May 11, 2015 - Korçë, Albania Doc’s hand fell. The sound of roughly sixty voices in unison flooded the foyer with the first note of the Doxology. The line leaders began to rush into the theatre. I followed the line, trying not to make a racket with my heels on the worn wooden floor. Here goes nothing, I thought. Will our ministry really be as effective as everyone says? We’re not that great of a choir… |
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August 30, 2014
I started to get off the plane, too tired from the long journey to realize the true impact of what was happening. We claimed our baggage and said hello to our new professors. As the tour bus took us to our new home, Yad HaShmonah, our professor taught us a Hebrew song called “Hodu L’Adonai. Walking through those foreign airport halls is mostly a blur, but I do remember thinking, I’m actually in Israel. November 30, 2014 The tour bus lurched forward, carrying us all to a place we didn’t want to go. We said our goodbyes, both to our professors and to our home for the past three months. As Yad HaShmonah disappeared beyond the bend, we started up a tearful rendition of Hodu L’Adonai. Soon we were back on the plane, headed back to America, this time fully aware of what was happening. Most of the plane ride is a blur, but I do remember thinking, I’m actually leaving Israel. Once again, IBEX packed up, loaded the bus, and headed out for an extended field study in the Negev. We stopped at Beersheva, Arad, Avdat, and Tsade Boker before hiking in the Nahal Zin. Each place we stopped was incredible, but I couldn't stop thinking about one place: the wilderness. The place where Israel wandered for forty years; the spiritual testing and refinement. I couldn't wait to see it. We stopped for the night in Mizpeh Ramon, right on the edge of Maktesh Ramon. A maktesh is a large crater formed by wind erosion. Several of us decided we would get up early the next morning for the sunrise. As much as I hate getting up early, the sunrise over the maktesh was definitely worth it.
Galilee was indescribably amazing. There are no words to describe how physically and spiritually beautiful Galilee is. You simply have to experience it. After eight days of paradise and thirty nine pages of notes later, I will attempt to relate my Galilean adventures.
Our first two days were spent in and around the Jezreel Valley. Day one, we stopped at Caesarea Maritima, which is on the coast. It was BEAUTIFUL. Caesarea is where Paul gave his defense before Felix, and eventually appealed to Caesar. The ruins there are really neat; especially the theatre and the hippodrome. We actually did a human chariot race in the hippodrome, which was so much fun. Later in the day, we visited the spot where Elijah had his showdown with the prophets of Baal, and then went up to Haifa University Tower to get an overlook of the Plain of Acco. After a full day, we stayed at a hotel in Nazareth, which was a really weird feeling. The little town that Jesus grew up in wasn't little or quaint at all. It was actually a pretty big and modern Arab city. A lot has happened since I last updated my blog. Two holidays have passed, many field studies and excursions, and lots of fellowshipping and learning. First of all, my childhood imaginings about Bethlehem are utterly destroyed. For one thing, we have so many details about the Christmas story entirely wrong. For example, there was no grouchy innkeeper. Joseph wasn't just arriving in Bethlehem frantically looking for a room while Mary was going into labor. The wise men actually arrived two whole years after the birth of Jesus. Secondly, Bethlehem is not a little town anymore. It's a modern, Arab city with a mall, streets, a fake Starbucks, and many other things. It was actually one of my least favorite places that we've been so far. It just felt like a dirty, crowded city. No magic. No shepherds. No angels singing gloria. No cute sheep and cattle. Nothing. Not even a field.
The evening of October 3rd marked the beginning of Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement, is a biblical holiday still observed by almost all Jewish people across the world. Fasting is traditional on that day, as well as abstinence from anything considered fun. And you can't drive cars around. As a result, IBEX took a little evening stroll along the main highway heading towards Jerusalem. Pictures were posted on Facebook is you want to take a look. However, the main focus of the day wasn't highway fun, or even the atonement. It was food. No one could stop talking about food because of the fasting. Hence the joke came to be, "Yom Kippur: the day where everyone talks about food and only food for a whole day." Since Jewish days start at sundown, the fast lasted from sunset Friday to sunset on Shabbat. The following day, we all went to congregation in the miklat (student lounge/bomb shelter). Benj went through the passage in Leviticus that talks about the practices and sacrifices on Yom Kippur. Biblically, Yom Kippur is the day that the high priest would go in to the Holy of Holies and sprinkle the blood of the sacrifice onto the Mercy Seat. The people waited outside with baited breath, hoping that the high priest would emerge alive from the tent. First, he would make atonement for himself and his family with two bulls. Next, he would take two goats. One would be sacrificed, and one would be sent off into the wilderness. The goat that was sacrificed made atonement for the sins of the people, while the goat that was sent off removed sin from the camp. This goat was known as the scapegoat. In the Mishnah (Jewish oral traditions written down), the priests would set out a red cord when the goat was sent off. Once the goat reached the wilderness, the red cord was replaced with a white cord. This is to remind the people of the verse in Isaiah 1:18: En Gedi and the Dead Sea? Great! Hiking up Nahal Arugot and the Ascent of Ziz? Not so great. Before lunch on Friday, Bill prepared us for