My Life in Palestine

Back Again, 2 Months To Go

2009-04-14T01:30:00.005-04:00

God's timing is so good! I think He's trying to teach me something that I didn't know I needed to be taught. Okay, so after the chain mail incident, I headed off to the airport. I had been delayed for 1 day exactly. Everything went smoothly this time and the flight to Frankfurt was pleasant. I sat next to a really sweet Indian man who educated me a little on life in India. On the flight from Frankfurt to Tel Aviv, I sat next to an awesome believer who was going to Ramallah, of all places. I told her that I live right next to Ramallah and then we began chatting. She's from Chicago & she'll be working in the West Bank for almost a month. We exchanged e-mail info & made tentative plans to meet up while she's here - maybe even this weekend. After we exited the plane, the moment that I had been wondering about for so long finally came. I approached the passport control booth and the girl took my passport and asked me one question: "How long do you want to stay?" That was it?! I told her I wanted to stay until June 15th and she stamped it. I couldn't believe how easy it was. Even when I came to Israel the first time and didn't have all the visas that I have now it wasn't that easy. I was astonished and I knew that God really wanted me back here. Why at this time exactly, I'm still not sure, but He's teaching me to trust His timing. I was very pleased to find that my luggage had made it onto the plane with me (the one day delay had me worried), not only because of my stuff, but I had 25 bags of Easter candy to give to the American volunteers for Easter. I would've been heartbroken if something had happened to that candy. I happily gathered my precious cargo and headed towards the exit. Wilma had told me that she & Erin didn't have the truck, so I needed to take a bus to Jerusalem and then maybe a taxi to the apartment. I had been silently wishing to God that someone would give me a ride home, and I hoped that the lady I met on the plane would offer to drop me off in East Jerusalem since it's next to Ramallah, but she didn't. And so, I stood in the arrivals section trying to figure out which way to go to get a bus. Then I heard "psst, psst" next to me - I glanced around and saw a man trying to say something to me in a low voice. I looked at him wondering what he wanted and then out of nowhere Wilma and Erin popped up from behind him and surprised me. I was so shocked and excited that I screamed. It must have scared the man because he just took off; I still don't know what he wanted - maybe he was going to offer me some mithril to wear. ;) But Wilma & Erin were there and now I wouldn't have to find a bus and pay 50 shekels to get to Jerusalem and then another 20 or 30 shekels for a taxi. And it was wonderful to see my roomies again!! Of course we talked non-stop all the way home and most of the evening. I heard a lot of frustrations with school in their stories and I was glad that I hadn't been here these past few months. That may sound terrible, but it's true. God's timing. He knew it was better for me to be at home with my family, and indeed it was. And I've been told by a couple of people that they thought my plane was delayed in coming back so that I would arrive at just the right time to get in, and that may very well be true. Erin came in on the exact same day and time a week before I did, and she didn't have any problems either. It seems as though Friday @ 3:00 p.m. is an anointed arrival time. :)
And so I'm back. I haven't been to school yet because I've been sick ever since the Frankfurt flight. My throat started hurting suddenly on the plane and it hasn't stopped since. I can't remember having this kind of throat pain since I had strep as a child - I should probably go to the doctor, but I'm trying to gargle the pain away first. The highlights of being back so far (besides seeing my friends again) are the sunrise Easter service at the Garden Tomb - yes, I said sunrise...I got up at 4:30!!, and passing out the Easter candy. It was delightful to see the smiles on everyone's faces! I may try to go to school tomorrow...it'll be nice to see the teachers and the students again.

Past 3 Months/Heading Back

2009-04-09T15:29:00.010-04:00

As I'm sure anyone reading this knows, I've been in Georgia for the past 3 months. My dad and my grandpa have both had health issues which are hopefully now resolved, or at least on the mend. It has been quite an emotional roller coaster in many ways, but like I've already told so many of you, God's timing for everything has been spot on. And now it seems as though His timing is bringing me back to Jerusalem for the next 2 months to finish out the school year. As far as I can tell, I'll be a teacher's aide (which unfortunately probably means substitute) for the bulk of the time, and then take Wilma's class for the last 2 weeks of school because she's leaving early - again!! - this time for her granddaughter's graduation. (She always has some sort of good excuse to get out of school early!) ;) When I come back to Georgia in June, my plans are to begin fundraising to be able to live in Israel and work with Chrissie S. in the ministry of reconciliation between believers. I have never attempted to raise support before, so this is going to be something new for me.
I'm now heading back to Israel and this is the 2nd day of my journey. However, the actual travel hasn't even begun yet. I arrived at the airport yesterday and 30 minutes after we were supposed to depart, they informed us that there was a broken piece of equipment on the plane. The plane couldn't fly without it, so they were waiting for the replacement to come in around midnight. I was going to wait and fly then, but I found out that if I did, I would have a 13 hour layover in Frankfurt and then arrive in Tel Aviv at 3 A.M. It wouldn't have been easy or fun getting back to Palestine at 3 in the morning, so I took the hotel deal and now I'm back at the airport waiting to leave at 5:50 p.m. I've had a couple of interesting experiences within the last 24 hours, one that I'll call my "almost, but not quite, mithril experience." I was in the hotel elevator and there was a man showing chain mail clothing to a woman. Because I'm such an LOTR dork, I asked him what it was. He told me it would fit me. - ?? - I said that it reminded me of mithril in LOTR. "They say that mithril is the chain mail that feels like fabric," he said as he held a section of it out for me to feel. I couldn't see what type of garment it was, but it was really nice work. He asked me if I was "interested" & I told him I was just curious. I found out later that that probably wasn't the smartest thing to say. He came up to me later as I was about to leave and told me that he makes his chain mail clothing by hand, link by link. He then told me that he's the best in the world - everyone who sees his work says so, and then came the clincher - he was part of a bondage wear/adult convention! Yikes. He makes the "clothing" for women to be photographed in; women such as dominatrix queens and Playboy playmates (he then proceeded to name names), and informed me that the sizes ranged from an A to a GG. And he doesn't sell any of his pieces - they are too special to him. So now I was a little uncomfortable. He unexpectedly started showing me pictures of his clothing, of course with models wearing the pieces, and by my reaction he knew I didn't care to see them. He continued to brag on his skills as a craftsman, "best in the world" was mentioned several times, and then he asked me if I was interested, meaning interested in posing in one of his pieces. I held back my inner reaction of disgust and appall, and politely told him no, and out of my embarrassment and discomfort I told him that I'm a missionary, and I'm not interested in that type of thing. It probably sounded a little haughty, which was not my intention, but it just came out. I told him that I only admired the craftsmanship aspect of his work. He then began educating me on the cause of the housing bubble dating back to Jimmy Carter -??, and then moved on to his high intelligence, his physical fitness, his age (57), and his single status. He admitted that he's not married because he likes to argue too much. And I haven't even left Atlanta yet...

