Outreach...

So here I am on outreach. Digging in to the calling of God. Digging in to where He is leading us. And not always in the most pleasant of ways. While I can't specifically say where I am, I can tell you I am in the Middle East. It is here we have felt God leading us. Leading us to stay in hotels in the middle of a city, with no working outlets, no heat, cold showers, a toilet that doesnt work or a squatty potty (a glorified hole in the ground), no way of doing laundry, and the loud city noises right outside our windows. But it gets the job done, and really is much better than many places we could stay. I can't complain, for we have running water, a roof over our heads, and plenty of food. Oh the food! Hummus and flat bread galore, amazing wraps filled with grilled chicken and fresh vegetables, falafel sandwiches....never eaten this good in my life!

But yeah, we got in on Monday and have spent the rest of the time contacting local ministries and learning how we can get involved. It ends up we are going to be spending most of our time at a community center about an hour out of the city, working at the hub of the surrounding Bedouin villages (former desert people or nomads who are just transitioning into a settled lifestyle). We will be teaching English, Aerobics, Art, and doing odd jobs aruond the center. Most of the teaching is to younger kids, so it is nothing too stressful. 4 days a week me and two of my teammates will be teaching a 45 min English class to 4th and 5th graders. Should be really challenging, but a lot of fun. Not something I ever have seen myself doing, but can't wait to get started! On the other days we will either have an off day or the team will do something on our own, such as street evangelism and building relationships. Our days will definitely be packed.

Anyways, I must say the culture is SO interesting. So completely different from anything Western culture is. In Muslim society, men are king. Women are meant to maybe be seen, but not heard. In public, head scarves are worn and eye contact is not an option. A man and woman making any kind of lasting eye contact are seen as either being man and wife or having sex regularly. Also, men and woman never walk along together unless they are man and wife. Even when walking as our team, women walk in one group and men in the other. Its hard to get adjusted to, thats for sure, but its really cool to be immersed in the culture. Another culture difference is communication. In Arab culture, everything is about politeness. If you stop someone and ask for directions, they will ALWAYS tell you how to get there, even if they have absolutely no clue what you are talking about or where it is. Often they will invite you into their homes with no real intention of wanting you to come, but simply being polite. Most times you must ask something at least 3 times to get the real answer. When eating at someone else's house, they will ALWAYS tell you to eat more when you are finished. If you say you are full and don't want anymore they will insist up to 7 or 8 times that you should eat more before they stop. It is called an "honor and shame" culture, where everything is about how much honor you can receive for you and your family name. Really, really interesting.

Well, I better go. I've been in this internet cafe for over 2 hours, lol. But I will try to make sure I post more often. Sorry it has been so long. God Bless....can always use prayer if you think about it!

PS:شضثبيغضؤر ؤىءايسش-that is just a sample of some of the characters in Arabic. And they also read right to left and make some noises I never knew humans could make. So my thoughts? #1 way to cause your head to spontaneously explode. Try learning Arabic.