Paris...

And here she is... After Christmas evening in Fes, Morocco we flew into Paris the day after Christmas and arrived at our hostel around 10:30pm... With anticipation and excitement we made our way up to the Basilique du Sacre Coeur (pictured below). From here you can see all the "sites" of Paris at one of their most beautiful times. Here is my very first view of the tower. Mom & Dad: After our long walk we had our dinner on you at a small little cafe where we were the only guests, under a blanket of candle light, enjoying rich hot chocolate, chocolate moose, hot soup, and a fancy vegetarian pizza...

Basilique du Sacre Coeur

















Here she is, closer the following evening... I have to admit, although she is beautiful, elegantly designed, and my first experience with romanticism as a child, it's not all that I had dreamed of it to be... I think I am changing...








Arch de Triumph + Lauren (who, with her parents were the perfect Paris hosts)






Notre Dame... Although beautiful, I struggled with the idea of "worshiping" in a place filled with such generationaly decided "grandeur" and "significance." I cannot argue with the history or beauty that it carries, but I found myself being more of a tourist than enjoying God and his creation there...







This one is for you mom... When we arrived at the Louvre the line was at a three hour wait to enter in. Therefore, we weren't able to go in, but enjoyed playing in the courtyard...

So, there you have it - Paris in one day, with many hot chocolate stops throughout the day and a great time to spend with Lauren and her family... Thanks mom and dad for the wonderful Christmas gift... we really appreciated it...

Just so everyone knows...

Jess and I are safely in New Delhi, India. We have already started working a little bit at Sewa Ashram.

We are both a little bit sick. Neither of us have slept very well in about 5 days now. We are also about 4 hours jet-lagged. As soon as we catch up on sleep a little bit, get a little used to our schedule, and get a little free time, we will update you on France, India, the Ashram, and everything in between.

Jake and Jess

Merry Christmas

That's it for today. Whatever you do, do it with love. Whomever you are with, remember those who don't have anyone.

Love your friends.

Love your family.



Love,
Us

Sorry, a few things that we forgot to mention in the previous post.

1. In India we will more than likely not have as great availability of the internet. You can expect the emails, chatting and blog posts to slow dramatically.

2. We will not be taking this phone with us to India, so at least for a while, and probably for the whole time, we will not have a phone number for people to call.

3. Have a wonderful holiday season. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy New Year, happy birthday (if you have one in the next 2 or 3 weeks) and anything else we forgot to mention.

4. Thank each of you for your encouraging e-mails, comments, etc... We have really appreciated each and every one of them... We are so grateful...

love us

Leaving

Alright, just so you all know what is going on and don't expect to hear too much from us in the next two weeks, this is what is happening.

Jess and I are leaving Morocco. Our flight is on the 26th of this month from a city to the north of here, over the mountains. Because of the possibility of snow on the mountain keeping us from our flight, we are going to be assessing the weather in the days to come and leaving anywhere between the 23rd and 25th.

From there we are going to Paris where we have 2 days to see the sights and visit with some friends who will also just happen to be there those days.

Then, on the 28th, we will fly out of Paris and on to India where we will land in Delhi. We will stay and work in and around Delhi for 2 months, then move to the south for a further 2 months, and then fly on to Thailand.

Morocco to Paris to India to Thailand. Try to keep up...

In the recents months we have been picture posting crazy... Yet, a few good ones have not yet made it into full publication. Therefore, for your entertainment, joy, and laughter... here are a few that are sure to tickle your tummy, warm your hearts, or gag your guts...

Although I know Cory just posted this picture... it's just too great not to publish again...














Best of friends...





Many come to Hayat's shop daily to pray during one of the five calls to prayer daily... Here a friend of our took time to pray at the 3:00pm call...




This one I thought I would beat Jake to the punch... It gets cold... I like putting on warm pajamas... sometimes it just has to be done in shifts...













Our friend Hamu and his family, whom we have rested with many times in Titawin...








Moha, Jess, and Jake... could life get any better?

