Day 7: Indiana Jones!

As I look out on the city with the night lights twinkling on the horizon, I wonder what it would have been like for the kings of the Bible on a night such as this. With the crisp mountain air blowing through the trees and the stars above, it truly is a magical feeling. It reminds me a lot of home, but at the same time has a  unique character about it. I hope that one day the Lord allows me to see what this beloved looked like in the time of His servants such as David & Solomon.

Today was a very unique one for me. I learned so much that I am actually starting to get sensory overload. We started out going to an archeological dig from the Edomite period (about 2,200 years ago) and got to play Indiana Jones for the morning. I absolutely loved it, and learned how to find artifacts in the underground caves. I actually ended up finding about 10 pieces of pottery, and it was surreal to know that I had been the first person to touch that object in over two thousand years. After finding lots of hidden treasures, we then went spelunking in a cave nearby. It was so much fun to be crawling on your hands and knees at times throughout this ancient place. I had to lower myself down holes in the rock, lay on my back and squeeze through spaces with only a couple inches of clearance, and make sure I didn't blow out any of the candles  along the way.

We were then loaded into the bus to drive to Bethlehem. On the way, we passed the Valley of Elah, where David fough Goliath. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it, and once again longed to see what it looked like years ago. Right outside of Bethlehem our guide, Ronnie, had to leave us because he is Jewish and does not have a permit to enter the Palestinian controlled area (it is worth noting here that Palestinians are allowed to work in Israel even though Jews aren't allowed to work in Palestinian controlled areas). I was able to see the church of the Nativity, where some claim Christ was born. I personally doubt it was in the exact spot they claim, but the biggest thing I took from the experience was the caves. I could not imagine having to give birth to a child in a place like that, and it was so humbling to see the type of place where Christ entered the world. It was dark, dirty, and ugly to be honest. I was struck at the depth of His love for me to be willing to leave Heaven to come to a place like that cave--all because of my sins.

Walking through Palestine was a bit scary. Instead of IDF soldiers everywhere as in Jerusalem, there were Palestinian police patrolling the streets. There was a picture of Yassar Arafat around almost every corner, even in the office of the Church of the Nativity. But what struck me most was all the graffiti on the Israeli security wall at the edge of the city. The hateful and horrible language was not only offensive, but gave completely false accusations and spewed such hatred.

After leaving Bethlehem we met with Col. Danny Tirza--the man who was in charge of designing and building the security fence. An interesting fact to point out is that only 5% of the fence is actually concrete, something you don't see or hear in the American media. The rest is simply a fence with sensors and cameras. He explained to us the reason the concrete is up in the urban areas to protect the Israeli apartments from sniper attacks from the Palestinians, keep Palestinians from climbing a fence (it is over 9m high), and also to prevent the Palestinians from constantly setting off the fence sensors by throwing rocks at the fence. So, it just makes more sense to have a large concrete wall.

I think the biggest thing that impacted me today was how wrong the media is in portraying the Israel-Palestine conflict. Certainly, there are innocent parties on both sides being hurt by the conflict. But by no means is Israel the aggressor in this fight. In fact, Israel has tried several times to come to the table with peace agreements while Palestine refuses to cooperate. Instead of blaming Israel for "not cooperating" with the Palestinians, I think it is our duty as Americans, but more importantly as Christians, to strengthen and encourage them in their fight against terror.

On a personal side note, I feel obligated to tell all of you how much the Lord has been working in my life. Throughout these past few days I have discovered a love for God that I didn't even know I could experience. However, I think it can be really easy to fall into the trap of thinking that it takes a trip such as mine in order to discover this love. While being in the Holy Land is an amazing experience and truly lets you learn and see the Bible like no other way, I want to encourage each and every one of you to seek the Lord and really know how much He loves you. It will fill you with such peace and joy, and the wonderful thing is that it will never stop as long as you keep seeking Him--it is a life long journey.

