Samaria Field Study

Present day Samaria incorporates the two tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. At the beginning of your Field Study we stopped at a look out in Ephraim that gave us a beautiful view of the Rift Valley. The Rift Valley is the valley created by the Jordan River and the two seas (Galilee and Dead Sea). Here we discussed Israel's initial take over of the Promised Land. Apparently, the tribes of Joseph (bring Ephraim and Manasseh) were the dominant tribes who led the conquest. They were also the largest tribes, which is probably why they were strongest. Interestingly enough, Judah's tribe doesn't come into power until David.

From here we went to a Zionist settlement near Shechem. Apparently, they believe that all the land belongs to them, which is why they will not put up a fence. A fence would represent a boundary line, and since they believe their boundaries include the whole land, a fence would not be appropriate. At the top of this settlement was a wonderful look-out. We could see Mount Gerezim, Mount Ebal, and Shechem. At the North end we could see Manasseh territory and at the South we could see Ephraim territory. One would be surprised how much of the land you can see if you go to the right spot. At this place, there was also a really pretty oak tree, whose leaves were turning and reminding me of Fall.

After lunch time we went to a spot that looked down on Shechem. Therefore, I believe we were standing on Mount Gerezim. Down in the valley is where Joshua gathered all the people of Israel and reminded them of what God had done for them. He challenged the people to choose life and not death. "...choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve...But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD" (Josh. 24:15). He even challenged them again after they said they would follow the Lord, because he wanted to make sure they were going to sincerely submit their lives to the One True God who had brought them thus far.

I found it very applicable to my own life; that I must choose this day and every day to make God the ruler of my life and not my own desires or sinfulness. That is why Jesus spoke of taking up one's cross daily. You can't just affirm your belief in God one time, but every day live out that faith so you can be a light to the world. I really liked this part of the trip.

Our final stop was at Shiloh. Shiloh is the religious capital of the Northern Kingdom. This is the place that housed the Tabernacle at one point. This is also the place where people would come to communicate with God and find direction. Shiloh is similar to Jerusalem, because it too is isolated and located off of the Patriarchal Highway. These two places must be intentional about staying connected to society. Shiloh and Jerusalem also have barriers to the west that aid in their isolation.

Shiloh is also the place where Eli and his sons were priests. Therefore, Samuel was raised in this place. Eli's sons are good examples of those who tried to use God. They would take the sacrifices made to God for themselves and in many ways defile the holy place of God. This theme of people forgetting that they need to be holy for God to be with them is seen in the battle between Israel and the Philistines at this time. They decided to take the ark to battle as a lucky charm. They didn't realize that the physical ark did not hold power, but the God who dwelt on the ark was the one with the power. This is why they lost and why Eli's sons died. I think it is a good reminder that we need to continually strive to be like Christ, and not rely on our cross necklaces and Christian T-shirts to keep us from harm or in good relationship with God.

You Like Her? Samaria!

The day started like most other field studies here, except this time at five in the morning. I find pride in the fact that I rose before my room mate, and was the first one to turn the light on in the bathroom. I should mention that they decided to fix the showers, and the water pressure and heat were quite the way to start a morning. However, my morning grumpiness lasted most of the day. We were on our way to Samaria, originally the tribal allotment of Manasseh, and on the way stopping in Ephraim, which I am still learning to spell. After the usual hasty breakfast, we stumbled on the bus at seven; the following ensued:

#1 Overlooking Ephraim
Our first stop was a short one. It was a striking look at Ephraim’s cenomanian wilderness. The two buses were together for most of the day because Samaria is a bit of a testy area; at least in the fact that it is behind the “fence.” The sky was clear in the morning, and I might add that it was rather chilly out, because it’s been raining (but more on that later)! We pointed out some aspects of the land before moving on to yet another one of our cultural experiences of the day. This was also around the time I started to have to pee, and yes I went before I left.

#2 Elan More (Elaun Moray)
Our next stop was a Jewish settlement that the school has been visiting for the last few years. It is on a mountain across the valley from two other famous mountains, Mt. Garazim and Mt. Ebal, and of course the chalk moat that divides the two. This is supposedly the perfect place to over look Shechem and Samaria, and definitely the Wadi Shechem and Wadi Beta, which drains east to the Jordan, I hope. (I have an exam in a few hours) Alright so the only way we can get into the settlement is to be taken around by one of its founders. The settlement is a group of Jews amongst a valley of Arabs, and therefore they keep themselves very protected. (Supposedly they have an infrared fence) So we drive and climb half way up this mountain to have this man explain to us why they deserve to be there. He also gave us a pamphlet stating the Jewish history of the land that ended with a murder and the phrase “May G-d avenge their blood.” We were warned that this guy might be a little… opinionated, and he was, but I thought it was funny. My favorite part being when he thought that the Jews today should learn a lesson from Dina’s brothers. Yes he really said that. It was around this time when we found out that they had torn down the bathrooms on top of this mountain, so a few of us ladies decided to make an expedition to the top of the hill and get away from the group. On top of the hill was a tree and a ruin. So we all just kind of picked a place, be inside of this ruin because of course I would never pee outside. Nicole was nice enough to keep watch for me and talk me through my nerves. However, then we come to find out that we had just desecrated some supposed Muslim Monument, go figure. I am hoping that Muhammad will find it in his heart to forgive me. I might also mention that we found a tortoise on the trail, and my girlish squeals ensued. Gosh I just love them. As we were walking away I told Alex that we threw it over the side of the mountain, and he believed me. Poor guy!

#3 Lunch in Samaria
Now you may not know this but there actually is a town called Samaria, which was the third Capital of the Northern Kingdom, and just happened to be where we stopped for lunch at a restaurant called… The Good Samaritan. Go figure. Anyway at least they let us use their nasty bathrooms. I am mentioning this stop because Cindy got on of the high priests from the tribe of Levi to talk to us. Now I didn’t know this, but there is a Samarian religion. I guess that’s where the Jews and the Samarians went wrong. They only believe in the Five books of Moses, and supposedly have the worlds oldest book in their Synagogue. They believe that instead of Jerusalem being where everything happened, it was actually Samaria. We got to stand in a square where one a year all of the families in this religion come with a Lamb and slaughter it. Supposedly if you go in the spring you can watch this BBQ take place. I thought the idea was pretty interesting. We them hiked up to another view of this valley which held the ruins of a byzantine church. On this hill had been an altar to the Lord, a temple to Zeus, and now the church ruins. It was interesting to think about. The wind was really picking up at this point and we struggled to keep out maps open.

#4 Mt. Garazim
We went up to Mt. Garazim to overlook the Tel of Shechem, because you can’t bring a bus into the town. Shechem is built on Eocein limestone and was one of the first Capitals in the New Kingdom thanks to Jeroboam. We read and dicused the story of the woman at the well and pointed out a church that commemorates the event. It was interesting that when the woman mentioned the sacrifices, they were performed on the hill on which we were standing! There are plenty of other stories that include these two mountains, but I will leave you to figure them out!

