Christmas is coming....

Nate's 4 yr school photo

......and I'm determined NOT to pack on the pounds! Wow, I am seriously behind in my blog. It has been a whirlwind since we had our Mexico Mission trip back in Oct. First Mexico, then grandparents in for a week, then Israel, then swamped with artwork, then Disneyland, then more art while Don was preaching in Michigan, 2 sick guys on top of all that.....and here we are today. I'm looking at the Christmas packages sitting under our tree, waiting to be mailed. Thinking it might be a gift card type of year. ha! Haven't even got the Christmas lights up yet. At least we managed to do the tree.

I'm thinking back on everything...Israel was amazing. What a great perspective to have, seeing all the different places that Jesus ministered and King David walked. People celebrate Christmas for different reasons but all we can think about, is the great gift that God gave us all. The gift of friendship, leadership, grace, and love through Jesus and his sacrifice. I wasn't sure what to expect from Israel and thought it would be another historical place to see. Surprisingly, I felt a much deeper connection there. It's as if I met a long lost relative, in fact, part of me regretted leaving. It wasn't like a spiritual "high" or any "wow" factor. Just a longing for that part of my beliefs that stayed with me after we returned home.

One of the highlights that stuck with me was when we visited the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee....where Jesus recruited his disciples. Our guide spoke of forgiveness and each of us picked up a large stone, prayed for God to help us let go of our anger or frustration toward a person(s) and threw that burden out into the sea. I'm not really a groupie when it comes to this stuff. (I felt like I was in group therapy for a moment)...but casting that worry out into the water and knowing this was where Jesus performed so many miracles....well, I admit it was therapeutic, in a way.

I remember being in a tiny circular chapel in Bethlehem, singing Silent Night. A group of Astonians were sitting behind us and they joined in....in their native tongue! Two groups of people singing the same tune in two different languages. How awesome is that!?

I was amazed at the massive amounts of tourists there. At first it was annoying...crowded...pushing to get into the historic places to get a decent photo. But then I stopped and realized, "Wow, we are all here for the same reason. A pilgrimage to Israel to see the places where Jesus walked, lived & breathed." Can't get much better than that.

I was proud of my man, leading a communion service in a VERY tiny chapel at the Garden Tomb. What better place to remember Jesus and have communion with everyone we'd traveled with?

Jerusalem was amazing. So many conflicts there...so much history. Sometimes I'd stand on the ancient streets and stones and wonder about Jerusalem's past and future. I didn't realize how close the Mt. of Olives was to Jerusalem. It's literally just up on a hill overlooking the city. Kind of like being in Tucson, up on A-Mountain, looking down on the city...or up on Camelback Mtn in Phoenix overlooking the city. Definitely an experience I will never forget.

Well, I have to get back to being productive. I love Christmas...the magic I remember as a kid, being with family (sadly, not this year. *sniff*), people thinking about other's needs, and remembering the miracle of our Savior's birth and the best gift ever! I have Israel's memories to help me not take that gift for granted and remember it every day... not just Christmas Day.

Shalom Aleichem (peace be with you).