Jerusalem and Beyond

Leaving the JUC-box Community

2008-12-20T20:12:00.005+02:00

After pulling back into Jaffa Gate, a grabbed my bags and practically ran the half mile back to campus. I wasn't expecting to leave before 3 AM, so I knew I had to race to get my room packed up and checked out. The boost of adrenaline helped as I finished up with a half an hour to spare. I ended taking that time to go over to the academic building with a friend of mine who was leaving later that morning and praying. Wow. So much to pray about and process through.

And then came one of the most difficult things that I have ever had to do in my life... say good bye. And it certainly didn't help that I was exhausted, dehydrated, emotional, and I flat out was not ready to leave my new found JUC family. I held it together until it came time for me to say goodbye to my roommate Maria. We just held each other and bawled silver tears of joy, thanksgiving, love, and sorrow all mixed together into one. Puffy eyed and overwhelmed I then said goodbye to Dan and Trey, jumped in the Sherut, and attempted to regain my composure. I didn't succeed in the least.

The JUC community has changed me forever. "Community" is one of those Christian buzz words that we throw around all the time, we know we need it, yet we rarely take the initiative to truly, whole-heartedly go through the pain and sometimes unpleasantness of making it happen as Christ intended. Soon after arriving, my perceptions of JUC quickly moved on from a normal, typical dysfunctional family, to a group of students and adults who loved the Lord and sought His peace with a passion like I have seen in precious few. The "standard", you might say, for living in community has forever been raised; I know the challenge set before me in reaching that same type of Christian fellowship, love, patience, and grace in all such environments.

A few comments, though: (1) it isn't always pleasant, but the rewards of working through and putting one's effort into building such a community are entirely worthwhile and (2) all must give their all, surrender their wills, and be vulnerable and humble before both God and mankind. I have heard people say that in a marriage, it's 50%/50% give and take. No wonder there are so many dysfunctional marriages. From what the Lord has showed me I know now it can't be a hair's breadth short of 100%/100% all the time. It's the service Christ commanded in the Novum Maundum stated within the context of Yeshuah washing His disciples' feet: we must lay down our lives as Christ Himself did, recklessly abandoning all to the message and theme of the cross of Christ. Easier said than done, no?

And now I find myself at home. Home is cozy and warm and comfortable... almost too comfortable. I love being here with my family, don't get me wrong; they receive ample praise and thanksgiving for being willing vessels of the Lord in helping mold me into all that I am. They have prepared me for and prayed me to this moment, the moment where I'm itching to go and accomplish all that the Lord has called me to. Now I find myself seeking the Lord's peace, that glorious peace that passes all understanding, the peace that will grant me grace and contentment to live where the Lord has brought me here and now. I must remember I am still in the training level, and though I have had a taste of the sweet fight for the Kingdom, it's my turn to return back to the warm up room, rest, and build up strength for when my time really does come. And train hard I will that I might be all the more prepared and equipped for the glory of my King.

I think I'll move to Zimbabwe....

Egypt Day 08

2008-12-18T15:05:00.007+02:00

2:15 AM we received a knock on our door and a man was calling, "Wake up! Time to wake up." About 10 minutes later, I had my 5 layers of clothing on (we were told the night before to dress as warmly as possible. A student who had done the same trip last year whose home is in Lombard, IL said he had never been so freezing cold in his life. Having lived a few miles from Lombard in Wheaton, I was terrified.) I wore a turtle neck, long sleeve, sweatshirt with hood, my North Face, double socks, gloves, scarves, hat, hood, PJ bottoms with sweatpants, etc. I thought to myself... nah, I can't get cold with all of these clothes.

Luckily it was a full moon which aided visibility greatly and we were allowed to hike up at our own pace. I don't know if it was because of adrenaline or I was too stupid or cold to know better, but I shot up there in just barely over 2 hours. If I could do it again, I would have gone much more slowly. I was drenched with sweat by the time I reached the top, which only froze on me and rapidly lowered my body temperature, making it much harder to stay warm. At the top, we were still about an hour away from sun rise, so we huddled in large groups and attempted to stay warm.

This is one such group. Heather, Trey, me, Cyndi, and Doug. Oh, do I have fun memories from that hour and a half. There were actually a couple hundred people who were gathered there with us, so we rock climbed up to the top of a little chapel building and sat on the roof away from everyone. Up there we were also blocked from the wind.

And then the sun rose. It was one of the most incredible and beautiful things that I have ever witnessed in my life. Every drop of sweat along the way, every ache in my muscles, every pound of my heart and head suddenly disappeared and I gained a whole new appreciation for the Lord's majesty and beauty as revealed in His creation. And to think that Moses climbed this mountain so many times to meet face to face with the Lord! I wonder how he kept warm. I wonder how he didn't drop the tablets of stone while climbing down the rough spot near the top? Where did all those Israelites stand near the base of the mountain so that they could see the glory of the Lord coming down? What on earth possessed them to build a golden calf? As you can imagine, my mind was alive with questions on the way back down.

What a perfect end to the Egypt trip. Probably the highlight of my experience there and one of the most memorable of my time at JUC. I wanted to end my Egypt posts with the following picture of two of my closest friends that I have gained over this last semester: Trey and Maria. Trey is a warrior of the Lord in His faith, completely devoted to the furtherance of the Kingdom through sacrifice and service. And MIA MARIA--I'm going to cry! Ah, the Lord knew I needed such a woman as my roommate to encourage and inspire me this semester. This precious sister prayed and mentored me through so many things. My favorite memories with her are up on the roof late at night outside of our dorm room overlooking Jerusalem, singing praise songs to the Almighty. Hopefully I will be able to see her this summer when she and I road trip up to Alaska to visit our beloved and better third, Megan.

At this point, we began the descent. We had a short stop at the hotel to shower, pack up, then load up the bus for the long ride home. I slept only a portion of the way as I had a fantastic conversation with a friend of mine about church development and the modern American youth group crisis. The border crossing was uneventful, so I spent the remainder of my time standing along the Red Sea in 85 degree weather, looking for little rocks and shells to pick up and smuggle home in my back pack. We pulled into JUC about 6:30 PM.... I would be leaving at 12:30 AM to catch my flight back the the US.

Egypt Day 07

2008-12-18T02:00:00.007+02:00

Day 07 began with getting off the overnight train in Cairo. Funny story: the JUC group took over two of the first class train cabins, so we were all bunched up into one large group. A friend of mine named Matt had woken up especially early, and thought it would be hilarious to throw a practical joke. We had received a very stern lecture the night before that we absolutely needed to be ready to get off the train at Cairo because the train was continuing up to Alexandria; if we failed to get off on our stop, it would be our own responsibility to find our way back into Israel and up to JUC. Needless to say we were all rather paranoid. So, about 5:45 that morning, Matt runs into the hall way of the second car, puts on an Egyptian accent that sounds exactly like Mina our tour guide and yells, "JUC! This is our stop... Let's go!" My classmates were throwing this bags out into the hall ways, swearing under their breaths, trying to throw their clothes on over their PJs, all with looks of panic in their eyes. Matt was soon thereafter banished to my car and labeled as the jerk of the trip.

We had about a 3.5 hour bus ride toward the Sinai out of Cairo. We stopped at t rest station for a bathroom break and so people could purchase water at will. We were outside for a few minutes before a caravan of jeeps come screeching around the corner. Dr. Wright and Nayer told us that we would be taking jeeps across the sand dunes up to a temple dedicated to Hathor and to go explore some turquoise mines. SO MUCH FUN!

I can't even describe it. It felt like we were driving on ice most of the time. This picture was taken from further back in the caravan, but I was up in the front with Dan and Dr. Wright. The leader was the teacher and all of the other drivers were the students. I thought that he was going to be a boring driver, but apparently I was mistaken. He obviously wanted to prove to us and the rest of the caravan that he was the teacher for a reason... if that meant going faster, further, and the more treacherous route, so be it. I literally thought I was going to die on several occasions.

About 2 hours into the jeep ride, we stopped at a Bedouin camp for lunch. We hadn't eaten since 6:00 AM, so a 3:00 lunch was greatly appreciated. The food was pretty much the same as we had been eating since crossing the border, but the goat cheese was about as authentic as you can get.

Then we hopped back into the jeeps and traveled another half and hour or so until we reached the base of the mountain we were going to climb to get to the Hathor Temple. Our guide spoke no English and was not interested in rushing through the experience in the least. My divide and conquer attitude learned some patience on the way up.

The temple was beautiful, with incredible views to a huge portion of the Sinai area. Dr. Wright pointed out to us Jebal Musa, or Mt. Sinai that we would be waking up at 2:30 AM to climb the next morning. I looked at it and thought, "Well, so much for that. I'll just get a good night's sleep back at the hotel." 9,000 ft? That's a long ways.

This is a picture of one of the Turquoise mines that we were able to explore. I was a bit disappointed, but that's probably because I had visions of the 7 dwarves whistling while they worked among sparkling wall of diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, etc. In any case, I spent more time watching the sun set and the full moon rise than searching for a speck of turquoise.

We off road-ed it back to the bus, droved until 11:30 PM when we reached out hotel, Maria and I skipped dinner and went straight to bed, and we held our breaths, knowing that 2:30 AM was going to come all together too quickly.

Egypt Day 06

2008-12-17T23:42:00.008+02:00

Alright, Day 6 was mainly "Tomb Day" but we ended up at another temple or two along the way. It was also another early morning, so much so that they ordered another wake up call. I believe Maria's first words when she looked at her watch were, "SERIOUSLY?!" About an hour after breakfast, the sun was just beginning to rise over the Valley of the Kings and we could see all of the hot air balloons rising over the grave sites.

I can't even remember all of the tombs that we went to. They didn't allow cameras inside, which probably would have helped me in recall. I do know that we saw the tomb that was involved in one of the Indiana Jones movies as well as the famous tomb of King Tut. Like I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, I couldn't believe that all of the loot that we saw in the Cairo museum was crammed into such a small area. How exciting it must have been when it was discovered.

We then went to Deir el-Medina which was a workers camp just outside of the Valley of the Kings. It is quite possible that the Israelites lived in a similar camp during their time in Egypt. Please note that I am NOT saying that we visited where the ancient Israelites lived... it isn't even in the right part of the country for that statement to have an ounce of historical reliability.

Next came Hatchepsut's temple. I had a very strong burst of energy at this point and was ready to run a marathon. There were a few, namely Dr. Wright, Dan, and a member of the JUC Board named Doug who used this opportunity to tease me incessantly. Needless to say, they finally got the reaction out of me that they were looking for. Apparently when I get miffed, I stamp my foot in exasperation.

After we finished up at Hatchepsut's temple, we went to Habu temple. Nothing too exciting to report from there.

Egypt is famous for her alabaster. We went to a factory where they gave us a demonstration on how it is made and how you can tell the real from the fake. While leaving Hatchepsut's temple, I had purchased an alabaster scarab bug somewhat unintentionally. I named him Amun and Amun now sits on my desk.

Our final stop was the funerary monument for Amenhotep III. The sun was setting and it was beautiful. We also went to the Ramasseum, where the colossal statue of Ramses II lies in ruins. It is sobering to think about a man who had so much power, altered the course of history in so many ways, who was looked up to and revered by the world, ended the same way you and I will. Yet with all of his wisdom, power, and strength, he still missed the purpose and essence of life. Some argue that he may have been the Pharaoh of the Exodus...I won't make a judgment at this point, but if he were, how much more true everything I just wrote.

A little boy came up to me and tried to sell me one of his necklaces. I didn't have any money one me (it was all back on the bus) so I decided that I would play with him instead. I took out my notebook and drew the different trinkets that were on the bottom of each of the necklaces. He thought that was great fun. A few minutes later, 4-5 more children ran over and kept holding up things for me to sketch out. My friend Seth helped divert some of them but I stayed busy from then until we got on the bus.

Egypt Day 05

2008-12-17T22:19:00.002+02:00

Temple Day! It was Maria's birthday and we saw so many temples and processed through so much information, I must admit not being able to relay very much. We went to 4-5 major temples in the Upper Kingdom, including Kom-Ombo, Edfu, Carnack, and Luxor.

Carnack and Luxor were definitely the highlights of the day. There were several wall documentaries that we had studied in class that several fellow classmates presented on. Again, after having looked at the text book pages, we couldn't comprehend how huge they were.

At the third temple, I hit a wall mentally and physically. The strain of being sick after Jordan, having my family here, finals week, and the strain of the last few days with no sleep finally caught up with me. I found a little cubby hole near the back of one of the temples, taking some personal time to be alone and rest. While I sat there praying and journaling, I heard a woman trying to get my attention. She had her husband and child with her and motioned to her camera as if to ask if she could take my picture. When I nodded my head "yes" she came and sat down next to me. A friend of mine saw what happened and snuck the following picture of us.

After a quick stop back at the new hotel in Luxor to claim our rooms, we then went to the temple site at Luxor for a night time tour of the ruins. Oh, it was so beautiful. The moon was quickly approaching its fullest and brightest point. There were a few presentations on Egyptian astronomy and the Sphinxes, some free time to wonder as we pleased, then back to the hotel for dinner.

I was able to eat dinner with a young couple on the group who worked at JUC as the student body leaders while taking classes to finish up the MAs. Abby and Tim have been such an encouragement and inspiration to me this semester. Both are planning to go out on the mission field but are continuing in their academic studies through their first years of marriage to better equip and prepare themselves for all that lies ahead. I have learned so much from both of them.

Egypt Day 04

2008-12-17T02:14:00.008+02:00

We got off the train at Aswan and headed straight to the hotel to unload our luggage before beginning the actual academic side of the day. This is the train... it's actually much nicer on the outside than on the inside.

Our first stop was what Brad Grey called "A really bad day." It was the granite quarry in Aswan where the "unfinished" or better titled "failed" obelisk is located. There are only 12 great Obelisks still standing through the millennia, and only four can still be found in Egypt. To see the rest, you would need to travel to New York, Rome, Paris, London, and Istambul. I'm all for the Egyptian government reclaiming then now that they have the means to honor and preserve them as they ought. If this obelisk had succeeded, it would have reached the monstrous height of 126 feet. Unfortunately, about 75% of the way through the digging, the granite cracked and they had to abandon it.

We then traveled to see what Aswan is known for within the last century: the great dam that prevents the Nile from flooding every year as it did for centuries upon centuries though ancient Egyptian history. Both Dr. Wright and Mina felt it necessary to camp upon this point each for a good 30 mins, but I believe the last statement will suffice for now. You can send me an email if you would like some more details...

After lunch back at the hotel, we went for a walk along the Nile until we reached a boating place and Dr. Wright told us to climb in and hold on.

We took a 10-15 minute ride until we reached what is known as "Philae temple." Apparently the temple holds the most Greco-Roman influence of any of the ancient monuments. The temple was originally located on another island but was salvaged in reconstruction work a few years ago. Because of its location on the Nile, for a good 1/3 of the Egyptian calender year the monument would have been underwater. It then held more significance in the summer months as the water receded and the people could rejoice in the coming harvests.

One of the highlights of the entire Egypt came when we went over into the Sahara Desert about 50 feet beyond the Nile to a camp of camel herders who offer rides to visitors up to a monastery tucked back in the dunes of the desert. I think I caught on pretty quickly to the whole camel riding phenomena; the man who owned my animal asked if I was okay, and when I responded to the affirmative, he hit the thing on its backside so it galloped all the way up into the desert. Did you know camels could run? Now you know.

A friend of mine and I shared a camel on the way back, which provided a much slower, more manageable pace. This second camel, aka Mickey Mouse, had a real mean streak... I love this next picture. I looked him in the eye and growled and he returned the favor by making one of the funniest noises I have ever heard in my life. My friend Trey caught it at just the right second.

