My trip to the Salon

It wasn’t my first time to get my hair cut here, but it was the first time I’ve had enough language and knowledge of the culture to really understand and appreciate the whole experience. The salon is in the same building that our office is in. Just to give you a picture of what the ‘salon’ is like, it is a room with a mirror, a counter, a couch, and one salon chair. I guess since there is only one lady who works there it makes sense to only have one chair. The lady who runs this place is fully covered. She covers her head and wears the long shirts to her knees. The first time I went to get my haircut she left me in the salon by myself for about 20 minutes so that she could go to her house and pray because it was time for afternoon prayers.
So, when I showed up yesterday there was quite a crowd… I wish I could have taken a picture of the women there, but it would have been pretty rude! The first woman was dressed from head to toe in sparkly red. She had the traditional Kurdish clothing on and was going to a wedding that evening. She was getting her makeup and hair done for the occasion. Women here REALLY like their makeup, especially for special occasions. The women also think it is beautiful to have really light skin, not their naturally really dark skin (I know, the grass is always greener huh?). So, she only has one shade of powder and it is really light. It requires much caking of the powder to conceal the women’s actual skin coloring. There is also nothing sanitary about make up application. There are no separate wands, or brushes, or cloths. After the make up she did this lady’s hair. They really like big hair here, I mean like 1984. The finishing touches were a can of hairspray and some glitter in her hair. I guess it’s a little bit like getting ready for prom, only with way more sparkles and gold jewelry.
The next lady came in to get her face flossed. I don’t know what you call it actually. You know those people in the mall who do people’s eyebrows with the string. They do that here too, but they don’t stop at the brows, they do the ENTIRE face. I mean cheeks, forehead, chin, lip, and sideburns. I felt pretty bad for this lady as she was grimacing in pain and kept having to wipe tears from her face. I’ve never done the face floss myself, but this lady’s face was bright red afterwards. It pretty much deterred me from ever wanting to experience it though.
So, then it was my turn. They don’t wash your hair here when you get it cut; they just spray it with a bottle. After I explained what I wanted, or tried to anyway, she got right to work. When she wasn’t using the comb to brush my hair she stuck it in her own hair and when she needed to pin up my hair she took the clip out of her own hair to use it in mine. I just had to smile and think about what it would be like if a hairdresser in the states did that. She insisted on drying my hair afterwards and giving me her own style. She is a really good hairdresser and I’ve liked my hair both times she has cut it. I’m not a big fan of her styling, but I never liked how they fixed my hair in the states either. See below for a picture of the finished product. After she was finished the other ladies in the salon exclaimed ‘She looks Kurdish! Now she must speak better Kurdish.’ I couldn’t agree more.

Top 25 Most Played

I’m a huge itunes fan… it pretty much changed listening to music for me. One of my favorite itunes features is the playcount. Every time you listen to the whole song (it doesn’t count if you skip the song or don’t listen to all of it) in itunes it records how many times you have listened to that song and when the last time you played it was. Itunes also makes a playlist for you called ‘Top 25 most played’. When I’m having a rough day or just need something to pick me up a little bit I almost always go to this playlist because it is a record of my favorite songs. I don’t think I would have said that some of these songs are my favorite, but sure enough when I hear them it makes me pretty happy. (I’ve had itunes since 2005 so these playcounts are since 2005) Here are my Top 25 and how many times I’ve listened to them in itunes:

1. You are Still Holy by: Rita Springer 204 times
2. He’s Always Been Faithful by: Sara Groves 201 times
3. Homesick by: MercyMe 181 times
4. Created to Worship by: Rita Springer 158 times
5. In the Secret of His Presence by: Sandra McCracken 146 times
6. Jesus I am Resting, Resting by: Alisa Dishong 132 times
7. My Stupid Mouth by: John Mayer 130 times
8. Come and Listen by: David Crowder Band 122 times
9. Everything by: Michael Buble’ 122 times
10. Micah 6:8 by: Charlie Hall 120 times
11. I Have to Believe by: Rita Springer 117 times
12. Provision Song by: Caedmon’s Call 115 times
13. Loving A Person by: Sara Groves 113 times
14. Jesus the Lord My Savior Is by: Sandra McCracken 113 times
15. Me and You by: Kenny Chesney 111 times
16, My Hero by: Rita Springer 111 times
17. I Boast No More by: Sandra McCracken 111 times
18. Be Still My Soul by: Jill Phillips 110 times
19. The Heart of Life by: John Mayer 109 times
20. Waiting on the World to Change by; John Mayer 107 times
21. Love With Justice by: Rita Springer 105 times
22. Rich Young Ruler by: Derek Webb 104 times
23. You Have Redeemed My Soul by: Enter the Worship Circle 102 times
24. She’s Everything by: Brad Paisley 97 times
25. We are Man and Wife by: Michelle Featherstone 96 times

So, what are your favorite songs?