#5 The Shiloh Tel
Before we got to Shiloh we stopped to over look the valley that it lays in. Unfortunately Cindy took us down someone’s garbage path and we had to walk by a number of dead animal remains. While this was sort of cool, the smell was just to die for, and I really do not remember anything she said about this valley. I then learned you could get Hep from touching that kind of thing, and remembered that I couldn’t afford to get the shot, and walked back to the bus. Their was some pretty terracing going on in that area though. I told Alex that the reason we stopped was to see the Donkey Yard that was on our map, this time he didn’t believe me. Next we went to the Shiloh tel. Now I don’t have to tel you twice that this was the cleanest area I have been to thus far. I could tel that they took care of the place. The coffee shop there was adorable and most of all clean. I just can not stress that enough. So because the tabernacle was at Shiloh, we went to see a small model of it and Cindy described it for us. It wasn’t all that accurate of a model, but we can’t all live in Lancaster can we? By now we were running short on time so we climbed up the tel to the top where there was a nice observation tower… covered in bird poop. It was windy at the top, but the breeze felt nice at the end of the day. As the sun began to set, we explored Shiloh and it’s rich history as a good place to find a wife and to get a glass of wine. (Those were jokes.)

That is were our day ended, and I for sure took at a nap on the bus ride home!

The Wonders of my Redeemer

I cannot express how awesome and wonderful my Savior Jesus Christ is. I was having a hard time lately, thinking about some things. But this night while we were singing praises to our Lord during Vespers, Jesus really spoke to me. He spoke in my heart, and told me that He was going to use me and use my past. My story and my life will be used to glorify my Savior and my God.

God truly directs our steps and uses both the good and bad that happens in our lives.
He let me understand that, that things had to happen the way they did. I mean, I don't know all the details of how He will use me or His specific plan for my life. However, I do know that He knows. And that gives me excitement and peace.

May the Lord bless you all abundantly, as you find peace in knowing that God has a plan for you...'For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."' -Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

I love you and miss you,
Jennilee

Benjamin Feild Study from Claire's Eyes

MORE PICTURES COMING LATER!

Well everyone, here I am reporting again of another interesting JUC field study. So again Jennilee and I woke at 5:20, because I reset the clock at 4 when I couldn’t sleep. I do not know if it is much help for me to get up this early because I basically stood there in my skivvies for 20 minutes and stared in space while Jennilee went and took a shower. This is when I start thinking that I miss caffeine in my life. I can make coffee when I am still sleeping; I can not get dressed and put on makeup, or in this case sun block. I am definitely a sun block junkie. I am about the same color I was when I left, and I think I may be the only student here who can claim that. I have however developed some adorable freckles which I am sure will take a month to fade. Anyway, about the land of Benjamin:

THE WILDERNESS
We started the day by driving into the wilderness. Now I am not sure what I thought of when I thought of that term, but I will give you some Bible references because I am using this report to study for our exam tomorrow (oh yes, the next day because we are so smart, why wait?) Deut 1:19, Deut 8:15, Isaiah 34:13-15, Jer. 2:6-7, and Hosea 2:3-4. These all basically describe the wilderness as somewhere you wouldn’t want to visit. I really like the Hosea verses because he doesn’t beat around the bush. Anyway if you have time to read Deut 32-33 you can here echos of the creation account! So we got off the bus and headed off the beaten path to walk some of the ancient roman route called the Assent of Adommin. We also got to walk through a Bedowin camp! So what is so cool about this stretch of roadway? Well it’s in the Wadi Kilt (a wadi is a valley). Also, if you read Luke 10:25 about the good Samaritan, this was that road! The road will take you down to Jericho and is the best route from Jerusalem down to the rift valley. We stopped at a highpoint and looked out over the wilderness. When I think about it now it almost brings tears to my eyes. It was so… big. I know that sounds lame, but we all sat in silence and looked at it for a minute, and I just felt so consumed.

HEROD’S PALACE/NEW TESTAMENT JERICHO
The next stop on our list was New Testament Jericho. Basically the city has two cites for two different time periods. This one was Herod’s Palace and it was built in two parts with a bridge connecting the two. The palace was at the mouth of the Wadi kilt which was good because you are right at the Assent so you can keep an eye on the route. The palace had a new building style where you stacked diamond shaped stones together and you could potentially make a curved wall for the first time. I may have taken some mossaic tiles with me that I found on the ground...maybe. Free gifts much?

OLD TESTAMENT JERICHO TELL
The tel was pretty sweet. Yes, we do make tel jokes all of the time! (but it’s hard to tel!) A tel is a city cite where over time a mound has been formed because every few hundred years the city would get leveled for some reason or other and get built on top of. Think of it as a cake with different layer flavors. The city of Jericho has some date issues as far as the history is concerned, but there is some evidence of the story being true if you believe in the early exodus. I really have no idea what I think. Anyway the most recent digging their by Kathleen Keyan, Bible Hater and Archaeologist, (I like her, and I don’t even know why) unearthed this tower structure that dates back to 8,000 BC! WOW! That is the oldest man made building that we have! I could have gone and touched it but I kinda had to pee and the bus was going to be leaving soon…Jericho is called the city of Palms because it’s close proximity to water. It is the backdoor into the Benjamin Plateau because three routes come off of it!

NEVI SAMWEL
We stopped for lunch at a highpoint in the land commemorating the prophet Samuel. Well some people think he’s buried there, but that’s not what the Bible says. It was a great view from the top of the holy place there. We the ruins there are byzantine. From this high point you can see all of the major cities that make up the Benjamin Plateau, so we took the time to figure out the story or the Levite and his...girlfriend. You know the one where he... "breaks up with her" and sends her around to his buddies? Yes that one!

LOOKING OVER MIZPAH
This spot was really cool. We can’t actually get to Mizpah or Geba, because they are in a bad part of the west bank, we drove to a spot where you can look at both of them. We got to see were Jonathan and his armor bearer kicked some Philistine Butt! Maybe here I could mention about the roads in this part of the country. I wish I could get an airial map because they are insane! They twist like nothing I have ever seen before. They built these roads so that Palestinians didnt have to leave Palestine to get from Bethlehem to Jericho.

GEZER
I always assumed you pronounced this geezer, but I guess you don’t! This was my favorite place out of doors so far. Probably because it was so green and reminded me of home. The picture is Jennilee and I in front of an Ebenezer. We talked about how it was important to put reminders of what God has done in our lives as well. I should note that when I saw a picture of this in class I said to Megan, "Look, STONGE HENGE" and I want you to know, that I did not mean to use my accent. The other picture is just a sign for Be'er Sheva, because I thought it was funny.

Love and Miss you! Claire

The Central Benjamin Plateau

Today we traveled around the different entrances and areas around the central Benjamin Plateau. First, we started by walking down part of the Roman road. We went to a really cool look-out area where we could see into the desert. When we think of the desert in the States, we think basically flat with cacti. However, in Israel when the say desert, they mean desert.
Think rolling, sandy hills and wadis that go on forever. One would feel very isolated if they traveled it alone. Plus it is very quiet, I could hear a dog barking from somewhere in the distance because sound just carries across this barren land. Anyway, it was interesting to see what the Biblical definition of desert/wilderness looks like.

