the christmas letter

for the past several (i think 5 or 6) years, my christmas duty has been to write the "traditional" family christmas letter. that annual thing that goes out at the end of every year and recounts only family highlihts.....sound familiar?

well.....this year, the chrismas letter is available via email in a jpg format. if you're interested, send send me a location and i'll get it to you soon.

so as to not give the surprises in this year's letter away.......here's last year's edition.....

the end

someone reminded me recently that i haven't blogged in a while....

holy smokes! it's been about two months!

the end of this last semester was overwhelming to say the least. no-sleep-november quickly progressed to dead-week and then finals.......ugh....

funny thing though. now that the semester is over.....and the grades are all in.....i don't remember the pain and stress nearly as vividly as the incredible support of friends, roommates, and mentors during that season.

thank you, friends. all of you who prayed/continue to pray for strength and healing. and darn it! words just aren't adequate right now. i'm so blessed.......there's little more i can say.....

quick thought before my paper

as tyler said......"liturgical chapel is one of those gems..." (or something like that)

i love liturgy
it reminds me of my participation in this family of God that extends beyond borders, denominations, cultures, generations, etc.
during a liturgical service, i am no longer alone in my Christianity
God is no longer engaged in conversation with me alone

WE are together
liturgy = We and God

....

at least that's what i thought

but what about when liturgy was first composed?

what about this council of nicea, or this spanish inquisition? the crusades? nazi germany? what about all the voices and traditions of the early Church that were ignored in the creation of sayings that would be repeated for centuries in the future?

please don't mis-interpret what i'm saying. i still love liturgy, and will always love the depth and intimacy and communion that comes with participation in traditional sacraments. but if i am going to join in this community that spans generations, then i am going to join in the sins of those have come before me. in some respect, my identity will always be tied to them.

i honestly don't know what to do with that.

amazing grace, how sweet the sound....

scheduling.

so.....i have this habit.....

i like my days to have purpose and meaning. i like them to be full of stuff to do......places to be.....people to talk with.....

i like that every day in israel was full of activity and learning from the moment we woke up to the moment we crawled into bed. i like that my team planned every minute of camp with stuff designed to draw the campers into a family. i like hearing people say, "it's only monday?!?!?! we've done so much already!!!" i like busyness because it makes me feel less wasteful.

but there's a problem.......

busyness often leads to weariness........

it seems inevitable......i'm almost counting down the days before my roommates and i get overwhelmed with the new college schedule. there's a looming dread of "no-sleep-november" and "midterm-maddness." in spite of all the joys and excitements of the first few weeks, the hellish-winter is always waiting........taunting even......

what does it take to avoid the bitterness of winter? i mean, why shouldn't we be able to continue in joyful spirits.....knowing that every minute we live is a minute of purpose? why shouldn't we be excited to wake up at 7:00am in order to make it to class/work on time?

hmm.......maybe that's it. maybe there's a "we" factor to this whole mess. maybe the weariness comes from carrying too many burdens on our own personal shoulders? maybe sometime between september and november, we turn our focus towards individual miderms, and forget about the community? we forget about how these midterms can affect the global Church, and just strive to get that grade that we need.......or something.

maybe i'm stretching a bit too much. but i really want to know what it is that keeps me in good spirits during camp, and prevents me from those good spirits during finals......and i want to know why that can't be avoided.

nostalgia

.....from the greek nostos "returning home" and algos "pain"

i miss jerusalem

i miss galilee

i miss hanford

i miss big bear

i miss rancho la sherpa

i miss......

the problem with college is that one develops too many homes and too many families.

this is also what we did

jr. high camp 2008

this is what we did

logging camp 2008

and i'm sick...

logging camp 2008 ended yesterday at about 11:00am.....