Belated Mother's Day

We've had some internet issues so I didn't get to post this yesterday, but I wanted to show you the first baby thing we bought! Jeff got these shelves for me for Mother's Day and I love them! It has been fun thinking about how we are going to put our nursery together!

What do I know of Holy

I’ve watched this movie a few times this week called ‘Magdalena, Released from Shame’ (It is put out by the same people who produced the Jesus film). I’ve been watching it in Kurdish and English to prepare me to watch it with a local friend this weekend. It is the story of Mary Magdalene, but it is so much more than that, I was really pleasantly surprised by it. Mary tells the story of Jesus’ life from her point of view and tells how her own story is intertwined in the life of Jesus. She talks a lot about the women Jesus touched and his ministry among women. It struck me so hard living in this culture where women are such second-class citizens and the culture back in Jesus’ day was not so different from this and yet he so radically and compassionately broke the rules to reach out to women around him. She also tells the story of Jesus in the context of the whole Bible and talks about the Old Testament prophets (many of which Christianity and Islam share) and how Jesus is the fulfillment of all of these promises.

I know I’m kind of hormonal anyway right now, but I cried several times throughout this movie. I think besides being so stuck by Jesus’ radical love for these women, it was just realizing again that God’s glory is so huge and His relentless pursuit of His people throughout history is so compelling! I was left thinking about this song I heard several months ago and fell in love with. It is by Addison Road and is called ‘What do I know of Holy?’ The lyrics are below:

I try to hear from heaven but I talk the whole time, I think I’ve made you too small, I never fear you at all. If you touched my face would I know you, look into my eyes could I behold you?

Chorus
What do I know of you who spoke me into motion? Where have I even stood but the shore along your ocean? Are you fire are you fury, are you sacred are you beautiful? So, what do I know, what do I know of holy?

I guess I thought that I had figured you out, I knew all the stories and I learned to talk about how you were mighty to save but those were only empty words on a page, then I caught a glimpse of who you might be, the slightest hint of you brought me down to my knees

Chorus

What do I know of holy? What do I know of him who’s love will heal my shame and the god who gave life it’s name? What do I know of holy of the one who the angles praise all creation knows your name on earth and heaven above what do I know of this love?

Chorus

I was thinking last night as I was praying for many of the things I pray for daily that sometimes I behave as if I really don’t know or fear God at all. I live my life in such a small way and ask God for such small things and believe him for such small things that it seems I must really not know anything about him. I spend so much of time with God thinking about him only in the context of my life and what is immediately before me – it is SO small! This is why it is really good for me to be in the Old Testament (something I haven’t done well lately), because I forget how HUGE and eternal God’s story is and what a small part I actually have in it. I don’t feel belittled or uncared for to realize this… I actually feel really relieved and free! God’s love for those I love, for my family, for the Kurds, for the world He created, has existed eternally and I cannot do anything to change that. If anything, I can learn to love more fully through learning to love like His love. I don’t know if any of this resonates with anyone other than me. It has just been really refreshing to get a bigger glimpse of our God than my small perception. Join me in praising God for His endless love for His creation! May the world see and fully know this Love.

Improvement

I just wanted to take a few moments to report that Jeff & I are doing so much better. We've been in country for over 3 months now and praise the Lord, we are continuously improving.
I'm so proud of my husband... he has really pushed himself and is doing such a tremendous job of making the most of life here. Learning a new language with 44 letters in the alphabet, many of which make a sound that has no English equivalent is pretty daunting. Especially when you have to learn to read and write all over again! It is really neat to see how well loved Jeff is here. He says 'hello how are you' (in Kurdish) to just about every guy we pass on the streets and they all LOVE him. The shop owners and restaurant workers he has befriended are constantly giving him free stuff and refusing to let him pay for things because he has been such a good friend to them. Every time I am with our neighbors or the families we have helped through PLC they are always asking about Jeff and when they will see him again. He spends time most days in the big outdoor market just meeting people and practicing his Kurdish with them. I know it is exhausting trying to think and speak in another language all day but Jeff is doing such a great job and improving in his ability to understand and communicate every day.
It is hard. I know lots of you probably have hard jobs that you have to do every day. I just wanted everyone to know what a great job Jeff is doing and how even at the end of these long days of language learning he still comes home singing some oldies song and smiling. There aren't a lot of people here to pat you on the back for using a new word correctly or celebrate with you that you said what you meant to say to that guy and he understood you. I just wanted to invite you to celebrate Jeff with me and the strides he is making in loving people well and learning a really difficult language. Ultimately, this isn't about Jeff and his ability to learn Kurdish and succeed here. I think we both have come to understand in new ways the depths of grace available when we most need it. So, praise be to God who gives us every good thing and prepares good works in advance for us to walk in them!