Sunday, February 27, 2011
A (Fairly) New Song
While we were in Tennessee over the holidays, Dad helped me to record a song that I wrote a few months back. He laid down a nice track and my sister helped me with the duet sections (good luck in trying to figure out who is who :) Anyway, the song is based on Habakkuk chapter 3, a pretty powerful (albeit sometimes overlooked) chapter of the Old Testament. All of the words are either loosely or directly based on this chapter, so I can't take too much credit for the lyrics. It was a fun song to put together, though, so I hope it encourages you today, too.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
How We Often Spend Our Evenings...
Hebrew 101 is officially underway in our house; now if only we could learn to say more than "What is your name?" and "This is the girl" and "There is the water." One day soon...
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Culture Shock -- Sort Of
So after moving 7,100 miles across the world, we have obviously found some pretty significant cultural differences between living in Jerusalem and living in the States. Some we love, and some we are adjusting to; but nonetheless, here is a glimpse into some of the new facets of our life here.
1. Diversity: We LOVE this aspect of Jerusalem life. On paper, Jerusalem is about 60% Jewish, 30% Muslim, and 2% Christian, and there is such an international population here. In his classes, Zach is generally in the minority as an American, and even within the larger groups (Jews, for example), there is such diversity in their particular practices and beliefs. It's a joy to live in such a multifarious community.
2. Walking: Because we were blessed with an apartment near the center of town, most things are within walking distance from our home. It's a 3 minute walk to the huge outdoor market, about a 10 minute walk to the touristy shopping area, and about a 30 minute walk down to the Old City. This is a fun change from having only lived in places where most things are only drivable. Plus, seeing how people drive around here, I am quite thankful I don't have to be behind the wheel of a car in this city. :)
3. Stray Cats: Okay, I am not a huge lover of cats. At all. And for some reason, this city is teeming with stray cats. Thankfully, they generally keep to themselves and don't bother people, but we do have the occasional one meowing outside our door in the middle of the night. Not my favorite.
4. Accessibility of Incredible Historical Sites: One thing I absolutely love about Jerusalem is that for the most part, the significant historic sites are free (or very cheap) and extremely accessible. You can just wander into the Garden of Gethsemane or visit the birthplace of Christ with no admission fee and no authorities watching your every move. I remember visiting the Biltmore Mansion several years ago, and not only was there a fee to get in, but so many rooms were roped off so that they could be historically preserved. Here, the sites are incredibly public and there is a great deal of freedom in exploring them, even though they, too, are incredibly historic.
5. Food: For the most part, we like the food here; what we cook at home is not very different than what we made in the States, and we love the local schwarma (hummus, lamb, and fries in pita bread). I do have to admit, though, that there are certainly places that we miss A LOT from the states -- Chipotle, Chili's, Macaroni Grill, etc. -- and we will be oh-so-excited to re-visit them once we come back.
6. Simplicity of Life: In order to move here, we put almost all of our belongings in storage and brought with us 3 large suitcases and a few carry-ons; in other words, we really simplified our lives. I have to admit, though, that I am loving the lack of choices. In the States, I feel like I was always making so many decisions simply because we had so many options for everything. Here, our choices are limited, but the simplicity of it is refreshing.
7. Public Transportation: The bus system here is incredibly thorough, but to non-Hebrew speaking Americans, it can also be extremely confusing. I can't tell you how many stops we missed early on and how many wrong lines we have occasionally taken. We're getting more proficient, though, and it's gradually getting easier.
7. People: We have been here about 3 weeks now, so we still have a lot of time to meet friends and get to know the people around us. We have met some, but we're still looking for a church and some more forms of community around here (which you can pray for!) We do miss our American community, though, which includes everywhere from Oregon to Tennessee to Ohio to Georgia to Illinois to Colorado to Indiana to North Carolina and beyond. Especially in these early days, every note or phone call from a familiar voice is a blessing to us.
So, life is good, though obviously different in some ways. Pray for us as we continue to adjust!
