Playing with food!!!
In this case it's matza/matzo which is all over the city (Jerusalem) as we celebrate Pesach/Passover! Since we're not Jewish but love to celebrate the holidays here in Israel, we wanted to do something fun with matza! We came up with a Late Bronze Age (3000-2300BC) style house called 'The Arad House' from Tel Arad (here in Israel). We modeled it after the same simple style and are enjoying it as "decoration" for this Holy Week - both for Jews & Christians.

What you'll need (not including the scene materials):
7+ sheets of matza (6 for house, 1 for roof/entry planks/matza on oven)
1 tube white glue
1 paring knife
1 cutting board
*a flat area to put the scene that can be moved if needed


Take one sheet & place it as the "floor" and glue the walls together just like if you were making a gingerbread house! Let it set for a few hours before moving it too much. Matza is not flat so find the flattest pieces in your package and really just go for it with the glue - it dries clear anyways!


The Arad style house had slatted roof with a natural covering over it - we didn't put the natural (ie. leaves) covering because we liked the look of the "matza planks"! Our "rugs" were made from cut up old wash cloths...& togas made from paper towels. It's easy because there's only a door.
*for the door & roof planks I just took a paring knife gently to the matza and sawed it until I had a deep enough groove to crack down the line. The door was a little tougher but it only took two tries. It's not perfect but it welcomes people


Fun project for kids aged 4 and older. Violet (2) & Jack (3) were too "energetic" to allow anything to dry. We placed the woman cooking & the man resting because this was period appropriate. We also enjoy the verse: "Each of them will sit under his vine and under his fig tree." Micah 4:4



John, Jack & VIolet in front of the Arad House at Tel Arad - Arad, Israel (L) and "The Arad House" at the Israel Museum (R)...I would say our matza house looks pretty similar!


I hope if you try this it will be a fun time & the end result will be a great looking matza house! Chag Sameach (Happy Holidays)!

Jack & Violet on an adventure walk with their shkedia!

A couple of weeks ago we were leaving the apartment in a hurry. Leaving the apartment in a hurry is generally not advised as we have Israeli neighbors and Israeli neighbors are rarely in a hurry because everything is centered around the relationship they have with you.

Case and point: we are rushing down the stairs and since it’s impossible to do it quietly with Jack & Violet, Smadar comes bursting out her door exclaiming “Jack & Violet come in here! I have something special for you!” What might it be? Curious excitement is on both of their little faces! She excitedly hands them an almond branch with a few new little pink blooms on it. Jack looks past it like, "yeah, where’s the surprise?" I can see the branch is pretty but not quite sure what the excitement is. “Shkedia! Shkedia!" exclaims Smadar. (almond blossoms) Here is this 37 year old woman giddy with excitement at the shkedia/new blooms on the branch. She exclaims that these are the first blooms of the year and she was so excited that she broke off a branch, just to give to Jack & Violet.  (*almond trees are the first trees to blossom each year)

What struck me was how incredible this was. This genuine excitement of a new season approaching. Jewish people even have a specific blessing for a new season:

“Baruch Atah Ado-noi, Elohai-nu Melech HaOlam, Sheh-he-che-yanu vi-kee-yimanu   Vi-hee-gee-yanu laz-man ha-zeh.”

“Blessed are You God, King of the Universe, Who has kept us alive, sustained us, and brought us to this season.”

Now as we take walks with the kids we have a new appreciation for the trees blossoming around us. Signs of a new season. Signs of God’s faithfulness. Signs of God’s provision. What will this season hold for each of us? How will we depend on God in this coming season?

Each year in the Central Valley of California when the almond trees blossom I will think "shkedia! shkedia!" and be reminded of Israel, Smadar, my kids at ages 2 & 3, this season of life that I will never live exactly the same way again. I will never see an almond blossom the same way & for that I am thankful.

There's a lot of new insights we’re getting while living in the land of Israel. One of the cool things we recently learned was the Rabbinic take on the names of the Messiah as described in Isaiah 9:6. You probably just heard this verse around Christmas:

“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.”
 
