Since leaving Qatar last June we've logged well over 40,000 miles in the air and touched down in 6 countries! So much for a relaxing summer by the pool, right?
We are now back in Doha for another season: same team, same apartment, same vehicle, same goal- to live out God's will. Last year when we arrived here it seemed like we had landed on a foreign planet rather than just a foreign country. Now, it seems almost normal to hear prayer over the city loud speaker at 4am and to stand shoulder to shoulder with women covered head to toe in abayas and hijabs.
Yesterday we took Jincy to a parent/child workshop and Dominic captured a photo that perfectly exemplifies what our "normal" is here in Qatar.
While there is much more to come about our time here, we feel the need to reflect and share the journey we were taken on this summer that includes a lot of globe trotting and the miraculous way we were blessed with our first home.
This isn't a story where we boast about us getting that million dollar home along the river we had once picked out but a much more humble tale that is far too great of a testimony to God not to share!
First of all, when we arrived back to Tennessee after being away for 9 months it was nothing short of magical. We were greeted at the airport by Jincy's Memaw & Pepaw (my parents) who had long been awaiting the day to meet their granddaughter in person. The pride and joy beamed brightly from them and tears flowed when that moment finally came. It was then that I was reminded that God wants to give us the true desires of our hearts.
We spent that entire first week at their house. We had a rental house waiting for us down the street but they seemed to always have a reason why we should just stay one more night with them before leaving and we didn't have much objection to that. Between enjoying our time with them and taking in the beauty of the backyard grass, trees, and mountain views, we were on cloud nine. Such things are rarely seen in the desert we had just experienced for almost a year.
We finally got settled in and Dominic's dad decided to take a spur of the moment trip down to spend a week with us and meet Jincy. This was such a special time because his dad had never met my family and it had been almost 2 years since Dominic had seen him. To witness my husband's childlike excitement as we waited on his dad to arrive made my night.
If any of you know my father-in-law you know he is the definition of a people-person and so much fun to be around. My dad and Dominic had the chance to teach him how to shoot the bow & arrow and plenty of guns which led to the highlight of our summer. Thankfully, we captured it all on video that will always be a family favorite. He nailed an explosive target with an AR and had the best reaction I've ever seen! (If you haven't seen the video we will post the link below because it is hilarious and a MUST SEE!)
After a great visit we drove him back home to my husband's hometown of Richmond, Indiana. This was something a long time in the making since the previous summer we didn't have the means to make that trip. Jincy loved getting to meet all her beautiful cousins, family, and especially her Great Granny & Great Great Granny who has showered us with constant prayer and love throughout our journey. Even though our hotel stay was a nightmare (that's another story for later) it ended on a much sweeter note when Dominic's brother and fiancé gave up their bed for us to get some rest before heading back to Tennessee.
While we would have liked to spend every minute of the summer with loved ones God had different plans.
After an impressive season last year and stellar performance at the Gulf Coast Club Championship in Kuwait, Dominic was blessed with the opportunity to represent Qatar in the FIBA 3 on 3 World Tour. This meant traveling to Manila, Philippines and Beijing, China for two tournaments during our summer break. I had mixed emotions about it all because even though I was excited to support my husband and experience the Philippines & China, this also meant taking precious time away from our loved ones in the States...and traveling on really long plane trips across many time zones with a rambunctious little Jincess. Not to mention, Memaw & Pepaw didn't want to miss one more second of her life. Thankfully, she started walking at their house right before we left for the Philippines! I say thankfully because our family got to witness it BUT we didn't feel so thankful when we realized this meant chasing her through airports and hotels.
Once we arrived in Manila, Philippines we were sure God had sent us there not only for basketball but for His glory. He allowed us to see a population of people living in such poverty that it broke our hearts. Yet, they weren't only in need of basic necessities, they, like some of the wealthiest people we have seen, needed The Good News, the gospel of Jesus Christ. We had the chance to feed some precious and hungry children but more importantly we got to tell many people about Jesus and pray with them.
This was an experience that our family will never forget and we are thankful that we were able to capture video to share with all of you and allow Jincy to be able to look back on one day. (We will post all the links to videos at the end of the blog).
Even though Dominic's team didn't win the tournament, we left there having a love for Manila and it's people as well as knowing God's will was done!
Once we returned from Manila, we had one week before taking off for Beijing, China. We weren't sure what to expect because this was another place we had never been to. We were shocked when we arrived and learned that hardly no one there spoke English. I guess we naively figured that because it was one of the largest cities in the world we would have no problem finding American food or communicating with the locals- wrong on both!
We were a little frightened with the food we saw and found comfort in an Arabic restaurant the team captain found. Yes, seems bizarre to us too that we are now comforted by Arabic food. Oh, and the first night there I left our phone in a taxi to never be found again! Ooops.
