Rick Beeman

Sleep, sleep and sleep… Not much that was eventful happened today. I got two days in yesterday and just relaxed today. Saturdays are turning out to be the non-activity day for me. And that is ok. I cherished the opportunity at first. I work a lot during the week so I don’t get a lot of sleep. So I try to make up for it with one day. Rolled out of bed at about noon. Headed to an Irish pub for breakfast. Had this amazing traditional English Breakfast. What makes it English, is they have this strange sort of English Bacon, which is a cross between Ham, Canadian Bacon, and regular bacon. Not sure where on the pig they get this from, but it is delicious. It reminded me of when I used to live in Saudi. I lived next to this British compound. All the brits hung out there, because you could get bootleg alcohol and pork there. Every Friday, I would go for the English buffet. It was the highlight of my week until the Saudi authorities found out about the place. It was closed up s...

Lookie here…a white guy in church… OK, im certainly not acting my age, and im not sure if that is a bad thing or not.    On the weekend the social scene on Bahrain is clubbing.    I made an observation last night amidst all the smoke and drunken people on the dance floor.    I don’t like clubbing.    There are a multitude of reasons, not the least of which, im a sucky dancer which I said again and again.    But, there really aren’t a lot of alternatives other than going to coffee or out to eat for social activities.    The whole sub-culture of the island resonates within these clubs and there are many.    I don’t drink, and I don’t dance, but its better than being at home watching TV.    It gets me out in the social environment.    Im actually starting to recognize friends when I drop by these places…so hey my network is actually growing.   So I was out at a club (it’s the weekend so im being responsible somewhat) til 2:30 last night, and I got up at 6:00a for church.    If you remembe...

Well its thanksgiving and it just doesn’t feel like thanksgiving.    I went the whole day without wishing anyone a happy thanksgiving until 5:30 closing time.    You see…they just don’t celebrate that day around the world.     So once I figured it out, I scrambled to tell everyone Happy Thanksgiving.    I tried to call my kids several times, but there are only certain times that their mom allows them to use the phone.    It makes it difficult to connect.    So we usually wind up trading messages.    The restricted schedule and the time difference make it really challenging to communicate with them.   Last month as soon as I arrived I saw that Ric’s Country Kitchen, my fav. American restauran, was taking reservations for their Christmas buffet.    I put myself down for two, thinking, surely in a month I could find someone.    So here it is the day before thanksgiving and my friend…the Romanian is in Singapore to run a marathon.    That makes me down to one friend Barraq, and he had plan...

It was strange.    Yesterday I was really cranky.    I admitted this to everyone.    I think it was a combination of being sick, with flu-like crap, and frustrations at work.    When I can’t figure something out technically, Im not at ease until I figure it out.    So I left work when it was not yet resolved and that hung over me.    Roxana, the beautiful Romanian was back in town and wanted to go to dinner.    I forewarned her about my spirits.    Within just a couple of minutes she helped lighten the load.    She is delightful girl with an infectious and positive personality.    God already speaks to her…she just doesn’t know His name yet.    Its only a matter of time, Im convinced til she figures out who He is.    She’s too dynamic for anything else.    She even offered to come to church with me.    Im not sure which church I’ll take her too just yet, since I don’t have a home church at the moment.   OK speaking of churches.    When I first came over here, my boys wanted to accompan...

I actually misspoke in yesterday’s blog.    I had about two weeks left of a certain type of Insulin.    I had about three months worth of the other type of insulin.    I could have made it work, but it would have just been a challenge.    So I found a diabetes hospital.    I programmed in my phone on my GPS and off I went.    I wouldn’t find anything without my GPS.    No one knows addresses around here.    They are just landmarks.    Like trying to find this hospital today, I asked for the address and they wouldn’t tell me.    They would say…you know where the Al Jafeer Hospital is…um no… Do you know where the Budaiya clinic is…um no.    I don’t know where anything is.    After I said no long enough, they put me on hold and someone reads to me the address from their letterhead or something.    The streets here are a little strange.    Other than the major streets everything is done by number like Road 3402, Bldg. 1144.    It seems logical at first then you notice that the street signs...

