Happy Tears

Last day. Tears for sure, but I have prayed that I wouldn't only cry my way through this day. Kindly, Natalie treated me to one more field trip, even though she wasn't feeling a 100% today. We walked to the other side of the Old City and out to the Jerusalem Archaeological Park. The ruins there go back more than 2000 years. We sat on the actual steps that would have been present when Jesus dwelt  in this area. He walked there. He taught there. God Himself became man and lived among us. His perfect life, ultimately, was offered for a covering for my iniquities. I am grateful.

We enjoyed lunch out. Where there is a good crowd, usually good food can be found. Delicious schwarma! A must have if you ever visit. Then we headed back toward Shevet.

I had one more thing I wanted to pick up in the Christian quarter before I left , so we did one last swing through one of the most interesting shopping places I  have ever experienced. These are things I have heard from shopkeepers or vendors in the last 3 weeks...

"How many camels for your daughter?" -Shopkeeper in Jerusalem

Vendor: "Are you sisters?"

Shopkeeper: "Let me show you my shop.

Natalie: "No, thank you."

Shopkeeper: "I will never forgive you."

Shopkeeper: "Your twins!"

Vendor: "Young ladies, may I show you my goods?"

Shopkeeper: "Would you like to see my goods?"

Natalie: "No"

Shopkeeper: "Why are you so sad? You need to smile?"

My time here has been as precious as I could have hoped. Just spending three weeks with my daughter, serving together has been worth it all. She has been gracious in giving up the lower bunk and doing the acrobatics necessary to make it to the top bunch each night for my good. We've shared good life discussions at the local coffee shop. I have watched her enjoy the "game" of communicating with people you don't share a common language with and she is good at it. I freeze up in fear a bit each time I am put in this situation. I have heard her say, "I don't mind"  to doing the behind the scenes, less desirable jobs. Mostly, I have valued just being at the friend stage of life, serving the Lord together.

I expect more tears tonight as I say good-bye to her and my new friends here at Shevet. Each is a treasure. But so are my family and friends back home. So I am going from blessed place to blessed place. Happy tears. God is good.

Who is Really at our Table?

Galya is her name. She joined us for Shabbat meal the second week I was here. She is originally from the Ukraine. Natalie told her our story of visiting and adopting from there as Jonathan translated to her. Then we saw her sitting on benches nearby regularly. We greeted her with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. She speaks Hebrew. I don't. Well except for "Shalom"-hello or "To da"-thank you. One day she saw Natalie and I and put her finger up as to say "wait" then she began digging through her bags. She pulled out a package of Strawberry/Banana Marshmallows...a gift of thanks for sharing Shabbat with her we decided. We brought them home to share with everyone. Seemed each day we would see her. Then she was at our Shabbat table again. Two weeks in a row. I learned our director and another volunteer had been inviting her for weeks to join our community for this special Friday evening meal. She sits quiet and seemingly content with us. Much of the chatter around the table is in English, but from time to time someone will translate a message to her. Yesterday evening she was in our living room as she waited to speak with our director. When she saw me, up went the finger again..."wait"...she dug through her bags and pulled out 2 individual servings of pudding...dark chocolate...hmm...my favorite. I thanked her with a hug and a kiss and left the room awkwardly. Her old, tired face and posture has been heavy on my mind since. Was I not looking at Jesus? She has given me gifts. Why? What can I offer her? I asked that of a friend here. He suggested kindness. Acknowledging a homeless woman in this culture restores a small sense of dignity. Kindness, I will try. I know I am really seeing Jesus.

"And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'" Matthew 25:40

For the whole story...Matthew 25:31-46

Unexpected Moments

My daughter and I decided to walk the ramparts of Old City Jerusalem this morning. At Jaffa gate, you can buy a ticket to get up on top of the wall and walk much of the perimeter in two different directions. The stones along the top, like most of the stones of the streets, are very smooth from centuries of people walking on them.  Footing can seem a bit slippery in spots.  Because they are so smooth and seemingly polished, I think they are also quite beautiful. I didn't expect the walls along the sides of the top to be so tall. I thought I would have long views of the city in both directions. Silly me, these ramparts are where the men protecting the city would have defended her from. Makes sense that there were window like spaces along the way for them to see out...in those space we could see out too.