I was desperate to capture photos while we were there so we ventured out to find a new phone which ended up being the most complicated, frustrating, and comical part of the trip.
We were sent to a few different stores before finding an electronic shop that had phones. Out of about 30 employees, one girl spoke a little bit of English, enough to confuse us and to show her deep concern (and disapproval) for Jincy walking at such a young age. She repeated "Babbbyyy be carefurrr, be carefurrrr babbbbyy" at least a million times and even picked Jincy up a few times until I convinced her it was okay for her to walk. After 3 long hours, we had a new phone. We then learned you must have a Chinese ID to purchase a SIM card so I couldn't even set up the phone to take photos until I found someone to let me borrow their SIM card long enough to set it up. We've learned where there's a will there's a way and sometimes in foreign countries you have to get creative.
Over the next 2 days he and his teammates played great, beating the defending World Champs and were crowned Beijing Masters Champions with the help of Dominic's game winning 3 point shot that he banked in. He says he didn't call bank but he did call God! That was all almost too much excitement for me as I'm extremely invested into his games and want them to win just as much if not more than they do! Yep, I live out my unfinished basketball career vicariously through my husband. Don't judge me. :)
By no mistake, we crossed paths with an American gentlemen in our hotel who was there coaching a youth basketball team through his non-profit organization, High Five America, that we hope to get involved in. It's funny how a complete stranger can seem like family when you share the commonality of being siblings in Christ. We feel certain God had us meet him for yet another one of His perfect purposes that we look forward to being a part of.
The next day after the big win we had a flight home to catch but I couldn't let us leave without seeing The Great Wall of China.
We made plans to get up early the next morning knowing we had to cease this possible once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. With our journals and bibles packed in our bags we looked forward to spending some quiet time by the wall. Boy oh boy, we were we in for a surprise! Not sure why we thought this may be a calm and peaceful setting but it was a people zoo! Thousands of people were swarming the spectacular tourist site.
Short on time, we decided to take a cable car to the top of the mountain to catch the sights at turbo-tourist speed. That was an adventure in itself as we realized we are a little afraid of heights, especially when hanging from only a few cables. How in the world my dad ever talked me into bungee jumping when I was younger is beyond me!
We soon found ourselves stepping onto The Great Wall and there was NO mistaking why it had been named one of Wonders of the World! Magnificent, breath-taking, absolutely incredible is the best way I can describe this enormous wall that twists and turns up and over the mountains like that of a dragon tail for over 13,000 miles! Some parts of the wall were so steep we had to hold onto the rail to keep from falling.
Once we made it back down, Dominic and I both divulged our fears to each other that we didn't want to even speak of while up there- if one person lost their footing on the slopes of The Wall there would be a devastating domino effect!
Even though the experience was far from the moments of mediation we imagined, it exceeded our expectations and will be something we will forever thank God for.
So yes, all the traveling was such a blessing to us but the greatest blessing of our off-season was how we came to own our first home. I'll let my husband share that special story now.
"$0.00" ZERO! This was the balance that our bank statement read when we jumped on the road from Atlanta heading toward Tennessee with all of our belongings packed in the back of my father-in-law's truck. It was a reality I couldn't shake and remained on my mind the entire trip. I remember trying my hardest not to let the worry show on my face because I didn't want Angela stressed about anything, especially during her pregnancy with Jincy. We had no margin for error at this point, we couldn't afford anything else to go wrong that hadn't already happened to us. (Refer back to previous blog entry "Jehovah Jireh" to get more on this story.) As a husband, father, and son, in that moment I didn't know whether to feel ashamed or relieved knowing that what we had just experienced was nothing short of a rescue by Angela's parents, and not knowing exactly how to receive the graciousness of their hearts as they opened up their home to us. Angela and I both had grown accustom to the independent life as well as taking care of others, and here we were unable to do anything for ourselves. Dad and Mom, if you are reading this -THANK YOU. We certainly needed their support because without it I am not sure where we would have wound up as things immediately grew worse.
The check-engine light flashed as we pulled onto our parents road and literally one house down from our destination our car came to a sputtering and smoking halt. I don't think we will ever forget that moment of silence and of total disbelief. No words! Nothing had to be spoken to know what was going through both of our minds at that time. Did our car really just break down? We could have easily tail-spinned into negativity but we somehow managed to crack a smile and say, "Thank God that He brought us this far."
With the help of my brother-in-law, Ray, we managed to push our car out of the middle of the road as Angela steered us into the driveway of a condemned house next door to her parents, which was hidden in the midst of a thicket of trees. It was as if God was telling us, "I have you where I want you, BE STILL, STAY PUT! We really had no choice but to obey, but now what?
