Gabe’s Top 5

1. Getting to know more about my family, and spending more time with them. We’ve been in close quarters for over 3 months now. Every day we spend all of our time together, learning, having fun, and even fighting. But each and every day we grow closer together as a family, and closer in our relationship with God.

2. Old City Jerusalem is an amazing place, with clashing cultures and religions, and tons of historical sites and buildings. It’s separated into 4 quarters, the Jewish Quarter, the Muslim Quarter, The Christian Quarter, and the Armenian Quarter. Each quarter brings its own culture and religion to the Old City. The only remaining wall of the second temple, the Western Wall, or the Wailing Wall, is where Jewish people pray. The massive Crusader wall that outlines the Old City of Jerusalem still stands today, along with all of the awesome cathedrals built throughout the city by the Crusaders. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher, built by Helena, here it is believed that Jesus was crucified and buried. The Dome of the Rock, built by Muslims in the 7th century A.D., here the Muslims pray to Allah.

3. Masada is the ancient stronghold for the Jewish Zealots, that kind of looks like a massive plateau. This is where the last remaining Jewish Zealots held out against the mighty Roman Empire. They died fighting for their freedom, and in the end decided to take their own lives, instead of being captured as slaves. It was really cool to see the amazing palace Herod had built at the top of the plateau. Herod also had nine massive cisterns built, each equal to the size of a basketball gym, which held millions of gallons of water. He built these to survive the intense desert heat, and filled them with water by collecting all of the rainfall in the surrounding lands, and storing it in the cisterns.

4. Hezekiah’s Tunnel. This sweet tunnel that runs way underground, and takes over a half an hour to get through, is tons of fun, a little bit scary, and claustrophobic for my dad and brother, as the tunnel is only a couple of feet wide and only about five to seven feet high, with water running through it up to my waist. Hezekiah built this tunnel to collect water from a spring, so that it pooled inside the city instead of outside. This allowed the Israelites to survive, while the Assyrians laid siege on the city. Over time the Assyrians could not continue to lay siege, due to disease.

5. Ein-Gedi. This awesome wadi (kind of like a canyon that floods once a year, and the rest of the year is supplied with a small flow of water from a spring) is cut deep in the Judah Mountains. Not only is this place beautiful, it’s where David hid for a while when trying to escape from Saul. This is where David cut off part of Saul’s robe in the cave. The hike takes about an hour and a half each way, and at the end there is a very nice pool, with a small waterfall. Very fun to hike and walk through

Underneath one of the waterfalls at Ein-Gedi

Inside Hezekiah’s Tunnel

Waiting to get inside Hezekiah’s Tunnel

Bennett’s Top Five

1. 5 day trip to Jordan. I liked the pool and going snorkeling. I saw tons of sea urchins and little fish.

2. En gedi. I loved swimming in the waterfalls and sliding down the them. The hike was hard but fun and the view was amazing. This was the place where David hid from Saul.

3. Galilea. I loved it when my nana came. I liked climbing Mount Arbel. It was like rock climbing. I loved learning about what happened there…this is where Jesus walked on water and where most of the disciples grew up.

4. Jerusalem! I loved learning about all the historical stuff. I loved the huge model of Jerusalem in the time of Jesus. I enjoyed climbing the mount of olives. This is for sure the place were I learned the most. I loved the museums and Masada.

5. The Dead Sea! Back in March we took a trip to the dead sea for 1 night. I loved being able to float with out swimming. I loved the pool, except it was really cold compared to the dead sea. I loved the all you can eat buffet with all the meat and hot cocoa.

I cant wait to come home. Here I realize how thankful I should be for my friends, family and my house.
Miss you guys a ton and cant wait to come back.

Me and my Nana after hiking Arbel…the mountain in the background

Swimming in the Dead Sea

On the top of Masada, in the ancient synagogue…I learned that up to the black line is what the archeologists uncovered. Above the black line is what they reconstructed.

Me and my brother playing chess outside our apartment

Playing outside the Old City wall in Jerusalem

Swimming in the pool with my Dad

Crossing the border from Israel to Jordan on foot. The mountains in the background are biblical Moab.

