Apartment Life

Here are some photos of our apartment...

A mosque under construction right outside our apartment nears completion

Between our apartment and the mosque another building is going up!

Living Room

Kitchen

Dining Area

Apartment Play area

Our 12 story apartment!

Our wheels!

Waiting

Singer Tom Petty was right. “The waiting (really) is the hardest part.”

This painstaking word – waiting – seems to best sum up our first three weeks on the field. Praise the Lord though, our family is adjusting very well in spite of these "character-building" opportunities!

Since we arrived, we’ve found ourselves …

• Waiting in line to get blood tests and x-rays (medical clearance is necessary for a resident visa) – 6 hours
• Waiting in line on multiple trips to see the “typist” so that he can complete several forms for our visa applications – 5 hours
• Waiting to get internet service in our apartment (resident permit was required first) – 3 weeks
• Waiting in traffic – for who knows how long!
• Waiting to begin our “real” work – still waiting!

So why is this process of waiting so difficult, after all? I’ve come home, after spending hours waiting in lines or grid-lock traffic, plumb exhausted. I think it is because waiting is the work of patience and faith. Do you agree? Through our first three weeks, God has been faithful to us each and every day.

Beyond the lines and traffic, the rest of our time has been spent…

• Swimming and hanging with old college friends working in this city
• Eating meals on four different occasions with new, ex-pat friends
• Having meaningful talks with people from Pakistan, Dubai, and Egypt
• Taking road trips to Oman and Abu Dhabi for work purposes
• Going to three different churches (all were great services)
• Buying uniforms for school (gulp! Do uniforms REALLY cost that much???)
• Reading together as a family (great novel called “Blessed Child” by Ted Dekker and Bill Bright)
• Drinking frappocino’s at my Starbucks "office" and talking to my new friend from Syria (Sadly, I’ll not be going to almost daily to check e-mail now that we finally have internet at home!)

Time to wrap up this “post”. Before I close, let me ask you a question… For what are you waiting? Jot us a note. It would be our privilege to return the blessing by praying for you. Besides, we’ve had lots of practice. And chances are, it won't be long before we find ourselves back in that familar place of waiting. We'll try to take advantage of the unexpected time on our hands and remember your request!

Keep waiting and watching for the Lord’s return. It won’t be long! Then, (could it really be true?) all waiting will be over!!!

Get your Burns Bunch family photo!

If you would like to receive a family photo card shown below, simply e-mail us at: goburnsbunch@gmail.com and give us your physical address. We'll have one (or more) mailed to you from the states. Feel free to request as many as you want - one or more for yourself and as many as you would like to give away to family or friends. You can help us build up the network of people praying for us and the UAE.

Thanks for your partnership!

Front

Back

A picture is worth a thousand words

It is true. A picture is worth a thousand words.

But this picture, although it communicates great memories were made in the catching of fish, fails to convey the great time that was had by all as we invested in some very meaningful family relationships just days before heading to the field.

Thanks for praying for us. Mission accomplished!

We are here! We are here!

To quote all the "Whos" down in "Whoville" ("The Grinch That Stole Christmas").... "We are here, we are here, we are here, we are heeeerrrrrrre!"

I must admit, it all felt like a dream. And it was late enough to be one!

After a pretty eventful trip, we arrived at the airport gate in our destination city at the correct time (11 p.m.) but a whole day later than scheduled.

Bad weather in the "windy city" forced us to stay overnight. But after two cancelled flights, we were able to get back on track. All's well that ends well.

A "welcome service" greeted us at the airport gate as we de-planed and drove us through the airport on their speedy cart. Daniel was impressed. The welcome service whisked us to the front of the customs line like we were VIPs and then on to baggage claim.

As I was standing there with my family watching all but two of our trunks and suitcases unloaded off the conveyor belt (the other two arrived two days later!) that's when it all hit me.

I was overwhelmed with God's faithfulness to finish what He starts. This moment was the culmination of a year long process when we first began to sense "the call" to come to this great city. All praise and honor to our great King!

We were greeted by a team of people waiting for us outside the airport. That too was overwhelming. Our team took care of loading all of our bags and drove us straight to our apartment that they had fully furnished for us. What a blessing. All we had to do that first night was to lay our weary heads on our pillows and sleep...and sleep...and sleep some more.

We have done a lot of sleeping in our first 5 full days on the field but our bodies are slowly but surely getting over the jet lag. In spite of catching up on our rest, we have also managed to obtain cell phones and drivers licenses. We have ventured out into the crowded traffic of our city a few times and have stocked up on groceries. Our vehicle, a 6 passenger, standard shift Galloper with 109,000 km is doing just fine.

