A Great Trip

I've been home long enough to deal with the tough question many times over: "So.... how was your trip?" An obvious question in this situation. I just wish I had a better answer. "Great" just never seems to really capture all that I hope to convey.

"Great" doesn't do justice to the amazing community we felt as a team, how we prayed together, for each other and with each other, how we witnessed God at work together in unexplainable ways.

"Great" doesn't communicate the excitement of seeing families again, hugging and kissing them again, spending time in their homes again, and being humbled again by their hospitality and generosity.

"Great" doesn't decribe how amazing it is that people from completely different cultures, from completely different worlds, who speak completely different languages are able to enjoy each other, laugh together and cry together.

"Great" doesn't hold a candle to witnessing a team of Americans who stand out in a Muslim community, who are loved by this community, and who are truly demonstrating the life that Jesus lived.... a life of sacrifice based solely on LOVE.

"Great" doesn't describe the ways that my faith has been challenged, how my ideas of evangelism have been annihilated, and how the Lord is showing me how very little of anything I do is motivated by love.

"Great" doesn't say any of those things... and yet, for some stupid reason, it's the word I find myself using to describe my trip whenever I am asked.

So, if you've asked me about my trip, I'm sorry for my lame response. And, if you see me in the near future and ask about my trip, I apologize in advance for my "great" answer. Forgive me. It's a tough one to put into words.

One thing I brought back

No, this post is not about the illness I brought back with me. I'll spare you those details! :)


I always knew our trip to Iraq would be a positive experience for me. We went to visit our best friends in the whole world-- how could it not be great? And we went with a great group of people from our home church that we were going to get to share this opportunity with. I knew we would all grow closer together during this time. And boy was it great! So great, I wasn't ready to leave on Sunday morning.

But there were some things I didn't anticipate bringing back with me.

In the past, when I would read the PLC blog about kids they were sending or kids who had been to surgery, I would quickly send up a short prayer or praise and go on with my day. But since our trip, on which I got to meet, face-to-face, many of these sweet, precious children and young adults, my outlook, connection, and prayers have changed.

I am connected to the children and their families and to PLC. I have a connection there now that I could have never gained without GOING THERE.

With this new set of four kids going to surgery in Turkey, I have almost obsessively checked the PLC blog and each child's individual twitter feed to find out updates. I have spent more than a minute praying for the children and their families. I have had my stomach turned upside-down and felt tears roll down my cheeks asking the LORD to heal them and bring their families into knowledge and belief of the Truth of Jesus Christ, so that they may have eternal hope.

I know this is the reason JR and I were able to go on this trip. I was not ready to come home, and I will certainly jump at the chance to go again-- to be with my best friends in a place where I have seen God perform miracles and know He will continue to do so.

Thank you Lord for making this connection in my heart.

What I Miss

I didn't get one single solitary second to myself on our trip to Iraq. I miss that.

I am a self-proclaimed introvert. Some argue that fact with me, but I stand by it. When I need alone time, I NEED alone time.

At the same time, I have craved this thing called community since long before I first heard it defined (this is where I would like to pause to sing the praises of Larry Crabb, but I won't). Growing up, I preferred the school year to summer because I was guaranteed time with my friends every single day. The highlights of each summer were the ten days I spent at our small church camp crammed into a cabin with old friends and new. High school doesn't hold an ounce of nostalgia for me EXCEPT for the small group of friends God blessed me with my first year and held together until we graduated. And I don't associate myself with the college I attended to nearly the degree that I associate myself with the Christian organization I was a part of while there. And then, three summers "working" at Kamp (more crammed cabin living), and a year in Branson with Doulos Ministries made my last days as a single woman the most fulfilling of my life to that point. There was no alone time at Doulos. It was community at its finest, in my opinion. The kind that people who don't know any better accuse of being a cult. : )

So, clearly, there is room to argue my introvertedness (introversion?). Although...my Doulos friends would be the first to tell you that no one shot out the door faster or trudged back in more hesitantly on their day off than me. I lived for those days. : )

But back to Iraq. Like I said, I didn't get a second to myself. I wondered if that might be a problem. I hoped I could handle it for ten days. After eight years of being home with small children and basically letting my need for community dry up and wither away, I completely forgot to LOOK FORWARD to it. Fortunately, God didn't waste any time reminding me that I love being with a group of like-minded people who are sharing an experience, leaning on each other, praying together, laughing together, crying together, fighting and forgiving together, and SERVING together. At the end of our first full day there, I realized the rest of our time there was going to be more than just purposeful, trying, and worth it. It was going to be fun. And relational. So I soaked every bit of it up for the rest of the week.