Laila tov. ♥

Picture: At the security wall with Col. Tirza (top left), Valley of Elah (top right), playing Indiana Jones! (middle row), mountains outside Jerusalem (bottom left), Church of the Nativity (bottom right)

Day 6: Excitement!

As I sit here and look at my journal for today,  I realize that it was probably one of my most meaningful thus far on my adventure to Israel. Jerusalem is such a wonderful place--it's honestly quite difficult to put down on paper the atmosphere here. I started out today meeting the Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem, where she gave us a wonderful talk about certain difficulties facing the city. I learned from her that the Palestinians are allowed (and encouraged by Israel) to hold elections so they can be represented in the government and have a voice as to what goes on in the city. However, the Palestinian authorities actually tell their people not to participate in these elections, because it would be acknowledging Israel as a legitimate nation. However, the same Palestinian authorities then go around telling the media how oppressive Israel is because there are no Palestinians in the government. It really showed me how we as Americans, and as world citizens, are so bad at doing research for ourselves. We tend to take anything we hear on the news as truth, and I think that is a grave mistake. So I would encourage all of you to always look into what you are reading for yourself--no matter how reliable the source.  

We then headed to the Mount of Olives where I was able to get breath taking views of the city. As I walked down Palm Sunday road, I was amazed at how close I felt with the Lord. I've felt such wonderful love surrounding me throughout this trip, and I know it's the kind of love our Father wants us to experience with Him all the time. After the walk, our group was ushered into the Garden of Gethsemane. The olive trees here were over 2,000 years old, and they were enormous. I could completely understand why Jesus would come here to pray. It was such an interesting place with so much symbolism attached to it. I was able to take an olive branch away from the Garden, and I now have it in my Bible.  

Next was the Old City of Jerusalem where we had lunch in the Jewish Quarter. I got to see the Western Wall, and tour the Western Wall tunnels. It was neat to see the stones of the wall and realize how amazing it was that King Herod was able to build something like that.  

Then for my favorite part of this ENTIRE trip: King Hezekiah's Tunnel. For those of you who have never read the historical fiction series Chronicles of the Kings by Lynn Austin, please read them! They are about King Hezekiah and his reign. Anyway, those books completely made this tunnel come alive for me. I was like a little kid at Disney Land, walking through the tunnel with water that at times could be thigh-high. I think the entire rest of the group thought it was a little crazy how in love with this place I was. There were times the tunnel ceiling was so low I literally had to do a "squat-walk" as I went through it (I definately got my leg workout in for the day!)  I felt like I had personally known the people who built this tunnel after reading Austin's books, and the entire experience was absolutely mind-blowing. I will say again, please, please read those books if you haven't already. They have strengthened my faith tremendously, and I think you will be blessed by them. Plus you will be able to better understand what this tunnel was. To give a short synopsis, Hezekiah basically took part of the tunnel that David had used in the past, and extended it so he could get water into the city before the upcoming Assyrian invasion. He didn't want his enemies to have access to water in the area, and he also didn't want the entire city to be vulnerable to attack via the water system. 

A fun side-note is that I am getting better at my Hebrew! I still know pathetically little, but it's really fun to know a few words and be able to communicate with people, even in a small way. This trip has really taught me that the fastest way to learn another language is to completely surround yourself by it. Many people I've talked to have told me they became completely fluent within 5 months of moving to Israel.  

Well, that's all for today! Please keep me in your prayers tomorrow, I am headed to Bethlehem. I am very excited, but this is an area of Israel completely controlled and governed by the Palestinians. We are not allowed to wear shirts of any kind associating us with CUFI or even Christianity, just for the safety of the group. We have been reassured it is simply a precaution, but I am a huge believer in the power of prayer, and would appreciate as many as you can give.   

Much love to you all, only 5 days left in the Holy Land for me! I have already taken about 2,000 pictures, so I will have lots of stories when I get home. :)  

Laila Tov! (lie-luh tov) Or as we say in English, "goodnight!"

P.s. Check out this blog by one of our CUFI leaders, Josh. You may even find a quote from yours truly!

