JUC 09'

The End...

2009-05-14T23:23:00.000-07:00

Well this is it, we leave today in about 3 hours for the airport.

I can't believe that the time has come and gone and now its time for our last adventure in Germany. This past week has been a nice week of finishing up some stuff in Jerusalem and having some time to reflect back on what we learned and how that will affect us going home. JUC has been an amazing experience for all of us filled with traveling, learning, and having fun. We all look forward to sharing our experiences with you guys when we get back.

Thanks for keeping up with the blog updates it has been a great way to communicate with everyone.

See everyone in 5 days!

Teaching in the West Bank

2009-05-14T13:05:00.000-07:00

For about 10 straight weeks, Krystal and I (Mark) had the opportunity to travel to the West Bank and help teach a few classes and after-school activities. It was a great experience for us in many different aspects. The school is called ‘Jerusalem school Bethlehem’ and it’s the only English school in the west bank. We taught/helped with 7th and 8th grade Bible classes and 10th grade Bible. With the 10th graders we split up and she took a group of girls and I took the guys. There was some curriculum for Krystal to teach the girls with, but I was given the task of teaching sex-ed to the 10th grade boys. I didn’t think I was qualified for the job, but I think after all the giggles it may have been impacting in some way. Both Krystal and I were able to develop close relationships with many of the students and even took them out to eat a few times after school in Bethlehem. When we volunteered, the principle told us that the students were 80% Christian and 20% Muslim. It was very interesting to talk to the students about their faith as many of them have lived in the states and now live in the west-bank. Almost all of the Christians at the school were Eastern orthodox or catholic, so it was difficult but also very necessary to talk about a personal relationship with Jesus. It was an experience that both me and Krystal will never forget, and it will forever shape the way we look at the Palestinian-Israeli conflict from home.
Many of the kids felt trapped by the wall because they were unable to enter Israel and it’s difficult to get to Jordan. They often voiced their opinions of the wall even though we weren’t supposed to foster any conversation about the conflict. I was really special to travel on Arab buses from Jerusalem through the wall and then have to get out with all the Arab’s at the check-points and show your passport. It certainly gave us a different perspective than watching the news or even staying in Jerusalem. I certainly don’t have any more insights on the situation than Israel has had for years, but I certainly feel for the Palestinians stuck behind the 8 meter cement wall for their whole lives. In many aspects, it was a learning experience that we will never forget!

2 more days

2009-05-13T11:17:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we got back from taking a relaxing couple of days next to the Mediterranean. It was a great time to look back on what we have learned and prepare for heading home.

Tonight Mark, Krystal, and I had the opportunity to go over to one of the master's students houses to have dinner with him and his family. They are a great couple with 4 kids who are doing work over here while studying. It was awesome to get a flavor for what some people's lives are like here who come from the U.S. to work. Tomorrow we will pack everything up and get ready to head out Friday. Crazy that its already time to go home. Here's a list of the places that we have gone this semester!

Israel: Tel Aviv, Jaffa, Herodian, Bethlehem, Gezer, Jericho, Nebi Sanwill, Nahariyya, Shecham, Mt. Gerazin, Mt. Ebal, Wadi Faria, Sataf, Beth Shemesh, Azekah, and Lachish, Beth Sheva, Arad, Wadi Zin, Makhtesh Ramon, Masada, Dead Sea, En Gedi, Qumran, Ashkelon, Cyprus, Hyrcanus, St. George Monastery, Jerusalem Forest, Caesarea, Mt. Carmel, Megiddo, Nazareth Ridge, Hazor, Tel Dan, Caesarea Philippi, Sea of Galilee, Kursi, Quatsrin, Capernaum, Tageha, Mt. Arbel, Sepphoris, Tel Jezreel, Bet Alpha, Bet Shean, Haifa, Kirat Carmel, Mediterranean Sea, Neot Kedumim, Eilat, Nahal Amud, Samaritan Sacrifice, Tabga, Hippus, Beth Saida, Beram, Kedesh, Gamla, Jotapata, Cana, Meresha, Bet Guvrim, Jewish caves, Roman road, Goliath’s tomb, Tiberius, Church of Nativity, and Dor

Jerusalem: Tomb of David, Holy Sepulcher, Upper room, Essene Gate, Garden Tomb, Domition Abby, Mount of Olives, Potter’s Field, House of Ciaphus, Broad Wall, David’s City, Hezekiah’s tunnel, Pool of Siloam, Southern Steps, Pool of Bethesda, Absolam’s Pillar, Western Wall, Temple mount, Citadel of David Museum, Israel Museum, Bible Lands Museum, Synogague, Shook, Sifting Project, Garden of Gethsemane, Via Delarosa, Roman Cardo, Kidron Valley, and Valley of Gihena

Jordan: Succoth, Pella, Gedera, Ramoth Gilead, Aman, Rabach, Jerash, Jabbok, Tyre, Petra, Wadi Dana, Bozrah, Karak, Dibon, and Mt. Nebo

Man we have really gotten around!!!

