New blog address:
www.ibexsposeven.wordpress.com
This will give me an easy way to share pics on my blog, and
I've moved all the posts to this new location too!
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Sunday, March 11, 2007
an apology
I am planning on updating my blog wednesday. I have written several things to put up here, just haven't had time. Life has been pretty hectic lately.
I appreciate your continuing prayers and look forward to seeing you all in the USA soon!
I appreciate your continuing prayers and look forward to seeing you all in the USA soon!
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Going on 1 Month
Well, I've been at Ibex for nearly a month now, and I've been thinking about what the experience has meant to me thus far. What does living in the Land of the Bible do for you? Well, for one thing, the "warm fuzzies" I might have expect are not really that common. For one thing, most of the mental pictures I've grown up with of what Bible places are like have been smashed by reality. Jerusalem is a chaotic jumble of vendors and holy buildings. Bethlehem smells like deisel, and is plagued with heavy traffic. The place of the crucifixion has a gigantic church built over it, with several sects squabbling over it day in and day out. It's hard to mentally erase the scars of modernity and imagine what these places were like long ago.
This is not to say it's all bad. These places are fun and exciting, but for different reasons than I would have expected.
What has impressed me most about walking Jerusalem, climbing the mound where Jericho lays buried, viewing the Ascent of Adummim where so many biblical figures have walked - or ran - is that it is real. These places are just as real as Kansas City, or Santa Clarita, or Jahuara II! When we read stories from the Bible about these different places, the geography and setting no longer sound like jibberish - they sound just as real as if they said "Jesus and the disciples left that night for LAX, taking Placerita Cyn. to San Fernando, where they made a left and..." It's the coolest thing ever.
So at this point, I have to say that the reality of all these places are starting to take hold...
Dan
This is not to say it's all bad. These places are fun and exciting, but for different reasons than I would have expected.
What has impressed me most about walking Jerusalem, climbing the mound where Jericho lays buried, viewing the Ascent of Adummim where so many biblical figures have walked - or ran - is that it is real. These places are just as real as Kansas City, or Santa Clarita, or Jahuara II! When we read stories from the Bible about these different places, the geography and setting no longer sound like jibberish - they sound just as real as if they said "Jesus and the disciples left that night for LAX, taking Placerita Cyn. to San Fernando, where they made a left and..." It's the coolest thing ever.
So at this point, I have to say that the reality of all these places are starting to take hold...
Dan
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Jerusalem Studies Field Trip #1
Hey y'all,
We went with Uncle Randy today on our first Jerusalem Studies class field trip. Randy is a powerwalker, so we had to hurry to keep up, but the good news is he's a down-hill only kind of guy, and stopped to buy us goodies like coffee and ice cream.
We left at 8:00am sharp, and walked most of the day. We went to what used to be the Imperial Hotel, where famous guests of the past favored to stay, one of them being Mark Twain. It now is deserted and blends into the alleyway which now runs through the old courtyard. From there we went to the Christ's Church and visited the Conrad Schick Library. Conrad Shick is a Jerusalem notable, knighted for his intricate model of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
When our appointment came we toured the Tower of David, which really has nothing to do with the name - it was built by Herod and would have been visible in the time of Jesus. Inside it is much larger than I would have expected, and it houses an excellent museum covering most of the history of Jerusalem. It was a fascinating building, displaying many styles and periods of architecture due to the various kingdoms that contributed to the structure standing today.
Around 11:30 we went on to see the Cardo and hear more about the walls of the differnt periods - a subject that still confuses me to tears, but I think it's coming. Lunch followed, and then we went to a museum to watch an interesting 3-D video presentation, focusing more on the "spirit of Jerusalem", and not so much on history and fact. Uncle Randy calls is "artsy-fartsy", but I think most of us enjoyed it.
We then went to have "coffee time". I stuck with Coke, because I decide a long time ago that one addiction is enough! We then went past the Western Wall, through the small gate called Tanner's Gate, and on to the City of David. Much of what we saw was a repeat from our Land and Bible walk, but it was a good review of Area G, and the other areas of excavation were pointed out.
The best place we went was what very well could be David and Solomon's Tombs. There is not 100% agreement on this matter, but Randy tends to lean to the positive side. A bunch of us climbed up into it - getting down was a bit trickier for the shorter, less climbing-versed members of the female persuasion. I ended up helping out as a ladder :o)
Just before we saw the tombs we saw an ancient rock quarry and learned about the process of cutting the stones from the rock, which is pretty cool. This was what I noticed about this field trip - it gave us other bits of information, details that fit in to what we've heard on our other walks. Randy did a good job of pointing out the more modern sights and interests as well.
In short that's what we did today. It was fun to be in a smaller group, because it allowed us to get more litte fun stuff done and still go everywhere we needed to. Our bus was late coming back, but Uncle Randy has plenty of stories to tell, so that wasn't such a problem.
The best story he told all day was just before getting on the bus to come back. I didn't catch the name, but apparently there was a monk who never cut his beard, hair, or fingernails. The beard was 32 ft. long! And better yet - it was his only clothing!
Dan
We went with Uncle Randy today on our first Jerusalem Studies class field trip. Randy is a powerwalker, so we had to hurry to keep up, but the good news is he's a down-hill only kind of guy, and stopped to buy us goodies like coffee and ice cream.
We left at 8:00am sharp, and walked most of the day. We went to what used to be the Imperial Hotel, where famous guests of the past favored to stay, one of them being Mark Twain. It now is deserted and blends into the alleyway which now runs through the old courtyard. From there we went to the Christ's Church and visited the Conrad Schick Library. Conrad Shick is a Jerusalem notable, knighted for his intricate model of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
When our appointment came we toured the Tower of David, which really has nothing to do with the name - it was built by Herod and would have been visible in the time of Jesus. Inside it is much larger than I would have expected, and it houses an excellent museum covering most of the history of Jerusalem. It was a fascinating building, displaying many styles and periods of architecture due to the various kingdoms that contributed to the structure standing today.
Around 11:30 we went on to see the Cardo and hear more about the walls of the differnt periods - a subject that still confuses me to tears, but I think it's coming. Lunch followed, and then we went to a museum to watch an interesting 3-D video presentation, focusing more on the "spirit of Jerusalem", and not so much on history and fact. Uncle Randy calls is "artsy-fartsy", but I think most of us enjoyed it.