We then got back on the boat and went to a Nubian village for some cultural experiences and to celebrate the end to a fantastic year. The man who sang and led the music portion of the celebration tried long and hard to find a JUC girl to add to his collection of wives back at his home but to no avail. We sang, danced, drank tea with loads of sugar, got henna tatooes, and then said our sad goodbyes.

This is the little girl that I fell in love with. She wasn't quite yet in school so Nayer couldn't communicate with her in Arabic to learn her name. She was so affectionate and would copy anything I said or did. The only negative of Egypt Day #4 was saying goodbye to her.

Egypt Day 03

2008-12-17T02:08:00.007+02:00

Well, we didn't begin bright and early, we began ridiculously early. So much so that they had to provide a wake up call at 5:00 to make sure we all made it out to the bus on time. We were headed to the Hyksos Tel Yehudia which represented the era when Joseph probably would have entered into Egypt and was raised up as the number two man in charge. We were met up by an army caravan who was required by the Egyptian government to provide us with protection while we were in the area as well as the protect the tel from us. I don't think that second part was entirely necessary, but I've learned to throw my hands up in the air and not let it bother me.

We then visited a series of Coptic churches in the southern part of Cairo all of which interested me greatly. I did stop and wonder what exactly the churches had to do with "Ancient Egypt and the Biblical World" but Mina really gave a bunch of valuable information regarding the history of Eastern Christianity in Egypt and how it all plays into the current religious and social tensions of the country. Perhaps is was good for us to be pulled out of our little academic bubble to gain more of a comprehensive picture on modern day realities.

As we were leaving the churches, Dr. Wright gathered up the group and told us that over the course of our time at JUC we had studied much about the geological significances of the Levant land, learning to identify Cenomanian, Senonian, and Eocine limestone, Basalt rock, the Jurassic rock in the Mahkteshes, and the various coastal soils along the Plains of Philistia. As we drove into the Sinai we had learned about another rock called granite was extremely prevalent in Egyptian history. As this trip was about celebrating the end of a semester, he had Mina and Nayer work long and hard to find a lunch place that would continue this rock theme. The bus exploded into cheers at this point. We ate at Hard Rock, and rocked hard.

We had about a half an hour of free time after lunch, so a few of us went outside to catch our breaths and give our ears a break from the loud music. There was a pleasant little walk along the Nile where a friend of mine grabbed the following picture... I think one of my favorites from the entire trip. Egypt really does have some beautiful spots.

Our final event for the day was the Cairo museum. The gave us 4 hours with Mina our tour guide and another hour or so by ourselves to explore. What a fantastic experience. I have been through a few Egyptian museums before, the largest of which was the Egyptian section of the British Museum in London. This was 100 times better than everything I had seen combined with every history and art history text book I have been through on Egyptian artifacts. And they have a basement packed full of things they don't have anywhere to put.

We weren't allowed to take cameras inside the museum, so I put my sketching skills (or lack thereof) to work, filling my journal will little quarter page pencil drawings of the various artifacts. One of the highlights of the museum was seeing all of King Tut's tomb booty. There were rooms upon rooms of statues, pieces of jewry, furniture, everything that symbolized his power and accomplishments. We would see later on our Tomb day where he was buried in the Valley of the Kings, and I couldn't wrap my mind around how they fit everything into that little room.

Later that evening, we had some time to shop in the markets and went to a papyrus factory. We drove over to the Cairo train station, hopped the train, then tried to fall asleep, knowing we would wake up and find ourselves in Aswan in southern Egypt.

Egypt Day 02

2008-12-16T21:00:00.003+02:00

Pyramid Day! So we began the day bright and early (you will shortly discover this to be quite the theme throughout the course of this trip) and traveled toward Dashur in our fancy Egypt bus. I don't mean that sarcastically at all... the Egypt and Jordan buses were far nicer than the ones that we experienced in Israel. We first saw the "Red Pyramid" and received permission to climb down the shaft inside of it. I have always said that one of my life goals was to climb into one of the pyramid complexes and now I have.

We then went to a museum in Memphis that housed the colossal statue of Ramses II along with some fine artifacts that would grant us a general overview of concepts and themes we would be seeing throughout the remainder of the trip. Both our Egyptian tour guide Mina and travel agent Nayer were fantastic, strong, well equipped Christian men who have thoroughly gained my respect. I could tell at the beginning of day two how blessed we were to have them with us.

Then came Saqqara. We went inside of a mastaba, or family tomb, then over and down into Teti's pyramid. We spent a chunk of time at the Imhotep museum near the Djoser funerary complex, marveling that we weren't looking at text book pictures but the "real stuff". Outside of the Djoser complex, I gave my prepared presentation on the architect Imhotep with his step pyramid in the background, then we had free time to run around and explore the sight as much as we chose.

We ended the day at the famous Giza pyramid complex as the sun set behind the Sphinx. As we left the Cheop's boat house and moved toward the exit of the park, we were bombarded by vendors attempting to sell us little trinkets worth pennies for hundreds of times more than they were worth. My favorite example of this was a little stone figurine of a cat. The man wanted 400 Egyptians pounds (about $80) but sold it to Dr. Wright for 10 Egyptians pounds ($2). Dr. Wright commented, "And I still over paid by $1.75!" This harassment wouldn't stop until we reached the Sinai on day 7. What stories do I have to tell about those Egyptian men....

Egypt Day 01

2008-12-16T15:18:00.003+02:00

Even though we all went to bed ridiculously late because of our late night Vespers Service and Megan took off for the airport at 1:30 AM, we were still up bright eyed and bushy tailed (okay, that was a COMPLETE lie) at 4:45 AM for last minute packing and then to be on the road toward the Eilat border crossing by 5:30 AM.

The sun rise along the Ascent of Adumim and the Dead Sea was gorgeous, well beyond any other sun rise I have seen in my years. Unfortunately, my camera busted 2 photos into it, so all of my pictures were taken by a friend of mine who patiently and longsufferingly (is that a word? it is now...) transfered them over to my computer as soon as we got back to Jerusalem.

The border crossing was rather uneventful. I did manage to sweet talk and bat my eyes enough so that the guards allowed me pass over from Israel to Egypt to Israel to Egypt in a period of about 5 minutes to retrieve a forgotten bag on the bus. How many people can say that they have done that?

After a quick stop at the Red Sea we began our 4 hour winding roads through the Sinai wilderness. Maria and I read through the first 20 chapters of Exodus which proved most useful in the remainder of the trip by way of quick recall. All the passages of the Israelites wandering for 40 years and complaining about being away from Egypt make so much more sense.

We had a late night dinner on a river boat called the Imperial, then crashed in our hotel in down town Cairo, attempting to psyche ourselves up for another early morning. All was going so smoothly, too, until Mia Maria decided to lock herself in the bathroom. Ah, we certainly did have fun this trip!

Remember!

2008-12-16T14:25:00.004+02:00

My last week erred more on the hectic, busy, eventful side of things, but it remained so richly blessed by the Lord. Maria challenged me to predetermine that I wouldn't get worked up or stressed about the work ahead of me, and praise the Lord I managed to pull through in His strength. Life is so much more enjoyable when you decide you aren't going to worry but allow things to happen as they are meant to occur.

After Wednesday morning, my major assignments and tests were out of the way and I had only to run around the city for last minute shopping and preparations for Egypt. As I don't generally travel anywhere beyond a twenty minute walk by myself, it provided the ideal opportunities of spending time with the amazing brothers and sisters in the Lord that I had come to love to dearly over the course of this time at JUC.

I began reading through Deuteronomy with the purpose of completing it while in Egypt. This time through, though I have read it multiple times in the past, the words and analogies, the historical contexts and land references sprang to life in vivid mental pictures and memories of lectures and devotional times in class through the semester. I can't adequately describe the overwhelming sense of peace and joy it gave me. JUC has given me a gift so beyond the worth of money... I will never be able to read my Bible in the same way. And the themes of Moses calling the Israelites to "remember" and "do not forget" what the Lord has done as they entered the Promised Land after their journeys was overwhelmingly applicable. Though I'm not entering the Promised Land, I am headed back into a land in which the Lord has chosen me to serve for the present time after my times of journeying, and I know I will be faced with the same challenge: "Laura, don't forget. Remember."

And what am I remembering? The Lord often caused the Israelites to erect standing stones as memorials referencing his glory and power. We saw some of these at Gezer early on in the year. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that in a few years, or even in a few months or weeks for that matter, when I find myself entering a dry spot where I begin to question where I am headed in life and what I believe the Lord has revealed to me in what I am to accomplish for His kingdom during this short time I have on earth, I can faithfully return to this semester and rest in His grace and peace.

While we were up on Mt. Nebo at the end of our Jordan trip, our group had a similar conversation after reading Deuteronomy 34. As the Israelites are standing on Nebo looking across the Jordan into their Promised Land, Moses leaves them with the call to remember and dwell on the Lord's faithfulness. Cyndi challenged us, "As you leave this mountain, get back into the bus and climb back into the Judean hills towards Jerusalem then on to where the Lord has called you, will you remember? Will you live faithfully before the Lord to accomplish the work He has set before you?" She then read a passage which has come to mean much to me over the course of this semester: "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength, or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice, and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight. (Jer 9:23-24).

So, with a full heart of gratitude and thanks to the Lord, I wrap up this particular post. There will be more to come for sure regarding Egypt and final reflections, but for now, I am at the deep-seeded, contented rest that I have only known but a few times in my life. I am anxious and expectant for all the Lord has planned over the upcoming years, though I don't have the foggiest clue what lies ahead. I have so much to process and think about over the next weeks in preparation for Wheaton culture and climate shock. Goodness gracious... that will be a wake up call, as if stepping out of the plane in NY wasn't enough of one....

Sweet Moshe, What a Week!

2008-11-26T10:37:00.003+02:00

Well, I'm finally feeling better. The past week has been miserable, but I'm about 90% better and so thankful for that. Whatever that was, I wish it on no one.

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!

Quick Prayer Request

2008-11-20T15:43:00.003+02:00

Apparently while we were in Jordan, the bulk of the campus came down with some sort of food poisoning. Please pray for quick recoveries for all of us students and that we would be able to finish up the year in His grace and by clinging to His strength. I'm on the mend currently, but there are many in far worse shape than I. Blessings to you all!

Psalm 57: 7-11

Petra- Ancient land of the Nabateans

2008-11-17T18:07:00.002+02:00

We had the great privilege of spending a good 5 hours at Petra the third day of our field study. Petra was recently named one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world and has turned into quite the tourist trap. But 3 millennia ago, it house was the home to the Nabatean people, the mystical desert travelers who held a monopoly on the spice and perfume routes of the Southern Negev up to the Gaza sea port. Zapher, our Jordanian tour guide (we were required by law to have both a tour guide and a police man with us through out all of our travels), studied Petra at length over the years and he proved his weight in gold as a walking Encyclopedia.

As we walked up through the canyon system to the famous Treasury, I found myself singing John William’s famous score for the Indiana Jones soundtrack. Lame or not, I had to do it or I knew I would regret it for the rest of my life.

Petra is made out of variegated soft limestone which has eroded away over the years; often it looks as though it is melting off of the faces of the structures. The sun rose up behind the canyons and the rock seemed to glow and shine in a mystical, magical way. After this picture was taken, I was invited by a Bedouin woman who lives there to have some tea and talk about life. She had three precious children, Sabba, Armund, and another little girl whose name I still can’t pronounce. Please pray for Noel. I have found her heavy on my heart over the last bit… she was so gracious and sweet to me.

I went ahead of the group with a friend of mine and we climbed up the hundreds of step to the monastery. Painful, but so entirely worth it. When we got up to the top, we shook the sand out of our shoes and then spent time reveling in and admiring the gorgeous view. We could see all the way over to the dead sea because the weather was so beautiful and the air crystal clear.

On the way back, I did a bit of off road rock climbing. Dr. Wright warned us that they carry at least one person out in a body bad each month so I didn’t do anything too crazy and the friend that I was with helped keep me in line. When I would say, “Nah, no problem. I can get up there…” they responded with, “Yeah, but good luck getting down!” Ah, such good times we had.

Over all, such a mystical and magical place. There was nothing like it and I wish I could go back and spend several days there. Ah, maybe in another life.

Best B-day Ever!

2008-11-17T17:49:00.002+02:00

I just got back from our Jordan trip yesterday and was lucky enough to be able to spend my 21^st bday in 2 Middle Eastern countries: Jordan and Israel. What a wonderful, God blessed day it was! I woke up and had to ask Maria where we were because I was asleep our whole drive the night before into the Edomite city of Kir. When I left the room that morning, I found letters waiting for me outside of my room and my friend Dan wrote me a birthday story about "Chazal" that has me laughing even now as I think about it.

So what did I get to do on the big 21? We went over to a Crusader castle that was built up on top of the ancient site of Kir, followed by a bus trip through the Arnon canyon. We went to Dibon where I was lucky enough to find some glazed Islamic pottery from the 9^th century on followed by a quick stop in Medeba (North of Edom and Moab) to see the famous mosaic Medeba map of the Levant area. We drove up to the traditional location of Mt. Nebo of Deuteronomy 34 and there will certainly be more about that stop and what we talked about coming shortly.

Overall, I had plenty of time to read on the bus, get into some really good conversations with my Bible major friends, and everyone crowded on the bus to sing me happy birthday as loudly and as obnoxiously as they could….they certainly did succeed. I am sure that everyone in both Israel and Jordan heard them! Unfortunately I got screened on my way through the boarder crossing, but some friends made it up to me by treating me to coffee while we waited for another student who had a terrible time returning back into the country. Brandon had been in Syria and Lebanon just before he came to JUC, and they interrogated him for a few hours and made him fill out tons of paper work before they would let him back into the country. Well, at least the security police were doing their job.

When I got back, I had a great conversation with my mom and dad and then treated myself to a very early bedtime. I figure that I’m not allowed to consume any alcohol, I don’t have any desire to consume any alcohol, and why ever would I want to spend my 21^st birthday like almost every other typical American with a huge hangover the next day? Bed felt much better after such a crazy long trip.

So, I was thoroughly loved upon, and am so so SO thankful for the wonderful friends and community I have here at JUC. Also, I received a large number of generous emails and cards from people back home, reminding me of their love, support, and prayers. With only 2 weeks left, I’ll be so sad to say goodbye, but I’ll be so thankful to greet friends and family by the time I return. What a blessed life I lead!

Clyde Kilby's Resolutions (Wheaton College Prof from back in John Piper's day)

2008-11-11T07:14:00.005+02:00

1. I shall sometimes look back at the freshness of vision I had in childhood and try, at least for a little while, to be, in the words of Lewis Caroll, the "child of the pure unclowded brow, and dreaming eyes of wonder."

2. At least once every day I shall look steadily up at the sky and remember that I, a consciousness with a conscience, am on a planet traveling in space with wonderfully mysterious things above and about me.

3. Instead of the accustomed idea of a mindless and endless evolutionary change to which we can neither add nor subtract, I shall suppose the universe guided by an Intelligence which, as Aristotle said of Greek drama, requires a beginning, a middle, and an end. I think this will save me from the cynicism expressed by Bertrand Russel before his death, when he said, "There is darkness without, and when I die there will be darkness within. There is no splendor, no vastness anywhere, only triviality for a moment, and then nothing."

4. I shall not fall into the falsehood that this day, or any day, is merely another ambiguous and plodding twenty-four hours, but rather a unique event, filled, if I so wish, with worthy potentialities. I shall not be fool enough to suppose that trouble and pain are wholly evil parentheses in my existence but, just as likely, ladders to be climbed toward moral and spiritual [humanity].

