Sunday, July 27

We planned to visit the little chapel at the Garden Tomb today, but when we got there it was closed. We had read somewhere, and put it in our calendar, that there was a 9:00 a.m. service. Since we were in the Old city again, we decided to find the newly opened King David Museum in the Jewish quarter. The museum is small, but the employee there was so fun. He had lived in Seattle for 20 years. He talked as much, or more, than David. We learned a lot from him.

Remember, to see more pictures you can click on the picture to the right.

Until next week, Shalom from Jerusalem,

Dave and Diane

Saturday, July 26

Today was a quiet day. Dave prepared the next "...But God" article for our NAIM staff. We both read and studied. It's the Sabbath here and everything is shut down so one is forced to rest. We love a true Sabbath. We realize we have really failed in keeping a rest day in our normal busy schedule. We hope to change that when we get back home.

Friday, July 25

We got up and walked to Beit Shumuel...probably about 2 miles. They offer a 4 hour tour of Jerusalem on Fridays in English that explores the three major religions; Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Only one other older Jewish lady, Hannah, joined us. She was from NY. Rachel was the guide and she was exceptionally well educated and enthusiastic. It was a delightful time of discovering why Jerusalem is so holy to these three different religions and visiting key sights. Hannah gave us all kisses on the forehead when we parted. We all enjoyed it immensely.

On our journey we saw the only hummingbird species that inhabits Israel. It has a long curved beak and the male is a beautiful purple color.

Since we were already in the Old City, we decided to stay and do the Via Dolorosa walk with the Franciscan Monks at 4:00 p.m. We had about 2 hours so we just shopped the numerous stores and were lost most of the time. Those of you that have been to the Old City know how crowded and narrow those streets are. Since we didn't intend on staying after the tour we did not bring our map with us. We asked lots of times for directions and mostly everyone was helpful. The city is divided into four quarters; the Armenian, the Jewish, the Muslim, and the Christian, but they are not marked by signs ( at least not signs that we can read).

We had an interesting experience. One gentleman that we asked directions of insisted that we come to his store and relax a bit before going to the Lions Gate where we would join the Via Dolorosa walk. He said it was too early to get there, the Muslims were just getting out of prayer, it was too crowded, and he would serve us tea and we could sit in air conditioning for a bit. We were cautious, but decided to follow him. The owner of the store was a master salesman and he wanted us to buy some of his Persian rugs. In the process of visiting with him and drinking some of their delicious tea we learned much about his culture. He was from a Bedouin family originally. His culture holds many of the same values as the FN people of America. They are very giving, live simply, love the land, and believe in God. The Bedouins become the trackers in the Israeli army. Fun experience. For our NAIM readers, Dave will have more of this in his next "...But God" article.

The Via Dolorosa - well, there were so many people that you could hardly navigate the narrow roads. There were four monks that led it and at each station they would share in four different languages the significance of that station. There were 14 stations - all a part of Jesus' journey to the cross. We were far enough back that we could not hear the monks and neither Dave nor I like the claustrophobic feeling of that many people pressed together. We probalby would not do it again.

When we got back to the Jaffa gate we picked up an ear of corn at a little shop and sat on the curb and ate it. We hadn't had anything since breakfast so we were hungry. Thought of our Ogilvie family and friends while we ate corn on the curb in the Old City of Jerusalem.

By the time we got home we were exhausted. We read for awhile, but kept falling asleep so went to bed early.

Thursday, July 24

Dave went running this morning and got lost. He planned to run for about 15 minutes, but when he'd been gone for 1 hour and 15 minutes and he saw a sign for Tel Aviv, he knew he HAD to ask for directions. You know how men are about asking for help! I washed clothes by hand and hung them to dry and then mended my purse (which broke from the weight of the rocks that we picked up between Mitzpeh and Shen). Dave mended the plug for the fan. As scared as he is of electricity and trying to fix anything, the thought of being without a fan drove him to try it and he succeeded. Yeah!

Wednesday, July 23

We were on the road by 8:00 a.m., but we missed a turn and ended up at the Egypt border. Yikes. We had to head back, but the mistake allowed us to notice a 'camel ranch' sign. We just wanted to go and see the camels, but we ended up joining a group that was going out for an hour long ride. It was a Bedouin ranch and they were so friendly and hospitable. Our guide's name was David.

