Wailing Wall

Someone told me I needed to bring a journal... They were right. I'm standing at the wailing wall, the western wall of the old temple. The wall where millions of people come to be as close to the temple as possible...to pray, to cry out to God, to read the Scriptures, bowing their heads every single time they come across or say the name of God. A God, who in their opinion, has still not yet come to fulfill His promise of sending a Savior. 

Yet here I stand, with the full confidence that He already has. Knowing full well that He loved me enough. To pay the ultimate price to rescue me from my sins. Where's my commitment? My dedication? My reverence for this God. The same God they worship, I struggle to find time for, yet I know the rest of the story. I know He has already come. And that He'll come again. Wow! So humbling. So humiliating. To watch and be reminded of the reverence and awe that I should have for my God. My Savior. The one who loved me enough. We kneeled. We prayed. We begged God for their souls. That one day they would come to recognize that He loved them enough.

Day Two- Bethlehem

This morning started after a good full night's sleep. Uncle JoeJoe made us a nice breakfast and then we headed out for Bethlehem. 

Mistake #1 of the day: underestimating the cold weather! My toes were numb in my flip flops!!! Oops!

We headed toward the bus stop that had been pointed out to us and hopped on. 

Mistake #2 of the day: getting on the bus headed the wrong direction. Thankfully we are the last stop before the bus station so we didn't go far out of our way. Hopped back on the bus and we were off! 

Arrived in Bethlehem to discover: 

Mistake #3 of the day: choosing the ONE day of the ENTIRE year when the manger scene is closed for cleaning!!! What?!?! 

So, we met a nice couple who told us we should just walk around to the backside and at least peek in the church. So we did. And there we met a priest who at least let us peek though a hole the size of a dime in a door where we could see the beloved spot where Jesus was born. Yes, really. We figured that would be it for us! 

Here's a picture of the girls standing by the door that we peeked through. 

But... Thankfully, we heard that the cleaning would be finishing earlier than expected and the manger scene would reopen in about an hour. 

So, we headed off to look around and the girls found some cute boots! I wished I found some cute boots but I was happy for them. My toes, on the other hand, were not so happy. 

Seeing the place of Jesus' birth was a really cool experience. Imagining what it must have been like. You can see the spot where the shepherds would have been standing on the mountain which is pretty neat too. 

The girls at the entrance in their new boots. 

We then found a cute little authentic restaurant a little off the beaten path and had our first taste of the famous falafel which was delicious and some hummus that was out of this world! 

We found a few souvenirs and then hit the bus back to our place. But not before Kiley gave us all a good laugh/scare. At the restaurant, we were discussing some of the current events and history behind these countries. Kiley says so sweetly "I don't want there to be a war or anyone to get hurt, but if there is, I hope Israel wins back their land!" Oops! We said "shhhh!" right away and explained that now is probably not the best time to share whose side you're on! ;) It's one of those times you're not quite as excited that your seven year old is so up to date on her historical knowledge. 

The girl is rocking Old Testament history, btw, thanks mostly to her stellar dad. She was spouting out places and events that I truly knew nothing about. She was so excited to see the mountain that King Herod leveled out to build a temple on?!! Who knew. And she's ecstatic about heading to the Western Wall tonight. 

We're resting now, well, I'm blogging and Kiley's asking every five minutes how much longer. But we're supposed to be resting to be ready for tonight's adventures. 

Have a great day everyone! And Happy New Year!!! 

Israel Day One

Random thoughts on Day One: 

-this place is PEACEFUL!  Over and over people warned us about how crowded and how much traffic there was here. We sort of forgot we were coming from India! When we got here, it literally felt like silence has swept over the land. It's so beautifully calm and peaceful here. 

-it feels good to be in the passenger seat of a car with my husband at the wheel! Jason was a bit nervous about driving a car on the right hand side of the road again! And, I won't even tell you how many times I tried to talk him out of renting a car. But it feels so good to be able to get up and go in a four wheeled vehicle on the peaceful streets anywhere we want to go! 

-the people are courteous! We were shocked at how many times people let us slip into the lane when we needed in. It was funny how it caught us by surprise. And a few times, I wondered if Jason appeared rude because he's so used to having to take his place if he wants it. 

