The journey just gets better...

32 Weeks...

2011-11-25T07:00:00.000-08:00

Not much longer now...

With a Grateful Heart...

2011-11-25T06:38:00.000-08:00

Our Thanksgiving was wonderful!

We started with some of Matt's phenomenal cinnamon rolls...

To balance the days activities we hosted the

first Shorish 5k.

The Athletes

It was a beautiful day for a run!

Ezra and I filled the support team role,

along with Erin the fabulous photographer.

Finished!

We had quite the crowd!

We counted six different nationalities at our table.

The women all contributed to the feast.

Matthew and Michael took care of the turkeys.

Moist, delicious, and perfectly roasted...

It was so good!

And, of course, dessert!

We are thankful for another year,

and the friends God has placed in our life!!

Gracias!

2011-11-18T23:40:00.000-08:00

We have been really excited to host some different groups from Latin America.

Last week we had people from Argentina, El Salvador, Mexico, and Peru!

We love having our Latin friends visit--not to mention what it does for our Spanish.

This last group asked us to invite some of our ladies to an event just for them.

They provided the materials and few lessons in embroidery...

We had some activities to keep the little ones entertained...

I think some of the mom's enjoyed the kid's crafts just as much as their kiddos!

But the real treat was a pampering session!

The latinas taught some simple skin care techniques

emphasizing how to use things the ladies would have in their homes...

The ladies really got into it!

What woman doesn't love a little pampering??

Gracias, senoras!! We can't wait to have you back again!!

My big fat K-stan birthday...

2011-11-18T23:25:00.000-08:00

My birthday started with a bang!

We graduated the 8th women's sewing class!

I love these ladies.

They have the best time learning to sew:

building their skills and doing something just for themselves!

After the graduation some friends surprised me with a birthday cake!

Birthday's aren't celebrated here, so it was very thoughtful...

Another family invited us over for a birthday lunch.

Delicious!

This little buddy could definitely get on board with the birthday cake idea!!

Harvest...

2011-11-18T23:08:00.000-08:00

The guys have been hard at work in our greenhouses.

Cucumbers

Lettuce

And the harvest has been plentiful!

Cucumbers, anyone?

Happy Birthday!

2011-11-17T10:13:00.000-08:00

Matt started a tradition in Sudan.

He personally bakes my birthday cake each year.

I never know what he's going to whip up,

but it's always delicious!

This year's masterpiece!

Four layers of yumminess...

Delicious!

What happens if you dare a pregnant woman to

eat without her hands??

It wasn't pretty, but it sure tasted good!

Thanks, honey!!

Run and Hide, Boys, Run and Hide...

2011-11-17T01:19:00.000-08:00

We woke up this morning to find these fine gobblers

pecking around our yard...

Apparently unaware of what's coming in just seven days...

Fall: Time for Pomegranates!

2011-11-17T00:22:00.000-08:00

We went to visit a friend near the Iranian border

(no mountain hiking involved).

He took us to his family farm.

There were tons of berries!

And Pomegranates, a personal favorite!

They are a bit of a rarity in the States,

but you can find them everywhere here and

they cost about a dollar for 2 lbs.

We had to hike a bit through some bamboo grass.

It's really amazing how much the scenery changes when

you've only traveled a few hours.

This area has a lot of water and that makes all the difference.

We found a giant--it weighed about 2.2 lbs, the same as Ezra at 29 weeks!

Rachel and I showing the fruits of our labor:

And the guys, as well!

The Adventures of Super Pumpkin...

2011-10-26T09:49:00.000-07:00

Matt and I enjoy taking our turn with the little ones at our International Church...

This last time we based our lesson on a book called The Pumpkin Gospel.

We only had boys in our class and these guys think Matt is the coolest!

It's great preparation for the arrival of our own little guy...

Micah helps Matt with the eyes

All the guys had great input regarding the carving.

Right before this picture was taken, they said,

"He needs a name!"

"Let's call him Super Pumpkin!!"

Which, of course, necessitated a cape,

which you'll notice if you look closely:

Love these little men and my grown man!!

A visiting we go...

2011-10-26T09:41:00.000-07:00

Matt has a buddy he met when we first arrived to K-stan...

We have been trying for months to coordinate our schedules

and finally managed to get together.

Matt and Ahmed

Ahmed's wife laid out a lovely little spread of "fast food"...

It was all quite delicious!

It was a great way to introduce our newest staffers to K-stan hospitality!

Dus Khosh!!

How Our Garden Grows...

2011-10-26T09:34:00.000-07:00

A shot of the cucumber plants in our greenhouse!

Just four weeks after planting they are well on their way...

The lettuce has a ways to go still...

but it won't be long!

2011-10-07T06:49:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to our first graduating Business English class!

These students are some of my favorites.

It really is a pleasure to work with them each week and see them progress.

Welcome Baby!

2011-10-07T06:37:00.000-07:00

We spent the morning celebrating the arrival of our dear friends' baby, Yusef!

Little man was born yesterday via C-section.

Surgery is never to be taken lightly, especially in K-stan,

but his mama did a great job.

She was home just a few hours after his arrival.

These women are tough!!

The proud papa!

This is his first son after three daughters, a very big deal in this culture.

The happy family.

We were told the youngest sister (2yrs) has been asking to give

Yusef to the neighbors!

I'm sure she'll come around once she gets some extra hugs from her mama!!

Greenhouses!

2011-10-04T02:57:00.000-07:00

We just completed building two greenhouses at the Center.

They'll be used to give some local people jobs.

Grow veggies (year round) to eat and sell,

and to teach some workshops on gardening.

The greenhouses are equipped with drip irrigation to keep all our little plants

happy in this crazy K-stan weather.

Two of our gardners, Mustafa and Hama, they may not look it,

but they are so proud of their work!

And here is a happy little cucumber plant!

Fun in the Sun...

