Its official, we are heading back to Israel on Student Visas. We received notice, Monday that they were approved and we needed to pick them up in the Israeli Consulate office in New York City. So, after trying yesterday and having the scary tire problem, we made it there today without incident. Thank the Lord!!! Everything at the Consulate went very smoothly, although we had to wait for about 2.5 hours.
David will be taking classes at the University of the Holy Land this fall. We are excited to have the opportunity to stay longer in Israel and learn more about the culture and the country. It is an amazing experience for our family. We will be flying back to Israel on Aug 18th.
God has been so good to us. And we love the adventure in following Him. David and I have talked about living internationally ever since we got married, but I would have never dreamed after 5 children we would have the opportunity to do it. We are often asked if we feel safe in Israel and the answer is YES! Most American news reports are somewhat exaggerated, and while we try to be alert and aware of our surroundings, the crime rate in Israel is much lower then most American cities. The Palestine/Israeli conflict is a real danger, but in our experience both people groups have been warm and welcoming to us as visitors and Americans.
After waiting for about an hour, they let us know the Visas would be ready after 1:30 pm. So we walked down the street to a Pizza shop and bought REAL genuine New York style pizza. Yummy, Yummy.
After we had the Visas we drove to Lower Manhattan to see the 9/11 memorial. I have always wanted to go see this site. I will never forget sobbing in grief for those people, as David and I watched the towers collapse on TV that day. There was a quiet calm sense about the area, and I was impressed with the beauty of the pools and the gardens. Such a poignant place. We are counting it as our first Field Trip day of the 16/17 school year.
Memorial Pool at Ground Zero
One World Trade Center