My Haaj into the Desert

Today I desided to take an adventure, one that I believe will spark more excitement in my life. As I seem to have more time on my hands, since i'm alone in the UAE, and weekends are usually my time to spend with Mallori, I decided to venture off into the Al Gharbia region of Abu Dhabi. It's the western side of the country which borders Saudi Arabia, where life is scattered and one can spend true time alone with God. Overall, I spent about 10 hrs in the car or next to it, taking pictures; I drove around 600 Kilometers, and all on 2 tanks of gas (which cost me only about 27 bucks). There are many small towns out in this region, but I decided first to head towards Jebel Dhanna, home to the port that takes visitors out to Sir Bani Yas Island (which I was not allowed to get to, because I didn't have a room booked at the resort located there). Leaving this area, I was only able to head west, because there was no on ramp to lead me back towards Abu Dhabi. After driving for another 30Km in the wrong direction, I began to get a little nervous, knowing that the border between UAE and Saudi Arabia is "Undefined" and I am also aware that most expats are not allowed into the country without prior visa arrangements, yet alone welcomed there. However a "U-Turn" appeared and I took it heading back. I noticed a road that led south towards a town "Arada" which according to my map is the end of that road, and it too is close to the Saudi border. However, the road did connect with another road that eventually would lead me home. I also noticed that this part of the UAE is very barren, and it is close to the area known as "Rub al Khali" or "The Empty Quarter" where there are no inhabitants in a 1000 x 500 kilometer area or 250,000 square miles. Sounds like an adventure right?

Well, I didn't go too deep into it, and though I did do some off-roading in my little Toyota Yaris, I don't dare go far off the road in this part of the world. I did have one stretch of road where I didn't see a single human for about 100km...let's just say, I spent a good time talking with God, dealing with any fears I might have. Just as I felt like i was going insane with nervouseness, I had a terrific photo op as a herd of camels were meandering on my left. Camels are a weird animal, not very attractive (though UAE hosts camel beauty contests), and they smell very bad. I passed another group of them later in my trip and when I got too close, one large one decided to mark his ground by urinating, letting me know i'm just a visitor.

After going through this long stretch of sand dunes and more sand dunes, I came to the Liwa Oasis, a nicer area of the country, where greenery is plentious as well as the sand. I stopped for some soup at a local hotel, then quickly resumed my journey around the emirate of Abu Dhabi. One thing I learned is that as Christians, we are not alone...no matter how quiet, how afraid we become, or how sandy it may be, God is always with us, protecting us, guiding us, and comforting us. He is our refuge in the desert, he is our shield from the spitting camels. And after listening to the Brooklyn Tabernacle choir's "I'm Amazed" cd about 13 times today, I recommend that to the lonely traveler as well.

Although I wish i could have shared this first with my beautiful babygirl, Mallori, It was nice to be reminded that God is my first love, and today was time with him. Muslims are to take a pilgrimage to Mecca once in their lives as part of their faith, known as Haaj. And as I passed many people, stopping to pray on the sides of the road, I was thankful to know that God heard me as I kept driving, singing his praises, and worshipping him in spirit and in truth. I don't need a mosque. I am the temple. Today, I took my "Haaj," my journey to build closeness with God...and because he first came to me, I don't need to travel too far. Maybe tomorrow, i'll do Haaj from bed.