Haifa Group

The Galilee Branch has a twig and we call it the Haifa Group.  When we arrived in Israel, Merrill and Nanette Beckstead had been nurturing some Filipina sisters they came across while Merrill was working at the Technion.  Merrill is a rocket scientist—really, he is.  Nanette is a master at nurturing all she comes in contact with.  They had so much fun being in Israel, they wondered if it would be possible to be there as service volunteers.  They found a way and ultimately spent two years in Haifa nurturing this small group of Filipina sisters and one lone brother who later moved to Tel Aviv.  The Beckstead’s completed their work in November 2010 and since then we have been nurturing the Haifa Group.  We look forward to it every week, even though our Sabbath day begins at 7 am and ends at 10 pm.  We welcome the Galilee Branch in Tiberias at 9:30 am.  Melanie teaches a Spanish/English session for 10 minutes before church meetings start. (Half of our Branch is Spanish).  She is trying to learn Spanish and they are learning English.  We have a regular 3-hour block of church meetings, then a snack time before they board the van home to Nazareth.  We grab a sandwich and lie down to rest for about 45 minutes.  Yes! We actually lie down and rest because then we get up and drive an hour to Haifa to pick up the Filipinas and have 90 minutes of meetings, then deliver them to their employers and drive on back to Tiberias.  Sometimes we think we are too old to do this, but we are being blessed and look forward to their excitement about being together and sharing ideas about the gospel.

The Filipinas we know are LDS and are mothers who have come to Israel as full-time caregivers to elderly Israeli’s some of whom are Holocaust survivors.   The economic situation in the Phillipines is very dire and to educate their children and give them a better life, the mothers choose to come for 5 years.  They earn money that they send back to their families in the Phillipines.  It is our understanding that they are to be allowed 1 day off a week, however, we never see them get that on a regular basis.  They are at the beck and call of elderly people who are sometimes very frightened of being alone and who don’t like new caregivers who serve as relievers for the regular caregivers.  The Filipina sisters long to have the influence of the church in their lives as they have been very active in their native lands so it has been wonderful to see them enjoy preparing lessons and saying prayers.  In the past they were too shy to participate, but are now in full swing of teaching and learning.  Especially sweet is how grateful they are about partaking of the Sacrament.  Another of their favorite things is talking to their family over SKYPE.  There are usually challenges with that, however, like computers that don’t work or too weak a band-width to receive, or not enough money to pay for a internet service.  As they speak of their difficulties with daily challenges of meeting the needs of their employers, their concern about their families in their absence, the little money that they get which might be going to where they want it to, it wrenches our hearts to know of the huge sacrifices they are making.

However, we are all taking joy in our being together.  We have a wonderful spot to meet.  It is a conference room in the Old Colony Hotel in the Germantown part of Haifa.  It has been converted from an old meat locker in the basement of the building.  Sounds funny, but it is very comfortable.  And history repeats itself.  It is right in front of the original building that was a mission home in the 1880’s.  More about that another time.

Goodwins Came to Visit

My January blues of missing all of you have been broken up by the visit of our friends, Bob and Linda Goodwin.  We worked together at BYU Hawaii in the early 70’s and have been in contact through the years even though they stayed in Hawaii and we moved around here and there.  It has really been a boon to have them come.

It took them a lot to get here.  Twelve years ago Bob and Linda prepared a special place in their home for Linda’s Mom and Dad to stay with them.   Her Dad died about 6 years ago and her Mom has needed daily attention since then.  Bob and Linda have stayed pretty close to home since then.   Bob wrote to us saying Linda was in need of a break this Christmas season.  We, of course, invited them to come and see us.  They began planning to come in early January.  They had arranged for Linda’s Mom to stay in a care center while they were away.  On the day they were to take her in, she passed away.  There is a lot more to the story, but ultimately they were able to be postpone the trip so they could come after the funeral.  They had the most horrible flight experience we ever heard--eleven hour delay for numerous reasons and we were waiting at airport for them.  They were pretty shaken up by the time we connected with them.

