Mad Props to the Teachers out there...

For those of you who don't speak Jive "Mad Props" simply means "A whole lot of Respect." I have a whole new respect for teachers that you just can't get from being a sub. That's right folks we have survived our First week at school in Beit Jala. For me this also means I have survived my first week as a teacher. Well, it's not quite over yet. We have Friday's off (it's the Holy Day for some of our students) and then we teach a 1/2 day on Saturday. But we should be able to survive that too.
I use the word survive on purpose. It wasn't exactly a walk in the park. Respect is a huge issue around here. But that having been said I think both Mandy and I made progress with our students. It's only the first week of school and I have already given out two Bibles. Working with out a curriculum I have been able to start off well in both my History and Bible classes. I am finding the balance between making them take notes all day long while I talk and not having enough to keep them occupied for 55 minutes. It hasn't been easy. Yesterday I think I talked to much. I wrote 3 whole whiteboards full of notes on the Historical Backgound of Jesus. They were all asking me if this was Bible class or History. I have to remember that I find these facts fascinating, they find them overwhelming. So today I was a little easier on them. I let them teach me for a while. Last night I assigned Matthew 1&2. So today I asked them about Marriage in Bethlehem. They told me about how in Christian Community here marriages are no longer arranged but the Muslim still do it a lot. If you want to marry a girl you have your parents talk to her parents and they work it out. Then you can begin to see each other if the family is present. There's a ring...etc. I tied that into Joseph and Mary and asked them how they would feel in Joseph and Mary's shoes. I think I made them see how amazing their obedience was in the face of all that happened to them.
Then I asked to they were going to write someone's Biography. They want to grab the readers attention with the first sentence. So I had them take a few minutes and write out a "first sentence" they they would use to grab their readers attention, to make someone in the bookstore want to buy their book. So they did and we went around and shared their sentences. Again they asked me if this was Bible class or something else. Then I asked them this "If you were going to write a Biography that you wanted people to read, would you start the Matthew does, with a list of names? They all said no. So I told them in our context today this geneology doesn't grab our attention. (Most of them said they skipped over it.) But to the Jewish audience that Matthew was aiming at this would have been the most fascinating first line of a book they'd ever read. Matthew just linked Jesus to David...King David...the man from whose line the Messiah was supposed to come. This would have been the answer to their prayers for of the previous 400 years, ever since they had been dragged away to captivity.
I think I got to them. I got to myself. All day I've been thinking about how cool it was that Matthew was able to draw a road map of Jesus family line. A road map that proves Jesus is the promised Messiah. A road map that goes straight through Bethlehem. You see along with all those names I see places. You say 'David', I say he was from Bethlehem. You say 'Naomi', I say she was from Bethlehem...along with Ruth, Boaz, Obed, and Jesse. It never gets old. It happened right here. There was historical reason why Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Most of these kids never really think in those terms. Do we? Do we realize the tapestry that God weaves throughout History? Jesus family line included Gentiles like Ruth, forgiven sinners like Rehab and David not just kings. Jesus family 'road map' brought him right to Bethlehem. Makes me have faith that our road map isn't random. A road map that began with for one little girl in Korea and one little boy in Natick that also passes through Bethlehem is in the hand of God. It's not a random series of hisorical events either.
So week one is done. Thanks for your prayers. They are heard by the Almighty and He answers them daily.
Please remember to Pray for Miss Grace's Family. She is under constant attack it seems these days. Her sister is going in for surgery on a brain tumor on Sunday. On top of this most of her family's Olive Trees have been taken from them by the Israeli army for the construction of their wall. This is so wrong but not much can be done. There is no one to complain to. Please pray for her family. Thanks.

