Soup kitchen, YMCA, King David hotel

July 7, 2010

Today started off with Dixie, Sheila and I heading out early (relatively) to go on a prebooked trip to Masada and the Dead Sea. The cab was supposed to be there at 8 but when we arrived at the taxi stand, the man wasn't there. We decided to give him until 8:30 to show but we were kind of hoping he wouldn't because we didn't want to be separated from Michelle and Diane. At 8:30, the man showed up and he immediately started chewing us out for being at the wrong spot. We looked at each other with stricken looks and immediately started digging in our money belts. We were of one mind, we payed the man man 50 shekels for his time, then we dashed excitedly up to the apartment. Michelle and Diane were thrilled too about what God had in store for us. We had a very brief conference and all agreed to head to the soup kitchen to volunteer. We went out and there "happened" to be a van sitting at the cab stand which took us to the neighborhood where the soup kitchen is. After a little wandering and being lost (in an orthodox community where they don't appreciate 'scantily' clad women laughing hysterically) we found the kitchen. We watched a brief video and were put to work chopping vegetables, serving food and cleaning. The people there were very nice and very appreciative of the help. We were blessed to be there.

We then took the bus to the YMCA downtown which is a beautiful old building with a big tower. All the better to get yet another bunch of panoramic pictures of the Jerusalem landscape! We took our pictures, sat on the deck and drank some lemonade then headed over to the King David hotel across the street. I was unprepared for the magnificent view of the old city from the hotel's restaurant and outdoor eating area. I have read books that had this hotel as the setting, and seeing it in person really brought the books to life in my mind.

After a little meandering about, we headed back to the apartment for some grocery shopping and delicious salad made with Diane's loving hands. We had planned to go out to a nearby cafe for coffee tonight but just noticed it is almost 11, so good night all!