Keep Smiling

Today is the last day of Ramadan.  Tomorrow begins Eid al Fitr.  Most of Doha will be heading out for the break. This includes Mike and me. Although we are staying close to home, we decided that we have to get out of here..so off to Abu Dhabi we go.  It is our favorite, spontaneous escape place.  Funny how when we lived there we always wanted to get away.  Ironic. :)  We can't go far as Mike is still searching for a job and we don't want to spend a lot of money.   Abu Dhabi is a cheap flight and we get to see Russell and Talitha, too!   There are  friends who haven't left for the summer or moved away that we might get to visit AND Barry and Pattie will be in from Riyadh, too. It will be a regular party and we are needing a party ....      The job search has been tedious and at times discouraging, but we continue to pray and are hopeful that we will at least get to stay for one more year. We would really like for Robert to have his senior year here.

To cheer us up Russell and Talitha came to see us last weekend.  A group of us went to see Jurassic World. Then we ate at Which Wich(new to Doha).  After dinner some of us walked around the Marina. It was such a fun evening and a great weekend.  All of us are getting excited about Russell and Talitha's upcoming visit to Texas. He can't wait to show her off. :) Their visit did cheer us up. Mike and I are blessed with 4..no 5 of the best kids ever.  We have so much to be thankful for.  It may be hard right now but we know how blessed we really are.  And tomorrow we get to see them again!  That puts a smile on my face.

 

Laughing and Crying

Despite the mass exodus of many friends from Doha this summer, some for a couple of months and some permanently, we managed to have a fun 4 th of July.  The men kept Mike company in the blistering heat and humidity while he grilled the burgers. We women had the easier job of getting things ready in the kitchen.  No fireworks but lots of laughter and talking.  It was nice to laugh and hang out, especially as we are losing many of our community to lay offs this year.

Due to the economy right now there have been sweeping lay offs across all sectors this spring. Many of our friends aren't ready to leave but it seems this is the way it is.  We continue to pray for them as they job hunt or return to the U.S. without options.  Even friends who have been in the region decades have not seen the extremes we are seeing right now.  It's been really sad. Mike and I are on pins and needles ourselves right now.  Not sure if we will be here next year or not.  It's very tenuous for many of us.  

In the meantime, we pray and enjoy the friends who are here.

One last goodbye dinner for the Germans(second couple from the left) They will be missed. Thankful they live in Houston so we will see them again. 

Rolling with Ramadan

She exited the plane with the words..."and remember no eating, drinking or smoking in public from sunrise to sunset, " ringing in her ears.  Marganne came to visit right in the middle of Ramadan.  In two short days she experienced Doha full on.

My compound is decorated for Ramadan. 

 Traffic, sandstorm the whole time, heat, and no restaurants open in the day.  Summer can be intense over here, but summer with Ramadan is a whole different thing. It was so fun to have her here. Even though she was here during the harder time she got to see why we like it here, too.

A trip to Doha is not complete without a visit to a mall, especially one all decked out.   

She met a few of our terrific friends( who haven't left for the summer). She ate at some fun restaurants (after sunset, of course).

Jet lag kicked in after a great dinner at our favorite Persian restaurant with some good friends. 

 And for 48 hours lived a bit of life with me.  (Meanwhile, Mike was in Dallas driving her car and hanging out with our terrific Texas friends. He gets back on Wednesday. In fact, he returns to Doha on the same plane that Marganne is taking to Dallas. Makes my head spin.) Since I'm not going to Texas until August, it was fun to have a taste of home even though it was way too short!

See you in August! So glad you dropped by! :) 

Wrapping it Up

Max, Jaeden, Robert and Tejas. Last discipleship group before summer break. 

Hanging out at the Museum of Islamic Art

The sun was just coming up as we piled into the car on Monday to head to the airport.  I'd been up since 3 am. dreading the day.  Robert climbed up front with Mike so he could plug  his music from his phone and Sallie and I sat in the back.  She leaned her head down against my arm and I just sat there stroking her hair.  These two weeks with her flew by and I was barely holding it together.  And this time Robert was heading out with her.  Mike and I avoided talking about the looming departures all weekend before they left.

We did things differently this summer. Sending Robert ahead with Sallie, me staying here with Mike for the summer, this is a first.  Once I get used to the cave like quiet and no more taking to or picking up from school crazy drives...I'm sure it will be nice.  Not really. But I'm still glad to be here with Mike.  Summers apart get awfully long and this one has started out particularly challenging.   There have been sweeping lay offs across Doha.  Many of our friends have found themselves jobless and are packing up to leave. Mike is also needing a new project to go to as his is wrapping up and he is to be off it by the end of June.  We are praying for a position here but so far it's pretty quiet.  

