Back Home on the Range

Wow, was that a dream or did I really go to Israel for 3.5 months?

Yesterday, as I touched down in Kansas City and walked out to see my family waiting, I felt like I had just left for my semester abroad. But, here I am typing at our family computer, stomach full of the chocolate chip cookies I just pulled from the oven, and reflecting on the trip and missing my friends. We experienced some unique adventures together, and I am grateful for the chance to get to spend so much time with such wonderful people. I definitly made some life-long friendships on this trip. I have learned so much and have already been fighting the losing battle of forgetfulness. Oh how I want to remember and put into practice what I've seen and heard! Abner reminded us before we left, that we came to IBEX to leave IBEX. We are to go back home to our churches, families, and work places and share what we have learned and live differently because of what we have experienced. And do so with love, for without it we are annoying, clanging cymbals (1 Cor. 13).

Well, my semester of great adventures has come to a close, and consequently this is my last blogpost. Thank you all for praying for me and coming along with me via blog! I appreciate all the encouraging emails I received! Please continue to pray for me that I will be able to incorporate the things I have learned into the way I live. It is so easy to fall back into old patterns and routines when I come home.

"For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever, Amen!" Romans 11:36

Adventures in Egypt

Wow! What an adventure! Last week was our spring break here at IBEX and the group I went with decided to head to Egypt. We were underprepared and did not know what to expect other than what we had been told by previous IBEXers who also went to Egypt. With nothing but a backpack full of a weeks worth of stuff, we headed out down to the Gulf of Elat and over the border into Egypt, across the Sinai Peninsula and into Cairo. From the get-go we realized that all the plans that we made and would make could change in an instant - and they did! God was really gracious to my group though. We were able to team up with other groups through out the whole trip, which helped with bargaining and finding places to stay, as well as good fun and fellowship. Cairo was very dirty. I thought Israel was dirty, but now that I'm back I feel like I could run around barefoot and eat my food off the street. Cairo is also extremely crowded and noisy and crossing the street is a death defying adventure in and of itself. Our first night we stayed in a sketchy hotel after wandering around looking for the one we planned on staying in only to find that it was booked. Courtney and I slept wrapped in the sheets we brought, although I got very little sleep because of all the noise going on outside. The next morning we got up at 5 am and headed to the pyramids to make sure we got a ticket to go up into the Great Pyramid. We were there plenty early and looked at a nice hotel nearby to waste time. The Pyramids were so much bigger than I thought they would be, although the surroundings were different from what I imagined. The city comes right up to them on two sides. After the Pyramids we had lunch at Pizza Hut which was really cheap and then we visited the Cairo Museum. I was sort of dissapointed by the museum, which really is more like a warehouse. It has tons and tons of treasures in it, but they do not organize it very well and most of the time the descriptions are not helpful at all. After that we spent an hour floating on the Nile River and walking around before heading to the train station. We went to Luxor on a night train - my first experience riding a train. It was pretty dirty and hard to sleep, but kind of fun at the same time. Luxor was a lot cleaner and less stressful than Cairo. After getting a hotel, one much nicer than the first, we visited the two temples there, Luxor and Karnak. We just walked around the outside of Luxor temple because it is small, but went in Karnak which was monolethic and breathtaking. It is amazing to think how much time, engery, money, and effort was put into building such a grand structure to gods that don't even exist. Talk about wasting your life. The next day we visited Valley of the Kings. We got to go inside three tombs, which dip down into the ground and are colorfully painted and carved. It was really hot and we would always come out dripping. Two people from our group got in trouble for taking pictures inside, I snapped two before I realized it was not allowed. Thankfully I did not have to go talk to the director like they did. We also went to Banana Island and were greatly overcharged...everything has to be bargained for here and it can be quite exhausting. Fortunately for us girls, the guys did all of the bargaining and purchasing. They took good care of us! That night my group joined up with another group going back to Cairo on another night train. The next morning we had a hard time getting a ride, but finally found two taxis to take us back over Sinai. While we were walking through the street I got splattered by some nasty red tomato paste like stuff...and got to stay that way for the drive across the desert sitting in a cramped hot taxi with 4 other people. I had my share of being sprayed and spattered while in Egypt! After the long drive across we made it to the border and crossed after being thoroughly questioned by the Israeli border patrol. Passover was still going on so Taxis were very expensive so we decided to walk to Elat from the border. We started after 10 p.m. and an hour and a half later thought it might have been a good idea to take the taxi. We had walked nearly six miles with our backpacks on. It was long and we were tired but most everyone was in a good mood and we had a good laugh. We got ourselves some icecream and found a hotel and went to bed. The next two days we spent in Elat relaxing on the beach, walking around the boardwalk, shopping, and drinking smoothies and eating different foods. It was nice to really relax and spend time with good friends.

