2nd Day of the New Year

Last night - wet
and very cold

It's the 2nd day of the Lunar New Year. From the hailstorm yesterday, the weather took a bighorn and the sun was shining very brightly this morning. But it's still very cold ... no more than 5 degrees. Everyone was out to catch a bit of the sun. Even the parkour boys were out in the park jumping and somersaulting. Then suddenly at 2pm the dark clouds flooded the skies and it looks like winter again.

The storm however had washed up onshore countless explosive mines ... and the police are trying to figure out where these came from. No swimming that's for sure.

Meantime a public bus overturned during the storm and fell into a ravine 70 metres deep. Several people died and many injured. All jewish passengers. A Palestinian family braved the storm to come out and rescue the injured before the Israeli ambulances arrived.

Back in my community, the europeans are well-informed about the Lunar New Year. Everyone has been wishing me and Alberto our Indonesian student a happy new year. At lunch they wanted to know more about the lunar calendar and the zodiac ... many asking which year they were born. The sisters in the kitchen baked a cake and the superior asked me to cut it to celebrate the new year. It was nice ... the cake that is. For once the sisters baked a cake without nuts so I could eat it.

This morning in Jerusalem

Mind you today I was supposed to go to our Jaffa parish and serve as sacristan. But got an emergency call from the 3rd Station of the Cross sisters (Armenian Catholic Cathedral) saying they have no priest for the liturgy so I had to go there and preside, therefore having to cancel my service in Jaffa. Pity as I was looking forward to some quiet time there in the church. No class tonight at 4am so it would have been a restful night in Jaffa by the sea. Well I can ask for everything. I'll continue cleaning my room this afternoon ... and play with Buddy who's getting quite upset because I've not had time to play with him all week.

One upsetting thing during this new year is Trump's administrative order to stop refugees from 7 countries entering the US. It's dreadful. Jesus said "I was hungry and you fed me, homeless and you gave me shelter". Now there's a backlash from foreign govt. to corporate companies to the jewish people ... the people who knows what it was to be rejected and persecuted. They will not forget.  http://www.timesofisrael.com/trump-seeks-to-explain-muslim-ban-in-flurry-of-calls-to-world-leaders/
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