Yes, we will miss her. She makes us laugh. 

After we hugged the kids and sent them thru customs we had coffee and waited for some friends who were on their way with their college kids as well. Daniel, one of Robert's closest friends, just graduated and Mike and I wanted to give him one last hug as well. Lori was barely holding it together but we all got thru it without embarrassing the kids too much.  

And we will miss Robert and his buddies making noise upstairs. Laughing, and hanging out. It is just way tooooo quiet. 

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

June.  End of school. Birthday fun.

Birthday Lunch

Goodbyes. Less traffic. Ramadan. Heat. Squeezing fun into every last minute.  Squeezing Sallie when she got off the plane.

Slower pace ahead. Maybe too slow.... That's what I'm thinking about as I think of June.

Friends gathering to say goodbye to the Gehmans

This year I will stay here with Mike until August then head to Dallas to be with Robert and Sallie. Robert will return to Doha on August 23rd but I will be there until October.  Mike joins us mid September when we will gomto New Orleams to attend my nephews wedding. It's a crazy way to do things but well, it is what it is. Sallie and Robert leave Monday and Mike and I are dreading it.

Belated birthday dinner. Wanted to wait until Sallie got here! Steak dinner at a great Argentine Restaurant. Bored the  kids with childhood stories. :) 

  In the meantime we have had lots of goodbyes this month and lots of socializing before great friends leave..either for good or for the summer.

Daniel, second from left, graduated this year. Joey far right, moving back to Houston. Friends for life.

 Although this is usual for the summer season in the Gulf region,,it's also been more intense this year.  Lots of long time friends are leaving due to the economy here in the region. It's been a dark time for many reasons.  Several friends are still in the waiting mode to hear if they are being laid off.  Lots of prayer.

Grace Youth Group 2015. New faces will come. Others will be gone. Everchanging. Always special. 

Time in Thailand

Last week Mike and I left Doha for Thailand.  I was excited as this was my first time in Thailand.  On top of that we were going to see dear friends who live in Chiang Rai then meet up with more dear friends in Phuket.  Today our trip is fast winding down.  It's been great.  We needed some time out of the desert and boy! This is not desert. Most of the time I feel like we are part of the Jurassic Park movie set. It's green everywhere! Bull frogs, lizards, flowers and more flowers. It's beautiful. As it is the beginning of rainy season we have had lots of that as well.  But the Hones are from Phoenix and all of us are enjoying the rain. :).

I'm so glad we visited Chiang Rai.  Harry and Pattie have been in Thailand for 9 years and to finally see what they have built here. It was great.  They have a goat farm that is serving the community there and they are working hard to grow this business and reach out to more and more people.  The potential,is exciting to see. And although I was very hesitant to drink the milk, I will say it was excellent. I can be a milk snob but this was out of the park. I think ice cream should come soon.  We had 3 and a half days with the Brittans and everyday was special. Really glad we made it out there and hope to return soon.

Our time in Phuket with David and Mary has been great, too.  We were neighbors in Dallas before moving to the Middle East and it is like no time has passed.  Lots of laughter, playing cards, and heart to heart talks have made this vacation fantastic.  All of this in a beautiful place. We are grateful to have this chance and to be with dear friends.  And it's a great way to celebrate 32 years of marriage!

Our time in Phuket with David and Mary Hone was relaxing and a wonderful place to spend our anniversary. Although Mike questioned our sanity when we entered the Tiger's den....

Mother's Day Far Away

There is something about Mother's Day that makes me pensive and thankful and sad all at once. The easy answer is I am so thankful for four of the greatest kids on earth, and now a new sweet daughter in law as well, and then I am sad as we are not all together...not even in the same hemisphere.  As I was driving Robert to school today these thoughts were rolling around in my head. ( I think intensified even more so as he just turned 17 and in a year he will be leaving to that other hemisphere as well. )To complicate this mental process there is the added sadness of missing my mom today. And Mike's mom, who was a second mom to me for 33 years.  The questions I wish I had asked these great women, the life we all shared over the years,  and just missing them, plain and simple. So maybe it is just the easy answer... I am happy because I have known great love with great children and sad becuase I miss two women who loved me so much.  

