Divinity Study Tour

Concluding Remarks - Cindy

2010-03-20T15:09:00.000-07:00

FAVORITE PLACES/DAY:
-Tel Dan
-Hermon Springs
-Ein Gedi
-Sea of Galilee
-Garden Tomb
-Dig-for-A-Day experience

PRAISES:
Joy in the midst of pain
Amazing nurses at the hospital
Ring found
Nice tan (this one is for Dan! Ha)
Love and support in my weakest moments.
Dreams coming true!
A great roommie, Jackie, whom I could share laugh after laugh with.
My plane ticket got completely paid for!
Seeing my brother for his birthday.
Feeling God’s heart for the Jews.
Having such amazing support from the entire group.
Being able to worship God with Messianic Jewish youth from Romania and Russia.

LOVE TO MY GROUP:
Jackie: my roommie! Oh I miss thee and watching Hindi soap operas and Nomadic African boys with red hair b/c of .. yes.. lol.. so many good memories.. and our last minute breakfasts. Ha! Chica, you made my time in Israel and Jordan so well worth it. Your care for me when I was sick touched my heart and your excitement when I found my ring.. I think you were more excited than I was! Lol. It reminded me of the Bible verse “weep when they weep and rejoice when they rejoice” I think i quoted it wrong but you get me ;) thank you for sharing life with me during those 2 fantastic weeks!

Crysaly: my bodyguard. Who needs a Kevin Costner? Lol. Chica, thanks for being there for me and never leaving my side. Thanks for your compassion and love. May the Lord open up doors for you to minister to the poor and broken-hearted people.. and to all the lil’ animals suffering around the world..

Donald & Priscilla: You guys make me smile. I think of you and a smile comes to my face. Donald, you always came at the right time to take my pic.. I would just have a fleeting thought “man, I would like to have a pic here.” And just when I would finish thinking it you would hold out your hand for my camera… so crazy… Priscilla I love your energy and outlook on life and all that you are doing at the food pantry. I’m so glad that you guys are nearby.. Sunday brunch sometime? Me and Jackie would love to come..hahaha.

James: da man. Thanks for your stability. I was rocked by your devotional. I had just been thinking about some of the things you were saying and you just helped solidify them in my heart. Yaaay for Evanston. Thanks for being such a role model for us students who are looking to go into the ministry soon.

Lisa: my other laughing partner. Girl, no one can bargain like you do and I have reaped from the fruit of your work (as I stare at my wonderful leather purse ☺) I love how God came to your rescue at a bar and how you have been on fire and hotly pursuing him with all your being ever since. I will always remember your devotional at Dan under that big shaded tree and you jumping into the crowd and dancing in the Jordanian wedding! Ha! You’re awesome.

Diane: Lady, your prayers are so mighty. That day when I was not feeling well and you laid hands on me I felt heat where your hands were.. like a soothing heat.. and as you prayed in tongues I would feel my spirit just agreeing with you. Thank you for all your prayers and being such a faithful intercessor. Also, your intellect is so evident in that great devotional you gave. You have a very clear and effective speaking/teaching ministry. Keep going girl. You are on the right track.

Dr. Wilson & Dindy: Wow. What can I say about you two?! You two were amazing. I loved hearing your testimony. Your testimony will continue to bring many to the Lord. … and just to think where you guys were and where you are now! Wow! Only God! Only God! Dr. Wilson, thank you for your incredible insight and passion for early Christianity and making sure we were really learning the stuff ☺ Dindy, I can imagine you as such a great mom. You ran back with me all the way to the bus to find my ring.. and you were so encouraging and also the voice of reason throughout. Thank you for your love. I hope that your first trip to Israel has been completely unforgettable… and hope you get to go more often ☺

The Putneys: Yaaaay! The Williamsburg fam! It was so great to have you all the trip. I was so happy to have a fam around. You two sisters just showed me how much I really missed my sister and how I look forward to traveling with her in years to come. Scott, that last day in Jerusalem was hilarious. You getting yelled at for taking pics on the Sabbath. Lol. Also, I remember our last breakfast in Jordan me and Jackie were in the dining room and you came by and said “hey girls.. just want to let you know we are putting the bags in the bus now..” aaaw. You are such a dad. Sharon, I will always remember your eyes twinkling at Qumran when you got the jewelry as an anniversary present. They were so beautiful and fit you perfectly. I loved when your husband said “Yeah aren’t the women supposed to be unloading the bags now.. equality right?” and you said “pft. Right.” And rolled your eyes. Hahahaha! I loved it!

Daniel: chico, I heard you were worried when I wasn’t doing so well in Petra. Thanks for caring. Oh, and thanks for the pillow in the airplane. May the Lord abundantly bless your future ministry.

Angelica: Chica!!! Tu me haces reir. Your bluntness scared me at first and then I just ended up loving it so much. I love that you were to the point.. no beating around the bush. Yup.. especially with the sellers in the market. Ha! Thank you for that time when I was in Petra when you just held me and hugged me close as I was in pain. I felt like I had my momma right there with me ☺ Thank you for your amazing caring heart… May the Lord bless you with many girls and guys to mentor!

Jason: chico, blogging with you has been a blast… so glad my blogging skills have rubbed off on you;) Good luck with your PhD apps!! you'll rock them!

Scott: yes, angels did descend upon that luggage.. just in due time ☺ Thank you for your gentleness and caring heart. You would always move out of the way and say “Here can you see?” I was like “aaaw, yes” You have such a big heart.

Judy & Candace: the mother and daughter duo. How can I forget?! Lol. You gals are amazing. Judy you are a strong woman full of adventure. I love your spunk. Thanks for sharing the sycamore nuts with me☺ Candace, invoke the name of the Lord! Ha. Great devotional! Thanks for coming with me to the Messianic Jewish youth meeting. It was such a blessing, wasn’t it?! Wow.

Helen: you are such a trooper. Going all around with us everywhere we went. You went as far as you could go and I was just so amazed and proud of you… you came all the way to Israel and wasn’t going to miss anything. That’s the spirit! ☺ Thanks so much for consoling me during my sickness at Petra.

Joan: Two biggest memories : 1. When you realized that your daughter was married for 20 years, you were shocked and said “I’m old!!” hahaha. 2. When I was not feeling well at Petra and you stayed there just rubbing my arm and knee.. your soothing touch was so encouraging and loving.

Faye: I was amazed to see you filming every part of the trip and watching you buying ALL those books. Wow. Your passion to learn is so evident. May the Lord bless you as you learn and impart revelations to others

Mark and Deborah:
Mark, when you asked all the men to line up as “elders at the city gate” to bless your wife Deborah as the Proverbs 31 woman, my heart leapt. I couldn’t believe my eyes. You thought of that?!! Wow. Just for you to even have that in your mind.. you are just constantly blessing your wife with your actions and your thoughts. I was amazed and overwhelmed with the evident love and admiration you had for your wife.
Deborah. You rock! Just seeing you there as a pillar of support for your husband. I remember your prayer on the bus that day so clearly. Your relationship with the Lord was so evident in what you said to him that morning.. the sweetness and intimate manner you addressed him. May the Lord continue to shower His love upon you.

Dr. Panell: my new dad. Oh my gosh! So much to say in so lil’ space. One camel?? Lol. I will always remember the wisdom you imparted every step of the way. Thank you for sharing the devotional on the Sea of Galilee. God spoke so loudly to my heart that day. It was one of my most memorable parts of the trip. Also, your humor. How could I forget? Your comments would send Lisa and I into hysterics. Hope you get to have your fill of peanut butter soon!

Lindsay: Girl. Just a few words: Hal looking at his wife. Dang! That was crazy how we BOTH saw that! Oy my heart! So incredible. I’m so excited about all that the Lord has with you as you work with young girls in healing their hearts and teaching them who they really are.. giving them back self esteem and dignity.

Robin: it was a pleasure to have you on the trip. I loved how you always found the greatest bargains.. 20 postcards for $1.. the hats.. etc. lol. You have a great eye for that stuff.. thank you for your prayers when I was sick. May the Lord bless you as you continue on with what He has imparted in you in the Holy Land. Long live Israel! woohoo

2010-03-20T15:00:00.000-07:00

Day 14 – Saturday March 13 “Departure”

CINDY
(i will miss these two!!)

I slept until 5am. I heard when the first group left.. Jackie didn’t sleep at all, I think. They left Jerusalem at about 2am that morning. My flight was at 11am. So I could sleep a bit. Took a shower. Went for my last amazing breakfast in Israel. Took a taxi with Dr. Pannell to Tel Aviv airport. Dr. Pannell was wide awake.. BUT I was still trying to wake up.. secretly I was hoping I was still sleeping .. at least that would make me believe that I wasn’t leaving Israel ☹ lol

Security Ben Guron airport is INSANE. They even took my laptop, opened it, and put it in this crazy contraption through a scanner.. then they said my bags had to get searched. Too bad I didn’t adhere to Dr. Pannell’s advice: throwing all my dirty clothes on top.. he said in Central America it worked like a charm. They would open it up and close it immediately. Hahahaha! Dr. Pannell is hilarious!

Remember the Jordanian stamp on my passport? Yeah, they didn’t like that too much.. so on went the search.. the girl that was searching through my things was so nice. She said “Don’t worry I’ll help you put everything back” and smiled. Lol. They had these two cool touch screens that would give them a 3d view of my luggage. They swipe all through your clothes. It’s like your luggage getting a throat culture. Ha. Then they take the instrument they used to swipe through all your stuff and rub it on some machine and the machine tells them if it’s ok or not. I have no idea what they were looking for.. traces of bomb chemicals or materials?? Meh. I was all clear. The woman actually walked me to the front of the line and I got my tickets AND then she walked me all the gate. We talked the whole time. She was sweet. I think she needed a break from her work. She waved goodbye and said “Don’t forget to pick up your luggage in Newark before your next connecting flight.” Yes. That’s right. Good point. Lol. Almost forgot. Ha! Too early in the morning still.

However, as I got on the plane I was WIDE AWAKE. I did most of my Hebrew and learned all of the Hophal verb stem and my vocab. Right there on the plane. Spawn, you would have been proud! By the time we were arriving in Newark I was tired. I only slept 1 hour (if that) on the plane.. and I had to meet my dad at the Newark airport.. He was taking me to my mom’s house. It was my brother’s birthday and could not miss the opportunity of celebrating it with him.. even if for 2 hours!.. so I went through security AGAIN. Rechecked my luggage, met my dad, saw both sides of my family (having divorced parents is hard…) and then had only one hour left to do what I really wanted to do.. spend it with my bro on his bday.. I gave him a BIG hug!! And I missed his hugs too. My bro has like the best hugs in the world! The Northeast was pounded by a crazy rainstorm so my mom’s house had no electricity when I got there! We ate dinner by candlelight and carried candles throughout the house.. even to the bathroom! Lol. I gave my bro his bday gift: a Jerusalem cross made from the special olive wood in Bethlehem. He gazed at it.. turned it over and over and was like “Wow! Thanks so much.. wow, this is fire.” Hahaha. I love my bro. I’m so glad he liked it.

I was completely zapped from energy by this point. I laid my head on my mom’s shoulder as she played with my hair (I love it).. and then in a few mins I had to leave. Boooo! It was so fast. BUT I was so glad I did get to celebrate with my brother.. He’s now 25 years old! 25 was an amazing year for me. I wish him an even more amazing year ☺
Then back to the airport thru the wicked rainstorm.. I just made it in time for boarding.. sat in my seat and was out in a flash.. I was soooooo tired. I was awake for more than 24 hours and had been through 3 countries in about 24 hours! Insane. So glad to get to see Dr. Pannell’s friendly face the whole way back.. He had the same flight as I did. Yaay for getting home in one piece and having my life completely changed.

You say Jerash and I say Gerasa!

2010-03-20T14:49:00.000-07:00

Day 13- Friday March 12 “The Decapolis”

CINDY
Jerash, Umm Qeis, Transfer to Israel at Shiekh Hussein Bridge. Overnight in Jerusalem

I woke up today feeling much better. A lil’ woozy and very weary but not much pain. I would a really bad headache here and there but it was nothing compared to all the pain I was in yesterday. I claimed my healing, prayed over myself, popped some aspirin and by the end of the day no more headache ☺

We went to Jerash today. It is Friday and there were Muslim families EVERY WHERE!! The women wait outside for their men to leave the mosque, then they gather their families, go to a park, sit under the shade of a tree, and have a big picnic complete with a BBQ. It’s sort of like our Sunday afternoons. The best part: there were kids every where.. running up and down the old roman theatre steps, climbing up hills, running through the fields, parents taking pics of their kids, and well just kids being kids. There is just something so refreshing to see kids when all I do for months is see grown ups. Lol.
Jerash (Gerasa in the Bible) This is the place our Lord healed the demoniac. Mark 5. Dr. Wilson led the devotional on this place. We sat there in the blazing sun on the theatre seats as he read from Mark 5 and retold the account of how Jesus set this man free from Legion. Dr. Wilson pointed out something I had never seen before.

15They came to Jesus and observed the man who had been demon-possessed sitting down, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the "legion"; and they became frightened.
16Those who had seen it described to them how it had happened to the demon-possessed man, and all about the swine.
17And they began to implore Him to leave their region.

After Jesus sets this man free, the people did not want Jesus there?! Wait. What?! I mean this guy was a threat to society.. a shame to his family and to himself. This man was bound and now he was free.. and where he was crazy he now was sitting there completely clothed and in his right mind. He was back to normal again. Weren’t they happy to see this? It’s like you are in debt and someone comes to your house and gives you all the money and then some and completely pays it all and you turn to him and say “Get out of my house! I don’t want to see you!” I don’t understand. Why would these ppl be frightened? Why would they implore Him to leave their region? Could they not see who He was? Could they not see what He had just done… out of love?? Thoughts to ponder.

