Israel 2024 - Week Five

Wed, Dec. 4 - Concert in Jerusalem with Sissy's Mother

Sissy invited us to do a concert for her mom's group, just a short distance away, in Jerusalem.

Grace tested the piano there and it was in tune!

Raoul getting ready

We greeted the ladies with massages.

Oh yes, right there, please!

That looks great! Please, can i be next?

I remember you! I remember you too! It was Dofa from the Palmach center!

Sissy with her adorable mom...

Karen Faith filmed with the 360

Michelle and Grace opened with Jerusalem of Gold.

Adoring support staff

Michelle touched each woman with love.

And melted hearts!

Dofa said she will see us again in 2 weeks at the Palmach!

You are making us so happy!

The spirit of the Lord brought joy!

We are so happy to be here!

We didn't expect to be filled with so much joy!

We feel God's love through you!

Reaching out in love

I feel God's love!

We had a lovely expectant mother from Brazil.

She was having so much fun, even her mask didn't hold her back.

This lady came in late and was so excited to be here!

Michelle and Grace enchanted the group.

This is so delightful!

Dofa is delighted!

Do you want to dance?

Now they are really enjoying the concert!

Forgetting all their worries

Feeling so much happier

Please keep singing!

This event is so much fun!

Touching hands and hearts

I love these young ladies!

Singing together with us...

You make me happy!

I am so happy I came!

Everyone in Jerusalem needs you to sing for them!

We speak Spanish!

Thank you so much for what you are doing!Thank you so much for what you are doing!

Sissy's adorable mommy loved the concert!

A sad artistic reminder of the death camps

Honey! Thats a perfect penthouse for us!

Wed, Dec. 4 - Joanna's Arrival

Joanna's on her way to Israel!

First leg- Jet Blue from Dallas to Boston

Next leg, El Al to Tel Aviv!

Arrival in Tel Aviv! But very sad to see the photos of hostages still in captivity.

Welcome to Israel!

Joanna arrived with Vadim

We had Joanna meet us at Cohen's deli for lunch. She was so excited to finally arrive to Jerusalem!

Tears of joy, after arrival in Jerusalem!

Baguette cheese sandwich

Very fresh ingredients!

Israeli Salad with Tahini dressing

Mushroom Quiche

Delicious Cappuccino

Adriana keeping warm sipping hot chocolate

Together again! Yay!

Another cute kittie!

Thurs, Dec. 5 - Concert in Ashkelon for Elderly Home

On our way to Ashkelon!

The concert team...

Sufganiyot for Chanukkah!

The concert will be up here on the roof!

It will be wonderful to bring the residents outside in the fresh air.

It will be wonderful to bring the residents outside in the fresh air.

Begin with a gentle massage...

They really need massages.

Massage is wonderful when you are feeling so stiff being stuck in a wheelchair.

It feels great to be in the fresh air.

The concert began...

We remember seeing you last year.

They know how to use their phones as cameras.

Grace and Michelle began by singing in Hebrew.

The songs are familiar to the residents.

Moving to Yiddish, Michelle began to touch the residents hands and hearts.

They are very strong even in their wheelchairs!

Thank you for caring about us!

We appreciate you very much!

You are an angel!

They sing like angels!

I feel the love of God through you!

You are touching my heart!

Please remember me!

My name is Rose.

You can't imagine how much you are touching all of our hearts!

We love you, and God loves you!

Thank you for these angels!

Thank you so much!

Raoul can help wheel the residents to the concert.

The woman who we met last year couldn't make the concert as she is on oxygen. We will bring the concert to her- in Spanish! Her whole family was murdered on October 7, 2023.

After the concert, we stopped at the Elvis cafe.

Elvis has left the building...

But we saw him everywhere!

Elvis is the coolest.

It was an old fashioned soda fountain!

The famous saying....

Fri, Dec. 6 - Shuk & Shabbat with Guests

Off to the Shuk to buy food for Shabbat!

We always start with Yossi at Tzidkiyahu

There is Yossi AND Tzidkiyahu!

