Happy Rosh Hashanah!


... you must eat apples dipped in honey.

Here listen to this song that we learned how to sing in Hebrew class.

Interesting Fact (IF) #1

I read somewhere that the word Teva (the sandals brand that is) means "earth" in Hebrew. Today I asked Esther what Teva meant and she said "natural". Also they don't pronounce it Tee-va. It is pronounced Teh-va.

Kinneret Swim!

This morning at 8:30 I swam a mile of the Sea of Galilee. It was amazing! It took about an hour and when we were done we got snack, bag of stuff including: keychain, backpack, and brochure papers. I bought a t-shirt. So now I can say that I've been there done that and got the t-shirt. The ending point also was a water park so we went down some slides. We all picked up some Israeli flag and posed for a picture. It was funny because everyone was staring at us and then they started clapping, like we were an Olympic Team. Which sidenote: Speedo helped sponsor the event (as well and Kinder. The German chocolate eggs that have prizes inside of them) and there were Michael Phelps pictures at their booth. It was a Kodak moment so I snapped a photo of Mr. Phelps in Israel. I am sore already from our hike yesterday and the swim today. But it is worth it!

...I used my underwater camera and soon I will get it developed and put up the pictures of the Yehudiya hike yesterday and the Kinneret Swim today.

The Lord is good!

Paul McCartney is all over the news. He is doing a show in Tel Aviv and the best tickets are 10,000 shekels (which is about $3, 000). Tonight was definitely a God thing because coming back from my adopted parents house we (another student) met this couple in their late 30's that was moving in. We got to share who we believe in. They did not understanding that we were not bore believers and that we chose to be, (that was a road block, but I trust that the Lord is working the best way possible for these people). They will be moving in about 2 months and they have 4 children (18, 15, 11, 10). The man's name is Drewa and the womans was Mylov (spelling is how I heard their name and probably not correct). Please pray that we will get to see more of them and that they would be open to hearing more truth. Tomorrow we are going to Hudea for some hiking, then on Saturday pretty close to everyone in our group is doing the Kinneret swim. It's about a 2 mile swim (but thankfully there are rest stops (barges) a long the way. It's no race and you get free stuff including a medal at the end! I can't wait!

Drums

Tonight was really really fun! There was a party for one of the teachers of the little children who was leaving. They hired a two musicians to come and provide some fun and entertainment. There were at least 25 drums that the children could play a long with the music. There was a little bit of dancing and lots of singing. I want to do it again!

If anyone wants to check out pictures of the team go to the BII website and there is a slideshow of the orientation week

http://www.baptists4israel.com/2008-9orientation.html

movies

If anyone would like to see some funny and educational videos about Israel and the places that we've been check out jdgorsline video page on Youtube. They are great!

The moon is peeking out of the Golan Heights

Yesterday was an amazing day! I got up at 6 am and hiked the Golan Heights. But after 2 hours of hiking and 15 minutes from the top I pooped out because I made the mistake of no breakfast and as a result felt sick. It was an amazing view and hike anyway.

In the afternoon we had an internship/Dean meeting and then had a few hours free in the early evening before our next scheduled event. So the girls and I went to the swimming pool on the Kibbutz to meet some people. It seemed like weren’t going to see anyone except for the lifeguard until a group of college people showed up. They were Saky (Isaac in English), Pavel (guy; cousin of Saky), Yasmine (like Jasmine but with a yah),(who is dating Pavel), and Chee-ko (22 y/o guy). We talked with them for a long time. We had some good conversations we BII students could share what we stand for. I really enjoyed talking with them. Nice people but have the mindset that they make their own scale of “goodness”. Please pray for these four students.

After our time in the pool we met with Ettie who found families for us that could adopt up for the 9 months. I went to a family that has a daughter, Hagar, that loves the Baptist students and is going to America in November to visit some of them. I really like the family a lot and am going to visit them. Tomorrow I have more Hebrew lessons and getting started into the homework.

#3: There is a zebra stripped cat on the porch

It is 3:40 in the afternoon and the temperature is HOT in Celsius! I have only a short time before my very first Hebrew class begins in Kibbutz HaOn (pronounced Ha-own). Today was my second day working in the medical supplies factory. Yesterday I folded big paper sheets with window in the centers for surgeries. Today I put together plastic sheets that stick to the skin under the eyes for surgeries also. It is hands on work that I like and I'm getting practice with my Hebrew from Esther, Mikhal, Helen, and others that I have not quite learned out to see their names spelled in Hebrew in my mind to remember them. Last night we went over to Brad and Jeanie Brough for a class, singing, prayer, and dinner. Jeanie is an amazing cook that I plan to get some recipes from for Renee before I leave. If you are new to the site remember that you must have received (or asked to receive) an email from Renee before you can contact me.

My address is :

Heather Beaver
Kibbutz Tel Qazir
D.N. Emek Hayarden
15165 Israel

Phone number is:

011-972-4-675-6931 (Israel is 7 hours a head of Eastern Time Zone)

Shalom friends and family!

After a week of orientation in Cleveland Ohio I am on my way to Israel! I really like the other interns that are going over too. I can tell already that we are going to have fun and are going to be really close at the end of 9 months. During orientation we took some Hebrew language classes as well as a Cross Cultural Communications class with a super smart professor. For the CCC class I have 2 written assignments that are due at the end of the time in Israel. I am to keep a journal of things that I notice are different about the Israeli culture. He gave us several things to keep a look out for and then write a paper of what we find out. This assignment makes me happy because I now have extra motivation to keep a journal of the things that I do and see. That is one of the mistakes I wish I hadn’t made in Japan in 2004: not keeping a journal of what was different.

We had some mechanical problems with our flight leaving Cleveland. We were late for all our connecting flights. Because of the mess up in our schedule after we got to Washington D.C. and the airline put us up in a 4 1/2 star hotel, $15 dinner voucher, AND $200 flight voucher for the next time we fly with them! We were a day off schedule and still in the same clothes but it was a great deal.

Getting into the airport in Frankfurt, Germany was interesting...it smelled foreign. Israel smelled much better though. On the way to the Kibbutz we stopped and had an amazing dinner (pictures are up of it and the traveling) and we drove through the Valley of Armageddon! It is really beautiful here.

I have some pictures up and I will write more very very soon.

Love Netia ("Heather" in Hebrew translated)