Palestinian Bethlehem Trip

Today, Monday, was a day of contrasts. We went to Bethlehem again but to see completely different things. The wall, of course, is “in your face” and the dominant thing at the check point. Then, after multiple miscommunications about guides, etc, we arrived at the completely modern “ ELCA Lutheran Christmas Church” where we learned about a wonderful fine arts education program that they are in the process of developing.
Then we wove around narrow streets that buses have no business being on – why there are not more fender benders here, I will never know. Anyway, we arrived at one of the Palestinian Refugee camps. Here’s where the contrasts continued. Eleven thousand people live in an area one square kilometer in size. It used to be the like a big jail, before the Israelis left, but they keep the guard’s box as a reminder. Anyway, as you can imagine, it is very, very crowded. It used to be that the people lived in tents, but one year, several years ago, it was very cold – they say it snowed (don’t know if that is a metaphor or really true), but many many people died, so they started building concrete structures – about 3 rooms - not electricity, or water inside – one toilet per 28 women and one for 28 men (That’s a double injustice to the women, yet again, eh? Women always need to have more toilets.)




By the way, I am sure you have noticed that this is not Jonna writing. She has the day off so she can do a little shopping, etc. and just plain relax. This is Deb Ducar and I am sorry to say I was not a high school English teacher and so not have her flair for writing but I will try to convey to you, somehow the immensity of what we saw today.
Back to the refugee camp. It was quite interesting to see the individual flats – most were depressing – almost as though people had given up – trash, inside and out, etc. etc. But some were amazing. Neat as a pin, flowers, even a tree or two, which is beyond amazing, considering what a luxury water is. But in the long run, having a tree to shade your home would be a huge benefit. They showed us their brand new activities building, funded by the – literally, I think the paint was still drying. Kids were using a library and were practicing in a dance class. Great that they still value cultural things, etc. We had a traditional Palestinian lunch served graciously to us by the folks there and got to purchase some of their hand embroidered items. A reflection on the people there. We have asked multiple times in multiple settings how in the world they carry on in such dismal conditions and with so many giant inconveniences. They always say HOPE. And it is not just the religious folks who say it. They all say it. They often use inflammatory language when they are describing events to us (e.g. The Palestinian disaster in 1948), but a huge portion of them get up in the morning, smile, are glad for the day and they carry on – despite, 87 per cent unemployment. They have hope that they will someday get their land and their homes back. Many have carefully saved the keys from 60 years ago and pass them from generation to generation.
We had a brief time at an SOS orphanage, which are found in almost every country in the world. They have about a hundred kids in 10 houses with individual “moms” in each home. They stay there til they are 14 - then off to what sounds like a boarding school – one for boys, one for girls. It was beautiful, flowers and trees everywhere but WE wanted to meet the children. They said we could but the reason nobody was outside, was that the weather service was saying that it was too hot yesterday, today and tomorrow and that everyone should stay inside. When we told them we had been to Masada yesterday (possibly the hottest place on earth next to Qumran), they looked at us really funny. Anyway, we popped into different houses and once again, watched Bob Burns become the pied piper in about 10 seconds –
They were playing with his camera, taking pictures, being in pictures, squealing with joy and not one common word of language was spoken, nor did it need to be. He has an amazing way with kids as those of you who have ever had a three year old in Sunday School. He has been teaching that age for 9 years. People even want to change their last names so they can qualify to get into his class and well they should.
We had a very slow time of it at the check point, which was going to make us VERY late for our class back at JUC, so by the second call of how late we would really be, Cindy gave us the afternoon off from class, so everyone is now out spending money in the market. Some spouses might be thinking the market is entirely too close by for our own good. Actually, I am glad that we had a slow time at the check point, so we got some teeny, tiny idea of what it is like for the Palestinians every day. They not only get checked and double checked and humiliated every time they pass through, but often have to drive miles out of their way to get where they want to go. Ours was a minor inconvenience. However, it is a tad unnerving to wake up from a vague snooze with an Israeli soldier, who looks about 12, standing over you with an AK 47 or the equivalent to see your passport.

Dead Sea Area Field Study

We start out this day very early 6:30 AM. We are missing the Nordell’s, Jan is not feeling well and is taking the day to rest. George and Martha Johnson are headed home. We pause to pray for them and feel sad about what we are loosing. Amy Flack has decided to stay in Jerusalem for the day to go to services at a local church and just be in the city. Jim Kielsmeier is speaking at a couple of organizations. He is paying our speakers back for their generous visits with us.
Johnny is taking us directly to Masada which is located near the Dead Sea. We move deeply into the wilderness. Miles of chalky hills, then suddenly palm tree forests where the date harvest is in full swing. The Dead Sea stretches out in front of us cool blue and immense in the middle of all the sparseness. Because of its minerality and salinity nothing grows near it. Cindy tells us that there is a water crises with the lake. There is too much water being drained off of it, and it is literally going down an entire meter a year. No one is moving to help the situation yet. High red cliffs hang about the sand with flat tops. Even brush is sparse here.
We turn off the highway to the fortress of Masada. We step off the bus and though it is early yet, the air is hot and water bottles are already being drunk. Yadin was the excavator of Masada in the 1950s. He was brilliant and was able to stir international interest in the dig. It is the most excavated sight in Israel. David might have hidden at Masada from Saul. We know he was hiding in this country. Herod built another lavish palace here. He built an aqueduct to the palace and had a one million gallon cistern built. The mosaics of the Western Palace are gorgeous with colors that go with the natural area, the red of the rock, the blue of the Dead Sea, the pale green of what little vegetation was there. The mosaics are in geometric designs avoiding any "graven images" probably as a nod to his discontented Jewish subjects.
We travel up the rocky island on a large cable car. We see the snake path below us that Jewish soldiers used to have to hike up at their official initiation into the army.

