The hotel we stayed at in Jerusalem also housed a group of students from Calvary Chapel Bible College and we decided to join them for our weekly worship service. The location was an unusual one: the middle of an outdoor mall.
This entire trip, I have been playing my clarinet during our worship services. Usually I hold back and barely play since I am so insecure about playing without written music in front of me. So on this particular night, I was dreading the worship service. Especially since it was going to be in front of many strangers. On the walk over to the mall I was in constant prayer with God asking Him to give me peace and to just allow Him to play through me. Thankfully, He answered my prayers and people told me they got chills and teared up.
It was an amazing night of worship and definitely a highlight of the trip for many of the people involved. Many times we had an audience of 50-100 people watching or joining us in worship. During the first song, a woman (Eleanor) took off her shoes and joined us in worship. Everybody that was there agrees that she was either an angel or an amazing lady sent by God. After a while she left, but that would not be the last time we would see her that night.
About fifteen mintutes later a man came over and started yelling and screaming and claiming that we were worshipping an idol since we were playing right next to a statue. Suddenly, Eleanor popped up and gave us encouragement to continue playing and to stand our ground. She said, "this is what happens when you start praising Jesus, opposition arises" and that is completely true. My professor's wife went over to thank her for being such an encouragement to our group and Eleanor held her face in her hands and started asking her questions about how she was doing. That turned into another testimony for my professor's wife that only she can tell accurately. But while Eleanor was praying for her, the man kept screaming and Eleanor's friend rebuked him in Jesus' name and said that God would silence him. All of a sudden, these men came and moved him out of our way and he never bothered us again. It was an intense moment for all of us.
Next, a Jewish man stood in the middle of all of us and said, "There's only one God, folks. I'm sorry to disappoint you." But we continued to play and he listened. He borrowed one of our guitars and started playing a song for us. We respectfully listened and thanked him for sharing that, but then we continued with our worship afterwards. Once he heard the word "Jesus" he yelled "Jesus? No!" but he didn't bother us.
There were some points where I felt that extreme opposition was going to arise. For instance, when a guard with a rifle came and was creepily watching us and started talking to some of our members. Or when a well-built Christian man from the crowd started staring down a Jewish man that was opposing us. Or when a Jewish man was looking over my shoulder to read the lyrics of our songs. But through it all, God provided and we are definitely learning to trust Him more.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Good Times in Israel
After our day exploring Jerusalem, I was left sadly disappointed. Having only seen places the Catholic Church had turned into public memorials, I was skeptical as to whether or not we were going to see something authentic. The Mount of Beatitudes was its saving grace.
Overlooking the Sea of Galilee (and a banana farm?), atop the Mount of Beatitudes is a small nunnery, hotel, and coffee stand. However, each of these structures is spaced far enough apart from each other to not be that distracting. Lush flowers and shrubbery spills over the mount and tiny stone plaques each with their own beatitude accompany the pathway to the nunnery.
After walking the stone pathway to a spot overlooking the seascape, we listened to Professor Lee's devotion. He read from Matthew 5:3-12, Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. Our group sang 2 praise songs acapella and some people even joined in by the end of it.
Some of us decided to walk down the hill to the Sea of Galilee. The biggest problem with this was a rather spirited nun who insisted it was not possible to walk down unless we were hotel guests. She was wrong.
I decided to walk down by myself. If there is only one thing you get to do in Israel, meandering down the Mount of the Beatitudes path is unquestionably what it should be. I took the time to reflect, pray, and meditate upon.
It was at Galilee Jesus fed the 5,000 and walked on water, the very same water I swam in later that day. Perhaps we don't know the exact spot these things happen, but we were at least in the vicinity where they occurred. Even some of the landscape we see now was some of the landscape He saw then, and there is an odd reassuring beauty in that. Shalom.
Overlooking the Sea of Galilee (and a banana farm?), atop the Mount of Beatitudes is a small nunnery, hotel, and coffee stand. However, each of these structures is spaced far enough apart from each other to not be that distracting. Lush flowers and shrubbery spills over the mount and tiny stone plaques each with their own beatitude accompany the pathway to the nunnery.
After walking the stone pathway to a spot overlooking the seascape, we listened to Professor Lee's devotion. He read from Matthew 5:3-12, Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. Our group sang 2 praise songs acapella and some people even joined in by the end of it.
Some of us decided to walk down the hill to the Sea of Galilee. The biggest problem with this was a rather spirited nun who insisted it was not possible to walk down unless we were hotel guests. She was wrong.
I decided to walk down by myself. If there is only one thing you get to do in Israel, meandering down the Mount of the Beatitudes path is unquestionably what it should be. I took the time to reflect, pray, and meditate upon.