Prior to leaving on our trip to Israel, some friends gave us a book called the "Survivor's Travel Guide." I read it on the flight over and it had some great tips. Some of the sections were rather humorous and one of them was "How to Survive a Run-Away Camel." While we were out on our jaunt, my cell phone started ringing. It's the only time it has rung on our entire trip and I didn't dare let go of the horn on the saddle to answer it for fear I would fall off the camel or that I would startle her and she would take off and I wouldn't remember those techniques I had read in the survival book. The phone went unanswered and I stayed safely on the camel.

When we got back from our ride we were treated to fresh hot mint tea and pita bread in one of the Bedouin tents. The guide, David, made the pita bread over the open fire while we all had opportunity to ask questions. It was very much like Native bannock. Another delightful experience.

We traveled home along the western border of Israel and Egypt. It's very hot, dry, and desolate. One of our travel activities became finding unique signs along the road. Check out the pictures to see some of them.

Our purpose in taking another route home was so we could travel between Mitzpeh and Shen. The passage in I Samuel 7 has always been special to us. When we were first leaving for ministry back in 1984 my Mom told us that her mother's (my grandmother's) favorite verse was I Sam. 7:12. "And Samuel took a stone and set it between Mitzpeh and Shen and named the place Ebenezer meaning thus far hath the Lord helped us." Mom handed us a stone from the driveway and said, "This can be a reminder that God has helped you this far too and He will not fail you now." It was our Ebenezer stone, our reminder that God is our helper.

It was our desire to pick up a stone from between Mitzpeh and Shen and bring it back to Mom. We picked up a few. We were startled at the geography when we got there. Mitzpeh is on a very high table area, with steep cliffs. Coming from Shen it must have been formidable.

One of the highlights along this section was seeing several gazelle on the side of the road - another native Israeli animal. Animals and birds seem to find David!

When we got back to Jerusalem we stopped at our friend's place to let her know that we had returned home safely. No trips through Hebron and no stone-throwing!

Tuesday, July 22

There is an 11:00 a.m. Bible study every day at the hostel so we decided to walk the Promenade in town in the morning, look for a few souvenir gifts, and be back for the Bible study. We found a good parking place, paid our fee, and went shopping. It was so hot we ended up heading back to the hostel earlier than we planned, but when we got to the car there was a parking ticket on it. Of course it was all in Hebrew so we couldn't read it, other than we knew we owed $100 NIS. So - off to the hostel for help. Clearly it was a mistake because we had paid and had the ticket in the window of the car, but we still needed to go to the Municipal building to clear it. Of course we got lost. Many questions and directions later we THINK we got it cleared. I guess we will wait to see if it shows up on our Visa or not. We were informed that often tourists are targeted because they don't know what to do. When you sign up for a rental car you have to sign that if you get a ticket and you don't pay it, it will automatically be deducted from your credit card.

Afte all that, we were late for the Bible study, but we showed up anyway and enjoyed the time. What a diverse group we were; Dutch, Sudanese, Israeli, American and I'm not sure what all else! The study was on Acts 12 and very interesting.

We headed to the beach to do some snorkeling along the reef. This has been a dream of David's for many years. He always thought he would go to Australia, but it seems doubtful that we will ever get there so it seemed to make sense to see the reef while we were in Israel. This is supposed to be the second nicest place in the world for observing fish. We are such novices I'm sure many of the locals were laughing at our clumsiness with the gear, but it was a delightful time and the fish were absolutely awesome. I purchased a one-time underwater camera in the hopes of capturing some of the beauty on film. I must have looked quite the sight trying to operate it. I couldn't get my mask to stay tight so water kept getting into my face and eyes, so I needed to hold my nose with one hand and try and operate the camera with the other and still stay afloat, all while trying to follow those fish around and keep them in the viewfinder. They just didn't pose very well for me! I hope I get at least a few pictures. I stayed in for over two hours before I started shaking so much from the cold that I couldn't operate the camera anymore. We saw an octopus plus myriads of tangs, parrot fish, wrasses, angels, groupers, butterfly fish, damsels, sergeant majors, long-spined sea urchins, anemones...all in reds, yellows, greens, purples, blacks, spotted, striped...what an incredible display of color and variety. Dave had sold all of these different varieties in his pet stores previously so it was a highlight for him to swim with them. He forgot to put sun-tan lotion on his bald spot though and now he's suffering the consequences.