....which means the entire staff completely crashed in order to prepare for our next week.
(2 hour naps all around!)

but oh, friends! i love what we do so much.....i've never been part of a more united team.....joshua, ben, and bethany are family. so often, i step back and wonder, "why the heck to we mesh so well?" i mean, yes, we're all just about as nerdy as people come.......complete with our linux platforms, sheet music, and settlers of catan board game......but i share like interests with lots of people. and it's not because we divulge every nook and cranny of our soul to each other........because, well.....we don't.

i think this family is unique because of our united purpose. we all desire to enable kids.....to help children experience the Gospel of Jesus Christ. we spent two weeks (probably could have gone more) planning every last detail in order to make sure that every game, every meal, every song had a purpose. sure, we had our disagreements about the effectiveness of various plans.......but we paused to listen. and we trusted.

why won't the Church do this? why won't we sit and enjoy each other and trust each other. why is it so difficult to strive for out primary objective of sharing the Gospel? i'm so discouraged by the splits that keep happening. is my sister's sexual orientation really that important if we're both feeding the hungry and clothing the naked? (excuse my naivety....but i'm only 21)

i have no doubt that because of our union as a staff, we were able to see 35 campers also bond as a family. examples:

• when captain cornelius cuttlefish, the not so friendly pirate came in and stole the map that the campers had spent an hour searching for, they instantly mobbed together and chased him down. bethany and i were scared for joshua's life, but at the same time, it was an incredible demonstration of unity.

• during our "loggerlympics" event, bethany and ben lead their respective sections in a spontaneous synchronized swimming event. the event would not have been a success unless the kids completely trusted their leaders and united as a family. i watched almost 20 young men pull some of the most ridiculous and utterly embarrassing stunts to "a whole new world" and "kiss the girl," because in that brief moment, they weren't self-conscious......they were excited to participate in what the group was doing

why do these kids trust us so much? and their parents too.....who leave them with us for an entire week? how do we convince the rest of the world to do the same?

the events that transpired this week were downright hilarious, inspirational, and just enjoyable. there are memories that i'll be recording here so as to avoid personal forgetfulness. you are more than welcome to continue reading, but you've already been so patient, i won't take offense if you travel to your next website instead.

• during a conversation with one of our staff, a young man made the statement "it was almost as bad as laura on sugar!" hehehe....apparently i maintain a significant amount of energy on the job.
• on the zip line, one young girl was completely horrified the whole way up. when she reached the top platform 30 minutes later (where i was waiting,) she clutched me so tightly........ in that moment i realized her trust was in me......not the ropes and carabiners that she should be trusting. what the heck do i do with that? i was so proud of madison.....yet completely blown away by her confidence in me.
• one of my favorite youtube videos is a skit by the smothers brothers titled "boil that cabbage down." (courtesy to the cousin) in the middle of this skit, one brother dives into an extensive monologue concerning pumas that jump out of crevices. during planning and orientation, our staff thoroughly enjoyed this video, and i adopted the role of "puma" whenever we had down time. once the kids arrived, this inside joke concerning these "vicious beasts" blew way out of proportion, and soon i had 35 pumas chasing me all over camp. by thursday, we had various breeds of puma including the "winged puma" and the "aquatic puma." i received puma artwork in the mail, and even a song entitled "do do do do the puma."
  

i can't believe we're doing this one more week. i'm so physically exhausted, and my voice is completely shot. this jr. high camp that we're doing only has about 10 kids enrolled, and will be of a completely different format than "logging camp." i'm stoked for what will happen this week, but also more anxious than i was last week. i actually get to give a "lesson" about defining neighbor on monday night.......gah! i was hired to lead games!

if you're still patiently reading along, would you please pray that God would move in this next week. our agenda is still very rough and we're all very tired. of course, now is the perfect opportunity for God to move, since we lack the strength to move ourselves. i can't wait.....yet i feel so unprepared.

thanks for reading! blessings!

this is camp

it's what we do.

objectives/themes

perhaps one of my favorite parts of being on staff at a camp is the orientation week.

it's a time where we (the four of us) come together and spend time dissecting and analyzing every aspect of what we do. questions surface like.....

• how do we help the campers/counselors to build relationships?
• how do we enable campers/counselors to experience the Gospel?
• how do we encourage the campers/counselors to enjoy life?
• how do we ensure that every camper/counselor feels loved?
• how can we engage the campers/counselors in taking ownership of a curriculum/program that we have (in a sense) created?

i love doing this.......to an extent, we are ensuring that every moment of each day at camp is filled with purpose. we analyze creative ways to wake the campers up in the morning.....or to grab their attention at moments of critical instruction. we discuss the powerful impact of the most simplistic gestures.......and we laugh hysterically on a regular basis at some of our ridiculous ideas.

i'm excited to see what God does with this program........and i pray that we don't get in the way

i forgot....

i'm taking a brief hiatus from israel for the next four weeks to focus a little more on camp. our final project does not need to be completed until august, so there are more pressing events with which to concern myself at the moment.