I went on that summer working a job for a man remodeling houses. A man who today is something of a spiritual mentor and great friend. Not only was this job a means to take care of my family but it sharpened me spiritually during a time it was needed most. The best part of it all was having the opportunity to spend time with Angela's family and growing closer to them. From helping my father-in-law do numerous projects around the house, to hearing stories about Angela's upbringing, their family's competitive wiffle ball games in her backyard that almost always resulted in an argument, and making the same poor little kid climb the fence into the yard next door whenever someone hit a home-run; the same property where we were forced to park our broken down car. Much of what I heard seemed to somehow involve this house, there was plenty of history behind it with many stories about the very interesting neighbors that once lived there. Despite its rugged condition, little by little it began to grow on us, even our dogs managed to get stuck in the thick of trees and bushes of that yard countless times.
It was great to be in the place that helped shape my wife into the beautiful human being she is today. Spending time as a family at church, around the dinner table, and staying busy in the back yard was amazing. Angela and I both agreed this was beginning to feel much like the place we wanted to be, a place we wouldn't mind to call our home. We had always talked about living in Tennessee and as Angela mentioned before, a year prior we had picked out a dream house not far from where she grew up. We even prayed beside the bank of the river where the beautiful property sits, but this was all at a time when we didn't see the adversity coming our way.
"Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss"
-James 4:3
There's nothing wrong with having nice belongings or wanting to live in a nice home, but the home we were asking for was pretty extravagant, even for the most ambitious type. Besides, much had changed for us in a short period of time. Through the entire experience of taking losses the Lord brought us back to humble beginnings where we were able to see clearly the true blessings in life and the meaning of being spiritually rich, most importantly to enjoy an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ and being centered in His will. In spite of our circumstances, we learned invaluable lessons which we have carried with us from the day we pushed our car into that driveway next door to the very point where we are today.
The gift of returning to professional basketball with the support of a loving wife, the birth of Jincy Rose, the blessing of traveling the world as a family, and any and all success that comes our way, it's never mistaken where it all comes from, the Lord Jesus Christ. He allowed us to go through some very trying times that brought us closer to Him, increased our faith, and allowed Him to place His desires in our hearts which is so much better than we can imagine or dream of because His desire is for our joy to always be full in Him.
When we lost everything, the thought of a dream house quickly escaped our minds. But during the temporary stay with our parents, we gained the sense of what a home should feel like inwardly and not merely the appeal of what one looks like outwardly, as well as how much discipline, patience, and hard work it takes to turn a house into a home. We could only pray for something like that for our family, if at all in God's will.
We soon found ourselves wandering through the condemned house next door and began to notice the character and potential that it possessed. So as a family we began to pray about it. We knew it would be a lot of work to fix it up or even to make it livable but we knew we would appreciate it so much more in the end. We were faced with obstacles right away, no money, the house wasn't even on the market and seemed impossible to find out the status of it. So we decided to put the house talk on hold, trusting in God to work things out.
"For your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask Him." -Matthew 6:8
After a successful season in Qatar and 2 weeks before we were scheduled for our return trip to the States we received a phone call from Angela's parents with news that we couldn't believe, the house had finally gone on the market. The timing couldn't have been better and we didn't waste a minute making an offer on the house only to find out there were several other offers in already. We could only pray. After a week of waiting we received another call telling us we had got the house!!!
One year after pushing our car into the driveway of the condemned house next door, that very same place we can now call our HOME. The day we received the keys to our home we pulled up in front of it and again there was a moment of silence, only this time we shared the feeling of confirmation and complete belief in the anchor of our faith, Jesus Christ, and what He had done for us. Our joy is full, our cup surely runneth over, enough to share with our amazing next door neighbors, Angela parents. How could we ask for anything more than that?
Father, may your will continue to be done in our lives. Amen.
p.s. If anyone from HGTV happens to be reading this we could really use your help, we have a "Fixer Upper" on our hands.
"The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field." -Matthew 13:44
(Malate Church- Manila Philippines)
(Beijing Masters- High Park)
(Jincy at her first Oak Ridge Wildcat Football game with Uncle Ray Ray)
(At Uncle Mayne's house with our nieces in Richmond, Indiana)
(Jincy woke up to celebrate with the Champ- Beijing Masters)
(Looks like Jincy will be taking over the back yard court- her first word...Ball!)
Here is the link to the hilarious video of our dad that was mentioned in the blog
(You can also go to our channel Dominic James Wright)
Our Dads & the Exploding Target Reaction:
Star Profile:
Beijing, China Footage:
Feature on Dominic by 3x3
Video footage of Manila, Philippines- lFacebook link:
Day 1:
Dominic's 3x3 highlights:
