Hey y'all.
Well... Europe has successfully lived up to the majority of the expectations I had for it. It's almost funny that it's included in a middle east cross cultural considering falafel shops, head scarfs, and the call to prayer are almost the direct opposite to quaint cafes, mini skirts, and the American rap found here. But following the Christian movement along the Mediterrean was enough of a segway for me.
Greece was beautiful. We spent our time in Athens and Corinth looking at ancient temples and taking in the scenery. I hadn't realized how revolutionary the gospel was to Greeks and Romans until our studies here. People obsessed with pleasure within the present life, building pagan temples to several different gods - these were the people Paul came to and asked for them to imagine not only life beyond this one but also belief in ONE God. I wonder what I would have thought of him if I lived during that time.
Next we took a ferry to Italy and I quickly realized that even 4 full days in Rome is barely enough to put a dent into the city. The colosseum, vatican, Roman forum, sistine chapel, Constantine's arch, Pieta, St. Peter's Bascillica... so many sites! I'll just have to come back sometime so I can admire them longer :). Our program concluded on Friday and I gladly took my final exam of college! For our 4 days of free travel Matt, Janelle, Drew and I spent our time in Florence which was a great way to celebrate. We saw a few more renowned sites (Michaelangelo's David, the old bridge, the Duomo) and even got out into the countryside to admire beautiful Tuscany. It was a perfect end to our journey.
Currently I am counting down the hours until we return! I have so enjoyed every bit of this trip and being away has reminded me just how blessed I am for the wonderful family and friends in my life.
Thanks for jumping on this adventure with me. If you want to hear more about it I'd love to talk with you middle eastern style (a table, lots of time, tea, treats, and laughter).
Peace, Salam, Shalom,
Sarah
Monday, April 26, 2010
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Blisters and Bye-byes
In just over an hour I'll be headed to Tel Aviv to catch a plane to Greece. It's hard to believe our time in Israel has come to a close. This beautiful land has sustained me for 2 months - It's given me food and water and air to breathe. It's people have opened their doors with welcoming arms, they've taught, enlightened, and explained. I've seen examples of intense love as well as painful injustice. This country begets questions from answers and is full of people dying to live. It's also given me a front row seat into the Biblical narrative. Just this last week our group had the opportunity to walk the Jesus Trail. The trail took us from Nazareth to Capernaum on foot. It stretches over 40 miles and winds through fields, orchards, and villages. Our time on the trail has definitely been one of my highlights of the whole trip. What takes up 1 verse in the Bible, "Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum" took us 4 days! It's safe to say my feet are tow-up. But it was great following a route similar to the one Jesus would have traveled. Also, our time hiking allowed for some serious processing of the things we've seen since coming here.
In talking about the Jesus Movement Linford has emphasized that like any other movement it should have died down following Jesus' death. Clearly it didn't. Something about His message has a third of the entire world's population on board. As we make our way around the Mediterranean Sea we'll now be focusing on Paul's journey and the spread of the gospel. If anyone knows Linford, you know that he has a few things to say about Paul. I can't wait to soak up all that is left to learn in these last 2 weeks.
Thanks for following!
Dem
In talking about the Jesus Movement Linford has emphasized that like any other movement it should have died down following Jesus' death. Clearly it didn't. Something about His message has a third of the entire world's population on board. As we make our way around the Mediterranean Sea we'll now be focusing on Paul's journey and the spread of the gospel. If anyone knows Linford, you know that he has a few things to say about Paul. I can't wait to soak up all that is left to learn in these last 2 weeks.
Thanks for following!
Dem
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Snapshots
I'd love to give you just a few snapshots into my world over the past 2 weeks...
Last week our grouped stayed on a Kibbutz (more or less a self-sustaining Jewish community). We offered our services in return for food and shelter. Me and some other friends worked with the cows which consisted of a 6am wake-up call and a can-do attitude. Much to our surprise the first day working around the farm we were whisked away to witness the birth of a calf. Ow. The Kibbutz members fittingly named the tiny heifer "emu." Pretty exciting aside from the fact that it was a male cow which loosely translates into beef, better than veal I guess.
Shabbat is no joke around these parts. Shabbat is the Christian equivalent of the Sabbath. Unfortunately our Sunday's don't end up looking too different from the rest of the week. But here, Jews (both observant and non observant) begin preparing for Shabbat (Saturday) on Friday night. They cook all the meals they will need for the next day and once it's sun down they aren't allowed to drive, write, or even turn on a light.
