Nights In (& odd one out)

Summer has come to a dramatic end. We have had a weekend of thunder storms and 6" of rain. This has meant that evenings at home, none this week (meetings and services) are spent indoors with shutters closed rather that doors and windows wide open. No TV has meant that we had found new hobbies. Jane has become an indoor plant fanatic, with cuttings spread through our home. I am developing my artistic skills, which are basic to say the least. With my mathematical mind I am using a ruler, set square and compass. My pictures are very much appreciated and are displayed in prominent positions in the bathroom and toilet. P

PS The answer to the puzzle published a couple of weeks ago is 'D'. 'A' is an odd one out because it is a 'y'; 'B' is an odd one out because it is a square; 'C' is an odd one out because it is yellow; so 'D' is the odd one out because it isn't an odd one out.

Grow, go and Recycle

Since moving to Nazareth I have developed a real interest in plant propagation, our home environment is slowly beginning to bloom and grow with exotic plants. My new interest is a great relaxant and is also teaching me patience. I think it is also bring out my English eccentricities. I can regularly be found in the Hospital chapel with a can of leaf shine or a water sprayer, trying to create the right conditions for my newest cacti or palm tree, or new leaf cuttings that I am nurturing.
Another great thing about plants is that they are ‘presents for free’. Newly grown and divided plants can then able be passed on to friends. When I have run out of pots then I can recycle food containers, a prune box makes an excellent plant holder for a newly grown palm. Our environments are crucial places for our ministries. Plants can make a room seem calm and tranquil and can relax those who inhabit and come to our dwelling places.
Somebody at church has just offered me a 2 metre cactus, I wonder how I can get that home on the bus? J

Juggling

The number of balls we that are juggling has hopefully reached its peak. The variety of our work means that we are entering into both the Christian and wider community faster than most newcomers. We are getting to know people at the Anglican church, mid-week bible study (many attendees don’t go to church), school (English and music classes), Galilee Bible College, Nazareth hospital (children’s ward, 3 x chapel services, working in the grounds, helping the chaplain) Baptist Christmas choir, after-school children’s club, Taize service at local convent, English language Bible study, we are also attending a course, ‘Living in a Pluralistic Society’, at the Nazareth Seminary; and of course, how could we forget our Arabic lessons and more importantly, running a fantasy football team (currently top in the Devon & Nazareth Premier League). We are also regularly visiting other churches (Brethren, Orthodox, Baptist, Catholic etc) often at the invitation of friends and colleagues, this is one of the advantages of belonging to a middle of the road, Protestant-Episcopalian church (not sure what that means, but it sounds good). And all of this during a prolonged summer - 97⁰F today. P

The odd one out

Today we had our first day in school – with parents weeping at the school gate (not ours!). We are helping the students with their English lessons. It is a small school with one class for each year, and the ages range from 4 to 16. The school is located in the centre of the old town of Nazareth and is squeezed into the densely populated market (souq) area. The children obviously see many tourists in Nazareth, but it is very rare for them to interact with foreigners. The younger children found it very strange to have people with blue eyes, pale skin and fair hair sitting in their classes; at the start of each class we had 30 pairs of brown eyes continually staring at us. It is quite uncomfortable being the ‘odd one out’, but after we had started helping them with their work 'Mr Peter' and 'Mrs Jane' didn’t seem so strange. In the picture, which is the odd one? P

208

We are very grateful that we now don’t have to go out and search for a wireless internet connection, because we have a dongle (mobile phone internet connection) at home. The only problem with the dongle is that it is not very consistent and is often slow, very slow or just cuts off entirely. We don’t have a TV, so listening to the radio is our main means of entertainment and keeping up to date with news. Because the internet is not reliable we continue to listen to the BBC world service on the radio. Our signal comes from Cyprus and in the late afternoon the signal begins to weaken and distort until it is unrecognisable in the evening. But years of listening to Radio Luxembourg 208 on my portable radio under the bed-sheets has prepared me for the fading signal that occurs every few minutes. Jane obviously didn’t listen to 208, she easily gets irritated by the distorted signal, but when you’re listening to the 2nd half football commentary from Old Trafford you just blank off the deteriorating signal and imagine Steven Gerrard scoring a hat-trick in the last 10 minutes against Manchester United. P

New Fruit

It is now two years since we first left the wild west coast of England and started living a very different life.
Everything has changed for us, the food we eat, the language we speak, the work we do, the community we live in, the way we wash and dry our clothes. The vine in our garden, not only provides us with luscious grapes and beautiful cool shade but makes an excellent drying area for shirts, which dry quickly and are protected from the harsh rays of the sun. No ironing needed.
In two years it feels like we have travelled a long way, our recent arrival in Nazareth also requires a new way of thinking, a new way to live, lots of adaptations to make - living in an Arab culture in an Israeli context. Better go and make some more falafel! J

Licence to Kneel

As you may have read in our Link Newsletter (available on request, electronically or paperererly) one of our roles is helping at the Anglican Church in Nazareth. We are slowly getting involved in different areas of work. The Bishop of Jerusalem - I had to name drop because it’s such an impressive title - has granted me a free ‘Reader’ transfer from the Bath & Wells Diocese to the Jerusalem Diocese. The Jerusalem Diocese covers a large area that includes Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon – an interesting assortment of locations. I have started assisting Father Zahi, carrying the cross and serving communion, reading the prayer book in Arabic is taking time because it is in classical and not colloquial Arabic – that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it. Peter