September views

Chag Sameach friends! September 2010 is the month of high holidays here in Israel. First Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year), Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) on September 18th, and Wednesday evening began the week-long festival of Sukkot (the festival of booths). Between these and the slightly cooler weather, visitors to Jerusalem have increased again and the Guest House has been busy!

We all know the saying, a picture is worth a thousand words. Maybe I'll just let some pictures do the talking for me! :-) This post is likely to be a step away from my normal "educational" style. But, I know you can all access google, so if something catches your interest google it!!!!! :-)

September 2nd was a volunteers' day out to Neot Kedumim (in between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv)

The date palm trees are huge!!
Learning how to run a water wheel manually (well, with one's feet)
The threshing floor sledge
An olive press
Grinding dry hyssop with a mortar/pestle into a powder used as a spice known as zatar . . .

On Friday September 3rd, we had Shabbat dinner outside, and it was so enjoyable!!
One of our Shabbat candles
So many good friends! Neville, Anthea, and their son Nathan
Maureen and Nick (from Nebraska!)
Siblings Tamar and Beno
Christine (from Singapore), Frank, David, and ShaneWith Christine, our wonderful manager! :-)

I went for a walk with my camera in the late afternoon/early evening of September 13th . . .
I wish I had a better eye for photography . . . this is often our view as we walk home from congregation on Sunday evenings. The wall of the Old City framed in this doorway. I never have my camera with me, so I went specifically that Monday night to catch the breathtaking view. Too bad the photos don't really do it justice!

Deeper into Jerusalem's New City is a piano store . . . but this was a new sight!!!

I eventually made my way back to the Old City; the evening sky was beautiful! (maybe it had something to do with the purple shades that were visible (-: )

Looking southwest over Jerusalem
The Old City walls and Citadel of David at dusk
The vehicle entrance at Jaffa Gate
A game being played on the side of the road just inside Jaffa Gate. Surrounded by the hustle and bustle of shop owners and tourists, these two were completely wrapped up in their game.

And, I enjoyed a relaxing afternoon, dinner, and evening with special friends Thursday, September 16th.
Michelle and Aaron . . .
. . . and their great kiddos--Micah the valiant, Atarah the tiger, and Tirzah the tiger-trainer (by means of grabbing the tiger's tail!)

Walking back home that night . . .
the illuminated wall of Jerusalem's Old City on the other side of the Hinnom Valley
Hebron Road with the King Solomon (left) and King David (right) hotels in the background.

I hope to post again real soon with pictures from Yom Kippur, Sukkot, and my visit to the Knesset (Israel's parliament). In the meanwhile, enjoy this taste of Jerusalem and my wonderful friends here. I still stand in awe of the opportunity to come here, serve and meet so many great people. Plus, my time here has turned into quite the serious classroom--I am really getting stretched, grown, and taught.

Rosh Hashanah

Shanah Tova!!

It is such a blessing and privilege to be here in Jerusalem celebrating the beginning of a new year! When the sun set tonight, the Jewish year 5771 began. Being here gives the phrase "Next year in Jerusalem" new meaning. :-) We had a special time this afternoon of looking back over the past year and remembering so many amazing happenings and blessings. After dinner a new friend and I walked down to the Western Wall. It was a special time to simply sit and try to take in the atmosphere.

The plaza was not crowded, but those who were there were dressed up in celebration of the new year. There was singing, dancing, smiling, tears, praying, and meeting of friends. The sky was an inky, velvety black and stood in stark contrast to the brightly-lit stone wall. Above our heads, pigeons were peacefully sleeping with their beaks tucked into their wings. It was quite the paradox--amidst the bright lights and joyful celebrations, these birds were relaxed and unruffled. (There's probably a life lesson in that!)

As we walked back home, Psalm 65 echoed through my mind, and it seems completely appropriate to post on this eve of Rosh Hashanah (literally, "top of the year") . . .

Praise awaits you, O God, in Zion; to You our vows will be fulfilled.
O You who hear prayer, to You all men will come.
When we were overwhelmed by sins, You forgave our transgressions.
Blessed are those You choose and bring near to live in Your courts!
We are filled with the good things of Your house, of Your holy temple.
You answer us with awesome deeds of righteousness, O God our Savior,
the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas,
who formed the mountains by Your power, having armed Yourself with strength,
who stilled the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the turmoil of the nations.
Those living far away fear Your wonders;
where morning dawns and evening fades You call forth songs of joy.
You care for the land and water it; You enrich it abundantly.
The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so You have ordained it. You drench its furrows and level its ridges; You soften it with showers and bless its crops.
You crown the year with Your bounty, and Your carts overflow with abundance.
The grasslands of the desert overflow; the hills are clothed with gladness.
The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain;
they shout for joy and sing.