We then went to have "coffee time". I stuck with Coke, because I decide a long time ago that one addiction is enough! We then went past the Western Wall, through the small gate called Tanner's Gate, and on to the City of David. Much of what we saw was a repeat from our Land and Bible walk, but it was a good review of Area G, and the other areas of excavation were pointed out.
The best place we went was what very well could be David and Solomon's Tombs. There is not 100% agreement on this matter, but Randy tends to lean to the positive side. A bunch of us climbed up into it - getting down was a bit trickier for the shorter, less climbing-versed members of the female persuasion. I ended up helping out as a ladder :o)
Just before we saw the tombs we saw an ancient rock quarry and learned about the process of cutting the stones from the rock, which is pretty cool. This was what I noticed about this field trip - it gave us other bits of information, details that fit in to what we've heard on our other walks. Randy did a good job of pointing out the more modern sights and interests as well.
In short that's what we did today. It was fun to be in a smaller group, because it allowed us to get more litte fun stuff done and still go everywhere we needed to. Our bus was late coming back, but Uncle Randy has plenty of stories to tell, so that wasn't such a problem.
The best story he told all day was just before getting on the bus to come back. I didn't catch the name, but apparently there was a monk who never cut his beard, hair, or fingernails. The beard was 32 ft. long! And better yet - it was his only clothing!
Dan
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Benjamin Field Trip
Hey everybody!
Yesterday we embarked on our Benjamin field trip at 7:30am sharp. It was poor weather when we started, rainy and cold. Beginning at Kiriath-Jearim, where the ark of the covenant rested for 120 years, we made our way west to Gezer. Gezer was a very strategic location in ancient times, serving as a major traffic from the west towards the Central Benjamin Plateau. Of the famous Amarna letters, correspondence between the kings of the Land Between and the Pharaoh of Egypt, the origen of ten belong to the city of Gezer. Out of all the southern cities, Solomon saw it fit to make in Gezer his only fortifications.
Tel-Gezer is a place of much archaeological activity, yielding many fascinating discoveries. One interesting item we saw upon arrival was a replica of the Gezer calendar. This find was made 100 years ago by RAS McCalister. It probably served like an erasable slate - what was still on it upon discovery was a poem about the seasons, the harvests, and so it serves as a "calendar" of sorts. This artifact is dated to around 10th century B.C.
Next we viewed a Canaanite period (1500 BC) tower and water system (several of us climbed down into the remaing hole), and continuing around the tel to the south side, we learned about the Solomonic gate which was found. It had a 3-chambered gate, and casemate walls (walls with storage rooms inside). Solomon recieved Gezer as a wedding gift upon marrying Pharaoh's dauhter. It was neat to see this wall, with the surrounding green hills and light rain. It had been recently cleared of brush and weeds, so visibility was high.
We walked on through the gate, over the hill until we reached the remains of an ancient "High Place", "Standing Stones" as warned against in Leviticus 26. Originally 10 stones, only a handful remain as a vivid reminder of idolatrous foolishness.
Having finished with our tour of Tel-Gezer, we returned to the bus. Normally, the bus parks up on the paved road, and we hike down to the tel. Raji, our Arab bus driver, happened to be the adventurous type, and drove down the steep slope to the tel. We were excited for the lift, but when we were almost back to the top - no good. Raji did his best, and we did what we could by filling the road with rocks and branches, but the bus wouldn't climb. We gave up and turned around, deciding to try another route. Long story short - after pushing the bus out of the mud at least three times, it eventually sank in the mud, and we parted ways with Raji and hiked a long ways through the mud to where another bus would come to pick us up. My favorite quote was "Mud is what memories are made of!"
After knocking the mud off of our shoes and pants and everything else, we ate lunch while we waited for the bus to come. Here we had a very awkward lecture concerning the city of Emmaus. I'm sure we were a crazy sight for all the passerby!
From here, we made our way to Nebi-Samwil, the traditional (yet inaccurate) place of the prophet Samuel's tomb. We climbe atop a large structure where we could see and understand the cities so important to the region, including Gibeon, Ramah, Gibeah, Mizpah, and others. Such a view combined with the mentioning of the stories of the area really made it all come together in my mind.
We then loaded back on the bus and made our way to Jericho. We eventually followed the TOE ridge - a steep, winding route through the wilderness which eventually arrives at Jericho. The view was breathtaking, even through the tinted bus windows. Bedouin camped along the way with their sheep added even more color to the scene. At one point, I was even able to spot an empty sheep "fold", circular with an entryway blocked off with thorns and wire.
Jericho was not at all as I had pictured it, so it is a good thing that we went there. The tel is much smaller than you would expect, but when you take in the surrounding geography, so much makes sense. Looking out toward the east?, you can see all of the tel, surrounded by the modern city, and beyond that you can see the plains of Moab and the Mounains now in Jordan. Standing on the tel, looking back west?, you can see the rocky cliffs in which the spies hid upon their deliverance by Rahab. The tel itself is a bit confusing, but remains of civilization are clearly evident, and the finds match the biblical description of Jericho's destruction. We read the story sitting on the tel looking toward the plains and the mountains - it was a once in a lifetime experience that we will never forget.
After leaving the tel, we stopped by a sycamore tree in "downtown" Jericho, and then on the way out of the area we saw a part of Herod's favorite palace, the one in which he spent the last moments of his life. There were some shepherd boys chucking rocks at their goats, and it reminded me of Jahuara Viejo in Sinaloa, MX.
We made our exit by way of the Ascent of Adummim, and once again the stories came alive upon seeing the reality of the route, the treacherous way by which many men have fled for their lifes, and where the story of a life saved by kindness is likely set (the story of the "good Samaritan"). Our last stop was to view the Wadi-Kilt - and what a view it was. The monastery built in the wall of the cliff, sun setting in the background, Todd's awe-inspiring profile silloueted against the evening sky...(Ok, maybe not.) Analee and I both agree that it was the coolest part of the day, as far as setting is concerned - the view and tranquility of the spot was a great way to cap off the Benjamin field trip. After a few cookies and some photos (we couldn't pass up the great "couple pics" moment), we loaded up and headed for the moshav...home away from home.
Dan
Yesterday we embarked on our Benjamin field trip at 7:30am sharp. It was poor weather when we started, rainy and cold. Beginning at Kiriath-Jearim, where the ark of the covenant rested for 120 years, we made our way west to Gezer. Gezer was a very strategic location in ancient times, serving as a major traffic from the west towards the Central Benjamin Plateau. Of the famous Amarna letters, correspondence between the kings of the Land Between and the Pharaoh of Egypt, the origen of ten belong to the city of Gezer. Out of all the southern cities, Solomon saw it fit to make in Gezer his only fortifications.
