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| Dead sea Salt, and balls |
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| Overwhelming meal, Engedi |
Mind: CLICK on the picture to ENLARGE!
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| Engedi beach 2009 |
Filip, ..........Sonya, Julia, Anita, Marianne, Janna, Gladys
Hello dear “ following” friends.
The 1e active working week (16-23 march) we had to break down the birdcages and animal stable.
In the beginning we started with a sharp screwdriver/hammer to remove the nails, but this would become a real “monks work” (thousends) to improve our patience and endurance, GREAT)
After half an hour of being tested we had a really bright idea…..why not to try it with a electrical grinding machine to cut all the wire and gauze?! And so we did and were able to remove all with the wooden parts in one day.
The next day all volunteers were rewarded by a tour to the Dead sea, the oasis En Gedi(you may read in bible..David and Saul!) and a visit to a very nice beach named En Boqeq (south at the Dead sea). We were with 12 people 7 youngsters, 3 oldies 60-72 (4 German , 1 Swiss, 1 Finland, 1 Columbia, 1 from Denmark, and 3 from Netherlands)
The volunteers work in hospitality/house keeping, carpentry, and the 3 Dutchies in the Beit Avraham project.
We drove by bus that day along Jerusalem towards Jericho eastwards and felt directly the more warm region coming near the Dead sea. Driving from +700m. on the hill Yad Hashmona, and Jerusalem we went down to -400m. below sea-level(most deep place on earth!!
The temperature was there +22° C. all the time sunny so better to watch not to be burned. Along Jericho we met along the road nomads(Berbers) with their sheep and goats.(All with mobile phones, but no running water and television sets. (see picture)
Along the Dead sea road we first came along the place Qumran were the “Dead sea scrolls” were found, and later we saw Ibexes (ram/deer with long bended horns), date palm trees and agricultural activities…
After half an hour of being tested we had a really bright idea…..why not to try it with a electrical grinding machine to cut all the wire and gauze?! And so we did and were able to remove all with the wooden parts in one day.
The next day all volunteers were rewarded by a tour to the Dead sea, the oasis En Gedi(you may read in bible..David and Saul!) and a visit to a very nice beach named En Boqeq (south at the Dead sea). We were with 12 people 7 youngsters, 3 oldies 60-72 (4 German , 1 Swiss, 1 Finland, 1 Columbia, 1 from Denmark, and 3 from Netherlands)
The volunteers work in hospitality/house keeping, carpentry, and the 3 Dutchies in the Beit Avraham project.
We drove by bus that day along Jerusalem towards Jericho eastwards and felt directly the more warm region coming near the Dead sea. Driving from +700m. on the hill Yad Hashmona, and Jerusalem we went down to -400m. below sea-level(most deep place on earth!!
The temperature was there +22° C. all the time sunny so better to watch not to be burned. Along Jericho we met along the road nomads(Berbers) with their sheep and goats.(All with mobile phones, but no running water and television sets. (see picture)
Along the Dead sea road we first came along the place Qumran were the “Dead sea scrolls” were found, and later we saw Ibexes (ram/deer with long bended horns), date palm trees and agricultural activities…
In En Gedi we had a nice sun and swim for a few hours.(see picture)
Swimming is not really possible, because it is harmfull if salty(30%) water enters your eyes(dehydration!), but really nice warm and healthy for the skin. I wanted, on request of Marina, to collect some salt....and was very lucky to find a large piece of cristal salt!(picture)
We had here also our lunch with a cold/warm buffet.....VERY TASTY!
Pitty, but many of us did not like to enter the water here because of rocky stones so we drove more south to the most south part of the Dead sea (En Boqeq just almost across the place of former Sodom/Gomorra).
Here we were able via a nice sandy beach to go into the water....and discovered on the bottom small and larger salty-cristalic marbles (1.0-3.0 cm.) We collected some of them for home, and left after a few hours back home......bit burned, but satisfied!(picture)
The next day wednesday we prepared the wooden vertical poles (cutted partly) to break down the roof (profiled metal plates), which were connected to wooden poles and decorated with palm branches underneath and on top.(3.25 m. high and not reliable to step on)
So the roof was pulled down easily, but landed quit close to us....(thank God we left a strong tree, which secured us against the sliding roof plates).
Afterwards we wondered about the small pigeons, which were in their nests under the roof, because we could hear them before, and now we did not find them on the bottom?
On thursday we continued very well taking apart the roof construction.
In the evening we had our weekly evening gathering with the volunteers to sing and praise followed by the lifestory of one of the volunteers, which was very blessed.
In between I checked the dryingmachine(did not work for a long time), and the waschingmachine.
Every friday-afternoon we do have a kosher brunch(only milk), and after sunset an other kosher meal with meat(together with praise in Hebrew and breaking the bread with salt)
Henk and Riet Kreeft went for a weekend to Will Setz in Jerusalem.
On saturday we celebrate Shabbath together with all people on the Yad Hashmona community.
On sunday I went to Jerusalem to visit Christ Church (150 years in OLD Jerusalem),and met a few very nice people(student, and professor) and had interesting conversations about faith and Bible.(with professor at his lecture about Genesis: 6 days creation and 15 triljoen years with dinosaurus)
So a quit encouraging week....for me at least!
Shalom, and toda raba(thanks a lot) for being here.
Abe de Jong.