The spirit of Masada is the Josephus story. The story is an idealistic portrayal. It is the stuff of legend with beautiful heroes and heroines acting in great honor and nobility. It really is a national story that captures the heart of the people. It is the spirit and pride of the Jewish nation. There are reasons to question the account that Josephus has recorded. Josephus himself was a rabbi and commander of an army. He is a turn-coat to the Romans when it was clear that he and his men were going to be defeated. He becomes the Roman historian of the campaign against Israel. He has to placate Rome and wants to honor the Jewish people at the same time. We read Josephus' account of the breach of Masada where the remains of the Roman siege ramp are in place. It is a moving account of bravery with an ending in which all the inhabitants of Masada choose to die at their own hands rather than to be slaves to the Romans. Cindy pointed out the remains of a Roman Camp that lies below Masada. It is well preserved because of the dryness of the area. We can also see the remains of the siege wall that the Romans erected so that no one could escape.


We are surprised by how large the complex is. We pass the remains of a columbarium, which at this time was a place for keeping doves and pigeons for food and for fertilizer. We walk through the the northern palace catching sight of Herod's plaster faux finish that turned field stones into beautifully sculpted slabs of granite and marble pillars. The palace has three tiers. The top tier has a beautiful open courtyard for entertaining. The second tier is a rounded structure used for private quarters for Herod and his family. The final tier is another gorgeous entertainment courtyard with stunning frescoes of red, olive, and blue. The pillars have the elaborate carvings still on the top. The faux finish is still on until about half way up the pillar. The view stretches for miles. The breeze is brisk and helps dry the sweat. The descent down the face of Masada to the third level of the palace makes one appreciate the incredible giftedness of the architects of the lavish palace. The ascent back to the top makes one appreciate the physical fitness of people two thousand years ago. Cindy guides us through the well-preserved bath house that has three rooms: the Fridgedarium for a cold water dip, the Tepedarium for warmth and comfort probably a massage room, and the Caldarium which was the steam room. We see the remains of the beautifully tiled floors, the gorgeous pillars and arched doorways. The false floor in the Caldarium that would have provided heat for this steam room. Several were intending to walk down the snake path, but the path was closed because of the intensity of the heat. We fill our water bottles a little disappointed, but delighted with what we got to see.
After ice creams and sodas, we loaded back on the bus and drove along the shores of the Dead Sea toward En Gedi. We can see the receded shoreline of the Sea. It is startling the damage that is being done. We unload at a thatch covered shelter where some put on bathing suits to wade the pools of En Gedi. Cindy tells us about two creatures of this area the Hyrex (a badger like creature) and the Ibex (looks like a small antelope) that we might spot. The ibex have the distinction of being sure-footed in the rocky places and it is those feet that are mentioned in scripture. Essentially the request of the Psalmist is for God to give him feet like the ibex who dances on the rocky hillsides. The Psalmist doesn't ask for a different land. He asks for feet for the land he has. Cindy invites us to think about the power of water as we walk through this dry, dusty, rocky land toward the pools of En Gedi.
the story of David sparing Saul's life in one of the caves of En Gedi. He also reads Psalm 163 which is all about thirsting for God in a dry land. We walk on to the pools and suddenly there is an explosion of green and the lush sound of running water. Elegant reeds grow thick along the edge of the pools. Green moss covers the rocks that the water cascades down. Trees and birds abound. Each pool gets successively deeper and cooler. Caves line the canyon walls. The natural spring that fills these pools is one of the few in this area. At the top of all the successive pools was David's waterfall. The water plunges 50 feet into a deep rocky basin that sparkles invitingly but is roped off. The rocks are jade colored with life and all down the face of the falls grow vines and plants drinking thirstily from this unexpected abundance. It is amazing to see how powerful a little water is.
We stop under a tree and have a Communion service led by Don Genereaux that includes The soil looks completely unusable as though it would sustain nothing, but add water and a paradise of lushness explodes. (Jesus choosing the image of living water is much richer than I have understood in my water soaked life in Minnesota. Water has power to make life out of barren waste. So God too brings life to the deserts of me, my wastelands of selfishness and fear.-Jonna)
We cross over the road from En Gedi on the bus to the park where we will take a dip in the Dead Sea. The water feels so soft, almost oily. It is intensely minerally and salty. We bob like corks at its surface. So this is what it is like to be made of plastic. We know the water has healing qualities, but it is not long until it begins to sting.
After 15 minutes we head to the showers to rinse off and change. Cindy has graciously been grilling hotdogs for lunch. We eat pita dogs and hummus and of course olives on the shores of this sea in which nothing lives. We are reminded by Cindy of Ezekiel 47 of the picture of a river flowing from a newly restored temple in Jerusalem that runs into the Kidron valley which would drain here into the Dead Sea. This river of water from God is to be so fresh and abundant that it makes the Dead Sea fresh, and fish and plant life fill this area. A powerful picture of God's restoration that links easily with Revelation 22 of a heavenly city that comes down and a river that brings life to a land where trees will grow whose leaves heal entire nations. Eden restored.
We load back up and head to Qumran. The heat is now oppressive well over a hundred. The wind is hair dryer hot. One could not be far from water for very long. The Qumran community is obsessed with water. They have many mikvahs (traditional Jewish purity baths) there are many cisterns and pools to hold water. The Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered near this community, but the connection between the community and the scrolls is unclear. We do know that not all the scrolls were made in this community, and they seem to be a collection of scrolls from all over Israel. In 1947 a shepherd found the scrolls and sold a couple to an antique dealer who got them to an antiquities professor. Wesaw the famous cave 4 which is the one in which most of the scrolls were found. The heat is oppressive, but we are amazed to be in this ancient place where the Essenes lived their lives in purity far away from the corruption of the temple. We wonder together if John the Baptist may have been part of this sect. Then we load back onto the bus and head back to Jerusalem leaving behind the intense heat of this wilderness.