Funny moment: As we were leaving in our massive tour bus there were young guys hanging out along the sides of the street. They were waving to us so we all got us and waved back.. more b/c we were curious to see all the kids jumping through all this water spouting out of what looked like a giant water pipe. As we waved one of the guys pointed to me and kept pointing.. and my jaw dropped and I laughed and so “OMW He’s pointing!! And everyone laughed” I turned to Dr. Pannell and he said, “Nah, he’s not pointing he was saying ‘1 camel! 1 camel!’” hahahahaha!

Then we made it on our way “home” (back to Israel). We had a few problems at the border. The Jordanians didn’t want to let us cross back to Israel… and when we finally got to Israel the Israelites intensely searched all our bags since we had Jordanian stamps on our passports. Meh. But it was expected. Not a big deal. Made me feel safer. I was just happy to be back in Israel.

We were exhausted to say the least but Jackie and I were up for just one more last adventure. We stayed in Jerusalem that night and it was Shabbat so Scott and Sharon Putney wanted to go to the wailing wall. We decided to go.. We had never been around the Old City by ourselves. With a map in my hand and a few sites remembered from our tours we made it to the wailing wall in no time. We were professionals by this point. Lol. Went through the security check and found the place almost empty ☹ I think Scott was the saddest b/c he had heard the Jews have activities all night.. but by this time of night they were all in their meeting places singing and dancing and not outside. We could hear them in the distance… all the celebrations going on. So we stayed for a bit and then headed back. We decided to go a different way and we purposely got lost in the Jewish Quarters.. oooh adventure! Lol. I loved it. I think we would have kept just walking around if we weren’t completely exhausted and had to pack to leave in a few hours.

We got back. Jackie and I repacked our bags (I miss having Jackie as my roommate ☹) As I was throwing stuff out of a my suitcase a silver shiny thing caught my eye… it was stuck hanging from a black plastic bag. Gasp! It was my ring!!!! Yaaaaaay! I wanted to scream!! Yes! Woohoo! A great ending to a great trip. What was lost was now found!

Petra Part II – Rushed to the Hospital.

2010-03-20T14:40:00.000-07:00

(read Part I first)

The ambulance came and they basically had to lift me up into the ambulance as I was just doubled over in pain. They laid me in the bed and closed the doors. As they pulled away I opened my eyes and saw Chrissy sitting on the other side. What happened with the tour guide?!!!!!! I looked around the ambulance. The Muslim crescent moon decorated the windows and two young military paramedics were looking down at me saying “you good?” oh no. no English! I was feeling too horrible to worry. Chrissy gave my name and age. They asked for my husband. None. They asked for Chrissy’s husband. None. (I guess this is normal? Maybe. Hopefully). They asked, “Why no husband? You both beautiful.” uh oh. Chrissy replied “Students.” And they nodded… I guess that was good enough… a thought passed through my mind: wait, they could just turn off any corner and no one would ever find us again.. hmm. Jesus keep us safe…

It took a good 30 mins to get to the hospital. The whole time Chrissy is explaining or trying to explain to them what was wrong. The pain would come back more intense from time to time and as I laid there, tears just inevitably fell down my cheek. One of the paramedics, who was sitting on my bed from keeping it from wheeling all over the ambulance through the crazy bumps and turns, would wipe my tears. Awwww. I felt something on my face but it didn’t feel like tissue. I looked and it was a gauze pad!!! I was struck with the hilarity of it that I just couldn’t help but giggle. Lol. Gauze pads to wipe my tears!!! And as I laughed, everyone in the ambulance laughed, and the young guy would then looked with a smile and asked “Good now?” with a thumb up to which I replied, “No. still pain.” With my thumb down.. Through much laughter. Lol

We arrived at the hospital. As they wheeled me in, one of the other paramedics stooped down and said “You are beautiful.” If it wasn’t for the overwhelming pain I was in, I would have busted out in laughter. Seriously. First, I am not feeling well and definitely not looking great. Second, this is not the time or place to try to pick me up. Hahahahaha!

I get my lil’ section of the emergency room. Even though the curtains were draw close, there would be ppl who would peak in, curious to see the sick American girl. Lol. The hospital was not the cleanest. The hospital bed did not even have bed sheets ☹ As I laid there a doctor, 2 nurses, and a medical assistant showed up. The nurses were women completely covered other than their faces. They were the best. They knew more English than the doctor. Yes! They were so compassionate and understanding. They hooked me up to an IV immediately and drew blood. After several mins of explanation the nurse told me “It’s going to be ok.. just relax. You are very pretty.. don’t worry” and pinched my cheek as she smiled and squinted her eyes Ha! So motherly. They came back 10 mins later and the pain was still there.

They finally decided to give me a shot of a very strong med. Somehow one of the nurses concluded that I needed a husband! Hahahahaha! And the other nurse who was in the same room looked at my bracelet and said “I have a nephew and he makes pretty bracelets just like this one…” and smiled. hahaha! I laughed so hard.. everyone burst out in laughter.. even the doctor came in through the curtain and smiled and laughed. So funny! Thank you Lord for joy in the midst of pain and weakness…

I did arrive to a point of pain where even Chrissy said she was about to start crying with me. I must say, I would not have been able to make it without her. She was there holding my hands, giving me soothing looks and caressing my arm as tears flowed down and I was trying to hold the pain, she was my guardian and protected me as she would ask “hey, what’s that you are giving her?”, she chased down the doctor when we needed to contact our tour guide to come pick us up even though they wanted to keep us overnight (!!), and she just never left my side. Thanks, Chrissy. You have a wonderful heart and you provided the love and support I needed to just get through.. for that I thank you.

We shared many laughs too. Even when the doctor came in, he looked at my blood. Turned over the tube and said “You have beautiful blood” and then looks at me! Hahaha! We couldn’t help but bust out in laughter as he left the room! He even signed a rock that Chrissy collected from Petra. So funny.

I got back to the bus and everyone cheered. I was cheering too (inside).. thank you Lord! Phew! So relieved. So glad I made it alive! I was still very weak though, so the group let me and Chrissy have the back of the bus to lay down and rest. God’s love was just so evident everywhere.. in everything and in everyone.. and I was just so moved. Even the bus driver bought me a mango and peach juice.. aaaaw! God was showing his tender love for me again.. and again.. and again..

As I laid there in the bus (it would be 4 hours til Amman) I put my iPod in and tears flowed down again as I listened to Kari Jobe singing:
“So faithful
So constant
So loving and so true
So powerful in all you do
You fill me
You see me
…….

I know that you are for me
I know that you are for me
I know that you will never forsake me in my weakness
I know that you have come down
Even if to write upon my heart
To remind me who you are

Jesus, thank for your love, support, and that you never leave me.. even in my weakest moments you write upon my heart and remind me of who you are.

Petra Part I – Not Feeling Well

2010-03-20T14:27:00.000-07:00

Day 12 – Thursday March 11 “City of Desert Traders
CINDY

(Some details I left out intentionally as they are confidential to me).

Today I woke up not feeling well. I was nauseated all morning. I’m usually all bright and energetic in the morning and stuffing my face with the amazing breakfast food. However, this morning I was slow… no smile across my face… and as I went down to eat breakfast all I could look at was bread or yogurt.. everything else made me .. well yeah.. Not a great start.

The ride to Petra from our “Petra Palace” hotel (don’t let those words fool you… it was not one itsy bitsy close to a palace.. it was one of the worst places we stayed at including new painted fumes filling the halls and our rooms.. not so nice.. I was glad to get out of there) was literally like 30 seconds. I was hoping for a longer bus ride to prepare myself for the crazy trek through Petra in over 100 degrees desert heat. Nope. I rushed to put my suntan lotion on, grab my massive water bottle (we were going to be walking for 5 hours!), my camera, and lots of meds. As I ran out of the bus I realized I didn’t have on my newly bought ring. Nooooo! So I ran back to the bus (all this time my head is thumping and I’m still nauseated ☹ ) and did an intense search in 60 seconds. Nothing. Turned my bag and book bag inside out. Nothing. Boooo! I loved that ring! Ugh! Sick and now this! Dindy helped but we had to move on because the group was waiting at the entrance. I just laid it down and said “ok, God, well I am not going to let this ruin my day.. and pls give me strength to make it through” We power-walked back to the group and started along our way.
Petra was amazing. The colors in the stone and not to mention the crazy intricate decorative carving along the towering rock walls. When I would look up my eyes just kept following up one solid beautiful formed rock. This was the main crossroads for trading and the Nabataeans had complete control over it. The rock formations were so cool. They were almost fluid in their shapes.. wavy and not jagged. As the group would stop and look at steps carved into the rock to lead to a look out point or decorative boxes carved into the rock to house a certain idol, I would just to lean again the rock wall or find a seat. The nausea was not going away. The pain kept increasing. And the whole time I kept saying “I can do this.. just need to keep going and it’ll just go away.. a lil’ exercise may be all I need.” I popped another aspirin. Well this went on for 2 hours! I tried to enjoy it as much as I could but I think ppl of the group started noticing I wasn’t feeling well. One guy came up and said, “Hey are you ok? I haven’t heard you laugh today…" aaaw.

Well we finally made it to the main attraction. The treasury. Well no one knows what it really is.. could be a library.. maybe? But yeah. You just go around the bend and you all of the sudden find yourself standing in front of this awesome, majestic building carving right into the rock. There are pillars, steps, figures, and doors all carved in. It was breathtaking. As our tour guide would say “Marvel and click your cameras!” hahahaha. Oh buddy. I took a few pics. It was crowded with so many tourists buzzing around. It was so hard to not get other people in the pic!

Jackie and I had an interesting experience in the makeshift gift shop. Jackie do you remember the ring that we can use to take out someone else’s eye! Hahaha!

But I digress.

At that point we went got a bathroom break and as I entered the bathroom I felt chills running down my body and though it was over 100 degrees I was cold. Not good. I sat outside and all the pain and nausea just came flooding in more than before. I couldn’t hold it and as we sat there listening to Faye give her devotionals I could not fight the tears that were flooding my eyes from the pain. . I sat there on one of the rocks silently praying “God please take this pain away…” our tour had not finished. We still had another two hours. As the others went on their way, I just couldn’t muster enough strength to do the same ☹ A few of the women stayed with me. Joan, Diane, Helen, and Chrissy. It would be an hour walk back to the bus. Could I make it? The tour guide said he would stay with me and call the ambulance but lo and behold he disappeared..no where to be found. Stuck. As I trembled from the pain and holding back my nausea the women soothed me with their prayers and their motherly touches. I wanted to walk back but had to face reality. I just couldn’t. So the women went on a massive man hunt for the tour guide to call the ambulance. It took a good 10 mins. For me: an eternity.

Funny moment: As I was laying there on the rock, I had my eyes closed to try to focus away from the pain.. and every time I opened my eyes another camel was in front of me. Soon there were like four camels! Chrissy bent down and said "all those camels are for you. they saw you were sick so they are offering you a ride on the camel to the hospital." hahahaha!

Crossing the Border to Jordan!

2010-03-20T14:16:00.000-07:00

Day 11 – Wednesday March 10 “The Other Side of the Jordan”

Transfer to Jordan at Allenby Bridge. Bethany-beyond-Jordan, Mt. Nebo, Madeba.
CINDY

The border crossing was not too bad. I heard it’s getting back into Israel that will be the problem since Jordan is a Muslim country and not on the greatest of terms with Israel… we’ll see..

Our bus took us to the border crossing. There we said our goodbyes to Ayaad, our trusty bus driver, and to Hal, (I will miss him…).. crossed through border control and found our tour guide and Jordanian bus driver once in Jordan. The crazy thing: we had an armed police man accompany us throughout Jordan. His name was Solomon. Hopefully, he would be wise with that rifle. Lol. We were assured by our tour guide from the beginning that the armed police man was there just to move traffic. Pft. Right. We’ll see. Lol.
Well the fact is that Jordan is trying to increase its tourism. So they want all their tourists feel safe. Yeah. Man with gun. I totally feel safe. Ha!

Well Jordan here we come!

We were driven through miles and miles of stark desert. It was hot that day! Nearly 100 degrees.. it gets hot when you are below sea level!
We passed Bedouin settlements upon Bedouin settlements. They are makeshift tents usually in a cluster. The men wear the red Bedouin scarves (they look like the Palestinian ones but red and white instead of black and white). They are out leading their sheep to find some tuffs of green pastures wherever they can find and some water. Camels also became a usual sighting☺

We arrived to the Jordan River to the place where Jesus was baptized. Let me tell you. It was not a glorious place AT ALL. I always pictured a gentle running clear river where Jesus went down and came out of us. NOPE. It was mucky and muddy and dirty. Ew. Seriously. I did not even want to put my finger in it. The Jordan river is the border between Israel and Jordan. I stood there on the Jordan side. I could literally just walk across the river and in 30 seconds be back in Israel. Hmm. Tempting. Ok. Back to the river. So yeah, it was not nice looking at all. And all I could think “Jesus, really? Really? You went down in that? Out of the many waterfalls, clear springs in Israel.. you decided to come here to this place of the Jordan and be baptized?!” wow. Here we were below sea level. Something Hal said when we were in Israel still resonated within me “Jesus went to the lowest place on earth to even go lower still.” Lower still…Sit back. Reflect. Wow.

