Fujeirah

Last November our friends, Jeff and Mary, asked us if we would be interested in going with them and another family to a Fujeirah, a coastal town in the UAE, in January. January seemed far away but we said, "Sure, that sounds like fun." Only God knew how much we would need to get away this weekend.

We stayed at a hotel called Sandy Beaches. Each family had a bungalow with two bedrooms, a kitchenette and a teeny weensy bathroom. :) It was heavenly. Palm trees and water stretched in front of us, and mountains spread out behind us. ..there was a playground for the kids on the beach, a swimming pool, kayaking, snorkelling and lots of time to relax and laugh. Each bungalow is equipped with a grill so all of our cooking was done outside together. Sort of camping with bathrooms and beds. :) Very low key with just the right amount of sightseeing...the oldest mosque in the UAE..around 1400, a palace fort in the mountains, etc. and then volleyball on the beach, and hanging out.

Saturday morning I took some time by myself and had a long talk with God. So much of the weekend reminded me of my folks...(we used to take weekends with friends and hang out just like that, when I was growing up in Aruba and Bolivia. ) the Supertankers lined up on the horizon, the beauty of the water and being on the beach in January, just being a family together...I kept wanting to call my folks and tell them about it. So instead...I cried a bit and told my Father how grateful I am for such special memories of my mom and dad. And yes, I did mention the timing thing...I probably will think about that for a long time.

It was a refreshing time....the whole weekend was. For all of us. We had a big group play volleyball on the beach...with Mike and Ryan eating sand on a regular basis and me being glad I even hit the ball...:) Some families from Iran even joined in the fun. Mike,Robert and Ryan went kayaking while Sallie and I built sandcastles. Before we left Ryan went snorkelling and saw some beautiful fish. We will try and go back in April for all of us to snorkel...I just could not bring myself to get in the water...a wee bit too cold for me. :)

It was perfect timing...much needed...and we are ready for another week. Thanks for all of your prayers, dear friends. We feel them and could not do this without you. So many of you have sent emails...thank you. We are humbled and feel very loved.

On the journey,

Mattie and Mike, and the Kids

ps. if you send cards..please use the Hill International address...Mike Hildebrand, box 5201, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. in fact for all letters that is the best address... Thanks for everything. We love you.

Mom

It's almost 4 am here. Can't sleep. It's kind of nice cuz the city is so quiet.

I just spent about 30 minutes reading my emails...from the best people in the world. I don't even know how many I have received, but I am saving them to a folder and want to print them out. People have called too. But yesterday the phone was down so most of their messages came to me on voicemail.

I don't really know what to write but I wanted to write something. I keep thinking about my mom and how glad I am that I got to see her in November and hug her one last time and laugh over memories of dad and life together one last time, and cry with her. I called her a lot these last couple of months and I am so glad for that. I remember Kristen Young telling about her Dom. Rep. trip and how their team used a verse, although which one escapes me right now...but they also used the rallying cry...No regrets...as they worked on their site. I'm glad I told mom how much I love her and I'm glad I saw dad in July before we left the US and I hugged him and we visited and laughed and remembered together. No regrets...but you know, I think I still have some..cuz well, I do. But I think we all do no matter how much we try to dot our i's and cross our t's and do it "right". It's just life. I'm so glad that God knows me and loves me anyway. And He is here...in Abu Dhabi hugging me and holding me up....and He uses His children to do it. My treasured family in the US from Bent Tree and Tres Dias and Kansas, Carrollton.Carlsbad and all over and my new family here in the UAE. And my sweet, sweet husband who knows how to make me laugh even when I am soaking his shirt..and my sweet ,sweet kids who hugged just a bit longer and tighter yesterday...or made me laugh all the way from Austin....

(Let me tell you something folks...if anyone thinks you can do this pilgrimage, this journey, alone...Well, just forget it. Who would want to, anyway? Pride and independence...what a bunch of.... nothing.)

I am so blessed by the most wonderful friends and family........It overwhelms me.

I know I am rambling again....maybe this blogging thing isn't a good idea cuz it will be here for the rest of my life....oh well, who cares? Life is way too short to sweat this stuff....

I miss her ya'll. My mama...Nancy Neal Deahl...born Dec.23, 1931 died Jan. 21, 2008. Funny, kind, obsessively clean,faithful, loving and married for 54 years....I love you, Mom. No regrets.

Two Words

I wanted to write this down before the days got away from me. If I wait too long then I forget what I wanted to tell everyone. :) Last nite, I was driving home from an Arab culture class that Mike and I are taking at church(really fun as there are South Africans, Indians, Filipinos, Americans and Germans in it...and we are all learning how to live and work and minister in this culture)...anyway, as I was driving home I actually understood two words in Arabic that were on the radio!!! I had just learned them that morning so it was so fun to hear them and know what they meant!! We have had 4 classes and with each class I realize that this is going to take a long time....a long, long time. It can be discouraging but hearing that on the radio helped me want to stick with it and not give up. At least for now. :) The words, by the way, were Eid Milad...which means Birthday feast...sort of. :) They are the words used to say Happy Birthday...Eid Milad Saeid. So there you go...Arabic 101. :) Love, Mattie

Come on Down...It's a New Car!!!