-by far, my biggest culture shock is... THE PRICE OF FOOD!!! Oh my word!!! I had a near heart attack when I paid $16.53 for ONE ten-piece nugget meal at McDonalds. And, I wanted to believe it was only triple the price because it was American, but, no, EVERYTHING is that expensive! We stopped in at a grocery store to grab some snacks, thinking we would save that way. Wow! I was in awe at the cost of everything. We did splurge on some AMAZING looking strawberries because we don't get those in our country and we are all so excited to eat them! They're huge! 

-speaking of huge, the fruits and veggies are gigantic! I understand more the story of Joshua and Caleb going into the promise land and coming back with grapes so large they couldn't carry them alone! ;) We were pretty impressed with the size of the fruit! 

-lastly, the sadness of watching people faithfully perform rituals as they wait patiently for their Savior to come, as I sit back and realize He's already come. They're waiting so patiently. They're so sweet. Today, it just so happened that Romans 11 was what I was reading in my devotions. It's a great explanation of how the Gospel came to me, in part, because of their lack of belief. And, so, for these people I am thankful. But, my heart goes out to them for the day when they realize, He CAME for them. 

That's day one. We arrived after having been up the whole night before and just took today to get acquainted with the place. Met the nice man who runs the place we're staying. The girls are already calling him Uncle JoeJoe and he's already spoiling them with Oreos and hot chocolate. Off to Bethlehem today! 

Here's Kamden holding a pomegranite as big as her face! 

What a Difference a Year Makes

Many of you have heard the stories about how bad, no, not bad, difficult our first Christmas was on this side of the world.  To be honest, it was so difficult that I couldn't put it into words at that time.  To be honest, I naively, didn't expect it to be hard.  I was actually somewhat looking forward to our first Christmas away.  I pictured this peaceful, quiet day.  Just us four around the Christmas tree enjoying family time and a picture perfect holiday meal on the table.  WRONG!!!!! I found out, I think, one week before Christmas, that Christmas here is celebrated much differently than that.  Silly me, I thought "Well, if we're the only 'Christians' here, then surely we'll celebrate quietly".  No! It's not that way.  And one year later, I LOVE that it's not that way.  But back then, not so much, or not at all.  That Christmas Eve, we ended up traveling all over town visiting people's homes with barely enough hindi of our own to hold a conversation, let alone tell them "no" we don't feel like coming.  We were exhausted and had volunteered to bake for a big Christmas Day celebration at the local church and a whole lot of other responsibilities.  Not to mention, how our girls felt hounded for pictures and hugs and cheek pinches.  I won't go into detail about all that felt wrong that day (mainly because now most of what felt wrong then, feels right now), but it just did.  We ended up bailing out on the service early (before the big celebratory meal) and rode home in the freezing cold (which we also hadn't prepared for) and sat down to open presents (after ordering, of all things, Pizza Hut pizza for our big Christmas meal).  Sitting by that tree, the tears found my eyes and started pouring out.  I was speechless.  I couldn't explain why I was crying but I was.  That day was hard.  Plain and simple.  But something in me made me pull myself up and keep going.  Well, not until AFTER we called it quits and took a big, long, afternoon nap.  We ended up eating dinner at midnight and I was determined my family would have some type of Christmas dessert so at 2:30am we found ourselves eating oreo balls and hitting the sack around 3am.  And, so began the Christmas Day family nap then stay up as late as possible tradition.

Not long after that nearly miserable day, I told Jason that now that we know what to expect, I think I can at least survive being here for Christmas another year.  (On Christmas day, we were ready to book our visa run tickets for Christmas Day so we wouldn't have to suffer through that again!)

And, now, one year later, I sit here and say with all honesty, that this has been my very favorite Christmas season EVER.  We didn't just survive this year, we thrived.  No doubt due to a lot of amazing people praying for us.  So this Christmas, this place felt like home.  We started celebrating (quietly) on December first with a couple different advent calendars.  We watched as our once overly shy girls blossomed into willingly visiting and sharing with neighbors and friends.  We actually decided on our own this year to visit neighbors and friends with cookies (not because of a lack of language and ability to say no), no, this time we chose to go, because we wanted to.  We got to share the Good News and some warm gloves with a lost people group.  We even willingly baked this year! ;) (even if it was full of minor frustrations like lack of electricity, no lack of bugs...) We just really enjoyed using Christmas Eve as a day to share with as many as we could WHY we celebrate Christmas.

