Bimmah Sinkhole

  This is a new sign and I believe a new park since my wife and I drove the Muscat-Sur road some 8 months ago.  The “Bimmah Sinkhole” is located 6 kms after Dibab village and is not to be confused with ”Bammah” village which is about 20 kms further.  “Hawiyat Najm Park” or “Sinkhole Park” is quite impressive.  We skipped it last time but we are very happy that we decided to check it out this time!  The water was such a vibrant green! Chilin joked that it looked like a giant WC (toilet) because of that color which resembles a toilet bowl cleaner.  Apparently, the green and blue colors are a result of the saltly sea water meeting with fresh water.  This sinkhole is about 500 meters inland and is 40 meters wide and 20 meters deep.  The sinkhole is said to connect all the way to the ocean.  My beautiful wife at the top of the sinkhole  Yours truly enjoying the view from above  It’s a LONG way down! Are those ants near the tree?!    Those concrete steps are bigger than they look and you really do have to be careful when walking up and down.  If you look real hard, you can see tiny fish that love to nibble peoples’ toes!  It’s quite therapeutic!  My wife seems to get more beautiful with each passing day!  Mr. Chilin Tang taking a few pics with his incredible camera  Mabel Seow really seemed to enjoy soaking her feet in the sinkhole.  A Kodak moment at the Bimmah sinkhole, ha!ha!  Notice the French family taking a dip in the sinkhole.  I would definitely recommend bringing your bathing suit if you get a chance to make it out there. There are toilets/change-rooms at the entrance to the park!  Geologists say that this interesting site was created when limestone collapsed but the locals say that a piece of the moon fell to the earth and made this hole.    Here’s an interesting view from above: http://www.waymarking.com/gallery/image.aspx?f=1&guid=d6f77f4c-5bce-4184-b683-4e99ce838bcc     These local Omani boys took a break from the Ramadan heat to snap a few pics of one another in the sinkhole on their cellphones.  If you live in Muscat and plan a trip to Sur, don’t pass this place by!  We loved it!   (In the past, you needed a 4X4 to get here but this is no longer necessary due to the wonderful new highway!)

Arab Female Dress in 1780 A.D.

    I found these pictures at the Bait Al Zubair Museum fascinating.  Look at the colors! It made me wonder, “If this is how Arab women dressed in 1780, when exactly did the “dress completely in black concept” begin here in Oman and elsewhere?”  I searched quite a bit on-line for the answer to this question and a couple of things I read made sense to me.  One person said that in this part of the world, ”the woman is the shadow of the man” and therefore they wear black.  Another thing that made sense to me is that with any other color, it might be possible to see through a lady’s clothing, but not so with black clothes.  Hmm.  Anyone know when and why this idea of women wearing black was introduced in Oman?!

Oman “Rocks”!

  This week marks the beginning of my 3rd year in Oman.  I must say that Oman has been good to me.  I met the woman of my dreams here, found a great group of believers to fellowship with, got a wonderful job and then got married  to the love of my life.  God only knows what the Lord has planned next!  “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

A Christian Home?!

You’d think so with all those crosses, n’est pas?! (This home is in Al Hail.)

Dinosaurs Spotted in Oman!!!

   This dinosaur can be found on the campus of SQU (Sultan Qaboos University).  Al-Khoud is one of the few places in Oman (and the Middle East) where dinosaur remains have been found!  Most people have been brainwashed into thinking that dinosaurs lived MILLIONS of years ago and that “no living man has ever seen a dinosaur”.  Why is it then that pottery, cave paintings and artifacts of dinosaurs exist around the world when these creatures were supposed to have become exist millions of years ago?!?!  Here is a webpage with some of these artifacts: http://www.helsinki.fi/~pjojala/Dinoglyphs.htm  The word “dinosaur” was not even created until 1842.  So what were dinosaurs called before this?  “Dragons“! That’s right! And the Bible has a fascinating record of 2 of these beasts in the book of Job in chapters 40-41.  This dinosaur (and a slighty scarey ”dinosaur roar”)awaits visitors as they enter one of the rooms of the Bait Al Baranda Museum.  This unfortunate lie awaits visitors as well.  Birds descendants of dinosaurs?! HOW ridiculous!!!   They have a few of these questions with muliple choice answers and  after you can find out what they assume the answers are if you choose to press the buttons.

