newest entry

For some really weird reason, my newest entry is two entries down - "The other side of the ocean."

Who is this?

In college, after looking through an old yearbook, a staff member asked me if I was related to a Viola Wiebe who graduated in the 50's - "You look exactly like her!" she exclaimed. "Well, that is my Grandmother's name," I mused, "but she graduated much earlier . . . no, I'm not related to any Viola Wiebe from the '50s . . . Wait! That's my mom!" Before you sign me up for Alzheimer's treatment, remember - I have only known my mother as "Ruth Friesen," "Viola" being a dropped first name because of the confusion with her mother's name.

Seventy-five years ago yesterday Viola Ruth Wiebe was born in India to John and Viola Wiebe. The family returned to Minnesota when she was 13. Then Mom went to Tabor College (Kansas) where she met Dad and went on to live in the USA, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, and Pakistan having 5 babies along the way - no small feat!

"Ruth" means compassion and that is a great description for my incredible mother. A magnet to anyone who needs help and love, she has spent most of her life caring for the weak and the helpless from Dad's hospital patients, to refugees, to some rather flamboyant odd-balls . . . you name it. Since I am a point A to point B type of person, Mom has taught me much about stopping along the way and enjoying the beauty of nature and the people all around us. Most of all, she and Dad introduced me to the God they have served and who has led them all their lives.

AND - she will be in Morocco a week from now! She's coming to visit for six weeks! When I told Katrina that my brother Ron will pick up "Oma", she said incredulously, "Does he know her??" after which we had yet another family-tree lesson.

This is Mom's first major trip since Dad died, so I know she would appreciate your prayers.

The Pie Man Cometh

I thought since it has been a while since I've put a picture of Gerald on here, that you might like to see how he looks now. . .

This picture was taken at a fair AUI had a few weeks ago where my good-natured husband agreed to have whipped cream hurled at him for a good cause (the money went to a local charity). Of course, Katrina, Kendra and I had to help with the process as well as several of Gerald's students who were delighted at the opportunity.

Gerald's teased them that since Moroccans are so good at soccer, they don't know how to throw. His taunting made no difference and he got hit anyway!

The other side of the ocean

We are mourning the loss of lives in the VA shootings and trying to process the inconceivable news of one man's hate. This brought some questions in my mind about what Moroccans think of the USA and its infatuation with guns. I heard a story recently of an Atlanta cop who was visiting our friend Karen. He asked a group of Moroccan policemen how often they use their guns and what kind they like and how in Atlanta, they prefer the more powerful guns. The Moroccan policemen stared at him with incomprehension. One said he has never once used his gun. All the others said the same and that they didn't know of any policeman who had. Not to say there are no problems here, but this does not seem to be a big one.

I think it is interesting that the word "Barbarian" comes from Morocco which has the Barbary coast and Berber tribes. And yet Moroccans view Americans as being barbaric for allowing their people to carry and even conceal guns. Our friend, Fatima Ezzahara looked at me in shock when I told her of the right we have to bear arms. Gerald's students told him that only policemen and hunters are allowed guns. The penalty for having a gun? Five years in jail!!! It was unanimous in the class that this is a good law. Morocco is no soft country - one insult for the northern Berbers used to be, "Your father died in his bed" meaning it is a complete disgrace for a man to die peacefully. Evidence of a long history of battles, sieges and a country born in blood is still visible in the thick walls of old cities and in stories that send shivers down my spine. Yet, we wonder how this country once so "barbaric" come to the point of such gun control where even people's attitudes have changed over time.

Just add cous cous

I bet you didn't know that to make good friendships become great ones, all you have to do is add cous cous. As Sunday dinner is to us, so is cous cous after Friday prayers to Moroccans. So on as many Fridays as we can; Karen, Wendy and I get together over this steaming Moroccan specialty with vegetables and meat on the top, buttermilk on the side (which we give to Karen since she is the only one who likes to drink it), and a cup (or two) of cafe creme. During the meal, we we solve most world problems, learn about each other's lives and laugh until we snort.

Karen is our chaplain here and has been in Morocco for over 10 years (in a place where long-term means 3 years). Her husband, Kevin, teaches at AUI and her daughter, Claire (7), is a dear friend of Katrina & Kendra's. Karen is fluent in Arabic & French, which makes me terribly jealous. Because of her language skills and her heart of love, has reached out to many poor and needy people in the area as well as serving the role of Chaplain to AUI (mostly to foreign professors and students). Highly respected and on countless committees, she zips all over the country and is known and loved everywhere she goes.

