Well, it's very close to that time when we will say, "Shalom, Jerusalem." It's with mixed feelings that Larry and I are leaving this very special city for our home in Indiana. We have had a very positive experience here, made new friends, learned more about the complexities of life in Israel and how difficult it is to be unbiased as it relates to the Palestinian/Israeli peace talks. I am so grateful for the contacts we have made, the opportunities to travel throughout Israel and Jordan, and to see God's faithfulness throughout our stay. Now it's time to say farewell and adjust back to life in Upland, Indiana. We are excited about seeing our family and friends again and look forward to sharing with them our pictures and stories. I hear it is cold in Upland with light snow, so as I sit here with my sandals on I realize I will miss the sunshine we have had every day since we have been here. I have already written about the extreme heat we felt through September, October and part of November. Temperatures have moderated but we are still in the 70's.
It's been unbelievable weather wise. The Jerusalem Post described the Israeli Cabinet meeting that met to discuss the drought conditions and what to do in light of the lack of rain. Some are predicting the rains will not start until January. I certainly hope and pray it will yet be this month.
Our last week in Jerusalem has been one of our most fascinating. On Sunday afternoon we toured the Yad Vashem Memorial to the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust. Even though I have seen some of these photos before, I was shaken. To visually see and read about the systematic extermination of a people is heartbreaking. The museum has been totally remodeled since our student days years ago and it is amazing. The photos of the children in the Warsaw Ghetto with their bodies reflecting all the signs of starvation and standing alone by themselves crying without anyone caring for them have been imprinted on my mind. O Lord, may this never happen again! With anti-semitism on the rise and the demonization of the Jews, I feel the need to remind Christians that our Savior came to earth as a Jew and to do all we can in our everyday lives to halt this insidious hatred and to speak out against derogatory remarks that are made against any people group--not just the Jewish people.
On Monday afternoon we joined the Christian Communities in the Middle East class taught by Dr. Petra Heldt for a tour of the area surrounding the Church of the Holy Sepulchre which encloses Golgotha and the tomb where Jesus rose from the dead. It is huge. Dr. Heldt is a German Luthern who came to Israel over 30 years ago to study at Hebrew University. She has been here ever since and was even burned as a result of a suicide bomber in the Mahane Yehuda Souk in the "new city" area during one of the Intifadas. She is a healing force in this land for peace. She took us to the roof of the church and the views of the Mt. of Olives and the Temple Mount area were fantastic. We went into each section that surrounds the church--the Greek Orthodox, the Coptic, the Ethiopic, and the Catholic. We were even allowed to enter the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate's private chapel with icons from the 7th and 8th century that were absolutely beautiful. Over 2,000 families and monks live in the Greek Orthodox section with schools, chapels, and apartments. It's like a tiny city within another city. While visiting the Coptic Church chapel we met a priest who prayed a blessing over us and then as we went to leave we discovered we were locked in the courtyard area. No one was around to open the gate. We started walking around to find someone and finally a man came out of his apartment and we tried to explain we needed to get out or we would have to sleep there. When he heard that he just burst out laughing, "Sleep here!" He managed to get someone to open the gate but it was an interesting experience as it was getting dark and stray cats were running everywhere. The Old City is full of cats and rarely do I see any dogs there. Both Larry and I found this entire experience at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre fantastic and we felt so privileged to be seeing this wonderful area. It covers almost an entire block within the Old City.
On Tuesday Larry and I decided to walk on the walls of Jerusalem. It's called the Rampart's Walk and we chose the northern Rampart's Walk. Even though Nehemiah walked around the entire walls of the city of Jerusalem, we can no longer do that. There are restrictions that no longer allow people to walk the wall near the Temple Mount area. We walked from the Jaffa Gate area to Lion's Gate (also known as St. Stephen's Gate). It was quite a workout for us as the stairs are steep, deep, and in some places very narrow but the view was certainly worth all of that. We were the only ones there in the afternoon so we could go at our own pace. These walls were built by Suleiman the Great around the 16th century. The present wall does not follow exactly the walls that surrounded the city in the days of Jesus. Again, I chalked that up as another memorable experience.
Students are staying up all hours of the night studying, finishing papers. . .and also having a lot of fun! One of our male students ran a Marathon this morning between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. He had wanted to run in the Jordan Marathon but it did not work for his schedule so he ran his own marathon with other students working his own personal water station. He had to run a total of three round-trips between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. I was surprised when he told me later that he still had a final to study for and a paper to finish by 5:00 pm tomorrow! Each to his own. He planned to sleep a little and then get up and probably study most of the night. Ahhh...the life of a college student.
I've certainly enjoyed some extra reading this week and also studying the words "grace" and "mercy" in light of my book project. After reading more intently I and II Kings and I and II Chronicles, I hope to teach a series on the Kings of Judah and Israel at some point in the future for my Ladies Bible Study. There are so many lessons we can learn from these men and those around them. Yes, Scripture has opened up to me in new ways during these months.
Recently, I enjoyed reading Anne Bronte's The Tennant of Wildfell Hall and now I'm reading P. D. Wodehouse's My Man Jeeves. It's some light entertaining reading. National Geographic has a wonderful article on King David and the debate among archaeologists about whether David and Solomon really ruled a large Kingdom. It's been fun for me to pick and choose a variety of books and articles to read while I have been in Israel.
The verse God gave me for this journey is just as precious to me today as when I first claimed this promise back in August for our time in Israel. The verse is Isaiah 33:6. . .He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure. God's presence, love, mercy and grace have been my anchor during these days and, dear reader, He can be all of that and more for you too.
Since we depart for home on Sunday, I won't be writing in my blog for several weeks since Christmas is just around the corner. I'm hoping to wrap up my blog with some overall impressions and reflections after I have acclimated myself to life back in the good 'ole USA.
Thanks to those of you who have made comments and contacted me by email about your observations. A blessed Christmas to all of you!
Joyce Helyer's Blog
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Thanksgiving in Jerusalem
We are in countdown mode as we make some of our final visits to specific locations in Jerusalem. JUC has already held their pre-departure meeting to get all of us ready for leaving the country and giving us tips on what to expect when we go through Israeli security at the airport. They really have a good and very stringent security system without "body scanners." At least, I've been told they don't use body scanners but there are several steps we go through and they do pull some people out of line and perform strip searches. Such is life in these turbulent days.
I wish all of you a blessed Thanksgiving. JUC will celebrate Thanksgiving on Friday evening during our regular Shabbat dinner. It will be very American as Israel brings in turkeys for the expatriates and I'm in charge of the American style Green Bean Casserole for 80 people! A few more to prepare for then I usually cook for! Larry and I look forward to Skyping with our kids and grandchildren. Our treat!
I'm joining Larry's class for a tour of the Temple Mount area in the morning and know that it will be an interesting time. Last Wed. evening I joined Rabbi Moshe's class for a tour of the Rabbinical Tunnels near the Western Wall and very close to the Temple Mount area. We left JUC at 9:15 pm and returned at midnight. I was amazed at the number of people still at the Western Wall praying late at night and the number of children who were still up and around. There are synagogues located in the tunnels plus cisterns, stairs, and huge Herodian stones. We saw several women in a specific location praying the Psalms. They were as close to the location of the Holy of Holies as they could get. We entered one room that looked like a Rabbi's Study with bookcases at both ends of the room, red velvet covered theatre seats, and a huge closet that held the Torah scrolls. It was a beautiful cherry wood piece that was at least seven or eight feet tall. Rabbi Moshe told us that on his last tour several women fainted because it is very narrow in sections and if you are claustrophobic it can be a little overwhelming. Factor in the warm temperatures, the dampness and the smell and you can understand why. Just think of exploring a cave and you will understand. Rabbi Moshe grew up in New Jersey but I do not know how long he has lived in Israel but he loves it here. He told us that he preferred to pray in a synagogue with windows and light and yet this location was very meaningful to him because it was so close to where the Holy of Holies was in the Temple when it stood in all its glory. We had numerous groups pass ours during the tour including a group of junior high age kids. They schedule these tours later in the evening because some of the rooms they show us are usually open and not as crowded at that time. It was another really interesting experience.
I was walking to the store the other day towards Jaffa Gate (right by the Old City) and passed a group of orthodox young women on a field trip with their school and again was somewhat taken aback when I saw one of the teachers/guards bring up the rear with a rifle slung over his shoulder. Every outing students have includes a guard of some type. They are not dressed in uniform. That's the reality of living in a land that has suffered bombings, wars, and so much death. It all has become a way of life for those who live here but I'm still a little startled when I see so many weapons.
Monday afternoon several students joined Larry and me as we toured the Hurva Synagogue in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City. This synagogue was restored last year and is the largest syngagoue in the Old City. We had a wonderful guide who gave us the tour and we found the synagouge to be simple and yet very beautiful. She told us the earliest syngagogue was here over two thousand years ago and then provided the history of its many destructions--as I recall, about seven times in its history with the last destruction occurring in 1948 by the Jordanian Legionnaires when they captured the Jewish Quarter during Israel's War of Independence. It was burned and the huge arch was brought down. After the Six-Day War (1967), the arch was restored but nothing else until last year. It took four years to build. It is huge and has a fantastic view from the roof. One can see all over Jerusalem including the Mt. of Olives, the Temple Mount and on a clear day over into Jordan. There is a huge wrought iron railing inside that encircles the synagogue at the top and the guide told us that every Shabbat evening all the children climb the stairs and sing a special song to Welcome Shabbat. I can imagine all these children winding their way up these narrow stairs to sing. It must be a very moving experience. Men were in the central part of the synagogue praying while we were there on the fringe. The synagogue overlooks a huge plaza in the Jewish Quarter that is a gathering place for many young people and families.
My friend, Annie, came to Shabbat dinner last Friday night. She had never been on JUC's campus and thought the school was like a castle. She loved it and wants to rent a room here!
I told her it was only for students so now she wants to take a class. I invited her to remain for our Vespers service and she told me she had already done her "Mitzvot" (good deed) for the day but she did join in for the singing and then decided to leave so we walked her back down the hill.
I was so pleased that our friend from South Africa who has lived in Israel for nine years was able to talk with her and will be able to keep in touch with her after we are back in the U.S.
I'm attending two sessions of our Palestinian Society and Politics class this week as we are doing make up classes. Dr. Sabella's son, Zack Sabella, joined us on Monday evening. He had worked for several years with the Palestinian Authority's Commission on Planning and provided a great overview about the plans that are needed to provide all the institutions and infrastructure necessary for a Palestinian state. They want to be ready when and if a Palestinian state is declared. Zack completed his MA in Planning in the UK several years ago. I am very grateful to hear firsthand from both Sabellas information about the Palestinian National Authority and how it functions. My conclusions, again, are that it is all very complex and complicated. If someone thinks there are easy answers to resolving the difficulties here, I feel they have not been exposed to the really hard issues on both sides. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem and for a just settlement.
I continue to thank God for this opportunity to live, study, and work at JUC during these last three and a half months. What a privilege for us! God's faithfulness and strength have helped us to persevere when we were physically and emotionally stretched. As we have traveled this land and walked many miles, I have a much greater appreciation for how many miles Jesus and the disciples walked as they reached out and ministered to people in the villages and throughout this land. Several impressions: they were strong, committed (even though they faltered on occasion) in all kinds of weather, and they are examples for us. I am amazed as I reflect on how Jesus humbled himself by taking on human flesh in order to identify with us and then to be our sacrifice. Words cannot describe how grateful and unworthy I feel when I realize I am his child and he did this for me. . .and for you! All I can do is bow down in worship and from my heart whisper "Thank you, Jesus."
I wish all of you a blessed Thanksgiving. JUC will celebrate Thanksgiving on Friday evening during our regular Shabbat dinner. It will be very American as Israel brings in turkeys for the expatriates and I'm in charge of the American style Green Bean Casserole for 80 people! A few more to prepare for then I usually cook for! Larry and I look forward to Skyping with our kids and grandchildren. Our treat!
I'm joining Larry's class for a tour of the Temple Mount area in the morning and know that it will be an interesting time. Last Wed. evening I joined Rabbi Moshe's class for a tour of the Rabbinical Tunnels near the Western Wall and very close to the Temple Mount area. We left JUC at 9:15 pm and returned at midnight. I was amazed at the number of people still at the Western Wall praying late at night and the number of children who were still up and around. There are synagogues located in the tunnels plus cisterns, stairs, and huge Herodian stones. We saw several women in a specific location praying the Psalms. They were as close to the location of the Holy of Holies as they could get. We entered one room that looked like a Rabbi's Study with bookcases at both ends of the room, red velvet covered theatre seats, and a huge closet that held the Torah scrolls. It was a beautiful cherry wood piece that was at least seven or eight feet tall. Rabbi Moshe told us that on his last tour several women fainted because it is very narrow in sections and if you are claustrophobic it can be a little overwhelming. Factor in the warm temperatures, the dampness and the smell and you can understand why. Just think of exploring a cave and you will understand. Rabbi Moshe grew up in New Jersey but I do not know how long he has lived in Israel but he loves it here. He told us that he preferred to pray in a synagogue with windows and light and yet this location was very meaningful to him because it was so close to where the Holy of Holies was in the Temple when it stood in all its glory. We had numerous groups pass ours during the tour including a group of junior high age kids. They schedule these tours later in the evening because some of the rooms they show us are usually open and not as crowded at that time. It was another really interesting experience.
I was walking to the store the other day towards Jaffa Gate (right by the Old City) and passed a group of orthodox young women on a field trip with their school and again was somewhat taken aback when I saw one of the teachers/guards bring up the rear with a rifle slung over his shoulder. Every outing students have includes a guard of some type. They are not dressed in uniform. That's the reality of living in a land that has suffered bombings, wars, and so much death. It all has become a way of life for those who live here but I'm still a little startled when I see so many weapons.
Monday afternoon several students joined Larry and me as we toured the Hurva Synagogue in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City. This synagogue was restored last year and is the largest syngagoue in the Old City. We had a wonderful guide who gave us the tour and we found the synagouge to be simple and yet very beautiful. She told us the earliest syngagogue was here over two thousand years ago and then provided the history of its many destructions--as I recall, about seven times in its history with the last destruction occurring in 1948 by the Jordanian Legionnaires when they captured the Jewish Quarter during Israel's War of Independence. It was burned and the huge arch was brought down. After the Six-Day War (1967), the arch was restored but nothing else until last year. It took four years to build. It is huge and has a fantastic view from the roof. One can see all over Jerusalem including the Mt. of Olives, the Temple Mount and on a clear day over into Jordan. There is a huge wrought iron railing inside that encircles the synagogue at the top and the guide told us that every Shabbat evening all the children climb the stairs and sing a special song to Welcome Shabbat. I can imagine all these children winding their way up these narrow stairs to sing. It must be a very moving experience. Men were in the central part of the synagogue praying while we were there on the fringe. The synagogue overlooks a huge plaza in the Jewish Quarter that is a gathering place for many young people and families.
My friend, Annie, came to Shabbat dinner last Friday night. She had never been on JUC's campus and thought the school was like a castle. She loved it and wants to rent a room here!
I told her it was only for students so now she wants to take a class. I invited her to remain for our Vespers service and she told me she had already done her "Mitzvot" (good deed) for the day but she did join in for the singing and then decided to leave so we walked her back down the hill.
I was so pleased that our friend from South Africa who has lived in Israel for nine years was able to talk with her and will be able to keep in touch with her after we are back in the U.S.
I'm attending two sessions of our Palestinian Society and Politics class this week as we are doing make up classes. Dr. Sabella's son, Zack Sabella, joined us on Monday evening. He had worked for several years with the Palestinian Authority's Commission on Planning and provided a great overview about the plans that are needed to provide all the institutions and infrastructure necessary for a Palestinian state. They want to be ready when and if a Palestinian state is declared. Zack completed his MA in Planning in the UK several years ago. I am very grateful to hear firsthand from both Sabellas information about the Palestinian National Authority and how it functions. My conclusions, again, are that it is all very complex and complicated. If someone thinks there are easy answers to resolving the difficulties here, I feel they have not been exposed to the really hard issues on both sides. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem and for a just settlement.
