Earth has no sorrow that heaven can't heal (reflections on the refugee crisis)

It's taken me a really long time to be able to write about this topic.  So long, in fact, that I guess it's kind of once again made it's way out of the focus of, at least, American media.  That doesn't make the topic any less poignant, or the needs any less intense.  The thing is, this crisis has been going on for years. Three and a half years ago, I posted THIS post in a meager effort to raise awareness. Then a few months later, frustrated by the lack of response, I tried THIS one.  I do realize that I'm not a major voice in the blogosphere but I found myself marveling at the lack of response of the western world to this mega-crisis when other crises pull on our heartstrings so easily...  

The Syrian refugee crisis in particular was the topic of much social media attention back in the fall with the images of the drowned toddler on the beach which, of course, created an onslaught of social media sympathy and cries for the world to DO SOMETHING.  This was followed a few months later by the Paris attacks which created a different type of social media uproar mostly directed at Syrian refugees, at least, so it seemed in my opinion.  I sat back and watched with much sadness as the cries came out to "keep the terrorists out of America".    Cries, in my opinion, that are driven by fear of what is not known.  The cries of outrage at the desperation experienced by these people fleeing their homes, took a bit of a turn to say the least.  Of course, we don't want the innocent to suffer, but maybe we don't want them on our doorstep either.  At least that seemed to be the very clear message being expressed as I scrolled through my newsfeed.  To say that all Middle Easterners, all Syrians, are terrorists is as completely ridiculous as, well, I'm not going to go there.  

And to be clear, this post is not meant as a political plug for any type of policy- foreign or otherwise.  I am not making a political statement.  That's part of why I've hesitated for so long to write anything. Please don't take this for anything other than what it is.  And that is, a statement from someone who loves Jesus and wants to see Him lifted up on the worldwide response to one of the biggest tragedies of our day.   I simply want to offer the perspective of an American living in the Middle East.   I want to offer the perspective of someone with Syrian friends, someone who regularly talks with Middle Easterners and hears their heartache and feels their pain.  I would venture to guess that many of those who are crying out to close our American borders and "keep our streets safe" have had less than one conversation with a Syrian refugee.  And here's something that may shock American friends who think that all of these suffering folks are clamoring to get across our borders....  most of them don't want to come to America.   They simply want to go home.  They love their country of Syria and they want to return.  However, at this point, they cannot.  Many of them have fled with only the clothes on their backs to avoid unspeakable atrocities at the hands of those we could all agree would be called terrorists.  The people fleeing are not the terrorists.  What would you choose when your choices were either THIS or THIS?  

And let's be real (although this is a subject for another post on another day), if you, as a resident of Memphis, TN, (for example) ask me if I feel safe living in the Middle East, I am likely going to turn that question back on you.  And not just Memphis- Anytown, USA.  Safety is a relative term and if you are looking to find a safe place to live in this depraved world, you are going to just have to stop looking.   My very wise husband has said several times that it seems we are much more concerned in this day and age with the earthly life of the saved (our comfort, safety etc) than the eternal life of the lost.   That hurts a little, huh?  I really don't mean to be preachy!  These are things I often have to remind myself of as I have been just as guilty as the next person of allowing myself to be crippled by fear when it comes to reaching out to a hurting world.  We fear what is different.  We fear what is unknown.  But, if you are a believer in Jesus, we are all called to love in spite of our fear.  Because, after all, "perfect love casts out fear."  (1 John 4:18)

And let me just park there for a minute.  These are words I so need to hear- not just a part of that passage, but the whole thing.  

1 John 4:7-21

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.  Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.  Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.  This is how God showed his love among us:  He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.  This is love; not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.  Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.  

We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.  And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his son to be Saviour of the world.  If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the son of God, God lives in him and he in God.  And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is love.  Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.  In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgement, because in this world we are like him.  There is no fear in love.  But perfect love drives our fear, because fear has to do with punishment.  The one who fears is not made perfect in love.  

We love because he first loved us.  If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar.  For anyone who does not love his brother, shoe he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.  And  he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also hove his brother."  

When I think of the sacrifice that Christ made for us along with the love He calls us to, I can't help but have a sense of my depravity and fall on my face in thankfulness for what He has done for me.  No one is deserving of God's love but He offers it freely.  That is grace.  The type of love that He calls us to, is not meant to have a bit of selfishness in it!  

Religiously speaking, I can't for a minute begin to think that I am somehow worthy of the sacrifice God made for me.  I can't help but also think of this in terms of what we begin to think that we deserve or don't deserve here in this life.  How can we think that we, as Americans, or any nationality for that matter,  are somehow more deserving of a comfortable, riches filled life that those born into less than fortunate circumstances?  Jesus himself said, "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth.  I did not come to bring peace, but a sword."(Matthew 10:34)  Persecution and hardship are very real parts of following Christ!   

For a minute, take the politics out of the whole refugee scenario.  Whether or not you agree with opening our borders, face the reality of how you will respond if your neighbor becomes a Middle Eastern refugee.  Will you respond in love?  Will you open your home?   

This point was really driven home for me recently.  I had the beautiful privilege of being invited into the home of some Syrian refugee friends.  I met them briefly at a medical clinic and as a result was invited to their home along with several other friends.  Let me re-iterate.  I met them once.  They did not know me, my background, my religious or political affiliations and they did not care.  It is an ingrain part of Middle Eastern culture to offer hospitality and that is exactly what they did.  From the very little that they have as refugees in a country that is not their own, they opened their doors and invited us in.  They prepared a beautiful meal and told us their story as they asked to hear ours.  

They joyfully shared an abundance from the very little they had.  

We laughed together and cried together.  I wept thinking of this sweet mother of 5 (4 girls and a boy) whose children didn't sleep for months even after arriving here because they would shake in fear at the sound of an airplane for fear that bombs would start falling.  Yes, they have family in neighboring countries where they could go, but that is not their desire.  All they desire is to return home to Syria, their home that is being destroyed.   But in the meantime, while they cannot do that, they do what they know.  They reach out and make new friends.  They offer hospitality to those they don't know and likely don't understand because that is a part of their cultural DNA.  

