Dear Readers,

I thought you all might enjoy an approximate reproduction of the conversation I had with several people at church today.  If you were one of the people I spoke to, I enjoyed talking to you and I'm trying to include a few details below that I may  not have mentioned in case you want to know more.  If you were not one of the people I spoke to, feel free to ask these questions yourself in person later if you want.  Otherwise, maybe this will help fill you in on my past, present, and future.    

Church Friend (CF): Alana!  You haven't been here lately.

Me: Nope!

CF: Where have you been?

Me: I was in Israel!

CF: Oh, how fun!  What were you doing there?

Me: I was there for about 2 years total (it's been 11 months since I've been back here), working on a master's degree in Biblical History and Geography with an emphasis in Historical Geography.  

CF: Oh, how interesting.  Did you like it?  What school were you at? What did you learn?
Me: (*How do I sum up what it took me 2 years to learn?  Oh well, I'll try*)  I liked it a lot.  And I learned a lot.  I was at Jerusalem University College (JUC - highly recommended).  We basically try to integrate our understanding of the Bible with the history, geography, and culture of the land.  So we studied a lot of Biblical routes and how people lived and moved and got food and fought and how the land affected life and how those images are used in the Bible.  Uh...if you want more details, we'll sit down sometime and I'll give you some examples. :)

CF: That sounds really great.  Are you going back?

Me: Well, hopefully.  I finished my degree, but I'm hoping to go back to volunteer at the school and help out there for a year or two, if and when I get a visa.  (So, you know, if you want to pray for me, you can pray that I'll get a visa sooner rather than later or never.)

CF: So how long will you be here?

Me: Not really sure...It depends on when I can get the visa.  Probably a couple months at least, maybe more. (So you can also pray that I will have wisdom to use this time well, especially as it is hard to plan since I don't know how long it will be.)

This brings me to the second main point of this post.  I am not really sure how many people read this blog, between blogger and facebook, but I had a number of people tell me today something along the lines of, "Oh, I read your blog!"  I am very glad that people read my blog (after all, I write it to be read), but if you are one of those people, I have two favors to ask of you.  Ready? :)

1. Please forgive me if I don't know as much about you as you know about me.  You might feel like you know me quite well and  are familiar with my life, thoughts, plans, etc.  I will probably not feel the same way about you, unless you are really good at emailing me or keep up a blog of your own.  Which brings me to the second point.

2. Unless you are a creepy stalker, if you read this blog, I probably want to know you better.  There are a number of ways for this to happen.  If you live in Montana, maybe we could get together for coffee or dinner or something while I'm here.  I even have a phone now and am willing to give out the number to people I know, so let me know if you're interested.  If you don't live nearby and/or want to remain more anonymous and impersonal, you can still participate by leaving blog comments.  If you are extremely lazy, I even added buttons below the blog which you can click to mark that you've read it.  I mean, it's kind of no fair that you know all sorts of things about me and I don't even know who reads this...so some sort of response occasionally would be nice. :)

Thanks in advance! :)

And now, to conclude this eclectic post, here are a few more random observations and mini-adventures as I adjust to life back in the States.

1. Holy huge washers and driers and ovens!  I was blessed to have all three of those things in my apartment in Israel, but the appliances here are about 2 or 3 times their size.   

2.  On the same note, I guess it's been striking me a lot how much we do have here.  You always hear how people in other countries think all Americans are rich...and I can see their point a lot better now.  Stores are huge and filled with so much...stuff...  We have so much space - houses are bigger (to fit the larger appliances), kitchens, bedrooms, yards...So much space.  So much stuff.  We are so blessed, and yet we forget so easily.

3. I may have walked to and from church today.  You know, just for fun, just to keep my "Jerusalem legs" in some sort of shape, just to remember to not take easy transportation for granted.  Do you know how blessed we are to have cars?  Admittedly, in Israel you could get by without a car fairly easily.  Things are closer together and there is better public transportation.  In America, cars are much more of a necessity...but they are still a huge blessing.  I don't want to forget that.  

4. Whenever I go to the bathroom in a new place, I have to remember that I CAN throw the toilet paper IN the toilet.  Craziness.  Is that gross?  Sorry...I may have forgotten some social norms too. :)

5. Whenever I plug something in I'm still slightly surprised that I don't need to go find an adapter first.

6. Whenever I start a car I'm still slightly surprised that I don't have to punch a code in first (as was necessary in all the rental cars in Israel).