I continue to thank God for this opportunity to live, study, and work at JUC during these last three and a half months. What a privilege for us! God's faithfulness and strength have helped us to persevere when we were physically and emotionally stretched. As we have traveled this land and walked many miles, I have a much greater appreciation for how many miles Jesus and the disciples walked as they reached out and ministered to people in the villages and throughout this land. Several impressions: they were strong, committed (even though they faltered on occasion) in all kinds of weather, and they are examples for us. I am amazed as I reflect on how Jesus humbled himself by taking on human flesh in order to identify with us and then to be our sacrifice. Words cannot describe how grateful and unworthy I feel when I realize I am his child and he did this for me. . .and for you! All I can do is bow down in worship and from my heart whisper "Thank you, Jesus."
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Exploring Jordan
What an amazing trip! We arrived back in Jerusalem Sunday night around 7:00 pm tired and dirty. Four days of riding on the bus, visiting various historical and biblical sites, and enjoying each other's fellowship filled out our days. We left at 6:00 am on Thursday to make our way to the crossing into Jordan at Beth Shean. It took two hours for us to maneuver through the protocol for leaving Israel. Once we got through passport control, we picked up our luggage and then rode a shuttle bus to the Jordanian side and then retrieved our luggage, met our tour guide, got through Jordan's passport control, and loaded our luggage on a Jordanian bus. We are required to have a Jordanian guide, along with Dr. Wright, for all our travels in Jordan. Nasser was a very helpful Muslim guide who makes his home in Amman. He told me that he used to be a computer programmer but when his company wanted him to go to Baghdad and work he asked for an astronomical wage because he felt it was too dangerous. "I have my family who counts on me," he said. At that point he decided to become a tour guide and he has not had a day off since the end of August because this is the high tourist season. It will be like this until early December he told us.
The highlight that day for me was visiting ancient Gadara in the Gilead area (you might want to check one of your Bible maps for these place names). It is a huge site and could possibly be the home of the Gerasene demoniac mentioned in the Gospels. It is recorded that as Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee and came to the east side he encountered this man who was demon possessed and Jesus freed him from this bondage. When he asked to go with Jesus, Jesus encouraged him to go back to his home town and tell them the great things God had done for him. I thought of this as we climbed all over the remains of this city and wondered if this was the exact location. A special lunch was planned for us at the restaurant at the top of the hill and we each had a cheeseburger, fries, fruit and a coke--a real American lunch! The view was fantastic as Gadara is situated on a high hill and overlooks a valley (Wadi). This was the kind of place where you want to come and have a relaxing dinner late in the day with a beautiful view. Such a treat to be there!
We spent the night in Amman--a huge city of 2.6 million people. One of the things we all noticed as we traveled throughout Jordan were the number of pictures of the King of Jordan and his family. Dr. Wright saw for the first time that the King's son is now being included in the photos. He is 16 years old but some day will be King. Our guide told us that all the people love the King and his family and that because they are Sunni Muslims we can feel safe in Jordan. "We are not like the Shites." He said, "You can be out at 2:00 am on the streets in Amman and be safe." We stayed in a lovely hotel called The Geneva and tasted a wonderful buffet dinner.
On Friday we traveled to Iraq Al Amir, which means Fortress of the Prince, and was built by an outlawed Jewish family member during the second century BC. During the time of Antiochus Epiphanes, Hyrcannus Tobiah is the one who built this beautiful building. It is not absolutely for certain but either it is a fortress, a country estate, or some have even said a "pleasure palace." There were caves near the sight that we were able to see. This is located in a valley out of Amman with lots of fig and olive trees plus grape vines. As we looked at a house nearby, Dr. Wright pointed out that it really is a fulfillment of the verse in the Bible that says, "Every man under his own vine and fig tree." We rarely see lawns by houses here but trees and plants grow right up to the front door of many houses. Water is scarce and rain is desperately needed in Jordan as it is in Israel.
One of the largest sites I have ever seen is at Jerash in Jordan. It is filled with temples, theatres and remains of shops, and other signs of a large city that had both Greek and Roman influence.
We were told that each night our accommodations would be less than the night before. It took us almost four hours to reach the modern city of Petra where we spent the night before exploring ancient Petra. If you get a chance, Google Petra, and look at some of the most amazing photographs of this Nabatean city. It has been declared one of the "modern" seven wonders of the world. We walked about two miles to enter the main city and then walked to see the various buildings. One cannot see it in a day because it is so huge so we just scratched the surface. We were inundated with tourists and Bedouins wanting us to ride camels, horses, and buy trinkets. Little children, some as young as four years old were trying to sell us postcards. I thought, "Shouldn't they be in school?" Our guide assured me that education is compuslory in Jordan but it was close to a holiday and besides they only go to school until 1:00 pm. The Bedouins lived among these ruins for years until the Jordanian government built a village for them not far from this site. They moved them off their land so it could be preserved and provided a different location for them. Uhmmm.....does this story sound familiar? The guide told me that the Bedouin are very rich. Interesting!
Two of the gals on our trip returned to the bus very excited. "Guess who we saw?" was their first comment. Amy said she thought she saw the actor Leonardo DiCaprio but wasn't sure so she went up to him and said, "I don't want to be rude or obnoxious but are you Leonardo...?"
He just smiled and his bodyguard smiled and nodded yes and they walked away. That made their day! We all had a good time laughing with them and realized Petra attracts everyone.
Larry and I walked most of the way out of Petra but did have a short ride on a horse part of the way. As I waited for the bus, I felt something in my shoe and when I took it off I poured out quite a bit of sand that had worked its way under my socks from walking in Petra. After doing the laundry today, those socks will never be white again!
After several more stops, we made our way to Kerak to spend the night. Because of the great distances between the sites that Dr. Wright wants us to see, it takes awhile to get there and some of these sites the average tourist does not visit. The "Rest House" we stayed in that night was very interesting. At least the sheets were clean and the bed was comfortable but it was a very dingy place. I finally noticed that women here do not serve as waitresses/servers but men serve in this capacity and in maintaining the hotels. That is not always the case but in the more conservative villages that is true. I began to look for women on the streets as we drove through various towns but rarely saw them. When I did they had children with them or they were in a store and a brother or husband was waiting for them outside. Since Jordan is 94% Muslim and 6% Christian, most all of the women wear the Hajib (scarf) on their heads even if they are dressed western style. Some women were in Burkas (totally covered except for their eyes) but not many. It would appear that women seem to stay at home most of the time but there are always exceptions. It was interesting to see sheep in small fenced enclaves by the road. Our guide said that families purchase a sheep to sacrifice as they begin the Al Haj holiday. It can be very expensive for them--sometimes $250.
We saw lovely huge homes but culturally what is outside the home does not seem to bother them. We had heard that inside the homes are lovely and clean but outside we saw lots of trash on the side of the roads and in general a lot of debris everywhere. As I think of the efforts in America to keep the roadsides clean and the groups that have been formed to pick up trash, etc., I realized that movement has not yet reached many countries in the Middle East. I think there are efforts to build infrastructure to handle all of this but it's a huge educational task.
As we traveled west toward the Jordan River Valley, we were delighted by wonderful views of the Jabbok River and then the Arnon River and to think about how Moses led the children of Israel through this area to the Promised Land. We wrapped up the day standing on Mt. Nebo where Moses was allowed to view the Promised Land but he could not enter. I was surprised at how emotional I felt at this spot as we read the last chapter in Deuteronomy. As I looked across to Israel and north toward Galilee and south toward the Negev, I tried to imagine how Moses must have felt. He had been disobedient to God by dishonoring His name in front of the Israelites over their cries for water and assumed that it was his responsibility to provide it. It was a reminder to me of how God views disobedience and how important it is for religious leaders, and all of us, to be obedient to God and to honor His name. It's a huge responsibility.
The Bible tells us that Moses died on Mt. Nebo, one of God's great servants but one who failed in this area. It was very humbling to be there and to contemplate the significance of this event.
It took us almost two hours to cross from Jordan back into Israel. We were tired but grateful for this wonderful opportunity to have been in Jordan. We crossed this time at the Allenby Bridge crossing (that's the old name) and I noticed the foilage around the Jordan River was very dense and prolific. Lions and other wild animals used to wander through this area. I can see how difficult it would be to flush them out from this thick foilage. When I think of lions I usually think of forests in Africa but they did roam this land at one time.
As I read the OT, I see in my mind's eye these various locations and realize how brave and courageous the Patriarchs were to travel through this "forbidding" land. I feel as though I need more time to process all I am seeing and experiencing and look forward to some quiet snowy days back in Upland when I can contemplate, read and review all that God has been teaching me over these last three months.
We fly out on the evening of December 5th for home and look forward to seeing family and friends. I finished cataloging the Lindsay Collection the day before we left for Jordan. That's a good feeling! Larry only has three more class sessions and during one of those we will be visiting the Temple Mount area. Tomorrow night we will be going with a Rabbi who teaches Rabbinical Thought at JUC to explore the Rabbinical Tunnels under the Western Wall near the Temple Mount area. Still much to see and experience. I will let you know about those experiences next time.
The highlight that day for me was visiting ancient Gadara in the Gilead area (you might want to check one of your Bible maps for these place names). It is a huge site and could possibly be the home of the Gerasene demoniac mentioned in the Gospels. It is recorded that as Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee and came to the east side he encountered this man who was demon possessed and Jesus freed him from this bondage. When he asked to go with Jesus, Jesus encouraged him to go back to his home town and tell them the great things God had done for him. I thought of this as we climbed all over the remains of this city and wondered if this was the exact location. A special lunch was planned for us at the restaurant at the top of the hill and we each had a cheeseburger, fries, fruit and a coke--a real American lunch! The view was fantastic as Gadara is situated on a high hill and overlooks a valley (Wadi). This was the kind of place where you want to come and have a relaxing dinner late in the day with a beautiful view. Such a treat to be there!
We spent the night in Amman--a huge city of 2.6 million people. One of the things we all noticed as we traveled throughout Jordan were the number of pictures of the King of Jordan and his family. Dr. Wright saw for the first time that the King's son is now being included in the photos. He is 16 years old but some day will be King. Our guide told us that all the people love the King and his family and that because they are Sunni Muslims we can feel safe in Jordan. "We are not like the Shites." He said, "You can be out at 2:00 am on the streets in Amman and be safe." We stayed in a lovely hotel called The Geneva and tasted a wonderful buffet dinner.
On Friday we traveled to Iraq Al Amir, which means Fortress of the Prince, and was built by an outlawed Jewish family member during the second century BC. During the time of Antiochus Epiphanes, Hyrcannus Tobiah is the one who built this beautiful building. It is not absolutely for certain but either it is a fortress, a country estate, or some have even said a "pleasure palace." There were caves near the sight that we were able to see. This is located in a valley out of Amman with lots of fig and olive trees plus grape vines. As we looked at a house nearby, Dr. Wright pointed out that it really is a fulfillment of the verse in the Bible that says, "Every man under his own vine and fig tree." We rarely see lawns by houses here but trees and plants grow right up to the front door of many houses. Water is scarce and rain is desperately needed in Jordan as it is in Israel.
One of the largest sites I have ever seen is at Jerash in Jordan. It is filled with temples, theatres and remains of shops, and other signs of a large city that had both Greek and Roman influence.
We were told that each night our accommodations would be less than the night before. It took us almost four hours to reach the modern city of Petra where we spent the night before exploring ancient Petra. If you get a chance, Google Petra, and look at some of the most amazing photographs of this Nabatean city. It has been declared one of the "modern" seven wonders of the world. We walked about two miles to enter the main city and then walked to see the various buildings. One cannot see it in a day because it is so huge so we just scratched the surface. We were inundated with tourists and Bedouins wanting us to ride camels, horses, and buy trinkets. Little children, some as young as four years old were trying to sell us postcards. I thought, "Shouldn't they be in school?" Our guide assured me that education is compuslory in Jordan but it was close to a holiday and besides they only go to school until 1:00 pm. The Bedouins lived among these ruins for years until the Jordanian government built a village for them not far from this site. They moved them off their land so it could be preserved and provided a different location for them. Uhmmm.....does this story sound familiar? The guide told me that the Bedouin are very rich. Interesting!
Two of the gals on our trip returned to the bus very excited. "Guess who we saw?" was their first comment. Amy said she thought she saw the actor Leonardo DiCaprio but wasn't sure so she went up to him and said, "I don't want to be rude or obnoxious but are you Leonardo...?"
He just smiled and his bodyguard smiled and nodded yes and they walked away. That made their day! We all had a good time laughing with them and realized Petra attracts everyone.
Larry and I walked most of the way out of Petra but did have a short ride on a horse part of the way. As I waited for the bus, I felt something in my shoe and when I took it off I poured out quite a bit of sand that had worked its way under my socks from walking in Petra. After doing the laundry today, those socks will never be white again!
After several more stops, we made our way to Kerak to spend the night. Because of the great distances between the sites that Dr. Wright wants us to see, it takes awhile to get there and some of these sites the average tourist does not visit. The "Rest House" we stayed in that night was very interesting. At least the sheets were clean and the bed was comfortable but it was a very dingy place. I finally noticed that women here do not serve as waitresses/servers but men serve in this capacity and in maintaining the hotels. That is not always the case but in the more conservative villages that is true. I began to look for women on the streets as we drove through various towns but rarely saw them. When I did they had children with them or they were in a store and a brother or husband was waiting for them outside. Since Jordan is 94% Muslim and 6% Christian, most all of the women wear the Hajib (scarf) on their heads even if they are dressed western style. Some women were in Burkas (totally covered except for their eyes) but not many. It would appear that women seem to stay at home most of the time but there are always exceptions. It was interesting to see sheep in small fenced enclaves by the road. Our guide said that families purchase a sheep to sacrifice as they begin the Al Haj holiday. It can be very expensive for them--sometimes $250.
We saw lovely huge homes but culturally what is outside the home does not seem to bother them. We had heard that inside the homes are lovely and clean but outside we saw lots of trash on the side of the roads and in general a lot of debris everywhere. As I think of the efforts in America to keep the roadsides clean and the groups that have been formed to pick up trash, etc., I realized that movement has not yet reached many countries in the Middle East. I think there are efforts to build infrastructure to handle all of this but it's a huge educational task.
As we traveled west toward the Jordan River Valley, we were delighted by wonderful views of the Jabbok River and then the Arnon River and to think about how Moses led the children of Israel through this area to the Promised Land. We wrapped up the day standing on Mt. Nebo where Moses was allowed to view the Promised Land but he could not enter. I was surprised at how emotional I felt at this spot as we read the last chapter in Deuteronomy. As I looked across to Israel and north toward Galilee and south toward the Negev, I tried to imagine how Moses must have felt. He had been disobedient to God by dishonoring His name in front of the Israelites over their cries for water and assumed that it was his responsibility to provide it. It was a reminder to me of how God views disobedience and how important it is for religious leaders, and all of us, to be obedient to God and to honor His name. It's a huge responsibility.
The Bible tells us that Moses died on Mt. Nebo, one of God's great servants but one who failed in this area. It was very humbling to be there and to contemplate the significance of this event.
It took us almost two hours to cross from Jordan back into Israel. We were tired but grateful for this wonderful opportunity to have been in Jordan. We crossed this time at the Allenby Bridge crossing (that's the old name) and I noticed the foilage around the Jordan River was very dense and prolific. Lions and other wild animals used to wander through this area. I can see how difficult it would be to flush them out from this thick foilage. When I think of lions I usually think of forests in Africa but they did roam this land at one time.
As I read the OT, I see in my mind's eye these various locations and realize how brave and courageous the Patriarchs were to travel through this "forbidding" land. I feel as though I need more time to process all I am seeing and experiencing and look forward to some quiet snowy days back in Upland when I can contemplate, read and review all that God has been teaching me over these last three months.
We fly out on the evening of December 5th for home and look forward to seeing family and friends. I finished cataloging the Lindsay Collection the day before we left for Jordan. That's a good feeling! Larry only has three more class sessions and during one of those we will be visiting the Temple Mount area. Tomorrow night we will be going with a Rabbi who teaches Rabbinical Thought at JUC to explore the Rabbinical Tunnels under the Western Wall near the Temple Mount area. Still much to see and experience. I will let you know about those experiences next time.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Life in Israel--November is Here!
Life in Israel continues to be interesting and full of opportunities. I have met a woman who owns the local pharmacy near Jaffa Gate. She was born in Nazareth, grew up in Brazil and lived in Southern California for years. Now she is back in Israel. She is always so helpful to me. This is one of the highlights for me--meeting the people who live in the land.
My artist friend, Annie, and I met for coffee last week but she could not come to our Shabbat dinner because she became ill. She is now trying to decide whether she wants to move to Belgium or Japan. She's very much into the environment and wants to look out on green spaces not tall buildings.