Now I'm back home. And just like I missed my family terribly while I was away but also fully enjoyed my time immersed in relationships there, I am now fully enjoying being back with my family but very much missing my little Iraq community. And community in general. It's harder to come by here. It has to be scheduled. And honestly, I'm not sure what else it takes to make it happen. But now that I've been reminded just how much I need it, I'm sure the Lord will help me figure that out.

Our team of five is getting together Saturday night with our families, and I CAN'T WAIT. I won't be clinging to any of them for dear life while I wait for our plane to crash, or crammed so tightly into a car with them that none of us can breathe, or sitting with them on a Kurdish family's rug wondering how on earth we're going to fit more fruit and tea into our stomachs, or manning a craft table with them while fifty kids threaten to pin us to the wall in their enthusiasm over foam picture frames, or praying with them well after midnight to close the day. But we've done those things together, and that's what makes us a community. I plan on soaking it up as long as it lasts. And in the meantime, I hope I've learned to be a little less protective of my time. I hope I'll see potential in every new relationship. And I hope I'll make the most of the ones I already have.

We're Home!

Thank you for praying us home. We didn't have any flight delays, we all managed to get at least a little bit of sleep, and those of us who aren't feeling well miraculously enjoyed a reprieve from our symptoms while in the air (for the most part). We were all greeted by loved ones at the airport, and now I'm positive that every single one of us are on our way to bed. : ) More soon. We all have a lot more to share! Thank you Jeremy and Jess (and Erin, Jeff, Ruth, Scott, Abby, and you eight wonderful interns!) for hosting us and for letting us "participate in the gospel" with you this week. We will be praying you guys through lots of transitions over the next few months! And thank you to all of you who supported us on this trip! God heard your prayers and answered them in tangible ways daily.

It's over.

We're leaving in 15 minutes to drive to the airport here. (yeah, it's quarter to midnight) I can't believe it's over. It went by so fast!

*Pray for health. Many of us are feeling puny.

*Pray for quick-ness in security and customs procedures.

*Pray that we would all be able to sleep on the plane. We all really need it!

*Pray that He would allow us to begin processing our time here well on this return trip.

Thank you for all your prayers! Don't quit now!

Titled, Mistitled & Untitled

Our day today has been full and fulfilling. The banquet this afternoon was great! Thank you so much for praying toward that end. We will have more details and pics later...

As our time here is winding up, it is a bittersweet thing for our team. While we are looking forward to being reunited with our families, we have realized that this experience has been so amazing partly due to the fact that our team ROCKS!! Truly, we have really grown to know and love each other and will miss our time together.

So... while I would love to write even more tonight, I can't! We are spending our last FULL night in Iraq together as a team playing cards and enjoying each other.

Thank you for continuing to pray... don't quit now! We still have things to do tomorrow, and then we will leave around midnight to start our journey home. Stay tuned... there is still WAY more to come...

What did you expect?

When you picture Iraq in your mind, you probably think this, right?

But you probably don't think this.

Or this.

Oh my. It's beautiful here. Not just the land... (Don't get me wrong, that first picture is a real one, too!) The people are beautiful, too. God is amazing. He is always changing my view and my expectations of life and of HIM.

We spent most of the day traveling and visiting some very interesting places. We spent the morning in a city called Halabja. More to come on this part of the trip (i need some additional time to process the things that I saw in this city). We then went for a picnic at a very popular place followed by a tour of some local waterfalls... please inquire about cramming 14 people in an SUV and traveling up and down the side of a mountain on a one lane road.

The second part of the trip was quite relaxing and enjoyable. The cold water at the falls was a welcomed relief to the 110+ degree heat and it was a great time of fellowship with our friends and the team. We then took a short break before heading out to dinner at great restaurant in the city. We capped off the night with a visit to the PLC translators' house for tea and watermelon. The time was especially enjoyable as the girls had the opportunity to spend time with the translators' wife.

