It was as though I lived a different life those many months ago when I was in Israel, then Europe, then Israel... In many ways it is so far removed from the present that I feel like the memories that I have were told to me by another, none if being truly of my own recollection. But in so many other ways it is so clear that those memories are mine and definitely mine alone. Which I suppose is part of the reason that it is so difficult to recall; no one I see on a regular basis knows that Eli, no one here can reminisce and laugh with me about the most poignant experiences in my recent history. But all good things do come to an end, but that doesn't exactly mean that they have no bearing on the present.
Which is why I come to you today. Apparently some of you see the need for a "wrapping up" of the adventures that occurred seemingly so long ago. I think I am ready to delve back into that treasure chest of life and tell you about the final days of that great journey.
Judging by the last post that actually relayed information directly pertinent to my travels we left off just before the last day with everyone in Israel. (for those posts try looking back at these posts: Egyptian excursions, exploits, explorations, excitement, exodus, and Elat. Part II... and The final hours...and then Not many words...) So... let us see here... ok, we'll just start on Saturday morning, May 2nd.
As usual we woke up and went to Assembly on the Moshav. It was certainly a bittersweet parting. Excitement of the days to come was high (some going home, some going home to significant others or fiances, some going on other worldly adventures- me to Europe, Seth around the middle east with his dad) but at the same time it was hard to believe that only 3 1/2 months before we had sat in that classroom with those many new and foreign faces for the very first time. That 3 1/2 months ago we had attempted to sing with them in Hebrew and barely keep up, let alone understand anything. But on this last day it was so very different. I sang and could keep up - even understand some of what the songs were saying! - I heard Abner preach with joy and passion and held-back tears and I thought about everything that had transpired in such a short amount of time. I was a different young man in the eyes of the Israelis around me because I no longer stumbled over songs and sometimes laughed at the jokes in Hebrew before they were translated into English for all of us, but much more than that, I was a completely different young man from the inside out. Eli Conlee, the kid from Corban was no more. Papa Eli, the announcement guy, the friend of many whom he had never known mere months before, a guy with an entirely new perspective was about to leave Israel... Assembly sure was good that day.
After Assembly we packed what little there was left to pack and boarded the bus for our last jaunt into the Old City. Bill brought his kids and we all went to Shabaan's for one last cup of tea and one last exchange of cash for the last-second shopping. Part of me wanted to go everywhere possible, to see everything one last time with my IBEX family, but part of me wanted to be alone to think and enjoy... But that chance would come later, after I had adventured through Europe. I don't remember much of what we did that day... I remember walking around with many different groups of people just to be with them one final time. It's funny that even after a dozen or more trips to the Old City there were still places I had not been that were frequented by my counterparts... Danae and one other person who escapes my memory at the moment went up to this little fourth or fifth floor restaurant that gives you a good view of the Church of the Holy Sepulcre and the rest of that area of the Old City. After all of our wandering had ceased and we boarded the bus for the last time we turned our thoughts to the loading of the bus for the last trip... the trip to the airport and the end of our adventure.
Before I get into that fun and long story I am going to post this one so that it is not humongous and so that I can say I have posted one :) But be assured, there is more to follow.
Showing posts with label walking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label walking. Show all posts
Friday, August 28, 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
On the road to Jericho...
In the words of Christian music superstar, Keith Green, "I left Jerusalem last week for Jericho." Except that it was today, not last week, and I suppose technically I didn't leave from Jerusalem first, though we did go through it on the way...
Anyway, today was field trip day (like every Wednesday will be). We went to so many places! It was crazy. But in reality we were never more than 20 miles from "home." We drove to the west to the Valley of Aijalon (where the sun stood still/God lobbed hailstones at the Amorites). Then we made our way west, stopping along the way on a ridge that looked out toward the coast. People, Israel is amazing country. So pretty and SO diverse. The Hill Country, where we were standing, overlooks the Shephelah (pronounced "Shvelah" - it basically means low foothills) and the coastal plain. The coast is about 25 miles from us, maybe a little more, but you would never be able to tell when you stand outside here.
