Ashland group in the Synagogue

Ashland group in the Synagogue
Originally uploaded by tiggrkitty

Here is our group together in the Synagogue at Masada.

Not Pictured: Grace S.

The Return to Jerusalem

Well, it's official. After four days in the Galilee region of Israel, we have returned to Jerusalem and have reached the end of the 'official' JUC program. We even have certificates to prove it! The time, like all of our days here, was very full and we were all exhausted by the end of the week. It was an experience beyond words to walk the land that Jesus walked and to see the places that he loved. I will never look at Bible stories the same way ever again.

I'm sorry that we could not share the journey with you while we were away. The kibbutz where we were staying did not have a public computer. Tomorrow is our last free day in the city of Jerusalem and then we will be returning home. However, please continue to stay tuned to the site. We will be updating the blog once we return with stories from some of our previous adventures and we will be posting some of the hundreds of pictures that we took while we were away.

NOTE: Some of the posts on the blog have been updated and can only be accessed via the archive list on the right. Please be sure to check them out as well!

God Bless,
The ATS Sojourners.

We're Off!

Just a quick note to let you know that we are on our way to the Galilee region of Israel. We are supposed to be blessed with beautiful weather while we are there and everyone is very excited. The computer situation at the Kibbutz where we will be staying is unknown. If we can write, we will. Otherwise, please stay tuned for the posting on Saturday!

Shalom,
The ATS Sojourner

Free Day!

Hello everyone-

Yes, we are all still fine. I'm sorry that there has been no news on the site in a few days, but we have been doing more all day excursions that require early morning departures, late night returns, and little time to work on the blog. I am in the process of working on the summaries of the days that we were away, but so much happened that I have found that I need my notes to remember what happened on what day. Just so you know, today we have another long day as we travel to the Dead Sea and the surrounding region. We leave for Galilee tomorrow, so everyone will be busy packing and getting ready for those four days. While we are away, it is unlikely that we will have access to computers so this may be the last posting prior to our return. I'm sorry. We'll do what we can!

Yesterday was a free day, mostly. We had a 2 1/2 hour class to prepare for our trip to the Galilee region. You can tell that it made a big difference for a lot of people. Many of us got laundry done, slept in, ate out, went shopping, and just generally had a good time. The Ashland group split up for the day, so I can only write about what our team did for the day.

We woke up early (yes, we didn't sleep in) and lined up for admission to the Temple Mount. Fortunately, we arrived at the gates just as the Mount was opening (7:30 a.m.) so we didn't have a long line to wait in.
Side Note: By the time that we left, the line was 4-5 people wide and down the block to the Dung Gate. People were waiting over two hours to get onto the Mount from that line.
The Mount was peaceful and very quiet. Israeli soldiers are posted at various locations around the Dome of the Rock and the Mosque to assure that nothing happens on the site. It was beautiful to see the early morning sunlight bouncing off the Dome. Unfortunately, the outside of the Dome is all that we were allowed to see. We were told by the guard at the door that due to the current political tensions the Dome of the Rock and the Mosque are both closed to anyone other than Muslims. We used the time on the mount to walk the parks that surround both buildings, to see the inside of the sealed gates, and to marvel at why there were randomly placed stacks of wheelchairs on the Temple Mount.

The Western Wall is one of the outside walls of the Temple Mount. Since we were so close, we decided to visit the wall so that one member of our group could have his first visit to the wall. It was a very busy day at the wall. The male side was filled with Orthodox Jews that were set up for prayers with a table or podium. It was quite a sight to see.

Two of us then departed for the Burnt House and Herodian Quarters. These two museums highlight the ruins of five homes from the Upper City (think the wealthy neighborhood) that were destroyed in the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. The walls still bear marks of the fire, but there are some beautiful mosaics that were discovered, mostly intact. Many of the homes only had basements remaining, but they were very elaborate and walking through them you get a good feel for what life was like for the families of the Temple Priests. From the Jewish Quarter we walked out to the city wall and walked on the wall back to the University for lunch. The rest of the day was occupied with praise and worship, lunch, class, shopping, and the like.

It was a much needed day of rest. My thanks to everyone that has been raising up prayers for the group. We continue to have amazingly clear weather. The temperatures have remained a comfortable 50-70 deg F. All of the instructors are surprised at how great the views have been from the Tels due to the great weather, so please keep the prayers coming. We are seeing many benefits and are deeply grateful.