2011-09-22T03:50:00.000-07:00

We discovered a mutual love for diving in the Red Sea last year,

and it will always be something we like to do!

Tiny, growing babies, however, are not keen on pressure changes,

so this year Ezra and I decided to sit out the diving.

You'll hear no complaints from me, though!

Reading and snorkeling on a lovely beach

while feeling happy little squirms and kicks is amazing in and of itself!!

It took a little convincing, but Matt was finally talked into scheduling some dives

without me as his buddy...

He even decided to go on some advanced dives including a night dive,

a deep (100 ft) dive, the Blue Hole and a wreck dive through the S.S. Thistlegorm (pictures).

Returning from his first night dive.

Matt's view up through the Blue Hole.

Matt's view up through the Canyon (deep dive).

I tagged along to the dive sites and

we spent the day on a boat (always a good day) when we went to the Thistlegorm.

Matt had a camera along for a few dives, here are some of our favorite shots!

Faster Than Lightening...

2011-09-22T03:29:00.000-07:00

When I married Matt, I knew I was in for an adventure.

He promised life would never be boring!

He LOVES to surprise me, and I LOVE being surprised so this works out well!!

I knew he was up to something in the weeks leading up to our R&R.

However, we have been to Dahab several times and I thought I knew

everything there was to do, so I had no idea what he was planning...

On our second day, a car magically showed up to take us to the surprise!

At some point in our story together, I had mentioned that it always

looked like fun to swim with dolphins.

My love, filed that little tidbit away and waited for the right opportunity...

Apparently, Egypt provided the time and place!

We showed up and literally jumped right in!

The dolphins were so playful!

We each got rides around the pool.

Matt's picture turned out great:

I had my picture taken as well, but

one must be very strategic to keep one's bathing suit bottoms on

when sailing through the water pulled by a super strong mammal...

so we'll just say my face was more

"Oh stink!"

than

"This is awesome"

and the shot won't be posted!!

It was such a fun date!

We had a great time

and

I think the dolphins did, too!

Dahab.

2011-09-22T02:41:00.000-07:00

A few years ago, our good friends Jordan and Abby recommended we visit Dahab, Egypt.

We fell in love with this sleepy little beach town!

And living in this part of the world has afforded us the opportunity to visit a few times...

The views are just lovely.

From our balcony...

From our little beach hut...

Into Ras Mohamad National Park...

Dahab is located on the Sinai Peninsula.

Most of the people are Bedouins.

They love their camels!

The people are lovely and laid back.

And of course, the food is delicious and fresh!

Straight from their boats to our table...

R&R...

2011-09-22T02:26:00.000-07:00

The summer months were a bit rough.

We've learned to roll with the punches thrown working in this part of the world,

but that doesn't mean they don't take a toll!

We were tired, the kind of tired that's so deep you don't even realize

how tired you are until you slow down...

This is pretty standard in our line of work,

and I know lots of our readers can relate,

it was time for some rest and relaxation!

We flew to Beirut to meet with our boss.

He whisked us away to his farm,

a most agreeable place for a meeting!

I may or may not have spent considerable time in this hammock,

how could one resist?

Matt and Pastor Sami, making some fish that tasted divine!

The spread! Lebanese cuisine is hard to beat...

Isn't this the most lovely lay-out??

It was a great way to kick off our break,

we wished we had scheduled more time,

but the day came and went and we were off!!

Meet baby Nowery...

2011-08-24T22:28:00.001-07:00

It's a boy!!

We are thrilled to introduce you to Ezra Nowery!

Little man is set to join us in January!

He's happy and healthy and we are grateful for our blessing!

2011-08-23T23:57:00.000-07:00

We took our dear friends to a nearby lake for a little R&R.

We love these guys--you'll hear more about their story in our next newslettter!

Matt, Eli, and Ghassan

We stayed at a place that had a beautiful pool--such a treat!!

Even better, they let women swim in their pool!!! This is epic. You have no idea.

We took it upon ourselves to give Ghassan his first swimming lessons.

The water, he liked--the camera not so much...

Hoping to get a shot of his big grin!

There we go!

We are so grateful for the people God brings into our lives!

Get your Goat from A to B

2011-08-23T23:51:00.000-07:00

What is the best way to get your goat to the butcher for your Ramadan Iftar?

Private taxi.

Happy Fourth!

2011-07-26T05:35:00.000-07:00

Ok, ok...I know July is practically over, but we wanted to

post pictures from our Big 4th of July Bash!

We decided to take the day off and invite our staff and their families to come join us for a picnic!!

Staff Picture

We started off with some good old fashioned games.

I'm pretty sure they thought we were a little crazy,

but it didn't take long for our friends to join in!!

Egg-on-a-Spoon Walk

Matt passing out the eggs

Toby and Jess gave a good demonstration of how to be proud Americans!

Water Balloon Toss

Love the guy in the background catching the balloon as it pops!!

Our brilliant friends Kristi and Holly recommended face painting!

The kiddos loved it.

My job was to keep the drinks cold.

This method worked well for us:

Matt's brilliant contribution was to bring in a Kabob stand to make all of the food.

Definitely the way to go when you've got 75+ in attendance ;)

Overall, I'd say it was a hit!

Shinglebonna...

2011-07-23T01:52:00.000-07:00

When we were in Germany in May, my thrill-loving mother bought us a few rides on an Alpine luge.

It was fun, we had a nice time.

Here is a little video to show you the ride.

In May, however, we discovered a luge or "shinglebonna" in K-stan.

Made by the same German company this ride was a little different!

The two of us climbed in this little cart with a hand break.

Our friends, Eli and Hala, demonstrate.

Then fly down a track that looks like this, at a speed determined by

whichever person gets to the handbreak first!

Check out this video to really get the full experience.

It's definitely enough to get your adrenaline going!!

The Grand Canyon of K-Stan...

2011-07-10T11:43:00.000-07:00

After the waterfalls we drove a little further to the "Grand Canyon" of K-stan.

