HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS

Happy Birthday Jesus!

What will I wear to His party this year? I am pondering that for advent. A spirit of submission? That will require a diet and a lot of help I would have to clean out my cupboards of all the great stuff I insulate myself with, righteousness, stubbornness, self sufficiency…No I don’t want to do that, how about wearing Joy, could I go for 24 hours with Joy on and not get it dirty with my judgmental attitudes that just seem to come. I guess that will take some help too, gotta get rid of the feeling of inferiority so I don’t need to think I have to 1 up on people. Well, I’ll keep working on the list of options to wear but I think in all of them I will need help. Thank goodness that Easter showed where to get the help. A thought.

The card this year, another thought:

“Mary, you want to go to Bethlehem with me?” “We gotta be there by the end of Dec., It’s about a 3 or 4 day walk (72 miles) but, I thought we could take 2 weeks and stop and see the sights in Jerusalem since we’re so close.” “I think it would be good for us to go, the gossip has gotten pretty harsh since we decided to stick together.”

“Sure Joseph, I can’t wait to get out of here.” “Do you think we could get a donkey?” “I would like to take some stuff with us and it’s getting harder and harder to carry anything on my head with baby growing my belly. “

I don’t know if they got the donkey but you just can’t find a card without it….

Have you had time to think about what it may have been like to leave home for good, have a baby, settle in a new town , start making your friends and one night get woke up and told to move to Egypt….NOW Seeing the refugees and the places they have lived near here helps my perspective. When the enemy is near you go with a piece of fabric wrapped around your waist, a baby tied to your back, a cloth wrapped around a basin on your head with some food in it and out the door you run, relocating to a safer place. The conflicts have stopped in Uganda, but the refugee camps remain and sometimes the refugees that fled, stay. Right now the Congolese are fleeing in the south and being relocated up here in some of the old abandoned camps. Why does man love war?

Okay to keep this 2 pages like I promised my auntie, I better quite with the reflection.

5 months from now should find us in a new country. This feels much like awaiting birth. When you know your life is going to change and you’re excited for it but you are only imagining the fun, good, happy, times you’re going to have and not factoring in the diapers, the fussy time the wailing hours of colic. To have a head start on when this is over I am soliciting help on What should I pursue next? Please weigh in! I will need to do something and am yet a bit confused, so, seeking direction.

Last year Christmas Kate and Conor were here and we had a great time. They got to see what our life is like and I think were surprised at that. We spent some great time sweating in Zanzibar and walked under the brilliant canopy of stars at night. It was enchanting and such a gift.

When we parted we thought we would see each other in Oct. Now, it has been a year later. We just celebrated our Christmas in Turkey over Thanksgiving which somehow seemed appropriate. We had a splendid time together. It was colder than we expected but we figured out how to wear enough clothes to stay pretty warm and what old building was heated to get out of the wind and mist. .

So in this a year what was the high point what was the low?

Low, was talking with a mother about her son. She had spent 6 months sleeping under his bed in the hospital, with her 6 month old, and 6 year old, caring for all the needs of each of them without a break. She had received $35/month from the driver of the lorry he fell off, but the $ stopped and she had to beg. We sat together and I explained that he was dying and needed to return to the village so she could look after her home, gardens, chickens and goats there and care for him until he died at home. She took a week to decide to do this and by then her son’s pneumonia was taking his life very quickly. The morning we were going to take him to the village, he died. I accompanied her to the village with her bundle of stuff, child on her back and one in hand and I cried. And I asked God why do I have so much? He and I have been working on that answer. I want to be generous but I always find that I put my expectations on what poverty and need should look like and weigh the if’s and but’s until I feel numb and confused and don’t want to do anything in the fear that it is the wrong thing. Reading When Helping Hurts (book) gave me some guidelines on making decisions but I often go back to my judgments and I fear they are not how Jesus would respond. But as I said, We are working on it.

High point was the decision to extend our time here. To say goodbye to the class that came a week before we did and would graduate in May felt like the right thing to do. Tom agreed although his job has not been what he hoped. The culture is so different here that jobs aren’t what most of us hope. Our standard of progress is different and not shared by those here. So, most jobs, 99% are difficult, if coming from the W. If you have time he will talk about that when we see you again. So, school was the focus for me from Feb till Oct. Peace Corps had the COS (Close of Service) conference at a 5star hotel and we said goodbye to those leaving for the next thing in life and it was nice to know we were staying. It felt right!

