Update on Life in Jerusalem--March 25, 2012

I apologize to family and friends for not posting on my blog more frequently since we have been in Israel. Larry and I have been dealing with frequent internet connection problems at JUC that have stymied our efforts (and our patience). The school is working on resolving these issues but there are many interruptions. Needless to say, life has been full of interesting encounters and many valuable learning lessons.

First of all, Larry and I have decided to return home three weeks earlier than originally planned. Larry has an opportunity to write an online course on the book of Revelation for MA students at a divinity school in England. They are eager to receive the course and Larry's resource materials are at home. We are also missing our dear family and friends and realized we are ready to be home. We departed Indiana on February 18th and have been privileged to experience Israel amidst the rain and sunshine. Temperatures have been in the 70's all week and it looks like rain may be coming again this week. The drought has been broken.

We welcome our grandson, Jacob, on Friday and will be picking him up at the airport and exploring the land of Israel with him. We are so thankful he will be experiencing Easter with us in Jerusalem.

This morning we took the Canadian parents of a JUC grad student on a walking tour of the Old City and tried to go to the Temple Mount area but the line was extremely long. We made a quick change in plans and substituted other sites to visit and plan to return to the Temple Mount early in the morning on Tuesday. We even visited Oscar Schindler's gravesite and from the cemetery had an amazing view of the Hinnom Valley right where it turns westward from the Kidron Valley. We enjoyed our time but climbed many stairs and walked several miles. We both found ourselves in need of a rest following our "hike."

We spent the evening of Purim in the Huerva Synagogue in the Jewish Quarter. This festival remembers the rescue of the Jews by Queen Esther. It was fun to see so many children and even adults dressed in various costumes and laughing, singing, and dancing in the streets. I sat in the women's section at this Orthodox synagogue and looked into the beautiful faces of many women and young girls following along the reading of the book of Esther. One young girl was dressed like a Princess. My heart aches when I think of all the turmoil here in this land and the suffering that has happened among Israelis and Palestinians. We must continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Larry and I attended the Redeemer Lutheran Church several weeks ago and then had lunch with our friend Tom Powers at the Ecole Biblique Research Center where Tom lives. Larry was delighted to see Jerome Murphy O'Connor there--author of the definitive Guide to the Holy Land. He has lived here for years and has a very helpful guide to all the sites in the Holy Land. Larry had met him on our last trip and had his photo taken with him but accidentally deleted it so we were pleased to have our picture taken again with this scholar. What a lovely lunch among these Dominican priests and others who come to study and research at the Center.

I walked to Jaffa Gate on Friday to pick up a hostess gift for friends and marveled again at the picture before my eyes. It's always crowded at Jaffa Gate but on this particular day I saw military soldiers, nuns, priests, tourists, Orthodox Jews on their way to the Western Wall to pray, and Muslim women in their special clothing with their heads covered. What a microcosm of ethnic diversity!

Larry was invited to speak at the chapel service at the IBEX school which is an extension campus of the Master's College in California. They have a similar semester program as JUC and the coordinator has been a friend over the years and is married to a Taylor alum. We enjoyed our Friday night experience and tour of their campus in a suburb of Jerusalem but found it interesting
to discover the chapel service is held in the Moshav's bomb shelter! The campus is located on a Moshav (Israeli cooperative) that is owned by Christians from Finland. The students sit on double-decker bunks and there are chairs in rows and it makes for a very cozy atmosphere. We sang and worshipped together and Larry spoke on Jerusalem--Past, Present and Future with scripture from Isaiah. I'm thankful for every experience!

We are eagerly anticipating the arrival of friends, Ken and Beth Smith, who will be volunteering at JUC for the next month. They will be a great help. Some of my volunteer work has included working in the school's gardens and also helping with some computer work in the library. I was even asked to make some orange marmalade from bitter oranges gathered from a tree in front of the East Jerusalem Baptist Church we attended one Sunday. It was a challenge in several ways but we managed to make it edible at least.

I have enjoyed reading a variety of books and several for research work on my book. The book is a slow process but I have been doing some heavy editing and it needs more work. One of my most enjoyable reads is a book by Caroline Weber titled
Surprised by Oxford: A Memoir. She is an excellent writer and shares her journey of faith during her first year as a grad student at Oxford in the 90's. I highly recommend this book.

Larry is teaching a Bible Study on Isaiah for the students on Wednesday nights. We have had some excellent discussions with good questions from the students. The days are flying by and we will soon be making our way home. Our presence here has reminded me again of God's amazing grace by condescending to take on human flesh and live his earthly life in this land. The events of the life of Jesus took place in a troubled land that is still experiencing difficulties. However, I rejoice when I think that from this troubled Land the Kingdom of God spread out around the world and many have come into the Kingdom because of what Jesus did on Good Friday culminating in his resurrection that first Easter. The coming "New Jerusalem" will replace the current troubles with the promises found in Revelation 21. I, for one, am so grateful for the "living hope" that is vital to our faith.

