Trip to Akka and Bahji...

Last Wednesday, the 12th Day of Ridvan was a free day for everyone in our community as we didn't have a Holy Day programme. The Schoot family together with Oma Ineke did a short trip to Akka, afterwards we went to Bahji and visited the Shrine of Baha'u'llah. It was such a nice day, although it was windy for some parts, but it is already getting warmer in this country.

In Bahji, we met Susan and her family from Turkey who are here for pilgrimage. Enna-Marie met for the first time their daughter Mona, who is a very active and beautiful girl, she's 2 months older than her. I remember Susan who was serving as a frontdesk person at the Seat of the Universal House of Justice.

In front of the House of Abbud where we started our stroll...

archway in Akka

minaret of one of the mosques

We passed by Maarten's former flat when he served as a security guard in Bahji. Enna-Marie looks at the cat...

our baby is coping well with the heat...

signs and directions to places in Akka

at the market where we bought some fish...

Khan-al-Omdan

some souvenir shops

nice shot of the arch!













And some shots of Enna-Marie in Bahji (thanks to Lola Ping for her pink dress) :

Amelia's last Mother Goose Class

Our dear friend Amelia had her last 'Mother Goose on the Loose' class last week as she and her family are leaving the World Centre soon. She has been handling the class for quite some time now after Katharine, she is the 'goose' who leads the singing. We learned lots of nursery rhymes/songs in this class and I am thankful to her for that. These songs are amazing, very helpful in entertaining my dear daughter whether during feeding, changing diaper, toothbrushing, driving in the car with a crying baby...really they are means to avoid boredom in young toddlers. I took some photos of the class...enjoy!

tickeling Shiori

a song about monkeys jumping on the bed and one gets hurt

this one is about birds flying on the clouds, children learn the difference of the sounds being soft and loud.

Group photo(L-R: Sieni & Tara, Menchie & Enna-Marie, Amelia & Shiori, Vida & Zane, Tiffani & Brennan, Selvi & Lillian)

Two of the beautiful babies in our community

Blossoming Spring flowers...

It is the time of the year that flowers in our balcony are blossoming again, they are even multiplying. Enna-Marie is enjoying to be out, she plays there each day now. She likes to touch and smell the flowers, especially the roses. She is also attracted to the stones...and ants which she says 'mier', ant in Dutch...

Trip to Nazareth

at the Church of the Anunciation where angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she will conceive a baby



at the church entrance where you dip your fingers in the water and do the sign of the cross

the market area where we bought one of these containers

the Synagogue church

More pictures with Oma...

one afternoon in Bahji

horse riding at the mall

close-up...thanks to Auntie Jamak and Uncle Thomas for the yellow shirt from Turkey!

snacking at home

dinner with friends

outside playing ball

after saying prayers and getting ready to sleep...


enjoying each other at the playground


another ride but this time on oma's shoulders

Ninth Day of Ridvan...

Here are some photos of Enna-Marie and her friends taken on the Ninth Day of Ridvan in the gardens of the Shrine of the Bab:

before the programme starts with Nadim, Negar and Munis

hiding...

behaving well during the programme...

wants to walk now...

her friend Layla...

here with Shiori...

with Nadia and Alisha

family photo

Friends visiting...

Enna-Marie and Maarten with Vincent Afnan-Murray in the Bahji Visitor's Center. He is visiting the Holy Land with his wife Manijeh.
Nabil Ramirez is in town, he and his mom Mrs. Ramirez paid a short visit yesterday.
Nabil Beers and his wife were recently here for pilgrimage. Nabil used to serve at the World Centre, he was also Menchie's guitar teacher.

Pictures for Auntie Melonna...

"Nguso" is the Filipino word for what Enna-Marie is doing in these two pictures... When a typical Filipino is asked where something is, for example, where is such and such a street, he might point to it with his mouth and nose instead of using hands or just telling you...

As auntie Melonna is particularly fond of Enna-Marie's nguso, and as she is leaving the World Centre soon, these two pictures are specially for her :)!