First Full Week

Shalom! We are finally settled in Be’er Milka, in our little casa. We are about 2 miles from the home of our friends, Boaz and Rinah, practically in the sand dunes. Surrounding our little unit are huge fabric greenhouses, where vast amounts of vegetables and herbs are tended by farmers from Thailand, who come for about 2-3 years working 7 days a week, and long hours at that. These people make enough money in this time frame to go back to their country and buy a house, living in luxury. Our unit is one room with twin beds, a small table that holds a hot water pot and some instant coffee/tea, a night stand with a lamp and room for books, etc., a tiny closet that is crammed full of our clothing. Included is a bathroom w/sink, toilet & shower. A small shelving unit is installed for all essentials … what a blessing! We have been welcomed with open arms by our hosts, who have taken very good care of us. We have the use of a teensy little car, beat up but it runs, owned by friends Ronen and Moriah, neighbors of our hosts. Petrol is brought in for it in two small gasoline containers when possible. We need to name our vehicle “Mercy”! Our little run-about car in New Zealand was named “Grace” – as she was lent out to many students.

It’s hot … seems more so than Phoenix, but once the sun goes down, it’s lovely. Most activities for families take place under the stars or in an outside living area next to the front door. Children are everywhere, so sweet and playful. But where we sleep, we’re neighbors to a single donkey, lots of ants and the migrant workers.

The first few days with Ephraim & Rimona were so important! We caught up with the time difference, celebrated their son Yonatan’s 24^th birthday, and had many meaningful conversations. They had another couple staying with them from America – Karen and Bob – and currently they are all on a trek called “Helping Hands Across the Land”. We’ll meet up again with Ephraim & Rimona before they leave for a 6-week Orient vacation. A very special thing happened, when the four of us went to check out a group of people we heard about, going from vineyard to vineyard, harvesting grapes. This group was known to sing and play instruments in the fields, bringing a refreshing “spirit” to the work. As we pulled into the parking lot, we were greeted by good friends who we haven’t seen for almost 10 years: Monte and Nancy and their 4 children were all there to be workers, their youngest is a teen, and the kids stair-step in age up to mid-20’s.

Our time in Jerusalem was wonderful! Jerry and I made a long trek into the Old City by foot, and the climb about did me in. We can see the Old City from our hotel room – quite beautiful at night all lit up. We made our first meal of a single swarma (shaved lamb in a pita with veggies & sauce), just about too much food to handle. Yum! We walked all over the Old City, finally coming to the Western Wall, flooded with Hassidic men and women, with their Lulav’s (a Sukkot item). We did not even attempt to get to the wall ourselves because of the crowdedness.

We met up with friends from Phoenix, Patrick and Donna, palling around with them for 2 days. We were invited to friends of theirs for a special dinner, celebrating the end of Sukkot. These are folks from the Seattle area who bought a condominium in Jerusalem that they use for a few months during the year to celebrate Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) and Pesach (Passover). What a beautiful home they made, and they treated us as special guests. Elgie & Barbara made such a delicious meal, and Elgie taught well on the Torah portion for the day. Quite memorable, and we have new friends! We joined Patrick and Donna and went to our first experience in a Synagogue – celebrating Simchat Torah (The joy of Torah), when the Torah scrolls are rolled back to the very beginning, Genesis 1:1.

We finally made our bus trip to Be’er Sheva, a 2-hour ride. Our drive to Be’er Milka was another hour’s drive, passing many Bedouin campsites along the way, with sheep and occasional camels. Our first Shabbat in Israel was filled with rest (much needed) and stimulating teaching from the Word by Boaz. Our study of Genesis 1:1 was so intense we never got out of the chapter, studying nearly 3 hours. Whew! Never knew there’d be SO MUCH! On Monday, our hosts entertained a large group of travelers from Sweden, and we made a huge bar-b-q of chicken and different salads. They are currently also showing a couple from S. Africa around the Negev, gone the next few days.

All for now… we’ll keep in touch. Continue to pray for us! And write as you can.