It's been almost 2 weeks since my last post. I've been keeping busy with my various projects. Last week on Wednesday when I returned home from my Hebrew class, Dawn had a surprise waiting for me... a 4 ft. tall Christmas tree! She found it at a Russian store downtown. (Be'er Sheva is home to a large Russian-speaking population from the former Soviet Union). Being in the Jewish State, there are no outward signs of Christmas here. For that, one must travel to Nazareth, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, or one of the other Christian Holy Sites. So, for those of you who wrote me saying, "What a wonderful thing to be in the Holy Land at Christmastime!," well that's not how it is unless we make our way up to Jerusalem or Bethlehem, etc. On the contrary, the lack of decorations and festivities makes me all the more homesick, for Christmas, for family, for some wonderful Michigan snow. (Yes, I know it's a pain to drive in sometimes, but I'll take a White Christmas over others any time!).
We are considering visiting Bethlehem around the holidays. We'll have to see what the current security situation is in the West Bank, where Bethlehem is. Here, I must emphasize that Israel is quite safe. It is the border towns on the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and those communities WITHIN the West Bank, that are unstable. Be'er Sheva, on the other hand, is far from either the West Bank or the Gaza Strip.
Last Friday after our weekly Bible Study with the American med school students from Columbia University, Yuri and Kiong (two of the guys) hosted a Christmas Party complete with champagne, hot cider, cookies, cakes, and other yummy food. Yuri's parents also sent him an assortment of classic Christmas films on DVD: A Charlie Brown Christmas, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Burl Ives' Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. A fun time, and the first time (other than the Christmas tree Dawn brought home) that I was reminded that Christmas is near. Tree and Party pictures attached...
