More than expected

It's been too long hasn't it. I apologize for the gap in correspondence. I have a story you all may like though.

Have you ever felt slightly out of place in a good way and all you can do smile and laugh at the strange situation you have found yourself in? I felt that way this morning. You see I am a volunteer at a school in the Old City, and I signed on to help with the PE program fr 8th and 5th grade boys. Here is my morning.

Up at 7 am for a shower, breakfast, and a glance at the notes I took for the test I have at 8:30. Test concluded with 40 minutes till I need to show up at the front door of the school to teach the 3rd and 4th periods. It took me 8 minutes to go from my campus on Mt. Zion to the school on King George street in the Christian Quarter. I ring the doorbell and the real adventure begins.

All the kids are wearing blue polos with long pants (I am wearing a green t-shirt with khaki cargo shorts). Quickly I climb the stairs to what I believe is the third floor to speak to the Coptic Sister who runs the school, and she takes me across the hall to the principal's office. I've never been to the principal's office even in the States so I'm a fish way out of water (that was a poor attempt at a joke). So I find myself 15 minutes early waiting in the principal's office with the principal and another teacher and both are talking Arabic. I sit awkwardly hoping not to draw too much attention to myself; I just want to meet the kids, still believing this awkwardness will pass once I can hold a position. 5 minutes pass and I still have 10 till the 3rd period starts (my first class). The principal turns to his computer and I make eye contact with the teacher sitting across from me. He asks me where I am from. I answer the United States and then he asks which one. I say Indiana, but he hears India to my relief there was a globe nearby I could identify my place of origin and I realized for a split second how far from home I really am. The only other time I have heard Indiana and India being mixed up was in a movie and here I am living it. After I clarified that he told me about himself. He was from Egypt and has a family back there. He also told me was the teacher I would be working with and that the 8th grade boys would likely punish me. I wasn't sure if he just couldn't find the right word and just settled on punish me or if he was being blunt. The bell rings and my naiveté only has seconds left.

I introduce myself to eight 8th graders who of course introduce themselves all at the same time. Some had great English and others not so much. I am horrible with names even when I can tell what is being said, and I really tried to remember them, but I do remember faces. I thought I'd show them some stretches like I had to do in PE, but they were so eager to play I only got through 3 stretches before the ball went flying. One of the boys doesn't want to play football (soccer) so I am placed on a team. Before the game starts the teacher recommends that I watch myself (meaning what?). We start playing in the school's pave courtyard which created a indoor/outdoor hybrid field with paving stones beneath us. Now I have never played on a soccer team and it showed horribly playing these guys. We didn't really keep score but would argue goals after each shot. We finally set up flower pots as goal posts(I am still amazed those survived). I took a few good shots made a few and blocked a few (we won't mention I was the only one to score on my own team......). I couldn't help but laugh whenever they came to me arguing a goal of hand ball. How did I become the the designated ref too? The hour passed quickly only to put me back in the principal's office to wait for the break time to end and classes to resume.

I introduced myself to another teacher who was also from Egypt (Coptic school by the way). He told me I was going to be working with the 5th grade boys. There are only two students in this class. One disappears back up stairs 10 minutes into our PE session. The other is the only one whose name I remember. His name is Sarri (sounds like sorry) and when I said "Sorry could you repeat that?" You can only imagine some of the confusion, but we got it. Sarri told me his favorite subjects were math and English. He spoke so clearly. Sarri, is teacher, and I played "volleyball." It was us versus Sarri. It was fun to just mess around for a bit. With ten minute left it was just me and Sarri. We talked about other sports like baseball, American Football, and Frisbee. He also told me a bit about himself and I actually just listened mostly. He likes to play the drums and said he would play the Saxophone if he had one. I made at least one friend.

On my way out I ran into the Coptic Sister who runs the school on her way back to the the school. She asked me who it was I was talking to, and I explained a bit. Turns out my new friend is usually the shy one and hides his good English quiet well. So maybe I wasn't as awkward as I thought I might be. Maybe when you give you receive too?

I know this isn't like what I've usually blogged about but this is by far my favorite story so far.

Life is better than I deserve.

Blessings!

