UGHHH!!!! Have you ever wandered off somewhere in search of something for a
really long time and realized it was right under your nose?
Unbelievable…Anyways, I’ll get to that story in a few minutes. I need a large
cup of joe before I can relive that headache. It’s 6 in the morning here in
Dubai and the breakfast buffet is hot and ready…Hold on, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh,
coffee. We are heading back home today.
I guess it’s home. Abu Dhabi-We are going back to Abu Dhabi after breakfast to
begin year two of this incredible journey.
We spent the last 30 days in the States for vacation with family and
friends and are back in the Emirates. It’s strange, but it really does feel
like home. Of course we miss the mess out of our family and our really close
friends. We hate to leave them and deprive them from seeing Braxton for an
entire year. However, we know we are
supposed to be here and God has a GREAT purpose to use us in Abu Dhabi and the
United Arab Emirates.
(Edit- 12 days later…) Our time in the States was refreshing at times and
tiring at others. It took a solid week to adjust and to defeat our jet lag.
During that time, we were also preparing for my sister’s wedding to be held one
week after our arrival. We didn’t have time for naps during the day so we just
went to bed early (2100) and slept in really late (8 or 9 is really late for us
haha). We spent some good time catching
up with family the first week. Spent some time fishing, swimming, and riding
through the country side smelling the fresh fragrance of cow manure and chicken
houses…ahhhhhhhh…so invigorating. Nothing quite like it could remind us so
fervently of our upbringing and good ole southern ‘Murica! I don’t like country
music that much, but it’s what Dixie Land is all about and it helped me feel
welcome again on United States of “America(n)” soil, as we cruised through the
rolling pastures of unwilted, green grass.
You know what else Dixie Land is all about? Eating…a lot…a lot of
finger-lickin, “slap yo grandma” succulent food. We missed devouring the ‘All-Star Special’ at
WAFFLE HOUSE and the ready-made quesadillas and tacos filled with mystery meat
from TACO BELL. We missed Southern home-made biscuits (not cookies) and gravy
with all the breakfast fixins from Cracker Barrel, Bojangle’s and
“hole-in-the-wall” types like PAT’s PLACE. We missed the mouthwatering platters
of barbecue, drenched in an array of delectable BBQ sauces. Most of all we
missed the irresistible, irrefutable, world-class chicken shacks in ZAXBY’s and
CHIC-FIL-A. I literally gained 15 pounds in the month we were back! We were
constantly meeting friends and family out for breakfast, lunch, and dinner
EVERY day. We enjoyed every bit of it, though, and wouldn’t have changed a
thing for this trip.
We treasured all the priceless time we had with our loved ones. We
appreciate all those who took the simple time out of their lives to come and
enjoy a simple meal with our little family.
It was uplifting to see who really had an interest and investment in us
when we lived Stateside. So thank you for dedicating your time to spend with
us. We are thankful for our family in Georgia, Michigan, Illinois, and (now) Alabama
who spent time with us and paid for our meals and blessed Braxton with so many
things. We our thankful for the Stellhorn’s who graciously housed us and the Mann’s
who were willing to host us in Savannah. We are thankful for our former
co-workers, my former students and their families who shared a picnic in the
park with us, and our loving former neighbors who showed their love and support
by spending anywhere from half an hour to half a day catching up on life. We
are thankful for the Savannah friends (some who even skipped work) who chowed
down at Asian River and famous BBQ joints. We are thankful for our friends who drove ALL
the way up from Florida to spend a few hours with us. We are thankful for great
friends in Chattanooga who we adore. We are thankful for great friends/mentors in
Woodstock/Metro-ATL who poured into our lives and have continued to pour into
our lives over the years. We are thankful for our friends in Statesboro to help
us relive El Sombrero. We are thankful for our friends who fattened us up in
Calhoun and shared their recent stories of life with us. We are thankful for
our friend in Hinesville who, along with his bride, will be joining us soon in
the UAE inshallah ;). We are thankful for our parents for continuing to nurture
us while we were under their roof. We are thankful for them for changing their
lifestyles for a month so we would feel welcomed, comfortable, and loved. We
are thankful for Golden Treasures who helped us sell our cars and the remains
of any leftovers we once had (haha). We are so thankful for each and every one
of you. I hope we didn’t forget anyone! We are thankful for those who wanted to
come, but just physically couldn’t. We are loved! It was a good trip to forget
about everything else and just enjoy spending quality time with people. Sure,
it was hectic at times like when you’re being led astray by your GPS on a dirt
road through the backwoods of Athens (GA) while an entire wedding party (+) is
waiting for the one who is supposed to lead prayer for the rehearsal and
dinner. Whoops! In all seriousness, it was good to be around loved ones who we
had been away from for so long.