Then we traveled to Jericho were we got to see another of Herod's palaces. He is definitely all about building palaces on the top of the highest mountain. Though, it makes sense defense-wise. It is also interesting that Herod tends to incorporate new structure design into his palaces. For instance, at this location he stacked the bricks in the edge (in a diamond shape), so he could curve the wall. This was new because usually the buildings here are rectangular, with straight walls on all sides. This palace was also innovative because it had a tiled floor, at least in one room.

So from here we traveled to the tell of Jericho. Jericho is actually quite small when compared to what one would consider a town or city today (though, that should be expected). When you see it for yourself, it does not seem unreasonable to have walked seven times around it in one day (let alone maybe a few hours, if you consider that they were blowing trumpets and carrying things). There is archaeological evidence from this site that points to the destruction of the wall being instantaneous. Though, as usual different archaeologists date this site at different times. So Jericho remains a mystery as to how exactly it fits historically into the Biblical time line.

From Jericho we traveled to Nebi Samwil ("Prophet Samuel"), which is the supposed site of Samuel's burial. From here we could see the four cities that make up the central Benjamin area. These cities would be Gibeah, Ramah, Mizpah, and Gibeon. Ramah, interestingly enough, sits on in an area that basically connects the five different main roads into and out of the Central Benjamin Plateau. From this vantage point, on the roof of Nebi Samwil, it was interesting to see the land where many a military campaign traveled. A great deal of the Biblical stories happened in the Benjamin plateau.

Our final stop was at Gezer. I really loved visiting this part of Israel, because it reminded me most of home. There were areas that one might call a forest, with trees! There was also sections of the land that was blocked off for farming, which reminds me so much of the view from my deck at home. So I definitely took a number of pictures just of this area. Apart, from it's resemblance to home the site at Gezer that we visited was a Solomonic palace. We got to see the section of the tell that was considered "Solomon's Gate". There was also a Canaanite Gate in another section. This is an active tell, so we weren't supposed to walk in certain areas. Though, most areas we have visited have active archaeological work being done.

This field study I would say was very interesting. So much Biblical history took place in this area, because it is the connector to the two main international trade routes. And as we all know, those who can get to the trade routes get the money; and those with money have the power. No wonder Israel and Judah fought so much over this strategic area.

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I hope you all are doing well, and I am sorry that I do not post on here more. I have tried to upload photos directly into my blogs, but it does not seem to work. Therefore, I will try to be more diligent in posting photos on facebook and posting the links to the albums here (for those without facebook).
Love and God Bless,
Jennilee

Has it been three weeks?

Wow, I truly cannot believe that my time here is going so quickly. True, a week was spent in a sick haze, and then another week getting adjusted, but where did this week go? I pray that I am living this time to the fullest, or at least plan of trying harder from now on. I think a lot of me not leaving so often has to do with the fact that it has to be planned, because I can't leave alone, and also the fact that everything in the country costs so much money. I really am trying to be frugal. However when a water bottle that you need costs $15 and you are running low on shampoo... well I should have brought more toiletries I guess. Just keep my finances in prayer.

So this week went by very quickly, though I am not sure why. I need to refocus and get things done! Jennilee and I have both taken to napping, which is really a blessing considering we had such a hard time adjusting to the sleeping situation. I have heard that the going back jet lag is a lot less worse, praise the Lord. I didn't really go out this week, I guess I was feeling a little bummed out about some things. God has definitely given me reminders of the life I thought I was leaving in the states here, and not necessarily ones that I wanted to take with me. However I am using these things to grow in Him. So here is a secret. I am giving up hummus. Its true, there is no way that the amount of hummus I consume here can be good for you! Well maybe, but still it should be a treat. Like Challah bread! They only make this sweet sweet bread for the Shabbat meal, and I look forward to it every week. It looks like a braid and they cover it in this sticky honey sauce. In the summer months the bees will be hovering all over the bread in the market!

So I have another exam on Monday on the Land of Benjamin. I am trying to study more of the historical aspects of the land this time, which is what I struggled with on the last exam, where as usual Jennilee did better than I did.

OH so heres something. Today at dinner Dr. Wright announces to the ladies that George has found a solution to our problem. What problem? I had no idea. Well these luke warm showers we've been getting arn't the norm I guess. WHAT WHAT WHAT. Cold showers arn't normal? I am rather depressed to find out the boys can barely stand the showers because they are so warm. Go figure. I miss hot showers and water pressure.

Other than that things were pretty docile this week. Someone visiting the campus stole some brass pots, so we were advised to be locking our doors. Though I am having trouble seeing how someone would get up to the roof and down all of the steps and then through the locked gate with my computer, but Jennilee figures its possible, so we've become door lockers.

I am excited for Ramadan to be over so we can go out to eat, Jennilee spoted a veggi resturaunt today and we are pretty excited to try the food there. And speaking of food, I have discovered a love for the produce here that I will really miss. This love comes in the form of figs and dates! I don't think I can ever buy a bag of dates like the other students do, because I would surely eat them all. Its harvest time in the land, and the dates are HUGE. Why don't we eat dates and figs in the states? Someone let me know.

I would like to take this time to thank Tim for burning me all of these C.D.'s before I left, because they have really kept my feet tapping when the internet goes out!

Well I think that is it for now, I love you!
Claire

XOXO

I can't even express the thanks I feel towards all of those you sent me a hug! So I decided to return the favor and give one back to you all the way from the Holy Land. In the right corner you can see the YMCA tower and the King David Hotel, so we have a great view from the roof!

Things are going great here so far, and getting over being homesick is easier with people like you in my life! Keep the hugs coming! I enjoy seeing the pictures so much, I might waste my copy paper and hang them up around our room!

I love you!

Claire!!

Have I not updated in a week? Wow, a longer blog coming later today!

Worth Praying About.

So if anyone was brave enough to read my entire last post, they will remember me mentioning an inncodent which I believe I can now mention it because both my parents and my school were notified as not to make the situation worth mentioning. But I will relay it to you to ask for prayer and also to make you more aware of the situation in the middle east.

Well there are two Physical settings groups at my college, one is for undergrads and one for grads. Our group went into palestine in the morning, and the other group was headed there after we left in the afternoon. This makes it easier not to trip over one another. So the other group had just come into Palestine and was on their way to the Herodian and went a back way to get there. This way went through some neighbors which we did not go through. While going through one of these neighborhoods a group of young boys ran along side the bus and one of the boys threw a rock at the bus. The rock hit one of the front side windows and broke it, hitting two grad students (Charlene, and older lady, and Ada, a student from Africa) in the forehead. The bus pulled over and the ambulance was called. Before it got there however, a police car which was petroling the area passed and with in minutes there was about five army vehicles there. Charlene and Ada where taken to the hospital and spent the day there. It took a while because it was Shabbat which meant only one emergency room was open in Jerusalem, as they take turns as far as who is open. However, they were given the full treatment, catscans and all. Both got stitches and Ada had glass washed out of her eye. The blessing of the whole situation was that the inncodent was considered terrorism, and all of the medical care was free. Otherwise it would have probably been a few thousand dollars each. Both are home and doing fine, Charlene even went to church the next day! Just please keep them in prayer, because Charlenes eye is swollen shut and Ada's isn't far off.

