Bittersweet Times

This last week has gone by too quickly. Nov.24, we went to Banias(Ceasarea-Phillippi) and had a great time with the SERVE Nazareth team. The next night we had our 'last supper' together, as a team. Wednesday we were at Husam's. Thursday I had to say bye to my OT friends, and we were taken to a great restaurant with friends. Saturday we took

chocolates to share with our co-workers at Nazareth Village. It has been a time of expressing appreciation, sharing laughs and having to say 'good-bye'. This has been hard, because we have become fast friends with so many. I felt close to tears a number of times. Several have asked if I will come back some time. I want to say yes, but I have to be real, knowing it has taken me so long to get here this time, and there are many other places in the world I would like to see. Have I had a great time, met wonderful people, enjoyed great food, seen Biblical sites? Enjoyed Israel? Definitely yes! Have I felt like I was instrumental in doing God's work while in Nazareth? Unequivocally, YES!

Would I like to come back, yes! So it has been a week of endings and good-byes. We were glad Christine found an old suitcase for us as we have bought souveniers, and were given many gifts making it impossble to stay under weight requirements for our luggage. We are also looking forward to home. To be able to sleep in our own bed, back to the familiar home, close to family, with our friends at Calvary Church, will be great!

Seven more sleeps!

We have explained to our grandchildren that is just seven more sleeps before we are back in Canada.

Kristy, Margaret, Dorothy, Jane,
Christine, Lloyd, Amanda

This gives us mixed feelings!  We have immensely enjoyed our time here, and are reluctant to say goodbye to the wonderful people we have met here.  There are many local people, but we especially will miss those who were part of our cohort with 'Serve Nazareth'.  Christine Farah & Jane Shurrush, our leaders, Kristy Oltman, & Amanda Salyers(affectionately called 'the American Girls') of Georgia USA, Dorothy Pearson of the UK, and Damaris Zlatandamars of Romania.  We have shared many a good laugh, and times together.  At the same time that we are reticient to say goodbye, or 'see you later', we relish the return to Canada and the familiar.   Family, friends, food, church, etc., that we have missed.  

Katy & Margaret at Tel Aviv Beach.

It was great having visits from Canadians while we were here. Tours from Canada showed up at Nazareth Village, and I was able to connect with some of them.  Sheila Smith, and our daughter Katy were here and together we visited historical sites.  We especially enjoyed the Garden Tomb.  It is a special place, even though there are those who question its validity. While there, I found a quiet place, and went through my contact list and prayed for each name and family listed.  I used a 'selfie' as my FB profile pic.  There were many international groups there, singing, praying, rejoicing, as all went in to the tomb and verified that there was no 'body' there, even the bones were gone!  

At Nimrod's Fortress

Our last official tour with Serve Nazareth took us north to the place called 'Banias'.   In the Bible, it was known as 'Ceasaria Phillippi', where Christ asked the question 'Who do you say that I am?'  There were ruins there of pagan worship, Herod Antipas, and King Agrippa.  The fresh water spring flowing from Mount Hermon, lead to a picturesque waterfall.  We also visited 'Nimrod's Fortress'.  Though there is no biblical association, tradition says Nimrod lived here.  The prominent ruins are actually from the 1200, with Mamluke signitures.  The area had been under Syrian control until the '48 war, and when it came under Israel's control the Israelis gave it a Jewish link at that time, by naming it 'Nimrod's Fortress'.

There are some things that have been unique in our visit.  There are the five 'calls to prayer', the first about 5am every day, where loud speakers make the call for Muslims to pray.  This call echoes around the hills of Nazareth.  Also, there are sounds of aircraft overhead.  The airport is 100 kms away, yet we can hear frequent sounds of jets.  Sometimes we are able to see the source of the sound, and they are definitely fighters.   The other thing, which I have not seen in Canada, was while at Capernaum the quiet sound of the waves of the Sea of Galilee was interrupted by the whop, whop, whop, sound of helicopters.  Looking up, two attack helicopters, heading south, possibly 300 feet in the air, were coming toward us.  Clearly visible, to my untrained eye, appeared to be four tomahawk missiles hanging in place, ready to be fired!. The irony of the pastoral scene, with this military might seemed fearsome and incongruous. However, such is modern Israel, where guns of soldiers, police, and security are in clear view. There is a determination to quickly deal with the 'disturbed', the 'radicalized', or 'terrorists'.  It is sad, that such measures, as we see on Canada's Parliament Hill, are seen as necessary.