My friend Moha...
Moroccan tea & Hayat = two of my favorite things...
Traditional Tajine made by our friend Zhor... For a bit of education = utensils are not used, but rather bread is used as a replacement to dip and scoop up food with... delicious and beautiful... Using that which is symbolic of life to bring energy to the body which demonstrates life...
A messed up, mixed up marriage... Jake sewing, Jess reading the New York times...
Yeah... some times they just come out...
How Cory best utilizes his time and energy...

Yeah... that's one heck of a big piece of meat...















Found in our bed...












No caption needed as far as I'm concerned...











What more could you ask for than old smokin' men hittin' (and acting as cigarette suppliers) on young smokin' women?





Two hot and young men on one starry African night...

My dreams made visible and tangible...

For a number of days I have been unable to sleep throughout the night and often have awoken in the morning working through thoughts racing in my mind. Although this is not uncommon, recently there have been continuous threads of one thought running about and coming together at on point, one question: What are Gods hopes and dreams for heaven on earth?

When I contemplate Gods hopes and dreams for a heaven on earth, I cannot help but wonder what that may look like in the everyday, tangible, demonstrable sense. I believe that having an intimate personal relationship with Christ is important. Yet, I can’t help but hope and believe that God is so much greater than the hopes and information I toss around in my mind and the feelings and emotions which tread on my heart.

I am beginning to think that God is best demonstrated in an everyday sense through the organic and beautiful simplicity of daily “life together”. Since moving to Morocco I have been drawn into His natural beauty of “life together.” Life together with one another as well as with the land we occupy.

Each morning Jake and I arise we begin our life together simply through spending time together - talking, laughing, and enjoying one another’s company in the bright sunlight of the Sahara. We do laundry together in the basin of warmed water and make breakfast together from the apples of a local farm or from the eggs laid by the chickens down the road. We give together, talking with and providing what we can for those who are without. We visit friends together, drinking tea, communicating through broken Arabic, acting out desired paths of communication and as a natural consequence, laughing together. Greatest of all though, we listen to one another and in return, learn from each other and from our neighbors.

There is beauty in searching for this "life together" I think. Through trying our best (and sometimes not) to demonstrate heaven on earth, a new sense of obligation and appreciation has begun to manifest itself in my own life as well as in my relationship with others. I am now questioning more often if there is a better way I can best utilize the resources I have been given and make more beautiful this “life together” I have been given to live with others. I wonder more often if I can more intimately connect with others and the soil of which I walk on. I speculate the possibilities of what more I could do to offer the community I live with opportunities to experience “life together” where God is experienced by all.

I am finding more and more of how often Jesus speaks of heaven on earth as being a place where the poor and meek are blessed. I am fniding that He promises time and time again to bless those who are persecuted for doing what is right as well as those who stand up for the sake of doing what is right (seeking justice) and make it a habit to demonstrate peace. In fact, I think that I am coming to believe that Jesus asks us, as His Beloved, to undermine the ways things are to welcome in the way things could and should be: overflowing with forgiveness, sacrifice, and love.

Morocco has taken my “life together” with Him and with others to a new level of awareness and insight. My time here has also provided new evidence for a rededication to serving Christ as I am coming to believe He dreams of.

I sense now more than ever an organic connection to the water I use to wash my clothes, the food I use to satisfy my hunger, the resources I use to heat my home or use or clothe myself. I think He dreams of this connection… I think He dreams of me coming to know Him better by understanding how salt affects food and light affects the darkness…

I am finding more joy in the simplicity of limited choices in comparison to my life in the states.
I am falling deeper in love with the grander of His creation. The magnificence of the High Atlas mountains, the splendor of the vast Sahara, the exquisiteness of mud homes, and the great benefits of how His creation is utilized rather than wasted. I think He dreams of this simplistic joy…