Unfortunely while that is the end of JUC envolvement of this story, it is not the end of the tale. It is tragic to think that I live in a place where a boy throwing in a rock can lead to a death, but it did. Later in the afternoon the police went into Taekoa to find the group of boys that had been throwing rocks that day, and a restitance riot broke out and a teenage boy was shot and killed.

If you would like to read more on this you can visit this link: http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1020663.html

It was basically just a bad day to visit Palestine, there were alot of things that happened that day over territory disputes. I am taking it as a reminder to where I am, and that I have to be careful no matter where I am. I mean just the other day I was walking with a huge group when a little boy carrying a bunch of Olive leaves walked by and shoved a the branches into my chest. He also did it to my friend Taryn, and that was in front of people! Life is much different here in the middle east, especially as a woman. I am not saying that I am not enjoying my time here or that I wouldnt suggest visiting, it is just much different than I thought it would.

Anyway I took an exam today, and it only went ok, it was only my first though, and I will know how to study better for the next time.

I love you AND I am safe.

Blessings, Claire

Field Study 3

Hey all,
So we have had our third field study, and this time we got to take a bus to a number of places. It was kind of nice not having to walk everywhere this time. We started off by heading over toward the Patriarchal highway (on the water shed ridge- think west of Jerusalem) and went to a really nice look-out area. From here we could see most of Jerusalem and even over to the Mount of Olives. It was hazy for the first part of the day, which did affect visibility. From here we could see most of Jerusalem and even over to the Mount of Olives. It was hazy for the first part of the day, which did affect visibility.

Then we went to the Herodium down toward Bethlehem. This is the sight of one of Herod’s palaces, and we believe his burial place. We were able to go up into it and look out over the amazing view of the surrounding area. You can see Moab, Bethlehem, and the Tekoa valley (which leads east to the Dead Sea). Here our professor talked about the story of Ruth. Naomi and her family were from Bethlehem, and as we all probably know, they moved over to Moab because of the draught. What was really interesting is that from Bethlehem you can basically see Moab. So it wasn’t just a rumor that they heard about Moab not being in a draught, they could actually see the greener pastures. It just makes the story more interesting because God does not want His people to leave the land He promised them, even if they can see abundance in another area. He wants His people to trust Him in both good and bad times. I thought that was interesting.
We then went into the palace area and got to see Herod’s many baths. He had a cold, warm, and hot bath – what extravagance! Especially, for this area and that time having three baths of different temperatures was pretty amazing. He was also the first to build a dome ceiling, incidentally over the warm bath area. His palace was relatively big, though not to today’s standard of big (however, that is to be expected). It was funny that he also put plaster on the walls so he could put a design on the wall that would make it look like he used precisely cut stones. It was too expensive for him to use the nice looking stones in all his palaces, so he just pretended that he did. It’s all about the image.

So from here we went to an ancient threshing floor, and then on to Bethlehem. In Bethlehem we visited the church that houses the (supposed) site of Jesus’ birth. Of course, one cannot say for certain that Jesus was born in that exact spot, but it is still nice to visit a church the memorializes the event. It was a rather large church with really nice decorations inside. We had to go to the front part of the church and then down into the area with the small cave. It was actually pretty hot in there, probably because of all the people. A lot of them were getting down and touching the little spot that was open in the floor to the stone.

After lunch we went to the Mount of Olives at a nice look-out area where we could see over to the Temple Mount area. I got to pet a camel, which was really cool. There were two just resting on the sidewalk area of the look-out. One almost kissed Claire, which was really funny. On the Mount of Olives is another church that claims to be the site of the Garden of Gethsemane. It actually did have a really nice garden with olive trees. We were able to spend about 20 minutes walking around the garden or going into the church. I went in and sat and read Scripture. It just amazes me that Jesus had such an easy out. He could have decided that dieing on the cross and taking all of our sin would be too hard, He could have just left the sleeping disciples and walked up over the hill and into the wilderness. But He did not. What amazing submission, perfect submission. May I be so willing to give of myself entirely. It was humbling just to reflect on that willing sacrifice.

Our last couple stops were to visit a few tombs across from the Temple Mount. A number of agile students were able to actually climb into them. One was said to be for Absalom, though the building type isn’t right for it to be his. Apparently, though, since it is associated with Absalom people used to throw rocks at it because of his rebellion against David. There was also another tomb that people got to climb around. Claire almost got in over the gate, but decided against it due to a nail or two that was poking into her back. We weren’t able to make it to our last stop, because we ran out of time. This was definitely an interesting and fun trip.


I pray you all are doing well. And it was so nice to finally talk with Sam and Mom this morning. This was the first time I had talked with anyone from home. They were good to go to Dunkin Donuts (for wifi, and of course donuts) at midnight and stay until about 1:30am talking to me. After we talked I started to realize how much I miss my family. I love it here, but I also miss home and familiar things. Though, I always thank the Lord for such an opportunity. God has been so good to me, I just have to praise Him for all He is doing.

Love and God Bless,
Jennilee

Jerusalem Approaches: a feild study.

NEW PICTURES ADDED!!!

I know that this is so long, so I broke it up into peices for you to read throughout your day!

Well I have probably slept for twelve hours last night and this afternoon, and so I feel very ready to tell you all of the things I did and saw yesterday during our field study, “Jerusalem Approaches.” This field study basically took us all over looking at Jerusalem from different cardinal directions, and after an eventful day, we did just that. I would like to mention that another reason I haven’t written as of yet is that I lost all of the pictures that were on my camera from yesterday, and needed sometime to think about that. So where do I begin. Jennilee and I woke at a balmy 5:15 in the morning, that’s still yesterday in your time, and grabbed some quick showers. We threw down breakfast and walked hastily over to the bus which was leaving at seven. Thankfully we weren’t the last one there, which is pretty typical for me because I am too busy putting on foundation to look at a clock, but Jennilee keeps me in line. The following events are broken up to make reading easier for you, any pictures are stolen from other students and Jennilee:

LOOK OUT #1
The bus left firmly at seven, and I don’t think we left anyone behind. We drove to the south of the city to a look out which I believe was up on the Water Shed Ridge, but I can’t be sure because we saw so much and I usually refer to my pictures to see where we were and again they are lost in space somewhere(s). The scene was lovely, it was still cool in the early morning and a haze covered the top of the hills, in the distance the rising sun was reflecting off of the golden dome in the distance. From on these various lookout you can see the whole city, and things that are written in the Bible about its geography just make so much more sense to me now. We pointed out some geography including the fact that you could on a clear day see the dead see, and got back on the bus, where are bus driven Muhammad was ready to take us away. Funny about this bus driver, he was smoking all day, and it’s Ramadan. Well at least he didn’t eat.