On Holiday

2008-12-27T09:33:00.016-05:00

This has been an exciting, exhausting, and, on a couple of occasions, dangerous school year so far. (Not dangerous for me personally, but it has been for several of our staff.) I must say that I'm thrilled to have a holiday break. We were at school until 3:00 on the 23rd, leaving only one day to prepare for Christmas Day. I've told some of you that I felt a little cheated of the pre-Christmas vibe because of the late break from school, and my feelings haven't changed - I'm a little bitter. I'm still listening to Christmas music because I'm not ready to move on from Christmas just yet. One fun thing about Christmas this year, though, was receiving some gifts that were quite interesting. I'll let the pictures below do the talking.
As most of you know, Wilma has returned home for the holidays again this year, and of course she is very missed. I can't emphasize enough how quiet it is in the apartment without her - not that that's a good or bad thing, but she brings the exciting, full-of-life kind of noise to the household that makes you wonder what will happen next...because with her around, you just never know.
I don't really have any plans for this break, except that I am seeking God about what to do when school starts again on Jan. 8th. I have now finished my 3 1/2 month commitment to teach Mrs. Eva's 2nd grade class while she was out on maternity leave, and now that I'm officially not teaching a class, I'm not quite sure what's in store for me for the rest of the school year. I came back to Palestine/Israel this year not because I wanted to teach, but because of all the doors that God was opening up in the early months of this year (last school year), to see what He was going to do. I had already invested 1 1/2 school years at that point, and I didn't want to leave just when He started opening doors to the kind of ministry that I've been longing to do. And so, I agreed to come back to fill in for Mrs. Eva, and afterwards be a classroom assistant with no classroom responsibilities, so that I could also help lead some women's Bible studies (for our Arab teachers & for locals), help teach English to some of the local women, help lead extra-curricular programs at school (STARS, Bible studies, etc.), and also be able to work with Chrissie Shaheen in her endeavor to bring reconciliation between Arab and Jewish believers, especially women believers. My hopes are to not be tied down to the school, at least not to the degree that I have been. I believe that I received a Word from God at the end of the Christmas break last year, saying that I had "circled the mountain long enough...it was time to head north...make a right turn towards the vision & destiny of my core calling...what I had longed for but doubted could ever be was now at hand...." This Word was, let's say, perfectly timed with a request I had made to God in the summertime before I came back last year, and so I took it very seriously. At the time, I was sure that my core calling was for ministry of some sort, but not teaching. I was certain that I wouldn't come back here again because what would I do here if I wasn't teaching? And that's when all the opportunities for ministry here began to reveal themselves, and so, I decided to remain involved with the school & also get involved with these other opportunities that were presenting themselves. (Oddly enough, if I take the directions given in that Word literally, "head north...right turn...," from where we were located for the past two years, it leads to where we live now.) My dilemma is this: Ross has presented Wilma & I with a proposition to co-teach her 3rd grade class together and thereby half the workload for the class, which would supposedly free us up to do all these other activities. I must say that this idea doesn't sound exciting to me. I would be just as busy with the school as I am now, because to me, teaching kids all day, even with "half the workload," is still teaching kids all day, which can be an exhausting and consuming thing to do. (I love them, but oh my goodness....) Ross is being very gracious with this offer, and maybe it would be a good thing?? Needless to say, I would really appreciate your prayers in this. Thanks to all of you who are keeping Wilma, Erin, and me in your prayers and also to those of you who are helping to support us - again, we could not do any of this without you! I wish you all a blessed holiday season...

A Hot Water Bottle with a Hand-Made Cover from Miss Erin Humphries. She always knows just what to say.

Some Really Cute PJs from Autumn - who knows about life here much more than I do & understands how nice it is to get something in the mail.

Leggings & Socks from Harry & Carolyn. I can't say enough about how much you two bless all of us here. I love you guys! And leave it to Carolyn to make sure that we stay warm!

A Present from a Student. Just a regular black coffee mug, right? Oh, no...

This is what happens when it's filled with a yummy hot drink! Please note the best part: Know I am Not Berfect But I can Smile. It just doesn't get any better than this. Maybe you'd have to live in an Arab community to know why I love this so much...it's berfect.

Another view of the Mug of Me. See, it has my name and everything.

And yet another view. It's just that good.

Another Gift from a Student. I was wrong about the mug. It does get better than that - Jesus is the best gift of all. Points of interest regarding this Nativity: It says Jerosalem. Also, notice how lovely and white everyone is, and with blue eyes - even though you can't tell it in this pic. Even so, Jesus is the best gift of all.

Thanks to those of you who sent the gifts...you made my Christmas very special indeed! It's not all about the gifts though; thanks to all of you who sent me e-cards & Christmas wishes via Internet as well. I'm always so happy to hear from you guys!

Life in Between

2008-11-07T08:04:00.008-05:00

Eating Fadia's amazing food. I'm so happy!

Erin at Mamilla Mall. A wonderful place to go.

Damascus Gate during Ramadan

Old City at Night

Wilma & Fadia in the Old City

This is where we go grocery shopping in Beit Hanina. Wilma loves this tree!

A view of our new school. It's huge!

Some flowers on the road to school.

Our apartment building. Ours is on the bottom left.

My Cozy Room.

I'm holding Mrs. Eva's baby, Carmen. Eva is the teacher I'm subbing for until Christmas break.

It's been over 2 months since my last post & so much has happened. First of all, I think we have a great team this year. There are around 19 or so American volunteers directly involved with the school this year and a few more that are indirectly involved. We have been praying that God would send people whom He has appointed and anointed to be here and that they would adjust well to living in this culture. It seems as though He has answered this prayer abundantly. The volunteers all seem to truly have God's heart for this challenging venture, as well as right motivations for being here. Not that all the volunteers that I've worked with in the past didn't have these - most of them were wonderful, but there have been a couple of people who either weren't here for the right reasons or they weren't suited for life here. And in this culture, just a couple of people can do a lot of damage. So then, thank You, Lord, for this great team!
The school and all the volunteers' apartments are still between a checkpoint and the wall separating East Jerusalem from the West Bank. We were promised that the checkpoint would be moved when school started, but unfortunately in this country you can't believe much of what people say until it happens. And such is the case with the checkpoint - it's still there. It can be a real problem for the parents and students at our school, as well as for our Arab teachers and even the American volunteers sometimes. The Arab teachers that live outside of the checkpoint are only permitted to be in our neighborhood during school hours, and so if any of them need to stay later for any reason, the soldiers may or may not let them pass through the checkpoint. Maybe you remember me mentioning my friend, Fadia. This is one of the problems she and her son face every day. When I invite her and Ameer for dinner or a movie, I have to be prepared for them to stay the night because they might not be permitted to leave. The soldiers will occasionally send people to a checkpoint miles away just to make them mad. It's easy to see why people here are so angry sometimes. As for Wilma, Erin & me, our visas are now officially expired. We have an appointment with the Ministry of Interior on November 12, in which we'll find out if we have to leave or if we can stay. Until then, we may or may not be allowed to leave our neighborhood, depending on the mood of the soldiers at the checkpoint, since we don't have a valid visa to enter Israel. The situation is quite frustrating, especially because the checkpoint is illegal - we are not in the West Bank, but we're treated as though we are.
Being between a checkpoint and the wall also has another down side: there have been a couple of serious instances of crime here involving our school - our school vehicles in particular. What happens is that people from behind the wall come into our neighborhood, commit crimes, and then go back through the wall to the West Bank because it's under the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli government can't or won't do anything about it. And there is more than criminal activity going on against the school: some of our students are becoming increasingly violent and apathetic. We have been praying over the school for the past 5 Wednesday nights, and obviously the enemy is not happy. So for those of you who want to pray for us and the school, please pray for God's protection over all the volunteers, staff, & students at Jerusalem School and for the building & property itself, for wisdom for the administration as well as for the teachers, and for God to give us the strength to endure the attack of the enemy - that no weapon of the enemy would prosper against us - that we would not merely endure, but that we would resist this attack and fight back and be victorious, and that God would be glorified. Also, please be praying about our visa situation. That's a lot to pray about, but then, there's a lot going on; and thankfully, God is more than able to handle all of this.
On the lighter side, the neighborhood itself is so much nicer than where we lived before. The streets are clean, the buildings are really nice, there are lots of flowers and trees (we have a nice garden at our apartment), and it's so much quieter here. Our apartment is bigger and nicer than the one we used to live in, and I think it's safe to say that we all like living here much better than where we were before. And of course, there's no comparison between the old school and the new school. Our new school facilities are better in every way you could imagine. This new building is a blessing from God, and we know that He has great plans for the school, the students, and the staff. He has called us to something bigger and better than what we had before, and so it's quite easy to see why we are under so much opposition from the enemy. But God is and will be victorious, and I truly believe that His will for the school and for us will be done. Thanks to all of you who keep us in your prayers!