We hosted a former Taylor student and her boyfriend for Shabbat dinner at JUC on Friday. Allison Barlow graduated from TU in 2009 and teaches at the Anglican School here in Jerusalem. She loves living here. It has been good to get acquainted with her. We worship together at Christ's Church in the Old City. By the way, a choir from Tanzania was at church on Sunday and we heard the most beautiful music filling this Victorian styled neo-gothic church. They were dressed in choir robes and sang with such gusto. The messages on Jesus' journey to Jerusalem in Luke's Gospel have been very meaningful to me.
Larry was surprised on Friday night when the JUC cooks brought out a lovely huge chocolate birthday cake for him at the end of our Shabbat meal. The students loved it. They had made a huge birthday card for Larry with photos of him from some of our Field Studies on the front and
each one signed a note. They are a great group! On Saturday, Larry's birthday--yes, another year older, we wandered through the Old City and revisited David's Tomb, the Upper Room, and the Dormition Abbey. What a beautiful church with some gold mosaics. It's so intriguing to have all of these sites within walking distance and to observe tourists (pilgrims?) from all over the world coming to visit. Jerusalem truly is a crossroads. That evening we celebrated Larry's birthday with a dinner at The Grotto in Bethlehem right next to one of the three "Shepherd's Fields." The Wrights joined us for a good evening of conversation and great food--Lamb, Chicken and Beef shishkabob and all these little salads. I told Larry he will never forget celebrating his birthday in Bethlehem. The economy there is beginning to turn around as evidenced by more businesses and more tourists.
Last Thursday a Westmont college student and I spent our afternoon baking two Pumpkin Rolls for our Ladies Tea on Saturday afternoon. Other staff members made other "goodies." I shared briefly at the Tea on "Seven Tips/Lessons I Wish I Had Known as a JUC Student." I tried to give them some tips I had learned over the years that would have helped if I had known them sooner but that is life. You have to live it to learn some important lessons. I just wanted to give them a head start. The gals are great and were so generous in their feedback.
I'm wrapping up my project of cataloging the Lindsay Collection and should be finished by next week--after our trip to Jordan. We catch the bus at 6:00 am in the morning and we will have long days in Jordan. I'm particularly excited about seeing Petra.
I finished a book by Peter Hellman titled Avenue of the Righteous. Hellman selected four people from many who have been honored at Yad Vashem for their hiding Jews during WWII. The stories were amazing and how they survived. They are also referred to as "Righteous Gentiles"
by some. Hellman personally interviewed these families and recorded all they had gone through. Their commitment to those they hid, inspite of danger, is an example to all of us. He has written more in this area but this was the first of his books I have read.
Students here are wrapping up papers and projects as there are only two weeks of classes left and then finals week. Amidst all of this our dinner cook formed a class to teach whoever wanted to learn how to crochet a hat. I'm trying to tackle this and thought it would be good to crochet on the flight home--if I cannot sleep on the plane. We will be on the plane all night. Ugh! I'm trying to be positive and think in terms of all the good reading I can get done, etc.
Till next time. Jordan here we come!
My artist friend, Annie, and I met for coffee last week but she could not come to our Shabbat dinner because she became ill. She is now trying to decide whether she wants to move to Belgium or Japan. She's very much into the environment and wants to look out on green spaces not tall buildings.
We hosted a former Taylor student and her boyfriend for Shabbat dinner at JUC on Friday. Allison Barlow graduated from TU in 2009 and teaches at the Anglican School here in Jerusalem. She loves living here. It has been good to get acquainted with her. We worship together at Christ's Church in the Old City. By the way, a choir from Tanzania was at church on Sunday and we heard the most beautiful music filling this Victorian styled neo-gothic church. They were dressed in choir robes and sang with such gusto. The messages on Jesus' journey to Jerusalem in Luke's Gospel have been very meaningful to me.
Larry was surprised on Friday night when the JUC cooks brought out a lovely huge chocolate birthday cake for him at the end of our Shabbat meal. The students loved it. They had made a huge birthday card for Larry with photos of him from some of our Field Studies on the front and
each one signed a note. They are a great group! On Saturday, Larry's birthday--yes, another year older, we wandered through the Old City and revisited David's Tomb, the Upper Room, and the Dormition Abbey. What a beautiful church with some gold mosaics. It's so intriguing to have all of these sites within walking distance and to observe tourists (pilgrims?) from all over the world coming to visit. Jerusalem truly is a crossroads. That evening we celebrated Larry's birthday with a dinner at The Grotto in Bethlehem right next to one of the three "Shepherd's Fields." The Wrights joined us for a good evening of conversation and great food--Lamb, Chicken and Beef shishkabob and all these little salads. I told Larry he will never forget celebrating his birthday in Bethlehem. The economy there is beginning to turn around as evidenced by more businesses and more tourists.
Last Thursday a Westmont college student and I spent our afternoon baking two Pumpkin Rolls for our Ladies Tea on Saturday afternoon. Other staff members made other "goodies." I shared briefly at the Tea on "Seven Tips/Lessons I Wish I Had Known as a JUC Student." I tried to give them some tips I had learned over the years that would have helped if I had known them sooner but that is life. You have to live it to learn some important lessons. I just wanted to give them a head start. The gals are great and were so generous in their feedback.
I'm wrapping up my project of cataloging the Lindsay Collection and should be finished by next week--after our trip to Jordan. We catch the bus at 6:00 am in the morning and we will have long days in Jordan. I'm particularly excited about seeing Petra.
I finished a book by Peter Hellman titled Avenue of the Righteous. Hellman selected four people from many who have been honored at Yad Vashem for their hiding Jews during WWII. The stories were amazing and how they survived. They are also referred to as "Righteous Gentiles"
by some. Hellman personally interviewed these families and recorded all they had gone through. Their commitment to those they hid, inspite of danger, is an example to all of us. He has written more in this area but this was the first of his books I have read.
Students here are wrapping up papers and projects as there are only two weeks of classes left and then finals week. Amidst all of this our dinner cook formed a class to teach whoever wanted to learn how to crochet a hat. I'm trying to tackle this and thought it would be good to crochet on the flight home--if I cannot sleep on the plane. We will be on the plane all night. Ugh! I'm trying to be positive and think in terms of all the good reading I can get done, etc.
Till next time. Jordan here we come!
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Visit to Ramallah and More Info About Galilee Trip
What a day we have had! My class, Palestinian Society and Politics, visited Ramallah with Professor Bernard Sabella. We were treated like VIP's. Ramallah is the current headquarters for the Palestinian National Authority. We were able to meet with Dr. Sabella's daughter who works for Al Haq, a non-profit human rights group monitoring human rights violations in Gaza, Israel and the Palestinian Authority. The very dedicated staff explained their mission to us and gave examples of how they document violations and how they distribute the information. From there we visited the Holy Family Catholic Church and met with the priest who treated us to Arab coffee and cookies while explaining some of the issues his parishoners encounter. From there we visited the PNA Headquarters and met with four of the Parliament members and we were allowed to ask questions and hear their reasons for why they feel the recent peace talks have not succeeded. The facilities there are very new with a lot of security. It was fascinating to hear from these individuals including a woman who works in the areas of education and promoting awareness of women's issues. We were taken to several different locations and found Ramallah to be a thriving city--congested and under a great deal of construction. I remember being here in 1968-69 and there is little that resembles that small town then.
Dr. Sabella wanted us to visit Yasser Arafat's memorial so that was the next stop on our tour.
The Japanese government funded the construction of the memorial that overlooks a reflecting pool and military guards surround the tomb. A wreath was provided to the class to place by the tomb. I must admit I had mixed feelings about this aspect of the trip. Arafat is considered to be the "father" of the Palestinians. Again, I was impressed with the personnel they had at each site and the Director of Protocol who was with us the whole time. They dress in suits and ties and maintain a professional attitude in all they do. We were just a group of students dressed very casually but we were made to feel very welcome. We then proceeded to the office of the Negotiations Unit who provide information and position papers for the Palestinian peace negotiators. They gave us a power point presentation while we drank delicious sweet tea and they reviewed all their points justifying the Palestinian cause and the issues they confront with the Israelis. These two sides are still very far apart and in a conversation with one of the staff I was told one of the greatest obstacles is the lack of respect shown to the Palestinians by the Israelis at checkpoints, by the military, and some of their leaders. I personally feel that it is difficult for the Palestinians to grasp how concerned Israelis are about their personal safety in light of their history. It's certainly a dilemmna that should call all of us to prayer for both the Israelis and the Palestinians. So much good could be accomplished in this land that would benefit everyone. May God grant wisdom, integrity and justice to all those who make day-to-day decisions for both peoples. I really felt privileged to have the opportunity to hear the longings and desires of the Palestinians while also trying to understand the importance the Israelis attach to their security after surviving the Holocaust and believing there are leaders and nations who threaten them and want to see them destroyed. We ended our day with a wonderful Arab meal in a restaurant in Ramallah featuring barbequed kitchen Middle Eastern style. Very tasty.
November is upon us with a rush of activities. Sunday night at JUC's Fall party we were judges for the costume contest. The students were really creative and it was fun to see what they put together. The "party" included a walk through the Protestant Cemetery right behind the school where famous archaeologists are buried along with many British soldiers, and the school's founders, Dr. and Mrs. G. Douglas Young--president when we were students here. With flashlights in hand we maneuvered our way to various areas while listening to Dr. Wright's many stories about those who are buried here.
Monday we toured the Israel Museum and the 2nd Temple model of Jerusalem with a Rabbi who teaches here at JUC. The Israel Museum is very modern and recently renovated with great displays. The temple model is amazing and gives one a great perspective for the size of Jerusalem during the time when Jesus would have visited the Temple. I'm sure you can find some photos of this on the Web.
As a follow up to our Galilee trip, I just wanted to mention a few things that I thought were humorous, at least to me. While we stayed at Kibbutz Ein Gev they provided delicious meals for us. The first night Larry and I had wonderful roast beef in a great sauce, at least we thought it was roast beef. The next morning the students told us that we had eaten "tongue." I was surprised, needless to say, but have to admit it was very tasty. Chalk up another "interesting" experience. My other funny experience has been with the W.C.'s in Israel. In other words--the Water Closet. When we were at Capernaum I had to pay two shekels to use the WC and when I went inside I thought it was a little messy but knew they had over 1,000 tourists that day so wasn't surprised. What did surpise me, however, occurred when I was just getting ready to leave the stall and the door flew open and here was the man who took my two shekels with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth asking to add more paper to each stall. Not even a knock on the door! When I visited the Israel Museum which had very modern and nice facilities I came out of the stall and almost bumped into a young man mopping the floor in the ladies WC. Everything is so laid back here that it takes a little getting used to, but I'm learning to go with the flow and feel that's all part of the experience! C'est la vie!
I finally had tea and croissants with my artist friend, Annie. Her photo taken in September is posted on my blog. She still plans to leave Israel and cannot decide between Belgium and Japan. She is coming to have Shabbat dinner with us this week and we look forward to hosting her.
We leave for Jordan next Thursday and will be gone for four days--our last field study trip. This Saturday JUC is hosting a tea for our women students and I will be sharing "Seven Tips I Wish I Had Known When I Was A JUC Student." Several of us are preparing food and I will be baking a Pumpkin Cream Cheese Roll. Dianne Wright's kitchen is great for cooking for large groups. The weather now feels like an Indiana fall to me and it's getting cooler but still in the low 70's. We miss our kids and grandkids and enjoyed Skyping with them over the weekend.
I want to wrap up this segment of my blog by sharing with you an experience I had last week that reminded me again of how much God cares about us even in the little things in life. Last Wed. morning as I went to insert my right contact lens I discovered it was not in my case. The left one was there but not the right one. I was shocked and wondered what did I do? After our return from Galilee, I was so tired that I thought I must have dropped it without realizing it. Needless to say, I searched several restrooms to see if I had dropped it in one of them. No contact lens. I even found out which eye doctor I would go to about a replacement and wore my glasses all day. About 5:30 pm when it was dark I went back into the restroom and a glint caught my eye. There on the counter was my contact lens! All I could say was Thank You, Lord. How it got there I do not know. The cleaning lady had cleaned the counters that day, I had been in and out and never saw it but I did that evening. God was merciful to me in my tiredness and sloppiness. Isn't it great that nothing escapes God's attention. As a tender-loving Father he takes care of all our needs. I am so grateful!
Dr. Sabella wanted us to visit Yasser Arafat's memorial so that was the next stop on our tour.
The Japanese government funded the construction of the memorial that overlooks a reflecting pool and military guards surround the tomb. A wreath was provided to the class to place by the tomb. I must admit I had mixed feelings about this aspect of the trip. Arafat is considered to be the "father" of the Palestinians. Again, I was impressed with the personnel they had at each site and the Director of Protocol who was with us the whole time. They dress in suits and ties and maintain a professional attitude in all they do. We were just a group of students dressed very casually but we were made to feel very welcome. We then proceeded to the office of the Negotiations Unit who provide information and position papers for the Palestinian peace negotiators. They gave us a power point presentation while we drank delicious sweet tea and they reviewed all their points justifying the Palestinian cause and the issues they confront with the Israelis. These two sides are still very far apart and in a conversation with one of the staff I was told one of the greatest obstacles is the lack of respect shown to the Palestinians by the Israelis at checkpoints, by the military, and some of their leaders. I personally feel that it is difficult for the Palestinians to grasp how concerned Israelis are about their personal safety in light of their history. It's certainly a dilemmna that should call all of us to prayer for both the Israelis and the Palestinians. So much good could be accomplished in this land that would benefit everyone. May God grant wisdom, integrity and justice to all those who make day-to-day decisions for both peoples. I really felt privileged to have the opportunity to hear the longings and desires of the Palestinians while also trying to understand the importance the Israelis attach to their security after surviving the Holocaust and believing there are leaders and nations who threaten them and want to see them destroyed. We ended our day with a wonderful Arab meal in a restaurant in Ramallah featuring barbequed kitchen Middle Eastern style. Very tasty.
November is upon us with a rush of activities. Sunday night at JUC's Fall party we were judges for the costume contest. The students were really creative and it was fun to see what they put together. The "party" included a walk through the Protestant Cemetery right behind the school where famous archaeologists are buried along with many British soldiers, and the school's founders, Dr. and Mrs. G. Douglas Young--president when we were students here. With flashlights in hand we maneuvered our way to various areas while listening to Dr. Wright's many stories about those who are buried here.
Monday we toured the Israel Museum and the 2nd Temple model of Jerusalem with a Rabbi who teaches here at JUC. The Israel Museum is very modern and recently renovated with great displays. The temple model is amazing and gives one a great perspective for the size of Jerusalem during the time when Jesus would have visited the Temple. I'm sure you can find some photos of this on the Web.
As a follow up to our Galilee trip, I just wanted to mention a few things that I thought were humorous, at least to me. While we stayed at Kibbutz Ein Gev they provided delicious meals for us. The first night Larry and I had wonderful roast beef in a great sauce, at least we thought it was roast beef. The next morning the students told us that we had eaten "tongue." I was surprised, needless to say, but have to admit it was very tasty. Chalk up another "interesting" experience. My other funny experience has been with the W.C.'s in Israel. In other words--the Water Closet. When we were at Capernaum I had to pay two shekels to use the WC and when I went inside I thought it was a little messy but knew they had over 1,000 tourists that day so wasn't surprised. What did surpise me, however, occurred when I was just getting ready to leave the stall and the door flew open and here was the man who took my two shekels with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth asking to add more paper to each stall. Not even a knock on the door! When I visited the Israel Museum which had very modern and nice facilities I came out of the stall and almost bumped into a young man mopping the floor in the ladies WC. Everything is so laid back here that it takes a little getting used to, but I'm learning to go with the flow and feel that's all part of the experience! C'est la vie!
I finally had tea and croissants with my artist friend, Annie. Her photo taken in September is posted on my blog. She still plans to leave Israel and cannot decide between Belgium and Japan. She is coming to have Shabbat dinner with us this week and we look forward to hosting her.
We leave for Jordan next Thursday and will be gone for four days--our last field study trip. This Saturday JUC is hosting a tea for our women students and I will be sharing "Seven Tips I Wish I Had Known When I Was A JUC Student." Several of us are preparing food and I will be baking a Pumpkin Cream Cheese Roll. Dianne Wright's kitchen is great for cooking for large groups. The weather now feels like an Indiana fall to me and it's getting cooler but still in the low 70's. We miss our kids and grandkids and enjoyed Skyping with them over the weekend.