The reality is Scripture overflows with references of God being our refuge.  Our "ever-present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:10),  "my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust" (Psalm 91:2),  "a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble." (Psalm 9:9), "my rock, in whom I take refuge.  He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold."  (Psalm 18:2).  Doesn't that make us all refugees?  Those seeking a safe place, a haven in times of trouble?  This world is not our home and we can so easily miss that when our focus is our personal safety instead of the eternity of those who don't know the name of Jesus.  

I hope you are challenged by these things as I have been.  I hope you will not make judgements about an entire group of people based on the actions of a few.  I hope you will see them through the eyes of Christ and pray for compassion.  

If you know me, you know how much I love music and the way that lyrics to songs can speak so beautifully into life's circumstances.  Ever since David Crowder released the song "Come As You Are" several years ago, I cannot listen to it without thinking of the Syrian refugee crisis, or really, any refugee crisis, but that is the one that hits closest to home for me.  

I'll close with a link to this song.  Hear these lyrics with a heart of compassion for refugees.  Realizing, that at our heart of hearts, that is what we all are:  people in search of refuge- safety and shelter.  And that can only truly be found in the arms of our Saviour.

"Earth has no sorrow that heaven can't heal"

~David Crowder

HERE is the link to what is, in my mind, the refugee song. 

5 Middle Eastern Driving Tips

We have lived in the Middle East for over 10 years now (so hard to believe!) so there are several things related to culture and life here that I can talk somewhat knowledgeably about.  I have a basic understanding of how things work, or don't work and can kind of anticipate things that are going to take 100x longer than expected or things that are going to smoothly.   I think it's safe to say that I have a basic, working knowledge of the culture.  However.

HOWEVER.

Driving in this country is something that I don't know if I will ever understand or even be able to cope with on a healthy level.  For that reason, I feel the need to vent, and this is my venue for that.  I'm going to vent in the form of tips that might help prepare newcomers or visitors for the realities that are the Jordanian roadways.  Because I have driven around plenty of American visitors or new-comers to see their white gripped knuckles on the door of the vehicle and know that they might have needed a bit of preparation...

Maybe you noticed that I switched from Middle Eastern roadways, more specifically to Jordanian roadways.  That's because I have lived in other places- Beirut, and I've heard the urban legends about the horrors of driving in places like, say, Cairo.  Beirut, was a completely different monster than Amman as far as driving and one that I much prefer actually.   At least in Beirut, what gives the appearance of mass total chaos, at least has an undercurrent of order to it.  There is an understanding of the systems.  I can't explain it besides to say that once you've driven there for a season, you kind of get the hang of it, and honestly, it just works.  That is not the case in Amman.  

Did you hear me?

THAT IS NOT THE CASE IN AMMAN!  

What appears like an orderly system of roadways is mass chaos and you never get used to the craziness of it.  (or at least it takes longer than the 3 years we've lived here to figure it out...)  

So here are my tips in no particular order:

1. Do not be deceived by the lanes!  (or the lights, or the signs or anything else that might lead you to believe that there is some kind of order).  Back to the lanes though... I'm honestly not sure why they painted them on the roads.  Maybe to trick Westerners?  I envision a back room in a government building where they watch our growing frustration on hidden cameras with much delight.  Yeah, really don't know why the lanes are there.  They certainly don't drive in them.  They straddle them, they cross them, they swerve around them, but move orderly from lane to lane?  Certainly not.  Maybe they like the pretty contrast of the bright yellow paint with the dark color of the cement?  
2. Redefine what you consider rude.  Honking, for instance, is not rude.  It's basic road communication.  Usually it means, "hey, i'm behind or beside you" (or will be in .5 seconds because i'm coming over whether you want me to or not).  It can also mean, "THE LIGHT IS GREEN!"  I yelled that at you because when you are stopped at a red light and it turns green, all the cars around you will immediately yell at you with their horns.  Especially if you are coming from America, the land of no honking, this can be a bit unsettling.  
3. Re-learn the art of the merge and the purpose of the shoulder.  Actually, "re-learn" may not be the best term because it implies that there is actually something TO learn related to merging.  Everything you learned in drivers ed about effective merging onto the roadway, just disregard it.  There is no gradually speeding up as you seek to blend into oncoming traffic.  There is simply cutting your car out into the center of traffic and closing your eyes and praying you don't get hit.  You can try sitting there on the side with your blinker on, waiting for someone to let you into traffic but it won't happen.  On the flip side if it's not you merging but someone else, you pretty much have to have eyes in the back of your head.  They are going to "merge" on to the road whether there is a spot for them or not.  And believe me when i tell you that it will do absolutely no good whatsoever to have a little fit and yell things like "YOU CAN'T DO THAT!"  Because, yes, yes they can.  And as my 8 year old is so faithful to point out, "you know they can't hear you, Mom."  And also, they have absolutely no framework for understanding how frustrating it is that they just totally cut you off.  It is simply the way the roads work here, so if they happen to catch a glimpse of the crazy American waving her arms around and yelling they will probably wonder what in the world her kids are doing in the back of the car but have no concept that they are the ones creating the frustration.  They CAN do that and they WILL do that.  Get used to it, and re-direct your yelling.  And then there's the shoulder.  Or maybe lack of shoulder.  Any space on the side of the road (paved or not) can and will be used by motorists to by-pass those waiting in traffic and get to their intended destination quicker.  This actually becomes more of an issue for Westerners when we return to our home countries.  One morning on the way to school in the states during our short time there we were stuck in standstill interstate traffic.  Abbey innocently asked, "Mom, why don't you just go around all these cars?" and points to the open shoulder.  Why indeed?
4. Learn the little hand wave thingy...  No idea what to call this, but everyone does it so you might at least try and learn what it means.  Basically, if they are about to pull out in traffic in front of you and completely cut you off, they will stick their hand out the window and kind of wave backwards- kind of like a motion you would do for your child to stay behind you, but they are sticking their hand out the window to do it.  There are other times they do it as well, but the general sense is, if I stick my hand out the window to shoo you back, it means I'm coming and doing whatever I want in this vehicle whether you like it or not.  Understanding this hand wave thingy may or may not save you some moments of frustration if only in the sense that at least you know you are about to be cut off...
5. There are actually laws.  I know, shocking right?!  There are some laws in the midst of all the madness, and if you break them you just might got a ticket  (ahhh-hem, not that I would know or anything). Even though it may seem completely non-sensical that passengers can hang out the sunroof, infants can sit in parents laps behind the wheel, and 8 kids can pile in the back of a hatch-back, you WILL get a ticket if you are talking on your phone even stopped at a red light. Also, the cops will also wave you down at random times on the side of the road.  Sometimes there is a purpose that is obvious, most of the time not.   Like speeding traps- that's a purpose for you (again, not that I would know).  When you're not sure of the purpose, it's best to play the "I don't speak Arabic I'm just a clueless foreigner" card even if you do speak Arabic quite well.  They will usually just wave you on and you may never know the purpose.  (likely there's not one).  

