Day 14: Galilee Field Study (Day 1)

Today began our trip to Galilee! I am so excited! This morning brought back fond memories of the beginning of this trip. Mallory and I decided to share my red suitcase....carrying it down the stairs and along the Old City Wall....definitely memorable. Our morning began bright and early as we had to be at the bus at 6:45 AM.

At 9:00, we made it to our first destination...Bet Shean! Bet Shean was a very important city for trade, and is now a giant tel. The most popular Bible story from this site was when Saul fell to the Philistine army at Mt. Gilboa, which was close in site. Down near this giant tel was a huge Roman and Byzantine fortress. It was definitely quite the site! A lot of the pillars had fallen down, due to a massive earthquake that occured in 729 AD. There were lots of bathhouses, temples, and a giant theater (which would have held 7,000 people!) I really enjoyed walking around the ruins at this site.

Next was our lunch stop at a little restuarant. We had fresh pita with either filofal (fried chick peas) or schnitzal (a breaded chicken with sesame seeds). Delicious.

Our next stop of the day was Mt. Carmel. This was a really powerful site! The main story we focused on was how the Israelites began to worship Baal, the storm god. It was on Mt. Carmel that God came down as fire, showing that He is the Almighty. It was incredible to be here, and the view was beautiful. We sat among these giant rocks and looked out into the Jezreel Valley. Sadly, it was pretty hazy so we were not able to see super far out. The weather was also cooler today. I guess this is what the weather is supposed to be like in January anyway! It was really great to learn about Elijah and how God came down as fire. God works in amazing ways, doesn't He?

On our way to our next stop, we passed a 1st century tomb that had a rolling stone! This would be really similar to what Jesus' tomb looked like. It was a quick stop, but definitely worth a picture!

Then we made it to Megiddo. All the nations of the world passed through here because it was on a major trade route. It remained an important site throughout Israelite's hsitory, and Josiah died here in battle against the Egyptians. It is also possible that Armageddon refers to Megiddo in Revelation 16. Hmm. We walked down another tunnel that was used for water. It seems like every town has one of these. They are always cool! There were a lot of palm trees at this site...that was interesting. I felt like I was on vacation! Well..I really am on vacation.

After Megiddo, we made our last stop at the Nazareth Ridge. It is crazy to think that we were standing where Jesus grew up as a child, and we looked out at the land he "played on." Specifically, we stood on Mt. Sepphoris. We read the story from Luke 4 here, and also saw the church were the angels supposedly told Mary and Joseph that they were with child. Crazy! It was fun to be able to see the town of Nazareth light up as the sun began to set. Every view here is breathtaking.

Nazareth was our last stop for the day, and then we were off to our hostel in Ein Gev! This place is absolutely amazing. It is more like a resort than anything. Mallory, Verity, Caroline, and I are all rooming together in our own little "cottage!" We got served a delicious dinner with lots of food. Oh boy. Our house is right on the Sea of Galilee, and we decided to go swimming in the dark! A lot of people went out there. The water was freezing though! I'm guessing around 65 degrees. I went under the water twice, and that was enough for me. I have no regrets!

So that was Day 1 in Galilee! People are right when they say this trip keeps getting better and better...I love it here!

Day 13: Test Day

Today was a more relaxing day, being another test day. We woke up in the morning and studied for about 4 hours, and then took our test at 1:00! After our exam, we had a little time before class, so a few girls walked down to Jaffa Gate (a gate that enters into the Old City) and got some fresh juice! I bought some fresh orange juice...they squeezed 3 1/2 oranges. It was delicious!

After our break, we had class for three hours. We prepared for our next trip to Galilee! We learned lots of information and colored a lot on our map, so hopefully we are ready to go!

Once we finished dinner, a few of us went out into the Old City to do a little souvenir shopping at Shaban's....our favorite person in the Old City I guess. We weren't there for long, because we then had a guest speaker back at JUC at 7:30. He is very involved with excavating the Temple Mount, and had a lot of interesting information to share with us. He was a genious, and talked for 2 hours without stopping. Yes, it was a lot, but definitely very interesting and educational.

