Date Night

I wanted to post a little culture for you. On Wednesday nights, Aaron and I have a babysitter and are able to go for a date - with him leading the project, it's hard to get much time together. So a week and a half ago we went down to the city center. It's one of our favorite places to just walk around and explore. We found this year that instead of taking the bus, you can take a car which you just pay a little per person. The car takes 4 people and will drop you off where you want along the main drag. So we took the car downtown which just amazes me in the first place. People are so alert to body language here. To catch one of these cars (or a taxi) all you do is stand on the side of the street and barely lift your hand and pointer finger, and they see it and stop. Then to watch them drive in the traffic is like a dance (see previous post on the miracle we haven't died here yet...). They drive so tightly together - lane lines are a suggestion - and just know when to weave in and out.

We got downtown and went to a little "home-cooking" restaurant - basically, this place was located in an alley and was the size of a living room with 4 tables inside and a couple outside the door. Then back through swinging doors was a tiny kitchen with this awesome little guy with a white apron and white hair who I think was the cook. We had a nice little meal and headed out to walk around.

There's an awesome old building - all stone and in a square shape - that's all small stores of scarves and silk products. It's awesome. All the girls here love it :). We walked in there a little and headed further back from the main drag into what would best be described as a permenant covered bazaar. There's all kinds of produce, nuts, meats and different sections selling jewelry, household goods, textiles, clothes (I got a shirt for $3), meat, and other random stuff. It's just so fun to wander around in.

Then we walked to a little Burger King ice-cream hut and shared a little icecream, went to mall and grocery store and headed home. I told Aaron, you can't do any date nights like this in the states! ...except I guess if you live in a big city, which we don't. So that's a taste of our time here.

Little Sparrow

Here's another thing I wanted to blog so I'd remember:
We were walking to the store together a couple days ago, and there was a little sparrow on the sidewalk in front of us. I pointed it out to Liv and said, "Look, there's a sparrow! Jesus knows where all the sparrows are in the whole world, and He knows where we are all the time too." To which she replied, "That means He loves us," Which I thought was amazing. Continuing to pray that the Lord keeps her heart tender towards Him.

Three

Liv turns 3 today! I was so sentimental last night, how does a 2 year old to bed and wake up 3 the next morning. It's gone so fast - and will continue to I know. We had a birthday party last night cause the summer project students and staff are having an outreach event tonight making a party not possible. We had our fellow project staff, a few of the interns here, and a few of the long team staff here all over for dinner and chocolate cake. It was fun - Liv was high on people (and sugar). This morning we had breakfast together, opened her presents, and took the metro to a playground with (no joking) 2 story high slides. They're seriously bigger than anything I've seen in the states. So with a new influx of a couple toys, she's got more options to play with and has been enjoying that a bunch last night and this morning.

I've been teaching Liv some "new skills" in our days together. With suitcase space at a premium I only brought a couple toys and books but brought construction paper and a few crafty things cause they take up less space. So the last few weeks Liv has learned how to do watercolors, glue, and use scissors (which she says pronouncing the "s's" like in the word "hiss" - I love it). So we'll keep working with that as well. We often go on walks to the little grocery store up the road. I can only carry what I can manage in one hand along with holding her hand as we walk cause we live on a busy street. So we go to the store often. She's learning how to kick the ball really well and keeps saying that when she's older she's going to play soccer. We've been inside a lot lately cause it's just hot - thankfully this year we have air conditioning (which they won't keep powered on all day, but still, it helps a lot).

We have another week and a half here in this city. Then we leave to go to a bigger city for a couple days to debrief and tour before the students and 3 of the staff head home. Aaron, Liv, another staff women, and I are heading to the city Aaron and I interned in 9 years ago. We have some great friends serving there, and we're looking forward to a couple days of spending time with them. But again I'm missing the 4th of July in America. I love the 4th of July :). Oh well, hopefully next year.

2 weeks in...

We're doing really well! As is our habit, we forgot our camera cord... so, no pictures. Though if you're my friend on facebook, students and staff have already uploaded some photos and have tagged Liv and I in some. So until we get home (or I steal pictures from someone else) I don't have any pictures to post. I'm sorry, I know that makes blog reading more enjoyable.

Tonight, Aaron and I took a walk with Liv to our little grocery store that's about 3 blocks away to grab a couple things. I commented that it's really kindof amazing that with all the time we've spent in this country, it's amazing we haven't died yet :). I'm sure that's of great comfort to the grandparents... I'm sure the angels watching over us work double time when we're here. With traffic, transportation, etc... But I try to keep my eyes open and a tight hold on Liv. There's definitely incoveniences in living overseas, but one of the benefits - at least being here - has been the produce. The farmer's market comes to our area every Tuesday. So tomorrow, I'll load up Liv in the stroller, wheel up and down foot high curbs about 3-4 blocks, load up the basket of the stroller, and come back to our apartment with absolutely amazing fruit and veggies for super cheap. We got perfect watermelons last week - probably one of my favorites. Man, so good. I'm planning to get another tomorrow, along with peppers, zucchini, cherries, peaches, and strawberries.

I think each time I come here, more and more the Lord guides my heart for prayer as I'm out and about. Someone will catch my eye or just cause my heart to ache, and the Lord brings me to pray for them, to bless them, to ask the Lord's Spirit to touch them. I'm just so sensitive to the darkness here - absence of the light of Christ. It's heavy, it's depressing at times, and it brings me to ask Him to continue to be light and life. Thank goodness that I know He's in me and with me and that my light is sure, my identity in Him is secure, my future is sealed. And hence the reason to go, to tell others, to let our light shine before men...