1. Diversity: We LOVE this aspect of Jerusalem life. On paper, Jerusalem is about 60% Jewish, 30% Muslim, and 2% Christian, and there is such an international population here. In his classes, Zach is generally in the minority as an American, and even within the larger groups (Jews, for example), there is such diversity in their particular practices and beliefs. It's a joy to live in such a multifarious community.
2. Walking: Because we were blessed with an apartment near the center of town, most things are within walking distance from our home. It's a 3 minute walk to the huge outdoor market, about a 10 minute walk to the touristy shopping area, and about a 30 minute walk down to the Old City. This is a fun change from having only lived in places where most things are only drivable. Plus, seeing how people drive around here, I am quite thankful I don't have to be behind the wheel of a car in this city. :)
3. Stray Cats: Okay, I am not a huge lover of cats. At all. And for some reason, this city is teeming with stray cats. Thankfully, they generally keep to themselves and don't bother people, but we do have the occasional one meowing outside our door in the middle of the night. Not my favorite.
4. Accessibility of Incredible Historical Sites: One thing I absolutely love about Jerusalem is that for the most part, the significant historic sites are free (or very cheap) and extremely accessible. You can just wander into the Garden of Gethsemane or visit the birthplace of Christ with no admission fee and no authorities watching your every move. I remember visiting the Biltmore Mansion several years ago, and not only was there a fee to get in, but so many rooms were roped off so that they could be historically preserved. Here, the sites are incredibly public and there is a great deal of freedom in exploring them, even though they, too, are incredibly historic.
5. Food: For the most part, we like the food here; what we cook at home is not very different than what we made in the States, and we love the local schwarma (hummus, lamb, and fries in pita bread). I do have to admit, though, that there are certainly places that we miss A LOT from the states -- Chipotle, Chili's, Macaroni Grill, etc. -- and we will be oh-so-excited to re-visit them once we come back.
6. Simplicity of Life: In order to move here, we put almost all of our belongings in storage and brought with us 3 large suitcases and a few carry-ons; in other words, we really simplified our lives. I have to admit, though, that I am loving the lack of choices. In the States, I feel like I was always making so many decisions simply because we had so many options for everything. Here, our choices are limited, but the simplicity of it is refreshing.
7. Public Transportation: The bus system here is incredibly thorough, but to non-Hebrew speaking Americans, it can also be extremely confusing. I can't tell you how many stops we missed early on and how many wrong lines we have occasionally taken. We're getting more proficient, though, and it's gradually getting easier.
7. People: We have been here about 3 weeks now, so we still have a lot of time to meet friends and get to know the people around us. We have met some, but we're still looking for a church and some more forms of community around here (which you can pray for!) We do miss our American community, though, which includes everywhere from Oregon to Tennessee to Ohio to Georgia to Illinois to Colorado to Indiana to North Carolina and beyond. Especially in these early days, every note or phone call from a familiar voice is a blessing to us.
So, life is good, though obviously different in some ways. Pray for us as we continue to adjust!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
A Day Trip
Since we've been in Israel, we really haven't gotten to see too many notable historical/religious sites as our time has been primarily spent adjusting to school and setting up our new home. Today, though, we met up with Zach's former roommate/groomsman/friend Brian (who is temporarily in Israel leading a study abroad program) and went into the West Bank for the first time. Brian speaks near-fluent Arabic, and that was a huge benefit for us in getting around efficiently and getting to know the local people more personally.
All in all, it was a wonderful way to spend our Saturday. Shabbat Shalom!
We first went to the Herodian, which is King Herod's ancient fortified palace that rises prominently over the surrounding valleys and has some pretty breathtaking views.
