Cooking dinner on a stone.......that's all!

One of the places we discovered twenty years ago for a unique Middle Eastern experience was at a hotel called Seven Arches Hotel.  It is still here today although twenty years time shows in the wear and tear on the place.  They still have a restaurant however and so we decided to try it out again.

 Yep!  Cooking our steak and chicken on a 450 degree slab of marble.  Oriental salad spread and more than we could eat.  Grease splattering all over our laps, rock cooking the meat and heating our faces.....YEP!....a true Middle Eastern experience.

On a lighter note.......laundry day!

Since some of you have asked.....this is how I do laundry.

Out my front door of our apartment...

Down two different hallways...

Laundry basket in tow...yes that is duct tape and a bungee cord...

I think this bottle makes our clothes either extra shiny and bright or fills them with extra oxygen?

The biggest bag of detergent I have ever seen.  I have to stand on my tippy toes to reach the 

measuring cup......I miss the smell of my "American laundry."

The faculty and service couples have the luxury of having our own laundry room...complete with 3 washers and three dryers....all with English instructions!  And then we have the same love note reminders just like I used to tell my own kids while growing up.  

We are fortunate to have this modern convenience so close to home!

Adventure for today....Mahane Yehuda or the Shuk.

With Ron at the wheel and me as the "approved and agreed to" front seat driver, we set off to find the outdoor fresh market located in West Jerusalem.  It is known as the Mahane Yehuda Shuk.  Car checked out from the JC, own grocery bags in hand, and iPad ready for action!  We headed out and made it to the bottom of the hill turning left at the first stoplight instead of the second.  Something interesting about driving here is that if you make an incorrect turn you can't just do a "U" turn at the closest spot to get back on track.  U turns are illegal as is turning right on a red light.  So....after a longer than desired re-routing move we got back on track.  Because we have been here a number of times and lived here for a period of time, several landmarks look very familiar and after many, many honks and a few close calls with fellow drivers, we made it!  Hopefully the following pictures give you a slight glimpse into organized chaos.  I just wish I could somehow figure out how to include the smells!

SWEETS ANYONE?!?!

How about pasta by the Kilo!

I have never seen so many kinds and colors of olives in my life!  These put those Western Family olives in a can to shame!

Nuts and candy that rivals Willy Wonkas factory!

It was a great trip!  

There were a few areas of the market that I just couldn't bring myself to take a picture let alone walk down the street....the meat and fish area...instant nausea!

Maybe now you can imagine the smell!

I wonder what tomorrow will bring?  Oh yea, it's time to do laundry!

Teacher. Student. Classroom.

The students arrived this past Wednesday.  60 wonderful young men and women who are in for an incredible experience.  They had a couple of days filled with mtgs. and instructions to help them become better acquainted with the Jerusalem Center, their surroundings and academic expectations...oh did they try so very hard to stay awake for everything! Jet lag should almost be over and so let the teaching and learning begin!

Generally, Ron teaches Old Testament Tues. through Fri. in the classroom here at the JC.  I just love that he still chooses to wear his white shirts and a tie (he has been given the option not to wear a tie but after teaching with white shirt/tie for 34 years,

 he just felt better teaching the gospel that way...I approve!). 

He has 30 students in his class and spouses and service couples are invited to sit in as well...as long as we sit in the back and say nothing!  I know, I know.....me say nothing?!?!?!

Here is his great class!  Can you find your son or daughter? 

The teacher.  Dr. Ronald Dean Anderson- religion

Dr. Jeffrey R. Chadwick-Ancient Near East Teacher

THE STUDENTS!

Today's classroom, August Victoria Church and Hospital.

Singing hymns inside the church.  Amazing acoustics!

Atop Nabi Samwil, a site that honors the Prophet Samuel and a vantage point where we viewed geographical features to help us better understand some of the Holy Land's main formations that affected biblical and post-biblical events.  These two teachers are so very knowledgeable.

Standing in an actual ancient Olive Garden.

It is said that this tree is up to 500 years old.

