Winter Wonderland

A few weeks ago, Jerusalem experienced a strange phenomenon - Snow! The temperatures here have been low ever since my return in January, but I was glad to reap a benefit of the cold temperatures for one morning. It snowed pretty heavily for an hour or so, leaving a bit of white accumulation on the ground and smiles all around. The city-folk were about as happy as I've ever seen them - children and adults alike. All ages were out in their snow gear building snowmen or trying to catch a snowflake. It was like a magical holiday or something. Here are some snapshots from the adventure! (Thanks to my friend, David, for the pics)

Sadly, the sun soon came out and the snow was gone within an hour's time. Oh well. Such is life.

Re-do

So, it's been awhile. A long while. I know my last entry was a memorial to the non-existent state of this blog, but I think it's time to begin again. New life is coming to this blog, just in time for Easter! How ironic. Anyway, here's to a fresh start, Wahoo!

RIP

Here lies my blog.

Un-updated and forlorn.

It is time to say goodbye.

At least for now.

Probably forever.

Blog, you have been faithful,

Unfortunately, I am a bad updater.

So long!

Just a Glimpse

The view of the Old City of Jerusalem from the Mt. of Olives. You can see the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock on top.

A beautiful church in the Garden of Gethsemane. All of the stained glass windows are a deep purple, so from inside it seems like nighttime, symbolizing Jesus' last night as He prayed in the garden.

Wilderness!! Perhaps Jesus wandered here for 40 days. Looks a little dry... but just beyond is Jericho, an oasis with palm trees and everything.

...Speaking of Jericho

The woman at the well! It was a very picturesque moment.

Sunset at Gezer through a cool tree!

Jerusalem At Last

Shalom! I have now officially begun my first semester studying here in Jerusalem. After a 5 hour walking tour through the Old City, I couldn't be more excited! There has already been so much activity just in the few days I have been here.

Here's a summary of my time here so far: I flew to Tel Aviv on Thursday night through Friday afternoon, then caught a sherut (10 passenger van) for an hour trip to Jerusalem. The sites were amazing even from the window of the van! It caught me by surprise to see so many mountains and green trees, with cities built on the slopes and tops of the mountains. Saturday was full of orientation on campus, a scavenger hunt in the Old City, then a walking tour through the new city area around the school. An extremely full, but awesome day.

This morning I woke up to an excellent breakfast of eggs, fruit, yogurt, and instant coffee (not too bad, by the way), then caught a ride to a church in town. It was a cute little church and I enjoyed their warm welcome! After lunch the whole group of students were led in a walking tour of the Old City of Jerusalem. I didn't know much about the city before we began, but I sure feel like an expert now! Everything is so important to history and religion, almost like a living, thriving museum. But unlike a museum, things are constantly changing and modernizing, yet still centering around the past. Strange concept, kind of unexplainable. Anyhow, wandering through the Old City was great and I saw all the "touristy" things, such as the Upper Room, Temple Mount (Dome of the Rock), Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Mount of Olives, tons of tiny shops and trinkets, and a whole lot of mosques and churches. I know I'm forgetting an important landmark, but you get the picture. My teacher (who gave the tour) also did a great job explaining the history and importance of each location.

Already, I have such a better understanding of the background and culture of modern-day Israel. It's quite complex and I have a TON to learn, but I sure am looking forward to it!!

Catch-up

Oh my. Sorry blogger world, I have not done a very good job at keeping updated. To overview, since my last post I have travelled to WV, partied in NYC, done some camping in Michigan, and just returned from Romania. That about covers everything! I'll try to give more details later (hopefully that's not just wishful thinking).

I'll begin with Romania where I helped at a Christian youth camp in the town of Sighetu. I was there for 2 weeks with a team of 12 others. We taught Bible stories, songs, and games, cleaned cabins, washed dishes, and did anything they asked us to do. I saw God work in such an amazing way each week as many campers accepted Christ as their Savior! I made some great friends and God taught me many things about serving Him and others.

The land itself is beautiful! It's mountainous with many farms, haystacks, and horses. The camp where I stayed was on the side of a mountain overlooking the town; I could see mountains all around and the sunsets were amazing!

To end, here's a few pictures from the journey.

Online Adventuring

Trees, dirt, rivers, spiders, snakes...nature at its finest. Backpacking is my newest hobby and I'm really excited about it. I took the biggest step when I ordered hiking boots online. I've never been much of an online shopper except for books and movies, but it was really the only option for finding the "perfect" boot. I surfed the web for about 2 weeks, made numerous calls to my brother (who is well-versed in hiking boots), and thought about it a lot before actually making a move. But, finally, I took the plunge, clicked "Buy", and waited, and waited. It seems like when you're expecting a package that time moves at an extremely slow pace. Every day I would eagerly run out to the mailbox in high hopes, only to come back with dissappointment on my face. After what felt like forever, I got a knock on my door...my boots!! Oh, thank you wonderful UPS man, deliverer of smiles to millions! I ripped open the packaging like it were Christmas morning and there they were, just as beautiful as I imagined - Keen Genoa Peak Mid Boots in Shitake/Orange Ochre!!Aren't they beautiful?? Don't be jealous.