The Jolliff Family

We have internet!!!  What an answer to prayer.  We have been here for five weeks today and have been working on getting the internet for about half that time. They have this word "inshallah" in Arabic which basically means "God willing."  We heard this over and over again in our quest to get connected to the internet. Almost four weeks ago Hap made a trip down to the phone company to get us a home phone.  The security guard outside basically told Hap it wasn't going to happen.  That should have been a warning for us if the security guard knows it won't happen.  Inside, Hap found a woman who asked for the landlord's picture ID since we are foreigners.  Obviously, Hap didn't have that.  Ends up, this woman called the landlord and inshallah, he would come down the following weekend to show his ID and give approval. Weekend came... weekend gone... no internet. So, when we contacted him again he said he would go down there the following week......

Today our fellowship in Indianapolis is doing the 3rd Annual 5k.  We wanted to participate from over here!!  The boys were excited to go with us! Before the start of the big race!  All smiles:) The runners are off to a great start.  Until they reach the road, then they had to stop! We quickly ran into some obstacles, sheep poop!  That never happened in Indianapolis as I remember. We did spy this black flower on the course! The hill outside our house is painful, but the view is worth it! The runners needed a break halfway through! And another type of break too:) There was little complaining and the boys did great, too!  Cookies and juice awaiting all participants at the end of the course! After completing the walk in over an hour, we set out to see how far we went.  We were disappointed that it was only 3.3K.  Oh well, maybe next year! Have a great time Northside!

While we don't have a yard, the boys have to play outside!  So, below our balcony there is a little area that has no grass but plenty of rocks and dirt.  We went to the nursery and the boys picked up some of their favorite flowers to plant in the area that they play.  Sam has named it the Rainbow Garden and waters it everyday when he goes down to play!

The tomb is empty!!  Christ is Risen!!  The sunrise service at the tomb was peaceful, worshipful and meaningful! May your Easter be full of adoration of the resurrected Christ!

We took a trip and it was wonderful.  Maybe it is the spot, and maybe it isn't, but to think that God himself came as a baby to save the world.  It was moving and again so thankful for this Christ child. "And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks by night.  An angels of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news of great joy for all people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you, he is the Messiah, the Lord."  Luke 2:8-11

Welcome to our home. This is our sitting area from the front door! Our kitchen.  The apartment is really open. I love this doorway.  It goes down the hall.  The door that you see goes into bathroom #1.  Immediately to your left is the boys room, then down farther is the washer/dryer and bedroom #2 on your right.  Our master bedroom with small bath is at the end of the hallway.  For now, Jacob is in our room since it is hard to heat multiple rooms at night with space heaters. Our bedroom.  We did purchase this bed before we arrived and we are glad we did!  We have a balcony that is right outside that window.  The view is great and this morning I could see the neighboring country. Our bedroom and the boys bedroom have a Khazani.  Basically a closet and dresser in one. Sam and Andrew's room.  Eventually their beds will bunk, but we are having a side rail made for the top bunk.  Their room turned out cute! I can't wait to get ...

Gone are the days of Super Wal-Mart or Super Target.  I can buy Kroger brand, but no Kroger.  Now, there is a large store that you can buy some basics at but at a high cost.  This country grows most of the fruits and vegetables locally, making produce in abundance and pretty affordable.  There are plenty of stands but we chose this one.  It is appropriate for me to go to the market myself, but more appropriate for me to at least have one boy with me.  This would show that I am a responsible, married woman.  Most of the time, the men do the majority of the shopping, however. We needed to buy some meat and saw the butcher next door.  One the door, he advertised cow and lamb.  He spoke little English, but the lady buying meat helped up translate.  Apparently, it was a misprint on the advertisement and he didn't actually have either cow or lamb.  But, he did have fresh goat from Monday.  So, why not?!  We bought 1.5 kg of goat...

Around here, people don't mow their yard they just plow it with an mule and plow.  For one, the soil is so rocky for a lawn mower and they also think that if you spend time planting, they want a yield.  No yield from grass except a place to play!!  We had the opportunity to watch a man plow our neighbors yard.  Hap had told me earlier in the day that a man was going to come with a mule and plow the yard.  I was unimpressed since Carl has a mule... but this was the real deal:) Don't tell this man his picture is online, he wasn't happy about a picture! He did lift both of the boys up for a ride.  John Wayne has arrived! The plow This was hard work, for both the man and the mule.  The days here are warm, with it cooling down a bit at night.  This man would pull on the yoke and the mule would go where it should.  He would hit the mule with a stick and he would stop or move faster.  Hard work!!  All I could think about was how Chris...

This is our first long opportunity to be online and I wanted to post a few pictures.  I want to take so many more, but we have been busy! The plane ride was great.  The boys did awesome.  When we first boarded the plane, the man next to me said "I don't do kids."  And he was serious!!  Everyone slept for a bit of the ride.  Since Jacob had his own seat, he slept in the seat next to me. Andrew slept the most of all of us, which is a blessing. Sam enjoyed unlimited TV and games.  We finally had to turn off the video and make his rest, which he did. Like I mentioned earlier, our bags all arrived and we were greeted by some friends at the airport.  My first impression of the country was hilly and rocky. We arrived at our apartment mid afternoon and it was beautiful.  I haven't taken many pictures of the apartment since we are still unpacking.  It is 3 bedroom, 2 bath and a balcony.  It is perfect for us and we are thankful! First ni...