So there you have it, my Middle Eastern tips for driving.  There are no rules, but there are clearly laws.  There is no system, but there is a little hand wave thingy.  There are pretty yellow lines on the road with no purpose and honking equals hello.   What else is there?  Without a doubt, there is no end to your personal frustration if you don't quickly learn that yes, yes they can do whatever "that" may be that you're yelling about and you might as well get over it and not get mad at someone who has no clue that they are the source of your anger.  Because as Naomi says, "they can't hear you" anyway!

Dear Carrefour,

Dear Carrefour,

I have a few requests if you would indulge me.  They're quite simple, or at least they seem simple enough to this western mom.  I understand that absolutely none of these things will happen, but I guarantee that I will feel much better after this much needed rant.  So here are my requests in no particular order.  

1.  PLEASE stop stocking the aisles at the absolute busiest time of the shopping day!  Why oh why is this not logical?  And it's not just that you stock the aisles at this time.  It's the massive wooden loading carts positioned square in the middle of the aisles and the workers who would rather stare you down than move out of the way for you!!  And if it's not hard enough that the wooden pallets are in the way, then all the cardboard wrapping is thrown into the aisle (and often left there) once the items are on the shelf making it virtually impossible to pass.  I guarantee you that stocking at a different time of day would make for happier customers.  

2.  On a similar note, maybe you could post some sort of sign directing groups of people who seem to have not seen each other in ages to the food court of the mall where there is plenty of seating and standing room.  It would be much more convenient for those of us who are actually trying to reach the items on the shelves in front of which they are congregating and flat out refusing to move.  Maybe they aren't aware of the wide variety of other places available to them in the mall for visiting?

3.  Fix your carts.  I am thoroughly convinced that there is not one single cart in your entire fleet of shopping carts that pushes in a straight line.  And it's not just that they won't push in a straight line.  It's like they are somehow magically wired to do the exact opposite and somehow fight against EVER going in a straight line.   And (see picture below), when you replace your carts (which I'm certain you will do since I asked and I'm sure that customer service is one of your #1 priorities...), would you please get the kind that have a shelf under the actual cart part for items like bulk paper towels, toilet paper and large cases of milk?  That would be oh so nice so that said items don't cause my entire cart to overflow and virtually not be able to fit anything else.  And yes, I am fully aware that you have recently actually replaced your carts.  When I realized about a year ago that all the carts were new, I actually did a little happy dance when I was choosing one of the new shiny carts.  And then I pushed it.  And tried another one.  And pushed it.  Darn!  I must keep getting the old ones.  Nope.  None of the carts push straight.  None. Of. Them.  Please replace them again.  

(because when they are this loaded up, they are quite heavy, and I'm quite certain that they way my body has to contort in order to get them around the corners of the aisles make me look beyond ridiculous, and believe me when I tell you, I don't need much help in looking ridiculous...)

4.  Speaking of the items bought in bulk- if you are going to sell items in bulk, like cases of milk for example, would you please price them in such a way that does not require the cashier to rip open the cardboard casing and remove individual items in order to scan them.  This very much counteracts the convenience of buying in bulk when I can no longer get the item from my car to the sidewalk, from the sidewalk to the doorstep, then from my doorstep into my kitchen- BECAUSE YOU HAVE RIPPED OPEN THE PACKAGING!!!   Please stop it.

5.  This one may seem a little petty as it relates to one particular product on your shelves and it is not a problem that is unique to your store.  However, because I can, I am directing my rant about honey in your direction.  Why oh why is it so hard to sell honey in a squirt container and not in a glass jar with a screw on lid?  We like honey.  We use a lot of honey.  We also have a lot of kids who like to eat honey.  As the mom of 4 kids I would like them to be able to serve themselves honey on their toast, sandwiches, yogurt or in their smoothies.  However, honey and glass jars with screw on lids is an absolutely horrible combination, as I'm sure any mom of small people will tell you!  It gets on the side of the jar and on the side of the lid.  It drips on the counter and all over little fingers.  Please, for the sake of all the (western) moms out there who are less than coordinated (that would be me), please sell more squirt-able honey.

6.  Let's talk about organizing the lines at the deli, cheese, nut/spice/dried fruit and meat counters.   You know what, never mind.  I've lived in this part of the world long enough to know that there is no point in even going there!

Thank you for your attention to these matters, in what I'm sure will be a timely and appropriate response.

Sincerely,
One culturally stressed out mom

3 less obvious reasons for language learning

As I'm praying through how to throw the "language learning" plate up into the air this fall with all the other spinning plates I already have going, I've been thinking a lot about my motivation for doing so.  

Language learning is not a new thing for me.  Having lived overseas for over 12 years it's definitely something I've done, and done again  (and again and again and....).  You get the idea.  It's not a new concept and with some languages (like Arabic), it's really never done.  There is always something new you can learn.  I posted HERE several years ago about the humility required for learning a new language, especially as an adult.  All this to say, this is a block I've been around several times.  So many times in fact that I am often dizzy when I think of all the hours I've invested in language and how precious little I actually have to show for it!  Maybe someday soon that will change!

So this post is meant as a pep talk of sorts- to myself:  a reminder to look back on when I'm frustrated and just wanting to throw up my hands and give up,  and hopefully an encouragement to others who are also on the language learning journey.

Obviously, when you move to a foreign country with a different culture, there are plenty of obvious reasons for studying the language of your new home- getting directions, grocery shopping, knowing basic greetings to name a few.  Those aren't the reasons I want to focus on.  As I've prayed through jumping back into language learning, here are 3 less obvious reasons that God has impressed upon my heart.  These are somewhat personal to my situation, but I hope that principles from each can encourage others.  I know in the weeks and months ahead as I jump back into language learning, I will be coming back to this list to remind myself why I'm doing what I'm doing!