It was at Galilee Jesus fed the 5,000 and walked on water, the very same water I swam in later that day. Perhaps we don't know the exact spot these things happen, but we were at least in the vicinity where they occurred. Even some of the landscape we see now was some of the landscape He saw then, and there is an odd reassuring beauty in that. Shalom.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Jerusalem, Israel
We are now staying in Jerusalem, Israel and the first day that we got here we roamed the city with a tour guide and just got a "smell" for the city as he put it. Our group is staying within the Christian Quarters and the maze of markets makes it difficult to see any of the surroundings. I almost felt claustrophobic due to the amount of people trying to sell me souvenirs. This completely went against what I had imagined of Jerusalem: dirt roads and hillsides on a wide open landscape. In reality, behind the westernized, crowded society, Israel is a green and lush land.
With our 70 year-old Armenian tour guide, we went through the Four Quarters of Jerusalem. We began in the Christian Quarters and went to King Herod's palace where he decreed to have the children of Bethlehem killed because he was threatened by Jesus' coming.
Next, we were in the Armenian Quarters where we weren't allowed to see much because only Armenians are allowed in the church, but we learned about the history and how they commemorate the Armenian Genocide annually. We also went outside the gate in order to "climb" Mt. Zion which was only up 5 stairs until we got to the top. Then we were able to see the Room of the Last Supper which was turned into a Muslim mosque as well as a synagogoue at a different time. It was definitely weird to walk into the replication of that room and see the Qur'an written in Arabic and the niche that points to Mecca. A few feet away was the Tomb of David and he was buried there 3,000 years ago. We walked into the tomb and the men had to wear yamakas and be separated from the women. After following a hallway, David's giant casket was about 6 feet high and 15 feet long.
After this, we made our way over to the Jewish Quarter and saw the tourist-filled Wailing Wall. The bottom portion of this wall are the remains of King Herod's temple and it was filled with little notes written with people's prayers. Then we followed Jesus' trek to Mt. Calvary by way of Via Dolorosa. There were checkpoints along the way that marked all the events and times Jesus stopped. At the top of the hill is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and this is where they claim Jesus was crucified and buried. It was disturbing to see people weep and bow down on slabs of rock that they believed Jesus touched. It was as if they were worshiping the items and rubbing them to gain something superstitiously. This church disturbed everyone in my group and a lot of us were not sure how to feel being there. One thing was for sure, Jerusalem was not what any of us were expecting.
With our 70 year-old Armenian tour guide, we went through the Four Quarters of Jerusalem. We began in the Christian Quarters and went to King Herod's palace where he decreed to have the children of Bethlehem killed because he was threatened by Jesus' coming.
Next, we were in the Armenian Quarters where we weren't allowed to see much because only Armenians are allowed in the church, but we learned about the history and how they commemorate the Armenian Genocide annually. We also went outside the gate in order to "climb" Mt. Zion which was only up 5 stairs until we got to the top. Then we were able to see the Room of the Last Supper which was turned into a Muslim mosque as well as a synagogoue at a different time. It was definitely weird to walk into the replication of that room and see the Qur'an written in Arabic and the niche that points to Mecca. A few feet away was the Tomb of David and he was buried there 3,000 years ago. We walked into the tomb and the men had to wear yamakas and be separated from the women. After following a hallway, David's giant casket was about 6 feet high and 15 feet long.
After this, we made our way over to the Jewish Quarter and saw the tourist-filled Wailing Wall. The bottom portion of this wall are the remains of King Herod's temple and it was filled with little notes written with people's prayers. Then we followed Jesus' trek to Mt. Calvary by way of Via Dolorosa. There were checkpoints along the way that marked all the events and times Jesus stopped. At the top of the hill is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and this is where they claim Jesus was crucified and buried. It was disturbing to see people weep and bow down on slabs of rock that they believed Jesus touched. It was as if they were worshiping the items and rubbing them to gain something superstitiously. This church disturbed everyone in my group and a lot of us were not sure how to feel being there. One thing was for sure, Jerusalem was not what any of us were expecting.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Petra: One of the New Seven Wonders of the World
Today we were able to visit the ancient city of Petra where parts of Indiana Jones and the Holy Grail was filmed. It is so beautiful and the intricate designs carved into the rocks are astounding. Before this trip, I have ridden an elephant and a camel, but I have never been able to ride a horse. Well, this life-long goal was finally fulfilled as I rode an Appaloosa into Petra.
Eighty percent of the city of Petra is still underground, but what has been discovered is amazing. There is a water trench carved into the rock that spans the entire city. Water and earthquakes have allowed the mountains to separate and create a pathway. The main sights throughout all of Petra include carvings, tombs, and theatres. The Treasury is the most famous building in Petra and it is a grand structure that was either a house of worship or a tomb. It is made out of stone that is pinkish in color and also has tall columns and elaborate designs. I felt so small looking up at this structure that was built thousands of years ago.