Margaret and I were glad that our daughter Katy was able to join us as we completed the last leg of the 'Jesus Trail'.  We had saved this last bit of some 12kms, so she could accompany us. We walked from a cliff called Arbel, to Capernaum, the center of Jesus' ministry in Galilee, where He performed many miracles.  As you know, He cursed it, because of its refusal to believe, and all we see today are the ruins of a village, dated in the first century, a community of an estimated 1500 people.  

Musings!!

Trio at the Sea of Galilee

It has been some time since I sat down and blogged.   While I am to blame for my lack of correspondence, there has been no lack of activity.  Sheila Smith joined us here for a few weeks, and then our daughter Katy came to stay for about 10 days, so we have had a house full!  It has been grand!  We have shared many new experiences, and a lot of laughs!

Camel Riding in the Negev

This past Saturday we all went for an hour camel ride in the Negev.  We were told that we rode on dromedaries, the one hump camel.  They stand about six feet tall, and can drink 200 litres of water in three minutes.  The saddles cost about $2000.  They took us out with the guide in the lead, with the four of us roped along behind.  The guide gave commentary about the incense route, and the British and Bedouin influences in the Negev.  It was all very fascinating!

While we have been in Israel, travelling around, we have not come into contact with any unrest, though it seems it is happening near to us.  We had visited Cana, where Jesus turned the water into wine, and everything seems quiet.  We left town to see about 8 police vehicles, and some horses at a major intersection.  Returning about six hours later, they were still there, but an officer forbade us to go through Cana to return to Nazareth as it to 'dangerous'.  We wondered what had happened, and the story was told that a youth threatened a police officer with a knife, very menacingly, and a few moments later the youth was dead having been shot from behind.  We took a different route home that night, probably only twenty minutes longer.  The locals feel that justice is not served in their area, and so demonstrations were held for about three days, both in Cana and in Nazareth, protesting discrimination, and lack of justice for Arabs.  Margaret and I did not see anything of it.

We spent a couple of nights in Jerusalem, before taking Sheila to the Ben Gurion Airport at about 5am Tuesday morning.  I had picked up the car at a parking lot on Mount Hertzl the night before, and the light rail train had taken me through Har Nof, a community of Jerusalem.  It was about 10 hours later, that Tuesday night, that we learned of the killing of 4 Jewish rabbis in their place of worship in Har Nof about 7am that morning.   We had been so close, but we were very naive to the difficulties.

Katy & Margaret near Arbel, Galilee

So if anyone is wondering if the news out of Israel is affecting us, you could say, 'not physically'.  In traveling Israel, we have seen lots more soldiers in uniform, and carrying guns, than in Canada.  These soldiers and security personnel are quite affable, and easy to approach.  They always seem in good humor.  Going through bus terminals, train stations, malls, one can encounter security personnel who demand to inspect parcels, packages and bags.  On the light rail, there was a man in dress blues, maybe a security guy, whose pistol seemed easy to slip out of its holster.  I had thought easy access weaponry was only in the USA.  It is rather plentiful in Israel too!  The social milieu, and anti-terrorist policies has adjusted the psyche to the seemingly ever present danger.  They respond to threats quickly.

Today, the CEO of Nazareth Hospital, Joseph Main, summarized our special study day arranged by the chaplaincy department.  He talked of how Ananias was told to go pray for Saul who was blinded in his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus.  Ananias asked if the man he was to go lay hands on was the one commissioned to kill Christians.  Even though the answer was yes, Ananias was obedient, even at risk of his life, went to meet the man that would, in turn, as Paul, influence so much of the world for Christ, and write so much of the New Testament.  Joseph's imperative was for us, God's people, to risk loving, to make new relationships, and affect our world for Christ.

Israeli Observations

Selfie!

On Monday, we rented a car(Mazda 2) I say 'we' because Sheila, our friend from Montreal took us up on our suggestion to join us while we are in Israel.  This is her first time to to visit Israel.  So we took off to
show her Meggido, and then it was on to Ceasarea.  

Ceasarea is a harbour town, created by Herod the Great, about Jesus time, who chose the site, built a harbour, palace, replete with swimming pool, and fortifications, a 4000 seat outdoor theatre, a 10,000 seat sports arena for chariot races, etc.  It eventually became a town of about 50,000 people.  It is mentioned in the Bible as the place where Peter met Cornelius, the centurion of the Italian band, according to the KJV, and also the place where Paul was imprisoned, and where he appealed for his right to be tried as a Roman citizen.  The extensive ruins give testimony to a rather sophisicated society.