I am finding myself more alive in conversation with others; finding greater freedom in my speech and ability to listen and learn. I am finding how gently, subtly, and indirectly Jesus often spoke to others when sharing with them how to live life abundantly with God while still respecting their dignity and free will to discover and choose as they feel convicted and lead. Often I wonder, do I represent and talk of Jesus through invitation, attraction, intrigue, enticement, and challenge or am I representing Him through a forcing nature? I think He dreams of these conversations and convictions…

I am finding Him more intimately involved in the subtle conversations that center on sharing and talking about the freedom, creativity, kindness, justice, generosity, peace, diversity, harmony, and teachings of both Jesus and Mohamed. I think He dreams of this intimacy and open dialouge between His Beloved in life together…

I am finding life more dynamic each day as I hope to work against acceptance or encouragement of racism, religious division, moral double-standards, ethnic partisanship, economic injustice, or class barriers. Instead, I hope I demonstrate His consistency through offering a welcoming home and table for others that is drenched with kindness, respect, healing, enjoyment, reconciliation, forgiveness, and love. I think He dreams of this dynamic daily reconciliation and demonstration of working toward a peaceful and joyful life together…

I am learning how to be more present with, intimately involved in, participatory, active, and engaged within community affairs which affect the lives of families and the greater community. I think He dreams of this daily presence with one another as we live life together…

I am finding more and more that Jesus’ message is one that takes root, precipitates reconciliation, infiltrates and transforms humanity. I think that in order to live the best I can with and for Him, I need to continually be in a state of demonstrating an accent of gratitude, encouragement, truth telling, admitting faults, and celebration of joys. I am wondering more often what more could I do to step beyond the subtle Christian sins which are often consumed with issues such as lust, greed, arrogance, and prejudice of heart and mind? Is my home a place where God is at home in, takes pride and pleasure in, and where His dreams come true? Am I offering generosity to my neighbors regardless of circumstance or convenience? I think God dreams of these convictions and questions I struggle with…

I don’t believe I am alone in my questions, thoughts, or pathways of exploration. As I was teaching English the other day my students and I began to discuss the five pillars of Islam (1 – belief in One God and follow the teaching of Mohamed, 2 – prayer, 3 – fasting, 4 – zakat (tithe), and 5 – pilgrimage to Mecca {if financially possible}) in comparison to the various principles and practices of Christianity. We worked through each of them one by one and I began to hear them ask the same questions and express the sentiments as I have above. Seeking how they can best work to make the kingdom of God visible here on earth through the teaching which they follow.

Although from separate nations, different belief systems, dissimilar cultures, and diverse experiences, I am finding more and more how connected we are to one another because of our belief in God and our innate desire to live a "life together". I am beginning to think that God loves us the same and, if we are continually seeking after Him, He will continue to grow within each one of us both personally as well as communally. I am beginning to wonder if these connections are ones that God was dreaming of when He shared with us, through Jesus Christ, that if we love others He will work through that love and make a heaven here on earth.

Return path

Just a quick story. We have been gone the past few days, and here is why.

Well, imagine that, Jess and I decided to make a return trip to our favorite little mountain town. This time the trip out was a lot more muddy and snowy.
There were a number of times that the mud was so deep we had to back up and circumvent a large area just to avoid getting too muddy. As it was we still showed up with soaked feet caked in about three inches of soggy earth.

But the views were stunning, and the trip was totally worth it.

Jess and I next to a great little water fall that was forming just from the melting snow on the hill side.

The main reason we went out to our little mountain town was to visit our favorite nun, Mary. We wanted to return, with some gifts this time, just as a little love offering to the sisters who do so much. Unfortunately Mary had not made it back yet and was still in another city. Fortunately our friend Hamu and his family (some of them are pictured here) took us in and gave us food, shelter and love for the night.

The next day we headed back, and though it was less muddy, a small winter storm blew in, so for the 10 mile walk back, visibility was anywhere from 70 yards to about 5 yards. Yikes...

Birthday evening...

So in the evening Jess and Cory were home, and we invited over Hyat and Sisu to join us for a little celebration. Not only did they proceed from the kitchen singing happy birthday...

but they brought a cake for me with "happy birthday djak" in French...


