we've been here for years

We've been here for years
living off the land and collecting rain in our hands
we took the wrong path somewhere and we couldn't get back
the dam broke and the river rose
locking us in

how did you find us?
which way did you come?
we've been here for years
living off the land and haven't seen another soul

we lost our language and our ears
we lost our shoes and our feet
we lost our clothes and our bodies
we lost our thoughts and our dreams
we've been here for years
collecting rain in our hands
the dam broke and the river rose
locking us in

oh, no, we can't go back with you
we lost our shoes and our feet
we've been here for years
living off the land and collecting rain in our hands

oh, no we can't leave
we've been here for years


So much is happening here. Lydia and Margot just turned one. The weather is getting colder. The days are getting shorter. I've been hearing for the Lord & I am going to be baptized next week (hopefully). I am really excited :). My sister is thinking about buying a house. My best friend just got engaged. A good friend from Geneva is getting married in a week. Another friend is coming to visit me on Thursday. And the days I have left away from America are fewer and fewer. It's an odd time. I am excited and sad and hopeful and everything all in one.

The Holy Land is surely leaving its mark on me- relationally, physically, and spiritually. Every time I come to a new place and have to make new friends, I don't think I will ever be able meet people who match all the people I left behind. But, every time, I am overwhelmed by God's provision. I have a few places I can call home here in Jerusalem, one in Musrara with the Fiores, one in Talpiot with the Hills, and one on Mount Zion at JUC. Seriously? Can I be so blessed? I get excited just thinking how lucky I am.

Now, I don't really feel like sharing my soul on my blog, but I'll just say that, since I have been here, I have realized a lot about myself & my arrogance and stubbornness. And the poem I wrote above is about stubbornness & stupidity. I think, knowing that, it should makes sense.

Yesterday was the twin's birthday. This is the first birthday I have experienced where I felt a kind of relief & pride. It's a big deal for a baby to turn one. That they are just healthy and happy brings a sense of accomplishment. So I was kind of celebrating that. We got them through one whole year! Happy Birthday Girls!

dance with the joyful

There is a haze over Jerusalem. Desert wind brought dust in that fills the sky and my mind so I am always tired and fuzzy.

We just finished Sukkot, which is the Feast of Tabernacles (or Booths). We have a sukka outside our house that our neighbors put up. Basically what happens, is all the Jewish families put up these little wooden sheds outside their homes. If you read in Leviticus & Deuteronomy it talks about The Feast of Tabernacles, where every family is supposed to live in a booth built a certain way in remembrance for the Israelites living conditions when they were in the desert for 40 years. The weekend before Sukkot is Yom Kippur- the day of atonement. Everything is completely shut down as the Jews repent and ask for atonement. Then, from the following Wednesday to the next Wednesday, they eat all of their meals in this little hut. Some of the more observant Jews even sleep in them for a week. They even put sukkot at all of the restaurants so everyone can still go out to eat while still observing the holiday. I don't know what I was expecting, but I think I was surprised with this holiday because it was so much fun. There was tinsel and decorations everywhere. Our neighbors were constantly having guests over and having little dinner parties in their sukka. I guess it is just nice to see the people and the kids really enjoying this holiday, when they seem to live their lives so seriously. I mean, I would be that serious about life too if I only believed in the Old Testament, but it was just surprising and refreshing. There was even a big sukka set up in the Saffra Square near our house. They had music and games and all sorts of things set up for all the families. They had this bubbles station where the kids got to make this huge bubbles...I'll admit I enjoyed it a bit. For the Jews, this past week is the one time of year where God comes down and manifests himself with them, so it's pretty exciting. I can see why it is such a joyful celebration for them. And I think it is my favorite of all the Jewish holidays I've seen or heard of.

I have been really blessed to have been able to meet a bunch of different people here. I have really connected with some of the students at Jerusalem University, and I also have gotten involved in a Bible Study with some young adults from around Jerusalem. There is one Jewish girl, one Palestinian girl, one Bahamanian, and then a few girls from the states. I feel so lucky to be able to sit and talk with them about our different lives and hear their thoughts on life in Jerusalem. Reem started teaching me Arabic today, and she has even given me homework so I can practice while she is away. And last night, we had a sleepover and she was giving us all belly-dancing tips. I can't wait to one day brag, saying; "Oh, I just picked it up while I was living in Israel." No big deal.

The sleepover last night and one I had last week with some girls from Jerusalem University really restore me. Something about mixing chocolate, dancing, prayer, heart-to-heart talking, and chick flicks makes my life seem perfect.

Last Thursday I went to Bethlehem with some of the JUC (Jerusalem University) students. I had the day off so I went to Arabic class with them and then we all went to Wi'am- a Christian-based, Palestinian conflict resolution center. We took a tour of one of the refugee camps and heard about how hard their lives are, just 15 minutes and a huge guarded wall away from Jerusalem. I think I have been lucky because I am hearing both sides. I have heard from an Israeli who had 5 family members killed by Hamas, who blames the Palestinians for of his woes. I have talked to an Israeli soldier about the issue of keeping their people safe, and heard his somewhat one-sided approach to how that should be accomplished. I have listened to Netanyahu and Abbas on the news. I have been to Bethlehem and seen how the people actually live. I have a Palestinian friend who is only allowed out of the West Bank for a few days every month and only with special permission. I have heard the Zionists with their manifest destiny and seeming lack of concern for the Arabs in Israel. There is so much to say on this issue, and I don't think I have even scratched the service of all the differing emotions, but I love discovering it and thinking about it. I love learning and discussing and trying to sort through all the different layers and not let myself be swayed by every new bit of evidence.