I want to wrap up this segment of my blog by sharing with you an experience I had last week that reminded me again of how much God cares about us even in the little things in life. Last Wed. morning as I went to insert my right contact lens I discovered it was not in my case. The left one was there but not the right one. I was shocked and wondered what did I do? After our return from Galilee, I was so tired that I thought I must have dropped it without realizing it. Needless to say, I searched several restrooms to see if I had dropped it in one of them. No contact lens. I even found out which eye doctor I would go to about a replacement and wore my glasses all day. About 5:30 pm when it was dark I went back into the restroom and a glint caught my eye. There on the counter was my contact lens! All I could say was Thank You, Lord. How it got there I do not know. The cleaning lady had cleaned the counters that day, I had been in and out and never saw it but I did that evening. God was merciful to me in my tiredness and sloppiness. Isn't it great that nothing escapes God's attention. As a tender-loving Father he takes care of all our needs. I am so grateful!
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Photos from Galilee and Life at JUC
My artist friend, Annie, at her exhibition at Jerusalem's Lutheran Redeemer Church.
This is a photo of our room at JUC. That is Larry's desk in the background and my desk is out of the photo.
Here is a photo of JUC's campus with some students on the lawn. The building has been here since 1853.
Larry and I at Caesarea on our trip up to Galilee. This is a beautiful city right on the Mediterranean. No wonder Herod built one of his palaces here!
Sunset over Bet Shean.
Joyce and Larry standing on top of the Arbel Cliff with the Plain of Gennesaret and the Sea of
Galilee in the background. Joyce climbing down the Arbel. Note the rope we held for part of the way coming down.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Four Days in Galilee
I think Galilee is my favorite region in Israel. What an amazing time touring this beautiful part of the country. And what a challenge it was for Larry and me. The highlight was climbing down the Arbel Cliff (photos to be posted soon) above the Sea of Galilee. We had a fantastic view with very little haze overlooking the lake and across to the Golan Heights. The bus took us to the top and we hiked over a distance for some comments from our fearless professor, Dr. Wright, and then we started down the cliff. At least the national park service provided iron hand grips to help us through the more difficult spots and a vinyl type rope that was horizontal to the face of the cliff while we inched along on about a four inch wide ledge. Yes, it was scary and I thought what am I doing. . .but we made it safely down along with grandparents of a JUC student who were 78 years old! We all climbed down and one of our students is overcoming her fear of heights so we were an encouragement to each other.
The days were long but we were able to come back each night to the Ein Gev Kibbutz at the base of the Golan Heights on the east side of the lake. They operate a guesthouse for tourists and provided a wonderful breakfast and dinner each day. We always have lunch at one of the sites we are touring and the school packs all we need so we make our lunch--mainly pita bread stuffed with whatever is sent. We also took a boat ride part of the way onto the lake and then turned around and headed out for the day. At the Mt. of Beatitudes we counted 28 tour buses. Dr. Wright says he has never seen it this busy. Most tourists do not travel where we go so when we encounter all these tourists it just doesn't feel the same, but my heart is blessed that so many people from all over the world want to come to these special places. I over heard a woman pastor from Nigeria introducing herself to a priest at the site of Capernaum. So many interesting people.
Not only did we visit the very large sites of Hazor and Bet Sean, we also saw the synagogue at Chorazin north and above the Sea of Galilee. We traveled through the Huleh Valley that once was a swamp but now is one of the most agriculturally productive areas in Israel. We visited Dan and Caesarea-Phillipi and hiked to the Banias water fall. We rarely sit still on these trips!
We concluded our day on Sunday at the top of the Golan Heights and looked into Syria--we were only about 50 miles from Damascus with Mt. Hermon looming near us. We were at an old military outlook point that is now a memorial park with a coffeeshop. It was very cool there. We were able to go into the bunkers and catch a glimpse of what it must have been like to be stationed there. There are several Druze villages nearby with beautiful farmland. We were also able to look over into Lebanon and turning south we could see into Jordan. It's really an amazing place to be.
As I look at this land and experience it to a small degree, I stand in awe of how Jesus and the apostles traveled all over preaching the gospel and making their way down to Jerusalem through hilly and rough terrain. That is no easy task to walk all that way on foot. I know there were many small towns and villages along the way where people were healed and lives changed. We were at Nazareth on the top of the mountain and as I thought about Jesus growing up here and looking at the views he must have had, I felt very privileged to be there and felt that these experiences will help me be a better Bible Study teacher. The village is now a much larger city but the views are the same. Our field study trips are always asking questions about location, the international highway, why certain kings wanted that specific travel route, etc. We look at the passes armies have marched through and why. Megiddo is another amazing site that was huge. From the top of Mt. Carmel to Jezreel, I felt like we stepped back into the days of Elijah and the Kings of Israel. We saw the places where the Israelites turned away from the true worship of God to idols. How sad! There is a war ongoing for the hearts and minds of men and women, boys and girls and I believe Satan is doing all he can to turn people away from the true light. My heart has been challenged and renewed to be faithful to the end and to be obedient to the One who loves me and gave his life that I might be forgiven and live.
As we pulled into Jerusalem last night, everyone was weary and thankful to be back at our "home away from home," Jerusalem University College.
The days were long but we were able to come back each night to the Ein Gev Kibbutz at the base of the Golan Heights on the east side of the lake. They operate a guesthouse for tourists and provided a wonderful breakfast and dinner each day. We always have lunch at one of the sites we are touring and the school packs all we need so we make our lunch--mainly pita bread stuffed with whatever is sent. We also took a boat ride part of the way onto the lake and then turned around and headed out for the day. At the Mt. of Beatitudes we counted 28 tour buses. Dr. Wright says he has never seen it this busy. Most tourists do not travel where we go so when we encounter all these tourists it just doesn't feel the same, but my heart is blessed that so many people from all over the world want to come to these special places. I over heard a woman pastor from Nigeria introducing herself to a priest at the site of Capernaum. So many interesting people.
Not only did we visit the very large sites of Hazor and Bet Sean, we also saw the synagogue at Chorazin north and above the Sea of Galilee. We traveled through the Huleh Valley that once was a swamp but now is one of the most agriculturally productive areas in Israel. We visited Dan and Caesarea-Phillipi and hiked to the Banias water fall. We rarely sit still on these trips!
We concluded our day on Sunday at the top of the Golan Heights and looked into Syria--we were only about 50 miles from Damascus with Mt. Hermon looming near us. We were at an old military outlook point that is now a memorial park with a coffeeshop. It was very cool there. We were able to go into the bunkers and catch a glimpse of what it must have been like to be stationed there. There are several Druze villages nearby with beautiful farmland. We were also able to look over into Lebanon and turning south we could see into Jordan. It's really an amazing place to be.
As I look at this land and experience it to a small degree, I stand in awe of how Jesus and the apostles traveled all over preaching the gospel and making their way down to Jerusalem through hilly and rough terrain. That is no easy task to walk all that way on foot. I know there were many small towns and villages along the way where people were healed and lives changed. We were at Nazareth on the top of the mountain and as I thought about Jesus growing up here and looking at the views he must have had, I felt very privileged to be there and felt that these experiences will help me be a better Bible Study teacher. The village is now a much larger city but the views are the same. Our field study trips are always asking questions about location, the international highway, why certain kings wanted that specific travel route, etc. We look at the passes armies have marched through and why. Megiddo is another amazing site that was huge. From the top of Mt. Carmel to Jezreel, I felt like we stepped back into the days of Elijah and the Kings of Israel. We saw the places where the Israelites turned away from the true worship of God to idols. How sad! There is a war ongoing for the hearts and minds of men and women, boys and girls and I believe Satan is doing all he can to turn people away from the true light. My heart has been challenged and renewed to be faithful to the end and to be obedient to the One who loves me and gave his life that I might be forgiven and live.
As we pulled into Jerusalem last night, everyone was weary and thankful to be back at our "home away from home," Jerusalem University College.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Life in Israel--Week of October 18, 2010
Life in Israel continues to intrigue and challenge us at times. Each week seems to hold its own special adventures. It was so fun to see my sister Dorothy, and meet her friend, Dorothy Maurer from Roseville, CA. Larry and I enjoyed giving them our own personal tour of the Old City, several museums and special sites. We said good-bye to them on Monday and now they are safely back home but tired. We enjoyed several meals with them. We celebrated Dorothy's birthday at the lovely and historic American Colony Hotel in East Jerusalem. Their beef filet was delicious and what a treat for us to share this evening with Dorothy. Just before they left on Monday we had lunch together at another historic hotel--the King David. Sitting on the terrace and looking east across the Hinnom Valley, we had a perfect view of the walls of the Old City and we could see JUC's campus. It was a quiet refreshing time for us together.
We were soon back into our routines, if you can call it that, of laundry, work in the library (I'm making progress in cataloging the Lindsay Collection), reading, talking with students, etc. Larry found himself reading and grading about 26 mid-term exams from his Prophetic Landscape Class. I started reading Peter Hessler's book, River Town--Two Years on the Yangtze River. Peter was a Peace Corps English teacher in Fuling, China from 1996 to 1998. He won the Kuriyama Book Award and for those of you who want to understand China better I highly recommend his writing. He learned Chinese while he was there and it opened so many doors for him. He now lives in Beijing and writes for the New Yorker and has published another book, Oracle Bones. I feel like I have learned so much already about China and her people and I'm still not finished. This is one of our Reading Club books at Taylor for this year so I was delighted to find it here at JUC.
My saga with Annie, the artist, continues. We were scheduled to meet for breakfast but she did not show so I called her and she said she was in Galilee and that she just had to get out of Jerusalem because of her health. She told me she did not know yet if she would be back from Galilee in time for Shabbat dinner but feels since I don't leave until December we can still get together. She's an interesting woman!
On Thursday morning I visited the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, with one of our Taylor students, Esther Lang. We had to arrive early for an English tour but first we had to go through security and have our passports with us--a very tight security system. We could not bring anything into the Knesset building. Our bags were placed in another bag and a number assigned and this was in a separate security building away from the Knesset. The Knesset is very modern and sleek with a contemporary decor. On the way in we met an older couple from Sherman Oaks, California who sat next to me. The woman told me they had rented an apartment for a month to visit family here and to tour. They have been spending a lot of time in the Old City touring the museums to stay cool. What an interesting couple! He is a retired doctor from Nova Scotia but now lives in California and her brother had made aliya (meaning "going up" and the term used when one moves to Israel and becomes a citizen) and they wanted to see other relatives. She proceeded to tell me that her nephews have 12 and 13 children each and that their daughters are lovely and pure on the inside. She is troubled about her granddaughters in the US who have absorbed their culture in Southern California and do not dress modestly. What can I do she asked? As we were getting ready to start the tour, I just encouraged her to pray to God and ask for wisdom. It's amazing what people will tell you in a ten minute time period! They were very caring of each other and loved seeing everything.
Our tour guide was a young Israeli who took us into the plenary room where debates and laws are made and we saw a film explaining how the Israeli government functions. They have 120 members of the Knesset because after 586 BC there were 120 elders of Israel. How they form their coalition government is interesting and leads to all kinds of "problems." We saw three huge and very beautiful tapestries by Marc Chagall the famous Jewish artist. They had a very dreamlike quality to them and pictured the Jewish people in the past, important figures and events in Jewish history and then the future. He designed them then they were woven over a period of four years. I wish we could have had more time to examine them more closely. He also made mosaics for placement in the floor of the reception hall. He gave them as his gift to Israel. He did not speak Hebrew and never lived here but visited. The reception hall still held two beautiful vases of red roses from the tribute service held the day before to recognize the anniversary of the assasination of Yitzhak Rabin. Outside the Knessett is a huge beautiful Menorah given by Britain to Israel in 1956. On each branch of the candlelabra are carved biblical stories. The Menorah is the symbol of Israel. It was a very impressive tour and as we left here came a group of Israeli soldiers being given a tour. The military makes a point to educate their soldiers about their heritage by having them visit different locations in Israel and takes them to the Knesset.
Since we had taken a taxi to get to the Knesset, we decided to walk back to campus (about three miles). I'm getting my exercise and feel like my legs are stronger. If only my feet did not ache at the end of the day! We stopped and bought some freshly squeesed fruit juice along the way. Ahhh, how refreshing! These venders are all along the roads selling this wonderful fresh juice.
Last night we went back into the Old City for another organ concert but this one was not quite on par with our first concert with the organist from the Moscow Conservatory of Music. We heard several Bach fugues that were really very somber. Now we are back into travel mode today and packing and getting ready for our four-day trip to the Galilee. We look forward to exploring the area where Jesus called his disciples and wandered the hills of Galilee. We will be staying all three nights at a Kibbutz that operates a Guest House--Ein Gev at the base of the Golan Heights. Here we go again!
We were soon back into our routines, if you can call it that, of laundry, work in the library (I'm making progress in cataloging the Lindsay Collection), reading, talking with students, etc. Larry found himself reading and grading about 26 mid-term exams from his Prophetic Landscape Class. I started reading Peter Hessler's book, River Town--Two Years on the Yangtze River. Peter was a Peace Corps English teacher in Fuling, China from 1996 to 1998. He won the Kuriyama Book Award and for those of you who want to understand China better I highly recommend his writing. He learned Chinese while he was there and it opened so many doors for him. He now lives in Beijing and writes for the New Yorker and has published another book, Oracle Bones. I feel like I have learned so much already about China and her people and I'm still not finished. This is one of our Reading Club books at Taylor for this year so I was delighted to find it here at JUC.
My saga with Annie, the artist, continues. We were scheduled to meet for breakfast but she did not show so I called her and she said she was in Galilee and that she just had to get out of Jerusalem because of her health. She told me she did not know yet if she would be back from Galilee in time for Shabbat dinner but feels since I don't leave until December we can still get together. She's an interesting woman!
On Thursday morning I visited the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, with one of our Taylor students, Esther Lang. We had to arrive early for an English tour but first we had to go through security and have our passports with us--a very tight security system. We could not bring anything into the Knesset building. Our bags were placed in another bag and a number assigned and this was in a separate security building away from the Knesset. The Knesset is very modern and sleek with a contemporary decor. On the way in we met an older couple from Sherman Oaks, California who sat next to me. The woman told me they had rented an apartment for a month to visit family here and to tour. They have been spending a lot of time in the Old City touring the museums to stay cool. What an interesting couple! He is a retired doctor from Nova Scotia but now lives in California and her brother had made aliya (meaning "going up" and the term used when one moves to Israel and becomes a citizen) and they wanted to see other relatives. She proceeded to tell me that her nephews have 12 and 13 children each and that their daughters are lovely and pure on the inside. She is troubled about her granddaughters in the US who have absorbed their culture in Southern California and do not dress modestly. What can I do she asked? As we were getting ready to start the tour, I just encouraged her to pray to God and ask for wisdom. It's amazing what people will tell you in a ten minute time period! They were very caring of each other and loved seeing everything.
Our tour guide was a young Israeli who took us into the plenary room where debates and laws are made and we saw a film explaining how the Israeli government functions. They have 120 members of the Knesset because after 586 BC there were 120 elders of Israel. How they form their coalition government is interesting and leads to all kinds of "problems." We saw three huge and very beautiful tapestries by Marc Chagall the famous Jewish artist. They had a very dreamlike quality to them and pictured the Jewish people in the past, important figures and events in Jewish history and then the future. He designed them then they were woven over a period of four years. I wish we could have had more time to examine them more closely. He also made mosaics for placement in the floor of the reception hall. He gave them as his gift to Israel. He did not speak Hebrew and never lived here but visited. The reception hall still held two beautiful vases of red roses from the tribute service held the day before to recognize the anniversary of the assasination of Yitzhak Rabin. Outside the Knessett is a huge beautiful Menorah given by Britain to Israel in 1956. On each branch of the candlelabra are carved biblical stories. The Menorah is the symbol of Israel. It was a very impressive tour and as we left here came a group of Israeli soldiers being given a tour. The military makes a point to educate their soldiers about their heritage by having them visit different locations in Israel and takes them to the Knesset.
Since we had taken a taxi to get to the Knesset, we decided to walk back to campus (about three miles). I'm getting my exercise and feel like my legs are stronger. If only my feet did not ache at the end of the day! We stopped and bought some freshly squeesed fruit juice along the way. Ahhh, how refreshing! These venders are all along the roads selling this wonderful fresh juice.
