Our time in Kansas City has been such an amazing experience. We miss home a lot but are growing so much and are getting opportunities this year that we may never have again. My boys not doing any school work does concern me a bit, but hey, if they take after me, their looks should get them anywhere they want to go........right??? Why do I hear so many of you laughing??

So the next adventure we embark on.....Israel. We are so excited to be meeting PJ and Ronelle in Jerusalem for a week. International Christian Chamber of Commerce IGM. Can't wait to spend some time with family......and ok, I will be honest, can't wait to get my peppermint aero and jelly tots my sister sent! There just is nothing like it here, loads of sweets to choose from, but just not the same.  (Remember what I said about sending care packages, you still welcome to, please feel free, my mom comes in June!!!!).

Now where was I? Oh, Jersusalem!

Long flight via New York, but was really good.  Ben seems to have adapted to these long flights, thank goodness for movie channels!!and he got to be the pilot for a while!!!!

Arrive in Jerusalem on Sunday 3 March, exhausted, all 3 passed out in bed really early.

 

Neil and PJ were on conference from Monday to Wednesday, so Ronelle and I had to keep the boys entertained. Unfortunately Jerusalem is not really a child orientated tourist destination, so we struggled to find things for the kids to do.  Sitting waiting for the tram to go to Jaffa Market. Thought we would tire the little ones out a bit with some shopping......

 

Walking around market was amazing. Such beautiful fruit and vegetables, we couldn't resist trying some of the strawberries. Probably the sweetest I have ever had. 

We then tried to get to the zoo.  Oh my, what an eventful experience. Not the most helpful nation I have ever met, especially to woman. We are seen as second class citizens, and most people struggle with English, they speak Hebrew. So Hotel receptionist is not too keen on giving us directions, but never the less sends us to Central Bus Station to catch the bus to the Zoo. Easy, we can do that! NOT!!!!

We catch the tram to bus station, to find it is like JHB station at 4pm! We have a two year old and 2 four year olds. Picture the scene......a whole lot of signs in Hebrew, a whole lot of people, a whole lot of stalls and vendors, a heck of a lot of pent up energy!!!!!!

We get to the information office eventually to find a very friendly, English speaking girl who tells us we have to get back on the tram and go in the other direction (from where we just came) and catch bus 33! Ok, so we start again! We can handle this, our patience is still in tact!!! So with Nathan's good sense of direction we catch the right bus, yay we are in our way to the zoo! Only to have a bit if an altercation......in Hebrew I add......with the bus driver, who is not happy to accept that the little ones are under 5, cos they travel free.  Never mind, we are going to the Zoo, still in good spirits!  Getting close to the zoo, we start getting our things together and heading towards the door.......only to have the bus driver slow down at the stop, keep doors closed.....and drive off again!!!!! 

Well now our South African nature started coming out.....we hit the panic button!!!! Emergency stop that is! He hit brakes, opened the door and let us off!!!!!! One very unimpressed driver and two very short on patience moms!  Moms won that round!!! We had a good giggle, so sense if humor still fine!

Had a really good time at the zoo, but got a bit ripped off for lunch after having walked about 5km to find somewhere to eat....all snack places were closed, only main one at entrance gate was open.  Paid R870 for 8 Pizza slices and 8 colddrinks!!!!!  Sho, the sense of humour is wearing a bit thin now. But kids had a good time so we are happy, time to head back to hotel to swim in heated pool!  Back to the bus stop!!!! Oh great, not a long wait, here comes bus 33 now..........you will not believe this, he pulls up to the bus stop, keeps the doors closed and drives off again................. so there we stand!!!!! Gobsmacked to say the least.....I thought Ronelle was going to throw a brick at the back of the bus.....so what could we do but burst out laughing....it was hysterical.

So plan B.......try figure out this map in Hebrew with all the bus routes to see which other bus goes back to the tram so we can get home.....obviously bus 33 wants nothing to do with us!!!!!  Thankfully the drama ended when another bus 33 came round about 10min later with a very friendly driver who was happy to help us out with kids and directions to best tram to get to our hotel.  Day 2 nearly done.

The rest of our time in Jerusalem was really good.l  We spend quite a bit of time sightseeing and couldn't quite get to everything we wanted to, but who knows....maybe next time.

               

Lunch in a "cafe" in the Old City.  Our "tour guide" studying the map to find all the best route for his very demanding tour group for all they want to see.  Neil has been 3 times before so knows quite a lot of the history and his way around so it was quite handy to have him around!!!!!

