Sometimes I feel like this...

Unexpected Question...

My partner and I were in a certain resturant getting my partner's lunch when were were approached by one of the employees. He came up and had the following conversation with us:

Guy: Are you guys paramedics?
Trevor: Well, actually we are EMTs.
Guy: So, do you know a lot about biology and science and stuff like that?
Trevor: Well, EMTs have to know a lot of basic stuff, but paramedics have a lot more knowledge of biology and stuff.
Guy: So do you know...(here is where I think he is going to ask about how you become a paramedic or something like that)...the quickest way to get weed out of your system?
Trevor: Ahh, no.


...only in the hood.

things i wish someone told me...

A week ago I walked across a stage, grabbed a piece of paper in a fancy leather cover, shook President John MacArthur's hand, got my picture taken, and graduated from college. I learned a lot in the...oh, I don't know 5-6 years it took me to finish...and I would not trade in the experiences I have had and the places I have been and the people I have met and the lessons God has taught me outside of the classroom. Nevertheless, there are aspects of the way I handled my education that I think, no, know I could have done better. During my time in college there was a lot going on in my life...who doesn't have a lot going on while they were in college? I wish I could have gotten past just trying to survive and really enjoy the opportunity to learn. So many people tried to tell me to do this...I wish I had listened a little better...maybe even settled for a lesser grade to have actually learned the material better. I will not waste time looking back...as my totally awesome brother John reminded me from the words of Mark Twain "Never let schooling get in the way of your education." As I look at the time I have in front of me I am excited with how I can use it to study and learn whatever I want. I am resolved not to waste the time God has given me to be single and work and learn. I am excited for what He has ahead of me. Anyways, all of this thinking was inspired by a portion of a message given by John Piper to some graduates of a one year program at Bethlehem...I hope you take the time to at least skim it...

From the Intro:

I don’t feel excited when I hear questions like: “You want to be a firefighter? Why are you in college?” “You want to be a homemaker? Why are you in college?”

We’re in school to see a whole panorama of life that comes out in all manifestations of disciplines in the hope that all these beams of light refracted in human minds will lead us to the source of all things so that we know him better.

Every time I send Talitha off to school—she’s in the 5th grade—I try to remember to connect for her what she’s about to do today with Jesus. And not in a superficial way like, if you know this fact it might be useful in witnessing, though that’s true and wonderful. But rather, if you study math, you’re going to know God better. I promise you. As you advance through the complexities of math—from 5th grade to Calculus—you will find out things about the nature of the mind of God that you would not get any other way. It’s the same thing with the way language works. Same thing with processes in history. Same thing in politics and social studies. And art.

So thank you so much for believing that and not being too worried about what you’re going to do when you grow up. You know, I went 4 years to Wheaton, 3 years to Fuller, 3 years to graduate school and at age 28 did not know what I wanted to do when I grew up. I just knew a few central realities: I love the Bible. I want to use it to help other people obey it for Jesus’ sake. That leaves open a lot of possibilities! So you know what I did? I took the first job that was offered to me. Then I took the second job that was offered to me and I’ve been here ever since. So I’m here to try to share a little wisdom. And I could care less—as long as it’s not sin—what vocation you use this wisdom in.

Mistake #1: Big is better than small.
God uses little David-like people to accomplish huge Goliath-like things because he is jealous to get the credit. Don’t worry about big. Worry about faithful.

Mistake #2: New is better than old.
Read old books. You need the wisdom of the ages to combat the folly of the present. When you read books from today, don’t read first and mainly books by emergent writers. Read books first and mainly by old men—J.I. Packer, R.C. Sproul—men with long battled years who have learned not only from the Bible and from books, but from life.
In school, it doesn’t matter what you major in. Just find the wisest teachers and take everything from them. When great changes happen, it's not from new ideas. The reformation was a great leap forward precisely by going backward.

Mistake #3: Having is better than being. There’s no correlation between the fullness of life and the muchness of having. Don’t reduce your education to acquiring marketable skills. Study to become and behold, not to be rich.

Mistake #4: Visible is better than invisible.
The most important things are not visible. God is invisible and he is the greatest reality of all. If you structure your life around sight, it will be out of touch with reality. Do not be much interested in outward appearance. Be interested in inner realities.

