Friday, February 17
After the International House of Prayer Family Watch, I worked on homework. At night, the Jewish Thought and Practice class headed back to the synagogue we were at the night before for Shabbat service. The service was very strange: men participated in a wide range from singing the Torah and bowing during the Amida, second prayer after the Shema while women and children sat quiet the entire service. Also, during the service, since most of it was in Hebrew, we sat quiet as well, but there was a song that had inspired Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" and so, for those of us that knew the song, we sang along. It was very funny when the leading rabbi said something in Hebrew that included "Leonard Cohen." After the service, we went into an adjacent room and had Shabbat dinner. The food was very good and through out the entire dinner, we would sing Hebrew songs. The songs have a natural rhythm and so we would clap and drum on the table along with it and even used cups of salt as maracas.
Saturday, February 18
After sleeping in, Ross, Cameron, and I went out into the Old City to Shaaban's where we sat and had tea with him for about half an hour. Then we went back to school where Ross, Rachel, Cameron, and I played Settlers of Catan for quite a while. My battle strategy was to foil Cameron and I succeeded. He was pretty miffed. Haha.
Sunday, February 19
We had a field study today where we traveled around the territory of Benjamin. Our first stop was on the Ascent of Adummim where we looked at the Wilderness that is between Jerusalem and Jericho. There, we were able to see the true terrain of the land as the rain clouds blew away and the sun peeked out. As Dr. Wright talked, a Bedouin and his boy rode up on a donkey and the man hopped off wanting to sell some trinkets to us. The little boy stayed on his donkey and rode along as the donkey wandered from grassy patch to grassy patch. He was so cute. The following is from my report on the field study:
"Looking out across the Judean Wilderness, the lighting was magnificent. As the sun lit the eastern sides of the hill and left the western sides in darkness, I was taken aback by the magnificence of the scenery. Looking at the rising and falling land, the hills almost looked soft and it took God’s word to remind me of the barren reality of it all. I really enjoyed comparing the verses on the harshness and danger of the wilderness with the verses on the redemptive nature of it. But the verse that stuck out to me was Deuteronomy 32:10 which says, “‘He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waste of the wilderness (the harshness of the wild); he encircled him, he cared for him, he kept him as the apple of his eye (the redemptive aspects of God finding one in the wild).’” How the translation could be understood as God seeing a little person in our eyes or looking into our eyes and seeing Himself… How moving! Theologically understood, there can be two points taken from this, from my thinking at least. First, God cares about and loves for us so much that He gets close enough to see Himself in our eyes. This means that God is basically holding us up so that we are nose to nose with the divine (assuming that He takes on a human resemblance so that our finite minds are able to comprehend His image (not that that will be simple or even possible)). Second, since God is able to see Himself in our eyes, this could mean that He did in fact create us in His image. Whether that is physical (most likely not) or spiritual (more likely), the similarity between the Godhead and us is significant for our spiritual lives in how we live out our faith and how we maintain our relationship with God."
