6185 miles later

6185 miles: 3 hours of driving, 15 of flying, and 13 in layovers, (including many samples of Turkish Delight in the Istanbul airport) later, my summer in Iraq begins! Correction: it is not “my” summer, but I would love to share with all of you the predicaments and praises, surprises and struggles that I may encounter. More importantly, the story of the organization I am interning with, Preemptive Love Coalition, deserves to be heard; here are some other websites that will have information about this summer. More on that to come.

 http://preemptivelove.org/misc/blog/

https://www.facebook.com/preemptivelove

I’d rather not write too many jet-lagged first impressions, as I’m sure they will become more representative when they’re no longer firsts. Stay tuned for maybe the 4^th round. One important first though, Kurdish words! I can now successfully say “bash” (good) and “spas” (thank you). Sticking with the one syllables for now, and good polite words at that. I realized quickly today how much I relied on the ‘universal language of smiles’ to avoid offense or uncomfortable interactions in Argentina, despite the fact that I could at least attempt communication in Spanish. That doesn’t apply so much here, as cross-gender smiling is not an accepted sort of behavior. Walking through the streets, you see many women holding hands with other women, and men with men, and the atmosphere isn’t at all cold or unfriendly. Suppose that means that most days I should learn more than two words!

One more thought before I attempt to sleep off the jet lag. Last Sunday in church we discussed the merits of “blooming where you’re planted.”  After 31 hours in transit, I have to say I fully recognize that few places on the planet situate themselves further from my familiar garden than Iraq. Although this summer appears in opposition to that worthwhile advice, in some ways it still applies. I remain speechlessly thankful that I remain “rooted and established in love,” planted in a faithful God and many kinds of family that don’t depend on continent.  I see this love in the lack of fear in my incredibly supportive family, in the interest and prayers from all of you, and in a God who is big enough to garden in Minnesota and Iraq. And I look forward to ”blooming” here,  by learning and experiencing and hopefully acting out His Preemptive Love, growing into a better understanding and expression of how “wide, how long, how high, and how deep” it is. More than 6185 miles in all directions, I can tell you that much so far…