7. I do love the smells of Montana.  Ah...fresh, clear, mountain air.  Nothing like it.
8.  Still SO GREEN.  Still loving the greenness, clouds, even occasional rain.  Hooray for variations in weather!  Hooray for sunsets and rainbows!

9. My parents are great.  Really, my whole family is great.  Yeah.  I'm pretty blessed.

10. I'm still processing...trying to keep the good and avoid the bad in both worlds, so to speak.  So please be patient with me and I'll try to be humble and not bore you with too many tales of "In Israel, we..."

Thanks for reading and please click one of the reaction buttons below! :)

The Eagles are Coming!

"There is no real going back. Though I may come to the Shire, it will not seem the same; for I shall not be the same. I am wounded with knife, sting, and tooth, and a long burden. Where shall I find rest?" ~Frodo, Return of the King

Several times over the past semester I have compared my experience at JUC to that of Frodo and Sam at Mount Doom.  I don't mean  to imply that it has been a miserable or traumatic experience.  Certainly there have been elements of misery and trauma as are common in life, but it has been a wonderful blessing to spend two years on this "journey" to my MA.  The point is, though, it has changed me.  It has changed us.  There is a handful of other hobbits, dwarves, elves, and men who have been with me on this journey, some for the full two years, some for slightly less time.  We have traveled together, explored, studied, learned, hiked, swam, endured burning sun and freezing rains and flying rocks, watched sunsets in desert skies, shared meals, shared rooms, laughed together, prayed together, studied the Bible together.  There is something about living in a foreign country where there is the combination of so much ancient history (especially Biblical History) and so much modern conflict.  There seems to be a general consensus: after this, it's going to be hard to fit back into life in the States.

However, fortunately for Frodo and Sam, journeys always have an ending.  This JUC journey is ending for most of my companions.

One more meal together before more departures.

The Eagles are coming and, one by one, taking my friends back to their own little "Shires" where, like Frodo and Sam, they will try to find a place to fit and search out the company of others who have had similar experiences, looking for people who understand, and hoping for many JUC reunions in the years to come.

A few of us help my roommate of two years pack up.

A few of us will still remain after this summer, to continue the journey together.  Our absent companions will be greatly missed, but it is a huge blessing that a few will remain to grow together some more, and to add a few more companions as we journey on.

The verdict is in...

We, the members of the jury, find Alana guilty of missing teaching.

It's true. I was thinking the other day about how I hate learning all these cool things, and then having no one to tell about it. That may be part of the reason I blog so much - it's about the only instructive-type-outlet I have.

So, while I still have no idea what the future may hold after, oh, about May, actually, I must admit, I hope it includes teaching, in some form or another.

Another day, another year older

Yes, I had a birthday.

Yes, it was a particularly good birthday.

Why?

No, I didn't get any large and exciting gifts (though the ones I did get were wonderful and thoughtful and fit me well).

I did get to take a trip...to eastern Montana. Hardly the vacation spot of choice, though I enjoyed it.

The best part, though, was that I got to spend it with (almost) my entire family (from my dad's side). I am so blessed by the family God has given me. As far as I can tell, all of them are believers, which gives us another common ground (besides blood).

We went out to Sleepy Hollow, the old homestead, and went for a drive across the rolling hills, roasted wieners and marshmallows over an open fire, talked, and sang worship songs together. Most of us live so far apart and get to see each other so rarely, it was a great blessing for all of us to be together for just a short time.

And now? I head back to Jerusalem in a few more days. I pray that as I go through the year ahead God would help me to grow in knowledge, wisdom, and love for Him.

Public Service Announcement...of sorts

Another year, another chance to blog...not that I've made use of that opportunity thus far. Until now. Probably because I haven't really had anything to say.

