What I appreciate most about each story is that they are short and easy to read.  Because I work with children who English is their 2nd or 3rd language, this is an important factor for them.

One of the 10 year old girls loves this book and each week she chooses either a hero or a villain to read about.  It’s wonderful to see her interest in not only reading, but the stories about the lives from the Bible.

The pictures are great and the lesson at the end of each character are wonderful lessons for the kids to take with them in everyday life.

I would LOVE if this book was translated into Hebrew, so more of the kids I work with could read it. It’s a great addition to our library!

Sometimes I struggle with the question of “Who am I?” because the truth is, it’s not always a simple black and white issue.

I can wake up in the morning feeling moody and crabby, and the next morning feeling full of hope and joyous… but that’s not Who I Am… that’s How I Feel.

Take away all the mood swings, all the good and bad days, put me in Africa, South America, or the Middle East, and the core of me should still remain the same.

So Who am I???  Take a look:

Ur turn… Who are you???

(I made this fun word puzzle at Wordle. Check it out and if you make your own I’d love to see it!)

Here’s a look into my top 5 shows (in no particular order):

1. Get Along Gang

2. Snorkels

3. Smurfs

4. Shirt Tales

5. Fraggle Rock

Mind you, there were many others we enjoyed along the way… Inspector Gadget, Strawberry Shortcake, Care Bears, Muppet Babies…. after all, this was the era when Saturday was the only day you really got to watch TV as a kid.  Regular days were actually filled with school and playing outside with your friends.  But ohhhhhh, those joyous Saturdays

Any Saturday Cartoons you remember from your childhood??? 

His first movie, Passion of the Christ caused a large uprising of emotions, followed by his anti-semantic rants which made him a complete outcast around here…. Israel that is.

Yes, I live in the one country that probably hates him the most.

And to be honest with you, most of that hatred comes from one particular group… the Ultra Orthodox Jews (Heredi).

His new movie, the story about Judah Maccabee, has only outraged them even more, and to say there is no love lost between Mel and the Heredi is an understatement.  Sadly, second Chances are NO WHERE to be found on this side of the ocean.

Which leads me to my question of  ”Who do I struggle to give a Second Chance to?”

…and the answer ironically is: them. The Heredi…

Living in Israel, I have seen and experienced first hand the struggle to love and show grace to this group of people.  The very same ones who are furious with Mel for his bigotry and hate-filled Jewish comments repeat the pattern by showing bigotry and hate-filled comments about various groups outside of the Orthodox Community.  I have seen countless videos, news reports, and with with my own eyes have witnessed the wrath of the Heredi.

So what makes Mel’s bigotry any different than the Heredi’s? Is his hatred any different than theirs? Should I give them the benefit of the doubt when they are throwing their stones?

Although I struggle in showing them love and grace, I know I must.  HE sacrificed everything not only for me, but for them.

Especially for them. and for Mel too.

So, they both deserve a second chance. And a third, and a fourth, and a fifth…..  Because how many more chances have I received from HIM!?!

Over the past couple of months I’ve been taking a break from many “regulars” in my life… blogging, social media, certain relationships, and Chinese Food.  Yes, I just said Chinese Food.  

BACKGROUND: There is a little dive of a restaurant (if you can even call it that) in my neighborhood, run by a Chinese family who also live here.  Once I found their place almost 2 years ago, I have become somewhat of a staple there… they even know my order each time I come it. [So you don't think I never try anything new, there's really only 4 items to choose from when you order]  

Our conversations when I’m there are always a bit limited, as they speak Chinese and only a little Hebrew, but we manage to survive somehow with our Hebrew/Sign Language system.  The father, who speaks the least amount of Hebrew, always smiles and asks me to sit down while I wait…. while the daughter usually cooks up my meal.

PRESENT DAY: It’s been about 2 months since I have gone down and ordered Chinese.  Blame it on my “summer budget” but I haven’t eaten out in forever, including my Chinese Take Out.  Today I decided that I really wanted some Chinese so I walked my butt down there.