A week away

2009-05-08T07:11:00.000-07:00

Its sort of a somber day today at JUC. Everyone has finished there finals and are now packing for the trip home. Most of the people are leaving early tomorrow for a 6 day cultural backgrounds field study. It's sad seeing everyone getting ready to leave. Mark, Krystal, and I were hoping to travel the the Sinai in Egypt but due to some terrorist threats at specific locations that we were supposed to be going to we decided it would be wiser not go. So we have exactly one week left here in Jerusalem. It should be a good time to relax, hang out, and reflect on what we have learned these past few months. Though it is still a privileged to be living in Israel all of us are getting a little edgy to travel to Germany and then home but I am sure like everything else on this trip this week will fly by and we will be flying on our way to Germany in no time!

Bed Bugs!

2009-05-06T04:57:00.000-07:00

Ever since I have arrived in Israel I have awoken with bites about the size of a mosquito bite on different parts of my body. My first thought was maybe they are bed bugs but then Krystal got bed bugs and they were a lot smaller bites clustered together so I figured that it must just be mosquito bites or spider bites. Then two nights ago when I was jumping into to bed mark asked what was on my back and after looking in the mirror I saw that I had a cluster of them but instead of being small they were big bites. I was pretty convinced at that point that they were bed bugs so the next day I looked up some stuff online and what do you know they are!

I have currently counted 29 bites on my body and each day I seem to get a couple more. I switched my mattress and washed my sheets and changed my blankets so hopefully they are gone. It would have been a nice thing to know at the beginning of the year when they started but now with only a few days left at JUC hopefully they will be gone for good! There have been about 5 people who have gotten bed bugs here at JUC and Krystal and I are among the few. I now have a new meaning to the saying "Don't let the bed bugs bite".

Come and Gone

2009-05-04T01:39:00.000-07:00

This morning I dropped Josh off at the airport and headed back to JUC alone. I can't believe how fast the time went while Josh was here. It was sad saying goodbye yet again at the airport but I shall see the fam soon enough. Josh and I had an amazing time here in Israel! Josh came at the perfect time right when classes finished and finals had not yet started. He was able to go with me on a couple field studies for my classes as well as just the two of us heading out on our own all around Israel for 5 days.

Masada

The last three days we rented a car and headed up to the Galilee, to the coast, and back towards Jerusalem. Josh did great driving while only getting honked at 9 times the entire 3 days. We had an interesting experience in Tiberius where we staying in a hostel with 2 random french guys in a four person room. It was a very sketching experience and we shook on it never to go back to Tiberius again! The second night we stayed on the beach right next to Cesarea. It was great to take a day off, hang at the beach, have a bonfire, and sleep next to the Mediterranean Sea.

Our rental car!

Sunset on the beach

On top of Mt. Arbel

Josh on the ancient toilets

It was awesome having Josh here for the past 10 days. I am very grateful that he had the chance to break from work and home and could come visit me. It was great giving him a tour around Israel and sharing with him the wonderful experience that I am having! Big thanks to Jen for allowing him to come and shouldering the boys while he was gone! Your awesome Jen!!!

School is winding down and we are finding ourselves in finals week! We only have three more days of class here in Israel and then we are done! People are beginning to pack and getting ready to leave. We are finding ourselves still busy studying for tests and fitting time hanging out with everyone before we have to say goodbye. Before we know it we will be on the plane heading to Germany! Hard to believe that is only 11 days away!

Whats better than hanging with the bro in Israel!!!

2009-04-28T13:01:00.000-07:00

The last five days have been a world wind of excitement. Josh arrived on Thursday after being detained for 2 hours in Geneva due to suspicious of being a terrorist he arrived in Israel! Here has been our schedule thus far:

4/23/09: Picked up Josh, walked around the old city
4/24/09: Herodian, Bethlehem (church of nativity), city of David, Broad wall, Cardo, Church of the Holy Sepulcher (burial and resurrection of Jesus), David’s tomb, and the upper room, Shabbat
4/25/09: (Galilee) Hippus, Beth Saida, Beram, Kedesh
4/26/09: (Galilee) Gamla, Jotapata, Cana,
4/27/09: Israel Museum (dead sea scrolls) , southern steps, pool of Bethesda, shopping, Garden of Gethsemane, Mount of Olives
4/28/09: Hezekiah’s tunnel, city of David movie, Western wall, Garden Tomb, Shopping, Ben Ya Hudah street (new city),

There is so much to do in Jerusalem alone and you could easily spend a week here just seeing the stuff around the city, we have packed most of it into about three days! It has been amazing having Josh here and huge blessing to share with him what I have been learning!

Today I had my last class and I am totally done except for two finals next week! Crazy! The classes have been amazing and it hasn't really felt like I have been going to school because they have been so interesting. Things are starting to unwind here at JUC and before I know it we will be heading home.

Tomorrow Josh, Mark, and I are heading to Masada, The Dead Sea, En Gedi, Sodom and Gamora, and Qumran! It will be another full day but it will be awesome to share with Josh! What an opportunity of a lifetime to have him here! I have now been in this awesome land with both brothers! Awesome!

Jordan Field Study

2009-04-21T10:37:00.000-07:00

Wow what an amazing experience it was to travel to Jordan for four days! We just arrived back two days ago and our time in Jordan flew bye. I didn't really know what to expect when we went to Jordan because I really had no idea that it was related to the Biblical in such a deep way.