THE HERODIAN
So we packed our passports for the next part of the trip and headed for the wall that was put up between Israel and Palestine just a few years ago. I guess it was the best solution for them. I pondered having to go to a check point every time I wanted to leave my town, and then remembered that some people do not have permission to leave Palestine ever and must stay behind said wall until they get permission. Fortunately we just held our passports in the air, a blessing considering some buses are not allowed in the country. Our next stop I believe was the Herodian. Cindy had mentioned it looked like a volcano, but I couldn’t figure out why that would be in this area. As we approached and she explained I started to understand. Alright, basically Herod the Great was a maniac. One of his favorite things to do other than kill his favorite wives and sons out of Paranoia was to build structures that changed the shape of geography, i.e. bring water where there was no water, flatten a hill, etc. In this case he took a hill that was already high and took dirt from the hill next to it and made it even higher, resulting in the highest hill in the area, even higher than the holy of holies. Of course that is what he wanted. So now think of the hill as an actual volcano with the funnel or the volcano in the middle. In the funnel area he builds the castle, and then puts up four huge towers making the mountain even bigger. This resulted in some awesome views of his entire empire. That’s right you could see the dead see, Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and even Moab. We were basically in King David’s backyard. (Real shepherds with real bleating sheep!) We also stopped to see King Herods tomb which was just below the top and facing Jerusalem. I think my favorite part was when Cindy was telling us about the story of Ruth, and how they could see that Moab was green from where they lived. We left the hill by this tunnel built by these settlers during one of the wars.

The THRESHING FLOOR
Next we visited a real threshing floor, or at least it used to be. This was cool because Cindy explained the story of Ruth and Boaz and the boys played out the scene. Here you can see the boys uncovering eachothers feet!

BETHLEHEM
My first impression of Bethlehem was that it sure did house a lot of garbage. No one cares about that here though. Even in the churches, if something was put up 1000 years ago, it is still there, no matter what it is. So we drove into Bethlehem and made our way up a hill (go figure) to Nativity Square. We headed into the Church of the Nativity so we could all see and touch the rock where Jesus was born. This like everything in the area probably wasn’t the actual rock, but it was nice to remember the birth. I even bought one of those candles and said quick “thanks for coming Lord.” We did not have much time at the church but it was so beautiful in there. I hope the situation to go back remains open. We then left Palestine through the wall, but this time we all had to get off the bus and physically had to go through the check point. The wall was littered with graffiti protesting the wall. It is so moving to look at it.

RAMAT RAHAL
Our next stop was Ramat Rahal, which has become somewhat of a huge kibbutz for tourists. It has a pretty nice pool which I hope to visit soon. We went to see the remains of a palace there. The coolest thing other then the view was the HUGE pile of pottery shards that we picked through. I hope everyone I know likes pottery shards because they are a rather inexpensive (free) and cool gift from the Holy Land. See they date things with the pottery, but other than that it’s pretty much useless. It was around this time we got a call about the incident, but we will talk about that later in a different blog seeing it will be a careful explanation to keep you from worrying about me. Lunch was good, basically pita and hummus, like always.

HEBREW UNIVERSITY
I think our next stop was Hebrew University to the look out. To go to this school you have to speak fluent Hebrew and know Latin! So lets just say I won’t be heading there anytime soon. Anyway this was my favorite view because we could see the whole platform of the temple mount, which I haven’t seen yet. The other awesome part other then the wind that wouldn’t let up, was the camels that were there that I guess you can ride. We just stopped and gave them camel kisses! Cindy pointed out the Eastern Gate that is sealed up along the wall. She said that in the late 80’s it had just rained and the air was really clear. So a JUC student decided to take pictures in the morning. He walked all the way along the wall to this gate to take some pictures. This gate was probably filled up because of the prophesy of the messiah coming from the east. This current filled up gate is actually a later gate however and not the original gate. So this guy walks up to the gate to look around, but because the ground was wet from the rain he fell through the ground and into a tomb underneath. Once he got over the original shock of falling into a tomb and realized he could get out of the tomb, he took some pictures of what he saw there. Some of these pictures were of the original gate of the wall! He was so excited he ran back to the school to get a friend and his camera, but by the time they got back the hole had been filled in with cement! (This is probably because the gate is touching the wall connected to the Temple Mt, and the Muslims for sure don’t want any proof that this wall ever had anything to do with Christianity. I don’t even want to think of all the things that they know that we do not.) Any this guy took the only pictures we have of this older gate, and they have been published in a few magazines. This place is so shady!

MT. OF OLIVES WALK
I know what you are thinking, all of this in one day? But yes there is more! Thank you for hanging in there with me. So now we started our walk down the Mt. of Olives. Our first stop was a church that housed some old bone boxes, one of which had the foot of someone who had been crucified in it. The garden there was beautiful. Continuing down this route, which is the route people take on Palm Sunday, we eventually hit the Church of the Nations. I think I will mention that this whole mountain is covered in white stone tombs, so that part of the story when Jesus says the rocks will cry out takes on a whole new meaning. So the Church of the nations boasts the traditional Garden of Gethsemane and the church is built over the traditional rock where Jesus cries out to God. This church was my favorite spot in the city thus far. The Olive trees in the garden are some of the oldest on the mountain, and so lovely. The church is called the church of nations because of all of the countries that gave money to see it be built, the U.S. included. The stain glass windows are alabaster in shades of blue and purple from Egypt and Jordan. The glass is barely transparent, leaving the church in a constant state of evening all day long. As you walk through the doors a sign reminds you, “silence.” I sat in the church, so much more beautiful without the gaudy decorations of the older churches, with mosaic covering the floor and the ceiling. I sat and read the account of John 17 and prayed silently to myself. Now we are coming to the end of the day. We walked down the hill into the bottom of the Kidron valley. There we stopped to see Absalom’s monument and some other structures carved right into the bedrock! The fun part about these what that there was a rope hanging from a hole in the monument, and up went ten of the students into the old tomb. It was a lot of fun to watch, but of course I have no upper body strength.

So that was my day, It was a blast, and I hope you enjoyed reading through this.

Love you, Claire

Shabbat Shalom

" Hear oh Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one."

Blessings dear friends, Love Claire

Breaking Shabbat with good friends: http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2012241&l=fd528&id=170100936

Stuffy Muffy

Shabbat Shalom readers! Sorry that it has been a few days since I updated, but I guess it my case it has seemed like a busy week. Mostly in the fact that I am still sick, in fact sicker then I was when I wrote my last blog. This cold is really chewing me up, and I am not getting as much done as I would like to. Plus tomorrow we have a feild study called "Jerusalem approaches" where we take a bus all over so I have been trying to really rest all week to feel better. I even took my name of the hike list for Sunday so I could get some rest before our exam on Tuesday. I thought I was feeling a little better yesturday because I got a good nap, but what ever I have wont kick. Hopefully the Lord will heal me soon. I just want to be able to read a book without falling asleep on it. I am also having trouble reading people because my head is so blurry so I am just assuming everyone is upset with me. I feel bad that I am still sick. So please pray this out of me!