And then there was Christmas Day.  Wanna hear a secret? About a month ago, Kamden was found lying in her bed complaining that we 'had' to go to church on Christmas.  Do you know she woke up Christmas morning, went to church, and I caught her smiling and laughing many times throughout the 3 and 1/2 hour service! As a matter of fact, I have quite the video of her and a friend singing obnoxiously loudly into the microphone when the kids got up to sing Jingle Bells! We made it home near 4pm and hit the sacks after opening the girls' stockings.  Slept till 7pm and then opened presents, played and played, ate dinner (pizza again, this time homemade) at 1am and dessert at 3am (oreo balls, of course).  We went to bed happily at 4am! And this time, the whole month felt flawless! We celebrated His birth! With joy! With excitement! And with a sweet, peaceful feeling of home!

It's amazing what a difference a year makes.  So much has changed in our hearts and in our home in the past year.  With the change comes the realization that we just aren't exactly who we once were, nor who we will be when He's done with us.

I'm thankful now for that first Christmas here.  My girls have heard the story told a number of times and reminisced with us about all the funny things that happened that weren't really all that funny back then.  We've learned together to be flexible, to be willing, to celebrate Jesus' birth with open and willing hearts to be used by Him during that time.  After all, that's what He asks of us... He wants our hearts.

-The 4 Cokes

Count the Cost

WE WILL NEVER FULLY UNDERSTAND THE TRUE COST OF FOLLOWING JESUS!

And today, as I sat across from a lady telling me, "I want to believe in Jesus, but I CAN'T!", in that moment, I wished I had experienced just a touch of the suffering she had experienced in her life in an effort to be able to empathize with her.

What do you say to a woman who tells you, "My husband is very angry that you are telling me about this Jesus." How do you respond when she says he beat her for holding a 'worship service' in their home.  How small does your own faith feel when you begin to feel so hopeless for those people and shake your head and think, "You're right... it would be nearly impossible for you to believe in Jesus."

We have NO EARTHLY IDEA THE TRUE COST OF FOLLOWING JESUS!

-The 4 Cokes

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like...

CHRISTMAS!!!!! Ok, not really. Ok. Not at all. ;) Inside our house, yes, but out there, you'd never know. So, we had the privelege today of going out into the villages together as a family!!! 

We hopped in a taxi, Jason with his gps, me with my experience of having been to this particular location before, and off we went! 

Well, sadly, it took me FAR too long to realize we were NOT headed in the right direction! (Cut me some slack, everyone knows I am directionally challenged!) 

Jason looks again at his map... Yep, there are two villages with the exact same name. We were going totally the wrong way. 

So, a smart person calls up one of the girls we are going to visit and has her speak to the taxi driver to get the most accurate directions possible, right? Right! Exactly what I did. Except, well, turns out, she wasn't home today...She was visiting family in a city even further away!!!! So, when we had PASSED the village we were looking for AGAIN, and I mean, an hour past, I realized again that this simply couldn't be right! So we went BACK! Found the village, called her, and that's when we finally realized she wasn't home and that's why she had give completely different directions to the taxi driver! (He was cracking us up, btw, he kept saying "that's why you have to speak to gents, because ladies give bad directions!"! Hilarious! And, we were thankful for his sense of humor!) 

A lot of fun was had today, in spite of spending 4 hours in the car! Jason randomly started singing, "it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas..." And the girls are yelling, "No, it's not!" And then we all just started pointing out all the "Christmasy" things we saw, followed by breaking out in a Christmas song that went with that particular Christmas symbol. You know, like, all the workers in the fields certainly had to be elves, while the three camels and riders we passed were most definitely the wisemen! We passed a sweet little marble shack type thing that had to have resembled Bethlehem, and there's no doubt that little boy riding the bike was the little drummer boy! 

It was a quite enjoyable ride. One I wouldn't have traded for anything. And, then it hit me... This is what we should be doing with these last few days leading up to Jesus' birthday! Making every attempt to share the joy we've found in Him. 