During our stay in Jordan we went from up north to down south. We covered an amazing amount of land in only four days. The first day we got caught in the rain but here at JUC that doesn't mean anything at all and we found ourselves standing out in the rain listening to Dr. Wright teach. We were able to travel all around Gilead, Edom, Moab, and the Mediba plateau hitting all the capital cities of the regions. All the places were awesome but here are a couple of my favorites:

Jerash, We went here on the 2nd day and it was an amazing spot! I never knew just how deep the impact that Rome had on the cities over in Jordan. This site was complete with a theater, hypodrome, temple to Zeus, huge cardo, much more and my favorite the artemis temple. It made me feel like i was in Turkey again. I liked the Artemis temple so much because in Ephesus there once existed one but all that is left standing there is one pillar, at Jerash there were amazing remains that gave me a great Idea of what would have stood there.

Another place we went was the Jabbok Wadi. Jordan has 4 main wadis that flow into the rift valley and this is one of them While at this spot we read the story of Jacob wrestling with God. It was awesome to look at the story and then look up and see the exact spot that it happened. We talked about how God molds and changes people as he did with Jacob and as he is doing with us. It was awesome

The sweetest place that we went was Petra! It was an amazing site that shocked all of us! I did not know people made such structures 2000 years ago. When I thought of Petra before I thought that all it had was the famous treasury which is displayed in Indiana Jones but once being there I saw that there was a theater and hundreds of amazing tombs carved right into the solid rock. Here we talked about the Nabateans and there relationship to the Bible and how possibly the wise men came from this location.

Our last spot we visited was Mt. Nebo. We were blessed with the exact view that Moses had as he was looking into the promise land right before he died on this mountain. Dr. Wright applied this view to our lives and gave us a fitting lesson for our last stop on physical settings. He talked about how the future was hazy for Israel as they were entering the land and how also for us our future is hazy. It is in fact over beyond the river but we don't know it yet. It was great lesson to end on and a challenge to all of us!

I can't believe how fast this semester is going. we only have a week and a half before finals and yet there is so much to do. Josh arrives in two days and I am overwhelmingly excited for him to visit and to share with him some of the things that I have been learning during my stay here in Israel!

Passover Triclinium

2009-04-11T09:13:00.000-07:00

Last night we had an awesome Passover Triclinium dinner. The cultural backgrounds class took apart our dinning room and set it up as a traditional banquet would have been in the first century. We came in and had our feet washed,were served authentic food and while we ate we reclined on our left elbow. Everyone dressed up and it was one of the coolest things that we have done while at JUC.Chris Mark and I were a little lacking in the authentic outfits so we made do with some blankets and came as Romans. After we ate Dr. Wright talked for about an hour about Jesus coming into Jerusalem and what his meal with his disciples would have looked like. We talked about where people would have sat and why Jesus did some of the things he did. It reminded me a lot of the Passover Seders that we have done with Ferret over the years.

For all three of us these last couple days have been some of the best here at JUC. Passover week has been awesome and tomorrow should be a day of new experiences as well. For Easter Sunday we are going to the church of the holy sepulcher at 7:70, then a huge priestly blessing that happens at the western wall at 8:30, then finally at 9:30 a service at the Garden Tomb. Then later that day we are having the JUC BBQ, it should be a day to remember! What a privileged to be in the land during this time!

The Samaritan Sacrifice

2009-04-10T05:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday a pretty good group of us joined with about 50 other people and had the chance to go to the Samaritan's sacrifice. Years ago there numbers had dropped down to 150 and today there are only 750 Samaritans remaining. The Samaritans have a religion of their own, they follow only the five books of the Torah and hold some interesting views. On the day of the sacrifice every family must slaughter a sheep, skin it, burn it and then eat it. It was quite an experience to witness hundreds of men dressed in white cut the throat of sheep and follows the laws set down by Moses. I can only imagine how this would have looked at the temple when hundreds of thousands of people were offering sacrifices.

As the Passover week continues we have had many of awesome experiences. Late last night seven of us went to the Garden of Gethsemane and hung out in the Garden for awhile and read the four gospel accounts. It was awesome to be so close to the place where Jesus would have been arrested and betrayed by Judas. This morning a couple of us followed the path of the Via Dellarosa, which traditionally follows the path that Jesus would have followed. We ended at the church of the Holy Sepulcher. It was awesome to go up to the most probably spot where Jesus would have been crucified this same day so many years ago.

Jerusalem is a bustling city during this week. Tonight we have a Passover seider put on by the cultural backgrounds class to give us a closer look at what the last supper would have looked like. Sunday we have a couple more event going on around here with some services at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and a barbecue for our entire campus. It has been a good time of relaxing and getting to experience some new things. In the next two weeks I only have 1 day of class surrounded by travels to a couple new places! Its a hard life here in Israel!

A Weekend in Eilat!

2009-04-06T04:52:00.000-07:00

This weekend 12 of us had to chance to go to the southern tip of Israel to a place called Eilat. Eilat is a popular beach attraction for many Israelis. It is a very westernized city that is popular for tourism. We stayed there for two nights and had the opportunity to snorkel in the crystal clear waters of the Red Sea, play volleyball on the beach with some locals, and take an awesome boat ride giving us a lay of the land. Snorkeling was by far the coolest activity of the trip. I had snorkeled in Lakes but to actually be in crystal clear water, swimming above coral, and be surrounded by fish of all colors was amazing!

