Christmas in Bethlehem Group

Many thanks to Sahar Qumsiyeh (in the striped red and gray sweater) for these photos of the Bethlehem Group's Christmas pageant on Sunday, December 23rd.  This took place in the remodelled meeting place below the Marcous family's apartment.  Sahar says the kids did a great job. 

  Santa Claus was played by Tony Azar, who with his wife Emily and four adorable kids once lived in our ward in Orem.  They live in Ramallah and worship with the Bethlehem saints whenever they can make the circuitous drive.
Direct Route from Ramallah to Bethlehem, 31 km, 41 min.  I don't even know how one drives to Bethlehem without crossing into Jerusalem, but it sometimes takes 3 hours.

 The cute props were made by Jolynn Williams of the Jerusalem branch and used the day before for our pageant.  The consulate and UN families in the Jerusalem branch are currently able to travel to Bethlehem, but the BYU families are not, except for Christmas Eve, when we got special permission to see the parade.

 

 After the pageant, the kids opened gifts from the district (mostly from Sahar, but the Tel Aviv branch and the Jerusalem branch also sent gifts which were given on a different occasion.)

Sahar's departure to the London MTC is only weeks away, and she will be sorely missed by everyone in the Jerusalem District!

December Fun

For the Anglican School Christmas play, Emily was a shepherd.  Amanda participated in a musical version of "A Christmas Carol," but unfortunately she was ill just before the performance so she missed out. 

We invited some friends over for lasagna, gingerbread cookies, and the BYU student Christmas Concert.  This is the only venue in which the students get to express their love for Jesus Christ before a public audience, and it was a real treat to hear fun songs (like "The Tonedeaf Angel") and sacred carols and songs from The Messiah.

This is me [Amanda] with Bamboo and his birthday with a muffmuff as a kake!!!!!

Carrie and a friend made a magazine for girls for her personal project, and she explained it to parents and teachers at a special event during school.  Here is Carrie's homeroom teacher (also Lisa's Arabic and science teacher) Mrs. Rania Husseini. 

Carrie poses with several friends from the Anglican school.

At the memories night, several students impersonated teachers, and here is Jed imitating Frank.  Jed is the one on the left, in case you can't tell. 

 

 

Advent Calendar and Christmas Poem

Happy December!  For those who want a countdown calendar with scriptures, my sister Shellie drew these cute pictures years ago.  You can print out the calendar (on 2 pages) and pictures, ask a child in your life to color the pictures, then each day read the scriptures and tape a picture in the square. 

 

Kristine Hansen is a friend from the Park 3rd ward who teaches writing at BYU, and she shared this poem with me. It seems fitting at Christmas time to remember not only the condescension of Christ at his birth, but also the purpose behind his birth, to know us, to rescue us, and to bring us to a potential much greater than we can even imagine.

Let Us Come Boldly

Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16)

Did it begin with his birth

In a cold and comfortless cave—

His ability to feel our pain?

Or when he felt faint from fatigue

Or from hunger and thirst,

Did he first know human frailty?

When the prince of this world,

Finding him weak in the wilderness,

Proffered power and dominion,

Did he, though resisting, not taste the lure?

When his friends became sick,

And some of them died,

Did he not grieve and mourn?

When he was rejected, despised, and betrayed,

Abandoned, then beaten and killed,

What more could he bear?

What condescension is here! What love!

Though he were a Son, he came down

To wade through all woes so that he might feel

As we feel, and know as we know.

And thus when we kneel to ask for his help,

We find him a friend whose faithfulness is firm,

Whose understanding is complete.

For he has plumbed the depths of all infirmity

To form the reservoir of love that flows

Into the never-ending fountain of his grace.

Now having ascended again on high,

Christ sits on a throne and bids us come

Boldly to him with all our needs,

For he is willing to salve all our sorrows

And dispense mercy from his vast stores.

Written by
Kristine Hansen

Happy 25th to the BYU Jerusalem Center

The Jerusalem Center employees celebrated its 25th anniversary with a dinner and awards ceremony.  I was out of town and did not attend, but here are some observations on the event from Ophir Yarden.





Women in hijab and men in kippot aren’t usually found dining together.  Last week these and many others – Jews, Christians and Muslims, some observant and others non-practicing – joined together to celebrate the 25^th anniversary of their workplace.  This is not a coexistence project or an experiment devoted to peacemaking, but simply daily work – the mutual interest of all involved.  For 25 years Jews and Arabs have worked together in all realms at The Jerusalem Center of Brigham Young University, a branch of the great American university sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).  In academics and instruction, in administration, support, security, maintenance and in the kitchen, Arabs and Jews work together.  Harmoniously.


Aptly enough, the event was scheduled for Thanksgiving eve on the U.S. calendar in a fine hotel in west Jerusalem (where the dietary needs of all could be addressed).  And just to broaden the cultural diversity, mostly American background music was provided by Garo, an Armenian keyboard musician.  Of course there were speeches and words of thanks – many of them.  And everyone understood as Tawfic Alawi, the center’s Associate Director serving as Master of Ceremonies, translated everything between the evening’s three languages: English, Arabic and Hebrew.  For some of us a highlight of the evening was the last speaker Nahum Nuriel, an Israeli Jew whose family hailed from Egypt. Mr. Nuriel commenced his remarks in Arabic and continued in Hebrew and English, as the translator stood idly by the side.

Click here for the full article.
http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/thanksgiving-across-religious-and-national-lines/

Halloween Crafts

With the help of their Activity Days leaders, Lisa and Amanda made a jack-o-lantern melon.  Pumpkins are available here, but they are white, huge, and expensive, so most people who want to cook pumpkin  buy just a slice for their needs.  But melons are still plentiful.  It turned out so cute that we just lost our heads and had a little fun.

 Now for Amanda:

 And Emily's turn:

 On Halloween itself, my friend Elizabeth brought her kids over for dinner and cookie painting.  With cups of runny frosting and clean paintbrushes, the Stratford, Schade, Vogelmann, and Judd kids created delicious little masterpieces.

 Someone was getting fancy with the camera.

 Sweet!

Halloween

While Halloween is not my favorite holiday, it is fun to see the kids all dressed up, and it's a good holiday for including people, as neighbors open their doors and we all take photos of each others' kids.  The Jewish holiday for dressing up is Purim, in the spring,   As you will see below, some of our friends got very creative about making costumes.  

One of the wonderful things being out of the country for Halloween is not having to face the American costume stores.  It always bothered me that my kids and I had to walk past the weapons wall to get to the tiara section.  I mean, what kid needs a plastic machete filled with fake blood?  Sorry for the soapbox, but when I see kids here pointing plastic guns at each other, it gives me the creeps even more than it did back home.

Anyway, back to the Halloween celebration.  This was a little early because the students were in Jordan on Halloween:

We brought Amanda's and Emily's costumes from home, and purchased a shower curtain for Lisa's sari.

Karla went all artistic on Elizabeth's costume.  This is all from scratch!

Ophir Yarden, who teaches modern Israeli history, brought his two youngest sons.  It was great to have them come, and we had the students give out kosher candy.  

 Here you get a glimpse of Wall-e and a white faced mime heading into the spook alley.

 David is radiating creativity.

 I think Isaac dressed up as his dad, the ancient near east history professor.

 Carrie is impersonating Merida, and the lovely unicycle next to her is her friend Emily.