Going On A Trip

Zachary was a volunteer for an object lesson (or skit) on Sunday at St. George's Anglican Church. Pam, the worship leader, prepared him for a long journey and asked him questions. With the help of Zach's innocent, honest responses, she illustrated our need for God's guidance and direction on our own journey. The quote of the morning was when she gave Zach the map and said, "do you think you can find your way with this?" Zach said, "no." "Why?" she asked. "I don't know how to read a map," Zach said. Kuddos to Pam and Zach for a great illustration!

Play Ball!

We asked a friend, "what's your favorite thing to do?" We expected him to say 'soccer' or long days at the cafe. Instead, he said "baseball?" So the American pastime has made it to Tunisia. In fact, after some digging, we found that there is an official Baseball Federation of Tunisia. Sure, its a dusty building downtown led by a commissioner who won't let anyone use the equipment. But, no worries, a few donors got us a bunch of equipment from Academy Sports in the US and sent it our way. So, Sunday we celebrated our latest pick up game. Everyone had a great time including the younger boys who got to hit with the rest of us!

The Home Stretch

Well, our 4^th Ramadan is upon us! If you don’t know much about this annual holiday look it up online. Essentially, all Muslims fast for the daylight hours which means its pretty quiet around here in the day time with empty streets and a lot of closed stores.

Our summer was filled with some fun occasions as well as with lots of planning for the 2009-2010 academic year.

Our focus will continue to be on our current plate of personal and professional priorities. At the end of the school year, we will return to the US. It has been such a privilege to serve here in Tunisia and we look forward to finishing strong in the coming year.

Our year-end newsletter will specify the details of our 2010-2011 academic year. If you have questions, email us at Gordon.Blocker@barid.org.

Pray for all of us! Tunisia has become home for the Blockerseven. You might remember that Sam was born just before we arrived. So Tunisia is where all seven of us have gelled together. Pray for our kids especially!

Blessings to all!

The B7 Hits the Cafe

There are as many cafes in Tunisia as there are bars in the US. Tunisians much prefer plastic chairs, shots of espresso, flat screens with soccer on, and a shisha pipe over margaritas, soft tacos, and monday night football. Gordon heads over to our shop about once a day with his big Starbucks cup. He has made friends with just about every waiter and they all know when he's coming - we think it's the big Starbucks cup that gives him away :) We went there together as a family the other day and asked a waiter to snap a memory. We don't have many family photos with all 7 of us. So it was neat to capture the moment. Cheers!

KIds Go To Camp In France

Abigail, Zachary, and Ben were super blessed to go to France this summer. They joined 45 other kids from like-minded families for a camp. It was not the woods of East Texas or the massive facilities we are used to in the States. But it was a beautiful setting in southwest France with great people who love Jesus and loved on our kids. The kids could not have loved it more!!! When the parents showed up for the final night all the kids were crying and saying goodbye, the parents were rounding up dirty socks, and the counselors were grabbing one last hug from their cabin. Thanks to all involved at camp! What a blessing!

Ben's A Hit At A Local Birthday Party

It was Ben vs. Michael Jackson at the local birthday party. That's right, a 5-year-old in Tunisia wanted Michael Jackson videos to be played the whole party. So Ben obliged and showed off his techno dance routines with Gracie close behind. We had a great time connecting with this family. Gordon joined the men on the roof (Tunisian house are flat with a terrace on the top) for pizza and conversation. It was a late night for the B7, but a fun one!

Our 5 Heroes

Ok, time to shamelessly brag on our kids. They just finished 3 years of school in French. Even Sam got in the game this year, going mornings from 8-12. Gracie's french pops out spontaneously without her evening knowing it. And the big kids just try to survive when Mom and Dad break out their rusty accents. They have rarely complained about the lack of facilities, the overly strict teachers, being the only blond-headed kids in the whole place, or the countless other daily sacrifices they make. We are so proud of them. They have truly grown so much here in Tunisia. So we try not to take their maturity and perserverance for granted. We often spoil them with treats and rewards for their milestones. So, as summer begins we wanted to mark this time of year and let everyone know how proud we are as parents.