and besides.....i forgot how much i love camp....
......and how much there is to discuss


yesterday evening began our orientation week. woot! ......and due to a couple unanticipated events our original team of six has been reduced to four returning staff from last year, and our originally scheduled one week of orientation has doubled into two weeks. thus, we get to hash out a lot more brainstorming/creativity/absurdity together......and even complete a few work projects around camp. it's a good time.

but if i may be so bold as to use this space to promote "logging camp" at big bear lake to any out there still reading this blog......we have some recent developments:

our numbers are low, and so we are still accepting campers and/or counselors who are willing and eager to come up (or down) to big bear for a week at camp. we're offering a week of camp at half-price.....and even that is negotiable for those who cannot afford the expense.

so please......if you know of anyone from the age of 3rd grade to a senior in high school who would like to come to camp during the week of july 27th or the week of august 9th, visit pccci's website and make a phone call. we just want to get campers here so we can share the Gospel story, and let them enjoy life, freedom, and community for a week.

and if you don't know any interested campers, please pray for us in the next couple weeks as we do promotional spots and seek out campers who are interested and available.

pictures are available!

at last......i've posted pictures from israel to my facebook profile

for now, here's the public links to see all 300 pictures

sorry for the wait.....and the massive amount

• inspiration 1
• inspiration 2
• inspiration 3
• inspiration 4
• inspiration 5
  

i'm back

and there's at least one item that i can check off the list.....

woo hoo!



so, i'm officially back.....in hanford......sitting in my room......on my bed.

it's rather surreal to be honest. the plane landed sunday, (monday morning if you account for jetlag) my brother drove me home monday, and on tuesday we were down at church and working on vbs decorations. wednesday i was even greeted with a hearty helping of church family at our wednesday night meal and fellowship time.

it's been a busy schedule, yes. but i am enjoying myself. vbs has a very personal hold on my heartstrings.

but back to digesting israel....

• "how was your trip?"
  
• "are you glad to be back?"
• "are you glad you went?"

it's funny to expect these questions for so long and still have no straight answer for them. yes, i'm very glad to be home and with my family. this trip has widely opened the lines of communication with some of my closest brothers and sisters..........but i do miss israel.

silly.....isn't it?......i was there for less than a month.......less than 0.3984% of my total lifetime (1 out of 251 months) and i want to go back?! one sister described it better than i ever could:

you've only just touched the tip of the iceberg. and you know that there's so much more to experience beneath surface. you want to go back because you want to learn so much more than you could in these three weeks.

it's true. i've had barely a taste and now i want the full meal. but i am not in israel for a while. i need to be present here.....and i want to be. i want to share my experience with anyone who will listen. but be warned......i can tell if you are genuniely interested or not. we don't have to talk about israel next time we meet if you are uninterested. i'd love to hear about your last month as well.

as a final parting thought. just because i am back from "the holy land," does not imply the end of this blog. i will hopefully acquire permission to use this blog as a final project for the israel course....meaning pictures and explainations of sights and sounds will be coming shortly.

also, summer camp at big bear lake and rancho la sherpa begins on july 12th, so i hope to continue blogging about that as time permits.

dialogue with you more soon! thanks for staying engaged!

yad vashem

i've waited two days to comment on it......because i want to get it right.

i still won't do it justice.

a small group of us watched schindler's list on tuesday night before going to yad vashem holocaust memorial and museum the next morning. this was my first viewing of the movie.....and it definitely ripped my heart in some places.......but in many ways, it was still a movie.

yad vashem was different.

at yad vashem we spent an (inadequate) three hours walking through the rise of nazi germany.....the immigration of jews.......the movement to ghettos......models of death camps.....etc.....etc......etc...... we saw propaganda posters, flags, and christian documents advocating for the extinction of the "inferior" races. we saw artwork and poetry and even board games created by jewish prisoners in the ghettos. we listened to testimony after testimony of a handful of survivors about the horrible conditions and brutality they experienced. there were lists of names, piles of shoes, mounds of personal items and momentos that were torn from families as they were taken away.....like cattle.....

behind one particular glass case was an advertizement for "cheap paper" that read something like: "inexpensive paper, one side has ink that can be easily washed and reused." also behind the glass were cut-outs of this "cheap paper" that were shaped like shoe inserts

......it was a torah scroll....

another section of the museum displayed 5 concrete fenceposts brought directly from auschwitz and the "welcome" gate that reads "work sets you free" in german. not only are the posts extremely tall, but they curve inward......even without barbed wire, it's a hopelessly suffocating experience...


the museum ended with media samples from liberation.......and then the memorials begin

.......the hall of names.....photograph after photograph after photograph of victims of the holocaust........and floor to ceiling rows of binders collecting names and many other forms of documentation related to each of the six million fatalities.

