Eilat!

The time had come for the girls and I to get off campus and spend some time away. We rented a little Hyndai Getz, affectionately nicknamed the "baby g", and I had the pleasure of driving us down to Eilat. The little tourist trap of a town is at the very southern tip of Israel just bordering Egpyt and Jordan. We was so nice to sit by the beach, read, and rest over the past weekend. We did have a bit of an adventure when we got pulled over for speeding 20 minutes from town....I didn't have a clue what the speed limit sign was, or what it even looked like. The cop started yelling in Hebrew when he came to the window and I politely asked for English. He then seemed to become friendly enough and asked me if I knew the speed limit. He then checked our papers and told me to get out of the car. At this point I thought we were in over our heads, but he merely wanted to show me his radar and fill me in on what the speed limit signs looked like. Apparently I had confused what I thought was the sign telling us what road we were on, 90, when it was actually the speed limit, 90 kilometers an hour. He then attempted to take down my license number, which he only wrote down half of it, and then had a hard time writing down my name in Hebrew. We were told by his partner, "if you loose control out here, only death". At any rate, death did not take place and we managed to make it there and back safe. The water was cool but the sun was very hot....it was a great weekend!

The Red Sea and Jordan off to the distance

Red Sea close to sunset with Egpyt off in the distance

Ashley, Me, Jenna, and Natalie

They had a fish restaurant there named, "Boston" and this little boat sitting outside....so funny

Home from Eilat

Well…we got back from spending the weekend at Eilat last night. We spent our days laying by the Red Sea and soaking up as much reading as sun. Coming home last night was like coming home from a vacation when you are dredging the work that has to be done and preparations for a new week. I decided I would not be very productive out of sheer sun induced exhaustion, so I cracked open a book and called it a night. Coming home we also got news that we have no hot water in the bathroom. Showers are now less than fun. This of course complements the rats we found in our personal toiletry drawers last week. Add of all these scenarios together and you have me wishing I were returning home to Seattle last night instead of our enchanting Jerusalem. I’m beginning to recognize that the comforts of home are so very comfortable. I was reminded as I was attempting to shave in a cold shower that people do so everyday. A rat in the bathroom is really nothing in comparison to some of the horrors people all over the world face everyday. I should be thankful to have running water, nice shampoo, and a weeks worth of clothes sitting in my locker upstairs. Still I find myself spoiled by the treasured comforts of living far more than comfortably in America. Sitting in a coffee shop in Jerusalem trying to get some Hebrew homework done, Joni Mitchell has been playing overhead and I’m curiously shocked that she’s even playing, and even more that people know the words to sing along. It’s a little piece of home even though home feels far away today. I am so enthralled by the lessons learned here and I’m confident I will not even know how much I have taken in until I am acclimating to life back in the US. After reading the news about people in Gaza being attacked, their electricity limited, and also about the innocent Israeli’s suffering the attacks of the Palestinians in Gaza, I am reminded that none of us are really ever home. Home being a place of comfort, far from any fear, a place of rest. I’m convinced our home isn’t anywhere but in the grasp of His grace. The ultimate home not becoming a reality until we’re there with Him in the truest Holy city.

More on Eilat to come….

Happy Halloween!!

Living so close to Salem, Massachusetts last year it was hard to miss Halloween when people were decorating their houses as if it were Christmas. This year had brought so many new learning experiences and changes living in Israel...and forgetting about Halloween is one of them. I knew the crazy holiday was coming up but it slipped my mind until a friend of mine reminded me this morning. It turns out we are having a bit of a halloween party on campus tonight which is promising pumpkin pie and hot apple cider. I'm looking forward tasting a bit of the autumn season in a cup of hot apple cider and am appreciating the relief of the newly cooler weather. It doesn't cool down much until evening, but it is much appreciated. At any rate, enjoy the candy and celebration of the fall season. We're doing our best to remember it isn't perpetually summer, but I'm sure my plans to go sit on the beach and swim with dolphins at the Red Sea is not helping such a cause. Oh well, when in Rome...

World Series Champs!!!

Well folks....although this blog has been swept with messages about Israel, the Red Sox swept the Rockies and have clinched the WORLD SERIES!!!! Too bad I couldn't be in Boston for the big celebration but what a great thing to wake up to this morning!!!!
HURRAY FOR THE RED SOX!!

Galilee 4

To start our fourth day of field study in Galilee we stopped at the ancient remains of Sepphoris. This town was the mid point between Nazareth and the outlying cities. It would not be inaccurate to assume that Jesus spent time in this city the building of it would have needed many workers. Of course this isn't in scripture but it would make sense that the Roman would have drawn on the communities in the surrounding neighborhoods to help build the city. Because they drew on people from many different areas to build the city, we can assume that Jesus would have come to understand other cultures and languages from the the people he encountered. Even if he was not part of the building of the city, it was still a major urban city and a bit of a crossroads for many on the way to the Sea of Galilee and located near Nazareth. This is interesting because it helps us understand how Jesus may have grown up and the things that may have influenced him as he ministered to people later in his life. His ministry was in an area that was extremely urban, highly international, and drew many different kinds of people. His upbringing and growth as a person most defintiely affected how He ministered to others. That is also so true of us. How we grow, develop, and change affects our relationships and care of others and Jesus would have understood this too.