We also are currently in the Jewish festival of Passover. Passover is when the Jews remember being brought out of slavery in Egypt and into the promise land. Tradition holds that no sliver, crumb, or even morsel of leavened bread is allowed to be within the house, alluding to their ancestors rush to leave Egypt. Jews all over purge their house of pita, cereal, crackers, anything with yeast. They completely clear out the house and sweep every corner, wash windows, clean in between books. It's nuts. Observing the Jewish lifestyle has taught me just as much as being lectured on it.
We are now currently living in Nazareth. Our studies are now talking about the Jesus Movement which is cool because Jesus spent 90% of His life here. We are volunteering in Nazareth Village which is a mock town of 1st Century living. It's complete with a well, wine press, watchtower, oil press, synagogue, and 1st century home. And best of all, when we work there we get to dress is 1st century garb. I don't have a plug to upload pics here but you can check out Nazareth Village Photos if you're dying to see.
We also have a photo team on the trip that uploads pictures to the EMU website if you want to check them out - EMU Cross Cultrual Albums
Our trip is definitely on the downhill. I still have a lot to see and learn but I'm already so looking forward to seeing everyone back home and talking face to face. Love y'all!
Last week our grouped stayed on a Kibbutz (more or less a self-sustaining Jewish community). We offered our services in return for food and shelter. Me and some other friends worked with the cows which consisted of a 6am wake-up call and a can-do attitude. Much to our surprise the first day working around the farm we were whisked away to witness the birth of a calf. Ow. The Kibbutz members fittingly named the tiny heifer "emu." Pretty exciting aside from the fact that it was a male cow which loosely translates into beef, better than veal I guess.
Shabbat is no joke around these parts. Shabbat is the Christian equivalent of the Sabbath. Unfortunately our Sunday's don't end up looking too different from the rest of the week. But here, Jews (both observant and non observant) begin preparing for Shabbat (Saturday) on Friday night. They cook all the meals they will need for the next day and once it's sun down they aren't allowed to drive, write, or even turn on a light.
We also are currently in the Jewish festival of Passover. Passover is when the Jews remember being brought out of slavery in Egypt and into the promise land. Tradition holds that no sliver, crumb, or even morsel of leavened bread is allowed to be within the house, alluding to their ancestors rush to leave Egypt. Jews all over purge their house of pita, cereal, crackers, anything with yeast. They completely clear out the house and sweep every corner, wash windows, clean in between books. It's nuts. Observing the Jewish lifestyle has taught me just as much as being lectured on it.
We are now currently living in Nazareth. Our studies are now talking about the Jesus Movement which is cool because Jesus spent 90% of His life here. We are volunteering in Nazareth Village which is a mock town of 1st Century living. It's complete with a well, wine press, watchtower, oil press, synagogue, and 1st century home. And best of all, when we work there we get to dress is 1st century garb. I don't have a plug to upload pics here but you can check out Nazareth Village Photos if you're dying to see.
We also have a photo team on the trip that uploads pictures to the EMU website if you want to check them out - EMU Cross Cultrual Albums
Our trip is definitely on the downhill. I still have a lot to see and learn but I'm already so looking forward to seeing everyone back home and talking face to face. Love y'all!
Thursday, March 18, 2010
The more I learn the less I know!
I'm back in Jersalem safe and sound from free travel. Top five most memorable moments of spring break include...
5-Staying with a Jewish family in a settlement
4-Renting and driving a car in Israel, enough said.
3-Swimming by a huge waterfall deep in a valley
2-Sharing life with Ruthie, Becca, and Janelle, and playing foolish amounts of cardgames
1-Snorkeling in the Red Sea!
Right now we're staying at Ecce Homo, a convent within the old city. We live about 100 ft from the Dome of the Rock. So, we're staying in a Christian convent in the Muslim quarter and learning about Judaism, hmm...
The more I learn the less I know! Each question that professors, historians, rabbis, and the like attempt to answer simply raise several more questions. There's so much to learn here, unending amounts of information regarding history, land, modern conflict, and religion. Beyond the education I'm getting just from being a cross cultural "local" our lectures this week have been ridiculously interesting. We're talking about Jewish identity and roots. We visited the Israeli Holocaust museum which was definitely an experience going through it alongside Jews. We've also been taking a hard look at the old testament attempting to sift through it with a Jewish lens and then seeing it with the perspective of Christ. Last night we explored the underground walls of the temple mount and talked about the importance of the temple within Jewish life.
