Our Home in Israel

Are you really curious like me?  Or am I just a "Curious George"-kind of person all by myself?  I just love seeing where and how people live.  And since you read my blog, I am going to give you the benefit of the doubt in thinking that you can be kinda curious too.  So, if you've been wondering what our little apartment here looks like (or generally just what an apartment in Israel might look like), then this post is just for you!

{Below} Kitchen/Living Room area

Let me tell ya one thing loud and clear: my Father owns the cattle on a thousand hills and it brings Him such pleasure to take care of His children!  Israel is a very expensive place to live {I hope to blog about that in a separate post soon}, and without much time to plan and save money aside for our three-month stay here, we were fretting just a bit about how our family of six would survive on a budget meant for Ukraine.  {Okay, maybe it was me who was fretting, not hubby, who seems to have so much more faith than this little wifey of his!}

{Below} Living room area.  This is where Davey homeschools each day and also where Davey and Nate sleep at night.  See the blue seating on the right?  That is actually a double bed.  The bottom "mattress" pulls out and raises up.  Used separately, they are like two twin mattresses - perfect for our boys.

We have a friend of a friend who lives in this apartment.  It is a two-bedroom, one-bath happy little space on the eighth floor of a 14-story building.  It is located in a beautiful.... no, let me rephrase that... gorgeous area. {Do palm trees and beautiful landscaping get anyone else as excited as it does me?!}  It just happened that this friend of a friend needed to vacate his apartment for three months because of a trip he was taking.  And it just happened that those three months lined up with our three months of being here, with just a two week overlap.  Anyone getting goosebumps yet?  Of course, I am joking when I say that it all just happened.  I know with all of my heart that nothing just happens with God.  

{Below}  Room #1, where Brianna and Micah sleep and where Brianna works on school.  (We were able to borrow the playpen for Micah to sleep in).

This friend of a friend also left a van here, that we have had access to use.  Wow!  Talk about the icing on the cake!  We actually use it very, very sparingly though because it is a 15-passenger van... too much space for us and considering the price of gas here ($6 a gallon!), we really don't need it that badly.  It is wonderful, though, to know that it is available if and when we need it.  Thank you, Lord!

 {Below}  Room #2, where David and I sleep and where Nate does his schoolwork.

I just adore the location of this apartment.  Our view is breathtaking, and the most amazing park in all of the city is just a 3-4 minute walk away.  Yes, the kids and I spend a lot of time there.  What can I say?  They have to be quiet in our apartment for fear of disturbing the neighbors.  When you can be loud to your heart's content in this fabulous park (below), what would you do?!  Makes me wish I could be a kid again to be able to slide down those amazing red slides!

{Below}  Washing machine located in a small closet in the bathroom

I don't have any pictures of our bathroom, but it is pretty basic and the tile color is what you see in the picture above.  Our washing machine is an interesting contraption, and I really wanted you to see it.  It is cylinder-shaped and spins front to back, instead of sideways.  It is small, but we are quite used to a small washing machine.  There is also no dryer, but we are pros at that.  I have been hanging clothes on a clothesline for 10 years now, and I have actually come to enjoy it.  Hanging clothes has a daily rhythm to it, that I have come to look forward to. {Just whistle while you work!}

So, that is pretty much it other than the glass-enclosed balcony some of you noticed and wrote me about after my post about Davey's birthday.  The only thing I cannot get away from soon enough is that balcony.  I am sure it is just as safe as anything else (or else I wouldn't let our children step foot out there), but something about seeing the great open-air sky right in front of me each time I walk out to hang clothes is a little too close for my comfort!  Hmmm, this could also be another reason why I love taking them to that big park to run off their energy!

For our family of six, going from a three-bedroom, two-bath out in a village to this adorable, small apartment in the city has been an adjustment, I confess, BUT.... I am so very grateful for the Lord's provisions for our family!  He always provides in remarkable ways for our every need, and I wonder why it is we ever doubt Him?!

Sabbath elevator

Something particularly fascinating here in Israel is the way elevators work each Sabbath (each weekend, Friday evening to Saturday evening).  If you visit Israel and stay in a hotel over the weekend, this is something you will certainly notice and wonder about.  Well, wonder no longer!

The Jews are required to abstain from operating electric switches on the Sabbath.  Since this includes elevator buttons, a special mode has been created for elevators so that Jews can continue using them even without ever touching a button.  The elevators are designed to work by opening and closing on every single floor.  This is a very time-consuming method, but the religious Jews will stand and wait until the elevator reaches their floor.  They will step on, never touch a button, and wait for the elevator to open and close its doors on every floor until it has reached their desired stop.  Then, they simply walk off.

I took the picture for this post in our very own apartment building.  The elevator on the left side is the one that is used for Sabbath.  The one on the right works normally, seven days a week.

I'll bet you are wondering how many people here actually observe this law.  Well, I think you would be surprised at this elevator's popularity.  Just put it this way... there is an elevator like this in nearly every multiple-story building in Israel!

Fascinating, isn't it?

