I have been greatly blessed with all of the people that have come through Jerusalem over the last week. On Monday, I had my Pastor and his wife from back home. I was lucky enough to skip out on class and share a delicious meal with them before having a nice chat over mint tea and taking them to meet my shop-keeper friend in the Old City. The next day, right before I got so ill, I walked over the the City of David to meet up with my dear friend Chloe. The last time I saw Chloe was in Ethiopia earlier this year and it was fantastic seeing her again. We've made it our life goal to meet up in as many crazy countries around the world as possible. So far so good. :-) In any case, I had the great privilege of spending the day with her whole family, at Hezekiah's Tunnel and the Holocaust Museum. She and her brother were going to have dinner with me here at JUC on Wednesday evening, but then the impending doom of sick-nastiness fell and I figured the JUC campus was the last place they wanted to be.
So, the last week the Lord has been teaching me a few things: it has been a bit of a pitfall for me this semester to not lean on Him as much as I ought regarding academics. Not to say that this place is easy, it's just more of a relaxed environment and I have a reduced credit load compared to what I am used to at Wheaton. The Lord has used the last week to drill into my mind that even what I accomplish here by way of school work will be by clinging to His strength in accordance with His grace for His glory. Thanks for the reminder, God.
My parents and siblings arrived about 36 hours ago and I have the rest of the week planned with all sorts of exciting things. Not quite sure where studying for finals is going to come in but I'll squeeze it in before bedtime and before my morning classes. I've determined not to let it worry me... so far so good. Yesterday we walked around the Old City and went through Hezekiah's tunnel (I never get sick of that place!). Today we're having a Temple day. I'm not entirely sure yet what all will be entailed in that, but we'll figure it out as we go. It's been wonderful introducing them to my friends on campus and sharing just a taste of the last few months.
I've also been reminded how much I have learned and yet how little I have come to understand about the depth of the culture and tensions here in the Middle East. Honestly, I feel more baffled than ever; just living here, though, I've gained a whole new appreciation for the complexity of the situation. "Nothing is as it seems" greatly applies... especially to how the Middle Eastern conflict is portrayed in the news back in the US. I don't claim to understand, I don't think I ever will, and will challenge everyone who has an opinion to consider the other side of the coin. The Israelis and the Palestinians need Christ... when both parties accept Him as Lord and Savior, the ideologies and cultural and historical conflicts can be overlooked in grace for the sake of the unity of the body. Everything is so gray here... my head hurts.
I'm nearing the half way point with my last week of classes. How I will miss my professors here. They are amazingly knowledgeable people and am so thankful to the Lord for providing me with the opportunity of studying under them. The clock is winding down quickly... I can just smell hot chai simmering on the stove and gingerbread in the oven as I decorate with my family. "I'll be home for Christmas......"
Shalom, y'all!
