And so it Begins!

Shalom friends!
Much has happened since I last posted!  With so much going on I have found it hard to bring myself to blog, but with so many requests coming in for more of my life, I guess I must appease the general public.  Where did we leave off?

Friday, January 27
     Well, with a tide of students coming in, I had my hands full meeting new acquaintances and making new friends.  The range of people coming in was so fun to see.  From all over the US, Britain, Asia, and Africa, people flocked to JUC's campus.  Among them are two kids from Northwestern in Minnesota and, lo and behold, they know people I know!  I love these kind of connections.  But even with all of these differences in background, all of the students are connected in what drew them here: longing to know God in a more intimate way by experiencing the land in which Jesus walked.  Therefore, relationships here have blossomed especially quickly and I cannot wait to see what the next few weeks hold.  Of these new friendships, I feel especially connected to a peer named Ross and JUC's activity's coordinator Cameron.  Ian and I have really clicked with Ross, a junior at Hope College.  Cameron, or as I call him, Ice Man, is a diamond in the rough.  

"Waah?" says Ross who is bottom right.

Cameron:  The Man, The Myth, The Legend.

Saturday, January 28
     We had our second breakfast at JUC, where I have discovered possibly the best cereal ever: it is chocolate squares with chocolate inside!  Mixed with Frosted Flakes, I have had many well-balanced meals.  Afterwards, we had a long orientation followed by a long session of campus life rules, guidelines, and suggestions.  Then, we signed up for classes and got our photo ID picture taken.  I tried to do a geibbla for David, but the president of the college, Dr. Paul Wright, hunted me down afterwards and made me smile.  After that, we split into groups and had a huge scavenger hunt throughout the entire Old City of Jerusalem.  It was a great way to get acclimated to the city.  But, after taking pictures of various synagogues and Israeli army men, we found out that it is against the Sabbath (Shabbat) to take pictures!  Oy vey!  Also, on the walk, I was the one of the group to go forward and talk with strangers and was able to meet lots of great people!  Imam is my favorite because he keeps offering me discounts for stuff.  

Sunday, January 29

     I went to Christ Church in Jerusalem today for worship.  Christ Church is an Anglican church that was built in 1849 and is the oldest Protestant church in the Middle East.  Made out of beautifully cut stone and formed into high vaults, Christ Church was a beautiful place of worship.  After that, we went on our first "field study"  which involves exploring sites from the Bible and hearing lectures on site.  Our student body, of about sixty, split in half and I went with Dr. Wright.  We started at the Church of the Upper Room where Muslims, Jews, and Christians all have a claim.  It started out as a synagogue, was converted into a church to remember what had taken place there, then was turned into a mosque.  As for its history, it is believed that King David's tomb is there, that the Last Supper happened there, and that the Holy Spirit alighted upon the people in tongues of flame there.  Although, all of these things are highly contested, it is still pretty cool to see a place of worship dedicated to these things but also a place of peace amongst religions (especially for Jews and Muslims).  Then, as we moved about the city, we passed by notable locations including the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.  What follows is from a paper I wrote on seeing that church:

"Dr. Wright discussed how the people, especially Jews, saw Jerusalem as a member of their family and how many biblical authors wrote with a familiarity and passion for this place.  I long to have this familiarity that the locals have because I believe that it would bring my faith to a whole new level.  Seeing the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the chances to worship, pray, stay overnight, and talk with clergy and laity inside that church filled me with excitement and sparked a passion within me to share these experiences, after I have them that is, and to encourage others to travel to this city and visit this hallowed place. 

Yes, it is not proven that the Crucifixion and the Burial took place here, but with the historical and textual proof, it is probable.  Even so, just having a location that directly embodies, embraces, and celebrates Christ and His works upon location where He very may well have been is worth investigating and enjoying.  Also, the opportunity to praise Christ on a place where He most likely preformed the most loving and sacrificial act of all time and then, just three days later, did the most miraculous and necessary service to mankind in His Resurrection is breathtaking."

Monday, January 30

     Classes started and I stubbed my toe pretty hard.

