Finance Department Outing

The boys in the Finance office wanted to take Lynn and I out for supper.  A few places were named, but we ended up at Pizza Hut which is both economical and filling.  Just what you would expect from finance people.

We also found out the secret of ordering from the salad bar.  You order only two plates, but you load them so full to a point of overflowing and then all the others just share it.

At first I thought the management would see what we were up to, but then I saw that everyone else in the place was doing it the same way, so I guess it's pretty much standard practice here to do it that way.

We had a great evening with these guys.  They have all become very special to us.  It will be very difficult saying good bye.

Supper at MacDonalds

The invitations continue to flow.  We were asked to join Captains Diana and MacDonald for supper.  Diana and Lynn used to be in adjoining offices and would have plenty of conversations through the course of the day but now they are out of earshot and consequently miss the opportunity to chat and keep up with each other.

They have two daughters who are very talented.  They will often sing duets in the Sunday or Thursday night meetings.  Mac usually accompanies them on the harmonium.

Diana is often used to do the translation for speakers and she is very good at it.  Probably the best in the Territory.

MacDonald was appointed as Public Relations and Emergency Services Director last year and Diana is the Acting Territorial Secretary for Personnel.

The food was delicious and after the meal we sat together and had a nice visit.

The next day we had lunch in our flat with Uzma and Ashi.  Ashi is a vegetarian so we were mindful not to include any meat.  We enjoyed pizza with vegetable toppings. They are great and have been so much help to us.  Ashi especially helped Lynn with getting the musical instruments for the Mission Support program she was giving supervision to.  It helped make it possible for many of the Corps in the Territory to get new Harmoniums and Congas or Tablas to help in their worship services.

For desert, Uzma had brought something wrapped in a leaf.  It is called Pan. I wasn't wanting to try it was Lynn was willing.   It's been some time now since she ate it and I just asked her what it tasted like.  She said it tasted like something that shouldn't be in her mouth, almost like perfume but then it seems like  a mix of spicy and sweet with a flavor of eucalyptus or anise or something like that.  It is also had a quite woody texture which when chewed.  I'm glad I passed.

Home League Farewell

These are the days that everyone is getting their farewell wishes in.  This was the case at the Home League meeting on 6 February that was using a heart theme. Lynn had suggested the idea to Major Ella who was in charge of the meeting.  Since her daughter is a nurse she was able to talk about the heart and how we can take care of our heart.  Then Major Ella shared some scripture relating to our heart.   A few Valentine games and activities kept them pretty entertained. What you see in the pictures is the ladies pounding on the flat hearts which then explode and inflate.

Following the meeting several of the ladies shared their kind thoughts and good wishes with Lynn and presented her with a lovely token of love. To go along with the theme Lynn had baked some heart shaped cookies to share with the ladies during tea.  This is kind of special as the ladies do not bake here as most do not have an oven.  Presently even with having an oven baking is difficult as there is load shedding with gas which means the oven temperatures do not get hot enough to bake.  Lynn used the toaster oven to bake the cookies as the regular oven would not get hot enough.  These are the difficulties of life in Pakistan.  But no matter. They find a way.

Saying Our Good-byes

As the days get shorter in Pakistan we have begun the process of saying all of our good byes.  It's not easy.  We have gotten close to so many people here.

We don't see as much of Asher and Sarah now that they have moved off the THQ compound, so we were very grateful that they could stop in to our flat after church last Sunday for tea.

We had a nice visit with them and before they left we got some pictures.  Tears are always close when saying good bye.

We had agreed to have Sunday dinner with Majors Saleem and Irshad.  It seems like we have been regulars at their home.  We feel like part of their family.

I'm trying to capture the feelings and expressions of each family member.  We will really treasure all of these memories.

It seems while in Pakistan I've picked up a new routine for having at least one picture when I plant a kiss on someone's head or cheek.  Enough so now that sometimes I've gotten a taste of my own medicine.

Lynn's Bulletin Board Seminar

Lynn has done a lot of work on the bulletin boards since coming to Pakistan and with the thought of her leaving there was panic.

It was suggested that she give a seminar on how to create and produce attractive bulletin boards, which included an extended lesson on how to cut out letters.

Many of the Cadets from the Training College attended as did several of the staff and residents of the THQ compound.

It was held on Saturday afternoon for about 4 or 5 hours and many who attended said how helpful it was for them and that they learned a lot.

We are looking forward to seeing some of their work after we leave.  This is when all teaching is put to the test.