After exploring this magnificent city I stopped in a small theatre to read and spend some time in solitude. It was so relaxing and just what I needed since we are not able to have very much alone time in a group of 30 people living in such small quarters. We had class and this exact location where we studied Arabic and a novel that we have been reading. What a blessing it has been to have class in such epic places and know that the world is our classroom.
Eighty percent of the city of Petra is still underground, but what has been discovered is amazing. There is a water trench carved into the rock that spans the entire city. Water and earthquakes have allowed the mountains to separate and create a pathway. The main sights throughout all of Petra include carvings, tombs, and theatres. The Treasury is the most famous building in Petra and it is a grand structure that was either a house of worship or a tomb. It is made out of stone that is pinkish in color and also has tall columns and elaborate designs. I felt so small looking up at this structure that was built thousands of years ago.
After exploring this magnificent city I stopped in a small theatre to read and spend some time in solitude. It was so relaxing and just what I needed since we are not able to have very much alone time in a group of 30 people living in such small quarters. We had class and this exact location where we studied Arabic and a novel that we have been reading. What a blessing it has been to have class in such epic places and know that the world is our classroom.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Jordanian Desert
Hello Everybody,
I know I have not posted in a long time, but this website has been blocked and we have not had internet. I am just going to start from a few days ago and update you all from there.
We entered Jordan late into the night on a ferry and had to wait for our passports to be redistributed to us from the ferry. Travel days usually involve waiting around for long periods of time. We finally got on our bus and were headed for our next location...we had no idea what we were in for. After driving for an hour we stopped at what we thought was our final destination and unloaded all of our backpacks. "Load 'em up!" was the next thing we heard. There were three vehicles waiting for us to take us to a Bedouin camp. There were about 20 seats for all 30 of us and oh what an interesting ride it was. The five person car that I chose to go in seated seven of us and the back door was being held in place by a paper clip and the side door did not close all the way and the front windshield was so dirty that the driver had to look out his window in order to see where we were going. All of our backpacks were on the roof with no straps holding them down and we were off-roading in the desert in the pitch black with no traces of civilization around. I can't even describe to you our sentiments especially since we were not sure where the men were taking us and if we were safe with them. After 20 mins of driving (this seemed much longer than just 20 mins) we arrived safely to a Bedouin camp. They were all so nice and they fed us and showed us great hospitality. Most of us slept outside since we found a huge spider in the tent and it was so beautiful. Most of us were settled in and we see what looks like a person in the distance coming from the middle of nowhere. Our hearts begin to race as we question the intentions of this figure. As it comes closer, we see that it is a camel hopping on three legs! One of the legs has been tied up to prevent it from running away too quickly. A man begins to chase his pet as we sit there in disbelief. Did we really just see that?
I know I have not posted in a long time, but this website has been blocked and we have not had internet. I am just going to start from a few days ago and update you all from there.
We entered Jordan late into the night on a ferry and had to wait for our passports to be redistributed to us from the ferry. Travel days usually involve waiting around for long periods of time. We finally got on our bus and were headed for our next location...we had no idea what we were in for. After driving for an hour we stopped at what we thought was our final destination and unloaded all of our backpacks. "Load 'em up!" was the next thing we heard. There were three vehicles waiting for us to take us to a Bedouin camp. There were about 20 seats for all 30 of us and oh what an interesting ride it was. The five person car that I chose to go in seated seven of us and the back door was being held in place by a paper clip and the side door did not close all the way and the front windshield was so dirty that the driver had to look out his window in order to see where we were going. All of our backpacks were on the roof with no straps holding them down and we were off-roading in the desert in the pitch black with no traces of civilization around. I can't even describe to you our sentiments especially since we were not sure where the men were taking us and if we were safe with them. After 20 mins of driving (this seemed much longer than just 20 mins) we arrived safely to a Bedouin camp. They were all so nice and they fed us and showed us great hospitality. Most of us slept outside since we found a huge spider in the tent and it was so beautiful. Most of us were settled in and we see what looks like a person in the distance coming from the middle of nowhere. Our hearts begin to race as we question the intentions of this figure. As it comes closer, we see that it is a camel hopping on three legs! One of the legs has been tied up to prevent it from running away too quickly. A man begins to chase his pet as we sit there in disbelief. Did we really just see that?
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| Our Bedouin camp :) |
The next morning different Bedouin tribes from all around Jordan helped bring 29 camels for all of us to ride into the desert. It was supposed to be 30, but they forgot one and Brock was left without a camel for the first quarter of the trip. We traveled on the camels for about three hours and most everyone was strapped to someone else’s camel and there was a driver pulling them along, but my driver let me take the reins all by myself and it was extremely fun. We got to our camping spot in the middle of the desert and slept under the stars on a sand dune watching the many shooting stars. It was definitely amazing!
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| Camping in the desert |
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