So that has been my day! I just packed for our four day trip to Galilee. We will be staying in En Giev which I here is absolutely beautiful. My professor says that this is her favorite place in all of Israel, so I am looking forward to it! Sadly, I will not be posting for the next three nights, but I will do my best to update you all as soon as I can. I cannot believe that we are heading into our last week already! This trip is flying by....but when I look back at all we have done and seen, it seems like I have been here forever.

Thanks for your continued prayers! I really appreciate it! I added a few more pictures from the last couple days! Talk to you soon!

Day 12: Free Day

Today was incredible! And definitely in different ways than I had expected. Let me tell you about it....

The main part of the day started at 10:40 AM when we began our walk from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. This is about a 5 mile walk, and we gave ourselves 2 hours to get there! We ended up making it in about an hour and 20 minutes, so we had to wait for a little bit while the rest of our group arrived via bus. So..as we waited, we played euchre. Perfect.

Finally, the rest of the crew arrived, and we headed towards the check point. As Americans, it isn't too hard to make it through the check point. All we have to do is show them our passports. Now, before this trip to Israel, I have to be honest and say that I did not have the greatest understanding of the conflict going on in Israel. But today, I definitely became very well educated in many good ways. The picture here is the town of Bethlehem.

First, I must mention that there is a giant cement wall that separates Bethlehem from Jerusalem. I didn't know previously that Bethlehem was part of the West Bank. The inside of this wall (the Palestinian side) is well "decorated" with graffiti. The construction of the wall began in 2002, and is still continuing today, separating the Palestinians/West Bank from the Israelis. All together, this is a couple billion dollars to construct.

Our reason for going to Bethlehem today was because a guy in our group has an Uncle who lives in Palestine. He currently works in a Palestinian Conflict Resolution organization. One of his co-workers, Osama, met up with us first and gave us a tour of their workplace. It was really sad to hear his story and all the dangerous situations he has faced during his lifetime. However, it was also encouraging to hear how he has found hope amongst the animosity. We then walked around the city of Bethlehem and went in a very large souvenir shop.

Next, we met up with my friend's Uncle, and a group of about 15 Palestinians between the ages of 17-25. We played lots of "get to know you games" with them, and broke up into small groups, learning about each other and asking questions about one anothers culture. I finally really began to realize how the turmoil in Israel has been affecting the Palestinians. Generally speaking, they are only allowed to leave the West Bank once a year unless they are given special permission. I cannot imagine living in such a way. Through conversation, I was better able to understand what exactly was going on between the Israelis and the Palestinians, and how this was affecting their daily lives. I was also impacted by how the news in the United States is very distorted and does not always give an accurate description of the events going on in Israel. I was really able to grasp what the Palestinians were thinking, and how much hope and desire they have to find peace with the Israelis. We also found many similarities, as well as differences, between our cultures. This was just a very neat and humbling experience to spend time with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Our evening ended with a delicious meal prepared for us. Overall, we spent 3 and 1/2 hours with the Palestinians. I am looking forward to seeing them sometime again in Heaven! This whole experience made me very grateful for the freedom I have in America. I will definitely be more thoughtful when I think about the conflict in Israel. This was such a wonderful opportunity iced off with wonderful new relationships that made this trip even more amazing.

It was a little before 7:00, and we headed out the check point to the bus stop. However, a bus never really came so we just started walking....we ended up walking the entire way back to Jerusalem! 10 miles total today. For the majority of the walk, I along with a few other girls talked to Vernon about the history of the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians. He is truly so knowledgeable, and I definitely felt like I learned a ton! Aubrey and Vernon are amazing and I feel so blessed to have them as our leaders!

So that concludes my free day. It was definitely amazing in more ways than one! Tomorrow is test day...I definitely have some studying to do. Again, another amazing day in Israel. I am so blessed.