Then we traveled to Wadi Qilt and walked to St. George's Monastery which is inhabited by Greek Orthodox monks. A member there died fifty years ago and did not decay and was believed to be sinless and so they have preserved his body in a glass case, not hermetically sealed, and, for being over fifty years dead, St. John looks pretty good. (These saints are not canonized by the Catholic Church but they were probably pretty neat fellas.) As I was looking at the corpse, I was struck with awe at how this man gave his life to Christ with such passion and then I realized I was breathing dead guy, the case isn't sealed, and it was pretty gross. They also have the skull and bones of St. George who is the man the monastery is named after as relics there. It was pretty cool to see how these aspects play into their beliefs. We then went over to "Palestine" and saw the New Testament site of Jericho where Herod's third palace was located. We learned about the style of walls there, which had vertically oriented diamond-shaped stones that would not shift in earthquakes and, therefore, would not break the outer layer of decorated plaster. But the best part was crossing the flowing stream to get to another part of the complex. I led a team of people to a stone bridge that was U-shaped but, after throwing a rock on it to determine stability, we crossed. On the ruins, we played and had a great time. Then we crossed back where I went from branch leaning on rock, over water, to a rock, then to the other side. The guy ahead of me slipped on the rock and got wet from the waist up but I made it a-o-kay. We then went to the old city of Jericho, the site where Joseph walked around with the Hebrews and God crashed the walls down. We had a great lunch in the restaurant, it was sack lunch but we ate there, and then learned about the city. Apparently, there is textual and archaeological conflict about if this is the actual site of Jericho and resolution has not been made. But one must go with faith. There, we saw why Jericho is called the oldest city on earth. From 8000 BC, there is a Neolithic Tower that may have been a cult of the dead that worshipped the moon which is called Sin in Acadian... these connections are SO COOL! Then we went to Nebi-Samuel where the Prophet Samuel is believed to be buried. There is a building there that acts as a mosque and a synagogue where I saw the call to prayer guy singing into a microphone and then I went into the lower area of the building and saw the grave! From there we went to the town of Gezer. Gezer was a major connector point from the coast to the mainlands of Israel. After our trip, I started to study for the next day's test but couldn't when my study material was locked in the library while I was in the bathroom so I went to bed!
Okay, I am done for now. Thanks for reading and please keep me in your prayers!
After the International House of Prayer Family Watch, I worked on homework. At night, the Jewish Thought and Practice class headed back to the synagogue we were at the night before for Shabbat service. The service was very strange: men participated in a wide range from singing the Torah and bowing during the Amida, second prayer after the Shema while women and children sat quiet the entire service. Also, during the service, since most of it was in Hebrew, we sat quiet as well, but there was a song that had inspired Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" and so, for those of us that knew the song, we sang along. It was very funny when the leading rabbi said something in Hebrew that included "Leonard Cohen." After the service, we went into an adjacent room and had Shabbat dinner. The food was very good and through out the entire dinner, we would sing Hebrew songs. The songs have a natural rhythm and so we would clap and drum on the table along with it and even used cups of salt as maracas.
Saturday, February 18
After sleeping in, Ross, Cameron, and I went out into the Old City to Shaaban's where we sat and had tea with him for about half an hour. Then we went back to school where Ross, Rachel, Cameron, and I played Settlers of Catan for quite a while. My battle strategy was to foil Cameron and I succeeded. He was pretty miffed. Haha.
Sunday, February 19
We had a field study today where we traveled around the territory of Benjamin. Our first stop was on the Ascent of Adummim where we looked at the Wilderness that is between Jerusalem and Jericho. There, we were able to see the true terrain of the land as the rain clouds blew away and the sun peeked out. As Dr. Wright talked, a Bedouin and his boy rode up on a donkey and the man hopped off wanting to sell some trinkets to us. The little boy stayed on his donkey and rode along as the donkey wandered from grassy patch to grassy patch. He was so cute. The following is from my report on the field study:
"Looking out across the Judean Wilderness, the lighting was magnificent. As the sun lit the eastern sides of the hill and left the western sides in darkness, I was taken aback by the magnificence of the scenery. Looking at the rising and falling land, the hills almost looked soft and it took God’s word to remind me of the barren reality of it all. I really enjoyed comparing the verses on the harshness and danger of the wilderness with the verses on the redemptive nature of it. But the verse that stuck out to me was Deuteronomy 32:10 which says, “‘He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waste of the wilderness (the harshness of the wild); he encircled him, he cared for him, he kept him as the apple of his eye (the redemptive aspects of God finding one in the wild).’” How the translation could be understood as God seeing a little person in our eyes or looking into our eyes and seeing Himself… How moving! Theologically understood, there can be two points taken from this, from my thinking at least. First, God cares about and loves for us so much that He gets close enough to see Himself in our eyes. This means that God is basically holding us up so that we are nose to nose with the divine (assuming that He takes on a human resemblance so that our finite minds are able to comprehend His image (not that that will be simple or even possible)). Second, since God is able to see Himself in our eyes, this could mean that He did in fact create us in His image. Whether that is physical (most likely not) or spiritual (more likely), the similarity between the Godhead and us is significant for our spiritual lives in how we live out our faith and how we maintain our relationship with God."