God Bless,
ATS Sojourner

Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho

When Joshua brought the Israelites into the land that had been given them, there was a lot of conquering and then the land was divided among the twelve tribes. Our day was dedicated to the study of the Benjaminite plateau. Right now, Jerusalem is a mix of rock and green. The gardens are blooming and there is some grass that you occasionally see. You really can not say the same for the plateau. It is located in the wilderness and there is a LOT of rock and just enough green/yellow grass peeking out in various places for the sheep and goats to have something to eat. Wandering that land for 30-40 years would give me some concerns about where God was taking me. Think about it. The Israelites left the desert of Egypt, yes, but they also left the very lush Nile Delta. There was water and green stuff and plenty to eat when there was no drought. Then God brought them to the wilderness. Mainly because you can't get to the lush areas of Israel without going through that, but how were they to know? They were miles away from the only existence that many of them had ever known! I used to think that Moses was dealing with a fairly whiny group of people. I am now having more compassion for the people.

Jericho is located in the lush area of Israel. The city was built around a spring that gushes roughly 1,000 gallons of water per minute. It is easy to see that there is water here. The landscape is simply lush in comparison to the surrounding landscape. As a result, no one could resist building at the site and now there are two Jerichos, the Jericho of the Old Testament and the Jericho of the New Testament. We started with the New Testament Jericho and the site of Herod's palace. Like all of Herod's palaces, it was located on a beautiful overlook that strategically protected the city of Jerusalem from attack. From there we traveled down to Old Jericho. While there, we saw the oldest structure in the world. A wall was found at Old Jericho that was carbon dated to be from 8000 B.C. When you see a structure that is roughly 10,000 years old, you get a much better appreciation for why people in this region think that Americans are silly for being excited over finds from the 1700s. Old Jericho is the city that Joshua would have fought and knocked the walls down. We had a long discussion at the site about the archaeology and who said what. Here is the basic summary, they have found two city walls and neither of them shows signs of being knocked down. However, the digging will probably continue once things are a little more settled between the Palestinians and the Israelis. Who knows what they will find once then?

After our visit to Old Jericho we traveled the countryside to see various Tels of Jerusalem. Tels are high fortresses that are built on top of the remains of the fortresses that stood there before they were destroyed. Due to the hot and dry climate of Israel, many of the ruins have been found intact and groups like ours are allowed to run all over them. The vistas are amazing from these locations and it is easy to see why they are so strategically desirable.

The real highlight of the day is that we were the only group to visit the site of Tel Gezer. Tel Gezer is a Solomonic Tel with one of the three Solomonic gates that are still in existence in Israel. By the end of our trip we will visit all three. It's amazing to see how far his kingdom spread! It was such an adventure that even our instructor, who has visited Israel several times over the last 20 years, was giddy like a child. It was a very fun way to end the day.

