Masada and the Dead Sea

When I was a kid, my parents took us out west for three weeks. It's funny how today I was reminded of some of my most vivid memories of that trip. It was the times we didn't take the beaten path. Whether spending a few hours climbing around on the badlands or using a huge hay bail as a toilet,my fondest memories were of the times we broke the rules and just did our own thing. 

So, today, though an hour behind schedule, I was so excited when Jason agreed to pull over and let the girls actually climb on the massive sand dunes rather than just look at them thru the window. 

We also, of course, had to take a potty break on the side of the road, climbing a really cool path to be out of the view of passerbys. 

We passed Jericho today, the road the Good Samaritan would have taken, and the cave where the Dead Sea Scross were found (an early copy of the Bible). 

Then, we Saw Masada. A palace built by King Herod in the middle of the desert for his extravagant enjoyment.  It is extremely high on top of a mountain and it is massive! We had fun exploring. 

On our way to the Dead Sea beach, we passed an antelope type animal that lives on the cliffs of the Dead Sea. They em are our of our hands!!!!

Then it was off to the Dead Sea! Most people build sand castles at the beach, the girls built salt castles. They laughed and giggled and we all had a really great time. Then we covered ourselves in mud from the Dead Sea and headed back home. The girls were exhausted, needless to say, after spending the day climbing, hiking, and swimming. 

Doozy of a Day!

Most of you have at least probably seen the status updates about our very eventful morning. Here it is:

We are parked inside a locked gate so, needed to leave very early this morning, Jason went up to warm up the car for the sleeping girls and drop off our things and then walked back down the stairs to get me and the girls and head out. We carried Kiley out and looked around and our car was GONE!!!! 

Ironically, we had just watched last night a show called Bait Car where cars are left  this way to catch potential thieves. 

We ran back down to the house and asked our friend to call the police. He was awestruck, couldn't think of the number right away so meanwhile we called the rental car company. 

Ironically (again), Kiley had memorized our license plate number and we had been talking about how that would come in handy in an emergency. Out of a dead sleep, she quoted that number! 

Jason went back up to the parking lot to look around and found the car!!!!!! Parked in another spot. BUT... There were no Keys. All our belongings were still inside but we had no Keys. 

The cops asked us not to touch anything and to wait for them to arrive. We gave the rental company the heads up that the car had been found... but it was too late. They told us we had broken contract by not having the keys in our possession at all times and that they would be revoking the car. :/ 

Even after finding the keys on the ledge, they refused to change their mind. They were nice enough to allow us to finished our plans for the day and return the car before closing. Sadly, with it being sabbath here, Jason had to take the car back to the airport an hour away and rent a new car. :/ 

We were, of course, thankful that it wasn't much worse, but, man! What a day! Somehow we managed to be only 1 hour behind schedule and ended up having a great day! 

Jordan River & a Special Dinner

We went on from the Sea of Galilee to a spot on the Jordan River where baptisms are performed daily. We sat and read the passage from Matthew 3 that accounts Jesus' baptism and we discussed what it means to be baptized. 

Then we went down to the water. Once again, it was sad to see people who felt like if I just touch the water that Jesus was baptized in then some special blessing will come to me. We didn't actually see any baptisms performed while we were there but it was neat trying to imagine what it must have been like for Jesus and for John the Baptist who baptized Him. 

One really funny thing happened.  Most people go to the Jordan River to be baptized or to even take a small bottle of the water home with them. Not Kamden. No, Kamden gives back to the Jordan river. Yes, sitting on the edge of the water, thankfully out of sight of any other bystanders, the girls stick their feet in the water. That's what did it. Kamden apparently needed to use the restroom so badly and when she felt that water I knew I better drop her drawers right there because she wasn't making it to the proper toilet. Yes, my daughter peed in the water that to so many is "holy water"! 

We laughed and laughed and then the girls enjoyed wading through the water, writing in their journals, and then wading some more until closing time. 