Tel-Gezer is a place of much archaeological activity, yielding many fascinating discoveries. One interesting item we saw upon arrival was a replica of the Gezer calendar. This find was made 100 years ago by RAS McCalister. It probably served like an erasable slate - what was still on it upon discovery was a poem about the seasons, the harvests, and so it serves as a "calendar" of sorts. This artifact is dated to around 10th century B.C.
Next we viewed a Canaanite period (1500 BC) tower and water system (several of us climbed down into the remaing hole), and continuing around the tel to the south side, we learned about the Solomonic gate which was found. It had a 3-chambered gate, and casemate walls (walls with storage rooms inside). Solomon recieved Gezer as a wedding gift upon marrying Pharaoh's dauhter. It was neat to see this wall, with the surrounding green hills and light rain. It had been recently cleared of brush and weeds, so visibility was high.
We walked on through the gate, over the hill until we reached the remains of an ancient "High Place", "Standing Stones" as warned against in Leviticus 26. Originally 10 stones, only a handful remain as a vivid reminder of idolatrous foolishness.
Having finished with our tour of Tel-Gezer, we returned to the bus. Normally, the bus parks up on the paved road, and we hike down to the tel. Raji, our Arab bus driver, happened to be the adventurous type, and drove down the steep slope to the tel. We were excited for the lift, but when we were almost back to the top - no good. Raji did his best, and we did what we could by filling the road with rocks and branches, but the bus wouldn't climb. We gave up and turned around, deciding to try another route. Long story short - after pushing the bus out of the mud at least three times, it eventually sank in the mud, and we parted ways with Raji and hiked a long ways through the mud to where another bus would come to pick us up. My favorite quote was "Mud is what memories are made of!"
After knocking the mud off of our shoes and pants and everything else, we ate lunch while we waited for the bus to come. Here we had a very awkward lecture concerning the city of Emmaus. I'm sure we were a crazy sight for all the passerby!
From here, we made our way to Nebi-Samwil, the traditional (yet inaccurate) place of the prophet Samuel's tomb. We climbe atop a large structure where we could see and understand the cities so important to the region, including Gibeon, Ramah, Gibeah, Mizpah, and others. Such a view combined with the mentioning of the stories of the area really made it all come together in my mind.
We then loaded back on the bus and made our way to Jericho. We eventually followed the TOE ridge - a steep, winding route through the wilderness which eventually arrives at Jericho. The view was breathtaking, even through the tinted bus windows. Bedouin camped along the way with their sheep added even more color to the scene. At one point, I was even able to spot an empty sheep "fold", circular with an entryway blocked off with thorns and wire.
Jericho was not at all as I had pictured it, so it is a good thing that we went there. The tel is much smaller than you would expect, but when you take in the surrounding geography, so much makes sense. Looking out toward the east?, you can see all of the tel, surrounded by the modern city, and beyond that you can see the plains of Moab and the Mounains now in Jordan. Standing on the tel, looking back west?, you can see the rocky cliffs in which the spies hid upon their deliverance by Rahab. The tel itself is a bit confusing, but remains of civilization are clearly evident, and the finds match the biblical description of Jericho's destruction. We read the story sitting on the tel looking toward the plains and the mountains - it was a once in a lifetime experience that we will never forget.
After leaving the tel, we stopped by a sycamore tree in "downtown" Jericho, and then on the way out of the area we saw a part of Herod's favorite palace, the one in which he spent the last moments of his life. There were some shepherd boys chucking rocks at their goats, and it reminded me of Jahuara Viejo in Sinaloa, MX.
We made our exit by way of the Ascent of Adummim, and once again the stories came alive upon seeing the reality of the route, the treacherous way by which many men have fled for their lifes, and where the story of a life saved by kindness is likely set (the story of the "good Samaritan"). Our last stop was to view the Wadi-Kilt - and what a view it was. The monastery built in the wall of the cliff, sun setting in the background, Todd's awe-inspiring profile silloueted against the evening sky...(Ok, maybe not.) Analee and I both agree that it was the coolest part of the day, as far as setting is concerned - the view and tranquility of the spot was a great way to cap off the Benjamin field trip. After a few cookies and some photos (we couldn't pass up the great "couple pics" moment), we loaded up and headed for the moshav...home away from home.
Dan
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Today's Agenda
I thought I'd just give everybody the rundown on what I've done and will be doing today. First, I woke up around 7:30 and booked it to breakfast. At 8:30, I went to our weekly men's Bible study, led by Randy Cook. He's a great guy, a mountain man, brags about his cabin in Idaho, and really does a good job in being thoughtful and wise in his speech. We sing hymns, none of those "7/11" songs, as Randy calls them, and study the book of Nehemiah. Today we were in chapter two.
After that, I went to the library and cranked out the reading I had left to do for our Benjamin field trip tomorrow. I read an article from Biblical Archaeological Review on Jericho. I have trouble with the technical words sometimes, but it was interesting to see the different opinions and how the physical evidence matches up with the account of Scripture.
Having finished my reading, I came back to my room. On the way back I bumped into Analee and Natalie in the Biblical Gardens, hurrying off to the library as if they would turn into popsicles any second! :o) It has been pretty chilly lately, with lots of rain and wind. I hear that snow is even a possibility in Jerusalem, but we'll see.
So now I'm in my room, writting on my blog, and waiting for lunch to come at 12:30. After lunch I will probably do some more reading for my Jerusalem Studies class, then at 3:30 a group of ten of us will go to Jerusalem and visit some sites that we need to go to for credit in the same class. We're going to eat as some vegetarian place and visit a museum and some other stuff. I'm no vegetarian, but I'll try it this time. We'll probably get back around 7:30. After that, who knows what I'll end up doing...
Tomorrow is our Benjamin field trip, beginning sharply at 7:30pm. And by sharply, I mean sharply. Of all the methods concocted for encouraging student punctuality, Todd has found the "leave method" to be most effective! :o) Anyway, my next post will probably fill you in on all the grins and giggles in store.
Dan
After that, I went to the library and cranked out the reading I had left to do for our Benjamin field trip tomorrow. I read an article from Biblical Archaeological Review on Jericho. I have trouble with the technical words sometimes, but it was interesting to see the different opinions and how the physical evidence matches up with the account of Scripture.