Day 11: Dead Sea Field Study

Today was definitely a full day with a lot of fun-filled events! I'm definitely going to be sore tomorrow. Let me explain...

Our first stop was Masada. We drove through the beautiful desert to get there. Masada was a buffer zone of the Judean Wilderness. Herod had built this site as a security and guard for the eastern frontier. Herod definitely made quite the resort for himself...complete with a swimming pool and lots of bath houses. The Romans conquered Masada in 74 AD, and we climbed up the Roman siege ramp to get to the top of the fortress (that took about 10 minutes). At the top of the mountain, the fortress was beautiful and extended far out along the land. From the top of this site, we were also able to see the Dead Sea! (You can see it in the picture of me and Mal). After exploring the ruins, we walked down the other side of the mountain on the "Snake Path." This took about 45 minutes. Long, windy, and rocky. Crazy. Some people were using this path to get up the mountain...I don't know what they were thinking. Our legs were definitely shaky as we were getting closer to the bottom of the mountain.

Next stop...the Dead Sea! (lowest place on earth) We stopped at a more touristy location. Not many people there though...again, it's the winter season. The beach was pretty rocky, and not very long. The rocks along the water were all crystalized with the salt. They were beautiful! Finally, we began walking in the water! It was a lot clearer than I had expected, and not very cold. We walked in and then just kind of sat back when we were deep enough...and there we were...floating! Aubrey warned us that it is not the best idea to put your face in the water because your eyes will burn...in some cases, people have gone blind. It was funny to basically sit in a chair in the water with your feet floating. You could turn over on your stomach, but then it was hard to not put your face in the water. Trust me...it was a crazy feeling. And a lot of fun! The hardest part was swimming back towards the beach as we had drifited a ways. You couldn't really use your legs because then you would splash people. Not a good idea. Finally I found a method...definitely a good upper body workout! We looked pretty funny. When we got out of the water, our bodies were really slimy. It was pretty gross. Even after rinsing off, I felt very salty! But my skin was oddly smooth at the same time.

Lunch...any ideas what we ate?

The next stop we had for the day was En Gedi. This was an absolutely beautiful site! God's creation is truly a blessing for all of us to enjoy. En Gedi was the site where David had the opportunity to kill Saul, but instead he cut off part of his robe. This may have happened in any of the caves that I had passed. We walked along streams and waterfalls. There were also rock badgers (they looked like baby bears) and imeks (deer like animals) wandering around. They were definitely immune to us humans as we were able to get really close! I really enjoyed En Gedi...it was probably one of the most beautiful sites I have ever been to.

Last stop of the day...Qumran. Here is where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found! It was amazing to see the places where the archaeologists discovered many of the books of the Old Testament. What amazing historical evidence of the Bible! The craziest thing about this site was that I basically scaled a mountain! We climbed up super high along the rock and rubble, and went in a couple different caves along the way (Try and find four people in the picture! We are right in the middle). We got to a peak and the view was incredible (all views are incredible in Israel...I think I say that every time). We made sure to make it down before it got too dark. Basically, we were hiking for about an hour and 20 minutes.

After Qumran, we were on our merry way back to Jerusalem! Home sweet home. I didn't realize how much I had missed JUC.

Although we were exhausted, we ate dinner quickly and then headed back to the King of Kings church where we attended last Sunday. We participated in the young adult ministry. It was really great to talk with the people there and get to know them better. I also met a lot of people from the States! A wonderful message was given on forgiveness, and then we had an incredible time of worship. I absoutely LOVED it.

After church, we walked a while in the New City. Definitely a hoppin' place! We found gelato....mmmm.

It is now 1:33 AM and I have finally finished uploading everything! The trip we took was absolutely amazing. Tomorrow is another free day, and our Taylor group along with Aubrey and Vernon are walking to Bethlehem! (It is about a 5 mile walk....uphill most of the way). One of the guys on our trip has an Uncle who lives there and is cooking a meal for us, and is going to give us a personal tour of the city. I'm looking forward to it!