When we got back to the car after snorkeling we had a flat tire. It was so hot that we couldn't hold the wrenches to get the lug nuts off without using our towel as a hot pad holder. My hero husband got it replaced with the little spare and we headed back to the hostel. They directed us to a tire place so we could get the original fixed. It turned out there was nothing wrong with the tire; someone had just let the air out. Again, we were reminded that tourists are not always welcome. The Jewish gentleman at the tire place was very nice and didn't even charge us to fill the original with air and put it back on.

One of the nice things in Eilat was all the 'turnarounds' or as we call them in WA the 'roundabouts.' They allow the traffic to flow smoothly without all the stoplights. Dave is hooked on them and thinks we should make them standard in the US cities.

We had dinner at a nice Israeli restaurant called Sabrest. Sabrest in Hebrew means 'indigenous or born in the land.' We were the only ones there and we were treated so kindly. Dave had St. Peter's fish (the kind that had the coin in its mouth when Jesus sent Peter to render tribute. See Matt. 17:24-27).

We got back to the hostel in time for a free Jewish concert by Kol Simcha - Sound of Joy. They have been singing together for 32 years and have traveled the world. What a treat! We just happened to be there when they were there. A God-thing for sure.

Monday, July 21

Dave picked up a rental car and we left for Eilat after briefly stopping at our friend's place for some directions. We are so glad we got her insight. We had planned to come back through Hebron and she let us know that would not be wise. We might get stoned if we tried it. She also suggested a couple of places to stay down in Eilat.

Eilat is on the southernmost tip of Israel. We traveled down on the eastern side of Israel along the Dead Sea. It was a delightful journey with gorgeous scenery. Since we had visited Ein Gei, Masada, and swam in the Dead Sea on our trip to Israel in 2003 we did not take time to do those things. Rather we stopped at an Ahava shop where they make products from the salt of the Dead Sea. The best part of that stop was the herd of Ibex that we got to watch. We had prayed that we would be able to see some of the Israeli wildlife and we felt this was a direct answer to prayer.

We had no set time we had to be in Eilat so we took our time and leisurely drove the route, stopping at whatever seemed of interest (so much the way we like to travel). Points of interest included Sodom and the spot where Lots wife was turned to a pillar of salt. We saw some other wildlife, white deer-like animals with long horns and also some ostrich in the distance. We later realized they were part of a game preserve, not necessarily native to Israel.

We ended up staying at at hostel named "The Shelter" in Eilat. What a delightful place! It was started about 25 years ago by a Dutchman named John. There were wooden shoes in several places. I met a young lady, Maria, from Holland who was staying there. We just clicked and she has agreed to help me try and locate a place in Holland where I can get a traditional Freisland costume.

It was VERY hot in Eilat (never saw a thermometer, but it was much hotter than Jerusalem). Thankfully the hostel was air condidtioned.

Sunday, July 20

This was taken in the little Presbyterian Chapel in the YMCA. We attended service here today. It was led by a Scottish pastor. There were only seven of us present, but it was a delightful time of fellowship.

Remember, if you click on the picture to the right you will be able to view many more pictures of our time in Israel so far.

Shalom from Israel,

Dave and Diane

Saturday, July 19

Impressions from Dave:

The bad news is that it is hotter than I prefer. The good news is that it is drying out my chronic sinus congestion and I am getting my senses of smell and taste back for the first time in a couple of years.

I love analyzing cultures and have noticed that most people here move to the left when meeting someone on the street, but still drive on the right side of the street. In the States we normally move to the right when meeting someone. I've also noticed that there is virtually no eye contact or greeting when meeting someone on the street. Very occasionally an older couple will say 'Shalom.'