Picture: Western Wall & tunnels (top row), Palm Sunday Road & Garden of Gethsemane (middle row), City of David & Hezekiah's Tunnel (bottom row)

Day 5: Impacted

So let me say first of all happy birthday to the best husband a girl could ever ask for! Ryan, I know other people are reading this, so I get to brag on you a bit. You are such a loving husband to me and this past year & 8 months has been the happiest of my life. I'm sorry I'm not able to share  it with you today, but I'm sure our families back home will shower you with love for me. :)  

Ok now that I've let you all know what I wonderful man I have, I will now tell you about my latest adventure. Today started out leaving the Bedouin camp at 5am and driving to Masada for a sunrise hike. I was reminded on this hike how much I love the outdoors and the glory of God's creation. Seeing the sunrise from a vantage point like that is something I will never forget.  After enjoying the views, we went around Masada and learned a little bit about the place. This was where King Herod build his hilltop fortress, and where a small group of Jewish zealots took refuge after the Roman destruction of the Second Temple. The Romans ended up building a ramp to Masada (look up pictures online, you will see this was no easy task), and taking it over. It was scary to think of taking refuge in a place such as this and knowing you would never make it out alive. On the way down I took my first ever tram-ride, and felt like a little kid at Six Flags (even though the ride was only 3 minutes total).  

After Masada we went to Ein Gedi--also known as "David's Stream." It was so fitting to come here on my husband's birthday because the whole place reminded me of him. It is a little oasis in the desert where David hid from King Saul, and has beautiful pools of water hidden throughout. This was probably one of my favorite places of the whole trip. Even though it was hot, I was in awe of the fact that I was in the place that David hid from Saul! It just absolutely blew my mind, and after being there you can see why it was the perfect hiding place.  

For the next part of our day we drove down to the Dead Sea to "swim." You actually can't swim here because the water contains 30% salt, and so you float. It was the strangest feeling to lean back and not sink at all--plus I enjoyed the exfoliating benefits of rubbing the sea mud on my legs and arms. It was quite the experience.  

We finally got a small break from the heat as we drove to Jerusalem. We went to Mt. Scopus to get a better view, and that is when the full impact of this trip finally caught up with me. As I looked with my own eyes at the place the Temple would have been, it took all I had not to start crying right then and there. I am still extremely impacted by it. The amount of history that has gone on here, and some the people whom I've read about in the Bible had at one point been at the exact location I was looking at! It's a very hard feeling to describe, but the only word that comes close is "overwhelming." I thank God so much for the enormous blessing this trip has been to me.   I wish each and every one of you could experience it with me.

Well, that's all I have for today! I want to again wish my handsome husband a very happy birthday, and thank all of you again for taking the time to read this and pray for me. It means more than you can possibly know, and I can't wait to be able to tell you all about it when I get back.   Shalom!

Picture: Masada (top left & right, middle right), Dead Sea (top & bottom middle), Ein Gedi (middle right, bottom left & right), Jerusalem (large middle pic)

Day 4: Sightseeing

Hello friends and family! Thank you for being patient with me not having wifi last night, but believe me it was worth it! I will go ahead and do two separate blog postings so that I can try to fully include all of my experiences these past few days.  

Day 4 started out with me being baptized in the Jordan River. This was a very special time for me as I have never been baptized before. It was such an amazing experience to feel God's presence during the ceremony. I came out with a renewed love for my Heavenly Father and awestruck wonder at the love He has for His children.  

After the baptism we drove through the West Bank (don't worry mom I'm fine :) and stopped near the Jordanian baptismal site where many believe John the Baptist spent his time in the wilderness, and was the most likely area where Christ was baptized.  It was a beautiful location and had wonderful nice,  DRY heat (no more humidity! !)  

Then came one of the most majestic places I've seen so far: Qumran. This is the area where several old manuscripts were discovered from the end of the second temple-period. It is also possible to see the cave where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered.   

