Wrote this letter the week after Thanksgiving, sent it to friends and am finally posting it here.
Less than two weeks from now we will be packing our bags and saying good byes. It's hard to believe we have been here for ten weeks already. We feel like we are in the swing of things, that we are finding our rhythm and now, time is almost up.
Almost up, but not quiet yet, we still have 13 days 39 meals, 312 more hours to continue to serve here, be it preaching, teaching children's church, driving someone home or just being available.
Jesse has loved our time in Israel, he has fallen in love with water (bath time is every day's highlight), food (avocados are where it's at) and his hair is growing like a Crissy doll. He crawls all day long and only takes a break to stand and try to climb on anything and everything.
Thanksgiving was this last week. It has always been a favorite and the Abbotts decided to celebrate. We bought half a pumpkin at our local market (a shook), baked it into a pie and had friends over to eat dinner. Ten weeks ago theses people were total strangers and now they are friends and Thanksgiving dinner would be incomplete without them there. Friends that are (like ourselves) on a spiritual journey, and for now at least we are pilgrims together (but not thanksgiving pilgrims more like "on a pilgrimage" pilgrims wink emoticon .
Also we have FINALLY visited Jerusalem. The city is unbelievably old (and this is coming from a girl who grew up around castle ruins). Layers of ancient city upon ancient city. History and faith mingled amongst countless stones holding everything together.
A highlight for me was visiting the Wailing Wall. It is the only wall of the temple (the house of God) left. People come to pray, to be close to God and beseech him. Prayers are written on tiny pieces of paper, rolled and left, left for God to read. The woman have a private section and as I was there praying I couldn't help but notice all the tears around me, so many woman my same age pourin
g out their hearts in soundless tears believing that God is a god who hears, who cares, who restores and gives life. How I wished I could go from one person to the next and join them, bring them with me, not to the wall, but into the throne room of God. But that day I was a guest in their heartache, and it was a sacred place to be.
Our next update will be written stateside. Believe me when I say we are grateful for your prayers andsupport as we went on this God adventure. Let's talk sometime over coffee and we'll share with you more stories of what we've seen and what God is up too.
Much love,
Anna, Dan and Jesse too!
(Our friends took us to see Jerusalem. Behind us, right above my head are Jews praying at the Western Wall. Top Left is the Dome of the Rock
Being with family has been like wrapped in a comforter on a cold winter day. But it officially feels odd not being in Israel. There are friendships we want to deepen, people we ache with, laughter we want to share, and it is so much harder through a computer screen 10 timezones away. 