We also got to go to Mt. Nebo.
Random sighting: a monk smoking a cigar with a camera around his neck! Lol. I wish I had taken a picture!

Mt. Nebo is where Moses stood and saw the Promised Land.. the land that he was not able to enter.. but he got to see it. I stood there. There was much dust and haze in the air so you couldn’t see that much in the distance.. but I can imagine.. just everything that Moses saw for the last 40 years: desert. Sand. Everything mostly in unicolor. Dryness. A few green or brown patches of some vegetation. Hot. Weariness. A Hope Deferred at times. Moaning and groaning. AND THEN. He climbed this mountain by himself and looked over : WOW! Color everywhere! The mountains. Valleys. Hills. Water. Even the desert bloomed on the other side! Wow. The promise was not just a figment of his imagination. It’s real. It wasn’t something empty without sustenance. He was now able to see it with his own eyes. God is not a liar. He is true. He is truth. He is faithful… to fulfill every promise. He truly has the best in store for you… abundantly!.. not just enough.. but more than enough.. more than you can ever imagine.. surpassing every expectation and breaking every doubt and ungodly belief. Wow. Wooooooooooow!

standing atop Mt. Nebo.. unfortunately you can't see much b/c of the haze :(

Final Thoughts

2010-03-15T06:38:00.000-07:00

Monday

My flight home is today and hopefully there are no more hitches. Thank you for being part of my adventure, learning with me and praying for me. It has been interesting on multiple levels =)

Now that I have had a day to process the trip without any chaotic incidents, I am going to try and write a few of the important thoughts/favorite memories that I have had while being here.

Final Thoughts/Highlights:

-My favorite activity was doing the archaeological dig. Even though we were just digging up pot shards and random bones and objects, it felt like there was a window to past that I would have never experienced else where. Archeology in the states is not the same, just not enough history. But being that I once wanted to be an archeologist or a paleontologist, it was definitely a rare opportunity. Also, being able to go spelunking through cracks and holes in the caves was so exciting.

-The Dead Sea was a really fun experience that stood out as well. I was slightly paranoid about drinking the water and was pretty cold, it was awesome being able to try and swim. Plus my skin exfoliated as well, which made me laugh! As a guy, I should probably not mention that again =)

-As for what spoke to me, I would say when we went to the mountain of the Sermon of theMount and the Sea of Galilee. Just being in the place that served as Jesus' classroom was profound. Listening to the messages that we received really made me think about us as Christians and it challenged me.

-The way God spoke to me on the sea was pretty powerful as well. I felt as if he was telling me that I was going in the right direction, even though he challenged my current goal of getting into a PhD program. But the overriding thought that I had was that he loved me and that he was happy with where I am going.

This is big because I always trusted God because most men who tried to mentor me just wanted the validation of mentoring, which usually ended bad since I did not stroke their ego. So feeling affirmed by God and knowing that I am who he wants me to be was powerful to me.

-For those that do not know me, I am very much cut in the mold of Andrew and Barnabas when it comes to Biblical characters. Andrew was a quiet extravert who used his relationship with Christ to bring those that he knew to Christ. He was sort of a networker, as you can see in the book of John in which he introduced Simon, the boy who had the fish and bread, and the Greeks to Jesus. In short, he paid attention to every tree and in turn took care of the forest.

As for Barnabas, when you look at him, he was a utility man (to use a baseball term). Most people just think of him as an encourager, but he taught, prophesied, started churches, financed the church, and performed miracles to name a few. I fit that category as well because I can do a little bit of everything, and I felt God told me to embrace my ability and continue to follow these two role models.

-So that means pursue both ministry and academics, but ministry might take the front seat sooner than expected. I will be sure to check my options as I wind down my seminary experience (I graduate next year) and give due diligence to these options, and also honor my commitment to the Navy Reserves as a Chaplain.

-I was also overwhelmed by the way in which others helped me when I was sick. Again, I am not used to grace or people giving me grace for anything. Those that know me know that I am pretty hard on myself at times because of that. So being in a new country and being bed ridden was not something I wanted, nor expected I would get grace for. But I did, and a lot of people prayed for me and gave me medicine and things like that. It was really nice, especially since I did not know too many people on the trip.

-What also hit me hard was looking at the ancient church surviving in Israel. There are two Christian quarters in the Old City, and it was powerful to see these churches. I am not sure if they are thriving, but they seem unfazed by the trouble in the region. There is so much history, so much tradition, and cooperation between the Roman Catholics and the Easter Orthodox churches. It was so awesome to see the two sharing buildings and going into the different parts and seeing how they operate. I just wish protestants like me would stop and see the value of this instead of saying "we are doing our own thing!" We have a lot to learn from one another. Being led by a messianic Jew was powerful in Nazerath's village. As he spoke, our guides love for Christ and desire to bring others to Christ saturated the air. He was soft spoken, but his love was intoxicating and it made you WANT to listen to him. He did not rant or rave or try to convince you of anything, but he was secure and confident in Christ and it made you want to listen and want to be around him.

-Finally, the relationships made were what I will remember. As a quality time person, there was definitely ALOT of it on the trip. A lot of experiences to go through and a lot powerful moments that were shared. I have never been a "lets be friends forever!" type, but I know that I made some good friendships on the trip, and became closer to those I knew. I am excited to see what the next stage of life holds!

But it has been great, so thank you for letting me share! This is Jason Christafaris, signing off. God Bless you all!

JSC

FORGIVENESS AT A PLACE OF WAR.

2010-03-15T04:32:00.000-07:00

Day 10 – Tuesday, March 9 “Going West”

CINDY
Megiddo, Caesarea Maritima.

Today I woke up feeling sick.. very nauseated. Took some medication and was all set to go. I was sad to leave our lil’ village hotel. It was beautiful. We were right on the sea of Galilee. Each one of us had our own lil’ homes complete with a kitchen, living room, TV, bedroom, a green grassy backyard that was the actual shore of the sea of galillee, and a bbq grill (Dan, the bbq grill comment is for you! Lol). Sigh. I was so happy to be able to stay there for two nights. It was beautiful to watch the sun set on the opposite end under the hilly ridge and watch the lights come on one by one in the city of Tiberias.. the lights sparkled in the evening sky and reflected on the dark sea. Sigh.. it was great while it lasted.

We woke up early and went on to Megiddo.. you know that infamous place where for the end times. And guess what?! yup, I had that as my devotional site. I read so much on Megiddo and time and time again all that was talked about was the end times. I just didn’t want to go into all that war and blood. I mean so much death has already happened in that place! I wanted to see if there was something more about that place.. there had to be…I asked God and I all of the sudden I got an amazing illustration. Here’s a snippet of my devotional:

“Time and time again, people have come and go, including kings, reigns, and even horses! Actually this place is a “mountain” or a tel because of the very fact that Megiddo has been rebuilt so many times. A city has been destroyed and others come and rebuild over it, leaving layers and layers beneath the surface. Not only did the layers just keep piling on top of each other but the walls also were made bigger and thicker during the times Megiddo has been rebuilt. So is the same with our hearts.

Our hearts can easily look like Megiddo. People come and go, take up residence in our hearts or come and destroy it, we see a lot of bloodshed in one sense or another, and what we do to cope is just build upon it. However, like the layers of past cities have remained so have the layers of hurt remain in our hearts. They do not go away. What we do is just continue to build and build upon them. We even make the walls thicker and taller because we want to protect our hearts from future invasions or in other words, hurts. Here in Megiddo each layer is just on top of the others until it is just a mass of heaping ruins that tell of the past. So it is with our hearts. Our hearts become a mass of heaping ruins that tell of the past, our past hurts. What we don’t realize is that as we build these “defense mechanisms” to ward ourselves from others, we end up blocking ourselves off from God. These walls are there and don’t allow God to get to the very core of our hearts.

So what can we do about it? We begin a process of an archaeological dig of our hearts. There is a process that begins with the first layer-forgiveness…” ☺

How cool is that?! I loved that right there in the midst of a mountain and near the jezreel valley where battles have taken place, where blood has been spilled and where it might continue to be spilled.. where man has fought against man.. God led us in a moment of forgiving.. others and ourselves.. of reflecting on not taking revenge but letting go… of not becoming hard ground and an artificial mound like Megiddo but becoming a soft fertile fruitful plain like the Jezreel Valley… I like Jesus☺

One thing that moved me today: In Megiddo, as I was bringing out the MASSIVE bible Jason let me borrow for the devotional and struggling to also hold my paper, Hal came running up to me. Without any words, he put his strong hands under the Bible and held my paper down from the fighting breeze. I was so deeply moved. Here is this man.. 73 years old.. I didn’t ask him a thing.. I was just going to hold my paper and Bible.. with a bit of struggle but that never stopped me.. and he just saw my need and came without any words to offer himself for my help. The whole time I gave my devotional he was right there next to me as my podium. Lol. He would even flip the page for me.. and when I would forget where I was he just mumbled quietly where I had left off. Lol. The whole time, I just kept hearing in my heart “I’m here for you.” If it wasn’t that I was speaking and giving the devotional I would have just burst out in tears. That was Jesus the whole time. With me, helping me, supporting me, and just never leaving me alone.. He is there to help even when I don’t ask.. He’s there for encouragement and just to love me with himself.. tears are falling down my face even as I write this right now.. Jesus and his manifest love never fails to woo and overwhelm my lil’ heart.

We also went to Caesarea Maritima. It’s a port city. It’s a must see!! Blue blue waters! And restaurants with their white cushion seats and white umbrellas facing the water under the clear blue sky (my pics don't do the place justice :(.... they even had sushi there! :) Ha! Sooo beautiful! It’s a great place for lunch.. I’m beginning to realize how romantic of a place Israel is… ha!

FIRST AID?!!!

Leaving, if I can actually leave.

2010-03-14T19:18:00.000-07:00

As I am writing this, I am in the middle of a 24 layover in New York City. I have not slept more than 3 hours at any given time since Friday, so hopefully this is a good account of what has happened since then. More on that later, but I will fill you in on our last days of the tour...

Friday

The 420 wake up call from the neon-lit Mosque was interesting. That is how I kicked off my day, and then went back to sleep for another hour and a half.
The focus of our day is the Decapolis. These were the ten cities that were in Jewish Territory that supported Greco-Roman culture during the time of Jesus. The two cities that we went to were Jerash and Umm Qeis. Jerash was a very well preserved site that had quite a bit of it's history preserved. I remember Zefar, our tour guide, rushing us through because there was so much to see. Good thing I am in shape, because this guy is a bit faster paced Hal and he takes it personal when people do not keep up. Anyway, when you first arrive at Jerash, you are welcomed by then a giant asian market. I am glad I avoided that right away and moved on to the first landmark. Hadrian's Arch is a massive stone arch that looks like a building at first blush. It has one giant arch in the middle, and is flanked by two smaller arches, separated by columns. After you pass that, there is a hippodrome that is still operating. I did not get to watch the races on the way out, partially because I was avoiding the large out of shape gladiator that need more clothes. Not really, even though he was disturbing, I did not see it because there was not enough time.

After that, there was a huge city center which the guide called "the oval", it was a vast space that was surrounded with columns. From there we went on saw the remains of a temple to Zeus. There was also a temple to the Goddess Artemis. The two amphitheaters, which was built and added onto over time. One was used as a theatre, and the other was for the politicians. They provided for good exercise, being that I hiked up one of them. Zefar managed to coax a group of Jordanian bagpipers to play music for us as well. I know it sounds weird, Jordanian Bagpipers, but it is true! The British introduced bagpiping to them when they occupied Jordan. They started playing amazing grace and then transitioned mid-song with Yankee Doodle, which was really funny... until they asked for money, then I walked away hoping they did not notice my lack of Jordanian money. It was a very fast paced day, wrapped up with getting lost in the market. A few of the girls got mad at me because when they needed a fake boyfriend, I did not pull through and save them from the venders. Mainly because it was funny, but I need to work on that =)

Umm Qais is near the Gardarenes, which is the site in which Jesus cast Legion into the herd of pigs. It was great going to this site because it was were Jesus performed one of his miracles and stand at the cliff that the pigs supposedly hurled themselves off of. It was not a very big area of land, but it was interesting to see it and see the tombs and the land around it. Being that I am fascinated with the Synoptic Problem and sorting out the differences between the three Synoptic Gospels, it was great to go and listen to our guide talk about it. I found this very inspiring, and it continued to make me want to pursue my PhD. For those that do not know, I am hoping to do my Doctoral Work in this field of study.

The interesting part of Umm Qais was that since we went on the Muslim sabbath, there were people all over the place. As we drove through town, the streets were barren and every Mosque was packed. I had never seen a Muslim Sabbath before, so that was unique. As we moved through Umm Qais, we looked at the acropolis and the third amphitheater of the day. After we were done, we called it a day and went back to Israel.

Spiritually, there have been two ideas that have really stuck in my mind today. I am continuing to battle with the idea of wanting to be a professor and wanting to be a pastor. I have always believed that I should have a balance of the two worlds as potential teachers, because I will need to be able to train pastors as a teacher. I think I noticed this at Umm Qais as we talked about one of my favorite theology subjects. The idea of being a pastor a few years before I do my Doctoral work is something that I have thought about, but leaving open for God's leading.

