Our friends Jimmy and Steph picked us up at midnight and took us to this cute air b n b. Phil and I slept well! We had a wonderful breakfast of French pastries and coffee as there is a strong French influence here. We went to the Medina - the city center- and wove our way it seemed like for miles of shops- Souk- filled with everything from shoes to perfume to you name it. We had lunch at a famous beautiful restaurant called Fandouk el Attarine - wonderful fish and couscous- $10.00 per person- and then drove out to Mahdia where our friends “work”.
Phil and I had a great day today. We went to the local Souk and Freep. The Souk was filled with the locals shopping for fruits and vegetables. The colors were astounding. The Freep is a half mile of used clothing and assorted other items from snowsuits to rollerblades. We then prayer walked around the peninsula where there used to be a wall around the whole city. Mahdia dates back to the Phoenicians almost 3,000 years ago! We had lunch at a local Tunisian place - so delicious for $3.50 each! We visited local artisans- what are friends are involved in- local pottery and beautiful handmade scarves were my favorite! As I was leaving one shop 5 younger gals were celebrating an upcoming wedding Tunisian style. They called me in, danced, offered me treats, took pictures and were just the warmest people!
We enjoyed a delicious ethnic Tunisian lunch! The sardines were delicious!
Hello friends- it has been a full day. My dad is still in the hospital and doing better. Thank you for praying. We had a full day of experiencing amazing Tunisia 🇹🇳- such a beautiful country with such beautiful people! It has been such a joy to experience it with and through the eyes of our “local” Tunisian friends. We had breakfast that can only be described by seeing the picture below- it cost 55 Dinar for the 4 of us -it is 3 Dinar to 1 US dollar. This included two delicious espresso coffees each! And we were overlooking the Mediterranean Sea! It’s almost too good to be true! This frugal girl is in heaven. We then went to another Souk- I found an Italian leather purse for 3 dinar at the Freep! We walked through the local fish/ meat market- all I can say is wow. We went to the local museum with artifacts from 900 AD and at the top of the museum we could see the view of the whole city. We prayed and prayed and prayed over the city up there. It is Friday- the Muslim holy day. We perused a local grocery store- so fascinating -and then had an amazing “spiritual” conversation with our friend’s neighbor who is always trying to convert our friends to be Muslim. A family that works here is in the states for a time with their family and a thief broke in and robbed them. We spent a good portion of the afternoon cleaning up their house as there was black oily fingerprint dust from the police everywhere. For dinner we each picked out our own fresh fish to be cooked at another restaurant overlooking the Sea - oh that cost $19.86 total for the 4 of us. Couscous, fresh bread, soup, and salad! 🥗 After dinner we walked along the coast with many other locals dressed in traditional Muslim clothing eating street food. The culture here is wonderful. There are also a million cats here- they are everywhere! I love them! Love you all. Until tomorrow…
Hello! I think today was my favorite day yet! We toured El Jem- a Roman colliseum built in the 2nd century. It was sobering to walk in the catacombs where many Christian’s were martyred for their faith. We have heard stories from our friends here that this is still happening regularly. I had the privilege of riding a camel 🐪-once and done! Phil has me hanging on for dear life as he sat down! We enjoyed Tunisian street food- so good - and then went to a local museum where they had oodles of beautiful 1st and 2nd century mosaics made of small stones. The pictures do not do them justice. When we got home we walked to the beach and swam in the Mediterranean Sea! Our friends have finished their time here and will be working stateside soon so we were able to help them pack up an apartment and move all of the things to another location. We are so grateful to be here with them to help! Tomorrow we are heading to an expat church in Sousse. We can’t wait! Love you all.
Happy Sunday y’all! We said goodbye to the lovely town of Mahdia this morning. Our friends’ dear neighbor made us Tunisian cookies and even dinner last night. Such a warm lady- her name is Hannan- pray for God to open her heart and eyes- we then drove to Sousse where we worshipped at the international church for Christians. The pastor is from Anaheim CA! There were about 60 people there with at least 3 police officers guarding the church from the outside. The message was about running the race God has for us! It was a good word. We had lunch with workers who have worked here for 20 years. Stories were told of recent imprisonments for simply asking questions. Very sobering. Two young college age men heard our American accents and Phil and our friend had a “spiritual” conversation about the Quran and the Bible. We are grateful.
We had an amazing last day in Tunisia. We are in the capital- Tunis. We are near the coast so Phil and I walked along the beach this morning before we met some other old friends who are workers here. They are moving to another North African country and are involved in member care through Live Dead. It was such a God blessed time and Phil and I were so excited to hear what they do as we could see ourselves involved in what they are doing! Stay tuned! We had an amazing time of prayer and tears were shed from most of us. We then went and toured Carthage and Sidi Bou Said- a cute town similar to Santorini. We then went to the North African American Cemetery where they were having a formal ceremony for Memorial Day! They were honoring all Americans who have given their lives for our country and freedom and more specifically all then men who lost their lives in North Africa during WW2. We enjoyed a dinner with a few more workers and are so encouraged by God and what he is doing! Phil and I are on our way to the airport in 30 minutes! Prayers appreciated!