Most of the people who went to Egypt had a great time, but will tell you they never want to go back. I would probably agree. I had so much fun with my group and don't regret it at all. Although it was hard, roughing it was exciting and created lots of good stories. We saw some amazing sites as well as experienced some bad ones, which makes us very thankful for the country we live in. We are all amazed at God's protection and how smoothly things went compared to how they could have gone. Overall it was lots of fun and I had a great time, and I didn't get the Nile Fever or the Plague or get sold for camels!

Here's just a glimpse of our trip. Enjoy!

Standing in front of the tomb of King Tut. I went into the tombs of three pharoahs but was not able to go into this one.

Daniel, Courtney, and I on our way to Luxor on the night train.

This is what was outside our scary hotel the first night. Needless to say...we did not sleep much.

The Nile River at sunset.

Heather and I at the Karnak Temple in Luxor.

Lily and I in front of the Sphinx and the Pyramids.

Court and I with the Pyramids of Cairo.

What sort of people ought we to be?

Last week was our much anticipated field trip to Galilee. We spent 8 days visiting different biblical and historical sights, as well as going hiking and floating down the Jordan River! For five nights of the trip, we stayed in a small resort at En Gev, right on the Sea of Galilee. It was amazing getting to visit the different locations where Jesus performed a majority of His miracles, and even get to go for a boat ride on the very Sea that He walked on and calmed.

In just one short week we took in a lot of information. On our last evening there, we had a bonfire on the shore and one of our professors, Abner, challenged us with what we would take back from our Galilee trip. His challenge was from 2 Peter; he reminded us that there is only one thing we can be sure of, and that is the coming Day of the Lord. It is so easy for us to create realities of our own in which we live, or to follow "cleverly devised myths" that the world presents. The "American Dream" has become the myth that many of us seek after, and as college students, most of us expect to graduate, get jobs, get married, and live the American Dream. While having a 9 to 5 job, a house in the suburbs, and 2.5 kids is not sin in and of itself, for many it has become their ultimate pursuit. The American Dream isn't the only cleverly devised myth that people follow...there are any number of them. What Abner challenged us was to remember what is really real...it's not getting married (we don't know if we will ever get married - we could die tomorrow), it's not being successful, it's not "living the good life." What is really real is the coming "judgment and destruction of the ungodly" (2 Pet. 3:7). Verses 8-10 says that the Lord's coming will be like a thief in the night and on that day every deed will be exposed and layed bare. So, what sort of people ought we to be? Peter says we should "live lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming day of God." In the following verses (14-18), Peter challenges waiting believers to be found guiltless, without blemish or spot, and to not be deceived by lawless people. "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." The fact that Jesus is coming back to judge the world and to fulfill His promises should cause us as believers to hope in what is really real, and to live a life accordingly. Abner's challenge to grow in God's grace and to grow in godliness in light of what is really real was very eye opening for me...it makes me think of what I talked about in my last post..What do I love? What am I living for?

Below are a few pictures from the trip. I hope you enjoy them!

