JULY 15, 2002
Paul and Patty Barker arrived this week. They are the new service couple here and will work on humanitarian projects, in addition to hosting tours. Paul and Jim were at Stanford at the same time. We went to the Tel Aviv airport to pick them up. It seems like months since we arrived in Israel but it has only been three weeks. Before going to the airport, we did a little grocery shopping at Baladi’s. We are getting better at knowing where things are and what to get. A young worker, Mohammed, saw that we were struggling to figure out what some items really were (pictures are deceiving!) and offered to help. He became our personal shopper! They are very nice in that market. The hard part is navigating shopping carts in the very narrow aisles with tons of people around.
Jim had an appointment with Fadi Suidan, the CEO at the YMCA. He was the nicest man and SO eager to hear and see Jim play the carillon. It is the loveliest YMCA we’ve ever seen and has a 50-room hotel as part of the building. It was built in 1932 and has that 1930’s art-deco charm. Fadi, a Palestinian Greek Catholic, seems very eager to bring back the true mission of the YMCA and reach out to those in need. He has only been CEO for three months. We discussed having Jim come on Sundays and play the carillon for an hour. This has always been a part of the Center's outreach for years. Ten students can come with us each Sunday.
The Jerusalem Center is always referred to as the Mormon University!
We also discovered the Mamilla Mall not far from the King David Hotel. It is the fanciest mall in Jerusalem that we have seen thus far. Across the street from the mall is the Jaffa Gate which we hadn't visited yet. We are learning new things every day!
And yes, there are TONS of olive trees in Jerusalem!
What a surprise! Please give our love and respect to Paul and Patty. They are wonderful people and long-time friends.
ReplyDelete