Truly, it’s a beautiful description of the glory of Yeshua, (Jesus) our Messiah, but what happens when you consider the text how it reads in Hebrew?

The Jewish understanding of this passage sees each term as a standalone description showcasing a unique and magnificent attribute of Messiah. So, without trying to take away from the familiar rhythm of this passage take a fresh look at the awesomeness of God and ponder each term as a distinct name for Yeshua:

Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty, God, Eternal, Father, Prince, and Peace.

 
It's Friday. Friday in our neck of the woods of Jerusalem means busy! I often do my shopping on Thursdays as to avoid the craziness of (Sabbath) Shabbat-prep-fridays but today I'm out in the midst of the long lines & hurried customers (think Thanksgiving shopping in America but every friday). I've missed the good chicken. Yep, they've sold every piece of decent looking chicken and it's only 11am.

 
The girl ringing up my items couldn't care less there's a line 10 feet long & she's chatting away on her cell phone, scanning each item slowly. I'm fidgety. I really just want to get my groceries and head home. Something in me has changed a slight bit in the 12 weeks we've been here and it has to do with rest.

 
I pick up Jack from school (required early pick-up at 12:00 instead of 2 so mom's can get home & begin preparing for Shabbat) & he's munching away on the Shabbat cake they made together as a class & chatting about his morning. As I'm in the cross walk I hear "Boker Tov (Good Morning)!" Shabbat Shalom!!" and it's my Shabbat flower guy greeting me from across the street! I pick up a small bunch of flowers (the home is supposed to be beautiful on Shabbat) and I comment how beautiful the rain has made everything. I've made good friends with the older guy who sells the flowers & his buddies who hang out with him all morning. They claim their friend gives me a cheaper price & they heckle me about being pretty...ha! It's all about the relationship - taking a moment to stop, chat about the weather, comment about the t-shirt he's wearing (Israeli Opera at Masada...oooh, sounds cool!) & let them ooh & ahh over the kids waiting impatiently in the stroller.

 

I get home, lay the kids down for a much needed nap, place my flowers in a vase & unload the groceries. I have meals planned out for the next dinner, breakfast, lunch & dinner (25 hours of Shabbat). I pick up the mess from the day, do a couple loads of laundry, clean all the floors, think about dinner & then wait for John to get home from class. If I forgot something at the store I'm out of luck - John's last class goes until 3pm & by then all the stores will be closed. Yes, the stores will be closed! By 2pm (in our neighborhood) there isn't a single store open. The large shopping mall will become a ghost town, the supermarkets will all be locked up & even the falafel & schwarma shops will have their large metals doors rolled down over them...until sundown on Saturday evening, when Shabbat ends.

From sundown on Friday evening until sundown on Saturday evening Jewish people observe Shabbat or Sabbath. Taken from Genesis 2:2-3 at the end of the creation story:

"By the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on the seventh day He rested from all His work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it He rested from all the work of creating that He had done."

 
Jewish people are still under the law as they don't believe that Jesus Christ was the Messiah (who fulfilled the law). They are still waiting for the Messiah to come and until He does the old law is still in place. Part of observing the law is to "keep the Sabbath holy". It it one of the most repeated laws in the Old Testament. So, they rest. Not just rest but there are 39 rules for observing of the Sabbath. A basic list of things you are not allowed to do are: start or stop a fire, drive a car, turn on or off incandescent lights, cook, write, carry things in the street, ride a bicycle, use machines like a computer, TV or elevator, buy or sell things or take a picture.

Once 2 or 3pm hits there is really nothing to do for the next 25 hours (in most of the neighborhoods of Jerusalem). The entire bus system stops, there are a few taxis (Shabbat rate is 25% more expensive), restaurants are closed, shopping is an hours walk away and without a car we are forced (in a good way) to observe the Sabbath. We would never be inclined to observe it like a Jew because there is no need to but what we are learning to do as a family is to rest. Saturday is a special day because meals have been planned out, the house is all clean, laundry is all done & the parks are full of families & everyone seems in a content mood. People are inviting guests over for Shabbat lunch or dinner, going to synagogue (3x), spending time with family & overall just living simple for an entire day. All their meals have been prepared are are being warmed on plattas (i.e electric hot plate).