Now for the final part of my day, which you already know about--the Bedouin camp. When we first arrived we got to go on a camel ride through the desert (my horse riding skills actually came in slightly useful here) and then we met in the community tent to hear a little bit about Bedouin history. We then had dinner which consisted of rice, pitas, vegetables, the best pears I've ever had, and...camel meat. That's right guys, I can now say I've eaten camel. And just for those of you out there who question my bravery, I knew it was camel meat BEFORE eating it, and I still tried it. It actually was pretty tasty, and wasn't too different from a traditional meatball. I then went to our big shared tent and snagged the only hammock available while everyone else slept on mattresses on the ground. I can easily say I slept the best last night. :)  

Overall, the day was a very interesting one. My favorite part was definately getting baptized. I feel such a joy in my faith that I haven't had in a long time, and I'm so grateful for that. Now, on to day 5!

Picture: Baptism in the Jordan River (top row), Qumran (middle left), Jordanian baptism site (middle right), Bedouin camp (bottom row), CAMEL MEAT! (Bottom middle) :)

Day 3: Politics

Wow... what a day! I had such an adventure that it is impossible to put down on paper all that I've experienced. However, I will do my best to sum it up here.

I started off the day going to Mt. Bental in the Golan Heights. From the peak we were able to see the Syrian border and actually hear tank fire from the Syrian conflict. It was extremely sobering to be only 15 miles away from the fight. Being on top of Mount Bental really showed me why this spot is so coveted a location. You can see everything... Even me with virually no knowledge of military strategy was able to see how incredible a vantage point this location is. At this stop I was able to go in an old underground bunker built in the 70s, and it was slightly frightening to think of actually having to take shelter in a bunker during a real threat.

My next stop was Caesarea Philippi--probably my favorite location so far on this trip. We had a lovely Sunday sermon right next to the river underneath the shade of all the beautiful trees. This location is where Jesus asked His apostles who people said He was and Peter responded "You are the Christ." It was amazing to be in the place where you knew Christ had stood. At this location I was also able to see Agrippa's palace ruins.

Now for the most interesting stop of the day. After thinking I could not possibly beat the wonder of seeing the Syrian border, we headed over the the Lebanon border to meet with the IDF soldiers patrolling the area. I was able to give two of the IDF guys NMSU tshirts (Go Aggies!) and talk for quite awhile one-on-one with a tank commander there. THEN (my favorite part) the entire group went to the Lebanon-Israel border fence with the IDF and planted a kiwi tree right on the border within view of the Hezbollah watch-tower on the hill above us. It was scary and incredible knowing that Hezbollah terrorists were watching you support, laugh, and talk with the IDF soldiers they so hate. (By the way, the IDF thought it was great and loved every bit of it.) We then went down the road to see the tanks and one of the tank drivers then taught us how to say "Fire the Canons!" in Hebrew. We all shouted that as someone from CUFI took a video of us in front of the tank. It was a wonderful experience, and amazing to get to talk with these young men face to face who are so bravely defending their country.

My last stop of the day was kayaking on the Jordan River (yes...that's right). I love kayaking to begin with, and being able to do so down the Jordan was so much fun. It was beautiful and the water was a welcome refreshment at the end of a long day.

Even though I had a lot of fun, today taught me that I need to be praying for the Middle East more. It is truly saddening to see all these people who hate Israel and America and will do anything to see us killed. Please remember not only the brave young men and women serving in the IDF, but our own troops as well. It is because of brave and honorable people such as them that we are able to truly call ourselves free.

Quick side-note: I will not have internet tomorrow because I will be staying overnight in a Bedouin camp in the desert. But I will write all about it as soon as I can!

Picture: At the Syrian border (top left & middle), Meeting with the IDF (top right, middle left, bottom pictures), Hezbollah watchtower (bottom right), Caesarea Philippi (middle right)

Day 2: Exploring

Greetings to all of you back at home! It's hard to believe that you are starting your day while I am ending mine. :)

 I went to several places today, and each of them was amazing. I started out at the Mount of Beatitudes where Jesus gave the famous Sermon on the Mount. It was more like a natural bowl in the landscape, and it was easy to see how His voice would have carried to the thousands of people who came to listen to Him. I was amazed at the extensive walk it would have taken to get places-- all of us here have determined that people in Jesus' time were in MUCH better shape than we are today!  

