Our journey began three days ago, we arrived in Tel Aviv yesterday afternoon, but our actual experience of the city of Jerusalem began this morning. The view from my window is amazing! I can see the Dome of the Rock from where I’m sitting right now on my bed. At 5:30 this morning I could hear the Muslim’s chanting their prayers from the Old City. Then after a short debriefing the group headed toward the Jafa Gate where we did a prayer walk, but it turned into more of a “Oooohh look at that! Can you take my picture?” walk instead. What would you expect though of our first time setting foot in the city where Jesus walked! Afterward we went to a Messianic church. The worship was in Hebrew of course, and it was beautiful. I have totally fallen in love with the language! We also got lost in an Arab market, which was quite the experience. And then for dinner we ate filaffels, and i must say… not bad! So far I’m having an amazing time, I’ve already taken well over 100 pictures, and I can’t wait to upload them and share them with you all! But for now I better get some sleep. Early morning wake up call! Shalom!
I’ve been cooped up in this house so long I’ve actually started talking to myself. Outloud. Or to the animals. Sometimes I think they understand me. Makko looks pretty attentive at least. Roxy just cocks her head to the side with her eyes wide open in fear, and then runs away with her tail between her legs. That’s Roxy though. I tried to take her out to pee earlier, you’d think I was dragging her to the lions! Poor thing, she’s lived such a hard life. (Gag me.. Never has there been a dog as pampered and spoiled as that one.)
Well, I’m convinced that I will be writing papers until Jesus comes back. And maybe even after that. I write and write and write, and read and read and read, and never seem to make a dent. I see no light at the end of this long, dark, ominous tunnel… except maybe the fact that Israel is a week away.
Oh yah, there is that. 
I’m trying to fight back the nostalgia of what today once was. It’s hard sometimes to quit seeing the future the way you used to see it, and to start seeing it the way God does. But what’s the point of staying there, in the past? when there’s so much to live for here in the present! God has blessed me with so many opportunities this year, and its only March. It’s time to start chasing new dreams and quit mourning the ones that died.
Twenty days from today I’ll be on the other side of the world. I’m stoked! There’s still so much left to do in preparation though. I wish I could just hit the fast forward button to 3 weeks from now. We got our final itinerary today. It looks like this:
Day 1: Arrive TLV BUS AND GUIDE half day
Day 2: Day of orientation – Walk to Jaffa Gate – First impression of Old City – Prayer walk no guide or bus
Day 3: Orientation of Jerusalem– Tower of David Museum, Old City Walls – GUIDE
Day 4: Knesset, Holocaust Museum, Mt Herzl – BUS AND GUIDE
Day 5: Golan Heights, Tel Dan Nature Reserve, Caesarea Phillipi, border with Syria – BUS AND GUIDE
Day 6: Menorah opposite Knesset, Israel Museum (Shrine of the Book and Second Temple Model) – BUS AND GUIDE
Day 7: Tel Aviv: Diaspora Museum, Carmel Market – BUS AND GUIDE
Day 8: ———–
Day 9: ————
Day 10: Galilee: Ancient Boat, Boat Ride on Sea of Galilee, Mt of Beatitudes Tabgha (Peter’s Primacy), Capernaum –
(Re)baptism in Jordan River BUS AND GUIDE
Day 11: Valley of Ela (David and Goliath), Phillistine Country, Cave of Absalom – BUS AND GUIDE
Day 12: JSC Building Dedication – no guide or bus
Day 13: Dead Sea, Qumran, overnight Bedouin Camp – Camel Ride BUS AND GUIDE
Day 14: Massada, Desert Jeep Safari including lunch – BUS AND GUIDE
Day 15: ————–
Day 16: ————–
Day 17: Galilee: Nazareth, Caesarea, Megiddo, Beit Shean, Mt. Carmel – BUS AND GUIDE
Day 18: Morning: Rockefeller Museum; afternoon: Introduction to Islam – GUIDE
Day 19: Archeological dig (arranged by IGT for all 43 students-4 hours) – BUS AND GUIDE
Day 20: Bethlehem, Church of the Nativity, Shepherd’s Field, Herodian – BUS AND GUIDE
Day 21: Ein Gedi – Day of reflection
Day 22: ——————
Day 23: ——————
Day 24: Mt of Olives, Palm Sunday Road, Garden of Gethsemane, Caiaphas House, Upper Room – BUS AND GUIDE
Day 25: Northern Negev, Sde Boker (Ben Gurion’s home and museum), Beer Sheba, Joe Alon Museum, Sderot – BUS AND GUIDE
Day 26: Old City of Jerusalem: Jewish Quarter, Burnt House, Temple Institute, Free time in Arab Market- GUIDE
Day 27: Old City: Pools of Bethesda, Ecco Homo, St Anne’s, Via Dolorosa Garden Tomb – GUIDE
Day 28: Galilee: Haifa, Akko, Gideon’s Spring, Jezreel Valley, Tree Planting – BUS AND GUIDE
Day 29: ——————
Day 30: ——————
Day 31: Easter Sunday daybreak celebration, City of David (including Hezekiah’s Tunnel) – GUIDE
Day 32: Temple Mount, Old City of Jerusalem, Western Wall, Western Wall Tunnels – GUIDE
Day 33: Depart for Home BUS AND GUIDE half day – depart Tel Aviv
I can’t wait to be over there having the experience of a lifetime. It’s going to be insane!