However, since being home, I have been asked a number of questions, many of which were more or less the same. So for those of you who haven't had the chance to ask me those questions or for those who I didn't have time to give a complete answer, I will include here a list of questions and answers. Please feel free to skip to the ones that interest you. :)


Q. How was your time in Israel?
A. Great. Wonderful. Interesting. Life-changing. Etc.
(Note: I understand that this question and ones like it must be asked, but I hope you will forgive me if my answer is somewhat unsatisfactory. I mean, I really have a hard time fitting 3 months worth of descriptions into a 5 minute conversation. If you want to know more call me, we'll hang out and talk and I'm sure I'll be able to think of more stories or even show you pictures. If not, well, it really was an amazing semester.)

Q. Are you going back?
A. Yes, I am going back. Yes, in spite of the war with Gaza and the conflict with Lebanon. While there is some added tension (especially in East Jerusalem - the Palestinian section) it is not likely to affect my life in West Jerusalem very much. At least not at this point.

Q. When are you going back?
A. Lord willing, I will head back on the 26th of January and arrive in Tel Aviv around 2:30pm on the 27th. I'm rather looking forward to NOT arriving at 3 in the morning!

Q. How long will you be there?
A. Yeah, I'm never sure how to answer this one...it kind of has a couple different answers. So I'll give the full explanation here. For now I am heading back for another semester. Which means that I will probably return to the states sometime in May. However, the program I'm in is a two year program. Which means that I will be returning to Israel for my last two semesters probably sometime in August.

Q. Oh yeah, what program are you doing again?
A. I am getting a masters degree in Biblical History and Geography (though I haven't yet decided on my emphasis - Archaeology, Old Testament, Second Temple, or Geography - and I also haven't decided whether or not to do a thesis.)

Q. What's the school like? Are there students from all over? Do you have any classes in English? Are there many believers there?
A. Ok, the school itself is basically American. It is known as "The American Institute" over there and it is associated with a number of Christian schools in America. So all the classes are in English, and almost all of the students are from America (except a few from Korea and one from Nigera...I think that's about all). As far as I know, all of the students and full-time faculty are believers. However, some of the teachers are native to the land (Jewish and Palestinian) and some of the Jews are Jewish in religion as well. So its interesting to get their perspective. If you want to know more, I think I have a link to the school on the right side of this page. Check it out. :)

Q. What was your favorite part?
A. Oh, that's another nearly impossible question...um...
Short answer: I really liked seeing Petra. And the Pyramids. And....now we'll switch to the long answer.
Long answer: Wow, it might be easier to answer what my least favorite part was. That was probably getting sick on the way home from Egypt. Other than that, wow, it was all pretty great. Honestly, though, I have to say, even though it sounds incredibly geeky, that I probably enjoyed learning the most. And trying to fit everything together. And thinking through what I've always been taught and what some of these more "liberal" teachers at the school taught and trying to draw my own conclusions. (And I've used the word "and" far more than it ever should be used.) Anyway, as ungrammatical as this paragraph may be, it really was a very interesting and stretching semester.

Q. Any nice young men over there?
Q. (Alternate) Ain't you datin' no one yit?
A. No, no, no. No. I mean, fine, there are some young men who are nice, but...no. (Kimberlee, do you hear me??)

Q. What are you doing after you graduate.
A. (short answer) I have no idea.
(long answer) Really, I have loads of ideas, it would just take too long to explain them all in a 5 minute conversation. So I don't try. But here, in the quietness of my blog, I will try to take a moment or two to outline a few of my thoughts on the future, in case anyone wants to know. Let's see...where to begin.
1. I am not uninterested in being a wife and mother someday. However, as that is something completely out of my control and therefore rather unplannable, I'll leave this option out of the picture as I list the other options.
2. I have to say that I really miss teaching. So maybe after graduating I might seek out another teaching job. Maybe I'd try to go back to Petra. Maybe I'd go somewhere else. Maybe I'd even try to teach at an MK school.
3. Speaking of MK's, I'm still interested in full-time ministry, especially overseas. Maybe I'd pursue something in this area.
4. As I've learned more about, well, a lot of subjects, I've begun to see more and more of a need for good, conservative, Bible-believing, Christian scholars in all areas. (See previous post.) Anyway, I do like school, though I'm not sure if I like it that much, but I'm wondering if I should pursue a further degree in something and maybe attempt to meet some of those needs. Probably not, but it is a thought in the back of my mind.

Ok, I think those were the most "burning" questions. Let me know if you have any further ones you'd like to see addressed and then tune in next time for another Q&A with Alana. ;)