Lets see the other day we went out for my friend Nicoles birthday. She found this resturaunt in her guidebook and it was said to be cheap, so about 20 of us walked into the arab quarter and searched for it. It cost 35 sheckles a person, which is 10 dollars us, and was AWESOME. They were really nice and opened for us even though they were on their way home to eat after the fast. (Its Ramadon!) So as far as the food, you know how at Olive garden, you can get a taste of Italy, we this was like taste of Palestine! Lets see I don't know all of the names of what we ate, but they brought it out and we all shared it! There was Pita, Falofal balls, Hummus, Black Hummus with this avacodo sauce on it, the spicy red paste that I loved, this other eggplant sauce that tasted like butter to me, and maybe some other sauce thing, and also arab salad and this other salad that was basically olives and pickles. All of this I guess went on the Pita. They also brought us out french fries and ketchup! It was a great time and so good!

That was on Tuesday though, and its friday, so where has the time gone. On wednesday I rested to try to get the sick out of me, no such luck, but I went to Christian Communities in the Middle East class at night which was pretty interesting and a lot of information. I decided to drop the class even though I really liked it, because I have to take two semesters of Chruch History at home as well. Yesturday I had three classes which made for a long day but I enjoyed the subject matter! This morning I went to Archeaology class that I am thankfully auditing, and it was THREE STRAIGHT HOURS with no break. Thank goodness I brought tissues because I was barely hanging on! I basically listened and drew pictures and seemingly had a nice time. Tim, our professor is Avi Barkei, and yes he was the man you saw on tv, my friend told me she saw it too! I thought you would want to know!

Tonight is shabbat, which is a nice time to .... well I am really not sure, but its a little nicer of a meal with the other students, and hopefully hummus, because today was grocery day! I have been trying to eat healthy here and thankfully we have a ton of fresh fruit and veggies to eat here. I didn't know you could eat a fig outside of a cookie!

Well I am going to go attempt to read for class, Love You!

Claire

How I feel about Hummus...

Are you Mormon?

Some thoughts on religion in Israel.

As I walk through the Old City with my friends, it seems the most popular question form shop keepers is, "Are you mormons?" or "Bevakesha Ladies this shop is the perfect place for mormons!" Something along those lines. Now my friend Cameron says its because there is a huge influx of Mormon students in the Spring coming from their School on the Mt. of Olives. My Palestinian teacher thought it maight be because they know Mormons are ok with having multiple wives and this could be their chance. He is a pretty funny guy.

How funny it is to hear aside, it opens the issue of the religious undertones that permiate everything in this society. Everyone is put into one of three groups; Christians, Muslims, or Jews. However, being in one of these groups in no way reflects your spiritual realtionship with the Father at all. You just need to be labeled. The church here is rather indifferent to the branching out in faith idea presented in the Bible because the religious issues and hostelness (is that a word) coming from all sides. Everyone is left to their own beliefs, and a dangerous spirit of Universalism has crept over the whole city. Even last night our teacher was expressing that he would never want to openly talk people into converting, and that we should just live by example. People and people groups need to find their own religious beliefs and what is right for them. Can this universalist view have spread even to the Holy Land? I asked myself. It has. Our professor is Roman Catholic, but obviously does not know what it means to live faith out, but I suppose we all get it wrong in some ways. The men who work in our kitchen are "christians" but have no idea what it means to be redeemed by Jesus Christ. But the people here don't really care. Religion is more of what you are then who you are. I am not saying their are not strong christians, muslims, or jews in town, however Christianity in a whole looks more like Muslim or Judism then soley Christian.

The other day I was thinking strongly about how Christ has not abolished the law but instead fufilled it. It got me thinking about if I should be more "jewish" in tradition then I am now. But how then do I still make Christianity its own thing. I am neither Jewish or Muslim, but the Church here (the people group) tries to keep the peace by generalizing. Just as one can be born into Jewish heritage one can also be born into Christian heritage, and it doesnt mean you will adopt the religion as your own. So how does this effect me, how to I begin to respect the aspects of the Law that Jesus acknowledged, and still live out and act out my faith? Maybe it begins in small ways.

Like next time when the waitress at the hookah bar askes why none of us are drinking, I wont just say I dont drink, but tell her why I have chosen not to drink... however that could possibly be a bad example because no one gets drunk here, that is really an american thing.

In todays worlds we are called to come together through our differences and focus on what we have that is the same. The danger in that is forgetting what God has called us to. There is in fact only one way, and that is through the Father and His son Jesus, so I guess this semester will help me to figure out how to balance that in this, a society more extremely seperated that America. (Everything is labeled, Christains supermarkets, Jewish bakerys, etc.) I have taken for granted that I live in a place so big on real faith, and moved to a place where you are what you were.

BUT more on this later.

Please keep me in prayer I have caught a pretty terrible cold. I know, stop getting sick Claire.

Love You and Miss you!

(Picture taken by my good friend Adobe, of the Old City streets at 5 am, when everthing is closed.)

Finally Posting [Part 2]

Ok, so after lunch (last Sunday) we got to go see the church of the Holy Sepulcher. This apparently is where Jesus' crucifixion and burial took place, but whether that is accurate we don't know. Anyways, we started at the far east side which is where people originally would have started from. Then we walked up a long staircase and to the current entrance where a large mural is. This mural depicts Jesus' crucifixion, taking Him down from the cross to be prepared for burial, and His burial. There is a large flat stone in front of this mural that represents the place where Jesus was prepared for burial. Some people would come and touch the stone and pray over it. Most people know that this stone wasn't the actual stone, but maybe not all of them. So from here we went to the place where Jesus is said to have been buried. They have built a large structure around the spot, so that it is in a free standing room within the church. I don't think your allowed to take pictures in there, but people can go in and see it. We weren't able to spend too much time in the church because we had one more stop and then we had to get back. Though, I'm sure I and others will go back in our free time to see it in more detail. In all, this was my favorite field study as of yet.

I will be able to get picture of our visit to the church up when I get a new cord for my computer...so basically not any time soon, sorry.
I hope everyone is doing well with school and work and life. Just remember all of our efforts for anything that we pursue means nothing if it's detracting from our relationship with Jesus.
I must tell you that I don't think I've ever felt so close to Jesus that I do now. I love going to Him in prayer, and reading about Him, and learning about Him. I don't think it is just because I'm in Jerusalem (or the "Holy Land"), but because I'm in a place where I can't rely on the familiar. I am out here on my own, in a land so very far away form home, and Jesus is using this to show me that He is big enough and strong enough to be everything I need.

