Jordan Trip, 23-25 JAN 2010

One more for the road . . . These guys were great!!!

Auschwitz Holocaust Survivors

Monday night, after our return from Jordan, we walked to Christ Church in the Old City to meet & listen to Esther Mannheim and Yehudith Kriegel, surviving sisters of Aushwitz. Their mother was murdered during the "shoa" and their dignity was completely taken away from them . . . but only temporarily as these two ladies, in their eighties, told their story so eloquently. They spoke in Hebrew, and one of the members of Christ Church translated in English. I don't have their entire testimony, but I did record Esther's comments at the end. She said that she & Yehudith are privileged to speak for those whose voices were shut . . .

Fosia and Nat

Jordan Trip 23-25 JAN

Jordan Trip

Jordan Trip

Saturday morning, 23 January, at 6am we boarded a bus for the Jordan border with students from US, Canada, Australia, & New Zealand. Jack Beck, JUC extension professor, forewarned us of the possible long border crossing. It was not difficult, just took a while. Once we were all processed through in Jordan, our tour guide met us. His name is Zopher, a Jordanian educated at Texas A&M College Station . . . and proud of it! He dubbed Nat & me "Texas" and enjoyed talking with us throughout the 3-day trip.

We first toured the "Decapolis Cities", beginning with the ruins of Gadara http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umm_Qais It is here where some historians place Jesus' healing of the demon possessed man in the gospels, i.e. Luke 8:26-38. We walked through the tombs where the afflicted man lived. Didn't see any pigs . . .

and Jerash

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerash Nat & I even had opportunity to dance the jitterbug in an amphitheater. The band??? Arabian bagpipes & drums, of course!

Then we had a 5-hour drive to Petra, arriving late in the evening for dinner at the nice hotel, a warm bath, and good night's sleep. Up for breakfast at 6:30am, and a short walk to the entrance of the ancient city of Petra. I have long wished I could visit this mesmerizing place, having been told about it in a home Bible study several years ago http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petra .

The impressive eastern entrance leads steeply down through a dark, narrow gorge (in places only 3–4 m (9.8–13 ft) wide) called the Siq ("the shaft"), a natural geological feature formed from a deep split in the sandstone rocks and serving as a waterway flowing into Wadi Musa. At the end of the narrow gorge stands Petra's most elaborate ruin, Al Khazneh (popularly known as "the Treasury"), hewn into the sandstone cliff.

It was a beautiful day, so when we rounded a corner and saw the Treasury, my breath was taken away by the sunlight dramatically highlighting the pink/peach colored building! And you can clearly see the hundres of bullet marks shot by the Bedouins and others. Al Khazneh has appeared in many Hollywood movies, gaining particular fame featured in the 1989 film "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" (represented as the entrance to the final resting place of the Holy Grail).

Petra is much, much larger than we anticipated. I'm certain we only scratched the surface of things to see there. But we already know we will return in April with Dr. Wright's class. He tells us that trip will be more extensive, so we're already looking forward to it! So on this trip, we just meandered around and drank in the sites. We also fell in love with a young Bedouin girl named Fosia (sp?). She wanted to give me a lovely beaded necklace, refusing payment. She just wanted me to have it. In the end, we thanked her very generously. Her English was very good. She said she learned "from the tooo-rists". We spent quite a bit of time with her, just visiting. We plan to find her again in April and take her a special gift. We would say that Fosia is the real treasure hidden away in ancient Petra!

Nat also bought some postcards from some really cute Bedouin girls dressed in traditional clothing.

After lunch, we drove to ancient Edom (descendants of Easau), then on to the capital city of Jordan, Ammon. It is a large, modern city with photos of King Abdullah and his late father, King Hussein, looming everywhere! We stayed in the beautiful 4-star Geneva Hotel. Dinner, accommodations, and breakfast were luxurious and abundant!

While in Amman we visited the museum which houses the Dead Sea Scrolls.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Sea_scrolls

8am on Monday, we were off to Medeba (Numbers 21:30) where we visited a church which houses the only known ancient map of Palestine including the city map of Jerusalem in existence. It was made about the year 565 from more than two million colored stone cubes. The center of the map is Jerusalem. We then had a leisurely three course lunch in the courtyard of a pretty European style restaurant.