During the day we went to Geba, Ramah, Gibeah (which is where the "ruins" of the Jordanian palace that was never finished because of the 6 Day War in '67) Michmash, Gibeon, etc. They are all in the Central Benjamin Plateau, which is north of Jerusalem and a key crossroads area even today, but especially in Bible times. For some reference, Samuel lived in Ramah, King Saul had his palace at Gibeah, Jonathan toasted some Philistines at Michmash, the main "highway" in the Hill Country that ran north-south went through this area as did the main access highways from the east (Jericho) and west (Gezer, Aijalon, etc). So this is big-time territory.
But the coolest thing I noticed was that when we stood at the top of a ridge near Geba is that we could see clear to Tel-Aviv at the coast on one side and the high plateaus of Jordan on the other. I could stand on a mountain and look across the whole country! Standing at about 3000 feet above sea level I could look at the Mediterranean (barely visible in the haze) and down at the Jordan Rift Valley/ Dead Sea (-1000 ft sea level). Pretty awe-inspiring. So much happened in so little an area, our God is pretty phenomenal.
Our day ended at Jericho, which is not that big around, the flannel-graphs are deceiving people. We say the leftovers of the wall of the time of Joshua - for a quite interesting, but detailed, explanation of the walls and how they fell and all of that ask me when I get home, I'll be glad to share my new knowledge :) It was pretty cool to see a wall that is part of one of the oldest cities in the world. And since it's in Palestinian-controlled territory their archaeological security is pretty lax so we could look around for potsherds (broken pieces of ancient pottery). My friend Brandon found a sweet jug-handle and I found a semi-large piece that has the painting decoration on it (decoration is a relative term, apparently the Canaanites thought two parallel lines was pretty artsy, but hey, no one else found something so cool)
It was a good, good day. Lots of walking, lots of sunshine, some delicious coconut ice cream at an Israeli mall, amazing realism brought to even the more mundane parts of Scripture... what more could a small-town college student ask for?
Anyway, today was field trip day (like every Wednesday will be). We went to so many places! It was crazy. But in reality we were never more than 20 miles from "home." We drove to the west to the Valley of Aijalon (where the sun stood still/God lobbed hailstones at the Amorites). Then we made our way west, stopping along the way on a ridge that looked out toward the coast. People, Israel is amazing country. So pretty and SO diverse. The Hill Country, where we were standing, overlooks the Shephelah (pronounced "Shvelah" - it basically means low foothills) and the coastal plain. The coast is about 25 miles from us, maybe a little more, but you would never be able to tell when you stand outside here.
During the day we went to Geba, Ramah, Gibeah (which is where the "ruins" of the Jordanian palace that was never finished because of the 6 Day War in '67) Michmash, Gibeon, etc. They are all in the Central Benjamin Plateau, which is north of Jerusalem and a key crossroads area even today, but especially in Bible times. For some reference, Samuel lived in Ramah, King Saul had his palace at Gibeah, Jonathan toasted some Philistines at Michmash, the main "highway" in the Hill Country that ran north-south went through this area as did the main access highways from the east (Jericho) and west (Gezer, Aijalon, etc). So this is big-time territory.
But the coolest thing I noticed was that when we stood at the top of a ridge near Geba is that we could see clear to Tel-Aviv at the coast on one side and the high plateaus of Jordan on the other. I could stand on a mountain and look across the whole country! Standing at about 3000 feet above sea level I could look at the Mediterranean (barely visible in the haze) and down at the Jordan Rift Valley/ Dead Sea (-1000 ft sea level). Pretty awe-inspiring. So much happened in so little an area, our God is pretty phenomenal.
Our day ended at Jericho, which is not that big around, the flannel-graphs are deceiving people. We say the leftovers of the wall of the time of Joshua - for a quite interesting, but detailed, explanation of the walls and how they fell and all of that ask me when I get home, I'll be glad to share my new knowledge :) It was pretty cool to see a wall that is part of one of the oldest cities in the world. And since it's in Palestinian-controlled territory their archaeological security is pretty lax so we could look around for potsherds (broken pieces of ancient pottery). My friend Brandon found a sweet jug-handle and I found a semi-large piece that has the painting decoration on it (decoration is a relative term, apparently the Canaanites thought two parallel lines was pretty artsy, but hey, no one else found something so cool)
It was a good, good day. Lots of walking, lots of sunshine, some delicious coconut ice cream at an Israeli mall, amazing realism brought to even the more mundane parts of Scripture... what more could a small-town college student ask for?
