Galilee

Well, Michelle has done a fantastic job posting lately, and I (Tim) have not. Thanks to all of those who have prayed for my health. Whatever I had just went away. Anyway, between papers and tests, and losing a couple days due to that fever, I've been really busy. Now I've got a few days in the eye of the storm so to speak before the push to the end of the semester (hard to believe that's just over a month away). Anyway, my classmates and I had a wonderful 4-day field study in Galilee this past weekend, and I'd like to share a thought or two from that. Mark 1:35 tells us, "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went to a solitary place where he prayed." On the last morning of our field study, 6 of us got up early in the morning and hiked up to the ruin of Susita on the eastern shore of the Sea to see the sunrise from the top (although this was not the place Jesus would have gone, since it was a busy city in His day--hardly a solitary place). When we told Dr. Wright of our plans, he said, "Ok. Watch out for jackals." We thought he was sort of pulling our leg, as he can from time to time, or perhaps overstating the danger. Well, about 45 minutes into our ascent, we heard them, quite a ways off, but definitely between us and the road. That was a little unsettling, to say the least, but we all turned on our flashlights (we had been walking by the light of the moon only), picked up the pace, and that was the last we heard of them. There's a lesson in there, right? Even a little light repels jackals. "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." Anyway, we made it to the top and the view as the sun came up was well worth it. We wandered through the Byzantine ruins, then hurried back to our hostel for breakfast and our morning boat ride on the Sea. At that point I remember thinking, "This is going to be a great day." And it was. More on Galilee coming later. For now, just a few pictures.

The six of us with the sun rising behind us on Susita

In the Late Roman (3rd Century AD) remains of Sepphoris, near Nazareth:

She's called the "Mona Lisa of Galilee."

The part that remains is the most beautiful and intricate mosaic I've ever seen.

Homeschool Co-op Library & P.E. Day

Every other Tuesday our Homeschool Co-op gets together for a time of learning - either at the library or for another outing. Yesterday we had our Library Day and P.E. class. When we arrived at the library, we began by looking at books (they have an English Children's Lit. section), then singing some songs, and learning a little Hebrew. Then we had share time and story time, during which I had the privilege of reading a book to the children. So fun! Afterwards, we went to the park for playtime and P.E. It was a delightful morning!

Caleb's share toys were his BibleMan & BibleGirl action figures.

Josiah's share toy was his special mini soccer ball.

Michelle reading to the co-op kids

This was a new park for us. It had a real teeter-totter!

Get this: the childcare center nearby takes their children from place to place around town in these "cages on wheels." (That's what we called them.) The teachers push them to the local park or other field trip destination, they unload and play, then hop back in and ride back to the childcare center!

Caleb doing his stretches with the P.E. kids (ages 6 and up)

Our dear friend Laura has volunteered to teach P.E. this year.

The theme of the P.E. lesson was teamwork and encouraging each other. Here, Caleb is leading blind-folded Joshua through a "mine field."

Now it's Caleb's turn to be blind-folded. It was hilarious watching these two 6-year-olds trying to lead each other (they were the youngest in the group). They ended up taking each other AROUND the mine field instead of THROUGH it. Too funny.

We walk along Bet Lehem (Bethlehem) Road to get to the Library.

Josiah's favorite thing to do in the parks is to swing. He will swing for a full hour or longer at a time, if an adult is willing to push him for that long! :)

I am so thankful for our homeschool co-op group! It has been a blessing for our kids to have interaction with other kids; and for me the interaction with other moms is priceless. I am also part of a "24-Day Challenge" within the co-op moms group. The 24-Day Challenge is a small accountability group: we each chose something we wanted to do on a daily basis for 24 of the 31 days of October (or every day if possible). My goal was to learn a Hebrew word or phrase each day, along with learning the Hebrew alphabet. It has been a wonderful experience! I have found that I love learning Hebrew and have been able to use it when I'm out. The Israelis are delighted when they see me trying to learn and are willing to help me. I've learned the numbers (which is helpful when shopping), as well as basic everyday words and phrases that are helpful to know. Next week, our accountability group is going out for dinner (there are seven of us) to celebrate our "accomplishments." :)

Abby is still having her diarrhea issue, and Josiah seems to be coming down with it now. Thank you for your prayers!!!

Tim is working hard on his studies and hopes to publish a blog post soon, when he has a break between tests and papers.... Please continue to keep him in your prayers, too.