From the conclusion:
If God is God—and he is—small with him is better than big with anybody. His old things are better than anybody’s new things. Being his child is better than having the world. And better to be blind with the invisible God than to see everything without him.

you can read this in its original context at http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/

Bethlehem Baptist Church

I had the privilege of attending Bethlehem Baptist Church this morning with two of my brothers and my little sister. This church is pastored by Pastor John Piper of Desiring God Ministries. Piper also was a speaker at this year's Resolved Conference in Long Beach, CA. Unfortunately, Mr. Piper was not there this morning, but it was a privilege to be able to participate in services at the church this morning in downtown Minneapolis. I enjoyed the service and was encouraged and challenged by the message from 1 Kings 17 & 18 by David Livingstone (no, not the Scottish missionary to Africa), but one of the other pastors at the church. The message was on praying earnestly and fervently, trusting God and dealing with our sins seriously. It was the first time I have been in a Sunday morning church service since returning to the US. It was really neat to see how my time in Israel is impacting my life now. All throughout the message I had the pictures in my head, standing on Mt. Carmel, overlooking the Jezreel Valley, knowing how far Elijah had to run to beat Ahab to Jezreel after the duel with and defeat of the prophets of Baal, then slaughtering them at the Brook Kishon. I am so thankful for the opportunity I was given...and it is neat to see it bearing fruit beyond credits toward graduation :)

Home Again...

Well, thats all there is from Israel or other Middle Eastern countries folks. Wish I could have stayed longer. Anyways, I am back in the United States of America. This first week back is really busy with jury duty, catching up with friends, family coming in, graduation on Friday, hanging with lots of friends and family on Saturday. Life goes on. :)

6 days and a couple of proposals later...

From left to right: Josh, Yuliya, me

I just got back from an awesome trip to Jordan and Egypt. My friend Yuliya and I went took a day trip to Jordan and saw Petra. We spent less than 10 hours in Jordan from border crossing to border crossing. We had a blast. The next day we met our friend, Josh, and crossed the border on the other side of Israel into Egypt. After haggling with a taxi driver for a while, we started our 6+ hour ride to Cairo. From Cairo we immediately bought train tickets for that night and went down to Luxor. After touring Luxor for two days and seeing beautiful temples and tombs, hanging out on boats on the Nile, and drinking tea with the locals, we got back on another night train back to Cairo.
We arrived early in the morning, got a cab, and went to see the pyramids and the Cairo Museum. The pyramids were amazing and the Cairo museum had the coolest ancient Egyptian treasures you could imagine (think Tut's treasure, the mummy of the Pharoah of the Exodus, stuff like that). That night we caught a cab and spent the whole night (10pm-7am) driving down the Sinai penninsula to Mt. Sinai (or so some scholars think). We hiked up Sinai (3,700 steps) and then ran down on a camel path. All of that took about 3 hours...giving our cab driver some time for some much needed sleep. Then back up to the Egypt/Israel border and home again. The trip was fast but amazing. I saw everything I really wanted to see. The friends I went with were totally awesome too! :)
Now its back to the books. Finals are next week. Final finals for me. Hard to believe honestly. So, in case this is my last post from Israel...thanks for reading. Ask me for more stories and pictures when I get back. ~ Liz

Handel's Messiah in Hebrew

Last week I was privileged to attend Handel's Messiah the first time it was performed in Hebrew. The translation was done by a Messianic believer that lives on the same moshav as myself. It was a privilege to be there and was very well done. It was also fun to be able to follow along with the little bit of Hebrew I have learned. As you watch the video you will find that the word "Hallelujah" is the same...that is because it is a Hebrew word...not English. Enjoy! (I did not take this video, and was actually at the concert the night before this was filmed).

Way too long...