Speak Slowly and Understand Deeply

As some things get older their utility changes. No I am not talking about people here I am talking about non-living materials. Let me give you an example. This past weekend I went to Gezer with my classmates here in Jerusalem. The Tell at Gezer is full of old materials strewn through out the area. This place was once a thriving city and is now a hiking path with some old vestiges of what once was. One of these vestiges is a small grouping of standing rectangular stones reminding of an incomplete stone hedge. Historically we have no idea why these stones are where they are or to what purpose they served. Some suggest a religious monument of sorts while others think town square material, but the idea is these stones had a purpose because they did not just place themselves there sometime in the past. Today we leave them as they are because of the mystery they portray to all historians and archaeologists. The beauty of the past is that we have a rough idea of what it may have been like but there are details of past cultures that we just can't grasp because of the change that hundreds of years amounts to. It also must be said that 99.9% of ancient writings were written for and sometimes by the elite or ruling people. So even if the elite say something about these standing stones of ours we can only say that this is how the elite viewed them.

So let's say we find a written record from the governor of Gezer that says these stones are memorials to a great battle fought on the plains of Gezer. We have the official label but we still lack the day to day utility of the stones. Maybe the people of Gezer would use the stones to remind themselves of their young men who fell in that battle like the way the Vietnam Memorial reminds our American culture of that war. Maybe this was a place of celebration because of the great victory achieved by the men of Gezer's arms and it was a way in which the memorialized their comrades similar to the Leonidas statute raised by the Athenians celebrating Spartan military prowess that gave them time to abandon Athens. So yes these stones could be a memorial or shrine of sorts and that would make lots of sense given the fact that nearly every culture has memorialized something or has designated a physical place of worship, but today we use it for something else. We use it to challenge ourselves to understand ancient and foreign culture more deeply and as a jungle gym. I was attempting to get a picture of just the stones but my some of my classmates saw an opportunity to climb and honestly I would not be surprised if the youth of Gezer also climbed on these stones like my classmates.

A lot can be said historically, but do not let anyone tell you that they know every detail because even in the present we miss little details in our writing of history.

A silent affair

Today September 19 is Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur is the Jewish day of atonement and the ten days before today was spent addressing and confessing sins from the past year. Someone in my group said it reminded them of how when you were little you extra good near the end of November and December so that Santa would add a little something extra for you. Now I know that the Jews take this time much more seriously then a five year-old who wanted the latest Batman figure, but the idea of finding favor in the eyes of the one who judges stands either way. The day of Yom Kippur is the big show in Judaism but what's so great about it is that it is a show of silence. Think about that for a bit. Christmas and Easter are full of movement and it all very good, but for the Jews their largest celebration is a day of self denial.

All of the Jews (Ultra-Orthodox to Secular) in Jerusalem fast which also means no water. They all go without cars, buses, businesses, and post offices. So maybe my list does not impress but it is an eerie feeling when an entire city falls quiet. When an entire quarter in the Old City only goes to synagogue you notice that. I could count 21 cars moving about in an hour on one of the busiest roads in the New City (5 of these were emergency personnel vehicles of which 3 had lights going but no horns). That means for the hour or so I spent in the city I saw one car every 3 minutes or so. In no other city will you ever experience this. The practice dates way back too. In Leviticus 16 you read God's handing down of the requirements for this day. Then you can go and read the whole book of Hebrews (It's actually a quite easy to read it all in one sitting) and see how this relates to Christianity.

For your enjoyment I am including a video I took to try and capture the atmosphere of the city. Again remember this is one of the busiest roads (4 lanes, 2 way) and I walked down the middle of it for about 7 minutes without seeing or hearing a car!

It's not a Fantasy Book

We went on another field study on Saturday which was titled Jerusalem Approaches. The basic idea behind this study was to understand the different routes with which one could leave or enter the city of Jerusalem. These routes are still relevant today, but were even more vital in the ancient world. First I need to clarify my vocabulary. When I say the City of David I am talking about the City of Jerusalem when David reigned, it is located on the Eastern hill just across the Kidron valley from the Mount of Olives. So we have (from east to west) the Mount of Olives as the eastern buffer, the Kidron valley, Eastern Hill (the most settled portion of city in ancient times), just North of the Eastern Hill is the Temple Mount (Mt. Moriah before the temple was built), and for now that is all that is needed.