.......the children's memorial.......an underground dark room full of mirrors and small lights positioned in such a way that the light is multiplied infinitely.........like stars in deep space.......a recording reads the name, age, and nationality of each murdered child......



i can't adequately describe all the emotions/feelings that occur after an experience like this. especially not on a public blog.....sorry.....i'm humbled, angered, saddened, frustrated........

it was such carefully calculated and measured abuse of people......and it was just one event that received global attention! how many more incidents of genocide, torture, and prejudice occur each day in other ignored areas of the world?! even in our own cities......

and we ignore it.......some even claim it never happened.......it's easier to be ignorant....doesn't hurt as much.

when will the excuses stop......and something will be done to change the mess?

goodbye jerusalem...

things i'll miss

• hummus, olives, and pita with virtually every meal
• the google and blogger homepage in hebrew text and right-justified text
• shopkeepers who know how to say "i make you a deal" in 12 different languages
• tea with mint
• limestone (streets, staircases, walls, bridges..........)
• the "ancient" feel......this place is rooted in thousands of years of tradition
• the community
  

things i won't miss

• horns (the traffic language)
  
• hot-sweaty-humid days (though i know there's pleanty more waiting for me in the states)
  
• the crowds at "tourist" locations

i know some of you will be disappointed to hear this, but
......i just can't wait to come back some day.

academia

today we visited the garden tomb at 17:00 and then the church of the holy sepulchre at 19:00.

both sites claim to be the place of Christ's death and resurrection.....golgotha and the tomb..... but one seems slightly more legitimate than the other.

the garden tomb is located right next to a bus stop on the northern end of the old city. though the tomb is a "rolling stone tomb," it completely lacks authenticity in the archaeological and academic world. for one, the tomb dates to at least 700 years before Christ.....thus not qualifying as a "new, fresh tomb" as scripture requires. other evidence includes a cistern built by the crusaders that was supposedly used to water the garden at the time of Jesus, as well as a rock shaped like a skull that probably only exists as a result of fairly recent incidents of erosion.



the church of the holy sepulchre resounds with supporting evidence. mainly......the pilgrimage of many thousands of Christians to this spot (since the time of Constantine). also, this site was attacked, thus destroying an unfortunate amount of physical evidence regarding the site. therefore, although there is little physical evidence, because the place is deeply saturated in tradition, it seems a likely candidate for the site of the crucifixion and resurrection.





i must confess.....walking through the garden tomb frustrated me.......a person who thinks before she feels. why is so much time and money devoted to a site that is so blatantly inaccurate?

but dr. mullins explained it....

up until about 150 years ago, protestant christians had no location for pilgrimage, and no place in jerusalem to feel fully at home and connected with God. muslims have the dome of the rock, jews have the wall, and catholics claimed the sepulchre. therefore, the garden tomb serves as a place of worship rather than academia. the holy sepulchre is full to the brim of icons and images.....it glitters with candles, lamps, gold and silver everywhere....clearly causing distractions for worshipers not accustomed to eastern orthodox liturgy.

it's very humbling to come to a place where i thought i had the upper hand.....those ignorant fools who think they have the right location.....they should research.....

yet....i don't need to protest the use of the garden tomb for worshipers.....for academia is not usually the pilgrim's interest. and honestly, archaeologists cannot say which tomb (of multiple found) is considered "the tomb."

it's difficult to find harmony between the heart and mnd.

woah.....wasn't expecting that

more incredible recent events...