We next went to the Shepherd's Field in Bethlehem, which is historically identified as the place where the angels came to herald the birth of Christ (think Luke 2). There is also a spot in one of the churches there that claims to be the actual birthplace of Christ, and it is marked by a nice "manger scene" area as seen in the photo below. A nice Italian tour group happened to be walking by and several of them looked at Charis with huge smiles and said, "Jesu Bambino!" So we took this photo as if we were just pulling her out of the manger. :)
Our final stop was the Church of the Nativity, which is more historically credited with being the actual site of Christ's birth. It's a fascinating place with ancient mosaics, beautiful architecture, and a labyrinth of underground tombs and excavations. Thanks to our cute baby and Brian's Arabic bargaining, we were able to surpass the long line to get to the "official" birth site below.
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| Our view from near the top |
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| And my, was it windy! Charis did not know what to think (and therefore would not turn around for this picture :) |
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| Some of the well-preserved ruins inside |
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| The entrance to the underground cisterns |
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| All 4 of us (with Charis still in hiding) |
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| Inside one of the intricate cistern tunnels (and there she is!) |
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| Our little "Jesu Bambino" |
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| Kissing the historically identified spot where Jesus was born |
Friday, February 18, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
A Walking Tour
Yesterday afternoon Charis and I had a few hours to kill before Zach got home from school, so we decided to take a little (okay, not little -- pretty long) walk down to the Old City. Now, I've lived in some pretty cool places in my short twenty-three years, but I have to admit that being within walking distance of places like the Garden of Gethsemane and the Western Wall is pretty unparalleled.
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| The quite crowded Damascus Gate |
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| The place (according to tradition) where Jesus hung on the cross in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre |
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| Outside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre -- sometimes I wish Charis weren't too young to remember this trip! |
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| Just hanging out in the front-pack carrier; she has lived in this thing for the past few weeks and (thankfully) loves it |
As we walked to these places, I began to think about the idea of "holy sites." In the Islam tradition, the three "holiest" sites are the Ka'bah (in Mecca), the Mosque of the Prophet (in Medina, Saudi Arabia), and the Al-Aqsa Mosque (in Jerusalem, marked by the Dome of the Rock). In Judaism, the Foundation Stone on the Temple Mount (the former Holy of Holies) is considered holiest, and the Western Wall is where the Jews can come and be closest to that place.
As I began thinking about Christian holy sites, I of course thought about the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Via Dolorosa, but I realized that Evangelical Christianity does not elevate a particular site as highly as the other two religions do. That might be an obvious fact to many, but the significance behind it struck me today. The reason Christianity does not place such emphasis on sites is simply because we as believers have become the dwelling place of God Himself through the presence of the Holy Spirit -- we ourselves are the holiest sites of God. That fact should not puff us up, but rather it should bring us to a place of reverent humility at God's unfathomable grace toward our fallen -- yet glorified -- humanity.
I will leave you with this picture of our street -- our apartment is right inside the first door on the left. Pretty cool, huh?
Monday, February 14, 2011
We Adopted an Egyptian Refugee...
His name is Brian, and because he seemed so friendly, we decided that it would be appropriate that he carry Charis around the city tonight.
Okay, actually it was Charis' honorary Uncle Brian visiting from Egypt. But still... we had a fun evening catching up with our old Wheaton friend. :)
A Big Day At Our House
February 14, 2011 is a big day for two members of the Bohler household, and I thought I would celebrate the occasion with these lovely 7 am photos (which my husband was sooo excited to take. Who doesn't love morning pictures?). First off, today is Zach's first day of graduate school! He has a full day today, with Modern Hebrew in the morning and two sessions of Islamic thought in the afternoon.
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| On his way out the door, headed to the bus station And then, of course, we cannot fail to mention that the littlest Bohler turns 7 months old today! She is now 17 lbs, 10 oz, sitting up, rolling over all the time, almost crawling, and talking almost constantly. She is the joy of our lives.
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Saturday, February 12, 2011
This is how much I love my wife...
A special coupon I made for Kels this evening:
Don't bestow the husband of the year award on me just yet. There's still a lot of the year to go.
