Shalom שלןם! Welcome to Joan in Jerusalem יונה בירןשךים

I arrived in Israel just before Shabbat, on Friday afternoon. I have never been out of the USA, so I have never been on a such a long flight! But I was able to slee on the plane and by the Grace of God navigated the train and bus and then walked to my location in Jerusalem, the wheels on my new suitcases making the schlep (tedious journey) attainable.

When I was planning my trip and sharing with, let’s face it, everyone who asked, there were 2 standard questions:

1. 1. Q – who are you going with? A – I would just point upward to indicate I wasn’t going alone; I was going with God.

1. 1. Q – are you going on a tour? A – No, I’m not.

But God…Can you imagine staying in a beautiful facility with private bedrooms, big, bright kitchen, very clean laundry and bathroom facilities? All built of authentic Jerusalem stone? Right in the center of the city? But that’s not the best part! This is missionary housing, so every single person who stays here is a Believer! Many are Jewish! And each one has a story, of how they came to faith, what they have done since, and most importantly, what they are doing now. Caring for God’s people in the most diverse ways: witnessing, feeding, teaching, clothing, learning…I’m not sure what my mission here is sometimes, but I feel like as I love, listen, discuss, discover and pray, I am participating in each life and ministry. I am certainly richer for this literally boundless demonstration of faith put to action, and I see how Israel and the world is being touched by the beautiful people being obediently God’s hands and feet. And just like in the people I meet back home, I am humbled and overjoyed by how many really love God so much that it spills over into love for us Jews and Israel.

So I was never really alone. Even on days when I just needed time to veg out in my room, resting my mind and my feet, someone was home, so if I stepped out there would be someone in the kitchen or the living room or doing laundry, and always friendly and ready to share a bite or a word. But of course there are always some people we just click with, and one of those people was Christine. She was so generous with her time and friendship, and she was an excellent guide, ready to take me wherever I felt like going, from the supermarket down the street to our day trip to Tel Aviv beach. She was very patient as I was slow to gain endurance to walk more than a block at a time.  She taught me how to take buses and trains, opening my world considerably and allowing me to skip taxis and avoid the risk of being taken advantage of by taxi drivers. Yes, I was burned once by a driver, and learned my lesson at some expense.

The day after my arrival, Christine and I took an evening walk to the Old City and went to David’s Tomb, where we enjoyed and participated in saying goodbye to Shabbat with Orthodox Jewish revelers. The men were dancing and singing and the women, separated as is their custom, generously sharing a meal and kibbitzing (Yiddish for talking, discussing) long into the night. We walked home through Mamilla Mall, with many stores still open at that time, somewhere around 11:00 pm, super late in my experience. We didn’t shop, but the mall is like an art museum, with beautiful and unusual sculptures throughout the concourse on display and for sale. It was such an unexpected delight, with us crossing back and forth from one piece to another, calling each other to share in our enjoyment. I may wish now that I had taken more pictures, but sometimes I get caught up in the photography when I need to just enjoy the experience. I did enjoy sending a couple of pictures to friends back in Texas as particular works reminded me of them. Sometimes, technology can be a wonderful way to stay close to our loved ones, making up for its tendency to isolate us from face-to-face interaction. One of my pictures of a favorite piece of art turned out be a blessing to a new friend weeks later, but more on that another time.

I’m so glad you are taking this journey with me, I’ve got a lot more to share, keep watching this space…