Sea of Galilee

Jordan River

The next day, we drove around the sea of Galilee.  We arrived in Tiberias about 9am, and stopped for a WIFI connection and americano at MacDonald's.  From there we traveled south, admiring the sea of Galilee, its shoreline, and clear blue colours.  About 10:30, we stopped in Yardenit, the place where the Jordan river drains the Galilee and begins its journey to the Dead Sea.  The river is not deep, and there were many fish of various sizes, visible in the shallow water.  It was very picturesque.  Sheila was ready to be re-baptized, and though there were gowns to be rented or bought, she didn't feel she had appropiate clothing, so she declined.  This is not the traditional place where John the Baptist baptized Jesus, but many pilgrims use this place because of its depth, cleanliness, and accessability.  We continued our drive, stopping for shells, sights, and sites.  The sites included where the demoniac was delivered, and pigs ran into the sea, the Jordan where it runs into the Sea of Galilee, Capernaum, Magdela, and then back to have supper in Tiberias as the sun set, darkness descended, and the moon shone.  Quite an unforgetable day.

Sunset by Tiberius

It seems incredible to think that our time is Israel will be over in about three weeks!  So far it has been fabulous!  We have made many new friends.  This evening we are going to the home of a new friend who has invited us to join his family for some Arabic food.

One down side to our time here is the fact that we have missed quite a few family celebrations.  Three of our grandchildren, our daughters, (Rachel and Laura), Simon, and Margaret had birthdays.  Simon & Laura had an anniversary.  My mother turned 94.  We were able to send greetings via BBM, Skype, etc., and that was ok, but not quite the same.   These times give me fresh appreciation to those missionaries who go out at the Lord's call and miss being physically present at the time of similiar family celebrations.

Firstfruits!

I had a wonderful thing happen in the psychiatry department last week. When I arrived around ten thirty, things were quiet on the ward. Eventually there were a few residents who emerged from their rooms. One of the young men called me aside and made the astounding statement, in English,'I want to be like you'. I asked what he meant by that, and he mumbled about 'doing charity work'. Because of the language barrier, I figured I was totally out of my league, so I suggested he talk with the guy who was to interpret my story that day, Simone. Simone is a resident of Nazareth, who is associated with Campus life, an evangelical association working mostly with students. He sat the man down, and started asking questions. It was not long before I noticed the two with bowed heads, praying. Simone explaied later the young man had become a Christian. I was so glad. Before I left, I also asked the man some questions and offered to get him a Bible. He thanked me, assuring me he already had one. I told him that according to the Bible, all heaven was rejoicing with him, and us, that he was now on a life journey with Jesus!

Day Three on the Jesus Trail

'Horns of Hattin' from the south

Wanting to complete the trail, we were up early on October 25th to catch the 8:15 bus from Nazareth Central Bus Station to Kibbutz Lavi. We managed to arrive there about 40 minutes later and along with Dorothy, walked to the Kibbutz Hotel, to have my Jesus Passport stamped. We lingered over an Americano, and then headed up to walk the top of the Horns of Hattin. 

Sea of Galilee as seen from the 'Horns of Hattin'
between Mt. Nitai, Mt. Arbel

One View from the top of 'Horns'

Druze Shrine to Moses Father-in-law, Jethro

What a view! 

The descent was rather steep, and halfway down, we detoured to Nebi Shu'eib. There we stopped to eat our bag lunch, and observe a shrine of the Druze Religion, where Moses father in law, Jethro is honored as a prophet and founder of their religion.  The Druze have distinctive dress, and head gear, but they were very shy, and declined my offer to take a picture.  

Mt. Arbel - seen from Wadi Hamam

We then proceeded to Wadi Hamam, a rather rocky and torturous descent, on a hot day, and were quite thrilled to arrive there just in time for the bus to Tiberias, and once there, grabbed the 431 to Nazareth.   Just as we disembarked from the bus, the hospital chaplain, who was driving by at that moment, recognized us and offered to take us to the hospital.  we who were weary from about 15 kms. of walking in the hot sum were very thankful.   'Shookran'  the arabic for 'thank you', rang out many times from us weary travellers.  It was another great day in Israel!

Life at Nazareth Village

This week our days at Nazareth Village began at eight thirty, and generally end at five oclock.  Buses full of people show up, from all parts of the world it seems, to hear the story. And I have taken on many different roles as a member of the village. I mentioned earlier I have been the watchman, the mason, and the carpenter. I have added the roles of olive harvester, shepherd, and donkey driver! I have also been trained to act as a guide. When a guide, I wear 20th century clothes and take a group of people, who understand English, to various areas to explain what life was like in the first century. We call it the parble walk. I humorously get to introduce Margaret as'Ruth' who may be in the kitchen, or the weaver's house, or gathering olives, or carrying water. I don't try to break the news that I am married to that first century woman!   Doing that would break the illusion of a step back in time!