Because our faith is derived out of Jewish traditions and identity I naturally have so many questions. My Dad said to me once - life has a lot of grey, our role is to sift through it the best we can. Whether all my questions are answered or not I've fallen in love with the rabbonic way of teaching. All the rabbis we have met this week engage us in the lesson by asking us questions and forcing us to think and react to knowledge. In contrast to being spoon fed and later regurgitating we are having conversations and internalizing what we see and hear. We're learning a small bit of Hebrew - one of my favorite words so far is "havruta" more or less it means studying in pairs (the root "haver" being friend). The way the rabbi explained it was that it's the opposite of a library. When Jews study scripture they get together in pairs and question/argue/challenge the text and each other. It gets loud and heated and interesting. Very fun. I hope I keep questioning, not that I will live a lifetime in doubt, but shoot I have a lot to learn.
After Monday we're headed back to the Galilee region to work on a Kibbutz. I'm hoping to get the job of milking cows.
Shalom,
Sarah
5-Staying with a Jewish family in a settlement
4-Renting and driving a car in Israel, enough said.
3-Swimming by a huge waterfall deep in a valley
2-Sharing life with Ruthie, Becca, and Janelle, and playing foolish amounts of cardgames
1-Snorkeling in the Red Sea!
Right now we're staying at Ecce Homo, a convent within the old city. We live about 100 ft from the Dome of the Rock. So, we're staying in a Christian convent in the Muslim quarter and learning about Judaism, hmm...
The more I learn the less I know! Each question that professors, historians, rabbis, and the like attempt to answer simply raise several more questions. There's so much to learn here, unending amounts of information regarding history, land, modern conflict, and religion. Beyond the education I'm getting just from being a cross cultural "local" our lectures this week have been ridiculously interesting. We're talking about Jewish identity and roots. We visited the Israeli Holocaust museum which was definitely an experience going through it alongside Jews. We've also been taking a hard look at the old testament attempting to sift through it with a Jewish lens and then seeing it with the perspective of Christ. Last night we explored the underground walls of the temple mount and talked about the importance of the temple within Jewish life.
Because our faith is derived out of Jewish traditions and identity I naturally have so many questions. My Dad said to me once - life has a lot of grey, our role is to sift through it the best we can. Whether all my questions are answered or not I've fallen in love with the rabbonic way of teaching. All the rabbis we have met this week engage us in the lesson by asking us questions and forcing us to think and react to knowledge. In contrast to being spoon fed and later regurgitating we are having conversations and internalizing what we see and hear. We're learning a small bit of Hebrew - one of my favorite words so far is "havruta" more or less it means studying in pairs (the root "haver" being friend). The way the rabbi explained it was that it's the opposite of a library. When Jews study scripture they get together in pairs and question/argue/challenge the text and each other. It gets loud and heated and interesting. Very fun. I hope I keep questioning, not that I will live a lifetime in doubt, but shoot I have a lot to learn.
After Monday we're headed back to the Galilee region to work on a Kibbutz. I'm hoping to get the job of milking cows.
Shalom,
Sarah
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Sea for yourself!
Our time at Jerusalem University College has come to a close. We spent the last 4 days in the Galilee region looking at some Old Testament and several New Testament sites. Since pictures say a thousand words I'll let you take a look at some of my adventures from the past week...
Nimrod's castle on top of a mountain peak
(ideal location for a game of hide and seek)
Amanda watching the sunset over the Sea of Galilee
Nimrod's castle on top of a mountain peak
(ideal location for a game of hide and seek)
Basalt ruins of Korazin - An ancient Galilean city
Mount of Beatitudes -
Where Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount
(Matthew 5-7)
Typical scene, studying maps and history
What I do when I'm not studying
We just finished our final exam with JUC which means it is Spring Break baby! Janelle, Ruthie, Becca and I will be renting a car and heading back up to the sea. We'll be staying in a cabin near Arbel and hitting up the hiking trails nearby. About mid week we'll go to Eilat which is all the way at the southern tip of Israel along the Red Sea. We're hoping to snorkel; it's boasted 3rd best in the world!
It's hard to believe I'm already halfway through our program. Thanks for jumping into this journey with me. And thanks for all the support and encouragement you've given me. Y'alls emails and notes keep me going!
Shabbat Shalom!