Don't bestow the husband of the year award on me just yet. There's still a lot of the year to go.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Finally... a Home
Zach, Charis, and I moved from Oregon on December 17, 2010, so it has now almost been a full two months since we were in our last "home" in Roseburg. In the meantime, we have traveled feverishly all over the eastern half of the United States, spending our time in seven different states and not staying at any locale for more than about a week. Then, once you factor in two long plane rides across the world and two different lodgings here in Israel (a hostel and a nice apartment of a friend), it is safe to say that we were more than ready to settle down! Interestingly, I could even see this desire in Charis -- after being in a new place for a few days, she would usually grow calmer and more at ease, but unfortunately we would end up going somewhere new right as she would start to adjust. Not only that, but she has also become quite a bit "clingier" to Zach and I -- a fact that I attribute both to her age and to the fact that we, truly, have been the only stability in her life over these past two months (and, of course, because she just really loves us :).
Needless to say, then, I'm not sure I've ever felt so grateful for a (semi)-permanent home, and this place was certainly worth the wait. It is beautiful, clean, simple, and in a perfect location. And it is just beginning to settle in for me that we now live in Jerusalem, the same place where David, and Solomon, and Absalom lived; where Jesus came and died and was buried; and where Christianity, Judaism, and Islam now intersect in a tangle of historic events and holy sites. We are simply grateful for the opportunity to be here for this season of life and to soak in every aspect of this fascinating city.
And, now, some pictures:
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| A place to store books (notice the left and the right) |
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| A place to cook |
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| Charis is enjoying it (and trying so hard to crawl!) |
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| A place to sleep |
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| A place to study and eat |
Thursday, February 10, 2011
The Spirit
Kels tells me I write all the serious posts for our blog. I looked back over them and realized she's right. This is kind of upsetting because I swore to myself that I would only contribute to a blog with the condition that my posts remain decidedly un-serious. So since I've failed miserably on that count, here we go again.
I have learned a lot of things about the Holy Spirit over the past six months or so. I don't really know how it started, but it has been a knowledge born out of really nothing more than curiosity -- or God working through my curiosity if you prefer. Maybe instead of curiosity I should use the word disgust. My newfound love for the Holy Spirit was truly born out of my disgust with televangelists filling their own wallets, with faith-healers deceiving people, with Americans exporting prosperity teaching to the poorest countries in the world (This should be required viewing for, I don't know, everyone). My knowledge grew as I saw some of my students in Roseburg buying into this stuff -- after all, if I was going to teach Bible at a Christian school I needed to be informed about the kinds of things my students were influenced by and passionate about. And as my morbid curiosity with these false teachings grew, God was giving me a greater desire to learn about the true role of his Spirit in my life.
I had (and still have) lots of questions. Who is the Holy Spirit? What is he supposed to do? What does the Bible say about him? What do other people and other denominations say about him? How could I have a degree in Biblical and Theological Studies from a very good school and not know this stuff?
Part of my problem is that I'm a very rational thinker. I tend to be quite cynical about anything that I perceive as being driven by feeling and emotion. Rocking out for Jesus in order to create a certain atmosphere in church. Vamping and dimming the lights and playing the perfect video on the giant projector screens during prayer. Claiming to have a "word from the Lord" about something that I can't just read in the Bible for myself. These things all fit into the same category for me. In my sinfulness, I think I have more than a few things in common with Jesus' disciple Thomas. Where is the proof? How can I possibly believe what I can't see or at least prove with the scientific method? What basis to I have to judge whether or not your "word from the Lord" is really a word from the Lord?
Through all these questions and all this confusion in my mind, God thought this would be perfect time to break through the shell I had put up and speak to me through the Holy Spirit. And so, over the past few months, I have been learning to listen. I won't lie and say that I have been able to do it consistently -- I know I am still a work in progress. But I have tried more than ever before to be Spirit-led through this crucial and sometimes stressful part of our lives.
All of that was just the set-up for the story. Long, I know, but I wanted to make sure this one thing was clear -- we have had a great couple days and the glory for that is our Father's alone.