1.  Learning language helps me to be me.  Huh?  One of the biggest challenges in studying a foreign language is that, for a season, you are hopelessly unable to truly express your heart in the language you are learning.  You truly go all the way back to preschool level.  This is one of the reasons I've heard many language learners with young kids say how much they love taking their kids to the playground.  You get to interact with people who you can sort of understand and can be encouraged when they can understand your very basic sentences:  what's your name?  go there.  give me that.  throw the ball.  come here.  It's a great place to start!  But it's simply a place to start.  Eventually you become frustrated again because as an adult language learner, well, you're not a preschooler and you have deeper things that you want to express, more important topics that you want to talk about.

When asked why I want to continue to study a language when I can already pretty well get myself around in that language and when so many people in the place where we live actually speak English, I've realized that it's because I want to be able to really be me in Arabic.  And right now I can't.  I can't joke around with people (well at least in a way that makes sense...), I can't talk about the deep heart level issues that really define me and more importantly, that define the people I am seeking to become friends with.  And yes, many of them can switch to English, but then, often the reverse becomes true for them.  Now THEY aren't truly being themselves and truly expressing their heart issues.  It's a constant lesson in humility for sure.

I've heard it said that it's hard for your true personality to come out in your second language and I'm finding that to be true.  In a situation where I might normally be empathetic or able to offer advice or simply be a good listener and cry with a friend, I'm often so busy trying to process what is being said that too much time passes and the moment is gone.  Or worse, I find myself nodding and agreeing with something because I think I'm understanding context clues and it turns out it's not actually something I would nod and agree with at all!  It's hardest, I think, in a group setting where I'd love to be talking and laughing and joking with a group of ladies and I'm mostly following their conversations, but not at a quick enough pace to join in and talk myself.  This is where I think the perceived personality change comes in.  You find yourself labeled as quiet or shy when that is not at all the case- your brain is just having to work too hard to process everything that's happening around you!

As language learners, we often face an identity crisis of sorts.  I don't think I realized, before I started studying a foreign language, how much of my identity, I wrapped up in my accomplishments whether professionally or simply as a wife and mother.  Countless times in the process of studying Arabic (and French for that matter), I've wanted to throw my arms up and say,  "I'm smart in English!  I know stuff!  I'm a registered nurse, I take care of sick moms and babies!  I organize my home and the activities of 4 active people and I teach them about life.  I'm smart!  I know stuff!"  So as I enter this season of Arabic study, I'm praying to get to the point in Arabic where when I speak, I'll be able to be myself and maybe, as an added bonus,  I'll sound like I know stuff, but, on the other hand, I'm also praying that I'll approach language learning with the knowledge that my only true identity can be found in Christ, not in how much I actually know.  It's a delicate balance.

2.  Language/cultural learning gives staying power  This relates a bit to the need to be able to really be myself.  In my experience and in talking to many folks who have lived overseas for a significant period of time,  it seems that those who are most successful and have the most positive experiences, are those who are fully invested in the cultures in which they live.  They have local friends that they can look to for emotional support, help in cultural problem solving and day to day living questions.  In this day and age, it is far too easy for the connectivity provided by social media to let friends who are thousands of miles away be our "go to" when life gets tough.  That's ok to an extent.  It's important to have folks we always know we can count on, but at the same time, I feel like it can be a crutch to actually digging in and fully investing in the communities where God has placed us.  One of my prayers for new friends coming overseas early on is always for a heart level local friend.  And yes, this takes a deeper level of language learning.

I feel like this concept is also true for families as a whole.  When kids see mom and dad fully connecting with life around them, they are much more likely to want to do the same.  Kids who are thriving in their second cultures seem to do so when they are most fulling experiencing that culture.  This can be hard for parents because sometimes it might require us to make decisions that just might break our own rules.  Called to homeschool?  Might have to sacrifice that for a season so kids can be in a school that exposes them to the language their family is learning..  8:00 PM bedtime?  Maybe not if the culture you live in comes alive at 10 PM.  So how does all this relate to language learning?  It's these decisions that we make as individuals or as families that effect our ability to fully absorb the language and culture around us that will truly make a different on the days when we're just ready to throw in the towel.  Remember God called you to this place (I'm preaching to myself here!) and is fully aware of your families needs and dynamics- trust Him with these details!  When things get tough, and we want to retreat into our comfort bubble and surround ourselves with what's safe and known, we're far less likely to want to jump on the next plane to the US if we have invested in the language and the culture around us, and our safe place involves local friends, those who we can converse with in their heart language so that our hearts are more fully understood.  It's far easier to not just survive but thrive in the place where you are called to serve, if you are able to connect on an emotional level with locals around you.  Complicated?  Definitely!  Worth the sacrifice?  Undoubtedly!

3.  Language learning enables me to be a better "stay home mom"  Again, huh?  Ok, so maybe it's better to say that language learning enables me to better fulfill my calling as a wife and mom.  It may seem a bit counterintuitive to say that language learning and being a "stay home mom"  can go hand in hand.  I think the two can co-exist but a season of sacrifice is definitely required.  To fully and effectively study the Arabic language, if you have small children, there will undoubtedly be a season of childcare, or house help or whatever the case may be for each family.  In our stint overseas, I've had to remind myself time and again, that God called us as a family and will therefore meet our families needs while enabling us to do the tasks He's called us to.  It was heart-wrenching to drop my 4 year old off day in and day out at a French school where she understood not a word and stubbornly refused to even try to make friends so that I could go to language classes.  Looking back was it worth it?  Yep, and I would even do it again.  Why?  Because God told me to do it and lovingly told me to trust Him with her.  Now, 10 years later, we all laugh about it, and she has a very solid foundation in French.  Of course, each family's situation is unique, however what I've learned is to look at things in seasons.  Yes, God has called me to be a stay home mom, to be the primary care-giver for my children, and yes, he's also called me to a life overseas where, to be most effective, I need to study the language and culture at a pretty in-depth level.  How do these 2 things coincide?  I must regularly trust Him with the details of that.  There may be a season where I am in class and my girls are in school and/or childcare.  For another season I might can study at home and juggle our other family needs around that.

