Mom's Night Out

English club back in full swing. Homeschool moms planning the year.

I tried new food last nite. There is a Vietnamese Restaurant right down the block from us and the Homeschool moms all met there for dinner and planning. It's quite a big group now. Rebecca LaValle was the first and she was soon joined by Krista Heath and Jean Page...All of these ladies are now going on 5 and 6 years here. Now we have around 15 families so we are figuring out how to best encourage each other and keep things going...like field trips, should we do some combined classes....and so on. It's a fun bunch of ladies and always encouraging to be with them. And I found out I really like Vietnamese food...within walking distance as well..so we wouldn't lose our parking place. (a very big consideration at nite...all these things factor in, you know :)).

Ramadan is nearly over. Everyday, at the intersection out our window, we hear tires screeching and many times a huge bang follows. Driving during Ramadan is intense. Not sure if it is the heat or the hunger or the combination but there are accidents all the time. Very nervewracking. Stores will soon be open normal hours and traffic will resume its more normal patterns.... We had friends trying to move in this month and its been very challenging to shop and furnish their apt. as shops are open 8pm to 1am and they have 2 very young children and a 2 week old newborn. They are really ready for Ramadan to be over! :)

In closing, last Sunday was our first Parenting Class at church. We are doing Homes of Honor, a Gary Smalley series. It is held during AWANA and we had no idea how many parents we would have. 26 people came! Many of you know that Mike and I facilitated various parenting classes in Texas....but it is exciting to tell you that none of them EVER looked like this... Families from Africa, Australia, Canada, South Africa, the US, England ..etc. joined us. Although Mike and I are familiar with the material...personalities...golden retriever, otter, beaver, and lion...We are very sure that this class will bring a lot more to the table than we have ever learned before. :) By the way, a young couple is helping us facilitate...Brian and Mary Rotunno. Chris LaRue, a friend of ours, was her youth pastor in high school. Ok, how's that for a small world story? :)

So, another week of things getting started back up...and Ramadan finishing up. It's been busy, but good.

Enjoy the cool weather coming your way....sigh.

Love, Mattie

Not Too Stunning...

It's a quiet Friday afternoon. I love Friday afternoons here...traffic is lighter on Fridays and our day is more relaxing overall. Enjoyed church today. It's always fun to see who will be leading music. Today our friend Peter Heath(married to my fun friend Krista, who bascially runs our homeschooling group) from Canada was joined by two other singers...a South African gal and I believe the other from Nigeria..and 3 amazing Filipino musicians... Terrific music. I think it was the first time that someone did not stand up as new to the church...and say...I'm from Malaysia, or Kenya, or Lebanon, or Myanmar...( Now, we must be adjusting... when it's ABNORMAL to us that someone isn't standing up and introducing themselves in a wonderful accent... ).
Had another first this week. .Our friend from Austrailia..Tess was in the hospital with pneumonia. First of all they kept her 5 days. That struck us as odd as in the US we get drugs and bam! head on home ASAP. Anyway, Mike and I went to see her. ( I didn't want to go alone as I'd never been to the hospital and it was kind of daunting to think about parking, and finding the room and all.) So we set out....We spent about 30 minutes with Tess. The hospital, although new, actually reminded us of the 60's in the US. Lots of drab, vinyl tiles. marked walls, chipped doors and so on. She didn't have a TV in her room...newspapers were piled beside her. She related to us that during the day two workers came in and were sanding the walls to paint...leaving the debris on the floor when they left...All of this happening while she and her roommate are convalescing...right there!!! Hmmm.. Of course the real oddity of all of this is better understood if you compare the outside of this new building to what we saw inside. The building is beautiful. It is covered in carved stone Islamic latticework. I was really kind of shocked at the disparity between the inside and outside...(ok, so obviously, in some things I'm a slow learner...I believe I've mentioned before about Hollywood and studio movie lots around here ....)
By the way, we also visited another friend who is in for a week...She shares her room with 2 others not just 1. They had a TV...on one wall, not sure how all 3 could see it as their beds were at strange angles. Her adventure included several Arab women showing up at about 11pm to chat for three hours.They came in after the security guard left...She didn't sleep well. :)
Before we left Tess...I asked her, "How's the food in here?" Tess, always polite..in her soft Austrailian accent..."Ohhh, the foooddd....well, Not too stunning actually." Mike and I just laughed out loud....I bet it isn't too stunning. I just bet.
Tess is home now. Doing much better. My friend Jill should get out early next week. Sure am praying we stay healthy. :)

ps. if i get by the hospital and have the camera with me..i'll get a picture for you all. that will require remembering..but i'll try.