Though we've enjoyed the spiritual side and it's been fresh on our minds, it's also been on our hearts to make this trip a balance for the girls. Meaning, that so many people come here almost out of necessity or ritual to be nearest to the "holiest places", exactly what Christians accuse the Jews of doing at their Wailing Wall. So, it's been important to us not to in any way make the girls feel like being here is a forced spiritual time. We've enjoyed learning the history behind it all, and learning the apologetics of Christiany. This trip has, of course, Made me love my Jesus more, but it's also greatly increased my knowledge of so many Biblical matters. 

Oh, and, btw, forgot to mention we drove right through the valley of Armageddon! Wow! I've never been much of a Revelations girl, but that place brought it all to life!!! 

We ended the night with a super special dinner with uncle JoeJoe. He is a Messianic Jew so he continues to celebrate (merely as tradition) "Shabbat dinner". A dinner held on Friday evening where Jewish families all come together and enjoy a meal. He spoke some blessings in Hebrew and introduced us to a tasty bread used for every Shabbat meal. 

Right when we thought we couldn't lean a drop more, he vividly introduced a popular Jewish tradition. 

What a great day it was! 

Nazareth

Today we got off to an early start and headed for Nazareth. About a two hour drive from where we are staying. Uncle JoeJoe sent us off with some egg salad and bread to make sandwiches along the way which I thought was super sweet. He's also planning a big meal for dinner this evening. 

We arrived in Nazareth and went to such a cool place! It's called Nazareth Village and sits right outside the original city (which in the first century only had a population of about 400-500 people). On their property, they have excavated and discovered original wine presses and a few other original remains. But they have also rebuilt on the property to accurately resemble an old Nazareth village. It was incredible! 

Kiley surprised all of us by immediately knowing the answer to a trivia question that none of us adults could answer. 

Q: why did they not wear shoes to smash grapes in the winepress?

A: so the seeds would not be crushed making the wine bitter. Apparently, she was really impacted by the best tour guide ever at the garden tomb who shared that bit of info with her. 

In the Nazareth Village, They continue to produce wool, dyed from onions, pomegranites, and even sea snails. They own their own sheep and olive trees cover their property. People wander the land and do the work wearing New Testament attire. They have rebuilt a replica of an old synagogue like Jesus would have taught in. 

One of my favorite parts was seeing just how olive oil is made. They showed us the mill stone that is still used today and then the three presses. The first press is only using the baskets stacked on top of one another and that oil was taken to the temple to burn for God. The second pressing added a large stone to press and was used for their own personal use such as perfumes, cooking, etc. And the final pressing, adding more stones, being the dirtiest is used to light their oil lamps. 

Now, here is where it becomes interesting. The Garden of Gethsemane is so named because it is filled with olive trees. But, even more so because Gethsemane means "oil press". Now, having seen how an olive is pressed- one load of pressure, two loads of pressure, and three loads of pressure, we can relate this to the fact that in that garden Jesus prayed three times, each time feeling the pressure heavier and heavier on him until he had drops of blood instead of sweat. Wow! This very garden was named prior to Jesus' visit there yet it reveals how he would suffer there and feel the weight of the world on Him. 

We also were reminded in a near-sermon of why it was so difficult for the Jews to accept Jesus. Being that He came for all mankind. And how difficult it must have been for them to be willing to share he blessing God had promised them with all of their oppressors! 

But, boy, am I thankful He came for me!

The millstone. 

Where olive oil is made. 

Sea of Galilee

I didn't expect the Sea of Galilee to bring me to a place of such solemnity but I was surprised when I had one quiet moment (as the girls were mesmerized looking out the side of the boat) to kneel for just a second and look out over the water, facing where it is believed that Jesus cast the demons out of the demon-possessed man. In that moment, I prayed "Lord, you performed so many miracles on and around these waters. I believe you can perform those same miracles, through the telling of these and other stories, in the hearts of the people of India."

The boat ride was amazing. And though it was technically not a Christian tour, they played "Agnus Dei" and we couldn't help but sing along to the words "Holy, holy are you Lord God Almighty! Worthy is the Lamb! Worthy is the Lamb! You are Holy!" 

We really enjoyed Galilee. It's a beautiful and peaceful place. 

