Sunday, July 31, 2011

A Rude Awakening

Two night ago at about 12:30 a.m., I was sleeping and Zach was on his way to bed when he saw one of these scuttling around our kitchen counter:


Yes, that would be a giant cockroach. A GIANT cockroach. Upon further examination, he found not one, not two, but three giant cockroaches. Awesome.

We managed to kill and/or scare away all of them and thankfully haven't heard from them since, but it just very much reinforces the fact that we are quite ready to get out of our current apartment! The lease expires on Thursday and we are walking through a couple of new places this afternoon that we are really hoping will work out. Pray for us! We'll keep you updated on our progress.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Thanks, Auntie Whit (and Uncle Shawn)!

Dear Auntie Whit,

I received my birthday package today and loved everything! I especially loved the Ring Pops (maybe a little too much :), and the clothes will be perfect in a few months when I'm a little bigger. Mommy also seemed quite excited about the People magazine, so thanks for that, too. I miss you and love you so much!

Love,
Charis

Opening my package... 
Mmm, Ring Pop!
My reaction when Mommy took my Ring Pop away.


Thanks again!!!

Monday, July 25, 2011

On the Road...

Zach's family has been in town for more than a week now, and we've been traveling the country seeing some fabulous sites, many of which I hadn't seen before now. Here are some highlights:

-swimming and baptisms in the Jordan River
-Mt. Carmel (Elijah and the prophets of Baal story took place here)
-Caesarea Philippi (ancient city where Paul was imprisoned)
-Mt. Gerazim (the only place in the world where Samaritans still live)
-Tel Dan (beautiful nature reserve in the northern part of the country)
-Valley of Elah (where David and Goliath fought)
-swimming in the Mediterranean Sea
-boat ride in the Sea of Galilee
-Capernaum (where both Jesus and Peter lived)
-Mount of Beatitudes
-Banias Waterfalls (beautiful falls coming down from Mount Hermon)
-Caesarea (ancient pagan town; where Jesus said, "On this rock I will build my church...")
-Metulla (overlook into Lebanon)
-Masada (ancient Herodian palace)
-Nabi Samuel (tomb of Samuel)
-En Gedi (nature preserve by the Dead Sea; where David hid from Saul)
-Bet She'an (ancient Roman town; place where Saul's body was hung)
-Makhtesh Ramon crater (biggest natural erosion crater in the world)

I am writing from a hostel in En Gedi, and this is our last night out of Jerusalem. We will return to Jerusalem tomorrow and will have the last couple of days to do the major Jerusalem sites.

It has been quite an amazing trip as this country is about as diverse as it gets when it comes to geography and culture. We've driven through deserts, mountains, cities, lowlands, forests, etc., and have seen both the Jewish and Muslim cultures up close and personal. The only unfortunate part is that my camera got a bit sand-logged while at the beach in Caesarea Philippi, so all of my pictures are on hold until I can somehow get it fixed again. :( Hopefully they will be coming soon!

Until then, here is another birthday picture of the little one... :)

Saturday, July 16, 2011

The Big 0-1!

Two days ago (7-14) we celebrated the first birthday of our precious little girl... Charis Lynlee Bohler. We cannot believe she has already been here for a year! We had a wonderful day celebrating her and just thinking back over how good the Lord has been to us for blessing us with such an incredible little one.
Our day in pictures:

Morning nap...looking cute as always. :)
Maybe by next year she'll be reading right-side-up...

Wearing her "1" crown sent to her by Mimi and Poppy :)
My last minute attempt at homemade birthday cake. 
Opening presents from Grandma and Grandpa Bohler 
Her present from Mommy and Daddy
Welcome to Israel, Grandpa Bohler!

Worn out by the day's festivities

Happy Birthday, sweet girl!


Thursday, July 14, 2011

A Special Bethlehem Treat

Last night we went with some friends to Bethlehem for a couple of hours. Why, you ask? To see the place of Jesus' birth, the shepherds' fields, or the place where Jerome wrote the Latin Vulgate? I have to admit that this time we had a different motivation...


Non-kosher pizza!!!! Man, have we missed this. The pepperoni was real, the pizza was delicious, and it was significantly cheaper than any pizza we would find in Jerusalem. Two thumbs up all the way around.

Monday, July 11, 2011

A Long Hiatus!

It's amazing how time flies when you're having fun...and the blog somehow gets neglected for two weeks! Yikes!

We've been busy working and gearing up for Charis' first birthday (in three days!) and the arrival of Zach's family (his dad gets here in three days, too.) We're so excited to have them here for a while and then look forward to Mom Tunney coming shortly afterward!


On a different note, the Lord has really been teaching me about remembering lately and has so convicted me on how quickly I forget His goodness. I was reading the story of Elijah in 1 Kings this week, and if you remember there are three pretty significant stories right there in a row: Elijah completely humiliating the prophets of Baal through an amazing display of God's power; Elijah running down Mount Carmel ahead of Ahab's chariot to Jezreel; and Elijah fleeing from Jezebel in the desert (and then the Lord appearing to him in a gentle whisper).

The first two stories clearly display the Lord's presence in powerful, supernatural ways. He sends fire down in a pretty glorious display of might with the prophets of Baal, and then He supernaturally empowers Elijah to run ahead of a chariot (think galloping horses) for a substantial distance. He is the miracle-working, power-wielding, awe-inspiring Yahweh.

But then there is a pretty dramatic shift. Having been threatened by Jezebel, Elijah flees into the desert and basically says, "I am no better than my ancestors. Just let me die here in the desert." He's depressed, moping, fearful, and has no hope. On some level I've always questioned this seemingly dramatic shift since just days earlier he was watching the Lord completely obliterate the prophets of Baal and was infused with a heavenly strength that obviously came from God Himself. How can his attitude change so quickly? How can he now doubt the God who so gloriously revealed Himself only a few days before? How can he not remember? 

Even as those questions were rolling around in my own head, I realized that I often live the exact same way. God will provide in miraculous ways or will reveal Himself clearly, and moments later I am back to worrying, stressing, fearing, or doubting. I give up hope. I start moping. I stop trusting that the Lord can and will deliver me over and over again.

If you remember the story, the Lord tells Elijah to go stand at the mouth of a cave and tells him that His presence is about to pass by. A strong wind, an earthquake, and a fire all come, but the Lord says He is not in any of them. Finally, Elijah hears a gentle whisper -- the voice of the Lord. What's interesting to note is that a chapter earlier when God defeated the prophets of Baal, He was in the fire, yet now He's but a gentle whisper. In a sense, the King of Glory has become the Prince of Peace (Rich Mullins' song anyone?). 

I believe there are seasons and times of life where God speaks in different ways. At times we hear Him almost audibly and see Him almost visibly because His work is so clear and His ways so obvious. But then there are those moments like this one where we are just called to be still, quiet. We must listen. We must strain our ears to hear and our eyes to see the ways in which He's working.

In many ways, that's where I find myself now -- in the season of God's gentle whisper. He is working and speaking, but I am finding that I am really having to listen harder these days. I pray that He gives me ears to hear all He is saying to me and that He allows me to remember His goodness to me in the past. And though He reveals Himself in different ways, I am thankful that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

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Finally, on a completely different note, we plan to send out a big email update on Charis' birthday this week that goes into a bit more detail about everything going on in our lives right now. If you want to receive it, send me your email address and I'll be happy to put you on the mailing list.