Home

I've been home for a week now and I can't explain how much I miss Israel.

Sorry I didn't update this much. I always had spotty internet and hardly any freetime. Thanks to everyone who followed this and prayed for our safety.

At the end of a passover sedar we always say: Next Year in Jerusalem... (Maybe that'll be true again?) Perhaps I can find a way to go back next summer. I wish traveling was cheaper.

Pictures

Hezekiah's Tunnel - We wandered through an 8th century passage underneath Jerusalem. The water went up to my thighs at certain points but thankfully I was tall enough to not get my shorts wet. This was definitely the highlight of yesterday.

Dang it, I don't have time to finish this post. Just quickly: Jerusalem is awesome. We are staying at a convent in the middle of the Old City and the view is incredible. Wish I could share this with all of you!

Jordan = Beautiful

We're in Jordan and I only have time to upload a few pictures and briefly gush over Petra and this beautiful desert. I never imagined the desert could be this scenic, but all the places we've visited, whether they be Crusader fortresses or Mt. Nebo, have been surrounded by gorgeous desert landscapes. (Unfortunately, my camera fails to capture its vastness.) Luckily, John William Burgon can.

Petra (1845)

It seems no work of Man's creative hand,
By labor wrought as wavering fancy planned;
But from the rock as if by magic grown,
Eternal, silent, beautiful, alone!
Not virgin-white like that old Doric shrine,
Where erst Athena held her rites divine;
Not saintly-grey, like many a minster fane,
That crowns the hill and consecrates the plain;
But rose-red as if the blush of dawn,
That first beheld them were not yet withdrawn;
The hues of youth upon a brow of woe,
Which Man deemed old two thousand years ago.
Match me such marvel save in Eastern clime,
A rose-red city half as old as time.

-Burgon

(Can't upload my pictures, the internet is too slow!)

House of Bread Day 2

Bethlehem in Hebrew literally translates to Bet - lechem or "house of bread" and in aramaic Bet - lechem = "house of flesh." What perfect foreshadowing of communion.

Today we went to Herodian, a scrumptious restaurant within a massive tent, Hebron, and a glass blowing shop. We also visited the wall that separates Bethlehem (the Palestinians) from Jerusalem (the Jewish population). Pictures soon.

The City of David

I would be lying if I said Bethlehem is beautiful. It's not. Bethlehem is a slum. I do not say this with disdain or disappointment, I say this because the area is in the West Bank and is Palestinian and therefore subjected to extreme poverty and oppression. We went to the Church of the Nativity today, which was too ornate for my aesthetic taste buds but I found it upsetting that such opulence is surrounded by a desperate people. (Not to say that the Catholic church hasn't done anything for the Palestinian people, they have, but the travel agencies advise tourists to avoid the Palestinians and spend no longer then an hour visiting Bethlehem.)

Immediately following that experience, we were led to a Palestinian refugee camp. The stair way of the youth center is covered by a mural that depicts the pathos and history of the conflict. I was struck by the vivid colors and the vibrant expressions both on the walls and on the faces of the children dancing on the third floor. We walked in on a rehearsal for their recital. All of this goes to show that language is not limited to words. Their movement, their faces, their environment said it all.

Unfortunately, it is late and I don't have the time to say more. I'll put up pictures of the camp later on and will definitely be willing to talk more about the conflict if people are interested.

Quickly, I went to a concert tonight put on by the London Choir. It was a bit long, but ear candy.

Off the Kibbutz

The two pictures: dig site C's sifters and me on top of Arbel.


Retractions: Two posts ago I wrote "Germans" instead of "Russians" in my Zefat story which probably made the following sentence impossible to understand. I also said "wish" instead of "which" and a myriad other errors. I'm sorry that this blog is often muddled and disconnected. I don't always have internet and my days are filled to the brim and I hardly have the energy to think let alone write.

Good news! I have internet at the hotel in Bethlehem. (Which, by the way is rather classy. I have a balcony and two pillows!)

Okay so here is what's on the agenda for this blog post:

Mt. Arbel
Saturday: Cana, Megiddo, Nazareth Bet Shairin (sp?)
Sunday: Korazim, Tagba, Mt. of Beatitudes, Greek Orthodox Church, Capernahum, Ceaserea Maritima, Haifa
Today: Bet She'an, Jericho, Dead Sea, Massadah, Bethlehem


Wow, just making the outline made me sleepy. I'll do highlights.

Arbel is a huge mountain two miles outside of the Kibbutz. We walked there in the heat of the day and then immediately started the steep trek up. (An ex-Army Ranger was leading the hike.) Needless to say, I was exhausted 1/4 of the way up and wanted to give up. Jordan and Amber wouldn't let me stop so we kept going. 3/4 of the way up I wanted to give up again. But Hallie wouldn't let me, so we kept going. We finally made it up and I nearly burst into tears. I wandered off by myself and sang a few hymns and thanked God for exposing my humanity. It was an incredible day.

For church on Sunday we went to Tagba, which is this beautiful Roman Catholic community where Jesus is said to have fed the multitudes. The service was outside and entirely in German. I sat next to a very small nun and she shared her hymnal that I could not read. Even though I couldn't comprehend the language, I felt the spirit. Often I would space off, in private worship, praising God for each view and experience I've had here in Israel. A few dogs were running around, though none barked or made a commotion. After the service a German woman named Regina declared that I was beautiful and wondered if Dr. Appold was my Dad. Furthermore, she graciously accepted by broken German and seemed pleased that I was trying! This was my second encounter with German pilgrims. I met a whole bunch Wednesday on the Galilee, when Amber and I witnessed the baptisms of five people in the group. (They brought musical instruments into the water!) It was there we met Oliver, a German car auctioneer who hates beer. Oliver also thought Dr. Appold was my Dad.

Today the highlight was by far the Dead Sea. We covered ourselves in mud and wrote "Israel" across our chests like football fans. It was awesome to see Dr. Appold with a big muddy A! (I called him Hester Prynne.) I couldn't handle the actual water for longer than ten minutes. All the salt makes one float, but it also stings in every cut and scratch and let me tell you, I have dozens after all the hiking and walking.

Now I am in Bethlehem and enjoying the close proximity of internet. I'll update soon! Hope all is well in the States.

Day 11 (Pictures as Promised!)

Here are a bunch of pictures... mostly of me. (Sorry to be vain!) I can't stay long enough to put them all up. But sometime soon I'll add more. These pictures are from this weekend and they're Gamla, Acco, Templar tunnel, Artist we met in Zefat, and Becky (new friend from WV at the Israeli pub.)

I found a coin today! It's Hasmonian. (sp?) Everyone was excited and took my picture and I had to do a coin dance. It was awesome. To top off the perfect day, we rafted the Jordan River. (Such a blast!) Now I'm off to the Sea for some sun and maybe wind surfing.

All is well!