1. spent three hours in yad vashem (a holocaust memorial)
2. spent three hours talking with "vin diesel" (a muslim shopkeeper) about everything from islam, to politics, to the price of groceries, to modesty--or lack thereof--of tourists
3. spent two hours at the western wall
4. saw two of the isaiah scrolls in the dead sea scrolls collections......and more artifacts from qumran
5. saw the church of the holy sepulcher

wow.....and i'm supposed to take an exam tomorrow?!?!

almost done

i can't believe i'm flying back to the states.......that's really all there is to say.


tomorrow we walk our last tour of jerusalem (including the holocaust museum) and friday we take our last exam of the term. saturday is a free day, and sunday will take us back to america.

i feel "at home" and now it is time to leave...... why is that?

as i am coming home soon......do let me know if there's any specific treasures/souvenirs that you would like me to bring back for you. i can make no promises, but there's still time and some money in my pockets......

talk to you all soon :)

alert the media

today.....at 10:57pm....

i beat dr. robert duke (aka bobby duke) at a game of nertz.

104 to 83

it was a good day

we lived here

kibbutz ha'on......right on the water of the sea of galilee.

it's a very surreal experience....eating a kosher breakfast and kosher dinner on the edge of galilee....the water Jesus walked on (well...maybe not officially those specific molecules of dihydrogen monoxide)....

here, Jesus calmed the storm.... sent demon-filled pigs to their demise.... preached to thousands from a boat in the water.... compelled His disciples to follow and then commissioned them to serve.

and yet....for us it was a beach resort. don't get me wrong, it was wonderful to swim in the lake after a long day in the sun.... and we had fantastic buffet meals in the kibbutz. literally, the only difference between ha'on and a hotel resort were the mezuzahs on every door post. it was just strange.....bizarre....

it's weird that places/objects like these have become so consumed by tourism. the other day, for example....we found a shot glass with Jesus printed on the side.

on the one hand, i can see the almost innocent appeal of such a treasure. who wouldn't want a reminder of the holy land....and maybe Jesus on your shot glass provides some sort of accountability

but really? what is this? why do we rationalize so much just to keep things and to feel okay about things? call me a hypocrite....of course i'm bringing home souvenirs and momentos from jerusalem......but it really is such a silly thing to do.

i want to see the world......and experience places and see the sights of europe, austrailia, asia....you name it, i want to go...... but i also want to know the people. i want to know why they're different....how they're the same..... i want to listen to both the palestinian's story and the jew's story.

alas....i only have a few days left!

confused

i went to a shabbat dinner tonight with some friends. it was unlike any meal i have ever experienced.

1. it took us 45 minutes to walk to the home of the rabbi.
2. we weren't the only gentiles invited to the meal
3. in a room smaller than our home living room, seven long tables had been set for "regulars" and unexpected guests
4. as we sat down to the meal and settled in comfortably, more and more people showed up.
5. an hour into the "meal" we still hadn't taken a bite and still more people were arriving
6. overflow guests were invited into the host's bedroom where a last resort table had been prepared.
7. while i was crammed into a back corner....literally rubbing shoulders with the person seated next to me...bumping knees with the person in front of me...and completely unable to scoot my chair back, the rabbi continued to say "come on in, there's plenty of room!"
8. we prayed/sang in hebrew and english
9. (when one doesn't know the words.....one simply claps and sings "li le li li li le li...." and claps)
10. the rabbi offered words of wisdom between every course (4) of the meal
11. there was "open floor" teaching towards the end of the night....
12. it was a celebration (as big as Christmas or thanksgiving)....and it occurs every single friday.

the community in israel blows me away. clearly this meal was a dangerous fire hazard for everyone involved. i literally could not stand once i sat down at my place.....and yet there was still plenty of food for everyone. we also clearly did not fit in with the crowd gathered there, yet we were welcomed with smiles and warm conversation.

i guess we kinda do this thing too....with body life at church each week. but this was someone's home. this was the rabbi's bedroom......his house that we were filling. and we were fed for free. they expected nothing from us in return.

i don't understand how a country filled with such hospitable people can also be filled with so much hate. our group has been offered many free drinks and meals. we've been involved in conversations that last several hours because people are more important than appointments. and yet, people on the other side of this fence are unwelcome. among so many in israel, there is an understanding that "what's mine is yours whenever you ask for it." but still, there sneaks in a deep-seated hatred for "the others" that have "invaded."

i just don't understand what has happened to these people to make them so adverse to each other.
i just don't understand how we, who are full of so much wealth, don't understand how to give it away to whoever asks of it.
i just don't know what i can do now that i have all this information.......

guess i'll just keep praying

on the road again.

it seems i only just got back and we're headed out again tomorrow.

instead of visiting southern israel, guess where we're going this time?
that's right....northern israel!

