WE HAVE ARRIVED!

Here we are on Mt. Zion acclimating ourselves to life in Jerusalem and at Jerusalem University College. First impressions--it's very hot (but we have a fan in our room), the city is like a metropolis with heavy traffic and yet we can see the golden dome of the Dome of the Rock and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre from a distance, we hear the bells of the Dormition Abbey behind the school but I have not heard the call to prayer from the minaret as yet. We are jet lagged but trying to keep ourselves awake until this evening.

Our flight from Philadelphia to Tel Aviv was 100% full and slightly delayed. The pilot announced we needed to be moved to a longer runway since we were so heavily loaded and that took some time--a little more information than I needed. Heavily loaded?? No problem, however, there were a multitude of little ones on this flight who were very tired and cross so it was noisy but they did quiet down and fall asleep eventually. (: It was interesting for us to hear Hebrew again from so many passengers and many young people. When the plane landed in Tel Aviv everyone on board applauded. I wondered if they were thanking the pilot or expressing their joy about being back in Israel. Out came the cell phones with students calling Ima and Abba (Mommy and Daddy). The Ben Gurion Airport is lovely and we easily found a shuttle to Jerusalem and met the dinner cooks for JUC on the shuttle. They are a young couple from Chicago volunteering at JUC for a year. Paula is a former student at JUC. All the alums want to come back. (: On our shuttle were several orthodox Jewish families with the women having their hair totally covered in very lovely hats and then a young mother with two little ones. It was interesting to see the neighborhoods they lived in as they were dropped off. One of the orthodox men pointed out to us the largest synagogue in Israel right in their neighborhood. He was very proud of it and it is huge! Larry noticed the entrance for the women and another entrance for the men. I feel like I am gulping in so much information and my eyes cannot take it all in.

Paul and Dianne Wright (Paul is President of JUC) welcomed us on our arrival around 6:00 pm and showed us our room and there were several students to help with luggage, etc. The Wrights had placed in our room a lovely dish of nectarines (huge) and apples with a welcoming note on a card showing JUC and then invited us to dinner in their apartment. What a wonderful way to say "We're glad you are here." Several new people were there and she shared some barbequed shredded turkey that we made into a taco or burrito. There melons are similar to cantalopue. What a treat!

After unpacking this morning, Larry and I ventured out to Jaffa Gate and noted all the changes along the way and at the entrance. They are making a plaza at the entrance to the gate. Because of the heat we shortened our walk and turned east and noticed a small restaurant at Christ Church Hospice run by the Anglican Church. They had a lovely buffet in a very cool room and so we stopped. Meals at JUC officially begin Friday evening but we have access to some breakfast items and will probably eat out some of the time. Wrights are hosting all of the early birds for Pizza tonight. We walked back to JUC through the Armenian Quarter and exited through Zion Gate. So many memories for us as we often walked this area years ago. Every place is so busy. We overlook the Hinnom Valley from our room and we noticed the previous years of a soccer field below the school has been changed and now we see an amphitheatre of sorts and it looks like they are building a stage for a concert--maybe this weekend?? I walked the JUC garden area this morning and found it's not quite as green as in previous years. It takes lots of water for everything. Right next to the school is the Jerusalem Protestant Cemetery with many British soldiers buried there along with Horatio Spafford and his wife, plus archaeologists and the founders of JUC, Dr. G. Douglas Young and Georgina.

It looks like my volunteer work will consist of working in the library helping to put in place a collection given by Bob Lindsay, the former pastor of Baptist House and a Southern Baptist Missionary who gave his library to JUC upon his death. When we were students here we attended his church and had the privilege of meeting him. He was a very interesting man who loved Israel and lost his leg when he ventured into a minefield to rescue a young Arab boy who found himself trapped there and afraid. This occurred in the years before the Six--Day War
in the area of no-man's land in Jerusalem. He survived the loss of his leg and wore a prothesis for the rest of his life. God greatly used him.

We love meeting the graduate students who are here finishing there MA degree. Next door to us is a young couple with a baby who is just finishing the program and will be leaving in two weeks. So many interesting people.

Thanks for letting me ramble on as we begin this adventure in Jerusalem and adjust to life in Israel.