A family we met in the park invited us over for a Shabbat lunch last Saturday and it was lovely! They did the traditional blessing of the challah bread, kiddush (literally, "sanctification") which is a blessing recited over the wine to sanctify the Shabbat and we had a kosher meal of course - this one was meat (so no dairy products) & lots of authentic Israeli & Shabbat-specific dishes. We had a lovely conversation where it was asked if we are making "aliyah" (immigration to Israel). That's where we make it clear we are not Jewish & that opens the door to a much bigger conversation and "what are you doing here?" is usually the beginning of it! We are asked if we are making aliyah in most conversations we have so we have lots of opportunities to share why we're here.

Anyhow, Shabbat is a special time. I have found myself busily preparing on Friday in anticipation that things will stop on Saturday. It's a time set aside just for spending time with friends & family, for resting, for thinking about spiritual things, for ceasing from work & not feeling guilty about it...for resting and not feeling guilty about it.

 
Maybe you don't feel guilty when you rest, but I do. No one makes me feel this way there's just something in me that thinks I should be busy all the time - writing an email, making a meal, cleaning, organizing...whatever it may be there's this mental list in my head of things I should be checking off. For one day a week I'm learning to block out that mental list and instead enjoy my family, enjoy my friends, enjoy hospitality, enjoy good food, enjoy walks to the park, enjoy spending time in God's Word, enjoy the beautiful creation around me, enjoy talks with John about what he's learning at JUC, enjoy my kids and enjoy just being instead of doing. I can see that even Jack & Violet enjoy taking a day to rest-no agenda, no school, no running here or there, just hanging out as a family! I'm thankful that living here is allowing me to understand rest - whatever day of the week it might be, mine just happens to be Saturdays.

*Note: not everyone who lives in Israel experiences these same things. There is a wide range of religious observances, our neighborhood just happens to be quite religious.

 

sukkahs in our neighborhood
*if picture doesn't load...let me know, I can email it to you

Today was the official holiday of Sukkot (to see some Sukkot information scroll to the bottom of this post). We had brunch in our neighbor's sukkah this morning and it was incredible to eat the food, listen to the Torah reading, the reading of the blessings and also watch them do other traditional celebratory things (lulav & etrog). Ya'ir's family was all there along with all the neighbors in our building that don't have sukkahs (if you don't have a yard, you don't have a sukkah...we heard it's "illegal" to build a sukkah indoors). It was relaxed and welcoming. We had sweet potato/potato hash, a flour tortilla-like thing that you fill with boiled eggs & salsa, breads, salads and awesome espresso! The kids ran and played with the neighbor kids for over 2 hours! It was wonderful! It's amazing to be part of this community of people and for Jack & Violet to have "neighborhood friends" to play with (ranging in ages of 3-12). Such a blast!

The kids went down for a nap & John was busy writing a 20 page paper so I set out with my camera to take pictures of sukkahs. I had no idea it would be so eventful! I was handed food,  invited in to eat a couple time! I was also welcomed in to visit or welcomed to just come in and see the inside of the sukkahs. Each one is festively decorated - some people hang entire framed artwork inside & others hang garland, lights & pictures of their favorite rabbi's. Some are big & some are small. Some are nice tent/metal structures & others are plywood with shower curtains for walls! The time of day I was walking around was bbq'ing time and there was smoke in the air, the smell of meat cooking, lots of voices & laughter, music & merriment!

Another family made the offer again that Smadar made to me - this hilarious family I just met says, "come, eat dinner at our house any night of Sukkot or any Shabbat! You are welcome in our home!" I sat with them, ate bbq & drank Coke! They introduced me to the whole family as if I were an old friend. Their house was a tiny, dirty, disorganized old mess (ha, it was!) but no mention of that-they were just happy to have me there enjoying a meal in their sukkah.

