Shine Abroad

Egypt-day 2

2008-12-19T22:13:00.008+02:00

Here we are, Spring break '09... It's been over three months since I returned from "dream land," and yet I still think about my semester abroad every day. My time gone truly permeated my life and changed who I am. I am ever thankful for my gift of a life time. I know very few people ever look at this blog anymore, but for my own sake (and Kelsey's!) I am determined to continue documenting my journey until the end. Can't make any promises for when this will actually be finished, but it will be done before any more cross-cultural adventures!

I was so excited to start out first full day in Egypt. Today was "pyramid day" and we would be staying around the Cairo area to see all the famous pyramids. Our view of the Giza pyramids as we bussed through the city to get to Darshur, the first pyramid compound of the day. We would be going back to visit the Giza pyramids at sunset. Isn't it crazy how they are right there at the edge of the city!? The mix of ancient and modern never ceases to amaze me.

My very first pyramid- the "Red Pyramid," named because of it's red tint when observed from a distance. See where my group is climbing up to the little hole in the side of the pyramid? That's where we entered...

Dan, John, me, Kayt, and Jesse standing on the side of the pyramid

Kayt climbing back out. The passageway was very steep and very narrow. The further we went down the worse the air got (it was so thick and stale!) that as people got to the bottom they were making mad rushes to get back to the top. John, Seth, Kayt and I sang a Christmas carol in one of the big open rooms. The acoustics were great, even though the air wasn't.

On the same complex in Doshur there is also the "Bent pyramid," named because of its sloping top. There are many different theories as to why this pyramid was "messed up." Snero built both of these pyramids and it is assumed that he is actually buried in the smaller, bent pyramid.

Next stop, Mit Rahina Museum located in the old city of Memphis:

Inside there was a giant statue of Ramses II. The statue is a perfect piece except that the legs and feet are broken off.

Look at me! I'm a scary Sphinx!

Courty and me posing by a real sphinx outside. The sphinx represented the Pharaoh as having the physical power of a lion and the mental power of, well, himself.

Kayt and I by a huge cool statue

We then went to the Imhotep Museum which was on the sight of Pharaoh Teti's pyramid.

We saw a number of interesting artifacts such as this stone that shows a number of malnourished people, assumed by scholars to be Bedouin during the fall of the Old Kingdom.

We then went into Mereruka's mestaba. Merukah was Pharaoh Teti's son-in-law and high priest and so he had a very nice mestaba (flat roofed, rectangular burial building) built for him.

The walls were covered in beautiful etchings that still had a great deal of color. (we really weren't supposed to take pictures inside...but I snuck this one :-)

This is Teti's pyramid...looks pretty lame doesn't it? It's so small and "un-pyramid-like" because it was built during that time when Pharaohs were trying to hide their burial places because the big pyramids were being/had been broken into, desecrated, and stolen from. We went inside this pyramid too, and, despite the outward appearance, it was amazing inside! The walls and ceilings had hieroglyphics covering every surface. I didn't get very good pictures because you aren't "technically" supposed to take any unless you pay/bribe the guard (it's a way they make extra money) and so we can't use flash when we do "sneak" pictures.

On the same complex is located the Dojer step pyramid. It was built by Imhotep. We didn't go inside but took a number of pics of the outside.

We continued with our day by racing to Cheops boat museum where we were let in just minutes before closing time. We then ran to our bus and zoomed over to Giza where we made it to the most important pyramids just in time for sunset.

Kayt, me, and camel man in front of Kufu's pyramid, the tallest pyramid in the world standing at 146 meters!

The three pyramids at Giza. Beside Pharaoh Kufu's pyramid there is also Khafre's pyramid (in the forefront in this pic) which is the second tallest at 143 meters and still has some of its casing at the top. I was so thrilled to be here taking pictures of a place I had only ever seen in my dreams!

In front of the biggest sphinx in Egypt!

Just when you though we couldn't fit anything more into our day...evening came...and so will another post!

Egypt-day one

2008-12-19T21:21:00.004+02:00

The snow is falling out the window as I sit wrapped in my cozy sweater and fuzzy slippers. The noise of my reunited brothers in the next room distracts me from my thoughts, but it's a good kind of distraction. It's been just 5 days since I was in the Middle East, but what a sharp change it has been! Not only has the weather been completely different, but the culture has been quite something to get used to as well. I lost my cell phone for a few days and didn't even realize it! When I looked in my closet, I almost had a panic attack seeing how many clothes and shoes I had. After having such a small variety in clothes, food, and leisure activities for 3 1/2 months, I didn't know how to deal with all my new choices (and still find it a bit overwhelming.) But it's good to be home, different then what I have been used to, but good.

I've decided to blog my week trip in Egypt and maybe a few last Israel thoughts before I shut down this blog. I've realized that this page here is really the only steady account of my journeys, so I want to finish my journal, so to speak.

SO...EGYPT! The trip to Egypt was an extended field study that was the conclusion to my "Ancient Egypt and the Biblical World" class. Though there were only about 30 in the class, many other students were able to go on the trip as well.

It was Saturday morning, the 6th of December and I was running to the bus stop at 5:35am, hoping beyond hope that the group had not left without me. I had just finished copying pictures onto my computer and was running about 5 minutes late to the bus. Of course, with a tour group of 50 people, there was no way they were leaving on time, and so I still had a few minutes to catch my breath and say a tearful goodbye to my wonderful roommate who was not going to Egypt with the group.

The entire drive to Cairo would take us about 13 hours, and that did not include the border stop, bathroom stops, and lunch stop...we were in for an adventure for sure!

Our first stop was at the Egyptian border where we spent an hour or so getting everyone through security and loaded onto a new bus.

Egyptians know how to pack!Right before lunch we stopped at a place on the Red Sea and played in the water for a few minutes. (me and Clair)

Lunch was interesting...Brad, Dr. Wright, and Matt posing with the food.

We bussed through the beautiful Sinai Desert for hours and hours. It was breathtaking.

It was around 8pm when we finally made it through all of Cairo's traffic to our dinner destination: The Imperial boat restaurant, (it was floating on the Nile!)

Cairo and the Nile at night

Me and Kayt as we explored Cairo after dinner. Cairo has a population of over 20 million. Apparently there are more people who work just the night shift in Cairo then the entire amont of people that work in Chicago. So, imagine Chicago traffic that never ends...and you have Cairo, a city that truly never sleeps.

On our adventure, we met this guy, Muhammad, who gave us directions and wanted to show us his shops. At first we were very wary, but he turned out to be a really nice guy. He definitely tried to sell us some stuff, but he also spent a long time showing us where all the best places to go in the neighborhood around our hotel were. He also told us of a wonderful coffee shop to get "the best mango juice in the world" at, but Kayt and I were too tired that night to check it out.

Kayt and I were roommates for the trip (which we were so thankful for) and so we headed back to out room at the "Pharaoh's Hotel" and slept hard until 6 the next morning.

Egypt here I come...

2008-12-06T00:27:00.004+02:00

I have so many new pictures to post and stories to tell...but they may have to wait until I can tell you face to face. This week has been crazy with all the papers and last minute everything going on. Tonight we had our "goodbye Christmas party." It was really nice, and our first real thoughts of Christmas were brought up as Dr. Wright read us Christmas stories.

I leave in 5 hours for Egypt...I still need to pack and sleep... (-: We leave at 5:30 am and bus for over 13 hours to Cairo, Egypt. Our journey will last for 8 days and then I come back home to Jerusalem and leave the next day for the good ol' US of A. I'll post Egypt adventures when I get home.

Thing I'm most looking forward to about Egypt: Riding a camel (#6 on my "things to do before I turn 25" list) <3-naomi

thanksgiving

2008-11-30T15:19:00.003+02:00

I wasn't expecting much for Thanksgiving this year. I mean come on, no one here celebrates it and how good of food can you really prepare for 60+ people anyway? Well, I am happy to say I was pleasantly surprised! The food was amazing! Diane (the directors wife) made us 3 different kinds of homemade rolls and oversaw the entire preparation for the dinner (this dinner only confirmed what we already knew- she is Mrs. Proverbs 31 personified!)

My table- not only was the food great but I had great company too! Trey, Josh, Brandon, Megan, Tyson, John, and Kaytlin...

This is about half the dining room

JUC's favorite baby- Denyen! (and Liz having fun with him) He just turned one and is about to take his first real steps, any day now...

mmmm, there was more dessert then we knew what to do with.

Thanksgiving, I was (am) thankful for: Being in Jerusalem and learning so much, all my friends at JUC who have gone through this wonderful experience with me, my friends back home who I can not wait to see and live life with again, and my dear family (all you Elzingas and Penners- I couldn't ask for better people to share my genes with!), and, lastly, it's a given, but the most important: God sending Jesus as Messiah so we need not wait or search anymore.

The honeymoon and an engagement!

2008-11-28T22:57:00.004+02:00

I think I'm on my honeymoon...according to the "culture shock scale" that is. The term “culture shock” is often defined by four stages, the first of which is the Honeymoon stage. It is characterized by a fascination with the new culture and an excitement and happiness in learning all there is to learn about the new environment. Being in this stage can last anywhere from a few days to several months depending on a persons circumstances. I think it has lasted so long for me because I am not fully integrated into the culture here (I still have a large group of Americans I come home to every night.) Even though I've gotten to know people in this country and worked alongside them and have gotten to see their lives, I still have my safety net. It's been really great being here, I have literally loved every minute of it. Sure, there have been some awkward, unusual moments- but those are just things we get to laugh about later. What a blessing it has been to have such a positive experience...but I can't help but wonder what stage I would be at if I were living here completely immersed. It's a pity knowing that I am still looking at this country through rose colored glasses when I so badly am trying to figure out what I need to be prepared for if I ever live in a place like this someday or work with these people. I guess that's when I'm reminded that I am relying on the Holy Spirit's direction, and not simply my own human knowledge or desires. These thoughts are not a complaint for not having difficult times, don't get me wrong, I love having good experiences. It is simply a cultural observation. (-:

Well, speaking of honeymoons (that was how this whole post started if you remember) let me share with you about the engagement party I went to today. It is just one more of the experiences in this country that I have absolutely loved.

