In The Flow

October 15

If Becky and I have been a tiny stream these past few weeks; it feels like we have just come 'round a bend and have been swept up in the flow of the river itself. First, God blessed me with an experienced friend who shares my heart for ministry among the underclass domestic servants who have been mistreated. Becky has been serving God in Indonesia, Cambodia, Hong Kong, and Canada prior to this move. She brings great wisdom, warmth, and is a cherished friend. Next, we felt the momentum increase when we met the "movers and shakers" involved in this type of work here in Kuwait and were introduced to the man in charge at the Philippine Embassy. We were honored to receive his favor and have been moving forward in regular service to these precious ladies.

Last week, I was asked to consider sitting on the council of Operation Hope Kuwait; a charity which provides for the needs of impoverished Third Country Nationals who are seen to be at the bottom of the heap in this class conscious society. This seemed very odd indeed for someone so new in the country with no proven skills! I agreed to entertain the idea but thought to myself "I don't want to be spread too thin." The same day this was proposed, I just happened to run into the founder of Operation Hope and we agreed to meet.

Sheryll & I met today at her home and I have been awed by God at his strategic use of people and resources. I have never felt so clearly that I am "in the flow" of God's divine purposes. He is gently making himself known through these humanitarian works of service which is speaking volumes to the native people of this land as well as to Third Country Nationals from all over the world. My desires and availability to serve this specific population was a direct answer to the vision God was growing inside Sheryll and the OH council. Instead of me having "one more thing to do," by stepping into the role of OH contact at the Embassy, it assures the work that I do will not end with our departure from the country, but will build on what God has been doing here for years and will continue long after we are gone! This also allows me the privilege of working with some amazing Christian Visionaries from whom I can learn So much!

October 19

On Saturday, I attended my first Council Meeting and was pleased to meet up with such incredible people. One man described his "wake up call" which came a month ago. He came out of retirement to work in real estate development here but his wife lives in the states. Because he had been volunteering with the runaway maids, he got a distress call that a maid had just been raped, beaten, and was trying to escape her employer. He rushed to the scene only to be admitted to the house, then fiercely beaten & thrown out. When the owner heard him call the police, they beat him again. The police did come, but not for the rapist; they took HIM to jail. He was told to NEVER put his nose in other's business again. His good connections meant he only got chastised and not imprisoned or kicked out of the country. His broken bones are healing but his zeal for justice was ignited.

I cannot share events like this without humbly pointing out that similar injustices occur EVERYWHERE and Kuwait does not have a corner on corruption in the police force. I am just so thankful for an organization that quietly goes about loving "the least of these" and setting an example of treating people with the dignity their Creator intended. The fact that the founder of OH is American, married to a wonderful and supportive Kuwaiti man is evidence that many people here care deeply about the way laborers are treated. I have much to learn about the way justice is, or is not carried out here. As a Christian Humanitarian organization, the focus is on serving, and hearts are gradually changing. I know any forceful approach toward the government here would only jeopardize the ability to reach these people with the love they need. My constant prayer is the one prayed by Mary Sumner in 1876:

All this day O lord

Let me touch as many lives as possible for Thee;

And every life I touch

Do Thou by Thy Spirit Quicken

Whether through the word I speak

The prayer I breathe

or the life I live.

As I write, the clean scent of Pine Sol is wafting from the kitchen!!! Finally, my house is getting a proper cleaning instead of just wiping up spills! My friend and neighbor needed a live in maid but did not have enough cleaning to keep her busy, so we decided to "share" a maid and split her salary and expenses. She is highly motivated and takes initiative to do what she sees that needs done. I am overjoyed at the prospect of not having to chose between cleaning or working on nursing studies or the projects I love. There have not been enough hours in the day lately and all of us collapse in bed at night in sheer exhaustion. The evenings we are at home are usually spent helping the kids with homework, Molly with college prep, cooking and keeping school uniforms clean and pressed. It is such an unbelievable treat to have help with this enormous house.

Last night Robert & I had a welcome event at the Ambassadors house. She is a lovely lady who articulates our mission here very well. The US Embassy Ambassador's home was built as a thank you gift from the Kuwaitis after the Gulf War...from looking at the house, one would conclude they were VERY appreciative! It is lavish; more like a Ritz Carlton Hotel lobby than anything else. The appetizers were fantastic, especially the mini pumpkin squares. I've not yet seen a can of pumpkin in this country.

The past two Sundays with our Ladies at the Philippine Embassy have gone very well. Becky & I were able to be much more prepared when we arrived on our second Sunday morning. We took time to listen and learn about the needs and desires of the residents before we led them in a head, neck & shoulders massage workshop. We asked to work with the ones who have been there the longest who have been identified as the leaders. Our intent is that they speak for the others regarding the needs, and that what we teach them, they will teach the other residents.

We had such fun doing the massage techniques with them, they were so proud to be able to give each other such relaxing massage. I suspect just having human touch and laughter did them all much good as well.

This week we took supplies to try out the sewing machines they had been given. Only 1 of 4 was in working order, but we still managed to get a good start on some pillowcases which they can then do needlepoint on. The project we hope to move forward soon is making tote bags out of plastic grocery bags which are crocheted into beautiful designs. These can be sold for a profit which will benefit the ladies, and they will learn a skill which can be used later to earn income with hardly any startup cost! An Indian lady is teaching us this skill and all are very excited about the potential. We are discussing other ideas constantly; such fun to be in the middle of this creative energy and people who really want to make a difference for the ladies. God help us see "what is not, as though it WAS!" The great frustration is the time it takes to obtain the legal documents so the maids can get out of "lockdown limbo" and get on with their lives either with a new job, or back in the Philippines.

Thankfully, Ethan's face is healing well. He is not loving school much this week; neither is Emily. Have I mentioned how hard transitions are at this age? Ugh. Having course work that is college level does not make it any easier for Emily, yet she loves the challenge. She has read 7 books so far this year in her honors English class. She is currently comparing Dante's Inferno with Virgil's Aeneid! She can now explain the whole of the economic meltdown from what she has learned in economics. She finally got a good grade in Pre calculus. The education is very valuable if only it does not kill her in the process! Ethan is finding he has to work more than he used to in order to get good grades. I long for free time as a family & feel guilty when Robert & I get to spend time out and about.

I've not mentioned the lovely times we've been having with our neighbors. Molly did a terrific blog on "Love" as we discussed it at lunch on Saturday. I'm just incredibly thankful for the easy exchange we are sharing with these two families. It was amazing to be able to talk about the sacrificial lamb of Abraham when he went to sacrifice his son on the altar, and to explain how we shared this same heritage, except we no longer sacrifice the lamb BECAUSE OF JESUS! We were told that we may be the beneficiaries of some freshly slaughtered lamb (some families have them grazing on their property already) during the upcoming celebration of this historic event: EID...yes, same as the end of Ramadan, I don't yet know why it is called the same thing. Lucky for the young girls, both holidays mean they get new clothes!

The only hint of fall here is found inside American homes where we proudly display leafy arrangements and autumn colors! It is a gorgeous 98 degrees outside today. A table & chairs was delivered this week for our roof top which is really fun! Unfortunately, it gets dark here around 5:30 as the evenings are getting to be so nice. Evening hours mean everyone in the country are out on the road, so it is a nice time to be home. We did face the traffic Sat. evening to take Ethan down by the marina where he could rollerblade with a friend. The boardwalk along the Gulf is quite nice with parks built in, and eve a skate park which Ethan was NOT ready for! There are Starbucks, Johnny Rockets, and TGIF's to choose from. A real bonus was that the sea no longer smelled of sewage! For awhile, it was easy to forget where we were.