I had such a great time that when the kids woke & John was at a spot to take a break we set out to see more sukkahs! The same thing happened again! We were offered food to take for our walk, invited into sukkahs to eat & welcomed like we were part of the family! The kids had a blast & were treated so special - being handed toys to play with, food to eat, Coke to drink & lots of attention!! One group invited us to join them Wednesday night for the final night of Sukkot where the Torah scrolls are closed & there is dancing in the streets in celebration! It's like inviting complete strangers to your Christmas dinner, Thanksgiving dinner or Easter lunch.

It's so difficult to put into words how it feels to be with the people here. We are strangers to them and they treat us like family!

Mom, you're right - it's totally like Abraham welcoming "the strangers" (Genesis 18:1-8):
"The LORD appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground. He said, “If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by. Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant.”
“Very well,” they answered, “do as you say.”
So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. “Quick,” he said, “get three seahs of the finest flour and knead it and bake some bread.”Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree.
*Last night as I read this story again I realized that it goes on to say that the strangers have a special message for Abraham & Sarah (that they will have a son) - this message is life-changing! Hmmmm...we also have a message that is life-changing. Please pray that we would have boldness to share this message.

These lessons in hospitality are really hitting me. This last week has changed my life in how I see hospitality and in welcoming a stranger. It's a whole different ball game when you're the stranger being welcomed in.

As we walked home John said, "this is how it should be for us. This should be how we would approach Thanksgiving or Christmas...welcoming a complete stranger into our home to share a meal with us & making them feel like family."

Incredible. 

חג שמח! (happy holidays!)

Sukkot
(From the JUC Friday A.M. Post – Oct 7)

We are so blessed to live where we live. I know that now.

About a week after we moved to Israel I was woken early one morning (if God wakes me up I know it's important - mornings aren't my best time). I felt led to read my Bible, specifically Isaiah 17:4-5. Yes, chapter & verses specifically. God speaks to me through His Word and when He lays a verse on my heart I often have no idea what it's going to say (nope, don't have the Bible memorized...I wish).

*back story* moving into this specific apartment was rough up to this point. I wondered why it was so dirty, so ill-equipped (seemingly in my expectations of what "equipped" is) for our family, far from school, no yard, and in sort of a "rough" neighborhood. I had my doubts of living here and was trying ever so hard to think of a solution to move. There was none. We had signed a contract & here we were going to stay. I complained. To God, to John, to my kids.

So back to where I started. Sleepily I walked into the living room and opened up my Bible to Isaiah 17:4. I read:
“In that day the glory of Jacob will fade; the fat of his body will waste away.  It will be as when reapers harvest the standing grain, gathering the grain in their arms—as when someone gleans heads of grain in the Valley of Rephaim."
Hmmm, ok. I reread it. Read it again. Give up to figuring out it's meaning and went to bed.

In the morning I shared the verses with John. This is when it came into focus. In short form one thing he pointed out to me was "Valley of Rephaim". Where do you think we live in Jerusalem? Yep, we live in the Valley of Rephaim. There's is a main shopping street near us called The German Colony and the street is Emek Rephaim. Emek means "valley".

Hmmm. As I pondered all this in the following days it began to warm my heart to where God placed us to live. Now I had a purpose. There was a reason for us being here. I could stake a claim at 7 Ma'aglaei Yavneh because it's exactly where we were supposed to be. As I changed my perspective things got better...and then we all got sick.

At the tail end of my parents visiting me & the kids got sinus colds (later turned into sinus infections and 3 weeks later we're all still on antibiotics...) Jack went down hard and the next day so did I. It's not easy as a wife/mom to get sick. You lay in bed & think of all the things you should be doing so you try to drag yourself out of bed & boom, you're back down.
So I'm in our room & there's a knock at the door. John's outside running the kids and I continue to hear the door knock - I just ignore it because it's not John (he has a key) and I don't want to exert any energy in conversing with anyone.

John returns home & I hear the door knock again. It's our neighbor.
Enter "Smadar & her family" into the story.

I hear a woman's voice introducing herself and apologizing for not coming up until now (work, life, busy, vacation). I'm laying there relieved I never answered the door. John is gracious & kind and chats and then explains I'm in bed sick & that's why I never answered the door. Smadar sounds nice but I'm relieved when she leaves as being sick & hospitable at the same time seems impossible in my achy state.

