“There is an occasion for everything, and a time for every activity under heaven” Ecclesiastes 3:1. Everything has its proper moment and purpose. We continue to try to see the natural rhythm and cycle of events and experiences in our life on Crete. Walking is a great time to process. We walk 5 or 6 days a week for 2 to 3 miles. Much of our walks are through olive groves.
We continue the slow process of working on our status for staying on Crete. We appreciate Ashley and Keith Dillard who assisted us in getting our certified marriage certificate and Deborah’s certified birth certificate further certified by the Secretary of State of Louisiana. We also appreciate Walter Foster for assisting us to get our certified marital status certificate and my certified birth certificate further certified by the Secretary of State of Texas. It definitely sounds redundant. In Greece everything must have an apostille. That is a certificate that authenticates the signature and seal of a public official or notary on a document, making it valid for use.
As I approach my 65th birthday next month, I wanted to check some things out. So, Deborah went with me to an endocrinologist at the old center of Heraklion. The doctor’s English was rusty after working in Germany for 17 years. But, we were able to communicate clearly, which is a good thing while at the doctor. After the doctor visit we had a nice meal at a seaside restaurant.
While grocery shopping on a Wednesday… we met a woman and her family… vacationing from Switzerland. After visiting in the frozen food aisle for a while, the family decided to join us for worship the following Sunday. It was an eye-opening experience, but as they were leaving our house after worship, she said, “I learned today that I need to study the Bible a whole lot more.”
Living in a frequent earthquake area requires a bit of an adjustment. At 6:19 am Deborah’s birthday started off with a bang – or, more of a shake and rumble. That was a very long 34 seconds. We made a dash to our deck to get out of the house. After we calmed down outside… we went back into the house. There was no damage to or in the house. The goods on the shelves in some grocery stores were thrown to the floor. Deborah’s earthquake app on her phone said we had more than 20 aftershocks throughout the day – which we did not feel.
Later that same day… we met Fenia, Matoula and Katarina during Fenia’s lunch break. We met at a pizza restaurant across from the pharmacy where Fenia works. Our four-hour lunch was filled with food, laughter, biblical insights gained, encouragement for spiritual struggles and relationship building. We are so appreciative of these opportunities.
We had dust from Africa 3 times this month. Hot southern winds carry red dust from the Sahara. Deborah thinks the air feels like being in a convection oven that someone threw a bucket of dirt into. In the most recent episode, some flights into Heraklion were diverted due to high winds and low visibility. Then rain came to clear the air. That sounds great! But it was just a smattering of rain. The air partially cleared, leaving everything covered in mud from the sky. West Texas, Oklahoma, you know what we are talking about! Thankfully, the day after the Sahara’s gift, the temperatures dropped into the 70’s giving us a beautiful day to clean everything.
Learning as we go,
Steve & Deborah
