Listening to some sermons this morning, which always feels good.

Are we called to go witness to people?

or are we called to BE witnesses....

"for you shall be my witnesses..."

Also, I have been trying my whole life to make commitments and goals to achieve who I think I need to be in C/hrist.  And I feel as though I've failed in so much of what I tried to do.

But of course I failed in what I tried to do.  I've been looking at it backwards.  It's about God doing in me.  Eureka!

So my p/rayer today is: God, make me the person You want me to be, that's outlined in Your Word.  Because I can't possibly make myself into that person.

But the good news is: You can.

I think Siena is going to wake up any minute, so I will try and type fast!  But it has been on my heart since last night to share all that God did yesterday, lest I forget, or forget to share. 

There were so many things yesterday that could have made it a bad day, but He was faithful through ALL of it!!  I made a little list in my mind, after He showed me His faithfulness through out the whole day, and I was blown away!  Here it is:


This may not seem like a lot, but as I got up that morning after four hours sleep and got the day started, it was overwhelming.  I have been taking care of Siena all day, and taking care of Steve at night, which is what I was made to do so I'm not complaining about that!  But adding hospital shift to that was so stressful, I felt torn in two.  At one point, I was filling out paperwork after a perfect delivery, and I just put my head down on the nurses station counter and started crying.  There were two more women in labor, both moving quickly, and I thought Siena was at the house screaming because Steve was sleeping couldn't go get her anyway because of his strep (found out later she was sleeping like an angel!).  I felt like a bad wife, a bad mom, and a bad midwife!  But it was just shortly after that that Liz came in and asked how I was doing.  When I briefly told her what was going on, she looked at me and said, "when something like that happens, you need to tell us, so we can take care of you."  And then after a little while she came back and told me to go home and take care of my family, the rest of the shift was covered.  I thought I would cry because of His and her goodness!!  And the whole day was like that, Steve woke up after lunch and his chest pain was greatly diminished, he felt so much better.  Still a sore throat, but over all better.  Siena ate like a champ!  And, I got a text from Liz that afternoon telling me not to worry about coming in for my AM shift the next day, they covered that as well so that we could go to the Dr if we needed to. 

Anyway, I can't really even express the transformation that took place yesterday, when my eyes were opened to what was REALLY going on: that He was showing me the fullness of His grace, instead of thinking I was a victim of some horrible circumstance.  It was amazing, just when it seemed like everything couldn't get any worse, He came through!  My Sav*or and my God, my Rock and my Redeemer.  He truly is my God, truly good and truly powerful.  My faith is strengthened, my heart encouraged, my hope renewed.  I needed yesterday, and He knew that.  So in a way, it had to be so bad, so that He could be so good.  Wow, isn't that something?

This morning, as hard as it was, I got out of bed at 7:18am.  I didn't want to, but I wanted to have time to write this, and actually get ready for the day at a reasonable hour.  I kept encouraging myself thinking about all the times in the B*ble when it says that J*sus rose early in the morning, and for some reason that helped.  Of course, Siena woke up at 7:30, just as I was about to hop in the shower, but I fed her, and put her back down, and then got ready.  It's been a wonderful morning!!  I got to talk to my dear Melanie, it's been far too long!!  I had french toast, did the dishes and swept the floor, have been listening to worship music and just thanking God for His goodness to me.  And then for a special treat, I had iced tea with REAL ICE.  You have no idea what commodity that is until you live in a place where ice in beverages is just unheard of! 

So cheers everyone, and remember that He is faithful!

It's just about midnight, and I am sitting here waiting for Steve to get home.  He is out on the town, doing what we came here to do!  I have been pr*ying for him this evening, knowing and trusting that our Father will take care of everything, and will keep him safe!  Meanwhile, I put Siena down, pick up the house, take care of the dirty diaper I left when I only had one hand, and made myself a treat!  Today was a long day, physically.

Last night, we stayed up late bumming around and acting like teenagers without responsibilities and real lives.  We stayed up way too late and had a blast!!!  But we did this with the understanding that I didn't have to work until 3pm.  Yeah, you know the rest of the story!  Around 8am (a sweet five hours after we went to bed and 45 minutes after I had finished nursing Siena and put her down again) I got a call saying, "aren't you supposed to be at the hospital? you're on duty."!  Oh, I felt so bad for being late!  That will not happen again, by the grace of God!  But then, I also felt horrible because the cold I thought I had defeated yesterday was back with revenge in his eyes.  But He was gracious, and though it was busy, I did get to rest some, and was able to take care of Siena when she needed me, so all in all it worked out, even if I did feel pretty blah/horrible the first part of the day. 

This seems to happen every night.  After I put Siena down, I have this sudden burst of energy, and I feel the motivation to get all these things done!  Like pick up the house, blog, fold laundry and clean the kitchen!  Go figure!  Perhaps it's because I know she is down for the night, and I don't have to think about how long it will be before she gets up, worrying about whether she will go to sleep (she goes to bed like a champ every night, but during her day time naps it's frustratingly hit or miss).  Oh well, I am on the downhill slide of that adrenaline rush, and am about ready to hit the sack. 

But we do have something amazing that happened, just a taste of how glorious He is!  This month we have had horrible trouble getting our monthly transfer, and finally found out on the 5th (that's a long time from the 1st!) that the man in charge would be out of town until the 11th, and he would transfer everything then.  Apparently they don't realize how vastly important this is to us, and how tight we really are.  Needless to say, we were really strapped, and feeling very stressed!  Steve went to go borrow a bit from a friend until the 11th, and then we went over to check our little mailbox here on the compound.  Now you have to understand, I never go with Steve to check our box.  I always have something else to do, or am feeding Siena, or whatever.  But today as he walked out of the bedroom to go check it, I jumped up with Siena and decided to walk with him.  And you know what??  "You'll never guess so I'll tell you!"  Inside, someone had anonymously left a large bank note in an envelope with "S&K" written on it.  Enough to get us through the next week at least! 