When I get this way, bordering on a full blown pity party, I remind myself to count my blessings and turn my eyes on the One who has blessed me and continues to bless me with such great love. My blessings...too many to count.  Amazing family and friends in Qatar, in the UAE, in Kansas, in Texas, all,over the world, parents who loved me so much.., and above all this? a God who knows me and loves me even when I'm throwing a pity party.

It is a great day. Happy Mother's Day to all my North American friends. 

Mattie

Here is Robert at his surprise party with just a few of the many friends he has!  

April is Over???

I am stunned. Where did April go? For the last two weeks I told myself I need to blog but for one reason or another I didn't sit down and do it!  I think my new work schedule is wearing me out. Ha ha. I use "work" loosely here as for most people I barely qualify as working.  I am teaching 6 different Berlitz classes. Usually it is just 3 to 5 hours everyday. But honestly!I am beat. Poor me. I am embarrassed to admit it. The other side of the story is..I am loving it. My students come from Spain, Brazil, Italy, Iraq and Qatar. How fun is that?! Ages range from youngest of 19 to my age..fifty something. :) Singles, marrieds, one guy, and 6 women.  But all this to say... I have procrastinated about blogging and am just now making myself sit down and catch up.

Robert, Daniel, Adrian and Glory taking a break in Nepal.

With April being devoted to Vivian and her release..amen... I did  not get a chance to write about Robert's trip to Nepal, the Sandstorm from hell, or the aforementioned  new friends from Berlitz. Robert really enjoyed the trip to Nepal. The students worked on an orphanage, ministered to many sick people through prayer and healing, and also showed the Jesus film in some villages. The kids worked well together and from what we have heard from Robert and others, really had some fun adventures. It has been very hard for Robert and others to watch the news about Nepal.  The group that they stayed with and worked with, however, is ok and is hard at work helping as they can in the community. Robert was asked to talk about Nepal at school this week and to lead in a moment of silence at a school wide assembly. He is also part of a group at school doing fundraising to send over.

The worst sandstorm in 20 years blew thru Doha this month. No, I didn't leave the windows open.

School is winding down. Exams in a couple of weeks. Then Robert will travel to the US with Sallie for the summer and I will join them in mid August.  Mike and I are going to celebrate our 32 anniversary in Thailand next month. . We are so excited.  Some friends from the US will meet us there. We will also get to visit old friends who live and work in northern Thailand. We are looking forward to catching up with them and seeing what their last 8 to 10 years has looked like.

Team Vivian

On Easter Sunday Sarah went to see Vivian on her own.  She doesn't speak Spanish but she wanted to give her an Easter hug and pray with her.  Despite our best efforts to unravel the documentation for Vivian's release we still had no,idea what the hold up was.  Her appeal sentencing was two moths ago and even though we had the wonderful news that she was free to leave with time served, we had heard nothing and waited.  So Sarah went to give her a hug and tell her we were still trying from our side to move things along. 

 We are so glad she went that day. Vivian was struggling with sadness as she had heard her mom was not well and her brother needed medical help .Vivian and Sarah, in English and Spanish, prayed and sang praise songs in the prison courtyard.   We all praised God that evening when we learned that Vivian was in the  deportation center. 

Sarah learned on Monday, after about 4 hours of traipsing around the various offices in the deportation center, that all that was needed was ticket home.  On Tuesday, I went up there and bought the ticket from the Qatar airways office in the deportation compound.  On Wednesday we met Vivian at the airport. Itmismhard to describe the elation we were all feeling, the thankfulness over all that God had done and was doing in this crazy situation.  Over and over we saw Him show up, bring help, touch lives, and now we were sending this precious new sister in Christ home.  There were major problems at the airport, but I am not going to go into them. I will say that even in the problems Vivian was smiling and confident of her freedom.  It was great.  We bought a second ticket that got her to Dubai. Then she was stranded there and we purchased a third one.  Today, after four days of traveling, Vivian is in Bolivia.  We haven't heard yet but we are hopeful she is or will soon be with her beloved mother, brothers and children.  

I think most of us are still in shock. Next up? When can team Vivian get to Bolivia to see her? :)

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. 

Qasr al Hosn..Finally!