As soon as I arrived I was greeted by the father, who immediately said: “Ahhhhhh, How are you? It’s been such a long time since we saw you!”  He pulled out the chair and asked me to sit.  He then asked me : “Number 3?” to which I replied, “Of course“.  The daughter came out, said hi, while the son (who speaks the most Hebrew) and I discussed living in Israel, working, and the Chinese singer who was on the TV (who I still have no idea what her name is, even though he told me a million times).  

After my brief re-encounter with my Chinese friends I left with my noodles and a smile on my face.  It’s weird to be feeling like I was actually missed by a few people that I barely know, but I honestly felt that way as I walked home….

And it was nice feeling missed.

I chose this book because of the backstory… a young boy, whose parents are killed while he was young and who grows up in foster care and learns at a young age to become self-relient… yet lacking what we are all looking for in life: unconditional love.

The book is an incredibly fast read, which was good because it was a bit predictable.  I was drawn in during the first couple of chapters, but the middle was a bit slow for me.  The ending as I said was a bit predictable, except for one surprising turn of events, which made the story line completely worth reading.  (I don’t want to give it away.)

The themes of trust, unconditional love, and being blessed are nicely woven throughout the book, and the characters are definitely lovable.

I enjoyed the story, and for anyone who wants to read a book in a few hours, it’s a good one to pick up.

It’s not as if I have nothing to say… I always have something to say… but writing about it just isn’t happening.

So much is going on in my world, in my head, in my heart. But not in my writing.

Not quite sure why…  

Anyone else been there???

Just a few cool additions the author adds:

1. At the end of each “chapter” there are 5 exercises you can do with your children to enhance each topic.

2. The inclusion of verses from the Bible throughout the book are great.  People want to separate science and religion, but these verses tie them together quite nicely.

3. It is definitely a evangelistic tool.  The last section of the book dives into what the Bible says about all the topics, what Jesus taught, and some great comparisons between our modern day knowledge and the past wisdom.

The illustrations and pictures are beautiful and breathtaking, and I think it’s a great tool for parents to have…. after all, there will come a day when your children will have questions, and it’s probably a good thing to have a little back up

This small, pocket-sized kids bible is perfect as a “first gift bible.  It comes inside a beautifully decorated holding box, which is a wonderful addition to the bible itself.  The inside cover has a few information pages for the child to fill out, such as, “about me” page and “my family” page etc.

Inside the pages at key verses, there are adorable storybook pictures to accompany the verses.  For example: Exodus 20:12 Honor your father and your mother.  with a drawing of a baby elephant presenting flowers to his elephant mother.

The size is just an added bonus, wonderful for any little boy or girl…. such a wonderful gift for any child!

* I have my Arabic Final July 13th…. and I’m a bit stressed and overwhelmed about it.

* I have to renew my visa at the end of the month, which has already caused me some headaches and trips to immigration.

* I’m trying to plan and put together a VBS outreach for the month of August. By myself. In Hebrew. Enough said.

Hopefully when I make it through this month I’ll have lots of good reports to write about….. stay tuned

I honestly cannot believe it’s already been half a year, when it seems like I just wrote the original post yesterday.

Instead of reflecting on how far I’ve come in the first half, I’m going to use this update as more of a “re-focus” for the second half.  I feel like I haven’t done the best job of always SHINING, especially in those dark moments of life.

I’m going to re-quote myself from my original post:

The truth is I can’t do it on my own, but I know the closer I am to HIS radiance, the brighter it will SHINE out through me… and that’s what I need to aim for.

I want to Be the Light. I want to SHINE brighter this year.

2011. I’m gonna get my SHINE on!

Time to re-focus on the 2nd half…..

She’s the first person I run to (or skype to, I should re-phrase) when I need ANYTHING: love, comfort, advise, stress release, family news, encouragement, and to just plain talk.

She’s MY MOM!