The second idea that was mentioned in the bus really stood out to me. One of the pleasures of being on a trip with your professors is that you tend to get to know them in a different way during the trip. One of the subjects mentioned was how so many biblical characters were well into their lives when God called them to do something great. That really stood out, as we recalled how Hal said that he was ready for something else big (and he is in his seventies). That type of faith made me excited, and encouraged me. If I am doing what I am doing in my late twenties, I am excited to see what I can accomplish in a life time! But that also requires preparation. One of my classmates talked about how one of professors tries to stay a step ahead of the next generation. As a young man, I need to continue to do that physically, mentally and spiritually. I am happy with where I am, but I felt more inspired to strive to set the bar.

We went through Jordan, and it was a pretty intense change. I had my bag inspected and they asked me a lot of questions. The tour guide's parting advice for me was to lay off the milk since I was too tall and he thought i was still of growing age. When he found out I was 28, he told me I should use it to my advantage. That was my last interaction with him. I am glad that we were done with Jordan, and we were greeted/picked up by our old bus driver, Eaud! (I am not sure how it is spelled, but I think that is what I was told) It was good to see him, I am not sure what his beliefs are, but he had a really warm spirit about him. It was a nice way to come back to Israel. After the three hour drive, we went to eat and then to bed. I got to say bye to some people, which was sad, but it is also a new beginning for some friendships.

The interesting quotes of the day were as follows:
Zafur: "Are you taller than me?
Me: "Yes."
Zafur: "I like to reconcile that by thinking I have a bigger brain!"
Me: *chuckles confusedly, whether he was joking or serious"

Saturday-Sunday
Our day started at 130 am, to catch the bus at 2 to get to Tel Aviv airport for a flight to Istanbul. It was the beginning of an interesting 24 hours. At Tel Aviv, I got interrogated by a buff Israeli man who asked me random questions. OF course I passed the test. This was after having to open my bag and have it checked. Then we were off to Istanbul.

After getting the wrong instructions, and I went through the passport check as if it was the connecting flights. I was the only one that got through, and everyone else got told to go to their connecting flight. They would not let me back through! So I had to run upstairs, check in, go through security and get to the loading terminal in a half hour. Being that Tel-Aviv took for ever, I was very nervous about this. But I got through in time, only to wait for the flight. I got pulled out line, interrogated, frisked and searched. But it worked out.

The 1040 flight left late, and the ride was interesting. We were supposed to arrive at JFK on Saturday at 245 PM, and instead arrived at 945 this morning!! JFK closed in mid-flight, so after a few touch and go's, we went to Boston to refuel.

1115 Istanbul Time: Left
1500 EST: Failed landing
1800 EST: Land at Boston to Refuel
2000 EST: Circled JFK again, new course Chicago
2145 CST: Land in Chicago
Sunday 0100 CST: Got my Hotel Voucher, did not use it due to
0400 CST: Meet up with other Fliers
0600 CST: Board plane
0945 EST: Land at JFK, report to Delta
1400 EST: Left Delta Terminal with a flight for Monday

After hearing all the yelling at the registers, I was not looking forward to my conversation with the receptionist. But I was pleasant and cooperative with the woman, and it worked out great. I had a flight booked for Monday at 5 pm, later then I hoped, but I had a flight. She tried to bump me up, but could not. So I called my friend in Brooklyn, and that is where I am now.

Oh yeah, I went to Applebee's and bought Ribs and a raspberry lemonade. I LOVE AMERICAN FOOD! Now I am good and sleepy and watching Up with my friend, so I should probably go. I will write more tomorrow and wrap up then!

Jason

Jordan to Israel

2010-03-11T12:10:00.001-08:00

Wednesday

Today we made our trip out of Israel. It was sad parting with Hal and Eod because they were definitely a big part of our experience. None the less, we wished them well and moved on to Jordan. After crossing through the gates and getting our bag checked, I could tell that there was a distinct difference. We loaded onto a bus, and drove into a town. The only way to describe Jordan that day was desolate. It looked like one of those scenes in a movie that involves a nuclear fallout and a remnant are scattered across the desert. As we pull up to meet our tour guide, our bus gets inspected yet again as we go exchange money. Again, this country feels so different.

As we drive through dusty desert roads passing by rural people living in tents, we eventually make it to our first stop: the traditional place of Jesus' baptism. I was thoroughly surprised to find a ruin of an stairway and pavilion for people to be baptized in. As our tour guide explained why archeologists believe that this is the appropriate site, I stood amazed at the idea that we could be standing where Jesus' commission was confirmed. After that, we meandered over to an ornate Eastern Orthodox Chapel whose inside was completely covered in icons, and then went on our way.

The next stop was an encounter on Mt. Nebo. This is the place in which Moses overlooked the Promised Land, but did not cross into. It was a pretty steep hill with a well kept landscape and wild turkeys roaming around. One detail that really confused me was passing by trees with white napkins tied to the branches.

To end our day, we went to a city called Madeba. Inside Madeba, there is church called St. Georges, and it houses a large mosaic map of the world on the floor. As we walked in, I met a guy from Cincinnati, it was sort of fun to meet someone else from Ohio and can talk about back home with. Anyway, that is neither here nor there. As we walked around the church, we got shushed and scolded quite a bit! This is when I learned that I have to use my inside voice in church =) Not that I am particularly loud. That, and if something is covered up, do not become curious and lift the cover. As for a description of the church, it reminded me of every other Orthodox church we have been to. Dark, dreary, off set by gold and painted icons. The outside was not ornate at all, and it reminded me of a crusader church with its gray stone.

I am glad that we went to a part of the country that was thriving, because I was starting to feel really uncomfortable otherwise.

Thursday

It was our hiking day! We went to Petra, which for those who do not know, that is the big stone city seen in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade where the Holy Grail was kept. It was a very long walk down, but I enjoyed it. Taking random pictures, until my battery ran out. You only see the one scene in Indiana Jones, but there are multiple tombs and other buildings throughout the valley. It was a city built by desert traders that lived in the walls. Much of it is of course gone, but a lot of remains still exist. As we walked, we had to be on guard always because horses, carriages and camels would bob and weave through us. I actually almost got my foot ran over the one time in a tight spot! It was very dry though, I can never tell since they were using Celsius. It was 36 Celsius I believe.
I felt quite tired afterward, for some reason =) Jackie and I hiked the way back without stopping, and the Fanta was quite nice when I was done. One of our members had to go to the hospital, but is better now. That was really upsetting, but it seems that everything is okay now. After lunch, we had a four hour drive to Amman, and I got to spend a lot of time praying and thinking about where I am going. Even though Petra had very little Christian bearing, during the walk and the drive I really felt like God was tugging on my heart about something having to do with my future.
Amman is quite a bit different. It is very vibrant, even their mosques have neon lights on them! How weird is that? After having some fettuccine alfredo (amazing!), we talked to a gentleman that works at the Jordan Evangelical Seminary. It was really fascinating listening to him talk. It is refreshing to hear that Jordanians can not be executed or overly persecuted for their faith in Christ. What really touched me was how he talked about the local culture and Western Christianity does not relate well with the people. Until Christians can form an Arab-Christian identity that is unique to them, it looks like it will be difficult to be Christian in this region. A lot of it seems to do with mimicking what is happening in the west rather than forging their own path. I am confident that it will work out, it is just a matter of time!
Other then that, we almost stumbled into a Jordanian wedding precession!! Well, now that I think of it, a few of our group members got grafted into the ethnic dance with the bridal party!! Our meeting room was next to the ballroom for the wedding, and as we were walking into our room, we heard bagpipes and drums from the wedding procession coming down the steps. It was fascinating, and we just watched and clapped and they did not mind. But we did not crash the wedding, no worries!
Our last official day is tomorrow, and it looks as if we are moving back towards Israel. Have a good night, and Shaloam!!

Jason

Can anything good come from Nazerath?

2010-03-09T13:31:00.000-08:00

Sunday in Nazareth: Can Anything Good Come from Nazareth?
So after not having internet for two nights, I am back at the keyboard! Sunday in Nazareth started with this question being asked by James as we were sitting at the breakfast table. I was feeling a heck of a lot healthier, and I smiled and exclaimed, “This Chocolate milk is what is good from Nazerath!” After being sick for a few days and trying desperately to find some sort of comfort food, this milk felt like manna from heaven =)
As we left Nazareth, we would move on to Sepphoris, which was the Capital of Galilee. Our time in Galilee was now beginning. It was a typical Roman looking ruin, but the outstanding feature was the extensive mosaics that they had. One told Old Testament stories and another was just very ornate. A group of us went into to a building that was a perfect square, and then we got separated from the group. It worked out that, because we found everyone else.
Hal posed an interesting idea that captured my imagination as we were driving there. He mentioned the idea of how we as Christians have adapted our own “sympathetic magic” in which we can control God. This is from the idea that Sacrifices or magic could be used to force your own will. He mentioned how we as Christians often times try to use speaking in tongues and name it and claim it approaches to try and get what we want. It was really affirming to me because I have always tried to line my will up with Jesus’, whose will is lined up with the father (Gardner-Vine-Branch idea).
After Sepphoris, we stopped at Chorazin, which was one of the cities that Jesus pronounced judgment on. Ironically, one vivid memory of that place was the fact that the ruins were all blackened, as if they looked burned.
Sunday was really busy, so I am going to move from site to site. We went to the Mount where Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount. This has been the most profound moment for me as I sat on the hill. Hall read the scriptures, and I felt as if I was on holy ground. There are buildings and debris around, but I was able to block that out and look over the Galilee and think about what was being said. After the lesson, Hal discussed the idea of how rabbis debate, and that they spend so much time arguing and claiming that they are right and the other is wrong. What really struck me is how life has not changed, and that Christians do that. I started thinking about discussions I have had with people over my time in seminary, and realize that I have not had as much intelligent discussion as I had hoped. Most of it is someone telling me that they are right and I am wrong, or not listening because they want to talk. It is really disappointing, but I tend to wonder if Christians talked with me as much about what God is doing in our lives rather than enquiring about my dating life, how much more intelligent we would be with our faiths.
After that, we ventured over to Bethsaida. This was the place that claims to be Jesus’ hub of ministry. So being able to see the multi-roomed ruins gave us an idea of what Jesus could have lived in. The truth is that that there was not much left to see, with exception to a columned ruin of a synagogue and a few houses. That was disappointing, but knowing that you were standing where Jesus could have operated out of was really mind-boggling.
The final part of the night that really stood out to me was the boat ride on the Galilee. The Galilee is not as huge as most seas, but it is big enough that you cannot see all sides. As we sputtered out to the middle of the sea, they cut the engine and we had time to worship and receive a devotion from Dr. Pannell. He taught on the closing chapters of John, with Jesus asking Peter if he loved him three times. It was powerful, not just because of the reference to shepherding as a Christian leader, but it reinforced why I do these crazy language classes. In the English bibles, you simply see the word “love” when Jesus uses “Agape” two times and then “Philos” the third. Peter responds by using “Philos” all times, even to Jesus asking about “Agape.” That was huge, and it really hit home for me. As we closed, we prayed for direction, and I felt a strong sense to go the course that I am. For those that don’t know, ask me.
So that was the longest day of our trip, when we got back I went right to sleep because that is what I wanted to do. The lesson that I learned today is definitely find a way to locate comfort foods while oversees. You will never know when you will see it next, so buy it while you can.
Monday
We started our day at Hazor, which was best described by yet another bottomless pit! Okay, so maybe it had a bottom, because we found it. But I am finding that many of these major ruins have giant cisterns that are placed randomly in the city.
After this, we moved on to the springs of Dan. This has to be one of the most amazing stops thus far. It was a jungle set in the middle of no where and possible the most inspiring place. It would be an amazing place for God time/journaling. Whether it was the walking through the rushing waters from the spring or taking in a scene straight out of Hollywood, trooping through the lush growth is something I could do all day. I probably should not have drank the water though! I am not sick yet, so we will see.
Caesarea Philipi was the final stop that day. We first walked over to an old temple of Pan, a pagan God. I was memorized by the small channels of water flowing from an unknown source. We at times had to step over these channels as they rushed at us. There was not much left of the temple, though there were some inscriptions and a few holes in the mountain. We ended our time at Caesarea Philipi by taking a hike through the woods in the area. The highlight for me was standing under a waterfall from the spring. It was soooooo cold!
When we came back, a group of us went down to the Galilee for a swim. That last a whole 10 minutes! Even though it was 90 degrees out, it was way too cold to go swimming! But I tackled Daniel anyway, and got soaked. I just wish a beach would have been open, more people probably would have come (though I had fun with the group).
Tuesday
We started our day today at Megiddo… as in the place of Armageddon! I cannot believe that place has been conquered in the range of 25 times. I am sure that it has some redeeming value, I was just hard pressed to find why it would get conquered so much. But what was apparent is that it is a point of contention. As Cindy gave her devotion and she used my Bible, Hal claimed that my Bible was probably the one that was too big to be used in the Temple! Thanks Hal. I just laughed, and it worked out that I picked up a Jerusalem Bible today that has wood panels on the cover and an engraving on the front. It was time to have a small Bible as well. So when travelling, please remember to pack small, discrete looking Bibles. They are not only easier to manipulate, but they will not be called “weapons” by Muslim security forces. Also, the tour guide will not poke fun at you.
Caesarea Maritima was the next site today, in which I gave my devotion. Caesarea is a very interesting city, so if you do not know about it, you should look it up. Herod had it build from a fishing village to a seaport in 10 years. The reconstruction videos made the city look breathtaking. The ruins that were left behind, such as the Hippodrome, the gate, and the amphitheatre show a well thought out city that would have been a worthy capital city.
Venturing back to Jerusalem, we wrapped up our day in the Garden Tomb. This is one of the places suggested that Jesus could have been buried. We took communion, which one of our own gave, and it was the most powerful communion that I have every taken. But having gone into the tomb, and looked at where “the Skull” could have been was sobering. I definitely walked away feeling a deeper respect for our Lord because of today.
Before we push off to the Jordan, I felt it was necessary to get some pizza today. I think I earned some comfort food, and then Daniel and I explored a little bit of the city. But being that it is 1130, I should probably go to bed. Good night, and I will talk soon. Shaloam!
Jason

One word: Remember.