Waiting for our passports to be stamped in Jordan

My Post-it countdown…I cannot wait to get home

Learning about David and Goliath in the Valley of Elah

Me and my Nana after hiking Arbel…the mountain in the background

Swimming in the Dead Sea

On the top of Masada, in the ancient synagogue…I learned that up to the black line is what the archeologists uncovered. Above the black line is what they reconstructed.

Me and my brother playing chess outside our apartment

Playing outside the Old City wall in Jerusalem

Swimming in the pool with my Dad

Crossing the border from Israel to Jordan on foot. The mountains in the background are biblical Moab.

Waiting for our passports to be stamped in Jordan

My Post-it countdown…I cannot wait to get home

Learning about David and Goliath in the Valley of Elah

Cate’s Favorite Adventures

I really miss everyone and I cannot wait to get home. But there are some things that I have really liked about being here in Israel…

My favorite thing was floating in the Dead Sea. It is kind of cool because you actually have to float. It is really hard to stand up in the water. It tastes so, so, so salty. It is really disgusting.

I also loved the Ramparts Walk. The Ramparts Walk is a walk on top of the old city wall. It is really cool because you can see the whole city. It is really high and my Dad got really scared which was kind of funny…LOL!

We went to Jordan and I got to snorkel. I loved that because I got to see a fish just like Dorothy in Nemo. I also saw Nemo. We also saw a bunch of huge Sea Urchins. Our guide told us you can hold them in your hands lightly and they will not sting you. I will never do that.

I really, really, really liked Massada. We hiked up a path called the Snake Path. Thankfully, there are no snakes – it just looks like a snake because it zig-zags up the mountain. Herod had some really cool palaces here with huge cisterns. Cisterns hold water but not like water you can swim in, they save water for you to drink drink.

The cats were a huge part of my adventure and some of the cats even sit on my lap now and I can pet them. I love kitty cats.

I really loved seeing the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. This is where Jesus was born. The church was really pretty. It was made of marble. There was a really small door that you had to go through. I did not have to duck but most of my family did. They made the door really small so that people could not ride their horses into the church.

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is also very cool. They have the rock where Jesus’ cross was in place and they have the Stone of Unction which is where they laid Jesus’ body to get it ready to be buried. They also have the place where they think Jesus was buried.

Avdat was really fun, too. It is a big canyon that we hiked through with steps carved into the mountain. We had to climb out of the canyon. It was really steep and there were metal ladders that we had to use. I liked to hang on them but my mom told me to not look down (because it was kind of scary).

I liked seeing a bunch of camels. They are really cool. They cost between $10,000 and $30,000 dollars! I got to ride a donkey but I have not ridden a camel yet. I did hold a baby sheep, too. Camels spit on people but I have still seen a lot of people riding them. Hopefully I can ride one sometime.

While I have been here, I have loved reading Winnie-the-Pooh. It is not a babyish book, it is the real classic story. It is a very big chapter book for a second grader. It is a challenge for me but I have really liked reading it! My favorite character is Piglet. He is smaller than a pencil but a little fatter.

I really miss everyone, Bye!

Me floating in the Dead Sea

My favorite cat, Cookies, sitting on my lap outside our apartment

Me and my brothers after we climbed out of Avdat

Getting ready to snorkel in the Red Sea, Jordan

Having some great tea and snacks with Bennett after snorkeling

My mom and I by a camel outside our apartment buiding!

Remember

So, beginning last night, Israel has been observing the Holocaust Memorial Day. Amongst all the ancient things we have learned here, we have also been affected by the modern history of this people.

A couple of weeks ago, we took both boys (children under 10 not permitted) to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum here in Jerusalem. It was an incredibly sobering day. The museum itself is astounding. The rooms are dedicated to vividly recalling all the events of this horrific tragedy. There are two especially memorable sections – The Hall of Names and The Children’s Memorial. The Hall of Names is a circular room that is about 30 feet tall with the center cut out. All around the edges, from floor to ceiling, are shelves filled with black binders. Within these binders are filed (in alphabetical order) the names, photographs and any other information that can be found regarding the victims that did not survive the genocide. To stand in the room and to look all around is to be smacked with the vast number of people whose names the Nazis tried to erase from the memory of the face of the Earth. The second section I will never forget is the Children’s Memorial. This memorial is cut into the side of bedrock so to enter it is to enter a cave. Once inside, it is pitch black. There are hundreds of thousands of tiny flickering lights as far as your eye can peer in all directions. As you stand in this ominous setting, the names of the children slaughtered in the conflict are read…one after another…their name and then their age…then another one…then another. This place – this day – etched in the city of Jerusalem to cause a whole people group to remember. to mourn. to never forget. to count the cost.