Several head out shopping after a quick shower. Some back to Shabban's other go to the Damascus Gate where the real market is. No touristy trinkets there, but produce, meat and other goods that locals shop for. After supper Dr. Reuven Gal the chief psychologist for the Israeli army joins us for a conversation. He shares his long history in Israel. His family has been here for six generations. He fought in the 1967 war one half mile from his pregnant wife and their home. He spoke of the intensity of the love that Jewish people have for this land. Everyone in Israel goes into the military for at least three years of service. He painted a picture of the Jewish people and their sense that they must survive. Every conflict is about survival. Every battle fought feels like it is one more chance that the holocaust will happen again. They are 7.5 million people surrounded by millions and millions of Arab nations who hate them and want to see them destroyed. It explains the force with which Israel reacts. It painted a picture of a people backed into a corner perpetually fighting just to live. The two evenings stand next to each other. Injustice has been done and continues to be done to both sides. They both want the same land. This is a complex and difficult issue. No easy answers today. Jim Kielsmeier leads a prayer for Reuven and comments on what an exceptional and rare opportunity we have just had to hear him speak.
As we head to our rooms, the real hope seems to be that living water could some how restore this political desert. We are dependent again on the goodness of God.

Judah, Shephelah, Philistia Field Study

We start the day by heartily wishing Jim and Deb Kielsmeier a happy anniversary. Cindy asked us, "Is everyone accountable?" It was good to start with a laugh. It is Shabbat and so we have to work a little harder to find places open. As we traveled out of Jerusalem, Peter Nordell asked our driver Johnny, "The Jewish holy day is called shabbat, what do you call the Muslim holy day?" Johnny thought for a moment, shrugged and said, "Friday."
We are headed out into the agricultural land of the Shephelah. Everywhere we see terraced hillsides with olive trees growing on them. There are vineyards with watch towers. The earth has a red mineral color and there are piles of stones moved out of the way.
We stop at our first overlook which is mountainous and piny. It feels a little like home except for the mountains. We see hillsides of green. These are the steep canyons of the Sorek system. We have very tight horizon lines so you can't see very far. You keep your family close. The area is very tribal everything you know and need is around you. We then read through some of the farming images of scripture in Psalm 80, Isaiah 5 and John 15. Israel is a vine in the Old Testament that God is caring for and tending, but then the vine doesn't produce fruit. Jesus in John describes himself as the vine now, and we are connected into him. Cindy explains that there has been very little digging in the Judean hillside because people are more interested in the famous sights and those are the ones that get funding.
We hop back in the bus and head to Tel Bet Shemesh. The land that lays before us is the land that was given to the tribe of Dan by God. This land is the land that most of the battles between Israel and the Philistines were fighting over. It is the land that provides control of the door way to the hill country. And it is the doorway to the coast and especially the coastal trade route. The Israelites have the hill country and the Philistines have the coastal plains. The battles rage back and forth between them gaining and loosing this ground. Cindy describes an ongoing cycle in Judges. The cycle begins with the people forgetting God, then God allows the "mice" kingdoms around them to oppress them. The people cry out to God for help and God raises up a judge to lead the people. Peace ensues for the life of the judge, but then the judge dies and the people forget God and begin worshipping the Canaanite gods again. And on it goes again and again. We move through the book geographically from the North to the South. The tribes are clearly falling apart, loosing their unity, until we end at the tribe of Dan where they have only a little territory and no support from surrounding tribes. Cindy points out the hill of the city of Timnah where Sampson is born. She walks us through this marvelous story of this one-man-wrecking-machine of a judge. He battles the Philistines for Dan acting as a thorn in their side until even in his death he brings amazing glory to God. Cindy traced Sampson's journeys from one hill to another. We watch as he ranges over the promised territory of Dan acting as he pleases.
Rob Lund led us in a devotional about how the Israelites lost the Ark of the covenant to the Philistines. The Ark was nothing more than a good luck charm. Rob cautioned us against thinking about God that way. Then we see that the Philistines ignore God's warnings to them until they break out in what sounds like the bubonic plague. Then we see several men treating the Ark to casually. Again Rob drew us to this powerful and holy God who is our Abba and how we must live in the tension of those two truths. Cindy pointed out Tel Sofie which is the city of Gath in the Bible. This is the home of Goliath.


Back on the bus and off to the next Tel. Up hot and dusty stairs we climb to the top of this hill made of civilization piled on top of civilization. This one is Tel Azeka and we traced the trade routes out of the Elah valley to Gibeah the capital city of Saul. Cindy brought to life the story of David and Goliath. She noted where the battle lines where drawn up and where the encampments were.
She emphasized that Saul over and over is given the chance to be a great leader, but he always fails when it comes to his heart. He struggles with impatience, fear and greed. He never is able to live up the leadership he is called to. David is the one who always returns to God. His humility is what saves him every time. Bob Burns noted how the choices that David's heart led him to, made David a man with a powerful legacy.
Lisa Burns led us in an experiential devotional where we were guided from place to place by our "buddy" with our eyes closed. We then as a community processed the experience. Lisa summed up our time by emphasizing that we learn to walk with God by building on the experiences we've had before. We learn trust the more we walk. Deb Kielsmeier prayed that we would remember the trustworthiness of God. We ate lunch in the shade of the pines on Tel Azeka and then loaded onto the bus.
Rob asked Johnny if he could take a picture out the front window of the bus. Johnny with his usual dry humor replied, "This is forbidden." Cindy found a gas station and we all rushed to get chocolate, diet cokes and chips.
Finally we arrived at Ashqelon, a Philistine city on the Mediterranean. We got to walk beneath an excavated city gate from 1800 BC. Before this gate was found it was believed that arched gates were developed first by the Greeks. We then hit the beach. The water was warm and a penetrating turquoise. Mauve and amber shells glittered in the soft sands. Many put on bathing suits and headed in. We saw on the beach some of the fallen walls of the city made of solidified sand, a rock called kurkar. One man on the beach who lives in Ashkelon said, "Unless I touch the water every day, I cannot breath." This made sense to us all. We dried off and left reluctantly. Thoughts of a whole day on the Mediterranean haunted us.
In the evening Jim Kielsmeier brought in 2 friends who are Muslim Palestinians. Samah founded the Palestinian Women's Center and works as a consultant for the UN. Hallad is a researcher and scholar, the current director of Save the Children in Palestine. The story of their painful oppression and harassment was difficult to hear. Clearly there is suffering at the hands of the Israelies for the Palestinian people. Amy Flack asked the couple what gave them hope. Hallad said, "My only hope is to resist. I cannot give in to oppression." Jim Kielsmeier closed the evening by talking about the beauty of this couple's courage and integrity. Deb Kielsmeier led us in a prayer for them.