WOW.

We were blown away, stunned, shocked, astonished, flaberghasted, etc!  And so very, very grateful.  A reminder to you all, and to us as well: never worry, trust Him, He causes all things to work together for good.  Wow.

I love halfway points, although in our studies we are actually a little more than halfway through.  This month has been wonderful!  Some things about it have been rather cliche, like how I have learned so much, though at times it is frustrating.  I've made great friends, fallen asleep in class, and made late night runs to Baskin Robbins...... 

But I decided to put some not-so-cliche things down as well, like: our teachers are so awesome, and I've totally gotten used to their abayas and kendooras!  Also, I never knew it could get so hot, I am dripping with sweat after a five minute drive home from school, and that's with the AC on.  A few days ago we had to make a border hop to renew our visitor visas.  Things seem to go better (and faster) when you have a baby with you! 

I've only had one major faux pas during class.  We were learning command words, and the teacher was telling us to do certain things in Arabic, but only in Arabic.  So he told me to do something to Steve, and I couldn't for the life of me remember what the word meant, and I don't think well on the spot.  So I did the most logical thing I could think of to do to my husband: I gave him a peck on the cheek.  As soon as I did it, I knew I had made a big mistake!  Public affection is a BIG no-no in Muslim culture, and I'm talking minimal PDA.  Holding hands can possibly get you arrested.....  So in that light...... Yeah, I'm pretty sure I was beet red.  The first few days after it happened, I was SO embarrassed, but now I can laugh about it. 

I am enjoying having a car that's an automatic, Chelsea and I have gone into Al Ain several times to get groceries, a very freeing experience!  I have driven on roundabouts and survived, gone through border crossings (last time I went through, it was about 8pm, and in Arabic I told the guy, "goodbye!, uh, good morning!, um, good evening!"  heehee...) and only got a little lost once!  Yay! 

But although I have enjoyed the few trips in the car, mostly I just enjoy hanging out here, baking things for the neighbors, keeping up with the laundry, doing very few dishes (Chelsea's an angel!) and just spending time with Siena!!!  I miss her when we're at school, but thank You Lord, she has done so well!  She loves her baby Einstein, and also loves Chelsea, I know she will miss her when she's gone.

Tomorrow we have a picnic with everyone at school, I am really looking forward to it!  It's at a place called Jabal Al Feet.  Some oasis at the foot of the mountain.  I think our teachers will be there with their familes as well, so I am looking forward to taking lots of pictures for memories' sake! 

This has been a really sporadic post, but I am just trying to do it quickly!  Siena was actually sleeping when we got home today, so I wanted to write quickly, and then get some other things done!  Anyway, there is SO much more to tell, but here is a tiny glimpse!  I will upload more pics later, however, it costs money to upload/download KB, so we are waiting to go to an internet cafe, or until we're back home in Fujairah.  Please keep us in your pr*yers!!  God bless you guys!

There is so much going on (deja vu? i start every entry that way)!

Let me give you a glimpse:

I have worked four days in a row this week, busy shifts, delivered four babies.
We are leaving for language school early Friday morning, a day and a half away.
which means I have to pack for a whole month.
and leave the house clean with fresh sheets on the bed for the family who we are trading houses with.
Also, through a bad experience i have decided to only eat things that are not processed for three days.  I WANT CHOCOLATE!!!!!!



hmmm, it doesn't seem like a lot when I type it out like that....  But it feels like a lot.  There is still so much up in the air, and I need to finish learning my letters like a good preschooler, and laundry must be hung out, and rented/borrowed videos returned, and dishes done, and dinner cooked, and oh my goodness I have to figure out what we need to pack!!!



However, in all the busyness that seems to run around in the back of my mind, I am calm and have peace, He sustains me.  I really do know what that means.  Oh He has been growing me, I am so grateful to Him.  There have been several instances, no days, when I have looked back and said, "I didn't make that same mistake I've been praying about!"  Only by His grace, for sure. 



Chelsea arrived to help watch Siena while we're in language school, and she is so sweet!  I am so grateful, G*d totally provided!  She has been adjusting to the time change well, and we have enjoyed having the company!  Poor thing, when she was on her way, her plane was delayed over 12 hours, she actually got on a flight, traveled four hours, and then had to go back because of a problem with the plane.  So she was in the air for a total of like 24 hours!  She has handled everything really well and is such a blessing to spend time with!



Life has been fun, last night Steve and I put Siena down for bed and went out and got fresh juice and schwerma!  That is my butchered attempt at spelling an Arabic word in English..... :)  Even though we haven't started school yet, my Arabic vocabulary is growing, and it's exciting.  I have 24 of 28 letters down, and all of the numbers! 

 

 

Okay, enough.  I am getting long.  I will leave you with a poem that I came up with yesterday.  It just came to me, and I feel like a dork, but it turned out pretty cute!

I have a little lizard

who lives behind my stove

occasionally I see him

as in and out he goes

The first time that I saw him

I was very much afraid

I screamed and called for Steve

to come quickly to my aid

But then we made a pact

and we heartily agreed

if he would not come near my food

he could do just as he pleased

So now and then I see him

as in and out he goes

and I smile to my little friend

who lives behind the stove