Fresh fruits catch our eye.

Yummy sandwiches

Challah and olive bread at our favorite bread stand

Look! It's Yair Pinto! Let's sing for him!

We met his beautiful wife and baby. Adriana was so excited, she forgot her own name!

We love the Shuk!

It's such a fun place to be on Friday mornings!

There are so many fresh choices.

So many varieties of nuts...

The crowd grows as the time gets later...

Yummy chocolate babka!

Beautiful Chanukkiahs!

We are nuts for nuts!

Hungry for dessert?

Joanna wants to try the baklava!

Nadav is so kind at the fruit stand!

Lovely Michelle!

Beautiful Joanna!

Raoul is buying us fresh fish for sashimi from smiling D'or!

What a cute puppy!

We miss Uzi Eli's smile!

Where's our Rambam drink?

Delicious desserts are calling us!

Let's try them all!

So many colors to choose!

Even waiting on our fish makes us smile!

Uzi Eli was the Etrog man.

Raoul loves the green etrogat drink

There is always live music at the shuk on Fridays!

We love 'Shuking' together.

With Gili at the meat shop!

Raoul loves this Filipino store!

What could be better than Etrogat and Cochinta?

Ohhhhh tuna sashimi made by Adri!

Fresh salmon sashimi and lemon!

Look at this challah!

Lighting the candles for Shabbat with guests Sarah and Eric.

This is Eric's first Shabbat ever!

Inviting God to join us!

Yeshua is our bread of life!

Shabbat is the best day of the week!

What a beautiful table of food! Thank you Lord, for all these blessings! Thank you for this amazing week!

Sat, Dec. 7 - Concert in Ashkelon Congregation

Off to Ashkelon to sing in a Baptist Church just a few miles from the border of Gaza!

Sasha is the Russian pastor and the service is held in Russian and Hebrew.

The worship team began the service. Their pianist is unfortunately in the hospital, suddenly paralyzed on one side.

Tanya was our translator. Her husband is also in the hospital with severe heart problems.

This beautiful woman spoke and sang, begging God to heal her from the cancer she is going through!

The husband of the pianist was in tears sharing about his concern for his wife in the hospital.

The pastor prayed a blessing over the children before they left for children's classes.

They are adorable.

The Holy communion

We were all invited to participate.

Maxim gave a short message.

There were more than a hundred people there.

Grace and Michelle began to sing.

Their angelic voices filled the room.

Some people, including the Pastor, began to cry.

The room was silent.

Michelle went through the room touching hands...

People were captivated.

They felt God’s love.

God's love overwhelmed them.

The love of God brought light to each person.

This woman attended our concert last year as an unbeliever. Now she is in church following the Lord, with her family!

He enjoyed the concert so much.

She was in our first Rocket attack last year. She is now a believer attending this church!

God is so amazing!

Grace spreading God's love.

We were so touched by you!

Please sing for me again so i can film you?

Bringing communion to us all.

Michelle was bringing the light of the Lord.

Sun, Dec 8 - Wed, Dec, 11th - Cruise Ship with Holocaust Surivivors

Cruise Ship Experience & Concerts

David, new to Israel, drove us to Ashdod to meet 50 Holocaust survivors and board the Mano cruise.

We went through security and boarded a bus to the ship.

The ship was docked at the port at Ashdod, Israel.

We were in a group with 50 Holocaust survivors!

It was a bit chaotic, but everyone was calm and excited for the cruise together.

Wow, thats our ship!

We are still in shock to be going on a cruise!

It is the first time for everyone but Joanna.

We are on board, but feeling a bit sideways.

Mano cruise is an Israeli shipline.

Very pretty ship

Our ship is called the Crown Iris.

Here's our team!

The weather was beautiful the day we left.

God showing off in the sky

And in the sunrise

Thank you, Lord!

We are on the way to Greece!

God showed off in every direction.

Pools and hot tubs on the upper deck

Ready for cruising

Beautiful Michelle

Gorgeous Adriana

Already having fun

On a colder day

Ready for action

Raoul upgraded us to have rooms with balconies!

