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?...