Lisa and Zoe's Adventures in Israel: October 2013

We are in the desert now couldn't feel further from home. Over here this is fall/ winter and it is still so hot , but of course it is the desert! I was hoping the nights would be cold but so far the are just pleasant.
Its funny to think that this July in Canada I was out in the gazebo at night and I was wearing wool and snuggling in a Hudson bay blanket, what a contrast!

well we are in a small community called Tzukim , in Hebrew: צוּקִים, it means Cliffs

This place is a new settlement that started 2001 it is a communal settlement in southern Israel. Located in the Arava, 8km south of Tzofar. Tzukim was founded in 2001 on land vacated by the Bildad army camp. Bildad also served as a transit point for new settlement in the Arava. The first settlement phase was supposed to begin in 2003, with fifty families. The first settlers were people in their 40s from central Israel

this village is located in the Arava Valley, close to Moshav Tzukim, on the way to Eilat & in the heart of the Negev Desert. To the west is Wadi Tzofar and its overhanging cliffs and to the west are the mountains of Edom, in Jordan. The landscape of the region was formed by earth movements along the great Syrian-African rift valley and then by the effects of sun, wind and water over millions of years. Nature has a powerful presence here – radiating both strength and tranquility.

this is us in a valley looking for shark teeth. seems odd to find shark teeth in the desert. could a world wide flood be responsible for this? just saying!

yup we found some and shells.

this valley is prone to flash floods when it does rain.

this is where we are sleeping.

this is our toilet.

this is a garden protected by tires covered in mud and art sculptures.

this is a grenade launcher, we found out there, probally left over from the army base.

zoe relaxing in the common area. there are no chairs anywhere here.

I found a hammock .

what a view

our settlement

on my way to the couch on the hill.

this is where we watch the sunset.

this little gal watches over me at night while I sleep. she eats flies and spiders.

this is the garden we have been working on. the tires are placed and covered with mud and decorated . this helps keep out the rabbits.

this is our contribution , you guessed it an INUKSHUK! just because.

we also did a star of David.

this is an ibex that was done by one of the volunteers.

this is a star gazing circle, you go in at night and lay back to watch the show. we could use this idea in Canada for the northern lights.

the stars here are amazing and I learned that Abraham was an expert on them. which is why God tells him to look at the stars when he made his promise to him.

Gen 15:5 And he brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be."
And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness. well I wish you all could see them here . I am sorry I don't have a better camera.

I love the contrast of the unforgiving desert climate to my green/ white home land. its a different kind of beautiful, it reminds me of that type of painting where on the surface you think you see a simple scene where not much is happening, but its only when you study it you are rewarded with the intricacies of the brush strokes, the play on light , the sensing of something unexpected. You realise then that this is a masterpiece you could have missed entirely , had you not taken the time to appreciate.

I really admire all the people who carve out a living here. we are here at a time when the foundation of a hut is being built so we will not have the time to work on this one.
the work we did this week with the garden fence was very dirty and hard on the back (at least for me), but it is all SABABA (which means in hebrew ' its all good or "cool") we knew what we were getting into when we signed up.

We have had a rich experience making friends with the locals, volunteers/workers, learning about communal living working and cooking in action!
Their food is amazing, cooked in pots on the fire or in special open ovens. It brings to mind grandmas story's about the trap line cooking , really similar.

I cant wait to cook Israeli style at home. I hope I can do it justice.

***

well as I head off to bed my heart is filled with so much joy . It is the collected experience and lessons I am experiencing here that fills me with wonder and awe of this land and her people.

Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu, melekh ha-olam
Blessed are you, Lord, our God, sovereign of the universe

shehakol nih'yeh bid'varo (Amein)
Who made all things exist through His word (Amen)

UNTILL NEXT TIME SHALOM

Our October is shaping up quite nicely. We just finished the 'bridges for peace' food bank and have been so blessed with the whole experience. almost too much to talk about here so I will just post a few pictures with a brief explanation.

Zoe using the fork lift for the first time,

example of the pallets we packed.

I was asked to cook lunch for the staff and volunteers, so I cooked meatloaf and scalloped potatoes, and corn. ( a Canadian meal just like home!)

some Canadian teddy bears donations!

here we are with Jay who is on staff

These are all the Canadians that have volunteered right now in Jerusalem. apparently the most ever I think? we are being recognised at the windup of the international directors meeting at the food bank. on our last day.

here we are with two Winnipeggers volunteers in the home repair department.

we were blessed with serving Israel in this way and we highly recommend this organization as one to partner with in building bridges between Christians and Israel. I look forward to speaking to any one in more detail about the work here.

*****

these are some pictures of the sites and tours we have gone on this weekend.

we are now moved out of the bridges apartment and now staying at the Abraham hostel, till we leave for the desert oct 22. we will be going to Tzukim a small community near the Jordan boarder between the dead sea and Elait . we will be building straw bale houses. I will post more on that later.