Some of you may recall me mentioning that I help out at a Gypsy center in East Jerusalem once a week and help kids with English and whatever else they need (ok...we play a lot too!) Well, one of the girls who comes to work on English, she's 17, just got engaged! Actually, she wasn't officially engaged until this afternoon at the party when her fiancée paid the “bride price”. Marwa is marring a man who is 27 (10 years older-not at all uncommon for them) who is a doctor and a friend of her brother. Her brother arranged the marriage for Marwa (though she did get to offer her opinion) because her father passed away. She knows very little about him, yet they will be married in April.

When Kaytlin and I first arrived, we were hustled through the living room, where all the men were gathered, and back into Marwa's bedroom where she was waiting with some relatives and close friends. She was very “decked out” in a gold trimmed black dress, gold pointy shoes, tons of gold makeup, gold glitter in her curly hair, and even gold lipstick! (What we see as gaudy is seen as the beautiful ideal in many places here). We waited in the back room with the other women, our heads poked out the door, as the men read several Suras from the Qur'an (Muslim holy book). They then went outside the apartment, in the middle of the city, and shot off a ton of guns. After that, they left, and it was the women's time! All the women (probably around 25) stuffed themselves into another small room in the back where really great Arabic music was played and first Marwa, and then a few other women, began to dance in a tiny open place in the middle of the floor while the rest of us looked on clapping and smiling. They danced for around a half hour before her fiancée, Zakie, came in. He was the only man present for the engagement ceremony. This ceremony consisted of him giving her two necklaces, two bracelets, 3 bangles, 1 pair of earrings, and three rings- all big, heavy, and gold! They were now considered engaged and they then danced together with nothing but their hands ever touching. Zackie left after a while and the women, young and old, big and little, danced for at least another hour. The women would take turns, two or three at a time, dancing (and let me tell you, those women can shake their hips! Even grandma could bust some moves!) It was amazing. We had to get up and dance a few times, and, not surprisingly, we were their free entertainment for the night. (-: I have determined that ethnic dance classes might be in order as part of my Intercultural studies degree...

Here's a picture of us girls with Marwa after the party. Can you believe she's only 17!?!

Kaytlin, Erin, Marwa, Megan, me, and Christina

(Erin, Christina, and Megan came later and made it just in time for dancing!)

Temple Mount

2008-11-24T10:04:00.004+02:00

Despite the exorbitant amount of papers I need to be writing, I am still making time to see those last places on my "can't miss" list. We went to the Temple Mount which is where the Dome of the Rock and the Al-aqsa Mosque are located. The Temple Mount is the sight where the second Jewish temple was built and was destroyed in 70 AD. The Dome of the Rock was erected between 685-691 AD. Because of its importance to both Jews and Muslims, the temple mount is one of the most contested religious sights in the world. The Jews believe that the "Divine Presence" dwells here and they are not allowed to go onto the Temple Mount by order of the Chief Rabi for fear of stepping into the "holy of holies". They believe that someday their third temple will be built here. The Muslims believe the Dome of the Rock houses the rock that Abraham sacrificed "Ishmael" on and also believe this rock was where Mohammad stood when he descended into heaven.
Waiting in line with the Al-asqa mosque and the Mt. of Olives in the background.

Kayt

There were a lot of Muslims coming and going on the Mt. Non-Muslims are not allowed in either mosque and only allowed entrance through one of the gates.

There were a whole bunch of little school children who were on a filed trip to the mosque.

Jordan Day 4- Sunday

2008-11-22T16:28:00.004+02:00

A bit more of a personal view to finish off my field study blogging- a copy of my final reflection paper:

It was the very end of the last day of our last field study. I stood on the mountain, my mind going numb with the thoughts of Moses and what he must have been feeling when he stood here. He had been working his way through the desert and now stood on Mt Nebo with his first view of the promise land. This is what he had been waiting for, searching for, longing for for so long. Yet, there was still a part that was being held back; he couldn’t see it all- there was still a huge chunk missing. What could it be? Only Yahweh knew, but it was the promise land and so Moses knew it would be good.

I thought about my life and compared it to Moses’. The Lord had brought me through some desserts already, and, as I looked out into the promise land of my life, I saw so many possibilities: people, loving people, people loving Jesus, travel, adventure, a chance to make a difference in others lives, a family, living in the deserts of foreign countries, living in America, photography and art, making a dent in ending human trafficking and sexual slavery, children, more school…the possibilities in the promise land seem very bountiful, but I can’t see it all and don’t have a lot of direction.

It will be back to the desert for me when I get home. Back to school which is not an easy place for me. But the desert is a place where people’s life skills are honed and people gain wisdom and understanding. A desert is a place of lessons to learn and faith to hold onto. It is a place where we must strengthen our trust, it is a place where faithfulness of heart, spirit, and mind is demanded completely.

The Lord has shown me over and over again his faithfulness. I know I can trust him and that he always only has the best for me in mind, and he loves me more then anyone ever could. My job now is to be faithful in what he has given me to do (finish school) and be faithful in the relationships he has trusted me with in Portland.

As I turned back around to walk back to the bus, I knew, after my glance at the promise land of my life, just like Moses, I was going back to my wilderness. I asked for strength, because I knew I would need it. Ultimately, here is my decision, here is my desire, here is my decree: I will be faithful, for the Lord has been faithful to me.

Ash and me in front of our hazy futures...

Jordan Day 3-Saturday

2008-11-22T10:17:00.000+02:00

The morning sun's bright light christened the massive rock faces in beautiful shades of red and gold. We all couldn't help but stare in wide eyed wonder at the majestic sculpted rock surrounding us. We had just begun our third day in Jordan, and, from what I had seen in my first few minutes in Petra, I knew it was going to be magical.
After walking through this very narrow ridge we had this first glimpse of something amazing...

Ta-da! The treasury! I('m standing in front of it) It is carved out of a single rock face. Incredible.

The ancient city of Petra was the capital city of the Nabataeans, a desert wondering people group whom Herod the Great's mother came from (see blog post Negev-Sunday to see another Nabataean structure). Petra was re-discovered in 1807 and has been estimated to have been built somewhere around 25 BC-50 AD (right around the time of Jesus!!!). This giant valley (Wadi Musa) claims around 750 different monuments, so, as you may guess, we had a lot to cover in the 5 short hours we were there.

We split up into groups quickly, and I found myself with 5 of my wonderful, but very athletic and energetic guy friends. We booked it for the first hour, running up hundreds of steps, jumping over big crevices in the rocks, and scaling steep hill sides.

Trey, me and John on the top of the high place.

It was great fun, and we saw a lot of great sights in that first hour, but the adventure really began when Trey and I got separated from the group and were sort of lost (though he would never admit to that) amongst the cliffs for a good hour. Trey made me climb down some pretty intense “short-cuts” where I knew it would take just one faulty step and.......(-: But God gave this klutzy girl sure footing for the day, so I made it through those cliffs and canyons safe and sound with a giant smile and my face!

I'm not sure how, but we climbed down that crevice in the rocks...it was almost completely vertical!

Why do jumping shots look so cool? I love the sun in the background.

All along the way there were Jordanian people selling little trinkets to the tourists.

More cool rocks.

There was one point in the day when, after we had met up with some other friends, Trey got separated from the group. I didn't want to leave him behind (just in case he fell off a cliff or something, and he had been my spotter when I climbed down those rock faces) so I went on my own to look for him. Here is where the best part of the whole trip happened: I ran into a little Bedouin girl named Anwar who was selling jewelry to any tourists that happened to go by. After I spoke to her with the tiny Arabic I knew, she began to talk to me in English while I hiked around. She told me to come sit in her little cave and have tea with her, but I insisted that I had to find my friend before he got to far away. Her response: “It's OK, you come sit with me and I be your friend!” I couldn't help but grin as I thanked her for the offer but tried to explain that it was important for me to keep going. I held out my hand and asked if she, as my new friend, would like to join me as I searched the desert and rocks. She joined me for a bit and then went back to her little table of wares. I saw her a few more times as I passed near her and after I finally found Trey, 5 of us went back to her little nook in the desert so I could buy a necklace, take a picture with her, and say goodbye.

Anwar and me. I will never forget this precious little girl.

Incredible hu?

I could have spent at least three more days here, but we needed to continue on and so we headed to a fabulous lookout over the Rift Valley.

Can you figure out which one is me? Me, Ash, Kayt, and Liz

We had a few more stops, but at our last stop at the end of the day we stopped to talk to a few women.

This lovely woman let me take a picture of her beautiful son while her friend invited us to come have dinner at their little house. We regretted that we had to turn them down as we ran to meet the bus and the rest of our group. Maybe someday we will be back...

Jordan Day 2- Friday

2008-11-20T10:07:00.007+02:00

Day two rose with blue skies gleaming and the sun shining; it looked like a promising day for the students of JUC. Off we headed to the Amman citadel and museum where we were greeted with the first of the many, many columns we would be seeing this day.

The packed and crowded capital city of Amman

Courtney and me posing with a sweet statue face in the museum. See the resemblance?

Fragment from the Dead Sea Scrolls!

This is the remnants of the "Balaam text". It actually talks about Balaam (see Number 22) and how he was a seer of the gods. It's cool when secular findings match up with the Bible...just more evidence in the truth of God's word.

We continued on to Jerrash-the city of a thousand columns. It was spectacular. It was different then all the other sights we saw because every time you walked up a new hill there was another amazing mess of columns and ruins to see. It seemed as if the columns would never end. Just a tiny picture of maybe, maybe a tenth of all the ruins.

We were in this theater with AMAZING acoustics. The bagpiper and drummer played several songs for us. Marcus even got a little bit of drumming time in...

Here's a better view of the theater

Me, Ash, and Kaytlin being silly at the very top of the theater

And then to Ashleigh and Kaytlins dismay, I insisted on our typical weird pose with the columns! What would a beautiful mass of columns be without us showing them a little love???

The Jabbok river was our next stop, and though not an amazing sight to see, it was a great place to talk about some insights from the Bible. The Jabbok river was possibly where Jacob wrestled with the angel. Dr. Wright shared about Jacob and how he is a great representation of us. We strive so hard to separate ourselves from the sinful men and women of the Bible. We read about them and laugh at the fact that God still uses them through all their screw ups, while all the while being so proud that we are better then them. We are so blind to think that. The truth is, we are Jacob- a clever deceiver, doing all that we can to better ourselves while God, in his grace and majesty chooses us to be his despite our selfish actions. The story of the Bible is our story. The stories of the men and women actually paint a shockingly realistic picture of our lives. It is only in our pride and foolishness that we see ourselves as somehow above these people. We are them. We are the ones God send his son to redeem. This class time was a good reminder.

