A Few Highlights from Israel

After returning from a long trip overseas I always find it difficult to decide how and what to write about.  We learned and saw an incredible amount in Israel, but it's impossible to condense it all into a few paragraphs.  I really want to share the highlights from our trip, so I think the best way is to do a few separate installments to detail our trip.

On the Temple Mount (No contact between men and women allowed!)

The first thing most people ask us when we tell them we went to Israel was did we feel unsafe.  Honestly, we very nearly decided to cancel our trip altogether due to the political unrest in Israel, but then we realized that there will never really be a good time to visit this particular area.  There has been and will continue to be unrest till the end of time, so we figured now was as good a time as any to go.  And to answer the question, no, we didn't feel unsafe at all.  We went up near the border of Syria for a few days when we visited the Sea of Galilee, and there we heard what sounded like a military firing range, but other than that, we weren't worried about our safety.

The border between Israel and Syria

We arrived on the first night of Hanukah, and our hosts live right in the center of Jerusalem, where the giant menorah was lit each night.  Every evening a crowd gathered to dance and sing before the lighting ceremony, all of which we could watch from the balcony!  One way the Jews celebrate Hanukah is to eat oily foods such as donuts as a reminder of the oil that didn't run out for 8 days.  This was by far Patrick's favorite part of the holiday, and he celebrated it with gusto.  Luckily for Patrick he burns calories just eating donuts, so he didn't have to worry about gaining weight.  (Must be nice.)

Patrick was in donut heaven

View of Zion Square from our balcony

We had a bit of free time in the late afternoons when we had a chance to explore the city and do some shopping.  I loved walking through the brightly colored markets and seeing all the beautiful scarves and tapestries for sale.  It was easy to get lost in the maze of tiny market streets that weren't even wide enough for cars to drive through.

Our tour guide was South African as were all the other people in the group, so we learned a few phrases of Afrikaans along the way.  We made some wonderful new friends, and enjoyed getting to know them over the course of our two-week stay.  One couple brought their 7-month old son on the tour, so Patrick and I got in lots of parenting practice.  It was encouraging to see parents who were willing to travel with their child, since most people we talk to tell us to "Get in all our traveling before we have kids" as if our lives will come to a screeching halt as soon as we have children.

New friends and their amazing traveling baby!

Another great thing about Israel was the food!  Everywhere we went there were delicious things to try, and generally lots of it!  My favorite was the schnitzel laffa, which is a breaded chicken with veggies all wrapped up in a giant laffa (or soft bread).

 Enjoying some shwarma laffas.

Our time in Israel was so much more than just a sight seeing trip, and I would love to share more of what the Lord taught us during this time.  I think my God was showing me that there is so much more he wants to teach me, and I've just barely started to scratch the surface with what I already know.  There's much more to come!