March, 2003
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Dear family and friends,
We're writing to let you know a little bit about what is happening here in
Jerusalem and, more specifically, with the precautionary measures we're
taking. Many of you have written or called with concern, which we greatly
appreciate, so we thought a short note would be helpful for all.
There's no reason to go into what's happening in Iraq, we're all watching
and reading the same news. It looks like the war may be starting within
hours, or at least days. You may have also seen reports that Israelis
have been warned to carry their gas masks around with them. Yes, it's
true, we were issued gas masks yesterday. The whole country is on alert
by the Homefront Command, which has been preparing for months to help
citizens deal with any possible situation. They are the ones who decided
when we received the masks and will let everyone in the country know
exactly what to do next.
Even though war is imminent and anything is possible, the IDF (Israel
Defense Force) believes that Sadaam does not have the capability to strike
Israel and even if he does have missiles, he is not likely to aim them at
Jerusalem. However, we are still taking every precaution available to us
in the unlikely case something were to happen. As we mentioned, we have
our gas masks and we know how to use them. We have a room in our
apartment ready to completely seal. We have canned food and bottled
water. In other words, we're almost as prepared as some of those people
in Idaho were before Y2K. In all seriousness, we feel confident that we
will be fine no matter what happens 1,000 miles to our northeast.
This is obviously a tense and scary time for the world. And we know that
our being here, closer to the front, makes the whole situation more
personal for our family and loved ones. We would love to hear from you if
you have any questions, concerns, or thoughts to share with us. Despite
the situation at hand, we are still very happy to be here. We have great
recent experiences to tell you about and more photos to share. So look
for another update soon and in the meantime, we're praying that peace
comes quickly.
Love,
Mark and Rachel Ann
April e-mail
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