For me, being a stay home mom means that I (along with Jason) am the primary caregiver for my girls and we are the primary sources for meeting their emotional, spiritual and developmental needs.  This is a precious calling and I don't take it lightly.  Planting our family overseas is also a calling and learning to communicate and function effectively in this culture is part of that calling.  Sometimes there is a tension between these two callings, but I think it's a healthy tension.  Teaching our girls to embrace other cultures and learn something beyond their comfort zone is so important in giving them a heart for the nations.  Being called to be their mom and being called to this life overseas, means that I must teach them by example how important language learning is.  If I want them to learn how to be "all in" in the place where God has placed us, what better way to do than by placing value on the ability to communicate at a heart level with those we live among.   Discipling them by making them a part of our ministry as a family;  explaining that mom is studying Arabic so that our family can more effectively fulfill our calling here in this place; choosing school situations that expose them to more language and culture and therefore putting in more hours at home to stay caught up in English; all of these things are things I can do as mom to teach the value of language learning.  In this season of my life, I am so amazingly thankful that God is showing me how language learning is something that helps me fulfill my role as mom.  Isn't that just like Him, to know just what my heart needs?!

" Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.  It is the Lord Christ you are serving."  

Colossians 3:23

Backyard Gardening Phase 1

If you know me, it's no secret that I love the great outdoors, and the lack of green in this part of the world has been one of my biggest adjustments.  I posted HERE several years ago about making our balconies a green haven at least as much as I could.  Don't get me wrong, this is a beautiful part of the world with it's own unique beauty (check out my post HERE about our camping trip in the desert last year), but as far as just walking out your front door and having green around you, that doesn't happen quite as much.  I am so amazingly thankful for the yard space we have in our new apartment and the opportunity it has provided to put a little green right out our front and back doors.  The space out our front door was already pretty well established so we really didn't have to do a whole lot.  When you come in our front gate, there is a little walkway down to the side with rosebushes, jasmine, fresh mint and aloe plants already well established.  Growing up, way gave my mom a new rosebush for her garden every year on Mother's Day so I got my first Mother's Day rose bush this year!

Here's the front gate (we did plant new potted flowers- lots of purple- but you really can't see them very well)

and here's the little walkway that goes down the side...

and another angle

and here's this little knobby kneed angel waiting to greet Daddy when he gets home from work...

Anyway, the backyard area was definitely the bigger challenge and has honestly taken us a good year to get started and we are still just getting going.  Gardening has been in my blood for a long time.  Here is me and my Grandaddy back in the day ready to work in his backyard garden.  Memommy even sewed him a matching orange snail onto his khaki pants to match mine (I'm sure he was thrilled!!).  I remember so vividly helping him in his backyard and the minute I smelled my tomato plants I was taken back 30 years to his garden. 

All of the girls love to be outside, but Maddie is definitely a gardener at heart too.  We're thankful that Papa and Nana (Jason's parents) now have a farm with a garden so we've been able to get our gardening fill every time we're in the states.  Maddie always wants to know if our US trips will coincide with any work to be done in the garden. 

Here are some pics of Maddie in Papa and Nana's garden...

So, our backyard presenting some unique challenges as far as gardening.  Wasn't nearly as easy as just going and picking out what we wanted to plant and going for it.  First of all, we have this lovely screened in porch.  

It really IS nice, but at the same time it is a total dust trap.  Combine the fine dust of desert living with the construction site next door and it makes it nearly impossible to keep clean, therefore it's really not a space that we use much.  AND going back and forth out into the yard area becomes a pretty messy process, especially with a toddler.  

But oh how the toddler loves to help clean!

Anyway, so first challenge is keeping the screened in porch cleaned, or even accessible- we're talking about glassing it in, but that's a project for another day.  Next challenge, is getting the yard ready for planting.  

First there was a lot of weeding to do....

We weeded last year when we first moved in when I hoped we might get around to planting last summer (we didn't).  

And then we weeded again this year...

(obviously I had lots of good help!)

Once we got all the weeds out, there was the challenge of bringing in more dirt.  Yes, we already had dirt, but it had settled a good bit and we needed to bring in more so that we could actually plant stuff. It's hard to explain, but our yard is only accessible through the guest room in the back of the house (this leads out onto the screened in porch).   Anyway, so our yard area is actually above the parking lot that is under the building.   It's completely walled in and on the other side of the wall is the drop off to the parking lot.  Like I said, hard to explain.  Anyway, we knew it would be a challenge to have dirt brought in because it obviously couldn't be hauled in through the house....

A local friend knows a guy that manages a plant nursery so he contacted him to see how we could deliver the dirt.  He came and checked things out and within an hour brought a truckload of dirt.  

He negotiated with the adjacent building because it had to be dumped in their parking lot.

From their, we negotiated to pay our building guard and the one from the adjacent building to use the ladder pictured above and haul the dirt paint can by paint can (the big ones) up and over the wall into our yard.  I took the below picture from inside the house because I wasn't sure they'd want their pictures taken...

(you can barely see him coming over the wall in the back)

This whole process took about 4-5 hours.  I delivered them 3 rounds of chai (strong tea with lots of sugar) and attempted to keep Anabelle out of the way.  Ahmed (our building guard) is one of her biggest buddies and she was extremely curious to see what he was doing!

So if you haven't been able to tell, our backyard area is essentially the large screen porch and then 3 separate areas of dirt with a marble sidewalk that goes around the porch and between the 3 areas.    The first area when you walk out the porch door, has a trellis installed and for phase 2 (or 3) of our gardening efforts, we hope to put in grapevines and maybe rose bushes to grow up and over it.

For now I just have cherry tomato plants (against the back wall) and a flowering ground cover (about mid way down on the right- this was about 6 weeks ago and it's more than doubled the area it covers but I still need to get some more of it.  Against the left wall are the zucchini seeds we planted that are beginning to sprout.   I also want to plant an olive tree in this area, more ground cover and then cover the extra dirt with pretty rocks from the Dead Sea area and make a walkway of sorts surrounded by the ground cover.  We've talked about maybe putting a bench under the trellis.  For now though, it served as our experiment area for the seeds Maddie wanted to plant!  

Moving around from this first area is a longer narrow area of dirt in the space behind the screened in porch.  This will probably be the area each year that we use for just planting fruits and veggies.  Maddie had claimed it as "hers" to experiment with and I'm fine with that.    Here you can see the cherry tomato plants along the back.  The middle row is beans and peas.  There are strawberry plants in the front and a few cucumber plants (that didn't make it).  