Having finished my reading, I came back to my room. On the way back I bumped into Analee and Natalie in the Biblical Gardens, hurrying off to the library as if they would turn into popsicles any second! :o) It has been pretty chilly lately, with lots of rain and wind. I hear that snow is even a possibility in Jerusalem, but we'll see.
So now I'm in my room, writting on my blog, and waiting for lunch to come at 12:30. After lunch I will probably do some more reading for my Jerusalem Studies class, then at 3:30 a group of ten of us will go to Jerusalem and visit some sites that we need to go to for credit in the same class. We're going to eat as some vegetarian place and visit a museum and some other stuff. I'm no vegetarian, but I'll try it this time. We'll probably get back around 7:30. After that, who knows what I'll end up doing...
Tomorrow is our Benjamin field trip, beginning sharply at 7:30pm. And by sharply, I mean sharply. Of all the methods concocted for encouraging student punctuality, Todd has found the "leave method" to be most effective! :o) Anyway, my next post will probably fill you in on all the grins and giggles in store.
Dan
Thursday, February 01, 2007
3rd Jerusalem Walk - NT
Shalom, compadres!
Such an amazing country is hard to describe in words. If you haven't checked out my first set of Jerusalem pics, you should! I will try to update a new album soon.
We spent Tuesday night - Wednessday evening in the Old City for yet another wild ride with our Land and Bible professor Todd Bolen. Weather was not on our side - as I sat in the library doing some homework on Tuesday afternoon, the sky was dark and the rain was gushing down out of the sky. It eased up a bit for our travels that night, but I still wore a t-shirt, a thermal shirt, a longsleeve t, a fleece, a hoodie, and a light rain jacket...I won't go into what I wore to keep the rest of me warm :o)
We went to the Jerusalem museum and viewed a spectacular model of the city according to our knowledge of it in the first century, specifically 66 AD. In other words, we saw a mini-version of what Jesus would have seen. It really helped to "map it out" in my head. On the model, a person would have been half-an-inch tall. It was very nippy and raining just enough to make the lines run on my notebook paper, but we stuck to it and made it through. I won't go into a lot of detail in this post, since you would really need to be looking at the model to be able to understand the layout. Points of interest that we saw were the temple mount, Herod's palace, and the Antonia Fortress. If I find a good website with drawings or something, I will put it in the links to the top left.
After we were sufficiently frozen, we continued on to a very special place - The Shrine of the Book. The Shrine of the book is where the Dead Sea Scrolls are housed and displayed. Not just little tiny pieces - legible, whole specimens, along with many original artifacts from the Qumran community - 2000 year old pieces of the past. It was quite amazing. My favorite was a small pick-axe looking utensil labeled "small trowel for burying human feces" (I thought "obviously"). Also housed in The Shrine of the Book is the Allepo Codex, the oldest remaining Bible, not including the Dead Sea Scrolls. Photos were not allowed, sorry.
Thus concluded our evening class, we headed back to the hotel in the Old City, where I had Kosher pizza on the town with Analee and her friends Nat and Jess.
The next morning we set out at 7:20 for the Temple Mount. We booked it over there - by the end of the day, gained a new appreciation for the flatlands, after the agonizing up/down/up/down of the Holy City :o) At the Temple Mount, we discussed the Dome of the Rock (standing over area claimed by both Jews and Moslems as holy ground), Al-Aksa Mosque, "Solomon's Stables", the sealed Golden Gate, the Dome of the Tablets, the story of Jesus driving out the moneychangers, the story of Paul, when he used his Roman citizenship to excape a beating in the once nearby fortress, as well as the political sensitivity of the Temple Mount, generally speaking. It is indeed a fascinating place.
Next, after retrieving a few items from the hotel, we went to the South wall of the Old City, near "Dung Gate", were we saw Tanner's Gate and the Valley Cardo, a secondary "main street" built by the Romans. Here we entered the Southern Temple Mount Excavation, an "Archaeological Park". Fascinating remains of the walls, Robinson's arch - once supporting a stairway into the Royal Stoa on the Temple Mount, shops that used to be operated under the massive staircase, and other such interesting things. To exit, we walked through an ancient house under the present ground level, and went to the steps of the Southern Wall. Among other things, we learned that this is possible where Psalms 120-134, the songs of ascent, were sang, every other step - and we did just that, alternating the reading and having a really neat time reading together and experiencing a piece of history. Much more to be said, but let's move on - this is going to be another long post!
After eating lunch, we viewed ruins of ancient houses in two places. The first place was interesting in that it was preserved very well, with whole walls intact, mikveh-ot (ritual baths), regular tubs, tables, mosaics, and such still visible. The last of the three houses in this area was massive, called the Mansion, and would have been set up around a courtyard. Seeing this layout, one better understands what could have taken place when Peter denied Jesus. A courtyard such as this one very well could have been where these events took place. It was very hard to understand exactly how the walls and the different levels all connected, but this is to be expected with so much modern clutter in the way - the houses are preserved beneath a modern structure!
The second place we viewed ruins of a house was at a place called the "Burned House", where the basement of an ancient dwelling place from the time the second temple was destroyed has been baked into preservation by fire. The remains suggest that this may have been a priest's dwelling, and that it was probably burned during the attacks by the Romans. We watched a very cleverly designed multimedia presentation, which I thought was very helpful in bringing the remains to life, by means of 3-D characters acting out what "might have happened".
It was then time for one of the highlights of the day - the walk through Hezekiah's tunnel. It was an adventure, for sure. I was hunched over for most of the way, and the water was unfortunately only about ankle deep after the initial pooling of water near the entrance. In all we made it in about 15 minutes - record time. Go IBEX '07!
To finish the day, we viewed the newly discoverd Pool of Siloam, and were able to speak with the archaeologist who discovered it - just by a chance meeting. We sat on the steps that have been uncovered - the rest still lies beneat a garden owned by a church. No one knows when or what we will learn more about this important place in the ministry of Jesus Christ.
That's about it for now! So much more could be said - I could write books of my thoughts about many of these things - I only hope to give you a little taste of how amazing our God works, by allowing us such reminders of His Son's stay here on earth.
Dan
Such an amazing country is hard to describe in words. If you haven't checked out my first set of Jerusalem pics, you should! I will try to update a new album soon.