It was an awesome weekend to get away from the school work and relax out on the beach for a couple days.

This week is Passover and it is pretty exciting to be here during this time. Yesterday a group of us participated in the yearly walk from the Mt. olives to the Old City. There were thousands of people carrying palm branches and singing, it was pretty sweet!

26 Days And Counting!

2009-03-28T03:06:00.000-07:00

With only 26 days left until Josh gets here time is flying by! We now have been here for almost two months and find ourselves with only a month to go. Time has gone by very fast and we have been kept super busy with school and field studies.

Last weekend we had our four day field study in Galilee. It was an awesome time to head back and revisit some old sites and also go and explore some new ones. A lot of what we have been learning has been dealing with the old testament but on this trip we had a chance to focus on a little more of the New Testament. We covered a lot of ground all the way from Caesarea on the coast up to Mt. Hermon and next to the border of Syria. We learned a lot about Jesus and his ministry and the districts in which he worked and had his ministry.

After getting home Tuesday night from the field study in Galilee the next morning Mark, Chris, and I headed out to go backpacking on Mt. Carmel. We arrived in Haifa a little late and as a result climbed Mt. Carmel as the sun was setting and somewhat in the Dark. We made camp that night and were awakened by a great view of the Mt. Carmel range. That day was filled with hiking around the hills and trudging through deep thickets to get out towards the coast. We eventually got out and then made our way towards the beach to spend the night on the sands of the Mediterranean. We witnessed an awesome sunset, had a bonfire, and then climbed into bed. The stay on the beach was little sketchy. I looked it up online and found that it was a good place to stay but still we were a little nervous.

That night we had to wait awhile to set up camp because a man was hanging around where we were going to sleep and it made us a little nervous. The man finally went away so we decided to stay. That night we were woken up at 2:30 am by some lights from another tent which was down the beach from us. We all settled back in and I heard someone walk right next to our tent. We looked out to make sure we were safe and we discovered a man dressed in black peeking into the other tent. He ran away once but then circled around our tent and went back. It was a little creepy because he would look inside the windows of the tent and sit and watch the people inside. About 10 minutes later he made a sound and the people heard him, he ran away, so Chris and I went down and talked to the other people in the tent to make sure they knew about the creeper. Needless to say the man never came back and we headed back to bed. It was an awesome trip, not only were we backpacking which I love, but we were doing it in Israel, on Mt. Carmel where Elijah was! Pretty sweet!

The remaining weeks are packed with events every week. We are hopefully planning another backpacking trip, then traveling to Jordan, followed by passover, then Josh comes, Then finals, finally our trip to Egypt, and then lastly Germany and home! The next two months will be exciting, filled with learning and I am sure will fly by!

Walking Where Jesus Walked!

2009-03-18T11:49:00.000-07:00

This morning Mark, and I along with 3 other guys got up early and headed to the temple mount. In Jerusalem there are two main areas of the temple: the wailing wall and the temple mount. The temple mount was where the temple used to stand and is only open from 7:30 - 8:30 am and 12:30 - 1:30 so we had to get there early to beat all the groups.

It was amazing! To actually be on the spot where the temple used to stand and Jesus used to preach was an incredible feeling. After walking through security and once we walked through the long corridor leading up to the gate we were opened to a very large open area where the court of the gentiles and the colonnaded walkway used to be. We walked all around and up to the dome of the rock and even though it is Muslim it is quite extraordinary.

Up until a couple years ago no one besides Muslims were allowed up on the temple mount but they recently opened it back up. Today people are allowed up there but only Muslims are allowed in the dome of the rock.

As I was walking around the dome of the rock I really wanted to see inside but all the doors were closed, so i went up and would try to peak through the cracks and get a look, I could only see a little though. After walking all the way around I saw two open doors where Muslims could enter in and I started walking towards to get a better look inside but a man standing there yelled at me and told me to go! Figuring I probably should do what he says because I didn't really know what was going on I walked away and about 10 minutes later as we were about to leave the other 3 guys were watching this guy and they saw him walk away. They quickly walked over towards the two doors and one of our guys ducked a step into the doorway and got a look inside. The man quickly came back and yelled at him but it was worth it! As we were leaving he explained to us what he had seen inside and gave us a description into something most people never get to see.

The experience was awesome! To actually have walked up on the temple mount is something that most people can't say they have done. It now becomes one of the things on the list to do when Josh comes in April!!!

Tonight I was able to Skype with Amy and I got the privileged to see Drew and Matthew. I miss hanging out with the boys and am loving how they are looking so much bigger! I was also very happy to see pictures of Josh and Jen's new baby, Asher! Who looks identical to Jay when he was a baby. Seeing the family and the nephews is a good taste of home and makes me excited to head back in May, but also encourages me to make the most of this opportunity!

A busy week!

2009-03-17T07:38:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was filled with field studies and Homework.
On Friday Mark, Chris, and I had to the chance to go to the Israel Museum and the Bible lands museum and get a glimpse of a very cool model of Jerusalem during the time of Christ as well as see some of the Dead Sea Scrolls. It was awesome to get a better lay of the city which Jesus would have actually walked through!