So, if you are into dinosaurs, you might want to check out The Bait Al Baranda Museum in Muttrah.  For more on the dinosaur found in Al-Khoudh, read this: http://www.dinodata.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1872&Itemid=77  And more on ancient Oman history here: http://www.nizwa.net/env/fossile/fossile.html  For more on the links between dinosaurs and dragons, click here: http://www.koti.phnet.fi/elohim/theory_of_evolution17  For more on dinosaurs in the Bible, here: http://www.angelfire.com/mi/dinosaurs/behemoth.html

Answer: “A Chicken Sand Witch”

  Question: “What do you call a witch who likes the beach but is afraid of the water?”  ha!ha!    SORRY, but this menu at The Turkish Restaurant right next to Markaz Al Baja reminded me of this old “Halloween joke”.  For other classic witch jokes, click here:   http://www.trueghosttales.com/jokes/witch-jokes.php

“Our Joy and Crown”

   Lunch with Tim Roberts before he flew out to British Columbia to visit his sister’s family for a few weeks.  Lucky Tim!!! Have a great vacation, brother!  Potluck dinner after our last Bible study of the summer.  There are people of 41 different nationalities in the PCO so you can just imagine the kind of global smorgasborg we have when we get together like this!    Esther Jones has been the main accompanist during the 11am service this summer as most people have been away on vacation. (No doubt to escape the heat of Oman!!! But it is just starting to cool a bit in the evenings now…)    Me and the love of my life.  I know what you’re thinking…”How does a guy “LIKE THAT” get a woman “LIKE THAT”?!” The answer is simple-Only by the grace of God!!!  Matt Frankl is new to Oman and to the PCO! Welcome, Matt! It’s great to have you here in Oman and we pray that your wife will be able to join you here soon!!! (Matt has been having a blast with the scuba-diving opportunities here in the Sultanate of Oman since arriving!)  

We are very thankful to have met so many wonderful friends, both new and old, at the PCO!  “For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? For ye are our glory and joy.” (1 Thessalonians 2:19-20)

The Miracle of Life – Our 2nd Check-up

  Here’s a photo of our 2nd ultrasound.  Praise God, all seems to be going well.  It was so amazing to see our little baby’s heart beating!  …”Thou hast formed my inward parts: Thou hast weaved me in my mother’s womb.  I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made…” (Psalm 139:13-14)

Welcoming Dinner for “Newcomers to the PCO”

A few weeks ago, there was a special dinner held for all new members of the PCO who joined anytime after January of 2007.  It was a night of great food, fun and fellowship.  Here are 12 pics from that night.   Chen from China   Don (from England) and his wife, Dotty (from India)   Esther (from India) who is one of the church secretaries  Jenny (from the Philippines) who helps out with the childrens ministry    Jess Manglicmot who is the “Children, Youth and Music leader” of the PCO.     Celso and his wife, Nora, who are from the Philippines   Jonathan (from England) and his wife, Ola (from the Philippines), and their son, Joshua, during one of the fun events (a Bible trivia game!) organized by Vinoo Peppin.  Dr. Mohan, who is on the church council, was there to officially greet all new members. (and unofficially to participate in the fun!)  Sister Vinoo and the kids!   Che and her good friend, Ola. Both are Filipina and expecting…     Vinoo and her daughter, Deepa.  Deepa joined Pastor Peppin and Vinoo here in Oman during the summer and it’s been great getting to know her!

“And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works.  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:24-25)

Romans 12:12

  A PCO church banner from the NIV version of Romans 12:12: “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer ~ Romans 12:12″

Intensive IELTS Preparation Course

  This is a photo with me and my male students on the last day of our IELTS preparation course.  IELTS stands for “International English Language Testing System” and is used internationally to check students’ English levels for the sake of education and employment.  If you are interested, you can check up on it at www.ielts.org     I must say that this had to be one of the most enjoyable classes I have ever taught here in Oman.  The students were fascinating, motivated to learn and brilliant.  Our classes were in the evenings from 5:30 to 8:30pm as most of the students work in various fields during the day.  The older gentleman in the back left corner of the photo, Nasser, drove more than an hour back and forth each day all the way from the village of Izki!!!  Me and my student, Mohammed Sulaiman, who was a barrel of laughs!

To any teachers out there that are offered a chance to teach an IELTS preparation course, I’d recommend for you to jump at the chance as it was an extremely rewarding experience for me. (Although there was a LOT of preparation and marking involved…)