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An Asian man with a British accent picked up his acoustic guitar and led us in song:



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Wait a mintue...what does this have to do with moving to the Middle East? Well, for one thing, the staff at Shevet Achim (and all those associated) are quite the melting pot. Since we arrived in Jordan, and then came to Israel, my ears have been buzzing with people all around me jabbering on in Hebrew, Arabic, Kurdish, or in various kinds of British accents, and Australian, Southern, Arab, and Israeli accents. You know how you get an accent stuck in your head and then right before you speak, you sort of forget what your own voice sounds like? I find myself searching for my voice often. But it has allowed me to take a moment to think and process my responses before I give them.



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After spending a single night in Amman, Jordan, we drove to Migdal--the Galilee region. The last time I went to the Sea of Galilee I felt a very special connection to God. Well, as it turns out, my parents gave me this connection--most likely without realizing it. All my life I have been fascinated by the meaning of names but was disappointed when I looked mine up and found again and again the meaning of Madelyn to be "lady of Magdilene" And when I got older, I searched a little deeper and found repeated sources telling me Madelyn meant "tower." As it turns out, a person who is from Migdal, Israel, is called a Magdalit, and the Hebrew word for tower is Migdal.



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My name means Migdal. Tower.



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Amidst much singing and praying, our staff retreat to Migdal took us to one breath-taking moment after another. On Saturday evening, we rode a beautiful, huge, wooden boat (stylistically reminiscent of ancient fisher boats) and were served a delicous meal on the Sea of Galilee. The sun set while we rode on the boat, and I felt tears welling up in my eyes while I looked on the water, knowing Yeshua (Jesus) had once done the same.



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Some ideas are easier said than done. At 4:45 am on Sunday morning, my husband, Josh, and I woke up to our alarm. We lazily dressed and joined our small group for a sunrise hike up Mount Arbel. The journey up was arduous, but the sunrise over the Sea of Galilee from the very top made it all worthwhile. Our descent was actually quite fun, as we had some fancy footwork to do, with a different and much trickier trail.



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Our Syrian neighbors continue to demonstrate peaceful resistance to their oppressive government. We often pray for the innocent, for a brighter future, and for Yeshua in their hearts.



My work with Shevet (my first day that is) was fruitful and pleasant. I feel very grown up as I see much older adults looking to me to take care of large issues and handle big, routine responsibilites. Josh is mostly in charge of finances and accouting, and as he inquired about whether or not Shevet could afford to do something, the response was "Well, you'd have to clear it with our financial advisor. He just arrived this week."

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Thank the Lord for I have been blessed much. This long road of work, stress, adventure, peace, and love has just begun and we have so many miles left to go.

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