From Mosques to Mountains: Oman in Photos

Oman. A month with no guidelines, no stability and no structure; a month spent with these three crazies (& many others). 

Oman is a predominately Muslim country, and the standard greeting across much of Muslim culture is “as-salamu alaykum!” which translates as “peace be with you”. Let me tell you: peace reigned over this place.

I started this month with high expectations – researching the desert, the mountains and the coast – knowing we could legally camp anywhere for free. Not to spoil the ending, but I eventually dropped all expectations of what each day would hold. I laid down my own desires (ugh) let go of what I wanted (ouch) and leaned into what the Lord had for me (so much better & easier).

The beach brought sweet nostalgia of home – the wide landscape, soft sands, delicate shells & big shady palm trees. This picture is wildly accurate in the joy & the subsequent whole-lotta-emptiness just waiting to be filled.

We spent nearly the first of week of the month in & out of the Muscat hospital with sweet Hannah. We were super unsure of our next moves and therefore didn’t want to commit to an Airbnb for who knows how long, a new city with potentially less medical care, and our budget was run like a tight ship, so we vouched for couch surfing. No, I didn’t tell my parents before this because yes, we did stay in someone’s house for free and yes, it is a totally normal thing to do abroad, especially in a culture that honors guests with impeccable hospitality. So, we stayed here in the land of the low-level white Omani houses, manicured lawns and luxury cars (free of charge). Oh, the irony.

While our feet were stuck in the mud praying for Hannah’s recovery and a sense of direction, I still yearned for a sense of adventure in the most beautiful country I’ve stepped foot in. Staying indoors in Oman equated to drinking battery acid. SO, we walked miles & miles to find the beach.

And even more miles & across highways to see the Mohammed Al Ameen Mosque (day & night).

And miles & miles to Wadi Shab with our new couch surfing friends. We took a car to a small boat, to a trail…

To some questionable bouldering…

To swimming through the caves (in my Sultan of Oman hat from our squad’s white elephant gift exchange; a true win).

After a week of being both comfortable in a rhythm of monotony and uncomfortable in our inability to leave… and a week of waiting and praying for a miracle for Hannah in the hospital while telling her stories to distract from the ambush of needles… the team split. Half to stay back with her as she recovered (finally with accurate meds) and half to go see what the Lord had for us outside of the capital. We were borderline homeless so we camped on a public beach.

We made old town Muscat our new home: full of historic traditions, grand architecture and inspiring landscape. We hiked up the Mutrah Corniche and had a crazy cool lookout to the east.

And the city harbor to the west.

And the fishermen right below us.

It was that campsite where we met our friends who we would go into the mountains with us for an unforgettable adventure.

To go camping…

Worshiping around the campfire…

Wandering through the mountain villages…

Jumping in sinkholes…

And basking in the views…

After five sweet days with our new friends, we returned to our lil’ home on the beach. That night, my tent FLOODED. We woke up to a torrential downpour, the waves three times their regular height, and locals who had come down to the beach with camp chairs to watch people wipe out on their boards (proving the rarity of this sight). Luckily, it was our last night of camping because everything was SOAKED. The worst part: I had to throw away a deck of ruined playing cards (which Santa Claus replaced, thank u).

With our drenched packs, we moved to an apartment in the city. When half the team stayed back from the camping trip, they visited the Grand Mosque and made great friends. They held their ground in religious banter and apologetic discussions and were met with a firm belief that their meetings were divine appointments. They continued the friendship and this Muslim friend offered to house us free of charge for the duration of the month in a friend’s apartment complex. The generosity and hospitality here is truly unfathomable.

So, the whole group was back together and the nine of us moved into an unfurnished apartment right by the Mosque (with THIS view from our roof).

We visited and made friends with our new neighbors. We saw the prayer room where Islam culture encourages prayer five times per day.

And the women’s prayer room… which, we were told is significantly smaller because women more often pray in the house.

The mosque volunteers dropped whatever they were doing to give us a tour of the place, including my favorite spot: the library (I am literally turning into my mother). 

With enthralled hearts and big eyes, we also visited the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque. It was utterly ethereal – the biggest house of worship I’ve ever seen. And, a beautiful place to extol our God. After all, ‘Muslim’ means ‘submitted to God’.

I was besotted by the Grand Mosque – its grandiose splendor, yes, but also the kindness towards visitors. Near the exit resides a ‘community room’ where Muslim volunteers hand you lavish coffee, tea and dates and open the floor for any and all questions you may have about Islam. 

My smattering knowledge was tested and questioned, from specific dates of events to differences in Biblical translations and to be completely honest, I always left exhausted but encouraged. They demurred and doubted and questioned us, and I simply thanked God I had a whole team of nerds to counter every argument I faltered to (see: proof). 

Fear not, I was ameliorated and comforted in my surfeit stories of how the Lord has moved mountains in my life, but Islam relies heavily on logic, not experience.

Plus, I was overjoyed Hannah and I finally got to sport our ‘fits from China and India, respectively.

The two main differences between Islam and Christianity are that Muslims don’t believe Jesus died and they don’t believe the Holy Spirit was sent as our Advocate, but instead, Muhammad.

We do, of course, believe in Jesus as Savior and celebrated BIG this year. We even had a Christmas tree (hiding in the back) and stuffed each others’ stockings (which had to be a freshly cleaned sock, mind you)! All nine of us in the house were pure chaos and it was the largest & loudest Christmas I’ve ever had. 

Our day was full of a 5:15am Packers game (and WIN), French toast, Secret Santa (hence the kite), Christmas movies, songs, and Facetiming all our families.

We didn’t have wifi at our place, so we often popped down to the café downstairs. We became regulars and made many friends who loved to talk to tourists and frequently offered to take us on little adventures – like to the 6 star hotel on Qantab beach we dallied through, fully knowing we couldn’t and wouldn’t ever stay somewhere even remotely like that.

We spent too many hours to count in strangers’ cars and finally realized they had so much pride in their country and generosity in their hearts that they wanted to include us in all of it. One of my personal faves: the Opera House.

So, our month in Oman didn’t have much stability or structure; the only consistency being the change as I slept in 8 different places. But, I found stability in the Lord and in seeking Him. Security in His unfailing love no matter where we slept (and all 17 days I slept on the ground).

There was stability in my faith, even when I didn’t know when or where my next meal would be, I knew the Father would provide for us.

So, Oman really does have a lot of peace (even amid our amorphous schedule). Once I dismantled the mania of needing to know what we were doing and instead just stinkin’ do it, peace flooded my heart. 

We freaking love you, Oman.

Now we are onto a new month with a host (!!!) in a small village in TURKEY!

Join me in prayer: Lord, thank you for giving us food and shelter. Thank you for your people, your creation, your endless beauty. Thank you for the opportunity to abandon comfort and experience new truths about you. Thank you that you know our every need before they even become a thought & you meet them with abundance.