Everything I learn and everything I see just makes me more and more confident that the true issues- the issues that go deeper than stolen land and boundary lines and a massive graffiti-ed wall that separates communities - cannot be solved by the government or a non-profit. This land and these people will only be restored and renewed by a Greater power. Christ will redeem this seemingly lost cause.

"I will build you up again and you will be rebuilt, O Virgin Israel. Again you will take up your tambourines and go out to dance with the joyful."
Jeremiah 31:4

And the kids- how could I only be mentioning them now? I guess they seem like such a part of my life, I am prone to either only talk about them, or only talk about things not pertaining to them. Seriously, though, I feel like a mom half the time because I talk about them so much. I am a little obsessed...which is one reason why I am not thinking about my departure. And, when I do, I only think about the exciting things I will be going to, rather than all I will be leaving. After the babies nap today, I went to get Margot and was trying to get her out of the room without waking Lydia. But, of course Lydia senses someone's presence and looks out from under the ball that she has herself coiled up in for nap and says "Hey" (or what I am positive sounded like hey). And then she sees me is says "kelly" for the first time ever! I don't care if no one else heard it, it sounded like kelly to me :)
And I am getting in the mood for fall, so I cut out some pumpkins that Sam and Mia could draw faces on. I gave them ideas for all the shapes they could use for the eyes and the mouth. Sam insisted on circle eyes and then he ended up putting the nose right in the middle of the eyes and Mia kept saying "three eyes, three eyes, three eyes," while I defended Sam's case about the nose. It was quite funny. And there is this movie that Sam is OBSESSED with. It is this big green bear basically telling kids the right way to behave (which is very nice indoctrination if you ask me) but it has the funniest songs about caring and cleaning & everything you would expect. It is just funny how Sam doesn't get sick of it. And I asked Mia how many times they have watched it, and she says "Oh, A LOT, like SEVEN times." They've totally watched it more than seven times, I like how that is her idea of a lot. It reminds me of when I first moved to Switzerland and she asked me if I was going to stay forever. I figured out how many days I would be with her and I told her, and she goes "that's close to forever." And it did seem like it then...with only 6 weeks left of forever..I don't want to think about it.

Bye! Happy Halloween!

around town

Hours turn into days, days turn into weeks, and I still can't get used to the fact that I live in Jerusalem. I keep reading the Bible and being like "oh, there it's mentioned again. Cool!"

I spend most of my free time reading or going to Jerusalem University and hanging out with the students there. I have gotten to explore more of East Jerusalem and experience the contrast between the Arab and Israeli side. It is crazy that there are such evident divides in the city without any actual boundary lines. You don't realize until after you cross the road that you are in another world- different language, different dress, different everything.
Yesterday we went to the zoo. My personal favorite was the penguins. They had a part where you could see underwater as the penguins swam. The babies followed them with their eyes and the kids ran from side to side as the penguins swam. Then the penguins would get out of the water and shake there little tails and we'd all giggle. It was grand. We roared at the bears and lions and impersonated the meercats (Mia's favorite animal). We were a little upset that the elephants were absent, but we got over it with the ice cream. Sam practiced his monkey faces and Mia proved herself a great map reader ("next is the cheetah, and the we'll be going to.....what's this animal called?")

Last night I went to a Bible study. At one of the churches I went to, I met this really cool girl named Kimmie who kindly took my number and told me she would let me know when things were happening. So, I walked to Talpiot (about 45 minutes away) and spent a great evening with a group of people I'd never met before. I love when that happens- when you just luckily (or maybe we shouldn't call it luck) stumble on a group of fun people. There was laughing and dancing and guitar playing and singing. It was wonderful. I kept looking around at everyone wondering what there story was and where they were from. There was one Palestinian girl who lived in Ramallah and she was worried she might have trouble getting past the check point that night. (In case you didn't know, the residents of the West Bank have to get permission to come into West Jerusalem, and they are usually just allowed in for a day. And she won't be allowed back until the 23rd, so we are already planning a girls night. It's the oddest thing to think that someone isn't allowed to go where they want when they want. I have never realized how blessed I am to be American. Seriously, it's great. We can travel most anywhere without even applying for a visa. My eyes are really being opened to the situation in Israel. Praying for the peace of Jerusalem never seemed more necessary (read Psalm 122).

And, another crazy thing, I don't know if I ever mentioned this, but before we even thought about coming to Israel, this random girl got stranded in Geneva. Her father recognized Sam's name on a church website he looked up when trying to find someone to take in his daughter, so he got in contact with Sam and she came to stay with us. Her father is a minister in Jerusalem, and knows Sam's parents (who are missionaries in Milan). Also, he is the minister of the church Michelle went to when she lived in Jerusalem. So- that girl who stayed with us in Geneva, and who lives in Jerusalem, has a sister. I was at her sister's apartment. Crazy, eh? It is such a small world.

Alright more on the Israel-Palestine situation, making friends, life with four kids, and other stuff later. I'm going to watch some Gilmore Girls & go to bed.

Have a good night!