...the last post has long since gotten boring. So, here is another one that will hopefully keep you at least still checking my blog every once in a while. Who knows what will happen when I get back to the States...I'm sure that the posts probably won't be as interesting as they are now...hopefully they will be more frequent...it is so busy right now here.
We just got back from a week in the Galilee. Our little cabins were right on the shore of the Sea of Galilee (which is really more like a lake). It was a fun, exhausting trip. We learned a lot and all got nice tans/sunburns. We had two days off school while we were there...one of which most of us spent hiking through a wadi and watching live war exercises...(don't worry, they were just shooting off shells on the other side of the wadi). The noise from the shelling was tremendous...especially as it echoed through the wadi. I wish my brothers could have been there. If you watched on the other side you could see a cloud of smoke before you heard any noise at all. After the cloud of smoke the noise was that of a plane flying really low right over your head. I don't have any pictures of that because the hike we were on was one where you had to swim part of it, so we did not take our cameras with us lest we ruin them completely.
Now we are back on the moshav for another two weeks of classes before spring break. I will be heading to Egypt and Jordan with some friends. After that its back to classes for another week or so and we are done. It is really hard to believe my college education will be over in just a few weeks. Time really does fly. I think I have learned a lot...mostly how much I don't know and how much I have to learn. I have made some great friends and been blessed with amazing experiences. I am thankful to have a full-time job waiting for me at the other end of the stage, it helps to know at least a little of what is next in life.

Land Rover Adventures

The Land Rover



Luke looks over the Tel.

Jerusalem Approaches

"Solomon's" Pools (check out how small the people look)


A pretty flower in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.


I think someone forgot to wash their rig this morning. Oops. :)


Gethsemane


View of Temple Mount from the Mount of Olives

Benjamin

This field trip was probably the most memorable so far. The day started out relatively normal, although we left a little earlier than usual and we were in a “West Bank safe” bus instead of our usual orange bus.
On the way to our first stop, Gezer, we talked about the city of Kiriat Jeareem, a Gibeonite city. We discussed how it was at one time some sort of cultic worship center. The Ark of the Covenant was kept here for about 120 years after the Philistines returned it after plagues pestered them while they had the stolen property. Uriah the prophet (not to be confused with Uriah the Hittitie) was from Kiriath Jearim. We passed through the Shephelah and parts of the Aijalon valley on our way to Gezer. Todd explained to us that the Shephelah was wide rolling hills because of the eosine rock that the area is comprised of.
Gezer is an important site because the city would have guarded the routes to Jerusalem and the International Coastal Highway. At the site we saw the Tower wall that dates to Middle Bronze era (or about the time of Abraham). We also discussed the walls that enclosed the city. Gezer constructed casemate walls, which allowed for storage in peace time and two lines of defense during war. The disadvantage of a casemate wall is that the defense line is generally thinner and is easier to breach, especially with battering rams. The 3 chambered gate at the site dates to the Solomonic period and is similar to other gates found at other sites dating to about the same time. This type of gate allowed for 3 lines of defense at the weakest part of the city (the gate) and was a good spot for shops as the area would have received heavy traffic flow. Archaeologists also discovered 10 stones that were once erected. These stones stood upright and may have been used for Canaanite religious practices. These particular stones were the largest of their kind found in Israel. In Leviticus 26 simliar structures were condemned…called masseboth, and used for cultic practices, the Israelites were forbidden to erect them. However, Exodus 24 also mentions how stones were erected as a memorial. We don’t know for sure why these stones were here, but a large stone with a rectangular basin may indicate the offering of libation sacrifices, which may indicate these stones were indeed part of ancient cultic practices.
As we were leaving Gezer, our bus got stuck in the mud…multiple times. We first attempted to construct a pathway out with brush and rocks. When that failed, we tried to take a different road out. Here the bus got stuck up to one foot in the mud, at which point the boys heroically pushed the bus out of the mud, only to get stuck many more times. Finally after coming to a place where the road only got worse in the front and there was no way to go back, we hiked through the mud to the main road to wait for another bus. After getting on the new bus, we continued on our trip…tired, but with plenty of fond memories and pictures from our adventure.
During our time being stuck we learned about olives and how they are harvested and pressed. Green olives are the same as black olives, only black olives are riper than the green ones. The very first pressing of the olives brings out the highest quality oil…every other press after that lowers the quality of oil being expelled.
While we were waiting for the new bus, we discussed Emmaus and how the modern Emmaus is probably not the NT biblical site since it is about 160 stadia away from Jerusalem and the NT Emmaus was only 60 stadia away from Jerusalem. This geography is important to the story of Jesus walking with his disciples along the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus after his resurrection.