The Rest of the Day- Last Day in Jerusalem

Ok. So I wrote one blog post focusing entirely on the Garden Tomb, but I'm also trying to keep something of a journal on our time here, so here is the rest of the day. 

We woke up and enjoyed breakfast with Uncle JoeJoe then quickly Jason realized that he has been taken for over $50 USD at the supposed ATM. He immediately went into action and we decided it would be best to go straight back there to attempt to get his money back. 

Sidenote: he had attempted to use the arm but it wasn't working, so the man inside the shop offered to change the money himself saying it was the same rate as the ATM with only a $2 fee. We learned that just because a machine says ATM, it doesn't mean it truly is one. So, had we used the ATM, we would have still lost the money, but with no possible way of having it returned. 

Jason walked up to the shop and began taking pictures. This apparently concerned the most like already guilt ridden man ;) and he asked Jason what he was doing. Jason told him but the man denied it saying his rate was the same as everyone else's. So, Jason proceeded to stand in front of the store and turn people away one by one telling them the store was a scam and not to change their money there. 

This obviously upset the man as he watched a lot of money walk out the door so he came out and pushed Jason and said he would call the cops. Jason said to go ahead because he would just tell them what he did. 

Finally, after making no progress, the manager happened to show up and said to just give him back his money so he would go away! Yes! Thank God! 

While Jason was fighting to get our money back, the girls and I sat in the car. The one thing I had regretted from the day before was not stopping to read the passages that corresponded with each place we were. So, we sat and I read to the girls from the Bible about the things we had seen. And they loved it! I kept asking if they were ready to stop but they said no. I say this not because my girls are anything super spiritual or extra special. But because God's Word is ASTOUNDING! And interesting. Let's read it! And to our kids who will stand in awe of our Savior! 

We went on to tour Hezekiah's Tunnels which was a super neat experience. We saw the ruins of King David's palace, were able to picture how he must have looked down over the city and seen Bathsheba bathing. We were reminded of the multiple consequences he suffered because of his sin.  Then, we got to see how he conquered Jerusalem by traveling through tunnels leading into the city used to protect their water supply. And then the adventure began: a 30 minute "wade" through the tunnels filled with water to where it ended near the pool of Bethesda. We had a blast and were so thankful we went for it and did the wet tunnels. Jesus performed many miracles there and once again it was neat to picture all that took place in those times. 

We rushed home, changed our wet clothes, and rushed to the Garden Tomb (written about in another post). 

From there, we went to visit some friends who help to run a prayer center in the city. Man! That turned out to be a really cool, very convicting visit. 

Here, people from all over the world come to pray for the nations. It was a beautiful building with so much history behind it. The prayer center was designed so beautifully with stations to pray for forgiveness and intercession etc. I was reminded of my own personal failings to spend much time in prayer. Our sweet friends took the girls through and then took them for some snacks while we had a few minutes to pray. 

Then we visited together and the time was sweet! Wish we had had the opportunity to spend more time with them. 

Finally, we took time to eat. We had skipped lunch in the rush and only snacked a couple times, so we thoroughly enjoyed some delicious NY style pizza and Tom & Jerry on the tv! ;) 

It was a FULL day and we enjoyed every minute of it! 

The Garden Tomb

Wow! Now that was Amazing. Yes, I had to hold back the tears. We visited the Garden Tomb where we had an amazing tour guide. We weren't expecting to have one at all and then we were told we could go with a group. We were worried about how well the tour guide would include children in a large group so we considered doing an audio guide and going alone. When we went back to ask, they said actually they had a tour guide who could go with just us. Biggest blessing ever! 

Her name was Katie. She took right to the girls in a grandmotherly sort of way. She had a beautiful English accent which mesmerized the girls and SHE LOVED JESUS! It poured out of everything she said and did. She directed the tour entirely to the girls. Telling them how much she loved Jesus and how much Jesus loves each of us. 

In the Garden, you see a mountain that appears like a skull, recognized by a man who was walking through his own garden, reading his Bible early one morning, looked up and said "this must be it!"  This same man actually hosted the man who penned "It Is Well". 