Then we traveled to Wadi Qilt and walked to St. George's Monastery which is inhabited by Greek Orthodox monks. A member there died fifty years ago and did not decay and was believed to be sinless and so they have preserved his body in a glass case, not hermetically sealed, and, for being over fifty years dead, St. John looks pretty good. (These saints are not canonized by the Catholic Church but they were probably pretty neat fellas.) As I was looking at the corpse, I was struck with awe at how this man gave his life to Christ with such passion and then I realized I was breathing dead guy, the case isn't sealed, and it was pretty gross. They also have the skull and bones of St. George who is the man the monastery is named after as relics there. It was pretty cool to see how these aspects play into their beliefs. We then went over to "Palestine" and saw the New Testament site of Jericho where Herod's third palace was located. We learned about the style of walls there, which had vertically oriented diamond-shaped stones that would not shift in earthquakes and, therefore, would not break the outer layer of decorated plaster. But the best part was crossing the flowing stream to get to another part of the complex. I led a team of people to a stone bridge that was U-shaped but, after throwing a rock on it to determine stability, we crossed. On the ruins, we played and had a great time. Then we crossed back where I went from branch leaning on rock, over water, to a rock, then to the other side. The guy ahead of me slipped on the rock and got wet from the waist up but I made it a-o-kay. We then went to the old city of Jericho, the site where Joseph walked around with the Hebrews and God crashed the walls down. We had a great lunch in the restaurant, it was sack lunch but we ate there, and then learned about the city. Apparently, there is textual and archaeological conflict about if this is the actual site of Jericho and resolution has not been made. But one must go with faith. There, we saw why Jericho is called the oldest city on earth. From 8000 BC, there is a Neolithic Tower that may have been a cult of the dead that worshipped the moon which is called Sin in Acadian... these connections are SO COOL! Then we went to Nebi-Samuel where the Prophet Samuel is believed to be buried. There is a building there that acts as a mosque and a synagogue where I saw the call to prayer guy singing into a microphone and then I went into the lower area of the building and saw the grave! From there we went to the town of Gezer. Gezer was a major connector point from the coast to the mainlands of Israel. After our trip, I started to study for the next day's test but couldn't when my study material was locked in the library while I was in the bathroom so I went to bed!
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| Look at the interplay of light and shadows. |
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| The little Arab boy on the donkey was so cute. |
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| These crosses marked off the territory of St. George's Monastery. |
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| For being so dead, his hairstyle is pretty kickin'! |
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| I felt pretty cool on the throne. Notice the line of hair above my upper lip. |
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| The bridge of danger. |
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| St. George's remains. |
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| A funny store we passed. |
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| Temptation |
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| The Neolithic tower from 8000 BC. Easily the oldest urban center and tower. Woah. |
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| The building in Nebi-Samuel where Prophet Samuel's grave is. |
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| From Nebi-Samuel to Gezer. |
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| Sky seen in Gezer. |
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| I am such a good photographer. |
