Up (I mean down) to the Galilee . . .

Hi dear friends and family! Here is the "Galilee" blog post, as promised . . . (to explain the title, Galilee is north of Jerusalem, so directionally, it is up; however, it is much lower in elevation, so in that sense, it is down!)


Other than a short day trip out to Neot Kedumim on September 2nd, I had not been out of the city of Jerusalem since May--that is six whole months! Anybody who has spent any length of time here understands the need to "get out" a little more often than that. I downplayed the advice/encouragement/suggestions to spend a few days away for quite a few months before finally recognizing the necessity of a mini-holiday last month. Don't get me wrong--I absolutely love Jerusalem. This city is still my home (I remain somewhat awed by being able to say that!), and my heart is still here, but it's easy to get trapped in the "bubble" that is the Christ Church compound and worn down by responsibilities and the city's intensity. Last week, Christine was able to give me three days off in a row (the two normal days and a first cashed in holiday day), and I was so blessed to spend the days up north at Beit Bracha.

It was such an enjoyable holiday--the views are beautiful and the peace soul-touching. I am excited to be able to share a bit of this journey with you. As I write this, I am sitting in bed still in pajamas, drinking a cup of tea. (I know, between the opening photo and the statement of drinking tea, some of you are probably wondering what happened to the Amanda who got on the plane 10 1/2 months ago! She's still here, just branching out a bit. (-: )

As a little introduction, Beit Bracha is sort of a sister property to Christ Church. It is owned by CMJ/ITAC like Christ Church and is located in the quiet village of Migdal. Migdal is around a ten minutes' drive north from Tiberias (both located on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee). Two thousand years ago, Migdal was known as Magdala--the home of Mary Magdalene. Unlike the Christ Church Guest House, Beit Bracha is not open to the public. It is set up to be more of a prayer and retreat center (as well as a haven for weary Christ Church volunteers!). The guest room building was only completed in 2005, so it is a much newer facility and a completely different flavor. Beit Bracha is Hebrew and literally means "house of blessing."


My adventure began Wednesday morning; unfortunately, it began with me waking up with a pounding headache. That put a wrench in my gears, caused me to move around much slower, and I didn't walk out the Christ Church gates until 9:30. But from there, it was easy to catch a bus up to Jerusalem's Central Bus Station, purchase a round trip ticket to Tiberias, and board bus 962 for the 2 1/2 hour drive up north. I found the bus load quite interesting. It was a full bus by 10:25, but a few more people were allowed on, and they simply had to sit on the floor or in the stairwells.

The drive was quite enjoyable and I loved watching the countryside of Israel pass by. I saw so many trees (evergreens, olive, fig, and more) as well as numerous plowed fields. There was one field that had an olive tree smack in the middle of it, and the farmers had simply plowed around it. (Sorry--didn't see it in time to get my camera out) We passed by many small villages, both Jewish and Arab. One Arab village had a mosque topped with a golden dome--likely reminiscent of the golden Dome of the Rock here in Jerusalem. One memorable moment of the journey came after driving a little over an hour. We had been winding through some forested hills and then suddenly came out into a huge valley. This was none other than the Jezreel valley, of course (also known as the Valley of Armageddon)! The sudden change in landscape was breathtaking, and I wish you could have been here to experience it. One second surrounded by hills, the next in the middle of this grand valley. It is a very fertile place, full of rich brown soil and bright sunshine. Tel Megiddo stood on our left, the Gilboa mountain range to our right. On the opposite side of the valley is the town of Afula. A left turn out of this city and Nazareth is less than ten miles away. Our bus, however, did not turn left. We continued on Route 65 for a bit longer, traveling east and north, before turning completely east to reach our destination--the Tiberias bus station. In between Afula and Tiberias, we passed the city of Nein. Spelled "Nain" in our Bibles, does this ring a bell? It's a fascinating experience driving past all these historical places and thinking how many people have walked this ground before you.

Glimpsing Tiberias and the Sea of Galilee

From Tiberias, I caught a taxi up to Migdal and arrived at Beit Bracha around 1:30 in the afternoon. The Beit Bracha family was just wrapping up lunch but promptly welcomed me and showed me to my room. The building was absolutely beautiful!