We finished off the day at a "mystery" sight. We weren't allowed to read the sign and we had to explore the ruins and try to piece together what we were looking at, who built it, what time period it was from, etc. It ended up being Tyre, a pleasure palace from early AD

Dan high atop Tyre as the sun sets.

Jordan Day 1- Thurday

2008-11-20T09:23:00.003+02:00

Jordan! I was so excited to go to Jordan! The thrill of going was not simply in getting to see another country , it was about seeing how an over 90% Muslim nation lived. I was excited for another perspective on the Muslim way of life. Oh, and seeing some historical sights sounded cool too...(-:
The border crossing was not bad at all and as we entered the new land we began to see a difference in the country. Throughout the whole day we bussed through small rural cities and watched the Jordanian people live their lives. It seemed poorer then Bethlehem and Beit Jala (in the west bank), and much much poorer then Jerusalem. Apparently, though we thought many of the cities were poor and dumpy, this is where people from Egypt come to get good jobs and have a good life (I sure can't wait to see Egypt now!).
It was fascinating to watch the little children playing in the roads, the women-all completely covered, and the men sitting about, talking and laughing in front of their shops and houses. I wanted to jump down from the bus and join them and hear their stories and see how they live their lives, but that will have to wait for another time.

A very blurry picture from the bus window, but I figured it was still worth posting. See the herd of camels?

At our stop at Gadara there was this darling little boy who wanted to shake each of our hands. He made us happy.

We stayed in the capital city of Amman our first night and went to...Starbucks! (-: There are no Starbucks in Israel and this is the only one (I think) in Jordan. In our taxi on the way there our taxi driver informed us that the three big black suburbans in front of us with lights on them held King Abdullah, king of Jordan! We were in the car directly behind his...so cool!

Kaytlin, Ash, and in front of the slightly different sign

Bet you never thought you would ever see this menu in Arabic, eh?

Splashes of life around Jeru

2008-11-19T15:40:00.007+02:00

"Jer-uuuu" (make the "ou" sound go for as long as you like) is what we have all somehow begun to call our beloved town. Our time here is quickly coming to an end which has thrown everyone into a weird warp speed. There are so many papers to write, places still to see, friends to get together with, souvenirs to buy, pictures to take, and food to try.
Here are a few pictures from around town last week. I'm trying hard to see this country, not through the eyes of one who has gotten used to all the amazing cultural differences, but through the eyes I had when I first got here.

Darling little Jewish boy, no more then 3 or 4, all ready to go in his little Kippa (Jewish male head covering) and tzitzit (tassels of his prayer shawl that are hanging out of the back of his shirt).

A soldier just chilling in the Jewish square with piles and piles of guns out in the open...

Ash, Kaytlin, and me in front of the "Wall of Remembrance" at the Yad Vashem (the Holocaust memorial and museum). We spent only four hours at this place but I could have easily spent another four! The museum was very well done and broke your hear while fascinating you at the same time. As we were leaving, I stopped to contemplate for a second and pray that there would never be another holocaust and mass genocide for anyone, when I was struck with the fact that the evils that I had just been educated about were happening right now in Africa and other places in the world. Made me wonder if one day my children would be going through a massive museum to the African genocides or if mankind will fight back before more blood is shed...

On the way home from a trip to the market, I stopped to get some night shots right outside the old city walls. The traffic was busy, the moon shone brightly, and I felt so blessed to be here.
The Palestinian Heritage center is actually in Bethlehem. Kaytlin and I stopped here on our way home from Arabic. This is a model of the way the Palestinian Bedouin used to live.Also in Bethlehem...can you read the street name? Yasser Arafat!!! (-:

Well, that's all for now. I just got back from the country of Jordan at the beginning of this week and will post the pictures from that trip very soon.

Stretchy Ice Cream

2008-11-10T16:57:00.000+02:00

Remember a looong time ago, when I mentioned getting stretchy ice cream? Several of you wanted a few more details...and, finally, they are here! These pictures are from a day in early October, but they got lost in all my "ruins" pictures and I finally remembered them.

Israel can be so funny. (Kaytlin and I say "T double I" meaning "this is israel" whenever there is no explanation for the culturally funny and/or just plain weird thing we experience here.) This whole post is very "T double I"

Kaytlin, Ashleigh, and I went to Ramallah, the capital of Palestine, for the afternoon to seek out two "must sees" and to meet up with some friends. Our first stop: Rukab's Stretchy Ice Cream.

The ice cream actually stretches! It's so weird. We asked how they made it and they said it had to do with the way they mixed the ice cream...I think there is a bit more to it then that though. We've heard rumors of a secret family recipe...

The Ice cream tasted pretty good but would be pretty average without the stretch

We then went on to the funniest cafe ever, hold your breath in utter excitement and then see below...

Yes, you are seeing this correctly...
They were so sad because it was closed )-: There are no actual Starbucks in Israel...only this one little "Stars and Bucks cafe." Apparently they even sell mock mugs and tee shirts. We are hoping to got back and actually get to try their coffee...

Random mural that I liked in Ramallah that we saw on our way home.

We ended the evening with Shabatt dinner. Me, Ash, and Josh laughing cuz we're being tickled

The boys did this whole "creepy suave" night for Shabatt where they all had mustaches and acted super strangely...Trey, Brandon, Jon , and Dan

God and a mental hospital

2008-11-08T21:06:00.001+02:00

I went to a mental hospital today... I know, I know, many of you are thinking to yourselves that it is about time, but I've already heard that joke from my school mates today, so save your breath! (-: Let me fill you in on how I have been seeing God work these past few days...

Wow! God has already answered the prayers I feel people praying for me regarding more opportunities to minister. Thanks so much to those of you who have been praying. I got to connect with two single women missionaries over in Bethlehem on Thursday. Not only was it great to hear their stories, but they were able to offer a lot of encouragement and hook me up with names of some orphanages, a refugee camp, and a women’s mental hospital- all located in Bethlehem. The orphanages are what I am most excited about!!! Today Kaytlin and I went with them to the mental hospital. We spent time with some of the older (think 80's), terminally mentally ill women. Though the place was very clean, it was pretty depressing. The room we were in had 10 beds all lined up and the women were just laying in them doing nothing. They were pretty happy to see us. Two of them actually talked to us in English, though a lot of what they said didn't makes sense. A few more of the women babbled in Arabic. We had no idea what they were saying. The lady I was "talking" with told me (with the nurses help) that she was 85 and had been ever since her family left her there and went to America- 15 years! We sang to the women and they seemed to like that. We hope to go back and maybe paint their nails and wash their feet (we figured they would get a kick out of colored nails!)

Kaytlin and I were talking on the way home about how we both really felt God was reminding us that though these women are old, mentally handicapped, and have been thrown away by society; because they were created in the image of God, they are beautiful. God sees them as beautiful and worthy and deserving of much love. Though, from a human perspective, it can seem pointless, we are called to love these women, honor them, and treat them with the dignity they deserve. Even if we can't understand the point of spending time with them, we really need no other reason to do so besides the fact that God created them. (Since when do we only care for those who can give us something back or who our society considers worthy?!) I am continuing to pray, not simply for compassion towards these women, but for a deep and genuine love for them.

I am going to an Arab church in Bethlehem tomorrow with Lilly, the lady I assistant teach with at the Beit Jala school. Kaytlin and I are hoping to check out one of the orphanages on the way home. It's a pity that I am making all these connections (I've met 7 different missionaries in Bethlehem now) right when my time here at JUC is getting busy and coming to an end. I have to trust that God knows what he wants to do with me during this last month that I am here.

God gave us the most beautiful sunset to enjoy on our way home through the check point. In the bottom of the picture is the seperation wall and the city of Bethlehem.

Galilee-Tuesday

2008-11-04T23:01:00.000+02:00

Alright, last post of our field study last week is finally done! I'm now almost caught up with blogging!

On our final morning in Galilee I got up really early while it was still dark to watch the sunrise and spend some with Jesus on the sea where he spent a lot of time as a man. It was super overcast, so I didn't see much of a sunrise, but the sea was still beautiful and time with the Lord was good as I flipped through Luke and read all the stories that happened at or on the sea of Galilee.

This last filed study had a similar theme running through out our different stops- mosaics. We began by looking at an old mosaic floor of a synagogue in the place called Zipori/Siphoris. It was beautifully done and preserved well. Some interesting aspects of this mosaic is the zodiac in the middle of the different Bible stories portrayed on the floor. There are actually 7 different Zodiacs that have been found in synagogues all over Galilee. Some say this is simply a religious symbol of the time but no churches of this time have had any kind of zodiac in them. It is assumed that this is when the Jewish community began to become accommodating towards people of other religions and accepted some of their different influences, including keeping up with the styles and having zodiacs in their places of holy worship. The synagogue that had these mosaics not only had pagan symbols but also were committing what their fathers would consider idolatry as they had pictures of people and animals all throughout their decorations. In this particular floor there is also four woman constructed in the four corners of the mosaic that represent the four seasons. This was a huge step to not only an image of a person but a woman in their synagogue. This particular floor also has what looks like an image of Helios, the Greek god of the sun. The zodiac

We also saw many more mosaics at this sight in some other building including what is known as "the Mona Lisa of Galilee."

We stopped at Jezreel for a few minutes (Ashleigh and Kaytlin above), but because of the rain we continued on to Beth Alfa where we saw more mosaics and saw an interesting movie on the hiring and making of the beautiful floors.

We concluded our day at the most amazing ruins sight of the entire trip- Bet Shan/Scythopolis. It was fun to see a place with more "modern" ruins (from the time of Christ-early AD) that are modeled after the grand structures of Rome.

The amazing theater

Columns were everywhere

We climbed the Bet Shan Tell to see the view of Scythopolis below. It is hard to tell how big this place is but the giant theater is in the far back left corner if that gives you an idea.
The sun set as we began our journey back to Jerusalem. This filed study was our final one in Israel. Only two more trips to go- in two weeks: Jordan!