Back on the bus, it began raining with small hail or ice pellets and the wind was blowing rather hard. It didn't stop us from visiting Mt. Nebo where Moses was taken by God and shown the promised land. He was also told that he would not be going with the Israelites to possess the land. Why? Numbers 20:1-13 To quench the thirst of the people during their journey, God told Moses to speak to a rock and water would come out. Moses not only spoke to the rock . . . he struck it. Water did come out, but Moses reaped the severe consequences of his disobedience. The scriptures go on to say that God buried Moses in the valley of Moab, and his grave has never been found (Deuteronomy 34:1-8). Our instructor, Jack, said that for water to come out of the granite like rock just by speaking to it would, indeed, be a miracle. When Moses struck it, he brought praise to himself from the people. Remember, God will not share His glory. I expect time has healed Moses' feelings, and we will see him one day soon in THE promised land!

This wrapped up our first field study trip with JUC. We were not disappointed!!!

We arrived back at JUC in time for dinner and to walk to Christ Church that evening to hear from two Holocaust survivors. It deserves its own posting.

Shalom y'all

Dr. Gabby Barkay lecture

We had opportunity last Saturday evening to hear a lecture by Dr. Gabriel "Gabby" Barkay, archaeology professor at JUC and respected authority on temple mount antiquities. He had a photo slideshow of just a few of the tens of thousands of artifacts that have been recovered in The Temple Mount Antiquities Salvation Operation, which he has spearheaded since 2005.

The Temple Mount Antiquities Salvage Operation is an archaeological project established in 2005 and dedicated to recovering archaeological artifacts from 300 truckloads of topsoil removed from the Temple Mount by the Waqf during the construction of the underground el-Marwani Mosque from 1996-1999. A waqf is an inalienable religious endowment in Islam, typically denoting a building or plot of land for Muslim religious or charitable purposes. It is conceptually similar to the common law trust.
In early 2001, Israeli police said they observed bulldozers destroying an ancient arched structure located adjacent to the eastern wall of the Temple Mount in the course of construction during which 6,000 square meters of the Temple Mount were dug up by tractors, paved, and declared to be open air mosques, which is assumed to have intermixed the underlying strata. Some of the earth and rubble removed was dumped in the El-Azaria and in the Kidron Valleys, and some of it (as of September 2004) remained in mounds on the site. The excavation and removal of earth with minimal archaeological supervision became an issue of controversy, with some scholars claiming that valuable history material is being destroyed. The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) inspected the material and declared it of no archaeological value, but a group called the Committee for the Prevention of Destruction of Antiquities on the Temple Mount campaigned against this position and in September 2004 obtained a temporary injunction against the IAA and the Muslim Waqf preventing them from removing the material which still lies in mounds on the site. Both sides accuse the other of having political motivation. Some claim that this will lead to the destabilization of the retaining walls of the Temple Mount, of which the Western Wall is one, and/or the al-Aqsa Mosque, and allege that one side is doing so deliberately to cause the collapse of the sacred sites of the other. Israelis allege that Palestinians are deliberately removing significant amounts of archaeological evidence about the Jewish past of the site and claim to have found significant artifacts in the fill removed by bulldozers and trucks from the Temple Mount. Muslims allege that the Israelis are deliberately damaging the remains of Islamic-era buildings found in their excavations.
Since the Waqf is granted almost full autonomy on the Islamic holy sites, Israeli archaeologists have been prevented from inspecting the area; they have, however, conducted several excavations around the Temple Mount. And since 2005, The Temple Mount Antiquities Salvage Operation is sifting through the excavated rubble of artificacts. I'm not sure which is more amazing . . . their beauty and historical significance, or the fact that a group of people would consider them refuse and have them reduced to a garbage heap outside the Old City walls . . .I found this two part radio interview of Dr. Barkay, which includes most of the historical and current information he passed on to us during the lecture. They are not long to listen to, and very informative . . .

http://odeo.com/episodes/25387551-Archeologist-Gaby-Barkay-1 Part 1
http://tsiyon.co.il/archeologist-gaby-barkay-2/
Part 2

We cooked our last meal today for the large number of short term students. They had their final exam this afternoon and the majority will be heading to their respective homes on Sunday. Some of them paid for an extension trip to Jordan which leaves early Saturday morning and returns Monday evening. And guess who gets to go with them???

Petra . . . here we come!!! Photos & blog entry next week . . .

Shalom y'all

Mount of Olives, January 14th

Mount of Olives, January 14th

We trekked up the Mount of Olives last Thursday on our day off. JUC and Mt. Zion sit just outside the southwest corner of the Old City wall. To ascend the Mount of Olives, we passed the Eastern Gate, also known as the Golden Gate. In Jesus' day this was the most important gate in Jerusalem because it led to the holy place of the Temple.

About 2,500 years ago, Ezekiel foresaw the future of the Temple Mount. The prophet wrote that the East Gate would be sealed, and remain sealed, until the “prince” comes.