The central main hall at Beit Bracha

I was in room #1 and had the luxury of choosing from four beds! But, having done my own share of cleaning rooms here at Christ Church, I was kind to the Beit Bracha staff; I slept in the same bed both nights, and it was not the top bunk bed!! :-) This room also had an air conditioner--I had almost forgot what it's like to have a cool room!!!
My room had its own little patio . . .
. . . and the view was amazing! (This is looking southwest, Mount Arbel in the background)

A little side note . . . of course, I was traveling in purple style! (I even wore a purple top, though that wasn't planned)

Back to news and views . . . Beit Bracha has this beautiful and peaceful veranda--I spent hours out here reading, journaling, simply resting and absorbing the peacefulness.
The view from the veranda looking due east over the Sea of Galilee
Looking southeast from the veranda; Tiberias is located on the jut of land in the background.
Looking southwest from the veranda; again, this is Mount Arbel
I spent Wednesday afternoon not doing much; after all, I was on vacation! I listened to a sermon from my home church, did some journaling, and read a book (all out on the veranda!). I enjoyed a lovely spaghetti dinner with the Beit Bracha family that evening and then went to bed.

Even though I was on holiday, there was no sleeping in the next morning, as the breakfast bell rang at 8!! After breakfast, I enjoyed a time of devotions before deciding what to do with my day. I had thought about walking down to Ginosaur (home of a 2,000-year old fishing boat and an interesting museum) or maybe the beach, but decided I would rather just have a lazy day and rest. I borrowed some piano music and enjoyed playing for an hour while the staff cleaned the guest rooms. After enjoying morning tea with my Beit Bracha counterparts, listening to another sermon and journaling some more brought me to lunch time. In the afternoon, it was back out on the veranda to read and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of the north. The sunset was breathtakingly beautiful!

November 18th sunset

And as the sun set in the west, the moon shone in the east!

After another enjoyable dinner, I was ready for bed again. :-) I know, I know, you're going to think I spent my entire time resting and sleeping. That is not entirely true, but I was surprised how tired I was when I slipped away from my Jerusalem responsibilities and wasn't in the thick of things. Thankfully, I was able to avoid pressuring myself into feeling I "should" do this or that; I reminded myself I was up here to rest and relax however that looked. Of course, this reminder was reinforced constantly by the Beit Bracha staff--they must be accustomed to Jerusalem volunteers who have trouble disconnecting and resting. :-)

But, one reason I went to bed early Thursday evening was because I felt compelled to get up and watch the sunrise the next morning. I don't think I've seen a sunrise at all since coming to Israel last January. I have been up before the sun, but those mornings are morning when I'm on breakfast duty, and one does not see the sun rise when they're working in the kitchen. :-) So, November 19th was the first time this year I have gotten up purposefully to watch the sun come up. It felt like an opportunity I could not miss and something special. So, I set my alarm for "stupid o'clock" and stumbled out to the peaceful veranda for a special time. And, I have to say, I was not disappointed. I don't regret the missing sleep at all! Here are a few of the pictures I took--enjoy!!

November 19th sunrise in Galilee

The hour or so I spent watching the sun come up was very special. It was very quiet and peaceful and simply a meaningful time to spend alone with my thoughts. I used the video feature on my camera to try and capture some of that early morning atmosphere. While I missed the hustle and bustle of Jerusalem (where mornings are filled with cars, talking, and horns), I enjoyed the quiet of the Galilee morning where the only sounds were birds chirping and roosters crowing.

The Sea of Galilee a little later that morning

I was ready to return home that day (I missed Jerusalem!), but I was not oblivious to the restorative atmosphere of the quiet Galilee. My time there had given me opportunity to rest and "refill." At this point, I'm not interested in staying there for any length of time, but I hope to go back for a three or four day holiday again sometime soon (sooner than six months!). I am now convinced of its importance, and I love Beit Bracha!

The quick and uneventful month of October

I suppose every so often it is a good thing to be reminded of a world without wireless internet . . . But after a month of this reminder, it is great to return to the 21st century and have wireless internet in my room! Thus, the reason for over a month since I last posted here! To be honest, you haven't missed much in the life and times of Amanda in Jerusalem. :-) I put in quite a few extra hours of work, and most of my days off were spent relaxing in my room with a book, movie, cross stitch, etc.

In the middle of October, a group from New York came to stay at the Guest House. I was the one "on call" the night they arrived, and room 8 needed some special attention. After attending to its needs, I returned the key to the couple and enjoyed visiting with them for a bit at the dinner table. A couple days later, I came down for breakfast (the first time ever on a day off!!) without any real plans for that Friday. This couple from room 8 invited me to join them on their tour that day. There was room on the bus, so I went to staff devotions, caught a bus to meet the group at Yad Vashem for lunch, and then went with them to Bethlehem. I have been trying to go there since arriving in Israel in January, but it is not a simple thing to do at all. It ended up being the perfect activity that day, and it all started with a need in room 8!

The view that greeted me when I stepped off the bus at the Yad Vashem stop--the space and trees were such a change from the stones and crowds of the Old City.


I have been to Bethlehem before, but this time I took in more of the shops than the surrounding landscape. Here are some of the shops that caught my eye . . .

