As I said previously, we spent four days in Galilee. There was some Old Testament discussion, but to be completely honest the most impacting sites for me were the ones centered around the ministry of Jesus. Our events included, but were not limited to:
A visit to Capernaum, which houses one of the most well known and popular historical sites in Israel.
A visit to Megiddeo where we got to see some sweet gates and walk down another water cistern.
A visit to Sepphoris where we saw the "Mona Lisa" of Galilee (a beautiful Mosaic). I never get tired of looking at the mosaics.
A visit to Hazor where we saw an olive press from back in the day.
A visit to Beth-shean/Scythopolis where we got to see the sweet Greco-Roman latrine.
And now for my highlights:
We took a boat ride on the sea of Galilee, it was here where we were taught about fishing and how they used to fish and the different types of fishing. After we docked on land we got to see a 2000 year old boat that was found in the Sea of Galilee...very sweet. It was beautiful.
I had been really looking forward to visiting the Church around where the events of John 21 are thought to have happened. Unfortunately, during my relished time of silence in the church another tour group entered without heeding the sign which says "silence this is a holy site". It was still a very beautiful church.
Probably one of the most simple and enjoyable highlights for all of us was all the swim time we got. On the first night we watched the sun go down as we floated in the water. There was also non-instant coffee where we stayed.
Anyway team, we spent the day in Samaria and its exam time tomorrow so its sleep and study time for me.
Lots of love
Thursday 30 June 2011
Wednesday 29 June 2011
Part 10: Gallivanting in Galilee
Galilee was "mostly awesome with brief periods of terrible". Being someone who needs time alone during high-paced 10-11 hour days with people constantly does not always bring out the best in me. When we arrived in Caesarea I was thirsty for alone time. Anticipating a morning full of lectures and ruins I was pleasantly surprised when we were given an hour free time to explore the ruins and baths (not that I don't enjoy the lectures, I do, I just enjoy them when I'm not so full of other things).
At first I decided to stay with the majority of the team to explore but soon found myself combing the beach for Sea glass. Those of you who know me well know that I can spend hours and hours and more hours just walking up and down the beach collecting these beautiful little treasures. I know a lot of people don't understand what is compelling about "broken glass" so I thought I would explain the significance it has to me.
A few years ago I was walking along Rebbecca Spit on Quadra Island collecting beach glass when my eyes were opened to a story:
Imagine a perfectly shaped aqua blue bottle. Its filled with something so beautiful you cannot explain it. Then the bottle gets smashed into millions of little pieces all with sharp edges and the beautiful contents are poured fourth. Everyone knows to stay away from broken glass, it cuts and destroys causing small or devastating destruction. But something happens when you place the broken glass in the sea...it begins to soften. The longer the glass stays in the ocean the softer and more refined the glass becomes. It no longer cuts or destroys instead it becomes smooth and soft. It is not lakes or springs or wells that cause the glass to change, its the ocean.
As you might have guessed this story is about us. We were made beautiful and made to be filled by God and all that He is. But we became broken and in our brokenness we hurt others and cause pain. It is only when we return to the ocean of God and His love that our soft edges become smooth. We cannot redeem ourselves and no other source can redeem us, it is only the work of God. May you not be afraid to be plunged into the depths of His love, or to be tossed around in His grace knowing that He is softening you, restoring and redeeming into His beautiful creation.
And after that little sermonette I cannot help but include a favorite quote from Augustine for you to chew on:
"Even if the vessel is broken, you [God] are not poured forth."
And that is why I collect beach glass, because it reminds me. Reminds me of who I am and who God is.
A second massive highlight (which was also a fun surprise) was going to Mt. Carmel. This is the supposed ground where the Carmalite order began. Many of the Church Fathers and Mothers who I like to read come from this order such as: St. Theresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, Brother Lawrence. The major component of their practice that I resonate with is the heavy emphasis placed on contemplation (hence my incredible need for processing/alone time). The grounds were beautiful, the view was spectacular and the chapel simple and pure.
We ended the day with a swim in the Sea of Galilee, which for those of you who don't know is actually a lake filled with fresh water. Well this post has seemed to take on its own theological agenda, and I'm going to leave it that way and fill in the rest of the stories of Galilee in another post. Tomorrow we head to Samaria.
May you begin to feel and understand the vast depth and expanse of his redemptive love...
have a good sleep team
At first I decided to stay with the majority of the team to explore but soon found myself combing the beach for Sea glass. Those of you who know me well know that I can spend hours and hours and more hours just walking up and down the beach collecting these beautiful little treasures. I know a lot of people don't understand what is compelling about "broken glass" so I thought I would explain the significance it has to me.
A few years ago I was walking along Rebbecca Spit on Quadra Island collecting beach glass when my eyes were opened to a story:
Imagine a perfectly shaped aqua blue bottle. Its filled with something so beautiful you cannot explain it. Then the bottle gets smashed into millions of little pieces all with sharp edges and the beautiful contents are poured fourth. Everyone knows to stay away from broken glass, it cuts and destroys causing small or devastating destruction. But something happens when you place the broken glass in the sea...it begins to soften. The longer the glass stays in the ocean the softer and more refined the glass becomes. It no longer cuts or destroys instead it becomes smooth and soft. It is not lakes or springs or wells that cause the glass to change, its the ocean.