we'll be staying in a kibbutz right on the sea of galilee.....and traveling all over the northern regions. i'm hoping for cooler weather than the negev of judah.....but because galilee is below sea level.....i'm not expecting much.

unfortunately, this trip will be one day longer than the previous one. for all of you in cyberland who keep up with my blog, i'm very sorry to disappoint. hopefully there will be internet cafe things in the kibbutz.....we'll see.

again....miss you all....and dialog with you when i get back.

on hold....continued

we have an exam in two hours that i should really be studying for.....

so we'll keep this short and come back to it later.

the negev was fantastic.....but temperatures were up there in the lower hundreds. (i hear that it's the same in california, so i wouldn't complain except that we're hiking rather strenuously in these 100s......)

so......for the sake of being concise....here's the list of highlights....

• a re-inaction of david and goliath in the elah valley
  
• a swim in the mediterranian sea
• a defeat of professor duke in nertz (unfortunately, i can't take the credit)
• a hike through one canyon of wadi zin (in the shephelah...the wilderness of sin/zin)
  
• a sunrise hike up and down the masada snake path (4:30am.....and yes, i counted 851 stair steps both ways....the sign said only 700)
• a "swim" (bobbing) in the dead sea
• a plunge in the en gedi spring (david's waterfall)
• a jaunt to cave eleven of the dead sea scrolls
• several visits to city ruins, caves, tombs and the like

hopefully be back soon for some more "juicy" thoughts on the trip

on hold.

we're going on a field trip to the southern end (the negev if you will) of israel for the next couple days.

trip includes:

• swimming in the mediterranian sea
• visit to masada
• swimming in the dead sea
• more hot hot hot sun

trip does not include:

• internet access

thus......i won't be blogging again until thursday evening (that's thursday morning for you in the states).

anyways.....i'll be back......and there will be more to ponder when i get back, i'm sure.

conversation

today was a free day.....

woot!

which meant that instead of traveling around and having class from 7:00am until 5:30pm, we were able to do whatever we pleased.

now....i had plans to visit places like the Western Wall, the Holy Sepulcher, and other sites like that....it just seemed appropriate....

instead...

i went to Christ Church and ended up meeting an incredible man (rouel) who assured me that it's far easier to give up "possessions" and "luxuries of this world" than to give one's heart to the Lord. this being proven by his experience of traveling to 30 different countries without any guarantees or financial security

and then i listened to a two hour conversation between two bible majors who far exceed me in age and wisdom. the main question: what is the purpose of the Law presented in exodus and deuteronomy? if Christ came to fulfill it but not abolish it, are we expected to keep more of it than we are?

next, we visited moshe's shop....the jewish man previously mentioned. he continues to blow my mind in knowledge and wisdom. his familiarity with my scripture is remarkable....and terribly humbling to a college student at a christian university who acts as though she has little left to learn.

our final stop was at shaban's (muslim) money changing shop. he recognized us from a previous visit last week and immediately invited us in for a drink and conversation. the talk with shaban was joyful and light-hearted.....much less theological......but his hospitality spoke volumes. when did my perspective change from understanding that i am a guest to believing that i am an imposition in one's home? how do i open my home to others in the way shaban opens his shop to us?

the last conversation was passed around two games of nertz with professor bobby duke. and the words may not have been as pleasant as those shared with shaban and moshe.....

enjoy your time on top while it lasts, bobby duke.......you're going down before you know it!

saturday/shabbat

i can't believe it's only been one week....
(well.....i suppose the "one week" thing is a little relative considering all the jet lag nonsense)

but honestly....
i'm so exhausted from these few days. and it feels great.

too often i forget live like this.....squeezing out all the juices from each day.

the jerusalem university college (where we're living) doesn't provide "real coffee" in the mornings. instead they provide hot water and instant coffee. i asked the coffee addicts (who were incredibly disappointed) about the difference between instant and pressed coffee....

instant coffee is just the runoff.....it's like making lemonade by just letting the lemon drip into a glass. pressing the beans actually squeezes the flavor out of each bean.....trust me....it's far better...

here in israel, i feel like i'm actually squeezing the flavor out of each day. of course, it helps that all of the sights and sounds are all new and exciting.....but i don't think we have to live in israel to experience "good juices." we don't have to serve in mexico or work at camp in order to suck the value out of every minute of the day.

somewhere... somehow... i forgot how to make good coffee out of the beans the Lord handed me daily. i need to go find that press and bring it back with me to the states.

please stay tuned....

i'll be back to blogging in a short time. as there are only 4 available computers and we've been pretty full of activities during the day, i don't have the time right now to give decent juicy details and reflections.......

however.....i do have some thoughts...