 When the volunteers here left, who we did language together and spent 6 days a week with for 3 months we had Tuna Tuesday with and celebrations together, I felt sad. I was at the post office the other day and didn’t want to go back to the school yet so I was going to stop at my friend’s office to visit, but walking that direction I remembered she had left. Every volunteer that I knew well has gone home. The new volunteers that are here are under 25 and their interests are not the same as ours. Missionary friends started leaving in Oct too so by Nov. I questioned what life would look like now.

May 23, we ring the gong at Peace Corps and off we go to the airport. It will fly by, I know, and it has been an enlightening experience giving me time and help to question a lot of things I use to hold as truth. My faith has remained in Jesus as the only hope of eternal life, but the view has softened about the great mercies of God.

OH YEA, the kids: Sorry Auntie this is dragging on.

Jake and Heather have relocated to Maryland. Jake was offered a position with a lawyer there to assist with his Constitution Law work. He gives classes and Jake is working with that department. Heather will be homeschooling and the kids will be growing without us. So this will be a priority to correct when we return.

Kate is employed at the company in DC that does global projects with grants and loans to country’s from the US. She is 21/2 years there. She would like to do field work in another country but competition is very stiff. She has had some interview but no job yet.

Conor is in Turkey studying, although he says the class load is not challenging him he is meeting many students from Asia and Europe which he can talk about politics on a grander scale and get some views that aren’t colored by the same values we hold in the US. He is having a good time debating and listening. He will finish Hamline in May and will meet Tom and I in Germany to start a bike ride to the Black Sea along the Danube River. If you look at a map the trail goes through Austria, Hungry, then becomes the border between Serbia, Bulgaria, & Romania. We are going to bike and train it. I really don’t think I will get to the sea, but we are hopeful. My time line is 2 weeks. Then I turn around and go back to Netherlands. We want to start seeing friends and Europe until a MacAulay family reunion at the shore of New Jersey in late August. So, that is when we plan on coming back to the US. We will see what God has planned.

We have met so many great people while here. I have learned to cook Indian food because we have an abundance of organic vegetables, I can cook and bake on a charcoal stove (it just takes hours), I can greet my neighbors in their language,( but don’t ask me any questions) I have been to many wedding and introductions, sat in church where the whole congregation is a choir and makes my voice sound great, watched babies born and people die. Do I understand the 3^rd world, no, but I have a better idea of what can work and what doesn’t. I am grateful for the tax payers who have made this possible for us to come, see, and experience. We will be here for the holiday and PC is sending up 7 new education volunteers on the 21^st. We will have a celebration here on the 24^th with more wild rice soup. I will think of you on Christmas when it is in the 90’s and 15 people are coming for a meal as I cook on charcoal… But I wouldn’t trade it except for a day with the grandkids sliding down the hills of New Ulm.

I hope you all find something nice to wear to Jesus Birthday party.

Love to you as you ponder Christmas…. IN HIM, Marcy and Tom

Sorry Auntie I just couldn’t get it shorter…

Thanksgiving in TURKEY

Turkey

The 14^th of Nov we went for a Christmas holiday to see Conor who is studying in Turkey.

 Katie joined us for a week. Tom and I left on the 14^th and ate everything on our plate of airline food, and it was GOOD. We flew Emirates with a 12 hour layover in Dubai. We heard we could get a free room for a layover of more them 8 hours. I bought the ticket and then I looked at the web site nothing showed up so I finally called. You only get that if your ticket is more then $1100.00. Ours wasn’t. So the cheap ticket is getting more expensive in time that could be spent doing other things. We booked a room at a hostel and it ended up being full but they found a room for us that they went and cleaned at 12midnight. A few soccer teams were staying there too. Next AM no hot water, that was why the room was available. No discount and the room was $75. That is not a hostel rate if you ask me, but for Dubai it is. (It is the 2^nd most expensive city in the world) The room did have a lovely breakfast buffet included. (When on vacation I seem to have no satiety, I think this is called gluttony. Since I am home I am repenting) We slept on a chaise lounge in the terminal on the way home.

Dubai’s airport terminals are the size of a football stadium the terminals are very busy. The amazing thing to me was seeing no one from Dubai. Like the locals. I saw 3 Arabs in the airport. Since Dubai is a new city the builders of it are sheiks. They had to hire all the help from outside the country and many people stayed to work. A lot of Southern Asian workers and English is the language spoken. Seeing Dubai from the plane it goes on and on and on. We flew over it for ½ hour at night. The county side I saw from the taxi ride from the hostel was, tall buildings or pale gray sand, I didn't see green.