2010-03-08T12:19:00.000-08:00

Day 9 – Monday, March 8 The “Sides of the North”

CINDY

WOW. Another day of really indescribable beauty and depth. It was 90 degrees today and we hiked through the refreshing coolness of shaded trees and springs. Tel Dan was beautiful. The path was made out of smooth stones that the water ran under and through. He hiked for about 30 minutes this way from stream to stream from spring to spring. The water was so pure and cold. Wearing my Tevas was an absolutely great choice! Lol. I would jump off the path right into the freezing springs. Sigh.. and then jump back on the path to keep up with the others.

Biblically Dan is where Rehoboam (Solomon’s son) set up the idols of the calves so that people would not go to Jerusalem and worship but would stay in the Northern Kingdom. As we sat there in the temple where they excavated an altar, Lisa gave her devotional. She read from 1 Kings 12 where Rehoboam tells the people that these were the gods that brought them out of Egypt. Ugh! … it must have been like a knife piercing God’s heart.. some calves brought them out of Egypt?! What in the world?! How dare he! How could he say such a thing?.. and the striking thing is that ppl listened to him. They flocked to Dan to worship and sacrifice to the calves. Why? … maybe outright rebellion? .. maybe.. maybe it was because they had forgotten.. they had forgotten who God is, what He had done in their lives.

Remembering is not just in our thoughts. It’s not just an inward action but an outward action. We remember God with our mouths, our praises, our testimonies, our prayers, our loving others,... We need to constantly remember.. or else we may forget and stray far from the path and begin to attribute gratitude or honor to things that have nothing to do with us. As we sat there under that massive tree on the steps of the temple facing the altar those words just struck my heart. I could not but ask Holy Spirit to continually help me to remember all that God has done in my life… that I would not look to my own strength or that I would not begin to attribute my salvation or even victories in my life to none other than Him.. and then I couldn’t help but think of my children. I want to be a good mother who constantly reminds my children of all what the Lord has done. Being here in Israel, I don’t understand how there can be “secular” Israelites or Jews. There is such a rich history with God.. how could they forget or not know.. you know Solomon started out right but by the end of his reign he too began to worship idols.. no wonder his son did the same. Jesus, help me to be a good example to my children of remembering your faithfulness and who you are at all times. Let my remembering remain in the hearts of my children so they too would remember and never forget you Lord..and their children’s children.. and their children.. for all generations.. Amen.

Hitting a Wall/Following Jesus out on the Sea of Galilee

2010-03-08T12:15:00.000-08:00

Day 8 – Sunday March 7 Galilee of the Gentiles

CINDY

(picture by James Ward)

Today we went to:
Sepphoris, Mt. of Beatitudes, Capernaum, Tabgha, Church of Peter’s Primacy, Bethsaida, Chorazin (time permitting), boat ride. Overnight at Ein Gev Holiday Village

Today marks the half way point through our trip. Let’s just say that many of us (including me) are hitting quite a wall. Getting up at 6:30am or 7am and being on the go until 8pm (11hrs!) and packing and unpacking every night is EXHAUSTING! We have been on the move. I told one of the ladies that this trip is physical, mental, and spiritual workout. Today we walked on the to of the Mt. of Beautitudes and you are just struck with just the reality of Jesus being there with thousands from around the Decapolis listening intently to him. I wish we had more time at the sites to process. We move from site to site and town to town and up and down the bus and are usually so tired by the time we get to the hotel at night that there is very little time to process. It would be awesome if at certain sites we would have an extra 15-30 mins to journal, medidate, or just spend some time with Jesus and hearing what he wants to say to us there… There is just sooo much to take in that even when I feel Jesus is saying something I feel I got to tuck it in my pocket for later to move on and be able to hear the next words of wisdom from Hal. I think the processing times will also prevent us from “hitting a wall” as we have a moment to actually STOP during this Go, Go, Go time.

One of my favorites moments of the trip was today. We got to take a boat ride out on the Sea of Galilee. It was beautiful. I could see the surrounding hills and mountains all around.. even through some of the haze.. the mountains looked blurry.. it almost felt like a hallucination or dream, you know? .. am I really seeing those mountains in the distance? That haze can do that to you! Lol. Apart from the lil’ haze up the mountains it was beautiful. It was just becoming dusk. The sun was turning and emiting orange, red, and pink over the mountains and right on the reflection of the tranquil Sea of Galilee. The sea was so peace and so calm. I wanted to be there and never leave. That’s where Jesus walked on water and told Peter he could do the same.. should I even try? Ha!

It was the perfect spot for a devotional. Every day at least one of us leads a devotional at a site. This time it was Dr. Panell’s turn. He spoke on John 21 It’s after Jesus’ resurrection and he asks Peter 3xs “Do you love me?” He commented on Henri Nouwen’s book. There are three things Jesus is saying in his last conversation with Peter: 1. To tend his lambs 2. To serve others 3. Follow him. Jesus does not want to be a task master but asks us to follow him. He is a matter of persuasion than coercion. There is no force. What does following him mean? What does that look like? Right there sitting on the boat, whilst the sun was setting over the mountainous range and the Israelite flag was waving in the cool breeze my eyes began to tear. Jesus began to ask to me questions of where I would follow him and as he would mention places and circumstances my heart responded “Jesus, I will follow you anywhere.” .. as I said this, memories came flooding when I had said this other times in my life: when I became a Christian, left to Africa, worked on Wall Street, left everything to go see what awaited me in Canada, and even coming to Regent.. my heart can only respond “Lord, I will follow.” I can not think of any other answer. .. and though it may seem like a simple statement, it has been my life’s motto. “Lord, I will follow.” .. that’s all I can do. Go where He leads. I’m not here to lead my own life. Been there and done that. I just want to be where He is… see what He sees.. feel what He feels, partake in what He’s doing.. I can’t do anything else. These last 7 years have just been that: “following” .. most of the time I have no idea what I’m doing but one thing I can do is follow.. and so I follow.. and to follow one who knows, who loves, who teaches, and who desires nothing but good for every human being is the best leader I could ever follow. So right there on the Sea of Galilee watching the Israelite hang over the back of the boat, I chose again to follow. To follow Him. Where ever he wants me to go and wherever he wants me to be (tears)

Messianic Jewish Youth on Fire

2010-03-08T12:10:00.000-08:00

Day 7 – Saturday March 6

CINDY
“An experience of a lifetime"
**Messianic Jewish Youth on Fire**

Today we visted Jericho, Beth Shean, Nazareth Village. We got to see the oldest city in the world (Jericho). We also got to walk through a whole village that was reproduced to be like what exactly Jesus would have walked through. Complete with olive trees, a vineyard, a shepherd, a carpenter and a loomer (?), a olive press, a synagogue, and a watchtower. It felt like you were literally stepping back in time to the 1st century… even the people were dressed in 1st century garbs ☺

(Daniel showing us how an olive press worked in Jesus' time)

Nazareth Village has it’s own tour guides. So to show us around the village, we got Daniel, as our guide. What we find is that he is a messianic Jew. I could tell he had a preaching gift as he would describe and link the surroundings to biblical passages. Well at the end of that time together, Dr. Wilson mentioned that Daniel invited us to a youth meeting. It was only for 14-30 year olds. I totally wanted to go but no one else said they would go. I raised my hand although I knew I could not go alone.. I was hoping someone would gain some encouragement to come along. No one else raised their hand. I was a bit sad but still hopeful as the older adults in the group would come up to me and say “I would totally go if I was younger.. what an amazing cross-cultural opportunity.” By the time I got on the bus two more ppl said they would join “Yaaaay! I got my wish come true!!” it meant we only had 15 mins to get to the hotel and leave AND that would mean we would also miss dinner but meh, it was worth it. Lindsay also joined us so it was four of us and Daniel (remember our Nazareth Village tour guide?) picked us up downtown where we were staying in the Arab quarters Of Nazareth.

After a few questions I learned that Daniel is a Messianic Jew from Romania who recently immigrated to Israel 2.5 years ago. His mother was a Christian and his father a Jew.. and it’s been about a year that his father has now been saved. LOVE IT!! We got to the meeting and there were several youth from Romania or Russian. I was so amazed because here I was having a desire to see what is up with me wanting to go to Eastern Europe and that I had never been there.. and yet here in Israel I get to meet and worship with Jews from that area. So cool. I love it when God does that! The whole meeting I had an impression we were to pray for the pastor but did not want to be rude so I asked Jesus to open the way and I would fllow.. and he did! We started to pray for one of the young girls and I got a picture for her about a treasure chest. I grabbed one of the young girls who knew English and asked her to translate and she agreed. As I began to share with her the picture and the word of encouragement God wanted to give her a whole crowd began to form (which I was weirded out by!) The girl (Emily) hugged me with such a big hug.. ! aaaw! She’s a cutie! Then all of the sudden Lindsay turns to me and says “We are now praying over everybody, the youth and the pastor.. and you start it.” well, there was Jesus leading. I laid hands, prayed, gave Daniel some words of encouragement and it was so incredible how good God is because each and every one of us that were there from the group God deposited something in our hearts to honor and bless the pastor specifically!! I was so blessed. I loved being around the youth. I felt so happy and full of life.. I guess that’s a pretty clear sign ! hahahaha!

(a sycamore nut.. it was delicious!)

Be a light unto the darkness

LET'S GET PHYSICAL!

2010-03-08T11:47:00.000-08:00

Day 6- Friday, March 5

CINDY

Yup. That’s right. This whole day was full of physical activity—by physical activity I mean walking, walking, walking, AND more walking.. We started out that morning walking through the National Park at En Gedi.. and guess what?! In the middle of this desert there are waterfalls. Yup! Several! How incredibly ironic is that?! Waterfalls in the middle of the desert! I loved it. I couldn’t wait to keep climbing higher and finding another one! Waterfalls are my absolute favorite. I touched them all (of course!) and it was clear water and cool to the touch in such a hot day it was perfect. I wish I had my bathing suit on underneath I would have jumped right in! Well me being the adventurous type I started hopping on the rocks in some of the streams that the waterfalls flowed into.. and yup… my foot.. well both of them slipped and my sneakers and socks were soaked in one second. I laughed so hard. I would have to climb through our next stop, Masada with my soaking wet sneakers… hopefully in this desert heat maybe my sneakers might dry up.. haha. I just didn’t care. I was having too much fun and was just enjoying it so much that my soaking sneakers did not even phase me.. the landscape and scenery was just too breathtaking and beautiful☺

Well the exercise didn’t stop there… there was more walking and climbing… including climbing down the “Snake Path” on the side of the desert mountain on top of which Herod the Great’s desert palace is located. The desert palace is called Masada and it belonged to Herod the Great. Actually Herod the Great owned four desert palaces! It was a crazy feat to climb around and down that mountain. We took a cable car up and a few of us opted for the adventurous route back down to the bus parking lot via the winding “Snake Path” It went down and around that mountain with steps and gravels slopes. At one point I stopped to take a picture and one of my legs began to tremble !! I was like “Ok, must keep going” At one point I jogged about a quarter of a mile down. At our end point we had two options: to take the winding less sloped road to the buses or straight down a gravel slope where we would not be able to necessarily stop our momentum. Dr. Panell gave me the choice. Guess which one I chose?! Ha. Yup. MOMENTUM! Lol. There were 4 of us ahead of everyone else and so all 4 just started to run. I was hooting and laughing all the way down as I literally could not stop by feet. I kept hearing the guy behind me “Oh no, I don’t want to run you over… I can’t stoooooop!” lol. We arrived at the end and I let out a big whooping “WoOOOoooHOOoooOO!” We were all out of breath but we all had smiles on our faces. What a great celebratory way to end the longest most treacherous track down a desert mountain… we were all ready for lunch ☺

The COOL THING about Masada is that in one of the “libraries” or rooms where they kept the retired scrolls, the archaeologist(s) found a piece of a scroll. That particular piece had the words “Shall these dead bones live?” Cool, huh? Out of all the different things they could find on that one piece of scroll, they found one of the key verses from Ezekiel’s chapter with the Valley of Dry Bones. There in Masada after many Jews (men, women, and children) committed suicide, their bones continue to live as their story is alive today as it was back in their day. Through the archaelogists excavated this area, they have in a way allows these bones to live again.

P.S. we got to climb up and into Cave 11 where the Isaiah scroll was found. How cool is that?!
P.P.S. here is a picture of a plant in the desert that has sweet water inside of it. They believe this is the "honey" that John the Baptist ate since there are no bees in the desert.

Hal Quote of the Day: “The thing about being below sea level is that the one way you can go is to go up… So cheer up you pessimists.” ☺

Yes, I am alive...

2010-03-06T11:33:00.001-08:00

So I just looked at Cindy's blogging skills... I am sooooo far behind it is not funny! I guess thats what I get for doing Journalism in Undergrad, being used to black and white print. Cindy, if you are reading this, you might have to show me your ways (but I won't upstage you, trust me!)

Friday

Yesterday I realized that I was very much under the weather, but I will not give details. Sitting at the breakfast table, we figured it would be best for me to get a lot of drugs and water in my system. I sort of lost track of all that I was taking, I think there was three different types. So that is what I did. I unfortunately missed out on Masada, which is one of the sites I really wanted to see. For those that do not know, it is an ancient Jewish fortress that was a stronghold against Rome in the 60s ad. I also missed Ein Gedi, so needless to say, I am going to defer to Cindy on that as well since I can not tell you a thing about it since I have not been there!