Two days ago, we thought we had found an apartment. We were relieved more than anything -- through five months of searching long distance and now a week searching from Jerusalem, we felt no closer to finding a place to live than the day we began. We had a meeting with a guy, just because I don't really know how else to describe him, who sent us out to look at a few small apartments he owned. One in particular seemed pretty great to us at the time, although I should mention that every potential apartment seems better when you have a very limited amount of time and are under the gun to find a place. Truthfully, it was a perfectly adequate apartment -- sizeable and in a good location. For Kels and I, our initial reaction was a good one. We went back to The Guy's apartment and he told us he would knock the price down a bit if we could pay for six months up front. He wanted to know if we had any money on us then, and I know we would have paid him if we had it (I did jokingly offer him three shekels but for some reason he declined). We went back to where we were staying feeling pretty good about having a place to live and completely ready to move in the next day.
That night I couldn't sleep. I would say that I don't know what it was but I do -- it was the Spirit speaking to me. I didn't feel right about the whole thing at all, and I especially didn't feel right about The Guy. I took out my computer and did a quick search for him on "the Google", as George. W. says (or was that John McCain?). What I found was pretty amazing. Acquitted of rape and convicted of arson in the U.S., The Guy fled to Israel in the 70s. He then went to the U.K. where he got in all sorts of trouble for being a terrible landlord and decided to come back here. He has been here ever since, renting out apartments and then never turning the hot water on (as we learned from a friend the next day). You know, we probably would have been perfectly fine living in that apartment for six months. But, thanks be to God, we don't have to find out.
Kels was frustrated when I told her that there was no way I would sign off on us moving into that apartment. But I couldn't do it in good conscience. So we started the process all over again yesterday morning, looking for places online, making phone calls and sending emails. After about six or seven hours of this, I started to pray (I probably should have done those two things in reverse order).
Lord, I pray that you would help us find an apartment today. We're really frustrated and it seems like every door that opens ends up being slammed shut for one reason or another. But I know you love us and want us to be here so I just pray that you would give us a place to live now. But more than anything, I pray that if we don't find an apartment today, and if we have to keep looking for weeks, and if doors continue to be slammed shut, that you would provide for our needs and give us peace. Allow us to trust you that whatever happens is your will.
I'm not sure what I was going to pray after that because I was cut off by Kels saying something from the other room. "I got an email back from one of these people! It's the one with the apartment in Nachlaot." I really don't know how to describe it, but I knew. I felt a peace that I had not felt up to that point and I knew. The Holy Spirit is a crazy and mysterious and amazing person.
This afternoon we moved into our new apartment in the Nachlaot neighborhood of Jerusalem. It's an incredible place -- large for a one-room with heat, nice furniture, a huge bathroom, in a great area, and with incredibly kind landlords. Even better, we're not paying nearly what we thought we might have to. God is good.
In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. (John 16.33b)
I have learned a lot of things about the Holy Spirit over the past six months or so. I don't really know how it started, but it has been a knowledge born out of really nothing more than curiosity -- or God working through my curiosity if you prefer. Maybe instead of curiosity I should use the word disgust. My newfound love for the Holy Spirit was truly born out of my disgust with televangelists filling their own wallets, with faith-healers deceiving people, with Americans exporting prosperity teaching to the poorest countries in the world (This should be required viewing for, I don't know, everyone). My knowledge grew as I saw some of my students in Roseburg buying into this stuff -- after all, if I was going to teach Bible at a Christian school I needed to be informed about the kinds of things my students were influenced by and passionate about. And as my morbid curiosity with these false teachings grew, God was giving me a greater desire to learn about the true role of his Spirit in my life.
I had (and still have) lots of questions. Who is the Holy Spirit? What is he supposed to do? What does the Bible say about him? What do other people and other denominations say about him? How could I have a degree in Biblical and Theological Studies from a very good school and not know this stuff?
