Galilee

Our trip to Galilee is always a delight, even if we can only miss a day of school and enjoy the weekend.  This was November 17-20, 2016.  

The weather was breezy and the lake was cool.  We did some wading and a little swimming, enjoyed hammock time, journal time, some yummy fish, a visit to Capernaum, and ice cream at McDonalds on the way home.

Margaret Ludlow, who is an excellent New Testament seminary teacher for the teens, took the older girls for a boat ride and a tour of Magdala.  Lisa and Amanda loved the dancing and singing of the Indonesian passengers and feeding the seagulls.  They also loved the painting of the woman touching the hem of the Savior's robe.

One of the highlights of the weekend was the baptism of three children in the Tiberias branch.  This was a sweet experience.  There at Yardenit, pilgrims from all over the world make or renew their promise to walk with the Savior, and joining them were three eight-year olds, far from strong wards and stakes, the gospel vine bringing strength to their families despite great obstacles.  That day we heard the sacrament prayer in Hebrew, the baptismal prayers in Arabic and English, so many languages but one authority through the living priesthood of Jesus Christ.  


Our bungalow by the sea at Ein Gev resort:

St. Peter's Fish at  the Ein Gev restaurant just north of the resort:

Gotta have that ice cream!  Even in November!

Early morning serenity:

When we find an empty hammock, we drop everything and relax!

The exercise playground is a little oversized for our crew, but still entertaining.

Friends who would walk on water for our sakes!

Emily's castle has all the amenities, dry moat, walls, even a mikveh.

The bonfire is always a fun event, even when the wind is blowing it everywhere...

View from the Tiberias Branch building:

Lots of catfish at Yardenit, where Amanda was baptized four years ago:

Walking on the Sea of Galilee:

In the ancient synagogue at Capernaum:

The getaway always goes too fast, and yet there were moments when time seemed to stand still, when we could savor each minute passing by.

All the languages

So, today I was shopping in my favorite nearby store, Tannour's, where the hoagie rolls are fresh and the service is excellent, although rarely smoke-free.  This is in East Jerusalem, in the Palestinian side of town, so I am interested to hear a woman at the bakery counter speaking Hebrew.  She asks for two bagels (pictured below) and two pizza bagels.  So I decide I would like the same and wait in line.  The woman continues chatting with the clerk, and he answers back in Hebrew.

I'm smiling because I love exchanges like this--a friendly Israeli telling a story to a trilingual Palestinian.  The woman asks if I understood, and I say, no.  She then tells me her story in broken English:  A cat is chasing a mouse, who hides in his hole.  The cat waits and waits, then finally starts to bark like a dog.  The mouse comes out of his hole, right into the jaws of the cat.  The mouse says, "I thought you were a dog!"  The cat says, "Well, to get by in this town you have to speak all the languages."

By the way, the pizza bagels were fabulous.  I replaced most of the olives with pepperoni from the states and toasted them open-face style, and my kids liked them a lot!

Early November, Kotel, Playgrounds

We returned from Egypt at the beginning of November to find autumn in full swing.  

The students feel like Jerusalem is "home" especially after an out of country field trip.

Here are some photos from fun playgrounds we found, mostly by accident:

This is called the Mitfletset, or Monster.  We drove around for a long time to find it.

We found this cute elephant by the Givat Shaul waste collection center (dump) where they collect glass and cans for recycling.

This fun place is in Har Homa by the fields where we gathered to overlook Bethlehem from a shepherd's point of view.  

A view of Bethlehem at night:

We wandered around looking for the falafel place we passed, took a wrong turn, and ended up at another playground:

At this falafel stand in Har Homa we saw an automatic falafel maker extrude perfect cylindrical falafel balls and fry them in front of our eyes.  Usually the store owner scoops up the chickpea mixture into a round scoop, then pushes a button to eject the greenish blob into the oil.  It is a little time consuming when done by hand, but either way, fresh is definitely best!

We visited the Kotel Tunnel with students, which begins near the Wester Wall and continues underground the length of the wall supporting the Temple Mount/Haram Es Sharif.

King Herod's craftsmen moved and shaped some huge stones to support the base of the wall!

We walked through arches which raised the street level and filled in the ancient valley, a wall close to the estimated location of the Holy of Holies where Jewish people prayed, remnants of a quarry, a partially completed road which would have been street level at the time of Jesus, then an old water system.  Near the water system, the tunnel was tall like the end of Hezekiah's tunnel.

Emily's activity day friends meet every other week for some spiritual lessons and fun.

Emily invented a machine to make sandwiches.

Emily learned about pressure at school.  She demonstrated how to pierce a baggie of water without letting the water out.

We visited the Davidson Archeaological Park, basically the south eastern corner of the temple mount and the surrounding excavations.  This is a popular corner for families who are gathering for bar mitzvahs.  We heard a saxophone and drums playing a lively tune.

This is the pinnacle of the temple, which would have been by a busy street south east of the temple.

Once upon a time, street level was meters higher.  Someone inscribed an adaptation of a verse from Isaiah on a block which is now high up on the wall.

The inscription is under the scraggly bush.