You all are in my prayers, and I thank you that I have been in yours.
Love and God Bless,
Jennilee

Chronic Illness and Bliss

Jet Lag, Heat Stroke, Hyperventaltion, Dieherria, Gas, Bloating, Wasp Stings, Bug Bites, Headaches, exema(AHHHHHH,) and now a cold...

but I am mostly homesick. I miss being with people I know and that Love me. Thank Goodness for Jennilee and her support. This is just harder then I thought it would be. I am not trying to complain, I love it here, but sometimes I go the whole day without a hug! I obviously need to meet a nice Israeli Soldier! (just kidding) Thank you to all of the people who have taken time out of their afternoon to make me laugh, it really Helps. God is just using this to grow me more then I thought he would. Since I last updated I have basically been recovering from the weekend, it is Tuesday right? Alright so last night I went out with some people to get hookah again, Don't worry I didn't have any. I would probably gag my lungs up anyway. It did have a pleasent apple smell though. I was pretty bummed out last night though. I should have stayed home to myself but I am trying to get to know some people better so I won't feel so lonely. So I did not get to sleep until late because I was talking with friends online. That meant a nice nap this morning after I put some laundry on the clothes line (Mrs. Wright called them our air dryers!) So then I got up and did some hebrew homework. We are translating the book of 2 kings, which so far has been cool with all the calling down of fire. It took us 10 verses to figure out what story we were on!

Today is Nicoles birthday so we are going out for dinner! I havent really eatten out at all so this should be good. We are going out after lunch to pick her up a present in the Old City. We tried yesturday but it was getting late and they want us in for dusk during Ramadan, well at least being careful, but the U.S. Embassy makes their people get inside! I guess their is a lot of crime during that time because the men are supposed to provide presents for their families or something. So our school has had people get mugged before or held at knife point. HAHA I just made my mom feel so much better.

SO anyway please be praying for us. I am excited that it feels cooler today, well its 82, but the air feels cooler.

I think I have some new pictures to share!

Israel 3D: http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2012154&l=c91a2&id=170100936

Temple Mount Museum and Hezekiahs Tunnel: http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2012172&l=23386&id=170100936

Hezekiahs Tunnel and Tombs and ...: http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2012173&l=e946c&id=170100936

Love you! Claire

Finally Posting

Hey,
Sorry everyone, I know I've slacked off on posting here. But part of it was unavoidable due to our internet being down basically this whole weekend.
So to get you updated:
Shabbat dinner and vespers was really awesome on Friday. We had a BBQ outside and then we all gathered around in the grass to sing and worship God. Claire was one of the leading singers, who was sort of caught off guard because they asked her at dinner if she would sing after. But it went really well and she did an awesome job. After the singing we all stood (or sat) around and chatted until 9pm (when we were going to watch Aladdin). I had a really good time talking with Lila (the cutest little baby of one of the grad students) and her mom. Lila was trying to eat the grass, but we all kept watch on her. It was also really nice to watch Aladdin with a big group of us. The funniest part was when a number of the guys all came in on the part of the song that goes, "I will open your eyes...". Anyways, it was really funny.

Today we had our second field study for Physical Settings. We started at 7am [and you thought 8am classes were bad]. We first went to go look at a part of the wall from Hezekiah's time, I believe. It proved the wall was farther out than previously thought. What was also interesting was watching the city wake up. Little cute children would walk by, probably going to school. Also, there was a playground right across from where we were, which the kids went to as well.
Later we got to see a 3D movie on the City of David. It showed the history of Israel being taken by Assyria, then how Hezekiah made a tunnel to divert the water when the Assyrians tried to attack him. Apparently, we still can't exactly figure out how Hezekiah was able to make this tunnel, because they were tunneling blind from two ends and ended up meeting each other. Even though, it was not a straight shot. However, what was even better than the movie was actually walking through Hezekiah's tunnel.
Now Hezekiah's tunnel was constructed to divert water, so guess what we walked in for most of the tunnel...that's right - water. It was actually really fun, especially since we were forewarned of the water part. The first section of the water was deepest, coming up maybe 6 or 7inches above my knees. However, it was a lot lower for most of the walk. At first you could stand up in the tunnel, then the ceiling got really low. Good thing I'm not claustrophobic. There were also other parts where the ceiling was very high, apr. twice my height. So anyway, it was a lot of fun and for a little while some people were singing as we walked through. The tunnel had pretty good acoustics.
After the tunnel we went to the Pool of Siloam. This is the pool that Jesus sent the blind man to wash the mud off his eyes (that Jesus put on them). Also, another miracle Jesus did on the Sabbath. A cute little kitten decided to join our discussion, probably because he knew that we would all pet him. Though, he was probably also looking for food.
From here we went to look at an ancient burial site. They used to believe the tombs we were near were for the poor, though now they seem far to elaborate for that purpose. Apparently, after the bodies decomposed and all that was left were bones, they would be placed in a whole with the bones of your ancestors. So when it says in the O.T. that so-and-so slept with his fathers, his bones were actually laying on top of his father's bones.
Soon after this we hiked up the hill back toward campus for lunch. I will write about the second half of our day probably tomorrow. It is getting late and I should get to bed.
I hope everyone is well. May God bless you all and keep you.

~Jennilee~

P.S. Check out the new pictures:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2060628&l=83bb3&id=43401722

Tunnels and Tantrums.

Today was definitely physically taxing. I do not remember the last time I have been this tired at the end of the day. I mean it’s only eight and I am ready for bed! We started the day near our campus on the roof of the building that did not house the last supper. Then we moved to the room that actually housed the last supper. See the room is just so wrong for the last supper. There are bits of the Karan on the wall and gothic architecture. Basically it just can not be the room. However, it was nice to go and see it for its tradition. We moved from there to the Jewish quarter to see a part of Hezekiah’s wall that was excavated after the Jewish quarter fell following the war in the 1960’s. I really enjoyed watching the city wake up around us. My favorite part were the little Jewish boys and girls going off to school for the day.
We then headed to the City of David, where we entered the very nice visitor’s center. The first thing that we did there was watch this insane 3D video about the ancient city. I have never been to one of these movies before, but having birds fly out at you was pretty neat. After the fun of 3D glasses was over, we stood up on a platform on which you could view the whole lower section of the City of David, which by the way was rather small. We are getting very good at picking out hills and valleys now. Believe me you feel them with your feet. Then came probably my favorite part of the day, which was when we got to walk through Hezekiah’s tunnel though the belly of the city! It was such fun walking through this small tunnel built to keep the Assyrians from getting to the water supply during the war. We where up to our waist in water some of the time and the worst part was that I forgot my flash light, so I kept taking pictures hoping it would help me see! So let’s just say I took a lot of pictures of Jennilee’s backside, because she was all I could see. Sometimes the tunnel would get so small you would have to bend over just to get through. It was an awesome experience. Then came my least favorite part of the day, which started off fine with us seeing this nice tomb that probably belonged to this priest that I can not remember, and then ended with the worst climb out of the valley up to our school. This walk went first up this rugged “hill” which went straight up and then up this paved 45 degree 600 ft rise up from hell to my room in heaven. I thought I was going to die. I am not being dramatic. You know the point when you want to break down and weep but you can not because you are hyperventilating, yeah I was there. Jennilee talked my up the last staircase. I do not think I can talk about it anymore. It gave a new definition to what they meant by “You must be in excellent physical condition.” By the way I thought they meant like do not have cancer or something! I wanted to roll into the hinnom valley and get eatten by the dogs.
After our one hour of lunch back at school we were back out again. That was outfit number two for me. I can barely remember what we did by then and am looking through my photos. Oh alright we went to the Temple Mount museum, which is right next to the mount, and more importantly air conditioned. It was really interesting to here the history behind the site and see what has been dug up. Other than that we basically spent the rest of the day at the Holy Septlicure (no idea how to spell that), which was pretty cool if you enjoy folklore and Catholic tradition. If you need something rubbed on Calvary or the tomb of Jesus, please just let me know! Well it is good to be back at school and showered. I hope everyone is doing great!