Tuesday, January 31 

     On my second day of classes, I met one of my favorite teachers that I have ever had and one that is pretty average.  In the morning, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I have Classical Islamic Thought and Practice, which I highly enjoy.  I know so little of the Muslim faith and this class is really good but the teacher is pretty bland.  Then, in the afternoons, I have Jewish Thought and Practice; this class is taught by Rabbi Moshe (Moses in Hebrew) and he is the embodiment of one who finds joy in one’s faith.  He pounds the table to punctuate his thoughts, gestures extravagantly, and is enjoyable all around.  Some would say that he is pretty fly for a rabbi.

Wednesday, February 1

     In the mornings, for Monday and Wednesday, I have Physical Settings of the Bible and Dr. Paul Wright teaches this.  He has made a career out of the study ad teaching of the geography of Biblical lands and he could not be anymore enthusiastic about it.  He loves what he teaches on and spreads that enthusiasm to all of us in his class, which is pretty hard to do at 8:30 in the morning when talking about rocks and such.  Then, in the afternoon, I have Cultural Backgrounds of the Bible, also taught by Dr. Paul Wright, where we investigate what the culture was like for the people in the Bible.  I knew we were different, but I keep getting amazed by how different Biblical culture is from my Christian Midwestern American culture.  Then, right after Cultural Backgrounds, I have The Parables of Jesus and Rabbinic Meshalim, which is taught by Rabbi Moshe and meets once a week.  This class is very enjoyable because it is all about discussion and truth seeking where we look at Jesus’ parables and find correlations between them and the parables that Jews have been taught for centuries.  Also, Wednesdays are Cookie Night and so the student body all enjoyed a cookie and then, afterwards, I got a group of people and we watched the first Indian Jones movie together. 

Thursday, February 2

     The nice thing about having one class in the morning, Islamic Thought, and one at night, Jewish studies, is that you have a whole day of fun in between classes.  Ian, Ross, and I went walking through the city and, since we were just out to walk, we would actually stop and go into shops when the owners would ask us to.  Doing this, we met Naser, Issa, and talked to Imam.  Naser is a shop owner who learned how to make high quality scarves and other cloth stuff from his dad.  He is a really nice guy and he even said that we could come back to his shop and work for commission, in scarves that is, if we wanted.  Then, Issa is an olive wood carver who has a shop filled with beautifully ornate trinkets.  He was really friendly and actually turns out to be from Bethlehem right near a school that a lot of JUCers volunteer at.  He would like us to visit his workshop in Bethlehem so that he could show us how he makes his stuff!  Lastly, Imam is a friend I made on the photo scavenger hunt.  He keeps telling me to bring my friends to his shop to tell them about his best deals.  While I normally wouldn’t consider him a friend, he does actually have the best prices so I always stop by, say hi, and tell him I will be back.  Later, a group of us went out into the new city and tried to get a better bearing of the city.  On our walk, we had great conversations and it was really fun to get to know my fellow Christians.  Then, at a store, the girls stood outside while the boys talked with Isaac who ran the knife/hunting/army/camping/man store.  He was a really cool dude who loved chatting with us.  I am planning on going back for some good conversation and maybe a throwing knife or something.  

