In ten days, I will have been here for four months. That's a third of a year. I've never been outside the ol' U S of A for this long before. My last record was roughly two months, and that was back in 2000. I was in India and Sri Lanka for DTS outreach.

Before I left, a friend asked me what I thought I would miss the most. He said "friends" didn't count. He was looking for something more along the lines of food, I think. I miss Taco Bell like crazy. I know it's disgusting. I also had the urge to go to Walmart today. I don't even like Walmart that much. I'm much more of a Target person.

I miss convenience. And it's one of the main things I'm running from. Human nature is so hard to shake. God help us.

(I hear there's a Walmart in Jordan. :)

I'm feeling pressure to put up more pictures. OK, so maybe I'm putting the pressure on myself. I have done so much since I've been here, and there's not much to show for it on this blog.

One of my favorite things that we've seen is Hezekiah's tunnel. It's totally in the Old Testament and I've walked through it. It's in the Old Old City, outside the present Old City, in the City of David. Read about it in 2 Chronicles 32:30. He had this tunnel carved out to bring the water from the source to inside the city, so that when they were attacked they would not be without it. We walked through a large part of this tunnel. It was, of course, all rock, and the water came up to mid-calf most of the way. At the highest, it came almost all the way up my leg. There was no light except our flashlights. It was awesome! I think I liked it so much because it wasn't altered. It is the same now as it was then. (Of course, above ground and all around it is a tourist center, but the actual tunnel is the same.)

Christy, Sabrina, and Shane



On that same day I took this picture, which doesn't look like a whole lot, but there's something pretty amazing there. This picture is taken right outside the present day Old City walls next to the Dung Gate. It's where the big mosque is, next to the Dome of the Rock, and right where the temple used to be. They have escavated (in what little space they can) the old temple steps. Jesus actually taught on these steps. Below these steps, the hill slopes down and that is where the City of David lies. You can see why Soloman built the temple here. It's at the top of everything. The dark dome at the top of these pictures is the Al-Aqsa mosque.




So, it's really hard to see the steps. If you are looking at the center of the picture, move slightly up and to the left. At the base of that wall that looks like it is part of the mosque there is a white space. That's where they are. Sorry I couldn't get a better picture. I'll work on that.

I'll leave you with this one: a promise from the Lord. We were sitting in a little cafe' looking down on the temple mount and across at the Mount of Olives, and here was this rainbow. It was radiant in real life. This picture doesn't do it justice.

Apparently there is a “Biblical” Zoo in Jerusalem. It only has animals that are in the Bible. Does it have a leviathan? I'll let you know.

If I could figure out a way to make money off of trash and cats, I could be a very wealthy woman. Let me tell you, they’re everywhere.

Christy and I have been working on a new diet. We put our food and drink on opposite ends of the apartment, so we have to walk back and forth between them. I'll let you know how it works out. Advanced level is putting the food upstairs.

Some of you may have heard this, but it's worth repeating. Wilma was offered 1,000 camels and 2 donkeys for me and Christy by a shopkeeper's son in the old city. A camel is worth somewhere around 10,000 dollars. So that's 5 million dollars for each of us! We went walking around the city and later passed by that shop again (not on purpose, mind you) and he yelled out across the street, "Hello! Is it me you're looking for?" No kidding. He really did say that.

So, the guy in the little shop across the street, that I go to almost every day for a coke (it reminds me of home, OK?), always slips in a free pack of gum. It seems harmless enough. According to a couple of people here, that's just about as good as a proposal. I think I'll take the camels, thank you. That's a much better offer. (Still holding out for a better one, though.)

I wanted to explain what that odd-looking glass thing is in the picture below. Well, I wanted to, if I could. I have no idea what it is either. It's some sort of ax-weilding mammal fixed nicely into a nic-nac. Feel free to give me your ideas on what it is. I fully intend on bringing it back home with me. I'm almost sure I can find nothing like it in the U.S.

Blowing out the candles (well, candle.....that little bowl thing in the middle was on fire)

I had a dream last night about my friends again. It seems that my mind creates scenarios in which I can visit you without leaving my bed. It’s quite amazing. Last night, I spent most of my time with Yesenia. It was Halloween (interesting that it actually is) and we were discussing the party. I was trying to figure out what I was going as, and she was telling me that she wasn’t going to go, being as pregnant as she was and all, she just didn’t feel like it. Daryl was going, though. Some other notable cameos: Jessica Tilley, Ian, Ben, and Katie Jones. I’m sure there were others I can’t remember right now. The most interesting thing about the dream was that I was home after only 2 months of being gone. I felt like I was out of the loop, but that I shouldn’t be home already. It felt wrong and totally out of place to be home so soon. When I woke up, it was one of those moments where you’re not sure where you are and what you’re doing there. Once I figured it out, I was so relieved to still be in Israel. I have so much more to do here.