And then today…I was doing my laundry and spontaneously there was a sound of many bullhorns and sirens. Of course my first thought is that there was a nuclear bomb coming and we were all going to see Jesus. Upon the absence of that happening, I went outside to investigate. The sight that greeted me was very moving and strangely eerie. In the busy street outside our apartment, everyone was frozen in position as if time was standing still. Cab drivers were standing next to their cars, pedestrians were stopped in the middle of the street, our security guard was standing next to his post, shop owners were in their doorways…everyone had their head bowed…perplexing. Then it hit me, they are remembering…remembering the holocaust. The sirens seemed to go on forever and then they stopped as quickly as they had started and everyone sprang back to life and continued about their day.

Last Sunday, our pastor from the Christ Church here in Jerusalem, spoke about remembering. He taught us that remembering is not just thinking about a past event but it is bringing the past into our present to change it. He, of course, was speaking of the death and resurrection of our Lord. He recounted how God is constantly asking us to remember…remember when I led you out…do this in remembrance of me. He spoke of the power of remembering, how it gives us courage and how it increases our faith so that we can live for Him today with the power of the Resurrection in our lives. It moved me.

The dedication I have seen in this country to collectively remember has spurred me on in my own life and reminded me of how His love and presence in my life needs to lead me to act on behalf of the afflicted, the rejected and the needy. I realized that I do not take the time to remember enough. Thus, for the past two weeks, I have been making an effort to remember…all He has done for me…

how He has led me, at times carried me on Eagle’s wings,
how He has wooed me,
how He has loved me,
how He has forgiven me,
how He has blessed me,
how He has afflicted me,
how He has provided for me.

This year, I will turn 40 and already, I have much to remember.

My prayer is that I will bring these memories from the past into my presence and that I will be more faithful and more full of Him than ever to a broken, needy and watching world.

Help me, Lord.

Cate and I on our way to Christ Church – Easter morning

Gabe mastering the Egg/Spoon race at the college!

And now Bennett’s turn at the famous Egg Toss at the college!

Cate waiting for her turn in the race…

Jesus is the best…

Yes, I know this almost sounds trite, because I am stating the obvious. But after being in Jerusalem for these last two months, this is what reverberates in my heart over and over again. HE is the best, the absolute best. Nothing compares to Him. HE is incomparable.

It has been an absolute treat to be here. Every day is a gift.

This week has been extra special. Pilgrims from all over the world have descended upon this city. For the Jews, it’s to celebrate Pesach (Passover). For Christians, it’s Holy week (or at least that’s how they refer to it here in Jerusalem).

Maybe it is because of the fact 4 out of 5 people in this country call themselves Jews (and the majority of that last 5th is Muslim), that I so appreciate all the Christian pilgrims this week.

I have a new-found appreciation for my brothers and sisters in Christ who come from all walks of life, from all over the globe, and they come with diverse expressions of worship (let’s just say very few would call themselves protestant). But, from what I can tell, they are here because in their heart they believe that Jesus is Lord. They are here because they sincerely believe that Jesus is the Son of God who came to this world to die for sins, and by God’s power, was resurrected from the dead.

All of this has reminded me that I am part of something huge.

On Palm Sunday, our family joined thousands of believers to walk the path Jesus took into Jerusalem that day He saddled a donkey starting in Bethany and going all the all the way to Temple Mount.

It broke me.

It was my first real taste of Revelation 5 – people from every tongue and tribe celebrating Christ the King. People were fired up. The crowd was filled with palm branches, and singing and dancing as we processed shoulder to shoulder down the Mount of Olives. Of course, it was a group of African Christians with their singing and dancing that energized the whole crowd.