The Night Spectacular

2008-11-09T12:47:00.005-05:00

Here are some pics from an amazing light show, "The Night Spectacular," at the Tower of David Museum. It moved from Creation into the history of Jerusalem all the way through to modern-day, and ended with a call to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. It really was spectacular.

Update Coming Soon...

2008-09-02T13:04:00.002-04:00

Still don't have wireless at the new apartment - I'll give a proper update as soon as I have some time. It's been ridiculously busy and chaotic, but overall, things are going well. There is a tremendous potential for great things on so many levels; it's just working out the initial problems that has been a little stressful - mostly minor things. Please pray that the checkpoint would be moved in God's time; we need it moved for school purposes, but at the same time, once they close the wall, our cheap labor will be cut off & we still have lots of work to be done at the school. Also, please pray that God would bring His alignment into all areas of the school. There are so many changes and new things to work out, and we really need His wisdom and grace in all of this. This is His project though, and I have no doubt that He will accomplish something much greater with this than any of us can imagine. He already has in so many ways - it's so exciting to be a part of it. Please pray!!

A Lot of Catching Up To Do

2008-04-23T14:49:00.023-04:00

I fully intended to write about the rest of our Petra/Aqaba trip, but time truly went by so quickly and busily these last couple of months that I was never able to give the attention needed to finish the story. It's really too bad, because now you'll never know about our amazing adventures in Petra, which included a camel ride, getting ripped off again, spectacular scenery, Wilma's donkey ride, and other honorable mentions.The Treasury

My Fun Camel Ride

Wilma's Donkey Ride. (There is a much funnier picture of this, but she would kill me if I posted it.)

On the Edge of a Very High Cliff. Very dangerous. Look at how calm I am.

More Carved Stone. . .

My Summer Home/Guest House. As you can see, I had some guests. They didn't seem to understand that it's actually my house. I couldn't get them to leave.

My Winter Home. That little speck in the doorway is me.

Camels in Petra. I really like this pic.

And you'll never hear of our stay in Aqaba, which included getting ripped off yet again on the way there, sleeping in a mosquito infested room for a night, a romantic swim through the coral reef in the Red Sea hand in hand with an Arab man I had never met before - yes, indeed...please ask me about it (it's really not what it sounds like), and my miserable journey back to Palestine. (I was terribly sick, but God was wonderfully gracious; the kind people at the hostel in Eilat really helped me out!) It was a truly wonderful trip & I would love to go back someday.
About a month later, Wilma, another teacher named Mary (from Tennessee), and I decided to go to Turkey for our 2nd Easter break (Orthodox Easter). It was a really cheap trip, so that's how we were able to manage it. We went to Antalya - oh my goodness...the scenery was breathtaking and we had such a great time. We met such wonderful and interesting people - lots of Russian speaking people (which I absolutely love), the hotel was really nice, and there was lots of entertainment. I didn't quite know what to expect in Turkey, but I certainly had no idea it would be so beautiful. I must go back. The highlights of this trip were: meeting great people, an unexpected fashion show, the beautiful city of Antalya, and participating in the hotel's evening entertainment. This consisted of an Easter egg painting contest in which I tied with 3 other people for the best egg, and then had to do a dance-off to Justin Timberlake's "Sexy Back" in front of a room full of people to determine the winner. (Just so you know, the winner was the only guy in the dance-off & I don't think he even danced. I totally won.) The journey home was a bit frustrating because our plane was delayed for 7 hours, but it turned out well because we met some more really great people. It was a fablulous trip.The Fashion Show

Ridiculously Expensive Rings. Wilma's was worth about $250,000 & mine was worth about $500,000. Some people have entirely too much money. My ring wasn't even pretty-I can't imagine anyone paying half a million for that gaudy thing.

Waterfall In Antalya

Antalya's Harbor

Turkish Boat

Our Hotel. Aren't the mountains deliciously mysterious??

The Coolest Chicken Ever.

Proof That I Won the Dance-Off. See, that guy's just standing there. His wife was screaming like a banshee for him & that's why he won. Seriously, I hesitated to put this pic up, but whatever. This is me, and yes, I did.

School was now coming to a close and there was no slowing down from then until the end. The last day of school was on June 4th, and I really miss my kids. I love them so much! Something really great happened during the last week, but I won't share it here...I'm sure that I'll have an opportunity to share it with most of you this summer. On top of the end-of-the-year responsibilities at school, we then had to start packing up our apartment as well. Jerusalem School is moving and so are all the American teachers. It was a very hectic time, but we did all that we could before we left. Wilma and I are now back in Georgia as of last Tuesday night, and as far as I know we'll be here until sometime in August. Erin and Eric stayed behind for a little over 2 weeks to help out with everything at the school, which is what I was intending to do, but there are 2 weddings that I wanted to be home for, and so...here I am. I can't tell you how wonderful it is to be surrounded by family & friends and the beauty of NW Georgia again. I'm looking forward to a great summer break, and the leading of the Lord as to what exactly I'll be involved with next year in Palestine. Your prayers are greatly needed and appreciated. Much thanks to all of you who have kept me in your prayers this past year - I couldn't have made it without you!!

Petra, Day I

2008-04-14T11:18:00.022-04:00

...So, we left after school on Wednesday and headed to Eilat. We spent the night at a Christian hostel called "The Shelter." The room itself was not so great (it was clean though), but the people there were super sweet & that made it a really nice place to stay. We got up Thursday & headed for the Jordanian border. We got through fine, though they searched my bags (only mine - ??), and then we had to take a taxi to Aqaba. Little did we know that this would be the first, but not the last time we would get taken advantage of during our 4 day adventure. We asked the driver to take us to the central bus station in Aqaba and he told us that it was a holiday - Mohammed's birthday, I think - and that the bus station was closed. He offered to take us all the way to Petra for a "good price." The thing is that we had a friend call beforehand and ask about the bus schedule and so we knew that the buses were running. We insisted that He take us to the bus station & it was obvious that he didn't want to. He took us to a place where there were some big buses parked and so we paid him and got out and he left. Then we discovered that he hadn't taken us to the bus station at all, but he had dropped us off in front of a hotel with buses parked in front of it. Jerk! So we had to tote our luggage for more than half a mile not knowing where we were going, but some friendly people pointed us in the right direction & we finally made it to the bus station. The station wasn't very impressive & the buses were very small, but it was only 4 Jordanian dinar, or JD, to go to Petra, so we didn't complain. It took more than a couple of hours driving through the desert with nothing around except a few camels here and there, but we finally made it to Petra. We took a taxi from the bus station to our hotel, put our bags in our rooms, and then headed to "Little Petra." It's a much smaller version of Petra, but it's still really cool. We came upon a high, hewn-out monument with a couple of Bedouins hanging out at the entrance. They asked us if we wanted to come up & I said yes thinking that there were stairs to walk up. The guys informed me that there were no stairs and the only way to get up there was to climb up. (I quickly discovered that Bedouins in Petra are expert rock climbers; they're like mountain goats in sandals. Seriously, they're amazing.) Michael went up and then I tried. Now, I'm no expert rock climber - if I can get my feet over and onto something, I'm good, but I had never attempted to climb the face of a rock before. I didn't think it looked that difficult & so I had a go at it, only to quickly discover that this was going to be much harder than it looked. I actually got a little nervous because I knew that if I fell I would get seriously injured. I went back and forth for a few minutes trying to climb & then deciding not to because it wasn't worth killing myself over. The two Bedouins offered to help me up. One climbed up and the other stayed at the bottom & the plan was for the upper guy to hold my hands and pull and the lower one to hold my feet and push. Again, I was really nervous because I wouldn' t have any control over, well, anything really. I finally just gave up & let them help me & they got me up to a part that I could climb myself.I had to hug the rock for dear life, but I made it. It was such a great feeling; the theme music to Rocky was playing in my head, you know, when he makes it up the stairs, & the monument was pretty great too. I made friends with the helpful Bedouin gentlemen, enjoyed the adrenaline rush for a bit, & then we headed back down. The descent was an adventure as well; Wilma got several lovely pics of that part of the climb and of my male attendants who made sure that I didn't fall. It was a pretty pathetic attempt at rock climbing - my brother probably would've laughed - but I was pleased. Anyway, we were now friends with the Bedouins & so they walked with us the rest of our time there. They led us through a narrow canyon wall and up to some breathtaking views. One of the Bedouins showed me where he stays (he doesn't live there all year, just in the spring and summer) and he basically invited me to stay up there in the rocks and live with him. He said that the sunsets were always beautiful and that it's wonderful to sleep under the stars every night. I have to admit that it did sound pretty tempting in a way - the lifestyle, not the guy - but I declined his offer. The time came to head back to the hotel; Abdullah, my Bedouin "boyfriend," took a picture of me with his cell phone (yes, he had a really nice cell phone - everyone here does), and then we all said good-bye. We went out to eat that night and stopped at a store on the walk back to the hotel. It was here that I met a second gentleman (blue eyes are like gold over here, ladies!) who, after a bit of introductory conversation, invited me to come to his cave in Little Petra for some nice music, dancing, and drinks under the moonlight. I guess all the men there have their own caves. Anyway, this guy was really, really cute and I was blushing terribly - he was so charming that I actually got a little light-headed. Wilma was with me and was thoroughly enjoying my embarrassment. She bought a diet coke and I grabbed her arm & we walked out as he was still trying to talk me into a romantic evening in a moonlit cave. It took me half the night to stop blushing...