The views were stunning!

Beat the Heat...

2011-07-10T11:08:00.000-07:00

It's hot here, real hot.

To beat the heat our team headed to some beautiful waterfalls

a few hours from home.

We started out with a small waterfall...

And then headed to a gorgeous spot.

These "falls" are actually fresh springs that literally explode out of the side of a mountain.

A view from the bottom.

A view from the top!

The water was freezing and so refreshing!

We loved it!!

Lunch in the Bazaar...

2011-07-10T02:43:00.000-07:00

A good buddy's family owns "the best" kabob restaurant in K-stan.

This title was not bestowed by us, but apparently this place has been around forever

(which over here could literally mean forever)

and it's a household name.

So we thought we'd take you with us, so you can experience a typical out-to-eat with us.

A Bazaar alleyway

Preparing the meat.

The key to a good kabob, as we were told,

is fresh meat,

no additives, never frozen!

Kabobs! Hot on the grill.

The finished product.

Sarah does not usually eat kabobs.

She ate two.

It really may be the best we've found.

Our delightful friends and hosts.

Afterwards, we wandered around a bit.

We were in the wood and metal section of the bazaar.

A great place to see how things have been done for hundreds of years.

We saw men carving by hand.

And found a metal smith's shop.

Not an easy job!

A lesson in gratefulness...

2011-04-23T06:13:00.000-07:00

We have a friend who asked us if we could give some OCC gifts to some Iranian refugees.

Look at these faces!

This little diva--loved her glasses and 'do!

Our little friend helped Matt pass out some boxes...

We rolled "K" style--you can't have things stacked too high on your vehicle.

This fine gentleman had his own system worked out...

This distribution didn't run quite as smoothly as others have...

There were a few tantrums and some tears because someone didn't get what they wanted.

It's hard to give someone a gift and than to see ungrateful behavior.

But I was reminded that sometimes I am ungrateful.

Sometimes I get upset when I don't get things my way.

And sometimes I take for granted the good things God sends my way.

On our way out, we passed a little girl sitting on her doorstep.

I remembered handing her a box.

She was holding a small, brand new teddy bear.

She was smiling and kissing the bear over and over and over...

I didn't even want to take a picture and risk pulling her attention away

from such a sweet moment.

And I was reminded about the beauty of a grateful heart.

Everyone loves a good street party!

2011-04-12T01:05:00.000-07:00

Here are few pictures from the pre-Nawroz celebrations.

Some good friends gave us the heads up that we needed

to head to the BIG city so not to miss the real party.

We dolled up and headed off.

Even the little people got in on the fun.

This is a favorite little guy, Ghassoonie and his best gal, Grace!

Matt, of course, made a new friend.

Loved his accessories!

I met this sweet little face.

And of course, we enjoyed the party!

We weren't sure why they were lighting a HUGE fire in the middle of the day.

We later learned that Nawroz traditionally has fire-jumping activities.

Thankfully, there were no jumpers, just gazers around this fire.

There were an estimated 1 million people at the party.

The streets were filled, and it was SO fun!

Popcorn, cotton candy, butter beans, schwarma venders;

what else could you ask for?

Everyone walked up and down the streets, eating, dancing,

listening to music, and greeting friends.

Here's a look for you:

By nightfall, we were worn out, but the party was just getting started!

Here's the scene as we made our way back to the car:

Nawroz Tan Peroz! Happy New Year!

2011-04-02T23:01:00.000-07:00

Spring is here! And with it comes the Kurdi New Year, called Nawroz.

Nawroz is a vital element to being Kurdish. They love this holiday.

You can read more about Nawroz HERE.

Today, it is a celebration of Spring.

Marking the end of a long cold winter.

Marking another year alive,

which if you know Kurdi history, is really saying something for many of these people.

How do you celebrate Nawroz?

You dress up in your fanciest Jilli Kurdi (Here and Here)

and drive to a picturesque mountainside (you have MANY options to choose from in K-stan)

and you picnic. Just you and every other person in the whole entire country.

We showed up early to claim a spot, and saw cars pour into the valley for hours.

A great family who has "adopted" us and taken it upon

themselves to teach us the proper way to picnic.

The menfolk.

Note my "ninja-esque" husband, second from the right.

A good look for him? I think so!

Food is a key element:

Manning the BBQ

A look at some of the food.

They serve it in waves.

This is merely the appetizer course.

Being Westerners, ok Americans, we brought coffee.

Round three or four of our picnic feasting!

Posing with the AK.

You wouldn't think of attending a picnic unarmed, would you?!

Working on our best Kurdish smile.

They don't really do toothy grins here.

DDR K-Stan...

2011-03-26T00:05:00.000-07:00

We've mentioned the Kurds love for dancing in previous posts.

But we'd like to re-emphasize how much they LOVE to dance.

It does not matter who, how old, how many or how long...

A party is not a party unless there has been some dancing.

Now by dancing, we mean hooking arms in a long line,

stepping your feet back and forth,

as you zig zag around in a semi-circle.

It is truly that simple.

If you are at the front of the line,

it is required that you wave a piece of cloth

or some beads

or whatever is handy

while you dance.

Here's a video of some of the local guys getting creative:

And this is Matt adding his own interpretation.

Our friends loved it!

Matt's Jilli...

2011-03-21T10:52:00.000-07:00

While the Jilli Kurdi (traditional dress) of the women is sparkly glam,

the men's dress is all business.

As soon as Matt walks out of the house dressed as a Kurd,

men start walking up to him and handing him AKs or sticking hand guns into his belt.

Like I said, all business!!

Here's a picture of Matt in the full garb.

The hat is a bit tricky.

Thus far, it seems that every person has his own way of wrapping the scarf.

Here's a video tutorial of how to cover your head like a Kurd!

Jilli Kurdi...

2011-03-18T23:59:00.001-07:00

We posted earlier about shopping for our Jilli Kurdi

(traditional Kurdish Clothes--click HERE)

My new clothes came back just in time for the Kurdish New Year celebration!