 Next stop Istanbul……

We connected and went on to Izmir (Smyrna) where Conor met us. I didn’t recognize him- He’s bought some new clothes and looking pretty handsome. Izmir is on the coast of the Aegean and it was like Duluth in Nov. We were cold! I had bought some clothes in the market before I left Arua, but, when it’s 90degrees in the sun, it is hard to imagine cold. Trying on coats and hats seems foolish, so we were underdressed… We stayed with Miri, a young man (22) that invited us on Couchsurfers. 

 He is Turkish and lives in his father’s apartment in the city and goes to the same school Conor does. His Father lives in his home village so he has the whole apartment which overlooks the sea. It was beautiful. But, the Turks are very hot blooded and don’t turn on the heat till cold, cold, cold and they keep windows open so their houses don’t smell like smoke from the 40 cigarettes that they each smoke a day. They also don’t speak English. Miri had worked in the summer in US and spoke English well and did not smoke. He didn’t turn on heat either. We had a great hot shower and heavy quilt to sleep under so we were ok. Miri was a very gracious host. He was attentive showed us thing we wouldn’t have known about, told us about food, helped us with transportation and prepared a wonderful meal for us of pasta with yogurt, garlic, butter and hot sauce. It was the best food I had in Turkey.

 Turkey has fresh fruits, quince, persimmon, pears, mulberries, figs, apricots, and oranges and pomegranates are in season right not so street vendors sell fresh squeezed juice. The veggies they use a lot of are eggplant, okra, carrots, tomatoes potatoes red peppers and olives lots of olives. Turks are also meat lovers so cow or lamb is served the most. This was breakfast served with a large basket of bread for dipping.  I loved it...
You can chew there meat too! 

3 days with

 Conor, Miri, and Kate, a fellow student with Conor from Nebraska. Tom and I got on the bus Monday to travel for a week and we headed S. 









We went to Selcuk the town outside old Ephesus. It was fascinating.

  Then we traveled 3 miles to Ephasus and spent the afternoon. 

The front of the  Ephesus library, notice the God and Goddess statues on the bottom row

This is Tom listening to St. Paul talk to the Ephesian in the amphitheater

 We took our Bible and would read from it and go find the places Paul or Silas had been. We also found that there is a church of Mary and John there. They came to avoid the persecution from Rome in Israel and they died there.

We also met Osmondo there, the Turkish rug sales man who had his own shop and many, many, rugs which, he showed us. He gave us apple tea and wanted to give us a rug, but we didn’t bite. (It felt a bit like time share). 

We were treated to fresh doughnuts. A man and his wife were making fresh ones and giving them away. We asked about why free and were told that the Muslims remember their loved ones who have died on the anniversary by giving away treats and the doughnuts are the usual treat. I thought my mom and aunts could survive forever just going to memorials in Turkey.

The bus the next day took us to Pamukkale and old Roman city of Hierapolis.

Last photo before the plunge....
 REVELATIONS am I hot or cold for GOD?
This is the hot  place talked about.

They were built around the mineral springs. The water flows out the side of the hill and has formed beautiful white calcium pools that hold the warm water. You can swim/soak in them but we hadn’t brought our suits so we just walked in them. They are however slippery and I fell in with my camera so that is why this is late being posted. I am waiting for Tom to get home with a new camera so I can load pictures. Since I was soaked and the ticket only bought one entrance our tour was very short. We did have a room that night that was heated by the water and had a huge pool/tub in the room that we filled with the mineral water to our necks and soaked in.

 Next day we kept going south through the mountains to the Mediterranean Sea at Antalya. 

We met a young Dutch couple and they invited (we just didn’t leave their side) us to join them. They had a copy of lonely planet and we didn’t. 

They were going into the old city and we went too, stayed and hung out with them. They had GPS and we were never lost. The Med was warm enough to swim in but I left my suit in the room or I would have jumped in. Antalya was warm and a beautiful city by the sea.

 More museums, more ruins, more statues, more fresh pomegranate/orange juice. We spent 3 days there and flew to Cappadocia where we were all meeting up.









 We rented a car with GPS and went to get Conor at the other airport. For such fertile country side the place was bleak with very few trees. The country side was like Arizona and New Mexico. Where we stayed in Goreme it was like Canyon de Shea in Arizona. We picked Kate up late at night and enjoyed the beautiful sky on the ride to the cave hotel the kids rented.

