So With Coffee Comes Celebration

Last month was the month of Estr!  Here in Camel Land we celebrated this most important of hly days twice.  Camel Land follows the Eastern calendar, so they celebrate the hly days about two weeks behind us.  However, those of us living here from other areas of the world celebrated together during the Western calendar Estr and then again with our national friends according to the Eastern calendar. 

The hly time begins here with everyone fasting for Lent for a month before hand.  This mostly means that people don't eat meat, milk, eggs, chocolate, chicken, or any other dairy for a month.  Everyone eats vegetables, lentils, and water for a month, so by the time Estr comes everyone is more than ready for meat.  On Palm Sunday everyone goes to ch celebrating by taking palm fronds and branches and decorating the roads, themselves, and their houses in memory of the triumphal entry.  Then on Good Friday you can feel the pallor in the air as everyone remembers this day.  On Good Friday everyone wakes up, eats a special meal made of chick peas, hot pepper powder, onions, tomatoes, oil, and corn.  That is the only food they will eat all day.

This Good Friday I went down to the tea shop I have been frequenting to wait for my language teacher to meet me there.  While I was there I partook of this special meal with everyone there because they were all eating, and when you are eating and you have guests they must be served food  too.  Then later my language teacher/s arrived and we walked over to the orthdx ch in our neighbourhood.  The Orthx people do not go into the building here.  Typically the building is way too small to hold half the crowd, so the first ones to arrive will enter but everyone else is outside surrounding the ch.  However, on Good Friday the people are outside with the prsts on the porch of the ch building.

Everyone in the courtyard is wearing white, and everyone is standing up.  No one is allowed to sit down while the prst speaks, and everyone waits to hear the prst announce the time after he has recounted the Estr story orally.  However, the story is told in a language  no longer spoken, so most people have no idea what they are listening to.  If the older folks get tired they have special canes to lean on to rest their muscles, but sitting down is out of the question.  If you sit or squat you get wacked by the monks and nuns walking around with wooden "hitting" sticks. 

As the time begins to tick down the priest begins to chant/sing and the people begin to pr.  This means they make the sign of the cross and bow repeatedly.  They cross their arms, touch their shoulders, bend at the waist or go all the way down to their knees, then stand back up, and repeat the process all over again.  Once the priest announces the hour as that of J breathing his last, the "pr-ing" stops and everyone becomes still and quiet. 

Once this is over everyone continues to listen to the prst, they go and make pennance for their "sins" during Lent by making the sign of the cross however many times the prst tells them to, and then once the day-long service is over everyone goes home.  On Saturday pretty much everyone stays at home and sleeps, and then on Sunday the celebration begins.  People get up at the crack of dawn go back to ch, and then back home to cook and clean and get ready for the Estr feast.  Chicken, eggs, beef, lamb, goat are all consumed with abandon, and very little if any vegetables are eaten.  After everyone is full to popping the days ends with coffee. 

This meat eating feast continues the whole week from Sunday to Sunday until Maudy Monday when it is said that He ascended back to hvn.  I was able to participate in this "2nd" Estr feast with one of my language teachers and her family.  I ate way too much meat, had to drink 2 Cokes, and then 2 cups of coffee.  I was very full to say the least after that day

The pictures are of Good Friday.  I went with two my language teachers to watch the service on Friday at the Ortho ch in our neighbourhood.

Pr for the O people here to understand that it is important to understand the Word.  Pr that He would begin to break down barriers of fear and suspicion when the G is presented.

Serving Him with You (where ever I am),

Rachel

Some Pictures of the Past Couple of Months

In the past two months I have tried to take more pictures; however, I still feel like I haven't taken as many as I could!  The culture here and the people doesn't lend itself to taking pictures that easily, and often when the camera comes out I'm either mobbed or told to put it away.....oh well, I have tried and I will continue to :).  One of the things I have been doing a lot of in the past couple of months is hanging out at a local tea house .  Here coffee shops are called tea houses even though their main beverage served is coffee not tea.  They call them tea houses because when you call something a coffee shop you are usually talking about a place that is more akin to a brothel or strip club not a Starbucks!  Crazy I know.....you say lets go to the tea house for coffee and to the coffee house for beer.  I do not understand, but sometimes it is just better not to try! 