Friday, February 3

     We do not have class on Fridays so woohoo!  Today, Ian, Ross, and I walked over to the new city of Jerusalem (the part of the city that is not from Biblical times) and checked out the YMCA.  I am extremely intrigued by Krav Maga classes, Jewish Martial Arts, and so is Ian.  We checked to see if they had classes, but no they did not.  Since we were there, we snooped around the building.  While the equipment is pretty average in quality, the building is magnificent and is from 1933 and is one of the only international YMCA's in the world and, I think, is the only one to have a lookout tower.  On our way back, we stopped at Dormition Abby and saw a place of remembrance for Mary.  It was really cool watching how reverent people were in such a holy place.  After this, we went back to campus and got ready for Ultimate Frisbee.  We walked down to Hinnom Valley and played on the grass which means that I can say that I toss a Frisbee in hell!  Let me explain.  Throughout the ages, the Valley of Hinnom has been used as a place of child sacrifice (Jeremiah 7:31) and a garbage pit and its fires (which pagans thought would burn and possess them) are likened to the fires of hell.  But after playing for a solid two hours, I quite enjoyed my time there!  Our teams were very evenly matched and some of the guys got pretty competitive which made the game so much more fun.  I was embarrassed when a Frisbee hit me square in the face, but with a few touchdowns under my belt, I came out of the game even Steven.  At sundown, Shabbat began and we had our first weekly Shabbat meal which began with readings and communion (the bread used here is made by bakeries specifically for Shabbat and is only available to buy Friday mornings and is terrific!).  The meal was fancy and the student body dressed up.  Ian, Ross, Peter, and I sat at the "date" table and had a rip roaring time although I do not think it was the best idea to steal the bread from Dr. Wright's table but we were hungry.  After that, we had vespers with good singing but a lecture-like sermon.  Then I went out with a group of people to a bar where Ian and I kept the Wheaton covenant and just talked with others while they drank.  Ian and I left early and walked to Damascus Gate to get cheap 1.5 liter Fanta and met a man playing soccer.  After twenty minutes of passing the ball back and forth and forty minutes of talking with him, Muhammad was calling Ian and I his brothers and inviting us over to his house for meals!

Teamwork.  Brain and Hood style.  

A pretty cool YMCA. 

Lizards are abundant. 

Dad must have learned how to golf in Israel. 

The Jerusalem cardo (street) from ancient times.

Beautiful site in the Dormition Abbey.

Mary Mother of God.

Area remembering Mary's grave.

The penitent (wo)man will pass.

The Lamb who gave His blood.

Saturday, February 4

     On Saturday, I went with a group on the Ramparts Walk on the Old City wall.  We walked from Jaffa Gate to the right all the way to the Dung Gate and then went on back to Jaffa Gate and walked to the left all the way to Lions Gate.  The section by the Western Wall and the Dome of the Rock is sealed off for obvious reasons.  The view from the top of the wall is amazing.  One can look all over the land surrounding Jerusalem, even to the east where Jordan is.  The walls have arrow slits from which an archer can attack an enemy and above the gates, there are slots in the floor where soldiers can dump boiling oil onto the people with battering rams below.  On the walk, we saw many cool churches, the Dome of the Rock and it is absolutely beautiful, and Golgatha.  Golgatha is a place where Jesus may have been crucified.  The walk was really cool and was an opportunity to spend the day in the sun exploring a city in a very unique way.

Chaaaarge!

Barbwire is nothing to play around with.

The start of the ramparts walk.

A bunch of studs.  (From left to right: David, Jake, Sam, Ross, Ben, and Steve)

Dormition Abbey. 

I highly enjoy this picture.

There seem to be lots of graveyards around JUC that one can see from the Ramparts.

The Dormition bell tower.

Dormition Abbey and its olive garden.

Construction going on near Zion Gate.

Where one may dump oil upon one's enemies.

Israel is always watching.

Rachel coming out of a doorway.

Just adorable.

Pretty awesome amphitheater. 

Anyone for some hoops?

He did not like his picture getting taken.

A cool tower on the wall.

The street by Zion Gate.

Some pretty flowers to show to the Grandma's.

The Star of David flower.  (I made that name up).

The palm trees here look like fireworks!

Senior pic?

Barbwire always reminds me of the subtle restrictions here.

Crescent moon of a mosque juxtaposed with a Christian flag.

One of the highest points in Jerusalem. 

Mary and the Blessed Child.

Same statue, zoomed out.

We saw some kids playing in razor wire!

Army crawl.

This is one of 387 cats that I have counted so far. 

From left to right, top to bottom: Steve, Sam, Ross, Ben, Jake, David, Liz, Chelsey, Laura, and Rachel.

The Dome of the Rock is seriously on of the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen.

The insides of a tire.  What?

A cool building seen on the ramparts walk.

Ramifications that seem to groaning under the wall's weight.  

The school girls who "oohed and ahhed" at seeing a blonde boy.

A cute little Arab girl.

Twelve domes for twelve Apostles.  

Right next to the church is the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus prayed before being betrayed!!!!!!!!!

Debatable.