5. I shall not turn my life into a thin straight line which prefers abstractions to reality. I shall know what i am doing when I abstract, which of course I shall often have to do.

6. I shall not demean my own uniqueness by envy of others. I shall stop boring into myself to discover what psychological or social categories I might belong to. Mostly i shall simply forget about myself and do my work.

7. I shall open my eyes and ears. Once every day I shall simply stare at a tree, a flower, a cloud, or a person. I shall not then be concerned at all to ask what they are, but simply be glad that they are. I shall joyfully allow them the mystery of what Lewis calls their "divine, magical, terrifying, and ecstatic" existence.

8. I shall follow Darwin's advice and turn frequently to imaginative things such as good literature and good music, preferably, as Lewis suggests, an old book and timeless music.

9. I shall not allow the devilish onrush of this century to usurp all my energies but will instead, as Charles Williams suggested, "fulfill the moment as the moment." I shall try to live well just now because the only time that exists is now.

10. If for nothing more than the sake of a change of view, I shall assume my ancestry to be from the heavens rather than from the caves.

11. Even if I turn out to be wrong, I shall bet my life on the assumption that this world is not idiotic, neither run by an absentee landlord, but that today, this very day, some stroke is being added to the cosmic canvas that in due course I shall understand with joy as a stroke made by the Architect who calls Himself Alpha and Omega.

Go Chazal!

2008-11-10T14:50:00.003+02:00

I really feel like yesterday marked the beginning of the end. All of my professors began today with, "In preparation for you finals..." This Thursday I leave for a long four day trip to Jordan, and by the time I get back, I'll be hitting the books in full force (I know, I know... I keep saying that... The impending doom comes so much more slowly than what I'm used to at Wheaton). On Monday the 17th, my pastor and his wife will be in town and I'll be able to meet up with them for a good chunk of the day. Then on the 23rd, my family gets in for a quick trip, the day they leave I begin three days of cramming for finals, followed by leaving for Egypt. Like I said, it's the beginning of the end, in the non-fatalistic sense of the phrase.

Yesterday, my roommates and I went to two underground museums in the Jewish quarter which were particularly fascinating because of the videos they showed at the sight to explain the historical context of the events that happened there. They erred on... hmmm... the cheesey side of things, shall we say? Certainly fitting with everything I have seen on Israeli TV. Then I had a field trip with Rabbi Moshe to the Israel Museum. I'm going to miss his teaching style. I have had many conversations with friends here about how we were raised as children of the America, somehow coming to believe in the superiority of the West. The Eastern mindset is very intriguing and I am most thankful to have experienced it during my time here. We do ourselves a great disservice by focussing so greatly upon "our" mode of teaching, processing, and analyzing "truth." But perhaps that is because most of us will only have interactions with the Wester mindset. Please understand that I do not mean that we should throw out Western thought; I'm just arguing that you can't fully understand your own worldview and philosophies without realizinging where they originated.

There is an Asian accreditation team here on campus today. It's so interesting to think that JUC must be accredited as part of the continent of Asia. (People? I'm in Asia!) In any case, I sat next to one of them at dinner and when he introduced himself to me, I said, "Oh, yes! Dr. Wright told us we had to be nice to you and say really good things about the school or he would confiscate our meals for a week." The man didn't laugh... or smile. No response. I felt like a fool! Ha ha. Hopefully he knew I was joking but just didn't find me funny. The East's inability to laugh at humor is one thing I don't particularly care for. Meh. You can't have it all, I suppose.

In any case, I know I will be ready to return home come December 15. I thought I could live here forever, but I am beginning to miss the challenges of Wheaton and my family in the West. My time here has been most productive in everything non-academic, but even then it's given me time to slow down and enjoy the more simplistic, joyful side of learning. I will never read my Bible the same way due to all the visuals I have of the geography and sites, it's been so good to have such an intense interaction with Scripture on a daily basis, and I really do love my professors, but like I said, I'm actually missing Wheaton. Did I just write that? Ah, well. The Lord can soften even the hardest of hearts.

The grace and peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with us now and forever. Amen.

Peter- John 21 Part B

2008-11-08T18:12:00.002+02:00

I believe this passage also offers Peter the chance to redeem himself. If you remember back to chapter 13 when Jesus predicts Peter’s denial of Himself:

36 Simon Peter asked him, "Lord, where are you going?" Jesus replied, "Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later." 37Peter asked, "Lord, why can't I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you." 38Then Jesus answered, "Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!”

Peter was still confused about what it meant to follow His Lord. He did not yet have the example of Jesus being the suffering servant, the sacrificial lamb for His people. When the Lord calls us to follow after Him, the analogy He uses is the cross (If anyone would be My disciple, let him first deny himself, and daily pick up his cross and follow after Me.) Peter declares that he will follow after Jesus well before Jesus has (1) given the example of what it means to follow after Christ and (2) has completed His work on the cross through which Peter can receive the grace to follow after his Lord. That second point boggles my mind… when Peter declared that he would follow after the Lord, he fell away and denied Him three times. Once Peter realizes that he cannot follow after the Lord in and of His own strength, Jesus can then approach him three times (one for each of Peter’s statement of denial) in order to test his love, and then can call Peter to “follow Me.”

Oh, this passage is so rich! How often do I authoritatively declare that I will lay down my life in absolute service to God on every account? My pride manages to rear its ugly head even in this. I am not capable left to my own devices, even though I might be very well intentioned. We do not lay down our lives for God until we accept the meaning and implications behind the ultimate laying down of any life as seen in Christ. In other words, we do not declare our own calling; He declares ours in accordance with His perfect example on the cross.

I Cor 1:18: The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Gal 6:14 May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Peter- John 21 Part A

2008-11-04T14:58:00.004+02:00

After our group went up to the Mount of Beatitudes (the traditional spot for the delivery of the Sermon on the Mount which I happen to think is historically and geographically accurate) and read through the Sermon on the Mount, we walked down to the Sea of Galilee and had a rich devotional discussion on John 21.

I must confess that I have been getting rather sick of geography, topography, and archaeology lectures. I suppose it makes me all the more thankful for and willing to participate in devotional discussions when they arise. So, despite being emotionally, mentally and physically drained the entire time we were in Galilee, this discussion about Peter, my conversations with Josh regarding the Prodigal Son (which I might be adjusting further over the next few days due to some Greek work on the section regarding the older brother) and actually getting to visit Caesarea Philippi. Highlights of the trip, no question about it.

We’ve probably all heard sermons about when Jesus comes to Simon Peter after His resurrection and asks very poignantly three times, “Do you love me?” A distressed Peter responds to the affirmative three times, whereby the Lord finally commands him, “Follow me.”

In our discussion, Cyndi brought up the very interesting observation that the analogy that Jesus used for Simon Peter and the other fisherman when He called them to become His disciples is very different than the one He used with Peter in the final chapter of John. When the Lord called Peter, He said, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men” (Matt 4:19). At the end of John, however, He tells Peter to “Feed my lambs” (verse 15). I believe Jesus did this for a number of reason, each of which are somewhat related. When the 12 were called to him, they each had an identity rooted in their livelihoods and various social situations. The Lord called Peter to become a “fisher of men” because that was what he could best relate with, placing His call of discipleship in terms that Peter could understand. Now that the Lord had discipled and taught Peter for a few years, giving Peter a new identity in His very person, He could relate to Him in His own terms. As Jesus had established Himself as the good Shepherd, Peter’s purpose and calling became rooted in something other than himself. He was then identified with the person and work of Christ rather than Christ approaching him and matching his message in Peter’s old identity so that he could understand the Lord’s call to follow.

I wonder: have I yet fully made that transition to maturity in thought, no longer relying upon my past identity and purpose in life before I responded to the Lord’s call to follow after Him? The true disciple identifies him/herself solely with the power and person of the Lord Jesus Christ, never holding even the tiniest bit to his/her past identity. Christ’s person, His work, His purpose, His calling and training is ever so much sufficient for us; why cling to any ounce of that identity that so clearly marked separation of relationship from God Most High?

Morning Devos 11.2.08

2008-11-02T12:50:00.000+02:00

Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea.
A great high Priest whose Name is Love
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands,
My name is written on His heart.
I know that while in Heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart.

When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free.
For God the just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me.

Behold Him there the risen Lamb,
My perfect spotless righteousness,
The great unchangeable I AM,
The King of glory and of grace,
One in Himself I cannot die.
My soul is purchased by His blood,
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ my Savior and my God!

Our Caesarea Philippi

2008-10-30T20:21:00.007+02:00

Caesarea Philippi is a New Testament city up north of the Sea of Galilee. It is curious that the Lord took his disciples way up there--literally off the beaten path--to pose The Question of Matthew 16:13-19: Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked the disciples, 'Who do people say that the Son of Man is?' And they said, 'Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.' He said to them, 'But who do you say that I am?' Simon Peter replied, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God....'

The district of Caesarea Philippi was in ancient times a center of Baal worship. The famous cave was believed to be the birthplace of the Greek god Pan, the god of nature. As the cave was a source of living water (a fresh water spring) it also represented the gates of hell, as the water came gushing from the inside of the earth. The original name of the area, in fact, was "Panias" (named after the god Pan) and to this day it is called Banias, a corrupted form of the original name.

This territory also housed a large white marble temple built by Herod the Great in honor of Caesar. You could see it on the hill glistening from miles away. Later, Herod's son Philip beautified the temple and changed the name of Panias to Caesarea Philippi. The area was a center of the Empire and the Caesar cult. Talk about a backdrop of materialism, pagan cults, and sinful, immoral, disgusting practices of the world.

I communicated with a professor of mine back home at Wheaton earlier this semester regarding this very question of "why The Question in Caesarea Philippi?" He sent me the following quote by William Barclay, a Scottish NT scholar:

"Here indeed is a dramatic picture. Here is a homeless, penniless Galilean carpenter, with twelve very ordinary men around him. . . . He stands in an area littered with the temples of the Syrian gods; in a place where the ancient Greek gods looked down; in a place where the history of Israel crowded upon the minds of men; where the white marble splendor of the home of Caesar worship dominated the landscape and compelled the eye. And there--of all places--this amazing carpenter stands and asks men who they believe him to be, and he expects ths answer, The Son of God. It is as if Jesus deliberately set himself against the background of the world's religions in all their history and their splendor, and demanded to be compared with them and to have the verdict give in his favor."

A friend of mine gave a presentation on these verses in our Matthew in its Jewish Settings class and compared Jesus taking his 12 disciples to Caesarea Philippi to someone purposely bringing a group of Amish kids into an R rated movie... completely out of place and inappropriate, shocking and crude.

Dr. Vlachos sent me the following message over the internet: "Laura, I believe there are many 'Caesarea Philippis' in life--places or periods in our life to which the Lord brings us--against the backdrop of the gods and empires of our world--to ask us the same question, 'Who do you say that I am?'" And he is so right!! I can look back on my life to the different places the Lord has taken me through my short 20 years; I felt completely out of place and was experiencing things against the backdrop of everything contrary to the character and nature of God Almighty. However, the Lord used those times, places, and circumstances to reinforce in me who He is, setting up the striking contrast of folly of man and the power and wisdom of God.

Thoughts on The Prodigal Son

2008-10-30T16:07:00.008+02:00

This weekend, during our trip up to Galilee, I had a number of fantastic, thoroughly enlightening conversations with a friend of mine regarding the Parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15. About a year ago, as I translated this passage for Greek 201 with Dr. Penney, I emailed a friend of mine regarding an observation I had in the Prodigal's response to his father as he returns home. If you notice in verses 18- 19, the son determines three distinct statements he will make to his father, the last of which is "Treat me as one of your hired servants." According to verse 21, however, only the first two make it out of his mouth. For whatever reason, I ended up dismissing the exclusion of that third statement as relatively unimportant compared to the overall message of the parable. However, I am now convinced this simple observation demonstrates the centrality and complexity of the passage's meaning and depth.

While we were up at Hippus reading through this particular passage, I decided to voice that observation one more time, just to hear the reactions of the individuals in the group. Josh Gritter (my friend I referred to in the last paragraph) approached me during our descent down the tel. Much to my surprise, he said very simply, "I think you just hit on one of the primary points of the message of this parable." Over the next few days, he and I went through the passage, line by line, unpacking the significances and application of Jesus' intended message. Sadly, time does not allow for me to type up all of my thoughts and notes over the last few days, so I asked him to send me his write up so that I could post it for y'all to read. Besides, his thoughts are more organized and his style far more engaging.

Please take your time reading it and processing through this information... it's incredible how much depth Josh's words bring to this well known (but not well understood) passage. The following essay represent some of the most profound conversations I have had during this blessed time here in Israel. Shalom, y'all.

Movement one (out of the house)

We learn from the beginning of this story that there was a father and he had two sons. The first interaction we are given with either of the sons is in that of the youngest who asks his father for his 1/3 share in the inheritance. One can imagine the father’s feelings, for his son has just bid him to death for mere money. Not only does this speak to the youngest son’s irreverence for his father but it also shows that he views his father as a mere banker or financial advisor rather than a loving papa, abounding in wisdom from which all blessings flow. No doubt this country boy had spent a better portion of his life on the farm, laboring day after day for his father, wondering what else could exist and wishing to find himself there. The son has not only shown his view of his father’s house as a place of finances but also as a place of monotony that could no longer suit the young man.

And so, the young boy journeys to far away lands (of the gentiles) after his father “divides the inheritance among THEM.” One must take notice at the absence of the eldest son in the beginnings of this parable. He has just received 2/3 of his inheritance from his father, the inheritance for which he has labored intensely. But the travesty lies in the fact that this eldest son is silent for the first portion of this parable until his brother returns home. Not only has he failed to confront his brother in his elderly duty, he himself is consumed by greed and self-righteousness as seen in his continuing to labor and work out in the fields. And so, the parable of the prodigal son becomes the parable of the prodigal sons.

Movement two (back into the house)

The parable tells us that the younger son squandered his inheritance on acts of revelry. His exit from the house of his father has led him to follow his own will. He has left his true identity at the door with his father and the blessings he once was given, the simple blessing of full relationship with his father. As following one's own will does by nature, the son's paradigm leads him to a place of destitution, for he has spent all his inheritance and has become a poor boy in a place of famine.

The younger prodigal has become overwhelmed with the need of restoration and the “filling of his belly.” In a sure act of desperation the young boy tries his best to impress a wealthy Gentile man who seemingly desires nothing more than to rid himself of this poor Jew. The fact that wealthy Gentile orders this Jewish boy to feed pigs is quite illuminating upon this fact, for surely feeding swine could only be a job for a gentile who does not keep kosher. We can imagine how much this may have disgusted the young boy, for his thoughts could not have helped but return to his Jewish roots.

And so, there occurs a shift in the story, for the boy “finds himself” and decides upon returning home to his father. The Hebrew language suggests that this phrase must be a representation of the boy’s repentance not only to God but also toward his father in the future. The boy’s inner sin of greed and revelry is banished; he has now become a boy on his journey home with but a stomach to be filled by the father he had bid to die. One can imagine the boy walking along the dusty trail home, completely fragile and dying of hunger with only a vision of home to keep from collapsing.

His father has always been watching, from the day he stepped out the door. Once his father catches a glimpse of his son he sprints out toward his boy so quickly that the son's intended words about him “being as a hired servant” could not be uttered, nor ought they be uttered. As soon as his father has him in his warming embrace, his role of sonship is completely re-instated, apart from works, apart from his self-worth, apart from past actions. He has become a member of THE house once again. He was lost and now has become found. The son’s wishes for his father’s decease has led to his own death and now the father exclaims that he is alive! One must notice that from the very beginning the father had allowed his son to leave without words of argument or objection, he allowed his son the choice even though it was not his will that they be separated; his will was always that his son live within his.