 The Christians fled to this area when the Muslims took over the country. Like I said there are few trees so they built or dug their homes out of the soft limestone rocks of the area. We stayed in one of the cave rooms. The hosts were wonderful and drew us maps every day t breakfast of the hikes we could take around Goreme. Everyday we were out by 10 and lost by 11 but found our way back by 5 when the sun went down. Good company, good food, leisurely walks warm days, lovely scenery; it was a great way to reconnect. Since this was the only time we have seen each other we celebrated birthdays and Christmas so Sunday was Christmas.

 We woke up at 5:30am to go for our presents. We took a hot air balloon ride over the valley with a champagne (juice) celebration at the end. It was magic. We toured a small cave church in the afternoon that someone was singing in so when she left we went in and sang Christmas songs. It had acoustics that let you hear the music more than once. I am the only family member that can’t carry a tune. The others helped me out and I keep the sound in my head of Silent Night. Christmas in the Peace Corps what a memory… We left Kayseri by air with a problem. I had booked our flight for the day before… fortunately a credit card helped get us on the flight and they had room for us.

On to Istanbul and all the history it offers. We stayed in someone’s apartment, who moved out to rent it. Istanbul is built in 7 miles of rolling large hills.
13 million people live there. 

 The most historic site is a peninsula on the Europe side called Sultanhamed. We toured the

 Blue Mosque,  The Muslims try very hard to convince us that Jesus was a prophet and show all that both religions have in common but that Islam is the right way. It gave us pause and much to l about with each other and others who would see us pray before meals.

 Aga Sofia an old Christian church that the Ottoman Muslims took over and painted over the beautiful paintings. It is in the process of being restored to the Christian décor now, the Topkopek museum where Moses staff and David’s sword (looked like a branch from a tree for a short guy and anyone sword) and a lot of jewels are kept there. The Turkish people who speak English were very helpful at telling of other places to see on the Asia side of the river. We took a few ferry rides and saw the area from high high hills.

 The trip was over too soon and we were all on a flight to different spots with Conor remaining in this great country. Katie is off to DC and then California for Christmas with Dylan and his family, I am back home, Tom, after seeing the airports of the US, is back, and we will host the new education volunteers to Arua for Christmas. We will enjoy another year here celebrating. The trip is now a cherished memory. I hope that you too have many cherished memories of your Christmas together or apart.
 Our Love this advent as you prepare for the birthday party of Jesus.     IN HIM,  Marc

58 YEARS YOUNG

This is baby Victoria who I blogged about earlier this year.  She reminds me of what I use to be.  I think she is a better baby then  I was.  She doesn't cry much, and I am told I did....

Birthdays, and what that means.
A day to mark years of living, learning, understanding, considering what the next one may hold.  Never did any of that before coming here.  Maybe I didn't have the maturity, time or see is as necessary.  I do now-
Maybe it's because I'm unsure of what the next year will bring.  My life goal was Peace Corps and that will finish in May.  Traveling will postpone the decision, but a plan, "Yes Mom, I always like a plan" and a plan needs to be made. But I don't have one so I'll just show you pictures of the party. I hoping GOD shows me HIS plan before I get to far into making mine.........

 

 A lovely day with friends, wild rice soup and cake under the avocado tree. Many friends had guest s in Nov. so were unable to come and those who did, some will be gone next year too.  It has given me a sense of how fluid the white community is here.  The Peace Corps class we came with left last month. Some things have closed in to make me feel like my time should be done here too.

Some adopted grandkids and Ankur (MSF from Dehli)

  Tom is making plans for MSF(Dr Without Borders) training and assignments which is 9 months.  I'm not excited about MSF for myself.  They work 12 hour days, are in miserable places, have someone cook for them (maybe I don't like the food) live together, work together, and socialize together. They get a week off after 3 months, but the  country's they usually are in are not people friendly.  Often they are in refugee camps patching up both sides of a conflict. Tom will do logistics to start with and move around in the admin section of it in foreign places.

 A new Peace Corps assignment is a thought I have been throwing around.  They have good health care but the grand kids are tugging too.  Jake and family moved to Maryland so I may need to wait for Tom in DC to spend some time with our future generation. They are being home schooled and I think I can teach them physical education.




Until I see you and can celebrate with you next year, "Yes Joshua I will be home for your 10th birthday", We wish you all Healthy Happy Birthday's!
Love from Beautiful Arua,  Tom and Marc
       
           Yes, Gigi, I know I look like mom...