I am excited to announce the arrival of my new Honda Civic...Yep! Picked it up today. So we are really, really here. Two new cars, a bunch of new furniture and so on. We have arrived.( And some days that scares us to death. :))
Had an unusual thing happen to me today. When I signed on to add to my blog...everything came up in Arabic. The sign in thing...and everything. I screamed. Sure hope this posts in English. :) Now the kids and I are learning Arabic but ummmm, not quite ready to blog in it...or read directions. Wow.
Well, that's all for now....if you would like to read more...go to Sallie's blog...sandymound.blogspot.com...cuz last time I wrote I posted it there. Just can't keep it straight. but I sure do have a fun car! :)

A Big Day

Big news here! Yesterday I became official. I got my UAE license. (Not a word out of you Mark Pearce!)
Mike unexpectedly had the day off....On his way to work he noticed an unreal amount of police cars at every intersection. After he'd been at the jobsite for about an hour a couple of policeman came in and said...You need to close the site and send everyone home. Yes sir. How high....:) So Mike and about 300 employees from the site left. President Bush is in town. Traffic was so snarled that it took about an hour to get to our house..normally a 20 minute drive. My friend Mary has today off as well. Her office building is across from Emirates Palace where the meetings are taking place. She got advance notice though. It would be nice. Mike may have today off as well but he won't know until he gets to the jobsite. He would like today off though...He stayed up from 1:30am to 5am to watch the Cowboyscowboys....lose. He is hurting this morning. :)
Anyway because he was home yesterday we ran to the Dept. of Vehicles Ministry building to get my license. It was actually less confusing than it could have been. There is a separate ladies section where you go in a closed door and everything is handled right there. We were one picture short though...naturally...passport photos are required for everything here and we only had one but needed two. Sigh. So they told us to go 3 buildings down...ha. We walked out the door and laughed...3 buildings..which way? which ones? Asked another guy who pointed us to the right place...or sort of. We decided to walk and then had this hesitation...3 buildings could technically mean three blocks but we kept walking. :) Good news though...it really was just down the street. Went in...two guys standing there taking pictures for a few dirham(this picture thing is a lucrative business around here....) got our photos, walked back, she clipped ALL my paperwork together...I say ALL because it was a stack of stuff, and then I went for my picture in the NEXT office for the license. :) The guy takes my paperwork, tosses it over his shoulder, literally, and then takes my picture. Two minutes later I am out of there with a very official license....Picture isn't bad either. I mean, at least I don't look dead like in my passport picture. :)

So, another day, another item checked off our list. As Mike says....each thing makes us feel more and more entrenched and more entrapped. It's kind of a love hate relationship. :)

Here's to driving legally....:)

Just as I hit publish, Mike's phone rang...He is up and ready to leave for work...Oops, nope...job site is closed again..just letting him know. Another day in the UAE.....

Mattie

Familiar but Different

Some days things can be so different yet so familiar as well. Like on Wednesday when I dropped Sallie off at her Music lesson and then took Robert to the park to play with his friends Ben and Josh. I sat on the park bench and thought about the many park benches I'd sat on in my life while my kids played on the playsets. It made me smile. And then I began talking with a lady next to me....:).... I don't remember her name but I do remember she was from Sudan. We visited for quite awhile. I then began talking with a lady next to me on the other side. She was Chinese...a Chinese Muslim, in fact. Fascinating....I tried to learn her story but she was sketchy with English. Familiar day at the park...but different. :)

Or like today, at church. I've told ya'll how neat it is to worship with so many people from different countries....Well, today Joe asked Mike and me to help with the announcements. Why us? Next week ECC is starting a Perspectives Class...every Tuesday nite until May. So, there we were...pushing Perspectives...very familiar, but in a whole new place. Different. :)

And tonight. We had our Bridge Club. That group of likeminded folks that I told you about who meet every other Friday to encourage and pray for each other. A small group. A lifegroup. A minichurch....familiar...and yet....different. For example, my friend Mary was going to a wedding tonite....the ladies' side of it. The men had their wedding festivities a couple of nites ago. She was heading out the door at 9pm. They will eat at midnite. We prayed for her. That God's love would shine thru her to all the women there. Can't say I had prayed for someone attending an Arab wedding before coming here....:)

Familiar yet different. Perhaps that is what Culture Shock is....not just all the new stuff but all the old stuff that looks different and what do you do with it? Mike has been here 6 months now...and I've been here 5. Some days it feels like yesterday and others it feels like we got here years ago. I think that's part of Culture Shock, too. :) OH, by the way, we were really shocked two days ago when we got 5 parking tickets in the same day. Yep. Apparently January is bonus month for the police and it helps to give lots of tickets. Mind you, we were parked in the same places we have been parking since August. Now that was Culture Shock. :) We thought about protesting them...ha ha ha ha ha.

G'Night All.

Things I learned...

It is Monday morning here. Ryan is back at school. The Fords left on Friday morning. Russell headed back to Texas last nite. I have so many things to write about....but how do I do it? I could be very sad....which I am...or ignore my feelings and just fill everyone in...so I think I will tell you all this way.
Things I learned during our first family Christmas in the UAE:

10. It's beautiful weather here in the winter.
9. Holiday busyness is not limited to the US...I am pooped.
8. Mail...snail mail...feels like a hug, especially during the holidays.
7. I love having a phone that connects me to my family and friends in the US.
6. Being far away from everyone is really hard, especially when they are hurting and you can't be there with them.
5. Friends who come all the way from Bulgaria to spend time with us are worth their weight in gold.
4. Laughing with old friends is priceless, and loving their kids like your own, just can't be beat.
3. Youth pastors never grow up....one day I will share the story of Darren giving Mike a peanut butter face slap...just picture it.
2. Saying goodbye to your oldest boy heading halfway around the world is really really hard...and waking up to a new day with him gone, is even harder.
And the last thing I learned this Christmas is...with God all things are possible...even making a go of it in a strange land....Sandyland.

So there you have it. It was a great Christmas and New Years. Very different but very special. Mike and I loved watching the Ford kids and our kids hang out together. We enjoyed showing our new life to the Fords and having Russell be a part of it. We are blessed.
Happy New Year, Everyone.