Jericho is another city we visited on our field trip. Now known as Tel-es-Sultan, this tel only takes up about 10 acres of land. What may be the oldest city in the world was conquered by Joshua as recorded in Joshua 6. In New Testament times, Jericho had inhabitants in two different locations about 1 ½ miles apart from each other. This may help explain the apparent discrepancies in the Gospels when Jesus heals the blind man.



Me with at Jericho.

The last stop of the day was the Wadi Qilt where we saw the St. George monastery and ate delicious cookies Becky had made for us.
There were a number of things that I impacted me on this trip.

1. The attitude my fellow students kept in the face of a “setback.” The cheerfulness that the group maintained while picking through thorns to find appropriate shrubbery to try to make the road less muddy for the stranded bus, the absence of complaining when we had to trudge through thick mud, with some losing their shoes, and the patience with which Todd handled the situation stood out to me. Too often we turn an incident like that into a big deal instead of seeing it as an opportunity to be a testimony to a lost world. Even my friend Josh taking the opportunity to try to explain that Yehoshua was the reason why we were all so happy even though we were stuck in the middle of a wheat field to the bus driver was a great encouragement to me.
2. Being at Jericho and seeing where God fell the city for Joshua and his band so many years ago precisely at a time when I knew my family was facing a tremendous hardship really helped me focus on who I had to trust with my family. Even though, and especially since I couldn’t be there with them it helped me focus on the Lord and how even if I was there, He is the one in control and who goes before us, and knows what is best for us, even though we may think differently.

5 Things I Learned on the Trip:

1. Jericho is a lot smaller than I imagined
2. Tour buses don’t handle mud very well at all.
3. IBEX guys are heroes, even if we stay stuck in the mud.
4. Todd wants us to love him, not be afraid of him.
5. Trusting the Lord is the only way…for anything.

New Testament Jerusalem

Our instructor...Todd, talking with archaeolgist Eli Shukron at the Pool of Siloam. The rest of us are sitting in front of them listening attentively and amazed to be in the presence of a famous archaeologist.



