Dennis the Menace & middle of the night calls

Wednesday after Gerald and I had been in Meknes all day trying to help Ron and Laurie pack up ten years of life in Morocco and sell three cars under Ron's name in 48 hours, we returned to Ifrane with heavy hearts.

Then at 1 AM someone from the nearby orphanage that has been threatened with deportation for months called Gerald. My heart sank and I prepared myself to go see the catastrophe that was surely unfolding there. I mean, really, when does someone call in the middle of the night with good news? But I was wrong. Myrna told Gerald they had heard all deportations from the whole spring had been overturned and that this government would pay plane tickets back for those who had already left. She wanted to call us before Ron might leave the country (the main flight out is a 2 AM). The night before we couldn't sleep because of sadness. That night we couldn't sleep because of joy!

The next morning the US consulate called Ron to say that the deportations from this week have been suspended pending a conversation that day between the US ambassador and the Minister of Interior. Ten Americans had been given the order since Sunday night and we don't know how many from other countries. After a long day of hopeful waiting, the consulate called back to tell Ron that the deportations of those still in Morocco had been permanently cancelled! It's seems this country's quest to rid the entire country of Christians (i.e. people who are 'grave menaces' as the document said) had finally hit a hitch.

Of course this has been a roller coaster for those involved - the stress of anticipation, grief of others leaving (there have been about 120 not counting families), exhaustion from worry, then almost a sense of relief upon getting the summons - 'so this is it' and 'fine - we're ready to leave' then joy and relief -whew!

We still don't know about the message we received in the middle of the night. Is something bigger politically going on? What happened at the hearings in DC last week with Senator Wolf? Has the king gotten involved? Does this mean those who have left will be able to come back? Does this mean future deportations won't happen? Will this country change its mind and problems start up next week? We just don't know. But after 3 1/2 months of bad news, we are thrilled with the first good news about this situation!

Now I call Ron "Dennis the Menace" - I always knew it :)

As I was thanking God for answered prayer yesterday, seven kids barged through the door, running all around me, looking for stickers, paper, markers, dress-up clothes, and most importantly - cookies. Then the cat started using me as a scratching post.

What a good feeling to laugh!

"Not to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be the glory... for ever and ever!" Eph. 3:20

Sad day

We have just learned that Ron and one of his employees have been given 48 hours to leave the country. The families will remain behind to pack up. We are devastated.

Summer

A week from today we will be off to the States! We leave July 1st on the red-eye Luftansa flight (2am), will arrive in Frankfurt where we will wander around like zombies along with everyone else there until we get on our flight for Toronto. We'll be with my brother's family in Buffalo as well as joining in on a HS class reunion. Then it's on to KC, Topeka, Hillsboro, & Meade for family and reunion time. We may be speaking in church on July 25 in Meade, August 8 in Hillsboro, and for sure August 15 in Topeka. For you Topekans, we will have a picnic for whoever can come on August 14 at Gage Park. Details coming.

I'm not sure how blogging will go this summer, but I'll 'see' you again for sure in the fall.

Things are still very tense here - will write more when we are in the States.

End of Year

Katrina's class field trip to the Roman ruins. It was pretty hot and quite the workout for my Arabic & French - but a very good day! The kids did great. That's Katrina's teacher, Anne, on the left. She has been a sweet, gentle teacher and we are thankful for her!
Kendra's class being silly. Her teacher, Emilie, (on the left) just went for maternity leave and the teacher on the right is the sub. Fatima on the left is the aide. Either Katrina or Kendra has had Emilie as a teacher for the last three years. She's a hard worker, lots of fun, and dearly loved by her students.

Ifrane - our apartment is slightly right of center

Gerald with some of his graduate students. He is working hard on the graduate program this summer.

Celebrating graduates!

Frienship Club - has met here every Friday since the fall. I made a book of the things we have learned, gave them some water balloons to play with, and sent them home for the summer. Hopefully their parents will forgive me for getting them wet by September when we start up again! (Moroccan parents are paranoid of their kids getting wet or cold.)

Father's Day pose - how thankful I am that these girls have such a wonderful daddy!