She wasn’t always my best friend, in fact, we’ve had our ups and down (enter teenage years); but when I finally grew up and realized what a jewel I had in my midst it all changed.  Now we love spending time together (when I’m home on furlough) doing mother-daughter things and also friend-friend things.

This past home visit my mom lost her mom.  Though it was extremely difficult for all of us, and I was also losing my grandma, I think the hardest part of it for me was seeing my mom lose her mom.  She is the only girl with 4 brothers, and I know she had a very close relationship with her mom, just like I have with her.  My mom and my grandma share so many amazing qualities, but most importantly they are STRONG WOMEN OF GOD and they love they families with the same love that God loves us: UNCONDITIONALLY.

One day I pray and hope that I will be a mom too, and when that day comes I want to be a mom just like mine. I want to instill in my children all the morals and values that she imparted in us.  I want to make her proud to be not only my mom, but my best friend.

I LOVE YOU MOM!!! Though I’m not there to see you blow out your (undisclosed number) of candles, you know that I’m sending you a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY hug your way….

our favorite pastime when I was a child

Christmas w/my mom and sisters

Show my mom some birthday love today…..

We both agree that we were soooo lucky to have been born when we were, still the “simpler” times, but leading into the “technology” era. Kids today have NOOOO idea what it was like without cell phones, email, SMS-ing, X-Box.. etc.  And while all those things have made our lives a bit easier (and lazier) we couldn’t resist wishing that our children could experience childhood as we did:

• When EVERY kid either walked to school or rode a bus… no parents driving them to and from school.
• Running home after school to ride bikes with your friends around the neighborhood and play kickball in the yard, until you knew it was time to come home for dinner.
• Rollerskating in the garage, pretending to be at a roller rink, with music booming from a boombox the size of a tire.
• Spending your Friday night at the actual Roller Rink.
• Making tents in the backyard out of blankets draped over the clothesline.
• SPUD. (if you don’t know that game, you definitely didn’t grow up in my generation)
• Spending 2 hours of your night out, driving around looking for your friends, because there was no way to contact them once your left the house. (but having a blast while you did it!)

6:22: alarm goes off (and I press snooze)

7 minutes later + another 7 minutes later: its ringing again

6:45: I’m finally up-ish. boil water for coffee. do morning stuff. 1st cup of hot coffee hmmmmmmmm

7:35: leave for school with 2nd cup of hot coffee in my take-away mug.

BUT WAIT!

Summer has arrived (or is slowly arriving) so I’m losing my 2nd cup of take-away hot coffee and replacing it with an iced-cafe when I get home!

Even as I’m sitting here typing this blog, I’m sippin on my Iced-cafe…

Anyone else as excited as I am for warm weather and Iced-cafe’s???

Most people relate “fitting in” to the teen-age or middle-school-age years when finding your crowd can come with many challenges. Being a former middle-school teacher, I’ve seen my fare share of kids trying to change and be someone they’re not in order to fit in with a group they want to be in. Not a fun time!

Fortunately, I never really struggled with the “fitting in” issue in school (not that I didn’t have other issues) but that wasn’t one of them.

Unfortunately, I struggle with it more now, as an adult.

It’s not for a lack of friends, cuz to be honest I have some GREAT ones! It’s also not for a lack of wanting to be in a group that I’m not in either…. the truth is: many times I just have a difficult time relating to others.

Living around the world in various cultures is a tremendous calling, but it’s also changed me beyond words.  Each new place has impacted me in new ways and changed my outlook and actions toward life, as well as changing me on the inside.  I’ve taken treasures from each culture, which translates into me becoming a “melting pot” of sorts.

While all this is wonderful and great, here’s the problem… I never 100% fit in.

When I go home to The States, I find it difficult to relate to others, as the “American” in me has dwindled down to less and less over the years.  Sure, I still love my country and the Detroit Red Wings (had to get that one in, Joseph) but there’s only so far you can go with these topics.

I could give examples from each place: Brazil, Africa, Israel… but it boils down to this… I rarely feel like I really fit in anywhere, and sometimes it’s a lonely, difficult cross to bare.