Shanah Tova (literally, good year)!! :-)

Jerusalem history and evenings . . .

Well, I guess I am going to make up for only posting one blog entry the entire month of July by now posting two within one week! I had a rough tumble down some stone stairs yesterday; thankfully, the schedule (put together Friday) gave me today off. Since I'm not very mobile today, I thought I would share pictures from a couple special experiences I had in July. The last entry was already full of pictures, so I wanted to share these separately.

July was a month of Western Wall moments. An American couple stayed here at the guest house for almost a month, and I got to know them as friends (not just guests). I had been wanting to go on a tour of the Western Wall tunnel since arriving in January but hadn't called to make a reservation yet. When Ken and Wanda made plans to go, they asked if I wanted to join them. It was extra special to go with friends!

The Western Wall tunnel travels underground along the original western retaining wall of the Temple Mount, built under King Herod. During the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, stones from the Temple and from the western retaining wall itself were pushed off the western side of the platform into the Tyropean Valley. Some of this rubble has been cleared away, but much has not. Also, the modern-day Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City was built on arches constructed over 1st century Jerusalem's rubble and streets. Part of the Western Wall remained exposed as a place of prayer for the Jews after the Temple was destroyed, but this open air prayer plaza is only about 197 feet in length. The Western Wall tunnel allows people to see another 1600 feet of the original Western Wall.

This walk is absolutely fascinating; for more information, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Wall_Tunnel. One highlight of this tour is a mammoth building stone impossible to capture in a photo. Measuring 45 feet long, 11 feet tall, 11-14 feet deep, and weighing approximately 628 tons, it is one of the largest building stones in the world.

As this trip was actually my 3rd walk through the Western Wall tunnel, I didn't take many pictures--sorry! You'll have to visit it yourself!!! :-) But, after walking to the northern corner of the wall, we walked through a Hasmonean aqueduct. This channeled water to the Temple Mount during the period of Hasmonean rule (165-37 BC). It is amazing in its height and construction, and I am excited to share pictures of this with you.


A week later, on July 29th (Hannah's 19th birthday!), I visited the Chain of Generations center at the Western Wall. This is a fantastic artistic exhibit illustrating how Jerusalem is golden chain linking all generations of Jewish people together. After this walk through history, the exit leads one out to an overlook of the Western Wall. I found a place to sit and watch the light on the wall change as the sun set. The following pictures were taken over a span of approximately 45 minutes.


The Temple Mount and Western Wall plaza the evening of July 29th . . .

On the evening of Friday, July 30th, a friend and I coordinated schedules so we could have a catch-up visit by phone. She called at 1pm Mountain time (10pm Israel time), and I was able to find a quiet and secluded place to visit. Where did I find a quiet place in Jerusalem?? On top of the guest house roof. :-) It was so peaceful and serene. After our conversation finished, I tried to take some photos of the views. These aren't the best composition-wise and they certainly don't do justice to the atmosphere, but they're better than nothing!

The front of Christ Church at night
Jerusalem's Old City skyline (looking north from the guest house roof)
East Jerusalem's skyline at night . . .
Hope you've enjoyed these moments of history and Jerusalem evenings with me!

A month of friends and challenges . . .

Hello dear family and friends!! No, I have not gotten swallowed up by the earth or by the intensity that is Jerusalem. I have thought of writing so many times, but I haven't had many picturesque adventures to write about lately. The past 4-5 weeks have been full and intense, but their "fillings" were too intense and complicated to write about in a blog.

In summary, the past month has been full of reevaluating, researching, and realigning my visions and goals here. July 14th marked 6 months of being here and volunteering at Christ Church. I couldn't believe my time here was half over already. Around the same time, the Guest House management changed (Paul and Jane had been here 5 years and that's the maximum amount of time on a work visa), some friendships of mine changed, and there was an awareness of God asking me to dig in deeper and be willing to take on increased responsibilities here. I spent much of my free time sorting through things, seeking counsel from some respected and trustworthy advisors, and praying for God's direction. I believe I have received some very clear direction, and it's bigger than I imagined . . .

