Questions

Okay, let me see if I can answer a few questions.

1. Our trip lasted 20 hours, including the time we were in the Tel Aviv airport. We went there really early because we had decided not to get a hotel for the night (we felt it was pointless since we were leaving so early). I count that time because sitting in an airport isn't fun.

2. We looked for Garrett, but didn't see him. Of course, there are lots of musicians and not everyone plays every night.

3. Blarney stone...here we come!

4. We finished up in Dublin and are heading to Cork next.

5. You remember Dublin Castle...we caught the tail end of a tour there and went down into one of the rooms that they won't let you in if you're by yourself. We have pictures. Oh, it's also where we stood in the two little guard houses (or something like that) and took a picture. I took one of Rebecca there.

6. Time difference- 7 hours later than you.

7. Riverdance- We weren't planning on it, but it actually is playing until the end of August, so we might.

8. Your blog- yes, we check it when we have the chance! : - )

I think that's all, folks! 'Till next time...

Rainy Days...

Yup...we're in Dublin. Last time I was here we had a beautiful week full of sunshine. It only sprinkled once. This time around I'm getting the true Irish experience. It's been raining pretty much all day. We checked into our hostel yesterday after a mere 20 hour trip from Tel Aviv (nothing compared to the 40 hour trip from Pittsburgh to Cairo). The only frustrating part of the trip was passport control in Dublin. There was a group ahead of us without the authorization to enter the country. Unfortunately, they were quite adamant about getting in and were spread out to all of the immigration windows. This meant that the rest of us stood in line for a very, very, very long time waiting for an immigration officer to become available. Once we finally made it through, we collected our bags and took a bus to our hostel. Last night was spent enjoying the Temple Bar area. Today we ventured forth into the rest of the city, stopping briefly at the Guinness Storehouse (no tour this time), a couple of cathedrals (St. Patrick's and Christchurch), and Dublin castle. We spent some time at Trinity College where we saw the Book of Kells, which was really neat! (Although, it's only from 800 A.D.- barely 1200 years ago- bah!) We've joked that seeing the ancient ruins in Cairo and Israel have given "old" a new meaning! We ate lunch as we strolled through St. Stephen's Green before coming back to the hostel to change rooms (our beds from last night had already been reserved for tonight).

One Month

We've said our goodbyes to the many people we met on the tour, but as they have prepared to go home, we have prepared to go on. It has now been one month since we left Salt Lake. In some ways it seems much longer, but in other ways the time has flown by, as I imagined it would. We are officially 1/6 of the way through our trip, and as of tomorrow I will have been gone longer than ever before. Ahh, a milestone. Part of me feels strange not to be at school, getting ready and preparing for a new year. But then again, I feel like I'm in a completely different world and the summer is just extended. It can't possible be the end of August already. Anyway, just decided to share my thoughts...

On We Go!

Well, we’ve arrived in Jerusalem! We spent one night at the Dead Sea before coming here. It smelled suspiciously like home there. We went down to the beach and enjoyed a float before dinner.

We’ve been very busy every day, but it’s been worth it. We visited the place where they found the Dead Sea Scrolls and got a little history lesson. It’s amazing what they’ve found and are still finding there. We also visited Masada, which is where the Jewish Rebels took a last stand against the Roman soldiers in about 70 A.D.

Arriving in Jerusalem has been nice if only to stay in one place for a few days. We had a really nice communion service on the Mount of Olives one night and as much as I’m enjoying all of the sites, it is these quiet times that mean the most. We visited Bethlehem and spent some time in the church that has been built over the place they think Jesus was born. It’s loud and crowded with tourists jostling each other and pushing just to touch the place where the manger may have been and to take a picture of it. It’s difficult to think and reflect on the meaning of that event while you’re there.

We’ve visited the Temple Mount and the Wailing Wall. We also walked the Via Delorosa. We don’t know exactly where Jesus carried the cross and was crucified, but it is a traditional walk and something that can be very meaningful if you take the time to consider what it is you are remembering. Our guide, Micky, reminds us that we are the Temple of God and while visiting all of these “Holy Places” it is good to remember that we don’t worship a slab of rock or stone because the Holy Spirit lives in us. As we visit some of the traditional sites (traditional sites being where certain events are remembered and historical sites being where we know things actually occurred), I find myself very skeptical that one specific location could be “holy.” But then I remember that there really were Holy Places back in the days of Jesus. There was a specific place where God’s glory was. It makes me realize what an amazing work Jesus achieved with His death and resurrection...to make us a holy place where the spirit of God could dwell.

I think one of the most meaningful things we’ve done was at the Pool of Bethesda. No one else was there when we arrived and we went into the church where one of the men in our group sang How Great Thou Art. He has a beautiful, beautiful voice and the acoustics were incredible in there. After he sang, we all just sat there for a good 5-10 minutes, singing together and praying. With everything that we’ve been seeing, it was those minutes of silent reflection that make it worthwhile.

We got up early one morning to go to the tunnels underneath the Western Wall of Temple Mount. Because so much has been built up over the last 2000 years, the tunnels used to be streets and were probably where Jesus walked. After the tunnels we visited the Temple Institute, which is a group of people preparing to rebuild the temple. It is fascinating to see what they have done. They have all of the main vessels made exactly as they are described in the Bible and are ready to move as soon as they can. They believe that the Ark of the Covenant is underneath where the temple should be, but for obvious reasons cannot excavate there.

