Rancid.

   I walked home from the parlor the night before Eid and saw many cows tethered up to buildings awaiting their sacrificial duties. I cried as I walked down the street partly because it was hard to look at something knowing it was going to be dead the next day, mostly because their deaths would be in vain. Jesus is the sacrifice. He already paid the price for our sins and gave us the way to the Father and to Heaven. The people do not know this which is why I am here amongst so many workers. Matthew 9:36-38 comes to mind: "When He saw the crowds, He felt compassion for them, because they were weary and worn out, like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord of the Harvest to send out workers into His harvest field."

Coming home from Eid.

   The next morning the family came to my place for a TV/movie binge. Jo, Ash, and Kathy were all ill. The kids were running 100+ degree fevers so that did not help the day be any better. The cows started to get killed around 9:30am and I went out to take you guys some photos, but I got way more than I bargained for and had to go to my room to cry, pray and watch videos of Crenshaw. There were 5 casualties around my house that day. After that experience I stayed in the movie room. Not much else exciting happened. Picture a room with five people, three sick and an all day pj movie marathon with chocolate cake. That's what we did and it made the room an oasis. Almost American. The sickness ended up being a blessing because Shannon and I were no longer able to attend an Eid party.

One of my new friends here put it like this:

"The annual ritual is finished.

Yet the sins of those who took knife to throat remain. The heavy weight of shame stays.

    Yesterday they were lost, among the unforgiven… today they are lost, still among the unforgiven."

  Cow killing.

    The rest of the week was pretty low key. Most of the places we go to are closed for the holiday so all I was able to do was visit one of my friends to study the word together. She is the shy one with whom I am studying Mark. During the week we read two chapters in the book and then meet up for discussion. I ask what her favorite story is, why it is her favorite, what do we learn about Jesus, what do we learn about man, and are there any commands to follow? She wants to be a doctor so all her favorite stories involve Jesus being healer.  My favorite this week was Mark 6:30-34. This story takes place right before Jesus feeds the 5,000 men. He notices that His disciples are weary so He tells them to go to a remote place and rest. While they are resting He sees a huge crowd and has compassion on them because they are like sheep without a shepherd. This story resonates with me because I wear myself out all the time. I try to be perfect and do everything. I also do everything with all that I've got so I wear out easily. If you know me I live passionately and with lots of energy. It can be exhausting. Jesus, having created me, knows these things and works my schedule out so that I have time to rest. He does not require me to be nonstop. He requires me to do what He has asked with the strength that He gives. I just need to take the time to go to that remote place and rest. He is a compassionate God.

 Bagged milk. I am so looking forward to coming home and drinking 2%. 

   This brings me to the next point. I want to have the same compassion for the people around me that He had for His people. The people here do not have a shepherd and wander around with their clay idols, rituals and customs. I had to explain what a shepherd was to my friend and used Tiffany Naugle with her love of goats as an example. Tiffany came this summer and bonded with my friend so I feel that God used Tiffany's love for animals and her love for my friend to speak to her.

 American club!

  Thursday night I went to Shannon and Kathy's to spend the night before we left for the capital and Ashlyn and I had one of our classic slumber parties. We ate chocolate cake together and watched Mirror Mirror. It was sweet and a moment I will cherish. I also Skyped Jenny who made me laugh and encouraged me. 

   We were on road at 5:30am to the capital. I got to ride in the front seat which meant no car sickness for me! Huzzah! This morning was a rough one. I was feeling culturally stressed and hated how bad the country smelled after Eid. The best way to describe the after Eid smell is poop soaked in urine covered in death baked in the fires of Hades. For real. I retched a few times and was quite nauseated. However, Jesus came to my rescue and we made it to the capital in time to go to the American club! This club is swank and you have to be a member to join. Your American home means nothing. You have to fill out paperwork and be sponsored by a member of the Embassy. Or you mooch off your friends like I did. We went to a church service, ate meat for lunch and sat by a pool. It was the rest I needed.

   The family then dropped me off at my house for the next week and drove off. I think Kathy feels like she dropped me off for college! I will not see them for a week, but we text. The women I am staying with are spectacular and I am enjoying their company. This week I will be conducting countless interviews for the center that Kathy wants to build in our hometown. This is the research that brought me over here originally so I am happy to visit the women's center here in the capital to see how it runs and gather information. Please pray that I will get what I need and will prioritize my time, money and priorities. 

American club!