Day 10 - Kuwait
Once again, Basma called at 5:25am, before the alarm went off. Because it was Sunday I wanted to sleep in. But instead I enjoyed the conversation before she graciously sent me back to bed at 6:00am.
Oops.
Moments later I sat up, looked at the alarm clock and, to my dismay, read 9:15am. Nuts! I was going to be late for church. And this after Keith and Leah called to confirm it the night before! I threw on my Sunday best and dashed out the door without breakfast (again). I got to church about 10:25am and slid in through the back door. Thankfully the auditorium was large enough that I wasn't too conspicuous. That and I arrived at the same time as two other latecomers. After church the entire congregation were all invited to have lunch together across the road. There I caught up with Keith and Leah and thanked them for helping me get to church. After lunch I excused myself to go figure out how to get my laundry done the most economical way possible.
It's not one of those things you think of when you hear about a two month business trip, but I didn't pack 62 pairs of socks and underthings. That and my propensity to sweat in the heat meant that I needed to do something to empty my "dirty" drawer and get those clothes back into the "clean" one.
Having mentioned my intentions for afternoon recreation at lunchtime, Keith and Leah graciously invited me to their apartment to use their laundry machine. So after stopping by the hotel to change, work out (I know that sounds weird to hear from me, but I'm really making an effort while I'm away...) and catch up on messages I drove over to their place at around 4:30pm carrying two hotel laundry bags of clothing (those small bags you find in the closet). When I got to their house I grabbed my laundry in such a way that one of the bags split open and my laundry found itself all over the back seat. Thankfully I had my backpack with me, and in went the clothes. I headed up to their apartment, got the laundry started and we sat down for some neat conversation.
You don't realize how much bigger everything in the United States is until you've been other places. For example, the largest container of milk you purchase out here is 2 litres, or half a gallon. The pears I've seen at breakfast are smaller than tennis balls. And the washer and dryer, well, let's put it this way: I thought I had one load of clothes, but it was two. So in went the first load, which took seemingly forever. Come to discover we chose the really long cycle. Suffice to say the second load finished quicker and, by the time the dryer was done its thing it was after 9:00pm. I would have used an outdoor clothesline to dry everything in 5 minutes, but neither their apartment nor my hotel room comes equipped with them.
So here I am back in my hotel room, ready to hit the books in anticipation of tomorrow's class. And I am grateful that the body of Christ is one, consisting of many members. Some live in the United States, and some are here in Kuwait. And we each worship our God by loving him and loving others with the love that he gives us. Keith and Leah went above and beyond today. But to them they are simply living the reality of who God is.
The Ten Commandments can be boiled down to these four words: Love God, love others. May these be the rule for each of us.
Oops.
Moments later I sat up, looked at the alarm clock and, to my dismay, read 9:15am. Nuts! I was going to be late for church. And this after Keith and Leah called to confirm it the night before! I threw on my Sunday best and dashed out the door without breakfast (again). I got to church about 10:25am and slid in through the back door. Thankfully the auditorium was large enough that I wasn't too conspicuous. That and I arrived at the same time as two other latecomers. After church the entire congregation were all invited to have lunch together across the road. There I caught up with Keith and Leah and thanked them for helping me get to church. After lunch I excused myself to go figure out how to get my laundry done the most economical way possible.
It's not one of those things you think of when you hear about a two month business trip, but I didn't pack 62 pairs of socks and underthings. That and my propensity to sweat in the heat meant that I needed to do something to empty my "dirty" drawer and get those clothes back into the "clean" one.
Having mentioned my intentions for afternoon recreation at lunchtime, Keith and Leah graciously invited me to their apartment to use their laundry machine. So after stopping by the hotel to change, work out (I know that sounds weird to hear from me, but I'm really making an effort while I'm away...) and catch up on messages I drove over to their place at around 4:30pm carrying two hotel laundry bags of clothing (those small bags you find in the closet). When I got to their house I grabbed my laundry in such a way that one of the bags split open and my laundry found itself all over the back seat. Thankfully I had my backpack with me, and in went the clothes. I headed up to their apartment, got the laundry started and we sat down for some neat conversation.
You don't realize how much bigger everything in the United States is until you've been other places. For example, the largest container of milk you purchase out here is 2 litres, or half a gallon. The pears I've seen at breakfast are smaller than tennis balls. And the washer and dryer, well, let's put it this way: I thought I had one load of clothes, but it was two. So in went the first load, which took seemingly forever. Come to discover we chose the really long cycle. Suffice to say the second load finished quicker and, by the time the dryer was done its thing it was after 9:00pm. I would have used an outdoor clothesline to dry everything in 5 minutes, but neither their apartment nor my hotel room comes equipped with them.
So here I am back in my hotel room, ready to hit the books in anticipation of tomorrow's class. And I am grateful that the body of Christ is one, consisting of many members. Some live in the United States, and some are here in Kuwait. And we each worship our God by loving him and loving others with the love that he gives us. Keith and Leah went above and beyond today. But to them they are simply living the reality of who God is.
The Ten Commandments can be boiled down to these four words: Love God, love others. May these be the rule for each of us.