Bob and Linda built a home in Hawaii in the 70’s when it was unheard of because of the high cost of land and materials.  They said they built it on faith and prayer.  Later, Bob went on to help, to some extent, each of their children remodel a home or build one for their families.  Woodworking has been a really big part of his life.  He has made some beautiful furniture for their own home that are exquisite.  Consequently, he wanted to check out some woodworking here in Israel.  One of our adventures was to take him to a shop where he could select some wood to take home.

Our next woodworking adventure was to take them to a carver of olive wood.  It was late in the day and I wondered if the shops would be open.  We headed for Omar’s.  As we turned the corner we could see that the shop was closed.  When we were about to turn around and go back, we hear a voice saying.  “ Welcome, my friends, welcome.” Omar was coming up the street with open arms.  He opened his shop and proceeded to show his work.   This is Omar.

Linda was looking for a three-figure piece of the Holy Family to take home.  She looked in other stores but hadn’t found what she wanted.  Well, Omar seeing a very discerning lady pulled out this masterpiece and said,  “This is the first one I have ever done of this type.  It took me 2000 hours.  I’ve worked on this for a year.  My next one will take less time because now I know what I want.” He showed us the different grains in the wood and how he had worked into it their clothing.  Bob immediately wanted to buy it for Linda, but Linda wasn’t quite ready to commit.  Omar ordered some schwarma for us and he told us the story of his conversion to the church, the threats on his life and his need to save his life by forsaking the church.  And yet he is constantly carving the figures that speak of the restoration.  Ultimately, the Goodwins purchased the sculpture and 6 other small nativities for their children.

We then headed home ….Linda cooked us a chicken curry meal using the mix that she bought in Provo and brought with her.  

What a great way to end a day; we all play and she cooks!

Ancient Roman Pool Uncovered in Jerusalem

AP – A worker of the Israel Antiquities Authority works at an excavation site in Jerusalem's Old City, Monday, …

By DANIEL ESTRIN, Associated Press Daniel Estrin, Associated Press – 2 hrs 48 mins ago

JERUSALEM – While excavating the site for a planned new ritual bath for Jews in Jerusalem, Israeli archaeologists uncovered a pool belonging to the Roman legion that sacked the city nearly 2,000 years ago. The discovery announced Monday sheds a rare light on the city the Romans built after destroying the second Jewish Temple in 70 A.D. and expelling the Jews from Jerusalem following their revolt. Ofer Sion, the director of the excavation in the Jewish quarter of Jerusalem's Old City, said the site helps prove that the Roman city was larger than previously thought.

"It is very important because in all the excavations in the Jewish quarter (we have) never found a building from the 2nd and 3rd century," he said Monday. History-rich Jerusalem is one of the most excavated cities in the world, and archaeologists are routinely deployed to examine sites ahead of any planned

construction projects.

The archaeologists found steps leading to the pool's white mosaic floor and hundreds of terra cotta roof tiles stamped with the name of the Roman unit — the famed Tenth Legion — that built the pool. Sion suggested the site was part of a larger complex where thousands of soldiers once bathed. After the city was sacked and the Jewish kingdom overthrown, the Romans founded the city of Aelia Capitolina as capital of the new province of Syria-Palestina.

Later, when the Jordanians ruled in Jerusalem's Old City from 1948-1967, a sewing factory was built on the same site, Sion said.When the archaeologists complete their dig, the Jerusalem city council will continue their plans to build a mikveh, a Jewish ritual bath, Israeli authorities said. Some religious Jews routinely use the bath for ritual purification.

Israel's Antiquities Authority said that the remains of the ancient Roman bathhouse would be integrated into the design of the new ritual bath.

Archaeology and politics often go hand in hand in Jerusalem, and especially in areas surrounding the Old City and its many layers of history that are enmeshed in a web of competing claims. Rafi Greenberg, an archaeologist from Tel Aviv University, said Israeli authorities often focus on findings from Jerusalem's Jewish past at the expense of historical remnants from other eras."Every modern building in the Old City is built above an ancient building," Greenberg said. "The question is if religious authorities are tolerant enough to accept alternative histories."

Yom Kippur

Today begins the celebration of Yom Kippur in Israel.  It is also the first day in six months where we have seen ANY clouds!  I am sure the two are related.  More about that later.  Below is a summary of Yom Kippur..

