College trip

It's been a while since my last post. University is in full swing, so my free time is limited. Our oldest, Ryan, is thinking about a university these days, as well. He will be in the States from October 27th - November 9th visiting seven colleges in six states over the course of two weeks. While he has a checklist to complete when considering each school, this is his first trip to the States in nearly three years, so he is more excited about the prospects of Taco Bell, American friends, and speaking English. Pray for him that God will direct his paths as he looks forward to a new phase in his young life.

Friends

It has been said that we are born into our families, but we choose our friends.

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Family

This weekend we took advantage of the weather and visiting friends to re-visit some of our favorite places around Israel - Masada, Ein Gedi and the Sea of Galilee.

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Bring it on Bosox!

Hey, I have to sleep! Therefore, I missed the Indians clincher over the Yankees which aired sometime after 1:30 a.m. in Jerusalem. The game will replay on ESPN this afternoon, so I may try to catch a few innings. It's nice in a sick sort of way to watch the Yankees suffer. The Indians will have to work hard for a series win over the Redsox to earn a trip to the Series.

It's All Greek To Me!

I began my first class of the fall semester--Koine Greek (ancient Greek used in the Bible and ancient literature). The difference between this class and the Greek class I took in Bible college 24 years ago is that this one is taught in Greek. Fourteen of the sixteen students are native French speakers who know little or no English, so our common language is Greek. The professor used only Greek until 90 minutes into the class when he gave us his name and instructions for the course using our mother tongue. The initial classes involve only listening and following commands. It is quite comical at times as we stand, hop, run, point, etc, etc, listening for the teacher's approving word, kolos (correct)!

Canadian soldiers assist in Indians' win over Yankees

The mayfly, or the more commonly known Canadian soldier, assisted the Indians in the eighth inning of game 2 between the Indians and Yankees. Where the Indians couldn't get to the Andy Pettitte through 7 innings, the Canadian soldiers got under the skin of the Yankees relief pitching in the 8th inning, causing 2 wild pitches which allowed the Tribe to score the tying run. Casey Blake of the Indians stated in a New York Times article that because the bugs were bothering the Yankees so much, he wanted to act as if they weren't bothering him at all. The 1-1 tie was taken to the bottom of the 11th inning when Travis Hafner singled with the bases loaded to put the Indians up two games to none. Thanks to ESPN, the game was broadcast live in Israel. I can hear Dudley Do-Right now, "Don't worry, I'll save you!"

Indians vs. Yankees game 1

New York Yankees: $200,000,000.00

Kenny Lofton: Priceless

On the street where you live

Imagine my delight when I spotted this vanity plate on my street this afternoon, nearly 7,000 miles from home--the red, white and blue of the Ohio Midwest! Shlep is used as a verb in the Yiddish dialect, meaning to carry. So come on and shlep yourself over to my neighborhood for some silver queen corn-on-the-cob and baked beans. We'll wash is down with some hot cider and donuts and get ready for the American league playoffs. Go Indians!

Night time in Jerusalem

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