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.