BACK IN JERUSALEM

Friends and Family: We are back in Jerusalem! Another adventure in the land of Israel. On February 18th we left with 14 members of the Taylor University Alumni and Friends Tour of Jordan and Israel. It was called the Pre-Jordan trip and we spent a day at Petra, that famous Nabatean city in the desert, then traveled through Jordan's "Grand Canyon" on our way to Mt. Nebo where Moses viewed the Promised Land. Just before we joined up with the rest of the Tour group at Tiberius in the Galilee area, we made a wonderful stop at Bethany on the Jordan (the place where John the Baptist baptized Jesus on the east side of the Jordan River. We were right at the border of Israel and the temperature was warmer plus we were able to dip our hands into the Jordan River. The color reminded me of the Missisenewa River in Indiana--very muddy. Jordan has really developed this site and it is huge. It was a meaningful experience and one of the more authentic sites. At that point we were only about 15 miles from Jordan. We turned north and arrived at our hotel in Tiberius about 10 minutes before the rest of our Tour arrived. We had a grand total of 52.

Larry and I helped host this group along with Ben and Lisa Sells and Mike and Traci Falder, Taylor administrators. Larry was the Bible teacher for the Tour. Our group consisted of alumni, former and current parents of Taylor students, friends, former Taylor administrators, and Larry's sister, Linda Forbes joined us. I can't say enough about this great group of people. They were all enthusiastic about being in Israel, friendly, very easy to get along with, and just a delight to get to know. Larry was in his "element" as one friend stated as he shared at each site visited along with the Israeli guide who accompanied us. Pamela Suran is an Israeli believer who made the trip very special for all of us. We traveled far enough north to look over into Lebanon and from the Golan Heights we were only about 50 miles from Damascus looking into Syria. The farthest south we traveled in Israel was to Masada which Herod the Great developed and while in the area of the Dead Sea we visited Qumran (think Dead Sea Scrolls) and Ein Gedi, one of King David's hide outs while fleeing from King Saul.

What an experience. The weather was great and due to good rain this year in Israel the Galilee was in bloom with red anemones and lupin with the hills covered in green. During our boat ride across the Sea of Galilee, we had a very savvy captain who played Christian music and God Bless America while raising the American flag, One of his crew also taught us the Israeli folk dance, The Hora. We had a good time together laughing at our beginner attempts to learn this dance to Hatikva.

We shared some special moments in reflection at the Mt. of Beatitudes and at Capernaum. Several of the group commented on the spiritual insights they gained while also learning the history of many biblical sites. It was a joy to sing together and with other tour groups when we were in several churches--St. Anne's in Jerusalem and a church near Shepherd's Field in Bethlehem. The last day of the official tour ended with a communion service at the Garden Tomb amidst rain and wind. The weather changed right at the end of the tour!

When everyone left very early on Thursday morning, Larry and I had a chance to sleep in and have a leisurely breakfast at the Dan Panorama Hotel on Mt. Scopus before we moved on to the campus of Jerusalem University College. What a change! We moved in pouring down rain and it did not stop until Sunday night, March 4th. We even had snow on Saturday morning. Because we were students here for a year in 1968-69 and returned many times we love this place but it has been an adjustment moving into a building that dates back to 1853. We are finishing winter so we are in that transition season and with heat and hot water only available between 5:00 am and 10:00 am and then again from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm at JUC and temperatures dipping into the low 30's at night it has been an adjustment. I managed to strain my back on our move-in day so I have been recovering ever since but my back is so much better. Thanks, dear friends, for praying for me. Yesterday a major water pipe burst so we were without water and flush toilets on campus all afternoon, but Hooray! they were able to fix it. There are about 55 undergrads and graduate students on campus.

I have had several opportunities to practice what the Apostle Paul went through when he said, "I have learned to be content in all situations" (my paraphrase). At the end of January I helped lead a workshop at our Women's Retreat from our church along with our daughter Alicia. We called it "Getting Past the Rind: Trusting God in the Every Day." I'm learning to practice what I have been teaching. God has a wonderful sense of humor and I am so grateful for His faithfulness, strength and mercy. Larry and I have been resting and being low key since the end of the Tour. We had 12 days of touring so it felt good to "stop and rest" for awhile.

There's much more to tell you but I will save that for another day. Since Monday the weather has been sunny with beautiful blue skies. I walked into West Jerusalem this afternoon and Jerusalemites are getting ready to celebrate Purim beginning at sundown on Thursday night. There were kids dressed in costumes and even some adults wearing funny hats. This feast celebrates the deliverance of the Jewish people from the Persian empire in the days of Queen Esther. I noticed that the waitresses and waiters in the outdoor cafes all had some type of costume or hat also. It reminded me of Halloween and how children and others dress up.

I'm including some photos from Jordan and our tour. We are enjoying the students at JUC and renewing our friendship with old friends here. Grace and peace to you for now. Internet connection at JUC can be sporadic. I will be adding photos whenever I can.