I guided some Canadians from the Kitchener area. Talk about a small world.  They are volunteers in Tiberias, helping people emigrate to Israel.  We didn't exchange contact info, but I hope to meet them again, in Canada to reminise about our experiences.  I have enjoyed the South Africans, the Danes, and some from the UK. There are a lot of interesting people to meet. 

Evidently one afternoon, a beauty queen from United States showed up for a tour!  Her entourage was with her, and they took some photos with first century staff.  Margaret and I were not there that day.  We found it humorous how the male staff, especially, were glad to tell us all about it, and how beautiful she was!!

Margaret and I were extras for a video shoot of a First Century Wedding.  It happened one evening about 7 pm.  Two young American volunteers posed as Mary & Joseph, and videos where taken of us along with about a dozen others, in procession, talking and laughing, and also eating first century food.  We didn't have to learn or say lines.  I guess the audio gets dubbed in afterwards! What a lot of laughs and fun it was!

There is never a dull day at Nazareth Village!   

Walking the Jesus Trail

Margaret on the Trail!

On October 21, we walked for the second day, on what is called the 'Jesus Trail'.  It is a walk from Nazareth to Capernaum, in Galilee, that quite possibly, Jesus walked.  Following orange coloured signposts, a person will walk about 62 kilometers, visiting many of the spots where Jesus is reported to have done some exploit.  

Landscape of Galilee

The Jesus Trail starts at the Basilica of the Annunciation(where Gabriel told Mary of her upcoming pregnancy), and proceeds to Cana, where Jesus performed His first miracle, then on through the countryside to sites such as Tabgha, the Mount of Beatitudes, and then Capernaum and Peter's mother's house on the north-west corner of the Sea of Galilee.  While the actual sites are suspect, and not to be venerated, they remind us of the Biblical event.

Sample Water Jug

Church Commemorating
Jesus First Miracle

The first day, about two weeks prior we walked about 13 kilometers and ended at the Cana, where we had visited earlier.  The walk took us through a community called Mashhad, which was named, in the Bible, as the birthplace of Jonah.  There is a mosque there which  claims to house Jonah's tomb.  This is controversial, as many believe Jonah was buried in Assyria.  In Cana, Jesus turned water into wine.  On the second day we walked on a road dated the first century which was a Roman built road running between Acre and Tiberias.  Probably Jesus and Paul walked on this road.  We ended our second days walk near the 'Horns of Hattin', famed as the place of a battle by Joshua, and also the place where the Second Crusade suffered an crushing defeat at the hands of the Muslim Saladin in 1187ad.

More Landscapes!

Ruins of Roman Road

A typical event occurred this second day.  We had stopped for lunch at a local eaterie, enjoyed our Arabic salads, and afterward were misdirected, and lost our orange blazes!  We wandered around on our own for a bit, asked directions, which, with the language barrier did not go well, and finally asked another, who knew a little more English, where to get back on the trail.  At first, he told us what to do, and then, after we had gone some 50 paces, offered to take us in his pick-up.  What a help and a God-send he was.  He was truly a 'Good Samaritan' going out of his way, taking his time, for some foreigners!  The day ended with us feeling great.  After this second day, we were happily halfway complete on our quest.

New Construction in Israel

I have learned that new buildings in Israel have quite the requirements. There are three requirements that Canada does not have. New buildings must be able to withstand rocket attacks, and they must be able to withstand chemical attacks.  In addition, the third requirement, they must have a safe 

New Construct in Cana

space where occupants can retreat, during a prolonged attack, generally the basement, to live in safety.  This must add tremendously to building costs!

Even with these requirements there are lots of new buildings being built.  I include a photo of a new building, and though there may be strict building codes, it would appear,the safety codes are either not existent, or not being enforced. Pictured is a worker, on a stepladder, not tied off, at least 8 meters off the ground. What could possibly go wrong? Good thing there is a great English hospital in Nazareth if the unthinkable happens!