EZEKIEL 44:1-3
"Then he brought me back the way of the gate of the outward sanctuary which looketh toward the east; and it was shut. Then said the Lord unto me; this gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the Lord, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut. It is for the prince; the prince, he shall sit in it to eat bread before the Lord; he shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate, and shall go out by the way of the same."

Ezekiel wrote this prophecy in the 6th century B.C. About 600 years later, Jesus entered Jerusalem through the East Gate, riding on the back of a donkey Luke 19:28-48. Almost 2,000 years after this prophecy was written, the Eastern Gate was permanently sealed. In the year 1543, Arabs under the direction of Sultan Suleiman “the Magnificent” walled up the gate with block and mortar. After 500 years, it remains sealed to this day. Sultan Suleiman was the leader of the Ottoman Empire, and a member of the Muslim religion. Muslims obviously have no desire to convert anyone to Judaism. Yet, a Muslim unwittingly fulfilled a Hebrew prophecy. In fact, it appears that Sultan Suleiman may have sealed this gate to prevent the Messiah's return. The Muslims also built a cemetery in front of the gate, allegedly in the belief that the Messiah would not be able to pass through without risk of impurifying himself. But we know that when Jesus returns to set up his millenial reign, the King of Kings will enter Jerusalem through that gate!

The fulfillment of this prophecy has proven to be miraculous. Since the time Sultan Suleiman sealed the Eastern Gate in 1543, it has remained sealed year after year. Throughout all the years of violence, wars, and foreign occupations, no one has opened this gate. The sealed Eastern Gate is a testimony to the Word of God!

Directly across from the Eastern Gate, in the bottom of the Kidron Valley at the base of the Mount of Olives, is a Jewish cemetery. The Prophet Ezekiel's tomb is on the far right, and on the far left is Absalom's Pillar. Absalom was David's oldest son, a wild one at that. Yet, even though he usurped his father's throne and sought his death, David mourned Absalom's untimely death. The story depicts a father's refusal to discipline a wayward child, and God's unavoidable judgement . . . Absalom was killed, and David mourned.

II SAMUEL 18:18

"During his lifetime Absalom had taken a pillar and erected it in the King's Valley (Kidron) as a monument to himself, for he thought, "I have no son to carry on the memory of my name." He named the pillar after himself, and it is called Absalom's Monument (Pillar) to this day."

We then came upon the tomb of the Virgin Mary. Very elaborate and tended to by nuns. Photos were allowed, even within the burial place itself. Nope, nothing left to see but the rock slab she was supposedly laid on.

The Mount of Olives climb is steep, even though the narrow roads are now paved with asphalt. It took about 20 minutes to ascend to the top where we had a magnificent view of the Old City, and a picnic lunch! A couple of boys were fascinated with Nat's mini binoculars, so he let them use them for a while. We also watched busload after busload of tourists unload for a photo opp, some unable to resist paying a few shekels for a camel ride around the turnaround circle.

Upon descent, we visited a lovely garden and took photos of the ossuaries. An ossuary is a chest (bone box) made to serve as the final resting place of human skeletal remains. They are frequently used where burial space is scarce. A body is first buried in a temporary grave, then after some years the skeletal remains are removed and placed in an ossuary. The greatly reduced space taken up by an ossuary means that it is possible to store the remains of many more people in a single tomb than if the original coffins were left as is. I'm thinking Moses transported Joseph's bones from Egypt in an ossuary. And I noticed when we visited the Wright's living quarters that they have a bone box in a corner of the living room . . . Uncle Harry perhaps???

GENESIS 50:24-26
"Then Joseph said to his brothers, "I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob." And Joseph made the sons of Israel swear an oath and said, "God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place." So Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten. And after they embalmed him, he was placed in a coffin in Egypt."

EXODUS 13:17-19
"When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, "If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt." So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt armed for battle. Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the sons of Israel swear an oath. He had said, "God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up with you from this place."

JOSHUA 24:32

"And Joseph's bones, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried at Shechem in the tract of land that Jacob bought for a hundred pieces of silver from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. This became the inheritance of Joseph's descendants."

Back at the base of the mountain is the Garden of Gethsemane, which has some of the oldest olive trees in Israel. Jesus would have seen some of them, and most probably prayed amongst them.

MATTHEW 26:36-46

"Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me." Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter. "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done." When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing. Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us go! Here comes my betrayer!"

A church has been built right next to the Garden . . . surprise! The Church of All Nations, also known as the Church or Basilica of the Agony, is a Roman Catholic church. In front of the altar is a section of bedrock where Jesus is said to have prayed before his arrest.

We then walked back past the Eastern Gate (still sealed shut, by the way) and entered the Old City through the Dung Gate which happens to be the quickest/closest approach to the Western (Wailing) Wall. We returned to Pappa Andreas' rooftop restaurant to watch the sunset before returning to campus for dinner.