Part of my problem is that I'm a very rational thinker. I tend to be quite cynical about anything that I perceive as being driven by feeling and emotion. Rocking out for Jesus in order to create a certain atmosphere in church. Vamping and dimming the lights and playing the perfect video on the giant projector screens during prayer. Claiming to have a "word from the Lord" about something that I can't just read in the Bible for myself. These things all fit into the same category for me. In my sinfulness, I think I have more than a few things in common with Jesus' disciple Thomas. Where is the proof? How can I possibly believe what I can't see or at least prove with the scientific method? What basis to I have to judge whether or not your "word from the Lord" is really a word from the Lord?
Through all these questions and all this confusion in my mind, God thought this would be perfect time to break through the shell I had put up and speak to me through the Holy Spirit. And so, over the past few months, I have been learning to listen. I won't lie and say that I have been able to do it consistently -- I know I am still a work in progress. But I have tried more than ever before to be Spirit-led through this crucial and sometimes stressful part of our lives.
All of that was just the set-up for the story. Long, I know, but I wanted to make sure this one thing was clear -- we have had a great couple days and the glory for that is our Father's alone.
Two days ago, we thought we had found an apartment. We were relieved more than anything -- through five months of searching long distance and now a week searching from Jerusalem, we felt no closer to finding a place to live than the day we began. We had a meeting with a guy, just because I don't really know how else to describe him, who sent us out to look at a few small apartments he owned. One in particular seemed pretty great to us at the time, although I should mention that every potential apartment seems better when you have a very limited amount of time and are under the gun to find a place. Truthfully, it was a perfectly adequate apartment -- sizeable and in a good location. For Kels and I, our initial reaction was a good one. We went back to The Guy's apartment and he told us he would knock the price down a bit if we could pay for six months up front. He wanted to know if we had any money on us then, and I know we would have paid him if we had it (I did jokingly offer him three shekels but for some reason he declined). We went back to where we were staying feeling pretty good about having a place to live and completely ready to move in the next day.
That night I couldn't sleep. I would say that I don't know what it was but I do -- it was the Spirit speaking to me. I didn't feel right about the whole thing at all, and I especially didn't feel right about The Guy. I took out my computer and did a quick search for him on "the Google", as George. W. says (or was that John McCain?). What I found was pretty amazing. Acquitted of rape and convicted of arson in the U.S., The Guy fled to Israel in the 70s. He then went to the U.K. where he got in all sorts of trouble for being a terrible landlord and decided to come back here. He has been here ever since, renting out apartments and then never turning the hot water on (as we learned from a friend the next day). You know, we probably would have been perfectly fine living in that apartment for six months. But, thanks be to God, we don't have to find out.
Kels was frustrated when I told her that there was no way I would sign off on us moving into that apartment. But I couldn't do it in good conscience. So we started the process all over again yesterday morning, looking for places online, making phone calls and sending emails. After about six or seven hours of this, I started to pray (I probably should have done those two things in reverse order).
Lord, I pray that you would help us find an apartment today. We're really frustrated and it seems like every door that opens ends up being slammed shut for one reason or another. But I know you love us and want us to be here so I just pray that you would give us a place to live now. But more than anything, I pray that if we don't find an apartment today, and if we have to keep looking for weeks, and if doors continue to be slammed shut, that you would provide for our needs and give us peace. Allow us to trust you that whatever happens is your will.
I'm not sure what I was going to pray after that because I was cut off by Kels saying something from the other room. "I got an email back from one of these people! It's the one with the apartment in Nachlaot." I really don't know how to describe it, but I knew. I felt a peace that I had not felt up to that point and I knew. The Holy Spirit is a crazy and mysterious and amazing person.
This afternoon we moved into our new apartment in the Nachlaot neighborhood of Jerusalem. It's an incredible place -- large for a one-room with heat, nice furniture, a huge bathroom, in a great area, and with incredibly kind landlords. Even better, we're not paying nearly what we thought we might have to. God is good.
In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. (John 16.33b)
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
A Disagreement... You Decide
Since Charis was born, I have been trying to teach her the word "Mama" so it will be her first word, while Zach has, unfortunately, been attempting to do the same with "Dada" (no competitive genes in this family). After this little video shoot today, Zach is claiming victory, but I am still skeptical. . . or maybe just a sore loser?