Following the institute, we had lunch and strolled around the area a bit before heading to the Israel Museum where we saw the Isaiah scrolls and a really neat model of Jerusalem from the times of Jesus. Our last two stops of the day were the Garden of Gethsemane and a lovely view of the city from the top of the Mount of Olives.

We are now preparing to leave. We’re done with our tour and now comes the time when we set off on our own. On the up-side, there will be more freedom, but on the down-side, we’ll have to arrange everything on our own.

Today we started out at the Garden Tomb, which is another possible burial place for Jesus. There are several reasons why this is a strong possibility, but as our guide reminded us, it doesn’t matter where. What matters is why.

We also saw the Holocost Museum, which was very moving and our last stop was Abraham’s Tent. We arrived at a location in the desert and were greeted by “Eleazar,” the servant of Abraham, who had come back in time 3800 years to find guests for his master. We put on tunics and walked (or rode camels) down the road before being met by Abraham and sitting at low tables for a traditional meal. "Abraham" has a few modern facilities, such as restrooms, and apparently knows all about Moses as well. I'll bet you didn't know that! Anyway, it was a really fun experience and a nice way to end our time in Israel.

Well, that's all for now! Next stop...Dublin...

P.S. By the way, these pictures are of Masada, the Dead Sea, Pools of Bethesda, Temple Mount, and the southern wall of what once was the temple!

Where Jesus Walked!

We began the day with a trip to Capernaum, where Jesus often stayed at Peter’s house. A church has been built over what was once Peter’s house, but you can still see the remains of what were once many rooms. This was also the town where Jesus healed the servant of the Roman Centurion. Our guide then threw in an extra tour that was not scheduled so that we could see the remains of yet another ancient city. What set this city apart was that in the synagogue they had actually found the seat of Moses, from which the Rabbi would have preached. Following this we went to the mountain where Jesus taught the Sermon on the Mount, and fed the five thousand. At each stop, our guide or pastor leader reads a portion of scripture related to the sight and we consider Jesus’ words and meaning during his ministry.

We had a quick, boxed lunch at the next location, which was Caesarea Philippi, before heading down a path for a short hike. Caesarea Philippi is where Peter confessed Jesus as the Christ, or Messiah. Our last hike of the day was at Dan. At each stop, we see more ruins from thousands of years ago and it is exciting to imagine Jesus and the apostles walking from place to place, preaching and healing. Our last stop was at a museum that houses a 2000 year-old boat that was found in the Sea of Galilee. It was quite a find and took enormous effort to bring it up. We weren’t able to sail on that boat, of course, but we did take a 1-hour ride across the Sea of Galilee before ending the day with a swim in the lake, dinner, and a stroll through the streets before bed.

Visiting all of these places is amazing, and I’m loving it, but I think the biggest impact on me has been the lack of awe I’ve experienced. Of course it’s incredible to stand where Jesus may have stood, but my connection to Jesus and His followers is not in standing where they stood, but in knowing, serving, and loving who they knew, served, and loved. Dan read from Romans 12 the other day and emphasized the part about being surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. But I am not connected to people like Elijah and Peter by the physical ground we’ve walked on as much as the spiritual journey to follow God that we’ve chosen.

Un-Thought Title

This morning we were up and gone by 8:00 am. We met our guide, Micky, and proceeded to our first stop, Caesarea. There are lovely coastal ruins there and we enjoyed the breeze coming off of the Mediterranean. It wasn’t until the book of Acts and early Christians began to take the Gospel message to the Gentiles that this city was mentioned. In fact, Caesarea is the city where Cornelius called for Peter and he and his entire family accepted Christ. It was brought up by our pastor leader, Dan, that the very fact that we were there was due in large part to that encounter.

We followed this city with a visit to Mount Carmel, where Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal. We took our lunch a few minutes from this site, enjoying falafel. Our afternoon stops were Megiddo and Nazareth. Megiddo is the location of 25 various ancient cities, each built on top of the other. Until something destroyed it, there was a spring there, which made it prime real estate, as well as the fact that it was an important trade route between Babylon and Egypt. Anyway, the remnants of each city have burn marks, indicating a violent end over and over for this piece of land. It is believed to be the location of the final battle, and the term Armageddon is derived from it.

Our last stop of the day was Nazareth. We visited Nazareth Village, which is a recreation of Nazareth during the days of Jesus, complete with sheep being led by a shepherd, donkeys grazing here and there, a carpenter and weaver working in their respective homes, and even a synagogue.

At the end of the day we finally arrived at our hotel by the Sea of Galilee. We have a gorgeous view outside our window, which is one full side of the room. We get to stay here for two nights, which will be really nice!

P.S. A pyramid is a tomb, not a temple...in response to a comment from a few posts ago.

Arrival in Israel

Wow! We do so much and I'm usually exhausted at the end of the day. We crossed the border into Israel today. Jordan was fun! We visited Petra, which was amazing. You can't see it until you're in it. We walked along the narrow canyon and after about an hour it was just there. Then yesterday morning we began the drive to the border, stopping along the way to visit Mount Nebo, where Moses saw the promised land before he died. The border crossing this afternoon went smoothly and we are now staying at a guest house in Israel. We're only here for a night, which is too bad. The grounds are really beautiful so we strolled around a little before dinner, watching the sunset and eating grapes from the vine in the gardens. We're sad to leave this morning, but we have a pretty exciting day ahead of us!