Jericho

Friendship has no language problem

janclaus Bible Study, Jericho , ,

Don’t Speak The Same Language? No Problem.

What did we do at the Jesus house of Prayer? We held Bible studies, gave food to the poor, told all of them about Jesus and made many friends. One friend was very different. His name was Hussein. He lived in Jericho, but was from Iraq. He spoke absolutely no English.

Hussein really liked Bob. He began coming by two or three times a week. He brought an Arabic newspaper. He never would come inside, but he and Bob sat out on the porch and talked. Keep in mind: Hussein spoke no English — Bob spoke no Arabic. Continue reading →

One of the most basic needs

janclaus feeding the hungry, Jericho , ,

War brings a lot of needs. One of the most basic is food. After the war started in Palestine, a lot of people were out of work. Many Palestinians worked in Jerusalem or other parts of Israel. They were not allowed to go to work. Without money, they could not buy food.

People began coming to the Jesus House asking for help buying food. Honestly, those of us who worked there didn’t have the money to buy food for all the people. Terry McIntosh, who was in charge of the Jesus House, put out word we needed money for food. Soon people began responding. Terry, with the help of a grocer, put together a food package that we gave to people in need. Continue reading →

Excitement!!!

janclaus Jericho, West Bank ,

When you are locked in a small town for weeks on end, things can get pretty boring. You can’t go anywhere unless it is in the town, and after a while you begin to want to go somewhere else or have something exciting happen.

While we were living in Jericho, we were not allowed to leave during the war. No one was allowed in or out. You could feel the people wanting to do something, anything that might be a little exciting or different. Continue reading →

The Day the Love of God Dawned on Her

janclaus Bible Study, Jericho, West Bank , , ,

There are many joys to being on the mission field. I like teaching people about Jesus. Watching their eyes light up as they come to the realization that God loves them and they don’t have to earn that love is amazing.

While in Jericho, I had the privilege of teaching a group of women every Saturday. Some of them had already accepted Jesus as their Savior, but many were still seeking answers. These were women who were Muslim by birth. By that, I mean they weren’t really religious, but Islam is all they knew. Continue reading →

English as a Second Language

janclaus English As A Second Language, Jericho, West Bank , ,

When we first went to Jericho, we went to teach English as a Second Language. We had no idea how many people would be interested in classes, but we were told the class would be full. At first we had to find out what they knew about the West. For instance, we found out they knew Mickey Mouse, but had no idea about Minnie Mouse. They did not know about Romeo and Juliet or Gone With The Wind. I say this because these were in the lesson books we had taken with us from the International Bible Society. From the very beginning we had to come up with our own curriculum. We had not planned on that. Continue reading →

Such a scary word

janclaus Jericho, West Bank , ,

War! That is such a scary word and one most of us do not want to hear. But what happens when you find yourself in the middle of a war? It doesn’t have to be a big war. It could be what some people call a skirmish. There was a time I found myself in the middle of a war.

In 2000 the Israelis and the Palestinians went to war. It was called the Second Intifada. Intifada means throwing off. I won’t bore you with how it started, but I was there living in Jericho.

One morning we woke up and found we could not leave Jericho. If we did we would not be allowed back to the city. The stores were closed and we were told it was war. Continue reading →

A Wedding In Jericho

janclaus Jericho, West Bank , ,

I love weddings. I bet you also love weddings. The joy on the bride’s face and the anticipation in the groom’s face are priceless. Of course the brides parents are radiant. It is an exciting beautiful time. However, each culture is a little different in the way weddings happen. I was fortunate to be invited to a wedding in Jericho.

Ahmed, the groom, and my husband Bob
Ahmed, the groom, and my husband Bob

Continue reading →

Grocery Shopping in Jericho

janclaus Jericho ,

Going to the grocery store usually is not an adventure. Living in a different country and learning how to shop is quite an adventure

A vegetable market in Jericho
A vegetable market in Jericho

I was living in Jericho and I will tell you there are no super markets there. Most of the grocery stores are like a one car garage with groceries on each side. Vegetables and fruit were sold in a different store. However, I could not find where to buy meat.

Our friend Kahlil stopped by and I asked him where I could get meat. Did I want meat or chicken? I didn’t realize there was a difference. I said chicken, so we got in his car to go buy chicken. Continue reading →