We have learned to not use the word "Christian" when referring to ourselves or even the World...Gathering... unless we know they are Christians already. If we do, it instantly shuts down the conversation. The Jewish people have suffered as much, or more, under the name of 'Christian' than Native Americans have.

I've had some time to do some reading since I've been here (a blessing I don't normally get time to do) and have been challenged again in my ways of thinking of missions. Things like 'living' our lives as servants before people and manifesting the fruit of the Spirit in our lives until they ask what makes the difference in the way we live and are. I need to let my life do the talking rather than 'words' all the time. I need to wait, humbly, for the relationship to grow and share Jesus as another special friend when the 'fruit' of my life stimulates their curiosity.

I love getting enough sleep! My college mentor, Dr. Bob Smith, was right when he told us as freshmen that getting enough sleep was the most important thing we could do as we embarked on our journey through college and life. It affects you in all areas of your life, mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It's like Diane has shared, "we feel like we are on our second honeymoon."

Friday, July 18

Got up and washed a few clothes - like I do every morning - and hung them out to dry. Dave has to wring them out for me as I am not strong enough to get out most of the moisture. We don't want them dripping down onto the people's clothes in the apartment below us. One of my fears is dropping something while I am leaning out the 'balcony' to hang them and having them land on the lines below me :-).

We headed to the internet store to do a few emails and do some grocery shopping before noon and then went to another of the Jerusalem film festival movies called "Recycle." This was a documentary from an Islamic point of view. The main character points out that their role model was Abu-Musab al-Zarqawi who headed Al-Queda in Iraq until he was killed two years ago by the American military. Probably the most significant statement he made was that Osama Bin Ladin did not consult any theologians before he attacked America on 9/11. If he had, he would have been warned of the consequences of his actions and he never would have done it. All of the movies we've watched have made us think at deeper levels than we normally do.

We were back at our comfortable apartment by early afternoon to read and relax and enjoy Shabbot. There must be a concert pianist in our apartment because every evening we are treated to at least an hour long practice session of classical music. We love it.

Dave has been reading some of Gavriel's articles and I've just finished reading "Living in Color" by Randy Woodley, one of the recognized Native leaders of our day. It is an excellent book about living in unity while embracing diversity. One of the new concepts for me was how the Tri-unity of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit demonstrates the Creator's desire for unity and community. Only one would have represented a dictatorship, two would have demonstrated a partnership, but three is necessary to have community and the Three demonstrate complete unity, a model we should emulate. Satan tries hard to divide and then produce a false sense of unity by causing conformity and uniformity rather than true unity by embracing diversity. That's what Tacoma First Nations Gathering is all about - experiencing and demonstrating unity with all the various tribes and cultures that come together on a monthly basis. An effective multicultural gathering is not easy, as we've learned. Satan tries to divide and separate, but we are committed to seeing people from every tribe and tongue and people group celebrating Jesus together. That's what the World Gathering of Indigenous People is all about also...and that's why we are here, to , in some small way, foster unity within diversity.

We did not expect to have this much fee time when we got here, but it has been a pleasant expereience and we trust that Creator will use what we are learning to make us more effective in ministering both here and back in Tacoma when we return.

Thursday, July 17

We slept later today since we did not get home until well after midnight last night. Dave went running and I opted to stay home and rest my weary legs and back. I read, paid some bills, and wrote a few cards. Actually Dave ended up at Tzofia's place and just chatted with them about cultural protocol, etc. He learned that the apartment we are staying in would sell for about $2,000,000. We are guessing it is about 300 square feet; small entry way, small kitchen, small bedroom, small living room, and small bathroom. That just demonstrates how expensive housing is here. We are living in a very nice part of town. This section was the first settlement outside the city walls, so it is very old. The President's home is just about two blocks from us. In Israel the President of the State is elected by the Knesset in a secret vote for a single seven year term. My understanding is that he is like an ambassador for Israel.

After lunch we headed to the Knesset and Supreme Court Buildings. They offer free tours on Thursdays in English. The walk was long and hot, but the buildings were beautiful and air conditioned. The architecture was gorgeous. It was interesting to note that the members of the Knesset sit in an arrangement that resembles a menorah.