A day of remembering great men and great battles. A day of gentle beaches, and last real live heroes telling their current stories of struggle against what is wrong. We sleep tonight among fresh memories of giants.

Note from the Israel Bloggers

Photos are indeed coming, interspersed with great prose previously written.
Check back to those previous posts each day to see ~ in living color ~ key snapshots of what has been pictured earlier!

Benjamin Study

The day started with a gathering at the bus at 8 AM sharp. The sad news is that George and Martha Johnson will not be joining us for the day. Some intestinal nastiness seems to be making a journey through the ranks. Ron Dobies is back with us looking very much himself. Sally Lund opened us with prayer that pointed us back to God our source and true guide of the trip. Cindy our instructor asked who had devotions today. Deb Kielsmeier said, "The geezer has them at Nebi Samwil." Laughter rolled. Bob Lundberg has been cracking geezer jokes about Gezer (pronounced with a short e).
As we drive out into the wilderness we get our first good look at the Bedouins. These nomadic people have been forced into smaller and smaller areas because land is so precious. Jim Kielsmeier draws the connection with what happened to the native people in the United States as land lust drove further and further west across North America. Their wandering life has become partially settled in encampments of metal shacks and tents. We saw herds of camels, sheep and goats. Shepherds of all sizes moving and leading the flocks.
As we pulled off of the main road on the way to the Wadi Kilt, Johnny our driver navigated the narrow winding turns with heart stopping drop-offs with finesse.
We got out at the edge of the Wadi and saw St. George's Monastery which is still active. There is an aqueduct built by Herod that runs along the wadi and allows in the midst of barren rock and sand an oasis of trees and the beautiful sound of running water. We read some descriptions of the wilderness from scripture: vast and dreadful; desserts and pits, darkness, no one passes this way, parched, thirst, trial and tribulation. In Moses' last speech to the people in Deuteronomy 32 he talks about the wilderness as a "howling waste of a land" the words that are used here are the same ones used in Genesis 1 about the chaos before creation. Wilderness is a part of the good land, Cindy reminds us. It demands silence and solitude and is harsh and fearful. Bob Burns noted that after the Israelites conquered Jericho they had to head into the wilderness in order to get to the hill country of Judea. This must have taken great faith to trust that this was a good land.

Then we began the three mile hike through the Wadi. We traveled on the opposite side of the canyon from the aqueduct. The train was narrow and dusty. Rocks littered the path. The sun pounded on our heads and backs and shoulders. There were few places of shade. A Bedouin named Yoseph and his brother traveled with us with their donkeys helping on the journey hopeful for money for their cheerful service. Cindy found an edge of shade and seated us and taught us the story of the good Samaritan.
As we looked at the merciless landscape around us, we recognized that in land like this we must choose to be neighbors to each other or die. Sally Lund commented that the priest and the levite had ritual cleanliness laws to obey and they let those trump loving their neighbor. Jim Kielsmeier said he had always understood the parable as an invitation to go out and multiply neighbors so that all from the most powerful (priest and levite) to the most oppressed (Samaritan) are offering hesed to each other. Amy talked about how Jesus is the Samaritan and we are the man beat up on the side of the road. Cindy affirmed that he parables of Jesus invite us to choose who we are in the story. Deb Kielsmeier noted that the call is for all of us to be a neighbor to our enemies.
We continued the journey along the barren canyon pick marked with caves, some of which have man made rock walls partially blocking the entrances. Yoseph explained that hermits seeking simplicity could be let down by the monks on a rope to the caves. There is a beauty to this canyon of dust and rock that invites and terrifies. We end at the excavation of Herod's Palace. A once lavish structure of which we can only see the walls. Zacheus' story happened in this region.
We make it to the bus and end up in Jericho where we stop the bus and get some fresh lemonade and ice cream, then we go to Tel Jericho and look at the excavations. Garsten was the first archaeologist to dig and found a flattened wall and mis-dated it to the time of Israel. Kathleen Kenyon dug in Jericho and did a better job of dating the materials, and proclaimed that the Biblical story was false. Most recently Wood has been digging in Jericho and said that Kenyon is probably wrong and has found evidence of an attack around the time that the Israelites would have taken the city. This city is strategically important because three trade routes meet here. There is water and farm land. The Israelites burnt Jericho as a first fruits offering to God and cursed the city. In the city we saw a circular tower that dates 8000 BC from the prehistoric era, which makes it the oldest architectural structure ever found. Jericho claims it is the oldest city in the world. From where we stood we could see the abbey on the Mount of Temptation marking Jesus' wilderness season. We were awed at the palms and flowers of Jericho after the harshness of the dessert. As we traveled on through the wilderness Janice Fantz spotted the three towers of the Mount of Olives. We traveled past Michmash where Jonathon and his armor bearer defeated the Philistines by climbing up and down the wadis.
We arrived a t Nebi Samwil for lunch. Hummus, olives, pickles, carrots, meat and cheese that we stuff into pitas. The fruit is juicy and sweet. The cakes are delicious and the water is icy cold. We go to the roof of the mosque/synagogue and take time for a map-geek moment. We trace the Patriarchal Highway ridge to ridge. We spot the towers of Mount of Olives. Cindy helped us trace trade routes through Gibea, Ramah, and Mizpah. Then Cindy brought to life the story in Joshua 9 and on of the campaign for the Israelites to take the land. She points to hills and valleys where the battles were fought and how Joshua brought to a close the Southern campaign. What is clear is that God must win these battles. On the roof top a student group was shooting a film scene with all the equipment and cameras.
Bob Lundberg led us in the story of Solomon's dream where God offers Solomon anything he wants. Solomon asks God for the ability to serve his people well. Bob asked the group what makes us afraid to ask God for a servant's heart for submission to God's plan. Lisa Burns said for her it was fear of failure. Debbie Ducar shared that she was afraid that God might not take care of her. Amy noted that she was afraid of not being happy. Julia talked about wanting her time to be her own and found it difficult to let go. Michelle said for her it was just not being able to hear God. Bob encouraged us to lay aside our road blocks and to submit ourselves fully to the good plan of our good God.
We traveled to Gezer on the Shephela. The city is dated at 3500 BC and is on the International Coastal highway. it was a dominant, strong and wealthy city. We have letters from vassal Governors reporting to the Pharaoh about the goings on in this areas. Solomon marries Pharaoh's daughter, and then is given Gezer as a wedding present in I Kings 9:15-16. The Israelites were called to purify the land when they entered Canaan. This was suppose to happen with Solomon too. We got to look at the ruins of Solomon's Gate.
It is a fabulous example of a 6 chamber gate with a channel for refuce. The city gate was a whole complex which had a judiciary function in the city with the elders doing the judging there. Cindy also lead us to a High Place from the Middle Bronze age which is Abrahams time. It was a rleigious sight for worship and possible a sight for striking covenants between people. These monoliths are talked about throughout the Old Testament as stones set up for remembering These standing stones were important for Israel to not forget what God had done. Cindy encouraged us to think about what are our standing stones.
In the shade of the ancient monoliths we reflected on our day in the wilderness with most peple commenting. Jan Nordell noted how dramatic the difference water makes. Cindy affirmed that the image of water is a rich and deep one carefully chosen by God to describe what connection to him brings us.
We loaded back on to the bus. Dusty and sweaty and weary from our day. Dinner sounded delightful after a shower. The evening came upon us cool and beautiful as we teased and joked with each other about our day. It is hard to describe what it is like to walk into our own histories in a foreign land. It is powerful and it is just beyond our grasp. We are glad for each other as cool places to rest and recount the goodness of the day.

