Rosh Hashanah

This weekend has been very chill and relaxing. We are celebrating Rosh Hashanah- the Jewish New Year. It was absolutely wonderful. We kicked the weekend off right with our Shabbot  service and then a party afterwards on Friday night. Saturday we went to the Great Synagogue on in the morning. It was very traditional, and all in Hebrew. The women sit on the second level and the men on the first. The men all where their prayer cloths and their heads have to be covered. I am thankful for the opportunity to see how the Jewish people spend their Shabbot, even though we couldn't understand what they were saying. You can feel the intensity of their prayers just by observation. Yesterday was Lauren's birthday, so we took her out for coffee and dessert later on. It was so great! It was extremely hard to find something open, with the holiday all weekend. We randomly found a lovely little cafe' called Focaccia. We had Tiramisu and Creme Brulee and some delicious iced coffee. 

Today, we visited an Arabic Baptist Church. I am always fascinated by the variety of religions and how people worship in other countries. The service was actually in English, so that was rare, considering the places we have been before. We ate at a quant little Italian place that we found be chance, when we realized Thailandi was closed... again. I had the best eggplant, garlic, herbs, and goat cheese penne pasta today! It was so wonderful. I want to try making it myself when I return home. Later this afternoon we went for a scavenger hunt! I love scavenger hunts. We were split into groups and sent out to take pictures all around Jerusalem. It was such fun. I also feel as if I know my way around even better than before. It was also fun just getting to run around making memories in Jerusalem. 

Our new guide Aton, whose name is incredibly close to the rapper Akon, took us around the Old City today. We went through New Gate, instead of Jaffa Gate to get a sense of a different area. We went to the church where the upper room is remembered to have been. It is extremely old because we know it was reconstructed after Titus burned down the second temple. We listened to a funny little nun talk about how the Holy Spirit is right there in the church. She was adorable. We also went to The Burnt House of Kathros and watched a video of the story of the priestly Kathros family. It was really interesting to learn about how a family was personally affected when the Romans invaded Jerusalem. This is the only house they have found that was from the time when the Temple was destroyed in 70 A.D.

At lunch we had two pizza places across the street from each other competing to give us a better price for pizza and drinks. It was hilarious, but we actually got a great deal. Who knew you could barter for food, too? We went to visit a quaint shop of an orthodox Jewish man who was so sincere. He enlightened us on the origin and specifics of Judaism and how it differs from Christianity. This man said something that I know is engraved in my heart forever. He said, “If you think you made the decision to come to Israel, you can just kiss that idea good bye. God chose you, and brought you here to his chosen country for a specific purpose. You will not be able to get Israel out of your mind, because you leave a piece of your heart in the Holy Land… and you will be back.”  We also went to the Temple Institute to listen to the history of the first and second temple. The lady giving the tour was absolutely crazy, so it was hard to concentrate on the material. It was really cool to hear of their plans to build a third temple.

After all the touring we took our time going back to campus and did a little more shopping. I went back to some of the same places we went last weekend, and I had two different guys tell me, “You are making me crazy!” But I almost always walk away with the best deal possible. I love bartering. I miss traveling overseas with my brother! Some of the thing these shopkeepers come up with is hilarious.  However, I think my favorite so far is, “Because of your nice eyes, I will give you good price.” What will they come up with next? 

N E G E V

Today was a little slow. We went to the Negev and learned about the Bedouin culture. I love learning about the people who live in the desert. Most of the Bedouin people are Muslim. The men are allowed to have up to 4 wives. Can you imagine?  It was really interesting to learn more about their unique lifestyle, since we had the chance to spend the night in the desert in a Bedouin camp. There are so many culture codes and ways the Bedouin people can express something without even speaking. There are also specific ways they dress in order to express a specific message. They served us a delicious, sweet hot tea, and learned how to make fresh tortillas like the Bedouins make.

We also went to see the grave and desert home of David Ben-Gurion. The view of the desert was beautiful. People compare the view to the Grand Canyon.  The view of the desert really is incredibly overwhelming.  Lastly, we went to see Abraham’s Well in Be’er Sheva.  We watched the funniest video about the history of Abraham and the story of Be’er Sheva. I learned that Be’er  Sheva means “well,” and a well is a place a single women go to meet men.

At dinner, one of our hosts gave us a small gift of an apple, candy, and honey. Rosh Hashanah is this weekend, and traditionally people dip apples in honey to bring in a “sweet” New Year.  I am excited about celebrating a Jewish holiday this weekend. Tonight we went to Coffeeshop and we talked about Theology, hunting, and our lives before Southeastern. 

..s i f t i n g..

Oh my goodness. I am speechless. We visited the Holocaust Museum today, and it is so incredibly extensive. I went through in about two hours; however, I feel as if I could have stayed about 6 hours or more. There was so much to see! Some of the things that really struck me was seeing the journal entries and the artwork of the Jewish people who went to the concentration camps. Some of them were writing right before they were murdered. I honestly couldn’t believe the mass destruction of a people group, and how anyone could ever think that would be “ok.” It breaks my heart to think of the fear the Jews must have lived in.