Good Times

2008-03-26T15:01:00.035-04:00

I've tried to write several times recently, but honestly I've been so busy and so tired that I couldn't finish what I started. Oh, but there's so much goodness to tell! First of all, Chrissie, a really sweet friend from home, is back in town & it's been great to see her again. Wilma and I went to an "Esther" dinner with her and some other Just to make you smile.

ladies from home, and some local ladies - Jewish and Arab - several weeks ago. It was a really nice time and I learned some sweet things from the Lord (there was some teaching before the dinner). Since then we've seen her several times & she even stayed here for a couple of fun-filled nights. I actually have lots to pray about these days, as Chrissie has given me several things to consider, but I'll write about that in my next post. A couple of days after the dinner was Palm Sunday and Erin, Eric, Rula & I decided to participate in the annual procession from the Mount of Olives into the Old City to celebrate the day. Erin & I didn't do this last year & so we didn't really know what to expect.

At first it was really hot and pretty boring, but depending on the sect that you were near, the mood alternated between joyful and depressing. Some groups were aware that this was actually a day of celebration and a happy welcoming of Jesus into Jerusalem, but others were determined to make it a mournful event with low, monotone chanting and stiffness of body.

A Bit of the Palm Sunday Crowd

There were hundreds of people there, so it was slow-moving, but we finally made it into the Old City through the Lion's Gate after several hours. Eric got his guitar out and we went through the gate singing praise songs...how lovely. But the best part was in the evening when Scout Troops exited the Lion's Gate and marched around the Old City wall up to the New Gate. There were hundreds of kids in different troops playing bagpipes and drums, and it truly felt like a welcome worthy of a King. This was my favorite part of the whole day. There had been a threat of violence against the parade because of recent deaths from an Israeli attack in Gaza, but thank God nothing happened. It was such a good time.

We found this donkey, untied it, & told the owners that the Lord had need of it. Not really, but we seriously thought about it.

I went on a field trip the next day to the Monkey Park. It was full of excitement which included watching two large monkeys chase screaming children in and out of "Tarzan's Tree House" and witnessing a peacock, trapped in an enclosed walkway with 50 very excited and curious Arab children, frantically trying to escape from certain doom. The peacock made a desperate, yet successful, attempt to fly out, grazing the heads of teachers and children as it passed overhead. In this instance, kids weren't the only ones screaming. I tried to get a picture of the fly-by, but I just wasn't fast enough with the camera. What a shame too, because it was awesome, but at least it's forever etched in my memory. It would have been enough just to be out of school for the day, but it turned out to be surprisingly entertaining as well.

When I got home that afternoon, I made some very exciting plans. Wilma had been planning to go to Petra for our Easter break, but I hadn't quite made up my mind to go or not. Michael (another Daltonian who works with the school) was going as well and came over to make the final plans. I made the decision to go and so we booked the trip, just the three of us. We were to leave Wednesday right after school and come home Sunday, which is exactly what we did...

~To Be Continued~

A Christmas Story in Palestine

2007-12-26T06:36:00.002-05:00

I just realized that it's been a month since my last blog - completely unacceptable! My apologies to anyone who has been anxiously awaiting my next post. So then, there's a lot to cover; I'll try to pass on the highlights as I remember them. After Thanksgiving, we (the elementary teachers) had to decorate our classroom doors for Christmas. I must say that I loved mine. I made a nativity scene that included a stable with opening doors - it was so cute! I wish that I had a picture of it that I could post, but unfortunately my camera died and I've been unable to take pictures for quite a while. A sad affair, but c'est la vie. The last week at at school before the holiday break was tiring, but fun. The kids were so excited and hyper, but I was already on holiday in my head, so the craziness didn't really bother me. We had a Christmas program and my kids did two songs. I was really frustrated with them because they just didn't want to do anything. Last year, my kids were so excited and they really wanted to do well, but this year I felt like I was pulling teeth just to get them to even participate. I chose a song that we did last year, a really fun version of "Joy to the World," in which the whole class sang, and then I chose a very special song that I had envisioned for one kid in particular. It was the Elvis version of "Santa Claus is Back in Town." If you've read my previous posts, then you will have noticed my "little Elvis." He's the one that I had in mind when I thought of this song, and so it had to be. (Both songs were performed along with CD's.) In order to make this fun for the others (only guys did this one), and really, the only way I could get them to even want to do this, I had to make instruments for them to "play" in Elvis' band. I made 7 guitars and a set of drums out of craft foam, and we used the piano upstairs for the pianist. The instruments turned out great; they even had guitar straps and real drum sticks - so, so cute. We practiced for 4 days and I taught them motions to do for "Joy. . ." and barely got them to even sing up until the last day. And then I taught the boys motions for "Santa. . . " and they were mostly cooperative. The day came & I knew that if all went according to my "vision," it would be the best act in the program. But I also knew that if they didn't cooperate, it would be the biggest flop. So the day came and . . .it pretty much flopped. Most of them barely moved or even sang for "Joy" and for "Santa," well, some of them did well, but some of them stood there like a deer frozen in headlights. I danced and sang more than any of them and I think most of the kids and teachers in the audience were watching me instead of them. I must say, though, that "Elvis" did a very good job, even though at the end of the song the guitar fell down around his ankles and he was yelling "Oh my God!" instead of finishing the song. It was an adorable disaster.
The last day of school finally came; we had our party, and the kids were so happy. They loved their gifts and were on top of the world, for that moment in time at least, and they left school on a very high note. All the stress of the last week had finally paid off. It was so wonderful and fulfilling to see the joy on their faces - it was priceless.
The time came to send Wilma back across the pond for the holiday break - she ended up missing her ride to the airport, so I had to drive her at the last minute, but of course I didn't mind. Michael, another teacher from Dalton who happened to graduate with Wilma, was with us and we all had a pleasant drive. We did have to say a little prayer though, because our vehicles aren't registered (for reasons beyond our control), and if we got stopped it would have been really bad. But, thank God, it went smoothly. Wilma is now having a lovely time with her family in the States, but she is very much missed here.
The first few days of the break, Erin and I pretty much just rested, occasionally going out in the evening. Keeping a Christmas tradition that I share with my dad, I watched "A Christmas Story" a few times, which never gets old to me. Erin, Eric, & I spent Christmas Eve in Bethlehem, which was something I really wanted to experience this year because I didn't get to last year. Plus, I'm not sure if I'll be here again next year, so it had to be done. It was nice enough; the music was lovely - the choir was singing Handel's "Messiah," and the weather was nice: cold, crisp, and clear - just the way I like it. It was very crowded with nothing to do but stand around and listen to the music, so it got boring after a while. We chatted with some of our fellow teachers at Manger Square and at length, we left and went to the Tent to eat, with Michael and a couple of our high school students joining us. The food was good, but the restaurant was full of smoke. We stayed there for at least 3 hours & I was tired and miserable when we finally left. Christmas morning arrived and I felt horrible from the smoke exposure of the previous evening, but I had decided to make makloubeh for the teachers and so Erin and I had a Christmas party to host. I got up, got groceries, & started on the meal. I was really excited because I had plenty of time to get everything done, but then sometimes things just don't go as we expect them to. I was preparing to fry some veggies, but apparently the oil was way too hot because when I dropped some carrots in, they instantly turned solid black, smoke started going everywhere, the oil started boiling over (onto the GAS stove), and I was praying that a fire wouldn't start. I stayed in as long as I could; coughing and hacking, tears streaming down my face, nose in a terrible mess. . .it was not a pretty sight. Erin came in and convinced me to come out and take a break and so I did. I sat for a while, unable to open my eyes, and just had to laugh at the situation. Once I recuperated a bit, I made the decision to go buy more oil because what I had used was ruined. And so I did. I got back, started afresh, and apart from running late, the meal was fabulous. Erin took care of the ambiance and hors d'eurves, and played hostess while I stayed in the kitchen. I finished the makloubeh, and then made brownies. Everyone loved it and I was so happy. We ate, chatted, had a white elephant gift exchange, and watched the animated Santa Claus is Comin' to Town classic from 1970. Plus, I got some special phone calls from home & that was lovely as well. It was a very pleasant evening and everyone left with full bellies and a smile on their face - a very merry Christmas in Palestine.