How is Yom Kippur Observed?

An Overview of Yom Kippur's Traditions and Customs

http://www.chabad.org/holidays/JewishNewYear/

Yom Kippur commemorates the day that G‑d forgave the Jewish people for the sin of the Golden Calf. Forty days after hearing G‑d say at Mount Sinai: "You shall not have the gods of others in My presence; you shall not make for yourself a graven image," the Jews committed the cardinal sin of idolatry. Moses spent nearly three months on top of the mountain pleading with G‑d for forgiveness, and on the tenth of Tishrei it was finally granted: "I have pardoned, as you have requested."

From that moment on, this date, henceforth known as the Day of Atonement, is annually observed as a commemoration of our special relationship with G‑d, a relationship that is strong enough to survive any rocky bumps it might encounter. This is a day when we connect with the very essence of our being, which remains faithful to G‑d regardless of our outward behavior.

And while it is the most solemn day of the year, we are also joyful, confident that G‑d will forgive our sins and seal our verdict for a year of life, health, and happiness.

For nearly twenty-six hours – from several minutes before sunset on Tishrei 9 until after nightfall on Tishrei 10 – we "afflict our souls": we abstain from food and drink, do not wash or anoint our bodies, do not wear leather footwear, and abstain from spousal intimacy. We are likened to the angels, who have no physical needs. Instead of focusing on the physical, we spend much of our day in the synagogue, engaged in repentance and prayer.

Preparations

On the day before Yom Kippur, the primary mitzvah is to eat and drink in abundance. Two festive meals are eaten, one earlier in the day, and one just prior to the onset of Yom Kippur. Some of the day's other observances include requesting and receiving honey cake, in acknowledgement that we are all recipients in G‑d's world and in prayerful hope for a sweet year; begging forgiveness from anyone whom we may have wronged during the past year; giving extra charity; and the ceremonial blessing of the children.

Before sunset, women and girls light holiday candles, and everyone makes their way to the synagogue for the Kol Nidrei services.

On Yom Kippur

In the course of Yom Kippur we will hold five prayer services: 1) Maariv, with its solemn Kol Nidrei service, on the eve of Yom Kippur; 2) Shacharit—the morning prayer; 3) Musaf, which includes a detailed account of the Yom Kippur Temple service; 4) Minchah, which includes the reading of the Book of Jonah.

Finally, in the waning hours of the day, we reach the climax of the day: the fifth prayer, the Neilah ("locking") prayer. The gates of Heaven, which were open all day, will now be closed—with us on the inside. During this prayer we have the ability to access the most essential level of our soul. The Holy Ark remains open throughout. The closing Neilah service climaxes in the resounding cries of "Hear O Israel... G‑d is one." Then joy erupts in song and dance (a Chabad custom is to sing the lively "Napoleon's March"), followed by a single blast of the shofar, and the proclamation, "Next year in Jerusalem."

After the fast we partake of a festive after-fast meal, making the evening after Yom Kippur a Yom Tov (festival) in its own right. We immediately begin to look forward to the next holiday and its special mitzvah: the construction of the sukkah.

----------------------

Much more to think about here….

It is New Years Here in Israel Sept 8 and 9, 2010

It is also my brother Chris's birthday.  My thoughts are with him and my thoughts are with our goodly neighbors who are celebrating Rosh Hashanah.  Each year Rosh Hashanah is celebrated on a different date.  But it is a very special time for Jewish people.  Below is an article about the holiday I got off the internet.  After the article is a link I found today by searching for answers to questions about prayer.  Truman Madsen gives an audio talk about prayer.   Can you see a correlation between the article and the audio talk?

The two-day festival of Rosh Hashanah is observed on the 1^st and 2^nd days of Tishrei.

In Hebrew, Rosh Hashanah means, literally, "Head of the Year," and as its name indicates, it is the beginning of the Jewish year. The anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve, it is the birthday of mankind, highlighting the special relationship between G‑d and humanity.

