Shalom Friends and Family,

 

Greetings from chilly, overcast and rainy Jerusalem!

 

(Please note: everything underlined in blue is a link you can click on that will take you to a website)

 

My nemesis has returned to battle it out with me yet again!  That's right, the Hebrew language has made another appearance in my life and I am being forced to tackle it head-on.  In a recent attempt to make progress in my adaptation to Israeli society, I am renewing my efforts at Hebrew.  I have already completed one level (big deal) and that gave me a good foundation for grammar and the structure of the Hebrew language as well as reading and writing (which I enjoy immensely), but I really want to focus on speaking it more.  So I am pushing to study it more intensely.  I don't want to just speak basic conversational Hebrew, I want to communicate on a deeper level.  Please please please pray for me, that God will give me perseverance and the ability to follow a strict schedule.

 

One of my greatest enjoyments in life is politics... don't ask me why, but I find it relaxing in a way to listen to political programs and discuss current issues.  So, thanks to mom, I am able to share her subscription and can listen to Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh daily.  I download it everyday and listen to it on the bus.  It has really re-energized me and I no longer feel out of the loop.  I already know what you're thinking, "This girl is weird... and she's conservative!" (I guess now there's no hiding where I stand!)

 

For my birthday, CFI gave me a day off so I was planning to wake up at 3AM and hike up Masada (near the Dead Sea) to watch the sunrise... until I saw on the news last night that there are flash flood warnings and sinkholes!  Yikes... that's not what I had in mind for my birthday.  But perhaps I will think of another interesting place to go.  We have a lot of places in Israel to choose from.

 

I am a little over one week away from the renovation/construction team's arrival to begin the project for the needy family in Jerusalem.  I am excited to see all that God will accomplish through them for this much-deserving family that lives in extreme poverty.  Please pray for this team and their efforts. 

 

I was invited to be a part of a War Relief outreach at the end of November where a small team of 4 or 5 from CFI will head the the hardest-hit communities in the north (Kiryat, Shemona, Tsfat, etc) and will spend two days and one night overnight visiting families and homes of the victims of the recent war with Lebanon.  We will offer encouragement, funds and necessities that will help them make it through this tragedy.  Please pray as I prepare myself for this very physically and emotionally difficult project.  So many lives were affected by this war and CFI is helping the Israeli people to pick up the pieces.  I have attached to this email a recent war relief update from CFI which may be of interest to you.

 

On another note, if you are interested in receiving CFI's two free publications called "For Zion's Sake" and "InGathering" that contain articles about our different projects and how we are assisting the people of Israel, please email me your name, address and email address and I will put you in our system.  (we do not send email solicitations)

 

As we begin to gear up for another winter in Jerusalem, I am reminded of how far God has brought me in this past year.  It seems like yesterday I was living out of my suitcase!  Now I have seen God establish me in the midst of His land and His People.  And I am loving every minute of it. 

 

 

This is Erin reporting LIVE from Jerusalem...