• yesterday we played nertz for 3 hours (half hour break for dinner)
  
• today it was 35 degrees celsius in the shade
• pottery shards from the bronze age are fun to collect
• thanks to my roommate, mika has been stuck in my head all day
• our bus driver, tony, is freaking amazing! (managed a three-point-turn on a one lane street)
  

overwhelmed

i knew it would happen eventually......
i just didn't expect it on day three......

we walked the new testament route in the old city today.....

• the "upper room" (according to church tradition.....but due to archaeological evidence...... not the exact room)
• the house of caiaphs (or one with a similar floor plan)
• the temple mount (a good long chunk of time.....but i'll probably still go back)
  
• a muslim cemetery
  
• the pools of bethesda
• the "birthplace of the virgin mary" (second one i've seen yet)
  
• the "church of the condemnation" (again, according to tradition)
• the via dolorosa
  
• the church of the holy sepulcher (though we're coming back to this one for a much longer exposure)

there's just so much to take in....to try and understand.....

listing all these locations simply doesn't do justice to the experiences of the day. we talked about silly little things like the "fashionable" change from fresco to stucco walls......and far less silly things like the scourging of our Lord. we saw stone blocks at the base of the temple mount that were easily larger than my car.....and one of the only places in jerusalem where one can say with confidence, "Jesus Christ stood here." we discussed theology, geology, history, geography....

it's so surreal to experience jerusalem in this way. dr. mullins or dr. duke will say, "the ground level would have been here" or "the ceiling would have reached up to that point" and i can almost picture the city of the first century a.d......and it sends chills through my spine....

it's curious how time and distance has changed us.....and what has remained the same. these monuments here are enormous! and doorways or rooms in homes are so small. people were willing to dedicate their lives to working on a project (like the temple) and yet they never witnessed its completion. and this wasn't because they lacked technology.....(i repeat, their stones were bigger than my car).....but because their monument--the house of GOD--was so grand and so important to them that it was completely worth it. where does that devotion exist today?

and still....while i walk around these ancient foundations....tombs.....water pools.....arches...... the modern people continue to draw my attention. jews, muslims, armenians, christians, tourists...... they're all here....and they all have stories. i'm realizing my ignorance as i watch families of orthodox jews walk the streets for the first time....their children in full dress.... we're invited into muslim shops and given tea with mint......not because they want to guilt us into consuming their goods, but because they are genuinely hospitable. it's incredible.

things i want to adopt and take home:

1. a love for tradition
2. a gift for hospitality
3. an understanding and trust in community
4. a reverence for the Lord Almighty.
5. a chaco tan
   

significant events of the day....

1. saw the Western Wall and visited the city of David

2. listened to some very insightful thoughts from a devout Jewish gentleman. (more to discuss on him later)

3. walked through hezekiah's tunnel. i actually was too tall for some portions and had to duck to get through.

3. showered

4. played team nertz

i'm IN jerusalem

we went on an "old city" tour today for about 4 hours (see the green line...i live in the circle)
for every line on the outside of the city.....we were actually on the ramparts on the wall.......i was just too lazy to draw in everything.


i think i've had my first realization that i'm actually IN israel today. we talked about hills and valleys and strategic building plans of the era.....our professors pointed out that this rock was probably from the byzantine period, while this one dates back to herodian times.......holy buckets batman! i have so much to learn!

but i think the biggest culture shock for me hasn't been the people in the city....the police.....the marketplace......etc. it's these written languages. at least when i visited ireland and scotland, their road signs and window signs used the english alphabet...... i can't even guess the pronunciation of items in shop windows and informative plaques and things.

the more we learn, the more we don't know.....yes? i pray that i never develop the pride of "knowing it all."


also....enjoyed some fresh mint leaves in tea today.....may become my new favorite beverage

"home"

so....my living space.....

we live in a building built in 1517 A.D. and it's freaking awesome! some of the doorways are so low that people taller than me have to duck to get through. yet another reason why it's good to be short.

the walls and are made out of huge limestone bricks, so as you bump into them, white powder coats your arms and shoulders. and it's either super warm inside, or freezing from the wind. the floors and stairways are made from stone too....but tehy've been so trampled and mopped and things that there's no powdery residue coating the feet.

