How could a cute face like this cause any stress at all? If there is one thing I learned in Maryland, it's that cooking with boys can be as stressful as it is fun! In hopes of having an easy, fun dinner, we decided to do breakfast for dinner. My job was making and cooking the pancakes and of course, Nathan(3) wanted to be right there to "mix" and "taste...yum!" Our system was working pretty well as I would pour some batter into the skillet and then give the bowl to Nathan, who was perched on the counter, so that he could continue mixing it. Beka(13) asked
if she could help with the cooking, and she joined us to make a complete trio - like the butcher, baker, and candlestick maker, only this time it was the pourer, the flipper, and the mix/taster. We continued on quite smoothly for a while until I glanced up from the cooking pancake to see the mixing fork zooming with alarming accuracy toward Nathan's wide-open, welcoming mouth. Tasting with a finger is one thing, sticking the whole fork in your mouth is another. I lunged over Beka with a "No, Nathan" and managed to divert the fork right before it tickled his taste buds. His surprised face and still open, expectant mouth looked so commical that Beka and I burst into uncontrollable laughter. Nathan's mouth still hung open as he joined in our laughter - and who can resist a face like this?

God placed his nation Israel at the central strip of land that connected three continents. The deserts and mountains in that area make the lower plains along the Mediterranean coast the best trade and travel route. It was in this strategic place that God placed His people to represent His name before the nations. Since Tel Megiddo was the central fortress along the trade routes that cyphened through the coastline, whoever controlled that fortress controlled the wealth of all international trade and had an enormous opportunity to influence people from all over the known world of the time. Solomon understood the importance of this fortress, and he fortified the city and stationed men and horses there. Israel, however, never seemed to have understood nor faithfully stewarded the opportunity God gave them to influence the world with their worship of the one true God.
Tel Megiddo overlooks the wide, long valley of Megiddo - Armigeddon - the place where sin and rebellion will suffer their final defeat. Darren said that this valley has reverberated with the sound of more battles than any other place on earth. Across the valley, we could see Mt Gilboa upon whose slopes Saul and Jonathan died. Unfortunately, the air was too humid to clearly see a lot of the surrounding hills.
to be con't...

Megiddo, con't...
The tel is an active excavation site. The archeologists working in the shade of black netting tents have so far uncovered 17 layers of Canaanite cities, all of which predate Israel's occupation of the land. Some features of the ancient city have been uncovered in very good condition. Gaurd rooms above the gate are one aspect that adds extra security to the narrow entrance. The road up to the city does not directly approach the gate but sidles up to the wall before making a 90 degree angle to turn into the gate. This forces the approaching enemy to expose its flank to the sentries along the wall before turning to assault the gate. On the far side of the tel, the low remains of a wall enclose the stone floor and mangers that once held twenty or more horses. There were even a few ancient bovine grazing on the other side of the wall. I'm sure they dated back to the time of Solomon! Not far from the stables, a small stone shed covered a steep flight of stairs that wound down into a deep pit to a tunnel that had been hewn out to reach an underground spring. After exploring the underground spring, I raced a tired Sara(6) back up the stairs in order to take her mind off how many stairs there were. She was super proud of the fact that she beat me and the boys. Across the city, a large, stone dias sits about four feet above the rest of a large courtyard. On this dias, pagan rituals and sacrifices took place. Much of the pagan worship revolved around fertility and the harvest - the continuation of life. God had given Israel the first fruit offerings and the sabbatical year to remind them that He was the one to bless and provide for their future. God has placed us, His people, in strategic places all around the world where we can bear witness to the one true God. In our reactions and activities, we too can show our trust in the goodness and provision of God.

Five weeks ago today, I left Portland on my way to Tel Aviv, Israel. I left to join the Dukes, a military family who are stationed in Israel as representative attaches. For them and their five kids, I had been nanny, cook, homeschool teacher, and a part of the family since January, during which time Darren and Maggie completed their attache training in Washington, DC. Now, five weeks after arriving in Israel, I'm sitting down to start this blog, but I have to admit, I've been a little apprehensive in doing it. I struggled with the idea of having a blog that tells about me and what I'm doing so I want to explain my purpose in having this blog and how I hope that you will use it. Primarily, this blog is so that I can stay in contact with friends, family, and church family who, at times, feel so far away. By "staying in contact," I don't mean having a one-sided conversation. I want to know what you are doing and what the Lord is doing in your life as well as being able to tell you what I am doing and what the Lord is doing in mine. So please use the option of posting comments, not just regarding the posts and pictures but as a way of telling me about what is happening in your life. For those who don't feel comfortable posting personnal comments on a blog, my email is reayj@juno.com, and I would love to hear from you. Thank you for your friendship and love. The Lord bless you and keep you.