After seeing the "place of the skull" we went on through the garden to a few more stations. But, because of our tour guide, one of my favorite stations was one that most people probably quickly overlook. It was that of a wine press. There in the garden is an old wine press, used in those days to smash the grapes and make wine. Our tour guide sat my girls down and so gently shared with them the importance of treating grapes with care and not crushing them but gently treading over them to provide something far more valuable than the grapes themselves. She looked my girls in the eyes (as I tried not to cry) and said "you must give everything that you love to Jesus and trust Him with it because He will tread lightly on that which you love and only make it sweeter!" Now that is a hallelujah moment for you hallelujah-wallas out there. ;) 

Oh God! May I give you my passions. My children. My life. After what you went through for me. 

We went on from there where we saw the spot where it is believed that the most amazing, most rewarding miracle of all time took place! To step into that tomb and just imagine having been there to have heard those words "He is not here! He is risen as He said!" Wow!!! We sat together and read the passage from God's Word and it all just made so much sense! 

So many songs went through my mind while I sat there afterwards just thinking through what all I had seen and heard. But one that I could not get to leave was this simple tune: 

"Thank you Lord for saving my soul thank you Lord for making me whole. Thank you Lord for giving to me, Thy great salvation so rich and free!"

And over and over I heard myself repeating, "He is not here! He is risen AS HE SAID! Come see the place where The Lord lay!" 

"Why do you seek the LIVING among the DEAD?!?" 

It's interesting how, when we actually study God's Word as a whole, we begin to see how it all makes sense.  Jesus was condemned for saying "I will destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days."  Even my seven year old, after having thought it through, could tell you that what He said is truth. He did destroy that temple on the day He took our sins on the cross and suffered and died for us. And then, three days later, as He promised, He rebuilt a much more glorious Temple in raising from the dead! 

For those of you who may not have given Him your life, I beg you to do so! He won't trample it, He won't judge your past mistakes, your sins, He'll only carry them for you! Remember Peter... He made a fool of himself by denying Jesus three times. He could have given up and counted himself a failure, but instead he picked himself back up and went on to do such amazing things for his Lord. He'll take your faults, your failures, your big fat mess-ups and He'll make them so glorious! 

... Just to be in the place where my savior lived and died. But what's so amazing is He rose again!!!!!!!! And He did it all for me!

Day In Jerusalem

Today we spent the day around Jerusalem. We had a great tour guide, Uncle JoeJoe! He went with us for the first half of the day and took us to some pretty great sights. We visited the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus spent time in prayer and was later betrayed and captured. We stood on the Mount of Olives where it's believed that Jesus ascended, and then saw the spot where He gave the Olivet Discourse and the Lord's Prayer (which Kiley apparently memorized yesterday while waiting for us in a souvenir shop). We went to the spot where Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem. 

One thing we all really enjoyed was the Tomb of the Prophets. That was really neat! In this tomb three prophets along with their disciples were buried: Malachi, Zechariah, and Haggai. We held candles to see in the dark tomb and really enjoyed exploring there. 

Then we went on to see King David's tomb were Jews still gather to pray because they believe if is such a holy place seeing that it is prophecied that the Savior will come from David's lineage. 

We also visited the Upper Room where both Pentecost and the Last Supper were held. 

We grabbed lunch and had an AMAZING hamburger!!!!! My mouth is watering just thinking about it! Then we headed on to tour the Via Delarosa (the way of sorrow) where Jesus walked His last path to the cross. This was lengthy and tiring but he girls did amazing! 

The place where it is believed that Jesus died is covered with many ritualistic places to worship and, of course, a church has been built over the location. It was a neat cultural experience. We are exited to go to the Garden Tomb tomorrow. 

I was slightly saddened that the Via Delarosa was filled from start to finish with money making shops along the way. But it was a really neat experience. The whole day was full and memorable. 

The girls discovered (with the help of their new friend, Aunt Dana) that the place we are staying has a bathtub upstairs, so they are living it up right now and then it's off to bed! 

The girls enjoying a rare luxury! 

Daddy teaching about the Via Delarosa. 

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