The primary theme of the day is our acceptance of G‑d as our King

The primary theme of the day is our acceptance of G‑d as our King. The Kabbalists teach that the renewal of G‑d's desire for the world, and thus the continued existence of the universe, is dependent upon this. We accept G‑d as our King, and G‑d is aroused, once again, with the desire to continue creating the world for one more year.

Much of the day is spent in synagogue. G‑d not only desires to have a world with people, G‑d wants an intimate relationship with each one of us. In addition to the collective aspects of Rosh Hashanah worship, each man and woman personally asks G‑d to accept the coronation, thus creating the bond of "We are Your people and You are our King."

The central observance of Rosh Hashanah is the sounding of the shofar, the ram's horn. The shofar is sounded on both days of Rosh Hashanah (unless the first day of the holiday falls on Shabbat, in which case we only sound the shofar on the second day). The sounding of the shofar represents, among other things, the trumpet blast of a people's coronation of their king. The cry of the shofar is also a call to repentance; for Rosh Hashanah is also the anniversary of man's first sin and his repentance thereof, and serves as the first of the "Ten Days of Repentance" which will culminate in Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Altogether, we listen to 100 shofar blasts over the course of the Rosh Hashanah service. Click here for more about the shofar.

Additional Rosh Hashanah observances include:

We eat a piece of apple dipped in honey to symbolize our desire for a sweet year, as well as many other special foods. All have special significance and symbolize sweetness, blessings, and abundance. Click here for more about the special Rosh Hashanah foods.

We bless one another with the words Leshanah tovah tikateiv veteichateim, "May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year."

We leave our old shortcomings behind us, thus starting the new year with a clean slate

We go to a lake, river or to the sea and recite the Tashlich prayers, where we symbolically cast our sins into the water, in evocation of the verse, "And You shall cast their sins into the depths of the sea." We leave our old shortcomings behind us, thus starting the new year with a clean slate. Click here for more about Tashlich.

And as with every major Jewish holiday, women and girls light candles on each evening of Rosh Hashanah and recite the appropriate blessings. (Click here for candle-lighting times for your location.) After the prayers each night and morning, we recite Kiddush on wine, make a blessing over the challah, and enjoy a festive repast.

This is the link to the audio talk by Madsen:
http://www.trumanmadsen.com/media/Madsen_Truman_1983.mp3

MORMON.ORG

Have you seen this?  My friend sent this and it is wonderful critique of Mormon.org.

Subject: 5 Things We Can Learn From the Mormons - An Article You Should Read

This article is an interesting read. It's written by an evangelical critiquing the new Mormon.org. He states,  "Over the weekend, I stumbled upon the new Mormon missionary site, Mormon.org. I was blown away....As pastors, you should familiarize yourself with this new site. It’s important to know how the Mormon Church is talking about themselves. And it’s important to understand how they do it so well. If you’re a communication director or pastor in ministry, there is much to learn from the Mormons—pragmatically. In many ways they are beating us at the communication and evangelism game."

http://www.thejakers.com/church/church-marketing/5-things-we-can-learn-from-the-mormons

PART 3 GALILEE BRANCH

It is a great gathering for the Sabbath meeting. The

Jackson’s from the District Leadership are the speakers and

speak about becoming a Zion people which is our theme for

the conference: Moses 7:18 And the Lord called his people

Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and

dwelt in righteousness. After which we have a great meal

made extra special because each member sits next to a

member they don’t know and gathers information so they

can introduce them to the rest of the branch.The sisters will

now be that person’s visiting teacher.

Then the Friday group heads back to their homes and the Haifa Group sleeps over and then next day we take them all to see the historical sites and repeat the process of seeing and learning about the scriptures, the Savior, and this Holy Land.

PART 2 GALILEE BRANCH

Blogger's "new, improved" Preview does not allow you to return nor edit, so this will be a fragmented entry.  Sorry.. (Chad, help me do this better, please.)  Good grief, now I can't add more text after adding pictures. 

.....and stele fragments that mention the “House of David, We

have been reading about all of these in the Old Testament. It

was exciting to see all these things together and read the

relevant scriptures: Gen 14:14, Josh 19: 40-48, I K 4:25, I K

12: 25-33, Amos 8:14.