And finally, we reach the eerie end of this profound parable. We discover the self-righteous elder prodigal still working in his father's field. His brother has just returned and he surely must have seen his father’s reaction of running out in the street to meet his younger brother. And yet, the elder son remains more concerned about his work, just as he was at the beginning of the parable. His father is only a banker to him and his laboring in the field remains more important than the reconciliation of his brother into the house. The elder prodigal cannot be filled with ecstasy at his brother’s return to the house because he is not in the house himself. Obedience to his father is more important than his relationship to his father and brother based upon love. The inward sin of the brother is that he showed no love toward his father; in fact, he utterly misunderstood the very nature and character of the man for whom he was working.

The outward sin of the younger brother in the beginning of the parable could be paralleled to this inward sin of the elder at the parable’s end. The younger had wished his father to death, and saw him for his financial prosperity, not as a loving father who built the house upon which he lived. We have here, in all actuality, a story of two prodigals, the younger who is restored to the house after he left and the elder who is left arguing with his father. Jesus asks the audience to make a decision at the end of the parable; will we accept our Father’s love and deny our self-righteousness so we may join in the party with those who have been restored? Or will we stubbornly remain out in the fields on our own, away from our Fathers love, working up a stormy mess of self-righteousness and lawful independence? This is a story about a father who represents our Father in heaven. He will forever await our return, whether it is from a field of self-righteous legalism beside the house we think we are working for or a far off distant country in blatant rebellion. Both require repentance and restoration, both rob us to the relationship our Father desires to have with us. His grace will never run dry, and through his grace (and his grace alone, NOT our works) we will be reconciled to the house once again when we return, again and again.

Sweet Moshe, my brother is 18!

2008-10-29T16:26:00.020+02:00

This is Denyon. He just had his first birthday, and I was able to go to the party that his mom and dad put on for him. What a cutie. Down to every tiny little detail, the Lord provides all I need and more... even time with precious little children.

And I have time to read! I just finished a few different books, especially over the last week, now that my midterms are finished and I only have to put off my paper writing for a while. Mark Driscol's "Confessions" was refreshing and encouraging. I began it rather skeptically due to different things that I have heard about him and his theological tendencies, but ended it more at rest (though not completely) with his overall message than I expected to be. At least he understands the desperate need to continue preaching the Gospel both in and out of the church. I also read the late great C.S. Lewis's "The Weight of Glory." Fantastic book, especially the first chapter. Then came two books my mum sent me called "The Cross Centered Life" by CJ Mahaney and "Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands" by Dr. Paul Trip. I highly recommend both (way to go, mum!) Currently, I'm a good 2/3 of the way through "Hind's Feet on High Places." It's a metaphorical book, much like Pilgrim's Progress, beautiful and relaxing in its simplicity. I'm going to enjoy this sensation of time to read while it lasts because plenty soon (as in over the next 24 hours) reality will strike and I'll be hitting the books (i.e. textbooks) hard.

The rain has come in its down-pouring torrents. The roads are chaos due to all of the flooding and overflow of the drainage systems. In about a week, the sky will have cleared up again, and life will continue in its sun and warmth. For now, I'm thoroughly enjoying huddling up with a nice cup of properly brewed tea under my blankets, thinking about the glories of fall in the North West, missing my dear family, wishing that the semester wasn't flying by so quickly.

Bethlehem

2008-10-22T14:40:00.009+02:00

Yesterday afternoon, two of my friends and I went into the West Bank to meet up with a few fellow JUC students who take Arabic at Bethlehem Bible College. Their teacher is a Palestinian Christian born in Gaza, but she has not been allowed to leave the West Bank to teach at Jerusalem University College, nor is she ever allowed to return to her home in Gaza.

It really is unfortunate. Bethlehem has such a curious feel about it but has received such a bad reputation for being in the West Bank. There are many Arabs there who remain hostile towards outsiders, Israelis, and tourists, but the vast majority are just trying to move past the events of the last few decades and get on with the new way of life. Like in most societies, the squeaky wheel gets the oil.

When we arrived, we had to walk through security and through the checkpoint at the Wall. As soon as we got inside, we had about a 1/3 of a mile walk along cement blocks filled with propagandist spray paintings by a rather well known Arab graffiti artist. It really gets one thinking about all the tension and mess and if there doesn't just happen to be some truth to the other side of the story that we as Americans hear so little about.

We got pepperoni pizza! I have been dying for some pepperoni pizza! (hint: the only thing less kosher on the planet than a pepperoni pizza is a bacon cheese burger. Jerusalem is utterly devoid of both.) We then took a taxi back to the checkpoint as we thought we would rather be safe than sorry in walking around the West Bank as a group of 6 Americans after dark. After crossing the boarder, the buses had stopped running, so I can now say that I have walked from Bethlehem to Jerusalem... and it took us just over an hour. You can imagine how fast we were walking! I had a friend with me who is studying to become a Pastor and he preached to me the whole way back. I learned much from him and was thankful for that time to be challenged and encouraged.

Shemini 'Atzeret and the Simhat Torah

2008-10-18T10:16:00.001+02:00

Shemini ‘Atzeret literally means “the assembly of the eighth (day)” (Num. 29:35). No work is permitted. It is not technically part of Sukkot, so the sukkah and the Four Species are no longer used.

The Bible does not give a specific reason for Shemini Atzeret but since it is the last of the fall holidays that began with the New Year, it is often thought of as a “last chance” to pray and hope for a good new year. The prayer for rain (especially important in Israel’s dry climate) is said solemnly. Rabbinic literature explains the holiday this way: God is like a host, who invites us as visitors for a limited time, but when the time comes for us to leave, He has enjoyed himself so much that He asks us to stay another day.

Simhat Torah, which means “Rejoicing in the Torah”, is the joyful aspect of this holiday. The annual cycle of weekly Torah readings is completed at this time with the last Torah portion, including Moses’ blessings for the tribes of Israel and the story of his death (Deut. 33-34) and then proceeding immediately by the first chapter of Genesis, reminding us that the Torah is a never-ending cycle. This completion of the readings is a time of great celebration. There are processions around the synagogue carrying Torah scrolls and plenty of high-spirited singing and dancing. As many people as possible are given the honor of carrying a Torah scroll in these processions. In Israel, Shemini ‘Atzeret and Simhat Torah are celebrated on the same day. Outside of Israel, where an extra day is added, Shemini ‘Atzeret is Tishri 22 and Simhat Torah is Tishri 23.

(Source: JUC Newsletter)

Abiding Vines

2008-10-15T15:02:00.002+02:00

Isaiah and John are arguable two of the greatest canonical books for imagery and analogy. One of the images that the authors used consistently to describe right relationship with Almighty consistent with the overwhelming presence of vines and grapes here in the chosen land of Israel is that of the vineyard owner to his grapes.

Isaiah’s imagery is beautiful, especially in Isaiah 5:1-2:

“Let me sing for my beloved my love song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; and he looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes.”

I just love the fact that the Beloved took the time to prepare the soil for His upcoming harvest; with care and concern, He digs, clears, plants, and protects the vines that are called to yield good fruit that represents and reflects the expertise of the vineyard owner. But what happens? Despite this first-rate care, the field bears wild grapes. Did not the vineyard owner do everything in his power to provide the perfect conditions for His precious crop? Verse 4 shows the Vineyard owner's frustration and confusion:

“What more was there for me to do for my vineyard that I have not done for it? When I looked for it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes?”

In ancient Israeli culture, when a vineyard harvest turned bad, there was only one thing left to do: tear down the walls that protect the crop to let the wild animals come and devour. Nothing can be salvaged and the vineyard keeper’s attention is better spent elsewhere.

“And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge and it shall be devoured, I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and briers and thorns shall grow up; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are His pleasant planting; and He looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, an outcry.”

It’s all rather sobering, huh? Even though Gentiles don’t represent the house of Israel, each and every one of us has done exactly what this chosen nation did. In our humanity and our propensity to sin, left to our own abilities and strengths, we have become those wild grapes… and our only job was to grow into fruit! Our Beloved granted us the most perfect of conditions, we had in Him the best of vinedressers, and yet we fell astray, failing to produce the fruit representative of the glory of our God.

How much more important and valuable, then, do the words of Jesus in John 15 become?

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch of mine that does not bear fruit, He takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. ABIDE IN ME, AND I IN YOU. AS THE BRANCH CANNOT BEAR FUIT BY ITSELF, UNLESS IT ABIDES IN THE VINE, NEITHER CAN YOU, UNLESS YOU ABIDE IN ME. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, FOR APART FROM ME, YOU CAN DO NOTHING.”

Before the person and work of Christ, all of humanity was left to bear good fruit in and of themselves, yet due to the nature and gravity of our depravity, we could not. Through Christ, representative of the perfect vine, we can be what the Beloved calls us to be. This comes by ABIDING in Him, for apart from Him, we can do nothing. And when He says nothing, He means nothing; we can’t even do that which we were created to do, bear fruit. Like I said earlier, sobering, huh?

Application? Abide, people.

SDG

Negev field study run through

2008-10-14T20:06:00.005+02:00

Okay, seriously. One of the best weekends of my life. This first blog post will just be to give y’all a quick example of all that we accomplished this weekend. Then, as I have time this week (in between writing massive amounts of papers and reports due at the end of the semester) I’ll go more into detail about some of the individual devotional points and highlights of the trip that rocked my world and changed my life. Wow. The Lord has been so good to me!

Day 1: We woke up at 5:30 AM on Saturday and were on the road by 7:00 AM. Our first stop was the ridge between the Sorek and the Chesalon valleys. We then went west toward the Diagonal Road to make our way along the various wadis in the land of Philistra. The tels we saw on Saturday were Beth-Shemesh, Azekah, Lachish, and Ashkelon. Though Azekah was memorable because of the case and reading through the stories of David and Goliath in the Elah and David’s mighty men, Ashkelon was a highlight as well due to the fact that Wheaton has an archaeological dig there every summer and I know a good many people in the grad. archaeological department who worked there. After a dip into the Mediterranean Sea, we then had a two hour drive to the Superbowl Mahktesh (incredible, outstanding, humbling, and glorious) where the youth hostel was. That evening, Megan and I decided we would just have to wake up at 5:15 again in order to see the sun rise over the Grand Canyon of Israel. Our evening in the Negev was positively delightful.

Day 2: Up at 5:15 AM and out at the Mahktesh for morning devotions by 5:45. After breakfast, we went to Avdat to see the remains of the Nabateans who controlled the spice routes from Petra in Jordan to Gaza of the Coastal Plains. The ruins up on Avdat were incredible… even though we all got yelled at for climbing up on the walls. After Avdat came Beer-Shevah where I learned that the Christmas story must have happened in April and Mary was actually in a home when she gave birth. I’ll explain more later. We then hiked up the Wadi Zin which was positively beautiful and incredible (I wish there were better words to describe it… perhaps I should make up my own: amazantastic and beautorious. Oh, yeah.) Our last stop was the ancient site of Arad in the Eastern Basin of the Nahal Besor. After a late dinner, we crashed at our hostel in modern Arad. Oh, and I also decided I was going skydiving while I’m here. Hope that’s okay, mum!

Day 3: Devotions included Psalm 61-63, which was providential. Hiked up Masada and back down. Made it over to the Dead Sea for lunch and a good float. Next came the Ein Gedi springs and waterfalls with a quick sermon on Psalm 63 and the beauty of the wilderness’ fresh springs and living waters, as rare as they might be. Finally we went over to Qumran for some more academic lectures and a rock climbing sprint up to one of the caves. We could look over the dead sea to the Trans-Jordanian mountains of Moab and Edom. Tres beautissimo. Now I’m home, exhausted, sun burned, my calves and quads are throbbing, but I wouldn’t have changed a minute of it. Goodnight, y’all!

Yom Kippur

2008-10-09T14:04:00.015+02:00

Well, it’s Yom Kippur, ladies and gents. The High Holy day of Atonement for the Jews during which God decides who is going to be allowed to live according to their works of righteousness. Luckily I have my name permanently sealed in the Lamb’s Book of Life, so I need not worry about staying inside, fasting, being solemn and not having fun… I get to go party in the streets! It’s like a ghost town out there! Completely eerie, quiet and still… only a few brave Muslims and the tourists who don’t know better are out and about. Yes, I was one of those tourists…

Beginning at sundown last night, until sundown this evening, the Jews all participate in a religious fast and almost everyone wears all white. They neither eat nor drink, all of the stores are shut down, and if you drive a car around the city just about the time a Rabbi happens to be walking to synagogue service, you’ll probably end up with a rock through your windshield. Dr. Wright even told us not to make “joyful” noises on campus anywhere outsiders could hear because of the shame it brings to the JUC name. Apparently a few years ago, a group of boys were playing basketball and some people came and yelled at them through the gate. This is truly a completely different kind of world.

It’s a magnificent day, though. There is a quiet breeze blowing through the trees, the sky has this brilliant, pure blue hue about it, the birds are singing a rarely heard sweet melody of cheer and praise. Ah, shucks. I love it here!

Nothing of significance...

2008-10-08T10:33:00.005+02:00

First of all, I’m sick. Please pray that I recover quickly, because it is no fun at all. It’s only a little bit of a head cold, but those of you who know me well understand that even a headache completely incapacitates me. I know… I’ll deal with it. :-) So, hopefully the grumpy pants will be off by tomorrow and I can get back to functioning normally again. In the mean time, my tea mug, the library, and the Mishnah are quickly becoming my new best friends.

Where do I begin with this weekend? I tried to journal this morning and quickly became frustrated with my inability to communicate all that happened in my head and heart. So far this time in Israel has been a complete emotional high, all comfort, ease, joy, and freedom. Now the real work of the Refiner’s fire is beginning… it’s so painful, but Ah! so good! The Holy Spirit so strongly convicted me... "How serious are you about our relationship... how far will you go in denying yourself to follow after me?" So, I'm in the process of recklessly abandoning flesh as a "fool" for my Beloved. Not I, but Christ in me, and Him crucified. How this will continue to manifest itself in its practical form I know not... but He'll faithfully show me in His good and perfect timing.

This weekend we travel to the Negev, Shephelah, Philistra, Dead Sea, Massada, etc. Another exhausting 3 day field study, but entirely worth it. I'll update again when I have some free time. The academic side of life is really picking up as well. I've written 2 papers, 1 midterm, and 2 presentations in the last week. Is it twisted that I so enjoy this side of academia? I'm somewhat bemoaning the fact that I only have 2 years of school left. Where is the time going?

Oh, and my family is coming to town in November. I'm one excited and lucky girl. Can I just publicly state how thankful I am before God and man to have been blessed with the incredible family that I have? Dear mum and dad, you have faithfully stood by me through so much and deserve so much of the credit for the person I am today by God's grace. I love you lots and am so excited for you to come and gain a taste of all that I have experienced over here in the Holy Lands. Give Andrew and Annie my love!

“…not having a righteousness of my own that come from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith- that I may know Christ, and the power of His resurrection, and may share in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, that by any means possible I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Phil 3:19-11).”

Shevet Achim

2008-10-06T13:34:00.003+02:00

On Thursday, we had a gentleman from an Israeli ministry named Shevet Achim come to speak at JUC. Shevet Achim began about 14 years ago with the purpose of reconciling Jews and Arabs through the power and person of Jesus Christ. Most of the people affected by this ministry are young children, between the ages of 2 and 12 with chronic heart defects. Their medical situation is easily altered by a simple procedure, but it is impossible for those affected to find doctors who will give the surgery for a price the family could afford. If the children were not to receive this medical procedure, they would die of heart failure in their late teens to early twenties.

