Goodness....how true that is.....
We have about two weeks left here and I can't believe it! It has gone by so quickly.....in fact, last week we had a moment when we realized that we were halfway through our trip. So little time left to spend with our new friends....
We've been at our friends' house a lot lately. The Hines family is in the process of moving to Tennesee because their visa has expired. They leave this Thursday -- and there is so much to do! They have 4 adorbale children we have been spending time with so that Bonnie and Michael are able to get more packing done. Can you imagine moving to another country after 5 years with 4 kids under the age of 5? It is a little overwhelming, but every day, more progress is being made. We're sad that they're leaving Israel, but Lindsey and I are also glad that they'll only be a few hours away from us!
We went to Bethlehem again the other night to have dinner with our friends. They cooked us a meal that is a traditional meal for them....they cooked chicken for us in a pit! They start the fire several hours before they put the chicken in and when it is ready, the chicken goes in and they seal the smoker with mud :) It was really good, and I must say I haven't been so glad to get chicken in a while! The family is so nice :)
Saturday we went to the beach in Tel Aviv with 2 of our friends from the hostel. It was so crowded -- almost no space to walk around. It was also amusing to see all the hookahs on the beach! The big thing on the beach though was ping pong. We went for a walk and there was one stretch where there must have been 50 people playing. It was a challenge to get through without getting hit! We also experienced a shark in the water :) When the guy on the loudspeaker started talking (which they do all day long), we had no clue what he was saying because we don't speak Hebrew! But we assumed either someone was in trouble in the water or there was a shark -- tons of people started heading to the water's edge to see what was going on. We later found out that it was in fact a shark. However, we did get to go swimming in the Mediterranean, so I guess that makes up for it!
Yesterday, Lindsey and I went to the Shuc for a little bit to do some shopping and take some pictures. We were walking around when this guy came up to us because he heard us speaking English. He is here from Canada and is in the city by himself for the next couple of days. We talked for a bit and then went our separate ways.....but on the way to the hostel and then to lunch, he found us in the streets and came to lunch with us! He was here on a birthright tour we discovered and he is a really nice guy. We started talking about our beliefs and the differences and things certain groups were doing that were or were not right.....when this lady interrupted us to tell our new friend that he was being really arrogant and ignorant....i couldn't believe it! I feel that her heart was in the right place, because she was saying that there are many orthodox Jews who have become believers (he was very skeptical), but she was so rude and mean....i have never felt so angry towards someone before......and I felt that any conversation we could have had with him changed in that moment because of her attitude. I really feel that it was a God-appointed meeting with him, and I truly hope and pray that he meets other believers and friends to talk to.....particularly Jewish ones :) Anyway, if think about it, please pray for our new friend!
Last night after church we went to dinner at a sushi place! I had never had sushi before and I was actually quite nervous about trying it. Let's just say that it wasn't a pleasant experience for me :) But I was able to order something else and all was well......
The is week we are going to Eilat, which is a town on the Red Sea that Lindsey loves....we might go scuba diving! So many new things.....I'm excited about going, and I'll let you know how it turns out!
I can't believe we only have this week and next weeks left......next week, Dave is coming and we're going to tour around Israel for the week before we leave. It's amazing how much there is to see and do here, and when we try to incorporate all of that with our volunteering and spending time with our friends......there just isn't enough time! However, I'm sure I would feel that way even if we had several more weeks.
I love y'all!
Shalom....
We have about two weeks left here and I can't believe it! It has gone by so quickly.....in fact, last week we had a moment when we realized that we were halfway through our trip. So little time left to spend with our new friends....
We've been at our friends' house a lot lately. The Hines family is in the process of moving to Tennesee because their visa has expired. They leave this Thursday -- and there is so much to do! They have 4 adorbale children we have been spending time with so that Bonnie and Michael are able to get more packing done. Can you imagine moving to another country after 5 years with 4 kids under the age of 5? It is a little overwhelming, but every day, more progress is being made. We're sad that they're leaving Israel, but Lindsey and I are also glad that they'll only be a few hours away from us!
We went to Bethlehem again the other night to have dinner with our friends. They cooked us a meal that is a traditional meal for them....they cooked chicken for us in a pit! They start the fire several hours before they put the chicken in and when it is ready, the chicken goes in and they seal the smoker with mud :) It was really good, and I must say I haven't been so glad to get chicken in a while! The family is so nice :)
Saturday we went to the beach in Tel Aviv with 2 of our friends from the hostel. It was so crowded -- almost no space to walk around. It was also amusing to see all the hookahs on the beach! The big thing on the beach though was ping pong. We went for a walk and there was one stretch where there must have been 50 people playing. It was a challenge to get through without getting hit! We also experienced a shark in the water :) When the guy on the loudspeaker started talking (which they do all day long), we had no clue what he was saying because we don't speak Hebrew! But we assumed either someone was in trouble in the water or there was a shark -- tons of people started heading to the water's edge to see what was going on. We later found out that it was in fact a shark. However, we did get to go swimming in the Mediterranean, so I guess that makes up for it!
Yesterday, Lindsey and I went to the Shuc for a little bit to do some shopping and take some pictures. We were walking around when this guy came up to us because he heard us speaking English. He is here from Canada and is in the city by himself for the next couple of days. We talked for a bit and then went our separate ways.....but on the way to the hostel and then to lunch, he found us in the streets and came to lunch with us! He was here on a birthright tour we discovered and he is a really nice guy. We started talking about our beliefs and the differences and things certain groups were doing that were or were not right.....when this lady interrupted us to tell our new friend that he was being really arrogant and ignorant....i couldn't believe it! I feel that her heart was in the right place, because she was saying that there are many orthodox Jews who have become believers (he was very skeptical), but she was so rude and mean....i have never felt so angry towards someone before......and I felt that any conversation we could have had with him changed in that moment because of her attitude. I really feel that it was a God-appointed meeting with him, and I truly hope and pray that he meets other believers and friends to talk to.....particularly Jewish ones :) Anyway, if think about it, please pray for our new friend!
Last night after church we went to dinner at a sushi place! I had never had sushi before and I was actually quite nervous about trying it. Let's just say that it wasn't a pleasant experience for me :) But I was able to order something else and all was well......
The is week we are going to Eilat, which is a town on the Red Sea that Lindsey loves....we might go scuba diving! So many new things.....I'm excited about going, and I'll let you know how it turns out!
I can't believe we only have this week and next weeks left......next week, Dave is coming and we're going to tour around Israel for the week before we leave. It's amazing how much there is to see and do here, and when we try to incorporate all of that with our volunteering and spending time with our friends......there just isn't enough time! However, I'm sure I would feel that way even if we had several more weeks.
I love y'all!
Shalom....
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