This is quite the outfit, let me tell you.

Those that know me well, know I tend to go with simple.

My wedding dress was far less complicated than this!

Layer #1

Layer #2

Layer #3

along with the required bling--

I really should be wearing more according to my Kurdi girlfriends.

Admittedly, I ended up going with the vest versus the jacket for our first outing.

My 6-yr old self would have been in heaven!

You can never have too many sequins, lace, beads or fake gold in K-stan!!

My girls...

2011-03-18T00:34:00.000-07:00

Don't be deceived by these angelic little faces--

the only reason these sweethearts aren't swinging from the chandeliers

is because we don't have chandeliers!!

My 10-11 yr-old girls' English class keeps me on my toes!

These girls are smart, and with a creative outlet

I think we've all found a way to have a happy class.

The girls wrote a little paragraph "About Me",

and then shared for our staff as a way to practice their English.

Here's a little peak for you!

They are definitely worth all the time and energy they demand.

2011-03-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

This post is to highlight some pictures that we love,

but that have not really fit into any earlier posts.

K-stan is an interesting mix of calm...

Modern "Busyness"

Things Ancient

Modern

Dangerous

(Kirkuk's burning oil fields; as close as we could be to capture them)

Beautiful

Front Page, Above the Fold

2011-03-11T00:13:00.000-08:00

Some media showed up at a distribution we did at a local school.

The next day we showed up on the front page of a Suli newspaper!

The headline reads "by Gifts they made the Children Happy".

Newsletter.

2011-03-10T00:31:00.000-08:00

We just sent out our first ever newsletter!

If you didn't get a copy and want one,

email us at nowerynews@gmail.com!!

Ready, Set, Play!

2011-03-08T00:09:00.000-08:00

Years ago I ran into a great organization that travels around the world

installing playgrounds for underprivileged kiddos

(see more by clicking HERE).

When we were in Sudan,

I had hoped to have them come and set one up at the College,

but it wasn't to be.

I continued corresponding with one of their VPs,

and he let me know he was planning to be in K-stan to set up some playgrounds,

and asked if we could meet to discuss a playground for our area.

Nothing happens quickly in the developing world, or so it seems most days...

So I was shocked when he emailed to say they had a playground in Iraq that needed a home

and asked if we could we use it!!

Matt took over the prep work and before we knew it the day of the Great Set-up had arrived!

Before.

A lot of holes were dug.

A lot of poles were placed.

A lot of explaining went on; language barriers were definitely bridged!

Dan installed the chain wall.

Our friend, Annie, helped keep some of the little ones occupied while they waited!

Child Labor. Thanks, Toby!!

In good Middle Eastern fashion, a lot of tea breaks were had, as well...

Matt put his whole heart into the project--as usual!!

Our phenomenal staff installing a slide!

Of course some testing had to be done...

We had some "help" spreading the sand--so grateful for front-end loaders!!

Voila!!!

Time for the BIG Unveiling:

They love it!!!

Thanks, team!

And thanks to Kristi for the group shot!!

How to win friends and clean up, too.

2011-03-07T07:03:00.000-08:00

We have been wanting to do this for weeks!

The Center is still relatively new, as such, there are still people in

our small community who don't know about the Center.

How do we solve that??

Meet "Team Clean".

A group from Holland came to volunteer with us for a day.

We equipped them with gloves, trash bags, some kiddos

and sent them out!

They set off to pick up trash, of which there is no shortage.

But the objective was to make friends.

As they cleaned, they passed out fliers with information on the Center

This led to conversations,

and several invitations inside for tea.

A lot of fun was had as well!!

Not a bad days haul.

Well done, Team Clean!!

What up Cadbury!?!

2011-03-07T06:22:00.000-08:00

We had some good friends come and visit during the "Great Playground Set-up".

While the guys did the grunt work, Kristi and I attempted some candy making.

What kind of candy?

Cadbury Eggs!!

Kristi hiding the little yolk in the white...

We had a little too much "yolk" left over so we made a yellow egg.

Then Kristi's brilliant 8-yr old informed us it is supposed to be called

a "Golden" egg...duh!

We dipped them in chocolate...

And served them for dessert!

They turned out a lot sweeter than your typical Cadbury...

But we didn't hear any complaints!

Click HERE for the recipe.

Shopping for the Jilli Kurdi...

2011-03-07T05:54:00.000-08:00

We've been here almost six months.

It was high time we bought ourselves some "local" clothing,

or so we were told!

"Jilli Kurdi" translates to "Clothes of the Kurds".

A sweet family took us to buy our new outfits.

Sooo many options!

How does one choose?

Finally, I was told that I had found material that was

"Zor Juwana"--"So beautiful".

We headed off to find Matthew's jilli.

The men's clothes are considerably toned down in comparison.

Explaining what he's looking for...

After Matt made his choices, we went to the seamstress to have mine fitted:

Imagine the dresses of every Disney princess combined into one--

that's what she's going for...

It's gonna be loooong.

Stay tuned for photos of the final product!

The Village.

2011-03-07T02:46:00.000-08:00

We love going out to the villages.

A friend took us to visit his family for lunch.

The women start by making fresh bread for the meal.

This is the kitchen where the rest of the food is prepared.

I had to sneak in a picture of our friend's twins--

Adorable, little chunky monkeys!

The men serve as the hosts of the meal.

It isn't typical for women to eat with the men,

but they invited us to join them.

They let us offer a blessing before the meal.

It was wonderful!!

So what do ya' eat over there??

2011-02-24T06:03:00.000-08:00

We've seen some signs of Western fast-food soon to hit the scene...

But you should know that traditional Iraqi food is pretty delish'!

Matt usually opts for the always pleasant kabob.

There are plenty of other foods to share,

but we'll save those for later posts...

The Citadel.