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Thoughts so far...
1) We have been here for five days now. But we can't breathe a sigh of relief just yet. Our apartment search has been kicked into overdrive and yet we still can't find anything within our budget (generally anywhere along the spectrum from "they pay us to live there" to "free") and inside of the city. We thought we had found a quaint little place (read: barely large enough to house ants comfortably) on the west side of the city that would have suited us just fine, but we were turned down by the owner of the apartment after we had already gone to view it and spent the day in the area. Frustrating. We are still looking though and are less discouraged than ever because...
2) What a great God we serve. Essentially from the moment we made the decision to step out in faith and move across the world, he has blessed us time and time again in order to get us here. And he doesn't seem to be stopping now. Our biggest point of stress in our first few days here was the fact that we were paying $70 a night to stay at a hostel in downtown Jerusalem -- money that was adding up quickly as we looked for a place to live. Finally, Kels desperately emailed a couple that we have never met -- they pastor a church here and we knew of them through their son whom we met in the States -- to ask if anyone at their church might have a place where we could stay just for a short amount of time as we continued to look. They emailed us back and told us that they were traveling for the next week, but we were welcome to stay in their apartment while they were gone. And here we are, in a beautiful rent-free home that we can stay at while we look. The generosity of our friends and fellow believers has stunned me over the past half-year and continues to humble me now.
3) I want to learn Hebrew quickly. Nearly everyone here speaks at least a little English, so it is generally not difficult to get around. I feel like such a tourist though, and also at least a little disrespectful for traveling to a country where the official language is not my own and still expecting people to speak English to me. I think I will be quite motivated once I start studying the language in -- yikes -- one week from today.
4) This probably deserves a post of its own (and will get one at some point), but I love my wife and daughter with everything in me. Kels and I had a major turning point in our lives as parents (if we have been parents long enough to even have something called a turning point) while we were traveling last month. Out of a good, deep conversation with friends spawned conversation after conversation between the two of us about the way we want to raise our children, and this became one of those rare moments in life where we were able to somehow put a lot of thought into action. We certainly have not done everything perfectly since and obviously we will not do everything perfectly in the future, but I think this is yet another area in which we have been given an enormous amount of grace. After a tough first four or five months of her life, Charis has never been happier and it is an honor to get to wake up with her and spend all our time with her every day. The way I feel when she smiles at me (which is all the time) is an impossible feeling to describe. I love her. And Kels has been the greatest mom in the world. I can hardly believe what God has done in her life over the past month, but it has been a very visible shift and a giant leap closer to the woman I know he is calling her to be. I love her too, and I love her even more for forgiving me after I scared her half-to-death by walking around on the streets of Jerusalem for two hours looking for a grocery store when I was supposed to be back in twenty minutes. Whoops.
I know we will continue to experience giant peaks and deep valleys in our lives as a couple and as a family (and I wouldn't have it any other way). Right now, though, we are simply content.
2) What a great God we serve. Essentially from the moment we made the decision to step out in faith and move across the world, he has blessed us time and time again in order to get us here. And he doesn't seem to be stopping now. Our biggest point of stress in our first few days here was the fact that we were paying $70 a night to stay at a hostel in downtown Jerusalem -- money that was adding up quickly as we looked for a place to live. Finally, Kels desperately emailed a couple that we have never met -- they pastor a church here and we knew of them through their son whom we met in the States -- to ask if anyone at their church might have a place where we could stay just for a short amount of time as we continued to look. They emailed us back and told us that they were traveling for the next week, but we were welcome to stay in their apartment while they were gone. And here we are, in a beautiful rent-free home that we can stay at while we look. The generosity of our friends and fellow believers has stunned me over the past half-year and continues to humble me now.