So David takes Jerusalem from the Jebusites and purchases its threshing floor (first picture is a threshing floor in Bethlehem). His palace sits on the Northern end of the Eastern Hill (so closest to Mt. Moriah you can be on the hill). To the East sits the Mount of Olives which serves as a natural barrier from invaders in the East, but still must be controlled by the Israelites, because from the Mount of Olives anyone gets a commanding view of the entire city. Pompey the Great (a Roman General and contemporary of Julius Caesar) actually set up his headquarters on this hill when he cam to take Jerusalem under the Roman yoke. Now imagine Solomon building the first temple. He builds it on Mt. Moriah which is just North of the Eastern Hill. Logistically it is easiest to approach Jerusalem from the North. The South is more of a back door that involves crossing through the Judean wilderness. The East is guarded by the Mount of Olives and other obstacles, and the West is nearly impossible to cross with an army. From the North one gets to come DOWN right into the city. So think about this Solomon builds the temple on the furthest reaches of the city at the time...... Not a fortress, but the temple of God sits as the first thing any traveler coming from the most frequented route to ancient Jerusalem would see. Now I want you to read Psalms 48 (yeah do it you will appreciate all of this after you read this passage).

This is just a small taste of what it is I am learning here, and the stories continue to come alive. Standing on the Southern Stairs of the temple complex and knowing that Jesus probably preached here when he refers to white-washed (let alone seeing those tombs) is amazing. On this same spot it is argued that Peter preached on the day of Pentecost and in these baths the new believers were baptized. The ripples of Christianity started here in this city and then the surrounding countryside and on and on to where it is now.

Where are You?

Who would have thought getting involved in a Church in the "Holy Land" (I do quotes because I believe God made all Land Holy through Christ but that's another story for later) would be so hard while I am studying here. I know we are the Church when 2 or more of us gather but there is something about the intentionality of a service that allows faith to become action even if it a repetitive action. I bring all of this up because last night I went to the western wall (wailing wall) to observe the Jews worship to bring in the new year (Happy Rosh Shoshana!).

While I was doing this I felt really out of place, and unlike most people who visit did not feel the need to go tough the wall. I think I have created this barrier in my mind in order to create respect for both the Jews and Muslims here in the city. I appreciate the history of this city, but sometimes it feels empty. For all the talk and hype that went in to me going to this city I almost feel like I am robbing myself whenever I do homework over bombing around Jerusalem and here I am now writing a blog instead of seeing the city. I find though that my writing and reading allow me to be fed and act on my faith. I write these knowing that those of you who are reading care about me and I love you. I do my Greek homework because I love finding the different ways in which an aorist active verb written by Mark indicates a historical present tense (I am a Greek geek). Some of my best experiences here so far have been reading scripture (English and Greek) on sight and worshiping either on campus or in the two churches I have made it to. I also find that no matter where I am at I just want to find good meaningful conversation. I am no tired of where I am at, please don't think that's my point here. Rather I want you to understand as I do now that you don't go to a place to find God. He leads you always. Take the time to see where you are at and you will find Him. I found Him in worship tonight.

God's temple is not a place. It is you and me and the whole Church body. Don't let anyone tell you differently.

To a New Land

Exodus 3:8 "...land flowing with milk and honey." Sounds amazing doesn't it? Actually in my former understanding I did not understand why the Israelite had such a hard time going to this land which flows with milk and honey. I mean if the land flows with these than wouldn't you just dive in? I know I would, but having experienced some of this land and learned more about it I realize that their was a difficulty coming to Israel. The Israelites were in fact coming out of Egypt. Numbers 14:3 "...'Wouldn't it be better for us [Israelites] to go back to Egypt?'" Egypt was full of food, security, and other comforts one would find in the ancient world. Egypt was one of the superpowers and to be a slave in Egypt had more benefits than living out in desert on your own in the area of present day Israel, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan (I will from here on out refer to as Israel).

