Odds & Ends and President Obama's Visit

It's been a very interesting few days as Israel played host to President Obama and his entourage.  While traveling on the Arab bus the other day, I noticed several new posters on the highway that read--
Unbreakable Alliance, President Obama's Israel Visit 2013.  The theme for the visit was everywhere--Unbreakable Alliance.  I saw a white stationary blimp next to the King David Hotel where Obama stayed--must have been used for security purposes.  I walked up the hill from Jaffa Gate to Jerusalem University College on Wednesday and encountered two groups of police officers just watching.  Yesterday, Friday, Obama was to helicopter into Bethlehem to visit the Church of the Nativity.  About 11:30 am it became very windy and hazy and before long a Chamsin had struck our area.  This is a sandstorm from the desert that lasted most of the day.  Literally, I could barely see Bethlehem from the campus.  This necessitated a change in plans and Obama arrived in Bethlehem by motorcade instead of by helicopter.  Much to our delight, about six of the staff at Tantur and Larry and I went to the lower level of the campus and climbed one of the rock terraced walls and stood there trying to catch a glimpse of the motorcade as it drove right in front of the campus on Hebron Road.  Just a reminder--the campus is only about 300 meters from Bethlehem and we can see the checkpoint and the separation wall very clearly--except when there is a Chamsin.  Before long we saw about 15 to 20 motorcycles followed by the President's limousine, then numerous SUV's, two ambulances and one small fire truck were also a part of the motorcade.  We were waving but could not see anything through the tinted windows of all the cars.  We even played host to a security car with two undercover agents in the drive of the school.  The road had been closed most of the morning with some of the Palestinian staff unable to get through the checkpoint until later in the day.   Afterwards I joined some of the staff at the reception desk who were watching the events at Manger Square on TV--all in Arabic.  They told me Obama would be in Bethlehem exactly 26 minutes.  What a reminder to me of all the details that surround an official State Visit and what it can do to a country.  I'm sure everyone is heaving a sigh of relief that the visit went so well.  Many churches and Christians in the Land were praying over this visit.  I heard Obama's name on the lips of many tourists as I walked through the Old City and heard a variety of languages being spoken.  It's never dull here!

I thought I would share with you odds and ends in this posting.  We have a new Study Group with us that includes participants from Ireland, Poland, Australia, India and the US.  We participated in prayers last night at 5:30 pm just before dinner.  Different members take turns each night leading this special prayer time.  The group is made up of Catholics, Presbyterians, a Lutheran pastor and the Secretary General of the Catholic Council in India.  We have already experienced some great conversations with this group.

Two stories I want to mention that happened several weeks ago and both added to our repertoire of life experiences that I am grateful for.  As we were preparing to leave for Israel, we flew from Fort Wayne to Chicago then to Istanbul and finally to Tel Aviv.  While waiting at the Gate at Fort Wayne, I was sitting next to a man who told me he was legally blind with 5% vision in one eye and 15% in the other. He was on his way to a hospital in Chicago that was going to begin to teach him to read Braille and learn how to use a seeing-eye dog.  He had been a trip planner for visits around Indiana to Branson, MO and other places.  Due to his diabetes, he had been going blind for 11 years.  I told him God would lead him through this experience in Chicago and he told me he was a Christian also and it was good to meet someone who cared about God.  His last comment was, "There are others worse off than me."
He is a brave man as he was traveling alone.  I was touched by his words and silently prayed for God's comfort and peace for him

As we landed in Chicago and made our way to the international terminal, I met a young college student from the Middle East.  She approached me to make sure she was going in the right direction.  She said she was from Abu Dabi and when I told her a friend's son worked for the US State Department in Dubai her face lit up and she said, "It's only an hour away from my country."  She was glad I had heard of Abu Dabi and with animation she told me it was a beautiful country.  Another reminder that most people love their home land and want to share it with others.

I've just finished reading Dr. Gary Burge's book, The Land and the Bible.  Dr. Burge is a Wheaton College professor that we have known over the years and a former Taylor University parent.  I highly recommend this short but very informative book about the Land of Israel.  He develops powerful spiritual applications from the images the Bible uses when the writers speak of water, rocks, the shepherds, etc.  It's a great resource for beginning to understand this amazing Land and how God used the Land to teach His people to trust in Him for all their needs.  Wonderful reminders of God's provision for all His children and a personal reminder to me of God's care and protection.