As you might have guessed this story is about us. We were made beautiful and made to be filled by God and all that He is. But we became broken and in our brokenness we hurt others and cause pain. It is only when we return to the ocean of God and His love that our soft edges become smooth. We cannot redeem ourselves and no other source can redeem us, it is only the work of God. May you not be afraid to be plunged into the depths of His love, or to be tossed around in His grace knowing that He is softening you, restoring and redeeming into His beautiful creation.
And after that little sermonette I cannot help but include a favorite quote from Augustine for you to chew on:
"Even if the vessel is broken, you [God] are not poured forth."
And that is why I collect beach glass, because it reminds me. Reminds me of who I am and who God is.
A second massive highlight (which was also a fun surprise) was going to Mt. Carmel. This is the supposed ground where the Carmalite order began. Many of the Church Fathers and Mothers who I like to read come from this order such as: St. Theresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, Brother Lawrence. The major component of their practice that I resonate with is the heavy emphasis placed on contemplation (hence my incredible need for processing/alone time). The grounds were beautiful, the view was spectacular and the chapel simple and pure.
We ended the day with a swim in the Sea of Galilee, which for those of you who don't know is actually a lake filled with fresh water. Well this post has seemed to take on its own theological agenda, and I'm going to leave it that way and fill in the rest of the stories of Galilee in another post. Tomorrow we head to Samaria.
May you begin to feel and understand the vast depth and expanse of his redemptive love...
have a good sleep team
Saturday 25 June 2011
Part 9: The Quirks and Quarks of Israel life
Recently, I've been getting some flack for not mentioning people's names. So some introductions are in order:
The two American friends which have been mentioned a couple of times are Sam (also known as sunshine, sassasorause, or anga-raptor) and Scott who sweats profuse puddles, most of that sweat is confined to Qumran. Both of them are PhD students from America where they call toques toboggans, I know crazy!
Random facts from life here:
We can't flush toilet paper, we place it in the trash cans next to the toilet.
We eat schnitzel frequently.
Breakfast always includes eggs of some kind and sometimes hot dogs
Instant coffee...
Hummus (which is wonderful) at every meal.
7am feels like a sleep in.
The fruit is wonderful
The boys clearly have never hung laundry in their lives you should see the line.
There are stray cats everywhere which we are sure are full of disease and Rachel insists on touching them, while everyone one else hisses them away.
At one particular hostel Dave spat water onto Erv (our proff) by accident, and at the next breakfast Erv dropped his pudding lid on Jimmy's shoulder. So pretty much life here is a big gong show with lots of laughter.
Tomorrow we head to Galilee for four days, I'm not sure how much blogging will take place there, but I'll see what I can do. There will for sure be stories after and that, my friends, is a promise.
Lots of Love Team
The two American friends which have been mentioned a couple of times are Sam (also known as sunshine, sassasorause, or anga-raptor) and Scott who sweats profuse puddles, most of that sweat is confined to Qumran. Both of them are PhD students from America where they call toques toboggans, I know crazy!
Random facts from life here:
We can't flush toilet paper, we place it in the trash cans next to the toilet.
We eat schnitzel frequently.
Breakfast always includes eggs of some kind and sometimes hot dogs
Instant coffee...
Hummus (which is wonderful) at every meal.
7am feels like a sleep in.
The fruit is wonderful
The boys clearly have never hung laundry in their lives you should see the line.
There are stray cats everywhere which we are sure are full of disease and Rachel insists on touching them, while everyone one else hisses them away.
At one particular hostel Dave spat water onto Erv (our proff) by accident, and at the next breakfast Erv dropped his pudding lid on Jimmy's shoulder. So pretty much life here is a big gong show with lots of laughter.
Tomorrow we head to Galilee for four days, I'm not sure how much blogging will take place there, but I'll see what I can do. There will for sure be stories after and that, my friends, is a promise.
Lots of Love Team
Thursday 23 June 2011
Part 8: Mega party in the Negev
I really don't even know where to begin this post as we were just on a three day field trip to one of the most epic areas of Israel. Rather than writing long paragraphs today I'll give you snip-its of our adventuring.
We started our adventures in the valley of Elah where it is said that David destroyed Goliath. Oddly enough Carl (our proff) told us to collect stones and throw them. After my last incident of throwing rocks (knocking Colt's tooth out) I decided my aim is too good and that I shouldn't throw rocks. :)
We saw many more ruins which are sweet but don't make large impacts on me apparently. It was after our "lunchy-poo" and a warning that if we hear the sirens go off we have 15 seconds to get to safety, that we got to go swimming in the Mediterranean Sea, which was completely enjoyed by all, even those who were stung by jelly fish.
We then proceeded to drive 3 miles away from the Gaza Strip (we could see the high rises) to the Maktesh Ramon crater (the super bowl). You drive forever along desert roads, and you can't help but think is what is out there really worth all this...and then as the sun sets you walk up to the crater and on your way an Ibex passes you and all of a sudden you feel very insignificant and little in this place which feels like the end of the earth and you realize that it was and is worth it. (The crater kind of looks like the moon from space.)