I think we're all pretty worn out today, but in a way that is really satisfying! Please continue to pray for us as we head into the home stretch of our trip. Tomorrow we begin preparations for the banquet that will happen on Friday. Hope everyone is doing well!

Baby Daryan

On Monday afternoon, Leigh, Jess, Awara (Kurdish translator/all around great guy, employed by PLC), and I went to a very small house across town. When we walked in, there was a TINY baby in a bouncy seat in the corner. Jess told us on our way over there that he was small for 3 months, but I couldn't believe he was that old when we saw him!

The visit started off with a conversation about passports, because Daryan and his mom are supposed to be going with the next group for surgery to Turkey. The pediatric cardiologist here said his heart condition is the worst he has ever seen. A few minutes into the visit, I noticed that his feet were kind of blue.

Soon it was time for Daryan to eat. We watched his mom feed him with hardly any success. Then his grandmother tried. Not much luck. He cried and cried and cried and had formula all over his face. To make a long story short, Leigh came to the rescue :) She figured out that the nipple on the bottle was too long for his small mouth so he was having a hard time swallowing. She asked if she could try. She got him to eat a little more and then we told his mom that we wanted to buy a different bottle for him that would help him eat better.

That night we went back to their house with a new bottle from the bazaar. I can't explain how amazing it was to watch this little bitty baby eat better than he has eaten in his whole life. It was amazing. And it was all because of a different bottle.

And then I got to hold the baby :)

George and Aria

Monday night. We watched a recording of the book of Ruth. Two ladies have a vision of presenting the story of Ruth in audio form to widows. The male members of their families were wiped out by the former Sadaam regime. They are very poor and functionally illiterate. JR is the audio tech. In the afternoon, we visited Aria. A 4 year old with down syndrome, who had a heart operation in early 2008. The family had us for lunch. Shiftah (hamburger), rice, parsley, tomato and cucumber salad, bread and beverage. Hot tea later followed by fruit. We sure are not starving. It is hot. More later--supper is served. George

More Than Just the Journey

It is both terrifying and wonderful to be where God has called you to go. I have learned this a few times in my life already. The best years of my life have been the hardest. The hardest decisions to make have produced the greatest rewards. The things I (and my husband and I) have chosen to do that have raised the most eyebrows are the things that have changed our lives.

This trip is no exception.

From the moment I started considering going on this trip, I have replaced one fear with another. God has been faithful to speak to each one, and I have been hard-headed enough to keep asking questions and latching onto doubts. Because, really, the way God ultimately deals with me and a particular fear is to remind me that I might be right. That thing I'm worried about just might happen. : ) But worrying about it doesn't do an ounce of good. It's as if He's saying..."Sure, your plane might crash. Yes, being away from your kids and husband will probably cast a very sad shadow over the whole trip. And absolutely, you might come across a few people in Iraq who aren't super excited to see you. But do you know in your heart that I have called you to go anyway?" Yes. "Then go."

So, here I am. The goodbyes before I left were AWFUL. But only three out of fifteen hours of flying were turbulent (and by turbulent I mean that I was shaking uncontrollably and begging for my life in prayer, and most of you would have said you didn't feel a thing). And those people that were making me very nervous by staring at us while we waited to board the last flight to Iraq ended up laughing with us before we ever stepped foot on the plane. As did the man I sat by on the plane who I first thought seemed rather grumpy.