Weekend in Jerusalem

View of Temple Mount 

This past weekend, Margaret and I participated in Nazareth Hospital's Staff Retreat.  It was it's seventh annual weekend of spiritual reflection, and was lead by the Hospital's CEO, Joseph Main.  It was extraordinary, in my books, to have invited the staff of the Hospital, doctors, nurses, and workers, etc., to join in this time.  I have not heard of a hospital in Canada doing such a thing. Joseph lead in a discussion of:  'How do I live as a Christian at Nazareth Hospital EMMS'.  His points were: You are not alone, You have a part to play in God's Plan, Your testimony is more powerful than you think.  As minority group in a multicultural society, no one can stop you telling your experience in Jesus, even though it is illegal in Israel for Christians to try to convert people to your religion.   Over 55 people made the trek to Bethany to stay two nights at the Sister's of Charity convent.   

West Bank Barrier in Bethany

The convent runs a guesthouse, one of the nuns explained, whose proceeds is used to help children who may be orphans or who have been victims of abuse, etc.  The Israeli barrier(a concrete wall 24 ft high, topped with barbed wire and electrified, backs the convent property.  At one time a nearby gate was used to access the West Bank, but as of late has not been opened, meaning a journey of an hour rather than a few minutes, to get to the same place. I was able to see the wall. People explained the difficulty of separation from family, friends, markets, and even their own farm land.  Being that Israel has placed the fenced beyond the Green line of 1967, they have effectively claimed almost 10 percent more for the state of Israel.  All this makes life difficult for the people of the West Bank, and is very irritating.

Garden of Gethsemene

During the weekend, there was some free time. On Saturday Margaret and I visited the Church of the Teardrop, where Jesus weep over the city of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives, and also the Church for all Nations which keeps the Garden of Gethsemane.  On Sunday afternoon, we were taken to the Damascus Gate, and walked through what is called the Arab Quarter to follow the nine stations of the Via Dolorosa, ending at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and then visited the Western Wall.  There are still many things to see and experience in Jerusalem.  We intend to get there again before returning to Canada!

The Western Wall

The day we were there, the Old City was busy with many tourists, and pilgrims visiting the Holy Sites, whether Christian, Jewish, or Muslim.  We should have been excited by all the spirituality, but actually we came away sad.  Jesus talked about people having no Shepherd, about the blind leading the blind, about being 'lost' or missing from His family, and the meal He has prepared.  I came away thinking, that while this experience was all very exciting, it made my heart ache that so many have missed the simple truth He talked about.  May we all have eyes for Him and His Glory, rather than any substitutes!

A Little Canadian Thanksgiving in Nazareth

Last Thursday, I managed to pull off pumpkin pie! I have never made pie before, let at all a pumpkin, but figured with a recipe, how hard can it be? I found out: really hard. First of all, there was a problem of finding pumpkins. We went downtown to the markets, and though we checked numerous stores, we didn't see the familiar orange gourds anywhere. We asked the proprietor, but they couldn't help because of the language difficulty. The program director, Nehi, politely heard my apology and asking forgiveness for even suggesting such a thing, but responded with, 'we have it'. She made a phone call, and informed me two pumpkins would arrive in half an hour. I was horrified! Now I had to locate ingredients. How do you do that when everything is written in a foreign language, called by unfamiliar names? I stumbled down to the hospital kitchen, and enlisted the help of 'Mona' who thankfully had a clue what I was talking about. She gave me, flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger, milk, eggs, and a bottle of cooking oil. I had no nutmeg, cloves, shortening, rolling pin, and only a web page of directions. When I got back to the ward, I was quite certain whatever I made would not taste at all like pumpkin pie! By now, though, I was determined to give it my best shot. When I stepped into the occupational therapy common room all eyes were directed my way! Another member of the chaplaincy team, explained the problem I would have with the length of time to would take to bake. I was devastated. Then Stacey

explained someone from her home in the United States had sent her two cans of pumpkin pie filling, and she offered to drive to her home to get it. Stacey advised me to combine the flour, butter, and salt to some water to make the pastry. This I proceeded to do, and when done Stacey was back with the filling and other supplies. The pie turned into a tray of squares as we wanted about 20 people to enjoy a piece. While we added spices to the filling, Dorothy, another volunteer from the chaplain team, carved the pumpkins into jack o' lanterns. Amazingly everything turned out fantastic! I had explained the North American tradition of Thanksgiving, shown pictures of Autumn colours, encouraged all to have a thankful spirit, and topped it off with a taste. It was all very good, thanks to a wonderful team effort. It seems like it was a great hit. It was more than edible, it was delicious. Stacey even topped it off with a spot of whipped cream! What a great chaplaincy team, to make it happen so well! The residents enjoyed the taste, and the jack-o-lanterns were also a hit, making it quite the memorable experience. They have never had anything quite like it!