Last night we went back into the Old City for another organ concert but this one was not quite on par with our first concert with the organist from the Moscow Conservatory of Music. We heard several Bach fugues that were really very somber. Now we are back into travel mode today and packing and getting ready for our four-day trip to the Galilee. We look forward to exploring the area where Jesus called his disciples and wandered the hills of Galilee. We will be staying all three nights at a Kibbutz that operates a Guest House--Ein Gev at the base of the Golan Heights. Here we go again!
Monday, October 18, 2010
Concerts in Israel
I realized this week that I have forgotten to share with you two free concerts we have attended over the last few weeks. One was an organ concert in Our Savior Catholic Church in the Old City. What a beautiful sanctuary with a huge pipe organ in the front of the church. We were blessed to hear an organist from the Conservatory of Music in Moscow. He played Bach and some of his own compositions and it was lovely. He was elevated above the congregation and I found it very interesting to view him through this huge crucifix that is in the center of the church by the altar. As I looked up, I felt myself moved by this very large image of Christ on the cross. Through icons and crucifixes, the Catholic Church emphasizes the Passion of Christ to a degree that I have not experienced in Protestant churches. I know that we emphasize the resurrection of the Lord and that he is no longer on the cross, but on occasion I think there is real value in contemplating all that Jesus endured on our behalf. It was a meaningful moment for me. Larry and I will be returning to another organ concert at the same church this week--all Bach. There is a special emphasis in the Old City during October on Thursday nights called the Knights of Jerusalem and the organ concert seems to be a part of this. There are actors in the streets dressed in medieval costumes with little dramas going on (all in Hebrew) and crowds come to walk the different 14 tableaux. Very interesting!
The other concert we attended was in the auditorium of the YMCA and was a premier of Esther Upham's Love Revealed performed by the Israel Chamber Orchestra with the Jerusalem A-Cappella Singers. It was absolutely lovely! Esther is a Mid-West woman born in Chicago and grew up in Indiana. She loves all things Judaica and wrote this wonderful piece that is all OT scriptures about the Messiah. I hope we will get to hear it again in the US some day. Taylor Chorale???? That night is memorable for another reason. I was fighting a cold and we found seats in the second row from the back. As the emcee introduced the program, she mentioned that it was being recorded so they requested no one cough. I was fine for about 15 minutes then I had drainage in the back of my throat so I got up to leave and go out the back but the way was blocked so there I stood in the corner with my face to the wall trying to blow my nose during the louder sections of the music. What a predicament! I finally remembered I had a cough drop in my purse and with a drink from Larry's water bottle I was finally okay and made my way back to my seat. How embarrassing! After I was seated, I heard all these other people coughing! In spite of all that, we really enjoyed this beautiful piece of music.
Larry and I have been taking my sister Dorothy and her friend (another Dorothy) around the Old City over the weekend to give them a more indepth insight into this part of Jerusalem. Is it ever crowded with tourists! We have both noticed how crowded the city seems and we heard from the Wrights that no one can get a hotel room in Jerusalem. Everything is booked. Dorothy took us to dinner at The Olive Tree Hotel last night and tour groups were coming in and some were leaving. We tried to eat in the dining room but it was reserved only for tour groups so we wound up in the huge lounge area and were served there. Tourism has really increased!
Our worship service at Christ Church yesterday was packed with people from Wales, Ireland, Seattle, WA, Denmark, Albany, CA and other places. Choruses are sung in English and Hebrew during the service. Every day seems to be an adventure for us! Dorothy leaves today to return home and we have so enjoyed her visit. What a treat. Several JUC students have family members visiting this week and we have a short-term Pastor's Group arriving today. More interesting people to meet.
The other concert we attended was in the auditorium of the YMCA and was a premier of Esther Upham's Love Revealed performed by the Israel Chamber Orchestra with the Jerusalem A-Cappella Singers. It was absolutely lovely! Esther is a Mid-West woman born in Chicago and grew up in Indiana. She loves all things Judaica and wrote this wonderful piece that is all OT scriptures about the Messiah. I hope we will get to hear it again in the US some day. Taylor Chorale???? That night is memorable for another reason. I was fighting a cold and we found seats in the second row from the back. As the emcee introduced the program, she mentioned that it was being recorded so they requested no one cough. I was fine for about 15 minutes then I had drainage in the back of my throat so I got up to leave and go out the back but the way was blocked so there I stood in the corner with my face to the wall trying to blow my nose during the louder sections of the music. What a predicament! I finally remembered I had a cough drop in my purse and with a drink from Larry's water bottle I was finally okay and made my way back to my seat. How embarrassing! After I was seated, I heard all these other people coughing! In spite of all that, we really enjoyed this beautiful piece of music.
Larry and I have been taking my sister Dorothy and her friend (another Dorothy) around the Old City over the weekend to give them a more indepth insight into this part of Jerusalem. Is it ever crowded with tourists! We have both noticed how crowded the city seems and we heard from the Wrights that no one can get a hotel room in Jerusalem. Everything is booked. Dorothy took us to dinner at The Olive Tree Hotel last night and tour groups were coming in and some were leaving. We tried to eat in the dining room but it was reserved only for tour groups so we wound up in the huge lounge area and were served there. Tourism has really increased!
Our worship service at Christ Church yesterday was packed with people from Wales, Ireland, Seattle, WA, Denmark, Albany, CA and other places. Choruses are sung in English and Hebrew during the service. Every day seems to be an adventure for us! Dorothy leaves today to return home and we have so enjoyed her visit. What a treat. Several JUC students have family members visiting this week and we have a short-term Pastor's Group arriving today. More interesting people to meet.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Negev Jottings
Three days in the Negev! We survived and enjoyed the experience in spite of feeling very weary. God’s wisdom in providing food and rest for the body was certainly evident to me as we awakened each morning feeling like we could do it all over again. We left Jerusalem Saturday morning and our first stop was just a short distance west of Jerusalem at Ein Sattaf where we climbed down to the springs. This area is a finger of the Sorek Valley which turns into the Elah Valley where David met up with Goliath. We found the National Park there packed with Israelis hiking and biking around the area. This was a very steep and rocky descent but viewing the terraced area and seeing a cave where a family might have lived was rewarding. The Romans channeled an aqueduct from this area to help irrigate the land. It was coming back up that just about wiped me out. I made it successfully but from there we visited Azekah and Lachish, with more climbing. The view from the top always makes the climbing worth it. JUC carries lunch for us so we have pita bread and make sandwiches with pickles, olives, hummous, cheese and tuna salad, if we choose. With fruit and some cookie or Israeli pastry we are set. Of course, there is always peanut butter for those who do not choose the Israeli lunch. We also visited Bet Shemesh in the afternoon—the area where Samson lived and attacked the Philistines. The views were wonderful and the area around these sites are built up with developments and agricultural crops.
We finished the day with a visit to Ashkelon, one of the five Philistine cities. We were studying how the hill country of Judea changes to the Shephelah, the flat coastal plain. Ashkelon is a beautiful city right on the water and the students had an opportunity to spend some time in the Mediterranean. Because two of our students had worked at the archaeological dig at Ashkelon some of us followed them around as they explained the site. It is huge. This is now a National Park so families were picnicking and enjoying the late afternoon sunshine. Beautiful palm trees and landscaped areas were all over. What a place to participate in a dig and then take a late afternoon swim at the end of each day! Many Russian immigrants have settled in the city of Ashkelon. From there we made our way to Beersheva where we stayed at a very pleasant Youth Hostel. They served us a wonderful hot dinner with three meats. We limped our way to our room while some of the students decided they wanted to check out the mall and get ice cream in Beersheba. Larry and I were asleep by 9:00 pm. Oh for the stamina and energy of youth!
On Sunday we started the day at the Beersheva archaeological site and were so impressed as we looked around and read the stories of Abraham. There is a replica of a four-horned altar found at this site (the original is in the Israel Museum) so several of the students had to have their photo taken laying on the altar and one enterprising student even had a rope with him so the others tied him up to represent what a sacrifice might have been like. Okay, you have to use your imagination! From there we were off to Arad (all of this in the desert area of the Negev) and then to Sde Boker, the retirement home of David Ben Gurion, the first Prime Minister of Israel. Ben Gurion believed that many Israelis would want to settle in the desert to help revitalize the land but much to his disappointment most Israelis chose to live in cities in other parts of Israel. Right next to Sde Boker is the great Nahal Zin (wadi/canyon) where we were supposed to do a hike that once you start you have to finish. The bus dropped everyone off at the bottom of the wadi then you walk out by some pools of water and up a 400 ft ladder. Larry and I decided to set this one out and instead walked around the upper areas. The site was beautiful and we could see the students at the bottom of the wadi. We were conserving our energy for the rest of the trip. (: Our final stop was at Mizpe Rimon a beautiful huge erosion crater—the largest in the world—25 miles long and about 6 to 8 miles wide. It reminded me of the Grand Canyon in one sense. Dr. Wright read Psalm 90 from the 1200 ft peak. It’s the type of place where you just want to sit, think, reflect and pray. “It was awesome,” as they say. While we were there we saw a herd of Ibex on the slopes—21 of them. The horns on these creatures are amazing. While Dr. Wright was reading, we watched Israeli jets flying over doing practice runs and some barely skimming the crater. It was while I was sitting there watching those jets that I was reminded again of the turmoil of the Middle East and to think these jets would be used in war if needed. It was a very sobering moment for me. These pilots are young men in their early 20’s and 30’s, for the most part, and have parents and spouses concerned for their safety just like we are for our soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Our final day started at Masada on the Dead Sea. This was one of Herod’s palaces and fortresses which Jewish zealots took over following the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 AD. Perhaps you have seen the TV movie, “Masada.” It took the Romans over two years to build siege ramps to reach the top of Masada and just before they broke through the wall the Jewish defenders all committed suicide instead of surrendering to the Romans. It’s an amazing site with a fantastic view to the north, south, east and west. We managed to walk up the siege ramp side which looks horrific but there actually are steps next to the siege ramp and we made it up in a little over 10 minutes. There was a race to the top between four male students. The JUC record was 2 minutes and 51 seconds. Josh from Indiana Wesleyan won the race that day in 3 minutes and 12 seconds but they all lost their breakfast when they arrived on top! Larry and I like to enjoy the walk along the way so we take it a little bit slower. We did take the cable car down on the other side.
We had our lunch on the Dead Sea and even grilled hot dogs. Not exactly like the parks in the US but adequate. Some of the students had a brief swim and found themselves feeling very oily when they came out of the water. From the Dead Sea we went to Ein Gedi where David hid from King Saul and we climbed to the lower water fall where Larry and I enjoyed wading in the cool, clear water. Our final stop was at Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. The flies were giving me fits there and at the Dead Sea. It’s amazing to think about this dedicated group of people who wanted to escape the corruption in Jerusalem and live closer to God in the desert. The remains of their ritual baths, the refectory, and other living quarters can be seen along with the caves where the scrolls were discovered. Such a sense of history here. They are called Essenes by Josephus and Pliny but the term they used for themselves was Yahad (meaning the community). We were two tired and dirty Americans when we got back to the campus. But, praise God for good food and rest which makes us get up the next morning and keep on going.
When we returned to campus we were saddened to learn that Nate and Paige’s dog Jessie was declining rapidly due to her cancer and they had to put her to sleep. It was a very sad day for them but we were thankful Nate was home from the tour to be there and help Paige through this. Alicia, Brad and the grandkids were able to connect with Nate in Dallas last Friday and spend some family time together.
Just an update on our friend, Annie, the artist. She didn’t make it to Shabbat dinner but sent me a note and wants to meet for coffee before she leaves. I’m hoping to see her this week and wonder if she is returning to Belgium. After our Shabbat dinner, the students at JUC had a coffeehouse with entertainment. What a delight to see the various talents from music to readings to silly songs that made us all laugh. We even had three baristas (JUC staff and a student) who made special coffees, chai tea, etc. I was particularly touched by Robyn who showed a video clip of her summer mission trip to Uganda where she worked with an orphaned boy who had a hearing disability. Robyn had planned to go to Uganda in the summer of 2008 and had the money raised but her health prevented her from going. She told us if she had gone then, she never would have met “Moses.” The missionaries asked her to help this little boy because he only arrived at the orphanage in 2009 and they could not really communicate with him. He was sad and by himself much of the time. Robyn shared with us that her mother’s first language was sign language as Robyn’s grandparents were both deaf. She knew some sign language and taught young Moses all summer. The expression on this little boy’s face totally changed to big smiles as he learned sign language and could begin to communicate. Robyn has committed her life to being a missionary in Africa. She’s a student at Eastern University and the one who survived the 10 foot fall I wrote about earlier. God uses these students in amazing and wonderful ways.
My writing is moving forward but a little more slowly this past week. We are off to Galilee on Oct. 23rd for four days. My sister Dorothy is now in Jerusalem finishing her tour and I look forward to seeing her tomorrow (Thursday) and helping to celebrate her birthday. I’m almost finished with the biography of Menachem Begin by Eric Silver. It has given me a better understanding of the Israeli political system and all their various parties as they form a coalition government after each election. If you want the history of the peace talks with Egypt and working with Anwar Sadat, you will find this most interesting.
I have much more to write and share with you but must wait for another day. Reading in I and II Kings right now and find Scripture more alive than ever as each location where biblical events occurred seem to leap out at me.
We finished the day with a visit to Ashkelon, one of the five Philistine cities. We were studying how the hill country of Judea changes to the Shephelah, the flat coastal plain. Ashkelon is a beautiful city right on the water and the students had an opportunity to spend some time in the Mediterranean. Because two of our students had worked at the archaeological dig at Ashkelon some of us followed them around as they explained the site. It is huge. This is now a National Park so families were picnicking and enjoying the late afternoon sunshine. Beautiful palm trees and landscaped areas were all over. What a place to participate in a dig and then take a late afternoon swim at the end of each day! Many Russian immigrants have settled in the city of Ashkelon. From there we made our way to Beersheva where we stayed at a very pleasant Youth Hostel. They served us a wonderful hot dinner with three meats. We limped our way to our room while some of the students decided they wanted to check out the mall and get ice cream in Beersheba. Larry and I were asleep by 9:00 pm. Oh for the stamina and energy of youth!
On Sunday we started the day at the Beersheva archaeological site and were so impressed as we looked around and read the stories of Abraham. There is a replica of a four-horned altar found at this site (the original is in the Israel Museum) so several of the students had to have their photo taken laying on the altar and one enterprising student even had a rope with him so the others tied him up to represent what a sacrifice might have been like. Okay, you have to use your imagination! From there we were off to Arad (all of this in the desert area of the Negev) and then to Sde Boker, the retirement home of David Ben Gurion, the first Prime Minister of Israel. Ben Gurion believed that many Israelis would want to settle in the desert to help revitalize the land but much to his disappointment most Israelis chose to live in cities in other parts of Israel. Right next to Sde Boker is the great Nahal Zin (wadi/canyon) where we were supposed to do a hike that once you start you have to finish. The bus dropped everyone off at the bottom of the wadi then you walk out by some pools of water and up a 400 ft ladder. Larry and I decided to set this one out and instead walked around the upper areas. The site was beautiful and we could see the students at the bottom of the wadi. We were conserving our energy for the rest of the trip. (: Our final stop was at Mizpe Rimon a beautiful huge erosion crater—the largest in the world—25 miles long and about 6 to 8 miles wide. It reminded me of the Grand Canyon in one sense. Dr. Wright read Psalm 90 from the 1200 ft peak. It’s the type of place where you just want to sit, think, reflect and pray. “It was awesome,” as they say. While we were there we saw a herd of Ibex on the slopes—21 of them. The horns on these creatures are amazing. While Dr. Wright was reading, we watched Israeli jets flying over doing practice runs and some barely skimming the crater. It was while I was sitting there watching those jets that I was reminded again of the turmoil of the Middle East and to think these jets would be used in war if needed. It was a very sobering moment for me. These pilots are young men in their early 20’s and 30’s, for the most part, and have parents and spouses concerned for their safety just like we are for our soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Our final day started at Masada on the Dead Sea. This was one of Herod’s palaces and fortresses which Jewish zealots took over following the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 AD. Perhaps you have seen the TV movie, “Masada.” It took the Romans over two years to build siege ramps to reach the top of Masada and just before they broke through the wall the Jewish defenders all committed suicide instead of surrendering to the Romans. It’s an amazing site with a fantastic view to the north, south, east and west. We managed to walk up the siege ramp side which looks horrific but there actually are steps next to the siege ramp and we made it up in a little over 10 minutes. There was a race to the top between four male students. The JUC record was 2 minutes and 51 seconds. Josh from Indiana Wesleyan won the race that day in 3 minutes and 12 seconds but they all lost their breakfast when they arrived on top! Larry and I like to enjoy the walk along the way so we take it a little bit slower. We did take the cable car down on the other side.