Here is the model of Jerusalem in the time of Christ

On Saturday our 2nd Temple Class went on a field study to two of Herod's fortresses in the desert. One was called Hyrcanus and is a huge mountain out in the desert. After that we headed to another fortress called Cyprus which is directly above Jericho, the air was clear and gave us an amazing view of the city and off into the hills of Moab. Because we had some extra time Dr. Write took us to a monastery called St. George Monastery. It was a sweet place built write into the cliff. It commemorates where Elijah was fed by Ravens and was cool to see even though it probably didn't happen here.

Standing of top of Hyrcanus, one of Herod's many palaces

Dr. Wright teaching us on top Cyprus another of Herod's fortresses right next to Jericho

On Sunday all of us spent our time writing several papers that were due for our midterms this coming week. This coming week we have three field studies. One today where we traveled to a synagogue and learned all about how a service works, one on Friday night where we will get to have shabbat dinner at a synagogue and then Saturday through Tuesday we have a four day field study in the Galilee. It should be a pretty sweet week!

Here are some pictures from the Negev field study

Me in front of the En Gedi falls

Our group walking through the Wadi Zin

Our group layering ourselves with mud from the Dead Sea!

Looking up from the bottom tier of Masadda

An Exciting week!

2009-03-11T12:03:00.000-07:00

This past week has been filled with a lot of exciting stuff.

To start off march 6-7 Chris and I headed off into the Jerusalem Forest for a 20 mile hike to Bet Shemesh and back. We got there late because we missed the first train but nonetheless we were able to hike for 4 hours that night in the dark because the moon was so bright! It was one of the coolest things I have ever done! We hiked up a mountain top and tied up our hammocks made a fire and went to sleep. The next morning we were up to see an amazing sunrise and then finished the hike by 12 in the afternoon. It was an amazing backpacking trip. Who can say they have hiked through the Sorek Wadi half the width of Israel into Jerusalem! It actually got a little scary at times like when a wild boar ran out in front of us and scared us half to death but it was awesome!

The Next day we headed out for a three day field study in the Negev. It was an amazing couple of days of learning and exploring. Here are a list of some of the places that we went: Bet Shemesh, Azekah, Lachish, Ashkelon, Ber Sheva, Arad, Wadi Zin, Masada, En Gedi, Dead Sea, and Qumran.

I had been to several of these places before but it was awesome to learn the geography of them as well as visit some new places. We got to swim or really just float in the Dead Sea and cliff jump at En Gedi. It was great to go and explore many of these places in a deeper way and prepare for when Josh comes to give him the tour of Israel! I can't wait!

I continue to be amazed by how much information there is to learn about this land and about the Bible. The more information I learn to more I understand that it goes deeper and deeper beyond what I imagined before. I have grown a deeper desire to tell people what I have learned so that they can grow in their knowledge of the Bible and deepen their relationship with our Savior. What a blessing to be here!

This coming weekend we only have a field study on Saturday so we have a couple days off to take it easy and get things done. I look forward to hanging out in Jerusalem, heading to work at a sifting project by the temple mount, and having a Shabbat Shalom!

I could only put up a couple pictures right now because of the internet Ill try and remember to post some more when we have a better connection.

Weekend in Review

2009-03-02T12:35:00.001-08:00

After getting back from our camping trip we awoke to the power being out. Because of this and it being Shabbat we took the day pretty easy taking naps and watching movies on our laptops.

Sunday we had our Samaria field study. For this field study we had to chance to go see Shechem, Shiloh, Mt Gerazin, and the Samaritan village. Even with it raining the whole day it was an awesome day of learning. None of us had ever traveled to these places when we were here before so it was a great experience. We also had to privilege to go to the settlement on top of Mount Gerazin where the Samaritans still live to this day. We got to meet real Samaritans and we even got to talk to a priest about their beliefs. We also got invited back to go see their passover service where they actually sacrifice a lamb for each family!

I had a great birthday traveling around Israel. There was another girl here who had the same birthday so we even go made some deserts for everyone while we were on the field study. That night some of us went out for ice cream and also celebrated Chris's birthday and Krystal's!

Today another week of classes has started and this coming week Mark, Chris, and I are taking another camping trip to the Jerusalem forest by the recommendation of Dr. Wright and then on Saturday we head out for a three day field study in the Negev where we are suppose to get some weather around the 80s!

Camping in Nahariyya

2009-03-02T12:05:00.001-08:00

This weekend we had the opportunity to go camping with several people from our college.

Before we left we checked the weather and we found out that there was a forecast for rain for the whole weekend, but since this was one of our only free three day periods we decided to go anyways.

We planned out trip to be one with a couple people but it soon grew to a pretty good sized group. We traveled to the northern most city in Israel on the coast called Nahariyya. It is a popular vacation spot for the summer months and even though it is still winter here we thought we would head down to the coast maybe catch some good weather and camp out on the beach within the property of a hostile we found online.

We left on Thursday at about 3:00 and we already delayed by the many trains and buses that we had to take to get us to our destination. By the time we reached Nahariyya we were already couple hours behind our planned arrival time but nonetheless the town was bustling and it was a lot of fun to walk around the small city and also along the beach.