Out and About

Today was our first all-day bus excursion. Our driver was incredible. He knew the dimensions of that bus and made it fit down roads that I wouldn't have believed possible.
The majority of the sites were made famous by the big J-man himself. First we visited the Mount of Olives, which included a stop at the top, then a church commemorating the day that Jesus looked out and mourned for the city of Jerusalem - the name of the site translating from the Latin as "God Wept" but being no Latin or Biblical scholar I don't remember what it was - and the "Garden of Gethsemane". The name of the garden is in quotes because it is one of those traditional sites that can't be exactly verified or proven. Our guide cautioned us that there is an olive tree that they claim is 2000 years old (how convenient!) but it's actually more like 1500. There were at least three other tour groups in the garden at the time and, sure enough, the one that came by as I was standing near a big old tree said "Here is the oldest tree in the garden at 2000 years old." Nevertheless it is a lovely garden that is lovingly maintained.
Attached to the garden is the beautiful Church of Nations, in which the majority of the nations are represented in the ceiling frescoes. Inside the church is a slab of rock that is believed to be where Jesus was for his final night of prayer (when his sweat fell like blood).
Aside-it is striking me that some places, regardless of a tangible link to heaven, feel holy because so many people believe it is a good place to pray. Anyplace is a good place to pray, but there is a special, almost palpable feeling of holiness when thousands have prayed in one spot. (And that, ladies and gentlemen, is faith.)
Another site visited today is the Herodion, a palace built on a mountain by Herod. To make sure that it was the highest point around, the paranoid megalomaniac took the top off the next mountain. Nevertheless, it is in ruins today. It doesn't pay to be despised.
We also went to Bethlehem, to visit the traditional birthplace of Jesus. To get there we had to cross a checkpoint and go through the separation barrier to enter Palestine. That Israeli security does not mess around. If you thought cracking a joke to a Canadian border guard was a bad idea....
The Church of the Nativity is Greek Orthodox, with a Catholic Church attached to the side. After touching the rock in the floor that is "the spot", I lit a candle in the Catholic half for my Catholic parents. And yes Mom, I gave them a shekel for it.
We left Palestine as quickly as possible in favor of Israel, and up the mountains again to Rachel's Ridge. It has nothing to do with Jacob's favorite wife, but it is very nice. If I had a ridge around here I would have picked that one. So naturally it has a long archaeological history, being higher than Jerusalem and thus receives cooler breezes.
Our last stop was a quick panoramic overlook, which made a nice way to review the day's events. It was lovely, but I am glad it was quick because I was hungry, thirsty, and tired. (Here's a tip - when someone offers you bottled water at a reasonable price in the desert, buy it!)
Tomorrow is another all-day bus trip. It should be at least as intriguing as today. Stay tuned for more wacky adventures!

New Testament - A Day Late

My apologies to those of you that are reading the blog on a daily basis. We are packing so much traveling into our time here that it leaves little time to tell everyone about it and wouldn't you prefer that we live the trip rather than writing about it all the time?

Yesterday afternoon was our day to experience New Testament Jerusalem. Jerusalem University College is located just outside of the modern city walls of Jerusalem on the traditional site of Mount Zion [side note: there are two Mount Zions that are recognized by archaeologists and residents of the city - historical and traditional. Historical is where the archeology shows a location was and traditional is where people say that they are]. We walked across the top of the mount to a church compound that contains the traditional site of the Upper Room and the last supper. As is true with many of the sites in the Holy Land, the Crusaders would make an important site very Christian, the Turks would take over and make it highly Muslim, Christians would take over again and make the site Christian again, and so on. The upper room is no exception. It was interesting to see the patterns of how these changes were made. For example, the niche for the imam to lead prayers toward Mecca was later made into a fireplace. From there, we walked to the Zion gate (currently under construction) and down around the outside of the city wall to the Southern Excavations near the Temple Mount.

The excavations are amazing! The remains of the Roman round that ran alongside the temple has been discovered and you can see where the road was damaged by the stones that were falling from the temple during its destruction in the 1st century. Don't think of Michigan potholes. Think a Roman road equivalent of the Grand Canyon. The road surface was just destroyed and the bed was highly compressed underneath. It just shows what happens when multi-ton stones fall down and go boom! The archaeologists have also discovered some of the stones that fell and they have piled them in the area so that you can get a sense of just how immense and magnificent the temple must have been. They have also found remains of various staircases, shops, arches, houses, etc. From the demolished road we walked along the side of the Temple Mount (while remaining in the archaeological park) to the south staircase. It was on these steps that rabbis would teach their students and anyone else that was interested in hanging around to listen. It was here that Jesus taught on several occasions. It is also very likely that he taught on these steps during the Passover celebration immediately preceding his arrest and crucifixion. We sat there. We were taught by an instructor. It's an amazing experience to sit in that place and look out over the hills and valleys that surround the city.

The archaeological park, being alongside the base of the Temple Mount, is also adjacent to the Western Wall (you may also know it as the Wailing Wall). We stopped at the wall, but this time there were no prayers to be said at the wall. It's a very busy site and it is challenging to keep a group together in the large, open square so we stopped, saw, discussed, and then moved into the Muslim quarter of the city. At the edge of the quarter, well past many of the stations of the cross on the Via Dolorosa, is the Church of Saint Anne. The church is a crusader era church that was the quietest spot that we visited all day. It is also the site of some of the best acoustics that I have heard anywhere. Behind the church are the pools of Bethesda (refer to the story of the healing of the lame man in the book of John). It is likely that Jesus healed the man at one of the upper pools that were much shallower than the 100 ft + deep main pool. We walked around the pool complex and marveled at how many spots you could still clearly identify before heading into the church. It was so peaceful in the church. It was also surprising that the open stone doors somehow still managed to keep out the sounds of the Muslim call to prayer that was ringing through the quarter at that time. A smaller group of the larger group that we are traveling with sat in the simple wooden pews and sang praise and worship music. It was really special.