Who will Gideon choose? Some lapped and some knelt - Judges 7. This is Harod Spring, where God set apart 300 men for Gideon.

Running in front of the fortress of Aphek/Antipatris. Paul was taken through here on his way to Caesaria.

Standing by the ruins of Dor, along the Mediterranean Sea.

Walking the streets of Beth Shan.

Boat ride on the Sea of Galilee! The girl in pink is Lily, one of my roomates from Mexico.

Heather and I in front of the Sea of Galilee.

Standing on the Nazareth Ridge, overlooking the beautiful Jezreel Valley.

Caesaria, where Paul was imprisoned for nearly two years. Herod the Great built a huge man-made port here.

What do you love?

Last week we spent four days traveling in the Negev, the Southern part of Israel. I'm so thankful for a safe trip! We had a packed itinerary and a lot of fun! Many of us were sick, but there was very little complaining. We had one sprained ankle in the group, but other than that the trip went smoothly.

By now we have had several hikes and trips through the desert, which our professor calls a testing place. A few weeks ago we hiked around En Gedi, which has reached temperatures of 113F on past IBEX trips. We were blessed with cool weather because of a recent rain, but I can imagine what it must be like to hike that terrain in scorching heat. We stopped at a small spring and our professor, Abner read Psalm 63. This Psalm was written by David when he was in the wilderness of Judah, hiding from his enemies. He spent years in the wilderness, hiding in caves and fleeing from King Saul who was seeking his life. You can imagine how hard it would be to live in a place with little water and little protection, and how easy it would be to put your trust and hope in earthly provisions and strongholds. But David says, "O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek for you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water...Your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise You." David's body and soul were most likely weak and famished when he wrote this, yet instead of longing for water and security, he longs for the Lord! Abner asked us then, What do you love? What do you love more than God - what are you longing for?

I've been asking myself that question since that day, yet have found I am good at avoiding actually answering it. What do I love?

On our trip last week, Bill had us wander in the Wilderness of Paran for 40 minutes, like the Israelites did for 40 years. We read and meditated on Deuteronomy 8, which says that God led the children of Israel in the wilderness for forty years in order to humble them and test them, to see what was in their hearts. Verses 11-20 warn them to not forget all that God did for them and to remember the Lord who is the one who gives them every good thing. To remember is not just to recall, it is more of an action. We remember, and because of that we obey and follow. Verse 19 again made me ask myself, "What do you love?" It says, "if you forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish." I recommend that if you have not read Idols of the Heart by Elise Fitzpatrick, that you do. We think that today because we do not bow down to little wooden images that we don't have idols. Ohh but we do. Whether it be the praise of man, finanical stability, love, looks, sports, shopping, a spouse, control, stability, or something else, whatever we put in the place of God is our idol. Whatever we think about, talk about, spend our time and money on, whatever we love more than God - that is our idol. How can we forsake the fountain of living waters for broken and empty cisterns that hold no water? I hope that you will be challenged to ask yourself, as I have, "What do you love?" What do you think you need in order to be happy? Although I know I will continue to struggle to love the Lord with all of my heart, soul, and mind - I know that in His presence there is fullness of joy, and at His right hand are pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11).


Here is photo of the wilderness. Imagine wandering around here for forty years..

My roomate Courtney and I in front of a massive canyon, Mactesh Ramon.

A life-size model of the Tabernacle.

We hiked Masada at 5:30 am in order to catch this sunrise over the Dead Sea. I was sick; it was worth it.

A Whole New World

The culture here in Israel is definitely something to get used to...

Here are two videos, one is a short clip of the Muslim call to prayer in Jerusalem. The second is from Bethlehem which is predominently Arab.

The Land and the Bible

I have had several people tell me that they are following my blog and are enjoying the pictures and learning from the experiences I've shared. Thank you for the encouragement to keep posting! I have never been a deep thinker, writer, or one to share my thoughts so openly...so keeping up a blog has been a challenge! Not just deciding what to write and how to write it, but finding the time too.

