Historic Moment: Aunt Jane Comments!!

I almost DO NOT believe my eyes. My first EVER family comment, from my favorite family member and blog fodder provider: Aunt Jane. Here it is:

Read your blog, hope you are having a great visit with your sis. Any wildfires nearby?? Without you around to distract me I had to do some real work, cleaned my bedroom. Hubby will be glad to know that my hubby trimmed branches off of the garage roof. Have a great trip.

Heh-heh, love that gal; and I DO distract her. We talk for hours about everything, especially when there is family drama brewing. Sometimes, I am the creator of family drama.

Aunt Jane, cute you comment as Mona’s Mom. Congrats on the clean bedroom! My hubby laughs as he says your hubby waited until he was gone as my hubby wanted to trim MORE. Brotherly love is grand.

Yup, there are wildfires  near, but not so near to be a problem (there were last week, tho). Sis here is taking in  evacuated horses, a trailer of them will arrive shortly. I can’t believe it, flooding in Illinois, drought and wildfires in California.

I love you, Aunt Jane. You all have a great trip too.

California Dreamin’

We’re off to California bukra, yahoo!!!

First stop, my sister’s 400 acre ranch bordering a national park, with ten Great Pyrenees dogs, hundreds of sheep, one old llama, cows, peacocks and marijuana growing neighbors. The local fauna includes bears and mountain lions, so in spite of the lofty mountain grandeur, we only go for walks in groups atop horses (and Uncle A carries a handgun).

Next, a partialfamily reunion in Lake Tahoe! My bro and fam are back safe at their home and decided they NEEDED a vacation after all that drama, yay God! We are going to take the kids to all the places we loved growing up: lots of hiking, swimming, picnicking, craw-dad catching, river-rafting. We will be staying with a family with five kids, very cool folks who don’t mind pandemonium (like Aunt Jane).

Then, Orange County!!! Newport Beach, here I come!! We’ll be staying with a fam with SIX kids, just like the Tahoe family and Aunt Jane. Heh-heh, the people who call us right-wing-bottom-feeders have another word that actually works: BREEDERS. We’ll be seeing lots of friends, going to Knott’s Berry Farm, body-surfing and swimming in pools. We’ll spend a fortune on sunscreen.

One thing that WON’T be happening is meeting MAI! But, I’d much rather see her married to Sam Qwaider. Convenient match-making prayer answers: I love it when TWO I am praying for tie the knot. May God richly bless this union.

I’m sure I’ll have access to a computer, just enough to keep my addiction fed but learn some self-control as I do. See you in August!!!

Amman Little League Baseball on Al Jazeera!

This Friday, in addition to photographers capturing images of little leaguers for team photos, we saw some serious camera-men/persons? shooting parts of the games and interviewing players. I thought “Well, I guess the local newspapers finally decided baseball was a newsworthy item!”.

Well, it was a bigger deal than just that! Desertmom called to say it was none other than Al Jazeera, in the flesh. They interviewed Munir Odeh and David Nuqul about the game and their involvement. Hope they noticed they EXTREME commitment of parents, who froze and endured windy dust on par with salon exfoliation treatment to cheer their kids on.

Glory be. I hope no one told them how many coaches are Americans and, horrors, some even Evangelical Christians; it may never get on the air. OK, I’m being unduly snarky, please forgive me :). I am just glad they saw the value of the sport for Jordanian kids enough to cover it. Hopefully no conspiracy-theorists will catch that most of the moms bring artery-clogging Planet Donuts for post-game snack.

OK, but what I’m REALLY happy about is that they found out about it through a magazine article. As far as I know, I’m they only one ever haven written on the subject so far, during my short but bitter-sweet tenure with Family Flavours Magazine (the 7iber folk kindly posted it here, too).

Heh-heh. Tickles me, indeed. Can’t wait to tell my my US-bound friends I inspired Al-Jazeerah. Must be a slow features week.

I don’t know when it will be aired. Let me know if you see it!

Congrats, Laura and Oliver!