Honestly, one year here no longer seems like enough to me, so my goal is to stay for the full two years allowed on a volunteer visa. This change does require some major perspective adjustments and some extra resources. I fully believe that God will provide all my needs as I follow His leading, but one big area I have to trust Him in is finances. I was initially prepared for only one year, so I am anticipating His provision for the extra year.

Also, another volunteer here arrived at her two-year limit this month. This was another hard goodbye--Carolina has been an integral part of the Guest House. She was the previous manager/housekeeper's backup and her departure left a huge void. While I can never take her place, God has asked me to step up into her position of responsibility. If you would have told me three months ago I would be Christine's (the new housekeeper/manager) backup, I would have run far and fast! :-) But, a relationship has quickly formed and strengthened between Christine and myself, and I find God has been preparing me all along for this moment in time. The job I thought I would never be able to do has become doable--not necessarily a breeze, but God's grace is present in a new and deep way to enable me to carry a little more responsibility and pressure. I am grateful to be able to serve Christine and the guest house this way, and I am blown away by all God has done/is doing in my life!

Anyway, working through these changes has quite occupied my time and attention, but here's one adventure from last month.

On July 1st (which seems like ages ago), five of us climbed the 152-foot observation tower at Jerusalem's YMCA building. Interestingly, the tower was designed by an architect named Arthur Lewis Harman. In case you don't recognize the name, this is the architect who designed the Empire State Building in New York.

It took us 5-10 minutes to climb the spiral staircase before stepping out to a breathtaking birds-eye view of Jerusalem. The tower has viewing platforms on all four sides, and the day was minimally hazy, allowing us to see miles in each direction.

The Jerusalem YMCA entrance from the street . . .
Looking up at the tower we were going to climb!
The entrance door directly below the observation tower . . .
The beautiful lobby we stepped into
Looking left just inside the entrance door--a lovely sitting room
Looking right just inside the entrance--an atmospheric dining room

Looking down on the street, the entrance to the King David hotel across the street, and the front plaza of the YMCA from the tower.
From the east platform, this is the famous King David hotel.
Again looking east, this time over Jerusalem's Old City. In the background is the Mount of Olives, and the golden Dome of the Rock is also visible. In between the King David roof and the golden dome you can see Old City walls. This picture is really special, though, because if you look closely just to the right of the black satellite dish, you can see the tall facade of Christ Church just barely visible. (it's the peaked building immediately right of the dish).
Looking southeast . . . Jerusalem lies on the edge of the wilderness (you can see the wilderness on the left horizon). The Dead Sea and Jordan are in this direction from Jerusalem.
Not the best photo (it was about 5:30 pm, looking into the sun), but this is looking west from the tower. If one traveled out of Jerusalem in this direction, you would arrive at the Mediterranean Sea.

Looking north over Jerusalem's New City. In the middle is Independence Park. I don't know if you will be able to magnify this image, but there is a touch of home in the middle. Below the park, to the right of the small whitish building with a little tower on its left side, an American flag is flying. This is actually the United States embassy in Jerusalem.
Another picture looking north . . . the buildings on the distant skyline are actually in the city of Ramallah!
My fellow "tower" friends . . . :-) Christine (from Australia), Agathe (from Germany), Shane (another Australian)
Looking down the line from the other direction -) Agathe, Shane, Amanda, and Carolina (from Columbia).
We walked through the Yemin Moshe neighborhood on our way back home--it is beautiful!

And now pictures of some special Jerusalem friends . . .

This was Paul and Jane's last Shabbat dinner before their return to the UK. :-(
Harri's last shift at Christ Church before returning to Germany. Yes, cleaning the nine kitchen drains with a detergent/bleach mix is a job done every evening. Sometimes there are "surprises" waiting for the cleaners! :-)

These next few pictures are from Paul and Jane's farewell party--it was quite a party!!

Mark, Beno, Tamar
Christine (the new Housekeeper, and temporary manager of the Guest House)
The Roytman family . . . Sasha, Dina, Gila, and Sarit. Sasha is one of our cooks; they are a great family!
Lloyd (from Hong Kong/Scotland) and Shane
Michelle (a fellow American!) and Friederike (from Germany)
Jonathan (Israeli), Beno, Olga (from Russia)

One last picture for today . . . a birds-eye view of Paul and Jane's farewell party while the dancing was in full swing. I happened to have access to the roof that night and enjoyed being "above it all."

Again, I apologize for the long delay between blogs. I will post again soon as there are other pictures I am excited to share!