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
I didn't get arrested today.
Wednesday. The day of field trips. Today was the New Testament walk of Jerusalem. I slept in. But not too late, don't worry, I just mean that I slept until a quarter after 7 today, it was really nice. And we didn't leave until 8 so I was good on time.
We went up on Temple Mount this morning. It is interesting... and cool. It is strange to be somewhere that in it's current state means nothing to you, but in the past and in a Day yet to come it means so much to us. I really enjoyed being able to spend time just walking around and thinking while I was there, not like the last time when it was go up, take pictures, leave. We listened to Abner share some facts and thoughts and powerful words and then had about an hour to walk around.
When I went over to the area known as Solomon's Stables (not his by the way, stupid traditional names... always getting it wrong :) there were three Arab boys hanging out by some stairs. As I walked up they said in pretty decent English, "picture?" After being confused for a second and then talking with them they took my picture with the Dome of the Rock in the background. As soon as the one kid was done another said in very good English, "one dollar." He wanted a dollar for each of them for taking my picture with my camera!?! What a businessman. I, of course, blatantly refused, but told them that since I felt nice I would give them each a shekel (like giving them a quarter). They were just ok with that, but beggars can't be choosy (a phrase that took on a lot of meaning in this situation). The third boy then pointed at the notebook in my shirt pocket like he wanted it, after being an ignorant foreigner for a second we got it figured out that he wanted to sign his name. So they all did. So I spent 3 shekels to get my picture taken and have three Arab boys sign my notebook. A good transaction I suppose. But it means I will remember them. And more so, it means I will remember to pray for them. In a place of such darkness and deceit will you all join me in praying that Murad, Mhamad and Ahmad come to know Christ?
Three nine or ten year-old boys deserve to know.
So the Temple Mount was a powerful experience and in more ways than I expected. As if that wasn't enough, we went down to the Western Wall. To keep my thoughts on this brief I will only say this: It so saddens me to see a people in search of hope so diligently pursuing a religion whose True Hope has already come. I put on my beanie (to cover my head so as not to offend) and prayed for them.
We did a few other small things (St. Peter in Gallicantu a church where they think Jesus was held, tried, beaten, etc. But it's not the place... who knew? :) then lunch, then a tour of the Wohl Archaelogical Museum -- sound familiar Israel buddies? -- where there is well-preserved home of a super-rich person of Jesus' era... maybe the High Priest?) After all of that, we had a little free time in the Old City, I had forgotten how good Snickers bars can be.
Our day culminated in a stop at the Garden Tomb. Though not the real site of Jesus' crucifixion, burial, and resurrection, it is a good place to imagine it happening. The setting is peaceful and gives you a good idea of what it could have been like on that Amazing day. I get annoyed with myself, after a day of cramming facts and experiencing such powerful things I had nothing left. In a place much like it may have been back on that Day, I could only sit and think without much passion. The Resurrection is the core of our beliefs and my tired brain - my tired heart - can barely comprehend even a touch of that joy. It's a hard thing to experience. But it is good to remember that our God is not only the One who conquered death, He is the one who loves me despite my tiredness and lack of understanding.
Great stuff over here guys, it's worth a trip.
Thanks for your prayers, I certainly need them right now. With so much to learn -- so much to store up in my heart -- I quickly wear out and hope that the seeds that have been planted in my heart will remain good and one day grow up. I still have a small paper to write and lots of reading to do and my brain hurts so I will close.
All I ask is for your prayers today. For Murad, Mhamad, Ahmad, God's people, and myself.
We went up on Temple Mount this morning. It is interesting... and cool. It is strange to be somewhere that in it's current state means nothing to you, but in the past and in a Day yet to come it means so much to us. I really enjoyed being able to spend time just walking around and thinking while I was there, not like the last time when it was go up, take pictures, leave. We listened to Abner share some facts and thoughts and powerful words and then had about an hour to walk around.