We woke up early the next morning and ventured to a wadi (the Hebrew word for canyon) and proceeded to walk up it. For the first 15 minutes you walk along a path looking up wondering how you will ever make it to the top. But before you know it you are walking up stone steps carved into the side of the Canyon. The air is hot, the hottest (besides Jericho) we had felt yet. To intensify things the Canyon is made out of a white rock which just reflects the light even more. Part way up the canyon there are some old Monastic caves, which we were glad to take refuge in for a few minutes before heading to the last section which involves climbing ladders. It maybe doesn't sound like its worth it, but the view was incredible and it was every bit worth it. I was struck that day by the verse in Psalm 91 "I will not allow you foot to stumble". We often think of that as tripping over roots in the rain-forest. But here when you are so hot, and you can feel your heart beating in your head, and the rock below you is slippery and flaky you begin to find new meaning in those words. That morning we also saw some tombs and more ruins.
The last day (yesterday) was probably the highlight of the trip so far for me. It was also the day I've been most looking forward to despite the outrageous temperatures of 41/106 degrees. We started off the day by hiking up Masada. Masada is a very important part of Jewish culture. I'm not going to go into all the history if you google it I'm sure you can find out. But it is so important the Israel military still has a ceremony up there once a year to remember that what happened on Masada, and to make sure it will never happen again. We spent most of the morning up there exploring.
After Masada we drove down to the Dead Sea which had been taunting us from the top of Masada all morning. I can't really explain the feeling of it other than that you feel like you are the cork of a bottle bobbing in the water. Its kind of trippy. You step into the water, just sit down and you're floating. You actually have to work to keep your feet in the water. After we got out from our little swim Carl and Mary (his wife) had made us hot dogs and we ate them in our bathing suits- it was the best and hot dogs have never tasted so good.
We jumped back on the bus for a 5 minute ride until we reached Ein Gedi. There is a cave near the top of this wadi that it is said David took refuge in. On the way to that cave we stopped and had a nice cooling off swim in a waterfall pool, I can't even begin to tell you how refreshing it feels after hiking in 41/106 degree weather.
Lastly, we arrived at Qumran. Qumran is extremely significant simply because of the scrolls that were found in the caves. By this time we were hot and tired but it was still fascinating to think about what else could be out there, after all these scrolls were found in the 1940's and that really isn't that long ago.
During our travels we saw, desert foxes, camels, Ibex, geckos, lizards and more...i love the nature.
We have today off to poke around the Old city and study for our second exam which is tomorrow. Next week we head to Galilee for four days which I'm pretty sure will just explode my mind. Anyway this is kind of a long update, but there has been and is much adventuring.
That's it for now team! Thanks for reading!
We started our adventures in the valley of Elah where it is said that David destroyed Goliath. Oddly enough Carl (our proff) told us to collect stones and throw them. After my last incident of throwing rocks (knocking Colt's tooth out) I decided my aim is too good and that I shouldn't throw rocks. :)
We saw many more ruins which are sweet but don't make large impacts on me apparently. It was after our "lunchy-poo" and a warning that if we hear the sirens go off we have 15 seconds to get to safety, that we got to go swimming in the Mediterranean Sea, which was completely enjoyed by all, even those who were stung by jelly fish.
We then proceeded to drive 3 miles away from the Gaza Strip (we could see the high rises) to the Maktesh Ramon crater (the super bowl). You drive forever along desert roads, and you can't help but think is what is out there really worth all this...and then as the sun sets you walk up to the crater and on your way an Ibex passes you and all of a sudden you feel very insignificant and little in this place which feels like the end of the earth and you realize that it was and is worth it. (The crater kind of looks like the moon from space.)
We woke up early the next morning and ventured to a wadi (the Hebrew word for canyon) and proceeded to walk up it. For the first 15 minutes you walk along a path looking up wondering how you will ever make it to the top. But before you know it you are walking up stone steps carved into the side of the Canyon. The air is hot, the hottest (besides Jericho) we had felt yet. To intensify things the Canyon is made out of a white rock which just reflects the light even more. Part way up the canyon there are some old Monastic caves, which we were glad to take refuge in for a few minutes before heading to the last section which involves climbing ladders. It maybe doesn't sound like its worth it, but the view was incredible and it was every bit worth it. I was struck that day by the verse in Psalm 91 "I will not allow you foot to stumble". We often think of that as tripping over roots in the rain-forest. But here when you are so hot, and you can feel your heart beating in your head, and the rock below you is slippery and flaky you begin to find new meaning in those words. That morning we also saw some tombs and more ruins.
The last day (yesterday) was probably the highlight of the trip so far for me. It was also the day I've been most looking forward to despite the outrageous temperatures of 41/106 degrees. We started off the day by hiking up Masada. Masada is a very important part of Jewish culture. I'm not going to go into all the history if you google it I'm sure you can find out. But it is so important the Israel military still has a ceremony up there once a year to remember that what happened on Masada, and to make sure it will never happen again. We spent most of the morning up there exploring.
After Masada we drove down to the Dead Sea which had been taunting us from the top of Masada all morning. I can't really explain the feeling of it other than that you feel like you are the cork of a bottle bobbing in the water. Its kind of trippy. You step into the water, just sit down and you're floating. You actually have to work to keep your feet in the water. After we got out from our little swim Carl and Mary (his wife) had made us hot dogs and we ate them in our bathing suits- it was the best and hot dogs have never tasted so good.
We jumped back on the bus for a 5 minute ride until we reached Ein Gedi. There is a cave near the top of this wadi that it is said David took refuge in. On the way to that cave we stopped and had a nice cooling off swim in a waterfall pool, I can't even begin to tell you how refreshing it feels after hiking in 41/106 degree weather.