Jerusalem Approaches

Our first day on the bus! We left from the New Gate just a three minute walk from the hotel. We met Johnny our extremely skilled driver who claimed to have been driving Mac trucks since he was thirteen as a "hobby." Amy Flack led us in prayer. Ron Dobies was feeling a little under the weather and was going to try the first part of the trip, but wasn't sure he would make it for the last part.
We drove across the Kidron valley to Mount Scopus on the Northern edge of the Mount of Olives. Here we had our first map-geek moment. There are many of these stops ahead of us. Cindy asked us to survey the land scape and to see what we could find. She wanted us to identify anything we see that is familiar. Then she oriented us on our maps so that we know where we are as she talks about what is happening in this area. On this overlook we are Southwest of the old city looking down into the Kidron Valley. We spot the Patriarchal Highway and a volcanic looking lump which is the Herodian--a mountain built by Herod. We can see Nebi Samwil, which is the place that remembers the death of Samuel which has a mosque and a synagogue.


Cindy explains that repeatedly in history Jerusalem is attacked from the North, because the other directions are protected by the wilderness. This is an area of scrub brush, exposed rock, little water, unsettled, and cut through with deep and treacherous wadis that prevent easy passage. In that wilderness, Cindy points out the Accent of Adomim, which is the road on which the Good Samaritan takes place.
We look closer at the Temple Mount before and see the Eastern Gate also known as the Golden Gate. It is completely bricked closed. Some say that it was closed long ago because the Arab rulers, who were Muslim, heard that the Messiah was to return to Jerusalem through that gate. There is also a Muslim cemetery there which again is rumored to have been placed there so that the unholy ground a a graveyard would block the Messiah's entrance. The Mount of Olives has innumerable graves on it, whole sections of the mountain are just grave after grave stacked on top of each other. We can see St. Stephen's Gate also known as the Sheep Gate or the Lion Gate. We can see the Northern Corner of Temple Mount which would be extremely close to St. Anne's Church next to the Pool of Bethesda. This corner is one of the possibilities of the places where Satan told Jesus to leap off the temple to prove he was the Messiah.
Then Cindy took us on a stunning scriptural journey from the inauguration of the temple where the Shekinah glory of God filled the temple to Jeremiah 7 where the people of Israel are being warned that there faithless lives will lead to the destruction of Jerusalem even if the temple is there. Then there are prophesies in Ezekiel that see the Shekinah Glory of God leaving the temple and moving to Mount of Lives in judgement of Israel. In Isaiah a prophecy describes the Messiah coming from the Wilderness in the East. The same wilderness that Jesus went through his temptations in. She took us to Luke 19 where Jesus enters Jerusalem from the East descending the Mount of Olives and coming into the Eastern gate.