Double Digits

Oh, boy... I have officially been a mama for a decade now!  Where, oh, where does the time go?!  Our oldest child reached the double digits this past week, and it has caused me to do a lot of reminiscing in this mama-heart of mine.

Davey has reached that awkward "in-between" stage of crossing over from childhood to being a teenager.  While we see some of those teenage characteristics creeping up, we sigh a breathe of relief to hear Davey's all-out childish giggles.  Why can't we just freeze these kids in time?

I prayed that God would give us a son as our firstborn.  It just felt so right to me to start our family with a boy to lead the way for his siblings that would someday follow.  And the Lord did not disappoint (and He never does!).  Really, I just love when our plans line up with God's plans.  {And when they don't line up with His plans, we just try to jump on the right track of where WE should be in our thinking, planning, and actions.}

I was really excited to realize that Davey would have the opportunity to turn the big "One-Zero" here in Israel.  As a great friend put it, "Not everyone gets to celebrate a birthday where Jesus celebrated His."  Wow.  I like that thought.

The evening before Davey's actual big day, we invited some other Americans over to our apartment for some partying.  We sat out on our balcony and enjoyed the perfect weather from our eighth floor.  May weather is pretty perfect in any country, wouldn't you agree?

We have Domino's Pizza AND Pizza Hut here in Israel.  Motorcycle deliveries are the thing for pizza delivery here, so our children excitedly listened for and awaited the buzzing sound of the motorcycle from our balcony.  And, our delivery man was kind enough to let Davey try on his helmet AND pose for a picture too.  Yes, we gave him a nice tip.  He deserved it.

I made a Chocolate Peanut Butter Layer cake that did not disappoint.  We couldn't find the mini Reese's  PB cups for decorating the top as was suggested in the recipe (though they DO have the regular-sized Reese's here), but mini Snickers candy bars did the trick.  It was challenging to bake in a kitchen that lacks much of the equipment I needed for baking, but a borrowed mixer and some dollar-store measuring spoons saved the day.

As if Davey did not receive enough birthday love, he was also sent some money which he is saving to buy a Kindle Touch.  This will really come in handy in a place where books in English are not readily available.  But, I am still wondering whatever happened to the days of my little boy dreaming of cars, trucks, and dinosaurs.  I know, I know, you don't have to remind me.  He is outgrowing those things. {sigh}  Our family's gift to Davey was a model of the Garden Tomb (which you can see in the left-hand corner in the picture above.)  He loves having this memory to take home with him of that place that has become so near and dear to our hearts.

On Davey's actual birthday, his Daddy surprised all of us with the news that we were going to a safari zoo in Tel Aviv!  The outer part of the zoo is drive-through only and the inner-part of the zoo was a walk-through area that we mostly enjoyed with a rented golf cart.  Double wow.

We now have a new pressed penny to add to our growing collection and a whole host of memories and pictures of this special time together.  And who knew that this "detour" in our lives could be so fun?!

Trusting the Lord for your future is always a good thing.  And I hope and pray that Davey has learned that by seeing what God has done for him personally through this "detour" to Israel!

Israel Plays Maranatha Baptist Bible College

This post is another one for the guys.  But since the males far outnumber the females in our home, it is natural that "guy-stuff" would end up on this blog from time to time.  And that's okay with me.  After all, I was a high-school cheerleader for three years in our Christian school, so I do enjoy the excitement of a good game.

Photo Credit

Photo Credit

You can read the official story of the game on the Jerusalem Post by clicking here.  Five years ago, the first local league in Israel was launched, and this was their first time to play an international team.  Israel lost 49-6, but it was exciting to watch their enthusiasm for the game.  Maranatha Baptist Bible College from Watertown, Wisconsin, brought a team of 27 to Israel, including players and coaches.  It was a lot of fun for our family to meet both teams, and our children were torn as to whom to cheer for.  Hmmm... when you are an American living in Israel, where do your loyalties lie at a football game?  I think the kids finally decided to cheer both teams on, and they had a great night being a part of something historic for Israel.

{Below} Nate's favorite vantage point

Film crews were present at the game, and I was approached by a man who let me know that Davey ended up in some of his pre-game filming.  He wanted to know if I could sign a release form with my permission allowing the clip where Davey was present to go on television.  Ummm, yes, please!  Can I fill in the blanks with capital letters?  It really made Davey's day when he found out!

Davey was privileged to be "water boy" for the American team, and our whole family was happy to see Israel make history!

Another update for Sheila's prayer team

I get asked for updates on Sheila Campbell (mama friend with cancer... you can read her story by clicking here) on a pretty regular basis, and you know what?  That just makes me really, really smile inside because I know that I have some very loving friends and readers who care and want to help and pray.  You all make me grateful every single day for this wonderful community of friends I have and enjoy being a part of.

Sweet Sheila wrote me last week, and I thought it would be appropriate to share her message here with you:

Isn't she such a sweetheart?  Let's keep praying for Sheila to regain her strength so that she can return to being a vivacious, energetic mama to her three darling boys.  I know she would love to know we haven't forgotten her!


{Pssst... we love you, Sheila!}

Sweets for Soldiers

Did you know that Israel uses a different calendar than the rest of the world?  They count their years all of the way back to Creation.  For us, the year is 2012 and for Israel the year is 5772.  Interesting, isn't it?