We headed first in the direction of the Armenian quarter and got off at Mt. Zion. The church there was the site of the Last Supper, is the traditionally respected place of King David's Tomb, and was the place of Pentecost. The site of the Last Supper, according to my fabulous tour guide, is a building that has been destroyed and rebuilt a few times. The current room was rebuilt by the Arabs, hence you'll see writing in Arabic in the stained glass windows. It is a very beautiful old stone room, and though maybe Jesus didn't kneel in this actual room to wash his disciples feet, he very likely did so in some space very near here. He left each with a vivid reminder of serving others and not expect to be served. Meandering through the church site, we entered the place where King David's Tomb is kept. The tomb has a dividing curtain and two entrances exist, one for the men to enter and the other side for women to see it. Tears came to my eyes as I entered for all I could think of...he was a man after God's own heart. My reaction today surprised me. As I serve with volunteers here, I observed people who are after God's own heart...I hear it in their worship, in their prayers, in the passion to understand and apply scripture. I am challenged by them to be more diligent, less lazy, in my own pursuit of knowing our God and pursuing His own heart.

"... God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’" Acts 13:22

A Date with My Daughter

Some days are unexpected gifts.

Today looked to be a rather easy day, with one group going off to the hospital and then airport and the rest of us doing our basic duties here. Three of us took on the cleaning chores and finished by 11:00 am. This is a first, so my daughter and I decided to take advantage of a half day out and about.

We relaxed at a one of a kind, local coffee shop for lunch. She had pancakes topped with chocolate and caramel (looked more like dessert than breakfast), and I had Jerusalem Salad, a mix of tomato, cucumber, beats, and lettuce. This establishment reminds me of Dunn Brothers back home. Many books on the shelves for purchase, mostly in Hebrew of course, but a few in foreign languages. I like the shelf that says Hebrew classics in English.

After lunch, we meandered our way through the Old City to make a few purchases at some of our favorite shops. These shop owners we know always offer juice or tea and time to chat. They seem not just interested in our purchases, but enjoy discussing life. They are familiar and supportive of Shevet Achim. I am becoming more and more aware of the respected reputation this ministry has in the city. As we traverse through the Old City, I am starting to be able to tell the differences of the different quarters. Cues such as what is offered for sale, the look of the owners, what they are wearing on their head or not, the tidiness of the shop spaces, and the general make up of the shoppers in the area are clues.

Having not yet visited the Garden Tomb, we determined this would be a good place to go as well. Though it may not be the actual tomb Jesus was buried in, it shows what a rich man's tomb (Joseph of Arimathea) would have looked like. The garden was not overly populated by tourists and we relaxed on a quiet bench for awhile.

After coming home, we finished the evening by watching the excellent movie "Something the Lord has Made." This movie tells the story of ground breaking research done in the 40's-50's to save the lives of "blue babies". The research of that time is literally what is saving the lives of the children Shevet Achim is helping bring to Israel for surgery.

Thank you, Father, for the precious gift of today. Quality time talking though this day made it a treasure.

"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

The Door is Always Open

Flexibility and hospitality are an essential way of life here.

In the current 48 hours....
... an American family of 8 who consider themselves wandering missionaries and have a heart for Muslims joined us for the celebration going home party for Sarina and Sarchil last night...they are off to France for 2 months
...another family of 4 from Jordan who are friends of the founder also dropped by for the celebration
 ...a new volunteer arrived from Germany this morning at 3 am...she is a nurse and a darling gal...looking forward to getting to know her...two of our young staff members were up in the night to meet her at the Tel Aviv airport
...2 families left today..a Kurdish mother and her daughter and another mother and her son...hearts healed!
...2 staff members left to take these two families to Jordan...though we'll see them in a couple days we still sent them off with hugs and a couple bags of snacks for the journey (pita, fruit, cucumbers, cheese, water, cookies)...when they return they will bring another mother and son
...those 2 staff members are also picking up one of our long term staff guys who has been gone the last week and a half out of need to renew his visa to return...he says he is enjoying the quiet time away...but he sure calls often
...a volunteer from Sweden leaves tomorrow...she is a beautiful young woman of grace and kindness...we romped through Hezekiah's tunnel together and shops in the Old City...she feels like one of my daughters...so glad to have had time to get to know her and talk about the truths of the Christian faith
...at dinner we had a young woman who is here from New Zealand serving as a volunteer in the Israeli army
...we are not always sure how many places to set for dinner, but always are ready to add another...or two

Daily we see how a mutual love for the LORD makes our hearts one with many brothers and sisters in Christ who walk through the door. As we live inspired by His love first for us, we hope and pray to draw others into His family.