What a memorable day!

Shalom y'all

Wednesday, January 13th

Today would be Nat's Dad's 88th birthday . . . here's to you, Louis!

Sunday night, we were invited to Dr. & Mrs. Wright's home here on campus for a student reception. Paul & Diane have lived here for several years, and their apartment is very nice with a panamoric view of Jerusalem. Diane baked a delicious assortment of goodies, and Paul gave a history of JUC, and how the current location came to sit on Mt. Zion following the six day war in 1967. Here is a link that has a brief video with the story . . . http://juc.edu/about/historylocation.asp

We are having so much fun getting to know these "short term" students who are here for a month's extension course with their individiual colleges back in the US and Australia. We're going to miss them when they leave in a couple of weeks. Then the regular semester students will return to campus for the spring. I'm sure we'll love them, too! We already love "Tibby"!!!

Monday, I tried my hand at converting my favorite meatloaf recipe (thank you Leslie) from six servings to 133! I just multiplied the ingredients by 20 . . . no problem! The photo says a lot! Justin & Mandy continue to be such a blessing! We also made potato salad. By all reports, we did good!

Beginning Tuesday morning, the students began leaving in three groups for a three day field trip including swimming (floating) in the Dead Sea. We're eager to hear all about it! Since our lunch number was down to 45 people, Nat made individual pita crust pizzas with various toppings. I practiced using the industrial mixer and food processor to make a HUGE batch of chocolate chip/walnut cookies . . . success! And since we're still learning the old oven's temps, Nat was happy to eat the few burned ones :) Yehye, Ronnie & Tamar were happy to have sweet treats in the kitchen, too!

Nat continues cleaning & repairing things around the old kitchen. He is spending a lot of time taking off layers of burned on grease from the gas burners on the large stove. Ronnie said, "But Nat, it has been on there since Moses was here!" He is always amazed when he returns each evening for the dinner shift to see what Nat has done! He's sure handy! And Yehye seems to be inspired by Nat's enthusiasm. He cleaned the outside of the stainless appliances today, smiling so big with our praise and appreciation!

We have learned that Yehye grew up here at JUC as a child, working on campus. We are told (and it is apparent) that he is a bit slow mentally. Yet Ronnie tells us that he is actually quite brilliant in certain areas. Yehye can be in the same room listening to a three-way conversation and afterward "replay" it word for word. Ronnie says he has an uncanny memory. Nat says he must be somewhat of an "idiot savant". I don't care for this terminology, but it is a correct Webster definition for such amazing cases. This may explain why he constantly talks. He speaks Arabic, so I don't know what he's saying. Perhaps he's repeating conversations? I'll ask kitchen manager William more about this. It's very possible that Yehye is the smartest person here!

Campus is quiet today, with no lunch or dinner since everyone's gone. It is cold & drizzly outside, so Nat worked out and I had successful Skype dates with Natalie and my two sisters. What a blessing!!! And yesterday I got in a text chat with Taryn, which included at least a quick look at Kenzley (the connection wasn't as good at that time). Now a quiet evening reading & posting . . . The forecast for tomorrow looks very pleasant for us to make the much anticipated trek to the Mount of Olives and the Garden of Gethsemane! Man, oh man . . .

Shalom y'all

Sunday, January 10th

This was our first day off! We enjoyed breakfast with the students, prepared by Alana, then we walked to the Old City to attend the Anglican "Christ Church" http://www.cmj-israel.org/CMJMinistries/ChristChurch/Overview/tabid/70/Default.aspx. It is located just inside the Jaffa gate of the Old City, and is the oldest Protestant church in the whole middle east...1849. Really neat liturgical service, conducted in English. The Vicar came from Florida 30 yrs ago, and another priest was an Aussie. They both had delightful personalities and deliveries. The sermon was taken from Luke 3, and the Vicar talked about how even John the Baptist was hoping Jesus would be the conquering deliverer they were looking for. Very thought provoking. There was a worship team, and we sang some of our familiar praise songs, some in Hebrew. They had a large screen displaying the words in Hebrew and English. We were served holy communion (broken bread and wine from a common cup).

Tim & Abby, her sister Havvah & husband Mike, and brother Jude were there also. Many of the JUC short term students attended, as well. After the service, we exited to the courtyard where we were offered coffee and refreshments. The congregation also made available a selection of goods for sale to raise money for the poor in the Old City.

The verse on the outside of the sanctuary entrance is Psalm 122:6 "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. May they prosper who love you."

