Another room...again.

Life in Abu Dhabi has been an adventure, but more importantly, we are learning important lessons in life. Life is too short to rush through it, without stopping to enjoy. As we have learned, people here take their time with everything...except driving...and from our eyes, we view it as lazy, unprofessional, or even wasteful. However, it's more based on what their priorities are, such as faith and family. A business man here would be okay missing a meeting, if he had to spend more time with his kids, or more time in the mosque praying (which muslims do 5 times each day). At first, I looked at the phrase "In Sh'allah" as a cop-out, a way out if things don't get done..."God willing" is easy to say when you know that no budy will turn around and blame God. Now i'm looking at it as their way to not worry about things, but rather spend time focusing on life around them. Business comes after life...That's how it is.

In America, we are so indoctrinated with the fast food lifestyle...have it your way...and have it now. As a Christian, this shouldn't be our focus, but rather, trusting in Christ for our needs, and making sure we do it by the book...The bible that is...not the Qur'an. However, i'm learning to have a deep respect for Muslims. Many 'non-faithful' Muslims have a deeper faith in their beliefs than some people who boldly profess Christ. Most of those whom I've met have a higher respect for Jesus than many "Christians" even have...which is very scary. No wonder Islam is one of the fastest growing religions in the world...it's a real faith, even if their god may not be real. Imagine Christianity, where a believer would get up at 430 AM to pray, and at noon, stop everything, even if they are in traffic, get out of their and head to the nearest Mosque and pray. Imagine a Christian, who would fast daily, for a month, and better yet, not complain about it. Imagine a Christian, who would spend over a hundred dollars on a stranger, as one young lady did for Mallori, simply to act in faith that this deed would please her God. Just imagine how powerful we believers in Christ would be if we lived this dedicated to our Lord. That's real faith.

I didn't intend to spend time writing all of this on our blog, but it just came out. Today, Mallori and I were asked to move our room in the Hotel...again. It's still a beautiful room, only this time with a better view. We went from floor 8 to 11, and now we can see over the attached mall to the water on the other side. Gorgeous...But of course, our first reaction was to complain...We're tired of moving. Mallori has been living out of a suitcase for over a month, and I for a week less. However, we failed to see how blessed we are. We have been pushed aside by my employers, ignored when we've seeked information about our new home, and it's been pushing our flesh to the limits. Maybe God is using this Arabic phrase to teach us a lesson though. "In Sh' Allah" means "if Allah wills...or if god wills." We've been viewing it as a muslim saying, but just maybe we should lay back and trust God as they do...once again, referring to a different god. We are no longer in McDonalds World...although they and dozens of other American restaurants are within walking distance from us. Maybe we will learn from this experience (and maybe one of you will learn) how to simply enjoy our lives, viewing our relationship with God and Family as more important to the little tasks of the day. Things do get done over here...just not always when we want them to. Who knows...

Anyways, I'm sure you all want cool updates and pictures, so I'll get on with that. The other day, we were able to experience a terrific place: The Fish Market. Here in Abu Dhabi, one could buy seafood of all kinds, however this specific market is a local gem. It's located off the Al Mina peninsula of the city, where several souks and local markets are. A large group of us went and pitched in together to buy a 6kg Hammour, a large local fish with little 'fishy taste.' The market was a large open space with various vendors carrying a wide selection of fish caught in the nearby waters. We saw a variety ranging from Shark, Eel, various fishes i can't pronounce, to lobster and prawn that were the size of lobster. We negotiated the price, walked over to the 'cleaning station' and began to watch a worker mutilate these once beautiful creatures. After the scaling and a few quick cuts (these men do this amazingly fast by the way) I told Mal to turn away because she didn't want to see the next part. She was brave, but quickly squirmed when she saw the man pull the bones and guts right out. The smell of this place was unbelievably strong, as several anorexic cats were sneaking their way into the automatic doors. Around the corner, after having the fish cleaned and gutted, we took the fish to a person who seasoned and cooked the fish in a firey oven. Although it took another 20 minutes or so, we later realized it was worth the wait. Our final meal consisted of 3 kinds of fish, Hammour being the best, rice, salad, and more...Possibly the best seafood i've ever had...No fast food could ever compare to this.

Anyways, Keep us in your prayers. It is very hard to live out of a suitcase, not knowing when your 'move out date' will finally come. I'm not asking that you pray for us to find all of this out, but rather that God will strengthen our faith in this time of waiting, that we would come out stronger and more usable by Him. My hopes are that a Muslim could watch us, and be able to be encouraged by our faith, rather than the other way around. We miss all of you and will definately keep you updated. Tonight, we're going out for a bday of one of my co-workers. Mallori is actually with some ladies as I speak, in a belly-dancing class...Speaking of bellies, i'm off to fill mine. Thanks again, and God bless.