At about 9 pm we figured we should start heading to our camping spot and set up our tents, which JUC thankfully provided for us, in case it started raining. We decided that we would walk along the beach and try to find a place to camp. After about 15 minutes we decided that the places we were wouldn't be too safe to stay since they were very close to the city so we decided to try and find the hostile. This was easier said than done. We had to walk up the coast three miles and find it in the dark. To make a long story short after walking two and a half hours we finally through talking to several people found the campground but unfortunately it was closed so we headed back to the beach. We found a safe spot within about 20 meters of the Mediterranean and set up the tents. We dug troughs around our tents to help hold the rain out and went to bed.

At about 6 am we were awaken to the crack of thunder and the flash of lightning. This went on for awhile and was a little bit scary since we were so close to the beach and the storm was right on top of us. It stopped after about half and hour but unfortunately I got soaked from rain getting into the tent. we went back to sleep and at about 9 am the real storm started. The wind picked up almost instantaneously. Our tent started to be blown in and I had to stand and hold it back and one time it even threw me to the ground. We quickly took down our tents and walked in the pouring rain about half a mile to a apartment building where we decided to take a bus and head back into town to get a hotel. By this time everything we had was completely soaked!

Once we got back into town we decided that we would head back to Jerusalem because we were completely soaked and Shabbat was approaching and there was nothing to do within a rainy town of Nahariyya when everything shuts down. Thankfully even though the buses had already shut down we were able to get Sheruts back to Jerusalem and even made it back for Shabbat dinner

Overall the trip was a blast and totally worth it! As I told Mark as we were walking in the pouring rain, "This really stinks now but once it is over this will make for a great story!" It was amazing to camp right next to the Mediterranean on the beach. We learned that when they say it is going to rain in Israel it is going to RAIN! You can expect thunder and lightning and cold weather to come with it. I wish I had time tell the full story of all that we did and experienced on the trip but it would take too long now so Ill have to tell you when I get home!

Once again our internet is super slow so i will put up some pictures when it gets a little faster.

Benjamin Field Study

2009-02-24T00:29:00.000-08:00

On Sunday we had the opportunity to go on a field study to the land of Benjamin. Benjamin is the strip of land that comes straight off Jericho and separates the old divided kingdoms of Judah and Israel. It is a very important land because whoever owns it gets the passage into Jerusalem. We studied the geography and learned what makes this land so special and why it was fought over so much. In all the stories of the Bible when location is given over 60% of them are in the land of Benjamin.

We started out the day in the wilderness on the Jericho road above the wadi Qilt. We learned many of images of Psalms that have to do with the wilderness. We then headed down to Jericho. There are two locations for Jericho. O.T. Jericho and N.T. Jericho. We went to N.T. Jericho first and looked at another of Herod's palaces and learned why this land was so important to Rome. After that we headed to O.T. Jericho where Joshua conquered the city and went into the promised land. We learned why it was such an important city to conquer and why Joshua did what he did.

After that we headed into the Shephelah and went to Gezer. It was a lot different being there in the winter months, everything was green! We learned about how Gezer was a hinge between Egypt and Israel and why it too was very important for holding the land.

Overall it was an awesome day. We got to learn a lot about the land and see a real oasis down in Jericho. One thing i miss is the application to our faith from what we are learning. The geography is all related the the bible and some passages we unfold to find their meaning, but many times we only talk about the land and the application isn't mentioned. One of the biggest lessons that we learned when here with Ferret was about the standing stones at Gezer and how our lives should be standing stones to other people, but we didn't talk about it at all this time. All three of us feel that the geography is a very important part of learning what the Bible says but also what is equally and even more important is how that applies to us. All that we learned from our own studies, in my brother's class, and from Ferret is a huge part that many people are missing out on. We feel fortune to have already learned the application information so that now we can now connect it all with the geography.

Eye #2

2009-02-21T01:57:00.000-08:00

Somehow whenever I play sports I seem to get hurt. Many times it is because i play with passion and do the best I can and therefore I end up getting hurt; but recently I have found myself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Back in December while playing hockey at NWC I got hit in the right eye with a hockey stick and had to go get stitches. It was one of those times where I wasn't being reckless as my dad likes to call it, it just kind of happened. I felt i had been doing pretty good about being in Israel for three weeks and not getting hurt at all, that was until today.

Every Friday night we have our Shabbat dinner, but what starts before that is ultimate frisbee. I absolutely love ultimate frisbee and wouldn't pass up on a chance to play. Today it was pretty windy so the frisbee had many sudden changes as a person was ready to catch it. Unfortunately I caught one of those sudden movements in my left eye. It wasn't a super bad cut but it left a pretty good mark and it gave me a pretty good black eye. It didn't look to bad right after it happened, but after a couple hours it puffed up pretty good.

I just want to clear the record for my father that this was not one of those reckless activities that I many times do, but it was just wrong place at the wrong time (mad-dog).

Pictures!

2009-02-18T09:28:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from the field study!

Mark and I in front of Jerusalem
Mark washing Krystal's feet in the Herodian.
Mark and I up on a pillar in the Herodian.
The new theater they just found at the Herodian.
Looking in a hole in the road, we tend to do this a lot!
The NWC group!

Jerusalem Approaches Field Study!

