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. . . .