The one story that I am sad that I missed was supposedly Hal eating a random shrub. He is obviously not dead, so that is a good thing.

When they found me in the Hotel Lobby, probably slightly dazed, we went to the Qumran caves. These were the networks of caves in which the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. Essenes, a sect of Judaism that isolated themselves from society, were those that lived in the Qumran community. Why they chose such an arid and unihabitable land is beyond me. Then again, isolationists explains everything! They kicked us out at 3, and I unfortunately did not go into the caves since I was not feeling up to the hike.

Needless to say, once we got back to the hotel, I took my temperature and realized that 102.8 is not good. Sleep, on the other hand, is VERY GOOD. So that is what I did. Daniel, my roomate, has been a huge help and blessing. The one thing that has really stood out to me spiritually is that grace does exist. I am generally not used to receiving grace from people, but I have been given so much this trip. It was definitely overwhelming to get prayed over at the Breakfast table, and have people willing to go to the pharmacy in strange lands, or rearrange schedules to help me out. I am sure I will have more profound spiritual moments as time goes on (and my health permits), but for now I am just receiving a lot of real-time/real-life application.

Travel Lesson from the Day: Never get sick while traveling overseas. But to be safe, bring your medicine cabinet as backup!

Saturday

Today I woke up feeling so much better. By noon, the fever broke and I just have lingering effects. But I feel sharper, so hopefully there will be less scribal errors on my part. I am learning that if I can sit down every few minutes, I am usually okay.

Our trip to Jericho was... special. Thats the best way to describe it. I really have a weak recollection of what happened, due to the sickness not subsiding quickly enough. When we drove through the town, you can tell that they were not as blessed as the Israeli side. It looked like a city in pain. When we arrived at the site, the entrance was the complete contrast, with a lavish fountain and ornate exterior. The site itself was listless. I guess because it has been conquered so many times, it would be difficult to imagine finding a city that would give credit to story told in Joshua 6. None the less, it was still a good start to the day.

During the trip to Beth Shaen, we found that roads were closed all over the area. It was so confusing!! Good thing I was half asleep with three different pills working its magic in me, because otherwise I am not sure how I would have been!! We had to stop and ask locals how to get around. At one point, I think one of the locals told us to go up a mountain, which led to a military base, I hope there was no hidden agenda there =) But Eod pulled quite a few multi-point turns and navigated us safely back to the Israeli side of town. But it became obvious that they did not know what roads were open or closed either.

When we got to Beth Shean, I was really not sure where we were. I did not figure it out until after we left! Beth Shean reminded me of an old Greek ruin. There was an amphitheatre, a row of ancient columns, and many other relics that have stood the test of time.

From there, we left for Nazareth, the Home of Jesus. We went to museum that brought to life what Nazerath would have been like during the time of Jesus. It was a small, mostly rural town in which everyone knew everyone. This came to life here, as we walked through, and met a carpenter, a shepherd, and other towns folk. What I found great about this is that it was well constructed and did not come off as hokey. Sometimes living museums tend to do that, but this was very legitimate and well put together. We are staying in Nazerath for the night, and then heading out for a long day tomorrow.

Before I leave, always remember... when traveling overseas, do not ask people on the side of the road for instructions, you never know where it will lead you. Also, Hamburgers in Israel are more like gyros on a bun... don't let it fool you! Thank you for your prayers, whoever has prayed for me, I am feeling a bit better now, but it is a work in progress. Goodnight!

Jason

Construction hats, the desert, and very salty water!!

2010-03-04T13:22:00.000-08:00

Day 5 - March 4, 2010
CINDY

Today we left our on-the-Mediterranean hotel (it was sad we only got to stay one night) in Dan and headed eastward toward the Negev desert. On our way we stopped off at several tels The first one was Tel Beer Sheba. This was the place Abraham and Abimelech cut a covenant that they wouldn’t fight over the well. It was about the same place that later on Isaac and Abimelech cut the same covenant over the same well. The old civilization of Beer Sheeba was enormous. There dug up parts of of the city walls. The coolest part was that they found a huuuuuge MOTO MOTO cistern. Beer Sheba is close to two main wadis. It is in a region that collects very little rainfall. So looooong ago, people who settled in Beer Sheba constructed a massive cistern to collect the water running from the wadis and even more north and store it for the whole year. It was like going through another cave. The fun part is that we all had to wear construction hats as climbed down and through the complex system of the cistern. The ceilings were VERY low so it protected anyone from whacking their head against the rock above.
Then we continued onto to the desert and Hal, in his amazing knowledge, gave us an amazing revelation about Psalm 23. He pointed to our right as we went down the Rift Valley… there were huge mountains of desert (rock, limestone, clay, and very few and sparse patches of rough grass here and there) on each side. I looked even closer and there were these paths that went across and around these mountains and hills. These paths lined the hills horizontally and covered the mountain from the very bottom to the top! These are the paths that the shepherds lead their flock on! Some of these paths go completely around the mountain. “He leads me through the paths of righteousness” these were the paths David was alluding to in this verse.

The next verse “through the valley of death” .. as you look between these two mountains there are sharp dips to a valley below. The valley is not wide. It is narrow and bends and turns sharply at the bottom of each hill. So imagine a lost sheep in these deep ravines!! As it’s turning around a bend a lion or bear or leopard might be lurking. That is definitely a valley of death.

Next: “you lay me down in green pastures and lead me beside still waters” In the desert it’s so hard to find green pasture. You have to full depend on your shepherd to lead you to the green. Also in the desert there is immense flash flooding. Waters in the desert come out of nowhere and can over take you easily… it is a treasure to find still waters in the desert.. so much dependence on the shepherd.. just driving through and walking through the desert those words just come alive and hit closer to home and just have so much more meaning… you realize the desert is a matter of life and death. If you are lost there is only death, if you follow your shepherd life awaits you.. you are safe. Crazy! I love it.

Our final stop. Here we are at the En Gedi Kibbutz (hostel) .. it’s about 80 degrees!! I love it.. and there is a cool gentle breeze blowing from the Dead Sea. I got to float in the Dead Sea. It was insane. It was so rocky! So we held on to each other as we got into the cool water. As the fall dropped we didn’t! I have no idea how deep it got! Several tried to touch the bottom of the sea but could not! We all just floated there. It was so funny at first. I just rolled around from my back to my belly and back to my back.. with endless effort.. I felt like I was floating. So relaxing. It leaves your skin with a nice not too oily feel :) .. Though we were warned: Don’t swallow the water or you can die! If you swallow the water they have to pump your tummy or else from the large concentration of minerals in the water you can go into a coma! BUT we were encouraged to taste it and you bet I did! Ha! It was salty and really not nice. Ha! But I was happy that I didn’t have to drink it but just enjoy floating in it ☺ I could see Jordan on the other side. Jordan was really like just a mile from us! Floating there, we watched the sun set over the Negev mountains with a red orange and then pink haze.. a perfect end to a great day!

Days 3/4

2010-03-04T12:44:00.000-08:00

For the millions of viewers that we have, I am sorry that I did not post yesterday! I seem to have a bug in my system, but at least my migraine is leaving. So needless to say, I did not post due to being exhausted from that.

Anyway, The sites we went to yesterday were the Elah Valley, Beth Shemesh, and Maresha. I know that sounds like a bunch of information right now, but I will explain it later soon! The Elah Valley is the land in which David had his showdown with Goliath. This was so interesting, because it is nothing like I ever imagined. When I think of these types of scenes from the bible, I tend to think that it is an arid and deserted area. Not really. It was really lush, and the mountains were really not that huge. None the less, it was a perfect place for a biblical deathmatch with it's flat terrain and low hills!

The other area that really stood out to me was Meresh. It took me back to when I was five, aspiring to be a paleontologist and trying to dig up dinosaur bones in my backyard! Yes, I am a nerd. Don't worry, that phase did not last long =) But it was fun because we got to unearth shards of pottery, bones, and I found something that looked like a fish hook. Jackie claimed that she beat me, I am not so sure about that. We got paid with a box lunch, and that was good enough for me. I aspired to be an archeologist at one time as well, but found that it was not social enough for me, so it was very exciting to do this.

After the dig and hauling up the dirt and rocks, we were given the option to go spelunking in a cave that has had minimal contact with our world, or go through an unearthed site. Of course I chose spelunking! It was so much fun, and I am glad that I did not get stuck!!! That would be hard to explain to the parents.

Today I woke up ten minutes before I was supposed to be down stairs! I felt really bad, but it worked out because I got down stairs before I got left behind. It took us a record breaking 3 minutes to get to our first site... Ashkelon. We entered Philistine country. I never knew that they were Europeans. We had to wear hard hats, which I thought was sort of peculiar. Until I smacked my head into a low stair case! Then Hal laught at me and told me that it was good I had it. Much of it was outside, and had a few tiers to it. Once I get pictures, I will try to post them.
Seeing the Mediterranean was awesome. We were able to run in there and touch the water. It was too cold to swim though. However, when we got to the Dead Sea, that was really interesting! It was still really cold, but I jumped in anyway to see what it was like. MY EYES!!!!!! That's all I can say to describe it. It definitely stung a bit. But I think I found the cure for halitosis, which is the sea water! The part we were in did not seem like the Dead Sea. Usually I think of mud-banks and murky water, and it was not like that at all. It was very rocky, and sort of clear. But I swam for 10 minutes or so and then got out due to be really cold. But it was close to 80 down there.
There were a few highpoints in between being sick. The dig was great since there is nothing like that stateside. I wish I could remember more, but I am definitely not feeling good. Hal telling a story about how he took a leopard corpse to get taxidermy work done to it cracked me up! I guess he put it in his station wagon and drove around with it. It created a hilarious mental picture, and was a story that I wish I could have come up with!
One of my fellow students blessed me by loaning me money as well, which was very humbling and kind, I will pay that person back asap. I hope that I will feel better tomorrow, and I will write a most substantial post then. Until then, have a great day!

Jason

I discovered a 2200 yr old incense altar! AND went spelunking in 2200 yr old cave!!

2010-03-04T12:09:00.000-08:00

Day 4 – My Favorite Day
Wednesday March 3, 2010
DREAMS DO COME TRUE!!
CINDY

Bye Bye Jerusalem and Hello Dan!

Today we left Jerusalem and headed toward the buffer region between the Israelites and the Philistines. We went to Bet Shemesh (house of the sun) where the ark of the covenant was for some time before it was with the Philistines. From the ruins we could see the new modern Bet Shemesh with its red tiled private home and where Samson grew up on the hill close to Bet Shemesh (cool!) We then went on to see the amazing Elah Valley.. as we drove on the road,hills(mountains.. but they looked like hills to me) flanked us on each side and I could just imagine the Philistine army in their armor standing on one side and the Israelites standing on the hills on the other side. Wow, just the grandeur of it all. We parked right on the side of the Elah Valley. I could just imagine Goliath coming out and facing up towards the hills of the Israelites and mocking them and asking “is there anyone who would dare to come against me” (paraphrased).. this massive 9 foot man coming out day after day for 40 days and the Israelites not even responding .. just standing there.. UNTIL David comes and hears Goliath and goes out to meet him with his five smooth stones. Wow. I could see lil’ David coming down that mountain with all the Israelites watching him (including his brothers) and Goliath out there in the valley just watching this lil’ ant come down the hill towards him in complete disbelief and humor. And yet this lil’ guy beat that giant with one stone. I can imagine the faces of the Philistines going from complete laughter as they watch David come up to Goliath to their draws dropping in shock as they watch Goliath hit the ground after a stone hits him on his forehead. Wow! As we drove away I remembered how one Sunday school class I had the fleeting thought “I would love to go there someday and see it for myself” and I did!!!!

Another cool place we went to was Meresha. We were going for a Dig-for-a-Day Experience. I highly recommend it! We also spelunking-crawling through a half excavated 22oo year old cave where the only light came from a few candle sticks placed here and there. So much fun! such an adventure slidding on your butt through small cave openings, getting dirty, and discovering what it looked like underground for some of the houses that used to be there centuries ago!!! I felt so alive. It felt like an Indiana Jones movie! hahaha!

We went to a site they have been digging for at least 25 years and have uncovered so much and are continually digging. Archaelogists discovered about 5,000 caves underground where people seemed to have basements to their houses, which they burned down and filled the caves with dirt as they left Meresha (when it was overtaken by the Maccabees) So we got to go in one of the caves and dig. I was in a group that was digging in a room of the cave called “Cultic.” After a few instructions, I couldn’t wait to start to dig and unearth some treasures!! eEEEeeee!! I sat on that some moist chalk dirt and began to broke through with my archeaologist’s tools ☺ I felt like a professional. The cave was dimly lit and it was just a perfect 70 degrees inside…perfect digging conditions. I contined to dig and haul the dirt in a bucket.

My first find: a piece of clay pottery. I was excited!! Yaaaay! Then as I continued to dig I felt something that was harder than the chalk moist dirt. I used the brush to continue to sweep dirt from around it. I saw a huge circular piece. I tugged on it but it wouldn’t budge. I dug and swept around it more and more frantically… what could it be??? And I unearthed another piece… and it too wouldn’t budge.. I kept digging and sweeping and finally the two pieces loosened together.. I held them together and they made a perfect fit.