We followed a section of the Via Dolorosa and then avoided the tourists by jumping onto a parallel road that led to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. There are three main sites within the church - the site of Jesus' crucifixion, the slab on which his body was laid after he died, and the tomb. The site of the crucifixion is treated as a historical site because there is evidence of pilgrims traveling to the site as early as the first century. The slab is clearly a traditional site because there are several records that refer to the current slab being placed inside the church doorway within the last two hundred years to replace the previous slab that was damaged. There are two tombs within the church. One is the very ornate (and busy) traditional site of Jesus' tomb. Behind it are 1st century tombs that don't have the lines and are not as ornate where we could clearly see how Jesus' tomb probably looked. The JUC trip focused on these latter tombs. Some of the members of the Ashland group remained at the church to visit the site of the crucifixion. The hard limestone of Jerusalem is naturally rough. There is one small section of the crucifixion stone that can be touched. Over the years, this one small spot has been worn smooth to the texture of polished marble or granite. It's amazing.

We were let loose after the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Our small group went into the Christian and Armenian quarters in pursuit of lahmahjoon (Armenian Pizza). The owner of the restaurant where we had eaten the night before remembered, after talking with Dr. Pardue, that they had once served lahmahjoon. We stopped in for directions to discover that they had made a fresh batch of lahmahjoon with the hope that we would return. It was another very tasty meal and an evening to remember. The group wandered (and shopped) its way back to the University where we all fell, exhausted, into bed.

Today we studied the approaches to Jerusalem. We spent the entire day in the field. I would tell you more, but there is another sojourner writing that story as I write this one.

God Bless!

A Tale of Two Tunnels

April 1 marked our first full day in Israel with JUC (Jerusalem University College). The day was dedicated to the study of Old Testament Jerusalem - David, Solomon, Hezekiah - we were discussing all of them and then we visited the sites. We saw the Broad Wall and where the city of Jerusalem's street level used to be. Like most old cities, Jerusalem has built itself up on the remains, foundations, and trash of the Jerusalem that preceded it. The new street level is about 8 meters above where it was in Hezekiah's time and one of the valleys is nearly completely filled in. In a section of the Jewish Quarter, archaeologists excavated down through the layers to find the remains of Hezekiah's wall and a portion of one of the old towers. The digs are done, for now, and the site is open for viewing as you walk the street above.

From the Broad Wall, we walked the meandering streets past the Temple Mount, beyond the 16th century city wall (most of which is still standing) to David's City, the original capital city that now lies outside the walls of Jerusalem. Archaeologists have been busy here as well. A section of the wall that was part of the Jebusite city has been found along with the foundation of David's palace and a section of the original towers of the main gate. It's easy to see, sitting at the foot of the tower, how David could look down and see Bathsheba bathing on her roof. He wasn't a pervert. He was living in the highest site in the city. It makes you wonder what Bathsheba knew when she went on that roof.

The group divided to walk the two tunnels that connect the Gishon Spring to the city of Jerusalem. The majority of the group took the wet walk through Hezekiah's tunnel. The tunnel is dark, dank, tight, and a little spooky when the lights are out. Many people were so relieved to be on their way out of the tunnel that they missed the Siloam Inscription near the tunnel's outlet. In contrast, the rest of the group took the dry walk through the Canaanite tunnel that originally brought water into the city. It was too small to survive the Assyrian siege, so Hezekiah ordered the creation of the larger tunnel that is now the wet walk. The Israeli government has taken over both tunnels and have expanded the Canaanite tunnel to have lighting and reinforced ceilings. A similar level of care has not been taken in Hezekiah's tunnel. We would not recommend going with slippery shoes or without a flashlight!

The end of the tunnel journeys brought all of us to the recently discovered Pool of Siloam that was in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus. We walked the large, broad steps that led into the pool. The pool is not completely excavated, but it is easy to grasp the size of the site by what has been discovered so far.