Nat had a neat experience. As long as I have known him (we've been married for 30 yrs), he has had a favorite Bible. It was given to him by the men of First Baptist Church Stephenville, Texas when he graduated from high school in 1971. It reflects the Old Testament portion (RSV) was translated in 1952, the year he was born. There are real photographs of Israel included strategically within the text. We, and most especially Nat, have looked at those photos many many times throughout the years. As Nat was turning to the sermon text, it was opposite one photo in particular. It was titled "Church of the Dormition on Mount Zion", but the photo was mostly of Jerusalem University College, which sits next to the church! We even see the window of the room we are staying in while here! We were absolutely amazed, sensing the prophetic in Nat's life. God knew he, we would be here now and to have that photo come alive, in church this morning, was a thrill!

So, God knows the end from the beginning, not just historically but in our individual lives. Absolutely nothing is insignificant in your life. Don't discount that He is always at work in your life. Don't miss a thing!!!

Shalom y'all

Saturday, January 9th

WOW! Whadda week!!! We have certainly been baptised by fire, as Tim warned us (fortunately not a kitchen fire)!

We have been cooking breakfast early in the mornings for 102, followed by lunch for 133! It's been great and the students are so appreciative! There are students from various colleges. A lot from Australia, a few from New Zealand, many from various parts of America. A precious young couple who are JUC students, Justin & Mandy Kelley, are helping us out this month. It also earns them a little money. We are having so much fun with them! We laugh a lot, and get the job done. Yechye stays on top of all of the dishes and wanders through smiling. He periodically hands Nat his tea cup, and always wants me to see the new vegetable/fruit delivery. He also got me a HUGE roll of paper towels. Either he has observed how much I use them, or he sees how messy I can be :) Everyone's happy! Interestingly, Mandy & we have mutual friends in Durango, CO. Small, wonderful world, huh?

Nat & I are functioning well as a team, and our individual tasks seem to be falling to each of us naturally. We discuss the menus, and then alter depending on what supply is on hand and what the dinner cook prepares. Online recipes are a wonderful resource! We have made vegetable soup from scratch served with sandwiches (pita bread fresh from the market and meat/cheese that Nat & Justin sliced on the industrial slicer), spaghetti with garlic bread, and hot dogs with french fries (chips).

Yesterday & today we prepared early breakfast at 6am because the students were going on a field trip (hurray . . . no lunch). Nat has become the expert egg scrambler & server, while I set up & monitor the dining room with cereals, fresh yogurt, walnuts/raisins, brie cheese, bread, hot beverages. The weather has allowed us to open the big push out windows that open to the flower garden, full of butterflies, for fresh air . . . Oh man!!!

We get up at 3:45am for this early breakfast. This gives us plenty of time to leisurely cook and set everything out. We wake up ready to go, but I fade as my duties end. We won't be back on duty 'til Monday morning, so we want to get out in the city again. We haven't had time, or energy, since last Saturday. We're hopeful to go out at some point today . . . or perhaps tonight because the weather is so nice.

Yesterday afternoon after we finished up the early breakfast, I went to do my laundry since the campus was empty of students on their field trip to Mount of Olives, Bethlehem (Nat made 'Christmas' eggs to commemorate-#150 scrambled eggs, with potatoes, onion, and red & green bell peppers...they were well received), Garden of Gethsemane, and other locales. I used the washer, then chose to use the clothesline to dry (as most of the folks do). So nice, since it was 72 degrees here (sorry for you folks back home in Texas right now dealing with a hard freeze)! Anyway, the garden is lush here and there are secluded spots. I climbed up to a high point, turned a chair toward the sun . . . and promptly fell asleep to the sounds of this city . . . people, church bells, the Muslim minaret call to prayer (that begins at 4:30am and continues regularly throughout the day- 5 times I think). Fortunately, a fly woke me up or I would have burned myself! As it is, I have a nice glow. And my clothes are clean & fresh! Nat used the afternoon to get in a work out in the little "gym"/weight room they have here.

Speaking of the Muslim call to prayer . . . I was passing through the dishwashing room the other day to find Yechye kneeling on a piece of cardboard facing the back wall. In a hurry, I thought he was looking for something on the floor! I came so close to asking him if I could be of assistance (which he wouldn't have understood anyway) . . . fortunately, I realized he was praying before I interrupted him. Thanks for covering my rear again, Lord . . . and draw him to Yourself with Your goodness.

We are organizing and cleaning the kitchen as we go along. It is an old institution and lots of people pass through it. I only hope what we are all striving to accomplish can be maintained. What do they say about too many cooks in the kitchen? I always thought it meant too much input into the cooking, but it can also mean a very messy kitchen! And some of the cleaning is by "Mt Zion standards". Now we know what Dr. Wright meant when he said this!