Last night we visited the Israel Museum and outdoor model of Jerusalem in the Second Temple period. This to-scale model of the city in the year 66 AD helped me get a good idea of the city’s growth over the 1st and 2nd Temple periods. The model especially helped me understand the building of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd walls. From here we went inside the Israel Museum and saw the Dead Sea scrolls.
After spending the night in the Knights Palace Hotel, we walked down to the Temple Mount. Thankfully it wasn’t raining, but it was chilly. We walked around the Temple Mount and discussed the different aspects of the area. The Dome of the Rock was built over a piece of bedrock believed by Christians and Jews to be the place where Abraham was going to sacrifice Isaac, Muslims believe this to be the place where Abraham was going to sacrifice Ishmael and where Mohammed had his “night journey.” This rock may also be the place where the Ark of the Covenant was as its dimensions match that of the Ark exactly. The original Dome of the Rock was built in 691 A.D. The construction and design included many Byzantine type elements. The Dome wasn’t covered with gold until 1960s and the gold covering was replaced in the 1990s. The Dome of the Rock is not a mosque but a shrine. To the south of the dome is the al-Aqsa mosque. The dome on the al-Aqsa mosque was originally on the Dome of the Rock before it was replaced with a gold one. The al-Aqsa mosque was finished in 715 A.D. but has been destroyed and replaced 3 times in the last 1300 years. From 1099-1187 the Temple Mount was under the control of the Crusaders who turned the Dome of the Rock and the al-Aqsa Mosque into churches.
The state of Israel has sovereignty over the Temple Mount but has not maintained strict control over the area in order to help prevent a world outcry and maintain some peace in the area. The Temple Mount is the 3rd most holy place to the Muslim world with Mecca and Medina coming in 1st and 2nd place. Most orthodox Jews do not want the Temple Mount rebuilt to its original state since they believe that to be a job for the Messiah and believe that to make efforts to rebuild it would be forcing God’s hand. 10 years ago the Muslims wanted to build another mosque to handle the amount of worshippers that visit there every year.
Underneath the southern plaza of the Temple Mount is a columned area that has been called Solomon’s Stables as the Crusaders believed it to possibly have been used for that purpose (el-Marwanni mosque). Since then the Muslims have worked on converting the area to a mosque and have dug up part of the southeastern area of the plaza to insert a stairway down to the doors leading to the mosque area. On the eastern side of the Temple Mount we saw the inner side of the Golden Gate. This particular gate was built in 640 A.D and has both Byzantine and Muslim features to its construction and design. It was later sealed up by the Muslims in an attempt to prevent a (faulty?) Christian/Jewish tradition that believes that the Messiah will return to Jerusalem by entering through the Golden Gate. The gate has remained sealed. The Dome of the Tablets is a small dome that some believe may be on the place where the Holy of Holies may have been…however this is not likely.
After leaving the Temple Mount, we proceeded down to the basement of an Arab Palace built by the Umayyad dynasty (which happened to also build the al-Aqsa Mosque) that has since been excavated and turned into a museum. After that we walked to the Archaeological Gardens were we saw the remains of Robinson’s arch, discussed the location and function of Wilson’s arch, analyzed relics found in and around the area, and saw the basement of a wealthy persons’ home. I was amazed at how advanced these ancient people were in their technology of construction and how sophisticated some of their homes were.
Part of this tour included the southern steps and wall of the temple mount. Here we discussed the way the steps were built and how their design would help a worshipper maintain a worshipful attitude by controlling the way he walked. We discussed other aspects of the design of the steps leading up to the Temple Mount and how they were used including as a meeting place, and possibly as a place to read the 15 Psalms of Ascent. The highlight of the day for me was reading the Psalms of Ascent together…one psalm on each of the 15 wider steps. It was amazing to be in the place where many people probably read the same psalms, and even see some of the things the Scripture verses were discussing, for instance, Psalm 125 that says “Those who trust in the LORD are as Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but abides forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds His people.”
We had already discussed how the Temple was built on bedrock and therefore would not be affected in a natural disaster such as an earthquake, and this verse seems to echo, or reaffirm that fact. Also the second verse talks about the mountains surrounding Jerusalem…I could look around and see myself surrounded by deep valleys that led up to more hills, that surround Jerusalem. It is awesome to see how accurate Scripture is in light of being in the location it is discussing. I know and believe the Word of God is true, even if the “facts” don’t seem to match…but it is even more convincing when you see for yourself that the Word is in fact accurate.
After walking further up into the Jewish Quarter we watched a video that described what events may have occurred at the “Burnt House.” This video helped make the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 A.D. seem a little more personal. At the excavation of this house, archaeologists found and unused spear and the arm bones of a young woman. It is possible that this house was destroyed on the 8th of Elul, 70 A.D. This date is likely because the Romans burned the Temple on the 9th of Av, but it took them another month to get up to the upper city where this house was located.
The last thing we did was walk down the Kidron valley and into Hezekiah’s tunnel. This tunnel runs from the Gihon spring down to the Pool of Siloam. It is about 1/3 of a mile long and the gradient is a mere 1’. I was amazed by how this tunnel was carved with such accuracy without the help of modern day devices. It was a cool, windy day, and I wasn’t particularly looking forward to getting all wet in the tunnel. Thankfully the water wasn’t that cold, and the heat produced by the 45+ of us trekking through the narrow passageway along with the brisk walk through the tunnel kept me plenty warm. It was probably the most fun thing we have done so far. At the end of the tunnel, we walked a short distance to the real Pool of Siloam and discussed its history, read a correlating passage in Scripture (John 9) and even got to meet the archaeologist who found and is working on the site, Eli Shukron.
The last thing we did was hike up the very steep Central valley, through the Old City to the Jaffa gate where we were very thankful to see our trusty orange bus waiting to return us home. This field study was my favorite so far, despite the cold, windy weather, and me being stupid enough to wear water sandals the entire day without closed shoes to keep my feet warm. Oh well, it made the day more memorable, and gave me something to be patient about. It was a good opportunity to practice not complaining and being thankful for socks and shoes!