Prayer Request

Our favorite time of night has just passed. Our window in the living faces northwest more or less. I like it because, as I remind Mandy, I know when we look out our window we're facing Fenway Park. (Yeah ok and all of our loved ones too :-) We get these amazing sunset scenes. The sky doesn't quite rival the ones we saw this past summer over lake Michigan but it is pretty unique. Beit Jala (like every other town here) is a series of hills. As the sun drops behind Beit Jala it sets our town aglow. We look up at the hill and as the town begins to dim and the stars begin to pop out we here the Muslim call to prayer. This ain't Uxbridge. (My Nana Phyllis would remind me at this point that ain't isn't a word, but I hope she'd forgive me for the sake of expression.)
Muslims pray 5 times a day. The call goes out from loudspeakers at the top of every Minuret and if you're not careful it quickly becomes background noise around here. I say "careful" because I don't like to let it become background noise. Mandy and I have started something new: whenever we hear the call to pray, we pray. Novel isn't it. But really, Islam is on the rise over the world (in case you've been living in a cave and haven't seen the news for the past 5 years.) But honestly I don't stop to pray about it that often. I want Muslims to know Jesus Christ. I really need to start praying that more Christians would answer the call to go and minister in Muslim lands. I just plain need to start praying more. So when we hear the call to prayer, we don't just let it fade into the background noise of beeping car horns, yelling street merchants, and the children playing in the court down below. We pray for Muslims.
As we sit and look out our window at sunset another odd part of the picture is Gilo. Gilo is the Jewish settlement up on the hill. There's a wall and checkpoint between here and there but you can't really see those. All you notice is the contrast in structure. Gilo is well organized and the building are all well layed out, gleaming new blocks of human ingenuity. We got some tough news earlier this week. Miss Grace, who is the Elementary Principle here, has a sister who just found out she has a brain tumor. She is Palestinian. She was able to get to Gilo to the good hospital to get help - exactly how I'm not sure- perhaps a doctor's note gets you across the checkpoint. I'm still unclear on that. As if the news that your sister is in the hospital with a brain tumor isn't enough, Miss Grace can't go see her. Miss Grace can't cross the checkpoint without permission either. She has applied for permission but who knows how long that will take. So we'd like to ask you all to pray. Pray for Miss Nuhan (Miss Grace's sister) that the Lord would heal her. That she would be able to get (and pay for) the treatment she needs. And pray for Miss Grace, because no matter what your politics are or you're opinion of the situation over here this really just stinks for her. She's a believer, she didn't cause this problem but she's certainly a victim of it. So consider this a 'call to prayer.' We need your help!

Nativity Thoughts

Yesterday Mandy and I went to the Church of the Nativity for the first time. It really is amazing. You walk up this huge hill from where our school is located in Beit Jala. Along the way you cross an intersection which is more or less the line between Beit Jala and Bethlehem. You continue walking up the hill through a crowded market which ought to be blocked off to street traffic but it's not. So almost the entire hill is crowded with cars. But then the buildings get real close and the street becomes too narrow for cars. The shops are practically arms width apart on either side of the street. Now you are in the Old City of Bethlehem. It's not like the Old City in Jerusalem. It's not walled. If you don't know what to look for you can pass right through without ever knowing you were there. The construction methods haven't changed much here over the last 2000 years so our school is made out of the same stone that the walls of Jerusalem and pretty much every other building in this land are made of. So you have to look real close to catch the Old City of Bethlehem.

On the far side of the Old City you come to an opening and you walk out into Manger Sqare. There's some kids playing soccer on the flat stone pavement which has been smoothed by the feet of millions of pilgrims who have come here over the years. On the far side of Manger Square is block building that but for it's huge size you might not guess is the church of the Nativity. Somewhere, perhaps right under your feet in Manger Square once stood a small inn. And underneath that church with it's labrynth of chapels, annexes, and sanctuaries is a cave. It's more like a small room now. It has icons on the wall which are who-knows-how old and the smell of incense hangs heavy in the air. This is where Jesus was born.