We spent Tuesday night - Wednessday evening in the Old City for yet another wild ride with our Land and Bible professor Todd Bolen. Weather was not on our side - as I sat in the library doing some homework on Tuesday afternoon, the sky was dark and the rain was gushing down out of the sky. It eased up a bit for our travels that night, but I still wore a t-shirt, a thermal shirt, a longsleeve t, a fleece, a hoodie, and a light rain jacket...I won't go into what I wore to keep the rest of me warm :o)
We went to the Jerusalem museum and viewed a spectacular model of the city according to our knowledge of it in the first century, specifically 66 AD. In other words, we saw a mini-version of what Jesus would have seen. It really helped to "map it out" in my head. On the model, a person would have been half-an-inch tall. It was very nippy and raining just enough to make the lines run on my notebook paper, but we stuck to it and made it through. I won't go into a lot of detail in this post, since you would really need to be looking at the model to be able to understand the layout. Points of interest that we saw were the temple mount, Herod's palace, and the Antonia Fortress. If I find a good website with drawings or something, I will put it in the links to the top left.
After we were sufficiently frozen, we continued on to a very special place - The Shrine of the Book. The Shrine of the book is where the Dead Sea Scrolls are housed and displayed. Not just little tiny pieces - legible, whole specimens, along with many original artifacts from the Qumran community - 2000 year old pieces of the past. It was quite amazing. My favorite was a small pick-axe looking utensil labeled "small trowel for burying human feces" (I thought "obviously"). Also housed in The Shrine of the Book is the Allepo Codex, the oldest remaining Bible, not including the Dead Sea Scrolls. Photos were not allowed, sorry.
Thus concluded our evening class, we headed back to the hotel in the Old City, where I had Kosher pizza on the town with Analee and her friends Nat and Jess.
The next morning we set out at 7:20 for the Temple Mount. We booked it over there - by the end of the day, gained a new appreciation for the flatlands, after the agonizing up/down/up/down of the Holy City :o) At the Temple Mount, we discussed the Dome of the Rock (standing over area claimed by both Jews and Moslems as holy ground), Al-Aksa Mosque, "Solomon's Stables", the sealed Golden Gate, the Dome of the Tablets, the story of Jesus driving out the moneychangers, the story of Paul, when he used his Roman citizenship to excape a beating in the once nearby fortress, as well as the political sensitivity of the Temple Mount, generally speaking. It is indeed a fascinating place.
Next, after retrieving a few items from the hotel, we went to the South wall of the Old City, near "Dung Gate", were we saw Tanner's Gate and the Valley Cardo, a secondary "main street" built by the Romans. Here we entered the Southern Temple Mount Excavation, an "Archaeological Park". Fascinating remains of the walls, Robinson's arch - once supporting a stairway into the Royal Stoa on the Temple Mount, shops that used to be operated under the massive staircase, and other such interesting things. To exit, we walked through an ancient house under the present ground level, and went to the steps of the Southern Wall. Among other things, we learned that this is possible where Psalms 120-134, the songs of ascent, were sang, every other step - and we did just that, alternating the reading and having a really neat time reading together and experiencing a piece of history. Much more to be said, but let's move on - this is going to be another long post!
After eating lunch, we viewed ruins of ancient houses in two places. The first place was interesting in that it was preserved very well, with whole walls intact, mikveh-ot (ritual baths), regular tubs, tables, mosaics, and such still visible. The last of the three houses in this area was massive, called the Mansion, and would have been set up around a courtyard. Seeing this layout, one better understands what could have taken place when Peter denied Jesus. A courtyard such as this one very well could have been where these events took place. It was very hard to understand exactly how the walls and the different levels all connected, but this is to be expected with so much modern clutter in the way - the houses are preserved beneath a modern structure!
The second place we viewed ruins of a house was at a place called the "Burned House", where the basement of an ancient dwelling place from the time the second temple was destroyed has been baked into preservation by fire. The remains suggest that this may have been a priest's dwelling, and that it was probably burned during the attacks by the Romans. We watched a very cleverly designed multimedia presentation, which I thought was very helpful in bringing the remains to life, by means of 3-D characters acting out what "might have happened".
It was then time for one of the highlights of the day - the walk through Hezekiah's tunnel. It was an adventure, for sure. I was hunched over for most of the way, and the water was unfortunately only about ankle deep after the initial pooling of water near the entrance. In all we made it in about 15 minutes - record time. Go IBEX '07!
To finish the day, we viewed the newly discoverd Pool of Siloam, and were able to speak with the archaeologist who discovered it - just by a chance meeting. We sat on the steps that have been uncovered - the rest still lies beneat a garden owned by a church. No one knows when or what we will learn more about this important place in the ministry of Jesus Christ.
That's about it for now! So much more could be said - I could write books of my thoughts about many of these things - I only hope to give you a little taste of how amazing our God works, by allowing us such reminders of His Son's stay here on earth.
Dan
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Jerusalem: OT Walk
Shalom!
If this post seems a bit impersonal and jumbled – it is! :o) I wrote it for class in a hurry, so hopefully it makes sense. If I can go back and clarify it at a later time, I will. Also, we just returned from our NT walk, which I will be blogging on soon!
After spending the night in the Old City, we got up early and set off on our second Jerusalem walk, heading out first to the Israelite Broad Wall, built by Hezekiah in 701 BC. The wall was made of crude boulders, and it was massive, twenty-five feet thick and possibly that high as well. Discovered by an archaeologist from Hebrew University, this wall has shed important light on the minimalist/majority views which regard the growth of the city by 8th century B.C. The wall was built for protection from the Assyrian king Sennacharib, for Hezekiah had ceased to pay tribute, breaking the practice of his wicked father. When the final showdown took place, and Assyria laid siege to the city, the Angel of the Lord wiped out 185,000 men of their army, and saved the city from being taken. Blessed be the Lord! One last word – I don’t think I could have lived in those little houses found by the wall – they were tiny!
We then went over to a little museum and learned our five key dates for our study – 2000 B.C. (Abraham), 1400 B.C. (Joshua), 1000 B.C. (David), 701 B.C. (Hezekiah), and 586 B.C. (Babylonian conquest). After studying over these dates and viewing a model of the Old City of Jerusalem, we did something really cool. We went and ate pizza on the ancient Roman road called the Cardo. It was just amazing to sit and eat good food surrounded by such a historically rich atmosphere.
Following this, we proceeded out the southern Zion Gate, and went to the tomb of David. On the way, we saw the impressive Dormitian chapel, commemorating the “sleep” of Mary. It was not so much the antiquity that struck me – it’s not very old – but the design and the size against the blue sky was beautiful. At David’s tomb, which we learned wasn’t really David’s tomb, there were a bunch of Israeli soldiers. Most of them were kids my age! It reminded me of Mexico, seeing all the guns and kids in uniform.