We called Ean (the head excavator and field archaeologist) He was excited. I found two other pieces and as I handed him over the two other pieces we realized all four were a perfect fit. The next question: What in the world is it?! It was an incense altar they used for burning incense for a god. Great! I found a pagan incense altar! Hahaha! It was sooo awesome! Seriously. I was so elated! Who knows? It might end up in a museum some where ?!!!! It could tell a piece of history about how these people lived that they never knew before! So exciting. As I put my treasure in the bucket to be later looked at later by some professionals I went back to digging and then it hit me. I remembered when I was like 12 years old and looooved Egypt and all I wanted to do was to be an archaeologist and dig and unearth treasure.. to be in dark cold place and bring back to life things that were dead or even unknown! … It was just a dream for me.. what seemed to be a distant dream! And here I was 15 years later digging in a cave and unearthing things that have not been touched by hands for 2200-2500 years!! Soo exhilarating and satisfying! I almost cried when I remembered it and thought “God you do make all my dreams comes true!” At that moment I felt so loved and I just felt that I could trust the Lord and all his plans for me even more.. if he had been faithful with childhood dreams and fleeting thoughts how much more will he be faithful with passions and dreams and deep desires I have now.. EEEEE! I love God and the way he does things!!.. bringing me all the way to Israel to remind me of his faithfulness.. I guess we are in the Land of Promise.. hahaha! ☺

Hal our Pal -- He's my inspiration!

2010-03-04T11:49:00.000-08:00

Day 3- Bethlehem (Palestine)
CINDY

So we walk about miles and miles each day easily, up and down roads, rocky unleveled steps, around buildings, through the market. Yesterday we were on the go from 8:30am to 6pm. Here are the places we visited:
-Bethlehem (seeing where Jesus was possibly born, eating falafels, and visiting a cool souvenir shop that sold olive wood that is unique to that region)
-climbing up the Herodium,and through it’s tunnels and cisterns (fun!)
-Second Temple model (it was crazy how cool that was and how much it revealed about Jerusalem though some of it was not historically accurate.. and also some of the new excavations that have occurred have revealed some of the artistic renditions as incorrect.. hey, I guess that isjust bound to happen when you just don’t have all information at hand)
-Fons’ house (the founders of the University of the Holy Land.. we went over for some DELICIOUS mousse cake and tea.. that mousse was the best I have ever had. It was chocolate and light and oh so yummy. That thing went as fast as a clearance item on the morning of Black Friday! Lol)

Hal, a Norwegian, is our guide. He is 73 years old as I have mentioned before. He has been giving tours for 43 years! He goes everywhere with us. Actually he is the one who is at the front of the group always. When others are huffing and puffing from climbing up Hal is at the top of the stairs explaining the landscape, the building, or where we are headed next. That man never skips a beat! I just look up and smile every time. He has the most knowledge of Israel that I have ever known anyone to have, past, present, and possibly the future (where the country might be headed).. his knowledge comes from experience (living in Israel for so long), archaeology, history, politics, sociology, and biblical studies.

In Bethlehem we went to the Church of St. Catherine (the adjoining church to the Church of the Nativity-where it is believed Jesus birth took place..not in the church but you know.. :P) It was named after a 19 year old girl from Egypt who was killed by her home family. They stretched her but she never recanted so they stretched her until her death. Ouch!

In this same church is where Jerome had a grotto where he would right and translate the Bible into Latin.. it became what we now consider the Vulgate. His study was right next to the place Jesus was born. I thought that was cool. As we sat in Jerome’s study there was a mosaic on the wall that showed Jerome, his scribe, Paula (who financed his translations), and her assistant. It is a beautiful mosaic (see picture).

Hal began to describe Jerome’s life and work.. how he would come down those stairs that led to this study area (a small cave like structure that would be cool in the summer and warm in the winter) What Hal highlighted from the mosaic was Paula. Jerome’s work would not have been possible without her. You know, I never thought of that before. I just thought about Jerome.. but it’s true.. how could he carry out the work without moral AND practical support.. it’s like a missionary. Missions are not possible without practical financing. Those who believe in the person invest in them and help them to move forward. Jerome had such a person.. she was Paula. Hal explained how he helps get ppl from around the world to a place they can call home here in Israel.. where they can learn to translate the Bible by being in the land of the Bible. He says none of this is possible without finances. He said it was so hard to get these people visas, especially the guys he invites from North Africa b/c the gov’t feels they will come and then just stay in the country after their visa expires b/c they can get paid more to work here. His passion was so relevant. He was so passionate about people being able to translate the Bible contextually in the land of the Bible and back in their own countries. He was passionate about teaching and then releasing. It seemed that he could just do this work for an eternity. I loved how much vibrancy, youthfulness, and passion he carried at his age. There is no doubt in me that he will continue on for a while continuing to teach and release God’s words in accurate and relevant ways back into countries around the world, with a historical knowledge of Israel (what the church needs so badly!) He stood there in Jerome’s grotto with his arm raised high as he spoke so fervently. And yet he stopped himself TWICE (ha!) because he said he could just go on forever.. and I thought to myself.. do it!!☺

Heart Broken at the Wailing Wall.

2010-03-03T00:43:00.000-08:00

Day 2- Jerusalem

Today I woke up at 3:30am and could not fall back to sleep for the life of me. I twisted and turned and all the while trying not to wake Jackie up. I finally just got out of bed and started to read John and get some familiarity of the accounts in the Bible of the places where we were going to be visiting today.

We had an early start and by 8am I was feeling it but had to push on. We had a long day of walking and I was too excited. We were dropped off at the top of the Mount of Olives and made our way down the Villa Dolorosa (Road of Sorrows). I was excited but quite in the somber mood as I was reflecting (or trying to reflect) on all that Jesus could have been feeling, thinking, smelling, seeing, on his way down to death sentence. There was a man hunched over walking up the hill. You couldn’t see his face b/c he was so hunched over, his dark brown weak and weathered hands clug onto a cup. All he said was “Hello. Good morning. Thank you.” Over and over. At first I wasn’t sure if iit was a recorder he carried with him and let play over and over. His voice seemed foreign and almost pitch perfect. Yet, that was his voice. I was reminded of the lady who was hunched over for years that Jesus healed and my heart broke for the man. My heart surged: could I just lay hands on him.. really.. all I really wanted to do was just hug the man.. just hold him in my arms and share in his pain and tell him I care.. that I see him.. sometimes I think the easy thing is just to give money and keep on our way. you might be moved but with a few coins or a dollar you can move on your way, but what about a hug.. what about taking the man back to the hotel and giving him food.. I was so torn inside myself.. I walked on like everyone else but that man on the Road of Sorrows has been ingrained in my mind .. He reminds me of all that Jesus died for.. Jesus’ compassion. Did Jesus see ppl like him on the way to the cross? Did his compassion at this time urge him to go forward? Did his broken heart and love for a ppl, who did not know who he was or what he had to offer but who were so needy, move him to finally suffer for them and finally die for them? Who did he see on the way to the cross, what did he smell, what did he feel (physical and emotional pain) and what was he thinking the whole time? Did he make eye contact with anyone? What did his eyes communicate to that person?..few questions to meditate.

As we moved on to continue to the Garden of Gethsemane, through the Lions Gate and Arab Quarters of the Old Jerusalem, through the market, I kept thinking about Jesus’ journey to his final judgment. We then moved unto the Western Wall where my heart broke even further. The Western Wall is under Jewish control: men, women, young men, young women alike come right up to the wall and pray and literally cry for their ppl, their families, their country. The men and the women are separated by a makeshift divider. I went on the women’s side (duh! Lol) and as I began to walk down the small slope towards the wall my heart began to get heavy.. As I walked with my eyes on the wall along the sides were ladies and young girls praying from their Hebrew Scriptures rocking back and forth crying out and proclaiming and pleading. As I got to the wall it was crowded with women (mostly dressed in black). I just stood inches from the wall praying with the rest of those women. The crescendo of prayer in that place was just overwhelming. My lil’ heart just fell in with their prayers and my heart was just so moved by their passion. These people have been coming to this wall for decades to cry out to God and I looked up from the wall into the sky all I could think about was how their prayers for generations have been going up to God. God would you take these prayers as a pleasing aroma? .. and as I began to just feel for them .. how they have not understood, realized, or have rejected that their messiah has already come and is coming again my heart was moved with prayers for the nation of Israel. One woman left and I moved in right up to the wall laid my hands on the wailing wall looking at all the prayers tucked into the tiny cracks that can hardly contain them and continue to pray for Israel’s protection, deliverance, and that they would come to the knowledge of their loving Messiah who came for them first and then for the Gentile. All of the sudden I began to weep.. and very heavily (there goes the masacara!). I still don’t understand it all. How a ppl who are seeking for God and have had such a legacy with God could not know him even when he did show up.. that instead of feeling loved they felt threatened just because he didn’t fit their view.. and as I began to think of this I just thought about my own family who do not know God.. who many times feel threatened by Him not knowing what a loving and forgiving and protective God.. that he is a God who is for us and not against us. I was there weeping. And though the words that came out of my mouth were not Hebrew like the rest I just felt one with them crying out for them and for my own family. It felt like I was there for an eternity… I feel so limited in my words. I feel there are no mere words to explain what my lil’ heart went through up at that wailing wall.. all I know is that I am changed for eternity

The giant hershey kiss

2010-03-02T10:25:00.000-08:00

I have to apologize for the extremely disorganized blog yesterday, I was REAL tired. Stupid jet lag. Today was a little better sleep wise, though I had a migraine the entire day =( Anyway, I brought my itinerary today!

we keep getting up earlier and earlier... before you know it we are going to be waking up at 3:30 am! Not really, but it seems like it. Our tour guide, Hal, is a machine. For a 74 year old man, he is extremely agile and moves faster than most everyone in the group. I am starting to think that he does not sleep or rest... EVER. Anyway, whatever he is taking, I want some of that! But honestly, it is inspiring to see him because he is very intelligent and very active for his age. But his disappearing acts get to be confusing! None the less, I hope that I am that active when I am 74.

Okay, time for serious posts about what happened today. We started the day out at Herodium, which was a large fortress used by Herod just outside of Jerusalem and Bethlehem. It is really large, and it is believed that he took parts of the neighboring hill and added it to the top of the mountain. The fortress is so bizarre because there is a courtyard carved out of the top, and the fortress build around it. The area is not much bigger than your average gym. It does not leave much room for the rest of the fortress. So as we made our way down the dusty stairs to get to the cistern, I might have hit my head a few times. I learned today that Herod was well hated in the empire, so he was not really paranoid about building so many fortresses, rather, he was realistic because NO ONE liked him.

Next we went to Bethlehem, which was different. We had to cross into Palestinian territory which is completely different. We passed through the wall, and drove past Rachel's tomb (Jacobs wife) who died in child birth. The tomb was surrounded by a graffiti stained wall. The graffiti was one thing that I noticed was very different in Palestine. There was also lots of political posters. Bethlehem is now 20% Christian, being that many have fled to other nations. None the less, the Church of the Nativity is nestled in the buildings. This was the same site that St. Jerome transcribed the bible. That was so cool being able to see this site! I am starting to get used to seeing Eastern Orthodox churches being shared with Roman Catholic churches inside the historical churches. Inside, the Eastern Orthodox side was stunning. There were no pews, and all of the columns had Saints painted on each. There was a line of lamps that looked like they had Christmas ornaments on them! It was so strange! Some of the original tile was preserved. As for the Roman Catholic side, the baby Jesus that is used in all the major Roman Catholic processions is on display.

Afterward, we went to a hole in the wall shop called the Christmas Tree. It was not bad, I am starting to get used to middle eastern food now! We then went to a souvenir shop, in which I am proud to say that I only spent $4 on my self! On the way out, I think I got hit on by one of the vendors! It was really creepy, so you might have to ask me later =)

The rest of the day we spent at the place of the dead sea scrolls, called Shrine of the Book. It was really interesting, but I found that our tour guide could have cut it short. It probably had to do with my Migraine, but I was not focusing well. It was interesting though, and it is neat to be able to say that I saw these documents. For those that do not know, look them up. It is one of the links to prove the validity of the bible. To give you a visual on the Shrine of the Scroll, it looks like a giant hershey kiss with part of the stem cut off.

The site also has a huge model of 2nd temple Jerusalem. It reminds me of those cities that you make with train sets, except on a massive scale. The detail was astounding, and the stories the guide shared with us really brought them to life since you begin to follow the path on huge 3-D map.

Today I really started to think about how we are blessed to be were we are. I thought about the constant threats that pervade the country of Israel, and I begin to think about how complacent that we can become. This is by no means a guilt trip, but it made me think about how we look at life and often times take things for granted. As I was looking at the soldiers today, I began to think of my time in the military, and I think about how different the two are. One of my friends said that since their lives are in constant danger, they are less concerned about the aesthetics of their troops. This is not a knock on the service, but I can remember times were my boss had nothing better to do than pick a fight because he was bored. Meanwhile, these 18-year-old troops are wondering if any of their neighbors are going to start trouble with them, because they have done it before. It really puts things in perspective.

As I am starting to be able to retain more of what I am learning, details are really starting to come to life for me. Even though we can not be 100% sure of the accuracy of all the sites, it is awesome that the Catholic and Orthodox church can agree to celebrate the life, death and resurrection of Christ and share facilities. Their heritage and tradition makes me long for something that many protestant churches don't offer as they flee from tradition to start their own. That is why I am dedicated to educating everyone who God allows me to watch over. It just seems that there is a lack of urgency and a lack of selfless interest. It stunned me that none of the major sites are shared with Protestant Churches. Albeit, they are really diverse. But maybe it is time that protestants start accepting one another rather than trying to be different.