The reason I've been hanging out in this tea house is for language purposes.  In these tea houses you sit around and talk to the ladies making the coffee, and it is great practice for language and relationship building.  Here the whole process for coffee goes something like this:

1. Buy the coffee while it's still green (yes, before roasting, coffee beans are green)
2. Pick through the beans for rocks, dirt, spoiled beans etc.
3. Wash the beans in water to get other dirt and rocks to cpme off or to come to the surface.
4. Pour the beans in a small metal pan, made especially for coffee roasting, and hold it over the fire, which you prepared and lit before you started cleaning the beans.
5.  Some people use a metal stick to push the beans back and forth as they roast the beans over the fire; others just hold the pan over the fire and shake it occassionally to keep the beans from burning.
6.  Once the beans are nice and dark brown, you pass the pan around to everyone sitting in the tea house and they waft the smell of the roasting beans to their faces and breathe deeply.
7.  Then you pour the beans into what is the equivalent of a mortar.
8. You take a heavy metal stick and began pounding/grinding the beans by hand.
9.  Once you have the achieved consistency of coffee powder......
10 You take the powder and pour it into the traditional coffee pot or jebina, you pour some water in there, and set it on the fire and let it brew.
11.  Then you put two tiny teaspoons full of sugar into macchiato sized cups and pour the coffee into each cup until it's overflowing.
12.  If you are truly national you began slurping while the coffee is burning hot.

Recently I had the opportunity to do this process on my own while my language helper looked on and helped or corrected my mistakes....apparently I am not strong enough to pound the coffee into a fine enough powder!  The next week she took me to a market in her area of the city and she helped me buy a jebina, a pan for roasting, and a metal stick for pushing the beans back and forth while the beans roast.

In between all that you have great chances to talk and practice language.....believe it or not!
Coffee is a big part of life here in the birthplace of the worldwide popular beverage.  Below you will see pictures of the different stages I talk about.  The first three pictures are of the tea house I have been visiting.  The lady pouring is a Sister, and she has a strainer in the cup to catch the larger grounds, but that is not typical....usually your third cup of coffee (because usually you drink 3 with each visit), you "eat" part of it too :).  The second picture is of my language helper on the right and the tea shop owner's sister on the left.  The third picture is me and the tea shop owner after we had a full on coffee ceremony with popcorn to eat, to celebrate me finishing the 2nd phase of language.  The last three pictures are as follows:  1. Grinding coffee.  2. Brewing coffee. 3. And the finished roasted product in the pan before grinding or pounding.

So I guess this post is more about coffee than anything else!  That means you'll get more posts this month! 

Please pr for me as I go and visit this tea shop and meet more people.  Pr also that I will be able to go and visit my neighbour across the street, who has invited me for tea/coffee.  Pr that I would be able to speak and He would give me the right words.


The language helper/teacher you see in this picture is a strong Sister.  Pr for her as she continues to share in many different venues and ways, and pr for our friendship to grow.  She is no longer my teacher as there have been some new people arrive, and she is working with them right now. 

Now I have two new language helpers, and I ask for you to pr for my patience and attitude with them.  Pr especially for one of my teachers who has two sons who are currently suffering from typhoid.



Serving Him with You (where ever I am),

Rachel

Where did 9 go? Now we are at 10!

Well, I didn't ever post for month 9 and now I am well into month 10, and instead of telling people I've now been here so many months I can now say, "Well, in July it will be a year :)."  Those words really thrill my  heart let me tell you!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Thank you for pr me through this first year it has been hard, and one where I have been grinded and sifted until I think I can take no more, yet I have a feeling there may be more coming.  However, He is faithful and He never gives us more than we can handle; however, the part of that verse I often overlook is that word, "when".  Paul gives us those wonderful words of, "He never gives us more than we can handle, but when He does....."  How often do we all overlook that last part hoping beyond hope that He will not give us anything we cannot handle; EVER!  However, we all know that He often does, and the reason He does (I am learning) is because He loves us, and He wants us to experience and know His love in a way most of us have never experienced any kind of love before.  One of the greatest ways He shows us His love and teaches us how to truly experience it is through times of hardship, times of discouragement, times of feeling like we have failed, times of pain.  When look at Him full in the face during those times, His face is full of unfathomable love and that is what He gives us to get through what we think we can't handle.  He wraps His arm around our shoulders, helps us stand up, takes the burden we've been trying to carry, and walks along beside us with our burdens on His shoulders.  As we walk together, if we are patient and listening, He teaches us about our burden why He gave it to us or why He allowed it.  And as He talks and we walk along beside Him; we learn and we see His love for us.....greater than any love we have or can have in this life. 

Although it is great love we often don't want it, because it is too hard.  I have been guilty of not wanting it.  Thinking that I want His love, and at the same time not wanting the difficulty that comes along with it.  However, in His grace and patience I am learning the difficult and "hard" is worth it to know His love to know how much He loves us a little more every day.  Thank you for helping me to keep walking beside Him, when I have been tempted to just throw the burden at the Father and run away.  This post is not to say, "Yay! Everything is all better I'm good now!"  That would not be the truth; however, it is to say thank you for shouldering all of this with me, and being part of that way the Father helps us carry our burdens never expecting us to carry them alone.  Thank you so much for pr me through this year.  Keep lifting me up I cannot do the next 2 years without you! 