Changing faces are the way of life at Shevet and it is a blessing!

Loving the Impatient

"As a father shows compassion to His children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear Him." Psalm 103:13

God's love for us is as high as the heavens are above the earth the psalm goes on to say. This verse gives an analogy most of us can relate to. Parental love. We understand the tenderness we have for our children, or the tenderness we may have received from a parent. It is undeniable. Right?

That it is why the last several days have been so perplexing. One of the children here had surgery and has been recovering well, for the most part. One critical piece of the road to recovery, though, is making sure the INR factor of his blood is just right. Too far one way or the other means to thick or too thin of blood. One direction increases the factor of clots, the other direction means danger in the case of a cut and his blood not being able to clot. It is a life threatening condition and medications need to be adjusted correctly for his well being. As a parent, isn't it natural to want the best for your child's health?

In this child's case, that has not seemed to be the priority. This child's mother has struggled for the last week and a half. She is ready to be home. She has a 3 month old baby there. We don't know what kind of pressure she is hearing from home. On more than one occasion she has said she is leaving with or without her son. She doesn't care if he dies. Yes, you read that correctly. She has said, she doesn't care if he dies. She has spoken this openly in front of him. Our hearts break. We continue to love him. Reassuring him of how grateful to God we are for him. We continue to love her. Reassuring her that God is with them in this and cares for what is best for her son. How do we handle her determination to leave?

God's grace. Today this boy's blood tests came back within a safe range. Thank you, Lord. Tonight we celebrate their departure now scheduled for tomorrow. In spite of past attitudes, we hope the example of looking out for the well being of this boy, be one that follows this mother home.

"Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's." Psalm 103:1-5

Living in Community

Shevet Achim is a community of people living together to serve the Lord. The faces of the community change, for example I am here for 3 weeks, my daughter 2 months, another gal has been here 2 years. Volunteers come and go so organization and communication are vital for the smooth operation as responsibilities change from person to person. Currently, nine of us live at the location and three more come most days to serve who live in Jerusalem.

A few things I am appreciating...

1. Morning meetings- We gather almost everyday at 8am for worship, Bible study and prayer. Without remembering first that we are doing this work unto the Lord, it would just be a humanitarian work. At the end of this time, we receive our assignments for what needs to be done on that given day. Trips to the hospital, shopping, writing blogs, preparing dinner, working with the children and mothers, housecleaning, and so on are all divided out among the staff. The gifts of the body of Christ are put to work for His glory.

2. The "Book of Fun", as Natalie calls it. This notebook has listed out the areas of the house that need to be cleaned each day with specific tasks noted. For example, today's jobs included cleaning out the refrigerator, cleaning the tea pot, filling the tea station, cleaning the stove top, scrubbing the bathrooms and cleaning the living room, dining room and entry. With that the everyday jobs included washing dishes, drying and putting away, wiping appliances, sweeping and mopping, picking up liter in the garden, washing laundry, hanging on line, folding and putting away, and emptying trashes. The organization of these tasks helps keep the place looking spiffy and guides those who come to serve in this capacity.

3. Shared basic responsibilities. On the pantry door is a list of nine basic jobs that rotate week to week. Cooking dinner (this is a daily signup), setting the table, clearing the table (everyone), washing dishes, drying dishes (after dinner), cleaning the counter tops, taking out the trash, mopping the floor, preparing Gaza lunches. One rule seems to be stated most every night, if you cook, you don't wash dishes, but it is appreciated if you clean them as you can as you prepare. From my point of view, this adds to the fun of life together... "many hands make light work."

4. The open communication. I am trying to find my footing here, but a couple different times I have had a team member apologize to me for something that was done, or not communicated. Because I don't know what the "expectation" is for many things, I am appreciating their proactive openness in communication.

5. Grace. Where things don't go perfectly, their is no condemnation.