2011-02-21T07:29:00.000-08:00

The history of Iraq is amazing.

At some point, we'll sit down and write about

all of the interesting things we have learned...

For now, here's a pretty interesting place.

The city of Erbil (also called Hawler) claims to be

the "Oldest Continuously Inhabited City" in the world.

That's right, people, the citadel pictured below has

had people living in it for centuries!

Amazing.

They are currently taking steps to preserve the architecture,

so we could only see a small part.

Still it was fascinating, with little bits of loveliness tucked away.

We climbed out on the wall to enjoy the view.

Click HERE or HERE for some more information on the Citadel.

Life Lessons.

2011-02-20T09:45:00.000-08:00

Before the weather cooled off, we thought we'd take advantage and go camping.

We packed up our gear and headed to the mountains!Matt taught the guys how to set-up
a western style tent.

They made short work of it.

Our friends treated us to some Iraqi BBQ!

Somewhere around 11pm, as we were settled in our sleeping bags
we heard an inordinate amount of gunfire.
After five or so minutes of continuous firing,

we stuck our heads out of the tent.

Our Kurdish buddies told us their president had just been re-elected,
and this was celebratory AK-47 gunfire...
Afterall, what says party more than shooting

your RPG straight in the air?

So what exactly did it look like?
Glad you asked:

Unfortunately, we couldn't quite capture the total experience,
but you should get the idea.

We were pretty happy when the sun finally came up!

Yet another lesson in "You-never-know-what-will-happen-in-Iraq".

The Barber of K-stan...

2011-02-20T09:23:00.000-08:00

Matt and his buddies went to get a haircut.

A little off the top.

An Iraqi specialty for the guys.
They thought Matt was hilarious!

Voila! The finished product.
Not bad for a 75 cent haircut, eh?

For all you "Shoe Box" packers!!

2011-02-16T02:42:00.000-08:00

There are definite distinctions between

"remote", "more remote" and "most remote".

Today we headed to the "more remote" areas of K-stan.

We heard that there were some

very poor villages not too far from us.

We loaded up the pick-up with OCC gifts and

headed out to make some contacts!

The "wild, wild," or so they tell us.

It's a pretty "wild, wild"--don't you think?

Eventually, we started to see houses tucked into mountain sides.

We meandered our way closer,

and finally pulled into the village.

Matt talked with some elders and they invited us into their school.

The little guys were not so sure about us...

We laid down our peace offering.

But even that did not win them over.

Very serious faces.

So we started to help them un-pack their gifts!

Matt taught them how to use a yo-yo...

There's a smile!

I think he likes his new look.

It was settled, they have invited us back!

Bye guys! See you next time!!

A "love"ly little day...

2011-02-14T10:20:00.000-08:00

We admit to being a bit "lovey-dovey",

Matt still makes my heart beat a little faster...

and if the first three years are an indicator it only gets better!

We started our day with french toast,

followed by chocolate-covered strawberries.

Then we drove into the city and stopped by our favorite coffee shop

Matt had a surprise waiting!

If there is anything I love more than getting flowers

it would be cake...

So I gave him one of these:

Happy St. Valentine's Day!!

Mountain Views...

2011-02-11T03:23:00.000-08:00

We recently traveled to visit some friends in a village new to us.

We were simply amazed at the views!

Snow Covered.

Climbing.

The view from the top.

Just Beautiful.

Can you see the river snaking through the valley?

Moments like these make me thankful for the guard rails!

Oranges.

2011-02-10T05:21:00.000-08:00

Matt came home from the market with these:That's what 20 kilos (44 lbs) of oranges look like.

Not just any orange though.
This is what you see when they are sliced open.
Gorgeous, delicious, blood oranges.

When we were home,
we realized what a blessing it is to have access to so many different,
inexpensive fruits while in K-stan.

This is how Matt decided to take advantage.

Voila! The finished product.

Women's Livelihood...

2011-02-01T01:51:00.000-08:00

We started a project in cooperation with the

Kurdistan Women's Union.

The Union is dedicated to promoting literacy and

self-sufficiency among the women of our area.

We opened our doors to them and

began a sewing class a few weeks ago!

The women are able to buy sewing machines at a discounted rate

if they are attending the sewing classes.

The classes are designed to teach basic sewing skills,

and the eventual aim is to see the women produce materials

which they can sell

thereby generating income for their families.

Here is a student with her first completed project--look at that face!

She should be proud.

For more photos, click HERE.

Back in Action...

2011-02-01T01:26:00.000-08:00

December tapered off in an unexpected way.
We found out that we lost the baby
we were expecting just before we left for home.
Our break could not have been timed better and
we were so grateful that God had
everything arranged ahead of time.

We ended up having a wonderful time at home.
We got loved on by our wonderful family,
saw several dear friends,
and ate a lot of delicious food.
We didn't get to visit with as many friends as we
would have liked,
but you all have an open invitation to visit Kurdistan!

For more pics of our time at home, you can click HERE

Kurdistan Update...

2010-12-05T07:48:00.000-08:00

A part of me feels like I owe an apology to the blogging world for our lack of blogs!

I have to say that it is not because of the following:

1. Lack of things to share

2. Lack of interest in sharing

3. Our personal disappearance from the face of the Earth

Nope, none of these things have happened.

A TON is going on here.

We really want to share with our friends and loved ones.

We are still healthy, happy, and alive.

In reality, it’s just the opposite.

After our initial weeks of settling in our new land—

we began to understand what it feels like to drink from a fire hose.

The trick now is how do we share that?

What do we share?

What can we share?

Since moving to Iraq, the largest attack on a group of Iraqi Christians took place in Baghdad

Read about it HERE.

I think Westerners may think this is just another case of religiously motivated killings.

It wasn’t.

It was the largest.

It was more horrific, more gruesome, and more evil

Than ever before.

We are far from the violence, but we live with people who lost

family.friends.loved ones

We are living with people who are asking the questions,

“Do we leave and go someplace safe?”

