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As is the tradition on Shrove Tuesday, we prepared for the start of the Lenten season by hosting a pancake dinner at church. We are immensely grateful to those who shared the meal with us (28 in all, including the Lohr Sapps), and to our colleagues Olivia and Nik for all their help with prep…

Christy and I are always on the lookout for religious artwork. It can be more traditional in approach, such as the painting we bought of St. Paul’s Reformed Church in Newton. But it can also be things that bring joy in their own quirky way, like this little gem that we found at a gift…

Because the kids get Friday off from school but do have it on Saturday, we left after school on Thursday and did an overnight trip to Jericho. Jericho calls itself “The Oldest City in the World”–an argument it can take up with Damascus, Syria at its leisure. In Jericho one can visit the Mount of…

Things slowed down a bit after the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Which allowed Christy’s colleague Marc (originally from Aberdeen, Scotland) to host a belated Robbert Burns Night. He had an array of Scottish Gin and Scotch Whiskeys, as well as some helpful literature on their regional roots. He also had several Burns poems…

Tonight we all attended the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity service at Kidane Mehret, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church outside the Old City. Tomorrow night we wrap up at the Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Virgin (Greek Catholic), inside the Old City. Outside the church, which first opened in 1893. The church interior, as…

The Week of Christy Unity has kept Christy busy, including the worship service at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer on Monday, and service at the Armenian Patriarchate on Tuesday. Tonight’s service will take place in the Upper Room at Mount Zion, where tradition has it is the sight of Jesus’ Last Supper. In addition to…

The kiddos are back in the school groove after winter/religious holiday break, plus some anxiety over teacher permits. They are also getting back into the groove of extracurriculars–Riley with soccer and Sadie with dance. I saw my first theatre production–a collection of Checkov short stories woven together into a full narrative play. A stunning performance…

This past week/end included the retirement of (now) former ELCJHL Bishop Sani Ibrahim Azar, and the consecration of new Bishop Imad Haddad. Numerous Lutheran delegations were in the Jerusalem area, represent the US, Canada, and Europe. This included trips to holy sites, as well as a lively procession from the Jaffa Gate to the Church…

We are working on connecting the kiddos with their avenues of interest. We connected with a local dance company in Beit Hanina, Douban Professional Dance (DPD), as well as the local Youth Center soccer league. Last night DPD did a performance at a holiday market at the Al-Ma’mal Foundation in Jerusalem’s Old City, and we…