Lastly, we arrived at Qumran. Qumran is extremely significant simply because of the scrolls that were found in the caves. By this time we were hot and tired but it was still fascinating to think about what else could be out there, after all these scrolls were found in the 1940's and that really isn't that long ago.
During our travels we saw, desert foxes, camels, Ibex, geckos, lizards and more...i love the nature.
We have today off to poke around the Old city and study for our second exam which is tomorrow. Next week we head to Galilee for four days which I'm pretty sure will just explode my mind. Anyway this is kind of a long update, but there has been and is much adventuring.
That's it for now team! Thanks for reading!
Monday 20 June 2011
Part 7: Exams, Abbeys and Angel Births
First exam down!
After a small lecture this morning a few of us ventured out into the old city and its surroundings.
First stop: The Upper Room. To be honest there really isn't much there to see, and it was a rather quick trip as the guys had already been there, but it was worth seeing.
Second stop: Dormition Abbey. This is said to be the place where Mary (the mother of Jesus) fell into eternal sleep. The first level was filled with beautiful mosaics, but the real beauty was down the stairs. A dome of beautiful mosaics of Eve, Miriam, Jahel, Judith (from the Apocrypha), Ruth, Esther situated above Mary's supposed casket.
Third stop: Schindler's Grave. In Israel they place stones on top of the grave as a sign of respect. Schindler's grave had the most stones out of anyone's we have seen so far.
Fourth stop: St. Peters. This is probably my highlight of the day. It is said that this is the location where Jesus was taken for trial and/or the location where Peter denied Christ 3 times. Once again the Mosaics and artwork were stunning. But perhaps the most fascinating part were the stone rooms which the church was built around. In the very bottom one there is a podium set up with Psalm 88 translated into several languages. Three of us sat on the ground as one read to us. Psalm 88 is the only psalm which does not end on a note of praise or hope, I've posted the psalm here:
1O LORD, God of my salvation;
I cry out day and night before you.
2Let my prayer come before you;
incline your ear to my cry!
3For my soul is full of troubles,
and my life draws near to Sheol.
4I am counted among those who go down to the pit;
I am a man who has no strength,
5like one set loose among the dead,
like the slain that lie in the grave,
like those whom you remember no more,
for they are cut off from your hand.
6You have put me in the depths of the pit,
in the regions dark and deep.
7Your wrath lies heavy upon me,
and you overwhelm me with all your waves.
Selah
8You have caused my companions to shun me;
you have made me a horror[b] to them.
I am shut in so that I cannot escape;
9 my eye grows dim through sorrow.
Every day I call upon you, O LORD;
I spread out my hands to you.
10Do you work wonders for the dead?
Do the departed rise up to praise you?
Selah
11Is your steadfast love declared in the grave,
or your faithfulness in Abaddon?
12Are your wonders known in the darkness,
or your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?
13But I, O LORD, cry to you;
in the morning my prayer comes before you.
14O LORD, why do you cast my soul away?
Why do you hide your face from me?
15Afflicted and close to death from my youth up,
I suffer your terrors; I am helpless.[c]
16Your wrath has swept over me;
your dreadful assaults destroy me.
17They surround me like a flood all day long;
they close in on me together.
18You have caused my beloved and my friend to shun me;
my companions have become darkness.[d
As you can imagine I was deeply moved.
My two american friends have complained to me that I did not explain in detail some Israel Dance/Story we
witnessed the other night. So here we go....
Currently there is a festival of lights going on. I'm not really sure what all that means other than people
everywhere, bright colours and interesting dance. So off we go. Our american friends had seen it before and
were willing to experience this work of art again. There are really no words to describe it other than, imagine
Mrs. Santa Clause in black and white. Now stretch her out about 7 or 8 feet tall. Now imagine that her face
pure white and covered in sparkles (no skin colour, or eyes showing). Now imagine that her upper half is
almost falling off of her causing her to lean back really far and then almost fall forward like a toy top. Times
this by 3. All the while imagine wistful, trance like music. All of a sudden two of the tall Mrs. Santa Clauses
have these half sized shaped parachutes. The next thing you know there are people inside of them wearing
sparkly spandex pressing their face and legs tight along the edge of the parachutes so that you can see their
impressions. Eventually they are "birthed", crowned with wings and fly away. We're not entirely sure what all
of this means other than we think it may be the Israeli story of the birth of the angels. Just a little treat for you
to enjoy :)
Anyway Team, we are off to the Negev for three days. You know a little swim time in the dead sea,
some cave exploring in Qumran, some hiking in Masada....I'm sure I'll have more wonderful stories for you
in a couple of days.
Shalom
After a small lecture this morning a few of us ventured out into the old city and its surroundings.
First stop: The Upper Room. To be honest there really isn't much there to see, and it was a rather quick trip as the guys had already been there, but it was worth seeing.
Second stop: Dormition Abbey. This is said to be the place where Mary (the mother of Jesus) fell into eternal sleep. The first level was filled with beautiful mosaics, but the real beauty was down the stairs. A dome of beautiful mosaics of Eve, Miriam, Jahel, Judith (from the Apocrypha), Ruth, Esther situated above Mary's supposed casket.
Third stop: Schindler's Grave. In Israel they place stones on top of the grave as a sign of respect. Schindler's grave had the most stones out of anyone's we have seen so far.