An hour later there's a knock. Again, I think? Sick=crabby.

Smadar is at the door with a huge platter of their Shabbat dinner. (Sabbath dinner) & a huge pot of homemade chicken soup. Her voice is concerned, kind & sure. She is sure she wants to help us in any way! John gobbles up the Shabbat food - chicken, roasted pumpkin, spices of all kinds, roasted potatoes, couscous. He puts the soup in the fridge.

I wander in the living room once the kids are asleep & John warms me up some chicken soup broth & it's the most amazing chicken soup I've ever tasted (as good as El Rosal but in a totally different way)! It's reviving my bones and I think, "who is this kind person to make me a pot of chicken soup...and on Shabbat evening no less?"

A couple days later I'm feeling better and as we walk downstairs we stop at her door and thank her. She insists we come to Shabbat dinner at their house any Saturday. She goes on to say, "really, you could show up at our house any night for dinner and we'd love it!" Wow, we are so grateful & also a little confused...this is where culture shock comes in.
Really? Come over any night for dinner? Just show up? Oh she's just saying this to be nice, right? But that wasn't her tone. Her tone was so sincere.

As an American I'm guarded. I don't just open my home to anyone and when I do I tend to pat myself on the back & remind myself I'm a good person. I want to be that way all the time but it doesn't come naturally. I lived next to my neighbors in Visalia for 2 years & never had them over for dinner. I'm kicking myself now.

I'm taken aback by Smadar. Why is she so kind? She doesn't know us.

A couple days later she comes up and says, "come down for dinner in an hour!" Okay, we say. The start of a wonderful friendship!

Smadar is married to a wonderful man , Ya'ir who's just as welcoming & kind. They have an 18 year old daughter (Libon) who's usually gone with friends and will enter her 2 years of army service soon, a 16 year old son (Elram) who's naturally fun with Jack & kind & gentle to Violet and a 12 year old daughter (Shahar) who loves Jack & Violet.

We come downstairs & it's completely informal & relaxed! Part of dinner is still in the oven, other parts are still being prepared. Smadar is causally talking with us, showing Jack & Violet the fish in their super huge fish tank...just kind of hanging out. It's 7:30pm and in my Americaness I'm thinking, "I don't think we'll eat until 8...and the kids go to bed at 8...they will be so crabby...it will be a disaster...we need to eat & leave...". I'm so conditioned. And it's partially true - we ate late, the kids got crabby & didn't get to bed until 9:45pm but we had a wonderful evening! It was delicious & homemade & simple.

Here's our meal:

(roasted potatoes, onions & pumpkin, rice, tahine with roasted eggplant,
cabbage salad, a cut up avocado, edamame & some sauces/salsas)

Dinner wraps up & we're just all hanging out. It hits 8:30 and the kids are seeming tired but are wound up being at a new house - they play on the sofa, Jack plays a driving video game with Elram, Violet is showing off her "pretties" to Shahar, they both run through the apartment chasing their dog Archie & as we apologize & try to corral the children Smadar & Ya'ir are relaxed, visiting & not worried in the least. At 8:30 Smadar says, "Oh I have something for you to try!" and she takes out a homemade dessert and watches intently while we eat it and then says, "what do you think it is?"

Any guesses?:


It's eggplant! Soaked in some sweet/sticky substance and sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds. Smadar admits she could eat the whole container. It is a fun dish to try but my taste buds enjoyed the familiar chocolate chip cookies I had brought! So did Violet's - as we visited I think she snuck up to 5 cookies. Little stinker!

So by 9:15 we were heading out the door even though they were all still lounging around & happy to have us there! It was a wonderful evening!

We have since been invited to go boating with them (their members of a boating club) but unfortunately we weren't able to. For Rosh Hashanah (New Year) she brought over plates of sweets. She brought coupons for diapers over. For Yom Kippur she invited us over to "hang out while they fast & mourn" (which was today - see pictures below) and on tomorrow & Monday they have invited us over to decorate their sukkah for Sukkot (it's high holiday season for Israel).

