Go in peace

A fitting sign for leaving Israel. I expected the historical and biblical experiences. I hoped for the spiritual significance, but I was not expecting to learn so much about the struggle for peace in the land of Israel and Palestine. The struggle, the anger, the hope, the poverty and wealth and power... All exist. All abound. I snapped this last shot as I was leaving the Dead Sea yesterday. I do leave in Peace, and following the advice and pleas of Father Raed from Taybah and Elias from House of Hope, I will pray for peace and ask peers to join me.

Don't laugh...

Or I guess you can laugh if you want. Is this not the pinkest toilet paper you have ever seen? The outdoor cafe in the old city where we had lunch also agreed to let us use their...Facilities. Let me just say that I am reminded several times per day that America has the highest standard of living in the world, and access to clean, well-stocked potties is not something I take for granted. My guess is that old city Jerusalem is better than China, but that is the extent of my willingness to be descriptive.

Temple Mount in Jerusalem

We had all day Monday to spend in Jerusalem, and we began by viewing this western side of the temple mount and the wailing wall. It is built on Mt Moriah, where Abraham prepared to sacrifice Isaac. The scope and majesty of this entire temple area is unbelievable, and Jewish people are very emotional about the holiness of this site. We saw pilgrims and orthodox Jews...all very serious.

We walked throughout the old city along the Via Del A Rosa and noted the stations of the cross and visited chapels that have been built at the stations. I could hear Sandi Patty's voice in my head as we walked all through those cobblestone streets. St. Anne's Chapel at one of the stations or near the pool of Bethesda, was quiet and peaceful and a beautiful place for quiet contemplation. The actual Via Del A Rosa was very busy with shopkeepers and bustling noise - making it difficult to focus.

We also did see the Church of the Sepulchre, and there were many Greek Orthodox there worshipping as they lit candles and kissed the stone where Jesus' body had been laid. People sang and knelt before the crucifixion altar. Aesthetically the church is very simple compared to the ones I have visited in Rome, but I have to say that the atmosphere of reverence was a certain reality of my experience.

Leaving Mt Garazim

The video is of a donkey that was insisting on running the road right in front of our bus. At the very end of the clip you can see two boys - about 12 years old - that were riding bareback on an older, white donkey. We were leaving the ruins at Mt Garazim and driving through the city to the highway. It is in the West Bank, and I have to say it looked like hell. Everything is trashy and dirty. Buildings are left half completed. Road conditions are terrible within the West Bank towns. Trash, cars debri is everywhere. Tourists in this area are now rare and the children were all watching and waving.

We were squeezing this huge bus through narrow streets and I looked to my left and saw a small, rugged window in a concrete wall. I saw the smudged face of a girl who was watching, and when our eyes met she covered her face with a tattered piece of cardboard. I didn't catch her on my camera, but I am sure that moment is in my memory forever.

Tensions remain to be sure. At an Israeli check point the guards wanted to know why we weren't traveling with a guard. And again, the checkpoints with AK47-wearing guards boarding our bus and checking passports. Our busdriver is very experienced and he is Palestinian. We have had many discussions about Israeli occupied territories and Palestinian frustrations and how each side gets away with atrocities.

This morning we heard the passionate request of the priest at Taybeh - he asked people of all faiths to pray for peace. Father Raed won our hearts.

Good news' from Hebrew University

Hello! You said you wanted good news for the meeting on Friday? Attached is a photo of me (in orange) in front of the School of Education at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. I spent Monday afternoon there checking things out and meeting with Dr. Tal Gilead's assistant. He wanted to meet at 4 15 pm but my group schedule couldn't accommodate that. I gathered as much info as I could about Philosophy of Education doctorate program available as well as their Teacher Ed program and online pedagogy ...involvement. Very interesting. I also was able to visit about the life of the grad student an career projections once the degree is completed.

The sign is in Hebrew, but I promise that it says School of Education'. I was going to take a picture of the English/Hebrew one by the street but a taxi stopped right in front of me an I thought it was divine providence and that I should hop in!

Bethlehem

Today was all about the old city of Bethlehem. We began the day by climbing a huge hill from our hotel to Nativity Square. It is Sunday and Epiphany , so lots of people were going to church. The square was crowded but we went into the manger grotto for a moment before a coffee and a bit of shopping. I bought a charm for my bracelet and looked around for ideas.

Then Sharlene and I went to mass at the Church of the Nativity. The service was packed and the choir was lots of fun with guitar and tambourine. I recognized one song - O Come Let Us Adore Him -but the rest was in Arabic.

After mass we walked down Star Market (?) Road to another commercial part of Bethlehem . The road was winding but beautiful and old old. We found an American place and had Subway for lunch and shopped at Johnnies. I found gifts for my family and some other items before we started another round of loading/unloading off the bus and climbing stairs. Like Rome, this place is not for the faint of heart.