AUI campus seen from the hills behind our apartment

The grouchy strawberry guy & other miscellaneous musings

Souk pictures taken by Barb last year -

this is where I do my weekly vegetable & fruit shopping.
At least this man sells his eggs with platforms which he cuts to size and ties when you select your eggs. Some send the eggs home in a plastic bag occasionally with hay.

Learning language is funny. Sometimes you feel a great sense of accomplishment, and other times you feel as if you haven’t learned one single thing.

Buying strawberries a while ago, I asked for the price in Arabic. The vendor said, “Oh! You know Arabic!” then promptly asked me a long question which I told him I did not understand. Throwing up his hands, he loudly announced to everyone within earshot, “This woman knows nothing!!!”

“Thanks a lot, buddy. See if I come back.” I thought. Sadly, the next week, he had the best strawberries around. Taking a deep breath, I decided I had to put up with his grouchiness yet again. This time he tipped the scales and cheated me. Too bad he had the best strawberries again the next week!

But other times, I say only a few words and someone will say, “What fabulous pronunciation! What wonderful Arabic! How is it that you know so much!?!”

Obviously, I cannot rely on these random comments to give me a true sense of what my language abilities are!

Now that I carefully avoid the grouchy strawberry guy, I always find more encouragement than not at the souk (farmer's market) –

Last week as I was buying apricots, the vendor told me the price in Rials (the old Moroccan money) – which means you have to divide by 20 before paying in Dirhams (the current money). A passerby said to the vendor, “Tell her the money in Dirhams! She’s a foreigner!” to which the vendor replied, “No – she understands – she’s one of us!” I wanted to give the guy a big hug. But of course, I didn’t want to start a scandal right there in the middle of the market.

I love how the vendors sincerely call me “my sister” and ask about the girls if they are not along…and when they are, and it always cheers me how they receive so many gifts of kindness – a banana, a piece of pomegranate held out in a weathered, worn, and muddy hand….they’ve even been given eggs from the man pictured above.

I love the vibrant colors of natural fruit and vegetables, the rawness of it all – twin carrots, filthy potatoes, onions with all their greens, a bucket of live snails for soup, the rock from which the salt is ground, chickens tied up for sale - all these things that are hidden from us in the sterile store aisles of the west.

Then there’s the guy advertising his miracle herbal cures. Sadly, he’s managed to get a loudspeaker so that all can hear. But the watermelon guys are my favorite. Loud and boisterous, they holler out why their prices and products are so much better than everyone else’s.

A passerby offers a vendor his piece of watermelon. The vendor breaks off some then hands most of it over to me. How much sweeter is fruit from this generous hand than from the grouchy strawberry guy!

PRAISE!!!

As you can see, Diane has already put up with a lot in her life! Here she is with my silly bro to whom she has been married almost 30 years!

This just in minutes ago from Heidi!!! I love the internet!

The surgeon just came out to give us the report. She said the tumor was small. She believes she got it all, and that the margins around the tumor were clear. They did a preliminary test on the lymph nodes near the tumor, and that test was negative. Praise. That means that the surgery went as well as it could have gone. Mom's in recovery now. And we are in praise!

Diane

Diane & Heidi in near Buffalo, NY - where the family lives

Here is a note from my niece, Heidi, who is writing about her mom (my sis-in-law). We ask for your prayers for our dear Diane tomorrow as she goes into surgery.

-----

Hi there,I am writing to you because I think you would want to be part of this knee team. My mom, the lovely Diane, found out one month ago that she has breast cancer. The tumor is about the size of a pea. It contains both lobular carcinoma and ductal carcinoma. We don't know yet if it has spread anywhere else in her body. She is also having some other symptoms that have not been diagnosed.Our family is doing well. There has been some anxiety, but there has also been trust. We know whose hands we are in. We're praying and praising a lot.Mom is going to Roswell Cancer Institute for surgery tomorrow (Tuesday, June 8). We don't know what time yet. They will do a lumpectomy and test the lymph nodes to see if the cancer has spread. If the test is positive, they may do a mastectomy while she is under anesthesia.Will you please ask for the Healer to be glorified in this situation? Our preference for that glory would be Mom's complete healing, and soon! Of course. But we want not our will, but His to be done. And we haven't been shown clearly what His will is for my Mom. Pray for our faith. Thank you. So much.In Him,Heidi