Sunday Service in the Old City

Last minute I made my decision on which Church to go to for my first service in Israel. I think this is when I make my best decisions because I don't over think it. I say that because I went to the closest church to the campus. I went to Christ Church which is just inside Jaffa gate.

Somewhere around 15 other students made the same decision I did and we all walked there together. I decided to wear long sleeves and long pants which wasn't my best decision of the day simply because it was already well over 80 before the service even began.

When we made it to the church we had to walk in through a small building that had a man there to point us in the right direction. I believe this is a security measure, because this building was quite small and we were in it for maybe a minute at most. Christ Church is an Anglican church and is the oldest protestant church in all of the Middle East. It was built by the British when they had a lot of influence in the area. Sorry I can't remember all of the exact history.

Back to my own experience though. I was the only student wearing long sleeves and only noticed that older men opted for similar dress as me. I wonder if that speaks to my in character haha. The sermon was in English and focused on Jeremiah 2:1-13. Nearly all of the songs were what I sing back home except a few were in Hebrew (not an easy language to sing in). Sunday was also a communion Sunday. It was amazing to have communion in the the same city Jesus had the Last Supper (we visited the the traditional room or building that some believe the Last Supper took place history tells us though that the actual building was probably lost the same time the temple was destroyed).

Church has become much more expansive for me and I remember thinking about the churches I have been to back in the States and though there is a time difference I thought of myself worshiping together with you while I was 2000 miles away.

Blessings!

First Day in the Old City

Ok I first need to clarify my whole notion of what the word "old" entails has changed a bit. In the States we say "oh that building is from the 50's so, yeah it's kinda old." Hahaha! JUC's (the school) building was built in the late 19th century for my American friends thats a little after our civil war. Think about that. With that said I think I can throughly blow your mind now.

Today I spent 2 hours in Jerusalem's OLD City. It was amazing. We saw the wailing wall, Dome of the Rock, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. These are old and take some reflection to fully grasp what it is that you are looking at. There are deep traditions tied to this city. Even things like calls to worship still stand out to me, because I just don't get them back in the States.

This place also has a storied history of conflict and that's not a hidden fact. Security is blatantly obvious and heavily armed. It's normal to see assault rifles being toted around by the IDF or to see fully equipped policemen just around the corner. If they say you can't pass you just don't ask questions and work around it. that's the way it works.

I am excited to experience more of this place.

Blessings!

In Transition

Three months ago I started work for a library as a cataloger. Sounds boring doesn't it? Well it had it's moments, but the librarian I shared an office with was great and working with books that were sometimes older than this country made it interesting. I find it amazing how quickly time really does fly by after it has passed. Maybe I just have a poor memory or maybe the days were so similar the significant times are all that really stand out. Yesterday was my last day at this job and well I was looking forward to the end, but that doesn't mean I didn't like the job. One thing I remember doing nearly everyday was ask my supervisor questions about cataloging. I didn't know what details to pay attention to and which stray marks to leave alone especially when the books was older than the current English language. Yesterday she thanked me for my attention to detail. I always thought she thought I was clueless. Just goes to show one is better off admitting their ignorance than trying to ignore it.

In a week I'll have a lot of ignorance to admit. I am leaving the States for Israel and though I have read a lot and heard a lot I know I'll still be pretty clueless. That's ok with me. I will not only learn more about the culture but also more about myself. I am a work in progress (still a student) and will continue to be one until I die. I think I'll always have some ignorance to admit and that makes me wonder if in this life I really am always in a state of transition. I think I am.