Meeting Holocaust survivors

Hilarious beard effect because Michelle was trying to control so much wind in her hair!

Thank you so much, Raoul, for our balconies!

It makes us feel special!

Raoul enjoying his balcony!

This is awesome!

Enjoying every moment

We can refill our water bottles!

We are so happy!

Meeting new friends and singing for them!

We had 4 gatherings with the 50 Holocaust survivors together

We were gathered at the ship's end, with a beautiful view

Windows all around us

Comfy tables and chairs for everyone

Really comfortable for the concerts

Taking the Holocaust survivors out of their small homes

Treating them special

With a piano ready to play

Everyone was so happy to be on a cruise together

Filled with joy

Wow- we have 5 days!

Yakov loves taking pictures

Raoul sporting his 'free' Mano cruise cap

Our team is ready!

The massagers are great!

We like them too!

From our fearless leader

Each meeting began with fun quizzes and candy prizes

Everyone speaks Russian

Touching each person with God's love

The survivors are spread around the room in small clusters

The acoustics are wonderful

Michelle and Grace are here to sing for you!

Singing in Hebrew...

Dancing with Survivors

Making the survivors so happy

Loving the concert

Thank you, Lord!

This is so amazing!

Picture in picture

Singing for the survivors

Master sound mixer!

Sharing thoughts

You make us feel loved!

Diana always spreading joy

Sharing her joy

Enjoying the cruise

We are so blessed!

Memories forever!

Cake and champagne

Thank you for singing in Russian!

Wishing you well!

A bit more champagne?

And may you have good health!

That Lasts forever!

Slavna and Natalie

Blessed and favored!

Good job, Maxim!

Looking so delicious

Such a cute couple and godly team!

So great to be together

A few words of encouragement

We tried hard to surprise you!

We all love you!

The Yiddish songs take us back to our childhood!

Adriana giving hugs

We appreciate your love!

Thank you so much!

We feel God's love through you!

A survivor bought us coffees!

Wishing this moment could last forever!

With so much love

Please remember us!

Thank you so much!

We will remember this forever!

Joanna, can you fix me?

Perfect- right there!

Honoring the management and entire crew.

Joanna and Karen Faith on the dance floor with the band from the Philippines!

Such an amazing and competent team!

Filipino band from Cebu

Our table in the Four Seasons with Sharma

Venus, our server, held this table for us every day!

Fabulous buffet

We ate like kings

So many desserts

The staff was amazing!

I will carry your plate for you!

Yummy soup every day to start the meal!

They made Raoul a special Filipino meal!

Sharma and the head chef

More dessert please!

Sharing ice cream together

Planning for the concerts with the survivors

Venus gave us gifts from the Philippines

Raoul and Venus

Sharma is also a friend of Tzippy. She goes on many cruises!

Best service team ever!

They even performed for us!

Michelle and Grace sang for the kitchen staff

This is a first!

Appreciative kitchen team

We will remember this forever!

Wow- a balcony made us first class!

Singing everywhere on the ship

"What a Wonderful World"

When we docked we ended up on the wrong bus- and also had to find 6 more survivors who also took the wrong bus!

Thank you for rescuing us!

Our kind bus driver took us back to the port

Rhodes, Greece

The cruise entered the waters of Rhodes, Greece

Beautiful sunrise!

We weren't sure what to expect as a huge hurricane had just hit here.

God was showing off for us in the sky!

God is magnificent

Coming off the ship

Our first time in Greece!

Walking the Old City of Rhodes, Greece

Ready for an adventure!

Old Jewish synagogue

Navigating the narrow paths

Charming alleyways

We are in Greece!

Michelle loves her handmade Greek slippers!

They came in lovely colors

Joanna and Grace were attracted to the jewelry across the alley.

The store was packed with beautiful jewelry.

There was also a mix of masonic and crusader jewelry.

All blended together

People outside stopped to listen to the singing.

