First Field Study

 Saturday morning, a week ago, a small group of us were on the bus, bright an early, headed for the Judean Wilderness and two Herodian fortresses.  No, not the famous ones: Masada and the Herodium.  We were headed to two fortresses that most people will have never heard of: Hyrcania and Cypros.  

 

After we headed under the Mount of Olives and zoomed eastward, descending into the valley of the Dead Sea, green hills flashed by.  After a winter of record rainfall, the Judean wilderness was more green than I had ever seen it.  Green, and part of it, purple with wildflowers.  

 

I was on the wrong side of the bus to get very good pictures of the purple...but hopefully you can get an idea with these pictures.  It was pretty spectacular.  

We took a turn off Highway 1 at three signs that pointed to "An Nabi Musa," "Hureqanya," and "Wadi Og."  

We paused first at the bridge over the Wadi Og/Wadi Mukalik.  The last time I had been there, it was filled with water, rushing down from the hills near Jerusalem where it was raining.  This time there was no rain, and the wadi bottom was as dry as ever.  

Our next stop was one of the three small Iron Age sites in the Buqei'a Valley.  

Joshua 15:61-62 mentions six cities "in the wilderness:"   Beth-arabah, Middin, and Secacah, 

and Nibshan, and the city of Salt, and En-gedi.  We are more or less sure where three of those are: Beth-arabah, the City of Salt, and En-gedi are almost certainly near the Dead Sea.  Middin, Secacah, and Nibshan, on the other hand, are virtually unknown.  However, there are these three Iron Age sites which may fit the bill.  So we paused at the middle one.  If you have a map where they are labeled, it's probably labeled as "Secacah."

 It was excavated once in the 70's, before the Buqei'a became a place for the Israeli army to play war games.  We are standing here on the remains of the city wall.

We had a little free time to explore the site and we found some nice...

 ...wait, THAT'S not Iron Age pottery.

We took our bus a little bit further down the road before starting on of first major hike of the day: to Hyrcania.

 It's wonderful to find flowers in the wilderness (the hill of Hyrcania is in the background, to the left.)  Their beauty is not only refreshing in a barren wilderness, but serves as a poignant reminder of the truths of scripture:

A voice said, Cry! And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all its grace as the flower of the field!  The grass withers, the flower fades because the Spirit of Jehovah blows on it. Surely the people is grass.  The grass withers; the flower fades; but the Word of our God shall rise forever. 
~Isaiah 40:6-8

 We got closer....but it was still a hike.

 Once we got to the top we found bits of glass and looked at maps and read from Josephus.  We learned that Hyrcania was named after a Hasmonean king, and had been a fortress before Herod got to it.  Long after the time of Herod it became a monastery, and monks dwelt there even into the 1920's.

 Then we hiked back down on a beautiful grassy hill...again, more grass than I'd seen in this area.

 We delved into the tunnels, made famous by the copper scroll and Bob the pilot.

 We paused for lunch at An Nabi Musa, a Muslim monastery and the first stop on the pilgrim route from Jerusalem to Mecca.  It is named after Moses, and claims to have his tomb (the tomb in question dates to a much later time), but it was a nice place to eat lunch.

This is the view inside:

 And the view outside.  A lot of Muslim graves, and "Moses" tomb on top of the hill.

After lunch we continued down into the Jordan Valley and stopped by the New Testament site of Jericho, heading to Cypros.  This fortress had be built by Herod and named after his mother, a Nabatean princess.

There was still some water in the Wadi Qelt from recent rains, and we enjoyed the sound of running water as we hiked along it.

 

At one point the water grew especially loud.  Somehow, large amounts of water had escaped the aqueduct that also ran along the wadi, and it was running free along the road.  It watered the roots of this tree and reminded us of the man in Psalm 1.

As we approached the top of Cypros (which had housed an Israeli army base at one point) we found that the bunker tunnels that we normally entered through had collapsed.  We found a way over.  

 And then we spent some time on top looking studious.

After a good view of Jericho on top (including the Old and New Testament sites) and a good lesson and more reading from Josephus we found a different way down.

We walked along the wadi further and over looked the St. George's Monastery.  Unfortunately, by then, my camera batteries were dead.  For pictures you'll have to look back in time at a former post.  

Dr. Wright decided it was a good day  for ice cream, and we had a little extra time, so we paused in Jericho at a little, brightly colored store, and all got a scoop of ice cream.

 

All in all, it's one of my favorite field studies (and the third time I'd gone).  We came home exhausted, but happy to have seen some rarer places, off the regular tourist route.  

Snow Day in Jerusalem

Friday  morning I woke up to this sight on my way to the bathroom:

And these sights:

Of course I had to go put my foot in it,

and make a snowball.  

Later that morning it started snowing heavily.

This is the picture of "hell" frozen over...

I wanted to go sledding on the roof.

 Through the swirling snow we caught a glimpse of a small snowman.

 But it wasn't long before the snow stopped and the sun came out.

 Poor little snowman (and his miniature companion that I quickly constructed) didn't last too long...

 It's kind of fun to see the snow on "tropical" plants.

I guess I brought some snow with me from Montana this time.  

Introducing Mr. Squeaky

My pocket is a worm home.

At least, that's what my nephew, Jack, decided when I was visiting last week.  My pocket was just the right size and shape and height to make a home for his small, blue, plastic worm.  It had the additional perk of also containing chap-stick, so he could alternate putting in and taking out the worm and the chap-stick.  Who knew a pocket could be so much fun?!

