Suffering from pose confusion GQ? No wait Sr picture!

Christmas the Big Event

Ben Ten ruled Christmas morning and brought many happy smiles! TMN Turtle was the Christmas Eve pick (which happened very early in the day in order to siphon off some excessive energy)

Youth Christmas Party and African Hope Refugee School Party

Reading the Gift of the Magi
Handing out presents at teh African Party
Santa in the shoot and Jonathan explaining the latest delay

Christmas Pageant

GJ gets into the Christmas Spirit

I am not sure who the "one size fits all" Santa Suit was based on but G.J. wasn't it.

Sorry the captions don't match the pixs but for some reason I can not figure out how to load them in such a way that final page resembles what I see in draft form. Anyhow here are a few pixs from truly the most beautiful place in Egypt, Siwa. I went last year with Skip and Bonnie and my Dad over the Christmas holiday and knew then that I needed to return to experience some desert camping. I can not explain the beauty of its vastness and stillness, such an unbelievable contrast to the rest of this country. CLEAN and FRESH!
I went with a group mostly of my youth staff and a few others. Great group and Caleb, as you can tell, thrived on all the love and attention.
Enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday with my usual Cairo family (minus the Stringfield family) and some new members 'ala Jonathan and Sarah Turlan. It was a first for the Turlan's as they hail from Australia, I think we easily won them over, how can anyone not love a day that is about giving thanks and eating! The turkey was the hugest thing most of us had ever seen 44lbs! Needless to say we will be eating off of that thing for weeks to come.
As always I am grateful for the loving family both near and far that God has blessed me with, and for a job and ministry that I thrive on, and foremost the privilege to be called a child of the Most High God! I have MUCH to be thankful for!

Caleb doing desert yoga with the girls.















Our vehicle getting stuck in the soft sand

Cook Out with the Turlan's and their 4 kids and Carol and Jeff and son Cameron (r). Turlan's work at the African Refugee school here and Carol is a lawyer studying at AUC for the year

More Saturday Adventure

A Saturday out in the Wadi with friends. All the kids chipped in on hunting for firewood while I put my Indian Princess skills to work making the fire.

Saturday Adventure

Working hard at making Saturday a fun day to spend with Caleb. We do lots of fun things in the course of a week but often there are other adults involved who want my attention and Caleb is kind of hanging on the perimeter, but Saturdays are different! It has helped that we have made friends with other families with kids who are the same age. This last Saturday we spent with a family who is here just for the year. The mom is studying at the American University and her husband and 6 year old have joined her for the year long adventure. They are anxious to get out and see not just the usual tourist things but Egypt at its truest level. Saturday was spent in the one and only park in Cairo, it is a beautiful, green haven in the midst of concrete. The boys took their scooters and had a blast. We enjoyed a picnic on soft green grass and only minimal staring. Some places I go I am like an animal in a zoo, constantly being stared at and talked to. Its not the worst thing in the world but grows wearisome year after year. Anyhow this was a great day.

When Will Summer End?

While many of my friends around the world have been posting photos of the fall color changes we here in Cairo welcomed in fall (October) with temps over 100, and still the same hazy brown color that we peer thru the other 11 months of the year.
On the positive side we can still go to the beach in mid October and swim comfortably and maintain our tan so it is not all bad by any means! I promised Caleb a few days of undivided attention so we went with some friends to Ein Suhkna about 2 hrs away and enjoyed just hanging out and breathing fresh air and watching the ships go by in the distance.
Women's Bible Study is in full swing and I am really enjoying the study and learning and experiencing amazing things about the Holy Spirit. Sometimes it feels like it is too much to absorb and put into practice, sometimes I feel as if we are sitting on a keg of dynamite with no clue of the potential power that surges below. How to understand, absorb and practice it all is overwhelming! Am preaching in a week from book of Ecclesiastes this will be a first!
This last month of adjusting to school has proven to be a real challenge for both Caleb and I. We are doing well at finding and following a routine (We have been on time every morning so far!) He is not real happy with the structured time concept and remarks often "When will I be free?" how can I explain to him that the days of carefree living are literally over? He woke up from a bad dream the other night crying and when I asked him what was wrong, he sobbed "I don't want to grow up!" I thought quietly to myself "Me either buddy."