The reconciliatory work of Shevet Achim is specifically played out through the ministry’s leadership and volunteers who arrange passage for Muslims in Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Iran, and Syria to enter the Israeli boarders. Shevet then raises the necessary support for the children to receive the procedure they require at a fraction of what it would normally cost. In the mean time, they house their accompanying family members and share the gospel message with them as occasion presents itself until the child has recovered and is able to return to their homeland. Last year, Shevet Achim was able to perform 36 surgeries, this year they are on track to give 55. If you would like to visit their website, you can do so at www.shevet.org.

On Friday, I was able to walk over to the New City to visit the ministry’s facilities with Liz, Matt, and Peter. There were four children, Hevi from Iraq, Kaly from Kyrgyzstan, Sara from Kyrgyzstan, and a little boy nicknamed Meme also from Iraq. Please keep Sara and Kaly in your prayers… both of them are going into surgery today and tomorrow. Meme’s parents are Iraqi Christians that had to leave the country due to all the death threats they were receiving. The small family has finally found peace, security, protection, and safety within the walls of Shevet Achim.

Little Sara had to be one of the most precious little children I have ever met. She was very quiet and rather shy, but as soon as she was brave enough to hold onto my hand, she wouldn’t let go! Her mother, who is with her in Israel to see her through the surgery, threw her arms around me and planted several large kisses on my cheeks as her way of expressing gratitude and thanksgiving… very contrary to normal interactions of Muslim Arabs with outsiders.

Matthew on a Mount

2008-10-03T16:12:00.004+02:00

For my “Matthew in its Jewish Setting” class, one of the requirements is to read through the Gospel of Matthew in one setting and then write a reflection paper on our experience. Last Friday (ah! That seems like forever ago), Maria and Megan and I climbed up to the top of the Mount of Olives on the East side of Jerusalem and sat there for a good 2 hours and 30 minutes and read through ALL of Matthew. I have a few thoughts on the experience that I thought would be good to share.

In the Sermon on the Mount, I could hear Jesus charging the people and calling them to the standard higher than that of the law through a dependence solely upon His grace. Some Jews would argue that Jesus was seeking to abolish the law as given to the Jews by Moses at Sinai, yet Jesus says quite clearly early on in the sermon: “I have not come to abolish them [the Law and the Prophets], but to fulfill them.” Within the context of the book, I began to realize that the higher standard is not some ultra human, unreasonable expectation that the Lord has placed upon His people. We “come unto [Him]… for [His] yoke is easy and [His] burden is light” and through the death and work of His Son on the cross, we too pick up our crosses (10:38, 16:24) and die to “self” in order that we might live up to the new standard set forth under grace. What is this new standard? Instead of not killing, we ought not even being angry with our brothers. Instead of not committing adultery, we not even look at a woman with lustful intentions. Rather than not swearing falsely, we should not take an oath at all. So, we as Christians are called to a standard, and that standard is often higher than the legal requirements of the law. We, on the other hand, have God’s grace that enables us to live in such a way.

I also found a paradoxical tension between that which was done or revealed in secret and that which is proclaim or accomplished in public. Jesus condemns the Pharisees for their openness in prayer and fasting, yet calls His followers to the following: “What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetop.” The “righteous” actions that might be used to secure our own glory are those which should be done in secret. Ironically, when we as His followers take that time to pray and fast in secret, focusing only upon deepening our relationship with the Father, the Lord does indeed reveal His will, His power, and His purposes. Then we can better glorify Him by proclaiming “from the rooftops” what He has done for us in the stillness and quiet of our own hearts, rather than what we did for our own glory in the public places.

The Mount of Olives really was the ideal place to work through this exercise. We could see the Temple Mount, the city of David, and Gethsemane. We were right along the road that marks the traditional spot for Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. As we sat on the Mount of Olives, we were awed by Jesus’ comparison of the hypocritical Pharisees to the whitewashed tombs, “which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness.” When Jesus claimed that “something greater than the temple” had come into existence, we could see the top of the Temple Mount. The book has such a sense of continuity and coherence that one does not really does not grasp one has done this exercise. Thank you, Dr. Cohen!!

Shalom, y’all!

Shechem

2008-09-29T19:24:00.016+02:00

Shechem was the first capital of the Northern Country of Israel under Reheboam after the United Monarch of Saul, David, and Solomon. Shechem was also the city where Joshua brought the Israelites after entering the land (Joshua 8:30+), divided the people up between Mounts Ebal and Gerazim and read through the blessings and the curses of Deuteronomy 27-28. I admire that man’s ability to speak the truth and command authority.

By the time the people have been divided up and are ready to head out toward Shiloh to divide up the Promised land among the tribes, the Israelites are well aware of the call they have received from their leader. His “choose today whom you will serve” bears so much more weight than what we realize. Joshua notifies the Israelites that they are either in or out of the camp, and only whole hearted obedience and a complete rejection of the ways of the nations around them will satisfy the Holy God of Israel. The Israelites were called to be the consecrated people of Yahweh; if His presence was to dwell among them in the Tabernacle, they had to forsake the things of the world and center their hearts solely upon Him. Does this remind you of a certain James 4 passage which condemns God’s people having a friendship with the world? It should. In any case, I think the application is clear. The Gospel message not only reiterates this message to believers, it intensifies the call to righteous living as we are held to an even higher standard under His grace (Matt 5:21-48) because our bodies house the Shekinah glory of God in us, the temple of the Holy Spirit (I Cor 3:16).

Joshua’s conclusion and example is beautiful… (mum and dad, I thought of you)… “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Samaria

2008-09-29T18:40:00.010+02:00

First of all, L’Shanah Tavah! Happy Jewish New Year. Good golly. Ramadan ends, and straight away we run into the high holy days of Judaism. Well, in about ten days, we shall have the Day of Atonement (where there is supposed to be great weeping and gnashing of teeth and all the Jews confess everything in order that they might live through the year) and all will be back to normal. What is normal in the Middle East? I don’t even know anymore.

Secondly, the rain has begun! This means beautifully clear bright blue skies for fantastic pictures. Good news for y’all.

This weekend we went to the land of Ephraim and Manasseh to study mainly the biblical cities of Shechem (make a noise as though you have phlegm in the back of your throat and that’s basically how you pronounce the name) and Shiloh. Both places have incredible historical significance for the Hebrew people, and I’ll try to touch on both areas, but it might take me a few different posts. For now, I just want to cover the Samaritans and my experience in the city of Samaria up on Mount Gerazim.

It is important to note that there are only about 700 Samaritans still alive in the world. Their clan almost died off about 40 years ago, but they were granted land up on Gerazim, just above the ancient city of Shechem, and another tribal area near Tel Aviv. They still have their synagogue/temple and perform their priestly duties such as the sacrifice of animals just as in the Jew’s first temple period as dictated in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. What makes the Samaritan religion different than Judaism is that they only hold the Torah (Pentateuch) to be divinely inspired and dismiss the Writings and the Prophets (Joshua-Malachi). They also believe that all of the events of the Torah occurred up in central Samaria near Ebal and Gerazim (two main mountains I’ll be discussing later) and thus dismiss all of Israel’s history regarding the tribes of Judah and the city of David.

Samaritans, during the time of Jesus, were the scum of the earth. In the case of horrible circumstances where Jews would need to pass through Samaritan land, most oriented their travels so they wouldn’t be forced to spend the night among the people. For Jesus to have spent a few days in Samaria, revealing Himself to them, especially the adulterous Samaritan woman at the well (John 4), only serves as a greater testimony of His radical social reforms and the power of His salvation message to all.

The priest that we met was of the priestly Levitical family. He showed us where all the Samaritan families gather every year to slaughter the sheep and sacrifice them unto the Lord. Apparently, you can visit during Passover and watch all of the ceremonies. It was so peaceful up there… it would be so easy for me to return and never come home. Thank the Lord I have family and friends that are calling me back to the states and to finish school. :-)

Jeremiah 9:23-24

2008-09-25T19:46:00.002+02:00

Thus says the Lord: "Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord."

Loving Life!

2008-09-25T19:40:00.006+02:00

Well, life is indeed good. Even with everything that has been going on, I really don’t have one iota to complain about… Tomorrow is Friday, so I have “cutie duty” with little Denyon. Like I said… NOTHING to complain about.

Unfortunately, I’m going to be one lazy and spoiled student by the time I return to Wheaton. Not only is my class load lighter, but I have classes less often, so there is less homework assigned. I have all the time in the world to think about all the things that have been weighing on my mind over the last year… it’s amazing what the Lord will reveal to you when you are able to get away from the chaos and can actually hear His voice as He draws you in and molds you as clay.

My Rabbinic Thought class taught by the charismatic, Jewish genius Rabbi Moshe, would have to be my favorite. I sit in class in awe of the seemingly outrageous interpretations of the Old Testament passages, but I highly appreciate the awe, reverence and mastery of Scripture most Rabbis possess. We, as students, naturally are approaching the class from a more linear, Western Christian mindset and Rabbi Moshe is doing everything in his power to help us understand how much that affects how we read the biblical texts. I feel that sometimes we as Christians forget that our true roots are Jewish. Is not Christianity Judaism plus Christ? I cannot argue with Rabbi Moshe or convince him of anything… I just sit back, soak it in, and ask the Lord to help me filter and process for His glory.

Where is the time going? I have been here almost a month already and so much has happened. We will hopefully travel into sections of Samaria this weekend. We’ve been forewarned the Jewish settlements in the West Bank might be tense do to Ramadan and Rosh Hashanah. So, say a little prayer for our safety and all will be well.

“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own because Christ Jesus has made me His own. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider that I have made it my own, but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and staining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 3:12-14)

The Land (Levant)

2008-09-23T12:22:00.004+02:00

Growing up, I always understood the "Promised Land" of Israel to be rich, tame, fertile, abundant, “flowing with milk and honey”. Now that I am here, I tend to see an abundance of high hills and low valleys, but very few vast expanses of green farms I previously imagined. There are portions of the current land of Israel (namely land along the coast near Gezer and in the West Bank close to Jericho) that are very fertile and agricultural, but the land as chosen by the Lord around the City of David and the Temple is not.

The last field study covering the land of Benjamin helped to establish in my mind the expertise of Joshua’s leadership and the trusting nature of the Israelites as they were entering the Land from the 40 years of wandering. When Joshua brought the Israelites up through Jericho, they had just spent a generation wandering through the desert of the Sinai and were probably thrilled to find a land as fertile and green as the richness of the Nile Delta they experienced in Egypt.

After Joshua levels Jericho to make sure no one can follow them into their new homeland, he was left with the next to impossible task of convincing the people that the rich Oasis of Jericho is not the “Promised Land.” Pointing toward the towering hills of the Judean Wilderness, I can imagine him saying, “That’s where we are headed!” The people’s mouths drop: “Uhh, Joshua? You have got to be kidding me! The Lord promised us a good land! And you want to leave this fertile abundance and take us up there?! We’re going to die if we have to travel through that again.”

Jericho was indeed (and still is) a fertile, agricultural oasis, much like what the Israelites would have experienced in Egypt. Yet, the Lord told them in Deuteronomy: “For the land that you are entering to take possession of it is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and irrigated it, like a garden of vegetables. But the land that you are going over to possess it a land of hills and valleys which drinks water by the rain from heaven, a land that the Lord your God cares for. The eyes of the Lord your God are always upon it, from beginning of the year to the end of the year.” The land, in its very nature is dependent upon the Lord; while living in that land, the Israelites would be forced to depend upon the Lord their God for provision and protection. This is why He chose this land for His people and didn't take them to the flat and luscious lands of the Moabites or the Philistines.

What about the description of “a land flowing with milk and honey”? Again, I had more of a picture of Jericho of the Moabites or Gezer of the Philitines in my mind than the land immediately surrounding Jerusalem, the city of Zion. “Milk” describes the many shepherds who would watch their goats and sheep along the barren and jagged hills of the Levant. I already discussed how the life of a Shepherd was much more stressful than casual ambles about the rolling hills of Ireland that so many of us think about when we read Psalm 23. In any case, “honey” (specifically date or fig honey) does indeed refer to the agriculture that Israelites would participate in, but it is of a very different nature than what existed in Egypt. When the Nile flooded, all agriculture basically took care of itself through series of trenches and moats; real farming occurred only a few months out of the year leaving people to build pyramids and tomb monuments in their spare time. Israelite farmers, on the other hand, had to work the land and pray their hardest that the Lord would provide the rain; various crops kept coming for about 9 months out of the year, much longer than that of Egyptians.

So, this promised land of Israel is a beautiful land, a blessed land, a land protected by the mighty hands and outstretched arms of the Almighty God through the ages, but it’s so much different than what we as modern Americans tend to think. I love the way that history and theology come alive through this experiential teaching. When David says, “the Lord is my Rock and my fortress” I can’t help but think of vast unmovable mountain of Masada. Or the Lord being “the shade at your right hand” in the midst of this scorching sun. Or what about Jesus calling Himself the “living water” so that whoever drinks of Him will never thirst again? The land of the Levant, the Promised Land of Yahweh for His people, is fraught with theological implications and deeper insights to the character and nature of God. I am, once again *surprise*, so so SO thankful for the opportunity of studying it.

The Wilderness

2008-09-22T14:34:00.006+02:00

This last week we have been studying the land of the tribe of Benjamin located in the central portion of the Country of Israel. On our field study, we walked along the old Roman Road toward the ancient city of Jericho along the Ascent of Adumin through the Judean desert. First of all, I am so thankful that we had to hike through a good portion of the desert rather than simply driving the bus toward the lookout like the other group did. There was something very powerful about walking up and down and around all of those hills of rock and sand, passing though Bedouin tribes in the heat of the day with limited water that suddenly gives a whole new perspective to “the wilderness” that the Bible describes. (picture below shows land we hiked over)

From the top of one of the highest hills, we had a spectacular view of the desert and the distant city of Jericho. Many Christians are familiar with the term “wilderness” to metaphorically describe periods of spiritual drought or wandering… as I was surrounded and enveloped by the Judean wilderness between Jericho and Jerusalem on the Ascent of Adumin, I could relate completely: “Ah! That’s literally what I felt like the first half of ’06!”

There was something about the eerie still, silent, removed isolation of the wilderness. I have since reflected on the various description of the desert, namely Deut 1:19, 8:15; Isaiah 34:13-15; Jeremiah 34:13-15, etc. The words the authors use for that vast expanse of land are priceless. However, in Hosea 2, after another description of the desert, the Lord describes His purpose for leading His unfaithful, adulterous people through it: "Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. And there I will give her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor, a door of hope. And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth, as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt. And in that day, declares the Lord, you will call me 'My Husband' and no longer call me 'My Master.' (Hosea 3:14-16)" Or again, in Deuteronomy 32: 10-13: "He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waste of the wilderness, He encircled him, He cared for him, He kept him as the apple of his eye. Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that flutters over its young, spreading out its winds, catching them, bearing them on its pinions; the Lord alone guided him, not a foreign god was with him."

Application? Even though times of wilderness wandering in my spiritual life are in no way pleasant (vast, dry, endless, encompassing, desolate and disturbing), it is in the isolation and silence of the time spent in the desert that I become truly comforted by the real and true presence of the Almighty when I search intently for it. I am molded into a more exact image of His Son and I learn to follow the leading of the One and only Yahweh. Those times are prepared and planned of the Lord for His glory and my future growth, therefore I must and will rejoice! This is very much helping me process through past times of desert wanderings and celebrate in the end result of those yet to come.

