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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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. . . .