Dem
Sunday, February 28, 2010
I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing
Hello Jerusalem. I'm now studying at Jerusalem University College atop Mt. Zion. We've turned our focus from the conflict of the land to it's historical geography. I literally am sleeping right outside the old city walls of Jerusalem. We spend our days exploring the land on foot, learning it's twist and turns and seeing how it has changed over time.
The city of Jerusalem (I'm living just to the left of this picture)
We spent a day visiting Old Testament sites of Jerusalem including David's city, Hezekiah's tunnel, the Western Wall, and the temple mount. We also looked at New Testament sites like the pools of Bethesda and the church of the Holy Sepulcher. Even with the month of time we will spend in this city we could never get around to exploring all it has to offer.
The rest of our week we have spent studying the southern Levant (Israel). One of my favorite moments of our packed week was while we were looking over the Elah valley. "Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war and assembled at Socoh in Judah. They pitched camp at Ephes Dammim, between Socoh and Azekah. Saul and the Israelites assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah and drew up their battle line to meet the Philistines. The Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites another, with the valley between them." I gazed up from the Scripture to see the hill of Socoh on my right while we stood on Azekah. Where I'm standing overlooked the actual site of the epic battle between David and Goliath. All those little details in the Bible that I used to skim over are now being anchored to land. This same scene has happened over and over this week with Samson in the Sorek valley and Joshua in Jericho and David at En Gedi. Very sweet for a visual person like me.
Janelle and I reenacting David and Goliath by the Elah Valley
We just got back from a 2 day trip down to the Negev. Ironically for the desert, we've been poured on almost everyday of our field studies. It's funny seeing all of us covered in rain gear with nothing but our eyes and nose peeking out of our hoods, hugging our notes to keep them from getting wet. But we're keeping our spirits high!
Well.. it's time for me to go study for our exam tomorrow. Yeah, I'm still in school, I forget sometimes too.
Well.. it's time for me to go study for our exam tomorrow. Yeah, I'm still in school, I forget sometimes too.
Overlooking the Judean Hills
By the Makhtesh canyon in the Negev
Some friends and I by the Dead Sea, after a float!
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Saturated
Saturated. I feel complete immersed into culture here, which is exactly what I was hoping for. I'm speaking broken Arabic with locals, eating delicious Palestinian meals in a home, building relationships, and getting dust all over my feet. And amidst all this I'm feeling the sorrow and pain of these people as much as I'm able.
A typical day here involves Arabic class at 8 followed by lectures which range from Palestinian literature, to history, to Isalm. We've also taken several fields trips this week to the cities of Hebron, Nablus, and East Jerusalem. We visited refugee camps, Herodium, and some local universities. We even took a whole day to hike the Wadi Qelt valley to Jericho. But everywhere we go I'm reminded of the reality of these people. Checkpoints, road blocks, walls, Israeli soldiers demanding ID... These people try to live their lives as normal as possible but from what I've witnessed, it seems near impossible. Things we never give a second thought to are huge obstacles to daily life. Will we have water this month? Will they stop importing food or health supplies without reason? Will we hit a checkpoint that may hold us for hours? All these are valid questions asked everyday.
Our trip to Hebron was eye opening and devastating. Hebron is the largest Palestinian city in the West Bank. Although it is very much within the green line dividing Israel and Palestine, Israeli military has taken over the heart of the city. Settlers (many of which come from America) will perch themselves on top of a home and slowly take over. A place where half a million Palestinians live appeared to be a ghost town. Hebron is known for placing curfews on the Palestinians. Not a curfew as in be home by 12, or even off the streets by 10, but a 24 hour curfew requiring everyone to stay in their homes at all times. No working, no schooling, no shopping for basic needs. A man named Hashim was gracious enough to let us enter his home and hear his story. Hashim's house has been attacked several times, yet the only form of resistance that he uses is to stay put. He refuses to leave his home and rightfully so. For this reason Hashim has experienced violent retaliation in ways I cannot fathom. Just a few years ago it came time for his pregnant wife to give birth. Because of the destruction surrounding his house he is forced to snake through beaten pathways to enter or leave his home. He carried his wife down to the street where he was approached by a soldier. "Why the hell are you outside?" the soldier demanded. Hashim explained that he was taking his wife to the hospital because she was in labor. "Stop messing with me, you Palestinians are always lying." He begged and pleaded with the soldier to let him pass to which he responded, "go home, and let your wife die there." Hashim's wife miscarried their child, this is the second child she's lost, the first she lost when she was beaten by local settlers.