This was the best place we saw the entire day. Although this place is not the tomb of David, it may be several other things of importance: the upper room where the last supper took place, an early assembling place for believers (from the inscriptions found and the orientation of the room), the house of Mary, mother of Mark, and the events of the Pentecost! My mind was reeling with thoughts, trying to picture the various events in the very area I was sitting.
We then proceeded to the area known as the City of David, and viewed what may have been the place where his palace sat. The story of Solomon’s high places to the foreign gods, and David’s sin with Bathsheba were much more vivid after taking in the “lay of the land”. What also impressed me was the stepstone structure – possibly the retaining wall to where the palace once was. The coolest thing I saw was an ancient toilet – I wanted to get my picture sitting on it – I guess that will have to be some other time.
We then learned about the water system, went through an awesome tunnel and viewed Warren’s Shaft, the possible route for Joab’s entry to the city, taking it by surprise. It was interesting to learn the care taken in protecting the water supply.We then hiked through the Hinnom Valley, viewing Ein Rogel and various tombs along the way, including a sweet open tomb where we got our picture taken. The bus was once again a site for sore eyes!
Dan
If this post seems a bit impersonal and jumbled – it is! :o) I wrote it for class in a hurry, so hopefully it makes sense. If I can go back and clarify it at a later time, I will. Also, we just returned from our NT walk, which I will be blogging on soon!
After spending the night in the Old City, we got up early and set off on our second Jerusalem walk, heading out first to the Israelite Broad Wall, built by Hezekiah in 701 BC. The wall was made of crude boulders, and it was massive, twenty-five feet thick and possibly that high as well. Discovered by an archaeologist from Hebrew University, this wall has shed important light on the minimalist/majority views which regard the growth of the city by 8th century B.C. The wall was built for protection from the Assyrian king Sennacharib, for Hezekiah had ceased to pay tribute, breaking the practice of his wicked father. When the final showdown took place, and Assyria laid siege to the city, the Angel of the Lord wiped out 185,000 men of their army, and saved the city from being taken. Blessed be the Lord! One last word – I don’t think I could have lived in those little houses found by the wall – they were tiny!
We then went over to a little museum and learned our five key dates for our study – 2000 B.C. (Abraham), 1400 B.C. (Joshua), 1000 B.C. (David), 701 B.C. (Hezekiah), and 586 B.C. (Babylonian conquest). After studying over these dates and viewing a model of the Old City of Jerusalem, we did something really cool. We went and ate pizza on the ancient Roman road called the Cardo. It was just amazing to sit and eat good food surrounded by such a historically rich atmosphere.
Following this, we proceeded out the southern Zion Gate, and went to the tomb of David. On the way, we saw the impressive Dormitian chapel, commemorating the “sleep” of Mary. It was not so much the antiquity that struck me – it’s not very old – but the design and the size against the blue sky was beautiful. At David’s tomb, which we learned wasn’t really David’s tomb, there were a bunch of Israeli soldiers. Most of them were kids my age! It reminded me of Mexico, seeing all the guns and kids in uniform.
This was the best place we saw the entire day. Although this place is not the tomb of David, it may be several other things of importance: the upper room where the last supper took place, an early assembling place for believers (from the inscriptions found and the orientation of the room), the house of Mary, mother of Mark, and the events of the Pentecost! My mind was reeling with thoughts, trying to picture the various events in the very area I was sitting.
We then proceeded to the area known as the City of David, and viewed what may have been the place where his palace sat. The story of Solomon’s high places to the foreign gods, and David’s sin with Bathsheba were much more vivid after taking in the “lay of the land”. What also impressed me was the stepstone structure – possibly the retaining wall to where the palace once was. The coolest thing I saw was an ancient toilet – I wanted to get my picture sitting on it – I guess that will have to be some other time.
We then learned about the water system, went through an awesome tunnel and viewed Warren’s Shaft, the possible route for Joab’s entry to the city, taking it by surprise. It was interesting to learn the care taken in protecting the water supply.We then hiked through the Hinnom Valley, viewing Ein Rogel and various tombs along the way, including a sweet open tomb where we got our picture taken. The bus was once again a site for sore eyes!
Dan
1/23/07 First Impressions of Jerusalem
Hello everyone,
Today we loaded up on the bus after a 2hr lecture (courtesy of our TLB prof. Todd Bolen) dedicated to a preview of Jerusalem - a thirty minute drive took us from the classroom to the city "in the flesh". To get to the "Old City", you must first pass though the modern city of Jerusalem. It is very blandly colored, slightly modern yet a bit run-down, and seemed to me to be a confusing maze of streets that would be hard to get to know. Then we arrived at the Old City. It was very cool to see the walls for the first time, and to try to imagine from the outside what actually existed within. We arrived at the Jaffa Gate, named after the city to which Jonah fled and hitched a ride to disaster. We did not enter through the gate itself, but rather by way of the road which passes through the wall.
As we walked in, we passed a tower buily by Herod, which would have been visible to Jesus when he walked the city of Jerusalem. We climbed up on the roof of the Petra Hostel, a hole-in-the-wall establishment, and viewed for the first time the Dome of the Rock. I must admit, it looked much smaller than I had anticipated, but I'm sure up close it is very impressive, with it's shiny gold top and beautiful blue-tiled walls. It was quite breezy on the roof, chilly in fact. We also saw from this rooftop the Mount of Olives. That was pretty cool, not exactly how I had pictured. It was good to get the "real deal" in my head. There are three towers across the ridge of the Mount of Olives that were quite large and impressive. Just to the right, off in the haze, we could see the land of Moab, where Ruth would have lived in the ancient times past. Because we could barely see it, it seemed sort of mysterious, beckoning us to get a closer look sometime.
We then proceded on to Shaaban's shop, an arab individual who greeted us with tasty juice and broken English. I liked Shaaban. Some of us exchanged money there, and then we proceded onward, around the corner to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was quite impressive, a massive stone structure hosting a bustle of people coming in and out. When we arrived, we could hear what Todd pointed out as the Muslim call to worship, sort of a wailing chant or song. When that ended, Todd proceded to explain what the church is - the place tradition holds to as being the place where Christ was crucified and buried. In short, Todd thinks that there is no really good reason to doubt this tradition, and it very well could be the place. Our lecture was interrupted by some magnificent sounding church bells, which lasting several minutes. The Old City is anything but quiet and peaceful.