The Pain of Joy

2007-11-25T14:43:00.001-05:00

This has been an interesting couple of weeks. Last week, we celebrated "Palestinian Independence Day," a bit of an oxymoron, but it was a great excuse for the teachers to have a day off & head up to En Gev. It was so nice there and the weather was perfect. We went to the Canada Center in Metulla, where there are several recreational activities to enjoy. There is a shooting range that I really wanted to try out, but the cheapest option was an air rifle with 15 shots, and I wanted to shoot a real gun. It was just too pricey. So I decided to go ice skating, which is something that I've only done twice before, many years ago. What a lovely feeling gliding oh so gracefully over the ice - yeah right - but really, I wasn't doing too badly, and it really did feel lovely until I decided to stop. I started into a kind of spin, panic set in, my arms and legs started doing that I'm-falling-backwards dance and then, with both feet flying high into the air, I landed right on my tailbone. Something cracked, I saw a flash of light, and I instinctively turned over onto my hands and knees, panting from the intense pain. It took me several minutes and some helpful hands to finally get up, and then I tried to "work it off" by skating some more. After a few times around the rink, the foolishness of my actions hit me. What the heck was I thinking, skating after a fall like that? I decided that I shouldn't push my luck and, thankfully, I got off the ice before I had another wipe-out. The damage, however, had already been done. I'm pretty sure I cracked my sacrum, and I've been moving rather cautiously since then. It seems to be getting better now, though when I'm walking up stairs or climbing into a van, I am reminded of the impact of that happy day. Believe it or not, it remained a nice day after the fall, aside from the pain. And the rest of the trip was pleasant as well; I was sad to leave.
A couple of days after our return, Mandy, who leads a small group that I help with, hosted a sleepover for some of the high school girls. Erin and I helped chaperon; the girls made pizza and then we made bracelets and key chains and watched Friends. We had a good time. Erin got into a wrestling match with one of the girls over a recliner dispute. I got some pictures and had a good laugh. Sadly, my ice skating incident kept me from participating in any wrestling matches that night. The next day, we went to watch the last soccer match of the season. The boys played first and Wilma and I mainly wanted to see the girls' game, so we left and found a nice place to have some lunch. When we got back to the field, the girls' game was already underway. I went to sit with Erin for a while and we saw some of the guys go into the woods behind the field; just mischievous boys having a bit of fun. Within a couple of minutes, two of the guys came rushing out; one of them badly wounded. He had fallen onto a broken bottle and cut his wrist wide open. He was rushed to the hospital and spent two days there. Erin is really close to this kid because she tutors him, so she was particularly upset. Thank God that he is doing much better - it was quite a serious wound. We all know that God had His hand on this boy: normally, a bus drops the team off and picks them up after the game, but we had a van there that day. Also, the field just happened to be less than 5 minutes from the hospital, so they were able to get him there almost immediately. There have been people praying for him here and back in the States way before this happened, so I know that God wants to bring something good out of this. He can't come to school for two weeks and he is in a lot of pain. Erin visits him regularly & I think it means a lot to him. Hopefully this will be a wake-up call in his life, at least, that's what we're praying for.
This past week's highlight revolved around a lovely American-style Thanksgiving Dinner. We had everything one could wish for: turkey, dressing, sweet potato casserole, and so much more. . .it was grand. It was much better than I expected; definitely better than it was last year. God bless America. Unfortunately, I began to feel a little nauseous later that evening. I went to bed slightly uncomfortable but slept well for about 5 hours. I woke up feeling really sick, but I waited it out & fell asleep again only to wake up again in an hour, this time unable to suppress it. I won't go into details; I'll just say that the next hour was unenjoyable. The good news is that afterwards, I felt much better and didn't get sick again. It's a good thing too, because we didn't have water that day. . .but that's a different story that I don't have time to get into right now. If you've lived here then you would understand. God bless Palestine.
That night I had a new experience. For the first time in my life I felt an earthquake! I know an earthquake is serious business, and I think it actually did some damage in Tel Aviv, but we just felt the tremor for a few seconds and it was over. I was almost asleep when I felt it. I was a little confused at first, but then I realized what had happened. Apparently this is the second one to hit within the last two weeks. It was pretty cool and I was really excited that I felt it, but that's about as strong of a tremor as I care to feel.
So yeah, this has been an eventful couple of weeks, but that's par for the course here. More adventures soon to come. . .

Great News, Hard Times

2008-02-28T16:15:00.009-05:00

Here's the latest on what's going on: The new school building is ours! We're going to see it tomorrow & I'll write more on that when I've seen the building in person and have more definite information on the state of things. All this means that there will be some major changes beginning very soon, and I've got lots of things to pray about. I've offered to stay most of the summer to help get the building ready for school in August because I really want to be a part of that. (I'm sure most of you know how much I love that sort of thing.) Also, I spoke to the superintendent about not wanting to be a teacher next year. I told him that I wanted to do a different type of "ministry," but that I would still like to be involved with the school. I've been given the option to be an assistant in the classroom, since our class sizes will be bigger next year, and then to be a part of starting a ministry with the Arab teachers and even the mothers of the students, and anything else I would like to do. As an assistant, I would help the slower students in the classroom (which I would love), and I would continue to help with the "extra curricular" programs for the students, and at the end of the day, be able to leave the classroom behind and have the freedom to be involved in other interests. However, I would have to teach 2nd grade again for 3 months of school because the lead 2nd grade teacher is pregnant. By the way, Wilma has been given the same option and she would also have to teach for 3 months because the lead 4th grade teacher is also pregnant. What's so providential about this is that since Wilma and I already teach these grades we won't have to learn a new curriculum & it's only for 3 months. It sounds incredible, but I have to admit that I feel quite intimidated. Starting a ministry is way more than I imagined happening. I really didn't think that I would be here again next year, but now I'm thinking that I probably will be. As I said, I've got a lot to pray about.