When I went over to the area known as Solomon's Stables (not his by the way, stupid traditional names... always getting it wrong :) there were three Arab boys hanging out by some stairs. As I walked up they said in pretty decent English, "picture?" After being confused for a second and then talking with them they took my picture with the Dome of the Rock in the background. As soon as the one kid was done another said in very good English, "one dollar." He wanted a dollar for each of them for taking my picture with my camera!?! What a businessman. I, of course, blatantly refused, but told them that since I felt nice I would give them each a shekel (like giving them a quarter). They were just ok with that, but beggars can't be choosy (a phrase that took on a lot of meaning in this situation). The third boy then pointed at the notebook in my shirt pocket like he wanted it, after being an ignorant foreigner for a second we got it figured out that he wanted to sign his name. So they all did. So I spent 3 shekels to get my picture taken and have three Arab boys sign my notebook. A good transaction I suppose. But it means I will remember them. And more so, it means I will remember to pray for them. In a place of such darkness and deceit will you all join me in praying that Murad, Mhamad and Ahmad come to know Christ?
Three nine or ten year-old boys deserve to know.
So the Temple Mount was a powerful experience and in more ways than I expected. As if that wasn't enough, we went down to the Western Wall. To keep my thoughts on this brief I will only say this: It so saddens me to see a people in search of hope so diligently pursuing a religion whose True Hope has already come. I put on my beanie (to cover my head so as not to offend) and prayed for them.
We did a few other small things (St. Peter in Gallicantu a church where they think Jesus was held, tried, beaten, etc. But it's not the place... who knew? :) then lunch, then a tour of the Wohl Archaelogical Museum -- sound familiar Israel buddies? -- where there is well-preserved home of a super-rich person of Jesus' era... maybe the High Priest?) After all of that, we had a little free time in the Old City, I had forgotten how good Snickers bars can be.
Our day culminated in a stop at the Garden Tomb. Though not the real site of Jesus' crucifixion, burial, and resurrection, it is a good place to imagine it happening. The setting is peaceful and gives you a good idea of what it could have been like on that Amazing day. I get annoyed with myself, after a day of cramming facts and experiencing such powerful things I had nothing left. In a place much like it may have been back on that Day, I could only sit and think without much passion. The Resurrection is the core of our beliefs and my tired brain - my tired heart - can barely comprehend even a touch of that joy. It's a hard thing to experience. But it is good to remember that our God is not only the One who conquered death, He is the one who loves me despite my tiredness and lack of understanding.
Great stuff over here guys, it's worth a trip.
Thanks for your prayers, I certainly need them right now. With so much to learn -- so much to store up in my heart -- I quickly wear out and hope that the seeds that have been planted in my heart will remain good and one day grow up. I still have a small paper to write and lots of reading to do and my brain hurts so I will close.
All I ask is for your prayers today. For Murad, Mhamad, Ahmad, God's people, and myself.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Israeli Iced Coffee to go...
So today I spent 4 bucks(ish) on coffee in Israel. Who knew? Eli the not as much of a coffee drinker as his Girlfriend spent 17 shekels on a delicious iced coffee. I won't be doing that every other leap-year, but it was worth it for the experience.
Here, I'll tell You about it, put it in some context if you will: Today we went to the model of the New Testament at the Israel Museum in the newer part of Jerusalem. It's a model of what Jerusalem would have looked like in Jesus' day, pretty cool to say the least. Also at the museum area is the Dead Sea Scrolls display. In all honesty, it is not the most intriguing thing we have done. But I don't mean to downplay it, it was really cool. I love that it is such a powerful reminder of the way God has preserved His Word for us. That part is much more than intriguing. God is awesome.
From there we walked through the newer areas of Jerusalem to downtown. To keep it short, we ate non-kosher pizza (hooray for pepperoni! It was nice to eat something not so restricted) and then walked around the downtown area (Ben-Yehudah street, to be more specific). We went through the open market (gotta love fresh strawberries and honeyed cinnamon rolls :).
Here comes the coffee connection: We split into smaller groups and walked around on a pseudo-photo-scavenger hunt. One of the places we had to go was Aroma Espresso (Israel's Starbucks). So after whole lot of walking we stopped there and took a break. In honor of Jordi I bought a coffee. The "Iced Aroma" is now highly recommended by yours truly. So there's my coffee story.