Nat is repairing water sprayers, de-greasing the stove, cleaning out drawers that haven't been opened in who knows when! And he's cleaning up the contents, repairing things along the way. When he fixed the industrial water sprayer for the deep sink (duct taped and leaking for a long, long time obviously), William (facilities/kitchen manager) smiled and said in Arabic, "You are very clever, Nat." Indeed he is! We're each finding our niche and partnering for the rest. Thank you all for your faithful prayers!

William alluded yesterday that "they" hope our stay is longer than the end of July. We don't know who "they" are, or exactly what he means, but it makes us feel as though we are doing a good job after our first week! It really is fun . . . hard work . . . but extremely satisfying. I told Nat yesterday while on my knees cleaning the stove trays, "You know, a year ago I prayed that God would give me hard work to do. Not that I necessarily wanted it, but I felt I needed it. Life was getting a little too "cush". Then I said, "Obviously that prayer didn't return void!"

Tomorrow is our first bonafide full day off! We are going to church, perhaps with Tim & Abby ("Tibby" as they are known by the family). They worship regularly at Christ Church in the Old City. Tibby popped into the dining room last night for a short visit. They are still traveling with Abby's family, but were back on campus for a few things and wanted to say hi. We are looking very forward to our extended family time with them soon.

Later that same day . . .

Nat was doing laundry while I was cutting my hair outside in the garden (I figure, with the cut I've had for years . . . why not try). It actually turned out pretty good, with Nat's help on the back. Facilities/kitchen Mgr William and his wife, Shakura, and their two daughters Luna & Lamara were returning from the city and invited us to their home (here on campus) for tea before dinner. Such a nice family who have lived here at JUC for four years. William, whose ethnicity is Egyptian (Coptic Christian), is from Nazareth. They have lived in Jerusalem for quite a few years, the girls were born here in Jerusalem, and I don't believe we learned where Shakura is from. All of them are gifted artists, with several of their pieces displayed in their home. Really good!

We've been slack in taking photos this week. Just too busy. But we did post a photo of Nat & Justin at the slicer . . . and one of the Copty family, for viewing pleasure. We'll try to take more tomorrow.

Now, we're heading to the Old City for an evening stroll before bedtime . . .

Shabot shalom y'all

Monday, January 4th

Sunday we "shadowed" the Sunday cook, Alana, who is a JUC student. It was very helpful to us. That gal is a machine! But she thanked us for the help, because it saved her time. For lunch, potato soup, homemade rolls, salad & fruit. 43 new arrivals from the airport, so the soup didn't make it to the finish line. The last few people got the salad, rolls and sliced smoked turkey & cheese . . . no complaints . . . except from me, because I wanted some of that soup!!!

For dinner, 35 folks were served a ground beef/pasta/cheese casserole which Alana calls Pizza Casserole. It was served with buttered (frozen) cut green beans, salad with dressings and hummus, fruit, and homemade chocolate chip cookies . . . very good! We have yet to get a full understanding of the variance in numbers of this short term group. Some of it has to do with who is staying on campus or not. We got a really good idea of how the kitchen works. Nat got the industrial grater/slicer up and running. This is gonna save tons of time with cheese & vegetables!

We got up at 5:30am, put on our work clothes, and headed to the kitchen . . . down the Via DolaBathroom. We set out cereals, granola, yogurts, toast, fruit, . . . and Nat set up a small burner stove where he prepared eggs to order for 35 (while I cracked eggs for the chef). We will not be making this available for the large group, but we will for these guys. The eggs were delicious, the students were made to feel special, and the order line gave us time to get to know names and a little bit about each one. This is gonna be a great short term group. For lunch we served baked chicken & rice with salad & hummus, which they love. I am now not only a great packer, I can prepare rice for a crowd! God is so very good . . .

Our dishwasher is named "Yehye", which pronounced sounds a lot like "Yuk Yuk". He doesn't speak a lick of English, and walks around talking to himself . . . or praying to Allah . . . or cussing us under his breath. Just kidding. He seems to be a really nice fella who smiles a lot and gets his work done. He also really enjoys doing things that please us . . . setting up a brand new hot water pot for our tea, de-greasing the dicer/slicer that Nat got up & working, showing off a load of beautiful vegetables to me . . . so pleased to please us.

We finished by 2p when the dinner cook, Roni, showed up and took over the kitchen, and we headed back home to re-group, go to the grocery story (Super Deal) for some personal coffee filters, and rest a bit before dinner (well, I did . . . Nat got in some pushups). And another surprise. A gal from housecleaning came and told us that they will clean up the dining room after lunch. We will still wipe off the tables after breakfast, but this is so great. It gets us out of there even that much faster. And we thought we needed to wash the aprons & kitchen towels that pile up each day . . . nope . . . William assigned it to the dishwasher. MAN, what a sweet deal!