And yesterday, I realized that this trip would indeed be about more than just the journey. Yesterday I met Serhan ( a 12-year-old boy) and his family. They had been anxiously awaiting Leigh's arrival after meeting her on her last trip. They were SO excited to see her. Our cultural differences jumped out at me right away. Kissing, sitting on a rug, communicating through a translator, incredible hospitality from Serhan's mom and a consistent straight face from his dad, and four young boys sitting quietly off to the side. But after a couple of hours, things looked completely different. Serhan and his brother were playing and laughing and trying just as hard to learn our numbers as we were trying to learn theirs. Serhan's mom and Leigh had lamented together over the unfairness of going to great lengths searching for treatment for a dying son only to find out there's nothing that can be done...and then they had both gotten involved in the game and were laughing and playing just like the kids. And even Serhan's dad was laughing as Leigh and I tried to keep score in Kurdish, usually butchering it badly. : ) I had even gotten to have a conversation with Serhan's mom about adoption after she commented on my pictures of our family...she wanted to know why Jude looked different (more attractive, as it turns out!) than the rest of us...and do we treat him like family? : ) When we left, God had confirmed through experience what He had whispered to my heart as I confessed my fears the night before...ALL people are created in His likeness. No matter how many differences we may seem to have physically, behaviorally, or culturally...deep inside we are all the same. Whether culturally "appropriate" or not, laughter makes us laugh, being loved makes us happy, feeling approved of builds our confidence, and a person who loves our kids is instantly a friend. And those things that make us different just contribute to an even greater likeness of God. He didn't create Americans in His likeness. He created PEOPLE in His likeness. When you put us all together, we look a whole lot more like Him than any of us ever could on our own.

Serhan will die soon. I'd like to join Leigh in asking you to pray for him, and for his family. And although fundraising is quite possibly the last of my spiritual gifts, check out that PLC link to the right if you feel led to do so. Serhan can't be helped simply because he has lived with his heart condition for too long. It's too late for him, unless God chooses to heal him without surgery. But surgery would probably have been successful earlier in his life when he should have received it. More money helps more kids get surgeries while they're still young enough to benefit from them.

Since meeting Serhan, I have also experienced Home Group and met another little boy, Aria, and his family. For those who know me, Home Group took me back to my Doulos days. I LOVED it. It is so wonderful to see a group of college students (PLC interns) living in community with the PLC workers. It will change their lives. And Aria...well, I really don't think I've EVER met a happier child. Or felt so welcomed into a home. George was with me for that visit. Maybe I can get him to blog about it... : )

Day 2 So Far

I have spent my time here so far working on some recording for our team. We're recording the story of Ruth to be distributed to a large group of widows (in the hundreds, maybe even thousands).

The story as i understand it is that back in the 80's ('82 and '88), when Sadam was in power, he committed genocide against a large Kurdish population in this particular city to help maintain control/power. He ordered all the men and boys be carried away to never be seen again, thus leaving a large city with nothing but widows and fatherless children. Mass graves were later discovered that is thought to be all the men and boys from this village.

For those of you that know the story of Ruth, you can understand why this would be such a blessing to be able to hear such a story about sacrifice, love, and redemption.

I have just completed the rough edit of this story and will continue to work on it at various times during the rest of the trip. Pray that God would use this story to reveal His true character and ultimately draw people to Himself.

Our first day in Iraq...

What day of the week is it anyway? I'm pretty sure it's Sunday here because I remember getting a text from Terrill about going to church.

BUT... whatever day it is, it was a GREAT one! Our first day here, our team split up and went a few different directions. Jen and I went with team members Ruth and Erin to a small village outside of town to visit Serhan. (you may remember I visited him last time.... he is the 12-yr-old boy who went to Turkey for surgery, but was told he was inoperable once he got there.)

We had so much fun. His family was waiting for us outside their home when we arrived. After all of the traditional cheek-kissing in various amounts and alternating sides, we entered the house and sat down and were immediately served water, then juice, then chai (hot tea), then more water. Jen and I pulled out our little toys we brought along and within minutes, we had begun a game of rolling/throwing/bouncing the ball back to Serhan and his brother. They LOVED it! Serhan played a game with Jen for over an hour - him rolling his ball into the "goal" she had made with her fingers, and teaching her Kurdish numbers as they kept his score. (I quizzed her on the way home and she knew almost all of them, save 8, 13, 15 - 19 and she was a little fuzzy on 7 and 10 as well. Ok, so maybe she just got a handle on 1 - 5. Give her a break... Kurdish is a tough language).

Serhan's mother told us that he has been very sick lately. The heat is draining his energy even more than normal, and the dust is making it even more difficult for him to breathe. I mentioned how GREAT he looked today, and she said it was because he was so excited for us to be there! I have no doubt that being able to see her son enjoying the day is a blessing we were able to bring to her that is PRICELESS.

It was great to be able to spend time with this family again. After lots of pictures and more kissing, we left, but not before promising to pray for this precious family. Will you pray with us?...