Wendy is also a long-termer with almost 4 years in Morocco under her belt. Her husband, Ben, also teaches at AUI, and her two children, Jonathan (6) & Amy (4) are the favorite constant companions of our girls especially since they live in the next building. Wendy has the most amazingly generous, kind and thoughtful heart and is greatly loved by everyone as a result. I don't know how many times little plates of food have come our way, or how often we get a call when she is down town asking if we need anything. Since we both home-school, we trade off kids once a week. On Tuesdays I have them all for a few hours, and on Thursdays, she does (which is why you're more likely to hear from me on Thursday than any other day!).

I attribute our good adjustment here in large part to these two women, whose love for God shines through their lives, whose husbands are good friends of Gerald's, and whose kids are wonderful playmates for ours.

Precious Girl

Katrina discovered snow outside on the morning of her 6th birthday (April 6) - a first in her long life! Although very ready for snow in December, she wasn't so sure what to do about in April. So I had to out all of my mother's lines, "Isn't this wonderful? What an adventure! Now the grass will get greener!" She fell for it and happily went outside to pose for this picture.

Katrina woke up on her birthday very much in character - with a complete agenda for the day. When she was a baby, it was Cry all day, when she was a toddler, it was Rearrange the entire house, and after watching "Cinderella," it was Clean the floors, wipe down the bathroom, and comment on how much work had to be done...

On her birthday, she got up and went straight to her little desk where, in 10 minutes flat, she had drawn, colored and hung up a picture. The day continued at break-neck speed with all the things on her list including decorate our window so fast that Kendra and I were left in the dust. After rest time, the entire room was covered in projects that apparently also had to be done.

We'll combine Kendra and Katrina's birthday parties this year, but in the mean time - we gave her a mini-party with a few special friends in which we gave her a bike.

After last year's crazy planning, packing & moving, it has been a joy to be able to sit down and spend time with Katrina this year. Her delight in life, her love of laughter, her feats of strength (the other day she carried two folding chairs down two flights of stairs by herself), her love of exploring the woods, her unending questions, her constant art projects, her tender heart, her perseverance in an all-French school, and her love of praying for "...all the people in the world we've never met" are just a few of the things we love about her.

Thank you, God, for our precious little girl!

He Rose!

Worshipping in a church community which includes some Catholics means there is far more emphasis on the suffering of Christ and preparing for Easter than we are accustomed to. We found great value in preparing our hearts for the day as we do for Christmas. Thursday we celebrated the traditional Passover meal with a study on where Jesus shocked his followers by breaking with and fulfilling tradition by creating a new meaning for them by the introduction of communion and foot washing (the girls fought over who would wash my feet!). Good Friday we had a short meaningful candlelight service on a cold, snowy day.

Easter morning we pulled the girls out of bed and went upstairs to the church (apartment) balcony for a lovely sunrise service on a clear, warm day. Everyone came to our home afterwards for a potluck breakfast. The main service was at 11:00 and it was beautiful. The girls sang "He Rose!" with the other children and we each lit a candle representing Christ's risen life and shared a hope that we have as a result of the resurrection.

Then we zipped over to have a potluck lunch with Ron and their crew from Meknes meeting here in town which was followed by another wonderful service and an Easter egg hunt! It was a very full day but also a special one.

A Joyful Easter to all of you!

Palm Sunday

As our pastor said, it is appropriate that Palm Sunday fell on April Fool's Day -
I Corinthians 1:23-25

"But we preach Christ crucified...foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called.... the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength."

How wonderful that the God of the Universe would be "foolish" enough to love us to the point of death on a cross so that we can be restored to God!

We had one inch of snow on Palm Sunday. Although it was a first for us to have snow in April, apparently this is not unusual for Ifrane, so we waved our palm branches in the falling snow and tried to act like it was normal. A few days later, Karen (our pastor) arranged for donkey rides in their yard remembering Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem. Both girls loved the sweet little donkey and had a wonderful time in spite of the snow/sleet/rain coming down.

Cousin Time

My sister-in-law Laurie's mother passed away last week. Thankfully Laurie was able to be with her mother in France the last two days of her life. I never knew Monique, but having raised a wonderful person like Laurie, she must have been lovely.

For the funeral, Ron took two of the girls up to France. Two others stayed in Meknes with friends, and the little ones came here for 4 days.

So we had a 3,4,5 & 6 year old in the house. The oldest, Abir (6) (Ron & Laurie's foster daughter) weighs less than any of the other three. What she does not have in pounds, she has in spunk and pure delight in life. And Melody (4) joined right in on K2's endless pretend games. They did so well together that I hardly noticed we had doubled the amount of children in our home until they all had to go somewhere, get ready for bed, or go to the bathroom! They dressed up so much I often wondered why I even bothered to dress them at all in the mornings!

Here they are in a hug right before we took Abir & Melody back to Meknes.