We had our lunch on the Dead Sea and even grilled hot dogs. Not exactly like the parks in the US but adequate. Some of the students had a brief swim and found themselves feeling very oily when they came out of the water. From the Dead Sea we went to Ein Gedi where David hid from King Saul and we climbed to the lower water fall where Larry and I enjoyed wading in the cool, clear water. Our final stop was at Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. The flies were giving me fits there and at the Dead Sea. It’s amazing to think about this dedicated group of people who wanted to escape the corruption in Jerusalem and live closer to God in the desert. The remains of their ritual baths, the refectory, and other living quarters can be seen along with the caves where the scrolls were discovered. Such a sense of history here. They are called Essenes by Josephus and Pliny but the term they used for themselves was Yahad (meaning the community). We were two tired and dirty Americans when we got back to the campus. But, praise God for good food and rest which makes us get up the next morning and keep on going.
When we returned to campus we were saddened to learn that Nate and Paige’s dog Jessie was declining rapidly due to her cancer and they had to put her to sleep. It was a very sad day for them but we were thankful Nate was home from the tour to be there and help Paige through this. Alicia, Brad and the grandkids were able to connect with Nate in Dallas last Friday and spend some family time together.
Just an update on our friend, Annie, the artist. She didn’t make it to Shabbat dinner but sent me a note and wants to meet for coffee before she leaves. I’m hoping to see her this week and wonder if she is returning to Belgium. After our Shabbat dinner, the students at JUC had a coffeehouse with entertainment. What a delight to see the various talents from music to readings to silly songs that made us all laugh. We even had three baristas (JUC staff and a student) who made special coffees, chai tea, etc. I was particularly touched by Robyn who showed a video clip of her summer mission trip to Uganda where she worked with an orphaned boy who had a hearing disability. Robyn had planned to go to Uganda in the summer of 2008 and had the money raised but her health prevented her from going. She told us if she had gone then, she never would have met “Moses.” The missionaries asked her to help this little boy because he only arrived at the orphanage in 2009 and they could not really communicate with him. He was sad and by himself much of the time. Robyn shared with us that her mother’s first language was sign language as Robyn’s grandparents were both deaf. She knew some sign language and taught young Moses all summer. The expression on this little boy’s face totally changed to big smiles as he learned sign language and could begin to communicate. Robyn has committed her life to being a missionary in Africa. She’s a student at Eastern University and the one who survived the 10 foot fall I wrote about earlier. God uses these students in amazing and wonderful ways.
My writing is moving forward but a little more slowly this past week. We are off to Galilee on Oct. 23rd for four days. My sister Dorothy is now in Jerusalem finishing her tour and I look forward to seeing her tomorrow (Thursday) and helping to celebrate her birthday. I’m almost finished with the biography of Menachem Begin by Eric Silver. It has given me a better understanding of the Israeli political system and all their various parties as they form a coalition government after each election. If you want the history of the peace talks with Egypt and working with Anwar Sadat, you will find this most interesting.
I have much more to write and share with you but must wait for another day. Reading in I and II Kings right now and find Scripture more alive than ever as each location where biblical events occurred seem to leap out at me.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Life In Jerusalem--Update
Have I said this before? Life is never dull in Jerusalem! Well, I guess I have to repeat myself.
Last week was another very interesting week with introductions to new people.
Allison Barlow, a 2009 grad of Taylor University, invited us to her apartment for dinner along with the other Taylor students who are here for the semester. Allison did her student teaching at the Anglican School in Jerusalem and then they offered her a job. She shares a tiny aparment with a Jewish woman in what I call "downtown" Jerusalem. After a 30 minute walk and one wrong turn, we did find her apartment down a very narrow side street and up several flights of stairs. She prepared a delicious chicken dinner for us with a favorite Middle Eastern salad called Tabbouleh and risotto. All of this on her two-burner hot plate. We balanced our plates on her sofa and chairs and enjoyed hearing about her life in Jerusalem but we also met her Arab Christian boyfriend who is pursuing two MA's at Hebrew University--one in Applied Physics and the other in Finance and Entrepreneurship. His first MA was in Computer Science. Anise is quite an interesting man with family roots that go back 200 years to Syria. He is a graduate of the Anglican School and both his parents are doctors in the Jerusalem area. Allison and Anise love being here and yet find the experience bittersweet because of the political turmoil. I am so grateful for these opportunities to interact and discuss what life is like for those who live and work here.
While we were visiting, a young Hassidic Jewish man with hat, side curls, and long black coat knocked on the apartment door and wanted to give a blessing on the house. Allison and Anise quickly told him to leave as he has come several times before and has been inappropriate with Allison. Anise followed him downstairs and told him never to return and he said he had never been there before. It's sad to see this mistaken form of piety on the part of some.
Friday evening following JUC's Shabbat dinner we took off for a lecture at Christ Church in the Old City. One of the graduate students at JUC, a woman from South Africa, gave a wonderful presentation on The Hebrew Roots of our Faith. Hermana has lived in Israel for nine years and provided a wonderful Bible Study on Romans 9, 10, 11. A tour group from South Africa was there and we were on the second floor of the building, jammed into a room with no air-conditioning but great "close" fellowship! It was so hot in that room but Hermana is quite a gifted teacher. Also, that evening we met Gary and Cindy Bayer who have formed a ministry for Hollywood screenwriters and film professionals to come to Israel for ten day stints to tour the land and nourish their creative abilities to write fresh stories with values and morals based upon what has impressed them here. Gary and Cindy have a villa in the Galilee area and an apartment in Jerusalem just above the Via Dolorosa. They are a warm and friendly couple who love the Lord and are using their gifts and talents in many ways here. They are from the US and relocate here for part of each year. One of the writers who came for an experience later wrote a piece that won awards at a film festival. This is a program for established professionals but could have potential in the future for those aspiring to write.
Saturday evening we spent sharing dinner with a young couple, Mandy and Jason, who are graduate students here and serve as Directors of what I call Student Life. Jason has an MA from Fuller and both he and his wife are now pursuing MA's in Archaeology. Again, another delicious meal cooked on a small hot plate and in a toaster oven. They have a small apartment on campus that is called the "Tomb Room" because there is an ancient tomb built into the side of their apartment wall. They remind me so much of our days when we were here as students in
1968-69--excited about the future and all that God had for us and wondering where he would lead us. Jason hopes to pursue PhD studies in the future. They are a conscientious young couple who minister to the students in a variety of ways--one of them being a "cookie night" every Wed. night.
Larry and I hosted a "Brownie Reception" in our room and patio area last night beginning at 9:30 pm--after the last class. The brownies were a hit and it was fun to be with the students and just relax and chat. We do not get a lot of desserts here so the students savored this treat. With the help of Duncan Hines Brownie mixes and Dianne Wright's kitchen we were able to get these baked and frosted. The evenings have cooled off again so the breeze felt so good last night. The students here are very supportive of each other and do lots of things in groups. They are eager to learn and like to discuss issues and yet have a good time. They enjoy Larry's class and have their mid-term due next week.
Sunday morning Larry and I visited St. Andrew's Scottish Presbyterian Church for worship and walked down Mt. Zion, across the Hinnom Valley, and up the other side to this historic church. It's a very small congregation and there is a Hospice House associated with the church. The pastor told us they had been discussing creation for some weeks and had agreed to bring their pets to church that Sunday so imagine my surprise when I saw the Pastor in his clerical robes walking down the aisle with his big dog (not a Lab but similar) on a leash and a family walking in with their miniature collie! The Pastor admitted he did not know for sure how this would go but the animals really were quite cooperative and sat through the service without any barking! Two of the women did not bring their pets but were showing photos of their pets from their cell phone. Another interesting Jerusalem worship experience for us. This church was built to minister to the Scots who came after 1917 during the British Mandate so it's history is full of illustrious figures who attended and visited during those years. Now it appears that they minister in several areas in Israel to Arab citizens of the State.
My library work on the Lindsay Collection is proceeding and my goal is to complete it before I leave. I have also made progress on my book and feel like the writing is getting easier for me. The lack of interruptions, no cooking, or extensive cleaning (other than our little room) here has really made it easier to accomplish projects. I've started reading the biography of Menahem Begin and again I'm impressed, as I have been with the other biographies I have read, of the courage and hardships these early leaders of Israel exhibited. I may not agree with them on everything but they experienced such tragedies in their lives and in Begin's case so much anti-semitism that they felt compelled to establish a homeland for the Jews because they believed they could never really be safe anyplace else. So many complicating factors are involved in the tensions that beset this land.
Larry has been invited to contribute two articles to a new book to be published by Baker Book House on New Testament backgrounds. Joel Green of Fuller Seminary and Lee MacDonald are the editors (professors and MacDonald former president of Acadia Seminary in Canada, I believe, and a former classmate of Larry's). One article will be on Apocalypticism and the other on Jewish Life during the Hasmonean Period. With those articles and a book review, he's finding his writing schedule is filling up for the next eight months.
Sunday evening we took a couple here to dinner to express our thanks for all Carl did to solve some computer problems we were having with our laptop. Carl and Ursala are with Wycliffe Bible Translators and they have been in the US for almost two years at Gordon-Conwell Seminary and Ursala is finishing her last semester here at JUC. She is a translator/linguist specialist in Benin and Carl is the person who handles all the computers in Benin for their team. What a wonderful couple! Ursala is from Germany and she and Carl met in Benin and married. God has richly blessed us with providing opportunities for us to meet great people who serve Him in a variety of ways around the world. We enjoyed dinner at Rimon's sitting outside overlooking the walls of the Old City and observing so many Israelis coming and enjoying family time together.
I'm excited that our artist friend, Annie, has accepted our invitation to join us here for Shabbat dinner on Friday evening. I'm praying God will use these contacts with her in significant ways. The students are planning a Coffee House after the dinner and many will be sharing their musical talents. Saturday morning we leave at 6:00 am for a three-day field trip to the coastal plains, to the Negev, Beersheba, Arad, Massada, and the Dead Sea. This is our first extended trip so we are curious how it will go. Lots of climbing the first day and it may be extra warm but we are looking forward to it.
We were saddened to learn that Nate and Paige, our son and daughter-in-law's dog, Jessie, has cancer and only three to six months to live. With Nate traveling so much, Paige has become very attached to this gentle companion. We have many good memories of Jessie's visits to our home and her romping through the snow with Nate. Those of you who love your pets know something of the emotional pain these two are feeling. Alicia, Brad and family will be able to connect with Nate when he is in Dallas, TX on Oct. 9th. Nate is Tour Manager for country-western artist Billy Currington who is the opening act for the Carrie Underwood Tour. I'm so pleased they try to connect whenever they can.
Tonight I'm joining several JUC students and the Wright's for a lesson in Scottish dancing at St. Andrew's. It's something like line dancing but this will be a totally new experience for me. I'll give you a report next time.
Update--The archaeological dig just west of the campus is winding down. They found numerous pieces of second Temple pottery but what they thought may have been a wall was not but could be the remains of a mikve (Jewish ritual bath). So, that means the JUC sewer project can continue as soon as the appropriate people sign off. The saga continues. . . .
Last week was another very interesting week with introductions to new people.
Allison Barlow, a 2009 grad of Taylor University, invited us to her apartment for dinner along with the other Taylor students who are here for the semester. Allison did her student teaching at the Anglican School in Jerusalem and then they offered her a job. She shares a tiny aparment with a Jewish woman in what I call "downtown" Jerusalem. After a 30 minute walk and one wrong turn, we did find her apartment down a very narrow side street and up several flights of stairs. She prepared a delicious chicken dinner for us with a favorite Middle Eastern salad called Tabbouleh and risotto. All of this on her two-burner hot plate. We balanced our plates on her sofa and chairs and enjoyed hearing about her life in Jerusalem but we also met her Arab Christian boyfriend who is pursuing two MA's at Hebrew University--one in Applied Physics and the other in Finance and Entrepreneurship. His first MA was in Computer Science. Anise is quite an interesting man with family roots that go back 200 years to Syria. He is a graduate of the Anglican School and both his parents are doctors in the Jerusalem area. Allison and Anise love being here and yet find the experience bittersweet because of the political turmoil. I am so grateful for these opportunities to interact and discuss what life is like for those who live and work here.
While we were visiting, a young Hassidic Jewish man with hat, side curls, and long black coat knocked on the apartment door and wanted to give a blessing on the house. Allison and Anise quickly told him to leave as he has come several times before and has been inappropriate with Allison. Anise followed him downstairs and told him never to return and he said he had never been there before. It's sad to see this mistaken form of piety on the part of some.
Friday evening following JUC's Shabbat dinner we took off for a lecture at Christ Church in the Old City. One of the graduate students at JUC, a woman from South Africa, gave a wonderful presentation on The Hebrew Roots of our Faith. Hermana has lived in Israel for nine years and provided a wonderful Bible Study on Romans 9, 10, 11. A tour group from South Africa was there and we were on the second floor of the building, jammed into a room with no air-conditioning but great "close" fellowship! It was so hot in that room but Hermana is quite a gifted teacher. Also, that evening we met Gary and Cindy Bayer who have formed a ministry for Hollywood screenwriters and film professionals to come to Israel for ten day stints to tour the land and nourish their creative abilities to write fresh stories with values and morals based upon what has impressed them here. Gary and Cindy have a villa in the Galilee area and an apartment in Jerusalem just above the Via Dolorosa. They are a warm and friendly couple who love the Lord and are using their gifts and talents in many ways here. They are from the US and relocate here for part of each year. One of the writers who came for an experience later wrote a piece that won awards at a film festival. This is a program for established professionals but could have potential in the future for those aspiring to write.
Saturday evening we spent sharing dinner with a young couple, Mandy and Jason, who are graduate students here and serve as Directors of what I call Student Life. Jason has an MA from Fuller and both he and his wife are now pursuing MA's in Archaeology. Again, another delicious meal cooked on a small hot plate and in a toaster oven. They have a small apartment on campus that is called the "Tomb Room" because there is an ancient tomb built into the side of their apartment wall. They remind me so much of our days when we were here as students in
1968-69--excited about the future and all that God had for us and wondering where he would lead us. Jason hopes to pursue PhD studies in the future. They are a conscientious young couple who minister to the students in a variety of ways--one of them being a "cookie night" every Wed. night.
Larry and I hosted a "Brownie Reception" in our room and patio area last night beginning at 9:30 pm--after the last class. The brownies were a hit and it was fun to be with the students and just relax and chat. We do not get a lot of desserts here so the students savored this treat. With the help of Duncan Hines Brownie mixes and Dianne Wright's kitchen we were able to get these baked and frosted. The evenings have cooled off again so the breeze felt so good last night. The students here are very supportive of each other and do lots of things in groups. They are eager to learn and like to discuss issues and yet have a good time. They enjoy Larry's class and have their mid-term due next week.
Sunday morning Larry and I visited St. Andrew's Scottish Presbyterian Church for worship and walked down Mt. Zion, across the Hinnom Valley, and up the other side to this historic church. It's a very small congregation and there is a Hospice House associated with the church. The pastor told us they had been discussing creation for some weeks and had agreed to bring their pets to church that Sunday so imagine my surprise when I saw the Pastor in his clerical robes walking down the aisle with his big dog (not a Lab but similar) on a leash and a family walking in with their miniature collie! The Pastor admitted he did not know for sure how this would go but the animals really were quite cooperative and sat through the service without any barking! Two of the women did not bring their pets but were showing photos of their pets from their cell phone. Another interesting Jerusalem worship experience for us. This church was built to minister to the Scots who came after 1917 during the British Mandate so it's history is full of illustrious figures who attended and visited during those years. Now it appears that they minister in several areas in Israel to Arab citizens of the State.
My library work on the Lindsay Collection is proceeding and my goal is to complete it before I leave. I have also made progress on my book and feel like the writing is getting easier for me. The lack of interruptions, no cooking, or extensive cleaning (other than our little room) here has really made it easier to accomplish projects. I've started reading the biography of Menahem Begin and again I'm impressed, as I have been with the other biographies I have read, of the courage and hardships these early leaders of Israel exhibited. I may not agree with them on everything but they experienced such tragedies in their lives and in Begin's case so much anti-semitism that they felt compelled to establish a homeland for the Jews because they believed they could never really be safe anyplace else. So many complicating factors are involved in the tensions that beset this land.