2009-02-17T01:51:00.001-08:00

Two days ago had the opportunity to go on our third field study in Jerusalem and the surrounding area. For this field study we had the privilege to travel up high and get many good views of Jerusalem in order to understand the geography better, travel to Bethlehem to the church of the Nativity, and also to the Herodian.

The Herodian has grown to be one of my favorite locations in Israel. The Herodian was one of about a dozen of Herod the Great's palaces which are dotted all over Israel. He actually cut off the top of another hill and put it on this hill in order to get up high. It was awesome to learn a little more about Herod while finding out the lay of the land why he put his palace here. Many exciting things have happened at the Herodian in the past couple years. Just a few years ago the tomb of Herod was actually found on the side of the hill right next to the entrance. It was something that Josephus the Jewish historian had claimed existed there but the Archeologists had been unable to find. They recently located it and all that is left is the base but none the less it was cool to see.

A very exciting discover has also been made in the last month: the discovery of a theater on the hill as well. It is almost right next to the tomb of Herod and it was a small theater seating only 1000 people at most but still it changes a lot of what we thought of the Herodian, and we know now that it was used for entertainment purposes for his guest. Very cool!

Also while we were there mark had a chance to show his servant heart towards Krystal on Valentines day by washing her feet!

As I sit now in the library looking out the window at the rain coming down on the city; I am excited to be in a land that is overflowing with so much history and background and I can't wait to see what the coming months will bring!

I was going to put pictures of it up but they will have to wait due to the slow internet.

Studying in Israel

2009-02-16T12:45:00.000-08:00

Mark's First Post...
When I was first searching out JUC on the web almost a year ago I came across a consistent phrase which seemed to catch my eye: “Location is everything.” Well, after being here close to three weeks I feel as though I can give a first-hand account of what it feels like to study in this land. Let’s just say that there’s nothing quite like it. Not many people can take a class on Judaism taught by a Jewish Rabbi with the most Holy Jewish site “the western wall” about 10 minutes from campus. Few people have learned about the history of the church in the east within a mile of the place where Jesus taught on the Mt. of Olives, tipped over tables in the Temple, and died on the cross for our sins. And finally, learning about Islam in a place where Mosques occupy half the city and the Muslim’s call to prayer can be heard 5 times a day makes the topic a bit more relevant. Remembering that all I have explained is within 10 minutes of campus should give you the perspective that Israel is a land where learning can never end and truly, location is everything.

2 weeks down...3 moths to go!

2009-02-13T13:19:00.000-08:00

Its hard to believe that we have already been in Israel for two weeks! It feels like its been forever and I am excited that we still have another 3 months! I am constantly blessed with learning and trying to apply new things that God has revealed to me! It has been an awesome two weeks of exploring, hanging out, and going to classes.

[Even in Israel, Mark and I can find places to hang out hammocks!]

[Exploring right next to the potter's field where Judas hung himself.]

A couple nights ago, we had our first touch of the rainy season since we got here. It was about 40 degrees and we had a pretty big rainstorm. It was pretty sweet to see how the climate changes so quickly and to understand the differing of the seasons. When most people think of Israel they always think of a hot country with no water. But really this land has the same amount of rain that London gets but packed into 6 months! It was really cool to see everything perk up in green just from one rainfall!

Tonight was the weekly Shabbat, and I must say it is something that we all should have in America. For the Jews Shabbat begins at sundown on Friday and goes till sundown on Saturday. Some Jews are very particular about following Shabbat and not doing any work. Here at JUC we have a weekly ultimate Frisbee game at 4 pm and then at 6 pm a special dinner followed by a worship service called Vespers. It is a great time to hang out and thank the Lord for the many blessings he has given us, and also take some time to get away from the books and have some fun.

Tomorrow we head out for a 12 hour field study around Jerusalem and the surrounding area. We will be traveling to Bethlehem, the Herodium, and several other places.

A day of Study in Biblical Jerusalem

2009-02-08T09:46:00.000-08:00

Today was an amazing but tiring day of study at some of the Biblical sites in Jerusalem. we started at 7 am and we didn't get done till 6 pm, none the less it was an awesome day of study!

We started off heading to what is know as the Broad wall which was put up by Hezekiah and runs through the Jewish part of the old city. Next we went over to the city of David where we spent a couple hours talking about the layout of Jerusalem and why David had the location of the city where he did. It was an eye opening time where we learned just how secure his old city was and then also what he ment when he wrote in his Psalms about looking up to the hills and such.

It was very cool because while we were there we got to look at some of the most recent archeological advances in Jerusalem. In the past 4 years there have been amazing amounts of progress made on the northern part of the city of David. They were said to have possibly found David's palace all the way down on the bedrock of the mountain and also they have found Jebusite walls that would have been there during David's time to help hold up the walls.

After that we headed down to Hezekiah's tunnel and we didn't go in but we talked a lot about it and about the progress of the water being tunneled throughout the last 4,000 years. very cool! After that we took a quick lunch break and then headed out to New Testament remains. We headed down by the Tyropean Road, Robinson's arch, the temple wall, mikvahs, and the southern steps. Although some of us had been there in the past Dr. Wright shared a lot of new information and we all found it very interesting.

Next we headed up to the pool of Bethesaida and an old Crusader church, and after that we finished on top a roof over looking some of the old city.