Teaching from Jabalpur Mar Elyas.  A hilly spur projecting southward from the plateau south of Jerusalem.  It overlooks the valley separating the area of Jerusalem from that of Bethlehem.

Our first field trip.  A fantastic day.

Two brilliant teachers.  30 great students.  And nature's classrooms.

Thanks for stopping by! 

First trip to the Old City....three times in one week!

When visiting or living in Jerusalem, one walking trip that literally calls out your name and beckons you to come is a trip to the Old City. The Old City is a trip back in time 2000 years.  Stone walls, eight ancient gates leading into the walled city, steps and more steps, sights and smells that cannot be reproduced anywhere in the world.

We couldn't wait to make the walk from the Jerusalem Center to the Old City.  It is HOT here right now but we just had to do it.  Out the lower entrance of the JC (Jerusalem Center), down the very busy, honk filled streets of our neighboring city, Atur.  Past Wadi Joz to our right and the Palestinian Costco (or so we call it that since you can buy things in bulk there) on our left.  Up one more section of busy street and then there it is...right in front of you! 

When we took a look back at where we just came from this was our view.  So many breathtaking views.  An overwhelming amount of scripture, history and archeology...right out our front door.

Pinch me again today...

Twenty years ago.

Twenty years ago from this past July Ron and I made a brave decision, took a huge risk, sold practically all that we owned and moved our family to Israel.  Our children were ages 2,4,6,8, and 10.  Many of our friends (out in north Orem) will remember that time.  Some of you thought it sounded like and adventure but more of you thought we were crazy.

One of the first things Ron and I knew we would do when we arrived  two weeks ago was to go visit the area where we lived with our family.  This is a picture of Janus Korchek elementary school where we enrolled our three oldest children.  It is a Hebrew speaking school and at the time we told our children that the only thing we wanted them to do was learn one new word in Hebrew each day.  It was from this very spot that I cried for the first and only time while sending my kids to school.  There were times when we wondered if it was the right thing to do but as the years have gone by we have never had any regrets.

Something else on our "to do while we are in Israel" list was to see if we could locate the woman who came to our home 5 days a week and tutored  the kids to learn Hebrew.  We kept in touch with her for years but then as things will have it sometimes, we lost track of each other.  I still had her address so last sabbath we drove around and LOOK WHAT WE  FOUND!  We found her apt., with her family name still on it.  As we approached her door both Ron and I got butterflies in our stomachs.  She was such a wonderful woman and so good to our children and I give her a lot of credit for helping our kids survive for the time we were here.  We knocked...no answer.  We rang the doorbell....no answer. We decided to drive a little bit more to be sure we knew where some key shopping stores were and then went back to try her apt. again.  Still no answer.  We wrote a note in Hebrew and English and left it in her mailbox with our phone number. Have not heard from her yet so maybe we will try again this sabbath to find our dear friend Michal Shor.

Here we are now....look at those kids all growed up!  They are all married and so far we have eight grandchildren.  They are husbands and wives, mothers and fathers and from what I can tell those 18 months we spent living in Israel served them well.

Carillon Bells...and WE got to play them!

In the heart of West Jerusalem, right across from the King David Hotel (Google it!) is the YMCA.  We had a most wonderful experience with Bro. and Sis. Jones.  The Jones' are a service couple, from Rexburg, Idaho, who are responsible for musical events, organ playing, group tours, and anything else music oriented.  Monday they drive into the YMCA and ring in the eleventh hour, play music until noon and then ring in the noon hour all on these carillon bells (Google it!). They invited us to come along and a bonus invitation to actually play the bells!

These bells can be heard throughout all of West Jerusalem for all the people to hear!  It was quite exciting for all of us there.  Thanks Jones'.

For a little history about the YMCA please read the plaque below.

After our little concert we had a lovely lunch and walked around the building.  This part of the world has some of the most beautiful architecture.  Every corner we turn there is another arch, another hallway with stone floors and beautiful doors and doorways, pillars, and statues.  

Absolutely beautiful!