Weekly Photo Challenge: Community

It’s easy to come up with photos for “community” as the word “community” automatically brings thoughts of “church” or “community of believers” to my mind and it’s been a pretty busy week for the Protestant Church in Oman during this 3rd week of Advent! 🙂  Here, as with each of the 4 weeks of Advent, one family from the congregation lights the previous candle(s) of Advent and then lights the next candle until the 4th is lit on Christmas week.  This ancient tradition is one way for the church to celebrate the first Advent (“Coming”) and anticipate the 2nd Advent of Christ.                                      One important aspect of community in the church is fellowship and the breaking of bread together.  This photo was during the last Tuesday night Bible study of the year.This photo was from Friday’s event known as “Christmas Joy” , which is an outreach party to give an evening of joy to female migrant workers in Muscat, Oman (next year is the men’s turn!).  This was the 7th annual Christmas Joy in Oman!  Outreach and charity are important features of any healthy church community.

I hope you enjoyed my interpretation of “community” for this photo challenge.  Finally, here’s a short video from the Children’s Nativity Play this past Friday morning in which the children and youth led us in celebration of Christmas Worship Service”: 

Weekly Photo Challenge: Through

A pilot roars through the sky in Muscat, Oman!

I learned through experience that if you don’t pay attention to the level of coolant in your car, your car will eventually go bone dry and start smoking!  😦  Car Maintenance 101

Talented Omani chefs from OTC (Oman Tourism College) show that through skill and patience, you can turn the ordinary into the extraordinary. (Photos taken at Oman Food Festival 2012)

Time to switch gear from the more vague entries of “through” to what naturally comes to mind when we hear the word “through”-doorways, arches and entrances!

Oman is not lacking in gorgeous doors to go through.  This beauty is in an old building they’re renovating just across from the Muttrah Fish Souq.  I wonder if it’s going to be a museum.  Anyone know?

I try to go through this door every few months.  It’s the entrance of Bait Al Baranda Museum in Muttrah, Oman and they have fascinating exhibitions that come through here every now and then.

People walking through the main entrance to Muttrah Souq, a major tourist attraction in Muscat, Oman. 

This last pic is of the train at Al Hoota Cave in the interior of Oman as it comes through the artificial cave they made by blasting through the mountain to reach the 5 km natural cave, which is one of the largest caves in Oman.

That’s it. Hope you enjoyed this week’s random walk through this week’s WordPress photo challenge! 🙂