Reflections--September 18, 2010

It's Yom Kippur and I can't believe how quiet it is. What an amazing day in the land of Israel and especially here in this busy city of Jerusalem. No horns honking, no traffic, etc. It really feels good. Larry and I are enjoying the quiet as we reflect on the significance of this day and with grateful hearts we worship the Savior who took our sins away--forever.

I continue to meet very interesting people. Yesterday I was to meet the artist, Annie Fischler, for breakfast but we had a mix up and it did not work out so we are meeting this evening after Shabbat at the King David Hotel coffee shop. Annie has invited me to an exhibit of her art at the Redeemer Lutheran Church in the Old City on Sept. 26th. I am so curious about her and look forward to getting to know her better. Since she did not show up for breakfast yesterday, I walked over to the Mamilla Mall and found a small cafe that served delicious croissants with tea. As I sat near the window enjoying my tea, I observed the variety of people passing by. Young families pushing strollers, a Muslim woman walking with her daughter, a few soldiers, and a few very modern Western dressed young women. Shouts of "Ima," "Ima," from a little boy calling for his mother were all very typical of what I see in the US--just a little more variety in dress.

From the Mall I took a taxi into East Jerusalem (was Jordan before the Six-Day War) to look at the hotel my sister Dorothy will be staying at when she completes her tour of Israel. She will be coming to Jerusalem for four days in October and I look forward to seeing her and enjoying Jerusalem together. On the way back the taxi driver asked me where I was staying and I told him Jerusalem University College. He then proceeded to tell me, "Oh, that is the school where students volunteer to work with the Gypsie children." He told me he is a Gypsie and his sister runs the center and that he had transported JUC students to the center and back. He said he lived near the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City and that it was very nice. He took me almost all the way to the school--it's a very narrow road the last 1/4 mile to the school but he was kind enough to take me that far. Everyday it seems like God brings into my life a new person or small encounter that makes my experience here more and more meaningful.

I forgot to mention earlier that Ramadan ended a week ago Thursday night with five huge blasts from a Turkish canon announcing Ramadan was over. During Ramadan the canon sounds in the morning when the fast begins and once in the evening when the fast ends and then five final blasts at the end of Ramadan. I hear all kinds of noises that make me ask is that fireworks, a canon blast, or a bomb??? If I don't hear sirens afterwards, I assume it's all okay. (:

Here at JUC we have the privilege of seeing many little geckos running around the school. I was pleasantly surprised to have a small white gecko cross my path. One can hardly see them against the light stone floor. I finally saw one dog when I was walking through Mamilla Mall--a small poodle on a leash. That is the first dog I have seen in Jerusalem.

My writing is progressing at a slow pace but progress is being made. I just finished reading Ruth Dayan's book, The Story of Ruth Dayan...Or Did I Dream a Dream? She was the wife of the military Chief of Staff and famous General Moshe Dayan. What a story of life on a moshav, the war of independence, living with a charismatic and famous man, her establishing a business that helped Jewish immigrants by selling their handcrafted items called Maskit, and then seeing her marriage end in divorce. It appears they were both very difficult people to live with but highly gifted.

Our student, Robyn, who fell last Sunday on a hike, is recuperating but is walking slowly and her eye is truly a black eye. We all marvel again that God spared her from broken bones and more serious injuries.

The dig just ouside the campus by the local Dept. of Antiquities has really taken on the appearance of a very professional archaeological dig. They just found some pottery from the second temple period and something else that could be a wall but not certain as yet. It would be wonderful if they identified something truly significant but if they do it will slow down JUC's plans for connecting to the city sewer. Such is life in Jerusalem!