3) I want to learn Hebrew quickly. Nearly everyone here speaks at least a little English, so it is generally not difficult to get around. I feel like such a tourist though, and also at least a little disrespectful for traveling to a country where the official language is not my own and still expecting people to speak English to me. I think I will be quite motivated once I start studying the language in -- yikes -- one week from today.
4) This probably deserves a post of its own (and will get one at some point), but I love my wife and daughter with everything in me. Kels and I had a major turning point in our lives as parents (if we have been parents long enough to even have something called a turning point) while we were traveling last month. Out of a good, deep conversation with friends spawned conversation after conversation between the two of us about the way we want to raise our children, and this became one of those rare moments in life where we were able to somehow put a lot of thought into action. We certainly have not done everything perfectly since and obviously we will not do everything perfectly in the future, but I think this is yet another area in which we have been given an enormous amount of grace. After a tough first four or five months of her life, Charis has never been happier and it is an honor to get to wake up with her and spend all our time with her every day. The way I feel when she smiles at me (which is all the time) is an impossible feeling to describe. I love her. And Kels has been the greatest mom in the world. I can hardly believe what God has done in her life over the past month, but it has been a very visible shift and a giant leap closer to the woman I know he is calling her to be. I love her too, and I love her even more for forgiving me after I scared her half-to-death by walking around on the streets of Jerusalem for two hours looking for a grocery store when I was supposed to be back in twenty minutes. Whoops.
I know we will continue to experience giant peaks and deep valleys in our lives as a couple and as a family (and I wouldn't have it any other way). Right now, though, we are simply content.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Our Girl
Even though this blog is quite new, I realized today that Charis has not yet been featured in any pictures, and I knew that needed to change immediately. So, here you go: the cutest little girl you will ever see. :)
And finally, a very fun picture with our good friends Cal and Tiffany from Roseburg -- in Jerusalem!
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| Little curious one |
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| Blurry, but effective in showing off her newest skill: sitting up! |
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| Looking happy on the day of our departure, having no idea what was in store for her |
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
We're here!!!
And yes, it feels SO good to be to this point.
We flew from Atlanta to London on Monday night and had the added bonus of having a 13 hour layover before our flight to Tel Aviv. So we packed up Charis in her baby carrier, hopped on the Tube, and toted her around to see some of the more well-known places in London: Green Park, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Big Ben, The London Eye, Westminster Abbey. It was a bit of a whirlwind day (literally -- London epitomizes "blustery"), but what a fun side trip on the way to Israel.
Another bonus of our trip to London for my husband was a quick visit to Stamford Bridge, the stadium where Chelsea F.C. plays. Even though he isn't a huge Chelsea supporter, it was fun for him to see a "football" stadium in person.
We flew from Atlanta to London on Monday night and had the added bonus of having a 13 hour layover before our flight to Tel Aviv. So we packed up Charis in her baby carrier, hopped on the Tube, and toted her around to see some of the more well-known places in London: Green Park, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Big Ben, The London Eye, Westminster Abbey. It was a bit of a whirlwind day (literally -- London epitomizes "blustery"), but what a fun side trip on the way to Israel.
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| Windblown, tired, and happy; and yes, I promise Charis is with us, too. |
After London, we flew overnight again to Tel Aviv, and at this point our bodies started getting quite confused about what time it was. We didn't get much sleep, but we were thankful to have no problems passing through customs, retrieving our luggage, or catching a taxi to Jerusalem. Although we were pretty exhausted when we got here, we walked around the Old City for an hour or two this morning so Zach could re-acquaint himself with his surroundings and so I could see some of these incredible places for the very first time.
Currently, we are staying at a nice hostel near the center of town and will continue our apartment search tomorrow so we can set up house at a permanent place. We spent considerable time at the hostel today, but we also got to spend our evening with our good friends Cal and Tiffany from Roseburg, who are here on a church tour with their family for the week! Incredible timing. It was so fun (and surreal) to get to be with them in Jerusalem.
Whew. We're so glad to be to this point and to have a bed (as opposed to an airplane seat) to sleep on. Laila tov!
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