While I’m congratulating, can’t forget my former VIVA editor Laura and hubby Oliver! She gave birth to a precious baby boy yesterday! The new Abu and Um Omar were beaming, delighted and delightful to see, as they transition from ‘couple’ to ‘family’! May the Lord bless your son with a heart like His, dear friends.

Dozan Wa Awtar Easter Concert

Wednesday and Thursday, April 16 & 17 at 8pm at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ Church. I think tickets are still available 10JD.

This is the one I have been waiting for, featuring violinist Anar Ibrahimov and the Dozan Awtar Choir, under the direction of Shireen Abu Khadar. It will also be the last major public performance of the National Conservatory of Music’s local protegee, violinist Lauren Manning, before she leaves for college. Her talent and perseverance have resulted in a full-tuition scholarship at a prestigious musical college (I’m not sure that is the proper vocabulary, I am only an amateur in this realm :D).

I have SO been looking forward to this classical experience of worship, to help prepare my heart for holy week. After hearing Lauren practice (well, over the phone in the background, anyway), and listening to her mother’s description of the whole group practicing (thrilling, spine-tingling, tear-flowing beauty) it promises to be an event that causes the spirit to soar. I will have a hard time sitting, I am sure.

Arab Evangelical Lady Leaders

I’ve been away from the PC this week attending a conference for Arab Evangelical Christian women leaders (what a mouthful). Seventy-five lady leaders from Jordan, Palestine, Arab/Israeli, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt, Sudan, Saudi Arabia ,Kuwait, Dubai, UAE and Sweden have joined together for a week of united worship and learning. It is being held by Arab Woman Today, whose website links to my blog and  with whom I have learned much about victims of sexual abuse in the middle East. The AWT ladies understood my vision to help  victims, and have supported me all the way on this journey.

Each nationality of the participants was represented by a flag on the wall, and I was a little pleased that the old red-white-n-blue was not there. Why, you ask? Well, AWT is all about training and equipping lady leaders from the Arab World, their mandate doesn’t include Americans. But, it seems I have honorary Jordanian citizenship in the ummah of my Jordanian Christian world as well as my on-line world! Many of the ladies are women I have worked on projects with, written about for magazines, been to their family 3azzas, visited in the hospital, laughed with, cried with and prayed with. They have loved me and accepted me as a true sister, even when I dress funny and talk even funnier.

An additional surprise came to me that AWT had not imported an American for the main speaker of the conference. This habit has been a pet peeve of mine in the Arab world, as there are many qualified and talented teachers and speakers in the region.  Their choice of speaker has been ra3ia jiddan: a young visionary who left an enviable high-level position in a local company to…horrors…start her own company!

Not resting on the influence or strength of family name, nor  a deep-pocketed-daddy, she found  her  niche in the local market and has created a profitable business. She has lived out the points she is teaching: discover your edge, your passion and run with. BUT, run with integrity, with principle, with honesty. I have learned much from her inspirational material and encouraging demeaner. Heh-heh, but the girl is no-fluff as well: she is hard-hitting, pushing envelopes and challenging cultural paradigms.

It is a delight to hear an Arab sister singing to Arab female hearts. When a foreigner comes, the song is interrupted by the fits and starts of translation. There are jokes and idioms that at best don’t translate, at worst, can be insulting. If a speaker has not done her homework of learning her audience, you can bet there are awkward moments and the message she brought will be lost.

Not this speaker. She is encouraging her sisters, casting vision (she even said “vision-ti”! Am ptihki arabizi!), challenging them to take risks, run with their dreams for women’s ministry in their churches. She is quick to point out the fears and self and culture-imposed paradigms which keep them from dreaming big, and is then giving them practical tools to build. I almost cried listening to her, as I have known her since she was a pre-teen and was mentored by her own mother.

We women are hungry for this. It has been a very difficult year for Evangelicals in Jordan, with previously unexperienced pressures that they weren’t really sure how to respond to or handle. A major church had serious split, and I held my breath as I prayed for love and unity in Christ to win. I resisted the temptation to find out what it was all about (yea, we Christians can sometimes disguise gossip by calling it “prayer requests”, very naughty) am so glad. There has been a restoration of relationship that has actually drawn believers closer than before.

