Desert Dust and Christmas Songs

Yesterday I drove Bethany's car to the church to pick up a forgotten item. It was 104 degrees outside, ouch. I woke up at 8a.m. and it was already 92! When i got in Bethany's car I checked the CD player for music and there was a WOW Christmas CD in...not sure why but I pumped up the volume and sang (no, belted) White Christmas on a desert dusted road. Almost got stuck in a hole but thankfully I was going a bit fast so I didn't get stuck! Ah, the desert life.
I'm not sure why but Dubai doesn't sparkle like it use to. Maybe it's because I know workers who are underpaid and over-worked. Maybe it's because materialism makes my stomach hurt. Maybe it's because I simply miss the trees and cornfields of Ohio. I bet it's because I know Dubai now and it isn't as big as it once was. We've conquered Dubai. It was unknown and huge when we first arrived and now I have an understanding of life here, how it works and who it works for. I asked myself EVERYDAY what it would be like to live in the Middle East and now I know; it's a man-made heaven in the middle of a desert. But every man made heaven has a flaw, it's made by man. What is made by man is also destroyed by man and what can be destroyed by man will not exist in glory.
So pray for the Middle East. Pray that those who are investing in Glory will reap what they sow. Pray that the destruction of a man-made heaven will also cause a destruction of pride and an understanding of sin.
But I must say, I will miss Dubai SO very much. I will miss all the different kinds of people, walking to the beach, hoses in the washrooms, and indoor skiing to name a few. What a crazy and unexpected experience this semester has been, I wouldn't trade it for anything.
It's going to be so great to stumble out of the airport onto green grass. I simply can't wait.