Students love to sit on these steps and envision the Savior walking here on his way from the Temple courtyard to the pool of Siloam.

The girls are waiting for the bus for another great day at the Anglican School!

This sign asks for pedestrians to please not walk through the ultra-orthodox Jewish neighborhood without dressing modestly.

Forgive the randomness here,  every day is unique and different here!

2016 Christmas Newsletter

The Judds Look Back at 2016

The close of 2016 finds us another year older, maybe somewhat wiser, and scattered around the globe.  Frank, Jill, and the three youngest have returned for another one-year term at the BYU Jerusalem Center, but Megan and Carrie are holding their own back at BYU in Utah. 

Frank is in his element teaching Old and New Testament and taking BYU Jerusalem students on field trips.  (He practiced by taking our whole family on a field trip to Palmyra and Kirtland this summer.)  The fall semester has gone very smoothly, and the students love their self-titled “Big Cheese” professor (named after his favorite hat, or maybe his cheesy sense of humor). 

I have enjoyed being a mom in Israel again.  Driving in metric is a real thrill—you can legally push the needle up to 90 (km/h)!  I am grateful for technology to help us cope and stay connected, from video chatting with Megan and Carrie to Google translating the label on a Russian Christmas gift (it was wine!)  But even more than technology, the Gospel helps us cope and connect.  It is difficult yet satisfying to watch my kids overcome challenges and learn foundational skills through their trials this year.

   Megan is a few semesters away from graduating in English with an editing minor.  She lives in our basement and attends a singles ward in Orem, where she is the RS accompanist and VT supervisor.  She works as a cashier at the BYU food court and still enjoys writing historical fiction and free verse.  Megan had the unfortunate honor of discovering the bats that invaded our attic and boiler room in late August.  Our extended family/renters Paul and Diane Epperson helped shoo out the bats and oversee the aftermath, for which we are grateful!

Carrie is almost halfway through the Family Studies major.  She lives close to campus in Provo and works part time at A to Z daycare in American Fork.  She is studying American Sign Language and passed her Statistics class with flying colors.  She read and watched the Lord of the Rings trilogy this year.   Megan and Carrie spent a week in Florida visiting Grandma and Grandpa Fillmore on their mission at the Deseret Ranches in St. Cloud. 

Lisa is a 10^th grader at the Anglican International School of Jerusalem.  The video she made for the school’s Shakespeare Film Festival won first place.  (Search for “Summer’s Day Anglican School” to view it on YouTube.)  She is studying Arabic and composed some George Winston-style piano songs.  Highlights from 2016 include a drastic haircut and 6 days in Egypt. 

Amanda is in the 7^th grade at the Anglican School, learning Hebrew and making friends.  She is reading the Mother Daughter Book Club Series and Little House Series.  She enjoys cooking, babysitting, piano, and softball.

Emily is 9 years old and plays the piano and beginner ukulele.  She read the Harry Potter series this year and also played softball in the spring.  She can often be seen making photo slide shows on Mom’s phone, taking selfies with Lisa’s phone, or playing Bejeweled with Frank.  Her new nickname is “George.” 

2016 Judd Family Funnies

While eating a peach, Lisa said, “This is almost as good as a kitten!”

Emily: “These long-johns could fit a hippo.”

Megan said, “Oops, I forgot to use MLA format.” Remembering her own college days, Jill said, “Ah, MLA.” Emily from the other room piped up, "What?"

During scripture study, Frank said, “Amanda, read Jacob 1, verse 8.” Amanda: “Where.”  Frank: “Verse eight.” Amanda, louder: “Where!”  Frank, even louder: “Verse 8!”  Amanda: “I'm trying, but you keep interrupting!” (The verse starts with "Wherefore." )

Lisa: "Write for your life, childrens!"

Jill: “Should I chuck these old sweet rolls?” Frank: “Yes, but not too hard, you might hurt someone.”

Lisa, with her arms wrapped around Emily’s neck, said: “I call this the headlock hug. It's supposed to make you feel safe . . . and threatened at the same time.”

Lisa to Mom: “Why are you making that face with your hand?”

Emily: “Go find a fork in the road and step on it!”

Carrie: “Stop Tolkien back to me!”

Lisa: “I'm like a crabby old lady stuck in a 15-year-old body.”

After reading the first chapter of Matthew, Amanda asked, “Why are there so many crazy names in this jellyology?  Like Booze?”

Lisa: “Being on cloud nine is a good thing?  I thought it meant being on drugs.”

Carrie: “It's 22:22!  Make a wish!” Lisa: “I wish Carrie had a boyfriend.” Carrie: “Why would you say that?” Lisa: “I panicked!”

Amanda told Lisa, “You sound like a trumpet with a sock in it.”

Lisa: “I want to be one of those crazy people who knows a million languages!” Jill: “You're halfway there!”

Emily said, “When were Mormons invented?”

Amanda prompted Lisa: “Angry rant on rice…Go!”  Lisa said, “I love rice so much, it makes me mad when people say rice is just for Asian people.  I mean, that is so rice-ist.”

 Warm Wishes for a Happy New Year!