We eventually did get to sit with one young man who has accepted Christ and who seems passionate about learning more. And, we found our second village, and tho no apparent fruit came from that visit, one thing is for sure, hearing my (often shy) daughters singing "Glo-o-o-o-o-ria" with us to a group of men and children in an effort to share the joy of Christmas, well, that touched my heart in a way that I don't want to forget! 

So, it's a day for the books. We came home having munched on cookies, sweets, chai, and soft drinks all day long and with hungry tummies and full hearts! 

Merry Christmas to all and to all a Good Night! 

Kamden making friends with a baby buffalo. 

Kiley watching our new friend play this Indian instrument. 

Kamden & Kiley after a long day having sang with us a couple Christmas carols for this crowd. 

Lately

What's been happening lately? Lately, we've been living life.  We're in a sort of routine.  Probably more of a routine than we've ever had in our life.  And, I'm loving it! We still like to do the spontaneous so as things sneak in, we readjust.  But, for the most part, life is just happening as normal as possible.

Currently, Jason is out of town for a two week language intensive.  We.  Miss.  Him.  Terribly! BUT, things are going surprisingly well.  It's allowed for a lot of special one on one time, not only for me with the girls, but for the girls with each other.  They have been amazing buddies the past few days.

What's the typical day look like for the4cokes, or at least the 3 ladies of the4cokes?

Monday - Thursday are our typical homeschool days.  So, on those days, we try to start our day with breakfast at 8:00.  I try to get up prior to everyone else because I like the quiet before everyone awakes.  I often let the girls sleep if they need the extra.  Sidenote: did you know that living overseas, especially in a place so stimulating as this, can cause you to need as much sleep as a newborn? And, it makes sense.  Just as a newborn is making new discoveries every moment of everyday, so are we.  So, if they sleep, I often let them.  Then we get started right away with breakfast and Bible.  We are reading through a very detailed children's Bible and it's taking us forever to get through, but the girls seem to love it! We learn a Bible verse a week using the "Seeds of..." series, and the girls have a little devotional book that they love doing.  If there's time, we use the next 30 minutes for any type of activity I feel like having them do that day.  Usually that time slips by rather quickly.  The girls then move on to handwriting, followed by Kiley's independent math time while I teach Kamden phonics/reading.  Two days a week, we then rush out the door to ride bikes to the local part to play with our friends.  Sidenote: I never dreamed my girls would be riding bikes on the crowded streets here! I'm so thankful for the opportunities they get.  After recess, I bring the two smallest of the five girls back for math class, while the other three stay at our friends' house for writing and spelling class.  On the other two days a week, we take it easy by staying here and doing afternoon work in reading/language etc. and have a Hindi class here as well.

Those are the weekdays.  Then, on Friday, I go to the village where I've been released to lead small house churches in a few different villages twice a month.  It's challenging, rewarding, a huge learning experience, and great to have an organized planned day for ministry.  I'm enjoying it.

Our evenings seem to go by so quickly! The girls play... and play... and play some more, while I make dinner, study Hindi, and try to get in some time reading to them as well.  We eat and then it's usually off to bed.  For the girls, that is! ;)

This month, we've added some activities to our daily schedule.  And, so far so good! We're really enjoying celebrating Christmas this year with a couple different activities.  At first I wondered, "too much?" but then I remembered, that if I don't do it, who will? They aren't surrounded by the "reason for the season" here with Sunday School, children's church, etc. so I decided to go for it and we're loving it.

We are doing three advent style activities.  But total, they probably take 10 minutes to complete.  The girls are doing a good deed every day on one of their calendars.  On another, they are praying for a different people group each day using a beautifully hand crafted advent calendar complete with dolls representing each group.  It's awesome and they are awestruck by it.  And then, we are finishing the night with the Jesse Tree devotionals.  Short, sweet, and to the point.

I'm loving these days.  Someone once said, "The days are long but the years are short." But in this season of my life, I disagree.  My girls are in 'the soft spot' I'd say.  Being around them is enjoyable to me.  And, most days, I don't want to lay them down.

SO, this is a just quick glimpse at what's going on around here.  Life is good.  God is great.  We are blessed!

-The 4 Cokes