My kind of parking.

The sunsets are beautiful here.

Looks a lot like Blanchard Tower at Wheaton.

Sunday, February 5

     Today, we had our second field study where we romped around Jerusalem looking at the City of David (the original location of Jewish Jerusalem), Hezekiah's Tunnel, and the Temple Mount.  We saw what could be the ramifications from David's Palace and what was a toilet from the time of Isaiah.  I wish he toilet was from David's time so I could make a joke like, "If one was looking for treasure, I would look here.  For this is a place of royal booty."  Hezekiah's Tunnel was built when the Assyrians were attacking Jerusalem in order to cut off water supply to the enemy but to keep water flowing into the city.  But the best part was the Temple Mount.  We saw where Herod built the Second Temple and it was magnificent.  Some of the stones were still there and the sheer size of them was astounding.  We even sat down on steps that were there when Jesus was alive.  He would have walked on and taught on these steps!!!  I can't believe that I have had this opportunity!  I wrote about this and my experience from the City of David lookout in what follows:

     "It does not make sense for a people to move into a land that is filled with enemies, rocky soils, and land that ebbs and flows, but God obviously had a plan for His people.  Even though he led His people to this unforgiving land, He was in it all.  Psalm 121:1-8 says, “I lift up my eyes to the hills.  From where does my help come?  My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.  He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.  Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.  The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand.  The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.  The Lord will keep you from all evil; He will keep your life.  The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.”  Standing on the rooftop overview of the City of David, I was taken aback.  This beautiful chapter of the Bible makes so much sense to me.  This area is not a basin filled with the waters of death (not a bad pun on cisterns) but a nest of which God is a protective mother hen (Luke 13:34)!

     But the most amazing thing of all was seeing, sitting on, and standing on the steps that Jesus very may well have taught on when He spoke the words in Matthew 23 (and others).  My spirit shook with awe towards God seeing those seven or so steps.  What hallowed feet have touched that ground.  Should I take off my sandals for this is holy ground?  No, but I should and shall be ever changed by seeing the actual location and actual steps that Jesus once used.  And to get textual insight for His teachings and rebuking in Matthew 23, yes!  This is what I came to Jerusalem University College for!  To have my eyes opened, soul shaken, and spirit enlivened, there is nothing better than this.  God incarnate lived in this land and now, for these few short months, so am I!"

     After the field study, we went out to eat for Rachel's birthday and I had a terrific meal!   

A wall from Hezekiah's time.  It is called the Broad Wall.

Houses that were consumed in the building of the Broad Wall.

This gate stinks.

"The Lord is your keep; the Lord is you shade on your right hand" Psalm 121:5.

Paul Wright in his element.

Ramifications for David's Palace?

A wider view of what could have been ramifications/wall/part of a holy temple.

A toilet from Isaiah's time.

Walking through the cramped tunnel of Warren's Shaft.

A teacher and master of stuff that is old.

A deep, deep tunnel.

Where the Pool of Siloam was (John 9:6-7).

What the Pool of Siloam looked like.

Ancient ashtrays. 

Hermona looking fierce.  She has been a huge blessing for me.

A view of the wall, a mosque, and the Mount of Olives. 

One can see different layers of wall that have gone into the fortifications of Jerusalem throughout the eons. 

In the rubble by what used to be the Temple.

A mikveh, ritual bath, one would go down on one side of the steps, scrub off a layer of skin (literally) and sin, and come up the other side before going into the Temple to sacrifice to God.

Me in front of the beginning of Robinson's Arch which was a huge set of stairs leading out of the Temple.

Lines along the wall was where water used to be run into the Temple.

The beginning of Robinson's Arch.

Me on the street leading up to the Temple entrance.  Jesus walked this same path!!!!!!

A not very clean mikveh.

Stairs on the south end of the Temple that Jesus may have walked and taught on!

Different angle of the stairs.

Standing in front of the filled in archways into the Temple.

I can't believe I planked the Temple Mount.

The Western Wall (Wailing Wall) in front of the Dome of the Rock.

Standing in front of the Dome.

Closer up to the Western Wall.  

I knew nuns could fly.