Larry has been invited to contribute two articles to a new book to be published by Baker Book House on New Testament backgrounds. Joel Green of Fuller Seminary and Lee MacDonald are the editors (professors and MacDonald former president of Acadia Seminary in Canada, I believe, and a former classmate of Larry's). One article will be on Apocalypticism and the other on Jewish Life during the Hasmonean Period. With those articles and a book review, he's finding his writing schedule is filling up for the next eight months.
Sunday evening we took a couple here to dinner to express our thanks for all Carl did to solve some computer problems we were having with our laptop. Carl and Ursala are with Wycliffe Bible Translators and they have been in the US for almost two years at Gordon-Conwell Seminary and Ursala is finishing her last semester here at JUC. She is a translator/linguist specialist in Benin and Carl is the person who handles all the computers in Benin for their team. What a wonderful couple! Ursala is from Germany and she and Carl met in Benin and married. God has richly blessed us with providing opportunities for us to meet great people who serve Him in a variety of ways around the world. We enjoyed dinner at Rimon's sitting outside overlooking the walls of the Old City and observing so many Israelis coming and enjoying family time together.
I'm excited that our artist friend, Annie, has accepted our invitation to join us here for Shabbat dinner on Friday evening. I'm praying God will use these contacts with her in significant ways. The students are planning a Coffee House after the dinner and many will be sharing their musical talents. Saturday morning we leave at 6:00 am for a three-day field trip to the coastal plains, to the Negev, Beersheba, Arad, Massada, and the Dead Sea. This is our first extended trip so we are curious how it will go. Lots of climbing the first day and it may be extra warm but we are looking forward to it.
We were saddened to learn that Nate and Paige, our son and daughter-in-law's dog, Jessie, has cancer and only three to six months to live. With Nate traveling so much, Paige has become very attached to this gentle companion. We have many good memories of Jessie's visits to our home and her romping through the snow with Nate. Those of you who love your pets know something of the emotional pain these two are feeling. Alicia, Brad and family will be able to connect with Nate when he is in Dallas, TX on Oct. 9th. Nate is Tour Manager for country-western artist Billy Currington who is the opening act for the Carrie Underwood Tour. I'm so pleased they try to connect whenever they can.
Tonight I'm joining several JUC students and the Wright's for a lesson in Scottish dancing at St. Andrew's. It's something like line dancing but this will be a totally new experience for me. I'll give you a report next time.
Update--The archaeological dig just west of the campus is winding down. They found numerous pieces of second Temple pottery but what they thought may have been a wall was not but could be the remains of a mikve (Jewish ritual bath). So, that means the JUC sewer project can continue as soon as the appropriate people sign off. The saga continues. . . .
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
What A Weekend!
Well, I knew I would probably get a cold eventually but I was hoping I would escape it but on Friday I succumbed to a full-blown cold. Thankfully, with Mucinex and cough drops I am much improved. It managed to slow me down a bit but I was still able to go on the field trip on Sunday. However, before that event we participated in the Shabbat dinner on JUC's campus with everyone sitting outside and about half of the student body and staff seated under a Succah (shelter) that the students had built over the grape arbor that sits atop a stone platform. It's like an outdoor patio. The students had draped blue and white side panels and white sheets to partially enclose the Succah and hung fruit at different spots and laid down floor coverings. Many families sleep and eat in their Succah during Succoth (Feast of Tabernacles).
It was a lovely evening to be outside with grilled chicken for our dinner and special Shabbat bread called Challah--very tasty. We light the candles and have special prayers before the meal lead by Dr. Wright. Following dinner Larry spoke at Vespers. He wrote on his blog some of what he shared with the students. His message was very well received.
On Thursday I made my way to the old Super Sol--a market we used to shop at when we were students here years ago. With my backpack I can manage to carry back to campus items we needed--like more kleenex! It was a memorable walk for me as I passed Independence Park, the US Consulate office, and saw so many interesting people on the way. A young girl was walking with her father who was an ultra-orthodox Jewish man with the side curls, big fur hat, and black coat that comes to the knees with white shirt. He was carrying some items needed for their Succah and his daughter was a teen-ager carrying a silver box and she was dressed in a black skirt and silk white blouse with a shawl. I was very curious as to what was in the box. I passed the new Waldorf-Astoria Hotel under construction and it is huge with beautiful stone balconies in a Roman style for the rooms facing the street. Every walk seems like an adventure to me.
On Saturday evening I went to the art exhibition for our new friend, Annie, at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer inside the Old City and very close to the great Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This was the first time I actually went inside the Lutheran Church and behind the stone facade is a beautiful courtyard filled with plants, palm trees, and flowers. A bassoon quartet was rehearsing for the concert later that evening. Annie's exhibit was held in the Refectory and the Dean of the Church was there to welcome everyone and then Annie spoke about her art work and what it represented. Her accent is very heavy and sometimes difficult to understand. She was dressed in a beautiful white and gold pantsuit and welcomed each person. She gave me the traditional Middle Eastern kiss on both cheeks. She exhibited Chinese calligraphy with a peace theme, photographs she had taken of orchids, trees, and leaves that express to her our connection to the earth, and then she had some Japanese Ickebana flowers and explained how the shape of the vase is important for holding the origami flowers. People could come and go during the hour before the concert. We are hoping Annie will join us here at JUC for a Shabbat dinner in October.
The Lutheran Church houses three congregations--a German-speaking congregation, an Arab congregation, and an English-speaking congregation. According to tradition, the land on which the church stands today was given to the emperor Charlemagne as a gift at the beginning of the 9th century by Khalif Harun al-Rashid. Such history all around us!
On Sunday, Larry and I were back on the bus for another field trip. Packed with my box of kleenex I felt I could make it. On our way to the bus we passed a large number of police and some soldiers near the walls of the Old City who were getting their final instructions for the day. Because of Succoth and the recent difficulties near the Temple Mount area, there is extra security all around. The traffic is very heavy and lots of Israelis visiting Jerusalem for the holidays in addition to other tourists. We heard there is a Christian Festival here with over 5,000 expected. They are praying for peace, conducting a march for peace near Independence Park and holding special meetings. It's very crowded. As I was near Jaffa Gate on Friday, a group of Christians stopped near the gate and prayed in a circle before they entered the Old City.
Sunday was another amazing day as we had the opportunity to explore the land given to the sons of Joseph--the Ephraim and Manassah territory north of Jerusalem. There is so much one can see in a day because the country is not that large--about the size of Rhode Island. As we wound our way up to a look-out point we discovered that it was very hazy and almost like a fog settled over the valleys. Nevertheless, we persevered . I continue to be amazed at how hilly the land is and how much energy and stamina it takes to walk this land. We visited Shechem and stopped at the Greek Orthodox Church that was built over Jacob's Well where Jesus met the Samaritan woman. The church and grounds are beautiful and a service was going on as we entered but the priest directed us down the stairs below the church to the well which is around 90 feet deep. People were pulling up the bucket filled with water and washing their face in it. A nun was busy hoisting up the bucket for her group. Larry and I had to at least get our hands wet since we were there! After admiring the art work and chapel, we were off to Mt. Gerizim where the Samaritans live. At the top of the mountain, still hazy, one of the students read out the blessings that Joshua recited years ago. We didn't go to Mt. Ebal where the curses were read out to the children of Israel but we could get a vague glimpse of it through the haze. We met the son of the Samaritan High Priest who explained to us a little about their history and allowed us into the museum there. The remaining Samaritans in the world total 746 with half of them living on Mt. Gerizim and half in the community of Holon near Tel Aviv. They follow the Torah (the first five books of the Bible) and at Passover they slaughter about 50 goats for sacrifice for their families and around 10,000 people come to observe. This is a small place so I wondered how everyone gets around. We were allowed to eat our lunch on the porch of a restaurant and store and the owners brought us tea--very hospitable. Again it was hot but not as hot as Jericho.
I was so impressed with our visit to Shiloh where the Tabernacle of the Lord was during the days of Eli and Samuel. Close to the Tel is a West Bank Israeli settlement that is highly developed. It is now a city called Shiloh and a Yeshiva (like a seminary) is being built on top of the mountain. We were told that the housing in the settlements is much cheaper than other places and that is appealing to Israelis who want to get out of apartments and have some land around them. We observed young families with their children enjoying family picnics and exploring the Tel together. The loookout point was fantastic and we read from the Bible the story of Hannah when she came to the Tabernacle to pray for a son and God gave her Samuel the prophet. So many biblical events occurred at Shiloh and around that area. As we gathered on the bus for our trip back to campus we noticed two men in an arena that looked like a training area for horses but instead they were training attack dogs. It was really interesting observing how each dog was brought out and one man hid in a small enclosure and how the dog would search for him and then attack his arm that was encased with a huge amount of padding and how they directed the dog to hold on until they gave the command to release. I had never seen training like this before. It saddened me because I knew this training was for protection of this West Bank settlement and the dogs probably patrol at night. As we left one of the buildings, I saw a father and son walking by. The father was in Western dress with a yarmulke on his head and the son, about 20 years old, dressed in shorts, with long side curls, a yarmulke on his head and a huge rifle slung over his shoulder. I'm not used to seeing this even though it is everywhere here. All reminders to me of how intense security is and that for these Israeli families they are determined to protect their homes and land. On the other hand, I see the Palestinians who feel their land has been stolen from them and want to do all they can to try to get back the land. Many of them live under difficult circumstances. As we go through the checkpoints, we see the Palestinians having to go through a separate line because of their license plate indicating they are from the administered territories, and we get to go through a different line. They usually just pass us through, but at one stop the soldiers did come on the bus and ask to see everyone's passport. They were friendly to us and one of the soldiers was from Maryland and spoke with an American accent. Another interesting story I am sure.
As I am learning more and more about the political issues here, I realize how difficult it is for both sides. The history and culture Israelis and Palestinians bring to the table shapes their views and makes resolution of the issues even more difficult. There is such a lack of trust. It will only be by God's grace that this land and people will be able to experience true peace. There are individuals on both sides who can work together but there are hurdles that seem intractable.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
On Monday evenings the Wrights host a Forum Table in their apartment over dinner. Students who choose can bring their trays and ask questions about statements their professors make, discuss the Middle East situation or any theological question they have. It makes for some fascinating conversations.
It was a lovely evening to be outside with grilled chicken for our dinner and special Shabbat bread called Challah--very tasty. We light the candles and have special prayers before the meal lead by Dr. Wright. Following dinner Larry spoke at Vespers. He wrote on his blog some of what he shared with the students. His message was very well received.
On Thursday I made my way to the old Super Sol--a market we used to shop at when we were students here years ago. With my backpack I can manage to carry back to campus items we needed--like more kleenex! It was a memorable walk for me as I passed Independence Park, the US Consulate office, and saw so many interesting people on the way. A young girl was walking with her father who was an ultra-orthodox Jewish man with the side curls, big fur hat, and black coat that comes to the knees with white shirt. He was carrying some items needed for their Succah and his daughter was a teen-ager carrying a silver box and she was dressed in a black skirt and silk white blouse with a shawl. I was very curious as to what was in the box. I passed the new Waldorf-Astoria Hotel under construction and it is huge with beautiful stone balconies in a Roman style for the rooms facing the street. Every walk seems like an adventure to me.
On Saturday evening I went to the art exhibition for our new friend, Annie, at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer inside the Old City and very close to the great Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This was the first time I actually went inside the Lutheran Church and behind the stone facade is a beautiful courtyard filled with plants, palm trees, and flowers. A bassoon quartet was rehearsing for the concert later that evening. Annie's exhibit was held in the Refectory and the Dean of the Church was there to welcome everyone and then Annie spoke about her art work and what it represented. Her accent is very heavy and sometimes difficult to understand. She was dressed in a beautiful white and gold pantsuit and welcomed each person. She gave me the traditional Middle Eastern kiss on both cheeks. She exhibited Chinese calligraphy with a peace theme, photographs she had taken of orchids, trees, and leaves that express to her our connection to the earth, and then she had some Japanese Ickebana flowers and explained how the shape of the vase is important for holding the origami flowers. People could come and go during the hour before the concert. We are hoping Annie will join us here at JUC for a Shabbat dinner in October.
The Lutheran Church houses three congregations--a German-speaking congregation, an Arab congregation, and an English-speaking congregation. According to tradition, the land on which the church stands today was given to the emperor Charlemagne as a gift at the beginning of the 9th century by Khalif Harun al-Rashid. Such history all around us!
On Sunday, Larry and I were back on the bus for another field trip. Packed with my box of kleenex I felt I could make it. On our way to the bus we passed a large number of police and some soldiers near the walls of the Old City who were getting their final instructions for the day. Because of Succoth and the recent difficulties near the Temple Mount area, there is extra security all around. The traffic is very heavy and lots of Israelis visiting Jerusalem for the holidays in addition to other tourists. We heard there is a Christian Festival here with over 5,000 expected. They are praying for peace, conducting a march for peace near Independence Park and holding special meetings. It's very crowded. As I was near Jaffa Gate on Friday, a group of Christians stopped near the gate and prayed in a circle before they entered the Old City.
Sunday was another amazing day as we had the opportunity to explore the land given to the sons of Joseph--the Ephraim and Manassah territory north of Jerusalem. There is so much one can see in a day because the country is not that large--about the size of Rhode Island. As we wound our way up to a look-out point we discovered that it was very hazy and almost like a fog settled over the valleys. Nevertheless, we persevered . I continue to be amazed at how hilly the land is and how much energy and stamina it takes to walk this land. We visited Shechem and stopped at the Greek Orthodox Church that was built over Jacob's Well where Jesus met the Samaritan woman. The church and grounds are beautiful and a service was going on as we entered but the priest directed us down the stairs below the church to the well which is around 90 feet deep. People were pulling up the bucket filled with water and washing their face in it. A nun was busy hoisting up the bucket for her group. Larry and I had to at least get our hands wet since we were there! After admiring the art work and chapel, we were off to Mt. Gerizim where the Samaritans live. At the top of the mountain, still hazy, one of the students read out the blessings that Joshua recited years ago. We didn't go to Mt. Ebal where the curses were read out to the children of Israel but we could get a vague glimpse of it through the haze. We met the son of the Samaritan High Priest who explained to us a little about their history and allowed us into the museum there. The remaining Samaritans in the world total 746 with half of them living on Mt. Gerizim and half in the community of Holon near Tel Aviv. They follow the Torah (the first five books of the Bible) and at Passover they slaughter about 50 goats for sacrifice for their families and around 10,000 people come to observe. This is a small place so I wondered how everyone gets around. We were allowed to eat our lunch on the porch of a restaurant and store and the owners brought us tea--very hospitable. Again it was hot but not as hot as Jericho.
I was so impressed with our visit to Shiloh where the Tabernacle of the Lord was during the days of Eli and Samuel. Close to the Tel is a West Bank Israeli settlement that is highly developed. It is now a city called Shiloh and a Yeshiva (like a seminary) is being built on top of the mountain. We were told that the housing in the settlements is much cheaper than other places and that is appealing to Israelis who want to get out of apartments and have some land around them. We observed young families with their children enjoying family picnics and exploring the Tel together. The loookout point was fantastic and we read from the Bible the story of Hannah when she came to the Tabernacle to pray for a son and God gave her Samuel the prophet. So many biblical events occurred at Shiloh and around that area. As we gathered on the bus for our trip back to campus we noticed two men in an arena that looked like a training area for horses but instead they were training attack dogs. It was really interesting observing how each dog was brought out and one man hid in a small enclosure and how the dog would search for him and then attack his arm that was encased with a huge amount of padding and how they directed the dog to hold on until they gave the command to release. I had never seen training like this before. It saddened me because I knew this training was for protection of this West Bank settlement and the dogs probably patrol at night. As we left one of the buildings, I saw a father and son walking by. The father was in Western dress with a yarmulke on his head and the son, about 20 years old, dressed in shorts, with long side curls, a yarmulke on his head and a huge rifle slung over his shoulder. I'm not used to seeing this even though it is everywhere here. All reminders to me of how intense security is and that for these Israeli families they are determined to protect their homes and land. On the other hand, I see the Palestinians who feel their land has been stolen from them and want to do all they can to try to get back the land. Many of them live under difficult circumstances. As we go through the checkpoints, we see the Palestinians having to go through a separate line because of their license plate indicating they are from the administered territories, and we get to go through a different line. They usually just pass us through, but at one stop the soldiers did come on the bus and ask to see everyone's passport. They were friendly to us and one of the soldiers was from Maryland and spoke with an American accent. Another interesting story I am sure.