“Do we stay and risk our lives?”

The Christian population is already dwindling in numbers throughout Iraq.

We live in an area with no known believers.

There may be believers living in secret.

But there are no people who are safe and free to

Express their belief in their God.

After the initial weeks of settling into our new, comfortable home,

enjoying asphalt and grocery stores.

We began to assess why, with all these amenities, it is harder to live here.

Harder to work here than anytime while we were in Sudan.

The answer is the darkness.

This is a dark place. Not physically.

A lack of hope. A lack of love.

A lack of God.

A culture of violence, hate, murder.

The lack of light creates darkness.

On our worst day in Sudan we were surrounded by

fellow believers—giants in the faith.

It’s a whole new ballgame here.

We aren’t scared. We aren’t intimated.

We know we are equipped

And

We know we have help when we need it.

I will do better to keep our blog updated,

but with simple, fun, interesting updates.

We have reached a point in our journey where

we simply are not able to share publicly all

the stories and requests that we would like.

Therefore, we will be sending out a private newsletter.

If you are interested in joining with us on this journey,

please post your email address or send it to us at nowerynews@gmail.com.

The root of our appreciation for asphalt...

2010-11-28T22:41:00.000-08:00

Somewhere in between
a slow internet connection, no internet connection, moving, etc.
we never posted some of our fave videos.
So in an effort to play catch-up,
here are some of our favorite
getting-from-here-to-there videos.

Moving through the the Marrakech Souk...

Of equal, or even more excitement, was
our everyday transport around Sudan...

Making friends...

2010-10-17T02:08:00.000-07:00

Some days we feel like celebrities here.
The Kurds are so thankful to Americans for ousting
their great tormentor.
And even though, Matt and I had nothing to do with this,
we find ourselves consistently invited to special gatherings,
asked to pass out awards, etc, etc.
We are always on the look out for ways to
connect on a deeper level with our community.

Most recently, we were having some things painted.
The painter brought a translator.
After we determined which walls should be which color
and how much we would pay, the translator added,
"And you will come to my brother's wedding."

This is a double bonus for us because:
1. This is a good way to meet the community.
We are trying to avoid looking like
aloof dictator-toppling-foreign-hotty-totties.
2. We happen to like parties.

So off we went!

Weddings here are held outdoors, in any space open enough
for lots of people and dancing
(the first one we attended was in a parking lot.)
We found our party nestled in some trees on a small mountain.

Greeting the new couple
Pretty sure there is something cultural about the
"gloomy" looks on the bride
and groom's faces...they pretty much looked
this way for the whole party.
I caught a few semi-smiles, here and there...

The Kurds LOVE to dance.
They will spend hours and hours dancing.
The dance itself doesn't vary much,
the song may change,
but the steps are the same.
Matt thinks he's made for this style.

I loved the traditional dress.
The guys keep it pretty low-key, but the ladies!
They go all out for bright and sparkly.
The Disney Princess collection has nothing on these girls.

And of course, the wedding cake:

Our quest to break down cultural barriers will continue,
but this day was a good day.

Home.

2010-10-04T01:16:00.000-07:00

This is a view of our new town, as viewed from our back porch.
The community is comprised of six villages located in northern Iraq.
The Kurdish people here suffered greatly at the
hands of Saddam Hussein.
He burned thousands of villages, killed innocent people,
slaughtered children, and sold off women to be slaves.
The people here are survivors of this brutality.

Sixty percent of the people in our area are
widows and orphans by Saddam’s hand.
If you have the opportunity to visit the people in
their homes you will hear over and over again, the
story of loved ones who were taken and never found,
innocent children who were killed and women who
were raped and murdered.

Although peace has come to this place after years of oppression,
the people are still suffering from physical, spiritual,
and emotional needs.
The Center exists to meet the physical needs of the community.
We operate out of the understanding that God loves
every person and we want to show
them his love through our actions.

The Center offers a free medical clinic,
education classes, and sports programs.

The peoples' encounters with us will be their first
experience with outsiders who believe differently than they do.
Our hope is that they will not be afraid, but rather
they will become our friends and neighbors.

Love of the game...

2010-10-04T00:26:00.000-07:00

Regardless of what you call it, soccer/football/futbol
brings people together.

We just had the last game of an eight team
championship for guys 18+.

These guys love to play!

A local Mullah told his team that it is sinful
to play at our Center, so they skipped a game.
However, the appeal of the sport was too enticing and
they came back and ended up winning the championship.
They thanked us over and over for letting them play,
and Matt told them to come back anytime.

We finished the tournament with an awards ceremony.

They asked Matt to play emcee and hand out the trophy and medals.

Plans are to hold championships each month,
varying sports, ages, and guys/girls.

Say "Awwwww"...

2010-10-04T00:12:00.000-07:00

The Center's medical clinic has been open for several weeks.
Recently, we welcomed the first dentist.
Matt
(who loves dental visits more than anyone you know, I promise,)
volunteered to be the first patient.

We were not sure how comfortable the community
would feel visiting the "Christian" clinic.
There is a local Mullah who speaks out against
the people accessing any of our services.
We have seen some young men drop out of computer classes
or "skip" their football games because of the Mullah.
However, we are averaging 23 patients a day!

Kurdistan...

2010-09-25T08:39:00.000-07:00

We made it! We are quickly settling into our new "digs" in Iraq.
Fingers crossed that our trunks will make it to us from Kenya...
we'll see.

For now, we are figuring out life and enjoying some
of the new amenities
(such as high speed internet).
I will be taking advantage and posting some
things that have been on the back burner for awhile.

We are really happy to be here and look forward to sharing our life
with you on our blog on a more regular basis!

Roads and rivers, rivers and roads...

2010-08-29T08:20:00.000-07:00

Matt left around 9am, "I'll be back by 2" he said on his way out.

2pm came.

3pm came.

4pm came.

I called, "Where are you?"