Blood Diamonds

2008-11-04T12:32:00.000+02:00

This isn’t really Israel related, more some personal thoughts which I know I don’t normally post on my blog but felt like sharing tonight...
I just watched the movie Blood Diamond, maybe some of you have seen it? Besides the fact that it is super intense (definitely not for kids) and really heart breaking, it reminded me of all that I want to do with my life. The movie takes place in Sierra Leon where there was/is a great amount of diamonds mined and harvested at the expense of peoples lives. The movie follows several people: a man forced into the slavery of searching for diamonds, a little boy- brainwashed, forced to kill, and turned into a child solider, and a family- ripped apart by the corruption of the country- becoming simply one more name in the refugee camps. It would have felt a lot better if I could have told myself in all the intense, heart breaking scenes that this was just a movie, but I couldn’t lie. In fact, I did just the opposite throughout those two long hours. I kept saying to myself, "You know this is real! You’ve at least gotten a taste of the poverty and orphans and corruption when you went to Africa before. You’ve read so many books on the slavery that is going on in the world, yet there is so much more evil and wrong happening behind closed doors and in the middle of the jungles that you don’t have a clue about. What are you, Naomi, going to do about all this? What does God want you to do" That’s what I've been talking to God about tonight...

It’s hard having to leave the Middle East in a month and go back to studying full time in the US when all I really want is to go out and help people, impact their lives, and give them true, life changing hope. I know that can be done wherever you are, but my heart is with these broken, abandoned, brutalized, hurting slaves. I really really really want to make a difference in this world, and more specifically, among the refuge camps and the slaves. I do not want be tied down by money, status, or other complications a life of luxury in America throws my way.
Either I’m supposed to be learning patience and faithfulness right now, at this place in my life, or...there is something else I haven’t figure out yet.

Ok, well these are a few of my many thoughts of tonight, but I would love to encourage you all to research and discover a bit more about the slave trade going on in the world today. Thought it is hard to know, UNICEF estimates conservatively that there are 300,000 child soldiers in the world right now. And on a larger scale, statistics estimate that there are 27,000,000 total slaves in our world today. These are big, overwhelming numbers- but I have to keep reminding myself that behind each of those numbers is a face, a story, and a person that needs to know true love.
Well I’m off to bed, but I love you family and friends, and thanks for reading about the people who are on my heart. Oh, and one last thing: just for the record, when any of you decides to purchase a diamond, please, please tell your jeweler that you will only buy certified "conflict free diamonds." Diamonds may be "forever", but life is worth so much more...

Galilee-Monday

2008-11-03T11:07:00.000+02:00

Day three began with one of my favorites moments of the entire trip- a boat ride on the sea of Galilee. The weather was perfect, the lighting amazing, and the colors bright and pure. We spent some time just cruising around taking in the feel of the sea.

It was stormy and at times started to sprinkle, but we were undercover and so the rain just made it feel all the more realistic and moody.

One of the guys who took us out gave us a demonstration of how the cast net is used. He threw it out over the water a few times and them drew it back in being careful not to tangle the net weights on the end of the net. We discussed the fishing in the sea now and back in the time of Jesus. There are apparently 18 different types of kosher fish in the sea along with several kinds that are not kosher. Someday I hope to return and fish in the sea.

Our next stop along the sea was Kursi, the place where the demon possessed men were healed when Jesus sent their evil spirits into the heard of pigs that were nearby. Kursi has some ruins and an old temple to the pigs.

We then went to a very interesting Talmudic city called Qasrin. Talmudic is the Jewish description of the city while Byzantine is the Christian description. We spend an extended amount of time in an insula, a house that is a box of rooms. We talked about the different elements in the house and how they may have related to Jesus during his time. Dr. Wright spoke of the Christmas story and how it is probably wrong when it says that Mary and Joseph went to an inn and were refused residence. What most likely happened was that Mary and Joseph actually went to stay with distant family and were probably not refused a place to stay but refused a place in the traklin (the common room where guests slept) and instead were given a place in the stable, or back room to stay as it would be more private and conducive to a pregnant woman. Kind of put a different spin on my picture of Jesus' birth.

Random column at some of the synagogue ruins of Qasrin.

The next stop was Capurnum where we saw the church built over the possible residence of Peter, his mother-in-law, and maybe Jesus. We also got to explore some ancient synagogue ruins. It poured the hardest I had ever seen when we first arrived and we all got soaked!

A modern little Russian church in Capurnum as seen through the rain stained window of the church built over Peter's house.

We took a quick stop at the Jordan river-it was kinda dirty and not nearly as impressive as I had imagined.

Kaytlin is "baptizing" me...

...and then I baptized her.

Our final stop was a beautiful climb down the Arbel cliffs. The view from above was breathtaking as we saw for miles and even got a glimpse of a beautiful rainbow. We then hiked, climbed, ran, and slid down the cliffs to the bottom of the mountain. It was a great end to a busy informative day. Ash and me-I love my roommate! and what a view!

Part of the cliff.

Layers- a puddle, a cliff, a city, and the sky beyond.

The colors and lighting were unreal!

See the tiny people climbing down? Don't worry, we had some hand rails to hold onto.

Palestinian Basketball

2008-11-02T10:08:00.000+02:00

Halloween night I got to do something a bit different then your typical costume party- I got to go to a semi-pro basketball game in Bethlehem! Kaytlin, Ashleigh, Matt and I decided to skip out on our school's costume party/dinner (though, from the photos, it seems we missed out on some crazy funny times) to go see our friend Jarred play in his championship game. Jarred is with a group called Athletes in Action and has been living in Bethlehem and playing in the Palestinian semi-pro league this past year. Before Palestine he played in Russia and is hoping to go play in Australia next year. Jarred takes one class at my school, JUC, which is how we all met.
Kaytlin, Ashleigh, Jarred, Paul (also is with AIA though plays on a different team then Jarred), me, and Matt

It was Bethlehem against Ivda'd (a refugee camp, I was told) for the championship. The crowd was SO loud and intense. Apparently, the game before there was a big fight involving the fans going onto the floor and punching, but we didn't get to experience any of that for our game.

These little guys wanted me to take their picture too! They were fans for the other team and so when I tried to take a few pics of Jarred they would put their hands in front of my camera...very competitive! (-:

At the start of half time I went as close as I could get to the court while still being behind the railing to try to get some good shots. The first two rows that were on the other side of the railing were for the mayors, government people, and the heads of the league. One of the older men saw me taking pics and told me to hop the fence and come sit with him. He ended up being the head of the league and let me sit in the front row the rest of the game. It was awesome! I even got a complementary drink! (which I politely refused three times and then the man just picked one out and gave it to me!)

Jarred is by far the best player on the team and made a lot of points!

We ended up loosing by two point! So disappointing! But Jarred played really well and got some special award (our guess was MVP) but we weren't sure because it was all in Arabic.

Here's a short little movie clip from the game.

Galilee-Sunday

2008-10-30T05:50:00.000+03:00

Day two began by us driving on a road that went directly through two old Syrian-Israel Boarders. The sides of the roads are lined with fences and signs warning of land mines. We were supprised to find out all the signs were completely legit and necessary as the acres of fields on the side of the road contain millions of land mines that have never been triggered.

Ian and me going to the edge (the signs says "Danger Mines! in case you can't read it)

We then continued on to the tell of Hazor- the biggest tell in all of Israel. Despite it's size, there wasn't anything that made it stick out from other tells and ruins we have seen, so I'm only posting one picture from it...it will give you a great idea of the overall historical feel of the place.

Yep, me and solider man, that's Hazor...

Onward to Dan...

Some of the ruins here were from the time of Abraham and there was an arch that Abraham may have even gone through. We spent some time cheking out the ruins of tell Dan and then got to explore some of the beautiful trails.
Liz and me hiding in what the sign tells us is the "Winnie the Poo" tree. Can you see it?
It was beautiful and calm

Our next stop was Caesarea Philippi where there were many places dedicated to pagan gods-
This is the giant cave of Pan, the Hellenistic god of fertility. It was here, in the midst of all the pegan influences, where Jesus asked Peter who he though he was (Matthew 16:13-20). Also, an interesting fact: it was here that Jesus said "on this rock I will build my church." Maybe he was using this place, this core of Hellenistic paganism, to say that he can take all the wrong and still build his kingdom on man’s mistakes, on this giant rock dedicated to another. I made them do it...but we licked one in Jerusalem, why not here too?
I'm not sure what this old building is, but I loved the colors and shape

I'm skiping telling you about a boring lookout and bringing you to the last stop of the day- A basalt valcano in the Golan Heights where we visisted an inactive military base from the wars against Syria and Lebanon. It was so cold at the top of the mountain and as the evening got later we were standing in the midst of clouds. Our view through the overcast sky was into Syria- the closest I'll get to that country in a long time. Dan, me and Jon jumping on the mountainThe sweetest sign ever! Kinda like the one in Portland but more legit...

and that is the end of day 2. yay, now off to write some reports and study for a test tomorrow. peace.

Galilee-Saturday

2008-10-30T00:40:00.000+03:00

It all started one slightly sunny day in the grand city of Jerusalem. We were all up by 6am getting ready to leave on our longest field study yet to the Galilee. The prediction of rain put no damper on our excitement. First stop of the day Caesarea (not to be confused with Caesarea Philipi which comes later on in the trip). The ruins of Caesarea are right on the Mediterranean Sea. And though the sea is very beautiful, it held a very negative image for the people of the Bible. During our instruction time, Dr. Wright began by telling us to try to view and understand the sea in the way in which it was seen and understood by the people who lived long ago. The ocean was a place hated and feared by the Israelites who much preferred the shelter and stability of the dry hills. Psalm 107 talks about how the sea brings no peace. Revelation 21:1 talks about how there will be no sea in the new heaven and new earth, and Revelation also talks about how the Anti-Christ will come up out of the sea. A final example of the negativity associated with the sea is the story of Jonah and how he sought to escape the Lord and so hid in a place where there was supposedly no Lord and no peace. After hearing this, I still love the sea, but I will definitely read about it with new eyes as I try to understand the view of the people I am reading about.
Detailed capitals from the post New Testament period

There were a ton of fishermen on the shore of the sea
"Horse racing" in Caesarea's giant stadium

We then went to see the Caesarean Aqueducts and then on to Mt. Carmel. The place on Mt. Carmel that we stopped at overlooked the Jezreel Valley. This was the place where many Bible stories took place including a great deal of Elijah's life.