You stand there looking at the star in the floor and the paintings on the wall and it's surreal. Bethlehem is a page in a book to most of us but here it is a place in stone. "A place in Stone." I like that. When you read the pages they paint pictures in your mind. Here the pictures are played out in the faces and on the landscape all around you. We went to church this morning and I couldn't help but let my wander back to the Nativity scene...the first one I mean, the original. We've all seen little Jewish boys but sitting in church the thought occurred to me most of the Jewish people we see in the U.S. or even in Israel trace much of their heritage through Europe. To see the face of the Child, Jesus, I looked around me at the faces on these Arab children. Their skin is darker, their hair is more corse. There is His face. And the teenage girl over there, that is the face of Mary. She lives in uncertain times, her life is precarious, her people are second class citizens to the rest of the world. That is the face of Mary.

Last night we stayed up talking about the Incarnation. We talked about what it's going to be like to be here at Christmas. In a way it already feels like Christmas here. When I was a kid I heard that at the North Pole it's Christmas all the time. I can't comment on that but it sure feels like Christmas in Bethlehem.

P.S. I thought I added a picture to this post but it doesn't seem to have worked. Sorry. You'll have to check Snapfish for the pics then.

Salam from Mandy

Salam! (one of the few words I know in Arabic, though I'm learning) I am sitting here with Doug trying to load our pictures on to Snapfish, which is proving much more difficult than usual. I also struggled with emailing earlier this morning. Things just move a bit slower here. We don't experience the convenience of living in the states. However, it is making me appreciate the little things that I often take for granted, such as boiling water in less than 25 minutes. I am so incredibly grateful for a smooth transition overall here. The apartment is amazing, (see photos!) people are very hospitable and helpful, and we've learned which shops to go to for food, clothing, etc. We feel very appreciated and needed. I visited my classroom this morning and have been looking through curriculum guides for many subjects as I sit here waiting for email and Snapfish to load. I know there's a challenge ahead, but Hey!they have curriculum guides and teacher/student resources to use! (very very helpful) Miss Grace, the elementary principal, is at my side for whatever materials and resources I may need. God is GOOD!(all the time) Orientation starts Monday. School starts a week from Monday. Lots to do before then! I'm very excited to meet the children. I saw erased notes to Miss Linda, the former fourth grade teacher, on the whiteboard this morning. There were lots of hearts and the word "love." Great sign!

I am still in awe of the view from our windows. From one window, we face Beit Jala and from the other we view Bethlehem (and looking down the courtyard of the school where kids play basketball at night and call for "Mr. Doug!") That will take some getting used to. We'll be sure to send pictures of our window views soon.

Yesterday we visited Josh and Lauren Tilton. (Doug's college roommate at Gordon) They are studying at Hebrew University. It was awesome to see familiar faces! We enjoyed BBQing with them in their house in Eastern Jerusalem and then trekking to the Old City of Jerusalem. Josh and Doug were reminiscing and pointing out sites to me. I just enjoyed listening to them and taking in the views that I had only heard about or seen in books. Doug had told me earlier that he couldn't wait to walk through Jaffa Gate (Western side of city), and I have never seen him look as happy as he did walking through that gate! (except for our wedding, of course) It was a moment we had been looking forward to, and it was so special! Then we took off and visited Sulliman (Solomon), a friend Doug had made when he lived here in 2001.(In fact Doug's picture was up on a wall in Sulliman's shop taken in 2001) There are pictures of Sulliman's new apartment that he was very proud of showing us. After that, we went to Shaban's market shop and money changing shop. Doug and Josh were friendly with him, and Josh recommended we get our money changed over at Shaban's. Again, a very helpful tip.
We didn't have time to see other sites; that will be another day! It was neat to see Doug reunited with his friends.

The hardest part of today, and what will take the most getting used to (no, not the crazy drivers here) is going through the check point outside Beit Jala. We have to go through a maze of security with soldiers surrounding us with machine guns each time we want to go to Jerusalem. It's intense. Miss Grace, who's been so wonderful to us, is not allowed into Jerusalem. Also, the friends of Doug I mentioned before from Jerusalem, have family in Bethlehem and Beit Jala. They told us to visit them. It's sad to think that they can never visit their family. Another wall went up to prevent Palestinians from Bethlehem and Beit Jala from going in to Jerusalem. So sad. It's bittersweet going to Jerusalem.

