Flowing with Milk and Honey...

We kept hearing about the fruit and vegetable souq (or wholesale market) but had not really had a chance to stop and look for it. One day while my goal was to visit the plant souq, I turned into a small building and parked. The kids were not at all interested in stopping to find out what was inside, but I made them stop complaining and come and see. Well to our amazment here it was all along, we finally found what seemed like a hidden treasure chest! We stood at the entrance of this building and just stared at this glorious sight. The boys kept saying, wow Mama, where are we? Ethan could not believe his eyes. In fact, they still talk about it.
Maybe, it's because our eyes are now accustomed to the tans and taupes of living in the desert, with an occasional splash of green and the color of aqua blue when by the sea side. Maybe, we thought that Doha could not possibly import such richness and beauty. Maybe, we just needed a reminder of how great God is and how much he truly loves us.
This was my very first thought.... How could God be so mindful of man??!! How could He provide so much for His children and yet we take all of this for granted and with such common acceptance. I reminded my boys that God gave us such wonderful colors, various plants , fruit and vegatables to enjoy and they are so good for us. Even if we don't like the taste of some we can at least appreciate the fact that so much is provided for us to chose from!
God is most assuredly good!!!

Do you see the cart in the picture below? We had a man following us around with one just like it and asking us what we might like (in Arabic, I think). I finally got him to understand, unfortunately, we only needed and wanted what our own hands could carry. Besides, because most of it is imported, it does not last as long , even if refrigerated. I didn't want to be wasteful and our fridges are so small. I knew we would be back soon...very soon.

Better price? Yes, everyone was happy to offer a better price.

So you might ask, what do the grocery stores stock? Most only offer a very limited selection, some of the bigger grocery chains offer more but not as much as we saw here and as inexpensive. Also, this wholesale area is literally across town for us, so it is not as convenient.

There is no electricity, so they use the old fashion scale and weights. We are weighing a big beautiful bunch of celery, which costs 15 QR., about $4.12. Expensive? I've paid almost $10.00 for celery before, trust me this is cheap! Especially when you shop for a specific item (like celery) and the whole country is out or maybe have had delays in shippment. You quickly realize that when there is celery and the price is good, get it while the getting is good, even if you don't need it.

Isn't it funny how your perspective changes when your circumstances change? I will never look at a U.S. grocery store the same. Sights like these will forever change the way I look at the simple abundance and blessings we enjoy everyday. A new sense of gratitude has been etched in my heart, and hopefully my children's heart as well.

We have been back several times.

Here is just one of the plant souqs. "Ethers' agricultural souq", one of the most popular ones. Plants are shipped in from Holland and some from within the surounding regions, while some are homegrown. I have enjoyed decorating our home here with some plants and flowers from this souq. Again prices are better than grocery stores but still expensive compared to U.S. standards.

To a very small extent, I can imagine that Joshua and Caleb must have been taken back the way we were, when they were spying out the land "flowing with milk and honey", the land of Cannan, that God promised would be theirs. Their heart and excitement must have been hard to contain, because they knew that this was a treasure indeed and if God said it would be theirs, then it would just be a matter of time.

As the songs says...."count your blessings, see what God hath done..."

"...enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; and His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endureth to all generations." Psalm 100

A Homeschool Fieldtrip...

My friend Melissa and I got together to plan a day out for our kids. We decided to go see a visiting Arabic Arts Expo, in the Islamic Cultural Center of Doha.
The boys and I arrived about 15 minutes early, and had permission to take photos while we waited for the rest of the group, in which we quickly found out what this center's purpose was. It was to educate others (non-Muslims) of what Islam was about.
(You can double-click on the image to enlarge it)

Once we were ready to enter in, (about 20 of us) we were surrounded by a team of Muslims video taping, taking pictures, watching and following every move we made. They were very kind and interested in us, so much that we were invited to several free classes and events. As one man told us, they could arrange customized and private classes for our children.
Another Mom and I were invited to a "ladies tea" there at the center. When I asked what the purpose of the tea was, I was told that it would be a cultural awareness of the teachings of Islam. I kindly and respectfully declined the invite.

Here is the lineage of the Prophets at the center...(so sorry about the flash spots, it was too dark to take without the flash) the PBUT at the bottom means "Praise Be Unto Them" The names of the prophets or the name of Allah are never mentioned without saying, BBHN (Blessed Be His Name) or PBUT, either verbally or in print.

This gentleman was so kind and cordial towards us. He kept the kids laughing and kept us smiling. He asked the kids what the meaning of their names were. One of the girls name was "Grace" and he said, "I know that grace means, undeserved favor from God, but why did your parents name you "Grace"?" Her Mom replied, because it is a beautiful name. Every name in Arabic has meaning, just like in O.T. times. He wrote our names in "Artistic Arabic Calligraphy".

The building pictured on the cards, is the building we were in. It's right in the middle of the city center and it has a large spiral top, at night it's very well lit.

After a very short stay in the Islamic Center.... we then drove down the street to the Corniche where there was a visiting "Robot Zoo", for the first time ever in Doha. All students got in free, yes, even us homeschoolers.

These are some of the insects and animals we saw there....

however, Evan and Ethan were only interested in competing in a race. Ethan was so excited that he beat a girl one whole year older....by a mile!

One more stop for a photo shoot.......then, "see ya later Moms".

We enjoyed a picnic out on the water edge of the Persian Gulf, where the water is a true aqua marine blue and the weather was on the chilly side. It's so beautiful it looks artificial.

It was a fun and educating day in Doha.