Fourth stop: St. Peters. This is probably my highlight of the day. It is said that this is the location where Jesus was taken for trial and/or the location where Peter denied Christ 3 times. Once again the Mosaics and artwork were stunning. But perhaps the most fascinating part were the stone rooms which the church was built around. In the very bottom one there is a podium set up with Psalm 88 translated into several languages. Three of us sat on the ground as one read to us. Psalm 88 is the only psalm which does not end on a note of praise or hope, I've posted the psalm here:
1O LORD, God of my salvation;
I cry out day and night before you.
2Let my prayer come before you;
incline your ear to my cry!
3For my soul is full of troubles,
and my life draws near to Sheol.
4I am counted among those who go down to the pit;
I am a man who has no strength,
5like one set loose among the dead,
like the slain that lie in the grave,
like those whom you remember no more,
for they are cut off from your hand.
6You have put me in the depths of the pit,
in the regions dark and deep.
7Your wrath lies heavy upon me,
and you overwhelm me with all your waves.
Selah
8You have caused my companions to shun me;
you have made me a horror[b] to them.
I am shut in so that I cannot escape;
9 my eye grows dim through sorrow.
Every day I call upon you, O LORD;
I spread out my hands to you.
10Do you work wonders for the dead?
Do the departed rise up to praise you?
Selah
11Is your steadfast love declared in the grave,
or your faithfulness in Abaddon?
12Are your wonders known in the darkness,
or your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?
13But I, O LORD, cry to you;
in the morning my prayer comes before you.
14O LORD, why do you cast my soul away?
Why do you hide your face from me?
15Afflicted and close to death from my youth up,
I suffer your terrors; I am helpless.[c]
16Your wrath has swept over me;
your dreadful assaults destroy me.
17They surround me like a flood all day long;
they close in on me together.
18You have caused my beloved and my friend to shun me;
my companions have become darkness.[d
As you can imagine I was deeply moved.
My two american friends have complained to me that I did not explain in detail some Israel Dance/Story we
witnessed the other night. So here we go....
Currently there is a festival of lights going on. I'm not really sure what all that means other than people
everywhere, bright colours and interesting dance. So off we go. Our american friends had seen it before and
were willing to experience this work of art again. There are really no words to describe it other than, imagine
Mrs. Santa Clause in black and white. Now stretch her out about 7 or 8 feet tall. Now imagine that her face
pure white and covered in sparkles (no skin colour, or eyes showing). Now imagine that her upper half is
almost falling off of her causing her to lean back really far and then almost fall forward like a toy top. Times
this by 3. All the while imagine wistful, trance like music. All of a sudden two of the tall Mrs. Santa Clauses
have these half sized shaped parachutes. The next thing you know there are people inside of them wearing
sparkly spandex pressing their face and legs tight along the edge of the parachutes so that you can see their
impressions. Eventually they are "birthed", crowned with wings and fly away. We're not entirely sure what all
of this means other than we think it may be the Israeli story of the birth of the angels. Just a little treat for you
to enjoy :)
Anyway Team, we are off to the Negev for three days. You know a little swim time in the dead sea,
some cave exploring in Qumran, some hiking in Masada....I'm sure I'll have more wonderful stories for you
in a couple of days.
Shalom
Sunday 19 June 2011
Part 6: archeology, art and abstracts
So we had our first day off since being here. What better way to spend it then exploring the Israel museum. Now maybe you think museums are boring, and thats okay, but this museum is FANTASTIC. Right now I would consider rating it higher than the British Museum (which is also fantastic by the way). Out of 10 I would give it a 39.6571 (I know--thats a high number).
For those of you who don't know the Israel museum houses the famous Shrine of the Book which is the home of the Dead Sea Scrolls. And for those of you who don't know, the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1946 is one of, if not the, greatest modern archeological finds. The Scrolls are the oldest manuscripts (minus two very tiny ones that are dated 400 years earlier) of the Bible, containig the majority of the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament). We looked at these and some other artifacts, and an enormous model of Jerusalem from the Second Temple Period. This brings us to lunch...I know we LOVE LOVE museums.
By lunch time a little over half of our group was done with the museum, however there were a few of us who like to read every single litte thing who needed more time. So we parted ways. I travelled with three fellow museum geeks (Erv, Garett, and Dave). Words cannot even begin to describe all that we saw and read. Everything from arrows of the stone age, to paintings from the era of the crusades, to the rise of Islam. It was fascinating. Unfortunatly this museum requires about 6 years to get through :) and we had to keep moving. Around 3 in the afternoon we had made it through the stone age all the way to the rise of Islam.
By this time we were tired, our feet hurt from standing all day, however I cannot stand to go into a museum that contains art and leave not having seen it. The guys did not share this opinnion but agreed to grant me a few minutes. Right away I fell in love with all the textiles and calligraphy, the scroll containers were unbelievably beautiful. Much to my joy and the boys disgust we found ourselves in the art section...here we discovered picasso, artifacts from Papua New Guinea...eventually we made our way out of the maze, feeling like we needed at least 6 more days to see it...
On our way home we stopped and went up the YMCA tower which gave us a view from 6 million feet straight into the side of the king david hotel. Actually we could see quite a few awesome things.
Anyway tomorrow is our first exam, then we have a lecture, and a free afternoon which will most probably be spent visiting the upper room.
