Thursday, September 25, 2008

settling in

It seems like we are settling in and things are beginning to become familiar. I am amazed at the prayers that God continues to answer. Granted some of them have been prayers of three to four years. And now we have an all new list of prayers.

The children are adjusting to everything so well. We are so proud of them. Everyone said they were at the age were this wouldn't be too painful. They were right. The boys love their school and are making friends and learning the language. They are learning so much. I guess instead of studying history out of a book they are to go on field trips to museums once a month in Rome. Can you imagine! I hope they need help from some moms...because I definitely will be volunteering. Kent has been invited to a Birthday party this weekend. We are excited to meet some parents of the kids in his class and begin a relationship with them. And so is he.

So far while we have been here the things to get used to is doing the laundry. It is not an after thought it is a daily chore that must be done. (or it will get ahead of you. I am thankful for the cooler weather but it has increased the drying time necessary for the clothes to get dry. Sometimes 2-3 days. It is just a part of life here and no one knows different. If they don't get all the way dry, we iron them. I don't know about you but there are some things that are just not meant to be ironed. Hanging out laundry is one of my favorite parts of the day though. Most of the women are hanging out laundry and all of them are talking with each other. So far hi and have a good day are about all they say to me, but they are so friendly. Soon it will be different. I will know the language...(i hope)

We have brought several things with us to make us feel at home. BUT....so far the ipod dock I brought doesn't convert here. I blew up my trimmers, and almost caught Ethan's ear on fire. I had to finish the haircut with a straight razor. (YIKES) The x box won't work (convert)...that probably being the most disappointing for the boys. I blew up the crock pot. (you can't buy those here) and last but not least we blew up our desktop computer. AAAAHHHHH!!! And so far the children have captured three lizards. One escaped, one died, and one we let go... (he was no fun).

We are taking it all in stride. Shopping is an interesting experience. Especially for meat. They cut it off the cow, chicken, pig, or...whatever at the store. The Chicken is a whole chicken with the neck all the way down to the feet and toenails. I haven't bought one yet. I don't even want to know if they have prepped the inside. Probably not.

Of course the overwhelming aspect of it all is the whole reason we are here. The people. There are so many. They are beautiful people with a love for life. I can't wait to see what God has for us here. It is something I know. The fight we have had to get here, to stay, and to go thru spiritual warfare isn't for nothing. Please remember to pray for our family. There are nights when we all wake up. We have all had a bad dream. Or just were overcome with fear. We are 7 hours ahead of most of you so if you remember to pray for us when you eat Italian for lunch or (Qdoba...that is our favorite place as some of you know), we are getting ready for bed and fighting an unseen battle. Will you help us fight it too? We can't do it alone.

On a funny note the boys were given the birds and bees talk. They just kept asking question after question. (Luckily Natti was in bed) I wish more than anything I could have taped Jon's explanation. It was priceless. He did an excellent job, but it was all I could do to keep from laughing out loud at all the boys questions.

I LOVE OUR FAMILY!! I LOVE OUR LIFE!! I LOVE MY GOD!!

BEC

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Becky,

I'm so glad I can keep up with you and your family through this blog. I watch it nearly everyday. It is great to hear your family is doing well and all the things you are doing. Please email me when you can, so I can get your phone number. I'd love to be able to call and talk to you on the phone some evening (of course your evening).

Melissa (Wilgus) Yeubanks

Anonymous said...

Bec,
Thanks for the blog about your new adventure. I forget sometimes that there are everyday challenges that you face, like laundry. When I pull my clothes out of the dryer today, I will pray for you. Thanks so much for keeping us updated with pictures and fun stories and for sharing how to specifically pray for you. I love you and miss you guys!
Ruth Doss

Anonymous said...

Becky,
It's always so good to see when you have blogged. I check everyday for your blog. Thanks for sharing so much about settling in. Sometimes my mind can't wrap around what your family is going through. We love you and we will pray for specific things now.xe

Anonymous said...

Oops! sorry about the xe at the end of my comment!??

Anonymous said...

Becky the women visiting across the balconies is priceless. I will send it to you. Your struggle with the devil is something that must be learned but cannot be taught. We pray daily for you.Love you. Give everyone a hug and kiss for me.

Becky said...

Thank for the encouragement and prayers "anonymous". Let me know who you are...you forgot to sign your name.

Leah said...

Becky, I saw the link to your blogspot thru facebook. I enjoyed reading your blog. I hope you are all doing well.
Leah (we met at Canton Baptist Temple in Ohio)

The Caldwells said...

Hi Becky- we are in Austria and have known your in-laws for some time. We went to BBC with Ruth and of course, we are 45 min. from the Brinlee's. Just wanted you to know that I check your blog periodically and enjoy hearing of your new experiences. We'll be praying for you. Feel free to get to know us on our blog... Hope to meet you all one day, we hear great things! Krista Caldwell

KEN LILES said...

Hey, Bec! Enjoyed reading your blog. Sounds like our life in Iran so many years ago-the bad dreams, the fear that overcomes you, usually at night, the adjustments to everyday life that we take for granted, and the extreme joy of knowing you are in a place where people need you and your life in Christ. A couple of verses that always sustained us in the times of fear are Isa. 12:2, and Psa. 56:3. We love you and pray for you all daily. Every morning when I have my Italian style coffee, I think of your red kitchen, at 8:15 I think of the boys going to school, at 10:30 I think of Natalie waking up :-) Sure love you guys. Papi

P.S. "Annoymous" was Mops

Anonymous said...

Sweet Becky, I'll never do laundry again without thinking of you. Our prayers can be more specific as we know your needs. We love you all so much. God be with you and keep you safe. Love, Aunt Wanda

Anonymous said...

Great post Becky, I'll help you fight.

htucker