We visited the Herodium which reminded tremendously Hadrian's Tomb in Rome. The 'moving of a mountain ' Bible story came to life as Forest and Marty explained that Jesus was walking from Bethany to Jerusalem when he passed the tomb and a noted that Herod had literally moved a mountain to get that fortress built. The cisterns were staggering.

Christmas at last....

Each year it seems like I have one special moment that Christmas is crystalized for me. Today - Epiphany - was my moment for Christmas 2010 . All of the group was gathered into the Shepherd of the Fields Franciscan Church in Bethlehem, and we all sang 'Shepherds We Have Heard on High' and the music resonated in the dome beautifully. It was such perfect celebration of Jesus' birth - very quiet and low key. Perfect and beautiful.

Yes, I rode a camel!

This camel's name is Kojak and he was waiting for me at the top of the Mt of Olives. I rode him for a short distance and looked out over Jerusalem while perched on top. It wasn't scary like I thought it would be, but I did feel sorry for the camel when he had to get down on his knees on stones. I am guessing that the camels in ancient times knelt in the sand.

Sea of Galilee and beyond...

The Sea of Galilee day has been a blessing, and I am thankful for such a wonderful day here. Unless otherwise noted in scripture, Jesus' ministry occurred in the Galilee area, much of it near Capernaum. He walked the shores, he knew fishermen, he cooked fish, he healed people and broke bread and visited synagogs and he taught...preached. The Beatitudes happened here. He also forgave Peter on the banks of Galilee.

The Sea of Galilee is really a large lake. One of my thoughts as we rode the boat out on the 'sea' of Galilee was that Jesus was a lake guy. He knew water, he went to water, he rested near water. My family is a lake family, and I just like that point of connection with Christ. It is good that we go to the water. It works for us. And good things happen there.

I learned and reflected much today about worship and holy.

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Our lodging in Nazareth

Yes - the courtyard and our dining room were this charming. Our rooms were very monastic, but I was thankful for such a wonderful place to stay. I learned that the 'town' of Nazareth just had 200 residents at the time of the annunciation and that the residents lived in grottos or caves they had carved out of the soft hillside stone. Mary was in a grotto when the angel appeared to her.
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Fwd: phone call

Note from my mom below. It is probably best she wasn't home when I called ;-) we would have enjoyed chatting too much and it would have cost me a bundle! It does my heart good to know that she is always praying for our kids. Love u Mom and Marvin!
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Begin forwarded message:

From: Marvin Vahrenkamp <marvinvkamp@hot.rr.com>
Date: January 7, 2011 9:42:22 PM GMT+02:00
To: "Case, Stephoni" <stephoni.case@okstate.edu>
Subject: phone call

 

 

Hey Stephoni:

 

Oh I was so frustrated when I got home to learn that you had called.  Missed it by about 20 min.  But thanks  SO MUCH  for calling. And just to think you were in Jerusalem !   I think of that song,  I Walked Today Where Jesus Walked.  WOW !  It is a beautiful song I am praying for you & your group  EVERYDAY  & throughout the day.  Sure sorry that your body clock won't cooperate w/the time change !   About the time it is for you to come home, then it will probably set-in !  Everyone is doing fine @ your house.  I've been calling Ali & she's really sweet about answering & getting up.  I sure hope she makes the musical......I'm going to be praying for her.  And I hope Trav does good @ his tournament.  He is  SO GOOD !  

 

Better go for now.  PLEASE take good care of yourself & enjoy all the wonderful things you can/will see there.    Love....Mom

Crossing the Jordan

You know, it is still a big deal to cross the Jordan River. And I wonder if it isn't a bit of a metaphor of struggles or accomplishments in my own life. Hmmm.....interesting thought.

So we went through a Jordan check point and crossed the Hussain Bridge only to get to the other side and find out the Israelis had another name for the same bridge. TWO more check points and two passport checks later - including a guy in jeans and a t-shirt with an AK47 who stood on our bus and looked us over and hummed while an agent walked to the back and questioned people - we were allowed into Israel.

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Call to prayer for Muslims

This video clip was shot in the shadow of the Basilica of the Annunciation on a narrow market street in Nazareth. In the background u can hear the Islam call to prayer on loud speakers. This occurs FIVE times per day, starting at 5 am. We have heard it on Jordan and now in Israel. I wonder about the West Bank....

Mount Nebo and Moses

We next visited Mt. Nebo and we saw the lush valley and Jordan river - the same land of milk and honey the Israelites saw. Mt. Nebo is also where they camped for a long time and where Moses had the snakes wrapped around the pole to gaze upon when they had been bitten and needed to be healed.

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Everyday seems like three days...Madaba

We left our Amman hotel at 8 am headed for Nazareth with stops along the way. We first visited the town of Madaba and a mosaic from the sixth century. The mosaic now has a church built around it -- Greek Orthodox -- and the walls and columns are also adorned with 'newer' mosaics. The old one depicted the Holy Land and the geography and buildings and cities from ancient times. The church hosts many many tourists each year but it also is home to a modern congregation. We were there the day before orthodox Christmas day - January 7.