Tel Aviv Safari & Zoo

Tim returned safely tonight from his Galilee trip. He was exhausted after an amazing weekend with his classmates, hiking, boating on the Sea of Galilee, and visiting the key cities where Jesus did His ministry. He even got up at 3am for a hike to the top of Susita (on the East side of the Sea). He is glad to be home but now has a paper to write and two tests on Thursday. We look forward to doing some more sightseeing with his parents this weekend.

Yesterday we went to Tel Aviv to visit their Zoo & Safari. Such fun! Go grab your kids if they like animals; I've got lots of pictures (courtesy of my father-in-law because Tim had the camera in Galilee). The Safari is the type of zoo where you drive through and the animals come right up to your car. We saw:

Giraffes, Ostriches, Donkeys, Nyalas

This ostrich came tapping on my window looking for food.

Scimitar-Horned Oryx

Elands

Zebras (notice the car's sideview mirror - he was very close!)

Hippos

Thomson Gazelles (very playful!)

Rhinos

Gnus

...and many others!

Here are a few pictures from inside the Zoo:

Abby loved sitting in the stroller like a "big girl" (not in the infant seat)!

Camels

Anteater

Badger of some kind

Prayer and Praise - We are thankful that, after another 100-degree week last week, our temperatures are beginning to drop slightly. We do not feel like it's Fall here yet - not just because of the weather but also because the culture here does not celebrate the change of seasons like we do in the U.S. There are no fall decorations or harvest events, no pumpkin patches or apple-picking, and of course, no Halloween or Thanksgiving. (Their Fall celebration comes in the form of Sukkot.) Tim's school will be having a harvest party on Sunday night, so that may help us feel more like it's Fall. :) We're looking forward to cooler weather and rain in the near future.

I am thankful for opportunities I have had to get to know other moms and nannies in the park. I've met women of all different backgrounds and religions and have had one conversation with a mom named Rona who is searching. Please pray that the Lord will open up doors for me to build relationships with these moms, even though I'm here for a short time.

We would like to ask for your prayers for Abby who has had diarrhea for five days now. She has no other symptoms and is her normal, happy self, so we haven't taken her into a doctor yet. We're praying she gets over it soon and that it doesn't get worse. Thank you for lifting her up in prayer for us; we will keep you posted.

En Gedi

Tim headed to Galilee this morning for a 4-day field study. I am incredibly thankful that Grandma and Grandpa are here to help me with the kids! We have enjoyed our time with them and look forward to more outings and play-time in the coming days.

On Wednesday we rented a car and headed out to the desert to hike through En Gedi and then go for a swim in the Dead Sea. On the 1-hour drive, we saw several bedouin communities, a -300 sign (meaning our elevation was 300 feet below sea level; the Dead Sea is at about -1,350), and a camel at the gas station! (See pictures below.)

We knew we were outside the city of Jerusalem when we saw this out the window:

Upon arrival at En Gedi, we were glad to be getting an early start because we were able to see some wildlife. We saw several ibex (deer) and hyrax (referred to as "coneys" in Scripture).

"He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; He enables me to stand on the heights."

- Psalm 18:33

"The high mountains belong to the wild goats; the crags are a refuge for the coneys."

- Psalm 104:1

For our fellow birding friends and family - this is a white-crowned black wheatear.

I Samuel 24:1 tells us that when David fled from Saul, he went to En Gedi. Remember the story of Saul entering the cave that David was in, and David had the opportunity to kill Saul but spared his life and only cut off the "corner" of his robe? This happened right here at En Gedi. There are still several caves in the cliffs:

Hiking in the hot desert (about 96 degrees)....

...and then seeing little trickles of spring water coming from the rock, and a few green plants...

...and then arriving at a waterfall with cool, crisp, clean water...

(notice the pure JOY on our boys' faces!)

...this experience reminded me of Jesus being our Living Water (which is what these springs are called in Hebrew). He tells the Samaritan woman in John 4:14, "but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." The other day I was feeling weak and discouraged, and after going to my Lord in prayer and reading from His Word, I felt refreshed and had a renewed outlook on my life - and even saw my children through different eyes. Jesus later says in John 7:37-38, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." What an amazing thought! If we drink of the Living Water that our Lord offers us, then His Spirit flows from within us. Lord, may we be that cool, refreshing water that others need as they go through the desert!

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Please note: I did finish posting about Sukkot, but because I started it on September 29 and didn't publish it until last week, Blogger inserted it into where Sept. 29 falls on our blog. So if you haven't found it yet, scroll down until you see "More on Sukkot."