Nothing breaks down racial and social barriers like Jesus. We are all one in Him.

He is the best.

As I was walking, a guy came up to me and introduced himself (this was going on all day). His name was Khalid. I asked him where he was from. He said he was from the Mount of Olives. Immediately after I introduced myself and Gabe and Bennett who were walking with me, he asked me – do you want to know my story? He was a young man in his 20s. I said – sure. He went on to tell me He was a Muslim, but that 2 years ago he was diagnosed with a serious case of cancer. Somehow after the diagnosis he came into contact with a group of Christians just before he had to go in for surgery. He told me how they prayed over him – specifically that Christ would heal him. When he went in for his surgery, the surgeon was mystified because the cancer was completely gone. Soon thereafter, He gave his life to Christ. He is now a worship leader in his church. I asked him his favorite song. Without even thinking about it, he said – How Deep the Father’s Love for Us. Then he started singing that song. He was one of the happiest Christians I have ever met.

Again, Jesus is the best.

As we were walking, I asked him what his parent’s thought about him being a Christian. His face got real sober and he said – if my family ever found out I became a Christian, they would kill me. He meant it. I looked at my boys… their eyes showed me that they were listening.

Pray for Khalid.

Our procession led us to St Anne’s, this old Crusader Church next to temple mount. There in the courtyard were thousands, literally singing and dancing. What a sight to see nuns, orthodox priests, American collegians, Africans, both old and young, Easterner and Westerner, locked arm and arm, singing and dancing because of our King.

Jesus is the best.

And may I humbly add… so are God’s people.

Palm Sunday Processional

Palm Sunday Processional

Dancing at St. Anne’s

Cate and Me

Live & Learn

The learning here is unavoidable. All you have to do is walk with your eyes open. I love to learn so I walk a lot. There are two things that are common sights that impact me immensely.

The first is people. There is tons of ethnic diversity as well as religious diversity here and both are equally obvious. People wear their religion in the streets of Jerusalem. The orthodox Jews appear to wear mostly black, dark hats and have long curls on the sides of their faces. Another group of orthodox Jews is differentiated by their large, disc-like, fur hats and black garb. They are the Russian Orthodox Jews. There are also Eastern Orthodox Christians and Catholics. They usually have robes on and some sort of formal head wrap. And then there are the nuns and the monks, easily identified by their simple robes tied with rope belts.

The second thing that impacts me is the architecture. There is so much beauty of expression in the things that have been erected in this place. From gardens to ruins to sanctuaries, the places of Jerusalem speak to me. The often gated gardens, quiet and peaceful sanctuaries from the city, create time for me to reflect and rest. The ornate sanctuaries built in honor and awe of deep religious beliefs and convictions are inspiring and breathtaking. While the ruins, so lovingly preserved and painstakingly studied, cause me to wonder, question and imagine.

Walking along in this place, every day, seeing the sights and noticing the people impacts me. It causes me to pause and wonder. What do I wear that reflects my religion; my relationship with Christ? What will the things I leave say about me? What brings rest in my life and what convictions do I have that might be deserving of monuments or cathedrals?

Last night we went to vespers…a Shabbat service that is hosted every Friday evening by the college. Rod spoke and we sang a great song that I have not sung in a long time…Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary, pure and holy, tried and true. With thanksgiving, I’ll be a living sanctuary for you. It struck me that being in this place, with all of its sanctuaries, and all of its people, and all of their religions has brought me back to the basics.

Wearing Him.
Building His kingdom.
Sacrificing self.

I am impacted.