(Edit: Mood changing) As enjoyable as it was to vacation in the States and
as hard as it is to say this in front of loved ones, we are super excited to be
back in the U.A.E. We are enthusiastic
about serving God alongside some dear brothers and sisters to advance His
kingdom in Abu Dhabi. We are passionate about reaching out to those around us
and displaying a love and grace they’ve never experienced before. We are
excited to lead those who are thirsty to the fountain of living water that won’t
run dry. God has us here for a reason and our priority in life is to make much
of Him, because it’s ALL about HIM. We want to satisfy and honor HIM. Our love
and affection is fixed upon HIM. Our passions and desires come from HIM. EVERYTHING
we do in life is for HIM, by HIM, in HIM, through HIM, to HIM, and with HIM. It’s
hard to serve a bigger purpose than ourselves. It’s hard to disappoint loved
ones who want nothing more than us to be closer geographically, but ultimately,
we know God is leading us every step of the way on this incredible journey of
faith and our heart-satisfaction comes only through the full surrender of our
lives to a God who gave everything He had because He LOVES us. We are
unqualified, UNFIT, and underrated for the mission at hand, but we are
unscathed because we understand the fullness of God’s glory and His imputed
righteousness in us is what enables us to do the impossible. If God is for us,
who can stand against us? We know trials will come. They already have.
1-We arrived at the Dubai Airport around 2300 on the 9th of
August. By the time we cleared customs, got our 6 bags of luggage, hired a car,
and drove in circles around Dubai for 2 hours (inaccurately led by TWO
navigation systems), we finally arrived at our hotel (which was LITERALLY a
rock’s throw from the terminal) at 0230 in the morning. We slept until 1730 that
night, apart from constantly attending to (2-)vomiting from Braxton. Our phones
were dead and we blew out the entire room’s electricity when we attempted to
plug in the refrigerator. Welcome back!
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| A view from the hotel |
3-After returning to Abu Dhabi, I took the rental car to ‘Khalifa City A’
(That’s the actual name of the city. There used to be ‘Khalifa City B’, but
several years ago the name was changed to Shakhbout City)…I don’t remember why
I was in KCA. Maybe I bought something online and was meeting someone or…I don’t
even know. Regardless, you know those little parking curbs that stop you from
pulling too far into the parking spot? (WHY don’t manufacturers of family-size
sedans and the manufacturers of those concrete parking curbs COLLABORATE so
your tires are what’s being stopped and not the bumper and undercarriage of
your car???) Anyways, I realized I wasn’t in our full-size Pajero that could
plow through the parking curb, leaving a full glass of water intact,
SOOOOOOOOOOOO I inched (would you say centimetered if you use the metric
system?) the little sedan up, careful not to pull too far. All was well. No
bumps. I felt nothing. Oh, I know why we were there now. Braxton had a dentist
appointment and I went to pick something up from a little market while I was
waiting for Michelle and him to finish. Anyways, I began to back up and a
bloodcurdling screech came from underneath the car. I continued to back up and
swallowed the lumps in my throat as I watched bystanders contribute to my embarrassment.
I withdrew from the parking lot and pulled off to the side of the road to
assess the damage. The bumper had been partially tugged off and the
undercarriage was destroyed. Long-story-short: We turned an hour trip into an
all-day affair after calling the rental company, waiting for the road-side
assistance to issue our report, picking a friend up from the airport, and then
returning the car. Welcome back!
4-Michelle learns she might have to have surgery (update: she doesn’t,
Thank God!) for her miscarriage.
5-We lost a child.
6- ***Let’s backtrack to a year ago…The first, full day we were here, I had
an episode of kidney stones and had to be rushed to the hospital. We didn’t have
insurance yet so we had to pay out of pocket. We didn’t have any idea who to
talk to, where to go, or what to bring (not that we had really anything to
bring). We didn’t know what to expect. We felt out of place. After I recovered
a day or two later, I was plagued with an abysmal virus that persisted for
nearly 3 weeks. Not too much longer after I recovered from that, two more
episodes of kidney stones “blessed” me with their presence, followed by a
couple of excruciating procedures to rectify my health issues. This occurred while
I was still facing the fire of teaching in a foreign culture and adjusting to a
complete life change.
7. Temptations have multiplied exponentially since our arrival.
Do you think it’s a firm sign we are meant to be here? Ha, I do. God is
faithful. God is faithful. He works all things together for the good of those
who love Him, who are called according to His purpose. God is faithful. He’s so
faithful. In our weakness, He is strong. Consider it this way, regardless of
your religious background or beliefs…If you never tasted defeat or challenges,
the victories in your life would be insignificant, valueless. If you never
lost, you wouldn’t truly understand how good it feels to win. We experience
trials in our walk with God, to share the richness of His glory and victory we
have over death when we place our faith and trust in Him. Suffering for the
sake of the Gospel makes it much sweeter when we are flooded with His endless
abundance of mercy, grace, and love. It’s worth it, because He is worth it.
Amen.
Well guys and gals, thanks for tuning in. Our 1 year anniversary post will
be coming soon where we’ll discuss how we’ve adjusted to the culture, recap highlights
of our first year, and answer the common questions we’re always asked by those
from the States who are interested in our journey.
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| True Blue GSU |
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| We even miss clouds! |
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