I don't know if you can read the writing on the glass door, but this is the "Holy Family Hotel."
Look carefully--it's not the Starbucks you all know and love! :-)

And here are a few pictures of a main thoroughfare in Bethlehem. Located in the West Bank, Bethlehem is virtually an Arab city, with a minority of Arab Christians living there. Israeli citizens are not allowed to pass through the checkpoint between the State of Israel and this territory under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority.


Obviously, since I joined a tour group, many of whom were in Israel for the first time, the whole point of the trip to Bethlehem has the Church of the Nativity. This church has the amazing claim of being the oldest church in the Middle East, and one of the oldest, continuously operating churches in the world. One can still see the original entrance, columns, and mosaic floor from Byzantine times (4th century), paintings from Crusader times, and ancient mosaics on the walls as well. The church is built over a cave that has been considered Jesus' birthplace since the 2nd century AD. It is a large compound with many chapels, and the site is administered by Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, and Armenian authorities.

I am so grateful this was not my first visit to the Church of the Nativity. The roof is currently being redone, and the narthex of the church is filled with unattractive scaffolding. Also, there was a huge line of people wishing to go down the stairs and see the traditional site of Jesus' birth. I think we stood in line for an hour, and when we came out of the church later, the line had doubled, maybe even tripled--filling the courtyard!! Forgive the absence of pictures from this church, but the scaffolding really impaired picture taking.

After visiting the church, we walked back to the bus and were taken to an olive wood shop. Seeing as how I live here currently and am not the typical tourist, I was convinced I wouldn't spend any money in the shop. How many of you are laughing after reading that statement?! :-) I did spend some money (a little more than I would have liked), but most of it was on Christmas presents. I know, it seems early, but I would love to send a gift or two home for Christmas from Bethlehem, and I recognized the opportunity! Oh, and I also bought a pair of earrings . . . I had a really neat visit with the store owner who is an Arab Christian. We visited about the decline of tourism (and thus, the tourist industry in Bethlehem), and the hopes of peace for this region.

On the way back to Jerusalem, there was a line of buses waiting to be checked before going through the checkpoint. As we waited our turn, the sun sank in the western sky and gave us a beautiful sunset!


The trip to Bethlehem was my most notable experience of October, but October contained some weather worth noting. We had a week where temperatures were at least in the 90s, and a couple of those days it was over 100!! It certainly does not feel like October/fall when temps are still that warm.

But on October 8th, we got the first little rainstorm of the "wet." (Oops, I think that's an Australian term . . .!) It lasted maybe ten minutes and didn't rain very hard, but it was the first true rainfall we've had since the beginning of May.

It was worth taking a picture of the storm clouds rolling in! (Does that say something about how much I am longing for the rainy season to return?! I miss the sound and smell of rain!)

Since this blog has taken on somewhat of a "sky" theme, let me share a few other pictures of the October skies here in Israel. Enjoy the colors!

The bright sky and clouds above the building I live in here in Jerusalem.
Beautiful clouds in the Jerusalem sky one Sunday afternoon (I took these from the rooftops!)
This is the brilliant blue sky over the Church of the Nativity the day I went to Bethlehem.
And now a few unofficial photos to round out this post . . . .

You may have guessed by the first picture I've gotten another haircut. This happened the end of September and was the result of some sort of miscommunication. The stylist speaks English, I told him I wanted an inch trimmed off, and he verified the amount before proceeding to cut that amount three times!!! It was a little scary at first (I have NEVER had my hair this short in my life!), but it actually behaved quite well. I actually kind of like it, and I guess unexpected risks are not always bad things. :-)

I have gone out some evenings with friends in the past couple weeks, and it's been fun to enjoy each other's company outside of the compound and work.

On this night, we all decided spur of the moment to go out for coffee (No, I've not yet learned to like coffee, though others are working on me. I had a caramel/banana smoothie, thank you very much!)

Jonathan (Israeli) and Sara (American)
Nick is from Nebraska and (unfortunately) a big Cornhuskers fan. But, he still is a great guy, and I guess this picture goes to prove CU and Nebraska fans can get along. :-)
That was a Wednesday night, the next evening found a slightly different group of us out again enjoying each others company. Thursday nights in Jerusalem are like Friday nights in the States.

With Sara (generally from Los Angeles, but her roots are in Guatemala)
Tal (Russian Israeli) and Elsa (Canadian)
Nathan and Joe (both from the UK)

I would like to take this opportunity to post a warning to all my friends and family--please be very careful when working around 3-kilo cans. Not paying attention can have some painful consequences!

(How boring must my October have been if I'm posting pictures of a colored finger!) Thank you all for your patience in between blogs, and always remember to look up--not just at the sky, but above your circumstances, difficulties, and perspectives. There's a bigger plan!