The pressure, although uncomfortable, has had some very positive results. I think it is safe to say that spiritual revival is budding in every denomination; it is showing up in visible humility in leaders, and in greater love for one another.

Although I am a bit tired from Arabic immersion, this conference has revived me as well. For those who are curious, I must say there has not been one Zionist-type word, no mention of American politics, Fitna  or evangelism. We’re kinda busy learning more about who we are to be, and what we are to do to serve more effectively.

Life As I Knew It Has Ended :)

No, no tragedies; just the arrival of baseball season. God has poured out great mercies, though, as all the Kounouz are playing and we only have practices two evenings a week. Additional mercies from the Hand of the Almighty through the hand of the Mr. Wise Commissioner: T-Ball games no longer begin at 8am on Fridays, and no sneaking 4 year olds on T-Ball teams for us team-moms to babysit. Heh-heh, yea, bring a copy of that passport and don’t even try the “My child is FAR beyond his abilities for his age!” song and dance. It never fails that these are the parents we never meet, who send the kid with a driver to every practice, and whose offspring are always try to whack other kids in the head with the bat for fun.

Abu Kounouz, aka Skeeter, wisely determined he could not coach this year with his wild and crazy traveling schedule. Um Al-Kounouz rejoices, as he and she are a team of coach and team-mom, and when he leaves, she is stuck with not only team-momming but also coaching the critters. Coaching makes her cross and whine-y, for she was made to cheer-lead, not coach.

My magazine writing career has careened off the road and into a ditch: unsuccessfully convincing a new editor I have worthy things to write (somehow, she wasn’t impressed with my Alexa and Technorati ratings. Nor my handbag: one editor told me handbags can be as important criteria to some magazine editors in Jordan as one’s writing skills). Another magazine has not able to pay for month after month (after month), and another producing so many mistakes I don’t tell anyone I write for them anymore. There is a bright new spot on the horizon, but I have learned those can be bombs as well as opportunities.

I’m good with this (except the not getting paid part, so how do I handle that without shaming them???), I’m getting kind of burned out and need to clear the decks for cleaning closets, summer travel and researching this book.

Not to mention being a good shepherd to my ‘flock’ of ladies in the process of abuse recovery in our last weeks together. This season of teaching has been a battle every week. Mutiny, resistance, numbness, excruciating pain, this particular group has been the absolute most difficult experience I have had yet. I lose sleep over them, get angry with them, am hurt by them, frustrated by their stubborn refusal to make good choices and and believe truth. I began to wonder if this group would be my first big failure to help any of them, and resisted my own temptation to withdraw and teach it outside my heart.

BUT this week, and the last, we’ve had breakthrough. I am SO proud of each and every one of them. This week’s progress, in ALL of them, was worth every previous tear and infuriated pillow-pounding. Every little baby-step forward has come at such great cost. My heart is tired and weary. I need some time to wait upon the Lord, that my strength may be renewed. Because, I have a new list of ladies waiting to take the course in September. Some of them have horrific stories, and have been patiently waiting their turn.

Well, that’s it for now, a look into Kinzi’s inner world.

An Invitation to Celebrate

On behalf of my fellowship, Amman International Church, I’d like to extend an invitation to all stripes of Christians to join us in an evening of joyful worship and reflective prayer. Our church has been experiencing the beginnings of what could be spiritual revival, and our worship team has planned a night of praise extended beyond the time constraints of a usual service to thank God for this gift. There will be loud rockin’ praise, softly somber proclamation, short messages of encouragement, drama from the youth group and prayer for healing of body, soul and spirit.

We are a non-denominational church, with no affiliation to any other group. We are believers from over 20 countries and as many denominations. 

Especially in light of the recent difficulties between the established churches and the newer ones, we’d like to extend a hand of peace and reconciliation to worship in oneness and unity.

I was listening to a song that will be sung, and the lyrics struck me:

“Doubts, questions, hopes and fears,

Whatever you bring, there is a place for you” 

 

Join us this Thursday, March 27 at 7:30pm, in the high school auditorium of the Amman Baptist School in Rabia. Ahlan wa Sahlan!  

