At times life feels like a dream….
It’s hard waking up.
thanks for the good time.
to tel aviv,
from our hearts to yours,
glassy eyes
quiet sighs
we hate goodbyes
dynamic duo?
we say NO!
without you we won’t go
so grateful
for moments never dull
He is so faithful
we had to part
another season to start
these memories forever in our heart
may vision arise
without compromise
we hate goodbyes.
we love you,
Bet Shemesh and Bethlehem
we were scheduled to leave 10 minutes ago for the airport….
So there were a lot of firsts today – a lot of new experiences. We’ve never been to Bethlehem before or allow our Arab brother Lamaan be in charge of our lives. We had connected with an Arabic Christian family – but only two nights previous, so I’d call the experience fairly new. We’ve never been to the supposed sight of birth, or in the fields where Shepherds were watching their flocks by night, or where Jesus may have gotten the sweet hook up from the Wise Men.
We’ve never been forced fed so much Arabic food, topped off with extra strong Arabic coffee – that a couple of us had never had. We’ve never spoke french with an Arabic woman who proposed for her son (please congratulate Beth Shemmesh). We’ve never seen humongous pools thousands of years old (from Solomon’s day), caves thousands of years old, or drove in a Fiat 127 more than 30 years old. We’ve never seen such an incredible automobile – complete with manual A/C, manual sound system, a choke, performance wiper (no ‘s’), and a magical-musical rattle that could soothe even the savage beast. We’ve never been stopped by Palestinian Authorities while driving said Fiat that we had never driven before – without license or insurance or Arabic skills.
I’m always up for new experiences, but today, well, let’s just say we had our fill.
30 jan. 10:41 am to tel aviv–IMPORTANT: dance practice today at 2pm. be at the yellow couch near you. (this means you dew.)
30 jan. 11: 22 am response–
to whom it may concern:
please excuse my especialy talented son william from todays dance practice. though under normal circumstances he would have excelled and been very enthusiastic, he is recently getting over an illness. his medication hinders his creativity, coordination, and motivation. don’t worry he’ll be fine in four days or so.
thanks for understanding.
sincerely and affectionately, (william’s very proud mother)
m. victoria a. dew
p.s. william may try to participate anyway, even tell you he’s better, but please make him wait at least four days.
eseta is a middle-aged somoan woman we met less than three weeks ago. every day she hugs and pets us–she’s adopted us as her own. (though tel aviv [aka ‘my weeelie’ may or may not be her favorite.) we hung out with her on her day off; one of ‘we’ left the house with 7 shekels in her pocket and returned with the same–plus two coffees and a cheeseburger in her belly. eseta shows us Jesus every day and she is beautiful.
dorreen is a 28-year-old kenyan girl who has the prayer set right after us–at 2 a.m. her laugh is like a fountain of color and music. her stories of faith make us want to Live Jesus.
kip & diana (code names haifa and bethany)…are our dear ywam friends who have served and served us during our stay here. they have literally driven us over the entire nation of israel, fed us, discipled us and shown us Love. (side note: seeing best friends being happy and married makes our hearts smile.)
bethlehem is our esther and our beauty queen. she has brought our tiny trio more than a bushel of laughter (that’s per hour.) we are consistently amazed with her perspective, caring heart, and ability to process and articulate. she serves, loves and gives. she is truly one of the most amazing souls we have ever had the honor to know.
tel aviv is our so-called ‘little brother.’ this one goes out of his way to serve those around him time and time again. he notices the small needs that no one else does; and he takes care of problems before we can even register that a problem exists. he will walk a mile out of his way to get bethlehem and shammie ice-cream or coffee. he is a man of courage and wisdom beyond our years, and he is our hero.
this journey has brought forth a treasure-store of memories and relationships. we are blessed indeed.
“For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.”
Psalm 139:13
Even though our time in Israel is coming to an end, our hearts seem to be finding new capacity for these people and this place. Initially, all the information, experiences, and perspectives felt overwhelming, But now, as our minds have begun to adjust to the culture and a broader perspective, once again we find room to share the heart of the Father. Today, we were able to meet with a leader in the pro-life movement of Israel. She was wonderful to us, inviting us into her home and charming us with tea, coffee, and warm carrot cake. She shared about cultural mindsets, statistics, and testimonies of life. We were able to pray with her, which was really powerful. The biggest thing that stood out to me was that we all have our place in this battle for the unborn. Just like in Nehemiah, God has given us each our own task. For some it is prayer, others volunteering at a pregnancy center, another taking in a unwed mother, but whatever it may be, we must acknowledge the importance of each one’s part. We praise the Lord for allowing us to share this part of His heart, and are thrilled to see someone taking an active role here. With bigger hearts, greater revelation, and new connections, we will press on in this fight for life!
The reality of these real places mentioned in the Bible makes things so…. real. It’s one thing to read about Capernaum or Nazareth, where it’s no different from the Land called Hannalee (Puff the Magic Dragon, anyone?), and it’s a complete other thing to be there. Yeah, things are different – now a bustling town choked with cars or a gaudy church deifying a place or thing – but somethings are so real and confirming, they have the ability to bring greater perspective to the words Jesus spoke and the life He lived.
Today, our terrific tour guides (if a quintet could be terrific, we’d add them to our trio), took us up to Nazareth. The actually town is kinda normal, but on one of the hillsides is an interactive “village.” For tourism and ministry, they have cleared out a bit of land and have set things up to operate the first century way – like in Jesus’ day – hip hip hooray! The “village” is a mix of authentic and recreated, but, along with a great history lesson, it puts the life and ministry of Jesus into greater perspective. We lose so much of the power of Jesus’ words, parables, and actions, because we don’t see them in context. How much more rich these are then we give them credit! To see the parable of the sower, or the 10 virgins, etc. a bit more like the first century Galilean is incredible. To walk here and in the surrounding area, where Jesus chilled, brings clearer color to the Living Word. It seems that the deeper we delve into all this Jesus stuff, the more reason we have to believe it.