I liked today, but now my brain hurts from learning Hebrew, speaking some Hebrew, reading a lot of the Bible and cramming more facts in through my tired ears. But I love it. Oh yeah, another cool thing we get to do here: memorize Scripture together. So now I have memorized Psalm 48. Read it, it's a good one, especially when one has the opportunity to see what it talks about and know that the great God of then is the great God of now.
Before I fall into old habits I will stop typing. Later...
Here, I'll tell You about it, put it in some context if you will: Today we went to the model of the New Testament at the Israel Museum in the newer part of Jerusalem. It's a model of what Jerusalem would have looked like in Jesus' day, pretty cool to say the least. Also at the museum area is the Dead Sea Scrolls display. In all honesty, it is not the most intriguing thing we have done. But I don't mean to downplay it, it was really cool. I love that it is such a powerful reminder of the way God has preserved His Word for us. That part is much more than intriguing. God is awesome.
From there we walked through the newer areas of Jerusalem to downtown. To keep it short, we ate non-kosher pizza (hooray for pepperoni! It was nice to eat something not so restricted) and then walked around the downtown area (Ben-Yehudah street, to be more specific). We went through the open market (gotta love fresh strawberries and honeyed cinnamon rolls :).
Here comes the coffee connection: We split into smaller groups and walked around on a pseudo-photo-scavenger hunt. One of the places we had to go was Aroma Espresso (Israel's Starbucks). So after whole lot of walking we stopped there and took a break. In honor of Jordi I bought a coffee. The "Iced Aroma" is now highly recommended by yours truly. So there's my coffee story.
I liked today, but now my brain hurts from learning Hebrew, speaking some Hebrew, reading a lot of the Bible and cramming more facts in through my tired ears. But I love it. Oh yeah, another cool thing we get to do here: memorize Scripture together. So now I have memorized Psalm 48. Read it, it's a good one, especially when one has the opportunity to see what it talks about and know that the great God of then is the great God of now.
Before I fall into old habits I will stop typing. Later...
Monday, January 19, 2009
All the apples in one basket.
Here it is folks, day one in Israel.
In the interest of webspace, I will briefly describe most of today. So in pseudo-bullet-point-style, here we go: Sleep, not that good, I slept like a dead rock from 9pm to 3 am but after that it was jet-lag central and I dozed off and on until 7, all the while dreaming so it meant that very little restful sleep occurred. Then breakfast, which is good and has been labeled most everyone's favorite meal (I think it is because it has less weird new stuff, but that is only my opinion of the perceptions of others :)
Post-breakfast we headed to the classroom for Orientation. This is going to be one great semester. We covered the basics of life at IBEX and took a walking tour of the Moshav (the type of little community in which we live, since our actual town/village name is Yad HaShmonah -- which means "Memorial of the Eight" or something like that and is pronounced roughly "Yawd Hawsh moan aw) It was cool to see everything and know what it's for and how to live here and all of that. The student lounge doubles as the bomb shelter (since the former purpose is definitely the more often occuring of the two). It's where we can hang out with everyone or relax or do homework or play guitar or watch movies sometimes or whatever. Only two places have good internet, the library and the computer room (library = less than 1,500 square feet I would guess and the computer room has three computers if I remember right) So this post comes from the library, yesterday's came from the really slow and pathetic wireless we sort of steal from the visitor rooms up the path from us.
Anyway, Orientation was short and sweet (not like that overdone orientation business elsewhere ;) and was led by one of the profs, Abner Chou, who is like 30 and about to get one, maybe two doctorates. I will have him for "History of Ancient Israel" and "Life of Christ." After lunch we had our first class. Land of the Bible is the name, lots of learning to be done is the game. It will be a challenge but will be raging cool as well (what was that Eli, an early 90s phrase or what?) We only had class time for about an hour, then we had a break long enough for me to lay in bed and never want to get up. Then we went on a walk. A long one.