One morning at breakfast he snuck the worm into my pocket.  I was already at the school where my brother works (watching him for the day) when I realized Jack had never removed the worm from my pocket.  And thus began the adventures of Mr. Squeaky, the small, blue, plastic worm.

When he first got to school he hung out with the teachers for a while, sharing some bagels and cream cheese.  (As everyone knows, blue plastic worms prefer blueberry bagels.)

Then he went to class and learned about Geometry and how to do constructions.

Having mastered Geometry he moved on to Analytic Geometry (aka Calculus) and quickly mastered that as well.  

He decided to expand his horizons beyond math and looked into science.  Science Olympiad seemed like just the thing.

 First he test drove a mouse-trap car.

 Then he helped Jack's dad saw some wood.

He wanted to ride the trebuchet, but it wasn't quite ready.  

Tired out from the day, he tried to blend in with a stained glass window so a bird wouldn't try to eat him as he napped.

Finally he headed home where he was happily reunited with his owner Jack, and they both lived happily ever after. :)

Nine Days

You'd be surprised what can happen in only 9 days.  I'm still catching my breath from my last nine days and the adventure is just beginning.

It started the afternoon of Tuesday the 21st.  I checked my email and found out that my return to Israel, which I had been awaiting for roughly a year and a half had to occur immediately - within the week.  I was already planning to go to Kentucky the next day, and didn't want to cancel that trip.  So Tuesday was busy.

I bid a tearful farewell to my boyfriend of one week...

That's us in our snow fort.  If a boy helps you build a snow fort, you know he's a good one.  

...and then spent the rest of the day and most of the night packing EVERYTHING.

Wednesday morning I headed to Kentucky, arriving there that night.

I greatly enjoyed my time with my brother, nephew,

sister-in-law and niece.

The nephew LOVES books.  I read to him quite a bit.  He may not look like he's loving it, but he was.

He also has great taste in transportation. :)

Monday evening I got on a (2 hour delayed) flight from Kentucky to Newark.

Somehow, by God's grace, I still managed to get on my flight to Tel Aviv.  Because I was so late, I didn't even have to go through the full security measures - just a pat down and a cursory carry-on search.

On the plane I enjoyed watching "Horton Hears a Who" and eating curry...  I thought it would be fun to request on of their special meals, for a change.  It was...interesting.

Finally I arrived in Tel Aviv, and in time, a sherut dropped me off at JUC.

I'm afraid I don't really have any pictures in Jerusalem yet.  It's been pouring rain pretty much since I arrived, so that I even try to avoid going to the bathroom as long as possible because it requires a few steps outside. Pictures of rain aren't all that exciting.

But it IS exciting to finally be here.  I'm starting to figure out my place as staff, learning about some of my duties, and it's good.

It's been a crazy nine days, bittersweet in many ways.  Many hard good-byes, but quite a few joyful reunions as well.  That's life.  But God is always good.  

Lessons from the Children's Museum

For those of you who have not been to the Children's Museum here in town, you simply must go.  Of course, you probably should have a child to accompany you, or you'll be considered a total creeper.  If you don't have a child of your own, find some way to beg, borrow, or steal a child before planning your museum visit.  (Please don't actually steal a child.  That's what real creepers do.  Don't.)  Once you have your child in hand, you may proceed to the museum.

I was fortunate enough to borrow a child of a friend last night (a.k.a. I was babysitting) and we visited the museum.  I must say that I learned some very important lessons.

1. If I had some of these toys at home I would be playing with them ALL THE TIME.  I mean, honestly?  Just think of all the possibilities with this one:

So cool.  Your child will be fine with leaving the toys there.  You will want to take them home.  Resist that urge.  

2. If you are female, you may want to make sure that your shirt has a very high neckline.  Otherwise, when your small child has a handful of flax seed, he may find a happy hole to drop it down...and you will be finding flax seeds on your person for a week.  (Yes, this happened, no not to me.)

3. Puppet shows are fun for all ages!  Especially when the walls and LIGHT SWITCHES are mirrored so you can see yourself perform.

And now I absolutely want a mirrored light switch.  

4. Jenga is much easier when you use pieces of wood that are shorter and broader...and you lay them out 5x5.

And for all that I still lost to a 5-year-old.  Twice.  

So go to the Children's Museum.  Enjoy yourself!  And try not to cry when it's time to go home.  

Snowflakes

God thunders wondrously with his voice; he does great things that we cannot comprehend. 
For to the snow he says, 'Fall on the earth,' likewise to the downpour, his mighty downpour. 
                                                                                                     ~Job 37:5-6


Have you entered the storehouses of the snow, or have you seen the storehouses of the hail, 
which I have reserved for the time of trouble, for the day of battle and war? 
                                                                                                       ~Job 38:22-23

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 
                                                                                                     ~Psalm 51:7


He gives snow like wool; he scatters hoarfrost like ashes. 
He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs; who can stand before his cold? 
He sends out his word, and melts them; he makes his wind blow and the waters flow. 
                                                                                                     ~Psalm 147:16-18

Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all deeps, 
fire and hail, snow and mist, stormy wind fulfilling his word! 
                                                                                                     ~Psalm 148:7-8

Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. 
                                                                                                     ~Isaiah 1:18