All in all the day was one of the best I have had here so far. It was filled with a lot of learning and rediscovery of the Biblical text. As my brother Jake would say when you study the Biblical culture and then examine that to the Bible to determine what things were really like your view of the Bible goes from reading a story in black and white to reading a story in color. I have experienced a lot of that over the years but after today its more as if those color stories have now become 3D to me and are jumping off the page, pretty sweet!

The day was also filled with a couple adventures. Chris and I love to explore tunnels and holes that aren't really part of the beaten path, we did this quite a bit by the southern steps and we happened to run into some tunnels, we followed these tunnels of course but they led us out to areas that were chained off. We quickly left the area and went back and while we were waiting to leave a couple police officers came running by and went to the exact spot we were and they came back a minute as if still searching, we couldn't help but think that maybe they saw us accidentally go to places we shouldn't have! Also another exciting time of the day was when mark decided to push an old Herodian stone that was part of Robinson's arch in the temple. He started pushing and suddenly it started to fall backwards onto him, the stone easily weighed 1,000 - 2,000 pounds and thankfully mark was able to escape with only scratches on his hands. The lord was watching him! And somehow i got the whole thing on tape and it has given all the people here at JUC a little entertainment!

A day at Tel Aviv and Jaffa

2009-02-07T12:34:00.000-08:00

Today a group of 12 of us went to Tel Aviv and Jaffa. Tel Aviv is pretty much straight south of us and Jaffa is right next to that.

We arrived in Tel Aviv at about 1:00 and headed straight for the beach. It was a beautiful beach with an awesome view of the city behind us. Unfortunately the weather was a little chilly as well was the water so we didn’t get to go swimming but instead we hung out and threw the Frisbee for awhile.

After that we walked about a mile over to Jaffa. Jaffa was the main port city that led to Jerusalem and was actually one of the first ports on the Mediterranean. Jaffa was the location that Jonah hopped on a ship sailing to Tarsis when he tried to run from God, and also Peter was here when he had his vision of the sheet coming down from heaven with animals on it and God told him to take and eat. So it was theoretically the place where God first said that salvation was available to Gentiles. Pretty cool! The house that peter was at when he was that vision is actually still here and we were able to go walk by but couldn’t go in because an Armenian family actually lives in it, but nonetheless it was sweet.

After that we got to go out to dinner and then we head back to JUC, all in all it was a pretty sweet day. Tomorrow we are heading out for a field study around Jerusalem and it should be a pretty sweet day of study with Dr. Wright.

First day of class

2009-02-03T13:25:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was our first day of classes here at JUC. We started them with much excitement due to the fact that they are all Bible classes and our classroom is Israel. Our classes over the past few days have included Physical settings of the Bible, Jewish thought, Islamic thought, Hebrew, and 2nd temple period. The classes are very interesting and don't have too much homework besides quite a bit of reading. We have a wide variety of teachers ranging from the director of JUC, to professors at Hebrew University, and even to a rabbi. Its awesome!

Besides starting classes we have had a couple chances the past 2 days to head off on our own and get around Jerusalem a little bit. Yesterday Chris and I went and looked at the Garden Tomb and then went and found the old Essene Gate. Today a group of us guys went to a catholic church that Mary supposedly "fell asleep" at, then we headed over to the mount of olives to watch the sun set over Jerusalem. The land here in Jerusalem is awesome and the more I am here the more i love it!

Day 1

2009-01-31T07:24:00.001-08:00

Its about 5 pm here in Jerusalem and it was quite a treat waking up and walking out to see Jerusalem. Our plane rides yesterday went pretty well. Our first one was delayed about and hour which gave us about 5 minutes to get to our next flight in Chicago but thankfully our gate was right next to where we landed. We arrived in Israel at about 3 pm and all were feeling pretty good because we slept our entire 3rd flight.

we were able to spend some time working on our maps that are due in a couple days.

once we arrived we took a taxi bus called a sherut that took us to JUC. Once we arrived we were greeted by Dr. Paul Wright who took us to our rooms and Chris gave us a little tour of the place. The college isn't that big but its really cool. Its weird because you open doors to go places and suddenly you will be outside. The weather here is beautiful its around 50 and feels wonderful!

After heading down to dinner and eating we came back up and unpack our stuff and got settled in. After that 8 of us went for a little walk around the new city.

The coolest thing is our room its amazing! we have a pretty good sized room with 3 bunk beds and 3 desks, but the coolest thing is that we are on the roof. Like literally on the roof. You have to walk out onto the roof to get to our room. It provides and amazing view of the city and keeps us nice and cool with the breeze.

Today will be filled with orientation. We will be learning how everything works and getting ready to start classes. Crazy to think we are finally here!

The Day Has Finally Come!

2009-01-28T20:14:00.000-08:00

After months of planning and hours of contemplating the time has finally come for the three of us to head out to Israel! We are scheduled to leave tomorrow at 1:15. We will be flying first to Chicage, then taking a conecting flight to Germany, and then finally to Israel! Pray for safe travels and no delays. We are so thankful to all of our family and friends who have helped us prepare and are sending us off in prayer. Upon arrival in Israel we will be heading over to JUC (Jerusalem University College) where we will have a couple days of orientation before we start classes on Monday. Let the adventure begin!