Whew! Tim made it home safely last night, and we are so happy to have him back. Please forgive my last post; I think I had a rough day with Josiah and was a bit hard on him in the blog. The following days were much better. Thank you for your prayers! We have had an amazing day. I declared it a "teacher in-service day" because normally it would be a school day, but we all just needed time together to play. Tim and Caleb went out a couple of times while Josiah and Abby and I stayed home together. Tim also spent a lot of time playing with the kids here, and it was so refreshing.
I wanted to post about our Hanukkah experience with our neighbor before Tim left. Our dear neighbor across the hall invited our family over for traditional Hanukkah snacks, songs, and the lighting of the candles. We had a delightful time!
This is Ruth Joy. She is a sweetheart and a wonderful neighbor!
Here, Ruth Joy is showing Caleb the different Hebrew characters on the dreidel. If you purchase a dreidel set (Hanukkah game) in the U.S., the 4 characters stand for "A Great Miracle Happened There." The dreidels that are made here in Israel have a different 4th character because the last word is here ("A Great Miracle Happened Here.") Isn't that cool?!
Ready to light the Hanukkah menorah!
There were several musical instrument toys out for the kids to play with.
Tim and Abby
Josiah and Caleb eating their Hanukkah snacks
The following morning we put up the little Christmas tree we found in a closet here. The lights didn't work, but that's okay. We've seen very few holiday decorations here in Jerusalem. There were some Hanukkah menorahs up in windows, plazas, and even on top of taxis; but Christmas isn't really celebrated here, so there are no Christmas trees, lights, or other decorations. We are celebrating in our own way and are even enjoying not having the hype and busyness that often comes along with the holiday season.
Later the same day, we took the kids out to McDonald's for milkshakes because they earned their 50 tokens for getting along with each other over the previous two weeks. :) (Yes, it was December 3, and we were out eating ice cream in short sleeves! As of yesterday, it finally feels like winter, with cold winds and temperatures in the low 50's during the day, and low 40's at night!) Thank you for praying for the relationship between Josiah and Caleb. They have been getting along better with each other and sometimes even enjoy playing together! :)
We look forward to our last month here as we learn and explore together as a family. Tim is hoping to post soon about his amazing week in Egypt. Thanks again for your continued prayers for health, safety, and for God's provision. We are learning so much and look forward to returning in less than a month to share what God has done in our lives here.
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