Happy Thanksgiving!

We haven't had access to internet for the past few weeks but wanted to write a quick note to say Happy Thanksgiving! We miss you all. We are celebrating in Sardinia, Italy over grappa and pasta. Our time in Italy was unreal thanks to our hosts. We will write about it when Internet doesn't cost $1 per minute. Love you and can't wait to see you soon.
Aaron and Jacque

"On to the next one"

We’re all packed up and ready for our next spot.  Our flight leaves Tel Aviv in the morning.  We had 12 days in total between Israel and Jordan.  We went from the Dead Sea in Jordan to Petra to Galilee and finished in Jerusalem… with several day trips in between.  We moved at our own pace in Jordan and Israel, slow at first.  For the most part, we weren’t alone in India/Nepal.  We were with people almost everyday… working at the school in Nepal and daily meals with local families and friends.  We were fortunate to have friends in India in almost every city we visited.  But landing in the middle east was a welcome adjustment of both being on our own again and having some modern luxurious… although we both miss the people, simplicity and pace of life in India/Nepal.

Several of our days in Jerusalem were spent soaking in the views from our roof top terrace with a book and a bottle of wine.  Our Guest House is perched high in the middle of the Old City with a views of the Mt of Olives and Temple Mount.  We met several of the local shop owners and residents on our path up Via Delarosa to the Jaffa Gate, in the northern part of the city (our daily stroll).  We found a nice Garden café tucked in a neighboring hospice; that was our morning spot.   We’ll miss it here but we’ve got a lot to look forward to.

We’re in Italy for 12 days, staying with Cristiana’s (Joe’s wife) family for the entire time.  Her brother lives in Verona and parents live outside of Venice.  We’ll likely split our time between the two.  We’re excited to stay with locals we know and Cri’s mom can cook.  So it should be REAL NICE, I gotta start running in the mornings or something… my jeans might not fit after a few days.

Aaron

Pic 1: Old City at night, out front our Guest House

Pic 2: Jacque floating in the Dead Sea

Pic 3: View from the roof of our Guest House

Pic 4: Me and Jac in front of the Treasury in Petra

Farewell Nepal...

2 weeks later… I am writing from our hotel in Jordan overlooking the Dead Sea. We feel a little spoiled, but after 2 weeks of modest accommodations we appreciate this place that much more. Before we write about our time here, we must dedicate this post to our experience in Trishuli (now that we have internet).

For 12 days we worked at National Bethel Academy, a small but well-developed school with 82 students ages 4-9. If we knew this place would steal a piece of our hearts, we would have planned to stay longer. On our way there we had no expectations, but we left feeling inspired and hopeful to return in the future. Trishuli is a small village 3 hours north of Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal. It was a long and windy ride there as we were cramped in a “micro-bus” with 18 locals. When we arrived, the Principal of the school and Pastor of the church kindly welcomed us at our hotel, “Hotel Trishuli”. Each day we enjoyed a 30-minute walk to the school. Trishuli is a very beautiful place. Surrounded by rolling hills, rice fields and a flowing river that looks and sounds unreal, the scenery is quite picturesque. It was a very peaceful place to spend 2 weeks. Our days consisted of helping in each of the four classrooms, playing with the children, and conducting a one-hour English class for the teachers after school. The students are adorable! They speak little English, but when asked “How are you?” in their innocent voices they reply, “I’m fine. Thank you. And you?”… so precious. We tried not to have favorites but at times we couldn’t help ourselves, a few of them were borderline Elsie cute, if that is even possible.

Most of the teachers are our age, so we instantly connected with them. At first it was hard to communicate, but by the end their English improved and we were able to have conversations, if we spoke slowly. Joel, the principal, is fluent in English so he translated when needed. All together there are 10 staff members, 8 teachers, an accountant, and the principal. They all have amazing hearts for this school and it shows in their passion and dedication. Hearing their stories and how God brought them there was inspiring. We saw first hand the positive impact this school is having on the community and the quality education it’s providing to many children. We feel blessed to have been a part of it for a short time.

Right now we are on our way to Petra. I still can’t believe we are here. We will blog again in a few days when we get to Israel. Love you all and miss you!

Jacque