In this very same place, there is also a wonderful walking

area where the springs just bubble up from Mt. Hermon

stream and make walking in the woods another great feature

of this National Historical Park.

Next came Jereboam's false altars:

Ahab's gate 940 BC:

GALILEE BRANCH CONFERENCE - AUG 13-15

A major event took place this weekend. We have Filipino

members who only get one day off a month and have never

met with the branch as a whole. After getting support from

the district leadership and our Branch council, here’s what

we felt inspired to do. Those members who could get off

work on Friday came to the branch house in Tiberius for a

(late) July 24 celebration and a Pot Luck Dinner. We played

games, did Square Dancing and thought of the Pioneers in

early days of the church and the Pioneers in the church in

Israel. We also had a sleepover for those that could so that

the next day we could take them to see the historical sites at

Tel Dan which include Abraham’s Gate from 2000 BC,

Found it on Facebook

As I thought of Carl's birthday and all the pictures we have in various places I thought I would just take a dive into whatever file I could find and pull out a collection about his life.   Here are several I found on Allyson's Facebook page.  

This photo is the beginning of a trip his folks had planned for the family to go to Glacier National Park just before Carl's mission.  Check out that handsome guy in the middle.  His youngest brother, Michael, is in the forefront comparing "who's tallest" with his cousin.  Beautiful Janeal... love that red hair.  Mom Harris, then Doug and Steve.  Carl and his Grandpa Crowther and then Dad Harris.

We had never seen this picture of our wedding before.  From left to right:  Robyn, my sis, Lynn Oates from Hawaii, Janeal, his sister, Bonnie Gaye Dalebout, and Louise Roos Plummer.  We are talking to his aunts.

Another picture probably on a graduation day probably around 1980...not sure who was graduating, but Carl may have just been there as a professor...

EXTRA HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR ONE!

Carl's 70th Birthday

Lots of events over the past month, but will focus today on the man of the year!  Carl reached his 70th birthday on July 10th.  Prior to that we had a week long celebration with small events each day to help him get used to the idea--that Yes!  It was a time to celebrate!   By the time his birthday did arrive he was actually quite pleased about being 70.  We had some special time together, just he and I, sight-seeing at Bet Sh'ean and swimming at Gan HaShalosha.  

Next day he selected a bike.  For six months he has walked each morning for exercise and now decided that he wants to fill the wind in his face and see more territory, so the bike is the only way to go.

Next day fixed him special food, and attended Ramzieh niece bride's party.  No men usually attend, but our men were allowed...Merrill Beckstead and Carl were the lone men while all the other men hovered in the background bringing food to be served and enjoying the music from a distance.  It was a very interesting experience.

The following day I hurried to prepare enough cake for a birthday celebration with the branch members after Sabbath meetings later on in the day enough for the Jerusalem Center students when we had a fireside with them at En Gev.  Cake for more than 100!  Whew...

The next day the students from BYU-JC came to help clean the Branch House.  They washed walls, used chemicals to get clue off the floor from the original remodeling, and washed windows.  All this because of Craig Manscill's thoughtful organization.  That helped us get extra prepared for the Sabbath when all 90 of the students came for Sacrament meeting.  

Each day we received well wishes via email and Skype with our family.  In addition, we received a YouTube site for a birthday video from our grandson Matthew and his family.  It made for a great week of love and appreciation for the many blessings we feel and desire to share with others.

  

Jericho with text

Not sure what happened to the text on yesterday's post.  It seems to be a draft problem.  I got the pictures up all at once and ran out of time to put text.  Next day, I tried to edit post but blogger would not allow so here is an explanation of pictures.  I suggest you get 2 different windows up so you can see yesterday and today at same time... that is if you are really curious about the sites and the words together.


Picture #1 is our arriving at Jericho after winding through half-finished road construction supported by the good people of America.  As you may already now Jericho is said to be the oldest, continuously lived in city in the world.  Some say 10,000 years old.  Twelve years ago, Carl and I were able to visit this part of Jericho and were disappointed because it was a pile of rocks with no context.  This time we were happy to signs explaining what we were looking at and we were impressed.  Like the most ancient staircase ever discovered.  A concern is that it won't be around the next time we come? because the site is totally out in the open and the wind seems to be blowing everything away.


