Greetings from Atlit

At present, we are safely ensconced in the abode of Andrey and Irin in Atlit, Israel. We arrived by bus yesterday afternoon (thank you again Eggad bus lines), and spent a few relaxing hours at the central bus station enjoying some air conditioning and snack foods along with our second-to-last remaining mango from the hike (so good!). This is the point in our trek when we realized that one of the wonderful things about backpacking is arriving back at home to take a shower, put on some clean clothes, plop down on the couch, and watch a movie, and it would be a lie to say that we didn't crave these things a bit. However, there is also something amazing and invigorating about being given the opportunity to put aside the knowledge that creature comforts are just a drive away, and to put one's trust completely in the Lord of Lords as each moment arrives, and with it new and surprising blessings. I don't know why they should continue to be surprising after so many, but I pray that we will learn with time to trust more and expect even greater blessings.

Anyway, after almost missing Atlit entirely on the local bus, we finally were cast off the bus in the right spot by some helpful locals, and found ourselves looking out upon on a spectacular sunset over the Mediterranean (see Carol's awesome photo). At that particular moment a friendly voice with an American accent called out to us. This turned out to be an wonderfully friendly fellow world traveler, Joscelyn, who very kindly invited us up to her and Oren's rooftop deck for cold beers, an even better view of the sunset, and an excellent discussion about faith, travel, and plans for the future.

Needless to say, this was a perfectly refreshing way to start out our time in Atlit, and lightened our hearts as we headed for Andrey's place down the road where we were greeted very warmly and had a wonderful dinner, and a very peaceful sleep after a few nights of sleeping through fireworks, prayers over loudspeakers, drumming and singing, floodlights, and quite a few insects.

Sorry this post went on a bit longer than I anticipated, but when the time (and network connections) permit some journalism, it feels good to document some of the many ways that we've been growing through our experiences. We know that all of you are experiencing blessings and trials of various kinds as well, and that God is working in each one of you to glorify himself and bring you joy, and we want to say thanks for continuing to share your lives with us as well!

P.S. Don't forget to check out the Perseids meteor shower tonight!