Hi my name is Emily Jo and I am the only girl [ besides my mom ] in the Heare family. That means I'm used to being around boys but the planes uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuoi I don't know how I survived. I'm just glad we're here,
Sincerly,
Emily Jo.
P.S. I'm just happy we're here.
Hello my family! So today me, my Dad, and my mom tried one of Israel exotic foods.... It was called Fallafel. It is some pita bread with things that look like hush puppies and are sort of spicy. It also includes a veggie combo of lettuce,tomato,and cucumbers. It is topped with a ranch like sauce. Needless to say I loved it. But even besides the great food Israel has been outstanding! I have already met some new friends who love soccer and basketball and one of them lives right downstairs. I miss you all.
-Ryan
We are taking the kids to the Old City in the morning for the first time. Promise to take along the camera. Also will take a quick video of our apartment and neighborhood soon for those who have been asking. It will be our first Sabbath here starting at sundown tomorrow. Everything is said to close down for 24 hours - should be interesting. Good night friends.
The concensus among the kids was that today would be a pajama and relax kind of day. We did just that. Think reality is setting in a bit and a little sadness as well. Kids are missing home. Ethan flat out screamed at dinner time, "I want to go back home to Texas!" (He didn't like what was on his plate - again.) Looks different, so he doesn't even try it. And sweet Kylen, who has never sucked his thumb, started sucking his thumb today. My poor babies!
I did break out of the house for a bit. Joined my new friend Rachel and went back to the Shuk. She explained so much to me and even introduced me to her favorite butcher, cheese man, etc. You can buy everything there from home goods, dry goods to fresh fish, baked items, produce - everything. There are plastic bags hanging from metal wires. You grab a bag, load up and assertively push it in their face to show you are ready to buy, then they weigh the item and you pay. If you see me shaking my arms at the butcher in a few months over at HEB, gently remind me I'm back home. You kind of have to get pushy to make your way to the front and to get their attention. Interesting business as they help customers and shout out the prices for a kilo of cherries or a whole chicken. Promise to have picts tomorrow.
Scott also managed a quick trip into the Old City. He went by the JUC to check-in and get a feel for walk he'll be taking each morning. We are about 10-15 minutes uphill from the Old City. We enter through the Joffa Gate, the Tower of David, in case anyone has been here and remembers. He is doing some preparatory map work for class and getting all excited.
Made some pasta for dinner tonight. Ended up having some fresh cucumbers on the side in lieu of the zuchinni I thought I purchased - Ha! Ryan wants to know when we are going to actually eat some Israeli food. There is a Falafel stand very near us and certain times of the day the smell can be pretty inviting!
So everyone felt much brighter after sleeping well.
So grateful! Having not slept hardly at all on the plane and feeling very dizzy, I was the first to crash. Kids followed shortly and slept about 10 hours straight! Love me some good sleep!!
So with clearer minds and optimism re-established, we set two goals for the day. One - find food to eat for lunch. Two - find food to put in house to feed family. I'm really not obsessed with food, but I have 6 hungry tummies to contend with - and it was our priority of the day after complaints about my late night choice of Raisin Bran!
We ventured out to explore again and finally came across a burger bar that had a menu in both Hebrew and English. Scotts burger was half lamb, half beef. No cheese of course : ) I opted for grilled chicken salad - served with as much tomatoes and cucumber as lettuce. Hit the spot. Kylen slept through all of lunch - lull of stroller going across cobble-stones on warm day was more than he could handle.
The grocery store was an experience - once we finally found it that is. First - Jerusalem doesn't really have "grocery stores" like we think of them. There are small convenience stores everywhere. Most people shop at an open-air market called the Shuk. We passed through the Shuk but were bedazeled by all the activity and people. Israeli people are loud and agressive sounding. They aren't upset necessarily, but sure come across that way. We didn't have any shekels anyway and it was just all too much so we baled there. Second - when you ask for directions to the grocery store, Israeli's have no idea what you are talking about. When they do offer directions, it is "down the road". So quite literally, we prayed and God somehow landed us at a place called the City Cellar. It was the size of a Walgreens, but did have hand soap, dish soap, milk, bread, etc. Ryan went in with me and kept me focused. "Just the basics, Mom" he kept saying to keep me from getting overwhelmed at all the Hebrew.
We managed honey, eggs, turkey, cheese, chips, pasta and a few veggies. Found some instant coffee too and what I thought might be creamer turned out to be buttermilk. Thanks sweetie for trying that one first for me! And this is our first official meal in our home. Velveeta Shells and Cheese snuck in from USA and left-over salad. Sweet!
