God's Itinerary

Everyone said that getting into and out of Israel is the hardest part of your travel. I beg to differ. Philadelphia wouldn't let us leave unless we (temporarily, hopefully) changed our tickets, to come back after only 3 months instead of 3 1/2. It took 2 hours for Matt, Brittany and me to figure that out and check our bags. We flew to Rome, where we had a 2 hour lay-over until our flight with El Al, the Israeli Airline. The entire time was taken up by the interrogation that El Al's security did with each of us, as well as rummaging through our checked bags. We actually got to go outside and smell the Rome air though :) (didnt smell any different).

After tedious questions concerning our knowledge of anyone who lives in or around Israel, what school we go to in the US, what the American Institute is (JUC), what we are studying, why we bought the tickets we did, and if anything in our bags does not belong to us, we boarded, and had the best plane food I've ever eaten. An omlette along with fruit, cottage cheese and a roll.

The Tel Aviv airport did not take as long as anticipated. One of my checked bags did not get transfered in time to EL AL in Rome so I'm still waiting on that, but Tel Aviv gave me a toiletries kit to help compensate for the delay. This kit contained everything you could imagine--from tiny toothpaste, to a shirt and shorts, to a tiny sewing kit!! Incredible. America wouldnt provide anything like that.



JUC is amazing. You walk out back of the old stone building, built in 1853, and look out over the courtyard with colorful plants, and a tremendous view of the south side of jerusalem. Everything that I have ever read about in scripture during my life is miles away from where I sit. My room (i learned today) is literally where the edge of the old city walls of Jerusalem used to be! I woke up this morning, and on my way to the showers I walked outside where you can hear the rooster crowing.

God is so good, and He always find ways to surprise me and make me feel foolish for getting frustrated and not fully trusting.

New Beginnings and Goodbyes

I've never been a fan of either. I always get so excited by something new, something unfamiliar--but always, I seem to have a hard time transitioning. Goodbyes are never how we wish they could have been, looking back on them. It makes me nervous thinking about these two things. Yet as always, they are both in God's hands, and in His plans for me. It wasn't until today that I first got emotional about leaving. It's a bittersweet taste that fills my mouth as I watch my dad playing with my nephew at our house. He will never be just the way he is right now--ever again--So sweet as he gibber-gabbers things that make sense only to him and looks to us for confirmation. Oh and baby hugs, too. they are the best. those tiny little arms embrace me tightly as his face is pressed firmly against my shoulder... I will miss him--there's no doubt about it.


The funny thing is that he's probably the only one right now who isn't worried about me going to Israel in any way. His ignorance is bliss at some levels. Sure, he cannot understand the weight, importance, and greatness of the trip I am taking, but he hasn't a care in the world. He has no presuppositions about the cultrue or about what I will experience or learn while I'm there; no fears about how prepared I will be when I leave or what life will be like when I get back. He takes everything in stride. Faith like a child, Lord; faith like a child is what You ask.

A Possibility

Howdy, Folks!

So I set up this blog in hopes of possibly writing in it every few days while in Israel for the Spring Semester '09 in order to keep people back home updated as well as to serve as a reminder to myself of things that I learn and/or into which I want to dig deeper. But suffice it to say that this is a mere experiment, a hope of some good thing. So if no one reads it, thats quite all right with me.

Well, two weeks til take-off! Shalom.