Shalom!

Life as a first century village tour guide is going great! So far, I have only had a handful of tours but I’m enjoying the job immensely. It’s quite fun to meet travelers from all over the world and I do my best to explain life as it would have been in Nazareth at the time of Jesus. The greatest part about being a tour guide: having people believe anything you say (don’t worry, unlike some guides out there, I make sure and stick to the facts!) and making answers to questions seem that much wiser by simply saying “well, some scholars think…” I thought I might proudly add that not a single person has asked me to speak louder yet! Maybe I do have the ability of a loud speaking voice after all!

The weekend in Nazareth was a relaxing one as heavy rains kept me indoors for the majority of the time and with Shabbat on Saturday, nothing much is open in town. I did, however, enjoy a very fun outing on Saturday evening attending a local Messianic Jewish youth meeting. It was so encouraging to meet all these youth who are going very against the grain in the state of Israel by believing Jesus to be their Messiah. I continue to fall in love with not only the beautiful region, but also the incredible people I meet and get to know weekly. The youth meeting also inspired me to start learning a few phrases in Hebrew as well as add more to my Arabic. So much to learn and so little time! I’m praying that if there is a way for me to stay here longer, that a door will be opened. I’ll keep you all updated if that turns out to be the case…

This week we had two new roommates join us in our apartment at the hospital; two girls who just finished their medical degrees from Manchester University in England. They’re 22 and officially doctors! So young compared to the States! One of the girls, “Monty,” is from Scotland and I have to say, I absolutely love the way she speaks and hope I can pick up a wee bit of her talk before I head home. The week has already been full of activity and time spent with new friends. Monday is a favorite evening of mine as I share dinner every week with other Christian volunteers (people from all parts of the world) who are currently living and serving in Nazareth. It’s an awesome time of learning and laughter as we share any comical cultural catastrophes or language shortcomings from the previous week. The rest of this week I’ll spend leading more tours at Nazareth Village and teaching English on Thursday evening. Our English class continues to grow with new students and I really look forward to it. I haven’t decided final plans for the weekend yet, but it will likely include a hike or two and/or travels into the Galilee region which gets more gorgeous as the rains make everything green and lush this time of year.

Another highlight of the week: finding the BEST shawarma bar in town AND discovering a bakery adjacent that sells fresh baked pita bread for less than a dollar. I can also successfully count to ten in Arabic and I’m feeling a little more confident of the difficult pronunciation of other key words. Or so I think… =) Some of the staff at the village are fond of practical jokes and they discovered last week that I’m a VERY gullible target.

I can’t believe how fast time is flying by. I continue to feel blessed more and more each day I as develop new friendships and learn more in faith and understanding of this area. Miss you and will write more of life in Nazareth soon!

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21

This chocolate... amazing. I'm just going to let you guess the flavor by the picture. I'll be bringing home lots!

The Lord's prayer in Estonian!

new friends at a movie in Haifa

Of course I take pictures with anything Swedish.