We also went to sift through rocks searching for archaeological treasures at the Temple Mount Salvage Project. This organization is dedicated to sifting through all the ruins found at Mount Moriah. They have been sifting for the past five years, and are still only about twenty percent through it all. So Gabe and I were joking around that we were going to do another twenty percent in our short afternoon there! However, I am sure they will still be working at this project for many years to come. We had so much fun! Mandy and I found quite a few missing links to civilization from a time long ago. Kaleb and Gabe found a really old Byzantine coin, and that was definitely a big deal.  Tonight I called my Dad for his birthday and got to tell him all about my day.  Oh, and I video chatted with Michael the other night and that was amazing. Life is beautiful!

BETHLEHEM!

J E S U S. Today was went to Bethlehem, the place Jesus was born. We visited the church of the Nativity.  It was really pretty, but there was so much stuff. I would have imagined something much simpler, as the place I believe Jesus was born must have been. Instead, it was filled with lights, pictures, candles, and just cluttered with valuables. It was so surreal to be able to touch the place where Jesus is believed to have been born! It was definitely a very special place.

This morning we visited Herodian. This was Herod the Great’s summer palace, and the only palace to be named after him. The ruins were spectacular. I like to close my eyes and imagine what it would have looked like in all its splendor so long ago. Herod must have been brilliant to build as he did in that time period. Sadly, his story is tragic, and he ends his life as a psychopath. He ends up killing his wife and three sons, all out of jealousy.

This afternoon we had a lecture at Bethlehem Bible College. It is so crazy that Israeli citezens are not allowed into Bethlehem, a Palestinian controlled area. We had to switch our bus driver and tour guide so we could go into the city. It was really fascinating to hear the Palestinian perspective of someone who strongly believes in Jesus Christ but also strongly believes that Palestine is his home. So who belongs in Israel? I look forward to learning more about the Jewish/Palestinian conflict. 

Japanese Documentary!

We had such a refreshing weekend! Our Shabbat service on Friday was beautiful and Saturday was very relaxing. Today we had a lecture with Dr. Waddell for the first part of the morning. Then we had another lecture with a guess speaker, Peter Tsukhira, after that. He spoke about the prophetic significance of Israel. I thought it was really cool to make all the parallels we have read in the Bible and see that many have actually come true! He emphasized the importance of having the revelation of God, to go along with the prophecy.

This afternoon we visited Christ Church and the small museum right next door. The lady speaking to us was so precious and sincere! She was very passionate about Israel and talked a lot about how Christianity has Jewish roots of faith. It was interesting to walk around and see a little of the history of Israel. Unfortunately there was a wedding going on so we couldn’t actually go inside the church.

We took the long way around the Old City to get back to our campus. We split up with a little free time before dinner, so a few of us went shopping. I saw a bunch of cameras and joked around with Mandy that I wanted to be interviewed. Approximately ten minutes later a Japanese man approached me and asked if he could interview me for his documentary. How ironic is that? Suddenly I had about five cameras surrounding me and they were interviewing me questions about my faith and myself.  It was so much fun! Tonight we had dessert at Coffeebean and talked about life and relationships with a small group. Wonderful ending to a pretty chill day. 

l e a r n i n g

Today we visited Megiddo, a tell with 26 layers of the ruins of ancient cities. Isn’t that crazy? The name mentioned in the New Testament, Armageddon, is a derivation from the word Megiddo—meaning Mount of Megiddo. We went through their waterway tunnel that they built for safety. Megiddo was in a very important location that guarded a trade route that connected Egypt and Assyria.

After that we visited two churches in Nazareth. The first was a very elaborate Catholic church where Gabriel is said to have visited Mary to tell her she was pregnant with Jesus. There was magnificent artwork of Mary and Jesus, gifts from all over the world, hung up around the church. We then spent time at another smaller and simpler church, a place commemorated for when the Priests gave Jesus the scrolls to read from.

We went to a lovely little park to visit the place where God brings the Israelite army from thirty-two thousand men to three hundred men. He wanted the Israelites to see that his hand of protection was on them, instead of winning the battle in their own strength (Judges 7). I think Gideon’s story is an incredible example of faith.

Lastly we went to the old ancient ruins of Beit She’an. It reminded me so much of Pompeii in Italy! This was an old Roman city in the North District of Israel. The Bible mentions it as a Canaanite city in Joshua. This place obviously in ruins—but it was incredible! The Romans lived in luxury. There was a very elaborate theatre, spa, shops, and restaurants found when archaeologists began to excavate the area. I definitely enjoyed exploring the ruins and then later climbing the mountain for an exceptional view.

Tonight we are going to Coffeebean to chill and play cards.