Mom and Dad Priore are here! (Mandy)

With the joy and excitement that comes with Christmas, it is magnified ten-fold this year with the presence of my in-laws! They arrived early Sunday morning on time and with all their luggage in tow. They've graced our classrooms with gifts for the students and brought many many smiles to our hallways! The American candy and chex mix has been a big hit especially.
We've been invited to numerous homes already-the Arabic hospitality has been just outstanding. Mom and Dad Priore are big stars around here!

For me, it's been a huge gift to have them here because they bring home to this foreign land, and they have brought perspective. Seeing our life through their eyes has been affirming. Tasting the numerous Arabic rice dishes, getting to know our students, crossing checkpoints, experiencing the crazy driving here, seeing the monstrosity that is the wall almost everywhere we go, and partaking in Arabic hospitality are just a few of the things that we've grown accustomed to, and I've been able to get a sense of that all over again for the first time in the past few days. The gratitude expressed often and the excitement by Mom and Dad Priore to jump into our life make me proud of where God has brought us this past year and a half. He's folded us into this amazing community, and brought family from around the world to shed light on how special our calling truly is. I am thrilled about celebrating Christmas in Bethlehem with them, and am so grateful they are here.