away tomorrow because we don't need it (health and weight wise), but hopefully it will make someone happy and it was very inexpensive.

Thankful for God's Goodness!

We have pretty much finished setting our house up and are getting ready for language school. I am so thankful that my husband came and found us the perfect apartment. The pastor we are working with told us that he believes our place is a gift from God. I agree with him. We have begun learning some of the language by talking with people, but we start classes in just a couple of days. David is doing great. He learned some arabic before we came which helped tremendously when talking to taxi drivers and getting our furniture. I thank God for giving me the best husband in the world!

The kids are adjusting well and are starting to get on a flexible schedule. Joshua is already using some arabic words! Not just repeating them! We are thanking God for his goodness to us!

Progress

It was really hard for a while after Mom and Carrie left, but I am doing better now. We have gotten more of the necessities for the house, but still need a few more pieces of furniture and appliances. We found a language school, and yesterday we checked out a daycare which was walking distance from it. All I was thinking about the whole time we were there was that kids movie - Matilda. Wow, the lady that ran the school had a strong sense of darkness about her, and we were told at least 10 times that our children would have regular health checkups because they had doctors on call and would receive their vaccinations there. Scary! I wouldn't trust them with my children's daily needs and I sure wouldn't want them giving them medicines. We will be checking out another nursery and will be meeting women we have recommendations for. Pray for the Lord to lead in this area as I need to leave my children a few hours each day to learn the language. Oh- by the way- we can make it home 99% of the time without getting lost! :) Praise the Lord! We are making progress.

Settling In

We are getting a lot of our shopping done to set up our house. We have some furniture ordered, but won't get it for about a month. Almost everything is made on demand, and we have to wait for it. We have bought a washing machine, but won't be able to get it for another week. We are really looking forward to getting it. There's a lot of washing to do in this heat and dust. Everything has to be washed everyday. When we got here, we were facing 108-109 degree weather. It has cooled down some now, and from what I hear, it may be a little cooler than it is in GA. Temps will go back up here on Monday though.

The Beginning of our New Life

We made it to Egypt safe and sound! David picked out a great apartment, and it was nice having a home to come to. (I love my husband who worked so hard to find us a wonderful place to live and had the necessities ready for us when we came in.) Life here has been very different. More different than I expected. Shopping has gone well. We now have a bedroom suit and a sofa and love seat. It is hard to find furniture that is not really expensive or terribly cheap. We have been working hard to get things done ASAP. We are usually out by 9:30 and do not finish until about 9 or 10:00. Then, we unpack and clean.

Culture shock has got us a few times. More people than I expected don't like us. We usually have ladies try to curse us and our children at least 2-3 times a day (Not David, he fits in!). But, I must say, the people who like us are really hospitable and loving. People assume we are rich and try to rip us off. And, we get lost every time we come home. haha. Today, we were right around the corner and didn't know it. This city is confusing and everytime the taxi brings us home we go a different way! Crazy.

We have almost everything here. We have found some good places to shop that are not far from home. This is a blessing.

We are attending Bro. Thomas' Church on Sundays and Thursdays. It is all in arabic. The people there are very friendly and Bro. Thomas' wife, Ruth, really seems to love Joshua and Sandy. She doesn't speak english, but she has a good spirit about her.

Mom and Carrie seem to be having a good time. They have never been outside the states and it has shocked them. We have all learned a lot. They have been a tremendous help. I can't imagine doing all we have without them. It would have definitely taken us a lot longer.

Thanks for all of you that have prayed and written. I will get back to you personally when things slow down some. Keep writing though. It sure is encouraging.