Lots of Love Team
For those of you who don't know the Israel museum houses the famous Shrine of the Book which is the home of the Dead Sea Scrolls. And for those of you who don't know, the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1946 is one of, if not the, greatest modern archeological finds. The Scrolls are the oldest manuscripts (minus two very tiny ones that are dated 400 years earlier) of the Bible, containig the majority of the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament). We looked at these and some other artifacts, and an enormous model of Jerusalem from the Second Temple Period. This brings us to lunch...I know we LOVE LOVE museums.
By lunch time a little over half of our group was done with the museum, however there were a few of us who like to read every single litte thing who needed more time. So we parted ways. I travelled with three fellow museum geeks (Erv, Garett, and Dave). Words cannot even begin to describe all that we saw and read. Everything from arrows of the stone age, to paintings from the era of the crusades, to the rise of Islam. It was fascinating. Unfortunatly this museum requires about 6 years to get through :) and we had to keep moving. Around 3 in the afternoon we had made it through the stone age all the way to the rise of Islam.
By this time we were tired, our feet hurt from standing all day, however I cannot stand to go into a museum that contains art and leave not having seen it. The guys did not share this opinnion but agreed to grant me a few minutes. Right away I fell in love with all the textiles and calligraphy, the scroll containers were unbelievably beautiful. Much to my joy and the boys disgust we found ourselves in the art section...here we discovered picasso, artifacts from Papua New Guinea...eventually we made our way out of the maze, feeling like we needed at least 6 more days to see it...
On our way home we stopped and went up the YMCA tower which gave us a view from 6 million feet straight into the side of the king david hotel. Actually we could see quite a few awesome things.
Anyway tomorrow is our first exam, then we have a lecture, and a free afternoon which will most probably be spent visiting the upper room.
Lots of Love Team
Saturday 18 June 2011
Part 5: Adventuring Around
We have now had two field trips. On field trip days we leave JUC around 6:50am and head to the bus. For the next 11 hours we drive around various parts of Israel, stopping four or five times throughout the day to hike and visit various sites. Yesterday we spent our time exploring the region of Benjamin. Which included marching around Jericho at our last stop.
Today started off with a trip to the Mt. of Olives. Beautiful doesn't even begin to describe it. There are three main churches or religous centers there. We were only able to enter one, the Church of All Nations. It was beautiful. I am quickly discovering that I would much rather spend my time in churches exploring and praying then looking at piles of rocks which could possibly be something. :) The ruins are awesome too, but the churches are my favorite. This church, the church of all nations is located right next to the Garden of Gethsemane. It was here that it is said Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem. I was struck not so much by the fact that he may have walked here, but more by the fact that he looked out over Jerusalem and was deeply grieved for and by his children. And that, that is still the same. He cares so deeply about us that he still would weep because of us and on behalf of us.
Towards the end of the day we ventured into Bethlehem. I had been told by several people that it is very disapointing...but because I had been told that, it exceeded my expectations. Two quick things that facinated me:
(1) Where it is said that our Lord Jesus Christ was born, is right next to the church where Jerome's study was. Jerome is the one who wrote the Vulgate (latin translation of the Bible). I also saw a statue of St. George who stabbed a dragon.
(2) This is more theological in nature. Bethlehem was very noisy, there was some outside festivalish type thing taking place, tourists everywhere, people trying to sell you things...people coming just to touch where Christ had been born, not necessarily looking to be deeply touched by him...and I was stuck...this is the enviornment he came into. No one really cared, no one really paid attention, they just went about doing their normal life...and yet he came, he came and everything changed. And so for me Bethlehem became a powerful experience... We discovered this quote on the door on the Church of the Nativity:
"If you came here a tourist, we hope you leave as a pilgrim. If you came here as a pilgrim, we hope you leave as a more holy one."
On a lighter note. Rachel and I have found some american bus buddies who provide yummy american snacks to us, about an hour before "snacky-poo" time. (Dr.Carl has lots of funny sayings we are adopting) Tonight I think will consist of some more adventuring around Old Jerusalem exploring the festival of lights.
Bye Bye
Today started off with a trip to the Mt. of Olives. Beautiful doesn't even begin to describe it. There are three main churches or religous centers there. We were only able to enter one, the Church of All Nations. It was beautiful. I am quickly discovering that I would much rather spend my time in churches exploring and praying then looking at piles of rocks which could possibly be something. :) The ruins are awesome too, but the churches are my favorite. This church, the church of all nations is located right next to the Garden of Gethsemane. It was here that it is said Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem. I was struck not so much by the fact that he may have walked here, but more by the fact that he looked out over Jerusalem and was deeply grieved for and by his children. And that, that is still the same. He cares so deeply about us that he still would weep because of us and on behalf of us.
Towards the end of the day we ventured into Bethlehem. I had been told by several people that it is very disapointing...but because I had been told that, it exceeded my expectations. Two quick things that facinated me:
(1) Where it is said that our Lord Jesus Christ was born, is right next to the church where Jerome's study was. Jerome is the one who wrote the Vulgate (latin translation of the Bible). I also saw a statue of St. George who stabbed a dragon.