Hyat was insistent upon Jess giving me the first bite of cake...



and I got a new scarf to go along with my hoodie...

before you knew it we all had things on our heads...



later, after the party had left, we opened up the champagne, ate some garlic cheese, and watched a pretty freaky movie.

There you have it... my birthday in a nut-shell.

Jake

Birthday

Hey everybody, two quick posts for my birthday...

The morning of my birthday, Jess and Cory dropped some surprises off in my lap like... our favorite cheese.

...some curry powder...

...a new Moroccan style hoodie...

... and just because in every other photo I look insane, I thought I would make a face other than the super-big-stupid-smile=face.

SNOW!!!!

It's officially winter as of two nights ago... as we were sitting with Moha around 6:00pm of the 9th we began to notice the rain outside slowly turn into white flakes of beautiful wonder... With great excitement in our cold toes, later that night we set off to play!!!! Snowmen, big HUGE - no, MASSIVE snowballs, and a nice walk together...

It has continued to snow since then at a steady and consistent pace... slush is building up, shops are remaining closed, Hammans are packed in order to avoid getting cold, and furnaces are stoked and sizzling...



We have been busy writing, thinking, reading, and enjoying our friends these past weeks and anticipate sharing with you more in the future... Two weeks left and we will be making our way to India for four months...


Post note from Jake: This is one of our favorite snacks. We take an oily bread called milliwe and we "pollute" it with chocolate, peanutbutter and bananas. Mmmmmm.....

Although the "Holiday Season" has begun to manifest itself through most every human possible means (this is of coarse a guess, I am living in an Arabic community!)... I was just thinking about alternative possibilities to giving to others, outside of any material gift (again - I do have to admit, we did send our families gifts this year)... here are a few ideas I thought you may be interested in-

Sewa-Ashram is a Christ-centered community dedicated to the practical application of spirituality to the reality of suffering, present amongst the poor. Our mission is to provide long-term holistic care and professional treatment for the sick and dying destitute of Delhi's streets.

International Justice Mission defends the poor, the widow, the orphan, and the slave. Sponsor a day’s wages for an investigative worker ($50), legal advocate ($70), or social worker ($40). You can find these, and many other ways to give under the GIVE index, found in the top right corner.

World Hope International relieves suffering around the world. Offer a care package to a woman who has survived sexual trafficking ($60) or provide a microcredit loan ($100).

Mennonite Central Committee offers a Christmas Giving Catalog. $26 can provide kitchen supplies to a displaced family in Cambodia.

Samaritan’s Purse - Just $9 can feed a hungry baby for a week.

United Methodist Committee on Relief - Serve a child in South Sudan a meal every school day for six months for just $37.

World Vision offers a number of opportunites to give through their Christmas catalog

Catholic Relief Services - $13 can immunize a child in the developing world against measles, diphtheria, whooping cough, polio, tetanus, AND tuberculosis.

Alterna works with and advocates for immigrants in situations that are often egregiously unjust. Immigrants are not allowed to acquire driver’s licenses, yet they are allowed to purchase cars and get jobs they need to drive to. One working poor immigrant has paid over $2,000 in fines for simply driving without a license. Help Alterna turn what is exploitation of the poor into an act of civil disobedience and solidarity! Donate $1-$150 to help immigrants "Drive in Peace." To order this or other gifts, email or phone (706-302-9661) Alterna.

Hope each of you are enjoying this beautiful Advent Season...

Again... Why are we trying to do what we do?

Dhaka photo journal.

As long as there are 300,000 street children in one city that could be helped by simple education, development, and job skills training, how can we do any different?

AIDS, Education, Homelessness, Poverty, Job Skills, Love, Support, Stolen Childhoods, Slavery, Prostitution, Release, Recovery, Death, Relief, Disease, Life... Words that should be on our lips as a prayer to one another.

These are our brothers and sisters. Just as close as the people next door that we wave to in passing. Help us see our neighbors.