Example of a sukkah (a temporary shelter you place outside where you eat all your meals during Sukkot or Feast of Tabernacles/Booths which lasts 7 days - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukkot):


We've made amazing friends with this sweet family. They are teaching me hospitality like I have rarely seen it displayed before. I want to be like Smadar. Her hospitality is natural, flexible, easy & open. It's not uptight & perfect like my hospitality tries to be. I realize that simply opening your home to someone is what means the most. Sharing your space & your life for a couple hours without trying to make everything look perfect. My life isn't perfect, I don't have it all together. I burn dinners & get frustrated. If I invite someone over I plan the evening down to the napkin holders. There's a time & place for everything but something Smadar is teaching me without even knowing is that I can open my home anytime & for any meal - it's about being together & having relationship.

That's why we now know that this is where God wants us - in the Valley of Rephaim, just a few steps up from Smadar & her family.

Here are some pictures of us hanging out on Yom Kippur (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yom_Kippur) while they fasted-no food or water for 25 hours. In addition to fasting they spend most of their day in intense prayers of forgiveness:

Elram hanging out on the swing with Jack & Violet (Violet loved it!)


Smadar & Archie (rolling over for a treat - pets don't fast in case you were wondering, I was).


Elram showing Jack how to play pool! Ha! He's the kindest boy (his age) I think I've ever met.


Shahar, Archie, neighbor girl & Blinky (a mini Archie...she's blind in one eye so they named her Blinky!)

We're 3 weeks into this crazy adventure of living in Israel! As in any move whether that's down the street or over the ocean - you just never know what to expect! We've taken the "unexpecteds" in stride and we're well on our feet now.
We've covered well over 60 miles on foot (pushing a double stroller) since we arrived. Included in that was 4 airports - Fresno, Dallas, Frankfurt & Tel Aviv & 35 hours of travel. We arrived to an apartment that was filthy dirty from top to bottom so for the first 6 days John and I scrubbed every inch of this apartment-sometimes 6 hours a day. It is now clean & liveable!
So 3 weeks later, where are we at? We've figured out how to set up life in Israel but we haven't learned Hebrew...yet. We're trying! Jack will be passing us up quick as he's enrolled in an all Hebrew preschool!
So much to say! These weeks have had their peaks and valleys but God has been faithful - with His provision, His love, His guiding us to encouraging Scriptures and caring for our little family in more ways than we could ever imagine.
Israel is our new home & we welcome you to come and visit!
I would love to be friends on Facebook - I post regularly on there with pictures of everyday life. I too, would love to see your life!

In no particular order, here are some pictures:


Our apartment building - we're on the 3rd floor of 3 story building.


Jack on his first day of gan (preschool). It's all in Hebrew so he'll be immersed & should learn to understand & speak within 6 months!


Violet at her favorite place - the beach! Tel Aviv, Israel.


Beach-combing with Violet - sea glass everywhere! It was the best! Although Violet prefers to pick up rocks. She developed an eye for the sea glass after awhile & we were on our way to filling up a jar!


Or...Bethlehem...means Place of Bread. (a street near our house - we live nowhere near actual Bethlehem). Fitting that the "Bread of Life" would come from here.
John 6:48


A large Jewish cemetery - facing east to be the first to be raised by the Messiah as He will come from the east.


Our family in Joppa (Jaffa) -quite interesting to read about:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaffa


Violet waiting for Jack to run into the frame...so they could continue on in their RUNNING through Joppa!!


Life happens everywhere, even in picturesque Israel (Old City). Looks like congratulations are in order, looks like it's a girl!


Menorahs for sale in the Old City near the Jaffa Gate.


Jack with his colorful drawing of "Nextiba" - his imaginary place that is "happy", "has light houses" and he's "a harvester" there. Hmmm, the mind of a child!


Dinner with new friends! The Bylstra's (Keith & Laura) invited us over for pizza! They have a little 3 year old girl, Maryann who was & will be a wonderful friend to Jack & Violet - they played together so well (making forts & wrestling after only an hour together)! Also pictured is Matt & Jeanette Smith who are also studying at JUC this year. And the Blystra's other roommate, Emily, in her 3rd year at JUC. Such hospitality! (L to R-Matt, Jeanette, Keith, Laura, Emily & John).