In light of my time here, I would rate this story low on shock value. Many of the things I have heard and seen are too raw and painful to even put into words. All of us on this trip are finding it hard to know what our role is as young Americans. And in many ways all we are asked to do is tell the truth. Let people know the things we are seeing and hearing. Let people know that there are educated, beautiful people living in this land. People that laugh, joke, cry, people with skin, with beliefs and thoughts. I passed a wall the other day where a settler had written, "Gas the Arabs." I didn't know if I should cry, yell, or get sick.
I understand that I am very much immersed in one side of the conflict. And please understand that I am in no way generalizing the Jewish or Israeli population. These attacks on Palestinians are coming mainly from a much smaller minority of extreme Zionist. I will have a long time to talk and hear about the Israeli stance while I spend the next month outside of Palestine. But what we need here is a call for humanity. On a more personal note, I've been challenged to ask myself if I see all people with untainted eyes. As equals, as brothers and sisters. Disregarding ethnicity, ability or disability, class, personality. I think we judge and react irrationally a lot more often than we'd like to believe. All people deserve to love and to be loved.
On a lighter note... we planted 200 olive trees the other day. And it was awesome.
A typical day here involves Arabic class at 8 followed by lectures which range from Palestinian literature, to history, to Isalm. We've also taken several fields trips this week to the cities of Hebron, Nablus, and East Jerusalem. We visited refugee camps, Herodium, and some local universities. We even took a whole day to hike the Wadi Qelt valley to Jericho. But everywhere we go I'm reminded of the reality of these people. Checkpoints, road blocks, walls, Israeli soldiers demanding ID... These people try to live their lives as normal as possible but from what I've witnessed, it seems near impossible. Things we never give a second thought to are huge obstacles to daily life. Will we have water this month? Will they stop importing food or health supplies without reason? Will we hit a checkpoint that may hold us for hours? All these are valid questions asked everyday.
Graffiti on the wall in Bethlehem
Our trip to Hebron was eye opening and devastating. Hebron is the largest Palestinian city in the West Bank. Although it is very much within the green line dividing Israel and Palestine, Israeli military has taken over the heart of the city. Settlers (many of which come from America) will perch themselves on top of a home and slowly take over. A place where half a million Palestinians live appeared to be a ghost town. Hebron is known for placing curfews on the Palestinians. Not a curfew as in be home by 12, or even off the streets by 10, but a 24 hour curfew requiring everyone to stay in their homes at all times. No working, no schooling, no shopping for basic needs. A man named Hashim was gracious enough to let us enter his home and hear his story. Hashim's house has been attacked several times, yet the only form of resistance that he uses is to stay put. He refuses to leave his home and rightfully so. For this reason Hashim has experienced violent retaliation in ways I cannot fathom. Just a few years ago it came time for his pregnant wife to give birth. Because of the destruction surrounding his house he is forced to snake through beaten pathways to enter or leave his home. He carried his wife down to the street where he was approached by a soldier. "Why the hell are you outside?" the soldier demanded. Hashim explained that he was taking his wife to the hospital because she was in labor. "Stop messing with me, you Palestinians are always lying." He begged and pleaded with the soldier to let him pass to which he responded, "go home, and let your wife die there." Hashim's wife miscarried their child, this is the second child she's lost, the first she lost when she was beaten by local settlers.
In light of my time here, I would rate this story low on shock value. Many of the things I have heard and seen are too raw and painful to even put into words. All of us on this trip are finding it hard to know what our role is as young Americans. And in many ways all we are asked to do is tell the truth. Let people know the things we are seeing and hearing. Let people know that there are educated, beautiful people living in this land. People that laugh, joke, cry, people with skin, with beliefs and thoughts. I passed a wall the other day where a settler had written, "Gas the Arabs." I didn't know if I should cry, yell, or get sick.
I understand that I am very much immersed in one side of the conflict. And please understand that I am in no way generalizing the Jewish or Israeli population. These attacks on Palestinians are coming mainly from a much smaller minority of extreme Zionist. I will have a long time to talk and hear about the Israeli stance while I spend the next month outside of Palestine. But what we need here is a call for humanity. On a more personal note, I've been challenged to ask myself if I see all people with untainted eyes. As equals, as brothers and sisters. Disregarding ethnicity, ability or disability, class, personality. I think we judge and react irrationally a lot more often than we'd like to believe. All people deserve to love and to be loved.
On a lighter note... we planted 200 olive trees the other day. And it was awesome.
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