Back to School

So class started yesterday. There's about fifteen of us in the beginning class, and we go for four hours with a small break after every hour. Basically they tell us things in Hebrew and demonstrate until we begin to grasp the meaning and can do what they want us to do. Then they slowly back off on the demonstration and just tell us things. After we seem to grasp what's going on they start to give us other things and build on what we seem to know. It's working pretty well. It's a great way to learn a language. We also have a couple hours or so of homework every night, but class is done by lunchtime, so there's plenty of time for other things. There's an old crusader building on top of a hill near here, so I think I'm going to go check that out today.

**Update**
There's now pictures from the crusader castle on the More Pictures in Israel album. It was really neat. I don't think there's ever been an archaeological excavation there, so there's no barriers and you can explore the whole place. I'll probably make a few more trips up there.

Wow, I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while, but there wasn't any internet access where I was staying in Eilat. God is amazing. I had been praying that I would be able to find a ministry of sorts to help out with, but I hadn't been able to find one in Jerusalem. So, I went down to Eilat to go visit Petra, which was the only thing I had actually planned to do during the time between the tour and the classes. I ended up checking into a Christian owned hostel which also serves as a hub for ministries. A mission team from America checked into the hostel about the same time I did, and they've adopted me into their team. Seth, the team's leader, is an incredible teacher, and we just finished a four night series looking at how the Torah points to the need for a new covenant and to Jesus (The series "just happened" to be on the four nights I was in Eilat). In an even greater "coincidence," they had already planned to stay at the same hostel that I had been staying at in Jerusalem, so I stayed in Eilat an extra day and came up with them this morning to show them where it is. The team is mainly evangelism based, and God has provided incredible opportunities for conversations with people. I almost skipped going to Petra on Wednesday to continue helping them, but I got to thinking that if God used me wanting to go to Petra to hook me up with this mission team, then maybe there was something else in store at Petra. So Wednesday I woke up at 6:00, which was an hour later than I had planned on, and headed to the border crossing. While there I met a couple of girls from France and Switzerland that were also going to Petra for the day, so we shared a taxi up there to cut expenses. Unbeknownst to us though, King Abdullah of Jordan had arranged a conference of Nobel Prize Laureates in Petra that began that same day, so they wouldn't let us into the park for an hour or so after we got there for security reasons. So, the three of us found a local restaurant and sat down to wait. After a while, the conversation turned to why I was in Israel, and then to religious beliefs, and I was able to share my testimony with them. They both asked several questions afterward, and then sat quietly thinking for a while. The name of the restaurant was the Mystic Pizza, and one of them remarked later that it was a "mystic moment." I pray that God continues to work in their hearts. Petra was very neat though. I'll post some pictures later. The "coincidences" have been amazing on this trip. God continues to provide in tremendous ways. The mission team that adopted me is leaving Sunday, which is also when I head to Kibbutz Tzuba to start the Hebrew classes. Tonight, a friend of Seth's has invited us all for Sabbath dinner. It should be a real treat.

Longer post to come soon, but Mom brought to my attention that people, specifically Neil Gunter, might like to see some pictures so here's some links to a couple of albums that I've uploaded

Israeli Scenery and Wildlife

More pictures from Israel

Hope you enjoy!

So this hostel I'm staying at is hidden in an alley and concealed by a vegetable stand. I had to ask a cab driver where it was to find it the first time. But, today when I was coming back from spending some hours at Yad VaShem Holocaust museum I was hungry and ready for something besides granola bars (no offense Ben, I've loved having those around), so I bought an eggplant, a zucchini, and an onion. That came to a grand total of 2 sheckels. That's about 66 cents. I'm really excited about this vegetable stand. I can just buy something on the way in or out to eat, and it's really cheap. God continues to provide in amazing ways. When I was looking at hostels on the internet, it "just so happened" that the one I chose was just a short walk from where we were staying in our hotel with the tour group, and it has a healthy, cheap food source literally right outside it's door. It must be a "coincidence."