(2) This is more theological in nature. Bethlehem was very noisy, there was some outside festivalish type thing taking place, tourists everywhere, people trying to sell you things...people coming just to touch where Christ had been born, not necessarily looking to be deeply touched by him...and I was stuck...this is the enviornment he came into. No one really cared, no one really paid attention, they just went about doing their normal life...and yet he came, he came and everything changed. And so for me Bethlehem became a powerful experience... We discovered this quote on the door on the Church of the Nativity:
"If you came here a tourist, we hope you leave as a pilgrim. If you came here as a pilgrim, we hope you leave as a more holy one."
On a lighter note. Rachel and I have found some american bus buddies who provide yummy american snacks to us, about an hour before "snacky-poo" time. (Dr.Carl has lots of funny sayings we are adopting) Tonight I think will consist of some more adventuring around Old Jerusalem exploring the festival of lights.
Bye Bye
Thursday 16 June 2011
Part 4: The In's and Out's of our daily life
I thought today that I would give you a tour through our daily life:
4:45-5:30am we wake up. I know its beyond early but thats when our bodies say its time to get up...without coffee or alarm clocks. We wake up to the noisy birds outside.
6:30-7:30am is usally breakfast time. We have lots of fruit like apricots from the tree outside, grapefruit, pairs, olives. There are numerous different cereals, and usually eggs in some form, sandwhich meat and cheese.
7:30am we head out for a morning of touring the endless maze of Jerusalem (primarily the old city and the old ancient core)
12:00-1:00pm lunch time. By this time in the day we are very hot, tired, hungry and ready to sit down. Lunch usually consists of meat, beans, rice, salad, fruits, and olives.
1:15-5:00pm we head to the classroom where Dr. Carl Rassmussen teaches us everything we could ever want to know about geography, geology and much much more.
5:00-6:00pm we either do our daily impression reports (journal) or map work, or nap, or walk around.
6:00-7:00pm we have dinner. Very similar to lunch
7:00-9:00pm After dinner we head out into the city. Starting last night and for the next few nights there is a lights show going on in Jerusalem which is a little exciting. We tend to walk around and visit places we have visited earlier but want to go back and spend some more time. For example last night a couple of us went to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher to watch them close the doors, but also to go back in spend some time praying, to light a candle, to touch the stone that Mary prepared Christ's body for burial on and so forth.
9:00-11:00pm By this time lots of our group are tired and so head to bed, however, some of us stay up late and finish map homework, eat toast with chocolate on it and watch lunar eclipses (well actually just one lunar eclipse...but it was awesome especially because we can go on the roof of our school)
Tomorrow we head out on our first field trip covering the Central Benjamin Plateau we leave on the bus at 7:00am and get back in time for dinner at 6:00pm.
Some Quick Highlights so far:
Hezekiah's Tunnel was fantastic. A lot of things in Jerusalem are probable but not for sure, however, Hezekiah's Tunnel is the real deal. It is an underground tunnel 1km long. The bottom of it is filled with water that comes up to about our mid shins. With head lamps on and back packs cinched high we walked through. Erv, our proff along with us, would make those of us toward the back stop every so often and do 'darkness tests' where we would turn off all our head lamps and walk for a ways in pitch black...loads of fun.
The Western Wall: Today we visited the Western Wall. I have waited for this for moment for a long time, and at times have wondered if I had built it up to much...In no way was I disappointed... I can't even begin to explain all that was going through me as I pressed my hands and face along the wall, in the woman's section.
Anyway I hope to up date you tomorrow but we'll see how tired I am at the end of the day...just know we are having loads of fun learning and exploring
love love
4:45-5:30am we wake up. I know its beyond early but thats when our bodies say its time to get up...without coffee or alarm clocks. We wake up to the noisy birds outside.
6:30-7:30am is usally breakfast time. We have lots of fruit like apricots from the tree outside, grapefruit, pairs, olives. There are numerous different cereals, and usually eggs in some form, sandwhich meat and cheese.
7:30am we head out for a morning of touring the endless maze of Jerusalem (primarily the old city and the old ancient core)
12:00-1:00pm lunch time. By this time in the day we are very hot, tired, hungry and ready to sit down. Lunch usually consists of meat, beans, rice, salad, fruits, and olives.
1:15-5:00pm we head to the classroom where Dr. Carl Rassmussen teaches us everything we could ever want to know about geography, geology and much much more.
5:00-6:00pm we either do our daily impression reports (journal) or map work, or nap, or walk around.
6:00-7:00pm we have dinner. Very similar to lunch
7:00-9:00pm After dinner we head out into the city. Starting last night and for the next few nights there is a lights show going on in Jerusalem which is a little exciting. We tend to walk around and visit places we have visited earlier but want to go back and spend some more time. For example last night a couple of us went to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher to watch them close the doors, but also to go back in spend some time praying, to light a candle, to touch the stone that Mary prepared Christ's body for burial on and so forth.
9:00-11:00pm By this time lots of our group are tired and so head to bed, however, some of us stay up late and finish map homework, eat toast with chocolate on it and watch lunar eclipses (well actually just one lunar eclipse...but it was awesome especially because we can go on the roof of our school)
Tomorrow we head out on our first field trip covering the Central Benjamin Plateau we leave on the bus at 7:00am and get back in time for dinner at 6:00pm.
