Strangely Comfortable

This morning I walked into the prison that sits a few miles outside of  Doha.  It struck me how comfortable it felt walking thru the gates, nodding at the guards, waiting for permission to proceed into the compound.  How did this happen? I asked myself. I was anxious to get inside.  A beautiful spring day, I could hear the birds and felt the fresh morning air.  Knowing just where to walk thru the gate, pas official buildings, thru another building and more guards until finally I would get to hug my .hopefully soon to be released friend. She doesn't have an embassy here, so for the last year several friends and I have gone to see her. We are thankful that the authorities allowed us to take in supplies and help her through this difficult time until her appeal was heard and her release date set.    She is a strong woman who has made friends and worked hard inside the high walls during her 16 month sojourn. I think today was my last visit. We are praying that by the beginning of April all her paperwork will be processed and she will be allowed to go.  I don't know if our visits continue after she leaves, as usually only family or embassy connections may enter. We talk about going to her country to see her one day.  This team of women who have been blessed to walk this path for the last year. She wants us to come and meet her mother, her children.  I hope we do. What stories we will tell. The guard smiled and waved as I drove away.  So many of them know us now.

Random Bees, Ancient Bahrain

Jeff, Mike, Evonne, Timmy, Me, and Mary. Good times 

After getting back from seeing Russell and Talitha in Abu Dhabi it was off to Bahrain. Mike and I flew to Manama to join Jeff and Mary visiting our friends Hani and Dani. Hani and Dani live and serve there in the Arab Church.  Hani is our friend Nadia's brother whom we all met in Abu Dhabi several years ago when all of us still lived there. Nadia and I went to see him in 2009 when Arab Spring was just happening. On this trip we also got to spend time with her nephew, Timmy, and her sister Evonne.  We stayed in Timmy's apt. and enjoyed  getting to know this wonderful Egyptian family.  On Saturday morning, Evonne made us a a delicious Egyptian breakfast, even though we begged her not to work so hard! They are stubborn when it comes to hospitality. :)

Coffee time with Hani and Dani

We also walked to a nearby museum and fort.  Unlike the fort I visited with Russell and Talitha which was built in the 1700s, this fort was built in the 16 th century on the site of the capital of the ancient civilization of Dilmun from about 4500 BC.  We didn't have time to go thru it and I definitely want to go back. But just seeing the site and reading about it was fascinating. Outside the museum there were these random large bee structures.We are stumped. No idea what they are doing there. Oh well, fun picture. Random. We get that a lot over here.  

If you want to read more about this cool place google Qalat al Bahrain.