Picturesque old postcards in a display case down one of the quaint walkways in Joppa.


Since we have no yard whatsoever and Jack who would live outside if we let him - we had to bring the outside in. So we hauled sand from Tel Aviv all the way home...and he's been a happy camper ever since!


A falafel pita - the most delicious thing ever (aside from schwarma)...falafel balls, hummus, spicy sauce, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, shredded cabbage (like coleslaw almost) & pickles. It's so good! Come visit, we'll treat you to one!


A brightly colored board advertising all the events happening in the city - it's fun to live in a big city again! Jerusalem always has something going on. Air Supply is playing tonight...if only we had a babysitter!


Our bathtub(s)!! It's amazing how hard these two can laugh while taking a bath! It's like an event during the day! And yes, water goes everywhere! If only I could fit in one...


Violet in the morning - in her little chair by the window waiting for her egg or oatmeal with her blankie.
*Watching Shalom Sesame (Israeli Sesame Street) The Count started counting in Hebrew, "Echad (1)!" and Violet shouted, "Schtayim (2)!"...I guess it's true when they say kids catch on to language quickly!


Just a pretty view walking around the Old City (25 minute walk from our house).


At the Western Wall. The kids have been troopers - we're always out looking at something!


The new spin on the university sweatshirt! Yarmulka!


Walking up the path from John's school - JUC (http://www.juc.edu/).

As long as we stick together & stick close to God - we can do anything!
"Team Witty!" as Jack would say!

Lots of love!
John & Laurie, Jack & Violet.

July 2011

We treasure your prayers for us. We value any support you can give. All gifts are tax-deductible when given via Care Corps International. We love you and thank God for you. Thank you for taking the time to read this long letter – so much to say, so little space!

Also, keep up with us on Facebook at:

http://www.facebook.com/wittyjohn

http://www.facebook.com/lauriewitty

For information on Care Corps visit www.carecorps.org.

Lots of love,

John & Laurie, Jack & Violet

Here are some fun pictures of our "FULL & FABULOUS summer":

Practically off the plane from Perth & into the car for a 15hr drive to the Oregon coast for a week (with John's mom & dad & extended family) of agate hunting & more fun! Amazing time to clear our heads & focus our hearts!

 

Fires, kites, warm clothes! Oh and that gorgeous ocean! Ahhhh!

All the cousins together to put their hands in new concrete at Papa & Mimi's house!

A run in the irrigation canal...the absolute best to stay cool in the Central Valley heat

A run in the cotton field...

A run in the corn! Lots of running this summer!

Going for a ride...

Come on Violet, let's go!!

Went down south for my cousin's wedding & had a fun chance to go to Huntington Beach. John dug a huge hole & that pretty much entertained them all afternoon

4th of July with friends

"Celebrating America's...and our independence!" - Jack & Violet

Absolute fun!

Jack can throw water at, wrestle with and tackle Violet and she laughs...we look at her like we might be upset & she cries!

Colorado River with extended family! So much FUN!

Texas! So fun! We flew out to visit John's family for a week and it was full of fun! ...and super good food

Making pizza with fun Auntie Liz!

Violet acting so lovely with Pop & Gran...

"It's been a full summer, I'm exhausted!" - Violet

ALL PLAY & NO WORK MAKES A POOR FAMILY! HA! There have been so many fun moments this summer & it's been a blast but we haven't only played. Well, Jack & Violet have...but we've had lots of opportunities to work (as you can read in the above letter). The camera just comes out when fun is being had!

Hope you enjoyed a glimpse of what we've been up to. COUNTLESS hours outside...running, playing, water, Jell-O, Rocket Pops, swimming, digging, discovering, planting with Mimi, riding on the golf cart, helping, laughing, enjoying, getting dirty and loving life!

The countdown begins...13 days until we leave for ISRAEL!

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SO WE CAN STAY CONNECTED WITH EACH OTHER!