Love Claire

Touch and go internet and the story of a sting.

Written Yesterday:

Well I guess I got it later than everyone else, but I can nicely say that I need to be 100 ft. from a bathroom at all times. I knew I would drop some weight here, but I didn't think it would be for this reason. HAHA. Well I guess 75% of the student body has been going through this, so I don't feel alone. Nicole was nice enough to let me use her clinical strength meds which I have taken twice and have only sort of helped. I guess it takes your body some time to get used to the water and the food.

Now for the pressing issue of the wasp sting. I was in the computer lab this morning and went to pick up some papers off of a desk and leaned right on this thing. At first it felt like a hot wire was touching my leg, and then... oh the pain. I am rather alright with pain, or at least laughing it off. Well I could not hold this back. I fell to the ground and wept. I could barely speak. Poor Naomi didn't know what was wrong with me. Oh I did see the thing fly off, but only for a second, I think it was black. I tried so hard to laugh it off but I couldn't. Nothing could possibly hurt this bad, and you all know I have body modifications that should hurt worse. No Way. So when I finally got myself into a chair a guy walks in to see my balling and was all "Ok, Bad Time" and I could barely get out that I had been stung. So Naomi went and got Mrs. Wright and they got Ice and some cream. She told me that her husband had gotten stung and that it would hurt all day. Well I would say that would be an understatement. The Ice numbed the wound pretty well for awhile. However, my leg now feels like it is on fire. Sometimes it starts twitching or has some wave of pain. And goodness, I wish it would stop. It is not easy to run down five flights of steps to the bathroom when your leg is on fire. So I have basically bummed around all day because I didn't have class and would like to be able to walk at our field study on Sunday.

Last night I went out with a group of guys for Thursday night which if you think about it is like our Friday night. All the young people hang out in the new city. So we went up Jaffa St. to an outdoor restaurant/hookah bar and talked for a few hours. It really was a good time. The boys got a water pipe which smelled like Apples (No, I didn't have any) and I got a Cappuccino which kept me up ALL NIGHT. That's right, tired, sick, wasp sting. But hey I would rather go through it all at once and what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. It weird here because the drinking age is lower and we are basically free to do what we want off campus. I guess this freedom is a more European way of looking at education, but I like it. Oh and the hookah, which I still dont quite have figured out, they were everywhere. You could rent one anywhere in that area, and most of the young people where enjoying them. I bet there is no age limit because there is little or no nicotine in them, or so I have been told. Just another chance to pass on things of this world. We left there and went to block buster so the boys could rent something, and I thought it was funny that all the Titles where in Hebrew! All in all a really fun way to spend a night.

So I am going to finish my free diet coke I won from the scavenger hunt (yes it says it in Hebrew) and wait for dinner. We are having a BBQ tonight, but most of the boys went on a man trip to Tel Aviv, I would really like to go sometime to the beach as well. I am also singing for vespers tonight, because no one volunteered to do so and I like singing anyway.

I apologize to all of those who are waiting for me to get in contact with them, the internet here has been up and down all day and last night, In fact I will probably have to save this and post it later, so blessings to all, please be praying for my illness and even more for this sting. I hope everyone is Doing great, and a very Happy Birthday to my sister Kayla! Love you, Claire

Written Today:
The Internet has been down here for the past two days, or touch and go. I havent been able to get on so I apologize to those who are trying to talk to me.

TO Kayla, Happy Birthday...its today right? Anyway I am sorry I have to be away for this special day for you. I love you!

Love Claire

ps. the sting is doing better, but its still swollen.

Nes Cafe

They don't drink brewed coffee here, and in the moring they drink instant coffee, which I have been getting used to. A nice young man with a french press lets me in on the coffee wealth sometimes and it is much appreciated it. I can walk about a quarter mile to get an americano, but sometimes there isn't time.

We are about to head off to Hebrew 3 at three, and it should be alright. I can still read fairly well and my hebrew tongue is slowly coming back to me. The teacher told me that I read beatifully, but he didnt know that I knew the verse I was reading, so I practiced the verses for today so I wouldnt sound like an idiot. We are going to be parsing verbs IN HEBREW. I didn't think I signed up for that, but I suppose it will be a fun new skill to show off in the Hebrew four class when I get back home. We are translating 2 Kings this semester mostly for Hebrew and also to get the Historical and Geographical names out of the text. Interesting Yes, easy no. Our professor in that class is a Jew from the states, and he cracks me up, and supposidly is very gracious, which is a blessing for my fragil feelings when it comes to hebrew.

Today we are going to the office depot to get the school supplies we forgot! I have heard that they dont have much but they do have a little. It will most likely be expensive. I wish I saw a place to get them in the Arab quarter, because things are cheaper there, but alas that did not happen.

Yesturdays shopping experiance was so funny. If you are a lady I would love to tell you about it sometime, because its a girl appropriate story, but I assure you a laugh from it. We also ended up getting a little away from where we knew, but as long as you know the direction you are in you can find a way out of the wall. So all was well. Some of the girls tried their hand at haggeling and I got a new dress thing to keep cool in. I thought I would be wearing skirts for modesty but really its more comfortable in the heat! Today however I decided to go with more comfy clothing. I have tomorrow off so perhaps we should plan something. Some of the kids went to the beach today but I needed to go to class. I don't mind though because I woke up this morning excited to sit and learn and read and take in. How blessed I feel to be here learning about things I love. Seriously today in class we talked about tells, when will I get to talk about tells at home! (a tell is a hill like mound that is actually layers of ancient cities built up over hundreds of years!)

I can not believe tomorrow is friday and that I have been here for almost a week already. I have been keeping up with the homework so far and it is a ton of reading, but it has been fairly interesting. I also have a class on Society and Politics in Palestine taught by a member of their parliment, and I am eager to learn from his perspective what is going. He is really funny as well. Don't worry Mr. Cooper, I am not being brain washed.

I signed up to do some volunteer work here, hopefully at a Hebrew school or if not there with the gyspies in the old city. I am excited to see what God will do!

New Picture Files!
Getting to Israel:
http//www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2012065&l=d0dfe&id=170100936
The Old City, St. Annes, and the Pools of Bethesda:
http://http//www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2012084&l=cd4c3&id=170100936
The Western Wall:
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2012124&l=d4580&id=170100936
Talk to you Soon! Love and Miss you... Claire