You walk around past this area, to the third area that is the biggest.  It already had a lemon tree right in the middle so we left that.   We planted tomato plants along the edges and flowering seeds (sunflowers and zinnias) behind the tomatoes.  We put an apricot tree in the far right corner and there are geraniums along the right side that I moved from the front when I bought new plants for that area.  

Oh and I planed more seeds around the lemon tree- chamomile and some yellow flowers that Maddie picked out.   Now, trouble is, I'm not entirely sure which things are weeds (in the middle) and which we planted on purpose.  A lot of the weeds here are still really pretty and flowering so until I determine what's what, I'll leave then for now.  

Also in this area, we're eventually going to plant another olive tree (back left corner) and another one of my favorites in this area of the world that I'm pretty sure I've identified as a Jacaranda.  They were everywhere in Lebanon and here and in the spring their purple flowers are beautiful and leave a covering of purple all over the ground.  Also in this area I'll need to plant some sort of ground cover and also get some rocks to fill in the brown spaces.  We just don't have enough water to plant and maintain grass so we need ground cover that can tolerate the dry, hot summers.  

Here is how it all was looking as of last week...

 (the peas ALL came up which I didn't expect- should I thin them out?)

Also, here, I didn't expect these all to come up..

Anyway, we're having lots of fun watching our garden grow.  Hopefully will soon post pics of phase 2 as I've put in my order with our friend for 2 olive trees, some grapevines and a few more shrubs and flowers!  

An Impromptu Picnic

I'm here to tell you that picnicking in this part of the world is truly an art.  Particularly in Jordan for some reason.   Starting in early spring, most weekend days if you go for a drive along any highway, there will be families scattered all along the road- quite literally at the very edge of the highway in some cases which I don't understand.   In my mind the perfect picnic spot would be far away from the hustle and bustle of the city.  That doesn't seem to be the case here.  They just pull off on the side of the highway if there is a flat space, unload their plastic chairs, small grills and whatever food they have brought along and voila- the perfect picnic spot.  Sure there are parks and certain hillsides and wider open spaces that attract a larger number of people, but you will literally see families everywhere, all along the roads.  

Last weekend after having the earliest baseball game of the day, we realized we still had lots of daylight left on a beautiful weekend day so we decided to have our own family picnic.   Made a quick trip home from the ball field, changed clothes and packed up a somewhat random variety of picnic food (this was not exactly planned in advance...) and headed out.   Not far out of town, is the beautiful Yarmouk river- maybe a 15 minute drive so we decided that was our destination of choice, as opposed to the side of the highway...  

Thankfully it wasn't too crowded when we arrived- still early yet especially for this culture as it was only right at noon.  The girls loved climbing on the rocks and wading through the river.  

Little bit was very excited about the water gun that big sisters brought along...

So at this time of year in Jordan, it's still fairly cool, unless you're in the direct sunlight.  Unfortunately, we realized that there really weren't any accessible spots in the shade so we spread out our blanket by the river and soaked in the rays.  It really was a beautiful day!

Other local picnic seekers soon started arriving and it became a bit comical.   I mentioned that there were not really any ACCESSIBLE spots in the shade.  Well, apparently one family begged to differ.  And when I say family, I mean FAMILY- as in aunts, uncles, cousins- about 20 people and all their picnic gear.   One thing I didn't really clarify, is that a picnic here does not equal PB&Js and Ruffles chips.  They go all out, and it is an all day affair.  So when I say "picnic gear", I'm talking mattresses to recline on, grill to cook on (along with all the food that needs to be cooked of course), bags of all sorts of other side items etc etc.  So this family decided that there was a lovely looking picnic spot on the other side of the river and they were bound and determined to get there.  The only thing separating them from their spot?  Well, the rushing water that was about waist deep at this particular spot was the main thing...  That, and all their picnic gear that had to be toted across, not to mention that all of the women in this group were fully covered Muslim women, thus the wading across the rushing water would be a bit of an issue.  

(I couldn't get great pictures as I wasn't sure how they would feel about having their picture taken, but I was able to snap a few...)

Here they had formed a human chain to help each other get across....

These ladies had their skirts hiked up to their armpits and were dragging purses, grocery bags and who knows what all through the water.  Most of them had on sparkly ballet style slippers and fancy jewelry- not sure where their husbands told them the picnic was going to be!  

At one point a little boy, slipped and starting floating quite quickly down the river.  The dad jumped in after him but it was quickly obvious that he couldn't swim either.  Thankfully they regained their footing.  Jason about went in after them!

Here's another shot of our girls wading around and if you look towards the top left corner, you can see the guys of this big river-crossing group carrying their grill down along with mattresses to sit on from the parking area.  They actually got it all across pretty easily much to my surprise!

We settled into our own picnic area and enjoyed our PB&Js, chips and fresh fruit.  In my opinion, everything tastes better on a picnic!  

And of course, no picnic is complete without a little good natured competition...  As we were sitting, finishing up our lunch, Jason quips, "I'll give a JD to the first person who can get a rock in that circle over there...."

(this perfect target was right across the stream- can you see the circle of rocks?)

Anyway, Abbey immediately picks up a rock from where she's sitting and hurls it straight into the circle of rocks.   Jason should have known better- this is not the first time he has casually offered money to the "first person who can/will...".  I believe last time it involved either a piece of anchovy pizza or an incredibly hot pepper...

Anyway, let's just say the competition was on!  It soon turned into who could get the most in out of 10, then who could get 3 out of 3 etc etc.  Oh, and at one point who could hit the yellow sign tacked to a tree way up the hillside (pretty sure Abbey was the only one that hit that).   No money was on the table anymore, this was all just in the name of good competition.  

Here they are gearing up for their turns to throw.  Even Anabelle got in on the fun.  Hurling rocks to the water at her feet yelling "3 out of 10, 5 out of 10, 9 out of 10" (no one got 9 out of 10 by the way....)

All in all, a beautiful fun day- perfect for a picnic.  And next time we know to bring our water gear so we can stake out the perfect spot in the shade!  

Sometimes you really need a victory...

If you've ever lived and/or worked cross culturally, you probably know how true the whole frog in a kettle of water scenario is.  You often really don't realize just how stressed you are by seemingly little things until you are near breaking point.  Of course, there are differing degrees of this and we've experienced a handful of both.

