January 21st, 2016

The other day, I walked to a little market a few blocks from our home. We have bigger grocery stores here in our village. However, I had been wanting to check this one out since I first laid eyes on it. Its relatively small but very quaint.

When I walked in, the owner greeted me in German. She was unpacking boxes of fruit and chatting with the other employee. Crates and baskets were filled with fruits and vegetables displayed on the floor and tables. On one wall sat several large jars of olive oil. Nearby, small glass bottles sat on a shelf to purchase and fill with the oil of your choice. A small deli area offered appetizing dishes, blocks of cheese and seasoned olives. Everything looked delicious!

As I walked around, a couple of other women walked in and immediately started up a conversation as if they had just left off a moment ago. Eventually, the owner walked over and began to speak to me. I figured she was asking if I needed any help. In English, I told her that I wanted to make a purchase but desired to look around first. I had no idea how to say that in German! Thankfully, she answered me in English and pointed out the shopping baskets that I could choose from. After getting a feel for the store, I began to fill my basket with apples, clementines with the vines still on them, grapes, a couple of carrots, and a pepper. The colors were beautiful. The entire store was! I then headed over to the deli counter and ordered some of the garlic seasoned olives before heading to the checkout counter.

The owner took my basket over to the scale. As she weighed everything, we began to chat. I told her that we had just moved into the village a few days ago. She has lived here her entire life. She has three children, one boy and two girls. I shared about our boys. She told me about a good pediatrician in the village though I would need to check and see if he has room to take new patients. Good to know.

I asked for her name. She said, “Jasmine.” She told me its like the name “Jasmine” in English but pronounced “Ya-su-min” in German. I introduced myself and she smiled. She told me that she and her husband also own the nearby Turkish restaurant where he works. I was already familiar with the place because we ate there a couple of times when we were first looking at homes in the village. The meat is so tasty!

She invited me to ask her anything so she can help me as we settle in. Her kindness was a sweet balm to my heart. I left smiling. As I walked back to our house, I thanked God for giving us this place to make a home and these people to live amongst. It was the village we were hoping to move to when we first started looking. He gave us the desire of our hearts and then some. Grateful…