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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…

A stretch of windy, rainy weather kept us at home most of last week. Sunnier weather on New Year’s Day was reason enough to get out of the apartment and do the Ramparts Tour in the Old City. After fortifying ourselves with some falafel sandwiches, we took to the ramparts and got in about 12,000…

Near Damascus Gate in the Old City.

Snapped this on my way to church this morning, walking in from the Damascus Gate around 8:15am.

We (well, Christy and Sadie) participated in Christmas Eve worship at Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem. Lots of tasty treats afterwards. Then, a stroll down to Manger Square to hear a local band sing, among other tunes, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” Today, a joint worship service at Church of the…

I still owe y’all photos of our new apartment, though Christy has posted some already on her Facebook page. With Christmas only two days away, there are plenty of festivities for us to attend near home and in the area. Among the events we attended included two concerts at Beit Ibrahim, one of which was…