It's clear that God is blessing the school and opening lots of doors, and when that happens, it's certain that the enemy will do what he can to stop it or bring discouragement. It has come partially in the form of some parents starting a "PTA," though there are no "T's" involved. They've been handing out letters to other parents and picketing the school, claiming that they and the students don't have rights, and they basically don't believe that its costs as much as it does to run the school. There's a lot of ignorance and gossip involved - lots of people saying things that they have no clue about. (That's actually one of the things I dislike most about this culture; it's a really big problem here.) Right now we're just trying to keep a godly attitude and wait for the truth and the integrity of the school to show through all of this. Last Thursday Wilma and I had back-gate duty and a picketing parent was outside and basically inciting a lot of the kids to chant "We want rights!" (The "rights" they want are for a better playground, science labs, a nicer school, etc. What's so ridiculous is that they know that we're getting the new building and that we'll have all those things once we're in it. There's no way to have any of that right now in the buildings we're in, and so it's pointless to even discuss it. They all know this, and knew this when they put their kids in our school, but for some reason it's coming up just now.) So, a mob of kids were chanting and then they started running everywhere in the street and a fight broke out & Wilma had to run up the street to deal with it. While this was going on, I had to deal with some other unruly kids and send them on their way to Ms. Mary's office. After all this, and most of the kids were gone, I went inside to talk to Ms. Mary about what had happened. One of the Arab teachers left to go home & came back in sobbing. Someone had thrown a rock through her back window and messed up her side mirrors and license plates. It was awful. There's also been lots of arguing among the teachers - again gossip is a key factor, along with some back-biting. Needless to say, we need LOTS of prayer right now. Thankfully, God can handle all of this and so much more, so we can confidently trust Him in this. We can and we should; please pray that we would - sometimes it's easier said than done.

Exciting Possibilities (Plus a Nasty Encounter)

2008-02-24T12:56:00.016-05:00

There's an exciting development with the school these days. We're looking at a new school building and if we get it, it may affect my decision about what to do after this school year. Here's what I'm thinking: First of all, if we get the building, which is a 12-year-old unused school building, it will be a miracle. There's no possible way that we could ever afford a building like this without an act of God. It's apparently a magnificent building worth millions; it's not for sale, but it sounds like we would be able to rent it for the same amount of money we pay for our not-so-nice (to put it mildly) converted apartment buildings. That in itself is amazing. There are lots of factors in this that make it very much seem like God is at work, and I'm hoping we'll know in the next few days if we have the school. If we get it, there would probably be a need for para pros in the classes because the classrooms are much larger than what we have now. If this is so, then there's a possibility that I could be a para pro and have freedom to work with another ministry on the side, which sounds ideal to me. Also, the new building would need lots of work because although people have never used the building, birds have made a home of it for these 12 years. Scraping bird poo doesn't sound very appealing, but I have a very strong desire to help get the building ready for the next school year. I'm actually more excited about restoring the building than anything else, as strange as that may sound. The building also needs windows, toilets, etc., so it will take lots of money, time, and hard work to get this place ready. But, God is more than able to handle all of this - if He supplies the building, He will supply the contents as well.

That's the bigger picture of what's going on with the school, but thank God for the smaller details of each day that make life so interesting. Take yesterday for example. It wasn't a good day, but it was definitely eventful. I stayed late after school to catch up on some work and to clean my classroom. When I finished my paperwork I was the last one in the building, and I headed downstairs to get some hot water to mop my floor. As I was going into the kitchen, a cat ran past me to the front door which was closed. There I was with an empty mop bucket it my hand and a wild dumpster cat frantically scratching at the bottom of the door trying to get out. I tried to talk calmly to the cat and hoped it would let me come near enough to open the door, but as I came towards it, it ran past me and up the stairs. I ran up too, and saw it go to the second floor towards the second grade rooms. I looked in one room and then I found it on the veranda. It saw me and went nuts - jumping and clawing at the windows, hoping to escape. Then it ran into another classroom and I followed it in and shut the door behind me. The cat was running and jumping all over the room, knocking things over, and clawing at the windows. I kept trying to calm it down, but then it started hissing at me and I decided that I couldn't be nice any longer. I got a broom and started trying to pin it down so that I could grab it behind it's neck and take it outside. That's the most obvious and sensible thing to do, right? I finally got it pinned down & I think it either urinated or sprayed some malodorous substance; whatever it was, it was terribly stinky. I tried to grab it by the back of it's neck, but I didn't grab it high enough. It pulled a Linda Blair on me and turned it's head completely around and then it managed to get it's legs around and tried to claw me. I let it go, saw blood on my hand, and realized that it had succeeded in it's attack. Yikes. Ferrel cat scratches are not good. I left the room, washed my hands, and prayed sincerely that I wouldn't get a disease from this cat scratch. I decided that I needed a garbage bag to put this demon-cat in. I got a bag, went back in the room, and prodded the cat out from behind a shelf with the broom. The cat jumped back onto the window and caught onto something at the top. There it was, hanging on for dear life, with me holding a garbage bag underneath it, praying that it would fall in. It lost it's grip, but it fell to the side and missed the bag. At this point, it was too traumatized to put up much more of a fight. I slowly drew the bag over it until it had nowhere else to go but in the bag. Once it was in the bag, I think the cat gave up hope completely. It just laid there, totally limp and defeated. I took it outside and opened the bag, gave it a nudge, and away it ran. I was so happy to be rid of it. I cleaned up the room that had been trashed, cat pee included, and then proceeded to mop my floor. It was getting very close to time to go to church, so I needed to hurry. I finished mopping my floor and as I was pressing the mop in the bucket drain, I accidentally knocked the bucket full of dirty water over on the floor. Sigh. I cleaned that mess up & rushed home to catch a ride to church. I still had that nasty cat smell on me & I had to change coats & run out the door. The stench lingered in my nose all night, but thankfully no one else could smell anything. Church was good, and afterwards Rula and I had dinner at a nice restaurant, which she paid for even though I asked her not to - she's pretty stubborn. But, I was thankful and we had a really nice time. The day was long and full of surprises, and I was so happy to finally get back home for the night and look forward to a day off today. Hurray for the Sabbath!!

A Weekend Getaway

2008-02-03T13:43:00.002-05:00

You know that extra snow day I was hoping for? Well, it happened - thank you, Jesus! Three days off in a row and then back for a half-day on Saturday - hurray! I didn't know how much I needed the rest. I spent much of the day Thursday getting reacquainted with cross-stitching. Erin and I have a Palestinian needlework book and we've started some small projects. I'm working on some cute little coasters (actually, I'm still on the first one), but I had forgotten how time consuming it is. But, it's the rainy season here and going out isn't very appealing these days, so I should have more down time to do needlework. I hope to have a couple of sets of coasters when school is finished; we shall see. The only unpleasant thing about this day was that our pipes were frozen and we didn't have any water. Thankfully, our neighbors across the hall had water and let us take a few bucketfuls for bathroom purposes.
One of our thoughtful friends back home blessed Wilma by paying for a rental car for her this weekend. Friday was Tommy's birthday (Tommy is Wilma's late husband), and this was a special gift so that Wilma could have some fun and enjoy the weekend. So, on Friday Wilma, Erin, and I went to Tel Aviv and stopped at IKEA on the way. It turned out to be pretty much pointless, but it was a little bit of an adventure. We went in the wrong direction, starting with the checkout section. It was packed and so we had to squeeze our way through only to be there for 10 minutes and then get escorted out as the store was closing. It's best that we left when we did though, because it was a truly gorgeous day & it would have been a shame to waste time in a line. So, we headed for the beach and tried to find a place that a friend of ours had recommended. We never found it and we got a little lost, but we did get to see the Mediterranean for a bit. The waves were nice and big and there were several people body surfing.
We then headed to Cinema City in Herzilyya to watch a movie and got really lost on the way there. It took a while, but we made it and bought tickets to "The Bucket List" and then we ate at Black Bar 'n' Burger. I tried a veggie burger which unfortunately turned out to be disgusting. It wasn't a total loss though, because I got a couple of pics in the restaurant that Sarah A. and Allison P. will appreciate. The movie was good and I'm thinking that I may make a list of my own, not necessarily a "bucket list," but something along those lines. It seems like a good thing to do.