More & more students arrived throughout the afternoon. I'm not sure where they are housing 102-133 people, but we joined them for dinner which Roni and his helper, Tamar, prepared. What a spread! Turkey, mashed potatoes w/gravy, carrots, salad bar and, of course, hummus!

We will have 102 for breakfast tomorrow (scrambled eggs each day) and 133 for lunch which will be vegetable soup, pita sandwiches and always salad. William said we will have a couple of full time students helping us prepare. We'll need it! Well, it's 8:30p and the kitchen is freed up. We are going to return and do a little prep for tomorrow, then get to bed . . . We're getting up at 5am tomorrow!

We can do this thing!!!! But only with your prayers and God's help. He knows a little something about feeding masses, doesn't he?

Saturday, January 2nd

We had our initial meeting with Dr. Wright and the facilities/kitchen manager, William. Dr. Wright & his wife, Diane, are from the US and have been directing JUC since 1997. William is from Nazareth, and we can tell you from what little we know of him thus far . . . something good indeed can come from Nazareth (that makes at least two!). I believe our working relationship will go very well.

We have been informed that we will have someone in the kitchen to wash dishes after both breakfast & lunch. We do not have kitchen duties on Sunday. One of the female students does the meals on that one day. We will "shadow" her tomorrow, helping where we can, and learn the ropes. Someone else prepares the field trip sack lunches. This is great news for us! Also, there are quite a few days when no breakfast and/or lunch are needed. Each month will change according to field studies (which we get to go on after this January surge of short term students).

After the meeting, Nat & I went out to buy our pound of coffee in the Old City. We wound our way down the Via Dolorosa to the coffee vendor. Beans ground to order . . . "dark roast, medium grind, please." It sures smells good! We will see how it tastes tomorrow morning! We then made our way back to the center of the city to eat dinner at Pappa Andreas' rooftop restaurant just beside the Church of the Redeemer. It was a beautiful view of the Mount of Olives and eastern Israel/western Jordan in the background. The Dome of the Rock was between us and the Mount, but it could not compare with the beauty of that place of Jesus' ascension! And to know that He will set foot down where that dome sits, when He triumphantly returns . . . Mesmerizing to watch the sunset and the lights of the city come on.

We then returned to our little nest (I counted 67 steps all total from the entrance) and planned menus for this first upcoming week. It's gonna be crunch time with the big numbers, so we figure that by week #2 we'll be old pros!

ps The "two moons" seeming to appear in some of the pics above were merely specks of dust NOW removed from our camera lense.

Happy New Year from the City of David

We arrived Wednesday morning (Dec 30th) after being blessed with two first class flights (DFW to Newark, NJ and Newark to Tel Aviv), and a beautiful sherut (taxi) ride from Tel Aviv. How do you explain the feeling riding past a sign that points to "The Tomb of the Prophet Samuel"! JUC does, indeed, sit atop Mt. Zion at the southwest corner of the Old City wall just a couple of blocks from the Jaffa Gate entrance. Again, how do you explain that feeling? And the peace . . . there really is something to people praying for the peace of Jerusalem. You can feel it. It is tangible. I love it!

Cousins Tim & Abby Hereford welcomed us at the gate to the campus and took us to our room. It's just perfect! It is upstairs, across a courtyard from the kitchen building. The row of bathrooms is in between, so I plan to get up early each morning, jump into my workclothes, grab my toothbrush, stop off at the bathroom, and head to the kitchen! I only hope I can adjust to no toilet trips in the middle of the night. Going downstairs, through a floral courtyard is lovely . . . but not at 3am! I will add it is perfectly safe, just an adjustment. The Wrights have apologized for what they consider inconvenient quarters, but space is at a premium this semester. We believe our placement is an added blessing. It us up and out of the way, private with two windows that have lovely views of the city. Besides, I have had much more difficult bathroom trips while in the tribal regions of the Philippines!

We were introduced to the young couple who cooked last semester. So glad we met them, because they were moving off campus that day. What with jet lag, and the excitement of just being here, I was trying hard to follow all they had to tell us. Suffice it to say for right now, the meals indeed are simple . . . but the kitchen needs some serious inventorying and organizing. We have a meeting tomorrow morning (Saturday) with the kitchen manager and Dr. & Mrs. Wright. That will be very helpful. There are very few people on campus right now. We do know that an Arab (Palestinian Christian) gentleman named Ronnie comes in from Bethlehem to cook the large evening meal (not needing our help), and an American female student cooks lunch & dinner on Sundays. Tim & Abby say she is very good, so we plan to "shadow" her on Sunday. We start on Monday morning with an expected 35 for breakfast, 43 for lunch and Ronnie cooks for 102 that night! On Tuesday morning, we get that 102 for breakfast, and 133 for lunch. The numbers will be very sporadic in January with large numbers of short term students and quite a few field studies which we are currently being told we won't have to prepare sack lunches for. And then in February, I think things will settle down with the 35 students on a regular basis. Much to learn but with this month's crash course . . . we can do this thing!