Turn the other Cheek OK…I laughed a lot today… That was very refreshing. I woke up with kind of a strep throat, so I made an appointment to go see a doctor. Im a little bit worried, because I have two weeks worth of insulin left. I know they have insulin here…but do they have the kind that I use? I checked with a pharmacy earlier today, and this little pharmacy didn’t. So im hoping the hospital im going to tomorrow…a diabetes hospital has what I need. Im not worried at all…God will provide as he has all along. OK, Khalifa and I were chatting. He always tries to instruct me on the ways and culture of Bahraini’s and Arabs. Im always all ears as I try to soak in as much information as possible. Somehow we were discussing that in business you had to be aggressive and tough with Arabs. Keep in mind this is coming from an Arab himself. Khalifa said…”Arabs are different than Christians. You have to watch out. For Christians, they hit you and you turn the other cheek. For Arabs, t...

A blah day… I was due one of these seriously.    After the couple of high this past weekend…things had to level out.    I might have some big news…but I can’t share it with the blog just yet.    Hopefully in a couple of days I can.   I just found out that the fundraising banquet I did the video for raised twice what they did the year before and three times as much as the previous year.    They credit the increase to the video.    So I guess I am making a little bit of a difference. I think it was a hard day, emotionally.    Im really starting to miss my kids.    I spoke to Max the middle one.    He’s the only one that really calls consistently.    I feel like im losing them.    I just have to trust God that he has a plan.    You know there are a lot of unfair things that might have happened…and I’ve shared a fraction of them with you.    I just have to give all those frustrations to God.    I need to trust and not try to take things into my own hands.   You know, I have a little theory...

(new pix from Night with the Filipinas below and other staff parties below) I was soooo tired last night after an emotional activity filled day.    I think I fell asleep 3-4 times while I was trying to write.    That was a very weird experience.    When I went back to read/proofread my blog, entire words were missing.    As a writer, that kind of embarrassed me.   I have found that the last day of the week has turned out to be my rest day.    I’ve worked every weekend but this is the first day I didn’t do anything with work since I’ve been here.    I slept in late and it felt great.    Got up and went to Ric’s Kountry Kitchen and that is now my hang out spot, I do believe because you can get real pork bacon with your eggs.    You never know how much you miss something til its gone.    I got back to the Apartment and then debated on seeing a movie.    I wound up taking a 2.5 hour nap.    It felt incredible.    I forced myself to stay down.    I’ve been going, going going…it was nice to ...

If you want to see the video I made for the Palm Association, please go to:   http://homepage.mac.com/rickbeeman/iMovieTheater49.html

No Shoes, Burnt Rubber, Black Ties Wow…I think I have about a weeks worth of items in the blog for just one day. What a truly incredible day it has been. I got up early…or should I say 8, but hey it was the weekend and I was out at a club til 2a the night before. I hadn’t found a church as of yet, so I spotted one called Word of Life, with English services. I walk into this church and immediately, two Filipina girls try to ask who invited me. I guess walk ins, aren’t that common here. The worship was service going on and I tried to walk inside but I was stopped. They asked me to remove my shoes, which is an asian thing primarily. I did, as I wanted to be respectful, then I entered a tiny room crammed with people. It was certainly a charismatic group and very friendly. It was a mix of Filipinos, Sri Lankans, and Indians. Ummmm I kind of stood out…but that is ok with me. I got used to incredible worship and teaching from both Lakewood Church with Joel Osten and Steve Madsen at...

It’s 2 am; I reek of smoke and don’t feel the least bit tired.    Wow…what a fun night.    I’m blessed to come across a good friend like Mo.    He’s making it his mission almost to introduce me to every person on the island.    I so appreciate it because he has tons of friends and he wants to make sure I’m comfortable here.    What did I do to deserve this?    Not much, unless you believe in reaping and sowing.    It feels nice to finally be reaping some of the good I’ve sown through the years.   I met some fascinating people tonight, a bunch of them.    We met up with about 15 of Mo’s close friends in swanky Japanese restaurants in the Gulf Hotel.    I had never had sushi before…I don’t really like cooked fish, why would I like raw fish.    But hey…im living in the Middle East…why not experience every aspect of the culture.    So I tried it and I liked it.    What’s more is that I enjoyed the conversation so much.    Sat next to Ali, a Bahraini that lived in India for 15 years.    Rea...

What an interesting day…I had a long great talk with a dear friend of mine Erica.    She was mentioning that I didn’t write about her in my blog and she was happy about it.    Well shame on me.    Erica you see is a very dear dear friend to me.    She was my girlfriend right before I came over…we had a short but incredible relationship.    We fell for each almost instantly.    She is one of the most amazing girls I have ever met.    She’s lovely, funny, intelligent, successful, a strong Christian girl…she’s everything you’d want to find in a mate.    I had dated (can I say that outloud Erica) her for a few months when this opportunity opened up.    I had a tough choice to make…well it wasn’t really too tough…because I knew that God had designs on me coming here.    But still it was emotionally difficult to leave.    I miss her very much.    Because of her crazy work schedule, she works 70-80 hours a week as a high powered executive…plus she’s a mom.    I don’t know how she does it all....