Temple Mount

This is a picture of me on the Temple Mount with the Dome of the Rock in the background. Where the Dome of the Rock is today is probably where the Temple was about 2000 years ago. I am closer to where the Temple would have been in this picture than any Gentile would have been permitted to get when it was there...interesting.

Old City: Part 2

After spending the night in a hotel in the Old city, some of us met at 0700 to “scavenge” for food. Little did I realize that we would literally have to scavenge for food at 0700 in the morning in the Old City. After walking around for an hour and twenty minutes we finally returned to the rest of the group with our finds: warm pita, pastries, fruit, juice, and empty stomachs. After enjoying the fruit of our early morning walk, we started on our hike for the day.
Our first stop was the Broad Wall. Hezekiah built this wall in 701 B.C. on the north side of the city, as he prepared for the attack of the Assyrians led by Sennacherib, who had come to the throne in 704 B.C. This wall was about 25 feet wide and is assumed to have been just about as high. In the race to build the wall, anything that happened to be in the way was torn down, including some houses (see Isaiah 22:10). At the time of the Assyrian attack, the city included what we now know as the City of David, the Temple Mount and Hezekiah would have extended the wall to include the Western Hill. Hezekiah’s tunnel that runs from the Gihon spring to the Pool of Siloam would also have been built around the same time as the Broad Wall in preparation for the attack of the Assyrians.
Our next stop was an indoor model of the Old City. This model helped us understand the development of the city basically from the time of the Canaanites to the time of the Herodians. At the model we discussed a few important people and dates in relationship to Jerusalem. The first person we discussed was Abraham and how he met the Melchezidec, king of Salem in approximately 2000 BC. Abraham was returning from fighting the five kings that had united against him after his nephew Lot and his family was kidnapped. At the time of Abraham’s meeting with Melchezidec, Jerusalem (known as Salem at that time) was located down by the Gihon Spring and was not a walled city. By 1400 B.C. and Joshua’s siege of Canaan, the city was walled and held by the Canaanites/Jebusites. Even though Joshua was able to conquer the city, he was unable to hold it at that time. By 1000 B.C. and the time when David was made king, the city was made up of what is today the City of David. David needed a new capital, as the previous king’s capital was a little too far north and named after the former king, Saul. Bethlehem was too far south for David to be an effective leader for the whole country, so he chose Jerusalem to be his new capital. By David’s death, the land just to the north of the City of David had been purchased in preparation for the building of the temple. During Solomon’s reign, the city walls extended from the City of David to encompass the Temple Mount, which probably included the king’s palace. Solomon spent 7 years building the temple and 13 years building his palace about the year 960 B.C. Hezekiah extended the walls of the city to include the Western Hill in preparation for Sennecherib’s attack and by 586 B.C. the city was still in the height of its glory. After the Babylonians attacked and destroyed the temple and carried away the people, the city lay in ruins for about 70 years. After the return from exile, Nehemiah rebuilt the walls of the city, but only to include the City of David and the Temple Mount. It wasn’t until the time of the Herodians that the city again expanded to include the Western Hill. During the Herodian period the walls of the city were also pushed further north to make more room in the city for the ever-growing population. After the model we walked through the Jewish quarter and to the traditional Tomb of David. We discussed how impossible it was for this to really be the Tomb of David, but we also discussed the likely hood of the same area to be the part of the city where the Upper Room probably was located in New Testament times. The Upper Room we entered was built by the Crusaders and was located near the Byzantine Dormitain Abbey. Constructed by Kaiser Wilhelm II, this abbey commemorates the “rest” the Catholic faith believes Mary to have entered in to, but more importantly is a landmark for the summit of the Western Hill (modern Mt. Zion.) After looking at these two landmarks, we trekked back to the Cardo and ate pizza. It was great fun to eat Italian food in what was once a Roman market.
After lunch we worked our way towards the City of David down many flights of stairs. We saw the location where archaeologist Eilat Mazar is excavating what he believes to be the palace of David; a large structure built on the slope of the hill built into and part of a highly fortified stepped structure. Some of their finds seem to indicate that the people living in this area had a higher standard of living than those in other parts of the city. We then walked further down the hill and looked at some excavations of Kathleen Kenyon. We saw two walls that date to 1800 B.C. and 700 B.C. (Hezekiah’s Wall) respectively.
Our next adventure was to walk down Warren’s shaft and saw the Pool and Spring towers. These towers date to the 1800s (Middle Bronze period). After observing the remains of the towers and pool, we descended into the Siloam Channel, which runs along the Kidron valley from the Gihon spring to the south-eastern side of the hill. From the end of the tunnel we descended even more down the Hinnom valley to Ein Rogel where we discussed Adonijah’s attempt to take the throne before Solomon. From this area we started our “surprise” ascent up the Kidron valley towards Jaffa gate where we started. Along the way we visited some ancient tombs, and discussed ancient burial practices. Afterwards we finished our hike up the hill where we waited a for our bus to return us home.

