grocery store

we still can't get over how huge this grocery store is here. I know it has been a while since being in a super walmart, but this place is pretty incredible! It is in the biggest mall and it is two floors, food on the bottom and then everything else on the second floor. but it is so cool because the buggy sticks to the escalator with some kind of magnets! The girls think it is the best thing ever!!! (can you tell that we are from Louisiana! ha ha) sure they have these in other places, but this is a first for us. So just going to the mall and then grocery shopping is still pretty fun and entertaining for us all!

more pics of our time here

This is what we have spent most of our time here doing. Playing with the girls and spending time with others in our same situation. One of the pics below is of annielynne and the lady that is staying in the apartment with us. We have been so blessed to have her around and our girls have loved playing with her. She has been a wonderful gift. We already loved her before we came, but now as we get to know her more and more; we are so thankful that our children get to grow up around such wonderful women of the Father.
Also the girls, especially Ayden, have had a wonderful time playing with all the other children here. Ayden came in on about the 3rd or 4th day we were here and said, "this is so much fun, all these kids to play with and they all speak English."
so they have had the most fun just hanging out in the apartment and playing with the other kids.
But tonight when she was praying before we ate dinner, she asked the Father to break up the people so that we could go home. So as much fun as she is having I think everyone is a little ready to go home or get more settled so that this will be like home, for a while.

another thought

Something else that we have spent time really thinking about and dealing with is that when we left it was very hard. It was hard to know who to spend that last day with, who to call, who to text, and who to go see and visit with one more time. Then once we got here it was really hard not to second guess yourself, did I say the right thing, have i said enough, should I have called this person or gone to see that one. And it wasn't just us struggling with this as we talked to others it was kind of of common thread. But how little do we think of our Father. He loves the people much more than us, He allows us to be part of His work, He doesn't need me. Yes, we should be diligent to share and learn the lang. so we can speak to people; but He is just allowing us to be part of His plan and purpose for these people, He doesn't need me. He can do the work and will continue the work whether or not Kirk and I or there. We love the people and we want to be home and to be involved in what is going on in our city; and the Father has given us a heart for these peoples; but He still loves them way more then I ever could and He will still continue His work, and in His awesome way He will use the conversations we have had and the books we have given out. How Awesome is our Father that He chooses to use us; but what a great reminder that He allows us to be part of His great plan, but He really does not need us!

Just some thoughts

It is hard to believe that we have been here a week and half and we have no idea when we will be able to go home. This place is so different and so much more western then we were expecting. With everything going on and with all the new things to see and do we have been very overwhelmed. But about 2 or 3 days ago I had had enough. We weren't planning on vacationing and so my mind wasn't set on that, and it is so different here and hard to see how we will get involved that I was really struggling. Not knowing how much longer or what we would be doing was very frustrating for me. However, I was reading in Mark at the very end and it said that the disciples went out sharing everywhere. And I feel like I have been so focused on our people group that even though we pr.. for other areas of the world, I didn't see me going to any other areas. But it was so good for me to see that once again it is not about me or what I want, but it is just about sharing no matter where He puts us.
It is so easy to get consumed by our plans and what we think we should be doing and where we should be doing it that we forget that He uses us wherever we are and that if we are just open to being obedient He can even use us here!

more of this country

This is us at the dead sea and then at Mount Nebo.
The dead sea was so interesting to me, i could not get over how if felt, the water didn't even really feel like water and it left like an oily residue on your hands. We didn't swim because there was no where to wash off and you can't leave the water on you, b/c of the high salt content. but it was still very cool to put our hands in and see how it felt and then to see the salt crystals on the rocks was really interesting.
But what was really just amazing was to stand and look out over Mount Nebo, where they believe was the spot that Moses stood when God showed him the promise land. So to stand there and look out was pretty amazing. Just to be in that spot and looking out over the promise land, and it was a little hard to see but you could see the Jordan River and just imagine them crossing over; it was all very amazing to see.
The other pic. of Kirk and Annielynne we were in another very old city; and just walking up and down the streets was very cool just to realize the history there. We went to one site where we actually saw pieces of the Roman road and just to think back on all the history was pretty amazing. This city also has some orthodox and catholic influence so I was able to find a cross with the Lord Prayer in arabic, can't wait to hang it up when we get home! Pretty amazing places!

more pics of the trip

we have had a few days to tour the city; and have some more good food. A couple of pics below of the girls eating blueberry waffles!!! It was very exciting!!! and then more of us looking at lots of old important rocks???
of course we bring the girls to see all of these historic sites and annie lynne's favorite thing is all the caterpillars around. She had so much fun with them and we even brought one home, of course when it died two days later she was devastated! it must of have been ten minutes of tears over her pet caterpillar. She is so funny!!!

advantages of evacuation!

The first day here we went to a big mall to the food court to eat, for those in Louisiana, it makes the mall of Louisiana look really small. I was a little over whelmed and just deciding what to eat was more then i could take at the moment. So we decided on McDonalds and the girls were excited! we then had ice cream afterward for dessert and it was a lot fun. Kirk then went to the grocery store, which makes super walmart look small, I knew i couldn't handle that so me and the girls came back to where we are staying and napped. Kirk came home with about 5 things and said even the bread section was enormous he couldn't decide what to buy. The funny part was the girls went to sleep about 2:30 for their naps and they didn't wake up until about 5:30 the next morning, think they were a little worn out!!!!!
I think we have had more culture shock coming here then when we moved to our 3rd world country.
But we have enjoyed the food and they even have 1 pork store in the city so we have eaten ham sandwiches for at least 5 meals in the last week :)

we also have a tree for the girls to climb in, what else can you ask for!

leaving

taken me awhile but hopefully over the next few days i will be able to get more pics up and some thoughts about all that is going on.
our house helper was very gracious and braided all three of the girls hair before we traveled. Even Annielynne had 5 or 6 braids in her hair, I had no idea she even had enough hair for that.

then the sad pic. is when the girls had to say bye to Miley, a very sad moment. A national friend agreed to take her in until we return, so hoping that all works out! The girls were very sad but we were very thankful that we found a place to leave her.

On the plane the girls did great, we had to get up a little before 2 am for our flight and so it was a long day, but they handled it great!!! red rover and baby ashley, of course made the trip with us!