He responded, "I'm late because I'm stuck in a river".

Getting stuck is fairy typical here during the rainy season.
Roads and rivers become synonymous in Sudan.

Road/River

But this time. He was really stuck.
And help could not be reached for lack of cell phone service.
I, being the faithful wife, dutifully put out the distress call.
Soon help arrived.

A bit of a perplexing situation.

Maneuvering into position to pull him out.

Still smiling at this point.
Eventually, four hours and two tractors later,
they were free from the river.
The front bumper was no longer attached, but they were free,
and we have welders.

Unfortunately, it was dark by then so there are no photos of the victory celebration.
It was a hard fight, but the final score was left standing at:
Matt: 1 River: 0

Kamal Tutu...

2010-08-05T00:10:00.000-07:00

When Matt started working in Sudan five years ago,

one of his first tasks was to find out

exactly what happened to the Christians during the war.

He spent a lot of time in the bush hearing firsthand stories of pain and suffering.

One story in particular has always stood out to him.

Matt was in the Nuba mountains when he was asked

to interview Kamal Tutu, a man who had been tortured

by the Northern troops because he was a Christian.

Matt was not prepared for what he saw.

During the war, Kamal had been taken from his village, tied up,

and left on rocks in the hot Sudan sun to die.

Amazingly, he survived.

But the heat was so intense that his hands and feet were

burned to the point that he lost the use of them.

He came out to meet Matt by scooting himself along the ground on his backside.

As the interview was concluding, someone asked Kamal

if he still hated the men who did this to him?

“I never hated them,”

he said “as soon as they began torturing me

I started praying that they would come to love Jesus as I love him.”

Matt left Kamal in tears, challenged deeply by this man’s faith.

Fast forward to 2010.

Kamal had spent the last 20 years unable to walk across his yard or open his door.

A group who had heard Kamal’s story volunteered to take

him to Kenya, to a mission hospital to see if there was anything that could be done for him.

Kamal spent several weeks in the hospital

going through physical therapy.

His feet were put in casts to try and straighten them.

Yesterday, Kamal returned to Nuba.

This time Kamal walked out and greeted Matt while standing.

Moving!!

2010-08-04T08:22:00.000-07:00

Our work at the College will be finished in three weeks time!
We knew we were coming up on another move and
have spent the last six months praying about our next steps,
not knowing where they would take us.

Three weeks ago we were contacted by SP and asked to consider a move to Iraq.
The next thing we knew we were in the middle of
Kurdistan looking at our next potential move.
We spent a week getting acquainted with the area and its leaders.
We were asked to look at a community center located
in a town of with about 75,000 people.
It was settled by widows and orphans of Saddam Hussein's campaign
(the Anfal) to kill the Kurdish people group.
Today, 60% of the remaining population was directly affected
(i.e. lost some or all of their family to the chemical attacks).
There are no known Christians in this village,
but the leaders of the area are very excited to be hosting the Center.
In general, the Kurds are very grateful to Americans because
of the role we played in ousting Hussein. Kurdistan is a part of Iraq,
but operates as an independent governate.
They have taken very strict measures to ensure
that there are no terrorists/insurgent groups within their border.

The community center has been built to
meet the unique needs of this area.
It is a state-of-the-art center, and was opened three months ago.
It is equipped with full service medical and dental clinics,
computer labs, classrooms, sports facilities, a coffee shop,
and facilities to host conferences and lectures.
We have been asked us to come and make the center operational.
We have accepted the role and will begin work mid-September.

We posted pictures of the facility, including our new home, HERE.
It is more than we ever expected and we are really excited about where we are headed!!

Beirut...

2010-07-21T23:23:00.000-07:00

We had a quick layover in Lebanon with our boss. We love this place!

Our wonderful friends took us to see a few of the sites.
The famous Cedar trees.

One of our favorite things was the grotto at Jaita.
This site is contending to be one of the new Seven Wonders of the World.
The lower grotto has an underground lake that
you explore on a small boat.
You are not allowed to take photos inside the grotto.
So we made a quick little video...

For more pictures click, HERE.

Just call him Farmer Joe...

2010-07-10T03:57:00.000-07:00

The rains have come to Nuba!! And with the
rains comes the planting season.

This year, some of the guys decided to try
their hand at planting sorghum.

Typically, the planting and harvesting is done by the women
(the men are busy drinking tea under a tree somewhere).

The Kowajas had a good time trying their hand at "farming".
And the ladies found the effort quite comical,
so all in all it was a good day.

First the ladies walk in a long line back and forth across the land digging small holes.

Matt joining in on the fun.

Then they do the same walk, this time dropping a few
seeds in each little hole.

Planting and singing.

What happens when you mix boys with fire...

2010-07-09T23:07:00.000-07:00

Getting in and out...

2010-05-23T11:24:00.000-07:00

Travel in and out of Sudan is not the easiest thing to do.

Our organization has a plane that flies to all of the bases
every two weeks to deliver mail and supplies.

When it is your turn for a break you jump on the plane
and then fly back in two weeks later.

It works out pretty well.

Here is a shot of the Bible College, it is growing so fast!

Diving the Red Sea...

2010-05-23T11:01:00.000-07:00

Due to an unfortunate incident as a small child,
I have never been at ease in deep or fast-moving water.
I've worked most of my life to try and overcome my anxieties.
My parents made sure I learned to swim and I got my scuba certification in College.
But still, it was never my favorite thing to do.

Then I married Matt.
Matt is a fish.
I promise you that sea water feels normal in his lungs.
He lives and breathes the ocean.

So now this mountain girl is learning to be a fish as well.

To see more pictures click HERE.

Marrakech and the snakes...

2010-05-23T10:47:00.000-07:00

We visited one of my favorite cities in the world, Marrakech, Morocco.
An extremely old city that is still predominantly inside of its original stone walls.
It has a fascinating history.
One of the most famous areas is the central square called Jamaa el Fna.
Until fairly recently, this square was the site of public executions
(including those for Muslims who converted to Christianity).