Before I start getting on a soapbox, I am going to close. But when traveling overseas, you might not leave your windows open. Some of the venders were hurling their goods into our bus! Asking them to be your Facebook friend might not be a good idea either. Now that I think of it, never do either. Bad Idea.

Anyway,time to sleep off my headache. Good night!

JSC

Busy day!

2010-03-01T12:18:00.000-08:00

It seems that our days get busier and busier! Today we went through a few major places in the Bible, and they definitely made a huge impact on me! I won't be as wordy this time, but here it is in a concise form...

-We started out at the Garden of Gethsemane. There is an ancient Chapel that is set up on the site which stunning. With large columns and stunning mosaic of Jesus in the garden on the front, the building never attempts to be cheery. When you walk inside, the alabastar windows give minimal light, and the dark room is illuminated by candles and mosaics of Jesus' betrayal flank the alter. Outside, the Olive trees are fenced off with aged fences. I did not realize that Olive trees can live thousands of years, so some of these crooked and weathered trees could have been alive when Jesus was there.

-The pool of Bethesda was interesting as well. If you can recall, this is where Jesus met a paralytic and healed him since he could not make it to the pool to be healed. I cautiously walked down the dim staircase of a ruined Byzantine Church to touch the water. I can see why the man did not get down there, it was hard enough for me get down there and I am in good health! This is also the city in which tradition claims that the Virgin Mary was born. The crusader church there is very plain, all stone with no color. Yet when we were inside, the acoustics were so powerful that I had goosebumps.

- The final two areas worth mentioning is the Temple and The church of the Holy Sepulcher. When we walked around by the Temple, we stopped at the Western Wall, also know as the "wailing" wall. After passing through some check points, the wall was off in the distance. As I approached the wall, we got pulled aside for not having m head covered! I did not have a hat, so they had a pile of disposal yarmulkas. So I went back and grabbed one, and walked up to the wall to pray. I felt really awkward, so I went to the wall, stood back about ten feet, and then walked away being afraid that I would break another rule that I did not know! The temple was neat too, seeing the ruins that remained from the Romans and just walking around knowing that Jesus was once there. I almost got left behind though, thats what I get for being too curious! Good thing I can move fast.

-I almost got sent back when we went to the Dome of the Rock. When they found my bible in my book bag, they asked me what my business was and where I was from. I told him from the United States, and I was with a school group. He told me that I could not take my bible with me, and that I had to give it back to my guide or I could not go through! So I gave my Bible away, and then went up with the group. The building is impressive, the shiny gold dome can be seen anywhere in Jerusalem, but going up to it was very impressive. There were still ruins from the crusader days laying around too, which was interesting.

-The Church of the Holy Sepulcher was amazing as well. When you walk in to the building, a rich Mosaic greets you along with the pungent smell of incense. I was definitely bummed that my battery died on my camera, because it was really crowded and I barely remember much. But again, the church was rather dank but artwork was absolutely breath taking.

That was my day today! Purim is still going on, so it looks like Halloween as people that are in their 20's and younger are still wearing outfits. It is really fun, and often times funny. So the travelling tips for today is do not talk to strangers... especially ones that are dressed in costumes! I had to be a fake boyfriend a couple of times today =) Tomorrow, it is off to Bethlehem! Goodnight!

JASON

Jerusalem is leaking.

2010-02-28T11:19:00.000-08:00

Day one in Jerusalem, NO CHICKEN and it rained alot. This is all you need to know.
Okay, Okay, I will indulge you a bit more with details. We got to do a walking tour through Hezekiah's Tunnel, and I did not get the memo that there we were going to walk through water and that I needed an extra pair of shoes! It is so weird to think that an army actually snuck through the tunnel, because I could barely fit through some of those passages. So imagine an entire group of people going through with full armor in complete darkness.

It feels like Jerusalem is constantly under contruction, or being dug up. We spent a lot of time going underground to different places today, usually going underneath buildings. Both Herods ruins and Hezekiah's Tunnel/Shiloam Pool (I forget the exact spelling) were quite a bit underground. We passed through a lot of dank and musty passages as well. When it rains, we get dripped on a lot. So yes, umbrellas are needed in doors!

One thing that really stood out to me today was watching groups of teenagers walking around casually toting M-16s. Of course they were wearing olive drab Israeli Army uniforms, but it was weird watching groups of twenty of them pass by us. Again, this is a reminder that we are so blessed back home and that we did not have troops roaming around our cities.

I did finish my family shopping already! I think they will like what I got them. If not, at least I learned valuable bartering skills in the process =) Don't worry, I actually put thought into what I bought, and did not just look at something random and say, "This does not remind me of them, but I will give it to them anyway!"

Now that I am over my jet lag and can remember yesterday, we had a fun encounter at a local pizza shop. We met a Christian guy who talked with us cheap water. He thought we were all related... mind you my skin tone was a clear indicator the answer was no! I just thought it was interesting that there is a decent sized Christian presence in the old city.

It was a good day, but I was happy to go home and take a shower. Travel lesson of the day is if you are told that the weather can be between 30-80 degrees, it is smart to pack a winter coat and Umbrella. Don't give into wishful thinking, it will lead you astray!

Off to bed, g'night!

JASON

Jesus during 1st night

2010-02-28T11:00:00.001-08:00

I was typing away and all of the sudden guess who I found sitting at my right hand...

Ooooooh Jesus :)

you speak spanish but not english?!

2010-02-28T07:56:00.001-08:00

yes. the title of this post will soon make sense. but first a quick recap.

plane from Norfolk to Newark to Tel Aviv on Friday 26--CXLED
rerouted
plane from Norfolk to Philly to Tel Aviv on Friday 26--CXLED
rerouted AGAIN
plane from Norfolk to Philly to Tel Aviv on Saturday 27th - GAME ON!! :)

So as you can see from the crazy snow storm that hit the Northeast many of our flights were cxled, half cxled, or rerouted...

Actually the airport called me on Friday (which was nice) as i was on the way to the airport to tell me it was cxled and that I would leave the next day. I was ok. That meant that i would miss one day of the tour but was cool. it actually gave me amazing time to read for a class and post (YES, i know.. i did homework! lol) AND i also had an amazing girly night. Four of us ladies got together, did facials, whipped out our nail polish, sipped on tea, divulged in chocolate covered strawberries, and watched "How to Make An American Quilt" (a must see).. we had an incredible deep discussion afterwards and really shared our hearts.. twas lovely, invigorating, and so heart satisfying. with my crazy schedule between classes, internship, homework, student government, and being an RA it is rare that I get to hang out with ppl outside of those parameters.. so i cherished every bit of it:) we all left around 2:30am :)

then off to bed I went and was ready for the next day. I prayed that I would be able to get to Jerusalem with much ease and so thus it happened.
flights were great.. no conflicts.. no delays.. no turbulence.. everything went smoothly..

well until the taxi.

since I got there after everyone taxi was the best way and fastest way to travel..
so onto a taxi I go and after he was told the name of the hotel he said ok and started putting the bags in the trunk. as he was trying I realized he didn't have any idea where the hotel was other than in Jerusalem! lol. uh oh. well i wrote it down for him because it didn't seem he was understanding me in english. he spent the next 20 mins or so calling everyone on his cell phone telling (from what I could make out) that his gps couldn't find mahlon gloria (gloria hotel).. great! he even asked ppl on the street and no one knew.. booo! so this called for prayer! and finally the man ran into another taxi driver and found out that it was at Jaffa Gate. (yes! Jesus answers prayer!). somehow spanish was spoken and then he asked in spnaish "hablas espanol?" and he said he did!!! craziness! i could have talked to him the whole time in spanish! i found it hilarious that i get in a taxi with an Israelite who doesn't speak English but speaks Spanish! welcome to Israel, Cindy. It was cute.

so we finally found it.. came in and showered and now will have dinner with the team! yes!! yaaaaaaaay! can't wait!
~Cindy

What day is this?

2010-02-27T13:37:00.000-08:00

This is my life since Thursday 6pm...

At six o'clock on thursday, my phone rings. It is a strange number, but I pick it up anyway. A cheery automated voice told me that my flight 12 hours later will be canceled and that I will be taking a flight at the same time on Saturday from Norfolk, to Cincinnati to JFK airport, which does not help. I would have rather had a cheery human voice instead that I could negotiate with! Jackie (my friend and travel buddy in this story) and I were unable to get the flight rearranged since we could not get a hold of anyone. At 10 o'clock, we realized that our only hope is the Chinatown bus that goes from Virginia to New York. So we end up going, braving the snow storm and hoping for the best. We make it in to New York with little trouble and little sleep, and then creatively navigate the subway system to make it to our flight in time.

Everything became a bit more calm after that as we met up with a few members of our group. The flight was a bit more comfortable than the train...okay, a lot more comfortable since we could watch movies and I had a three seat row all to myself! Ten hours later, we arrived at Turkey.

It did not take me long to figure out that I was in a different world when we were in Istanbul. As we stood between the hulking Blue Mosque and the timeless Hagia Sophia, we heard singing thundering from the towers of the three mosques (I am not sure what the third was) calling to worshipers to pray. This is when I began to know that this was not Christian territory anymore. We were completely safe, but it hit me... these are about as normal as church bells are to us.

There were many differences I noticed as well. As I looked at the writing to trying and find a similarity to a familiar language, it is evident that it is a completely different language, but it is written in a form that looks like our own. As we drove through the city, there remains of the mammoth walls that once protected the Byzantine Empire. There is a brick road that is still in use that is believed to be one that Paul had walked on. Massive mosques are perched on the hilltops, with their Minorets that seemingly reach into the clouds.
In contrast to this rich history, there are multi-colored buildings that house the diverse citizens of Istanbul. Brightly colored signs hang over the doorways of time ravaged buildings and scream of a westernizing influence that is shaping this unique society. This collision of modern and ancient made for an amazing experience, one that I wish was a little longer than a few hours.

I found one similarity between our cultures... we both eat chicken. Americans have a reputation for it, but during a 24 hour period, I had 4 different chicken meals! Between chicken breast, chicken steak, chicken kabob, chicken salad, I found that if I ate the scrambled eggs for breakfast, it would have been five times! The chicken was good, but I do not think I am going to have it anytime soon.

We arrived in Israel today. It was too dark but I am definitely looking forward to tomorrow! Now I need to find a way to recharge my camera battery. But my lesson for today is that just because it looks like a toilet handle, it could be a lever to a hose that sprays you in the leg. Just be careful of that when you are overseas! Good night, and talk to you soon!

JC

WHAT A MESS!

2010-02-25T12:32:00.000-08:00

so intensity and craziness struck it's all time high just an hour ago!

As I was walking away from an interview (which I made time for with my crazy schedule and was truly blessed by b/c i got the chance to meet Jason Upton's producer.. He was the one who interviewed me!! how fun!).. ok.. back to the main point: so yes, as I was walking away my cell phone starts vibrating and I see that I have 2 voicemails and I listen and lo and behold my flight tomorrow to Israel got cxled.. yup that's right! flat out cxled! All that snow hitting the northeast is making airlines cxl their flights! I was like "What in the world.. now what?!.. what if I can only get a flight today? I haven't even packed or washed clothes yet!!!" the stress kicked in! lol.. so after an hour or so going back and forth with the airlines they managed to find me a flight and reroute me through philly. .. the only catch is that no one really know what philly's weather condition will be like tomorrow.. sooooo I might just get rerouted again! BUUUUT, i'm so happy I did get at least a flight and didn't not have to wait for an hour over the phone with their central reservations dept.. i got connected locally to the norfolk desk and had 0 waiting time:) So that's a relief and I was notified early that it was cxled and I wasn't faced with a cancellation at the airport (which I have experienced! lol) so all in all, though it was crazy and stressful I am happy to have a flight..

ok.. so 23 hours and counting.. and still got laundry to do!!!

ready, set, go!

The countdown has begun!

2010-02-22T16:05:00.000-08:00

I just got an email today to tell me that this site is up and running, so I thought I would write something really quick.
It is crazy to think that three months ago I was not signed up for this trip, and then on a whim I decided "That would be really cool, I should probably sign up for that!"
Now, it is not a matter of "do I go or don't I go?" It is a matter of "do I do homework, or do I pack?" I am not even sure what to pack! As Cindy mentioned, there is a fifty degree range between the warm and cool weather. I thought Hampton Roads was a bit crazy weather wise... I take that back!
I did not even have luggage until two days ago. Usually I just use my seabag, but having that unmistakeable olive green military bag with "US Navy" stenciled on the side would probably be a bad idea!
Anyway, I should probably go back to my homework now, I have quite a bit to do before I go. You should probably know that my one natural talent is finding myself in random situations... so this could work to our benefit! Stay Tuned!

JC

4 days and counting!!

2010-02-22T13:58:00.000-08:00

wow! where has the time gone!!! I leave in 4 days!! I can't believe it! there is still so much to do. I just cranked out a "To Do" list and had 18 "tasks" to do before takeoff on Friday!! the amazing news is that I don't have a camera.. well that's not the amazing part.. the "amazing" part is that my mom offered to put some money towards a camera for me! yaaaay! so i'll be able to document every nook and cranny including my pretty lil' face in a foreign country! so fun! so the adrenaline is definitely pumping.... let's hope it'll help with completing all the tasks I need to do.. including trying to figure out how to pack for weather that changes from 82 degrees F to below 32 degrees F at night! I'll keep ya'll posted on the progress!:)
~Cindy

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2010-02-22T11:37:00.001-08:00

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