Cate and I in the Garden of Gethsemane

Rod teaching our family in ruins of the synagogue at Capernaum

My favorite cathedral – St. Annes by the Pool of Bethsaida

Gabe and Bennett comment on the Zealots

Today we went to Masada. Masada is a huge plateau that the zealots used to hide from the Romans. It’s out in the desert, to the west of the Dead Sea. We went up the long and tiresome path called the Snake Path. It winds its way up the side of the plateau, making you feel like you’re never going to get to the top. From a distance, the path actually looks like someone carved a snake into the mountain. The path was built by the Israelite Army in 1968, when they won their independence, so that archeologists and eventually tourists could get to the top. Luckily as we made our journey up, we got some rain to cool us off. It was a rainy day, even in the desert a place that only gets like 4 inches of rain each year.
Finally after an hour of climbing up the Snake Path, we reached the top of Masada, which in Hebrew means literally rock. At the top we got to see some sweet ruins of a palace Herod had built, and we learned all about the history of Masada. It’s very cool.
The last remaining zealots camped out at the top of the plateau, about a 1000 of them, but the Romans were very mad at the zealots. They were willing to bring their best legions to camp out around the plateau, even building a wall around the whole thing so that not one of the Jews could escape. The Romans were very smart and built a massive siege ramp, ending at the top of the plateau. They used Jewish slaves to build the massive ramp made out of rocks, stones, and sand. They used Jewish slaves so that none of the Jews at the top would throw stones or roll stones down the ramp to stop their building. Some of the slaves had relatives at the top of the plateau, so no one wanted to hurt them. Even after 2000 years you can still see part of the siege ramp, even though some of has eroded.
We learned how when the Romans finally reached the top of the plateau, after an astounding three years of camping out in the desert, and all they found was dead bodies. The father of each family was forced to slit each of his family members’ throats before slitting his own, to avoid being capture and probably crucified. Overall it was a really sad story.
After a long day of learning we decided to take the shuttle down. We were very tired, and nobody wanted to brave the Snake Path again. At the bottom, we got some tasty snacks, which included Gatorades and Magnum Bars, and headed back to Jerusalem where our apartment is.

Taking My Time

Rod is in class, Cate is petting cats, Gabe is playing basketball and Bennett is hiking…I guess that leaves me…what am I doing?

Well, as you can guess, I still do a lot of the normal things…cooking, cleaning, and shopping…those are the usual things that have not really changed. Well, I guess the way I do these things has changed. Cleaning is really easy in a tiny apartment with limited supplies so that takes up very little time. Cooking is a little harder and takes a little more time. Since we are not using a car, I generally shop every day which includes walking to the store and back with the goods. Sometimes I shop in the old city. Things are cheaper there and actually a ton fresher. For the chefs in the bunch…you would love this! There are tons of fresh veggies and fruits in every color of the rainbow, herbs spilling out of baskets and mountains of freshly ground spices available by the pound. If you can turn your head to avoid the carcasses hanging in the fresh meat area, this is definitely the way to shop. Cooking has been a little bit of a challenge with different foods and not all my normal utensils…but we have come up with some favorites and we are all enjoying trying different things…well, maybe not Bennett…but most of us.

Other than the adventure of maintaining our family in a new setting, I am also homeschooling. I am pretty sure that I am not really all that great at this. We are managing and plowing our way through some curriculum. However, our best learning seems to happen on the go…when we go and see sights and learn about their settings and their history. We have taken every opportunity, whenever possible to take everything in. The children really enjoy these learning experiences the most.

I am also auditing three classes – Biblical Archeology, 2nd Temple History and Parables. This has been sooo great. I forgot what a privilege it is to be able to sit and learn. It is a huge luxury and since I am auditing, I do not have to do any of the hard stuff that Rod does like papers and exams – all the gain, none of the pain. I am learning so much and being stretched in these arenas.

Amidst all of these things, I am taking my time. Time is not something that I normally take. I am not used to having time. Or maybe I never realized that time is something one has to “take.” Sadly to say, my life is usually rushed or hurried. While we do much here and “go” often, here I feel like I have time. I am learning a lot about time…in my classes – how it affects the world, in my family – what a huge gift it is, in my own life – how to take it and use it.

Today we went to the garden tomb. It is one of the traditional sights of the tomb of Jesus. As you walk there, you have to walk through some chaos…crowded & dirty neighborhoods…but then, you walk through this little gate and it is like stepping into Eden. It is a little oasis amongst a busy, dirty, noisy city. Apart from the obvious spiritual beauty of this spot, it reminded me of what this trip is for us…a place and an opportunity to retreat, an opportunity to step out of the noise and business of our lives

…an opportunity to “take our time” and I guess, in a variety of ways, that is what I am doing…taking my time…

“Teach me to number my days, that I might present to you a heart of wisdom.”