I just couldn't stay away any longer.  On a spur of the moment decision I bought a ticket for Abu Dhabi last Thursday and flew over to see Russell and Talitha.  They headed to AD from Dubai and I met them there early Friday morning. And I mean early.  I landed at 6 am which meant i was at the Doha airport by 4 am. So out the door by 3:30...you get the picture. But it was worth it! We talked about the wedding, ate breakfast at a favorite place, Mugg and Bean(coincidentally a South African chain) , took naps and then headed to this new festival in downtown Abu Dhabi. Qasr al Hosn Festival which centers around the Qasr al Hosn or Palace Fort. I have wanted for years to get in there. It's a fort that sits in the middle of the city and until this year it has been closed to the public.  The watchtower, the first structure, was built in 1761 to protect the freshwater well discovered in Abu Dhabi. In 1793 the ruling Sheikh expanded it into a small fort and residence with further additions in the 1930s.  The Fort was the seat of government in Abu Dhabi until 1966. For five years I drove by it, just itching to get in.  In spite of the sandstorm blowing across the entire Gulf Region, the three of us headed out and my wish was finally granted! They are doing a great job restoring it and preserving it. It was fun to see it with the kids. :)

Flying February

After our return from Russell and Talitha's wedding and Tom and Bonnie's departure,  the fog rolled into Doha.. It  much reflected what I was feeling. The wedding week was so much fun. Having  friends here for a couple of extra days afterwards,  was icing on the cake. They left, the fog rolled in, and I walked around like Winnie the Pooh's buddy Eeyore.

That's me, on the right. 

We are back into our routine now. School-Robert, Work-Mike,  teaching English-Me, which by the way, I am really enjoying. I have had some wonderful Qatari students this year and a fun lady from Spain. Yes, sometimes we slip into Spanish. :)  .

The days are flying by. Summer plans to be made. Flights, dates, locations. I can't believe it is already February.  In March we are taking a quick trip to Bahrain with Jeff and Mary Kenney to visit a friend there. Last time I was there with Mary was during their Arab Spring Uprising. Mike hasn't been so it will be fun to go together. Robert is preparing for the Youth Group's spring break trip to Nepal. Sallie gave him tips over Christmas... :) I'm excited he gets to go.

Off to teach!
Happy Valentine's Day!



   

This region can really get into decorating.

New Beginnings and Great Memories

A Magical Day

Two weeks ago Sallie, Katie, and I flew to Abu Dhabi to begin Russell and Talitha's wedding week. I wanted to get there before everyone else's flights started to arrive.  This way we could help with the craziness of arrivals, and housing and any thing that needed to be done. Also, and more importantly, Lindsey, my niece was coming in the same night and Katie didn' t know it! Katie and Lindsey are sisters, and with Katie living in England right now, it was a big surprise! (She wrote in her newsletter..."I can now add crying in an airport in front of 50 Pakistani men to my list of unique cultural experiences.") Russell took Katie to the airport and he loved seeing the shock on her face. A great start to an amazing week.

Speaking of unique cultural experiences, there were many. And blessings, too. Russell and Talitha did a good job making sure the out of town guests had plenty to do but not so much that they were stressed about it all. Tuesday we went on a desert safari.  Our visitors from Texas and South Africa  got to ride camels, dune bash, climb sand dunes, get henna if they wanted it, star gaze and enjoy the belly dancer( which is not from this culture AT ALL but they had one anyway. ) Mike and Robert flew in on Tuesday and managed to link up with us in the desert. ( That in itself is quite a story which involved hitchiking and an unwilling taxi driver, but in the end they made it.) Ryan wasn't there for the desert as he had no tickets when he got to the airport in Austin. He arrived a day late but still in time for most of the fun. My friend Mary and I managed to retrieve his girlfriend, Annie, from the airport and she fit right in with the rest of the craziness. She has traveled a lot and took everything in stride, including spending the day with strangers halfway around the world! By the second day we were pretty sure we all had known her her whole life. :)  

Cousins!

Ryan arrived Tuesday evening. Wednesday the rest of the Texas crew made it. I think in total there were 16 Texans who flew over for the week. This included Ryan and Sallie, and Corey and Haley who live and teach in Moscow. Every time I hugged one of the them I felt like crying. Ok, I did cry. To come all this way, to jump right in, it was such fun for all of us. Wednesday a group went kayaking in the mangroves, then dinner at one of Russell's favorite local places at the port. Sallie and I had dinner with Talitha, her family and the bridesmaids at the British Club. (It was so nice to spend time and get to know her sisters and her bridesmaids. A beautiful evening on the water.) Thursday was the Grand Mosque Tour, where I finally got to see Corey and meet his sweet wife. Russell and Corey have been friends since 2nd grade and I hadn't seen him in seven years.( Yes. I cried.)