Babies, Babies and More Babies!

Nazareth Hospital, or The English Hospital which is what everyone in town seems to call it, is privately owned by Nazareth Trust (NT). The SERVE Nazareth program that we are volunteering with, is part of NT also. It is a privately owned hospital that began as a missionary society. In 1981, Israeli Healthcare Reform named the Nazareth Hospital as the official district hospital for the Nazareth area. Although it remains Christian in principle, the hospital neither hires nor treats patients preferentially.

My wee charges

On Wednesdays & Thursdays, I volunteer in the nursery on the maternity ward of the hospital. I cannot begin to say how much I enjoy working with the staff, but even more so with the babies. At 7:15am (yes folks, that's right, I'm at work at 7:15am!), when the day shift begins, we start the morning routine. Each baby is weighed and has blood work done by a nurse. Usually, another nurse then baths them in the sink, and I dry and dress them. Sometimes I do the bathing also, depending on how many babies are there that day.

When I first started, I felt the nurses were 'rough' with the babies, quickly undressing them, quickly bathing them, and then 'dumping' them unceremoniously, naked and screaming, on a towel in front of me to dress. After a couple days, I realized that when you have 20 babies to do this with, you have to do it quickly! It really is best for the baby to get it over with, and then get them all snug back in their beds. I'm a little more gentle in my approach, but I can do that because it isn't my 'job'. I'm just a volunteer!

Twins!

As I coo to them, wrap them in the towel, carefully drying not only their heads of voluminous black hair, but every little crease in their tiny, perfectly formed bodies (as my mother taught me to do), I whisper a prayer for them...that they would continue to grow strong and healthy, to be good and kind people, and most important, that God would place people in their lives who would show them Jesus love, and that they in turn, would follow Him. I LOVE them all! Each one is a miracle from God. When I see their fathers come in, the huge, huge grins of pride and joy on their faces with the amazement and wonder of holding their child, I'm many times brought to tears, as you can all imagine I'm sure!

Then, about 9:30am, the doctors come to do their examinations. So, we undress them all again, making sure their diapers are clean, the doc looks at them...and makes them scream again...and then we redress them and soothe them back to sleep or they are taken to their moms to feed.

Made in His image

Often, a mother is not feeling well enough, or the baby is having trouble nursing, or the mother doesn't have enough milk yet for her baby, so I feed them with a syringe. Golly...they are so adorable with that milk running down their chin, and there eyes all droopy and sweet. I LOVE them! (did I say that before??) Then there is also the laundry to be folded and put away, beds to be changed, gurneys to take to the theatre (operating room), picking up things from the lab and pharmacy,new baby packets to make up, and paper towels to cut up for wipes.

Language is definitely a barrier communicating with the nurses, but they have been very kind, and we have had some good laughs about my interpretation of their instructions. You have to have a fairly tough skin or you could get the feeling that they are talking about you often, which, as I found out, is often the case! Oh well, I do my best, and the babies don't laugh at me, so I'm OK!

I have felt a certain pride, and definitely relief, when a few times I have been the one to notice a baby in distress...puking an excessive amount of brown fluid out of their nose and mouth, or having serious trouble breathing...called a nurse, and they have had to respond quickly with medical aid.

In my element

I believe God has guided me in these circumstances, and yet again, I feel that this awe-inspiring, amazing experience, totally out of character for Lloyd and I, has been ordained by the Lord, and we are simply an instrument in His hands.

Love and miss you all!
Margaret

Progess!

I feel like I have been having favour in the Mental Health Department, here at the English Hospital. I am generally there on Wednesday and Thursday mornings, and the program director allows me to tell a story to the dozen or

At Megiddo

so mainly Muslim residents. This past week, I told another parable, and intimated that I may just tell a good story, and not a Bible story in the future. I was amazed that someone responded 'Please tell another Bible story as it makes me want to read the Bible'. I was amazed because this came from a gentleman who writes stories! Also, I mentioned Canadian Thanksgiving, and they were all interested, and the program director suggested I tell them about this holiday. Before I could think twice, I had volunteered to make pumpkin pie! I have never done this before, so I have been into google to get an easy recipe! The good news is that it will be a new dish to them, so they have nothing to compare it to! In addition, as I was leaving, another resident exclaimed, I hope you stay a long time, as you have brought hope to this ward.  

The Hospital has a motto 'Healing in Jesus Name for over 150 Years'. The Scottish Medical Missionary Society had maintained a great reputation, and are overtly Christian, yet very sensitive to the fact that in Nazareth they are a minority, ministering to a predominately Arab culture. Everyone gets along, and are quite open about their faith allegiance. Even the gentleman collecting the garbage, on first meeting, greets me with, 'I am a Christian'. 