If you would like to respond to this post or any post please write me at racfarmer@mailboxwiz.com

Serving Him with You (where ever I am),
Rachel

8 Months on March 2nd

The 8th month mark came on a day that I was thinking more of birthdays than being here for 8 months.  March 2nd was my nephew, Elijah's, 2nd birthday, and it was difficult not being there for that.  I still have not been able to contact him or my sister (his mom), so pray that this week we can connect over skype.  However, even though it was hard to be away that day I did have a good day thanks to your pr.  March 2nd was also the birthday of one of my closest friends.  She and I have been friends since our 9th grade year of highschool, and in large part because of her husband and her there are days I have been able to make it through.  They are some of my most faithful pr supporters, and I thank Dad for them.  I also ask that you would lift them up.

These two friends of mine, H & D are currently in process of raising support to go and serve with Cadence International as Workers serving military families specifically the youth of these families on base.  They are currently on track to be working with base in Germany by May.  Please be pr for them as they continue to trust Him to provide the support they need to get there.  If you were to give them $5-$10 a month for 2 years you have already helped in a big way.  If anyone is interested in helping to support them let me know at racfarmer@mailboxwiz.com 

Finally, March 2nd was the official time marker of me being in Camel Land for 8 months.  Hard to believe it's been 8 months.  Please keep pr for me in the language area.  I am almost finished with the 2nd part of the 2nd phase of this language program we use here.  Once I finish the 3rd part I should be ready for my first evaluation.  Please pr that I would be able to finish the 2nd part of phase 2 by the end of this week, and that I would be able to successfully come through the evaluation at the end of the 3rd part of the 2nd phase.  It also looks like I will be running in a 5K on Sunday.  This race is for Girls and Women only, and I have no idea what to expect for this kind of an event here in this country.  I am also dealing with some pain when I run, and I have only been able to train on a treadmill.  Pr that I can do this well.  Pr also that I would know what He wants to be doing for Him here ( I know the obvious answer to that, just asking for a specific role to fill).  Continue to lift up also that while I am here He would help me to make some national friends.

Pictures:  1. These are my friends H & D and their son, Samuel.  They are also expecting baby #2. Pr for H during this time, especially for her strength and health.

2. This is me at a point outside of the city, this was before Cmas.

3. The last picture is my sister, Julia, and her little boy Elijah....my nephew.  He turned two on March 2nd.  Julia is expecting baby girl in June.  Pr for Julia, Ben, and Elijah as they get ready for little sister.

Rachel

Remember to become one in a million pr for the Horn in April go to http://www.prayforthehorn.com/ (this is a link so you can click on it and go directly there!)

A Tour of the House with the Wardrobe....Only I Don't Have Snow or a Lightpost

So if you read the previous post you would have noticed I said, " You have to go through the closet to get to the bathroom."  That's right!  In my room is a wardrobe, and there is another side to it!  Ha!  Only I don't have an enchanted, Christmasy land on the other side of my wardrobe....just a toilet, a bathtub, a sink, and some towels and a dirty clothes basket.  So if you want to go "through the wardrobe" come visit me! Ha ha.

Here are more pictures of my house:

1& 2. These are the stairs.  My bedroom and the other two bedrooms are upstairs, along with a hall bathroom.

3. This is the living room.  It is a long room part of it is the living room and part is the dining room.  This is the sofa that I had made here.

4. Here's my recliner.

5. Here's the dining room and yes that's the fridge.  It doesn't fit in the kitchen because there isn't a place for it.

6. These are the brown curtains I had made for the living room/ dining room.  These windows are floor to ceiling and open out onto a small porch.

7.The last 3 pictures are of the kitchen.

                                                                    

The final picture is of me on my birthday.....hope you enjoy the "tour".  Keep pr and lifting up.

Rachel

A Day on My Back

Some of you may remember that when I was a Jman whenever a lot of stress would come into my life my neck and shoulders would seize up and I would be in pain for days.  Often I would just carry on and feel like a stiff tin man trying to get around.  Once I started running at sem a lot of that stopped as most of my stress was being pounded out on the trail or the pavement.  However, since I have been in Camel Land some of this stress in my muscles has come back.  Now that I am running again it is much less, however, it is not as little as it needs to be and I need your pr.  Please pr that right now my muscles would relax in my right shoulder and arm, and I would be able to have full range of motion without pain.  Right now I can't really hold my head up without it hurting a lot, so I have been at home and didn't go to language today.  Pr that my muscles are relaxed enough tomorrow that I can go run, and hopefully a good run will loosen a lot of this up. 

