FYI:Our internet won’t be set up at home until next week and the internet café is a bit of a walk from our house. We also already used most of our cell phone minutes so we’ll be a bit limited in our communication for the next few days. Next week our minutes will have started over and we’ll be wired so the posts will come more regularly. For now this post will be a bit longer since you have several days to read it.

We’re in Jerusalem! We still can hardly believe it. As we look out our living room window we see the southern view of the Old City (Mt. Zion, Mt. of Olives, Temple Mount, Dome of the Rock, etc.). In one sense it’s like looking at the skyline of any big city. On the other hand it’s crazy to see such significant places right in front of us.

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Flights: Our first flight was easy. Joanna had her own seat and slept for ½ hour. We had a couple hour layover in Chicago which worked out great because we had to change terminals at O’Hare and get Joanna her lunch. Our 2nd flight was 8 hours and Joanna didn’t have her own seat. That was rough. Brandon was starting to get sick and Joanna didn’t sleep until the last hour of the flight. It was tiring trying to keep her occupied. Then we had a 5 hour layover in Frankfurt, Germany (something we wouldn’t recommend). It was 5am-10am there which was 9pm-2am central time). Again, Joanna didn’t sleep. The 3rd flight was about 4 hours and thankfully Joanna slept the entire time. Brandon slept also, but was feeling really weak by that time. I didn’t get much sleep since I had to hold Joanna again, and I got sick on the way down (thankfully that only happened once and on the last flight.) But in the end we made it safe and sound with all our luggage (even the suitcase with 270 diapers.)

The first 24 hours in Jerusalem: Many of you have heard us comment on how helpful our “property manager” (aka landlord) has been. In our eyes she is God’s provision for us. Darla and her husband Oz actually live across the hall and met us at the apartment after they had their taxi driver pick us up from the airport. They took us in their car to get a pack n play for Joanna and to get groceries as soon as we got here. They are a HUGE blessing. And the timing was great because we were all able to stay up until bedtime. Joanna slept 13 hours that night. We slept OK but woke up several times. We spent our day unpacking, getting organized and cleaning. The man who usually lives in this apartment is a bachelor and lived as such. I’ve been busy putting my “Dutch Clean” genes to the test. Tonight Darla and Oz showed us how to work the stove and TV and just got us more acquainted with our new home. Did I say they are great? Oh and all of this they are doing just because they are nice. It’s something most landlords wouldn’t do here.

Interesting tidbit: The owner of our apartment is a Christian. The books he’s left around indicate so and he left us the Michael W Smith CD box set, Steve Green cassette tape and many more gems. Oh and he’s a photo journalist and watched Fox News. Gotta love it. We’ll probably meet him in October.

Day 2:Last night was a bit more tireless. I think the exhaustion has worn off and jet-lag is hitting us full force. Thankfully Joanna was only up for an hour in the middle of the night and still slept until 8 am. This afternoon we made the short trek to Jerusalem University College (JUC). Did I say we can see it from our apartment window? It’s only a 10 minute walk (down one small mountain and up another). We also ventured to the grocery store on our own. We roasted in the heat but were so thankful to be able to find our way around and discover that there is so much nearby. God has truly provided us with the perfect apartment.

Agenda for the near future: Tomorrow we have more cleaning to do. Tomorrow morning Darla and Oz are going to take us to Emek Refraim, the closest street with lots of great shops. It’s within walking distance but is a bit confusing to get to. They’ll show us the way so we can get there on our own later. Sunday we’re hoping to find a church nearby. Brandon has orientation August 29.

Here’s a short list of praises thus far: safe travel, good rest, a crib for Joanna, Darla & Oz.

A few more prayer requests: focused minds for finding our way around the city, patience in learning to cook and shop for groceries, continued rest.

Thanks again for all your prayers. God is good!