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| These are standing stones which do not have a known purpose! Monday, February 20 We took a test today and then a group of us went out into the city to saunter around. We stopped at Shaaban's and had some tea with him. He is so nice and such a cool dude. He shared wisdom that his father passed on to him on how to run a successful business: A little rain leads to a large river. And this is exactly why we can trust Shaaban in our dealings with him. He puts on just a small profit so that the prices of his goods and his currency exchange is so close to the actual rate that lots of people flock to him. He gets minor profits on his sales, but builds relationships, and these small profits turn into a flowing revenue. He is such a cool guy! There, I met the head of the Dormition Abbey across the Mount of Zion and talked in German with her. When I spoke in German, the people I was with gawked at me and the news that I can talk a little bit of German. It was so funny - two people actually had their jaws drop. Tuesday, February 21 Today was a hard day to wake up but I did it and after class, I powered through my homework for the week in two hours. Oh yeah. Then, I sat in the sun and worked on my Westwood Community Church application. It is so nice and warm here. In Jewish Thought and Practice class, Rabbi Moshe showed us candles that Jews burn for Shabbat that are four candles intertwined. And then he brought us through the closing of Shabbat ceremony which included the blowing of a shofar (goat's horn). Wednesday, February 22 After morning class, I went over to Dormition Abbey to talk with German students but could not find any so Ross, Rachel, and I walked to the Temple Mount trying to get to Dome of the Rock and left when shooed away by a guard because the Dome was closed to outsiders at 10. We walked through the Old City looking in shops and checking out fun stuff. We also passed a guy who was peeing on a dumpster. I was the only one who noticed his current activity and when he spoke to get our attention to violate our virgin eyes, I yelled a loud "no!" in a dramatic voice that startled him a bit and none of us had to see what he wanted to display. Then we went to the post office to pick up a package for Rachel and made it back in time for lunch outside. After lunch, we tossed around a Frisbee until Ian ran into Rachel and sent her flying. Then we went to class and had a really cool Parables class outside for a bit where we discussed the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. There is so much for me to learn! After dinner, I went out with a group walking through the Old City. We went to the Western (Wailing) Wall and prayed. I wrote on paper and rolled it into a scroll and put it into a crack in the Wall as a prayer and prayed with my hands on the Wall. I prayed for Papa George and Papa Sam and their health and faith in these hard times. I was humored about my prayer to Jesus here but burst out laughing when Ryan showed me his prayer, "Come Lord Jesus, Come." How many Jews are praying that? Hahaha. But really, there are tons of Christians who have visited the Wall. We also explored the inner parts of the Wall and saw Hassidic Jews praying fervently to God. Then we went stargazing on some roofs. After stargazing from some roofs, we split up and Ross, Rachel, Aubrey, and I went to Café Hillel and got some really good hot chocolate. Here, one has warm milk and melted chocolate at the bottom and you mix them together. It was a great night. Thursday, February 23 Thursday was a hard day to wake up for Islamic Thought, but after class, I blew off some steam by taking a walk into the Old City. There, I was asked in Hebrew first and then in English how to get some where in the city and I directed the person. Man, am I good. I hoped to go to Dome of the Rock... it was closed again. So I stayed by the Western (Wailing) Wall. There were tons of Bar Mitzvahs going on and it was fun to watch the pomp and circumstance that went along with them. Lots of singing and dancing and candy throwing? I was happy to see a boy hoisted into the air while sitting on a chair. Women had to stand on chairs to peer over the sectionals that separate the guy side from the lady side of the wall in order to watch their children become a responsible Jew. There was a man praying at the Wall who was wearing a Jesus sweatshirt so I waited and tried to talk to him but Jose did not speak English. After I left, I wandered the city and took in shops, the colors of the merchandise (merchandising, merchandising, merchandising!), and the faces of the people. But I was saddened by seeing ten year olds, or younger, laying back on some steps smoking. Then I was interested in the guy I was following for a little stretch of street: a midget Jewish man who had a limp and huge beard and was sporting a sweet Hawaiian shirt. A stumbling Arab started to grumble as he passed the midget. When he was next to him, the Arab turned and spat, "You Curious George piece of s***! You and your b****** people will be massacred. There will be a slaughter and you s**** will be all killed!" There was plenty of mumblings going on in this speech and when the Arab man began, I reached the Jewish man's side and stood by him as kind of a back up, but I am sure the Arab was so drunk he couldn't have hit the broad side of a barn. After the Arab left, the Jewish man looked at me and said, "What was that about?" He said that the Arab knew where he