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.