Megiddo Info

There are still things I am getting used to: Arabic coffee - a little shot of strong expresso, no sugar, no milk, offered as a gesture of friendship. The price of things - I had thought things would be a little less expensive here, but no, a litre of gasoline is about $2.25. A regular size cup of Americano coffee is about 4.25. 200 grams of cheddar is about $7. Bus transportation, which we use frequently to get places, is very inexpensive compared to Canada. Israeli drains - they are described as ancient, so everyone places used toilet tissues in the waste bin, so as to not plug the system. 

Descending to Megiddo Spring

Last week Margaret & I were treated to a visit to tel Megiddo by the head chaplain, Suheil Bathish. Over twenty civilizations were built over some 4000 years on this site, and archeological excavations add creedance to the Biblical narrative of Solomon's stables, King Ahab, and Jeroboam II. The view of the Jezreel Valley is fantastic, and images of Armageddon play on the mind. The engineering skills of these ancient peoples were incredible.

We are looking forward to going to Jerusalem this coming weekend.  This has been arranged by Serve Nazareth. The Nazareth Hospital CEO. Joseph Main, will be leading this reflective time, with some 55 people in attendance.  There will be some free time to visits some sites.  

The Ongoing Saga

Its hard to believe four weeks have about past since we arrived in Israel. In some ways we have settled in and yet some things we are still getting used to. We understand that newly weds celebrate their weddings for a few days, and they like to ignite fireworks. What is unusual for us is that it seems like every night the hills reverberate. This would never happen in Canada as a neighbour would complain, and a friendly police officer would make a visit. In addition, as Nazareth is predominately Muslim, there are five daily calls to prayer, where wailing is broadcast from high minarets for about five minutes for everyone to hear. I guess it is allowed as church bells also ring out church times! The other issue is litter! There in no stigma about tossing things out on the ground. I have taken to carrying a 'grabber' to collect litter as I walk around the hospital property, to try to tidy things up! We never have a shortage of things to do. We have our volunteer work. Margaret likes the maternity ward, caring for newborns. This week she a set of tended twins! I have been very accepted on the in the mental health unit, telling stories to mostly Muslims!
At Nazareth Village they have me play a number of roles. I started as a watchman, then was a 'tekton' which is the Greek word for Jesus' occupation. The literal translation of tekton is not just a carpenter of wood as is usually assumed, but a master builder or architect. I have been shoring up terrace walls which were showing signs of erosion and posing as Joseph in the carpenter shop, using first century tools to bore a 1x3 square inch hole in a 3.5 inch piece of eucalyptus. I assisted in the kitchen to feed over 200 people a meal of lentil soup, bread, dips, and chicken. I also served as tour guide, escorting a Norwegian group of 50 students, and then a group of about 20 mostly Americans. Margaret was helping to pick olives this week, and starting Monday, we will be using the olive press to start making olive oil.
Also this week, I did a meditation at Hospital chapel, and have been asked to do a devotional at the English service on Sunday evening, along with Margaret leading some worship songs.
It is Yom Kippur in Israel today. I had thought I could be part of some celebration, but no. No driving is allowed for Jews today. In fact, you may have stones thrown at you while driving in a Jewish neighbourhood. Muslims also have a high day. So all in all, it has been a very quiet day! A day for quiet, rest, family time, reflection, and, relaxation. Sounds like sabbatical!

Dead Sea Visit

Along with another volunteer with SERVENazareth, we rented a car, and visited two famous sites at the Dead Sea, September 29th. Namely, Masada, and En Gedi. I was especially gratified to walk in the En Gedi Nature Reserve. Twenty eight years ago, my previous visit to Palestine, the tour was too quick to stop at this stop. The Judean Desert, meets the Dead Sea in a barren landscape called 'the lowest place on earth', 420 meters (1200 feet) below sea level. It was 36 degrees, while we were there! The miracle of En Gedi, is that in this hot arid place where it hardly ever rains, there is an oasis! The oasis exists because out of the cliffs, hidden away, there are a a number of fresh water springs. A wide variety of flora and fauna, exist at this site. Ibex and rock hyrax are common. King David, according to Chronicles, hid from an angry and jealous King Saul in this area three thousand years ago. All this is a picture of how our relationship with Jesus can be an oasis, or refreshing rest in the time of dryness. We took the cable car to the top of Herod the Great's winter fortress and palace called Masada. Our hearts were stirred by the resolution of the Jewish rebels who held out against vastly superior Roman forces. When the Romans realized they couldn't starve the Jewish rebels out and that they were unable to defeat the rebels because of their superior position in the fortress, they used Jewish slaves to build a ramp and battering ram to the fortress. Rather than kill their fellow slaves or become slaves themselves, or worse yet, endure abuse and humiliation by their enemy, they chose to commit suicide, and died as heroes. It challenges me as I think about my own determination to not succumb to giving up freedom, even if it means sacrifice of my physical life for the cause of Christ. Needless to say, we had a dip in the salty Dead Sea, amazed by our buoyancy, and chagrined when we accidentally got water in our eyes!