The campus is old, the main building was built in the 1850's with 1 foot thick stone walls, but beautiful! Has a village feel of its own. Upstairs, downstairs, through courtyards, down stone pathways, flowers everywhere . . . and church bells ringing from the city on the hour. So far, they are very enjoyable.

We managed our jet lag and slept well, venturing out to the Old City the next morning to find coffee. We found an "Aroma" coffeeshop just outside the wall in a new pedestrian mall full of designer shops. I was told you won't find a Starbucks in Israel. A bit of research tells me that Starbucks CEO, Howard Schultz, is a proud friend of Israel and purported anti-Palestinian state. I believe the chain was boycotted here for these reasons. "Aroma" has a definite Starbucks feel to it. It is currently the largest café' coffee retailer in Israel, and cooperates with the Ballestra family from Naples, Italy, who for generations has been specializing in the production of gourmet coffee. I learned from a gal on campus where to buy roasted beans in the Old City and have them ground. Mmmmmmmmmmm . . . I can hardly wait!

One thing I need to keep in mind is that Jerusalem is not solely a Jewish city. The Arab population is very large. Most citizens appear to co-exist very well. Again, more to learn . . .

We went out into the Old City last night where we had a wonderful dinner, and a nice chat with a Palestinian Christian, apparently a true fellow believer. He was quite a talker! We agreed to meet again. Then we came "home" and listened to a few firecracker pops from our window. It's not as big a celebration here since the Jews and Muslims have already celebrated their new years.

Woke before Nat this morning, so got dressed and went out by myself, feeling perfectly safe. I was on mission, though. Realized when we went to bed last night, that I had lost something while we were out. My lower, clear plastic retainer for my teeth had fallen out of its container when I reached in for a toothpick. It could only have happened at one of two places. So I remembered my friend Lois' prayer at such times, "Lord, please bring it forth."

First I went to the restaurant in the Old City. As I stooped over, perusing the stone walkway (we dined outside), I looked up and realized people were watching me. They must have thought I was admiring the place where Jesus walked? If they only knew . . . Then back out to the mall where I sat waiting for Nat to return from the restroom. The tables & chairs had all been cleared and pushed back for the night, not put out again yet. There were street sweepers everywhere! Looked around to no avail, pulled out a chair, sat down & prayed, "Lord, I don't like being so irresponsible. This retainer is not only necessary, but expensive. I can't find it though. Please help me to get over it until our return to Stephenville and my orthodontist, and please don't let my teeth shift!" I started to get up, looked directly down to my right side . . . yep, there it was. I just stared at it for a moment, picked it up, and tearfully thanked God for caring so much for me. He is, indeed, our Father who cares even about the smallest of things. There is a wonderful scripture in Isaiah 52:12 "The LORD will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard." Shirley's translation, "God covers my rear regularly!"

After a cup of coffee and blueberry muffin at Aroma, I returned home to find Nat up and about. We went out again into new Jerusalem for coffee at "Cup O' Joe", which is across the street from the King Solomon Hotel. We then strolled up King David Street, cutting across a garden area, coming upon the tomb of King Herod and his family. Interestingly, not very well marked. We went back into the Old City for lunch at a little outdoor eatery. They are everywhere in the open market place.

We have observed, so far at least, that the vendors in the market are not terribly intrusive. Now, if you catch their eye or show interest in their wares, then they will show a lot of interest in you! Another observation, it looks and smells clean. We have had different experiences in our travels to the marketplaces of different countries.

You can hear the Muslim call to prayer regularly from a tower that looms above the city. We have been to the Jewish, Christian & Armenian Quarters so far. We have not yet ventured into the Muslim Quarter. We went to the entrance of the Western (wailing) Wall but it was very crowded and Nat's pocket knife would not pass through the security screening metal detector. So another day for the WW.

It is now Friday evening, the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from sundown Friday until the appearance of three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact time, therefore, differs from week to week and from place to place, depending on the time of sunset at each location.

I don't know if we will venture out this evening or not. We meet with the staff in the morning, so we might return to the kitchen tonight for a little more familiarization.

We do wish all who joined our journey today a very Happy New Year!

Shalom y'all