We relaxed and went to bed early. The heat and walking just drain us.

Wednesday, July 16

Up at 500 a.m. again. It's so comfortable at night here - just a perfect temperature.

We visited the Nature Museum not far from our apartment in the morning. It was okay, but I wouldn't list it as a 'must see.' After lunch we hiked all the way to King David City. It was a very long walk down a very steep hill and then a very long walk up a very steep road to the entrance, but it was worth it. There were lots of IDF (Israeli Defense Force) soldiers and I got a cute picture of three of them at the entrance.

We toured Hezekiah's Tunnel and we kept wishing our three older grandsons could enjoy it with us. They would have loved it. This is a definite 'must see' for anyone coming to Jerusalem, that is unless you are claustrophobic. At times we were in water up to our waist, hiking through a tunnel of sheer rock not more than 2 feet wide and ranging from 4-8 feet high. It took us 40 minutes to navigate it with a flashlight. This was excavated in 701 BC. You can read about it in II Chron. 32:30. Sennacherib, King of Assyria, had laid siege to Jerusalem and in order to fortify the city, Hezekiah surrounded its new quarters with a wall and diverted the waters from the Gihon and brought them straight down to the west side of the City of David. It was an extraordinary feat of engineering...and water still flows through the tunnel today. It ends at the pool of Siloam.

Then we had to hike all the way back up that long, long steep hill to home. Thankfully I have a patient husband who allowed me to sit and rest numerous times. We rested only a short time after we got home, then got a bite to eat of crackers, cheese, apples and grapes and then headed to the Menachem Begin Center to see the 4-hour movie, Exodus. I was tired, but I am SO glad we went. Actually it was a "God thing" that we even got in. It was sold out when we got there, but we waited around in the hopes that someone might not show up and at the very last second we were told there were seats for us. When Dave got out his wallet to pay, they said, "No, no, just go in." This is an old movie that was based on the historical novel by Leon Uris. It's the story of a ship load of illegal immigrants seeking to reach Palestine, but are captured by the British who plan to transfer the passengers to camps in Cyprus. The Jewish refugees do all in their power to avoid this fate and reach their new homeland. It was enlightening and riveting from a historical perspective. The place was packed out. Several of the original passengers on the Exodus ship were in attendance as well as several of those that had been a part of the original screening. The VP of MGM was there. The daughter of the now deceased film producer was there. The 96 year old lady that had done most of the documentation flew in from NY for the showing and shared some of her thoughts and remembrances. We sat in the third row directly behind her. It was an incredible experience. The Exodus is called the "Ship that Launched a Nation."

Tuesday, July 15

I feel like we are on our honeymoon again...no set schedule and exploring all kinds of new thing together. I love it.

We worked on emails at the little internet store about a mile from our apartment all morning and then went to another of the Jerusalem film festival movies - a documentary on an Iraqi young man, Muthana, that idolized the Hollywood movie industry and wanted to become a film director. He was taken under the wing of one of the famous directors here when his school in Iraq was bombed. It was supposed to parallel the patronizing gaze that the West often casts on the Third World. Neither Dave nor I were impressed with this one. Oh well, it gave us some interesting insight into how an Iraqi young man thinks.

We toured Liberty Park on our way home since we were walking almost past it anyway. It is not nearly as nice as some of the other parks around here. Before we leave here, we almost might be able to lead a tour of the places that are a 'must see' in Jerusalem.

Monday, July 14

We were awake by 4:30 a.m. so we spent a couple of hours just praying together before rising at 6:30. Gavriel left for his final trip prior to the Gathering so we are on our own to navigate and familiarize ourselves wth the city for a few days. We are gradually getting a few of our bazillion questions answered. Where do we grocery shop, where can we get a copy, where is the ATM machine, where is the post office, what is the value of all these coins, when are garbage days, what gets recycled, how do we rent a car when the yellow pages are all in Hebrew...even updating the blog is interesting because the page to make changes comes up in Hebrew andI have to guess 'what to enter where' and to remember that they read from right to left so my entries have to be backwards from my way of doing things. Everything takes longer than I'm used to at home. BUT we are enjoying every bit of the learning experience.