A view of the En Gedi landscape

David's Falls in En Gedi

View of the Dead Sea from the En Gedi Nature Reserve

Margaret at the En Gedi Nature Reserve

The desolate landscape around Masada

A view from the top of Masada

Trip to Galilee

Yesterday Margaret and I went with the Serve Nazareth team on a day trip to Galilee. what a delightful time we had together. The trip was organized by our team leader, Christine Farah, and we had in our company her supervisor, two Americans, a Brit, and a Romanian. We all piled into a VW min-bus, whose driver was Arab. We first drove to Cana, where Jesus turned the water into wine. We entered a little church there where some excavations displayed first century ruins. There was also a huge vat on display. Exiting that building we swung by a souvenir shop where the proprietor was very gracious. Breakfast was zatar on bread that was wonderfully delicious. Our next major stop was Arbel National Park. We climbed down a steep descent down a cliff, overlooking the Sea of Galilee. Pictures don't capture the image as well as seeing it in real! Besides the trail, there was a castle/fortress to explore, a cool stream to wade, and ripe cactus fruit to taste! We then visited a number of churches. They all commemorated an event in Jesus ministry. The Mount of Beatitudes, the feeding of the five thousand, the place where Peter was asked 'do you love me', the ruin's of Peter's house, in the ruins of Capernaum, where Jesus did most of His ministry, and the place where Jesus called the disciples. Before returning to Nazareth, our driver took us to Tiberias, and we boarded a wooden boat for a 40 minute ride on the Sea of Galilee. This was followed by a delicious supper at the Heritage, a rather fancy restaurant in Tiberias. It was the icing on the cake of an unforgettable delightful day, all planned by Christine. We all retired for the night, tired but happy, thinking of all the sights we had seen, most of which was great scenery, which probably had not changed much in 2000 years. The other great assurance of the day was that the Bible and the stories of Jesus, are rooted in space and time. The Bible is not a just a collection of myths, but occurred in real time.

On top of Mount Arbel before our hair raising climb down!

Ruins at Capernaum

Climbing down Mount Arbel. Thankful for ropes to hang onto!

Looking out of a cave on Mount Arbel.

The beautiful Sea of Galilee.

Working at Nazareth Hospital

The normal routine is developing that on Wednesdays and Thursdays we are at Nazareth Hospital doing our duties. I have been visiting patients and having to learn names like Nehi, Husam, Mahmoud, Thabit, Xair, Delal, Belal, Hani, Yosef, Tarek, Suheil, Simon, Rose, etc., I generally need someone to translate for me, which is very awkward. There are some English speaking patients, and with them I get on quite well. I hear quite the stories. Today I met a man that said he was in the army in Gaza five years ago, and he felt the Lord telling him he had to leave, He spoke to his commanding officer who let him leave the army and Gaza. Three days later, his close army connections were all dead. This man felt that God had preserved his life, and is living near Nazareth, with his wife and children. No more war for him as he wants peace, and to serve his Lord. There are chapel services to attend, it is all in Arabic, with some translating into English, They use chorus books which you open from the back. All tunes unfamiliar to me! They sing with conviction and passion, and tell of God's goodness and their conversion to Christ. Truly my brothers and sisters in Christ! Everyone I meet is friendly, hospitable,and very helpful. We have had a couple of unusual visitors. One afternoon as Margaret and I approached the door to our flat, a grey lizard, about 10 inches long scurried away, and headed into the underbrush. Today, in chapel a six inch lizard appeared on the horizontal beam of the cross and disappeared behind the vertical one! I found it quite amusing, and was going to point at it, but no one else seemed to notice, so I just let them carry on! Margaret worked the last two days in the maternity ward. She had to bathe, change and dress the babies. She quite enjoyed herself, though it was quite busy with about 10 newborns with lots of black hair!

The chapel at Nazareth Hospital