Visiting the Grand Mosque

Mike and I hosted the Rehearsal Dinner Thursday evening at the Officers Club in Abu Dhabi. This is not a tradition in South Africa but Elmarie and Corbus both told us how much they enjoyed the evening. Katie had put together a slide show that played in the back with childhood pictures of Russell and Talitha as well as shots of the whole wedding week. All in all, it was a wonderful evening and provided time for our families to get to know each other.

And the wedding. There was laughter. Friends from Texas,Kansas,Russia, England, Abu Dhabi,  Oman, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa. . Muslims and Christians. Old friends and new. Promises made. Flowers thrown.Music and dancing and food and toasts. And lots of love to go around. Mike and I could not stop smiling. I loved every single minute of it.

Ryan toasting his brother.

The smiles on Russell and Talitha's faces said it all.  Mike and I prayed for our kids' future spouses from the time they were young.  We thank God for bringing Russell and Talitha together from worlds apart and for the sweet, wonderful celebration that began their new, united  life!



     

Fun Before 2015!

Christmas Dinner...Crowns are from Christmas Crackers brought to us by Talitha. A new family tradition? 

Lunch at Dubai Mall with the Jacobsons. 

Christmas Decorations at Mall of the Emirates. So pretty!

2014 in Doha ended with friends and family visiting us and celebrating together with us. Sallie and her friend Morgan, from Dallas, arrived on December 18.  Russell and Talitha arrived early on Christmas Eve.  All of us enjoyed our Christmas Day together along with guests Andy, Colleen and their friend who wanted to see an American Christmas. :)  Dubai was a must see while Morgan was here. The Jacobsons, friends from Abu Dhabi, drove to Dubai to join us for the day. Sallie and Morgan went up to the top of the Burj Khalifa while the rest of us chatted and caught up on life. Russell and Talitha are finalizing the details for their big day.  (Only 11 days left...)  We kept things pretty low key in preparation for the fun, crazy about to happen. All of us are excited to be in Abu Dhabi starting next week to greet the Texas and South African visitors on their way into town for the wedding. Our niece , Katie, arrives here in Doha on the 7th. Ryan arrives a week from today in Abu Dhabi. Needless to say, it's going to be a great reunion!  When we take a minute and think on Russell and Talitha and the blessing of them finding each other..we never in a million years would have thought that our boy would find his bride in Abu Dhabi and that they would be marrying in a place we called home for 5 years... It boggles our minds and we are very thankful!

Robert, Russell and Talitha as we wait to see the Dubai Fountains dance.

New Year's Eve Masquerade. Welcoming 2015!. 

We are Thankful

My last post was more of a venting for me! But here I am, alive to blog again.  That's not to say that there aren't more close calls to report from here, but been there, and I will wait for awhile before going back to that topic. Just assume we need prayer everyday when we drive over here. :)

Thanksgiving was wonderful.  We had our dear friends from Abu Dhabi come and stay with us. The Kenneys who moved to Oman a year before we came to Doha, and the Gardebleds who are in the process of moving to Saudi. It has been ages since we were all together. There were many years when we celebrated every Thanksgiving together and other holidays, too!
 Barry moved to Saudi several months ago and they have been working to get Pattie's residence permit to enable her to join him there. They were especially thankful this holiday as her permit has come thru and she will be joining him on Dec. 15!  We are all excited for them. I'm sure they will have fun stories to share and I hear the driving is worse over there. Enough said. :)  (Barry was with us for Thanksgiving but I only had one picture and it wasn't a good one, so I am not putting it here. Sorry, Barry. )

After Thanksgiving I turned around and flew to Abu Dhabi for a kitchen shower for my soon to be daughter in law,Talitha.   It was a very quick trip but so worth it.  In the short 36 hours I was there I had great time with Russell, great time with Talitha's family, and saw very special friends...ON top of  a great shower hosted by Pattie. (She is my hero.  That woman is the energizer bunny..artist extraordinaire, , preparing for a major move ...and hosting a great shower!)

Thankful for these friends and many others all over the world who have blessed and continue to be such a blessing in our lives.

 Everyone was very generous at the Shower and Russell and Talitha received wonderful gifts.  Something that touched me deeply was her excitement over the Calvary Baptist Church cookbook I included with our gift. I love how she values family, and history and that part of Russell that she has yet to really meet.  This summer they hope to get to Kansas to hang out with the Kansas Gang.  I remember my first summer there.  I'm very excited they are planning a visit.

We just hit one year since Mom Hildebrand passed away.  I wish Talitha could have met her. I know Mom would have loved her.  But still, we have so much to be thankful for... and we are so happy for Russell.  Lots going on between now                                                                                       and Jan. 16!