Week Trip to Israel

This year Leading the Way had their semi-annual board meeting in Israel. After the prayers and support of my husband and many others, my administrators were kind enough to give me some time off so that I could go along for the trip. Josh went ahead with the group and we met up in Tel Aviv. We spent seven days/nights traveling throughout the country starting in Tiberius, on the Sea of Galilee, then over to Jerusalem and finally down to the Dead Sea. We saw several biblical sites such as the sermon on the mount church, Caesarea Philippi, the church of the loaves and fishes, the area where Jesus is said to have casted out demons into the swine, Caesarea by the Sea, Mount of Olives, Garden of Gethsemane,Kishon valley, Megiddo, Nazareth, Bethlehem, Church of the Holy Sepulchre and we ended the trip walking the Via Dolorosa "the way of the cross". We also spent time touring the Western wall (wailing wall), The dome of the rock, Masada and the Dead Sea. In between tours we spent time with the Leading the Way ministry partners hearing about the impact of the ministry including the radio program and the satellite channel. One of the most memorable moments was walking through Bethlehem and hearing the Leading the Way program playing in a car passing by. Here are a few photos from our trip. Enjoy.
Our Tour Group

Temple from the 1st century near Peter's House.
Ceserea Phillipi
Nazareth's highest point

View from the garden of Gethsemane.

Murals on the wall that separate the West bank from Israel.




Me at the Wailing wall.



Our friends Nick and Jamie with us by the Jerusalem Wall.

Photos from the Dead Sea. We are covered with the Dead Sea mud that is said to be very healthy for your skin.

December/January Recap

Here in the Youssef home things have been quite hectic. I know we have been guilty of not updating our blog for way too long but sometimes you get in those seasons in life where just being together and doing nothing is what you need. So i decided to start with a short recap of December and January;

December: Spent great time with the Youssef's and family from overseas, visited the children's museum with Sarah and Aidan, took Aidan to the PDK airport, Christmas parties, went with the kids to see Santa, fun with all of the little nephews, got sick from all the little nephews, Secret Santa Brunch at the Milbury's,Christmas in the Sham, Josh tinkering with his new remote control helicopter, trip from hell up to Tray Mountain, some much needed rest.

January: Josh takes annual hunting trip with the Wingfields, I spend time in the Sham with my family and new nephew Eli, Josh is back for a week, Josh leaves for an overseas trip for 15 days, I work , we skype, I freeze my blank off, Josh goes to the beach in Sydney,I spend time with my parents and in-laws, Josh comes back, I am happy.

Here are some photos

Pre-Thanksgiving Dinner

So for Thanksgiving this year I have volunteered to cook the Thanksgiving turkey. Although I have been taking cooking classes, it is still a daunting task for a novice cook. In preparation, I decided to have a Pre-Thanksgiving dinner with a few friends. Afterwards, I was pretty proud of myself and have a little more confidence going into the big day. Here are some of the pics.

Oh...I forgot to mention that we didn't eat that night until 10:00...minor timing issue

Time Away

After Josh's trip overseas we decided to get out of the city for a bit. We spent three lovely days at the Barnsley Gardens Resort. Here are a few photos from our hike out to the gardens...I made Josh propose again...what a wonderful way to relax.

Welcome Little Eli Akridge!

Friday night we welcomed our new little nephew, Elias "Eli" Mason Akridge, into the world. His Mom and Dad are doing great and we are thrilled to finally have a little boy in the family! More pictures to come.

End of Summer Update

As summer comes to an end, Josh and I wanted to post a few epictures from our Youssef beach trip to Sea Island. Enjoy.


...and yes, Oliver is eating sand...

Belfast

We wound up our round-the-world trip in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The Irvines, who are long-time friends of the Youssef's, were so kind to host us during our short time there. Wilma fixed us our second home cooked meal in a month and it was fantastic. We toured the murals from the conflict between Loyalists and Republicans which only officially ended in 1998 in what is known as the Good Friday Peace Agreement. The murals become kind of memorials to those who had fought on each side (Catholics and Protestants) . After touring the murals, we took a hike along the Irish coast to a famous fisherman's spot where a rope bridge carries you from one side of the cliffs to the other (I had to give myself a pep talk before crossing...while Josh was laughing at me and snapping photos). We then traveled to the Giant's Causeway where we witnessed the hexagonal rock formations that were fomred many years ago by volcanic lava . On our way to dinner we popped our head in a local castle, Dunluce. Afterwards we shared a meal and ice cream by the seaside.

We have had an unbelievable time abroad touring and hearing the amazing stories of how Leading the Way, and ultimately the Lord, is impacting the lives of so many. We look forward to the flight home to Atlanta and are thankful for the incredible memories and relationships we have formed from our trip overseas.