Some things I learned today:
- Jerusalem really is “up” from just about anywhere, and is REALLY up from some particular places.
- A good pair of shoes are most essential.
- There are not many shops open in the Old City early in the morning.
- It is important to resist sin in every form. While God can forgive all our sins, sometimes the consequences last a lifetime,
and affect many people…if not entire nations.

The Old City: Part 1

Ok, so today we visited the Old City...(the older part of Jerusalem).
Here is a brief list of what we saw (in about 6 hours!)

1. Jaffa Gate
2. Dome of the Rock (from a distance).
3. Church of the Holy Seplecher (traditional site of the crucifixion
and resurection)
4. Damascus Gate
5. Pool of Bethesda (site where Christ healed the man who had been
lame for 38 years...see John 5:1-9)
6. Mount of Olives (from a distance) ... includes Garden of Gethsemane.
7. Western (Wailing) Wall (where I almost got the knife I always carry
confiscated...! Oops, I didn't know we were going anywhere like that
today...I learned not to carry anything I wouldn't put in my carry-on
baggage on field trips in Israel...at least into the city.

Ok so I saw lots of guys with guns today...even some girls that
appeared to be about 15 years old in IDF uniforms...they were probably
at least 17, but they looked really young. It was kinda funny to see
some of them with pigtail braids, and others of them them talking on
their cell phones carrying M16s or whatever it is they carry. :)

Here are a couple of pictures I hope you enjoy. The first one is of
some IDF soldiers...thought you'd want to see their cool guns. The
other one is me in front of the Mount of Olives...again, thought you
would want to see that im still alive and well! :)


It is really pretty out here, a little colder than CA and definitely
more windy, but very similar weather and terrain. We are having a lot
of fun, doing lots of homework...:)

Well, the first day of "class" is over...basically an overview/introduction of what we will be doing the next couple of months. I'm suffering a little from syllabus shock, but after last semester (full time work & full time school), I think I will manage ok. I was going to be working here almost 10 hrs per week, but thankfully was able to get that knocked down to about 2-4. Ok so you probably want to know what life is like here, so here goes...

The food is good...different, but good. When we walked in the door for breakfast we were greeted by salads and lots of raw fish...not your typical American breakfast to say the least. They also had yogurt, granola, many different cheeses, breads, eggs, and pancakes (w/ chocolate syrup, not maple). I think the funniest thing right now is going and filling up my plate with...well, I don't exactly know what. Everyone is taking it a little slow, but for the most part I like it. :) The tabouli is great, the hummus served at almost every meal delicious, and the raw fish...well, that will take some getting used to. :) Basically all our food is prepared in a "Kosher" kitchen, which means dairy products are served only at breakfast with meats and such at lunch and dinner. You won't find a cheeseburger or beef, bean and cheese burrito here!

-Here are some ratios you might think are interesting...

28-13.....girls to guys
41-2.......students to washing machines
41-1.......students to dryer
10-1.......students to shower
10-2.......students to bathrooms
1-1........student to bed & desk
1-2........student to closet space/shelving

Tomorrow, assuming our instructor is over the flu and feeling well enough to, we will venture into the Old City (Jerusalem), which will be our first real look at the tangible history and geography of Israel. For now, we are trying to stay awake until 2200, as most of us are still a little bit on the time zone of the other side of the world (where you are) :).