We headed to the church that marks the traditional spot where Jesus wept over Jerusalem. .
The church was built in the 1950's over the traditional spot it is chaped like a tear drop. Tear collection jars mark each corner of the church. This is the place where people pray for Jerusalem. On the altar was draped a cloth that reads Salam Shalom Peace. The gardens were beautiful and the Temple Mount was center stage. We lingered for some time walking, resting, and praying We saw some Israeli bone boxes from the time of Christ. As we left, a vendor was selling stuffed camels that played "Old McDonald had a Farm." So strange.
We descended the hill further to the bus where we headed to the church at the Garden of Gethsemane. There were vendors out selling postcards, beads, and whatever else you can name. We went into the Garden which was gorgeous.
Ancient gnarled olive trees surrounded by brightly colored flowers with a fountain. Birds sang everywhere.The church itself is built on a Byzantine church which is built on an ancient Olive Press. There are two traditional sites where Jesus sweated blood. The front doors were ornately carved and as you entered you saw a metal grill of an olive tree. As you stepped around the grill we entered the dusky light of the church. The windows are Alabaster so that the church is perpetually in night. The front of the church has a huge gold leaf mosaic marking Jesus' prayer, Judas' kiss and the soldiers falling back from Jesus when he identified himself. In the center of the front is the exposed rock, the first sight of Jesus' prayer which is fenced with an iron wrought crown of thorns with silver weeping doves. We were given time to linger and reflect reading about our Lord's agony in Gethsemane. In the front of the church above the pillars stand statues of the four gospel writers all holding the scriptures that mark the Gethsemane story. Eric Gustafson noted that he longed to take it all in. This kind of experience will be lived out more slowly upon reflection.
As we descended the Mount of Olives on the bus Cindy pointed out a monolith marking a tomb, called the Tomb of Absalom (it's not the actual tomb though it is pock marked with rocks from peopel hurling stones at it in disapproval). It was a huge structure among the subtler graves. We got a clear view of the beautiful gold domes of a Russian Orthodox church on the Mount of Olives which Marti Windram said was a "nener-neener-neener to the Dome of the Rock." Cindy also told us about an out of place mound of grass and dirt which was from an illegal dig done on Temple Mount that damaged the surrounding ancient wall. Syria and Egypt agreed to repair the wall since it was the Muslim leadership that had done the damage, and now a little at a time that dirt is being archaeologically sifted through in order to see if there is anything that was not destroyed by the dig.
Ron had to leave us and head back to the hotel, as we left Jerusalem. We were sorry he would miss the day. We took another map-geek stop where we identified the Mount of Olives (it has three towers which makes it easier to see).
We could see the Huldah steps and all three valleys of Jerusalem laid out in front of us. We also had a great view of the City of David. We also caught our first glimpse of the apartheid wall or the security fence depending on who is naming the structure. It is tall and grey and strange.
We continued on our journey to the Herodian with Johnny navigating our huge bus nicely around sharp corners. We hear of Herod's history and how he comes to be the dominant power of Israel with Roman backing. The Herodian is one of Herod's grandest palaces. He literally moved a whole mountain of dirt to build the Palace on. We climb to the top of the Herodian and do a map-geek moment. We looked out on the wilderness of dry hills with only scraggly vegetation on it. This is where David watched his flocks. Cindy tells us that these are the "green pastures" of scripture. We are all stunned coming from lush places. The green pastures David sings about are enough to keep you alive, but to keep you following the shepherd to the next place to eat. No gorging on these pastures
We spot the village of Tekoah that Amos is from. He was a sheepherder and a farmer who God calls to deliver a message to the King of Israel about justice for the poor. It is through the village of Tekoa that Naomi and her husband and sons fled from Bethlehem around the Dead Sea to Moab to escape a drought. Ruth denies her tribe and returns to Israel with Naomi where they experience the loving-kindness (hesed) of God through Boaz who welcomes Ruth into the tribe as his wife. There is also the possibility that it is through Tekoah that the three wise men escape the now insane Herod who is wanting to kill a new born king. We gazed in awe at the ridges these legends would have traveled and Lisa Burns said, "Let's walk it!"
We walked through the ruins of the Herodian and imagined the grand palace as it once had been. We saw the innovations that Herod used in building that included diamond shaped bricks that made it possible to have round rooms. We climbed down the long winding stairs of the cistern to exit the Herodian and saw the place where Herod's sarcophagus was found only about a month earlier..

Hot and dusty we loaded onto the bus for the journey to Bethlehem. We passed easily through the check points and arrived at a troubled city. We parked the bus and walked up to the Church of the Nativity. The vendors were particularly aggressive and the Palestinian soldiers were quick to catch us and get numbers. Our guide had to enter after we did and not try to lead us to avoid having to buy an "official" guide. We stepped into the middle of a prayer service as we entered the Grotto where the birth place is marked. It was ornate, again with a hole to touch the stone through. We moved deeper into the grotto to hold our own service lead by Bill and Anna McLean. We sang O little Town of Bethlehem after Bill's invitation to hear the angel's song again and to pick it up and carry it with our lives. We had some time to wander through the Catholic chapel and then exited back into the hot sun and the vendors who were as cranky as we were.

Our last stop of the day was at the Israel Museum to see a full scale model of the city of Jerusalem during Solomon's time with the temple built on Temple Mount. Cindy walked us around it in the heat explaining each section of the city. We walked slower and slower and slower. She gave us a half hour to be back at the bus. Several went through the exhibit showing some of the Dead Sea Scrolls. It was amazing to see such ancient documents.
There were also treasures to be bought like iced coffees and strawberry smoothies. We all headed home on the bus except Amy Flack who stayed to visit the rest of the museum and catch her own ride home. There was a gay pride parade in Jerusalem which had roads blocked off all over the place and thousands of police officers on the streets. We finally got home the whole group tired, hungry, and ready to rest. Each day we are filled so full of experiences and information that it takes all of our energy to just keep it in. We sleep in gratitude and in abundance.

New Testament Jerusalem

Up early, we gather as usual outside the hotel talking and laughing. Everyone is charged for this day in which we will see The Holy Sepulcher. Our guide Cindy arrives, and we head out. Peter Nordell and Don Genereaux are taking a taxi. (There is a long and dramatic story about Peter's "taxi" ride with Isaac that you want to hear from somebody other than me. Ask Julia she enquired deeply into the matter-Jonna.) Cindy introduced us to Shabban the money changer and "king pin" in the old city.

He has promised to take care of us fairly and kindly. He warns us about typical tricks that shyster shopkeepers will use to get money out of us. He is charming and helpful. We will see him again. Cindy seated us outside of the Holy Sepulcher and explained the spot. She helped described why this is a very plausible place for the events to have happened and how the land scape had been so dramatically changed beginning with Hadrian who hated Christians and built pagan temples on these hallowed spots to spite the pilgrims who were coming. Constantine's mother identified the site in 326 AD through interviewing locals. The first church was built.



