Life in Jerusalem--Saturday, August 28, 2010

It has been a fascinating four days for us. My senses are overwhelmed as I try to drink in everything around me. Today is Shabbat so it is much quieter. Tonight, when Shabbat is over, everyone comes out of their homes and I am joining the students for a walking tour in the "New City--West Jerusalem" as part of their orientation. On Wed. the Wrights took us to the Mamilla Mall for lunch and I felt like I was back in a mall in Indianapolis or FT Wayne with stores like The Gap, bookstores, cafes, and women's fashions just like I see at home. The Mall was built all around a beautiful church and we were told that due to demonstrations by the Hasidic Jewish Community construction was delayed for almost four years. They were demonstrating because they did not want a movie theatre in the Mall. Perhaps there were other reasons too???

The students began arriving yesterday from all over. We have met students from Westmont, Messiah, Indiana Wesleyan, Eastern Univ., Calvin, Wheaton, Hong Kong and Japan. Two students are from Taylor and we are enjoying getting to know them better. They are all thrilled to be here and eager to study and experience this amazing land. I've been in orientation sessions with them all day. I had a short training session yesterday afternoon on my work in the library with the Lindsay Collection. I look forward to helping them with this project about one afternoon a week (hoping this non-librarian can provide needed help).

I had a very memorable birthday yesterday. Larry took me to the King David Hotel for breakfast, which is very close to JUC. On our way we stopped to ask a woman and man who were chatting if we were on the right stairway up the hill to the King David. The woman volunteered to show us the way. We had just walked through the artist's colony and I noticed one of the shops was listed as Annie Fischler, Artist. She was friendly to us and walked us by the French Consulate and I asked her if she lived near here and she told me she was an artist. We thanked her and moved on. After our fabulous breakfast buffet in the historic King David, we walked out to the terrace and there was the artist sitting having coffee. We approached her and thanked her for her directions and she asked for our phone number. We don't have a phone except for JUC's phone so she wrote down her name for us and email and her name is Annie Fischler--the shop owner I had just walked by! She would like to come visit us at JUC so I will be contacting her by email. I have been praying that I would have an opportunity to get to know an Israeli woman and possibly interview her about what it is like to live in Jerusalem and raise a family here. Is she the one? We shall see. One more thing--the man who was chatting with Annie was speaking Hebrew but when we stopped he asked in English and with a southern drawl if we were from the school in Texas because he saw Larry's TU on his shirt. We told him we were from Taylor University and he said, "You better buckle up because we are in for quite a ride." We assumed he was referring to something eschatological--perhaps the Rapture??? We are meeting some very interesting people! That was the point when Annie offered to walk with us to the King David Hotel.

During dinner last night the Wrights surprised me with a beautiful bouquet of flowers for my birthday and all the students sang Happy Birthday. They are so sweet! There are about 50 students with some living off-campus (primarily married students and graduate students) with undergrads on the Mt Zion campus. It's interesting to observe how community is formed as people come from all over the world to share life in Jerusalem together and on the field trips. One of the students told me how he woke up at 4:00 am due to jet lag and went to the school rooftop and met God there in a very special way as he prayed and looked around him at the city and at the sky. His joy and delight in this experience was very touching. He is so glad to be here.

In devotions led by Paul Wright he read from Psalm 126, one of the Psalms of ascent. He compared the joy of the Israelites over the restoration of Zion to what we are experiencing as we embark on this "ascent to Jerusalem" and specifically to living on Mt. Zion. "Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, The Lord has done great things for them. The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy."--Ps 126:2-3 He said this can be a Psalm for all places and for all times. I echo this joy--The Lord has done great things for us!