Elvis got a little too friendly with me in Cinema City.

Saturday we went back to school and afterwards Wilma and I decided to go on a road trip and stay somewhere for the night. We ended up staying at a bed & breakfast about 10 minutes from downtown Tiberias. It was such a lovely place and we met some great people. There was a woman there that we had met before who works at Christ Church in the Old City. She's Slovakian & I have a Slovakian friend that she reminded me of; I liked her very much. We're planning on going to see her again. There were also some other Europeans there, some New Zealanders, and a couple of Americans; all that combined with the way the center was run and the duties of the staff was almost like being back in the U.K. at one of the Ellel centers I worked at. It brought back so many fond memories & I was reminded again of how much I loved working with Ellel and being in Europe. Hmmm.

After breakfast and devotion, in which I was unexpectedly asked to give my testimony, we headed out and took the scenic route to Mt. Tabor - the Mount of Transfiguration. I've wanted to go there for so long and, oh, it was truly beautiful. We didn't get to stay very long because they were closing (there seems to be a theme here), but it was worth it just to spend a little time there. It's very high up and the view is breathtaking - I must go there again soon. On the way up, we came upon a very peculiar sight: we saw a cow eating on the side of a cliff. It was right in front of us and so we stopped and got a couple of pics. How random! Is there such a thing as a mountain cow? I would have to say yes to that.

The Mountain Cow

Caesarea was our next destination, but the drive itself provided a special treat. Wilma brought Chicago's Best Hits for our listening pleasure & I made an amazing discovery: I know every word to almost every Chicago song, and to celebrate this happy realization, I sang as loudly and dramatically as I could. Power love ballads must be sung with as much passion and intensity as possible, and so I put forth my best effort. Wilma endured it well.
When we arrived at Caesarea, we walked around a bit on the shore and then had lunch outside overlooking the sea. There we were enjoying the gentle sea breeze and a nice, relaxing meal, soaking up the sunshine and having a lovely time, when suddenly I was startled by a loud thud next to my chair. I looked over to see what had happened and was appalled at what I saw. A huge and disgusting fish head had fallen from the sky and had landed about two feet away from me. Horrified, I looked up and saw that a big bird had dropped this grotesque thing, apparently his intended meal which was a bit too heavy to carry. It took me a couple of minutes to get over the thought of how close that fish head had come to hitting me, and I kept running my hands over my hair and clothes just to make sure there weren't any pieces of dead fish on me. Birds started congregating over us and the coveted fish head, making me wonder if I was really going to get out of this unspoiled. I've had a bird poop experience before that I

The Fish Head (It was actually much bigger than it looks in this picture)

wish never to be repeated, and I was beginning to think that it might be. It didn't happen - thank God. We were laughing hysterically and several Asian people came over to see what had fallen from the sky. Finally, one of the staff came over with a tissue and tossed the head over the railing, starting a bird fight over the fish head. What fun! Then one of the Asian men asked me to take his picture as he looked thoughtfully out at the horizon. It just doesn't get much better than that.

We sped home to get the car back in time, returned the car, and then made the final stage of the journey back home. The whole trip was delightful and surprising; so much so that we decided to take a roadtrip once a month. Erin will be joining us in our future ventures - we missed having her with us on this one. Now we have something fun to look forward to, which makes the frustrations that come with school much easier to bear. This trip was truly a gift from God, and my thanks goes to Him for such a sweet blessing. Wilma got to have a great retreat instead of being sad and I got to enjoy it with her. How wonderful it is to have a Father Who knows all of our needs and takes care of us. I am blessed to be His.

The New Year So Far

2008-01-27T13:21:00.000-05:00

**Note: There seems to be some concern about anything involving the school or the kids in the school being on the internet, so I have removed a picture and the name of the school from previous posts.** Having said that, I will continue to write anything that I feel is worth mentioning, just without the name of the school or any pics of the kids.
Things worth mentioning since I last wrote: a new year, a confirmation, belated Christmas presents, and major drama with a teacher. For me, the New Year came in very sweetly and quietly. I had an invitation to go to a New Year's Eve party in Bethlehem with Rula and her family (Erin went), but I just really didn't feel like staying up until 4:00 a.m. in a room full of smoke with a bunch of people I didn't know. That might have sounded appealing to me about 10 years ago (with the exception of the smoke), but it's just not how I would choose to spend an evening anymore. Instead, I spent the Eve praying with Sarah, one of the high school teachers. It was such a nice time; God was with us and we felt strengthened and encouraged by Him when our prayer time was over. It was exactly how I wanted to bring in the New Year.
I asked God this past summer to let me know if I would be teaching here again next year before this Christmas Break was over. Last year, He let me know that I should come back 2 weeks before I went back home for the summer, and I really wanted Him to let me know much earlier this year. Why, I don't know - I just wanted to know earlier this time. During Christmas break, I kept remembering that I had asked for this, and so I waited and wondered if He would answer me by the end of the break. . . and He did. The last night of Christmas break I received a Word basically saying that it was time for me to turn and head back in the direction of my core calling. (Just in case you don't know, teaching elementary school is not my core calling.) I couldn't believe it and I was so excited because the thought of teaching for another year is just not the most thrilling for me. Now please understand that I love my kids and that I'm not unhappy teaching and I know that I"m supposed to be here presently, but I also know that this is a temporary calling. It's important, fulfilling, worthwhile, and life-changing, but temporary. As for my core calling, my heart is for ministry and my desire is to see Jesus heal, deliver, and set people free in all areas of their lives; to see Him bring wholeness physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Ideally, I would love to do some sort of "humanitarian" work like helping build houses for poor people or something of that nature, alongside the ministry aspect of things. So now the question is what am I going to do next? This is my most pressing personal inquiry to God these days & I can't wait to see what it will be.
Wilma came back the weekend after school started again, and with her came all kinds of love and goodies from home. Sweet cards, pics, money, music & audio books (Chronicles of Narnia & L.O.T.R. - yes!), clothes & jewelry, and a new digital camera!! I have such an amazing family and group of friends - I am truly blessed. Thanks guys, I love you so much!!
The first week back at school came and went without a hitch, but a very unpleasant situation occurred the middle of the 2nd week. One of the teachers who teaches National Studies in my class each week basically roughed up a couple of my 7-year-old kids during class one day. They were okay, but there were a couple of scrapes, and of course it was completely unacceptable behavior. Other teachers have had problems with this teacher also, some very serious and personally witnessed, and of this same nature. When my kids told me what had happened that day I was furious, but I wanted to get the facts straight. I talked to the teacher's supervisor and then had my class tell my principal everything that had happened in class that day. And so, a week went by and I heard nothing else about it. When the day came for him to teach again, my kids were begging me to stay in class with them. I decided to sit outside my class while he was in there, but I didn't tell my kids or him what I was doing. At first, neither my kids nor he knew that I was sitting outside the door and the class was crazy. But then he opened the door & some of my kids saw me and told him I was there. He saw me and shut the door and then started actually teaching. After school that day, he told me it wasn't nice for me to sit outside while he was teaching. I told him that it wasn't nice for him to abuse children and that he shouldn't be teaching here. I was pretty mad & I went to ask my principal if anything was being done about him. While I was in there, he walked in and I lost it. He started saying the kids were lying and telling me not to believe them (his usual story whenever he gets into trouble) & I basically called him a liar and told him that I would sit outside my class every time he was teaching it. (There was a lot more said than this and at a very loud volume. . . .) He was sent out and I told my principal that he should not be teaching at the school and I walked out. I apologized later to my principal for losing my temper in her office because I seriously have never gone off on someone like that before and I felt bad about how upset I was, but not about what I said. I do not hate this guy, but I know that he is seriously troubled and has no business being in a position of authority over children. I truly hope that he comes to know Jesus (he doesn't believe in God) and that he receives the ministry he needs very soon. I found out the next day that he had been fired the day before our confrontation, though I was never told this when I asked about him, and his last day was this past Saturday. I am sorry for him, but I'm not sorry that he's not working at the school anymore.
On a lighter note, today has been truly wonderful. It snowed last night and so we didn't have school today. My class and I have been praying for snow for over a week now & it finally came. When I woke up this morning I was praying to see the ground covered with snow & when I saw that it was I was so happy and inspired that I wrote Erin a poem letting her know that she didn't have to get up. This day was a sweet gift from God to all of us, teachers as well as students, & it's possible that we'll be out of school again tomorrow. If so, then we will have 3 days off in a row because we're off on Fridays - how wonderful that would be! And so, here's looking forward to another lovely day off tomorrow.