Everyone is orienting their maps to the horizon line.

Here is a paragraph from my field study report that talks about an interesting aspect of one of Elijah's story:

The story takes place in 1 Kings 19 where, after Elijah has been hiding from Jezebel for a long time and is at such a low place in his life that he wanted to die, God reveals himself to Elijah. The wind came, then an earthquake, then lightning- but God was not in any of these. Finally there was a still quite whisper. It was through the whisper that God chose to speak to Elijah. It is hard for us humans to understand why God wouldn’t show his power in a huge way and reveal himself through one of the very strong forces of nature. We must look at the culture and what is going on around Elijah religiously in order to make some sense of this. Baal was one of the prominent gods of this time and many Israelites were beginning to compromise over their beliefs in worshiping only one God by adding bits of paganism into their normal worship and engaging in idolatry. The god Baal was the god of the rains, the sky, and bringing about new growth. The wind, earthquake and lightning could all be seen as things under his domain and God did not want Elijah to think that he might actually be similar or simply anther part of Baal. He had to be, in no way, associated with a false god. God was showing that his very essence was completely different then this false god.

It started to rain on the Mt. and I was very unprepared so I wore my Geo-basics book to keep me dry...see Dr. Wright? It has so many more purposes then just teaching me about rocks!

We went on to see more ruins at Megido (and the armagedon valley). We discussed how this would not be the place of the final battle at the end of the earth as many people tend to think (thanks Left Behind). There is a very strong possibility that the final battle will actually happen in Jerusalem. Dr. Wright explained the reasoning behind this, but it is to hard to explain on this blog. It's super interesting though.

Our final stop was a great view from the Nazareth ridge. After more class time we headed to a lovely hostel in En Gev right on the Sea of Galilee where we would be staying the next 3 nights. We had a wonderful, all you could eat, dinner before falling into bed for much needed sleep.

Beit Jala School

2008-10-29T19:15:00.000+03:00

Hey all! I just got back from my amazing Galilee trip last night and have begun the job of sorting through pictures. I'm embarrassed to admit I took a little over 1,1oo pics over the four day trip, so I have quite the task of sorting, deleting and editing (my goal is to get them down to 700). I'm working on that and a few papers right now, but I will blog the trip as soon as I can.

I did want to post this blog real quick as I was working on uploading it when I left but forgot to finish. These pictures are from a school I help teach at on Tuesdays.
The school is an extension of the American School of Jerusalem and was started when the separation wall went up between Jerusalem and the West Bank. The kids couldn't get to their school anymore, so another one was started in the city of Beit Jala, right next to Bethlehem. It's called the "American School" because it is mostly in English. Some of the kids are Christian, some Muslim, and some un-religious. On a side note, I was really excited to find out that they use a lot of the Abeka school curriculum from the States that I am super familiar with from my school days. It made it really easy to teach. My day entails arriving at 8:30 and teaching/overseeing first grade for the first couple periods while the head teacher, a lovely Palestinian woman, takes the kids out in little groups to read. I am more of an "overseer" and I spend a lot of time answering math and English questions with the occasional class game or group instruction. After a few breaks we do art. Tuesday is the only day we can do art because it is just to difficult for Lilly to do art with all the kids on her own. Last week I led PE instead of art while Lilly worked with a few of the struggling students. I definitely lost my voice from all the yelling- being heard above 23 extremely excited voices and getting them to follow instructions left me ready for a nap! But I love it, and as you might guess, Tuesdays are a highlight for me as I get to spend time with these beautiful children who can't help but capture your heart. Take a peek and smile...

Boys being boys-Malek, Ali, Simon, George, Bashar...enjoying break

Sweet Natasha and Taleen

Yazen and Ali kept playing a little game with me where they would pose just long enough for me to grab my camera and then run off and want me to chase them. What they didn't realize is that I had a zoom...

Some close ups...

Strong Taleen

Yazen was my biggest ham, he posed for me for several minutes (as opposed to seconds)... He is quite smart but always pretends he doesn't understand so he can ask me questions and get some one on one time. I'm on to his game... (-;

Zoyah is the trouble maker of the class but so smart!
To Andrew I give the title "stinker," he would only give me these goofy faces

Malek (I love this name! It means king) is one of the sweetest kids you will ever meet

This beauty is actually in second grade, but she was having lunch when we were and I only needed one look at her eyes before I begged for a photo- she happily obliged

Time to go back to class. Part of my kids make up the very first line

Olive Harvesting

2008-10-19T09:46:00.000+03:00

This afternoon a bunch of us went to the Wright's (our school directors) church for a morning of olive picking in the church yard. We were pretty excited because how often do you get a chance to pick (and then pickle) olives in the US??? We felt pretty legit.
Liz and a lady from the church picking away. You just throw the olives on sheets on the ground and then pick them up when you are all done.

Way up in the tree picking away.Sweet olive tree

Some of our bounty...

Check out how dirty our hands got!

Domari- Gypsies

2008-10-17T16:51:00.000+03:00

Today, Friday (Shabbat) Kaytlin, Alex, Erin and I went to the Domari Gypsy enrichment center for the empowerment of women (yeah, long name). This group of Gypsy people live in East Jerusalem and are not culturally accepted by either Arabs or Jews. Historically they originated in India but now live in little groups all over the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Traditionally the Gypsies were a nomadic people who lived in tents and traveled around practicing their different trades of art, music, and crafts. A generation or two ago, the Gypsies of Jerusalem still lived in tents but because it is very hard to make a living in their traditional fashion they have had to settle down and now live in low income housing and are trying to learn new ways to earn a living besides what has been passed down to them.
The purpose of the Domari center is to preserve the traditional Gypsy culture while encouraging them toward further education and helping them to improve their economic status. The center strives to do this by helping them make and sell their traditional crafts (bags, jewelery, scarves, etc.) as well as helping with learning English and homework. They also provide a safe community for the women and children to come and be accepted and celebrate their unique and different culture.

JUC students volunteer at the center when we can (some once a week, I'll be going every Friday now that Ramadan is over.) Today we started out by doing some clean up to the outside of the center so it would be all ready for more visitors.

We kinda filled the neighborhood dumpster with all the trash we picked up...hope tomorrow is pick up day (-:

Then we spent some time hanging out with the kids. Kaytlin and Alex did homework help while Erin and I did craft time and conversational English.

I got coloring duty with the two littlest cuties
*tickle, tickle, tickle, scream!*
Beautiful...and smart! This darling 6 year old recited the first three pages of her English homework to me instead of actually reading it...what can you say?
She got a little pouty when it was time for us to leave...

Dead Sea-Monday

2008-10-17T15:37:00.000+03:00

Alright, this is the last post from last weekends field study (and this is my forth attempt at posting it because it kept getting deleted...so I'm hoping this will go through this time :-)

Well, after two intense "go-go-go" days, we were all rather tired physically, mentally, and emotionally and were looking forward to a day with a bit less lecturing and a bit more relaxing. Though we saw a bunch of stuff once again, it was a bit more low key- a good last day of study.

We started out by going to the famous Roman stronghold by the dead sea- Masada. The history of Masada is quite short. It was build in 20BC by Herod the Great as a palace, entertainment place, and fortress against revolts. It eventually was taken over by Jewish Zealots who camped there and used it as a base during their rades of Roman cities. Eventually Rome took it back and conquered it around 90 AD. There is a very well known story told by Josephus (the first century Jewish Roman historian) about how Masada fell and how all the Jews committed suicide before the Romans could make them their slaves. It is unlikely that this story actually happened as many of the details don't match up and it was probably told as a political move on Josephus part to show the Jews that he was still loyal to them even after adopting a Roman name and life. Either way, it was a huge incredible fortress that has interested many archaeologists and historians over the years.

The siege ramp leading up to Masada. It took about 10 minutes to quickly climb up, but a few guys wanted to break the JUC record and run up it (several made it in less then 3 minutes and would have broken the record if they had started at the right place- but one guy threw up several times afterwards...)
The view of the siege ramp and the Negev desert from the top
Teresa, Courtney, Peter, Ash, Kaytlin, me, Caitlyn, and Christina posing in an ancient on sight temple
Some of the store houses
close up of the store house ruins

view of the dead sea and a Roman encampment (the square in the dirt in the lower right side)

After about 3 hours of class and exploration time at Masada we went to the place I had been waiting for, well, for FOREVER- the dead sea!!!

Bre and me floating with utter excitement and awe. It was so cool!!!
Look, no hands or feet for me, Ash, or Kaytlin! This was such an incredible experience, but because the sea is 38% salt it starts to sting your skin and you really can't stay in for more then 20 minutes. The stings were very, very worth it though.

Our next stop was again a more restful one- the springs of En Gedi. This oasis, rich in green and brimming with water, was such a stark juxtaposition to the surrounding dry dessert and the completely dead (in the times of the Bible-worthless) sea. David lived here for a while as he was hiding from Saul and En Gedi is also mentioned in the Song of Songs.
The first waterfall we came to, the water was the most interesting teal color
The second one we came to we all decided we couldn't resist and all had to go swimming. I was a bit daring and took my camera down into the pool with me...but I got some great shots:

Jon reveling in the beauty of the water

We finished the day by heading to Qumran. Qumran is a place right on the edge of the dead sea and is the place where the dead sea scrolls were found. (The dead sea scrolls are the oldest found manuscripts of the Bible from before 100 AD- they are twice as old as the next oldest manuscripts!) We had class time in one of the rooms where the dead sea scrolls were copied and then we climbed up to one of the caves.

We then bussed back to our home in Jerusalem just in time for dinner, shower, laundry, and sleep. Next weekend's filed study- 4 days in Galilee!

Negev-Sunday

2008-10-15T08:35:00.000+03:00

The grand adventure continues as we ventured our way into the Negev desert-

On our first stop we Beer Sheva where we looked at some old ruins (surprise, surprise) and focused a lot of teaching on the ancient alters.

Liz and me chilling on a replica of the alter- it has the horns and everything.

We then journeyed to Arad where we explored an iron age (1200-1000 BC) temple that was almost an exact replica of the one that was once in Jerusalem.