As I am learning more and more about the political issues here, I realize how difficult it is for both sides. The history and culture Israelis and Palestinians bring to the table shapes their views and makes resolution of the issues even more difficult. There is such a lack of trust. It will only be by God's grace that this land and people will be able to experience true peace. There are individuals on both sides who can work together but there are hurdles that seem intractable.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
On Monday evenings the Wrights host a Forum Table in their apartment over dinner. Students who choose can bring their trays and ask questions about statements their professors make, discuss the Middle East situation or any theological question they have. It makes for some fascinating conversations.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Recent Photos from Field Trips
Here's a photo of my excursion into the "souk" or the Mahane Yehuda Market in Jerusalem. Note the vegetables for sale.
This is the ancient site of Tekoa--the prophet Amos' hometown. We are looking east and in the distance you can see the hills of Moab.
Larry is in the center of this photo talking about the prophet Amos and Tekoa. He's under the carob tree with the hat and sunglasses wearing a blue shirt. Wonderful shade!
Here's a photo of the little girl that followed us around NT Jericho at the remains of Herod's Palace. She's the one who asked for "Baksheesh" (money) as we were leaving. Some of the students gave her the snacks they had with them.
This photos shows us beginning our climb up into NT Jericho. We had already crossed a wadi. These are JUC students.
This is the spot where we stood looking down into the Wadi Qelt in the Judean Wilderness. There is a steep drop off just behind the gal with the pony tail.
The fearless hikers! We are in the Judean Wilderness overlooking the Wadi Qelt. The neck kerchief is to keep the sun off my neck. I often poured water on the kerchief and tied it around my neck. Very refreshing!
Another photo of the barren Judean Wilderness where our Lord was tempted. This is east of Jerusalem and on our way down into Jericho.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Life in Israel --September 23, 2010
I'm still on a learning curve for posting to my blog. Much to my disappointment, I could not find what I wrote yesterday and thought that I had saved it. I wonder if the heat in the computer lab wiped my brain clean as I sweltered in this inner "cave" and somehow did not follow the proper steps. We are into another heat wave in Jerusalem and we are finding it tough but it's great for drying our wash in JUC's garden. It dries very quickly--small delights!
We were surprised yesterday when we heard numerous police sirens and saw helicopters circling overhead. We "heard" that a private security guard who was hired to guard a Jewish settlement in the Silwan area, found himself threatened by some Palestinians so he pulled his gun and killed one of the men. The man was buried in the afternoon and that caused a riot in the Temple Mount area. We are less than a mile from this area and we were advised not to enter the Old City for the afternoon and evening. During my Palestinian Society and Politics class, Dr. Sabella felt things were under control and would not multiply into other actions. I'm finding this class very interesting and understanding better the complex issues facing Israel and the Palestinian Authority. My professor will be taking us to Ramallah, the headquarters for the Palestinian Authority in November. Things look a little differently here than from home.
Finally we connected with our artist friend, Annie. We met her for coffee on Saturday evening after Shabbat. We will be attending her art exhibition at the Lutheran Redeemer Church this Sat. night. She is a very interesting woman but very unhappy. She shared a litany of complaints and may be returning to Belgium after living in Israel for 38 years. She is a secular Jewess and very much into peace and environmental issues and feels persecuted by the ultra-orthodox Jews who live in the Old City. She is friendly and trying to decide whether to move to upper Galilee or to Belgium. Her three sons and families are here. We look forward to further contact with her.
On Sunday we left bright and early for an all-day field trip to the Benjamin Territory that included Jericho with stops at special viewpoints near Michmash, Bethel and Ai plus Gezer later in the day. It is amazing how quickly the terrain changes here. From the Mt. of Olives we headed east near the Wadi Qelt (a canyon) in the Judean Wilderness. Rainfall in Jerusalem is around 24 inches a year and we only have to travel 10 to 12 miles and rainfall drops to only four to five inches in a good year. What a barren wilderness. We climbed (as always) a ridge overlooking the Wadi Qelt and as I looked down I thought to myself, "My goodness, what if I slipped and fell." One had to be very careful. We were very close to the area believed to be where Jesus was tempted in the wilderness. Believe it or not, bedouin shepherds still manage to find something for their goats to eat. At the bottom of the canyon is water and a few trees but for the most part it is truy desolate. One would think no one can live here but they do. We thought we were alone but Dr. Wright said, "The bedouin already know we are here." Of course, he was correct and in just a short time here came a donkey with two men selling their scarves and necklaces. With Dr. Wright's help I decided to buy a white scarf to help protect my arms from the sun. I paid a reasonable amount but the bedouin man kept telling me I was "hurting him."
From there we made our way to New Testament Jericho where Herod kept a winter palace. We saw the remains and nearby was a goat barn and two little children soon came to watch us. We wandered around the site-no shade--and when Dr. Wright was finished speaking this little six year-old girl quietly held out her hand and said, "Baksheesh"? She was barefoot, had on a very dirty t-shirt and what I call sweat pants. She was lovely! Really a sweet little girl. She was surrounded by egg plants that were thrown on the site as fodder for the goats. Larry and I made our way back to the bus as quickly as we could because of the sun. Jericho sometimes sees temps of 120 degrees. It wasn't that hot for us but I am so thankful for a good hat, water, sunscreen and sun glasses!
We later visited OT Jericho and found ourselves at this amazing rest stop that I remembered from years ago except now it is THE place for tourists. Everything there has been enlarged and the owner said they were expecting 20 tourist buses for lunch and planned to serve around 1,000 people. After we saw the amazing results of the archaeological dig, we took our lunch JUC sent with us and enjoyed sitting on one of the roof tops with some slight shade. I longingly looked at the new cable cars that now transport tourists up the hill to the monastery at the Mount of Temptation. We did not go there. As Dr. Wright says, "This is a class, we are not a tourist group."
We do have a lot of fun with the students while we are out and they are always very helpful to us and Dr. Wright shares so much interesting information about the sites we visit, the biblical accounts, and the history. As we drove through the town of Jericho, I could not help but think what a contrast in culture. Everything one needs is there but the way it is displayed, maintained, etc. is unique to this part of the world. We even passed "Bananaland," a water park next to a banana grove.
We drove up and back to Jerusalem passing Michmash, Ai, and Bethel along the way with a short stop to see how the shepherds get water for their goats from a well at Michmash. Right next to this area is a Jewish settlement as this is in the West Bank. We made our way later over to Gezer, a huge archaelogoical site and Dr. Wright had bought some luscious figs for all of us to enjoy. He jokes that his "band-aids" for us are cookies and fruit. He knows just when we need a treat--a man with a great deal of experience with students. Larry and I brought up the rear again as we arrived back in Jerusalem after dark and made our way up the hill to the campus where we found a nice warm supper awaiting us. Amazing how a good hot meal helps our aching bodies.
On Tuesday I walked to Mahane Ben Yehuda with a student who wanted to see all the special purchases that many Jewish families make in preparation for Succoth which began last night. Mahane Ben Yehuda is a huge covered market with lots of little shops--like a souk. There are specific stalls for cheese, nuts, fish, bakery items, vegetables, fruit, etc. It was crowded. People were buying palm branches to make their shelter for Succoth and some families build these on their balconies and eat in them during these five or six days. Some of the students have built a Succah here on JUC's campus and last night some of us set outside and enjoyed the wonderful air and atmosphere as we ate dinner together. It was a long walk on Tuesday and in the heat so I found a vendor who sold freshly squeezed pomegranate juice that was lovely. What a treat!
On Monday morning, I went with Larry's class to the biblical site of Tekoa located in the Palestinian Territory. This was the home town of the prophet Amos. We are getting used to going through checkpoints but I must admit that when we reached Tekoa there was a sign that said No Israeli Citizens, which reminded us of the turnoil here. Israelis cannot enter the Palestiian Territories and Palestinians cannot enter Israel without special permits.
So sad. We had to have a Palestinian guide with us to visit Tekoa and he was a wonderful Christian man who studied at JUC and at Bethlehem Bible College and is now the first Palestinian to be working on his doctorate at Bar Ilan University in Israel. There was a wonderful carob tree on site that we were able to sit under as Larry talked about Amos. The view was fantastic. This is very close to Bethlehem and the olive groves around the site are known as the "best" in the area. The soil is rich. Again, I couldn't help but notice that this area reminds me of how brown Southern California looks at this time of year. Not much rainfall.
Jerusalem continues to attract a variety of people. On the way back to campus after the Tekoa field trip, Larry and I saw two women near the JUC gate so we asked if we could help them. They were looking for Zion Gate so we were able to direct them but in the conversation we discovered they were from Newport Beach, CA--not far from where I grew up in Brea. They were Christians and here on their own for about ten days. When Dr. Wright came up one of them said they were so excited about the Lord's returning. We are too, but don't know when. We wondered if they were here to greet the Lord. We have been reading about so many Christians over the years who cometo Israel to welcome the Lord when he returns to the Mt. of Olives. Some have come because they felt they knew the exact time. I am reading a fascinating book about Horatio and Anna Spafford who founded the American Colony and came to Israel to welcome the Lord and used to go to the Mt of Olives daily with a picnic lunch to meet the Lord. Their story is really rather sad and yet they helped the poor and sick but it appears their group became a cult. The book is American Priestess: The Story of Anna Spafford. It's never dull here!
We were surprised yesterday when we heard numerous police sirens and saw helicopters circling overhead. We "heard" that a private security guard who was hired to guard a Jewish settlement in the Silwan area, found himself threatened by some Palestinians so he pulled his gun and killed one of the men. The man was buried in the afternoon and that caused a riot in the Temple Mount area. We are less than a mile from this area and we were advised not to enter the Old City for the afternoon and evening. During my Palestinian Society and Politics class, Dr. Sabella felt things were under control and would not multiply into other actions. I'm finding this class very interesting and understanding better the complex issues facing Israel and the Palestinian Authority. My professor will be taking us to Ramallah, the headquarters for the Palestinian Authority in November. Things look a little differently here than from home.
Finally we connected with our artist friend, Annie. We met her for coffee on Saturday evening after Shabbat. We will be attending her art exhibition at the Lutheran Redeemer Church this Sat. night. She is a very interesting woman but very unhappy. She shared a litany of complaints and may be returning to Belgium after living in Israel for 38 years. She is a secular Jewess and very much into peace and environmental issues and feels persecuted by the ultra-orthodox Jews who live in the Old City. She is friendly and trying to decide whether to move to upper Galilee or to Belgium. Her three sons and families are here. We look forward to further contact with her.
On Sunday we left bright and early for an all-day field trip to the Benjamin Territory that included Jericho with stops at special viewpoints near Michmash, Bethel and Ai plus Gezer later in the day. It is amazing how quickly the terrain changes here. From the Mt. of Olives we headed east near the Wadi Qelt (a canyon) in the Judean Wilderness. Rainfall in Jerusalem is around 24 inches a year and we only have to travel 10 to 12 miles and rainfall drops to only four to five inches in a good year. What a barren wilderness. We climbed (as always) a ridge overlooking the Wadi Qelt and as I looked down I thought to myself, "My goodness, what if I slipped and fell." One had to be very careful. We were very close to the area believed to be where Jesus was tempted in the wilderness. Believe it or not, bedouin shepherds still manage to find something for their goats to eat. At the bottom of the canyon is water and a few trees but for the most part it is truy desolate. One would think no one can live here but they do. We thought we were alone but Dr. Wright said, "The bedouin already know we are here." Of course, he was correct and in just a short time here came a donkey with two men selling their scarves and necklaces. With Dr. Wright's help I decided to buy a white scarf to help protect my arms from the sun. I paid a reasonable amount but the bedouin man kept telling me I was "hurting him."
From there we made our way to New Testament Jericho where Herod kept a winter palace. We saw the remains and nearby was a goat barn and two little children soon came to watch us. We wandered around the site-no shade--and when Dr. Wright was finished speaking this little six year-old girl quietly held out her hand and said, "Baksheesh"? She was barefoot, had on a very dirty t-shirt and what I call sweat pants. She was lovely! Really a sweet little girl. She was surrounded by egg plants that were thrown on the site as fodder for the goats. Larry and I made our way back to the bus as quickly as we could because of the sun. Jericho sometimes sees temps of 120 degrees. It wasn't that hot for us but I am so thankful for a good hat, water, sunscreen and sun glasses!
We later visited OT Jericho and found ourselves at this amazing rest stop that I remembered from years ago except now it is THE place for tourists. Everything there has been enlarged and the owner said they were expecting 20 tourist buses for lunch and planned to serve around 1,000 people. After we saw the amazing results of the archaeological dig, we took our lunch JUC sent with us and enjoyed sitting on one of the roof tops with some slight shade. I longingly looked at the new cable cars that now transport tourists up the hill to the monastery at the Mount of Temptation. We did not go there. As Dr. Wright says, "This is a class, we are not a tourist group."
We do have a lot of fun with the students while we are out and they are always very helpful to us and Dr. Wright shares so much interesting information about the sites we visit, the biblical accounts, and the history. As we drove through the town of Jericho, I could not help but think what a contrast in culture. Everything one needs is there but the way it is displayed, maintained, etc. is unique to this part of the world. We even passed "Bananaland," a water park next to a banana grove.
We drove up and back to Jerusalem passing Michmash, Ai, and Bethel along the way with a short stop to see how the shepherds get water for their goats from a well at Michmash. Right next to this area is a Jewish settlement as this is in the West Bank. We made our way later over to Gezer, a huge archaelogoical site and Dr. Wright had bought some luscious figs for all of us to enjoy. He jokes that his "band-aids" for us are cookies and fruit. He knows just when we need a treat--a man with a great deal of experience with students. Larry and I brought up the rear again as we arrived back in Jerusalem after dark and made our way up the hill to the campus where we found a nice warm supper awaiting us. Amazing how a good hot meal helps our aching bodies.
On Tuesday I walked to Mahane Ben Yehuda with a student who wanted to see all the special purchases that many Jewish families make in preparation for Succoth which began last night. Mahane Ben Yehuda is a huge covered market with lots of little shops--like a souk. There are specific stalls for cheese, nuts, fish, bakery items, vegetables, fruit, etc. It was crowded. People were buying palm branches to make their shelter for Succoth and some families build these on their balconies and eat in them during these five or six days. Some of the students have built a Succah here on JUC's campus and last night some of us set outside and enjoyed the wonderful air and atmosphere as we ate dinner together. It was a long walk on Tuesday and in the heat so I found a vendor who sold freshly squeezed pomegranate juice that was lovely. What a treat!
On Monday morning, I went with Larry's class to the biblical site of Tekoa located in the Palestinian Territory. This was the home town of the prophet Amos. We are getting used to going through checkpoints but I must admit that when we reached Tekoa there was a sign that said No Israeli Citizens, which reminded us of the turnoil here. Israelis cannot enter the Palestiian Territories and Palestinians cannot enter Israel without special permits.
So sad. We had to have a Palestinian guide with us to visit Tekoa and he was a wonderful Christian man who studied at JUC and at Bethlehem Bible College and is now the first Palestinian to be working on his doctorate at Bar Ilan University in Israel. There was a wonderful carob tree on site that we were able to sit under as Larry talked about Amos. The view was fantastic. This is very close to Bethlehem and the olive groves around the site are known as the "best" in the area. The soil is rich. Again, I couldn't help but notice that this area reminds me of how brown Southern California looks at this time of year. Not much rainfall.
Jerusalem continues to attract a variety of people. On the way back to campus after the Tekoa field trip, Larry and I saw two women near the JUC gate so we asked if we could help them. They were looking for Zion Gate so we were able to direct them but in the conversation we discovered they were from Newport Beach, CA--not far from where I grew up in Brea. They were Christians and here on their own for about ten days. When Dr. Wright came up one of them said they were so excited about the Lord's returning. We are too, but don't know when. We wondered if they were here to greet the Lord. We have been reading about so many Christians over the years who cometo Israel to welcome the Lord when he returns to the Mt. of Olives. Some have come because they felt they knew the exact time. I am reading a fascinating book about Horatio and Anna Spafford who founded the American Colony and came to Israel to welcome the Lord and used to go to the Mt of Olives daily with a picnic lunch to meet the Lord. Their story is really rather sad and yet they helped the poor and sick but it appears their group became a cult. The book is American Priestess: The Story of Anna Spafford. It's never dull here!
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