Half-Way Point

Inevitably, we lay in bed each night, trying to think of what we've done, what we are doing, and what we will do. Almost every night as we perform this exercise we say the same thing, "We haven't done anything yet!" And yet, when we sit down to brainstorm blog ideas, we can't decide what to include, and what will need to be left out until the next time we write. We want to give an accurate impression of what our lives have been like here, and honestly, it hasn't been the non-stop hustle and bustle we were expecting. But when we stop to think about individual things that have happened, we get a better perspective of how our time here is being spent.

Enjoying a walk through a park in Jerusalem.

A few weeks ago (right in between Western and Eastern Easter) my mom and I were invited to play music at the wedding of a friend in Bethlehem. The timing, right around Easter, was significant, because it is one of the few times of the year that Palestinians and other Arabs who normally have incredibly limited opportunities to travel to and from the West Bank enjoy lighter restrictions, and can get travel permission relatively easily. While from the perspective of a perfectly planned Western wedding things may have perhaps seemed chaotic and disorganized, at the end of the day, a happy couple were united before God. 

The lightened travel restrictions for West Bank Palestinians has also meant that long put-off film projects of my dad's, working with young Palestinian actors, have been making some progress. Every Friday and Saturday, my dad holds a workshop with a group of 4-5 Palestinians in their early 20s, going over the basics of film making and camera work, and encouraging them to produce original content for the Bible Society. I've been going with him to form some connections with this group, but also help with the technical side of these projects. One of the first tasks I was involved in was to record music with one of the men who happens to be a talented Oud and guitar player. This last Friday, a group of about 16 went to Capernaum, one of the most significant New Testament locations, and did an all day film shoot, which I was able to help out with. 

The Capernaum temple.

Katelyn has been busy with Zumba several times a week, but also with Arabic lessons, which we have started just over a week ago. Our instructor, Mr. George, is spending time with Katelyn first, getting her set up with the basics of Arabic. Katelyn has been doing incredibly well so far, and after only three lessons is really catching on in a big way. I am still trying to remember Arabic that I learned and haven't used for over 10 years. We appreciate all of your prayers and particularly for language.

We are also going to be starting a new venture; holding an "English Coffee Hour" for young women to practice their conversational English. The bookstore that is hosting these lessons started advertising, and we thought we would be lucky if 7-10 women signed up. We had to stop advertising and sending people away after nearly 20 women registered! We are going to be holding two classes, both on Thursday afternoon, starting this week. We are hoping and praying that this will be a great opportunity to welcome these women into the bookstore where they can make relationships with strong believers in their neighborhood. We are excited, but also nervous about this, since we have very little experience teaching, and we have no idea what the English level of these women will be before we start. It will be an interesting experiment.

We have decided that we will start regularly attending St. George Anglican church here in Jerusalem during our stay. We have felt immediately peaceful and comfortable there, and the mixed English/Arabic service we have attended has been interesting and illuminating. It has also been empowering to take the Arab city bus by ourselves, which leaves half a mile from my parent's house and and drops us off at the door of St. George. It also gives us the opportunity to take our time and explore the Old City of Jerusalem at our own pace. We love being with my parents, but there is something exciting about getting around on our own, navigating our way through unfamiliar streets, and finding our way back home again! We hope to do this regularly on Sundays.

Our favorite falafel man.

Tackling public transportation by ourselves.

Enjoying coffee at the American Colony Hotel.

We are still waiting on permission to get into Gaza. A friend and employee of the Bible Society has been working to get our applications through, and every week he is told that "next week you'll have an answer." We are hoping that we can get into Gaza to see and experience it, but my parent's permission has been held up too, and they are getting anxious to continue their ministry with the people there who have so much need, and are under pressure from all sides. We were honored to have the family that my parents stay with while they are in Gaza over for an Easter feast. It was a lot of preparation, but we wanted to return just a small portion of the generosity that they extend each week to my parents. Please continue to pray that this will be resolved quickly and that we can go and experience first-hand how life is there.

Roast leg of lamb.

Apple custard tart.

We also want to let everyone know that we are safe and haven't been affected by any of the recent violence in Jerusalem. We had just left the city for a 3-day weekend in Haifa when the violence started, and it seems to have died down already, but please be praying for peace, as we are reminded that any illusion of calm that we see is incredibly fragile, and tensions are always high here.

A day trip to Tel Aviv

Walking through Neve Ya'akov forest.