A cool base of a pillar from Crusader times by the Pool of Bethesda.

Looking down into the Pool of Bethesda where Jesus healed the cripple in John 5:2-9, 14.

A cool shrine to Mary or her mother Anne at the Church of Saint Anne.

Worship in this place sounded like we were a choir of angels. 

St. Anne's Church built in 1138.

Cool statue in St. Anne's Church's garden.

Minarets are colored green because Muhammad's family banner was green.  These structures sound out the call to prayer for Muslims.

The Domes of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.  

Monday, February 6 

     I had seven hours of class time and was pretty spent from that, but I still did my laundry and dried it all on clotheslines.  Spiderman undies and all.

Tuesday, February 7

       Tuesday was really awesome.  I went into Bethlehem after my morning Islam class and went to House of Hope where I may be volunteering with special needs.  Going into Bethlehem was really easy and the House of Hope was right off of the bus stop.  The kids there are severely handicapped and so they need love, especially because a handicapped child brings shame upon one's family in this society, which is pathetic.  The little kids were so cute and one of them waved his hand in front of his face and said, "John Cena," who is a wrestler.  Hahaha!  Afterwards, we got some great schwarma and walked to Church of the Nativity which has Byzantine mosaics and was absolutely beautiful.  We met a woman, Miriam who longed for peace between Palestine and Israel.  We also saw a Banksy graffiti picture of a little girl giving a soldier a pat down.  So cool.  Going through the check point was weird because people have to do that everyday and it is so humiliating for them.  This land needs healing.  It was super windy to the point where sand would sting my face and it was also really cloudy out.  

It was so windy and rainy and cloudy that we couldn't see into the valley!

Still pretty misty. 

Wednesday, February 8

    Having cookies at night was a great way to end a day.  

Thursday, February 9

     I began the day by choking and then coughing with a mouthful of food, but my mouth remained closed and a piece of ham flew out my nose...  Afterwards, I went out with a group and we went to Church of the Redeemer which is a German church and has a great lookout.  After lunch, I sat outside and wrote this ridiculously long blog while in the sun.  After class and dinner, Ian, Ross, Ryan, and I went out walking and just explored the city.  There is so much to do here.  On our walk, we went to Muhammad's shop and we chit chatted and he scolded us for not visiting sooner.  He really wants Ian and me to share a meal with him.  When we left I asked him how to say brother and said, "Shukran ak-Muhammad."  And he said, "Shukran ak-Samuel."  This is so cool.  We got back and wanted to finish a movie but there was a group of girls watching a movie so I sat in on the last end of it.  When it ended, the girls grilled me with question upon question about my relationships.  We ended up talking (ten girls, me, and two boys joined in half way through) for almost two hours.  It was a lot of fun.

A bell in the tower of Church of the Redeemer. 

Quite a view from up there.

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher. 

Looking down on the dome on the Church of the Redeemer.

We had to climb so many stairs to get to the top!

Dome of the Rock with the Garden of Gethsemane to the back left with the Mount of Olives directly behind. 

Enjoying the view? ;)

The Hurva Synagogue. 

A look out to the east where Jordan is distantly seen.

It's a long drop.

Inside of the Church of the Redeemer.

Closer shot of Jesus.

It is a really pretty church.

Amen.

Friday, February 10

     I got up early and went with Hermona to the International House of Prayer to work with kids.  No kids came so I ended up talking with some really great Christian Palestinians.  A man they knew was a leader of a Bible school in Gaza and four years ago, he was kidnapped, tortured, and killed.  They told me that his wife was asked how she felt about how brutally he was killed and she said she was glad that he was killed instead of left alive.  The other person was understandably confused.  The widow explained that because he was dead, she knew he had not renounced his God.  How powerful is that?

Okay, friends, sorry for the longevity of this post and the delay in it as well.  I will be better!  Let me leave you with two things that I heard and have been mulling over:

     Sin is a broken relationship, not a broken law.

     Who do you want leading you (in terms of pastors): a totally righteous person who has done all of these wonderful things or someone who has gone all the way down to the bottom but has come back up?

Remeber: God loves you!