First 2 1/2 weeks

Our first 2 1/2 weeks in the Middle East has been fairly uneventful, praise God. We landed Sunday, January 28th and were immediately greeted by 200 UN troops who had arrived at the airport around the same time. We were two of maybe 10 people not dressed in camo in the baggage claim area, which was a little strange to say the least. Because of the city is in a period of unrest, there are tanks all over the streets parked at potentially hostile areas and cultural dividing lines. It took a little while to get used to them, but now seeing a tank is just like seeing a big car.

We have been spending our time getting our phones set up, learning how to grocery shop, and finding our way around town via the taxi system. Our friends here have been so helpful and have really set us up well. They had it much harder when they first arrived and we feel incredibly loved and maybe a little spoiled by their generosity and hospitality.

Our second week here began with a short trip to the southern region close to the border where we have been helping rebuild some villages destroyed by the war this past summer. Most of the workers in the country have been sending aid to the South. It is really encouraging that believers from all over the world are joining together to restore this area. It was freezing and rainy while we were there, so we were only able to paint the inside of a few homes, but we had so much fun. We posted a few pictures to the right of the family who lost a son in the war this summer whose home we painted. John got to paint the yellow porch outside in the freezing cold while Jamie sat inside drinking coffee. There are a few perks to being a foreign woman in this culture :)

This past week we began language class. Language is challenging to say the very least, but we are enjoying it and we really love our teacher.

We have also been spending a lot of time looking for a place to live. The rent prices have gone up since the war, and many people that were displaced have moved to this area of town, leaving fewer places to rent in the area we want to live. We have found one really great, really small 1 bedroom apartment that seems to be the place we will call home. We had originally planned to rent a furnished apartment for the first few months and save up to buy some furniture for our more permanent place, but it didn’t end up working out because the place ended up having a bad mold problem from a leak that had gone unnoticed for a few months. Now we have to move into an unfurnished place that we must furnish sooner than we thought. Please pray that we would be able to move in and get a few basic things (i.e. bed, stove, fridge, closet, table, chairs). We are incredibly blessed and encouraged every day and definitely feel the goodness of the Lord. Thanks for your prayers.