West Bank Incident

2008-09-16T13:34:00.009+02:00

As many of you have either gathered or heard by now, there was an incident with some students in the West Bank this weekend. As the bus was traveling through the town of Tekoa, a young Palestinian boy (about 13 years old) threw a rock about the size of a coffee mug with the intention of hitting the people aboard. As the rock penetrated the glass, it hit a dear friend of mine Charleen in the forehead and as the glass shattered, it was lodged in the forehead and eye of another graduate student named Adda.

25 Israeli soldiers were on the scene in minutes and quickly took over the road. Another graduate student was able to see through some binoculars into an ally way and spot the young man who had thrown the rock, but there was a delay in the chain of military command or they would have immediately entered the area by force and taken the Arab to an army prison for conviction and prosecution; he would have been punished very severely as an example to the Palestinians in the West Bank. You will understand in a moment why I am thankful they did not go after him. Charleen and Adda were rushed to the hospital and received excellent care despite it being the Shabbat. As many of you know, head wounds bleed profusely, so once Charleen and Adda were stitched up, everyone was able to settle down quite a bit. Also, praise the Lord, because it was considered an act of terrorism, all of the hospital bills will be covered by the state of Israel.

We had a mandatory meeting that night as a campus those of us who were not present to witness the events caught a glimpse of the seriousness of the situation and how shook up everyone was. I am so thankful for Dr. Wright and his ability to speak calmly and authoritatively, maintaining a proper perspective on our circumstances. That evening we held a prayer meeting for the two women, the Arab teenager, and that we would be able to trust the Lord in accordance with His character and turn it for His glory.

Let’s try and imagine this from a Palestinian perspective for just a moment. (Mind you, this is in no way a political statement, but an effort to better grasp the hatred mentality of many Islamic, radical Palestinians against Israel, the United Sates, and the free world.) Several decades ago, some Palestinians think whole world turned against them in response to the establishment of Israel as a sovereign nation. This young man believes his grandparents and parents were forced out of their homes to start anew with absolutely nothing. Slowly his people were able to return home to Israel under the Palestinian refugee relocation programs. However, under the guise of a peace treaty, Israel contained the Palestinians into two specific and locations (the West Bank and Gaza) and began to build a wall to prevent them from moving about the land normally. Because the Middle East is a society of honor and one’s family rights, for him to inflict harm upon his enemies who have caused such suffering among his people is both right and commendable. Sure, he wouldn’t go so far as to blow himself up in a public place, but throwing a rock through a window to hit a few people over the head? Why not? They are getting off easy compared to what they deserve.

In any case, I woke up early the next morning to come downstairs to begin my devotional time and ran into a battered and bruised Charleen with a bandage on her forehead. She and I went up to Christ’s Church later that morning and sat through the most beautiful sermon about forgiveness. You must understand… for those of you who know her, Charleen is the “Aunt Ruth” of my JUC experience. She is 75 years old, a spunky and energetic woman, full of life and powerful wisdom. She told me that as soon as the rock hit her and she saw all of the blood, the Lord told her to forgive the boy because he was just another victim to the sin and the depravity that has scarred humanity almost since the beginning of time. Her example, my devotional time, and the sermon have helped me learn the following lessons about forgiveness.

We all know the story of the unforgiving servant who, though he had been forgiven of much, demanded justice without mercy of one of his own servants. The master very rightly condemned him: “You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should you not have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?” As another example, there are the verses that serve as a context to this parable: “Then Peter came up and said to him, ‘Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.’” (Rabbit trail: imagine if batters in baseball got 7 strikes instead of 3. The game might actually go somewhere.)

In any case, forgiveness is a hard and disciplined part of a lifestyle we must live as Christians. It is not always a one time event; I know in the past, I bring myself to a place of peace and forgiveness, but 25 minutes later, I have to go through the process again in order that I might continue to have the Lord’s thoughts regarding a person or certain circumstances. Consequently, I Cor 13: 4-7, love keeps no record of wrongs, but “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.” When I feel tempted to think that I cannot forgive an individual, I remind myself that I spiritually cannot afford not to. When you are still not able to bring yourself to that position based upon the example of Jesus Christ, know that you must, simply because your very spiritual life depends upon it. None of us can afford to hear the words, “You wicked servant” spoken to us on judgment day.

Also, a lifestyle and true mentality of biblical, Christ-like forgiveness does not mean we become passive in our actions or sluggish in our discernment of good and evil. If Charleen and Adda were to ever meet that Palestinian again, it would be wrong of them to look him in the eye and say, “oh, that’s okay.” His actions were in no way “okay” and loving him best is confronting him in Christ’s love on the sin that is in his life so that he can repent and save his soul from eternal damnation. I am confident, though, that if they were to meet him again, both Charleen and Adda could look him in the eye and say, “I forgive you and God bless you.”

Finally, what was the downfall of the unmerciful servant in Matthew 18? He got caught up in the “little things”. Because he completely underestimated the greatness of his own debt, thus thumbing his nose at his master’s mercy, he was not able to show mercy to one of his own regarding a debt that paled in comparison. I think you see the parallel here: we, as Christians, have been forgiven of a debt that required our very lives. Who are we to fail to extend that mercy to others? After all, they are not sinning against us, but a Holy and awesome God, completely other in nature in substance. That young man is but a victim to the sin and depravity we have been called out of. So, in order that we do not fall prey to the same behavior as the wicked and unmerciful servant, we repent and renounce the little things in life that cause little seeds of resentment to grow. Charleen had done this in her life time and the grace she demonstrated in this “big thing” is living proof that she truly understands and embraces the forgiveness of the father. The young boy, on the other hand, has not renounced the little seeds of resentment in his life; it grew until it overcame him and he was left a powerless victim.

At this point, Charleen and Adda are much better… only bruises and swollen eyes remain. I would ask, though, that you would pray against infection and further complications. Please pray also for the Arab boy and his heart. My heart aches for the salvation of his soul as well as those caught in the bondage of their limited perceptions and the darkness of depravity. Finally, although I do very much know the Lord is sovereign and holy and all He does has a good and perfect reason, I would very much prefer that no such similar incidents happen again.

9.13.08

2008-09-14T15:13:00.003+02:00

First of all, today was a very memorable day in JUC’s history. Several members of the college were victims to some interesting events in the West Bank, but I will write about that later… I have so much going on in my head right now. Know that I am safe and all students will be well shortly, if they are not well already. Only two people were hurt, praise the Lord. I do believe and continue to trust that He does indeed turn all out for our good.

My alarm went off at 5:45 this morning and we had to be out the gate, headed for the bus by 6:40. We divided into our two groups, me with Cyndi and most of the undergrad students and while Dr. Wright took the graduates and the remaining undergrads. After failing to convince Cyndi to take us to a hockey game or a Dave Matthews’ concert, my group stopped first at the UN building where we were able to review the geography of Jerusalem while we looked over the Hinnom and Kidron.

After a time of prayer and Bible reading, we loaded back up on the bus and crossed our fingers while we went past the check point into the Palestinian West Bank. The crossing our fingers bit was more us hoping that we wouldn’t have to go through individual security measures and instead be waved on by the soldiers rather than a worried gesture in prayer for safety and protection. Luckily, we did get waved on and were quickly sent on our way.

We climbed the Herodian! The Herodian is from the second temple period, and like the name suggests, was a palace and fortress for Herod, King of the Jews. Situated right next to the fortress is a smaller, flatter mountain. Originally, the second mountain was much larger and more majestic, but Herod removed most of the rock and sand in order to build his fortress higher for all of the surrounding cites and towns to see his power over nature and all humanity. He was extremely lavish, covering the land around his palace with pools and entertainment facilities. When he died, his sons buried him on the side of the mountain after a long funeral procession from Jericho. His burial sight was just discovered last year.

From the top of the Herodian, I commented to Cyndi about the striking difference between the two kings of the Jews, Herod and Jesus Christ. Herod had all of his pomp and circumstance, wealth, lavish entertainment and pride like one couldn’t believe. Yet, just west of his great palace, the King of Kings was born in a manger and that King, through humility, servitude, and poverty made infinitely times the amount of difference in this world; no one can doubt His influence. It also shows how insecure and paranoid Herod must have been when the wise men of the east came to him and told him about the young baby that had been born and that they were traveling to worship Him. Herod was a half Jew and surely had heard about the coming, promised Messiah.

Looking east toward the Dead Sea, we read through section of Ruth where Naomi and Ruth travel from Bethlehem to Moab in order to escape from the great famine. We also were challenged to check our perceptions of Psalm 23 while Cyndi pointed out to us what was known as little shepherd David’s backyard. I don’t know about y’all, but when I think of “The Lord is my Shepherd” I generally have a picture of Scotland’s rolling green hills in my mind with the “leading beside green pastures and beside still waters”. Think again. What does the Shepherd do? He spends hours upon hours, walking through the desert land of Israel searching for water and food. Deserts tend to be lacking in those two things… that’s why they are called deserts. When the Lord is compared to our Shepherd, it means that He is all about seeking out true spiritual food and water to quench our eternal thirst and hunger, all for the glory of His name. For Him to be our shepherd means that He will provide for us on a daily basis, due to His sufficiency and grace. But this is no one time event; we must continually draw near to Him, abiding in Him in order that we might not dry up and wither away. I don’t think I will ever read that Psalm in the same way again.

Finally, we looked down south over Tekoa Wadi. I only mention this for two reasons: (1) this is where Amos the prophet was from and I thought that was rather interesting and (2) just about this time over in the town of Tekoa, the other group was running into some trouble, but that will be covered in more detail later.

After exploring around the Herodian and crawling out through one of the secret tunnels, we stopped by an authentic threshing floor to further discuss the story of Ruth and Boaz, and then went into Bethlehem to see the Church of the Nativity to see the exact spot that the people are 100% certain is where the Lord’s head first touched the ground after being born (I hope you caught the sarcasm there). In any case, like most of these sights, they do provide a holy, quiet, and reverent spot to remember important events in the Lord’s life and meditate upon future actions in light of revealed truths.

On our way back out of Bethlehem, the bus was selected to walk through security. Although it was a huge hassle and everyone was tired, hungry, and sweaty, I’m thankful we were able to get a small taste of what many Palestinians and Jews must go through on a daily basis. The soldiers hold a vast amount of power and if they decide they don’t like you, there is absolutely nothing you can do about it. Although we were waved through rather quickly (it only took about 45 minutes) there were many Palestinian women and children that were being held unnecessarily and treated far more roughly than what was necessary. I completely understand Israel maintaining high security, but one has to recognize the fact that the inefficient and completely subjective system is only heightening tensions and the desire for the Palestinians to retaliate.

After a quick stop at a Samarian palace being excavated by Dr. Gavi Barkai we had a much needed lunch and crawled around some more restricted areas. We went up to HebrewUniversity, walked down among the Mt Olive graves, and ended up at both Dominus Flevit and The Church of All Nations (Gethsemane). In both, Cyndi let us have times of silence and solitude, which were powerful for a number of reasons. Sometimes we so emphasize Christ’s divinity, we forget about His true humanity. It brought tears to my eyes to think that not only does He know what it feels like to have a broken heart, His love is so perfect and infinite, it breaks infinitely more than mine ever could… especially when His people fall away or reject His saving grace. May the Lord sensitize our hearts that we might mourn the things that make Him mourn so that we might respond in love as He responds in love.

Our last stop before returning to JUC were the tomb monuments of Absalom and Zachariah. I will never forgive myself for wearing a skirt today… I wasn’t able to crawl up into the tomb or over the locked gate like many of the other people. Ah, well. I just will have to go back soon. I was able to take some great pictures of my friends, though. Someone had to be on the ground with the camera!!

Well, after some more prayer and consideration, I will recount the situation of the other group in Tekoa. I just need to make sure I say the right things…

9.12.08

2008-09-14T14:33:00.005+02:00

Shabbat Shalom, everyone! Surprise, I made it into the Old City again today with Maria. She found a shop she wanted to go into and as we were bartering with the owner, he looked at us and said, “Are you from JUC?” I answered to the affirmative knowing that he would either run us out of the shop or decide to give us a discount (these are the two reactions from shopkeepers in Jerusalem. What he asked next blew the socks off of me: “Do you go to Wheaton College in Chicago?” When I told him I did with a rather suspicious look on my, he pointed up to the doorway of his shop where there were Wheaton, Taylor, Multnomah, CIU, and Vanguard bumper stickers. I asked Cyndi later if I should avoid him and she told me not to trust him one moment outside of the shop, but talking with him in a group of people shouldn’t be a problem at all. In any case, his prices were much more reasonable and I think he sincerely desires to earn our respect so that we use him instead of other shop keepers.

This evening was our first Shabbat meal as a campus, complete with an authentic meal and a vesper service. Have I mentioned recently how much I love hummus? Let me do so: I love hummus.

The woman who came and spoke as our guest is a Messianic Jew by the name of Hela Tamir. Something that very much surprised me was that even though Israel is 90% composed of secular Jews, the religious Rabbis hold vast amounts of power within the political realms. She told us that many Christians are closed and do not openly share their faith… if you share your testimony and convictions with the wrong individual, you may find yourself unable to enter the country at a later date. She is a licensed Israeli tour guide and has incredible opportunities of preaching the gospel message with hundreds that come through the city. What a beautiful and effective woman of the Lord!

Later that evening after our worship service, a group of us went over to the Wailing Wall to see it after a Shabbat service. I had a rather powerful God moment up by the wall… the prayers of His people are not worthless or empty. Many of the members in the group have left the Western Wall feeling weighty and heavy that the Jews join there day after day, offering up empty prayers to a god they don’t know. I don’t know how the Lord will chose to deal with His people when He returns to earth, but I do know that when they call out to Adonai, Elohim, Jehovah-Rapha, etc. these are names of the Lord that we serve as well. Their eyes have been blinded from seeing the whole picture; so many have seen the whole picture, yet distorted and perverted the power of the risen Christ. Their devotion is truly inspiring. What is the American church devoted to in this way?

The bugs are back. Not fun. And I get to wake up tomorrow at 5:45 for another field study to the West Bank to see the Herodion, Bethlehem, Tekoa, then back to Jerusalem to climb down the Mount of Olives from Hebrew University. Pray for safety, please!!

9.11.08

2008-09-14T14:29:00.000+02:00

Goodness, still so much happening. The internet is extremely unreliable; I am able to get on and off internet, but that’s about it. This has made posting a problem.

This morning I had my first day of babysitting for one of the grad student. Brad and his wife Shallon are auditing an archeology class and I am the lucky girl who gets to watch their 10 month old Denyon for 3 hours. Kind of a weird connection: Brad and Shallon are from Holland, MI and know my freshman year suitemate, Cara, pretty well. In any case, it’s just another sign of God’s faithfulness and grace over this semester… I didn’t know how I was going to make it the whole semester without getting my child-therapy time in.

Maria and I headed into the market after lunch and tried to buy some skirts that would be more suitable for walking around in the old city. In America, a woman is considered modest if she wears a loose t-shirt and shorts that come just above her knees. For me to be considered modest here in Israel, particularly the Old City and the holy sights, I have to have my arms covered down past my elbows and all shorts and pants extending past my knees. Sure, there are many tacky tourists who fail horribly in this respect, but I want to make sure that my time here is considerate of the locals… I am entering into their land, societal norms, and customs, not attempting to impose my way of thinking upon them.