Anyway, I think I am one of the last people awake now. Time for bed! God is continuing to be faithful and is blessing me so much on this trip! No injuries...sickness...etc. Hope all is well! Talk to you soon!

Day 10: Negev Field Study

Wow...I can't believe we are already half way done with our trip! Then again, it is crazy to think of all the amazing things we have seen and all the more that is yet to come.

Today was our second day of our three day trip. I got a great nights sleep in the hostel which was wonderful. Our first stop was Beer Sheba International park. What was fun about this site was that we had hard hats to wear - these were specifically for a tunnel that we went through. The streets of Beer Sheba were well organized, indicating that there was a strong, centralized government here. We talked about Samuel and Abraham, who where the two main Biblical figures associated with this site. We were also able to see what the common four room houses would look like. It was amazing to actually be in the Negev (desert region in Southern Israel) and visualize all that happened here in the Bible. Down at the entrance of this site was a replica of an altar that was also here, indicating a temple location. There was also a tamarisk tree, that had a "holy" reference in the Bible. We were encouraged to taste the tree..and I did...it was very salty!

After Beer Sheba, we went even farther out into the Negev and stopped at Arad. This location was even more isolated. At first, we stood at a Hellenistic tower which was fortified during the time of Solomon. There was also a temple at this site used by the Israelites, indicating how the Israelites screwed up by worshiping other gods. From the top of this tel (notice that all these places are tels), we began to descend to what is currently the best preserved site of a Canaanite city (I'm pointing at it in my picture!). I couldn't imagine opening my door and seeing the amazing desert view around me. Verity, Mallory, Caroline, and I opened up some Scripture and read references that Vernon (one of our tour guides) had given us about the Biblical Negev. It was amazing to reflect on God's word.

Pita and hummice for lunch : )

Next stop was the Wilderness of Zin! Here is where Moses and the Israelites wandered before they reached the Promise Land. It was incredible to be there! We actually took a beautiful hike throughout the hills and mountains and valleys. We walked along a stream and a waterfall. The hard part came when we had to climb up these steep stairs that were basically vertical. Thankfully I'm not afraid of heights! Once we made it to the top of a mountain, the view was incredible. It was fun to say that we "wandered" through the wilderness.

Avdat came next. This didn't have as much Biblical reference, but was a Byzantine fortress. This site was a lot of fun because Aubrey basically told us to "go play." We were free to explore the site in whichever ways we wanted to. We walked through tunnels, caves, etc. Lots of fun! Oh, and I saw a snake! Gross.

Our last stop of the day was the Makhtesh Ramon crater. This is the largest crater in the world! It was so deep and vast and lasted for miles. We were at this site for the sun set, which was beautiful as always. Once again, I was in awe of God's beautiful creation.

Tonight, we stayed in a hostel! A super nice hostel! It had a flat screen TV, and I took a nice hot shower with excellent water pressure. Perfect. We stayed in Arad for the night. Once again, the hotel provided us with an abundance of food. They know Americans eat a lot I guess..

Once again, another great day in the Holy Land!

Day 9: Judah, Shephela, Philistia Field Study

I'm back! Today, we began our 3-day trip in Israel! We met on the bus bright and early at 6:45 AM. This morning, the sky was a lot more hazy, and it was definitely cooler out. Thankfully, we were heading down south, where it would be a little warmer!

Our first stop was exploring the Judean Hill Country in the Sorek Valley. Although this location is not directly related to any Biblical passage, we were still able to learn a lot about the life of the people way back when the Israelites were first settling in Israel. We were able to walk along the ridges of the valley, and it was absolutely beautiful. Along the path were a lot of Almond trees, and some really pretty flowering trees. We were able to see some caves where people would have lived in. Overall, it was very interesting to learn about the civilization of these people and the roles males and females had in society. We saw a vineyard deeper in the valley, and a spring. The treck back up the valley was pretty rigorous, but definitely a good work out and a great way to start the morning.