We went to the YMCA in down town Jerusalem this afternoon and toured the tower. We walked up 207 steps to the top. What an incredible view of the entire city! Just as we began the long climb to the top a gentleman asked us if we were from Tacoma. "Yes," we said, "How did you know?" Well, Dave had on his Tacoma First Nations T-shirt from the Sobriety Pow Wow. They were from Seattle. Small world.

We also walked to the Agron Building to see the "Time Elevator Jerusalem." It was a journey through the 3000 year history of Jerusalem. The leading character was Chaim Topol from "Fiddler of the Roof." There were lots of special effects, i.e. moving seats, lighting and sound, splashing water, etc. all of which produced the feeling of being on a roller coaster.

We walked through a large cemetery and then Wilf Park on the way home. By days end by legs were so tired from all the walking that when we got to our apartment I laid down to rest and did not get up again until 6:30 the next morning.

I've just posted several pictures. Click on the picture of us in Israel and you will get a glimpse of what we are experiencing so far.

Shalom from Israel,
Dave and Diane

July 12 - The Sabboth

Today was a quiet day. Everything is closed so we slept in, did some Bible study and then explored the area, hiking in a beautiful park that runs between King David highway and the old city. There is even a windmill in this park.

From July 10-19 Jerusalem is hosting a film festival so there are many exceptional movies being shown every day. In the early evening we chose to attend a movie called "Under the Bombs." It was about the Israeli-Lebonan war in 2006. Heavy, but enlightening.

July 11 - Impressions of Israel

The hot water here is cool at best so I boiled a couple of pans of water to add to my morning bath today. There is a real water shortage in Israel so everyone tries to conserve as much as possible.

We have not even seen any neighbors in this apartment complex yet. It is very quiet. There is one dove that coos in the early morning and a few birds that we have not seen before. We haven't seen much wildlife, but the flowers are gorgeous here.

The temperatures are much to my liking. They are too hot for Dave, but since I have lived the majority of my life being too cold, I don't have too much sympathy for his whining about the heat. I'm loving it. My arthritis seems to be liking it too, for which I'm thankful. Most buildings are made of limestone so if you close up the blinds during the heat of the day and then open them at night to let in the cooler air and add a fan, it is very comfortable.

We hiked down to the market today to do some grocery shopping. Since it is Friday everything closes by about 2:00 p.m. and everyone gets ready for Shabbot. Nothing will open again until Saturday evening.

We experienced our first Shabbot in the home of a traditional Jewish family tonight. Gavriel and Tzofia (who is Swedish born) invited us for dinner. It was a delightful evening on the roof of their home. Gavriel and Dave went to the synagogue meeting first, while I visited with Tzofia and their children. Dave borrowed a yarmulke for the occasion. I failed to get a picture, but I'm sure I'll get one before our stay here has ended.

Dinner began with Gavriel going to each of his children and praying a blessing over each one in Hebrew. As he ended he gave each one a kiss on the forehead. Then he sang, in Hebrew, the last 22 verses of Provers 31 to his wife. More singing ensued. Before the bread was broken we all got up and washed our hands, ritually pouring water over each hand three times. There were two loaves of bread, one for the Shabbot meal and one for the next day. (Remember how the Israelites had to gather enough manna in the wilderness for two days on the sixth day?) Gavriel broke off pieces for each of us and dipped them in salt before handing them to us. The salt has to do with preservation. They were very gracious in explaining each step as they went through the dinner. Since they have a kosher kitshen, no meat or dairy products are mixed. We had a meat meal. It was delicious; chicken, Swedish meatballs, potatoes, vegetables, and lettuce salad. There was lots of laughing and talking during dinner. Dave shared the story about when he, the city slicker, brought his dog along to meet my family on the farm. That was the beginning of our cross-cultural experience together as a couple! About 10:30 we went downstairs for dessert which consisted of two kinds of homemake cookies, grapes, watermelon, honeydew, and a non-dairy coconut sorbet. Yummm...

We got home about 11:30 and relaxed and read for awhile before heading to bed.