We have also visited a couple of schools and seem to be leaning towards an all girls school. We took a tour a couple of days ago and our daughters took placement tests yesterday. They really, really like this school and the faculty they have met. Our whole family seems to be at peace with it. Plus, it is only a 15 minute drive from our apartment!

The Burns Bunch seems to be adapting to the new time zone and busy city life. Tomorrow, we will travel to another city to visit and go to church with some friends. We have had a few "orientation" type meetings and dinners with two different team member families. As I mentioned earlier, the team we will be working with has done a super job of making us feel welcome.

It is great to finally be "here".

Yesterday...40 years ago

Yesterday, God was watching me in the same place he was watching me 40 years ago!

You see, yesterday I was in my parents bedroom grabbing a little "quiet time". For an introverted nomad who has had no place to call home for the last two months, I desperately need to get my "recharge time" somewhere, and my parents bedroom was the only quiet refuge!

I've been reading through Psalms in my devotions lately, and yesterday's reading led me to Psalm 139. I was drawn to verses 13-16.

13 For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb.

14 I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well.

15 My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;

16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them.

That's when it hit me. I was in the exact phsical location I was 40 years ago - except 40 years ago, I was only about 10 weeks old inside my mother's womb! Yes, I will turn 40 in February for those of you now trying to do the math! And yes, my parents still live in the same house as when I was born.

So 40 years ago, in the same room that I was reading, I was being physically formed inside my mother. Even in the secret place, He knew me. And this passage tells me that God could see what I would be doing 40 years later - reading about Him forming me and preparing me to live out the purpose for which He was making me!

My conclusion? The same as King David's in verse 6...

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is too high, I cannot attain to it.

What message is there for me from this insight? As I prepare to lead my family on a journey to the other side of the planet, here are seven quick nuggets from Psalm 139 that I will take with me as I prepare for the "second half" (or perhaps 2 minute warning!) of my life...

1) He knows me better than anyone on the planet.
2) He has ordained my days and know the exact number of them.
3) There is nowhere I can go without His presence.
4) Our God is an amazing, ALL-KNOWING God. There is no god like Him among the nations.
5) He's still at work forming me - in the secret place.
6) He knows my thoughts from afar - every one of them - and still loves me!
7) He's always watching - and He's always thinking about me. Me? Yes, me. He made me. He knows me. He loves me. Yes, even me.

And do you know what? He knows you too! And He's crazy about you!

Daniel meets Shamu

Daniel had a great day at Seaworld playing in the water, watching Shamu, and riding with his beautiful cousin McKynna.

Tis the night before "D" day

Tis the night before "D"-day
And all through the Quad
Not another soul stirring
Except me and my God

A "D"aughter "D"eparting
Can this ever mean joy?
From the first day of school
To marrying "the" boy?

(gorilla didn't rhyme)

But daughters times two
Going 3000 miles away
Could make a dad go crazy
And force them to stay

Yet, what's this?
Coming out of the blue?
But a calm assurance
And a peace that is true

Jesus gently reminds me
To Him all authority was given
He is the One sending them out
They've enbraced His Commission

Yes, Soul, how can you not be joyful
When your children obey?
And follow hard after the One
Who has shown them the way?

To this they were called
Because Christ suffered for us
Leaving an example

To take up our own cross

It is well with my soul
Yet, Lord, I have one plea

Make their life a bridge

To bring glory to Thee

When it rains...

Thanks for your prayers re: our house. We have a contract! We didn't get all we were asking but are very content with the deal. Assuming all goes well with the inspection and loan approval, we will close on July 28 - five days before we depart for the field.

AND to add to that good news...We received word this morning that my employment visa has been issued. This was done rather quickly and we are grateful that process went very smooth.

AND to add to that good news...our local team went "house hunting" for us today. It sounds like they found us a good deal on a 3BR apartment in a good location of town - near the airport. It will certainly help us narrow the field on some schools. For this we would ask your prayers for continued guidance.

We have an offer!

Let your character be free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you nor will I ever forsake you,” so that we confidently say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What shall man do to me?” Hebrews 13:5-6

I’ve been pondering this passage since last night. Perhaps it’s an odd passage to reflect upon during our days of orientation prior to going to the field. But you need to know that we received an offer on our house yesterday afternoon! “Was it a good offer?” you ask. Any offer is a good offer at this point! It was substantially lower (85% of our asking price) but it was an offer nonetheless!! We are happy and thankful to have an offer to prayerfully consider.

We told our realtor we would like to sleep on it. We will most likely counter the offer this morning. Please pray for the Lord’s wisdom and favor.

