and the week ends with a bang...

So it all began with our free day last Sunday when we decided to walk all day haha...not really but that is what ended up happening. We started by going to a Lutheran service at the Church next the Holy Sepulchre. That was really cool, there were people traveling from all over the world and it was really great to experience a different church service. Afterward, we went to Mea Shearim an extremely orthodox Jewish neighborhood. We were dressed in long skirts and long-sleeves--extremely modest! Still, when were about to leave, this man with the top hat and the whole orthodox get up started yelling at this man with a cane so we thought ok that's crazy but lets just keep walking. Then the man yelling stopped right in front of us and started yelling at us with his head turned and eyes closed. (They were yelling in Hebrew so we couldn't understand.) Then the man started spitting on us(thankfully just missed us) but still we were really confused, but just turned around and walked quickly the other way. We didn't do anything wrong but this area is just very unfriendly to people who look differently and dress differently than them.

We brushed that off and then made our way to a German village just outside of West Jerusalem. It was a pretty long walk and we didn't really know where we were going but we ended up stopping in a lot of really cute pastry shop, cafe type places and eating a lot of really good food--free samples!! It was a very european town. We also stopped at a park and took a little break. Then we ended up at a garden/trail just outside the Kenesset. We were walking around and Tamarra was up on a hill set above a rock wall. She was climbing down, eating a cucumber might I ad, and fell off the wall. Tamarra was laying next to this boulder and looked unconscious at first glance. I was so worried...then once we got to her we realized she had just rolled her ankle and was silent because that is how she handles pain haha. She is one lucky girl for not hitting her head on that rock...seriously it was a miracle. Anyways, that was the exciting end to that day!

Monday was an interesting adventure...I ate pigeon. We went to a small Greek Cafe because Emma really wanted Greek food. It definitely wasn't Greek food. All they had was chicken, lamb and Pigeon and pita haha. So we decided to go for it and try something different. Stuffed Pigeon is pretty good, kind of weird but tastes just like chicken. The place was pretty sketchy though I definitely wouldn't go back!

Tuesday I went to Princess Basma's Center for disabled children. Princess Basma's is a program where for about 3 weeks women and their children go through a program learning how to take care of their disabled child. They live at this center and go through different training and play sessions to help the development of their child. We just spent an hour playing with the kids. They were with their Mom's so it was a little difficult to get them to leave their Mom's and play with us but we had fun. Also, they didn't speak much English at all so there was definitely a language barrier. Still it was a really cool experience, another one that opened my eyes to how much I have been blessed with in my life. These women have 4-6 children at home and also have a disabled child. Yet, I they are still so happy, and show so much love for their child. I have found through past experiences that children with disabilities have a special something about them. I do believe they have been sent to this earth to bless the lives of those around them.


On Wednesday we went to Yad VaShem the Holocaust Memorial Museum. It was unbelievable...quite an experience. I've been taught about the holocaust countless times, however, I still am in awe each time at the horrific events that took place. After a very detailed tour with testimonials from survivors, I was left with somewhat of a sick, uneasy feeling. Outside the museum is a children's memorial. The memorial is a dark room with mirrors and just four small lights that reflect each other. They read the names of the children that gave their lives along with their age over the speakers. Something I thought was interesting is Yad VaShem comes from a verse in Isaiah. It literally means a house/memorial and a name. This is an appropriate name for this memorial because it gives those who died in the Holocaust the dignity of a memorial or remembrance.

Yesterday or Thursday was a great day! We did so much and again walked for like 6 hours straight. We started at the Church of Mary Magdalene, which is maybe one of my favorite churches here. It is absolutely beautiful, and the gardens around it are as well. Tamarra especially likes the nuns there who sell old postcards for cheap haha! On our way out we stopped byt he tomb of Absalom who we are actually reading about in 2 Samuel right now. After that we went to Dormition Abbey. When we walked in the Organs were pounding, it was awesome. Right next to Dormition Abbey is the upper room, or the room of the last supper. It was full of people but we spent a few minutes there. It is a very large beautiful room...it is so hard to wrap your mind around the fact that the Last Supper most likely took place in the very place I was standing.

Then we got Falafel at my new favorite place...I really don't know what I am going to do without it! It is so so good:) Last but definitely not least we went to the Pools of Bathesba. There is a church there that has the best acoustics ever...we stayed and sang for quite a while, it was beautiful, I took videos by the way: )

So last night the biggest storm we've had started. Thunder, lightning, rain, hail, wind the whole shebang! Today was Church and I don't know if i've said this already but as we sit in church we look out huge arching windows that overlook the city. So while we were in church the storm really picked up. During one guys talk a huge lightning bolt came right in the middle of our view. Everyone kind of gasped and the speaker didn't even know what was going on haha. There was a piano violin duet of I Stand All Amazed, I believe in Christ and There is a Green Hill Faraway and throughout the song there were loud pounds of thunder. Pretty cool!