Which brings me to an important point. Please, please, please pray for me. At the moment I have some renegade stomach virus that keeps me chained to within about 20 ft of a bathroom. I am feeling a bit better, but it’s not over yet. I have been sick so much since I‘ve been here, and I’ve been trying to figure out Satan’s purposes in all of it. I know he’s behind it. I am not this fragile normally, and I’m really starting to get angry. Here is what I’ve figured out so far, or at least what I think: These kids are so oppressed. Their land is not theirs, their parents pay taxes to a government not their own and never reap any benefits, and their people are regularly degraded, beaten down, and disrespected. My students naturally have a hard time trusting, and every time I am not in the classroom, they take it as a personal affront. Also, every day we pray for healing for those who are sick; and here is my testimony: the Christian teacher who is never healthy. God, I want to see miracles and healing for Your glory, so that others can see Your power! I want to be there for my kids in a way that proves Your love for them too. That’s my purpose.

So, my friends, pray. You were praying, but slowly we have felt the prayer covering diminish. Prayer is what we’ve been given to fight with, that and our sword, the Word. And I really need your help to win this battle. This may sound cheesy to some of you. I understand, but I’ve never been more serious in my life. I have been given the most amazing friends in the world. I love you all so much. If you need prayer, please don’t hesitate to tell me. Maybe prayers get to God faster over here. :)

It’s Friday afternoon at about 3 o’clock and I’m still in my pajamas. Fridays are the Muslim holy day. They go to pray in the morning, and then their shops open up again around 2:30 or 3. The Jewish Sabbath begins at sundown on Friday, but everything closes at 2 or 3. If I wanted to go to the mall or do anything else entertaining, I really missed my chance. But, you know, it’s ok. I’m sitting on my bed, listening to one of Kris’ sermons, drinking coffee, and just all around enjoying myself. In America, there is so much to distract. I thought that when I moved to Israel I would have so much time to spend with God. “When I get there,” I thought, “I’ll just sit and pray and read my Bible all day long.” That’s a joke. I can always find other things to do. So right now I’m thankful that the mall is closed, and it’s a quiet day. It means that I can actually hear what God is saying to me today.

I’m sitting at my dining room table, sipping Nescafe and nibbling on these wonderful chocolate wafer cookies we discovered. These are a couple of the staples in our household. I’m taking a moment to remember, in short, the goodness and faithfulness of the Lord. Some of you may stop reading after that statement. I know; I’ve been there. But I have to say it. I’m here in the Holy Land. I’m standing, well sitting, on ground where so much history has happened, and it is impossible to deny that God is faithful when you are here. The promises he made back in Genesis are still in action. It is visible. I’ve been a Christian my whole life. Though I have not always been faithful, I have always believed. But the stories heard as a child repeatedly, can easily get tangled with fairy tales in the mind. They are believed to be truth, as far as believing without seeing can go, by faith. Tozer said, “We learn by using what we already know as a bridge over which we pass to the unknown.” * By seeing, actually seeing with your own eyes, this land, you are taken that much closer to what is unknown.

And before I get too far into it, I want to make it clear that I am talking about the people, not the places. I could see a dozen Church of the Holy Sepulcher’s, and a hundred Via Delarosa’s, and it would not make me believe any more. These things are only a symbol of what happened in the past. It’s amazing to be able to see them, but human hands have altered them, and they are no longer what they were. The people are exactly the same. The same battles, the same issues, the same jealousy between the stepbrothers in Genesis are present today. If you are unsure of what I am talking about, then you should go read Genesis 15-21. (Interesting side note: Some archaeologists believe that Sodom and Gomorrah may lie at the bottom of the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth. The Dead Sea is shrinking at an incredible rate, so we may soon find out! There is a salt formation in the Dead Sea that looks like a woman, and it is said to be Lot’s wife. Gen 19:26)

We went to the City of David yesterday. This is the old, old city, before Jerusalem, before the first temple, way, way back in the day. The Arabs own this side of town, and if any of them were to sell it to a Jew, they would be killed. They deny that the Jews have any claim to the land. They deny that there was ever a temple. They don’t want any excavations to occur, because, well, we might find stuff that proves them wrong. The thing is, on the land that can be excavated amazing things have been found. The temple steps, for example, where Jesus and other great teachers stood and taught have been found right where they are supposed to be. Imagine that. You have to love the Arabs, though. Really, they are a remarkable race. God promised to make them a great nation, and He did. When they trust you, they are the most hospitable, warm people you will ever come across. This is what God says of them:

Gen 21:13
I will make the son of the maidservant into a nation also, because he is our offspring.

Gen 21:17, 18, 20
God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.”
God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer.

Gen 25:18
His descendants settled in the area from Havilah to Shur, near the border of Egypt, as you go toward Asshur. And they lived in hostility toward all their brothers.

We sat at a little café recently that had a great view of the temple mount, and the Mount of Olives. During our lunch, a rainbow appeared over the Mount of Olives. It was yet another reminder of God’s promises, and what a perfect place for it. He orchestrates everything that goes on down here. Nothing escapes him. And He cares so much for you. Really.

If you want to have a clearer understanding of why I am here, and what I am doing, go watch “The Kingdom of Heaven.” Seriously, it explains so much, and it has Orlando Bloom in it, and you can’t go wrong with that. Mmmmm mmm.


*The Knowledge of the Holy, A.W. Tozer

Galilee and the Mount of Beatitudes

My apartment, my room, and the view from my window...



Some of my students!!

This is the Damascus Gate.