This morning we helped prepare Advent wreaths for the chapels at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer. The aromatic evergreen tree branches came from the grounds of Augusta Victoria Hospital at the Mount of Olives. Afterwards, we made a quick trip to the mall before it closed for Shabbat.

Have a joyous weekend.

We attended Taizé worship last night at the Church of the Ascension on the Mount of Olives. Inspired by the Taizé Community in France, it features sung prayers and spoken scripture in multiple languages, and extended silent reflection.

Last night’s service was followed by a communal meal of bread, borscht, and ice cream. (pause) Not in the same bowl. (pause) Not that we’re judging. You do you.

Rev. Dr. Christy Lohr Sapp participated in her first worship at The Lutheran Church of the Redeemer this past Sunday. She will be preaching her first sermon there this coming Sunday, November 30th, the first Sunday in Advent.

While there are many, many, MANY pieces of family art that we would have loved to bring with us on the initial journey, there was neither room in the luggage nor the budget for shipping. We still managed to bring some pieces to remind us of our home and friends back in the US, and continue to fill our hears with the joy in the journey ahead.

Featured artists (in order): Davide Maset, Grace Bollinger, Hunter Spiegel.

Today was Sadie and Riley’s first day at school at The Jerusalem American School. While we waited for them to get out at the end of the day, Christy and I perambulated around the neighborhood to enjoy some urban flora. First time I’ve seen poinsettias the wild.

We took an afternoon drive and walk through the (very) narrow streets of Bethlehem, to the Church of the Nativity in Manger Square. Tourism is gradually coming back and Christmas decorations are still in the early stages. We look forward to experiencing the season in this historic area.. Maybe recreate the climactic Linus scene from A Charlie Brown Christmas.

This is the view from our temporary rental home. We will be here for about a month while we look for more permanent digs during our stay here in the Holy Land.

In other news, Sadie & Riley took a school assessment test yesterday. We will be hearing back (hopefully) today on that, with an eye to them starting school later this week.

Peace, y’all.

The trip, though long, was smooth and uneventful…if you disregard our one cat’s very vocal disdain for being in a cat carrier for the better part of a day. Below are some moments from our flight, arrival, and initial jaunt to the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Jerusalem. The last two images are from the bell tower at the church.

Greetings! Welcome to Sappostolic, the personal blog of the Lohr Sapp Family and their four years of living, exploring, and accompanying in the Holy Land.

We are in the final stages of preparation – finalizing paperwork and travel plans, making hard choices on what (and what not) to pack, worrying about how our cats will handle international travel. As part of those preparations, we want to offer an online space where friends and family can get updates on our coming journey.

This site is currently a work in progress, and we have a lot on our To Do list as our departure date approaches. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we make tweaks to the site, and look forward to sharing this remarkable experience with you all.

Peace.