Here we are in the "Holy of Holies"
Jesse is sacrifice me on the alter. I know, I know, we get a little carried away, but trust me, there is only so long you can just stare at these ruins- to keep life interesting, we've gotten a bit creative.
Our instructors smile and turn their heads the other way when we "explore" beyond the normal routs of a tourist. In this case Caitlyn, Ada and I went down (ok, well, i was the only one that actually went down) this big cistern type thing that was being excavated in the ancient temple.
The wall around an old Canaanite city below the temple grounds.

Stop 3 was my favorite as it entailed hiking through the Wadi Zen- a beautiful dried canyon of magnificent stone structures that were sculpted and cut away by the flood. beauty
and clarity
Tryin to do the whole gansta thing near the top (-: Christina and me- we finally made it! Check out where we just were!
ha! Matt trying to be all cool...he totally jacked up his leg when he fell, but I was pretty happy with the action shot, so I'm posting it

Stop 4- Avdat. This was an ancient fortress of the Nabateans (a people group that Herod the Great's mother came from). These people used to be the nomads of the desert but finally settled in very remote places in the desert. See the little hills beyond the arch? The entire landscape looked like that. k, so I was liking the whole "through a window" effect. This is taken out of a doorway in one of the ancient churches of the Nabateans.

We ended the day at the Maktesh Ramon, the worlds largest erosion crater located in the Negev desert. We made it just in time for sunset- it was so so SO beautiful. Everyone stared silently for quite some time as we watched the colors dance and change across the sky. nothing short of majestic a wonderful conclusion to our day

Philistia-Saturday

2008-10-14T19:06:00.000+03:00

I just got back from my longest weekend ever! My class went on our first overnight field study that went from early Saturday morning until late Monday night. I'm going to blog each day separately because I have so many pictures (I took over 700!) and I'm not sure if I have time to do them all tonight, though that is my goal.

Day one we focused on the different Philistine cities and history which exist mostly along the western coast of Israel. The view above the Sorek valley was our first stop where we looked at cave homes and crawled through this water tunnel figuratively referred to as a "locked spring."

Cortney, me, Kaytlin after coming out of the water tunnel- barely wet!

Ash, Kaytlin and me at our second stop of the day- Beit Shemesh Tell. We are poking our heads out of an ancient tomb...lovely.
The hills are covered with these dry flowers, they are actually kind of pretty with the right perspective.
Here's Dr. Wright showing us all the key Philistine cities on one of our well marked maps (third stop).
Matt and Kaytlin reenacting David and Goliath at Azekah. Somewhere in the valley and hills behind them is where this actually took place.
Peter, Kaytlin, Liz, me, and Ash on our fourth stop on top of the Lachish Tell.

And finally, our last stop of the day-Ashkelon (maybe a bit more familiar sounding city?) This ancient Philistine city is located directly on the Mediterranean and, so, we got to spend some time on the beach too! It's going to be hard going back to the cold Oregon coast after these warm waters. Here we are in front of the oldest known arch in the world. It was built by the Canaanites around 1850 BC in Ashkelon.

And now for my favorite shots of the day...
Kaytlin's silhouette against the setting sun of the Mediterranean.
God's creation again stunned me and grabbed my heart.
How can you not see a piece of His glory in that sunset? As my cousin Lynzy told me, God is leaving little pieces of His glory all around this beautiful country and I get the honor of discovering them on a daily basis. The key is to look- everything may not be as breathtaking as this sunset, but there is always something to take hold of and praise him for.

Eilat

2008-10-06T18:55:00.000+03:00

God's creation has never amazed me as much as it has this past weekend! I felt like every moment I was constantly awed by a new, completely different facet of his creation. "God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. (Gen. 1:21)" It was good. It was really really good! (I know it's a lot of pictures, but trust me, I'm using intense self discipline not to post 30 more!)

This weekend, a big group of us had off (meaning no field studies) so we took the 5 hour bus ride in little groups to Eilat. Eilat is at the very southern tip of Israel and is pinned between the Sinai desert and the Red Sea. Israel seems to have every different kind of terrain all smooshed into one tiny country- it's great! Ashleigh, Kaytlin and I were travel buddies which always works out really well as we are all pretty chill and get along really well. It was a very relaxing weekend.

Kaytlin, Jesse, Ash, and I going snorkeling. It was the first time I have ever been, and I was not disappointed! The coral reefs of the Red Sea are supposed to be the second best in the world (after the Great Barrier Reef)

These next two pictures are of the reefs in Eialt I copied from the Internet. They are exactly what I saw!

It was so beautiful, I almost cried when I had my first look into the sea. It was "Finding Nemo" in real life! (-: I saw clown fish, lion fish, parrot fish, sea stars, angel fish, barracuda, and swam through a bunch of schools of fish!
Look how blue the sea is! That's the country of Jordan on the other side of the sea. Our first night we camped on the rocky beach- Kaytlin, Ashleigh, and I brought a little tent- everyone else slept under the stars.
I woke up to the most beautiful sunrise over the sea and Jordan.
Before going snorkeling again the next day, we went hiking up some crazy rocks and through a dried wadi.
Ashleigh and Kaytlin climbing up the pretty rough terrain The view from the top was incredible!
Me, Josh, Tyson, and Kaytlin- we were supposed to be looking tough after making it to the top...
but wait...another ridge
we sang "ain't no mountain high enough..." really loud and listened to our echo through the rocky hills That evening we traveled to another beach (more in the city) and hung out for the evening and had some good dinner (we had been surviving on bread, peanut butter and fruit for the previous two days)
Ash and me with our packs in front of our hostel where we stayed our second night.
We spent our last day on the more populated beach in town. Here is a Muslim family having a great time showering off after playing in the ocean. Note the mom- even in the ocean she keeps her coverings on.
We though we were pretty funny as we were walking around with our hard core backpacks in this posh western mall....we got more then a few looks.

Samaria

2008-09-29T18:55:00.000+03:00

Yay, I'm finally caught up with blogging! This post is from yesterday. We spent the entire day busing around to Elon Morea, Nebulous, Samaria, and Shiloh-all parts of the lands of Ephraim and Manasseh and all now included in the West Bank.

We stared the day at a lookout point overlooking the many important hills. Ashleigh and I posing...
Kaytlin, me, and Ash

This is a refugee camp right outside of Nebulous (Old testament Shechem) created for the 1947 refugees. There are third generation Palestinian refugees living here as they are waiting to return to their land in Israel. They won't move out of the camps because then they will no longer be considered refugees and it will tell the world that they now belong in Palestine. That is not what they want, they want to belong in Israel, as they see it as their land, so they are still waiting...

Samaritans

A few minutes after questioning Dr. Wright about the history behind Samaritans, to my delight, we ended up smack dab in the middle of one of only two Samaritan villages in the entire country of Israel. The city that we visited was located on Mt. Gerizim near the city of Nebulous (Shechem) and is called Kiryat Luza. These are a people who have been around for thousands of years and yet, today, they are so few. There is a total population of seven hundred in the combined cities- seven hundred people who all intermarry so as to keep everyone in the same blood line. As would be expected, this causes problems as many are born with disabilities because of all the similar blood lines.
Samaritans are actually a people group separated by their religious beliefs even more then their blood line though, now, they are considered neither Arab or Jewish. They are decedents from the tribes of Levi, Ephraim, and Manasseh but grew apart from the other sons of Israel as they only accepted the Torah as their Bible. They believe that the old laws must be followed. They celebrate many of the same holidays as Jews and continue to sacrifice animals once a year as they hold tight to their original religious traditions.
A priest of the Samaritans spoke to us and filled us in on the information above. He is a decedent from the tribe of Levi and, because of this, his sons will also be priests. Unfortunately there is not a lot for priests to do these days in Samaria, so our new friend spends most of his time running the city’s snack shop.
Kaytlin, Liz, and me acting out the Bible story in front of the Good Samaritan Restaurant. Guess what part I got to be?!
The Samaritan priest

The place where the animals are sacrificed (the long trough) and then burned (the metal alter)
some cuties that were excited to hear my few Arabic words and then let me take some pics of them.

A little guy with a disability )-:

(-: Cassidy

2008-09-28T22:03:00.000+03:00

I don't have time to post the whole blog of pics from today and last week because my Internet connection is once again being rather difficult, but I did want to post a few pics for my darling Cassidy!

Happy Birthday Cassidy in front of a possible sight of the OT temple in Samaria.

well, the WC's/washrooms here are pretty much the same, Cass, sorry to disappoint. (-:

Benjamin Field Study

2008-09-27T17:38:00.000+03:00

Ok, so this is over a week late, but I still wanted to share these pictures from last weeks field study with you. I also decided to paste in my reflection paper from this study below:

Desolate Awakening

The howling sound of complete silence- sounds like an oxymoron doesn’t it? My face becoming clearer as I look at someone else's-is this possible? This was my day, this is my life, this is a small window into what I have learned...
Our first stop was to view the vast expanse of Judean wilderness. The rolling hills of the senonian step land were mostly smooth with a scattering of dry tufts of dessert grass that help keep the animals alive. From our look out, we saw no one, the only signs of life were the few birds in the sky. Our entire group became still and silent as we tried to envision what it would have been like to reside in a place like this, alone, and with no protection. The silence pounded in my head; it was unreal. I was impressed with the fact that this is where Elijah fled from Ahab and Jezebel. This is where the Israelites came as they began to journey into the actual promise land. And this is the wilderness where Jesus was tempted by Satan. The harsh beauty of this place will not soon be forgotten as I now have a better understanding of the geography where certain biblical narrations took place.
On a completely different note, in Deuteronomy 32 verse 10, Moses not only talks about the barren wasteland described above but also how God keeps us as "the apple of his eye." This is better translated as "the small man in his eye" or less literally "in the image of God" and can be better understood by looking a fellow human very closely in the eye. I did this, and saw a very clear image of myself. This is an example of God and us. As we look to Christ, we see ourselves because we are molded after him and as Christ looks at his creation, he sees himself for he has made us to be like him. What a beautiful picture of his joining us to himself. May we strive to please Christ more so that the reflection we see is becoming more and more like the reflection Christ sees.

A Bedouin man offering camel rides to the tourists
The Juedean wilderness- note the tiny tuffs of grass- this is all the animals have to survive on during this time of year. They are provided just enough to get by.