Reasons to smile

2007-11-06T13:00:00.000-05:00

As I write, I'm feeling the all-too-dreaded sensation of a sore throat. I'm now drinking jamine green tea with honey and lemon, and I plan to gargle with salt water before I go to bed tonight. Erin was really sick a couple of weeks ago, and I do not want what she had. Actually, several of the teachers have, or are currently recovering from, an illness of some sort. It hasn't been the healthiest couple of weeks for us at school. Anyway, I'm watching "Rushmore" for the first time. I've wanted to see it for a really long time, and I'm enjoying it very much so far. Until now, I haven't been much of a Jason Schwartzman fan, but I think this may change my mind.
There are some moments during class that truly give me joy. Not so many, but a few. My students are such cuties, but that's charming for only a little while. The cuteness is either enhanced or becomes almost non-existent according to the personality of the child. In some cases, you find yourself stuck with an adorable brat. There are many different personalities in my classroom, and I have found that some of them are very entertaining. There is one boy in particular who makes me think of Elvis - young, cute Elvis, except that he's blonde. Yes, a blonde Arab. Now that I think about it, Elvis was actually blonde too. Anyway, this kid lifts his hands in the air and shakes his hips with his feet spread wide - oh my goodness, it's so cute. I can't help but laugh when he does it. Sometimes I get marriage proposals from some of the boys, which of course will always make me smile. There are lots of hugs given and received from both boys and girls, and I realize how precious it is to have such an opportunity with these children; although, at times, it can be difficult to remember that. We have music and art this year, and I really enjoy seeing the kids sing and dance. Even though the sound isn't always pleasing to the ears, the heart of it is.
We had a sleepover last night at the high school with 3rd - 6th grade girls in the Stars program. I didn't stay all night because I don't feel that great & I don't need to be staying up all night, especially since lack of sleep is probably the reason that I'm feeling ill these days. But, I did get to spend time with some of the girls I taught last year and it was so nice. They painted my nails and then drew on my face and I got to do "Twister Moves" with them, which is basically doing dance moves on a mat to an instructional CD. I was surprised at how difficult it was to do, but we had lots of fun with it.
There is so much that I'm learning here. Not only am I learning how to teach children, but I'm learning how to love them. Until last year, I had never really been around children before. I am so thankful to God for giving me this opportunity and experience - I can't help but feel that He is preparing me for a family of my own someday. It seems very odd to me to write that, but it's how I feel. I guess only time will tell.

One reason I'm here

2007-10-28T14:17:00.000-04:00

Well, I must say that this past Friday was a good day. I have a dear Arab friend here, Fadia, and I believe that she's part of the reason I've come back to Palestine for another year of teaching school. Friday was her birthday and I felt very ill-prepared for it when the day arrived. I had wanted to buy some perfume for her that I had heard her say she loved. I looked at the prices earlier in the week and I found the perfume for 489 shekels (about $122) - way more than I had planned on spending. So, if you know me, you will know that once I make up my mind about what birthday present to get someone, it's very difficult for me to change my mind. What was I to do? I decided to wait and try to find it somewhere else. On Friday, I hadn't had the chance to go shopping again, and so I had to find something that day. Erin and I went shopping and went to a department store to check the prices there. God is so good. I found the perfume there on sale for 245 shekels! And split between Wilma, Erin, and myself, that came to about 82 shekels (about $20) each. So, I made the purchase and Erin bought some flowers and we made plans for the evening. Fadia, Ameer (Fadia's 8 year-old son), Rula, Erin, and I had a wonderful dinner at Azkedinya (very nice), and at the table I heard the most exciting thing: Fadia and Ameer were talking about the day and how Fadia had asked Ameer to make a birthday wish for her. His wish was that she would get J'adore - the very perfume that we had gotten her that day! I was so excited; I couldn't wait to give her the present. We left and came back to our apartment for dessert and the presentation of the gift. It was so nice - the flowers were beautiful, the birthday cards were great (Erin hand-made hers - really cute), and then it was time to open the gift, which was very beautifully wrapped, I must say. (Another display of Erin's craftiness). The perfume was inside a cute little make-up bag with a matching scarf and mirror case. When she opened up the bag, her mouth dropped opened and she was in shock. Rula and Ameer were too, actually. Rula kept asking Ameer if he had said anything to us about the perfume, and he hadn't, of course. His birthday wish for his mom had come true. How awesome is that? I LOVE when God does things like that. The best part was when I took Fadia and Ameer home and she was almost in tears because she was so happy. She said that this had been the best birthday she had ever had. She also said that her birthday prayer for this next year had been that she would have a new beginning, and she truly felt like it was happening. I am so awed that God uses His children the way that He does. He absolutely loves us and so many times we have the priviledge of being the vessels of His love and provision for each other. Little things like a birthday present can be a reminder of His presence and His total knowledge of our needs and even our seemingly insignificant desires. He must take such delight in showing His heart for us.
Fadia had the best birthday of her life, and I had one of the best days of mine.

Some things I like about Palestinian culture

2007-10-20T17:37:00.000-04:00

There are some really great qualities about the culture here. One is the love of family. Even teenage guys can't wait until they get married and have families. It's so refreshing to see high school kids holding babies, babies not even related to them. They just love children and the idea of family, and it shows in their faces.
Another great thing is that if there is an occasion to celebrate, no one does it like the Arabs. I had the priviledge of going to a wedding reception this past spring & it was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. There was a huge hydraulic studio camera filming the whole event and there was non-stop dancing and feasting. It was a really great time. Just yesterday, our whole road was blocked off for what I can only guess was some sort of block party or wedding celebration. Our neighbors were kind enough to let us know that we would need to move our vehicles before they closed the street. It was very odd to see our street so bare - there were no cars to be seen, which before would have been completely unimaginable. Can you believe that people would actually comply with letting their street be closed off for someone else's party? Not just for a couple of hours - it's been going on for the last two nights, and it was only just a couple of hours ago that cars have been back on the street. Whatever the celebration was about, there was a stage stretching across the whole street with a live band (a really good one, I must say), a street full of people, and of course, fireworks. Erin and I walked up to it, but there was a tent surrounding three sides, so we couldn't see very much. We did peek in through the seams of the tarps and saw the band and lots of men dancing up front.
Speaking of men dancing, that would be another thing I like. I love to see men actually dancing; you know, lively, fun, traditional dancing, not nasty bump & grind junk. (I have an appreciation of hip-hop and break dancing as well.) Guys are much more openly affectionate with each other here - kisses on the cheeks, warm hugs - and it's all very natural and genuine. I love to see the interaction.
Now, there are some things that aren't so nice about the culture, which of course is true for any culture. But, I'll save that for another time.

Where do I begin?

2007-10-15T16:42:00.000-04:00

Okay so, I've never blogged before, so this may be a little awkward at first. I decided to start blogging because I have recently begun to have an urge to write about some of the daily occurences of my life these days. I'm not exactly sure where this urge has come from because I'm not normally the type of person who writes for others to read. And so with that being said, let's just see where this goes...