Picture #2 What really made the visit memorable was a class of university students from Al Quds University in the city of Abudecs who were visiting the site as well.  I think what interested them first was Margaret--that is before it was made known that Chad was her husband!  They were interested in using their English skills on us.  The young man who talked to us most was a Palestinian who was born in ... US.  Was it Tennessee he said?  Carl asked him about all the students who were smoking:  "Don't they know how bad it is for them?"  His reply, "They know, but they don't care, but I care and I don't smoke.  They are stupid."  He gave us his email and I intend to see if I can decipher the writing enough to send him a note.


Picture #3 and 4  We swam at the most beautiful swimming hole you have ever seen.  It is all natural, rocks, spring, rolling hills, etc.  This is what all those would-be Las Vegas type pools wish they looked like.  The water felt so good because it was such a hot day and we had been in the busy city for two days and we were ready for the water.  The name of the place is Ha Shalosha.


Picture #5  Margaret and Chad are ready to head from Nazareth to Kibbutz Lavi on what is called the "Jesus Trail."  You can get more info on the web:  www.jesustrails.com.  It was a good thing that they are experienced cyclists because the markers along the trail were not that clear and they did a number of retracings, but still made it by the end of the day as we picked them up in Lavi, dirty and tired.--Picture #6


Picture #7 This day their desire was to see WATER! so we headed for the coast off Haifa.  Chad was looking for a surfing spot.  The spots off in the distance are para-gliders attached to surfboards.  It was amazing to see.  However, Chad was looking for an ordinary long-board so we kept wandering down the coast.  Enroute we found a great place for another felafel and chowed down.  Picture 8.


Picture #9 The man and the board at last together... for the moment at least.  The waves beat the daylights out of him, but he was a happy man for having had the experience.


So now you have the rest of the story... at least THAT story.  

Jericho

M & C Arrive

We knew they were going to Spain.  We didn't know they were BIKING across Spain.  Because we hadn't heard about when to expect them other than the initial reservation... I decided to check C's blog!  Aha!  There it was in full color.  They were going on the El Camino De Santiago.  

 The blog also revealed the extreme biker had purchased a bike just for this very trip. 

That then becomes this:

And then this:

Pretty amazing, if you ask me.  My next question was: What is M going to ride?

Never fear, he always takes good care of her. 

But that looks like a pretty rough ride (or push) to me!

So now we are waiting to see when they and the bike will arrive.  Where are we going to put that bike.  I think we brought to much of our own luggage.  Oh, dear!  Is it Madrid or is it Barcelona from which they are coming?  4:30, 5:00, 5:30.  I simply have to excuse myself for a few minutes.  Wouldn't you know it!  I missed their arrival.  But they are here and we are happy to see them.  Off we go for two days in Jerusalem!

True, this isn't what you usually expect when you say Jerusalem, but this is one of my favorite views from inside the Jerusalem Center.  We have to go here before we can go there... into the Old City.

This is more like what you would expect, right?  The Western Wall and the Dome of the Rock.

This is our favorite mural in the Old City.  It is in the "cardo"  area.  Recently it was discovered with several columns remaining from the Roman period and this mural was painted to give a feel for what it must have looked like then.  Those shoppers in front look pretty eager, don't you think?

 

The day for Bar Mitzvah's at the Western Wall.  Quite a sight!

 

Our first felafel which became a daily MUST!  Notice the tall guy in the middle of the German contingent enroute to the Greek Orthodox? ritual.  Don't ask me how he got there...

This was a highlight for us all to visit the Tower of David Museum.  It gave an historical view that included all the periods relative to the 20 different sieges on Jerusalem. 

One of my favorite pieces of art in the museum was this painting of what the Second Temple must have looked like.  The staircase has been a recent discovery.  More about this on another entry.

We didn't realize that we could go on the Temple Mount because of tensions always present, but a happy encounter with someone who did know directed us to the spot where we could enter at a time that it was open for the amount of time we had left.  We counted ourselves very fortunate.  

I'd say that was enough for this entry, but it wasn't the end of this day even so....