Israel celebrated their Independence Day April 26th, but the rest of the world observes their day of Indepedence as being May 14th.  This is due to the difference in the way they count the length of their years.

This is very captivating information but also helpful to understand why we had a two-week time frame that we spent congratulating Israel and their soldiers on their independence.  During those two weeks we stayed busy passing out these:

For those of you who participated, these were your notes to the soldiers!  And let me tell ya... you really touched the soldiers' hearts with your words of encouragement and support.  The Jews just do not hear that they have friends.  Unfortunately, that fact just is not widely published and they are genuinely grateful to hear that we really do love them and support them.

Israel, we support you!  We love you!  And there are a lot more people out there just like us.

My children enjoyed having a very active part in showing their support, as you can see in the pictures below.  On this particular day, they were able to go room to room, bed to bed, soldier to soldier to pass out their goodies.

I took oodles and caboodles of pictures that I would love to share with you, but I just can't.  We were able to see, touch, and experience all kinds of amazing "guy stuff," and I know I have several men who read this blog and would really enjoy it if I could embellish on those aspects.  However, for safety reasons which I am sure you understand, I do not want to give one itty bitty piece of information or even the slightest peek of Israeli weaponry to the wrong side.  Therefore, just suffice it to say that it was, as my children {especially the boys} would put it, "so coooooool!"

I have also been thinking how happy I am to bring all of my children safely home with me each night. I watch my little boys play with plastic soldiers and listen to them make machine gun sounds as the little plastic soldiers fall over, and I think of how grateful I am for the innocence of their childhood and the fearless nights that they lay their heads on their pillows each night.

And it is all because of soldiers who lose sleep each night to keep our borders safe.

{Above: my favorite picture of the day}

All About My Mom

I mentioned on yesterday's post a worksheet I found here that I would be sharing with you today.  So, this is me... through the eyes of my children.  {I retyped it for you below their pictures and left the spelling just the way they had it.  Explanations and comments are my own.}

All About My Mom by: David
My Mom's name is Jolene.
She is 33 years old.
She is 5 feet 2 inches tall.
She weighs 150 pounds.  {Ummm, I need to have a talk with this kid about guessing ladies' weight.  It is always best to guess low, Davey, not high!}
Her favorite tv show is Duggars. {We occasionally watch 19 Kids and Counting together.  Sweet times.}
Her favorite food is veggies.
Her favorite thing to drink is water.
Her favorite thing to do is play with kids.
She likes to wear modest clothes.
My Mom is REALLY good at playing with kids and cooking.
I like it best when my Mom plays with us.
My favorite thing to do with my Mom is play.
During the day my Mom works to make us comfortable.  {Whew, thanks Davey for adding that one in.  I was beginning to think I was going to have to explain to these dear people that I really do work!}

All About My Mom by: Nathanael Thomas Sloan, May 2012, Sat.
My Mom's name is Jolene.
She is 33 years old.
She is 4 3/4 feet 2 inches tall.  {you or me?!}
She weighs 45 pounds.  {When guessing low on a ladies' weight, you have to stay within the believable range, Nate.  But, better to err on the side of too low than too high, I guess!}
Her favorite tv show is Duggars.
Her favorite food is pancakes.
Her favorite thing to drink is Diet Pepsi.
Her favorite thing to do is see us happy.  {You got that right, buddy!}
She likes to wear jewlry.
My Mom is REALLY good at being kind.
I like it best when my Mom smiles, takes me to the park, swim
My favorite thing to do with my Mom is swim.  {We've been to the Mediterranean Sea twice this week and it has been a blast!}
During the day my Mom is kind.  {Yikes!  What about during the evenings?! LOL!}

All About My Mom by: Brianna
My Mom's name is Jolene.  {love her backwards letter J!}
She is 33 years old.
She is 5 feet 11 inches tall.  {I know I seem tall to you, sweetie, since you're only 5.}
She weighs 115 pounds.  {gotta love her!}
Her favorite tv show is Dugrs.  (Duggers)
Her favorite food is grilbchessamich. (grilled cheese sandwich)
Her favorite thing to drink is cofe. (coffee)
Her favorite thing to do is work on the kupubr.  (work on the computer)  {I don't do this much in front of them, but she knows I do enjoy it.... especially when I get to write about them!}
She likes to wear prplthigs. (purple things)
My Mom is REALLY good at kokeg. (cooking)
I like it best when my Mom kokse. (cooks)
My favorite thing to do with my Mom is woth (space) a move. (watch a movie)  {She didn't mean a "space movie."  She was letting me know that she accidentally wrote her letters too closely together.  Cutie.}
During the day my Mom koke. (cooks)  {Apparently I do a lot of cooking and they like that!}

And just because he is irresistibly adorable, I included a picture of Micah.  Maybe we'll get to hear his thoughts of Mom in a couple of years!

So, how about you all, my Mommy friends?  Try printing out a worksheet for yourself and see what your kids have to say about you.  It's a lot of fun and, not to mention, a great keepsake!