Peace on earth and mercy mild!
We had the great blessing to find a “temporary family” for Christmas this year since we were away from home for the first time. We stayed at the Christ Church Guesthouse inside the Jaffa Gate in the old city of Jerusalem when we first arrived in Israel. Rick/dad had to leave us a few days before Christmas and we were not sure of our next move. We overheard a staff member talking about baking cookies for the Christmas eve celebration. We asked if we could help…that evening, after decoration about 500 cookies, we were taken aside by one of the owners and asked to join the Christ Church Staff and stay for the celebration as official volunteers. I think it was because we were so amazing at decoration the cookies…ask us about the Jesus cookie : )
The next morning we were thrown into a whirl-wind of events that will go down in history as one of the most unique and memorable Christmas Eves ever!
Our tasks at the Christmas Eve celebration:
- cleaning guest rooms and making beds…and laughing hysterically when we realized we were making the beds we had just slept in and paid for the night before! We felt like we were in the Little Princess!
- Scrubbing bird droppings off of outdoor tables and chairs
- Setting up and organizing the patio
- Making huge vats of mulled wine, while helping the chef cook the biggest pot of soup we have ever seen!
- Washing enormous industrial sized pots and pans
- Serving wine, soup, and cookies to hundreds of Israeli people and other guests.
- Sweeping and mopping the kitchen
- Restocking items
- Taking out the trash
- Joining a choir and singing Christmas hymns while wearing a Christmas colored plaid apron and staff shirt.
- and so much more!!!
Christmas morning we went to the church service followed by a huge feast with all of the staff and their families. We made so many friends! An older woman from Russia, Rita, said “You are blessink!!! You are amazink!!!” We said Rita, ” You are awesome!” Her response was, “Jesus is awesome, if I am like Jesus then I am awesome!”
We have so many stories from this place! We will have to tell you all in person!
Katherine (Kassy) Glover said,
January 13, 2009 at 9:24 pm
Liberty, I Could’nt be more happy for you making it this far
and Over Whelmed by all the places you’ve been Wow.
So just keep on Soaring Like A Bird and Spread your Wings
as far as you can No One Can’t Touch you.
Love you Both,
Kassy