My professor for that class and for Modern Hebrew, Bill Schlegel - Bill for short - took us to the neighboring villages of Kiriat Jearim (Orthodox Jew) and Abu Gosh (Arab Muslim). After a stop at the Catholic Monastery at the top of the hill, where the Ark of the Covenant stood for well over 20 years (see 2 Samuel 6) we went into Abu Gosh and stopped at a couple of shops/restaurants. Here is where today got really weird. I will tell this story in my favorite story-telling style, it will become common as the semester goes on:
Scene: Arab/Muslim produce store
(We are exploring the goods, mostly fruits/veggies, but some dry goods too.)
Bill: Ok IBEXers, here is something to see (holding up an apple). This is a pink lady apple and as you can see here on the sticker it says, "Product of Washington"
Eli: (Thinking to himself) I wonder if it is from Rainier Fruit Company (Where he worked over Christmas Break stacking apple boxes on pallets to be shipped all over the nation/world)
Bill: Let's find the box and see what we have (turns around, walks two steps, looks under a counter) Here we go, Rainier Fruit Company, Selah Washington.
Eli: (in his brain, "what!?! no way, I was joking" -- (and then out loud) Wow, I worked for them over break!
Person 1: No way! How weird, that is so cool.
Person 2: (saying intelligently) uuuhhhh... whoa.
The End
So there you have it, I could be eating apples in Israel that I stacked on pallets over in America. Who would have guessed it?
Onward we pressed, receiving our supplementary rations of fresh and warm pita bread (sooo good, you have no idea) Then we went to a Crusader-era cathedral/church. It was cool, but the coolest part was singing a psalm in Hebrew and then a worship song in English. The acoustics are absolutely amazing. I am going to go back there sometime and sing (which is saying a lot, since public singing and I have the kind of relationship that doesn't exist. From there we had 45 minutes to get back, so one other guy and I blazed a new trail through Abu Gosh at dusk, so that was exciting. We saw some kids playing soccer (duh, what else does the entire world play?) and some guys smoking by their homes and some Israeli military personnel talking on cell phones and working on a jeep. Then dinner, where I learned more about the life of a Master's College student than I knew before and then some emailing/Skype-ing and then this.
So once again I have become a novel-writer and I must stop. But let me tell you something. To see where something that you read about happening thousands of years ago is something that cannot even be expressed. David was here. The Ark was here. Roman Legions were here. Crusaders were here. People, the Bible is real. The land and the Word are so connected it is unbelievable. All of those "boring parts" that mention such-and-such a place are not just words that sound strange, it is for real. One jet-lagged day in a place that has relatively little Biblical significance is pretty astounding, pray that I might understand the priviledge and grasp the overwhelming truth of the Scriptures - that I might really understand all of the powerful things to come. I close with the words of Abner Chou, which are helpful no matter where you walk each day:
1. Be flexible.
2. You are the greatest danger or the greatest asset to wherever you are and whatever you do so make good use of it and make wise decisions.
3. Believe. Don't get jaded by what you hear, the Word is true. Whatever you are living out right now IS a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, use it and don't waste it.
4. Engage.
-- You will have to fight to take advantage of every opportunity (especially here, since it can all become routine, we may visit a site at the end of a long, long day and have a test to worry about, but fight for it anyway).
So my friends, let us do just that.
In the interest of webspace, I will briefly describe most of today. So in pseudo-bullet-point-style, here we go: Sleep, not that good, I slept like a dead rock from 9pm to 3 am but after that it was jet-lag central and I dozed off and on until 7, all the while dreaming so it meant that very little restful sleep occurred. Then breakfast, which is good and has been labeled most everyone's favorite meal (I think it is because it has less weird new stuff, but that is only my opinion of the perceptions of others :)
Post-breakfast we headed to the classroom for Orientation. This is going to be one great semester. We covered the basics of life at IBEX and took a walking tour of the Moshav (the type of little community in which we live, since our actual town/village name is Yad HaShmonah -- which means "Memorial of the Eight" or something like that and is pronounced roughly "Yawd Hawsh moan aw) It was cool to see everything and know what it's for and how to live here and all of that. The student lounge doubles as the bomb shelter (since the former purpose is definitely the more often occuring of the two). It's where we can hang out with everyone or relax or do homework or play guitar or watch movies sometimes or whatever. Only two places have good internet, the library and the computer room (library = less than 1,500 square feet I would guess and the computer room has three computers if I remember right) So this post comes from the library, yesterday's came from the really slow and pathetic wireless we sort of steal from the visitor rooms up the path from us.