Some cross cultural living environments are quite obviously high stress and would be to just about anyone- foreigner or not.  Our time living in Lebanon is a good example of this, especially from around 2005-2008.  This was a season of frequent political assassinations, bombs and other threats to various targets around the city.  Although we were very secure in God's calling on our lives as a family to be in that place, at that time, there was still a certain degree of daily stress that we had to accept in order to live and function there.   We never felt that our family's safety was threatened in any way, but you often don't realize just how stressed you are on a daily basis until you are removed from the situation.  I remember vividly, being on vacation in the states sometime during this time frame.  I was in the shower and a car back-fired outside.  I jumped and immediately began the mental process of wondering where each family member and friend was at that moment.  It took a few seconds for me to realize and remember that considering I was in suburban America, there was likely not a bomb on my parent's street.  (a shooting, a robbery, maybe, this was after all in Memphis, but a bomb- not likely)

Another example from the same US trip came with a typical summer thunderstorm.  My girls really hadn't experienced the displays of thunder and lightening that can come along with a storm, southern style.  One of them came running to the back of the house after some particularly loud cracks of thunder, wondering if I was at all concerned about the "bombs" outside.  We had a little lesson about weather in the US and all was well.

We've traded the high stress environment of Beirut for the "slow simmer" type of stress found in Jordan.  Although the political environment here is mostly stable and the headliner scenarios that cause friends and family back in the states to occasionally question our sanity are much more few and far between, we still live in a very different cultural setting and I guess, the whole frog in the pot of gradually boiling water comparison, could be even more dangerous.   On the outside, this is a very modern city with shopping malls, well known restaurants, a decent infrastructure when it comes to city lay-out and traffic patterns etc etc.  But on the INSIDE, well it's just not as progressive as you might think.  So just when you begin to think, wow, I've really adjusted well here,  you better look out, because you never know when a massive case of culture shock is going to hit you right between the eyes at the most unexpected moment.

Here's my story...

The girls and I were heading to the airport to pick up Jason.  It was a happy day.  Daddy was on his way home, we were leaving for vacation in a few days, loose ends were tied up at the house, we were ready for a relaxing weekend.  Me?  Stressed?  No!!  We headed out to the airport, a very familiar route.  I typically time our airport runs so that we arrive at the airport a little after the plane was scheduled to land as it usually takes a good 30 minutes to get through customs.  Anyway, a very few minutes from home, at one of the traffic circles that is infamous for horrible traffic, there were a few cops on the circle directing traffic.  Sadly, they weren't letting cars merge onto the bridge that we needed to get on in order to go to the airport and were diverting traffic through a neighborhood that I was unfamiliar with and I knew to be full of one-way streets that I didn't want to mess with navigating.  You could apparently get on the bridge from numerous other directions, just not this little portion of road (25 yards maybe?).   The exact same scenario had happened a week before when I was taking my parents to the airport, and I had asked the traffic cop to let me go towards the airport and he very graciously moved the barrier and let me go.  (causing me to wonder if there was actually any purpose in blocking this portion of the role besides that they were bored... I think not).

So I pulled up to the barrier and asked Mr. Traffic Cop if I could go towards the airport.  (this was all in Arabic by the way).  He said no, and proceeded to explain how I could detour through the neighborhood and come out on the other side and get to the bridge.   I tried.  2 minutes later I was back in the same spot.  Either his directions didn't work or I didn't quite understand them.  Just for fun, let's blame him.  I asked him to clarify his directions and he repeated them (this time telling me something completely different- see?  his fault...) and I tried again.  Once again, I ended up going in a very convoluted circle and ended up right back where I started.  Just so you can most effectively picture this situation.  It's rush hour.  There is A LOT of traffic.  NO ONE is happy with the foreign woman in the massive van who keeps stopping to ask for directions.  So this time, I pulled over to the side, got out of the van and walked over to the cop.  His buddy had come over by this time and between the two of them, they gave me directions in Arabic and English of how I could navigate through the neighborhoods, ultimately go under the bridge and come out on the other side of the bridge where I then could merge going in the correct direction (as opposed to scooting over his little barrier that was blocking the VERY short section of road that he was determined not to let me drive down).  So, being the good sport that I am, I tried again.  This time I was able to make it through the neighborhood, under the bridge to the other side, but I missed the turn onto the bridge and ended up right back at my good friend the traffic cop.  Great.  By this point, about 20 minutes have gone by (and we are MAYBE 3 minutes from our house with about 40 left to go to get to the airport...).

Ok, so now things are about to get ugly.  I could feel the tears coming on.  And these weren't just, I'm going to make myself cry so the cop will give me my way crocodile tears.... These were extremely real, I'm about to be bawling like a baby and scrunching my face in all sorts of weird ways tears.  So once again, I pulled up to the cop and attempted to explain to him what was happening.  I'm late to the airport, I am not understanding your directions, just last week your fellow traffic cop friend moved the "blankety blank" barrier for me, would you please have a heart and LET ME THROUGH!?!?!?!?!?  AT this point, he gives me the Arab click and raise of the eyebrows which means "absolutely not" and he turned away and started to walk away.  His friend even grabbed his arm and basically said to him that he should move the barrier and he clicks again.  Cue the tears.   So then I start bawling the really ugly kind of tears.  Abbey is rubbing my back telling me it's going to be ok, Maddie and Naomi are staring at me with kind of the deer in the headlights what in the world is happening to my mom kind of look and Anabelle is about to start crying too.  Remember, I am not pulled over to the side of the road  at this point.  I am totally blocking traffic and causing a fairly decent scene.  But dude is not budging.

Y'all.  It scares me to think how tempted I was to get out of the car and move the barrier myself.  I really almost did that!!  I think I even said to the girls in the midst of crying that I was going to do that.  What would have happened?!  I don't really know but it wouldn't have been pretty.  Well thankfully, I didn't.  I composed myself most likely thanks to the prayers of my eldest who was still rubbing my arm and by this time praying out loud- I think something along the lines of "Jesus, please help my mom come back in place of crazy psycho lady...".  I'm kidding, she was actually praying very maturely for the whole situation, and as He does, God answered.  We tried the convoluted neighborhood route one last time and this time merged effectively on to the bridge amidst many cheers from the peanut gallery, otherwise known as my daughters.