First of all let me apologize again for my vent/blow up of a couple of days ago.    I probably should have kept that one private.    I try to keep a good attitude most of the time, but sometimes it just boils over.    I’ll have to work on that.    Upon reflection…while my devotional life has been great over here…my praise and worship time has really suffered.    I also don’t have a body of believers to associate with just yet.    Its not an excuse…its just something I have to struggle with.    I miss my kids.    I guess I just have to come to grips with the realities of my decision.    I wanted the best of both worlds with my kids being able to visit…but I guess that isn’t going to happen just yet.    I know im here doing God’s work…im 100% certain I am where im supposed to be.    I was really hurting when one of my friends and readers of this blog wrote to encourage me.    She said..that she was speaking with a missionary friend in Ireland.    This missionary said she felt like she ha...

If this is what it feels like to be right…I want to be wrong…. OK… yesterday was a really bad day. Yet, I still felt compelled to write about it. I apologize if I offended any of you. I try to bottle up the pain and sometimes it spills out. I’ve been told by many…keep a private journal, don’t make everything so public. Well…I’ve always considered myself to be pretty transparent. I think its part of my ministry. But for some…it rubs people the wrong way. I prayed a lot about this last night and this morning. Im really a bit tormented by my situation. Sometimes, I just get fed up with the perception of life not being fair. I think I attribute that to being human, but that is a cop-out. But I know Christ called us to overcome the world…overcome the flesh, and sometimes, like last night I succumb and just complain. I was listening to a podcast from my home church in Livermore. It was about the parable of the vineyards. Where the workers at the beginning of the day got paid th...

Warning:    More moaning, bellyaching and griping ahead… OK… lets get the Middle East update out of the way so I can really chat about what is on my heart and really tormenting me.    Even though there is such abject poverty and extreme divisions of wealth on this prosperous island…there are absolutely no panhandlers/beggars/homeless people.    Not a one.    No one has their hand out.    Its pretty amazing when you compare that to the west.    I was in small little cafeteria today…which consists of a guy standing behind a burner.    I got an Egg and Cheese sandwich for 0.50 cents.    It was delicious.    As I was leaving a thought had occurred to me.    Im making a modest wage here by U.S. standards…but by the standards of other foreign nationals like the Indians or Sri Lankans, Im making immeasurably more.    Its like Im Warren Buffet or Bill Gates walking around the U.S. by comparison.    Yet with all that comparative difference in wealth, not once have I been approached for a hand o...

Its been an interesting weekend.  Im still adjusting to life out here and its weird when i don't have work to distract me.  I think i dread the thought of being alone.  So i try to busy myself with activity.  Im fortunate in the fact that I so love what i do, so work is absolutely fun.  But i know i can't be at the office 24/7.  Its in the down times that i realize that im divorced and alone.  Its interesting...and i feel a little foolish about this.  I purchased something called the Dream box when i got here.  It was a box that let you download all the satellite channels world wide.  Since they sell them in retail outlets, i figured they were legal.  Ummm...i don't think they are anymore...but i already bought it.  What a horrible example of a missionary i am.  But anyway, this box was expensive, i purchased it from the asst. manager in the building so i thought it was legit, especially considering the price.  It was $400 bucks.  But i figured if im moving in, might as wel...

OK...i stayed up way too late after the night with the filipina girls and the diet cokes.  I was a little restless...so i called my beautiful romanian friend.  OK...everyone likes my transparency or so they email...here's some more blatant honesty.  Im over here all alone, yet im having a blast most of the time...still after living with someone for 15 years and then sleeping alone, well its is a little hard to get used to.  Especially when that other person is now sleeping with someone else...but i digress.  So i've got realize the vulnerability of my situation.  The romanian has made it abundantly clear that she is only interested in friendship (here words tell me one thing but her eyes and body tell me another, so im not sure what to believe.)  Is a missionary even supposed to talk like this?  Am i even a missionary? i guess with the Romanian i have a choice...i can say yes and agree to stay as a friend or no...cut my friendship off entirely.  Its really a lose lose situation...