A portion of the Ashland group wrapped up the night with a journey into the Old City for dinner. We were looking for Armenian pizza, got turned around on our way to the area of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and ended up at a wonderful little place in the market for one of the best hummus and lamb shwarma dinners! Unfortunately, it was too late and we were too tired from hill climbing and tunnel trekking to make any post in the blog last night. The schedule for today? New Testament Jerusalem. Stay tuned!

One Long Day

We are finally here! The joy in the group was nearly uncontrollable as thirteen hours of flights and seven hours of airports finally came to an end and we saw the sun shining over the tops of the houses in Jerusalem. I don't believe that everyone is quite settled into their new home for the week, but the first priorities were water and a walk in the city. The walk led us to the wailing wall.

For nearly two thousand years people have been coming to the wall to lift their prayers. Hundreds of years of paper are stuck in its cracks where they have weathered and faded to become part of the wall itself. Even at night, the wall is a magnificent site and the power is easily felt as you stand in front of it and raise your voice to join the chorus. As we departed, a group of young women were gathered in a circle singing a song of worship. We did not understand the words, but the Spirit was felt. They summed up the night.

God is truly worthy to be praised.

Resting

Wow! After two years of planning, praying, preparing, fretting, worrying, crying . . . well you get it. After packing, and planning, and unpacking and packing and praying, I sit. There is absolutely nothing else to but to rest in Him. There is so much to see when we get to Israel, but we can't miss seeing what has gotten us to this point and what is there for us on the way. We cannot step over blessings while trying to get blessings.

Please remember each Sojourner and our families: Alice, Charlene, Grace, Ingrid, Doug, Sara, Sonia, Scott, Emily. Oh yes, we have asked you to pray. Pray? For what. Most have said they are praying for my safety, that's good, but that should be an everyday prayer (smile). So when I ask that you pray for me it is the same prayer for all of us on this trip. Pray that we hear God is such a way that we know He is the one guiding. Pray that we get still before Him and allow Him to guide us. Pray that for every "aha" moment we have with Him we exhibit it in such a way that it flows through us from Him. Pray that we love others as Jesus has said. Pray for unity on the trip and unity among God's people. Take care dear hearts!

One week to departure and counting...

Easter Sunday marked the start of the 7-day countdown to our departure. The sense of awe is increasing as we approach the day of our departure.

Our pastor's sermon included a discussion of the two disciples walking the road to Emmaus. I was listening intently when the magnitude of what is about to happen struck me. We are going to be on that road. The pebbles that tumbled and rolled under the disciples' feet are probably weathered and gone, but the road is still there. We will be on that road. We will be in Jerusalem and watch the sunrise burst forth over the same hills that Jesus saw illuminated in its warmth. We are preparing for the Bible to come alive for us in ways that it never could in our own country.

Archaeologists and historians like to engage in the debate of whether the holy sites of Israel are actually the 'true' sites of the events of the Bible. Is this really the upper room or is it just a house? Is this mountain Mt. Sinai or is it that mountain next door? Scientists need such precision, sojourners do not. The patriarchs and the matriarchs of the Bible all walked the land of Israel. God met each of them there in a distinct way and some of them he lived with when he walked the land. It's good to remember that God is not a god of reruns. Bible events will not replay just because someone happens to stand on a particular spot at a particular time and in a particular way. God meets his children as he has met believers throughout time - when they least expect it and in a way that is most powerful. In these last seven days, we are continuing to prepare for a meeting with God.

The day after the resurrection the disciples knew that their lives had been changed. I am sure that we will feel similarly after our first sunrise in Jerusalem.

A prediction that is 10 months old

I was reviewing some notes recently and found an e-mail that Dr. Pardue, the organizer of the trip, had sent to everyone that had committed to the trip. We are weeks away from our departure and her comments still ring true.

There is indeed a level of excitement that we will walk where Jesus walked and taught. It is the trip of a lifetime for any student of scripture and anyone who loves Jesus. Ten months from now we will be into the final planning: What to take? What will we see? What will we learn? And the personal question: What does God have in store for me?

Reread the Book of Acts. Take note of the disciples' journey. You are on a journey. Take care!

We are looking forward to traveling this leg of the journey with you and we bless you with peace and joy for what God has in store for you.

Shalom,

Dr. Emily A. Pardue, President
Ashland Alumni Association,
Detroit Chapter
"Achieving Excellence"