Airport.

Thanks to Ben Gurion wifi, I am able to update you all! Not that there is much to update on, only that I woke up super early this morning, even before my 3am alarm. The sherut was on time and I got to the airport by 4:50, 10min early! (ridiculously early, actually) The part that I was most apprehensive about is over, I am through security and sitting in front of my gate. Praise be to God! Please continue to pray as I board this flight and slowly but surely make my way to Canada. Also pray for Dara and Chiantelle as they fly to London at 4pm today (6am for all you Canadians). Matt and Dave are spending a few days in Tel Aviv before flying to Europe on Tuesday, and Stephen is spending two more weeks in Israel.
Blessings,
Carly

This is it.

I'm coming home. I said good-bye to my host family this morning, to Dara and Chiantelle a few hours ago, and now I am chillin' in the Old City of Jerusalem until I can check into my hostel. Goodbyes are really hard, but I am excited to say hello in a short time. A good thing about most of the hard goodbyes is that they are also see-you-soons.
Please pray for safety and safe travels for me as I am now on my own without my team. Also pray that I would be able to wake up tomorrow morning at 3am to catch my ride to the airport. Pray that the security people would not give me a hard time at the airport (as they often do), but that the whole trip home would go smoothly.
Thank-you, family and friends, for your continued support over the last six weeks. I can't believe it is coming to an end, but I will see you soon!
Much love and blessings,
Carly

Stories

As I begin to process the last six weeks, a thousand stories run through my head. Stories of joy, stories of hope, and stories of peace. Stories of hurt, stories of injustice, and stories of violence. These stories are not from books or from media, but from real people whom I have talked to and spent time with. There are faces and emotions behind these stories, as well as cultural and historical influences. How will I share these when I return to Canada? How can I honor and respect the people I have met and speak the truth? When people ask, "How was your trip?" how can I answer in a way that conveys the depth of the time I have spent here? These are tough questions, but ones that must find adequate answers. I am praying and trusting that God will provide direction and guidance for me as well as the rest of my team.

Final Days

We have been working through our debrief material. Colin leaves tonight. I am figuring out arrangements to get to the airport in Tel Aviv by 5am Sunday morning. Each minute brings us closer to the time that we have to leave this holy place and transition back to our lives in Canada. It is amazing how much we have done, seen, and heard in the last five and a half weeks, and it is crazy how fast the time has flown.
How can you pray for us as our time here comes to an end? I'm glad you asked:

1. That we would finish our time here well. That we would take to heart all that we have learned and heard in order that we may be able to share with others when we return home. Also that God would not let us remember anything that we do not need to, any frustration or negative thing that would hinder our growth.

2. That our team would be able to say goodbye well. Living with these people has been a great blessing, but it has also been a lesson in patience and grace. Pray that we would be able to let each other know how much we appreciated each other and that we would feel blessed by the time we spent together.

3. Pray that God would work in our hearts and make the transition home a smooth one. He has blessed us in the transition from Nazareth to Bethlehem, but just the thought of leaving this country and these people makes my heart ache and my stomach churn. Leaving behind new friends, relationships and those who have spoken into and impacted our lives will be heartbreaking, but I have faith that God can soften the blow and bless us as we fly away from here and return to Canada, some of us sooner than others.

I cannot express enough thankfulness for those who have beening reading my blog and praying for us in this time. This trip would not have been possible without God's provision, blessing, and your support. Thank-you for journeying with us, and I look forward to seeing you in person soon!
Blessings,
Carly

Snapshots

I walk into the kitchen and on the table is an amazing spread of meat, cheese, olive oil, za'atar, halva, eggs, and apricot jam. The smell of fresh warm pita bread invites me to sit down at the table. "Saba halhair!" It is a good morning indeed. The sun is shining and the view of Beit Sahour through the kitchen window is beautiful. Grandma comes up from where she lives downstairs and sits with us for a while. I listen to her and mama chat away in Arabic and try to understand words here and there. 

Walking through the Old City of Jerusalem we are beckoned by a shop keeper to come look at what he is selling. "No charge for looking!" Ooh, I spot some pretty jewelry, so Dara and I step into the tiny shop. "From where you are?" "Canada." "Ah, beautiful country." I try to calculate in my head how many times I have been asked that exact question... Too many times to count. We spot a pair of matching rings that fit us. "How much?" "140 shekels." A quick calculation in my head determines that is just less tham $50. I laugh and put my bartering face on. After a few back and forth exchanges, I am still not happy with the price and motion Dara to follow me out of the shop. The shopkeeper, realizing that he is about to lose us as customers, calls after us with a lower price, "Two for 90!" "La" (No... still too high). "Two for 80!" We keep walking. "Two for 70!" Dara and I look at each other... yes. We walk back in and make our purchase. A ring for $10? Not bad. We walk away with smiles on our faces and new rings on our fingers.

We hear that we are going to visit a refugee camp this afternoon. At first I do not understand who lives in this camp or what we will do there. As soon as we arrive I begin to understand. The inhabitants of the camp are Palestinians who were displaced when Israeli forces took over their homes and their land in 1948. My heart is heavy and I feel sick as I listen to numbers, statistics, and stories of injustice from a young man who was born in the camp. As we walk around the camp the wall looms over us and I see a lot of graffiti, some of which I understand, others which has a deeper meaning that I don't understand. I am overwhelmed by the situation. How can people be refugees in their homeland for over 50 years, and I have never heard of this before? Am I so ignorant and uneducated? "We Will Return" "Don't Give Up The Fight, Bring The Truth To Light #unoccupy" These words stir my soul, but I am at a loss. I don't know what to do or what to say.

Language.

I'm sure you're all wondering how to speak Arabic, so here are a few phrases to get you started... Spelled phonetically of course. We'll save reading Arabic for another day.

Marhaba: Hello
Kiif hallek: How are you?
Mabsout/Mabsouta: Good (male/female response)
Caca: Cake (hehe)
Shu: What
Mumtaz: Excellent
Shukran: Thank-you
Afoin: You're welcome
Feesh: Why
When: Where
Shwai: Small/Little
Yalla: Let's go
Yalla yalla: Hurry up
Hallas: Stop/Finished
Tiebe: Fine/OK
Mish mish: Apricot
Tatli: Jam
T'ali: Come here
Tefal: Apple
Hummus: Gift from God
Insh'allah: God willing
Il humdelallah: Praise be to God

I expect you all to be able to.converse with me when I return home! ;)

Family

I come from a small family. Very small in fact. Two ladies and a cat. But now, I'm happy to say that my family has grown much bigger in the last month. I have two sisters who I have lived with for the last month (Dara and Chiantelle), plus four great brothers who always look out for us. I have parents from England who currently live in Israel. I have Palestinian parents as well as four sisters (including twins) and a brother. I also have three American sisters from California.
I didn't know it was possible to be welcomed into so many families and for me to have room to love so many people. But God is good, and I pray daily that I may love as Christ loved.