Also cool was the bot of time we had to wander around the small town and shops. It was early and children were walking to school and playing along the way. I bought candy and a cup of water for ~ 70 cents. The 10 and 11 year old boys in front of me bought a handful of cigarettes and ran off to smoke before school. I also bought a round mosaic and I hope to have it put somewhere in our home - probably the bath.

I didn't have time for Turkish coffee but that's gotta happen before I leave. I saw a couple sitting at a cafe table on the busy sidewalk reading the paper and enjoying steaming cups of coffee. Jay and I so need to do this!

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To leave Jordan and to enter Israel is no simple effort. Right now we are in the 'no-man's land' between countries.

I am being completely serious when I post that I have seen camels grazing in a field outside of Amman. Not enough grass to satisfy American horses, but apparently these camels were happy.

Visiting the ancient city of Jaresh

We drove for an hour on a bus to Jaresh and we had a beautiful day for climbing and exploring these ruins. The very arch/gateway we entered was built to honor a visit from Hadrian the Emperor of Rome at Rome's largest point . It was a huge city where people came to do business and to take care of political and spiritual business. I was amazed at the similarities I found between this Greco Roman city and the Forum in Rom as well as Pompeii. We saw an olive press and the same kind of individual stalls up and down the cobblestone roads where merchants came to do business. We saw the temples of Zeus/Jupiter and Artemis/Dianna. These ruins have been excavated since the 20th century but the city itself is not as polished as the ones in Rome.

It seems as if everything here is the color of sand. So far, everyone who has led us or waited on jabbed been male. I did notice a female desk clerk at the hotel last night, but that is all. The clerks in the shops are as aggressive as the ones in Mexico and I am no good at bargaining. And u can't just shop -- they follow u everywhere with merchandise .

Lastly, ad we wandered the streets of Jaresh, Marty reminded us that Paul and Peter likely wandered these streets sharing the Good News of a true God who loved them and wanted to be in relationship with thump. He also explained that one reason the city business men were reluctant to embrace Christianity is because it hurt their business of selling sacrificial animals and such outside of the temple gates. To change from their worship practices to Christianity was a disruption to all facets of their lives.

Jordan has 8 million people - 2 million of them live in the Capitol city I'd Amman. Yea - the Ammonites you read about in the Old Testament. Half the population is in school of some kind and they do have public education. It is a Muslim country since 661 A D. More on that later.

I have seen a Goodyear tire store and a Tony Roma's restaurant. It all has a third world appearance and the established homes are way off the road with the refugee type places lining the highways. The city is full of apartments 2 - 3 stories tall, and it looks just lime what u see on TV. Sand colored, flat roofs, square windows - very plain. Doors and ironwork can be ornate. I think all fancy things must be inside.

More later. Jay would love that we have mashed potatoes at breakfast.

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The Temple of Artemis in Jaresh Jordon

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Jaresh and beyond

Well, after a sleepless night I decided to watch the traffic until it was time to get up. At 5 a.m. I was shocked to hear the city-wide loudspeakers give the chanting call to prayer. My room overlooks the only highway and I couldn't see anyone bustling off to pray. Later in the day I heard the call to prayers and noticed towers with speakers on them in the cityscapes everywhere.

Driving to and from Jaresh reminded me so much of Italy. Many nurseries were along the roadside as were pottery places that sold large pots and decorations for patios. The nurseries had spiral evergreens and short palm trees among other varieties i didn't recognize. I didn't see lawns as we know them but the large homes we could see from a distance seemed to have walled patios with potted trees and shrubs around the edges.

More later tonight on Jaresh. I have dinner downstairs and then Marty is taking those of us who want to go to a home church meeting of local Christians. I am wondering how many women will be there...so far the only women I have noticed today were in our group and another group from Spain that joined us in the Jaresh ruins for lunch.

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The grand staircase at the Art Institute of Chicago. 'fills my heart....'

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Kinda Day 1 and 2

I am not sure where days began and ended, but I seems like I spent yesterday afternoon in the Art Institute of Chicago -- which was wonderful. Saw a rooms FULL of Cassat, Monet, Renoir, Remington, and many of my Italian Favs as well as Rembrant and American Gothic etc.... Don't want to be boring about the art, but it was cool. Chicago is way into Picasso. Plus I will upload a tech art form of the grand staircase in the building.

So it seems like we have flown all night and should be ready for a day but we have lost 8 hours in time. Now just figure out how to wind down and get some rest before we take off at 8 30 am tomorrow -- which will be just after midnight Tuesday for most of the folks reading this.

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Church, lunch and then to the airport with my favorite people.

As Dennis said - find the widows, the orphans and the strangers in the land. I'd like to do that. See a real side of Israel. A school. A university. A church. A person or two. Hmmm.....