This is the Mountain of Temptation where tradition says Jesus was tempted by Satan.

We then went to Jericho, the oldest city in the world. And here I am touching the oldest man made structure in the world! This tower is 10,000 years old, twice the age of the oldest structures in Egypt!

Bedouin tents in the wilderness.

This is an ancient well and water trough. The age is unknown, but apparently they haven't changed much through the millennium. Picture, in Genesis, Rebekah watering her animals here...

The favorite thing for us today after hearing all the history of ruins is to climb all over them. This was the hardest column to climb, but super sweet. (me, courtney, ashleigh, and stephen)

Herodian

2008-09-24T20:58:00.000+03:00

Since we never made it to David's Citadel on Friday, we went back Saturday morning before our half day field study. The Citadel 's first wall was built by Hezekiah and then new parts were added by Herod the Great, Arab conquestors in 638, and many other people up until 1948. Now it houses a museum of Jerusalem history. View into the citadel from one of the wallsView out into the city. Beautiful day!

Inside there was this very accurate model of the old city of Jerusalem that was made in 1878. The red arrow in the bottom right corner is pointing to my school (JUC). The empty, tree spotted land at the bottom of the picture is the Hinnom Valley and is now filled with buildings as part of the new city of Jerusalem.

After the citadel, we went back to school for lunch and then left on our half day field study to the West Bank. First stop- the Herodian.

View of the Herodian from the window of the bus.

A look into the Herodian- the Herodian was one of the fortresses built by Herod the Great. He built the fortress as an escape from the watchful eye of the Jewish leaders of Jerusalem and as a place to entertain. It was his "mini Rome."

Jesse, Ashleigh, Me, and Matt (Matthew David-yep, check it mom!)

Amy, Ashleigh, Alana, Kaitlyn, Matt, and Me chillin on the pillars

"AH! Help me!!!" I almost didn't make it...

Beautiful view from above

Rolling stones...you know, to kill people

After a few hours at the Herodian we headed to Bethlehem to see the Church of the Nativity

The "exact" (-; place where Jesus was born

Pretty "almost" sunset on our last stop, Ramat Rachel, believed by archaeologist to be the remains of Hezekiah's palace.

Friday Adventures

2008-09-24T13:47:00.000+03:00

"Friday Adventures" is what Ashleigh, Kaitlyn and I have so endearingly named our Friday mornings as we venture off into the city to discover new sights and experience new cultural activities. On Fridays, none of us have class, and so we have set it aside as a day to work through our "to-do/see list." It's my job to read the guide books and create the very long list of all the interesting places that we might want to see (planning is always my favorite part) and then the three of us talk over the list and Ashleigh and Kaitlyn actually make our plans happen. It works out perfectly. Here's a few things on the top of our list for the next few weeks:

-get stretchy ice cream in Ramalla for my birthday

-walk the ramparts (tops of the old city walls- a photographers dream I'm told)

-St. James Cathedral

-German Colony

-watch the Jews party it up at the western wall at the beginning of Shabbat

This last Friday we attempted to go on the ramparts walk but sadly were informed it was closed for Shabbat. "no problem" we thought, we'll just jump to the next thing on our list which was David's citadel. Unfortunately, this was closed for the day as well! By then, we figured we would just go to a little cafe along the street and people watch and talk. There is nothing quite like a cup of coffee and the atmosphere of a tiny little cafe to provide the perfect place to share your heart and escape for a little while. It turned out to be the perfect break from all the running around we had been doing.

Here are a few pictures from our Friday adventure of our casual walk around the city and our few hours of people watching:

Lovely random tower thing...not unusual in the old city.This was just hanging out with a bunch of other bumper stickers in the Jewish quarter-click on it to see it up close. This is not an uncommon sight at all-civilians carry around guns anywhere and everywhere

Kaytlin and Ashleigh later Friday evening all dressed up for Shabbat

Hiking in Golan Heights

2008-09-15T23:01:00.000+03:00

We set out early Sunday morning for a 2 1/2 hour bus ride north right by the Israel/Jordan boarder to go on the best hike I have ever been on in my entire life! We hiked over rocks, above rocks, through rocks, through some streams, swam across a pool, did a bit of cliff jumping, hung out under waterfalls, swam some more, and then climbed up this huge ravine (see below). God's creation is simply breathtaking.
This is what we hiked down to (and then back up :-), beautiful eh?
Kaytlin jumping off a beautiful falls while the guys watch on in envy- I was the unofficial photographer since I was one of the only ones crazy enough to bring a big camera along.
more cliff jumping near another falls. we had to swim across this pool (about 100 meters) with all out stuff being held above our heads (I def put my camera in 5 zip lock bags!...I was taking no chances!)

A chunk of us adventurers- Ryan, Matt, Taryn, Heather, me, Ashleigh, Josh, Christina, Courtney, Anna, and Megan
That's me jumping! awesome!!!!

Thanks God!

and then Ash and I goofing off at the ruins of an old Syrian village that we found along the hike back

Hezekiah's tunnel and Shabbat

2008-09-15T17:56:00.000+03:00

It feels like it's been forever since I last blogged. As has become the pattern of life here, SO MUCH has happened in the last several days. I really should be studying Arabic right now, but all the squiggles and dots are getting old, so I'm gonna share a few pictures from this last weekend.

Friday, Ashleigh, Kaytlin and I went through Hezekiah's tunnel. The tunnel is what King Hezekiah had dug to divert all the water from the Gihon into the city when Sennacherib, king of Assyria, laid siege to Jerusalem in 701 BC.

Going down...

It was really narrow and pitch black with out our flashlights or a camera flash. The water went higher then our knees in some parts.

I'm sttttuck! In a deep dark tunnel! FOREVER!

All in all, very fun experience. We then went home and got ready for....Shabbat!

Shabbat starts in the evening Friday night and goes until Saturday evening. All the Jews in Jerusalem celebrate it with a big Shabbat meal, loud singing, time with friends and family, and for the religious ones- prayer. Everything Jewish in the old city closes for Shabbat and there is even a few streets where you will get stones thrown at you if you dare to go during Shabbat. Here at JUC we celebrate Shabbat every week by getting dressed up (our only chance when we're here) and having a really nice meal. We had a Messianic Jewish lady lead us in the typical way the dinner ceremony goes with singing "Shabbat Shalom" and the lighting of the candles, eating special bread, and drinking wine (or juice). It was great.

Anna and Taryn, aren't they beautiful?

Me and Melissa-crazy chica!

Ashleigh, Taryn, Caitlyn, Melissa, Me, Anna, and Kaytlin- new friends, but I love them already!

(o:

2008-09-11T22:42:00.000+03:00

A random cool pic from the New City:
And a laugh for the morning:

Roses are redish

Violets are blueish

I don't eat bacon

Beacsue I am Jewish

:-D

Life and the West Bank

2008-09-11T18:01:00.000+03:00

I feel the breeze caressing my skin and blowing my skirt in a peaceful flurry
I hear the church bells ringing, car horns beeping, the neighbor's Israeli music blaring, and the construction workers as they bang and hammer some sort of metal into submission
I see the deep blue sky, not a cloud in sight, holding the bright sun that has yet to descend into night
I smell the air, and the fresh baked bread, with the occasional whiff of garbage wafting up from the streets below
I taste the sweet juicy grapes from a fruit seller on the street, spitting the seeds carelessly into the wind
Here I am, home on my roof top, hanging with Jesus and enjoying the simple life experiences of Jerusalem-All is well

Today was a great day full of all sorts of learning. I went into the West Bank again this morning to visit the city of Beit Jalla. Me and some other classmates were visiting a school we are going to be volunteer teaching at this semester and spent a few hours there checking the place out and learning more about the Palestinians before we headed over to Bethlehem for Arabic class (like 3 minutes away). I learned that everyone in the Jerusalem area has been allotted a certain amount of water as it has not rained since February. The Palestinians in the West Bank get 1/4th the amount of water as the Israelis get per person. The water shortage is terrible over in Palestine. The principle from the school we talked to hasn't had water in his house for 2 weeks and the school just ran out a few days ago. And by "no water" I really mean, NO WATER. When you turn on the faucets- nothing. They have to buy bottles of water from the store and use it for everything, from cooking, to cleaning, to bathing, to drinking! There is an option of getting your water tank specially filled, but it is very expensive and most people can't afford it. It's really not ok. Water seems like it should be a basic human right and shouldn't be held back. But anyway, I'm definitely going to be conserving water from this point forward, and we're gonna be bringing the principle and the kids bottles of water when we go to teach. On a side note, I am SO excited to be able to work with kids for a full day every week! It's gonna be great!

Kids and Bethlehem

2008-09-09T22:11:00.000+03:00

God gave me a little gift yesterday. See, this whole seeing the culture but not being a part of it has been kinda hard. As a female, I can't be friendly to the men here (because they already think American women are loose...if you're friendly, it's so much worse) and for the most part am supposed to ignore them (except in certain settings), and I really haven't had an opportunity to talk to the women here as they are not nearly as accessible as the men and are not out in public as much. Thankfully, I will be getting opportunities to get to know some of the people soon- I'll post on my new gypsy friends later. But anyway, God just brough along some really sweet kids in the market the other morning. They were on their way to school, and though many Arabs don't want their picture taken, I decided to ask...just in case. At first they were hesitant, but as soon as I showed them their faces on my camera screen they were totally into it. They goofed off and hammed it up for me for a good five minutes before running off to school. It was so nice to be able to laugh and smile and just "be" with them- even if it was just for a few minutes. I'm so excited for more times like these...(-:

Aren't they just precious?

So...I'm not gonna lie, the whole "West Bank Wall" (This is the wall that separates the West Bank form Israel. People are not allowed to go back and forth. Everyone has one side they must stay on) really struck me the other day as I went into Bethlehem for the first time. I was going to post a lot of pictures and write about it now, but I think I am going to wait until I am more informed. The wall has really intrigued me and I might even write one of my term papers on it. I have some crazy pictures that I will post eventually. This is just a little picture of what I get to see and do twice every week for Arabic class.

I found out later, that I'm not allowed to take pictures of all the security stuff we have to go through...oops. There are several gates, a long chain fence walkway, metal detectors, x-ray bag machine things, and two passport checks we have to go through to get back into Israel. It's crazy what an American passport will do for you though, it's like money here. Flash it, and we're good to go.