Another thing I have had to learn “the hard way” is that a woman can dress completely modestly, but still have what is considered an immodest or inviting attitude. I am used to walking around with my face up, smiling joyfully, laughing with friends. This “personable” attitude very much means “loose morals” here in the Middle East and the Middle Eastern men have no problem treating one who acts in this way accordingly. I have had to learn to walk with eyes on the ground, quietly, and submissively so that I don’t have people yelling at or following me. Some might begin to yell for the liberation of women at this point… nonsense. If I act like a woman whom they deem respectable, I will be respected. It’s really that simple.

On the way back, we stopped by Christ’s Church to see if Steve Engstrom was in. Sure enough he was and I am so thankful that I was finally able to meet up with him even for a few minutes. After saying goodbye to him, Maria and I became fascinated with the museum of the history of Protestantism in the Holy lands; the guide there is actually going to meet me at JUC’s gates on Tuesday for a tour of the Protestant Cemetery (the only access to the cemetery is through the JUC gate).

In any case, another interesting day in good old Jerusalem. I feel like there isn’t that much to report… perhaps that is a good thing. I will say this: 7 years after 9.11.01 and I do believe that Americans have forgotten more about the events of this tragic day than the Middle Easterners have.

9.8.08

2008-09-08T18:55:00.007+02:00

Another beautiful day in the neighborhood. The Lord has been so faithful in providing a dear sister in the Lord and mentor named Liz. She is a grad student, 26, but we share so much in common. I keep asking the Spirit to intercede on my behalf regarding how thankful I am to the Lord for bringing me here because I simply do not have the words to communicate what I am feeling.

Yesterday as we walked around the Temple area, we talked about the glory and wonder associated with the dwelling place of God Most High, King of kings and Lord of lords. To the ancient Israelites, the Temple housed the Shekinah glory, the reality of God dwelling in the land, ever present with His people. As expressed in John 17 in “the Father and I are one,” so Jesus came and dwelt among the people, relating to them in powerful and effective ways, in order that He might fulfill all righteousness. For example, when He was baptized by John in the Jordan, or when He went out into the desert and was tempted by Satan… in my Matthew class today, we unpacked the historical and biblical significance for each of these actions and what it meant that the Messiah walked the steps of Israelite generations past. HUGE. Through the power and the work of the sacrificial Lamb, Jesus Christ, and the coming of the Holy Spirit, we (modern day Christians) not only have God with us (the Holy Spirit) but God IN us, as we are the new temple of the Living God (I Cor 3:16). I have only heard the I Cor passage in reference to treating our bodies correctly, but am convinced now it has much more to do with the Shekinah glory that was once present in the Temple. When Jesus says in John 17, “the glory that you have given me I have given to them” has so much more weight for me right now. And why was the glory given? Verse 22: “So that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.” Wow. It all comes back to my witness as a Christian and follower of the Lord.

I am going out with a group for pizza tonight (yes, actually a group and not some awkward trio) at a small place in the Jewish quarter. Don’t think I’ll be going for the corn pizza again, but you never know.

Yes, Dr. Z. I am taking my vitamins.

9.7.08

2008-09-08T18:28:00.011+02:00

So, today was the 11 hour field trip around Biblical Jerusalem. My legs are cramping unlike anything I have experienced in my life, but I wouldn’t have cut out anything today.

We began in the Jewish Quarter at 7am sharp, going to the excavation site of the Broad Wall and its history through the generations of Assyrian pressure (2 Chron 32, Isaiah 22:8-11, Nehemiah 3) in the 8^th century BC. We then hiked over to The City of David (where the real Mt Zion of the ancient Jerusalem in the first temple period was located). The city of David is not that tall compared to the Western Hill of the old city or where the temple mount is, but it was chosen by the people (or God) because if its water source from the Ghion spring. It is enveloped by the Mount of Olives, the Western Hill, the Southern Hill, the Temple Mount area. Keeping ourselves mindful of the scenery, we read through Psalm 125: “As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people, both now and forever more.” The following picture was taken from the top of the City of David looking south east along the end of the Mount of Olives and the Water Shed Ridge. As incredible as the picture is, it doesn’t do it justice. The mountains really do envelope you just as the Lord, our protector and defender does to His people. The sun was rising... beautiful.

Next we went down to the edge of the City of David to an excavation site name “Area G”. I know… I too was stunned by the creativity of the name. Just breathtaking, huh? In 2 Sam 5, Samuel describes a “Millo” that marked the end of the city walls. A well known archaeologist, Kathleen Kenyon, found that “Millo” and discovered it was more like a retaining wall or stone stepped structure that helped further fortify the city from future invasion.

From there, we went into a detailed lecture about the Ghion spring and Hezekiah’s tunnel that was built to transfer fresh water from one end of the city to the other. The tunnel was rediscovered in the late 80’s, I believe, and is now open for individuals to wade through. It was supposed to be a 45 minute hike through the tunnel, but we booked it through there and it only ended up being about 20 minutes. I was stuck in between two friends named Dan and Trey who happily kept me laughing instead of being grossed out by the slimey walls, what might have been in the water, or the claustrophobia I am sure that all of us were feeling. I was able to stand upright only about half of the way through, but that’s because I’m on the shorter end of things. There are a ton of tall people in our group that were hunched over in the pitch black for almost the whole way through. All that said, it was worth every second of it. I am definitely going back soon.

When we came out of the tunnel/water spring, we found ourselves at the pools of Siloam of the John 9 account. We then hiked back up to JUC for a quick lunch break, after stopping at the tombs that were thought to have been purchased by Judas Iscariot’s tainted money by the Pharisees after he had betrayed Jesus.

The second half of the day was spend mainly in the Jewish quarter studying the walls of the Temple mount that we had looked up to from the city of David. We saw the remains of Robinson’s arch form the 1^st century Herodian period. It is believed that when Jesus threw out the money changes and sales people from the temple, He did so off of this grand staircase. There was a street passing under the great arch, but they had encroached up along the Lord’s holy space too near the temple mount entrance. Those of you who have seen the markets in Jerusalem can well imagine this.

We then went to the Southern entrance and stair case to the temple area, managed to set off some security alarms while wandering past Hebrew “do not enter signs” and get prickled in the frantic rush to get out before the guards showed up. That was memorable. I’m such a rebel. The following picture is of my darling roommates, Maria and Megan.

Cyndi then took us to the church of the Holy Seplecher. I have been there three times now and have thoroughly disliked my experience each time. It seems exactly like what Luther revolted against in the Protestant Reformation. I personally believe that when people come face to face with God, they should be jumping up and down in extreme excitement and celebration after being flat on their faces in utter reverence. Instead, the people visiting the church walked around with cameras and dazed looks on their faces, never really owning what they were seeing. Luckily, she explained she had much the same experience until she learned more about the history of the church, their style of worship, and a perspective that helped go beyond the surface level of what we were seeing. Staying away from the two main attractions of the church, we were able to explore the back chapels and she told us that we could stay in there overnight to have night vigils. I would just be locked in from 9 pm until 4 am. So, along with riding a camel and holding a soldier’s machine gun, this is one of my goals while I am here.

From there, we went up on the roof tops of a Jewish building from which we could see the domes of the three major religions… Dome of the Rock for the Muslims, the dome of the Holy Seplecher for the Christians, and the dome of the biggest Jewish synagogue. She read to us from John 17, where Jesus prays for his future followers: “… that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in You, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.” Jew, Christians, and Muslims are all present in this Old City Jerusalem, and not often dwelling in unity or peace. We as the light of Christ, on the other hand, must dwell in the unity of the Spirit and the body for the sake of Christ and the Father. I mentioned in an earlier post that the Jews where their religious garb, the Muslims are dark skinned and have their outfits, and because I am fair skinned and am not wearing my religion on my sleeve ergo I am a Christian. Unity is the greatest testament to the Father and salvation through His One and only Son. If only the Church could understand this call to unity with the Father and Son even as the Father and Son are one.

My legs are cramping, my shoulders hurt, my feet are blistering, my head is pounding, but every step of the way is one further up Mount God. May I continue that climb as determined as I began here in the City of God even when I return home to the States.

9.6.08

2008-09-08T16:20:00.001+02:00

Unlike in the states, Friday and Saturday are the main Sabbath days in Israel, know as Shabbat. Also unlike the States, the whole of the city, especially the Old City, completely shuts down. I went out with a group of new found friends on Friday night into the New City and the only places that were open were the bars and good old McDonalds. I bought a little kiddy cone for 3 sheckles and sat on the cute little magical mushrooms with my friends. Very fun.

The Lord has given me phenomenal roommates and friends here. For example, our favorite thing to do is to sit up on the roof with a guitar as the cool Western breeze begins to blow in from the Mediterranean and sing any and all worship songs that Dan and Maria know. Both the men and women here are quality people, providing such a blessed and uniquely Christ oriented environment… I’m having the Sabbatical semester the Lord knew I needed so desperately.

It’s been challenging recently with bug bites and upset stomach to maintain the right attitude. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you face trials of various kinds…” And I do have cause to rejoice! I could have a spider infested bed or not be getting bug bites and be stuck at Wheaton this semester. Not that Wheaton is a bad place to be… I just am so thankful to be here instead. Already the swelling and itching are disappearing and I was feeling well enough to make it out and about today.

The internet has been extremely unreliable. Even in that, it’s so nice to fast from constant access and connections. Instead of researching the elections or tracking hurricanes in the US, I’ve been able to sit down with a good book in the shade of the pomegranate trees or paint fruit under the grape vine arbors with Maria. Another prayer for this semester is that I would be able to focus upon where the Lord has me in the here and now instead of getting to caught up in the future or dwelling on the past. So much has happened over the last several months… it’s time to put it behind me, not get worried about where the Lord will have me 12 months down the road, and focus upon my joyful duty as a Christian to seek and savor Him that I might better glorify Him where He has brought me now in the moment.

9.3.08

2008-09-04T11:58:00.008+02:00

Today began bright and early. I just love my classes here! Praise the Lord for that. I had no classes today except for Rabbinic Thought and Literature which was taught by Rabbi Moshe, very secular and very open about his Jewish (not Christian) faith. This class will be the most difficult for me as my mind must be ever alert to the information that I will be given, but the most rewarding in the sense that my faith will be strengthened. The man is very sincere and straight forward, but also very clear that class time or papers are not the opportunities to be about preaching at him. If we desire to discuss matter of faith with him, he has more than welcomed us to join him for lunch or dinner. Rabbinic thought… very interesting. I am again thankful for the class I took at Wheaton; it has prepared me well to apply and do something with the information instead of sitting in an immobilized stupor of “you believe /what/?!?”

Due to a complicated set of circumstances, I ended up skipping dinner and going into the old city for pizza via Gethsemane, Absalom’s tomb, the dung gate, etc. Naomi and I got some wonderful pictures, and the grad student we were with recited the book of Joel to us as we were overlooking the valley, Jerusalem, the city of David, the Tombs, Dome of the Rock, and the sun was setting. It all makes so much sense. When these places are referred to in the OT, I now know what they are talking about and have that oh-so-necessary visual reference. I would have to say that Israel and the land surrounding has to be the greatest testament to the veracity of the Christian faith. There is nothing like it.

I also had one of the most eerie experiences of my life. As we were hiking up towards Gethsemane, we had to go through a section of the Muslim Kidron valley. During orientation, they told us to avoid the town about a half a mile away at all costs- we are never allowed to go there as Western students, day or night. We are also right in the middle of the festival of Ramadan. The Muslims fast from all food and water during the day; at sundown, cannons go off, all the mosques begin their evening prayers, and everyone is able to gorge themselves on food and drink.

While we were walking rather briskly through the valley with the Dome of the Rock rising on one side of us, the creepy valley floor on our right, and the tombs on the mount of Olives rising up in front of us, all the cannons boomed and the mosques began their almost demonic sounding chants. Due to where we were, it echoed around us, engulfing us. There must have been 15 mosques that I could see just from where we were. I caught my breath and tried to soak in the moment while we skedaddled up the mountain to catch the view.

And I had my first experience with Israeli pizza. A friend told me to try and order pepperoni, but I didn’t think that was such a grand idea. I ended up with corn pizza which was actually quite tasty. The man who owns the shop is a closet Christian and has an excellent relationship with the grad student who went with Naomi and me. He was very personable and gracious, another one of those good connections for JUC students.

9.2.08

2008-09-04T11:45:00.003+02:00

Today, I didn’t have any classes until to the one I am going to audit in the evening, so a few friends and I went into the city to find an ATM, climb the YMCA tower, and try to find out way back to JUC. The Y provides and amazing view of both East and West Jerusalem with the Old City in between, and you can definitely see my dorm door from up there.

We stopped by school to drop off Erin and pick up Maria (one of my roommates) and decided to walk around the old city. I was on a mission to find an authentic Israeli shirt… I ended up overpaying a little bit, and though the color isn’t quite authentic, the style works well. I figure I have plenty of time to work on the whole bartering thing. It was very interesting walking around when just the tourists were out. I didn’t want to be around them or associate with them, but I suppose that due to the color of my skin, I am sort of stuck with that.

When we went into the Western Wall area, there were tons of soldiers walking out… it turns out that Naomi was there just a few minutes a head of me and got the following picture. Pretty sweet huh?

We then went to a bookstore near the Plaza of the Jewish Quarter that Cyndi had pointed out to us as an excellent place to ask an Orthodox Jew any question we could ever come up with. They don’t expect us to purchase anything, they just love JUC students and delight in opening themselves up to the students in a safe and information gathering environment. I met the owners and plan on going back often, especially as the little coffee store next door sells INCREDIBLE banana gelato.

We sat out in the plaza area eating our icecream and watching a group of children playing on the cobblestones. When I pulled out my camera, they swarmed. It was so much fun interacting with them and getting to love on them. Two of them spoke remarkable English, and so we could converse with them quite easily.

When we got back to campus, we had dinner and I got suckered into auditing a night class. Thank you Steven for making me go to that! It is called Palestinian Society and Politics and is taught by a Palestinian Christian who is a member of their Congress. Our filed trip for the call will be going into the West Bank and meeting the other members of Congress for lunch to talk about various policies and current events. I couldn’t be happier with the opportunity as it has presented itself.

Oh, my goodness. I /am/ tired. Off to bed I go!

Food for Thought...

2008-09-02T10:30:00.003+02:00

I read this in Oswald Chamber's Book "My Utmost for His Highest" this morning and thought I would pass it along:

"Jesus did not say- 'he that believeth in Me shall realize the blessing of the fullness of God,' but- 'he that believeth in Me out of him shall escape everything he receives.' Our Lord's teaching is always anti-self-realization. His purpose is not the development of man; His purpose is to make a man exactly like Himself, and the characteristic of the Son of God is self-expenditure. If we believe in Jesus, it is not what we gain, but what He pours through us that counts. It is not that God makes us beautifully rounded grapes, but that He squeezes the sweetness out of us. Spiritually, we cannot measure our life by success, but only by what God pours through us, and we cannot measure that at all.

"... 'he that believeth in Me out of him shall flow rivers of living water'- hundreds of other lives will be continually refreshed. It is time now to break the life, to cease craving for satisfaction, and to spill the thing out. Our Lord is asking who of us will do it for Him?"

I live on Mt. Zion, just on the edge of Gehenna!

2008-09-01T12:50:00.002+02:00

Yesterday was Sunday, and a very memorable one at that. I woke up rather early (it’s becoming quite the habit) and upon checking my email, found a note from Steve Engstrom whose wife and daughter I met earlier this summer through a dear family friend. My roommates and I decided to go and visit Christ’s Church (where Mr. Engstrom works) to see if I could meet up with him. It turned out that he was busy, but I thoroughly enjoyed the church service in the mean time. I do believe that Lord has shown me where He desires me to attend through out the course of the semester. I should be able to meet up with Mr. Engstrom later this week.