Airport - One More Time

This should be my last airport post for a while as we're about to board our flight for Iraq. We encountered a fantastic guy at our ticketing counter who basically hooked us up with our overweight luggage. Those of you that helped prepare some of the stuff for this trip will know what we're talking about. It's 11:30 pm here and our flight is scheduled to arrive somewhere around 2:30 0r 3:00 in the am. The team is tired but in great spirits and not as anxious about this flight as I had thought we might be. Ask a special blessing over our trip this afternoon that our time here would be productive! We're excited to meet some of these families and get to know lots of new people!

A day in Asia and Europe

We've spent our first day away in Istanbul touring. We went to the Blue Mosque, Aya Sophia, and the underground water cisterns and ate some of my favorite turkish food.

Our hotel last night was nice-- AC, hot shower, hairdryer, and all :)

We're now at the Branham's house (a family from our home fellowship who live here in the city) and we're about to go to dinner with them. They will take us to the airport later tonight and we will fly into our final destination at 11:30 turkey time.

Pray especially for energy for all of us to get all the way there!!

Fıve ın ıstanbul

We are ın Turkey!! We arrıved almost on tıme, retrıeved all of our luggage, rode the tram to the hotel and took a taxı to a local hot-spot for dınner.

We are excıted, but exhausted. Now we are goıng to sleep. Keep prayıng...

The Thrills of Airport Security

Security....Security (thanks bon qui qui, click here if you don't understand).

We finally made it through airport security and are thinking about being on our way. But wait, our flight has already been delayed 30 minutes. What a joy! At least we're in Terminal D at DFW so there is plenty of entertainment to go around. Lots of cool people to watch, fun shops to look around in and most importantly....WIFI!!!

Hope everyone is doing well and we'll update from London if we can!

The Worst Day of the Rest of our Trip

I have never been on a mission trip before.

I'm not saying I have never done anything purely out of obedience to the Lord and in service to Him, but it has never involved flying over an ocean (my worst fear) or leaving my kids and husband for ten (and a half) days.

So today is the worst day of the rest of the trip for me. For that reason, I'm glad it's here. And I'm glad it will soon be over. Tomorrow the worst flight will be behind me. The heart-wrenching good-byes will be over and the fun updates from the kids will start pouring in, and instead of sadly counting down the days until I leave, we'll be happily counting down the days until I get back.

My ride is here. Time to say those goodbyes. Thank you for praying for our team. I know we have an amazing journey ahead. I am confident the Lord will equip all of us to reflect Him in ways we can't even imagine right now.

Packing and Praying!!

Tomorrow is the BIG day! We're all meeting at DFW no later than 2:45. Remember, JR... NOT A MINUTE LATER :-)

Here's our schedule so that you can pray for us as we travel:

Thursday, July 9
Leave DFW 4:45 pm on AA flt #50

Friday, July 10
Arrive LHR (London Heathrow) 7:50 am [1:50 am CST]
Leave LHR 10:30 am [4:30 am CST] on AA flt # 6613
Arrive IST (Istanbul) 4:15 pm [8:15 am CST]

Saturday, July 11
Spend the day in Istanbul
Leave IST 11:45 pm [3:45 pm CST] Atlas Jet airlines

Sunday, July 12
Arrive Iraq 2:15 am [6:15 pm CST - still Saturday to you!]

As a group, we've talked about the fact that the trip TO Iraq could be as important as the time we're there. Pray that in all of the logistics of traveling, we will be convinced of His sovereignty and open to His leadership.

We are grateful to have a community of folks "stateside" who'll be praying for us. Thank you for being such an important part of this journey with us!

It is 7/8/09 and tomorrow we leave. An adventure and challenge for me, it's outside my comfort zone. See you tomorrow. George

Here we are!

This is the first post for "5 Traveling East." We leave on Thursday and get to tky on Friday. Then we get to spend the whole day Saturday in Ist. playing tourists! Then we leave later that day to fly to our final destination.

Pray for unity between the 5 of us as we travel together and get to know each other's best and worst! Pray for the hearts of the people we will be meeting and spending time with. Pray that our words and actions would be from Him and not of us!

This is the verse I am hanging on to right now before we leave:

John 13:35: "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."