Mattie

Starting Up

Ramadan week 3 is nearly upon us. Sort of the hump time for everyone. Life sort of moves into a pattern and then soon...please soon....it will be over.
Everything is starting up. My English Club apt. friends are all back from their various summer travels...Monte Negro, Japan, Finland, England, France and so on. We met last Monday to catch up....A fun reunion. Tanja brought us Serbian turkish delight and a handmade lace doily. Tejia, from Finland, brought us homemade angel pinecones that her neighbor makes....and from Japan we all got beautiful handpainted compact mirrors for our purses. I was excited to hand out the books I brought everyone from the States. My friend had access to books from Josh M. in all their native languages and they seemed very excited to get them..... We snacked and talked and even teared up together as two of my friends have ailing parents and spent much of the summer caring for their fathers. They were so sweet asking about my time at home with my sister..finishing up stuff at mom and dad's place. It's good to be together again...They have even invited some more neighbors to join us...hmmm... We meet tomorrow...I'm so excited.

Also starting up are the church classes. Mike and I will be joined by another couple to help lead the Adult Ed. classes that are offered on Sunday nites during AWANA. Perspectives doesn't start until Jan. and we wanted to serve in some capacity. So we will be teaching Homes of Honor by Gary Smalley...the parenting one on personalities...(at least we know the material..thanks to Brent and Betty Kesterson and our class so many years ago....:) )

So with school and friends and life...we are busy. But it is a good busy. I'll be glad when this month is over but it has been easier this year then last year...duh. :) Did I tell you that Ryan is Senior Class Pres.? Already he has had some interesting experiences...:)

We do watch the news a lot these days....Hurricane Ike was on the TV quite a lot... Am glad it is over but, man!!! a lot of clean up... They said it had been 25 years since the last one to directly hit Galveston...My parents rode that one out in Clear Lake City...and my brother stayed on our sailboat...letting out the lines...Hurricane Alicia, I believe...Funny how even a hurricane can make you homesick. And of course, there is quite a lot happening on our side of the world as well. Please keep us in your prayers...It's a great place to live unless you look at a map.....
Mattie

Ramadan 2008

My friend Laurel asked me to write about daily life during Ramadan. Of course, it is different for Mike than it is for me. and then for Ryan as well.
To begin with, the hours all change. During Ramadan it is forbidden for Muslims to eat or drink between the first light of dawn and sunset. So, the restaurants and cafes are all closed during the day. Muslim families plan dinners during the evenings to break their fast. They stay up very late. Then sleep they sleep in and start their days later. Truly what it becomes is just changing the nites and days...Ryan goes to school from 8:40 to 2 instead of 8 to 3 and most offices start sometime after 9 and close at 2 or 3. The shops open around 10 am and close at around 2 and then open back up at 8pm and stay open until 11, 12 or even 1 am.
For Mike it is difficult for any work to get done. For Ryan, he loves the shorter hours. :) For me, not so much changes except no coffee with moms after school drop off..and no lunch on Fridays at the Mall..after church. The grocery stores are open so I go early in the day before the evening rush... It's like the month before Christmas at the malls here during Ramadan..ugh. I avoid them at all costs in the later evening...No way. :)
Naturally the traffic patterns are different as well. From about 5:30 until about 8pm, when the stores reopen there are no cars on the road..everyone is breaking their fast. That is called Iftar dinner. It's like a party every nite. The hotels serve huge buffets and the food just keeps on coming. Mike and I went to one the other nite at a hotel with some folks from his office and WOW!! Lots of food..More than a Kansas Potluck at church...:)
People do seem more irritable during the day. Lots of car accidents pop up all over. Workers are aloud to drink on the jobsites(cuz of deaths in the past from dehydration...) but they do it behind screens.
Last year everything was so new..we didn't know if we were coming or going..This year it is more routine. :) Please pray for our friends here...Many truly do seek God during this time. Please pray that they will find Him. And that Mike and I and the kids will be salt and light to all we meet.
Robert is doing better. No more pain. Tests all came back normal. Our online school is going well. So far we really like it...although it will be better when we get the materials. :) We are sort of winging it right now. If you want to know what we are doing you can check it out at k12.com. Also, if you would like to read some interesting articles in the paper here...go to Gulfnews.com, and read the articles on Who will speak for Islam? Another book I want to get is Jesus through Middle Eastern Eyes by Kenneth Bailey.
Hope you are all well.
Love, Mattie