So many unique pieces

Michelle and Grace sang for Dina, the owner.

People outside stopped to listen to the singing.

We found a lovely, cozy restaurant.

We love it here!

It was lovely in every direction

Joanna on the red carpet

Perfect spot for our Greek adventure.

We recommend this one to start.

Raoul was so happy to bring us here!

Our server was adorable.

We loved this Greek wine. It smelled like roses!

Whatever this was, we loved it!

One of their fabulous desserts

Another fabulous dessert. We ate the whole thing!

Michelle and Grace sang for our wonderful, sweet servers.

We hope one day to return here.

Everything is decorated for Christmas

Our boat lit up at night as seen from the shore in Rhodes.

Heading back after a great adventure.

Good morning! We have more time for fun in Greece!

Stone fortresses

Our ship from shore

The shore from the ship

Ready for our adventure

Uh oh, some survivors are late and they missed the tour. Let's help!

Off again on an adventure!

Let's go this way

Farther than yesterday

Please can i touch the water first?

I'm on the shores of Greece!

Dolphin sculpture

I am in Greece!

Just outside the walls

Quite impressive

Let's look through here

We love this day Lord!

Always reminders of Jewish deaths

Yes, this was the Christian Crusader's Headquarters.

The famous Crusaders had their castle here.

Adriana finalky bought comfy sneakers!

She can walk without pain!

Michelle and Grace sang for the mnagers.

Look at these amazing, artistic umbrellas!

After Michelle and Grace sang for the owner, he gifted them with beautiful fans!

All the umbrellas are so amazing!

The owner warmed up to us after the singing!

What a beautiful store!

Wow, thats a big bear!

Raoul is having an intense conversation.

Can we take this bear home for the kids in Cabo?

An orange tree!

Singing for a man who has a group of lone soldiers in the IDF

Singing for the waitress in the coffee shop

In a comfy outside cafe

Look at this whipped cream!

Whipped cream on my hot chocolate!

A heart on the cappuccino

It needed whipped cream too!

Such a cute area to walk

Never forget what happened to the Jews from Rhodes

Walking the streets

The stone walls

Grace is enjoying Greece

Charming streets

Let's visit Dina one more time

She was so happy we came!

Grace was so happy with her new jewelry!

Time to return to our ship!

Till we meet again, sweet Greece!

Limassol, Cyprus

Next stop, Limasol in Cypress!

Ready, set, Go!

heard that it's super inexpensive to shop here....

The buses and taxis all head to "My Mall""

Well, this is crazy! There is nothing inexpensive and we walked the whole mall in about 20 minutes. Raoul found the only useful thing in here....

Although this did make us laugh!

Good thing the Taxi gave us his phone #! Let's head to their Marina and Old Town.

Ok, starting again....

What do we do in Limasol???

When in doubt.... sing!

We sang for the boys from the ship

Showed off our selfie prowess

The Cypress version of a Cabo panga!

Oh great, wise King, what is your desire?

Print Panther.... a play on Pink Panther

It's a souvenir shop

Aha! When in doubt, eat!

This Old Carob Mill plant is a cute spot

We even tasted Carob syrup- yummy!

The pretty girls!

It must get very busy from the size of it

We were the only guests!

We will have all their attention

What do they eat in Cypress?

The chefs study the choices

The Manager brought the head chef to meet us while she decanted the wine

This should be a good choice

Ana and the Chef

Our Cypress wine

green salad had puff pastry and pomegranates!

Very colorful and tasty!

This salad was also excellent with butter lettuce and crusted goat cheese

The salads were scrumptious

This 3rd salad was fabulous too

We loved their mushroom risotto

And the Sea Bass

We loved the desserts

And the ice cream

A trio of creme brulees

Creme brulee closeup

Wait! Please let me film you singing to us!

Ana said, "You are making me cry!"

No one has asked to sing for us before!

Sweet kitties were everywhere!

Lots of great chairs to nap in!

We are fat and happy and waiting for our taxi

Time to go back to the ship

It was a fun excursion

Back on the balcony!