Anyway, Orientation was short and sweet (not like that overdone orientation business elsewhere ;) and was led by one of the profs, Abner Chou, who is like 30 and about to get one, maybe two doctorates. I will have him for "History of Ancient Israel" and "Life of Christ." After lunch we had our first class. Land of the Bible is the name, lots of learning to be done is the game. It will be a challenge but will be raging cool as well (what was that Eli, an early 90s phrase or what?) We only had class time for about an hour, then we had a break long enough for me to lay in bed and never want to get up. Then we went on a walk. A long one.
My professor for that class and for Modern Hebrew, Bill Schlegel - Bill for short - took us to the neighboring villages of Kiriat Jearim (Orthodox Jew) and Abu Gosh (Arab Muslim). After a stop at the Catholic Monastery at the top of the hill, where the Ark of the Covenant stood for well over 20 years (see 2 Samuel 6) we went into Abu Gosh and stopped at a couple of shops/restaurants. Here is where today got really weird. I will tell this story in my favorite story-telling style, it will become common as the semester goes on:
Scene: Arab/Muslim produce store
(We are exploring the goods, mostly fruits/veggies, but some dry goods too.)
Bill: Ok IBEXers, here is something to see (holding up an apple). This is a pink lady apple and as you can see here on the sticker it says, "Product of Washington"
Eli: (Thinking to himself) I wonder if it is from Rainier Fruit Company (Where he worked over Christmas Break stacking apple boxes on pallets to be shipped all over the nation/world)
Bill: Let's find the box and see what we have (turns around, walks two steps, looks under a counter) Here we go, Rainier Fruit Company, Selah Washington.
Eli: (in his brain, "what!?! no way, I was joking" -- (and then out loud) Wow, I worked for them over break!
Person 1: No way! How weird, that is so cool.
Person 2: (saying intelligently) uuuhhhh... whoa.
The End
So there you have it, I could be eating apples in Israel that I stacked on pallets over in America. Who would have guessed it?
Onward we pressed, receiving our supplementary rations of fresh and warm pita bread (sooo good, you have no idea) Then we went to a Crusader-era cathedral/church. It was cool, but the coolest part was singing a psalm in Hebrew and then a worship song in English. The acoustics are absolutely amazing. I am going to go back there sometime and sing (which is saying a lot, since public singing and I have the kind of relationship that doesn't exist. From there we had 45 minutes to get back, so one other guy and I blazed a new trail through Abu Gosh at dusk, so that was exciting. We saw some kids playing soccer (duh, what else does the entire world play?) and some guys smoking by their homes and some Israeli military personnel talking on cell phones and working on a jeep. Then dinner, where I learned more about the life of a Master's College student than I knew before and then some emailing/Skype-ing and then this.
So once again I have become a novel-writer and I must stop. But let me tell you something. To see where something that you read about happening thousands of years ago is something that cannot even be expressed. David was here. The Ark was here. Roman Legions were here. Crusaders were here. People, the Bible is real. The land and the Word are so connected it is unbelievable. All of those "boring parts" that mention such-and-such a place are not just words that sound strange, it is for real. One jet-lagged day in a place that has relatively little Biblical significance is pretty astounding, pray that I might understand the priviledge and grasp the overwhelming truth of the Scriptures - that I might really understand all of the powerful things to come. I close with the words of Abner Chou, which are helpful no matter where you walk each day:
1. Be flexible.
2. You are the greatest danger or the greatest asset to wherever you are and whatever you do so make good use of it and make wise decisions.
3. Believe. Don't get jaded by what you hear, the Word is true. Whatever you are living out right now IS a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, use it and don't waste it.
4. Engage.
-- You will have to fight to take advantage of every opportunity (especially here, since it can all become routine, we may visit a site at the end of a long, long day and have a test to worry about, but fight for it anyway).
So my friends, let us do just that.
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