The month's pictorial highlights

He will hate this some day but it is pretty sweet right now.












Middle School Ice Cream Trough

Kick Off Luau! for High School ( I still have no pride)

Some of the People Who Surround Me

This is Sarah Long she and her husband Ben (pictured below) are great friends and my next door neighbors as well as working with me in the High School program

The guy with the glasses is my new youth director GJ Tesar. He has gotten off to a fantastic start and I am looking forward to working with him for the next few years!

(Below) She looks like a high schooler but she's not! Maia Manchester is my awesome tech savvy almost full time volunteer. (Above) Ben Long and Jenna Kuntzman. Jenna is my Children's Director and also volunteers with the youth program. Feeling abundantly blessed this year with an awesome and very dedicated staff and group of friends.

The Big Party

Actually it wasn't a big party and it wasn't a bunch of hoopla which was great! We had the party at Bonnie's house and the kids just had a blast playing with all her toys and being together we didn't even have to entertain with any games. The all got along great and so did the adults so it was a fun afternoon.
He got lots of Ironman toys and spent most of last night playing with the boxes...yup that's my boy!
Fun day but onto a new year!

The Birthday Party

Taking a Few Minutes to Reflect

Can't believe it is September already, that might be because it is still upper 90's outside and showing no signs of Fall. September has become a month of reflection for me. On Sept. 7th my sweet Macon would have been 14 years old! That is inconceivable to me. I guess they got logged in your memory at the age which they left, he will always be 7 to me. Caleb turned 6 yesterday, Sept 12. And it has been 4 years since my boss, pastor and friend Dave died Sept 5.
The 7th came and went with ease, just enjoyed pondering in my head what he would be like as a teen- ager. As for Caleb it was a great day albeit we played it pretty low key. We will have a small party on Saturday. he was anxious to go to bed so that the big day would hurry up and come. I successfully hid his presents and had them wrapped and waiting for him in the am. He opened presents and then we went for donuts. He spent the day at Aunt Bonnie's as they were off school for a holiday. I had to work most of the day but took off early so we could make cupcakes to take to school the next day. He sat in the kitchen with me while they baked and just talked about all sorts of stuff and it was fun just to hear the things that go on in his mind. He made me play the World Cup theme song over and over again, I could have done without the last 10 reps of that but all in all just enjoyed being with him and revel at what a great kid he is, he just takes life easy as it comes.
My mom turns 70 tomorrow, man she grew up fast! Time just moves really fast these days.

The Routine Begins for Reals

Last night he was in bed at 8:30pm and sound asleep in 5 min, up at 7:00am! Now if I could just get myself into bed earlier we can get a good routine of sleep. He walked to school this morning with a friend so hopefully that will continue.
Sarah and Ben and I watched "Amreeka" last night per a friends suggestion after last weeks movie fail. A much better and more realistic picture of the struggle of Arabs immigrating to US. Highly recommend!
This week is a busy one as life gets into full swing. Youth group begins with a luau for the high schoolers on Tuesday night and middle school begins on Wed. Plus the Fri/Sat weekend services, only thing left to add to the schedule is the Women's Bible Study which won't begin until after the Eid (Sept 13)I hope by mid Sept to not work the Sat service and just attend and likely will not stay too involved in the middle school program as that is going to be GJ's baby.
Am attaching some random photos just for the fun of it and a glimpse of life.

What a great day! We had a rough night trying to settle down and go to bed but this morning we woke up happy and ready for the new adventure that life holds for us. I am most worried about figuring out a workable routine, how to get us both ready in the morning without starting every day stressed and frustrated. I made Caleb get up this morning at 6 which should insure his tiredness by 8 tonight...it better! But if we are both getting up at 6 I better get my schedule changed as well.

Looking forward to all that this new year holds both work wise and with Caleb, I have a spirit of anticipation.

First Day of School