We then headed over to Tabgha--the fishing area on the Sea of Galilee. This was where Christ first talked with Peter and one of the places He appeared to His apostles after His crucifixion. I was able to touch the water in the Sea of Galilee, which I thought was pretty awesome. :)  

About a mile up the road was Capernaum, where I got to see the house of Peter as well as the synagogue where Jesus taught (I still can't quite wrap my mind around that one!)   I then took a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee to where we had lunch. Being out on the lake was beautiful--I was able to see the Golan Heights from the boat as well as the rest of the amazing view around the lake. We had a lunch of fresh talapia and hummus, then headed over to Mount Tabor.

  Now let me tell you, going UP Mount Tabor was an experience in and of itself. The roads are very curvy and the cab drivers take the corners like you would on a video game. They also have to slam on their brakes whenever another cab is coming around the corner at top speed, so it makes for quite the ride... But the top of the mountain offered an absolutely amazing view. From the top, I was able to see the place where King Saul was killed, and see the church that is dedicated to Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. Mount Tabor is mentioned in the Bible as the place where the army of Barak gathered for battle against Sisera, as well as where Jesus went through his Transfiguration.  

The last stop of the day was Nazareth. I went to the spot where they believe the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, and they have built a church in remembrance. It is the largest church in the Middle East, and has very ornate carvings.  

All in all, it was a wonderful day. I was able to see so much and learn so much more about the Bible. God has already spoken to me so on this trip, I can't wait to see what else is in store.

Love to you all!

Note: In my picture, the top show shows me taking the boat on the Sea of Galilee (left) and at the Mount of Beatitudes (right). On the bottom I am at Capernaum (left), the view on the way up Mount Tabor (middle), and in Nazareth at the church (right).

Day 1: Shalom!

Shalom from Israel! After a hard 10.5 hour flight, I finally made it to the Holy Land! I have been up a full 29 hours now and am just getting ready to head to bed. But before I do, I thought I would post an update for all of you who are kind enough to be following me back at home.

Once in Israel we started off the day going to a place called Neot Kedumim, which is a project designed to show what the physical setting of the Bible would have looked like. We were not able to spend a lot of time at this location, but it was amazing to see all the different types of plants and animals. From there we headed over to Caesarea where we were able to see King Herod's harbor beach and palace ruins. I was able to see a 2,000 year old Roman amphitheater, as well as the Mediterranean. It was so powerful to be standing in the exact location discussed in Acts 10 and where Paul went before Agrippa before being sent to Rome.

After Caesarea we went to Carmel Mountain where Elijah built an altar before the Lord and defeated the priests of Baal. It was amazing to be up on top of the mountain and look at the amazing view and know that Elijah at one point had been there and seen the exact same view. As I was looking down on what's known as the Valley of Armageddon, it finally hit me: I'm in Israel!

So, after a lovely Shabbat dinner at my hotel overlooking the Sea of Galilee, I am slowly seeing the Bible come to life for me in a way I've never experienced before. Now when I read about Paul In Caesarea, I can actually picture the place in my mind. I can look out my hotel window in awe knowing I am seeing the very place where Jesus Christ placed his feet. I can understand so much better now that I've seen the Sea of Galilee why the apostles were afraid of getting caught in the storm. It is truly amazing to see not only what God created, but to see the very land He came to in order to die for my sins.

Thank you all for your continued prayer and support--believe me they are felt. I apologize for my lack of pictures, I promise I will post lots more as soon as I get a decent internet connection (That may not be until I get back though.) But, I have included a picture of me at Carmel Mountain.

Since in Hebrew it means both hello and goodbye, I will leave you again with , "Shalom!"