First Field Study

2008-09-08T22:00:00.000+03:00

ok, so I deeply apologize, this post contains a lot of "ruins" pictures, but trust me, this is hardly a dent of all we saw on this very long, but great, day. Sunday was our first hard core all day field study. I'll give you a brief summary...and hang in there, there are a few good pics at the end. (-:

This is a piece of the "broad wall" spoken about in the Bible and was used by King Hezekiah. (We're talking B.C. here, but I don't remeber the exact date an am too lazy to climb up two flights of stairs to discover for you:-)
This wall of stones is on a sight that is still being excavated, but it is thought to be a part of the retaining wall for King David's palace. There is not enough proof yet, but it is a definite possibility. On a side note, Jerusalem is the most excavated "living" city. Everywhere we go, there are ruins being examined.

the ruins of a street leading to the ruins of the Jewish temple. Jesus walked on this street! (but, not the exact stones...these stones were from A.D. 60 when the road was re-stoned. lame, hu?)
literally- "Walking in the footsteps of Jesus" (-:
Caytlin, Ash, and I standing on the temple ruins

Having class on the steps of the temple. It's very likely that Jesus spoke here and Paul was trained as a boy on these steps. Crazy yeah?

Me, Matt, and Ashleigh...what can I say? the heat was getting to us. This pillar is from the Byzantine period and is in the midst of the temple ruins. mmmm, tasty...but I promise you all who are worried (...mom), the thousands of years of germs haven't killed me yet.

Ashleigh, Me, Kaitlyn, and Caytlin pretending we're part of the real temple crowd.

We then went to St. Anne's Cathedral (Mary's mother according to tradition) where the acoustics are amazing! (We sang "Be Thou My Vision"- probably the most beautiful sound I have ever heard). This Cathedral was located right by the pool of Bethesda which we also saw (but I'll spare you the pictures, just imagine the stones you've seen above and you've got it!) The pool is where Jesus healed the paralytic and also where tradition says Mary (Jesus' mother) grew up.
We finished off the night by climbing up to the top of a hostel that had a breathtaking view of the city.

alrighty, time to go find me some chocolate toast, mmm. next post...kids and THE WALL, (forboding emotions inserted here) dundundunDUN!

Church tonight

2008-09-06T22:26:00.000+03:00

The voices rose in a strong harmony as the elderly people and a group of young Americans all joined together in singing praises to God. We started first in Hebrew singing "Sing Hallelujah to the Lord"then followed in English, Russian, Ukrainian, Hindi, French, Yiddish, and Spanish- each language taking it’s turn to lead. I was filled with emotion as I was reminded of the great expanse, diversity and beauty that makes up the people who believe in Jesus Christ as the son of God. What the hot tiny white plastered room lacked in size and comfort more then redeemed itself with the treasure of people that it held. -my jurnal
Tonight church was such a blessing. Thank you Lord for the little slice of heaven I got to see tonight!
Well, I’m off to bed. I have an 11 hour field study in and around Jerusalem tomorrow and it’s gonna be hot and tiring! I’m still having a great deal of trouble with the internet, so I’ll continue to post when I can but personal messages will have to wait until our server is back up and running. Love!

tel aviv and back

2008-09-05T11:13:00.000+03:00

Hey guys! So, I've been fighting with my inernet connection for the past 2 hours (make that 3 1/2, it was 2 when i typed that) trying to get this post out. The inernet here is extremely unstable; I'm learning patience. I've been really busy these past three days going places, seeing new things, and of course classes and home work! So let me see if I can catch ya'll up on what's been going on in this beautiful land.
Life definitely moves slower here, for us students at school and definitely the locals. It's the everyday stuff that really makes a difference, you know? Washing clothes and hanging them to dry, walking everywhere, preparing three healthy sit down meals every day, spending time with family and friends. I know that this is not how everyone here lives, but it's our new way of life as well as what I have observed in the old city of Jerusalem. (I don't know if I ever explained, but Jerusalem is split into two separate parts: old city and new (and then the old city has four main quarters: Arab, Christian, Jew, and Armenian). We live just outside the old city and have spent the most time there. It is the very religious, conservative, and traditional part of Jerusalem. It shuts down almost completely by 7pm, the dress is very modest, and there are the extream orthodox religious people on every street corner. Quite the opposite, the new city is much more westernized and even has some stores from the US.)
Anyway, let me share some favorite pics from the last two days starting in the old city:
Looking through the fence at the few prayers at the western wall (wailing wall). The western wall is the most sacred religious place for the Jews as it is the closest they believe they can get to where the Holy of Holies used to be (they are kept from getting closer because of the Muslim control of the temple mt. and the dome of the rock)
L-R: Christina, Claire, Charlene, Ashleigh, Caytlin, Me, Nicole, and Megan- all in front of the wall.
I was so excited to catch this shot- it's such a descriptive picture of what Israel is today.

Later in the evening, Tom, Laura, and I took a little excursion to the Mt. of Olives. What you see is King Hezekiah's tomb in the midst of a massive grave yard that covers the side of the mt. Laura and I in front of Absalom's tomb.
My fav shot of the night: The old city wall, the graves, and the dome of the rock lit up at night.

And on to yesterday!!! My what a day it was. (-: A group of us decided to head to Tel Aviv after class and visit the Mediterranean! None of us had been there before, and though we got directions, it took us a very long time of taking buses, sheruits (bus taxis), and walking. But it was SO worth it!
It wasn't to crowded, and the sun was perfect!
A funny old Jewish couple I watched for a while
Anna, Me, and Taryn= The crazy ones!
Anna, Me, Trey, and Ashleigh
Our silhouettes against the beautiful ocean. I had never been in a warm ocean before, and OH MY WORD, it was all I'd ever heard and more! So, so wonderful. We swam way out past the waves and just swam and relaxed.
We figured out we walked about 10 miles to and from, and when we finally got home we were exhausted, but it was such an awesome experience. Hopefully I'll be back!

Trecking around the Arab Quarter

2008-09-02T15:43:00.000+03:00

The old city of Jerusalem is divided into four quarters: Jewish Quarter, Christian Quarter, Arab Quarter, and Armenian Quarter. Today I went to the Arab Quarter for the first time and so I though I would share some pictures from our (Melissa and Ashleigh went with me) exploration.

We started out by going to the super market to get lemon to flavor our not so tasty water and I realized that a counter full of olives might be a way to get Trina to come visit me...(-:
Here's a colorful street in the market. Ramadan began yesterday, so all these people can't eat or drink anything while the sun is out. We were very careful not to take out our water and drink in front of them while in their part of town.
This man is right outside the Arab Quarter were all the Jews are enjoying their bread.
The Damascus Gate. One of the main entrances to the old city and the Arab Quarter.
We then decided to check out the garden tomb while we were close by. The garden tomb is a place believed by some to be where Jesus was crucified and resurrected. It's definitely not the real place, but we figured, why not see two place where Christ was killed and buried in two days (Church of the Holy Sepulcher was yesterday). Only in Jerusalem...

Skull Hill...My artsy pic of the garden tombWe decided that a picture outside the actual tomb might be better then just a sign (-:There is an actual garden that is just beautiful that surrounds the tomb.And this is kinda random, but I figured everyone needs to know what payphones look like in other countries...well, at least I thinks it's interesting. (-:

And now I really must go study, ah, so hard to do when there is still so much to explore!

A look around Jerusalem

2008-09-01T19:41:00.001+03:00

These pomegranates are in my yard! I'm just waiting for them to finish ripening.
This is Israel; beauty remaining in the midst of such hardship Everything in the old city is made out of this same limestone. It's really beautiful.
The star of David is EVERYWHERE.
A view into the hills of Bethlehem and the west wall dividing the Jews from the Palestinians
This is the view from the roof right outside my room in the early morning! Amazing, hu?

(L-R me, Christina, Ashleigh, and Liz) We got up at 5am to beat the tourists to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. We're standing in front of the stone where Jesus' body was supposedly anointed for burial.

Bread carts are all over the old city, mmmm

We stopped to get some bread on the way home from our early morning adventure.

First Impressions

2008-09-01T07:16:00.000+03:00

-Jerusalem is very hilly and kinda looks like Bend Oregon, kinda

-mmmm, we get the best humus I have ever eaten twice every day

-as a woman, I'm not supposed to look any man here in the eye, so us girls do a lot of looking at the ground

-the water here taste kinda like moth balls (-; but it's so hot that we drink and drink and drink all day long

-i have yet to experience air conditioning

-the mix and tension of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity all co-existing in this one great city has been simply fascinating to observe (for example, Muslims actually own church of the holy sepulcher and lock/unlock it every morning for the hundreds of "christian" pilgrims)

-I'm living off the fourth floor, right off the roof of our school. It looks out into the city of Jerusalem and is seriously the best place to hang out with Jesus

-so far I have taken an average of 100 pictures every day...and, no, I am not a tourists (-;

-grapes, olives, and pomegranates are all growing in my yard

-i discovered this morning that unripe olives fresh off the tree are not good. no, that's an understatement, they are not only not good, they are the worst thing I have ever tasted in my entire life. Think of the nastiest, most bitter thing you have ever eaten, multiply that by 15, and then picture that sickness snaking over your tongue and overpowering your senses with sickening glee. i am not exaggerating people. yeah, just know that you have been warned

-so far, this is my favorite country I have ever visited. i love it here! come visit

-oh, and fyi, no toilet paper is allowed in the toilet :-D

So...jet lag...

2008-08-30T04:46:00.000+03:00

(So, the pic is my first in the Tel Aviv airport and proof that I am actually here!)

Yay!!!!! I'm finally here in the place I have dreamed about visiting for years! God is so good! I've already met a lot of people at JUC and I got to take a walk through the old city of Jerusalem last night where I had my first sightings of ancient ruins (100AD I think). We ran into tons of Jewish men on their way home from the synagouge last night. But my favorite part of the night by far was randomly playing with this super friendly little Arab boy on the street who invited us to his house-I sure hope we run into him again! I can already tell that this is going to be a very different culture (which makes me really excited- so much to learn!) I'm so excited for orentation today and hope my 3 hours of sleep last night won't be a problem for all thats going on. (-: