The Keyls arrived safely in Israel, though delayed by about fourteen hours.
The thunderstorm at Dulles made us leave late, which meant we missed our connecting
flight to Tel Aviv in Frankfurt and had to re-schedule. So we saw a lot of the Frankfurt
airport and a little of Frankfurt itself as we attempted a brief excursion by local train.
Kari's sister was delayed in coming from Minneapolis to Dulles by the same
thunderstorm and was grounded in Columbus for hours. She missed our flight from
Dulles to Frankfurt and spent the day on Monday at Dulles.
We met our cab driver at 4:30 am on Tuesday, June 27 at the airport. We were
all thrilled to finally get here. The kids marvelled at the palm trees. Kari and
I were impressed by the rolling hills and winding roads on the way, while the kids
fell asleep.
We came to St. George's Guest House, and two rooms were quickly prepared. We
all CRASHED, asleep all morning.
Our friend, Pastor Ibrahim ("Barhoum") Azar of the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer
in Jerusalem came to greet us. We have been moved by the welcome of those at St. George
and by our Lutheran sisters and brothers.
We have been eating much home-cooked food, with wonderfully spices: chicken with special
sauce on flatbread, eggplant stuffed with beef and rice, spinach with onions (and special spices),
humms on pita with beef (and special spices) and roasted pine nuts, yellow melon, watermelon,
and on and on. I was promised my first taste of Arabic coffee when the Azars visited New Hampshire
last year, and I was not disappointed: strong coffee with sugar (and special spice: cardamon).
Nah'la Azar is a wonderful cook and gracious host.
The children have been reunited with their special Palestinian friends Jihan, Sally,
and Sama Azar (ages 12, 10, and 5) and have relished playing on the roof-topped home in their
Jerusalem neighborhood, Beit Safafa.
The last two days we have begun our touring, as Kari's sister Kim arrived safely on
Tuesday afternoon.
Yesterday June 28 we saw a garden tomb unearthed in the 19th century by British General
Allenby. It is within walking distance of the guest house where we are staying, and the gardens
are beautiful. Though it disputed to be the tomb of Christ (the alternate sight is at the Church
of the Holy Sepuchre), we found the site of the tomb to be quite humbling.
After that, we made our way through the Damascus Gate and encountered the sights, sounds, and
smells of the marketplace, with everyone very interested in inviting you to try their shop. We
bought an Arab spice called zatar, which you sprinkle on Jerusalem bread with olive oil (yummy!).
In the afternoon, we went to Bethlehem and toured the Church of the Nativity, proposed to be
the spot where Jesus was born. It is a building that is adminstered by three churches: Roman Catholic,
Armenian, and Greek. The downstairs grotto is the holiest spot, surrounded by a star, and venerated
by pilgrims who kneel at it as the place where Jesus was laid in the manger.
We also were in the shop whose proprietor relayed his experience of the 2003 siege while showing
many wares made by local artisans out of olive wood.
Finally, we went to the (Lutheran) Christmas Church in Manger Square, whose pastor is Mitri Raheb.
It has a cultural center with moving exhibits.
On our way back, we stopped in Beit Jala and toured Abraham's Herberge at the Lutheran Church of
the Reformation. Elegant guest rooms have been added in 2003, in addition to the home for boys that
takes in 53 kids from troubled homes. The pastor, Shihadeh Jadallah greeted us, and I remembered
hosting his daughter Klara two years ago as she accompanied our youth to the National Youth Gathering.
Today, June 29, we climbed the tower at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer which gives you a
panoramic view of the Old City of Jerusalem.
Then we toured the Tower of David Museum at Jaffa Gate, which chronicles the storied (and checkered)
history of the city of Jerusalem, from King David's time to today.
We are enjoying the dry heat during the day and the cool nights once the sun sets, and this
adventure that will teach us much about life and faith.
Christ the King Lutheran Church, 3 Lutheran Drive, Nashua, NH 03063 (603) 882-6142
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