So about Yad VaShem. We spent a short time viewing some of the memorials with the group while they were here, but I wanted to go back to see the historical side of it. I guess what crushed me most was very close to the beginning of the museum, where it talked about anti-semetism being spread by the church, blaming the Jews for killing Jesus. It broke my heart to think of hatred being spread in the name of my dear Jewish Messiah who gave His own life freely and said that His disciples would be known by their love. And people wonder why Jews don't believe Jesus is the Messiah when such things have been done in His wonderful name.
Brothers and sisters, we must realize that every moment we live of our lives is a reflection upon our Lord. Another part of the museum that was especially touching that the Holocaust museum in D. C. didn't have was the screens that would play clips from interviews with Holocaust survivors. That's something that you can never capture on a little placard next to a display case.

No photography is allowed inside the buildings at Yad VaShem, but I did write down a quote.

"A country is not just what it does - it is also what it tolerates."
-Kurt Tucholsky

What is it that makes it horrible for the Nazis to have had 6 centers set up to examine and exterminate handicapped children and acceptable that America has hundreds of places that will abort babies? I fear for our country in this age of tolerance.

Well, the first part of the trip is over. The rest of the in depth study tour group flew out of the country about 8 hours ago, and so I'm here in a hostel by the Damascus gate in Jerusalem. It's strange to be on your own after having almost 50 people to talk to all the time. Well, I say "on your own," but I'm not really. God continues to be with me and provide for me.

I suppose today I'm going try and take in a bit more of Jerusalem. I'll probably find a park and start trying to learn the Hebrew alphabet, since I think I'm supposed to know that when I start class on the 22nd. That's all for now I suppose. God is gracious.

It's hard to put into words what this trip has been like. I can tell you where we've been and what we've seen, but it's hard to capture the passion of our leader Todd. I really would almost like to hold off telling the lessons we've been going through until I can tell you in person, so I think that's what I'll do. (By the way, that means you're going to have to come ask me about this) I'll just say that God is showing me my ignorance once again, and I have so much work to do in knowing the Bible. Please pray for me and help keep me committed to learning the scriptures. Anyway, so far we've been to almost every geographical region in the country, from the Negev to the Golan Heights, visiting archaeological sites along the way and learning about the stories in the Bible in the context of it's people and land. The first part of the tour focused more on stories from the Hebrew scriptures, building a foundational basic knowledge of some of the history of the land. Now we have moved into the region around Galilee and are focusing on the ministry of Jesus. Today, we visited the ruins of Gamla, the headquarters of the Zealots during Jesus' day. The Romans came and took them out in September 67 A.D. after they decided they'd had enough of these terrorists in the middle east. If you want a really full account of the story, read the writings of Josephus, who was actually there. Anyway, no one has settled at that site since then, and so the synagogue there is dated to the time of Christ. I was told it's about a day's walk, maybe a bit more, from Capernaum, Jesus hometown during his ministry. So, it is pretty much guaranteed that Jesus taught at that synagogue, because He taught at all the synagogues in the area. That was pretty cool. There's so much more I could say, but again, it's hard to do this justice in just words. I suppose that's a reflection on my vocabulary and use of English, but more than that really I guess I want to at least attempt to present the material in a way that captures the passion behind it. There's also just so much to tell, I can't pick which ones to tell and which ones to leave out. Well, that's all 'til later. May God bless you and keep you, may he make His face to shine upon you and give you peace.

Joe

Wow, where to begin. I've only been in Israel a few days, but I've already seen so much. We left the airport after everyone had accounted for their bags (mine apparently decided it liked Rome pretty well and decided to stay there an extra day, but it caught up to us) and headed for the archaeological site of Tel Gezer. It was given to Solomon by Pharaoh as a dowry for Pharaoh's daughter, but the valuable part of the city that we saw was the illustration of a city gate and standing stones. I'm probably not going to explain now since I need to get to bed somewhat soon. I'll tell whoever wants to know when I get back though. We've also been to some pretty incredible places: where Samson grew up, where David fought Goliath, and today we hiked through a wadi in the Israeli desert near the Sinai peninsula and saw a recreation of the tabernacle. I guess that's all for now.

Joe