Although there probably aren’t too many people here on earth who truly understand me, I KNOW there is someone up there who does! And Someday…. well, it’s one place I know I’ll fit in

I even changed my Iphone Wallpaper foto to Chewy in honor of this important holiday

For some reason it’s really been building up, and I’ve been so overwhelmed with it all.  Over our 2 week Pesach break, I was able to relax and devote all my extra time with ministry, which probably made my recent distaste for language studying escalate even more.

I’ve found in my life that when I’m discouraged and frustrated God has a way of putting little bits and pieces of comfort in my path.  

Today in Hebrew class we were discussing the idea of learning languages at a young age.  Our teacher then asked us how many years each of us have been learning Hebrew, to which I was a bit shocked at the answers.

I have been studying Hebrew for 2 years now… 2 LONG years; but out of everyone in my class I’ve been studying Hebrew the least amount of years. There are kids in my class who have been studying 4-10 years, and many of them have grown up in Jewish families, hearing Hebrew spoken all their lives.

I had a similar experience in Arabic class yesterday.  One of the girls in my class told me she’s been studying Arabic for 5 years now! 5 years! Me??? One.

As I sat there listening to the numbers I just thought, “What the heck am I doing in these classes with these groups?  No wonder I’m beyond stressed and mentally exhausted every night. No wonder why my mother is sick of hearing my cries every weekend…”

And then I thought of it in a new light.  Here I am, sitting in class, at the same level as these kids who have been around Hebrew their entire lives. Here I am sitting in Arabic class, reading and writing text, and just a year ago I couldn’t even recognize letters.  I might not get the highest grades on my tests or read at the same fluency as others, but I’M HERE!

I made it this far, so I might as well suck it up and keep on trekking.

Yes, I’m still frustrated…

Yes, I’m still stressed…

Yes, I’m still mentally exhausted……..

But, I’m Here!  And just that is encouragement for me today.

** Could you just say a little prayer for me this week (well, month for that matter)??? I’m really needing them! Thanks, bloggy friends!!!

If it’s back to work I must go, then this was a perfect way to go back:

First, a field trip to the Biblical Zoo in Jerusalem with some of my refugee kids.  It might not exactly sound like work to you, but trust me…. a zoo filled with hundreds of crazy kids running around from animal to animal can drive you to the point where you’re ready to jump in with the lion and take your chances! (but we did have lots of fun too!)

Second, an afternoon in the park playing basketball.  I was finally able to hook up with one of our Professional Basketball Players in the Israeli league (we’ve been trying to put something together for a while now), where he could come down and play with the kids.  It was a huge success, and the kids absolutely LOVED him! The weather is finally nice enough again where we can resume our basketball outreach, and I honestly forgot how much I really do enjoy spending this time with the kids.

Overall, not too shabby for my first two days back after holiday! 

I’ve posted all the pictures from the Zoo field trip and our Afternoon of Basketball on our Shine Facebook Page…go check them out!

This past weekend I turned 36 (though if anyone asks me, I’m still 35!)

I was so blessed to have some wonderful moments:

A friend gave me a full-day at a spa up in Tiberias, right on the Sea of Galilee…. fantastic!

Cotton Candy on the Boardwalk

My annual picture with the T-Rex!

VIP Movie Night at Cinema City… I don’t think I can watch a movie in the “regular” section ever again! LOL

Dead Sea and Ein Gedi to top off the weekend! 

You see, I’ve always had this theory that you are really finally THERE with a language when you start dreaming in it.  I’m not saying that I’m 100% THERE with Hebrew (cuz I don’t know if I’ll ever be there), but it does mean I must be getting closer.

I still remember the first time I dreamt in Portuguese, which was a monumental moment for me, and I do still dream in my love language once in a while.

I might not ace my Hebrew tests, but at least I can have a conversation in my head at night…. how can they compare!?! LOL

unbeknownst to me... while you were sleeping!