However, today the only unsavory acts you'll see are some nasty snakes...

(Can you hear the snake charmer music in the background??)

My beloved, is fairly calm around these creatures.

I, for one, am not.

Still, we thought it was an interesting experience and wanted to share it with you:

Cooking in Morocco...

2010-05-13T14:42:00.000-07:00

I first visited Morocco in the summer of 1998.

I loved it, just loved.
There are so many thing to love, I'll save that for another blog,
but the FOOD is just wonderful.

It is by far my favorite cuisine.

Over the years, I've eaten at various Moroccan restaurants in the U.S.
My amazing mother has concocted recipes as close to the real thing as possible (without being Tunisian) and it has been delicious, but I have never quite gotten the hang of it myself.

So when Matt surprised me on our recent trip to Morocco
with an all-day cooking class I was ecstatic!

We didn't know what to expect, but we showed up hoping we'd walk away with full stomachs
and the ability to replicate what were were to taught.

Our cooking school.

We bought all of the ingredients in the local market.
Fish.

Chicken.

LOADS of delicious fruits and veggies.

We purchased our spices from the traders post called the fonduek.

Our Master chef, Edwina, giving me some tips on tangine.

Putting together some aubergine tapas.

Matt is a master slicer and dicer.

We took some of our food to the community oven to be baked.
Here our friend, Mohamed, explains the community oven:

Voila! Finished product.
This is a Berber Omelet--absolutely fabulous!
The tapas are below as well.

A personal favorite, the artichoke.

Eggplant that was oh so good...

Beets cooked in cinnamon, honey, and cumin.
We added some grapes, tomatoes, and onions as well.

The main entrees: chicken tangine and lamb couscous.
A triumph!

And of course dessert: a peach/almond meringue and saffron custard.
Delicious.

Tunisia...

2010-05-13T13:50:00.000-07:00

We are here to let all of our American friends in on a secret
that apparently the Europeans have known for ages...
Tunisia is amazing.

Plain and simple.

This N. African country is just across the Mediterranean from Italy.
It has strongly been influenced by both the Italians and French.
Beautiful trees and lamps line the avenues of Tunis City.
There are cafes that serve delicious coffees and pastries everywhere you turn.

We read that the countryside looks like 1970s Italy--
we don't know what Italy looked like in the 1970s,
but Tunisia has olive groves and orange groves carefully planted in rows.
Simply beautiful.

Everywhere we went people seemed very surprised that we were American
(the usual guess was Hungarian or Danish!).
It was very rare to find anyone who spoke English.
Our Sudanese Arabic could only get us so far and
our French (or lack thereof) took us a few steps back!
Not to worry though, at this point we are pretty proficient with the pantomime.

We visited the remnants of the Roman city of Carthage as well.

We loved our time in Tunisia, and highly recommend it to all.
Especially if you like camels.

For more pictures go HERE.

Day in the Life...

2010-05-08T06:06:00.000-07:00

We are often asked what we do out here.
Here's a little peek into a somewhat typical day for the Nowerys in Sudan...

Monday-Saturday are work days.
The crews start each day with devotions at the base of the Heiban mountains.

Breakfast is a vital part of our morning.

Nuba has done a world of good for my baking-from-scratch skills,
as it offers very little alternative.
Pre-biscuit.

Post-biscuit.
Egg and bacon, Matt's fave.
Matt spends his day working with the crews on
building design, lay-out, and construction

Welding

Mixing concrete with the crew

This is me attempting to weld.
You can tell by the smiles that the guys find it amusing!
This picture is much more interesting
than one of me pouring over excel spreadsheets or
proposal templates which is much more likely in a typical day...
Lunch is also a big part of our day. This is Matt with Nora.
Nora cooks lunch and oversees our kitchen.
Below is a fairly typical meal:
onion sauce
lentils
onion/cucumber salad with peanut butter
rice/beans
and bread

As soon as the sun starts to set and the temp. cools
we like to go for a little jog.
Call me coach.

He may say otherwise, but he likes it too...

Dinner is usually around 9p, and always with some friends/teachers at the College.

Below is Malachi, Kalilah, and Faith who asked us to join them for our evening meal.

It's a nutshell, but there you go...a little look into what goes on with us.

The Souk...

2010-05-08T03:09:00.000-07:00

We find ourselves often feeling a little disconnected from our Western world,
and this is certainly true when we go "grocery shopping" at our local market or "souk" as it is called.

However, we have found that we are trending with the best of them when it comes to:

buying local
eating fresh,
and eating in season

Unfortunately, this can mean we go for months without veggies,
but when the come in they are wonderful!

Some ladies selling the fruits of their labor:

This is the current "specialty" offering in the market.
Locusts, or prophet food.
We aren't big fans, but if you stretch your imagination
it's almost like popcorn...almost.

A typical shop in Heiban.
There are lots of these little stands,
but very little variety in the offerings.
Matt is usually the one that makes the daily veggie run.
He's quite popular in the souk.
Matt and our favorite shopkeeper, Feis.
We also buy our bread everyday from these guys.

Happy Birthday Matt...

2010-05-08T02:45:00.001-07:00

We celebrated Matt's birthday with our near and dear Sudani friends.
They pulled out all the stops.
A good indicator that you are at a special party is when they whip out
the styrofoam to-go boxes.
These are only used on very special occasions.

Matt's birthday meal consisted of:
grilled chicken, french fries, lentils, and green bean casserole.

The cake, ie Cherry Cobbler the Polsgroves mailed us,
was adorned with popcorn.

Typically, Sudanese do not celebrate birthdays.
It is not uncommon for a Sudani not to know their age.
However, our crew is starting to get the hang of it.
The love to walk around the birthday table
and sing "Happy Birthday" for several minutes.
You can't see them, but you can hear them!

The whole party crew.