Some Quick Highlights so far:
Hezekiah's Tunnel was fantastic. A lot of things in Jerusalem are probable but not for sure, however, Hezekiah's Tunnel is the real deal. It is an underground tunnel 1km long. The bottom of it is filled with water that comes up to about our mid shins. With head lamps on and back packs cinched high we walked through. Erv, our proff along with us, would make those of us toward the back stop every so often and do 'darkness tests' where we would turn off all our head lamps and walk for a ways in pitch black...loads of fun.
The Western Wall: Today we visited the Western Wall. I have waited for this for moment for a long time, and at times have wondered if I had built it up to much...In no way was I disappointed... I can't even begin to explain all that was going through me as I pressed my hands and face along the wall, in the woman's section.
Anyway I hope to up date you tomorrow but we'll see how tired I am at the end of the day...just know we are having loads of fun learning and exploring
love love
Sunday 12 June 2011
Part 3: Awakening
This morning we arrived in Tel Aviv early early early (like I'm talking 5:30am Monday which was around 7:30pm Sunday for you, we didn't get Sunday the 12 of June this year).
Outrageous sounds: the mixture of a baby screaming on the plane mingled with the sound of my "get out of bed lazy head" play list, not my favorite way to start the day...
Unforgettable Smells: we had mass amounts of time at Heathrow Airport. Thus obviously the appropriate thing to do would be to have a fragrance extravaganza. My newly found friend Rachel and I sprayed and smelled at least over 50 perfumes. We promptly headed back to our sleepy fellow pilgrims and shared with them our treasures...book marks, shoe fresheners and the likes. (unfortunately the boys were not as enthralled receivers and we were givers)
Startling sights: I have two
(1) At Heathrow we saw a man wearing plaid pants and suspenders...fantastic!
(2) As we came into Tel Aviv we were able to watch the sun rise...it was a brilliant orange and red what a great way to enter Israel!
Shalom Friends
Outrageous sounds: the mixture of a baby screaming on the plane mingled with the sound of my "get out of bed lazy head" play list, not my favorite way to start the day...
Unforgettable Smells: we had mass amounts of time at Heathrow Airport. Thus obviously the appropriate thing to do would be to have a fragrance extravaganza. My newly found friend Rachel and I sprayed and smelled at least over 50 perfumes. We promptly headed back to our sleepy fellow pilgrims and shared with them our treasures...book marks, shoe fresheners and the likes. (unfortunately the boys were not as enthralled receivers and we were givers)
Startling sights: I have two
(1) At Heathrow we saw a man wearing plaid pants and suspenders...fantastic!
(2) As we came into Tel Aviv we were able to watch the sun rise...it was a brilliant orange and red what a great way to enter Israel!
Shalom Friends
Saturday 11 June 2011
Part 2: Departure Day
Recently I was flipping through a camping magazine and found a quote that said: "Mostly awesome with brief periods of terrible". I'm thinking this is probably a fairly accurate statement, except that the brief periods of terrible will eventually become awesome stories.
Itinerary:
Vancouver to London
London to Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv is a coastal city along the Mediterranean Sea. From Tel Aviv we travel to the Jerusalem University College (JUC), which is where I will be staying and studying. I've posted the link for the website below, you should check it out!
http://www.juc.edu/
Though I have had many wonderful adventures in my yellow boots (everything from calm walks for coffee, to watching the tadpoles grow, to midnight adventures, to the Calgary Stampede) they didn't make the cut for the 45 degree weather of Israel. In regards to the mermaid suit...I am bringing along with me two 'pearl' earrings.
Itinerary:
Vancouver to London
London to Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv is a coastal city along the Mediterranean Sea. From Tel Aviv we travel to the Jerusalem University College (JUC), which is where I will be staying and studying. I've posted the link for the website below, you should check it out!
http://www.juc.edu/
Though I have had many wonderful adventures in my yellow boots (everything from calm walks for coffee, to watching the tadpoles grow, to midnight adventures, to the Calgary Stampede) they didn't make the cut for the 45 degree weather of Israel. In regards to the mermaid suit...I am bringing along with me two 'pearl' earrings.
Tuesday 7 June 2011
Part 1: The Purpose
For the most part I think blogging is lame. I've only ever blogged one other time in my life and the only reason I did was because I am seemingly incapable of not handing in assignments. So you are probably asking why on earth are you writing this blog then? Which brings us to the purpose.
The purpose of this blog is two fold:
(1) to have a record of the FACTS of my trip to Israel. Recently I have sifted through some past journals only to discover that I am terrible at recording facts, events, stories etc. But I do get a gold star for recording how I feel about these now unknown events and stories.
(2) so that you, my friends, will know that I am still alive despite the lack of emails.
I would like to promise that this blog will not turn theological or emotional...but who are we kidding, its me! So I'm going to do my best to keep away from BS (biblical study) lingo, to keep my little sermonettes to a minimum and to spare you from the myriad of emotions I am bound to feel. However, if they do creep in, consider yourself warned.
The purpose of this blog is two fold:
(1) to have a record of the FACTS of my trip to Israel. Recently I have sifted through some past journals only to discover that I am terrible at recording facts, events, stories etc. But I do get a gold star for recording how I feel about these now unknown events and stories.
(2) so that you, my friends, will know that I am still alive despite the lack of emails.
I would like to promise that this blog will not turn theological or emotional...but who are we kidding, its me! So I'm going to do my best to keep away from BS (biblical study) lingo, to keep my little sermonettes to a minimum and to spare you from the myriad of emotions I am bound to feel. However, if they do creep in, consider yourself warned.
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