One of the major themes that has been impressed on me so far is the correllation between the land and the Bible. The accuracy with which the Bible describes (with great detail) the geography of Israel is amazing and completely attests to the historicity of the events which occur in its pages. The men who wrote these words knew the land - there is no way it could be made up. For one of our classes we have a large map book made of satellite maps of Israel. There are some where around 40 maps, each with major cities, routes, and boundaries from different time periods and events throughout the Bible. Looking at the map and then looking at the description in Scripture is really cool (this is something anyone can do at home!). You can see where Joshua came across the Jordan with the Israelites and defeated Jericho, then a few chapters later he chases the Amorites on the Ascent of Beth Horon where God throws hailstones upon them. We were able to travel on the Beth Horon Ridge Route and we also went to Jericho and explored the Tel (mound of ancient remains).

There is a seeming contradiction found in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Matthew 20 and Mark 10 record Jesus healing a blind man as he is "coming out" of Jericho, while Luke records the same incident but says that Jesus is "approaching" Jericho. This was easily explained a long time ago, but it is just a good example of how the land supports the Bible. We were able to see how both accounts are accurate when we visited Jericho. The first picture is of the municipal/royal area of Jericho where palaces and other administrative buildings once stood. You can see the remains of a palace and behind it you can see the residential part of Jericho about 1.5 miles apart. Because there were two Jerichos in a sense, Jesus must have healed the blind man in between them.

The picture below is of modern Jericho with the Tel visible in the middle of the picture. This Tel is the remains of the ancient site of Jericho. We were able to go and explore it and learn more about it.

Here, Tiffany is drinking from the same spring that the prophet Elisha purified near Jericho.
Below is another example of how we can look at the Bible and then look at the land and they match! Here are the two "rocky crags" mentioned in 1 Samuel 14. The one to the North (left) was Bozez and the one to the East (right) was Seneh. This pass goes between the villages of Michmash and Geba which are still standing today. This is where Jonathan and his armorbearer killed a garrison of Philistines by themselves.

The Hinge Point of History

This morning our Life of Christ professor, Abner Chou, asked us where we would go if we could go back in time just once. He said some people would say, "Seeing David fight Goliath would be pretty cool" or "Noah and the flood would be awesome", but really, the most glorious time, the most critical in all of human history, is the life of Jesus Christ - His life is the hinge point of redemptive history. He fulfilled all that the previous events led up to and all that God had promised.
So far, our field trips have been based in and around Jerusalem. Earlier this week we visited the base of the Temple Mount and then we saw a model of Jerusalem, including the temple on the Temple Mount. We briefly discussed the need for the temple and for the High Priest and his duty. Yesterday we were able to visit the Temple Mount. It is now run by Muslims who only allow non-muslims on the mount between 8-10 a.m. They have built an impressive building, the Dome of the Rock, right over the spot thought to be where the Holy of Holies used to be. As upsetting as it is to see a Muslim building over the very spot where God's glory use to rest, I know that there is no longer any need for a temple, a high priest, or a Holy of Holies. Christ fulfilled all these things - He is our forerunner, our High Priest forever (Heb. 6:19-20). Because of Christ's life, death, and resurrection, we can now come before God boldy, because of His grace. The Muslim's might be able to defile the site where the temple use to be, where sin was atoned for by the High Priest in the Holy of Holies, but they can do nothing about what has been accomplished "once for all", that is, Christ dying for our sins, bringing us to God, and making us alive with His Spirit (1 Peter 3:18)!

The Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount. Jews worshipping and praying outside the Western Wall of the Temple Mount.
A square in the Old City.

Here we are reading a few of the Psalms of Ascent found in Psalm 120-134.

Bill bought us some delicious strawberries and little pastries from the open air market in West Jerusalem.