I think one of the (many) things the Lord will teach me most over this time is to trust and depend on Him more. Already I have had to turn in an incomplete assignment, and give up some work hours I had committed too, which, for me, are kinda hard to do...I don't like to quit. But, I think that this semester I will be challenged in these types of ways more and I will be forced to look at the motives of my heart...why am I doing what I am? Is it to please people or to please God?

Well, enough for now...better get ahead on some homework or do something productive. :)

I hope you all are doing well...sorry if I can't write you back personally...but I love hearing from you!

In Christ Alone,

Liz

"...And He said to me, "My grace is sufficent for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ my dwell in me." 2 Corinthians 12:9

one more...

One semester of college left...hard to believe...but it is finally here. I have the privilege of spending this semester abroad...and guess where? You got it...Israel. I will leave the US on Saturday and shouldn't be back until May. Kinda bittersweet opportunity. I'm really thankful for the opportunity to study abroad, not have to work full time during my last semester and most of all get to spend it in a place where I believe my love for God and love for and understanding of His Word will grow. Really, how many people get to spend three months where most of what they read about in the Scriptures happened? I am excited to go, sad to leave my job, friends at work, etc. I suppose mostly because I am afraid things will change too much while I am gone. Its only 16 weeks though, and I know it will go by fast and I will wish I had longer to stay. Keep reading for updates from Israel...or check out the IBEX link on the side for updates and pictures of our group while we are there...

so true

I was given the ram's head as a white elephant gift. As I was not permitted to keep it in the house i stay at, the next best place seemed to be ST15. he fits in quite well there. I hung him on the wall. The next shift i came in and found him appropriately decorated with the c-collar, gauze bandages, and oxygen mask you can see in the picture...I love the humor of my co-workers. my job almost requires one to have a very intact sense of humor. I think we handle all that we handle without really realizing the potential emotional impact it could and probably does have on us...and humor helps keep us sane. anyways, the ram now decorates a main wall at st15...i just hope he will stay there for a while and that some other crew doesnt come in and think he would make a nice addition to their station wall as well. :) if they do though...it will just be a good game of "Kidnapped" i suppose...

Ringing in the new year...

I dont have much to say right now...im running on like 0 hours of sleep in the last 32 hours. I had a nice shift yesterday...busy and slow at the same time. only 5 transports...but we were up all night nontheless. We ran some good calls...cant remember what they were really, typical stuff, difficulty breathers, abdominal pain maybe, seizures. stuff like that. this morning we ran a call where my patient asked me to explain to the paramedic what his condition was. I tried to explain to him that the paramedic was my boss and he knew way more than me about his condition. it was kinda funny. later i sarcastically asked asked the paramedic if he would like me to explain condition to him to which he sarcastically responded yes he would. fun times. most of the medics we work with here are pretty cool. we were posted at a neighboring station and in a parking lot most of the night, never really seeing our own station, or our own beds. so far today we have run about 3 calls. one traffic collision with 2 patients. one slip and fall. one chest pain. not too bad...but still, we have had little down time. im not complaining...just stating the facts. as a matter of fact...i have no basis on which to complain....everyone else working today...with the exception of one crew member worked yesterday too. that puts 5 of us on at least a 48 hour shift...one of the 5 that i know if is on a 72. so far morale is ok. we are all tired. some of us got a little more sleep than others. but none of us more than 2 hours or so.

so on another note...in about 2 weeks i will be leaving the states for Israel. i will be there for about 3 months...spending my last semester in college studying the likes of The Land and the Bible, Life of Christ, Jerusalem Studies, Jewish Thought and Culture, and Modern Hebrew. more about that later. for now the next 2 weeks will be spent trying to temporaryily wrap up my life in the states and hand over work responsibilities to temporary fill-ins, working on a 40+ hour map markinghomework project due as soon as i walk off the plane in Israel. life moves on, and on, and on. anywho. enough jibber jabber...i should probably be trying to sleep.

hope you are enjoying the fresh start feeling a new year brings...as for me i desire to be more than ever resolved to know nothing else but Christ and live in such a way that others desire to know Him in the same way as well...

liz