I’m not the biggest fan of today. For many reasons..
- It’s ridiculous to have a day specifically sanctioned for appreciating the one you love. Shouldn’t you appreciate them all year ’round?
- Not everyone has someone to celebrate the day with, and being reminded that you’re alone by every commercial, retailer, and billboard is horribly depressing to some people. Especially the one’s who were recently in a relationship that ended.
- Valentine’s Day is basically an excuse for the floral and greeting card industries to jack up their prices and make a huge profit. Having worked for a florist for 5 years on and off I’ve witnessed it first hand. I would never spend $300 on flowers, balloons, and stuffed animals, nor would I expect someone to spend it on me. Flowers die, balloons deflate, and for real.. how many teddy bears does a girl need?
- You’re all probably thinking, “This girl’s just cynical because she’s single”, but before you go making assumptions let me just clarify. I haven’t been single on Valentine’s Day since I was 13. So that’s probably my reason number four: I don’t remember what it’s like to not have someone to celebrate the day with. I guess I’ve been disillusioned.
Having said all that, I’m not opposed to celebrating. Rob and I will be going to the movies tonight, and he is cooking me dinner at home. Simple, inexpensive… and just how I like it. I just don’t understand all the hype.
Today begins hell week. I can’t believe I actually used to look forward to this. I guess it’s because of all the money I make. But this year I’m not so thrilled. First of all, I’m not accostumed to the stress anymore. I haven’t worked since Mother’s Day. And secondly, the money is already spent. It’s going straight to my car payment and credit card bills. So I really won’t feel any reward when it’s over. Grrr, I loathe adult life more and more every day. It’s gonna be a crazy long 5 days.
I’m so happy Kelly’s back! She’s my idol. I’ve got my fingers crossed that this next album is going to do better than the last one, though I loved My December. I thought it was real and raw. The songs she writes are always so honest and heartfelt. But I guess I was the only one who appreciated it. Oh well. This new song is great, and it’s the stuff people want to hear. Plus the video is cute.
That’s all. I got nothin’ else, just felt like pluggin’.
How do you know if you’ve truly forgiven someone? Saying “I’m sorry” doesn’t make the offense okay. And saying “I forgive you” doesn’t make the pain go away. So how do you know? I’ve heard that with forgiveness comes peace and freedom from anger. When you hold onto things they breed resentment. So the best option is to just let it go. But does letting go require that you forget? How do you forget about something that has caused so much pain? You can say you forgive them, commit the matter to God, and cut the cord with that person… but the damage has already been done. The scars are already there. And scars don’t let you forget. So I don’t understand how the phrase “forgive and forget” makes any sense. I think it’s just something people say. I know that God can make everything new, and God can take away the pain, but I don’t think He wants us to forget. Everyone experiences pain. That’s how we are shaped and refined and strengthened. And everyone causes pain. Some relationships and friendships just aren’t supposed to last. There’s nothing wrong with that, and it’s no one’s fault. You just take what you can from the experience and learn from it. You don’t let anger control your life, and you don’t hold a grudge. But you don’t forget. I don’t think we ever really forget. We just find peace.
I’ve been debating whether or not it’s possible to make a list of my top 10 favorite songs. If you know me at all you know that there isn’t a song on the radio I don’t know all of the words to, so this is a difficult task. But against all odds, I’m determined to do it… but let’s make it 15. :0)
15. Gravity – Sara Bareilles
14. Drops of Jupiter – Train
13. Champagne Supernova – Oasis
12. Push – Matchbox Twenty
11. Hands Down – Dashboard Confessional
10. Still – Matt Nathanson
9. Superman – Five for Fighting
8. Boston – Augustana
7. Sober – Kelly Clarkson
6. Hotel California – The Eagles
5. I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing – Aerosmith
4. Iris – Goo Goo Dolls
3. The Freshman – The Verve Pipe
2. Stupid Boy – Keith Urban
1. You Were Meant for Me – Jewel
It’s not easy letting go of things. Even if they’re things that are causing pain. I think in that case we just grow accostomed to it. We forget that we used to feel better and happier. We just get comfortable with the pain. Or we convince ourselves that eventually it will get better and just endure. But you can’t live the abundant life that God promises unless you cut the cord. Eliminate the relationships, grudges, habits, and anything else that is preventing it. Life is too short not to be happy.