Golgotha.  Place of the Skull.  This is the side of the mountain on which Jesus was crucified.  If you look carefully you can make out the skull.

This is the Garden Tomb just next to Golgotha. It is Jesus' burial site where the stone was rolled over the entrance.

One of the streets in the Old City that makes up the route that Jesus had to walk with His Cross.  Most of the way was extremely steep up and down, narrow and lots of turns.  The route He walked was not the most direct route to Golgotha, they extended His suffering as much as possible and made him turn at every possible corner to display Him in His weakness for all to see.  Via Del Rosa is the name of the path He walked and is in my guess about 3-5km!

 First Photo: Praying at the Wailing Wall.       Phtoto 2: Touching part of Jerusalem below the ground that they are uncovering.  Every time Jerusalem was conquered and destroyed, it was then rebuilt on top of the old city, so they are finding pieces of the "Original" City underground as the escavate.  3rd picture is Nathan playing drums in the prayer room in Jerusalem that we visited.

 Going into and coming out of Hezekiah's tunnel.  The tunnel, leading from the Gihon Spring to the Pool of Siloam, was designed as an aqueduct to provide Jerusalem with water during an impending siege by the Assyrians, led by Sennacherib. The curving tunnel is 533 m long, conveyed water along its length from the spring to the pool.

According to the Siloam inscription, the tunnel was excavated by two teams, one starting at each end of the tunnel and then meeting in the middle. That is why it is so curved.  The chances of meeting each other at some point are much hight on a curved path that a straight path.The inscription is partly unreadable at present, and may originally have conveyed more information than this. It is clear from the tunnel itself that several directional errors were made during its construction.

 Pool  of Shiloam is where blind man rinsed the mud off his eyes and then he was able to see.  City of David is where David had his palace, close to the Temple. Hence the Harp which David loved.

 

Israeli soldiers man the city at all times.  It is mandatory for all 17 year olds to join the army.  Male and Female!!!

Our flight home was delayed by 3 hours so we missed our connecting flight from New York to Kansas.  The airline paid for us to spend a night in New York, meals included....all part of the experience!

Back into the routine of Ihop quite quickly.  Was so excited to hear a healing miracle of one of my friends here in my prayer group.  She has been suffering with an Auto Immune Disease since she was a little girl.  Always in a lot of pain and cannot really endure a long day.  Tires from around 3pm and usually wants to be in bed sleeping by 7ish....(sounds a bit like me and I don't have any disease!!!!)Had been on medication everyday of her life since she was 12...without the tablets she cannot usually function normally for any amount of time, the pain is too severe.  We have been praying for her healing since we got here, and on Friday while a group was praying for her, she felt a weight lift off her shoulders and God spoke to her to tell her not to take her medication anymore!  She was really nervous but took the step of faith and has been pain free, alert and feeling well since last week Friday with not medication!!!!!!  She is healed.

There are so many stories happening around us like that....here's another quick one.  Brianna's friend texted her to tell her she was pregnant and had scheduled an abortion for the next day.  Brianna got a group together here to pray that the abortion would not go ahead.  The group was praying between 5pm and 5:15pm.  At 5:12pm the girl texted Brianna's sister to say she does not know why but had decided to cancel the abortion and have the baby!!!!!

Our group had a Thanksgiving dinner for us last night, so we could see what it is like.  Very much like Christmas for us.  Turkey, loads of veg and potatoes, and much too much dessert....right up my alley!!!  Of course I ate too much and felt quite ill......but hey, it was Thanksgiving after all!!!!

Oh and one more thing before I say goodbye....this one really knocked my socks off.  A girl walks up to me,she's in our group, so I know her quite well now.....so nothing weird from a stranger, but she says to me: "I love your bangs, they always look so pretty!

Now tell me what you would think?  What is going through your mind?  My bangs are pretty!!!  Come on all of you.......What on earth are my bangs???  I know I've got a cute bum but no one ever told me it was "pretty",  boobs????? no I doubt a girl is going to tell me they are "pretty"......arms?, legs?, ....What?

My FRINGE!!!!!!!!!

Be honest, who knew that?  No ways???? In America your fringe, you know the hair that hangs into your eyes from time to time......is your bangs!!!!!

Time has gone quite quickly for us.  We are in the last week of our first course.  We finish next week, have a few days break.....like SPRING BREAK and then go on to Track 2 until the 23 June!  Glad I haven't been holding my breath for contact from my friends and news back home.....I would be no more if that was the case....!!!  But I still love and miss you all