lived but he, the Jew, didn't know who the Arab was but he was not scared. I respected him for that and introduced myself. Zusha was a florist who had regular customers whom he would deliver flowers from his little flower wagon to. He was great and when I said good bye, I asked how in Hebrew and he said, _____, which means "I will see you again," in Hebrew. What a cool guy. Before I left, he drew my attention to the influx of army men in the city. I had overlooked this before: army men were walking throughout the city in a greater number than I had ever seen here before and they were walking all throughout the parking lot Zusha and I were talking in. I also saw a cop with blue tear gas bullets on a chest strap which was super cool. I think this had to do with a Palestinian massacre years ago and the anniversary was Friday but I don't know where, when, or why. After dinner that night, a group of some people went out to club, because we wanted something fun to do. But as we walked to the place I had spotted the night before, we got hints it was not a club: 1. It was in a gated Jewish community; 2. It was supposedly on the top of the Jewish Pride Center; 3. No one was in the building. But we climbed the stairs and, on the third floor, there was a group of people so I walked into the group with Ryan next to me but the rest of the group got the hint and walked on. The group was dressed well and there was quite a spread of food there while the majority of the people were around a fancy dressed man and a woman... in a wedding dress. But I went up to the closest guy and started talking. Through my new Russian friend, who was okay that I was a wedding crasher, I learned Karen's name, the bride, and her author occupation and all about his Russian background. After awhile, the rest of the group came in and told me they were leaving, but I stayed (and so did Steve, probably to watch over me). I had a lemonade and talked with another Russian journalist and a Russian engineer who lived in California for a few years. They were so cool and the cameras, for some reason and which will be funny when the couple looks over this in the future, loved Steve and I. We left after I congratulated Karen and talked with her. We probably stayed for around an hour. Steve and I went walking and tried to find where some of our friends went, but were mostly moseying around. We did ask a competent and nice man for directions but were surprised when we saw a large pee stain on his pants. When you have to go, you have to go. Friday, February 24 I slept in late, had lunch, and took a nap. Then I woke up after the nap and played Ultimate Frisbee (lost again: 0-3!). After that, we had Shabbat dinner and then Vespers where a masters student, who is in her late forties, talked on her life and how she went from poverty to wealth and is now investing that in learning how to empower children of war to overcome. After that powerful message, we watched Indiana Jones 2: Temple of Doom. Fortune and glory. Saturday, February 25 For fun today, a group of us went back to Zedekiah's Cave (also known as Solomon's Quarries). I led a group of four into the belly of the cave and we climbed down into a place where we can go into different caves from one spot and I saw another person's light. I thought I heard Hebrew and we turned tail and run. We were spooked. Little did we know that it was another group of JUC people intending to scare us and that they did. Ross and I split off and we went to Shaaban's where he left a group he was talking to can came out to greet us and offer us tea. We declined but I changed money and bought a sling. Ross and I went back to the caves and met the group that was going to scare us in the cave. Rachel came with Ross and I and we went back into the cave and we climbed in a new way and were scurrying around for about thirty minutes. We sat in a larger cave and turned off our lights and just enjoyed the dark quiet. It was very fun but when we were leaving Loia, the guard, asked where we were and why he hadn't seen us on camera (we were in the fun part). I told him we were safe now and he laughed and we left. We got some falafel and Fanta and headed back to JUC where a group from Eastern Mennonite University had just arrived that morning. At dinner, I sat at with the Mennonites and talked and talked and then was able to talk with them more when I took them out to get ice cream. It was very fun talking with some new people. |
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| Ian, Rachel, and I in front of Damascus Gate. |
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| The cave can get tight at times! |
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| Safety first. |
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| Jesus came down to forgive our sins and drink some Fanta. |
