Three weeks should be long enough to get settled into a new place I would think but we are still adjusting to Qatar and this season of life. I can't imagine going through this experience without the prayers and support of our loved ones and I want to thank each of you again who prays for us.
The weather has cooled off a little bit here which makes the evenings especially nice with a refreshing breeze that helps walking Nola & Pip be much more pleasant. It was strange to see my brother wearing a jacket when we spoke on skype the other day and to hear my mom say it was pouring rain. I actually saw a cloud in the sky here a couple of days ago. It was just one small cloud and no precipitation came from it but it was pretty exciting to see the sun setting with even a tiny cloud hanging next to it.
We also got to experience a beautiful day at the private beach here in Doha. We had a couple of friends staying at the St. Regis, a stunningly beautiful place to see if you ever want to take a middle eastern vacation.
The visit with them was really nice as we enjoyed getting so see familiar faces, share good laughs, conversation, and even a prayer on the beach.
My husband was extremely excited to be able to finally get an omelet for breakfast because in our temporary apartment the stove isn't working. He was so excited that her ordered two. ;) I was more excited about getting down to the beach for some much needed time out enjoying God's beautiful creation and beautiful it was! The water was clear, clean, and the perfect temperature (unlike the sand that was so hot we had to run to the water once we took off our shoes) and because it was a private beach we could wear our normal swimsuits. It was Jincy's first time in ocean and our first time since our honey moon in Destin, Fl.
Something about the beach turns me into a kid, maybe it's a reminder of how much fun we had on family trips to the beach when I was young but I automatically want to go into the water and swim as far as I can. My husband on the other hand, reluctantly ventures out with me asking how much further we are going to go and telling me the entire time we should turn back. There were big rafts and trampolines out in the water for the hotel guests to play on so of course I couldn't resist. I set my eyes on the biggest trampoline that was the furthest out, not realizing what a challenge it would be to climb up on at 38 weeks pregnant. Once I overcame the struggle of gravity and climbed up on the huge float , with a little help from my strong husband, I could have stayed up there for hours soaking in the sun and taking in the beautiful Doha cityscape against the Persian Gulf. It was especially nice to be able to lay together, floating under the open sky and thank our Lord for another opportunity like this one after being in a high rise apartment for weeks. Unfortunately, Dominic and I both scraped our toes on the ladder climbing up and were bleeding a little bit and he reminded me that sharks could smell a drop of blood from miles away so getting back to shore was a little more adventurous than the swim out.
I'm already looking forward to going back to the same place to take Jincy once she arrives and I thank God he allowed us to see more of His beautiful creations.
We still haven't moved into our long term apartment yet and I would be lying if I said I haven't asked God what He is doing through all of this in the past week or so. Now that I'm 38 weeks pregnant and have the belly the size of a watermelon or two, it is really setting in to me that I'm about to be a mom. Not only that but a stay at home mom (while we are here at least). I shamefully admit that I have had a bit of struggle accepting this season of life. Don't get me wrong, I'm very excited to become a mother, I love Jincy dearly already, AND I'm very thankful I wont have to rush back to working and leave her with a sitter. I'm also thankful that I can support my husband full time in his career and not worry about us juggling two work schedules while trying to spend quality time together. But if I'm honest with myself and with you I have to say it is a struggle to let go of the person I've always seen myself being and quite frankly, the center of my own world. Through my accomplishments and busy schedules in basketball and the modeling industry I always felt a sense of pride and purpose so now I'm having to learn more about my true purpose and embrace what God wants for me, not what I selfishly want for me.
I believe that one of the most important things God is trying to teach me in this season of life is that I'm not the center of the universe. I now see that having a small army of people catering to you to get your hair, make up, and wardrobe just right before you go in front of the camera on any given day or an arena full of people cheering you on during a basketball game can give you a false sense of importance and entitlement. Because reality is, I'm not the center of the universe, He is, and my self worth shouldn't come from others glorifying me. I think He wants me to learn now that until I can deny myself and lay my life down for His sake, I won't ever fully get to experience His awesome plans and role He has for me in His kingdom, not my own kingdom. He wants more for me than worldly accomplishments because while rewarding in some regards, deep down I know they can't compare to the spiritual rewards and fruit that comes only from submitting to Him and living out His will. He loves me (and you) enough to teach us these hard lessons because He knows whats best for us.
I share this only because there may be someone else out there going through something similar and hopefully this will encourage you to embrace Him and let go of self. I'm not there yet but I'm trying so please include this in your prayers for me.
One of the blessings I'm already realizing from this is how much more I should appreciate and respect the way my parents raised me and the sacrifices they made for my brothers and me. They both sacrificed greatly to give us the life we had which I wouldn't trade for the world. Just because I'm going to be a mom I am speaking of my mother's great impact on me and how she sacrificed worldly desires to be a stay at home mother and wife.
I never had a baby sitter or went to day care one day in my entire childhood. She was present at every school event, had dinner cooked when we got home from school, and tucked us in every night with warm blankets she would heat up in the dryer. She rebounded for me day after day for years in the hot summer sun or even worse in unairconditioned gyms, she cooked pregame meals for my teammates and never missed an athletic event of mine. She was a constant example of what Jesus did for us on the cross, laid down His life so that we can truly live.
I also got to see what a Godly wife can be for her husband as she supported (and still does) my dad by preparing wonderful meals, keeping the house clean and comfortable, greeting him with love every time he came home from a long day or night of work, and so much more. There aren't enough words to say how much their selflessness and obedience to God impacted my life and I'm thankful I'm realizing the gifts they have given me more through this experience. I only hope I can bless my children and husband in the same way.
Hopefully, we are not only getting older but wiser as we celebrated a very special day on Oct 5th, Dominic's 28th birthday. I woke him up with an ice cream cake in bed and now I have eaten over half of it!
We then got up and went on the hunt for another omelet (breakfast is his favorite and not easy to find here) which we eventually found at hotel downtown. Later that evening we went to a public beach, Al Wakra, that allows dogs because Nola & Pip wanted to celebrate too! This beach wasn't nearly as nice as the private beach or maybe it was just a little too crowded with everyone on vacation here for Eid but it was nice to see a beautiful sunset as Nola & Pip played in the sand. They finally saw another dog for the first time in weeks and looked at her like "What are you doing here? We thought we were the official dogs of Qatar!"
We were really amazed that there were hundreds of men their enjoying themselves with very few women, maybe 5-10 females on the entire beach! We couldn't figure out what the deal was with that until we remembered that 90% of the population here are immigrant workers with many of those being men who traveled here without their families. (Which again reminded me to be thankful that we are here as a family)
The immigrant worker population is in large part due to Qatar being the 2022 World Cup host and has created a very interesting situation that I'm eager to share more with you all about once I do more research.
In the days ahead hope to get settled into long term housing and get totally prepared for Jincy to make her debut into the world. Hopefully she waits a few more days until our doctor makes it back to Qatar from London.
Please keep praying for us as we continue to try to live each day for The Lord. There is no doubt He hears the prayers as we have been protected, used, and blessed by Him during our stay so far. We hope everyone back home is enjoying the transition into fall and never taking for granted living in the greatest country in the world!
Scripture on our hearts:
-But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.-
2 Cor 12:9
-For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.-
Jer 29:11
-Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.-
Matthew 16:24
-For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.-
Mark 10:45
-Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.-
Proverbs 31:30
Glad you had a great birthday Neek
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