I'm looking forward to exploring more of Bethlehem in the upcoming days. The Church of the Nativity is first on our list. Keep praying for us, and for peace between people groups here. Love to all. (Sorry for such a long post! I'll try to keep it shorter from now on!)

Salam from Bethlehem!

Good Morning from Bethlehem. Actually, more specifically the neighborhood where we are is called Beit Jala. We arrived in Tel Aviv perfectly on schedule yesterday. We had no problems at the airport which is a huge answer to prayer. All they asked us were a few generic questions about where we going and if we had family here. We were able to be nice and vague and let the school fly under the radar which is good. They gave us a 3 month visa.
Mrs. Linda (everyone here goes by Mrs., Ms., or Mr. and their first name) was there to pick us up at the airport and take us back to the school along with another teacher Miss Gwen who flew in about the same time as us. The drive from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem was beautiful. It allowed me to show Mandy 3 of the major geographical areas: the coastal plain, The Shephelah (or low hill country), and the Hill country, which is where both Jerusalem and Bethlehem are located. Then we stopped by Linda's house to pick up another car which Mandy and I used to follow Linda down to Bethlehem. Driving here is sort of like driving in Boston. The roads are tiny and people are dashing in and out of traffic and changing lanes without signaling etc. The hardest part of the drive for me yesterday was that we drove right by the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem and we couldn't stop. I just can't wait to take Mandy there. It is so amazing.
Then we arrived home and saw our new apartment. They have furnished it beautifully and better than we expected. The furniture is brand new and nicer than we had in our apartment in Uxbridge. We are on the 5th floor and the views from our windows are simply awesome.
We went back to Miss Grace's (the Elementary Principal) house last night and her sister welcomed us with traditional Arabic hospitality and feast of rice, chicken and fresh fruit. Then we came home and slept like logs because we hadn't done much of that over the last 48 hours.
We woke up refreshed this morning, still a little jet-lagged but not too bad. We were amazed again at what we were looking at out our windows and at God's faithfulness to us in bringing us to this point. Today we are going to hit the market, change some money and pick up a few things we still need for the apartment.
We love you all, we miss you all, and we have seen the answers to all your prayers for us over the last 2 days. Keep 'em coming! :-)
We will be taking pictures and posting them to our snapfish account soon!
-Love,
Doug & Mandy

"Let's do it...It's go time!"

So I woke up this morning and I looked at Mandy and I said "I have an idea." She said "What?" very skeptically. I said "Let's go to Israel." She liked that idea. That's right folks the day has finally arrived. I can't believe it. But we leave tonight.
There are striking differences and similarities between my emotions today and my emotions of 5 years ago, when I woke up on a morning not too unlike this ready to set off for Israel. I think the most noticeable difference for me is that back then I had no mental pictures. I had no idea what the Land looked like. Now I do. I know where we're going and know why we're going. I thank God for His call on our lives and His constant leading and guiding. I thank all of you who are making this possible. I have been completely humbled by the outpouring of love and support we have recieved from all of you.
I hope you will join me in thinking of today as "D-Day." If it helps you can think of it as D-Day we leave for Israel. You can think of it as "Doug and Mandy Day." But I like the analogy of D-Day because it is the symbol of hope and perseverance, where the invasion on a single beach head spread throughout Europe to topple Evil. Like Dave Roberts stealing a single base in Game 4 against the Yankees in 2004. What we learned on D-Day and on that cold October day is never doubt any move, no matter how small, has the ability to change the course of history. Today is D-Day. Bethlehem is our Normandy. Game on.

Testing, Testing, 1...2...3

So Kim says we should have a blog. Here goes. We have a blog. We'll see how well this works.
-Doug