The End...

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

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

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

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!

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

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!!!

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!