Birthday & Mother’s Day Celebrations Part I

The last three weeks have been FULL of birthday celebrations! First, Lil’ Kinz’s  party, which was a great success in spite of  ma fi svfeehah oo tabouleh.  Nine little girls  (+  one little boy Bean) came over for  the Kelly cake, then we  went to Bambolina for a  great big play date. This was Lil Kinz’ big EVENT party, the once-in-a-kounouz-childhood budget-blow-out. The little girls had a blast, and the mommies all thought it was a GREAT idea. As MommaBean pointed out, they were invited to another birthday party a bit later at the same place! I got to re-meet all the mommies I had spoken with at the Twin Bean Birthday Party just a few weeks before, and would meet again the next weekend at Butter Bean’s Birthday Party!

MommaBean comforted my heart no end when she told me that this other (Jordanian) mother had only cake and WATER for the little guests. She is the greater trendsetter, an Urdaniyya Mommy bucking the societal-expectation yoke of slavery for the simplicity of a child-centered event . Lil Kinz proclaimed it the best birthday ever, she know owns enough Barbies to marry all my sons GI Joes and Max Steeles. Even the dismembered and those with faces permanently camouflaged by Sharpie marker.

Spikekid’s big event was next, only a month late. Why, pray tell? Because Mr. New TeenAger now has a social life, and friends that have five different schooling options who also now have social lives. We are quite proud of him, it has been a year where we have seen real spiritual growth. He was never the kind begging to ‘invite Jesus into his heart’, and pray until the food got cold or I fell asleep for world problems, Aunt Denise’s horse or Grandpa not to be lonely. He was asking the Big Questions of Faith at stoplights on Wadi Saqra at four years old with no visible emotional response to my answers. The kid scared me, I was sure he was going to be an atheist. I have several golden bowls full of tearful prayers in heaven over him when he would just NOT confess his sin.

Bu this year, his Deen teacher took the 7th graders through Rick Warren’s book: “Purpose Driven Life”. What a difference it made to him, to see ways to apply faith to life aside from giving stuff to the poor. He discovered his spiritual gifts and is now confident in seeing where he can serve. He actually PRAYS now, volunteers at church and is in a boys bible study group led by older teens and goes to AIC youth group, which is approaching the size of church. He is taking about baptism now, (in the Jordan River, of course) which is a huge step.

For his party, we had eight of his closest pals over for a 007 XBox Tournament,  watching “Batman Returns”, Subway-style sandwiches, junk food and the biggest chocolate cake I have ever made, served in a mansaf pan. It was so easy, the boys were SO good and Spikekid says: best birthday party ever. He actually cleaned the whole house in preparation w/o being asked. Clean-up was a three day affair, bas hayk.

For me,  it was a low-key blast. Older friends had taken us to the Meridian for a sumptuous buffet, the kids all made cards, my in-box was flooded with good wishes and the phone rang incessantly (some even singing over the phone! The next day, hubby and I have a tradition of making a restaurant meal at home, so it was marinated steak, potatoes with green onions & butter, fresh broccoli, and ice cream for dessert.

Coolest gifts: a pink Starbucks water bottle (so I will be a cool baseball mom), a David Balducci book, and a mommy-styled key-chain Leatherman multi-tool ! I wonder if they will let me into the mall with it. I say, it was the best birthday ever!

Oops. Hot water is waiting. Bye!

Yes, It Was My Birthday :)

Manal, thanks SO much for the lovely post and virtual cupcake!! I invite you all to her blog to have a bite, and see all the sweet comments blogger-buds left. It makes a middle-aged lady who still thinks she is 24 feel very affirmed. I have started to reply to them, and all the Facebook wishes, but keep getting distracted. I am just so ADD!! I realized I never even responded to comments on the posts about my brother OR hair!!

I’ll write another post about it, but I have been going crazy planning Spikekid’s 13th birthday! That will be another post in itself, why we had to put his BIGGEE 13th birthday party off for a month.

My kids are hilarious. They think I am famous because they keep seeing the little envelope pop-up, people sending chat notes, e-cards. I have to remind them that people used to buy paper cards, and put a stamp on them and mail them in my day.