Egypt had the Nile river. This alone puts Egypt on top of the surrounding areas. A consistent harvest calendar allows for civilization to become more complicated (some would say sophisticated). It also allows for a more centralized government because of the communication the river transportation allows. Lastly Egypt is very secure in the ancient world because it is surrounded by barren desert. Egypt doesn't need to rely on anything beyond the river really.

In the land of Israel there is no powerful river (the Jordan does not compare). There are numerous highways in and out of Israel that make it very vulnerable to attack while also making it a prime target. So the Israelites have to rely on rain for crops to grow not an annual flooding of a river like Egypt. On top of that Israel does not make Egypt a target for military exercises (that's a modern history phenomenon) Israel was a target of Egypt as well as the target of a few other big names of the day. The land of Israel is not conducive to building an empire because it lacks too much.

So why the struggle you ask? Because faith is what is needed to live in the Promise Land. Some of the Israelites did not want to leave the easy plains of Egypt for the high hills and dry land of Israel. The milk and honey did not come flowing because of the Nile. It all came from the Hand of God.

Sorry don't mean to be rude.

So I have become much more comfortable with the Old City. I can navigate the area ok and I can usually gather my bearings. I know how to duck and dodge the mobs of people coming down the narrow streets going the other way. I feel like I am in a compressed hall way, my days at Penn High School seem to have trained me well for this place. There is just one hiccup in what would be as close to a perfect experience. I am human and so is everyone else in this city.

What I am saying is I feel rude here sometimes and I don't like it. Today in the Old City a shopkeeper came out and was quite inviting but my group was ahead of me and wasn't stopping there so I attempted to make the conversation pleasantly short. Maybe I would have been better off acting deaf but I couldn't help it we already started speaking before I got a chance to process what was happening. Eventually I did one of those awkward talk walk away things while trying to be polite (this never really works for anyone). The crazy thing is there are so many different shopkeepers, some are quite until you get into their shop, my personal favorite, some try to get you to stop on the street by lying to you (their favorite line is "Mr. you dropped something" I only checked once and learned my lesson then). Others will ask you where you are from (one today wasn't so nice he asked "What F_______ country are you A_______ [you can fill in the blanks as you see fit] from yeah that makes me want to stop and give you business.....O man this going to interesting). I just wanted some postcards honestly and get some going rates on potential gifts. I think I have found some places that aren't so hard to be polite to and I am glad for it but I just can't get over having to keep my head down when I walk down the street with a shopkeeper harassing me or the group I am in. There is a different type of life in this city and I am comfortable but not clicking with it all the time. same goes for anywhere you live though and I hope you can say the same for where you are at. Admit it home is great but there are some things about it you'd rather live without. Just be happy you don't have awkward shopkeepers vying for your business as soon as you walk down the road. More to come!

Thoughts on the Holy LAND

Dusk on the Old City walls is an experience. Yesterday I pulled myself away from studies long enough for some memorable experiences. A group of us went to Jerusalem's New City to get a feel for their coffee/tea selection. I decided to be adventurous (when in Israel!?) and ordered what I believe was called Shablah(probably spelled that incorrectly). It is an Egyptian drink or so the cafe menu said and consists of steamed or warm milk a hint a vanilla shaved cashews for a nutty taste and some other ingredients I failed to notice. I have to say other than it being a hot drink in 80 to 90 degree weather it was really good.

After dinner we went for a walk along the Old City walls. It was a really cool way to see the city both New and Old. There are scars of the '67 war still up there and really makes this wall a living part of history. I took a picture of Zion Gate (right next to my school) and it is covered in bullet holes. These are a testimony to the violence and sacrifice different people have made for even just a small quarter of this city known as Jerusalem.

Ok food for thought for all of you. In the States we have lots of land which in turn creates lots of space and an attitude less inclined to tie ourselves as Americans to a specific spot in America (you may want to reread that). With that said it is entirely different here. I know the longer history here reinforces certain attitudes towards holy spots like the Temple Mount (a Jewish and Islamic holy sight), but get this there are SIX denominations that share the Church of the Holy Seplechre. Now granted they fight terribly at times and it got to the point where a Muslim family is in charge of the gate key (embarrassing I know). I am still amazed that the church is still standing let alone the city.