End of story, right?  Wrong!  I couldn't stop crying!  I mean I was bawling, totally out of control sobbing.  It was pretty ridiculous.  And, in that moment, I could not begin to verbalize just what exactly was wrong.  We continued toward the airport and about 5 minutes later, I got flagged down by another cop.  I'm not even kidding.  Well, the tears had not even begun to stop.   The girls are staring at me like, oh my word, this is going to be really bad.  Thankfully this cop was super nice.  I'm sure he thought I was crying because I got pulled over.  (he said that I completely ran a red light, by the way.  I'm pretty sure I didn't but given my current state, who knows).  I attempted to explain to him how mean his co-worker had just been to me which made me look even more crazy, I'm quite certain, but at least he let me continue on without a ticket (that makes 3 that I've cried my way out of in my life, by the way- this one wasn't on purpose though....).

I did eventually get control of myself (although when we picked up Jason at the airport and I had to repeat the story for him, I lost it all over again), and once I was in a better place (emotionally), I had to ask myself WHY I had lost it so completely and totally over such a seemingly small thing.   I don't know that I could site one specific factor.  I think it was really a combination of things: the gradual build up of the stress of living and functioning in a foreign culture, the inability to truly communicate what I am trying to say especially in a stressful situation, my extreme frustration with being treated poorly because I was a foreign women (this may or may not be the case but in this situation, my intuition told me this is what was going on and that was very frustrating).  Anyway, there is a long list of possibilities.   I think for me, in that situation, language was the biggy.

 I have a decent amount of Arabic, but especially when I am stressed it just really won't come out.   It's so frustrating to not be able to express adequately what is in your heart, and, even worse, to just feel so very dumb because of your lack of ability to communicate.  Learning language proficiently is such a huge part of living effectively within a foreign culture.  No matter how many people around you communicate in English, there will be countless times when those people are no where to be found and even if there was someone who could supposedly "speak English", they still might not understand the heart of what you are saying.  Bottom line- I was way frustrated by my lack of Arabic and how tongue tied I became in an emotional situation.  In those moments of tears and stress, I found myself questioning how in the world I would ever become an effective communicator of important heart issues when I couldn't even get through a minor traffic issues.  Obviously, there was more to it than that, but that is the story I was telling myself in the moment, even though it took me a few days to step back and figure out the source of my tears.

Not that I should be surprised, but over the next few days, God used another unrelated situation to encourage me and remind me that He is in the details, He cares about the small stuff that concerns me and He is so faithful to encourage me in just the way that I need.

As part of the process of moving to a new school in this country, the girls' "file" (essentially their school records) from their old school must be picked up (from the old school), taken to the correct division of the Ministry of Education, stamped and signed and then delivered to the new school.  Well, I had accomplished the first part of this task and had been carrying the files around in the car for several weeks.  My problem (besides a basic lack of time to complete this task) was that all I knew about the correct division of the Ministry of Education was the name of the suburb in which it was located.  I knew nothing about this decently large suburb of Amman except that at one of the roundabouts there is a statue of a coffee urn as this is the landmark that I used when taking Maddie to a birthday party about a year ago.  Add to that, the fact that directions to specific locations in this part of the world are not exactly easy to come by.  They typically don't use street names or maps but rely on landmarks and word of mouth to get from one place to another.

So, a few weeks ago, after receiving multiple calls from the new school wondering when in the world I was going to take care of getting the files signed and stamped, I found myself with a free-ish morning and realized I really needed to get this thing done.  Jason and I agreed that it would be strategic to take Anabelle with me as these government offices can be extremely frustrated.  Think mobs of people trying to get official work done, no lines, no order, no English.  What could it hurt to have my cute little American blonde (by Arab standards) baby with me?  All of this is assuming that I could even find the government office to begin with?!

So here are the facts:

1. I had to get these papers signed and stamped at an unknown location to me and I needed to do it yesterday.
2. I had proven myself to be less than efficient quite recently in communicating in Arabic on the subject of directions.
3. I knew that I needed a victory in the area of language and in the area of checking something off of my to-do list in an efficient manner.

Now, before you think I'm crazy for heading out on this mission with so little information and so great a potential for frustration, here's what I've learned from 10+ years of overseas living....

1. There are inconvenient and annoying things that you have to do as part of cross-cultural living and if you embrace those things with a good attitude and trust God with the results, it CAN be very encouraging (the opposite is unfortunately also true and can result in increased whining and complaining)
2. Each new task can be an adventure and there are endless opportunities for life lessons along the way if you look at it in that light
3. Check your pride at the door.  Just forget it.  Fully embrace the fact that you know nothing as the foreigner and are completely reliant on the hospitality of those around you.  
4. Know that there is nothing you can accomplish in your own strength, remember that God is in ALL of the details and remember to surrender those details to him on a daily basis.  

So off we go on our little mission to get the papers signed (and to hopefully renew my love for the culture in which I live and my ability to function within it).  You guys, I was so amazed (why are we always amazed?) by the way in which God showed up in this little thing.  

I said a prayer, got in the car and headed to this suburb pretty far off of my beaten path.  I went to the only landmark in the area that I knew (the traffic circle with the coffee urn) and asked the first traffic cop that I saw for directions to the Ministry of Education.   Would you believe it was about 50 yards away from me on the left hand side of the same street I was on (something I could fully understand in Arabic!).  We parked, went in and a nice man (who first did his duty of yanking Anabelle's thumb out of her mouth and lecturing me on the horrors of thumb-sucking), escorted us through the crowd, straight to someone who spoke English, stamped my papers and handed them back literally within 5 minutes.   Aside from the whole thumb yanking incident, I might have thought that I met an angel sent to help me in that government office.... ( Maybe an angel who fully embraced the culture he was assigned to, thus the thumb yanking....  ).  

Anyway, that was a long story for a fairly simple point.   Cross cultural living can be exhausting, humbling, heart-wrenching, but so amazingly rewarding when you fully submit each day to God and trust him with the details:  knowing that He knows even more than you do exactly when you really need a victory- no matter how small it is in the grand scheme of things.   He will give that victory, pick you up, dust you off, and enable you to go about the tasks that are of much greater importance.   Trust him with the dailyness of your life and rejoice in the simple answered prayers.  

Thank Him for the victory that only He knew how much you really needed.