This past Sunday and Monday were very important days here, as Muslims celebrated Eid al-Adha, which is one of the two largest Eid festivals on the Muslim calendar.  This specific festival celebrates “the willingness of Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ishmael as an act of obedience to Allah” and often involves the slaughter of a lamb, goat, or cow to honour Allah.  Following morning prayers and an animal sacrifice, people spend the remainder of the day visiting the homes of relatives and friends.  Preparation for this festival usually takes two or three days, as the women prepare an abundance of food and have it spread out on the “table” for the entire Eid day, constantly replenishing, as more guests arrive.  This may happen two or three days in a row.  I had the opportunity to visit four separate homes with my friend M, which was a really neat experience and a great way to meet local people.  I was heavily immersed in the language for the day, which is incredibly helpful with language acquisition, and fun, as they always enjoy teaching me a few new words. I have attached a few pictures below showing a few different “tables” we encountered on our visits, but keep in mind, many hot food items are missing.  It is not until you arrive at each home, that you are served a large bowl of soup, and presented with another plate or two of meat, which would have been slaughtered that morning.  Not surprisingly, there are usually two tables set in different rooms, one for the women, and one for the men.   It was exciting walking through the buzzing city and seeing everyone dressed in their finest of linens, as it is very important to look your best on these days.  Appearance is a big deal, and a great deal of energy and resources goes into presenting your home and table well.

Monday was another early start, as I travelled to Gypsy village with the same lady as last week, and two other doctors also joined us this time.  As previously planned, we then travelled with a couple of families from the village, to their in-laws village about an hour away.   There were many points along the way where I was certain the bottom of the car would fall out and we would have to “Fred Flintstone” it the rest of the way.  My feet were literally warm from the fiction below.  A lot of the roads outside the city are not paved, littered with potholes, incredibly dusty, and void of road markings.  In the car that I was travelling in, the seatbelt consisted of a strap you simply throw over yourself when passing by police checkpoints/radar.  I do not believe this seatbelt attached anywhere.  Thankfully, the surrounding mountains were beautiful and kept my mind focussed elsewhere.  🙂

Upon arriving at the in-laws village, we were once again warmly greeted, and quickly realized it was the home of one of the village leaders.  They had slaughtered the lamb before we had arrived, and it was only a matter of minutes before I taste-tested this fresh lamb in the hot bowl of soup we were served.  I’m thinking it may just be an acquired taste, which I have yet to acquire.  The table at this particular home was the largest I had seen, but once again we sat separately from the men.  It still seems foreign to completely disregard the men sitting at the other end of the table, apart from a formal greeting when we initially arrive, but that is completely normal in this culture.  After spending some time visiting around the table, the three ladies I was with met with approximately ten different individuals who had some medical concerns.  They are so kind and include me in these assessments, so I am learning a great deal.  I did step away for some time and played with the many children present, as kids receive very little adult interaction once they start walking.  The children just adore spending time with you and soak up every moment they can.  They anxiously poked their little faces into the room where we were providing the medical help, just waiting for me to come out and play with them again.  They are just so precious.  A small group of them took me on a little walk, where I was able to catch a better glimpse of the mountains and run around freely with them.  The kids love having their pictures taken and giggle with such delight when they see their cute faces on the screen.  It is an incredible privilege to be welcomed into this people group,  experience wonderful hospitality (even though they have so little, yet strive to give us their very best), and I hope, be a light that shines brightly in the darkness.  I have attached a few pictures below and would love if you would be in prayer for them.