there's access to the roof, so we went up there last night to watch sundown over the old city of jerusalem. it's only about a two minute walk from here into jaffa gate so guess where we go in our down time?

showering is quite the experience......more like cleaning with a hose than anything else.....but at least it's available 24-7.

there's also a fantastic outdoor area......a great lounge to play nertz (yes.....there's a half dozen people here who worship the game....including my prof.....so we'll be playing)

and everything on the computer i'm using is in hebrew.....so it's fun to try and figure out "google search" or "sign in" in hebrew.......


well....it's 6:45 and i'm off for breakfast...followed by a walk through the old city. enjoy your evenings there in the states!

perspective

4 hours of check-in/security/anticipation
10 hours of flight
7 hours of layover
5 hours of flight
1 hour of security/luggage check in

. . . .

i know people do this regularly....and willingly....

but i wonder how many of them actually look out the window...

flying over greece-ish at 3:00am, i watched what appeared to be a thunderstorm. no turbulence at all....so it must have been far away....but it was incredible. huge cumulonimbus clouds flashed and dimmed in front of those heavenly paparazzi (shout-out to my journalism friends). and i was suddenly aware of my own smallness. from this altitude, i could see entire cities at a time (because it was dark, and i could only see things that were lit). someone's 20 minute drive on the highway was less than the length of my thumb. (insert albert einstein's theory of relativity here)

how mind-blowing is it to worship a God who is "in the plane" and "on the ground" simultaneously? how awesome that He can embrace the details of the individual and the chaos of entire communities?!

wow.

so i'm officially in jerusalem now. more on my living situation to come in the near future.

p.s. the keyboard that i'm typing on has hebrew letters on the keys....

i get on a bus in 15 minutes.....

see you all when i get back.

final lecture

we finished our overview of the current conflict between palestine and israel with this 20 minute video.

please enjoy....

west bank story
part 1



part 2


part 3

"dancing"

it's true.

we're learning some basic hebrew by singing:

• Sh'-mah Yisrael (Hear, O Israel! deut 6:4)
• David Melekh Yisrael (David, king of Israel)
• Heyvenu shalom aleikhem (We bring you greetings of peace)

if i thought my pronunciation was bad yesterday.....today it was even worse
professor mullins encouraged the addition of the "hand jive" and some circular dance choreography to the already "familiar" lyrics.

step left. cross back right. step left. hop-kick right (to left). step right.
hop-kick left (to right). repeat.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.....1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.......

to make matters that much more entertaining, i was lucky enough to stand next to cliff (probably the tallest guy in class) while we danced. ... and then professor mullins told us to hold each other's shoulders in unity.

poor man.....he had to bend over to reach me.......

packing list

passport......passport....passport.......
plane ticket
phone card
money/means of getting money
modesty kit (still need to buy a shawl......what the crap is that!?)
scuba gear
text books (bleah!)
chacos

i'm set.

day 2? or maybe 3....

the long anticipated trip is coming at last.....

i'm headed to israel!

in november of last year, the study abroad office at apu offered a three week summer study abroad experience to students. knowing that this was the only way i (or my parents) would feel comfortable with a visit to the Holy Land, i figured......yeah......i'll do that.

so here it is at last......we fly out of lax at 9:15 on saturday........and we'll be in jerusalem late sunday afternoon.

disclaimer.......not particularly excited about the ridiculously long flight........but thrilled that i'm able to go regardless. i know there's much to learn and experience......and just too much to fully grasp or even remotely comprehend.

feel free to keep up with our journey. i can't promise consistency......but i will thoroughly enjoy public dialog......a taste from the other side of the "pond."

tyler

so.....i'm spending the next week studying quadratics with this junior high student.....

he's going to fail....
pretty inevitable....
i mean, this young man needs to ace his next exam (on wednesday) if he's going to make it to the next grade level.

but the problem isn't with his math concepts. he's a very bright student. his mental computations are incredibly fast and he recognizes patterns easily.

the problem is with his motivation. he refuses to perform for his current teachers. he won't see past tomorrow to see how passing now will affect his future.

it's an epidemic that seems to infect junior high.........how do we encourage those who refuse to be motivated?

entry 1

this is merely an uninteresting test of the fonts and colors as they appear....

pay it no mind, for my use only...