For 1700 years this church has been burnt and rebuilt and burnt again. There are six Christian denominations that lay claim to the church (Armenian, Franciscan [Roman Catholic], Greek Orthodox, Syrian, Ethiopian, and Coptic--these are the oldest Christian sects). All six have divided up the church and rotate through services at the chapel of the cross and the tomb. Cindy described that we would go to the farthest end of the Church and ascend it like it was meant to be walked--slowly up many stairs quieting our hearts for what we were about to experience. She lead us up the stairs past rows of glittering lamps, gorgeously carved staircases, tapestries and pictures. Darkness hung high in the smokey archways and buttresses over us and the church was quiet with only priests and nuns of varying robes and head coverings moving around preparing for the day. Amy Flack nailed the smell of the oil lamps, "They smell like nail polish." Our group got quieter and quieter as we ascended to the traditional place where Jesus was cleaned after the crucifixion. A woman was knelling there kissing the stone tablet in reverence. We talked about the gorgeous mosaic of brilliant color that depicts the crucifixion, the removal of the body from the cross, the hasty preparation of the body and the entombment. Under the cross in that mosaic was a picture of a skull. The Christian tradition says that is where Adams bones were. The Jewish tradition says that Adams bones lie under the temple. We see again the layering of story on story. It grounds our sometimes ethereal and abstract faith to actual places and times no matter where our first ancestor lies. We ascended white deeply worn marble stairs to a chapel which marks the crucifixion. The group was silent in the midst of glittering gold, silver, gem-studded icons and crosses. Lamps hung bringing light to this dark place. Pictures snapped furiously as we each knelt beneath a golden altar and stuck our hands down a golden hole to touch the bedrock of Golgotha. We lingered in awe. Some tears and many prayers as we stood in the place where the man we all love the most suffered his worst moments for our sakes.

Anna Maclean in a beam of holy light...

After leaving the chapel by another stair we went to the gorgeous shrine covering the tomb. There were places where sunlight shot in piercing beams from high windows onto the floor. One had to stoop deeply and then stoop again to kneel by our Jesus' momentary resting place. More tears and trembling. The ornate rooms again decked with the richest metals and gems, the air thick with incense, stones worn smooth. Everywhere glass, gold and fire. Some in the group were profoundly moved while others simply respectful of a historical Church. Lisa Burns commented that the weight of the blood shed lost over these holy sites was so sad, it was hard to enter into the moment. She even felt a flash of anger-a holy moment of her own.

We moved into the unadorned chapel of Joseph of Arimethea that had not been cared for because of the poverty of the church who had control of it. Don Genereaux lead us through a liturgical service of readings and prayers with Marti Windram, Bill McLean, Randy Harsch, and others reading scripture.
As the service closed Julia Steiff broke into song incense to the ears.

Resting in the courtyard ~ Amy Flack, Michele Borne, Mary Ann Harsch, Janice Fantz; Randy Harsch
We walked the Via Del Rosa which is a shop lined street. We moved down hill opposite of Jesus' journey with the cross on his back. The air tasted like bread and fruit. Crosses abounded in every shop on either side. We came upon roman Paving Stones dating to the time of Christ. You just wonder, could his feet......?
We came to the Northern entrance of the Pools of Bethesda. It was a public collection site for water. St Anne's church, a crusader church marks the site. The ruins of a shallower set of pools revealed a Roman Site for worship had been set up beside the deep Jewish Pools. There were for the healing God Asclepius, who had rituals of washing and drug induced dreams. The temple mount is within site of the place. The healing of the lame Jewish man happened here. He was probably waiting by these pagan pools for the healing power that this pagan god might offer when he choose to stir the waters. Jesus reaches out to heal the man, then later sends him to the temple to realign himself with his faith. The Spirit of God through Jesus graciously went to a pagan temple where this man was dying. Heals him and then sends him away from the lie of that pagan faith back to the truth to be found at the temple. We entered St. Anne's church which is a crusader church with a balance of perfect symmetry and imperfect variation. We sang with another group. Then Marti Windram lead us in "Wade in the Water" which melted into Alleluia which underlay a prayer for the healing of human beings which rose to the doxology and finished with the cry for the Spirit of the living God to fall fresh on us all. The echoes of our voices hung and held as the chapel gathered our praised within its fingered arches lifting them to God. Several people commented on having the chills through our worship.
On the way to the Western Wall, Sally Lund was called out to by the local merchants, "Sally in the Alley."
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Be careful of who you give your name to here. Once they have your name, they have power.
We headed next to the Western Wall where prayer is constantly given. There is a women's section and a men's section. There is only one entrance that non-Muslims can use to come to temple mount. We paused briefly to hear about the tension that lies in this place as the three faiths clash over this most sacred site. We made it into the archaeological Park which welcomed you in with the quote, "The Jerusalem stone, so resilient and supple, bows to the transient follies of human kind, bearing testimony like a hundred witnesses and yet remain silent." Chaim Be'er. Perhaps it is archaeologists who best hear the rocks crying out. We entered the blessedly air conditioned Davidson Center and learned about the excavations around the temple. We watched a movie portraying what a Jewish man on pilgrimage to the temple would have seen and experienced. Herod, who was a roman-phile and a megalomaniac refurbished the temple that Nehemiah and Zerubbabel built to a magnificent structure that was one of the greatest structures in the ancient world. He loved to defy nature and create grand architecture that he felt worthy of a roman ruler. We saw the stones that were thrown down in AD70 still a jumbled heap. Some of the stones made it into the Arabian palaces of princes who later settled the area. We sat on the steps to the Huldah Gates in the blazing afternoon sun completely shadeless where Jesus could have taught. Many Rabbi's used these steps for such instruction. Cindy took us to John 7:37-38 where Jesus would have stood up during the festival of booths where the people prayed for the early rains to begin and said, "If you are thirsty come to me and drink." We felt the thirst in our bodies and how profoundly the people would long for living water gushing from them. A Jewish guide in a tour group next to us asked his students, "What makes a place holy?" After a series of exasperatingly shallow responses he cried out with a prophet's heart, "People praying make a place holy." Amen.



