Wrapping Up Day

Hello, everyone. We are all packing frantically - kinda - more like a controlled burn! Yesterday we did get around a little...up to the site of a future House of Worship and we enjoyed saying prayers with a wonderful couple from Arlington, Texas.Then we went out to the Druze Village for a quick stopover. Maria and Jeremy had their farewell at the Shrine with their pilgrim group and down the Terraces one last time as a Pilgrim.

Today we will have a luncheon, a last visit to the Shrines, and catch the train for Tel Aviv in about 10 hours (it's 7:30am here). We don't want to leave, but there are things that have to get done at home.

Getting Closer

Yesterday was a work-day for our service in the Archives, spending a little time walking through the Gardens and lunch with one of Geoffrey's work associates.
For me, I am trying to prepare myself for the departure on Wednesday.
Last night was our next to last night in Haifa. We all were up on the mountain for a group meeting of the pilgrims (this is a fairly regular event for those who know about the pilgrimage schedule).
The weather has turned to summer but the nights are glorious.
Here is a picture of the Shrine of the Bab at night with the Haifa Bay in the distance.
Today, we are going on a little outing to the top of the mountain, and then out to the Druze Village.
This will be exciting (humm) just to watch Rosana bargin and haggle for some stuff. We'll see what the banker has to say (usually not much).

Quick Visit to Akka

Yesterday was one of our last opportunities, maybe the last this trip, to visit Akka (Geoffrey was working :-(.

Maria and Jeremy were visiting the house occupied by Abdu'l Baha and his family inside the prison walls. We met them there and then took a stroll around the city. The white building in the background is the House of Abbud where Baha'u'llah lived for a short time before living outside the prison.
I will leave you for today with a pleasing shot of Bahji.:-)

Dinner with the new relatives

We enjoyed a wonderful evening meal with some of our newest relatives Tuesday, the 13th... Faeghe and Khosrow Rezai (Munib's aunt and uncle, Melanie's aunt and uncle-in-law: thus we're related - Thanks, Maria! :-)

Faeghe was just a whirlwind racing around to make sure we could eat before going to the teaching center for a talk.

Jeremy, Brian and Geoffrey really liked the fare, as did we all, and isn't it great to find family almost anywhere in the world!

It was big hit with me, obviously. Rosana had a great time, too, but she is behind the camera on this outing. And, as always, dear ones, the night time stroll down the Terraces is priceless and magical especially with a full moon.

A Little Catching Up

Yeah, yeah, I know. What has Tim and Rosana and Brian...and now Maria and Jeremy been doing! Maria and Jeremy are busy getting re-charged with their Pilgrimage... while Rosana caught me recovering in the Pilgrim Reception Center...

Brian is serving in the ITC, and Rosana and I have been doing service at the Archives (that's another story) and then we get to walk across the Arc each day for lunch...

The scene from the Arc, as many of you know, is always changing and tremendous...

And we get out to Bahji as often as possible (an hour by sherout), and yesterday we went out (just north of Akka, Israel for those of you looking on maps). Rosana and Maria went walking in the new development area....

and best of all, we were there to see the Shrine and gardens at sunset.:-)

So there is of course more to tell, but that is another entry. More later (I promise).