But we’ve been asking ourselves, if the potential buyers don’t budge an inch, can we live with it? I think that’s why this Scripture in Hebrews has been speaking to me. It teaches us to look higher and ask a much different question: “If we had nothing else but the Lord Himself, would that be enough?”

Our tendency is to zero in on the warm, fuzzy part of Hebrews 13:5, “I will never desert you or forsake you.” It is certainly a promise that provides comfort and strength as we journey this sod. But the purpose of this promise, it seems to me, is to make the command to “be free from the love of money” and to “be content” so much easier and obvious to obey. It’s as if the Lord is saying to us, “If you have me, what else do you really need?” This is consistent with our Lord’s words, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:33

Regardless of the outcome, we would ask that you pray that our character will be free from the love of money and that we will be content and generous with whatever He gives us. We don’t want “the cares of the world” and the “deceitfulness of wealth” to choke out our fruitfulness. Matthew 13:22

Thank you for lifting us up! Your prayers are not in vain! Since our last writing two weeks ago, orientation has not let up in its intensity. We’ve experienced moments of brokenness – coming to the end of ourselves. But it has been invaluable. The goal is to learn to live there – in a state of brokenness and humility, that is.

On the Potter's wheel...

Preparation "H"

"Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest." John 4:35

Preparation "H" - the Harvest, that is!

We appreciate your prayers for our family as we try to get ready to go to the harvest field. We know that many have prayed for laborers to go to this region of the world and we have even pleaded, "Lord, here we are send us", but it's the preparation part that is not so easy. Nevertheless, it is a privilege to be here and to be learning the things we are learning.

The first two weeks of FPO (Field Personnel Orientation) have been intense but oh, so good. Hours upon hours of class time during the day, numerous reading and homework assignments at night, team responsibilities, and not to mention just keeping our family focused have all kept the time moving right along!

Overall, on a scale from 1-10, our time here has been an "8" even with some sickness being spread around the camp. Our family has not been immune but those in our clan who have picked up the community stomach bug all seem to be on the mend.

We also survived our first round of shots! Round 2 of 3 is this Friday.

The weather has been exceptionally cool as we have experienced a couple of thundershowers rolling through. All the kids seem to really be enjoying their time here.

On the equipping side, probably the most challenging talk that we've heard so far came from the president of our organization. We received 10 hours of instruction from him over a two day period on the subject of spiritual warfare. It was by far the best I've heard on this subject. We were reminded that Satan's ultimate purpose is to rob God of the glory that is due His Name from the nations. He is committed to keeping his strongholds in place as long as possible.

It was a sober reminder that we are moving into the enemy's camp but we should not fear. The victory has already been secured through Christ Jesus. Adversity will come – of that we can be sure. But we can mentally, spiritually, and emotionally prepare ourselves for this so that when the hardships and attacks come, we will stand firm in our faith. The point was driven home that we need to think on Truth. Satan's biggest scheme is to attack us in the area of our thoughts. We must be on guard and not let him use "his craftiness to lead our minds astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ." 2 Cor. 11:3

I mentioned team responsibilities above. Everyone here is required to sign up on a team (Cross-cultural worship team, recreation team, facilities team, library team, computer (IT) team, etc.) I sensed the Lord drawing me to be on the Prayer Team. I have so much to learn about intercessory prayer, yet, I was selected the team leader. Although this responsibility feels weighty and is time consuming, God has given me a wonderful team of 10 men and women who are really committed to mobilizing the FPO community to pray for each other and for the people groups we are going to.


Kernels (Prayer Requests)

Healing and wholeness for our bodies and minds
Discipline and perseverance
Grace to trust God and wait on Him to provide a buyer for our house (it was shown 3 times last week but no offers)
Location of our villa where we are moving – we would love for it to be relatively close to the school
School selection
For the Lord to pour out His Spirit on this campus so that the 100 "sent out ones" (total units including families and journeymen) will go out in His power

Boot Camp?

Well...here goes our first launch out into blog land...

I can remember sitting at candidate conference and hearing a quote from a former marine likening the field personnel orientation to spiritual boot camp. He went on to share how the purpose of boot camp is to strip away all pride to prepare you to be a team player.

I can honestly say that has been true in our lives as well. We are now finishing up week 2 but it only took a few days to realize this orientation and training was going to be anything but a walk in the park.

One of our requests coming into the orientation is that each member of the family would experience God in a unique and special way. We would appreciate your continued prayers toward that end.

The house is still for sale but there has been some increased activity in the last week. Keep praying that God will be glorified in the sell of the house and land we called "home".