After eating a bite for lunch, we went on to the Damascus Gate. This name comes due to the fact that if you proceded onward from this gate, you would arrive at Damascus. In my opinion, it was the coolest part of the wall that we saw today. To get there, we had to enter and travel for a bit through the Arab quarter. I definitely felt a greater sence of distaste towards us, and noticed a distinct difference in the atmosphere. Maybe the language just sounds angrier than it really is, but I don't know. Some little punk kids started messing with our backpacks while we were sitting there, and we had to tell them to bug off.
From this vantage point, we discussed Gordon's calvary, which is an alternate choice for the location of the crucifixion and ressurection of Jesus. Frankly, I think I would have to agree with Todd in that Gordon had a pretty good imagination, and my feeling from the facts about the location that we learned is that this is an incorrect designation of the historical events of the crucifixion and ressurection.
We then went on along the Northern wall and made a slow curve around to the Eastern wall, where we passed through a predominately Moslem graveyard. I will mention my thoughts about this in my Final Thoughts. We came to rest in front of a gate in the Eastern Wall (zion's gate?) that has been sealed up. We learned that the sealing of the gate and the use of the area as a graveyard is due to a tradition that Christ will enter the city through this gate. The historic period of the gate however, and the lack of solid biblical evidence for this tradition, renders it doubtful, but this response by the Moslems is interesting nonetheless.
From this spot, we had a much closer look at the Mount of Olives and were basically on the rim of the Kidron valley. Across the highway, somewhere around 80,000 Jewish graves riddled the hillside. This massive number of graves is due to the tradition that the bodily ressurection of every human being will be at the Mount of Olives. We read the story of Christ's return, Armaggedon, and the final victory - noting the fact that it could happen even as we spoke, or maybe tommorow.
We backtracked and entered the Gate that tradition has named after Stephen the Martyr, and came to the pools of Bestheda, where Jesus healed a lame man on the Sabbath. The area is a bit confusint, due to church after church being built on top of the pools. I walked down into the pools and down some stairs that led to what seemed to be a really really old cistern. We went into the old Crusader church, preserved by the Moslems as a school, and sang beautiful hymns. The acoustics were astounding.
We then went down the Via Dolorosa, picturesque although probably historically inaccurate. We continued on to the Western wall, passing through secuity (we found that pocket knives are not appreciated...mine sneaked through ok). I think that this was one of the most impressive things to me, to finally see in person. The Wailing Wall is considered to be a synagouge, therefore it is treated as a holy place. Armed guards standing around served as a reminder of the political sensitivities on the Temple Mount.
After leaving the Wall, we traveled further across the Jewish quarter and came to remains of a part of the Cardo, a Roman "main street" of sorts, that would have ran through the middle of town, north and south. The main east and west road, the Decumanus, is the way we came into the city. I would have to say that this road, set below the modern level of the city, was the first place where I felt whisked away to the ancient world, standing by pillars that used to support shade for the shops along the road, some of which are still visible. It was incredible.
Our walk ended up back at the beginning of the Decumanus, and we arrived where we had started at the Jaffa gate, precisely on schedule. The bus was a glorious sight, and my poor feet smiled.
At the end of posts such as these, I will include my final thoughts -- some may be random, others more profound.
Final Thoughts:
- Hats: Jerusalem is a city of many hats. I saw bald-spot patches, round-on-the-sides-and-flat-on-top hats, red-checkered hankeys tied on with black rope, women's headscarves, arab beanies, and other various headwarmers. It was quite amusing.
- TV Antennas: Something about tv antennas and satellite dishes above the houses overlooking the Pool of Bethseda was hilarious.
- Death: Walking past tombstones written in Arabic, and realizing that nearly all the tombs surrounding me were tombs of those who adamantly denounced the claims of Christ when they were alive made me realize that sometimes I think of places like Jerusalem as sites to see, and not souls that really do need the Savior.
There is so much more to be said, but sleep has triumphed. Hasta Luego!
Dan Warne
Today we loaded up on the bus after a 2hr lecture (courtesy of our TLB prof. Todd Bolen) dedicated to a preview of Jerusalem - a thirty minute drive took us from the classroom to the city "in the flesh". To get to the "Old City", you must first pass though the modern city of Jerusalem. It is very blandly colored, slightly modern yet a bit run-down, and seemed to me to be a confusing maze of streets that would be hard to get to know. Then we arrived at the Old City. It was very cool to see the walls for the first time, and to try to imagine from the outside what actually existed within. We arrived at the Jaffa Gate, named after the city to which Jonah fled and hitched a ride to disaster. We did not enter through the gate itself, but rather by way of the road which passes through the wall.
As we walked in, we passed a tower buily by Herod, which would have been visible to Jesus when he walked the city of Jerusalem. We climbed up on the roof of the Petra Hostel, a hole-in-the-wall establishment, and viewed for the first time the Dome of the Rock. I must admit, it looked much smaller than I had anticipated, but I'm sure up close it is very impressive, with it's shiny gold top and beautiful blue-tiled walls. It was quite breezy on the roof, chilly in fact. We also saw from this rooftop the Mount of Olives. That was pretty cool, not exactly how I had pictured. It was good to get the "real deal" in my head. There are three towers across the ridge of the Mount of Olives that were quite large and impressive. Just to the right, off in the haze, we could see the land of Moab, where Ruth would have lived in the ancient times past. Because we could barely see it, it seemed sort of mysterious, beckoning us to get a closer look sometime.
We then proceded on to Shaaban's shop, an arab individual who greeted us with tasty juice and broken English. I liked Shaaban. Some of us exchanged money there, and then we proceded onward, around the corner to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was quite impressive, a massive stone structure hosting a bustle of people coming in and out. When we arrived, we could hear what Todd pointed out as the Muslim call to worship, sort of a wailing chant or song. When that ended, Todd proceded to explain what the church is - the place tradition holds to as being the place where Christ was crucified and buried. In short, Todd thinks that there is no really good reason to doubt this tradition, and it very well could be the place. Our lecture was interrupted by some magnificent sounding church bells, which lasting several minutes. The Old City is anything but quiet and peaceful.
After eating a bite for lunch, we went on to the Damascus Gate. This name comes due to the fact that if you proceded onward from this gate, you would arrive at Damascus. In my opinion, it was the coolest part of the wall that we saw today. To get there, we had to enter and travel for a bit through the Arab quarter. I definitely felt a greater sence of distaste towards us, and noticed a distinct difference in the atmosphere. Maybe the language just sounds angrier than it really is, but I don't know. Some little punk kids started messing with our backpacks while we were sitting there, and we had to tell them to bug off.