Bennett Homeschooling

Shopping in the old city

Carrying the goods!

Cate’s Blog

Hi, this is Cate! I have had so much fun in Israel. It is really great because we are experiencing tons of stuff.

The university where my Dad goes to school is my favorite place to be. There are tons of cats there. It is really strange because all of the sudden you can see a lot of cats. I have seen two cats there, at the school, and they have been very nice to me. They let me pet them and they just come to you. One is named Mr. Orange and one is named Cranky because he is not as friendly. It is really fun and cool. There are also a lot of cats everywhere. This is really different than the United States.

Another activity we did was a field trip. I got to go to a Biblical garden with my Dad and Mom and we got to see all different types of plants. My parents actually really liked it, too. We actually got to do real shepherding. While we were shepherding, I got to pick up a baby lamb. He was brown and white speckled. Everyone there was very nice, even the college kids.

The thing I do not really like is the gas from the busses. It really smells strong and I do not like it.

The stuff we do here is really different and very unusual. I would like to be here very day! Bye, guys!

Me and the little lamb

Me petting Mr. Orange

Homeschooling at Dad’s school and petting Mr. Orange

The Desert

I love the desert.

There is no way to describe why I love the desert, except for these words written by David when he was hiding in this barren wasteland from Saul.

O God, You are my God. Earnestly I seek You.
My Soul thirsts for You.
My Body longs for You…
In a dry and weary land where there is no water.
Psalm 63:1

The Desert of Judah is a stunning thing to behold. It’s canyons, cliffs, and high places make it an awesome place. David knew this place well. The Judah Desert is right in the backyard of both Bethlehem and Jerusalem. In the biblical story, it’s the land of the shepherd. So David as a boy who is put in charge of his dad’s sheep probably knew every nook and cranny of that place. It’ would have been a place where he would have been all alone for days, even week’s caring for his dad’s sheep. It would have been the place where he would learn how to defend himself against the lion and the bear. But even more, this would be the place where David would become a man after God’s own heart.

The desert.

This dry, barren wasteland was sometimes referred to as the Tehom, the watery deep, leading into the abyss (Dead Sea).

Yet, it is here where I sense God like no other place.

I think it’s because God loves this place, too. Yes, people can look at it, and say that is the abyss, because on its appearance it is a wasteland. It is hot and intensely barren. It is quite the contrary to our “Disneyland” way of life.

However, in Jeremiah 2, God reminds a “back-sliding” people – Do you remember our honeymoon in the desert? Do you remember when we were lovers and first getting to know each other? What happened to us? (Yes, this is my paraphrase). God is asking these questions through the prophet Jeremiah, a man who grew up in Anathoth, a suburb just outside Jerusalem overlooking the Judah Desert. Then it’s through Jeremiah, a man familiar with the desert, through whom God answers His question. What went wrong – You dug cisterns for yourself that are broken and hold no water. In doing so, you have forsaken Me, the Spring of Living Water.

To me, what is so amazing about the desert, while it is utterly barren in terms of “worldliness, here, in this place, the presence of God just gushes.

Is it coincidence then that out of the Judah Desert flows this beautiful spring? In biblical times (and even today) the place of this spring is called En Gedi, which means the Spring of the deer. In fact, we read at the end of 1 Samuel 23 and the beginning of 24 that this is one of the places David hides from Saul. When you come to this place after driving through the hot desert climate, you can’t imagine how excited David must have been to come to this spring (he wasn’t driving). Is this what David came upon that caused his heart to write Psalm 63? I can’t help but think so.

Do you hear what David is saying – in this dry and weary place where there is no water… yes, I am thirsty… yes, I am hungry. But as much as I would love a glass of water or a hearty meal… my soul and my entire being, in this place, thirst and hunger for the living God. God I want you. My heart and my soul want to feast on You.

The desert.

The desert, like that spring, gushes with God.

I love the desert.
I thank God that I get this time in the Desert.

“As the deer pants for the streams of water so my soul longs for Thee.”

the spring of living water

the “deer”

The kids made the whole hike…through 2 wadis!