After the Judean Hill Country, we headed west through the Sorek Valley. Our next stop was Beth Shemesh. We stood up on top of a tel...from here, we were able to see Zorah, which is Sampson's home town. It was neat to read the story of Sampson again. We learned that Beth Shemesh was also a border of Israelite territory, and we better understood the significance of border cities during Biblical times. I know for a fact that I will no longer read any story from the Bible the same! It was neat to see the ruins of Beth Shemesh... it is always interesting to try and figure out the structure of the buildings.

After Beth Shemesh, we made our way down the Elah Valley and stopped at Azekah. At this site, we read the story of David and Goliath. We were able to construct ideas as to where the battles were fought with the Philistines. David and Goliath has always been a popular Bible story that I remember as a child, so it was amazing to actually be there. From Azekah, we were also able to spot a very recent excavated site in 2008. This place is dated back to 1000 BC, during the time of David! Crazy.

More pita and hummice for lunch :)

Next stop at Lachish...one GIANT tel. Lachish was a well fortified city, but was taken down by the Assyrians. It was crazy to imagine all these battles and how the armies would attack. There were lots of ruins to play on, which is always fun. I think it is always crazy that we are allowed to walk all over these ruins like it is no big deal.

Finally, our last main stop of the day was Ashkelon, on the Mediterranean coast! Ashkelon was present during the time of the Patriarchs (1900-1750 BC) and was a Philitsine Pentopolis that lost its independence to Assyria...also a possible location for the birth of Herod the Great. Most importantly about this site...we swam in the Mediterranean! More like got destroyed my monstruous waves...it was amazing. It was crazy to think that I was swimming in the ocean...in January. The water wasn't too cold, but overall the day was cooler so it was a little harder to get in the water. Verity and I thoroughly enjoyed playing in the waves and "body surfing." I was definitely excited for this opportunity! The beach itself was really beautiful and clean. We were the only ones on the beach though....probably because it is the winter season in Israel. Definitely doesn't feel like winter to me!

From Ashkelon, we took an hour bus ride to Beer Sheba where we stayed for the night in a hotel. They fed us really well, and the beds were pretty comfy! We actually got to bed pretty early since we couldn't really go out at night. There you have it....Day 1 of the trip!

Day 8: Test Day

Well, today wasn't the most eventful day, but everyday is amazing in Jerusalem no matter what! This morning, we studied for our exam which was at 1:00. However, studying on the roof with the beautiful sun in the city wasn't too shabby : ). The test wasn't too bad, but a little harder than expected. At least it's over!

For the rest of the time before dinner, we had class. We began to learn things in preparation for our next field study. We will actually be leaving JUC for three days/two nights! Tomorrow, we are heading out to the Mediterranean, and I'll have a chance to swim in that! Overall, we will be traveling around the Shephela region and different areas around there. On Wednesday, we will be heading over to the Dead Sea, and will also be swimming there! I hear that's quite the experience. Apparently we will be staying in really nice hotels, which is exciting.

Sadly, I will not have computer access for the next two nights, so you will not hear from me. I will do my best to update you as soon as I get back from the trip!

This evening, we went out to the Old City and bought some Baklava in the Muslim Quarter. It was delicious! It is like a croissant in the shape of a small square that had a layer of pecans. It was also glazed in butter. Yum :) I love trying the different food here! We basically just walked around the Old City for a little while. I am definitely getting to know my way around quite well.

So, that was our day! More relaxing I guess. I thought I would share a few more pictures with you from the past days! The first one is of the Old City Wall which is where I walk every day. There is one of us looking out and seeing the Wilderness in the distance. And the last one is another view from the Mount of Olives.

God is truly teaching me so much on this trip and I feel immensley blessed to be here! I am in complete awe of the Lord and His Word. Not only am I learning more about Him, but also who I am as a daughter of Christ.

Philippians 3:8-11
"What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the SURPASSING GREATNESS OF KNOWING CHRIST JESUS MY LORD, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be FOUND in Him, not having a rigteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ - the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, to attain to the ressurection from the dead."