From this vantage point, we discussed Gordon's calvary, which is an alternate choice for the location of the crucifixion and ressurection of Jesus. Frankly, I think I would have to agree with Todd in that Gordon had a pretty good imagination, and my feeling from the facts about the location that we learned is that this is an incorrect designation of the historical events of the crucifixion and ressurection.
We then went on along the Northern wall and made a slow curve around to the Eastern wall, where we passed through a predominately Moslem graveyard. I will mention my thoughts about this in my Final Thoughts. We came to rest in front of a gate in the Eastern Wall (zion's gate?) that has been sealed up. We learned that the sealing of the gate and the use of the area as a graveyard is due to a tradition that Christ will enter the city through this gate. The historic period of the gate however, and the lack of solid biblical evidence for this tradition, renders it doubtful, but this response by the Moslems is interesting nonetheless.
From this spot, we had a much closer look at the Mount of Olives and were basically on the rim of the Kidron valley. Across the highway, somewhere around 80,000 Jewish graves riddled the hillside. This massive number of graves is due to the tradition that the bodily ressurection of every human being will be at the Mount of Olives. We read the story of Christ's return, Armaggedon, and the final victory - noting the fact that it could happen even as we spoke, or maybe tommorow.
We backtracked and entered the Gate that tradition has named after Stephen the Martyr, and came to the pools of Bestheda, where Jesus healed a lame man on the Sabbath. The area is a bit confusint, due to church after church being built on top of the pools. I walked down into the pools and down some stairs that led to what seemed to be a really really old cistern. We went into the old Crusader church, preserved by the Moslems as a school, and sang beautiful hymns. The acoustics were astounding.
We then went down the Via Dolorosa, picturesque although probably historically inaccurate. We continued on to the Western wall, passing through secuity (we found that pocket knives are not appreciated...mine sneaked through ok). I think that this was one of the most impressive things to me, to finally see in person. The Wailing Wall is considered to be a synagouge, therefore it is treated as a holy place. Armed guards standing around served as a reminder of the political sensitivities on the Temple Mount.
After leaving the Wall, we traveled further across the Jewish quarter and came to remains of a part of the Cardo, a Roman "main street" of sorts, that would have ran through the middle of town, north and south. The main east and west road, the Decumanus, is the way we came into the city. I would have to say that this road, set below the modern level of the city, was the first place where I felt whisked away to the ancient world, standing by pillars that used to support shade for the shops along the road, some of which are still visible. It was incredible.
Our walk ended up back at the beginning of the Decumanus, and we arrived where we had started at the Jaffa gate, precisely on schedule. The bus was a glorious sight, and my poor feet smiled.
At the end of posts such as these, I will include my final thoughts -- some may be random, others more profound.
Final Thoughts:
- Hats: Jerusalem is a city of many hats. I saw bald-spot patches, round-on-the-sides-and-flat-on-top hats, red-checkered hankeys tied on with black rope, women's headscarves, arab beanies, and other various headwarmers. It was quite amusing.
- TV Antennas: Something about tv antennas and satellite dishes above the houses overlooking the Pool of Bethseda was hilarious.
- Death: Walking past tombstones written in Arabic, and realizing that nearly all the tombs surrounding me were tombs of those who adamantly denounced the claims of Christ when they were alive made me realize that sometimes I think of places like Jerusalem as sites to see, and not souls that really do need the Savior.
There is so much more to be said, but sleep has triumphed. Hasta Luego!
Dan Warne
Sunday, January 21, 2007
1/21/2007 Arrived
This will be my official IBEX blog. I will try to keep it updated as much as possible with the latest happening while I am here. There will also be a page on our school website dedicated to IBEX, mainly photos.
It is 7:30pm. We left school at 6:30am on the 20th, and arrived here at the moshav around 6pm on the 21st. I spent the better part of two days straight with my favorite person in the whole world, my beautiful girlfriend Analee Nunez, so all in all I had a great time. Everybody is feeling the killer jetlag, but I'm going to try to stay awake until at least 10pm, so that i won't wake up in the wee hours of the morning.
I don't have much to say about the moshav yet. Supper was fairly decent, although I was surprised when I bit into what I thought was pasta and realized it was "yellow" green beans!
The kids are a blast. Speaking of blast, Zach (10) kept telling us joke after joke about bombings and interracial quirkiness. Pretty cool little kid.
One last interesting thing before I end today's post. At about 11am this morning on the plane (sometime in the middle of the night by my internal clock) something really cool happened that I had not expected. One by one, until there were about 15 or 20 of them, men of all ages began to get up and do what appeared to be their morning prayers. The donned prayer shawls, little boxes on their heads, leather straps going down their arms...when I know more about the traditions of the Jewish people I will try to explain what I saw (cause right now, I have just a vague idea of what it all meant). The men went to the exit doors, in the aisles, and to the back of the plane for about an hour, apparently praying or something to that effect. There were also a handful of Muslim girls chanting over the Koran, kissing it and passing it around.
Even on the plane, I realized this is going to be a different world, one that I'm excited to get to know and understand.
Dan
It is 7:30pm. We left school at 6:30am on the 20th, and arrived here at the moshav around 6pm on the 21st. I spent the better part of two days straight with my favorite person in the whole world, my beautiful girlfriend Analee Nunez, so all in all I had a great time. Everybody is feeling the killer jetlag, but I'm going to try to stay awake until at least 10pm, so that i won't wake up in the wee hours of the morning.
I don't have much to say about the moshav yet. Supper was fairly decent, although I was surprised when I bit into what I thought was pasta and realized it was "yellow" green beans!
The kids are a blast. Speaking of blast, Zach (10) kept telling us joke after joke about bombings and interracial quirkiness. Pretty cool little kid.
One last interesting thing before I end today's post. At about 11am this morning on the plane (sometime in the middle of the night by my internal clock) something really cool happened that I had not expected. One by one, until there were about 15 or 20 of them, men of all ages began to get up and do what appeared to be their morning prayers. The donned prayer shawls, little boxes on their heads, leather straps going down their arms...when I know more about the traditions of the Jewish people I will try to explain what I saw (cause right now, I have just a vague idea of what it all meant). The men went to the exit doors, in the aisles, and to the back of the plane for about an hour, apparently praying or something to that effect. There were also a handful of Muslim girls chanting over the Koran, kissing it and passing it around.
Even on the plane, I realized this is going to be a different world, one that I'm excited to get to know and understand.
Dan
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