I also want to bring to mind that April 2012 is coming upon us.  Some of you have received notes from me, and emails saying become 1 in a million and join with us in pr for the Horn in April.  Please go to prayforthehorn.com if you have not already,  and find out how you can specifically pr for this part of the world to not only see the light, but to walk in it.  This part of the world has had His light present for centuries, yet for years the people of this corner of the world have turned the other way.  Pr that they will turn around and run towards the Light.  Please go to prayforthehorn.com to find out how you can be a part of this 1 in a million event as we seek to have 1 million people pr for the Horn in the month of April.  During this month we are also having many groups coming to pr walk and work among the people as they pr.  If you would like to physically be here please go to this site to find out how:  prayforthehorn.com (although these are in blue they are not links, you must put this address in your browser to find it).

Being flat on my back today has also given me time to put together something of a vitural tour of my house for you....here are the pictures.

These pictures are of my bedroom. 1. The first one is of my bed.
 2. The second one is of the closet that takes of up the whole left wall (left you're sitting on my bed).
3. Is the wall I see from the head of my bed....bookcase and small dressing table with mirror.
4. To get to the bathroom you have to go through the closet. 
5. These are the curtains I had made for the floor to ceiling windows that are the right wall, which open to a balcony where I dry my clothes.

I'll have to put other pictures in another post.

Rachel

7 Months

Well, it has now been 7 months, and that has only been possible by your pr.  Thank you Lrd for helping me get this far.  Continue to pr and lift me up in being here for this season.  I have now moved into a house in the capital, and basically things are going ok.  There is some rythmn to things now, and I basically have a schedule down.  My house is coming together, and due to a lot of your pr the rest of my cargo was found this past week.  It is a long story I would rather not share on the blog, but if you want to know it all I can send you an e-mail :).  I had already decided I didn't need what was in the rest of the cargo and I didn't want it.  But for whatever reason the Father wanted me to have it, so now my recliner is here along with my plates, bowls, silverware, waffle iron, crock pot, cutting boards, computer printer, and pots and pans.  Hopefully this week the curtains for the living room and my bedroom will be finished and I will get them hung.  According to the "plan", which is a very fluid concept here.....my other furniture will be finished.  In my heart I know my time here is short, but I ask that you would pr all that I have, that He has supplied, He would use to bring Himself honour and glory.  

    There is one kink with my house and that is, it is next to a new road project.  When a new road is being built here all of the people in the community suffer until it is finished because our water and electricity is frequently if not always cut off.  Please pr that my water supply would remain consistent and that electricity would be regular. 

     Language continues to plod along or rather I continue to plod along with it.  One major goal was accomplished this week....I said the blessing in Am all by myself.  I can't help but think that me and my 1 1/2 year old nephew are at the same point in our language skills :).  On Friday I finished phase 2A in our language program and on Monday I being phase 2B.  Lanugage continues to get harder, and I ask that you would pr I would be listening better and keeping up with the homework.  Pr that the verbs and nouns would stick. 

    This week I will be having a birthday.....please be pr for me on this day.  I know that many of you will  be pr without me having to ask and I thank you for that.  This past week I received two packages for my birthday, and I know there are a few more on the way.  Pr that He would bring the rest this week.  Many of you may remember a post from my first 3 months here where I asked that you partner in pr for me for my future spouse and helpmate.  I pr that on my birthday you would all do this specifically.  For whatever reason He has really laid that upon my heart. 

    I hope that you all have a great week, and if you want to send me a longer letter, or you want my mailing address or you want to send a care package please write me at racfarmer@mailboxwiz.com Please also go to prayforthehorn.org to find out how you can be one in a million pr for the Horn in April 2012.

Rachel

Photos:  1. Taken during the holiday Temket, where the O ch remembers the bapt of J by John the Bpt. 

2. This picture on the right is of a guy who works for one of the little souks close to where I live.  He saw me taking pictures and asked for one.

3. The third picture of of a water tank that is a lot like the tank I am currently getting my water from.  Please be asking that our water situation would be worked out soon.

4. This is me in the house, with my lovely pink sheet for curtain.  Hopefully that will be down by this week and the real curtains up. 

I have started running again on a consistent basis.....my running toes are back!  Pr I can keep it up.  Here all my running has to be in a gym, but thanks to my ipod it's not so bad.  Angela Q. Ward:  The pictures of the fruits and vegetables from the previous post are actually olives and ginger :).