God has been extremely gracious to us today. Gave us everything we needed, just when we needed it. When we moved to England, a friend named Tina Johnson took me under her wing and showed us the ropes. It made all the difference. So these last few months I have been praying again for friends for all of us.
We were down in our courtyard playing ball with two non-speaking Jewish little boys late this afternoon when a woman and her gaggle of kids pours out of the apartment below us. They are a Jewish family with 8 children and Rachel is the mom. She is originally from Houston, Texas!!! but has lived in Jerusalem the last 18 years. Thank you God!!! Of course, some of her 8 match up with my 4. They played in the courtyard together and Ryan even went to the basketball courts - away from us - with two of her boys for about an hour to shoot hoops! I asked if I could follow her around the Shuk tomorrow since she goes daily and she loved the idea. She even asked if we knew John Haggee - Ha!
Love and miss you all. Thank you for the prayers. They are carrying us! And Happy Birthday sweet Falon!!!
We are coming to the end of our first full day here. Wow - what a difference even a day makes.
First - the flight over. Six bags, six back-packs, 4 kids, 2 adults, 2 computer bags, 2 strollers and 2 car seats - and we all made it!!! Whoo-hoo!
The kids did amazingly well. My parents had great insight to take us to eat at The Alamo Cafe on the way to the airport at 11am and good thing we did. We were so busy hopping planes that we did not eat again until the El Al flight at 10pm. We ate, put the boys pajamas on them and we all crashed. They were all asleep from about midnight until 6am! Woke up for a breakfast again on the plane just in time before landing where it was 3:30pm in Israel.
A van met us at the airport and drove us from Tel Aviv into Jerusalem. That is about the time that it truly hit me that we were indeed in Israel with our kiddos - I'm slow sometimes. Never in a million years would we have found our apartment. It is off a busy road, off an cobbled-road street, off a narrow alley. We are in Na'Chalot - a coveted place to live where people of all culture and religions blend well with acceptance and respect. We may be some of the first actual Christians people have met.
Last night grabbed some pizza from a street cafe and wandered. There is a 24hr convenience store near the house. We went in for some breakfast items for today - found milk in plastic bags and a box of raisin bran.
Overall, yesterday was a lot to take in. I was grateful to have jet-lag and culture shock memories of our year in England. It all can feel very overwhelming at first and can be easy to panic if you don't purposefully take deep breaths and remind yourself that the next day will be better. You haven't slept or eaten regularly. You can't read anything around you - all in Hebrew. Everything looks and smells differently. You can't think clearly and this time around we had the kids looking at us for reassurance and answers to their multitude of questions. But after a good nights sleep, you begin to see at least a little more clearly. To be continued . . .
That is just one of the questions coming out of the kids this morning. Everyone woke up excited and joyful - wow! Thanks everyone for the notes of encouragement and for your prayers. They are working!
Blessings to you all. We will write again on the other side of the pond . . .
About a week ago, I "randomly" came across an old Upper Room devotional book. I've fallen out of the discipline of reading/praying over God's words lately so I decided this would be something simple to do leading up to our trip. Let me just say, God is a pretty amazing orchestrator! The book I picked up was for Dec. - Advent to be exact. It is all about anticipation and preparation for Christmas - the birth of Jesus. How fitting as we are in anticipating and preparing in a major way! The emphasis on Mary and her heart has been so helpful in helping my Mother's heart be mindful of my children and their hearts.
So the day before we depart, the title of the day reads, "Our gift is here, the Son of God. How will you hold this treasure?"
Our gift is most definitely here and it is a question I think about and want the kids to think about as well. Our trip is a huge gift and I know God has specific purposes for giving it to each of us in this time and place. I pray we realize and take hold of our treasure.
Psalm 126 - When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter and our tongue with shouts of joy; then it was said among the nations, "The Lord has done great things for them." The Lord has done great things for us and we rejoiced.
Kids are wrapping up school and saying see ya to friends. Scott has wrapped up work and is starting to twiddle his thumbs if I don't jump in with a honey-do! Two bags packed - four to go : ) Scott thinks it's entertaining to watch the reality show "On the Fly" - all about airport stress as I write this. Yeah, not so funny!
Everyone keeps asking how I’m feeling about our upcoming summer. Well - I’m a mom of four kids - ages 12-3 - and I’m getting us all ready to re-locate for the summer to Jerusalem, Israel. So yes, I’m busy, sad, excited, anxious, thrilled and crazed - and that’s all before my morning coffee.
Mostly, I feel hopeful. Hopeful for everyone’s experience. Hopeful for what I think God will teach us about Him, ourselves and the world. Hopeful we will all grow closer in the process and hopeful this blog will keep us connected with friends and family back home. Hopeful we all may even be sane by the time we return at the end of the summer.