Some walked the short distance to the JUC and some taxied back. We were all hot and exhausted. At lunch we ate another great meal and discovered to our delight a giant ice chest full of...ICE. It was much less full as we filed into our classroom.
Our afternoon class dealt with essentials of life from water, to food, to community, to shelter, to safety. Cindy explained how God met the people of Israel in each of these needs and had laws about each of these to protect the people. She called for questions, comments and reflections. Meg Garret commented that she found the Holy Sepulchre believable and powerful. The Lunds mentioned how great andexperience it all was this time. Special thanks were given to Don for his spiritual leadership. Lisa mentioned that St. Anne's had touched her. Bob echoed her sense of the holiness of it mentioning that he was glad he had known about not showing your knees this time, because he had been denied entrance before. Carol Dobies asked some questions about the Armenian believers and Cindy relayed that a terrible genocide that had hit that faith group killing more Armenians than Jews had died in the Holocaust. Cindy began on some background work for our visits the next few days as we will head out of Jerusalem.
Lectures done several sought out a refreshing nap while others went to meet Shabban, our money changer. He graciously converted our dollars into shekels and then took us around to all the shop keepers who would treat us fairly. He is a man who is greatly respected by his fellow merchants. Many items were purchased. He showed us a short cut to his part of town and to the Holy Sepulcher.
The whole group gathered in the courtyard before supper to exchange stories and to laugh and pray. The Knights Palace continues to offer gourmet cuisine. Many headed out for one last walk in the city in the cool of the evening. Laughter, conversations, shopping and just drinking in the beauty of this city which is giving us our own story back, in a brilliant mosaic of ruins, churches, and well worn streets.

Exploring Old Testament Jerusalem

The director of the college opened with Psalm 121,one of the Psalms of Ascent. We read about the deep love that the Psalmist has for the city of Jerusalem. The delight of a "good city," a city that echoes the good intention of creation, but still falls short of what God wanted. The admonition that closed the Psalm was to pray and to do what is best for your neighbor and shalom (peace) would come to the troubled city.
Our instructor and guide Cindy went through an orientation followed by a powerful lecture about what the land was going to be like. Fertile enough, but not like Egypt. The rains would take care of the land, but those rains came from the hand of God. The people of Israel were admonished that in this land as they prospered not to forget their God and think that they had taken care of themselves. She spoke extensively of the shepherd and the farmer that is captured in the phrase a land flowing with milk and honey. The people were called to embrace the wealthier, easier life of the farmer and the experience of the nomadic, harsher life of the shepherd. We gained a critical understanding of the two hills of Jerusalem (Eastern smaller and lower that has temple Mount on it & Western broader, higher and flatter but waterless) and the three valleys that run through it(the Kidron, the Central and the Hinnom). Mount Moriah is traditionally believed to be the Temple Mount. The layering of story on story is a part of the Jewish tradition.
We ate a hearty lunch in the lovely garden courtyard of JUC under the grapevines and an apricot tree. Then we set off for the five hour tour with the caution to keep up which was not as successful as our long-legged fast walking guide wanted. We started by looking at the Hinnom valley and the patriarchal highway which stretches out from the King David Hotel. We examined the wall which was layered from 100BC level with the Hasmonians to a Crusader level to a Sulaman the Magnificent level. Walls built on top of walls using a unique kind of masonry for each. We began seeking shade for every stop. We entered the David Street Market lined with shop keepers beckoning us in and promising "best price."
We found our way to Hezekiah's Wall which was excavated in 1967 when the Jewish government had control of the Jewish Quarter.
They excavated before they rebuilt. This proved the prominence and power of the city at the time of Hezekiah. He built this wall because he knew the Assyrians were coming from the refugees who flooded Jerusalem from the vanquished Northern Kingdom. The whole story of II Kings 15 to II Kings 17 lept to life in front of our eyes. Hezekiah also pulled the water into the city through the building of Hezekiah's tunnel. Isaiah warns him in 22:8 that Hezekiah's preparations will be in vain unless he repents and seeks God's face. God saves the city through sending a miraculous disease to the Assyrian army.
As we continued to travel the red brick line in the street traced Hezekiah's unexcavated wall. We had a beautiful overlook from the Western hill catching our first sight of the grave stubbled Mount of Olives and the Easter hill with temple mount suddenly rising into prominence as we rounded a corner. The Dome of the Rock glittered majestically in the sun. Cindy explained that the City of David was on the Eastern Hill and was tightly packed with buildings as it is now. That neighborhood is now called the Silwan where many Arab's live and are unable to purchase land so they build their houses higher and higher to accommodate their expanding family's. David would have looked out over his city easily catching sight of Bathsheba one hot evening. There was some weariness as we had walked long and hard in the blistering afternoon sun. We enjoyed an air conditioned movie about what the city of David looked like at David's time. We saw the ruins of a retaining wall complete with a toilet.

The rocks were charred from the Babylonian attack that destroyed the first temple and many Babylonian spearheads were found. Our final site was Hezekiah's tunnel. We descended through dizzying staircases deeper and deeper noting Warren's Shaft which led to the discovery of Hezekiah's Tunnel

Flashlights were handed to every third person. Part of the group divided off choosing not to take the tunnel; the rest put on wading shoes. We cheered each other on as the water got thigh high. The tunnel was often not wider than our shoulders and we had to duck our heads for long stretches. The water was cool and the chisel marks on the sides of the tunnel could still be seen. (The water was so clear I could see my gold toe nail polish glinting in the light-Jonna). Don Genereaux had

exhausted himself, and had some trouble in the tunnel. Bill McLean took his back pack and carried it. Don bravely pressed on in spite of cuts and bruises on his arm and a pounding heart. After Rob Lund (unofficial trip doctor) checked him out ,he was given a taxi ride home to rest. By dinner he was completely recovered and earned a fabulous tee-shirt, which read I Survived Hezekiah's Tunnel.
We sat together at the end of our respective tunnels (wet and dry) and listened to the John 9 story at the Pool of Siloam where Jesus healed the blind man's eyes. Jesus bringing sight physically and spiritually, which God seems to have a habit of doing. We heard Jesus' call to the whole nation of Israel to "see" him and knew he was speaking to us.



We had a long hike home up many steep hills with Grace and Anna McLean leading the way up steep sharp turns kindly waiting for the slower hikers. Dinner was gorgeous again. Several folks headed out after dinner with Peter and Jan Nordell to see the city. We found some shops open and Peter treated us all to a bagel like bread with a powdered spice dip.

The city begins to feel vaguely familiar as it continues to be profoundly foreign. "You come see me tomorrow," a shopkeeper instructs shoving business cards in our hand. Jerusalem is not through with us yet.