The service was similar to the Rwandan Anglican denomination, much like Church of the Resurrection in Glenn Ellyn where I attended for a time while I was at Wheaton College. We met a number of tourists from the NW, several from Oregon in fact, and were able to share stories with them. The communion service was so powerful; easily the most real and spirit led that I have experienced.

There is something about being in an area where the Pastor is at liberty to preach firmly and authoritatively without being concerned that half the congregation will pick up and leave in an offended huff to go to the church across the street. Christians are such a minority here. As I walk down the streets of Jerusalem, everyone knows me as a Christian. I do not have dark skin or religious garb, ergo I am a Christian visiting the Holy Lands. Right or wrong, that’s how the people segregate us. With that comes an easy road to Evangelism opportunities, but the responsibility of letting the light of Christ shine in us at all times in all places. The sermon texts were Matthew 16: 24-27 and Romans 12: 9-21, from which that message stemmed nicely.

After church and a fabulous lunch, we had a 5 hour walking tour of Jerusalem. (Mom, the following would be good for you to know) We mastered (and I do mean mastered) the hills and valleys of the Old City to the point that I feel confident if someone were to drop me into the middle of some random place, I would be able to find my way back to school no problem at all. In Israel, there are so many crowded roads with buildings rising on either side of you, you can’t tell where the sun is or which direction you are headed. That is, UNLESS you have a good bearing of the hills and valleys. Cindy taught us to be mindful of the burning in our calves and quads to know which hill we were on. From there, it’s just using some simply skills of deduction to find the main roads out of the city and following the wall back to JUC. I’m so proud of myself. :‑)

I think the highlights of the tour were the Damascus gate, the pools of Bathesda, St Anne’s cathedral, the Wailing Wall, the secondary Cardo, and learning all of the reliable and honest shopkeepers in the markets. I seriously don’t know if one semester is going to be enough to inundate myself in this as much as I would like. Well, I do know it isn’t going to be enough time, but I can always come back one day and bring loved ones along to share my experiences. Pictures will be up on Picasa of these places shortly.

For example, at the Lion’s gate at the North side of Jerusalem, you can see the Mount of Olives just off in the distance beyond the Kidron Valley. Gethsemane is located at the bottom of a section of the Mount of Olives where people traveled out of Jerusalem. When Jesus is there before the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, praying, “Lord, let this cup be taken from me” sweating blood He is in so much distress over what He will shortly experience, with the gates of Jerusalem in view, he chooses to return to Jerusalem and face His death. He could have so easily have walked away! Talk about the opposite of the health and wealth Gospel! It gave Matthew 16: 24-27 (the sermon text) so much more weight… “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it."

Today we began classes. I won’t bore you with a huge explanation of how much I love the classes I am in, what I am learning, the Professors who are leading them, etc. Let me just say that I am so thankful to be at Wheaton College. While a number of students around me felt like they were trying to drink out of a fire hydrant (there was so much information packed into those 3 hours) I was having a good review session. And that is NOT to MY credit. Thank you Dr. Pickut, Dr. Cohick, Dr. Laansma, Dr. Vlachos, and Dr. Foxgrover! This wouldn’t be as much of an enjoyable experience without what I learned under you!!

I have one last class today, and then the evening off to dive into several good hours of reading for my Ancient Egypt and Matthew’s Jewish Context classes. God richly bless and firmly hold each of you in His grace and sovereign goodness. Shalom!

Pictures!

2008-08-30T18:49:00.005+02:00

I will post most of my pictures on my Picasa album (link to the top left of the screen) but a few of the best will go here for those of you who just want to see the highlights.... completely understandable!

This the famous entrance to JUC at the end of the Jaffa Gate.

This was the view from my room this morning as the sunrise illuminating the Water Shed Ridge just beyond the Hinnom Valley (often called "Gehenna" in the NT). So, one could say that I live on Mt Zion, just on the edge of Hell. This is taken facing due West towards the new city.

The boy in this picture worked in one of the tourist shops but was so helpful in leading us in the right direction. He was so proud to have us take a picture of him!

The markets. Crazy place to be, but so many exciting and exotic things. They run along David's street, dividing the Christian and Armenian quarters, down the central valley.

We went on a Scavengers hunt and had to take a picture with an Israeli fire hydrant. This is what I ended up with! :-)

We found a church close to JUC (I believe it was the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer) which had a fabulous view facing out toward the cemetery on Mount of Olives and the Dome of the Rock.

This is a section of the Mount of Olives from the roof of the above picture. Just East of this picture is the Lion's gate, from which you can see Gethsemane and how easy it would have been for Jesus to walk up the Mount of Olives instead of returning to Jerusalem to face His crucifiction. Talk about the opposite of the health and wealth Gospel.

Ascending Mount God

2008-08-30T18:47:00.000+02:00

Oh, jet lag. Well, my first few hours asleep were wonderful, but then 3:10 AM came around and I was wide awake. Naomi and I spent the next few hours watching the sun rise, having our quiet time, and reveling in the fact that we are actually here… I’m still pinching myself so that I know it isn’t a dream.

Orientation began with Dr. Wright giving a brief history of the Psalms of Ascent. Apparently in the time of the early Rabbis, Psalm 120-134 were attributed to the people who took their journey up to the city of Zion; I now fully appreciate the “up” and “ascent” part of the journey. Dr. Wright told us that there is very viable and sound archeological evidence that the dorm that I am living in is directly on top of the walls of Jerusalem that date back to the age of King Hezekiah. Where I am living, eating, sleeping, studying, growing in and for the Lord over the next three months is in/on the Lord’s city (Psalm 122: 2) I think I’ll refer to this process as “climbing Mount God” from here on out. When I reach the top (and it might take a lifetime), I’ll be exhausted, but the view infinitely worthwhile.

The next few hours were spent touring around campus and leaning the dos and don’ts of JUC life. I know my mom will be very thankful for the ways that they are pushing the issue of security through modest dress, especially for the ladies. Basically how you dress is a direct reflection upon who you are and what you desire in life. We were actually told to avoid being outside at dusk unless in large groups during Ramadan (Muslim holiday that begins either on Sunday or Monday) as the Muslims will be at the end of their day of fast and will be all the more irritable and aggressive. I would be too if I had gone without all water and food all day in this heat. Apparently there have been a few issues even in the last few months just along the Jaffa Gate. So, all that said, I intend to avoid all such problems to the best of my ability.

Finally, we divided up into 7 groups and went on a scavenger hunt in the Old City. Sort of crazy, not going to lie. Taking picture of an armed official with one of the students holding the gun? That would so not be allowed in the US! I’m going to try and get my hands on a few of those pictures; they are priceless. By the time we got back, however, I was literally dripping with sweat and was so ready for an ice cold shower. I have been told that those are never in short supply here, even in the cold winter months. But, alas! They turned the broiler on for the kitchen for dinner prep and the water was all hot.

The food here is fabulous, especially the hummus. We had falafel today while walking around the old city… delicious. Felafel are deep-fried balls of mashed chickpeas stuffed into a pita bread with a wide variety of meat and lettuce salads. Heaven on earth! The pomegranates are also wonderful. There are a few trees out back dripping with them and we have been told we are allowed to pick them as often as we desire.

And there are 6 of us Wheaton students! Way back as a Freshman, when I was still struggling through the process of becoming a Bible major, I was in the Stupe (Wheaton’s student area) sharing with a friend some of the questions and concerns I experienced along the way. A young man had overheard my conversation, and though he was late to class, shared with me his story of changing majors to enter the Bible/Theology department. I left that conversation so relieved and peaceful, and honestly, haven’t looked back since. Last night, I was eating dinner with my roommates, and guess who walks in! Neat little connection and he remembered me right away. There are also several graduate students in the archeology department and three graduating Seniors.

So, I’m ending today utterly exhausted, sore from the hours of walking up and down the hills around campus in both the Eastern and Western city quarters, but still so thankful to the Lord for bringing me here. Pictures are forthcoming!

JFK to JUC

2008-08-29T11:41:00.005+02:00

I got up at 4 am this morning to meet up with Christina and her parents in front of British Airways. Thank the Lord dad was located the same terminal as us; he got to see me off right at the gate.
I had the great privilege and honor of sitting next to a young boy from London age 5 named Sammy who seemed to know everything there was to be known about Star Wars. His dad was quite relieved I kept him occupied until he got the boy’s mother and sister situated in the back of the plane. By the end of the ride, I received a personal invitation to visit the boy’s home (Cherry Tree Cottage) to tour of Sammy’s collection of Light Sabers. Like I said, the highest of honors this boy could offer.
The flight had some of the worst turbulence that I have ever experienced in my life. Of course it had to come while we still had our dinner trays out… forks and knives were all over the floor by the time everything was said and done. Christina had never been in an airplane before, so I did my best to convince her that serious of turbulence was far from normal.
When we arrived in Heathrow, we skedaddled up to Terminal 4 to catch our flight to Tel Aviv. Interestingly enough, it was just as all of the Orthodox Jewish men on the flight were beginning their evening prayers. They huddled in a corner of the room, mumbling, rocking, and bowing as all the women and children stood behind. In that moment, I finally felt the power of what the Lord has called me to experience over the next three and a half months which led to some powerful time of reflection and prayer on the plane. I believe it was by providence that I found myself reading the Sermon on the Mount last night.
After we arrived in Tel Aviv, Christina and I went to claim our luggage, except I ended up having to go declare my luggage as “lost” to the service center. About an hour and a half later we made it through customs with a promise that my suitcase would be on the next flight in from Heathrow and would be delivered directly to me after Shabbat (ie Sunday afternoon).
The Sherut ride into Jerusalem was hilarious. In a matter of two minutes after boarding, all of the other 8 people in the bus were yelling at each other (particularly the driver) in Hebrew. One of the ladies turned around smirked, “Welcome to Israel!” The radio was blasting Hebrew mumble jumble “blah blah McCain blah blah blah Obama” there were people all over the roads, and so many hills and mountains to drive over!! From what little I have seen, Israel is far more mountainous and far more fertile than I expected. Hmmm.
When we got to the JUC campus, several young gentlemen helped me up to my room. Get this: I’m on the roof (sure it’s 6 floors up, but who cares?), my room has its own private balcony with an incredible view of the city, and I am located one room down from Naomi. Does life get any better than this? Yes: I’M IN ISRAEL! Another blessing: my roommates are delightful people. Maria is a Junior and a Bible Major from California who rides horses in her spare time. Megan is a Senior, also a Bible major, who is headed out on the missions field as soon as the Lord gives her the right place. They are both quiet, sweet, gentle girls (please pray I don’t scare them out of their wits) but I have a feeling it is the best combination that could have possibly have been arranged.
We were able to explore around the campus quite a bit this afternoon. I feel like I’m in an old, haunted castle due to the stairways, the secret chambers, all of the vaulted ceilings, and the cozy feeling of being in a stone building. My room is on top of the building yet away from all the hubbub of dorm and campus life. Thank you, Lord!
So, I’m sure I will have more to write later, but now it’s nap time for Laura. I’ve added a few pictures so you have some idea of how seriously fantastic this place is.
Matt 7:21-23

Phoenix to New York

2008-08-28T03:15:00.002+03:00

Oh, dear. I woke up at 3:00 AM this morning with my dad at the hotel so that we could make our flight from Portland to Phoenix. The whole morning was gloriously uneventful, excepting security; they were rather suspicious of my converter. After I told the man I was headed to Israel for a few months, he looked at me rather glaringly and said, "Oooh, you goin' there to find Jesus?" I smiled as nicely as I could and said, "Something along those lines." I believe he felt rather poorly about the whole thing as he tried to strike up a conversation with me shortly thereafter. To be quite honest, the whole ordeal made me rather sad. Hopefully I'll remember to pray for him as I use that blasted converter while I'm away.

Now I'm hanging in New York with my dad for the night, hoping to get more than 4 hours of sleep and straining my mind to come up with a killer Scrabble miracle move. The lady who ran the club floor here at the Sheraton was so sweet! She took quite the liking to me and sent me off with two bags of snacks, fruit, bagels, and cereal for tomorrow morning. I meet up with Christina tomorrow morning outside of British Airways and then we will be off, if all goes as planned, around 8:20 AM. 11 hours later, and I'll be attempting to calm myself as I track down the Sherut service to drive us over to the campus.

Love you all and thanks again and again for your prayers! I'll email ASAP when I get there in one piece!

Acts 1:7-8

2008-08-21T01:18:00.003+03:00

"And He said to them, 'It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'"

Acts 1:7-8

Spacebook/myface and 21st birthdays

2008-08-19T09:01:00.007+03:00

Good Moses. The last few days have been crazy busy but memory filled. Andrew had his annual piano recital and performed in downtown Portland with Sam Titus' band for Indian Independence Day. It was Grandma Helen's birthday, I visited some dear friends on Sunday from Rock Solid associated with Life Track ministries and had some friends of the family over for dinner.

This morning I thought, "Ahh. Peace at last. I think I will stay in my PJs until dinner." But alas, round 10:00 mom began to hint that I needed to dress in more appropriate attire and she asked me to bake a cake. I should have noticed the pounds of shrimp and steak in the fridge, but as many of you are painfully aware, I'm not always known as the sharpest knife in the drawer. By 11 she disclosed to me she was hosting an early surprise 21st birthday party for me with the family. (Thank you, mom, so much for all the work you poured into that. It was wonderful!!)

So, a grand time was had by all! I received some powerful words of wisdom including, but not limited to, "Don't date and don't get married" to charges to not waste my life or the tools that have been bestowed upon me to glorify my Maker and advance His kingdom. It brings tears to my eyes to think that of all the ways I could have celebrated my 21st, I was the most blessed and satisfied by my time with my family who faithfully builds me up in the Lord.

I will be traveling to Israel with all of my cards, pictures, and notes, and the DVD grandpa gave me of my early years. On November 16th, I'll pull them out again, relive these special moments and thank the Lord for granting me the support and love of a family united in Him. Thanks to all of you who were able to join us tonight and made this evening so special. I love each of you and will continue to pray for you while I'm away!!

Newberg, OR

2008-08-14T09:39:00.002+03:00

As I have prepared for this semester abroad in Israel, the Lord has overwhelmed me with His grace in making known His mighty hand of direction and leading. The greatest gift has been His peace which passes all understanding: I know me and I am well aware of my tendencies to over react and worry myself into fits of nerves. In a supernatural and powerful way, His Holy Spirit has brought a peace, not only to me, but to those in my family, that this trip is of the Lord, by the Lord, and for the Lord. This is enough for me to know that I am in His will.

I traveled to Ethiopia during Spring break earlier this year and when I returned back to Wheaton's campus, Jerusalem University College seemed to be everywhere I turned. I took the subtle hint from the Lord to look into the school's semester long programs, and a long story short, I will be boarding a plane about 7 AM in New York for Tel Aviv on August 28.

Though I was excited and expectant of these opportunities 6 months ago, I am now ecstatic! Again, the Lord's hand has faithfully brought me to exactly where I need to be and I gladly relinquish all credit here and now to whom it is ultimately due. Through a Judaism and Islam class offered at Wheaton, to meeting a missionary who has lived there for 5 years, to my Pastor and his wonderful wife coming to visit me in November around my birthday, to making contact with a cousin of a friend who will be attending the same program... all the pieces fit together and testify that He does indeed give a greater grace.

My prayers entering into this trip are simple: safety, health, and direction. I desire to make the most of my time in Israel, learning who I am as a woman of the Lord and what part I will play in the furthering of His kingdom.