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.