Also at Sepphoris are the "mona lisa" mosaics of the day. They are called this because they are so well preserved and show us the syncritism of the culture during those days. Next, we went to Bet Alfa where we saw some similar mosaics from a synagogue and then went to the "Garden of the Three". The garden is a place that Time magazine called a top 20 of places to go out of your way to see. It was a fun park to swim in the natural spring water from the three major springs flowing through the land from Mt. Hermon. To finish the day we went to Beth-Shean/Scytopolis. Beth-Shean was an Old Testament city where Saul and his son were slain. Scytopolis is a New Testament city that has been very well preserved and had fun things to see. Here are the pics:

Mona Lisa at Sepphoris

Mona Lisa at Sepphoris

Garden of the Three

Jenna and me at the springs

Bet Alfa mosiac of the Abraham and Isaac story

Aerial view of Sctyolopis from the hill of Beth-Shean

The theater at Scytopolis

These pillars are along the main cardo (road) at Scytopolis

Galilee 3

The third day of our trip in the Galilee was centered around the Sea of Galilee (which is more of a big lake - it's fresh water) and concentrated on the ministry of Jesus. It was fun to be studying some from the New Testament since most of our time is spent working through the geography of the Old Testament. We started the day with a boat ride out on the sea and discussed the life of a fisherman. It was very hard work, quite risky, and could potentially bring in lots of money. However, so much was given to the Roman government in taxes that it became rather difficult for some. Some of the disciples were fisherman and Jesus looked for men with "fisherman" like personalities for His ministry. He needed those who were hard workers and were willing to risk aspects of their lives for the sake of the ministry.

The next stop was a trip to a Talmudic (ancient Jewish culture) village where remains of a community had been found and restored to what it would have been like in the first century. We walked through the homes of those living in the first century and got a better idea of life back then. As we talked about Jesus' ministry we learned about how as a carpenter He was much more than a wood-worker. He would have been the town specialist in working with all kinds of building materials; wood, leather, metal, etc. He would also have been called upon quite frequently. Being in the home we got a good look at the roof, telling us something more about the storie of the man who was lowered through the roof on his mat to be healed. It may have even been expected that Jesus, as a master builder, would have helped put the roof back together again. This may even suggest that He was a bit of a "tent-maker" during His ministry. One more very significant aspect of being in this community was learning about how the rooms and homes were put together. A family would live all in one small room and there would be space for the guests down below. The only other room in the house was for the animals at night, which provided heat for the whole house in the cold months. The interesting thing is, when a man would go and get married and start his family, another room would be added onto his father's house until their family expanded and a house other house could be attached. A series of houses combined together would be for a large family that continued to grow and expand until they needed to break off because of size. This is important when talking about how Jesus says that there is a room prepared for us in His father's house. Jesus is not implying that God has a big mansion for us in heaven, but He is saying that there is a very important space for us in the family. We have a room attached to the core of the family, we are a part of the family, and are taken care of in such a way.

Next, we went to Capernaum and taked about the nature of this international place that people were coming in a out of. It was the last stop before going into new territory calling for a Roman garrison to be on the border patrol. Also, tons of industrial manufacturing would have been happening there as a town right on the water. There were lots of fisherman in and out of this city. We then went over to the Mt. of Beatitudes and hiked down toward the sea. To finish the day we hiked down the cliffs of Arbel which had caves that were used for rebels during the time of Herod. From this viewpoint you could see to Capernaum, the Sea of Galilee, and Mary Magdelene's town of Migdal. It was a great hike and a great day! The Pics:

Me, Jenna, and Natalie on the boat

Me and Danielle

Inside the home at the Talmudic Village

The roof inside the home

The synagogue at the Talmudic Village

Gates into Capernaum

The synagogue at Capernaum

Hiking down the Mt. of Beatitudes

Cliffs of Arbel

Climbing down the rock face...so fun!

Cliffs at Sunset

Galilee 2

Our first stop on the second day of the trip was a archeological Tel called Hazor. It was thriving urban city on an international route even before the time of Joshua and his conquests. I didn't post any pictures because you may find that that it looks similar to other remains of ancient cities. However, it did have quite a bit of significance during the time of Solomon. Our next stop of the day was a lookout where we could get an idea of the layout of the land and could see all the way to Lebanon. It's amazing how close together these lands are and how that affects their conflict with each other. We didn't stay long....for those of you who worry. :)
My favorite stop of the day was at Tel Dan. It is the ancient city of Dan and the Dan Spring flows through the site. It was great to see the ancient city and walk along a beautiful trail next to the spring. After our stop at Dan we went to Caesarea-Philippi and talked about the pagan religion and influence of the many different cultures coming through the area. Oh yeah...before that, we made a quick stop at the Jordan River to take some pictures and say that we went to the Jordan River. After our time at Caesarea-Philippi we went to another place where we could see Mt. Hermon and Crater Lake. At this particular location there is a community of "druze". They are a people who are a sect of Islam and are very dedicated to hard work and the cultivating of this particular land. They had a great harvest of apples and we treated ourselves to fresh apple juice and big, juicy apples. To end the day, we went to the top of a dormant volcano which is now an IDF base. We could see all the way to Syria from there and had fun walking through the trenches in the army base. Here are some pictures from the day:

This is a view out to Lebanon from a hilltop in Israel

The city wall of Dan

The spring of Dan meets with three other major springs from Mt. Hermon that flow into the Jordan River and down to the Dead Sea

The Jordan River

Caesarea-Philippi. This is a picture of part of the sanctuary to the god Pan at the outlet of the spring of Banias. There is also a cave at this site that was believed to lead to the pits of Hell. The practices and worship at this sanctuary were extremely pagan and quite gross...I won't go into detail here. :)

Mt. Hermon...many miles long and wide...usually covered with snow

This is on top of a dormant volcano at an IDF (Israeli Defense Forces - army) base. You can look out to Syria from this point, just beyond the green fields.