July 10 - ISRAEL

We arrived on time in Tel Aviv and Gavriel was there to meet us. But first, both Dave and I had great conversations with those sitting next to us on the plane. Dave sat next to an orthodox Jew that could not get over the fact that Dave was a Christian. He kept saying he had never met a Christian that talked like him - that honored the Jewish culture and loved the people. We walked down the ramp with him after we exited the plane. I hope our paths cross again.

I sat next to a phenomenal woman. She is a former 'National Business Woman of the Year in Holland.' She is about my age and had never married until about 15 years ago. She married an Israeli widow and now has started a business to bless the people of Israel. She is a believer and loves Yeshua. I hope our paths also cross again.

Once we got all our bags we took a taxi with Gavriel to Jerusalem. We did not realize that Gavriel does not own a car. They find it too expensive to own one. It is cheaper to take a taxi or bus when they cannot walk to their destination. the taxi ride home cost us $300 NIS (New Israeli Shekels). That translates to about $100 Us dollars. Gas is about $10.00/gallon. Food is expensive. Housing is expensive. It just costs a lot to live in Israel.

Gavriel got us settled in our apartment and then he walked home - about a mile. The apartment belongs to a friend of Gavriel's that is in Switzerland for a few months. By the time Gavriel left it was about 4:30 a.m. and we were really tired. There was only one single bed so Dave slept there and I slept on the little 4 foot loveseat for a few hours. At 9:00 a.m. Gavriel returned with a double bed. Yeah!

We spent the morning with Gavriel. He showed us the market area, his home, and then we took a bus into the center of Jerusalem. We changed money into shekels, got a local cell phone, ate lunch and took a taxi back to the apartment. We napped all afternoon. That evening we walked back down to the market. We were amazed how many people were out at midnight. There were security guards at every entrance. I learned later from Tzofia that the main street in this Talbiya neighborhood is the second highest target for terrorists. The first is the city center of Jerusalem. We do not feel afraid, though.

Actually I have been amazed at how smoothly we have been able to handle ALL the changes here. You must be praying for us lots. We are gradually getting acclimated to the time change. However it was 4:30 am. when I got up. I was wide awake and my mind was going. I could tell I would not go back to sleep.

July 9 HOLLAND

Before getting to Israel, we had a rather long layover in Holland. Even though we were tired, we immediately went exploring. After finding a place to change some money and store our luggage, we took a short 2 1/2 hour bus tour of Amsterdam. We visited a wooden shoe factory, the Rembrandt Windmill, the Netherlands National Monument, and the Skinny Bridge.

My impressions of Holland so far:
As we were flying over Holland I remember looking out over the landscape and thinking there were lots of cows and no windmills. After the bus tour, I remember thinking there were WAY too many people in Amsterdam for me. The streets were narrow and crowded. There were people and bicycles everywhere, plus lots of houseboats on the canals.

Interesting facts:
The property taxes are based on the width of the house so all the houses are very narrow and tall. Most of them have large hooks at the top used for hoisting furniture to the upper levels. Sometimes when the Dutch men would come home late and drunk, the women would hook their men onto these hoists - thus the term, "Flying Dutchmen."

I am looking forward to our time in Holland on the way home when we can get into the countryside.

Heading for the Airport

Bags have been weighed and we are READY.
More to follow....
Dave and Diane

Ready to Leave

Tonight we are finishing our packing and finalizing all the details for being away from home for three months. If you think to pray for us, we would appreciate it. After hearing about our son and his wife's travel experience on their way to Nicaragua, we are a bit gun shy. They experienced one glitch after another with numerous delays along the way. They did arrive safely one week ago, though, and they are now settling into their new apartment.

As soon as we arrive and find a place that will accommodate our wireless laptop we will update this site. Our scheduled arrival time in Tel Aviv is 2:50 a.m. on July 10. One of the first adjustments will be to the time change. Israel is 10 hours ahead of us. In other words when it is 1:00 p.m. in Seattle, it is 11:00 p.m. in Jerusalem, which is where we will be living. Gavriel has kindly found housing for us. We are looking forward to the adventure of seeing our new home for the next three months.

Thanks for being partners with us in this journey.

Dave and Diane