It's been a rough couple of days. And unfortunately, just about everything that could have gone wrong for me went wrong for the next few days. I had some VERY lonely days, and even lonelier nights. Oh! Jet lag and the horrors it can play on a homesick, mind. But I won't turn your blood cold with those tales. Sufficeth to say, that I was ready to jump on a plane home and give it all up. Brent--the ROCKSTAR OF THE UNIVERSE--had even managed to get Delta to take the 600$ change down to just $25. HOW he finds ways to love, support and sustain me, when I am so far away, and so unhappy is the greatest gem of that day and proof that he is the greatest thing ever to happen to me. And something I will never forget. In the dark hours of last night, I prayed for an angel-any kind of friend or helper. Today, the Lord sent me six.
Church saved me. After finally being able to sleep last night for the first time I woke up a bit late which caused me to ponder, just for a brief moment, if I should make myself go to church. However, in my prayer the night before I had asked that my answer as to whether I should stay on go home come during church. So, I threw some wrinkly clothes on and booked it over there. The weather here is HOT! And since it is the Sabbath--or Shabbot as referenced here--NOTHING is running. No buses, cars, anything. (Which is another blog post for another day. What it really means for a nation to keep the Sabbath holy). Anyway, its about a 30 minute walk and I got there dripping sweat. However, just after I sat down, the friend I was hoping to see tapped me on the shoulder and was sitting right behind me! Additionally, there was a young man from my fall Hebrew class who was there as well! Turns out, by the end of church, I met four other members who are also taking summer courses at Hebrew University and live right next to me! For me, these people are literally Saviors on Mount Zion, or Mount Scopus as the case may be here! They calmed my nerves, had me over and let me us their Internet--something I have not been able to get since the offices closed just hours after I got here for the whole weekend--and made me feel connected again. Speaking to my family has helped me tremendously! I'm so grateful for their love and support--stay or go. The isolation I experienced here was the hardest part. Added to the unrest the in country and perhaps not being able to see what I came out here to see, I wondered if the pain of missing my family was worth being here. To have that prayer answered, has made all of the difference. I feel more like myself. I'm not alone anymore. These dear souls have graciously offered to let me go on all of their outings to the old city, which will help me fulfill the last requirement of my journey. It's should come as no shock that I've had my struggles with the church-instutionally- for a bit. But seeing how the Lord is still able to use it here, to meet the needs of those who love him, was a great boon to me. I'm very grateful to him. That being said, I am still VERY MUCH in need of your prayers so if you can, keep them coming.
I'm doing better. Just need to iron out the last few kinks tomorrow morning when things actually open up again, and we should be good. Now onto the good stuff. I've only been able to have class one day so far, but let me share some of the great stuff I saw and learned. I'm going to try and chronicle the journey for myself and for anyone else who may have an interest some of the people and places of this uniquely beautiful and complex city.
Our first stop was the view of the city from Mount Scopus. (We were supposed to go to the Mount of Olives, but it was off limits that day due to protesting in the area, which I really hope calms down) so we had to settle with the views right here on Mt. Scopus. This first view displays that. Hebrew University is on the east side of Jerusalem, which is actually the Palestinian side.
(OK. So, I'm in another country and I can't get the picture to upload after 12 minutes so I'm going to write and then try to put the pictures in later. So hang tight.)
This next view is actually just on the other side of the hill. Literally maybe 200 yards is looking the opposite middle, right side. LOOK AT HOW DESOLATE! This is where John the Baptist lived as well as where Jesus went to fast for 40 days. HOT and DESOLATE! After having fasted this morning and walking home from church in the heat, it gave me the tiniest glimpse into just how difficult it would be to fast for any prolonged period of time in this climate. And for John to live out there? Forty days isn't possible unless you are the Son of God. The prophets suffered. We shouldn't expect better treatment. I"ll leave you all to ponder than and send in your own comments and ideas.
The next stop was a place called Ramat Rachel at the very south end of Jerusalem. Ramat in Hebrew means the "height of." It is now the place of a Kibbutz--a collective farm. Someone here made a piece of modern art by planting this olive grove is a pattern, with three converging roads that center in on three pillars upholding three, planted olive trees. It's up to the eye of the beholder. But think of all of the things those three symbols can represent: the trinity, the three faiths who claim this land, Jerusalem as the center of three continents...you keep going with that and decide.
If you walk to the back of this place, you get a full view of Bethlehem. The city appears to be much smaller than I would have thought. Shepherds Hill is on the right side of the picture. To me there was something beautiful and still about that hill still being uninhabited. It still exists in much the way it was when the first, glorious declaration of the Lord's birth was made.
At this very same spot was a bunch of rock remnants. As it turns out, these were the VERY bunkers used in the 1948 war, and this is the spot that 600,000 Israeli Soliders held of 1.5 million Palestinians who had additional backing by 5 other nations, during the war. It really made me contemplate just how that would actually be accomplished. What it would take, what you would believe in and what you would be fighting for to fight like lions. Standing there and just being in Jerusalem in general really brings this land struggle to life for me. Things that never really hit home become the living breathing reality of each day. And trust me, you can breathe it in--it's in the air, it permeates everything.
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