our next big trip on Sunday. We were going to hike all around En Gedi and the nature reserve there, hike straight up a rather large looking mountain (the Ascent of Ziz), and then hike back down to the Dead Sea. I was really excited for the trip, but I was also really nervous. Hiking is not my best friend. I'm so miserably out of shape I can barely make it up the stairs to breakfast in the morning without huffing and puffing. From what Bill said, this sounded like it was going to be an intense hike in an intense climate. Indeed it was. The Judean Wilderness is pretty rugged. There's a reason David chose to hide from Saul there. It's next to impossible to run around the canyons and mountains without dying of thirst, starvation, or falling off a cliff somehwere. It's pretty rugged terrain, and there's hardly any water. Pictures of previous groups hiking the trail looked daunting. Tiny trails on the sides of cliffs surrounded by desert dirt brown for miles around. Again, I was nervous. I woke up this morning at 5:30am, hoping to be on the bus by 7. All morning long, I dreaded looking like a complete wuss dragging myself up those trails. I asked God to give me the grace to make it through. Hours later, we arrived at the nature reserve. Random side note: I've officially seen an ibex. In real life. Anyway, the trail was relatively flat for a long time. Bill took us through trails with springs and tiny streams. We tromped through tiny brooks and got endless amounts of pebbles in our shoes. The surrounding canyon was absolutely breath taking. We jumped into various pools and waterfalls to cool off along the way. However, if you wander anywhere else in this wilderness, you won't find a drop of water. At any rate, I had a blast (I was super grateful for my waterproof camera). We hiked back out, had lunch, and then headed over to the Ascent of Ziz. So far, there were only tiny bits of the trail that had me out of breath. I was actually keeping up with the group just fine. It seemed like I was nervous for no reason at all. The Ascent of Ziz isn't called an ascent for nothing. It must have only been a few minutes into our hike, and I was out of breath. Looking ahead, the trail just kept going straight up at a pretty steep incline. Like an idiot, I started to get nervous again. What if I can't keep up? What if I'm the last one in line going super slow and look like a complete idiot? A few minutes later, my fears were realized. My throat closed almost all the way up, and I was having a really hard time breathing. I had to stop to breathe. Several friends stopped with me to make sure I was alright, and then proceeded to encourage me and help me up the rest of the way. Some of the guys insisted on carrying my backpack for me too. Praise God for faithful and kind friends! The whole experience was so humbling for me. I'm a pretty stubborn person, so asking for help isn't one of my strong points. When I can't carry my own weight, I feel so awful because someone else has to help pick up the slack. Most of it is completely my own pride. But God had something to teach me that was so much better than having my ego return in one piece. Halfway up the Ascent, we reached a spring with a pool. The water was the most refreshing water I've ever sat in. Bill began to read a Psalm. We're finally exploring the rest of the land of Israel! It seemed like we were stuck in Jerusalem for an eternity (which is not necessarily a bad thing) until today: our Benjamin field study. After pointing out Kiriat Je'arim on the hill opposite Yad HaShmonah and discussing the tribal allotments of Israel, we hopped on the bus and headed for the tribe of Benjamin. Ironically, we started out our day by stopping within the confines of Dan. At any rate, we stopped at one of nine proposed sites for Emmaus: Emmaus Necapolis. While the site does have a lot of tradition behind it, it's not the correct spot. Benj and Bill believe that the real location of Emmaus lies within Abu Ghosh, the Arab town close to Yad HaShmonah. Luke 24:13 provides geographical details for the location of Emmaus. Our next stop was the site of many great retreats in Israel's military history: the Beth-Horon Ridge Route. Surprisingly, it was behind a sketchy looking gas station. We hiked up the service road and looked out at the beautiful mountains before us. I even spotted some sheep on the closest hill. Beth-Horon is one of the main approaches to Jerusalem, and is also the northern boundary of the tribal allotment of Benjamin (Joshua 18:12). Like I mentioned before, many battles and retreats took place in this area, including Joshua's famous battle against the Amorites where the sun stood still. Having tricked Joshua into making a treaty with them, the Gibeonites called upon Israel for help defeating the attacking Amorites. Joshua, keeping his promise, hiked all night long from Gilgal. Attacking the Amorites that morning by surprise, Joshua prayed to the Lord that the sun and moon would stand still. Miraculously, God stopped the sun in its tracks, while the moon stood still over the Aijalon Valley. Victorious over the Amorites because of God's gracious miracle, Joshua routed his enemies down the Beth-Horon Ridge Route. God performed yet another miracle and sent huge hailstones with pinpoint accuracy to strike down the Amorites as they fled along the ridge (Joshua 10). The Philistines used this route three different times (1 Samuel 7:5ff; 14:31ff, 2 Samuel 5:17ff). Speaking of Samuel, our next stop was where tradition says Samuel was buried. As always, the Crusaders were incorrect about the location, but it serves as a nice viewpoint for the main cities in Benjamin. The memorial was called Nebi (Hebrew: Navi - "prophet") Samwil (Samuel). You could see the three towers on the Mount of Olives from our first vantage point. Our second viewpoint was just behind Tel Gibeon, with the Sorek Valley in view as well. The modern Arab town of Ramallah swallows up biblical Ramah; Samuel's hometown. Judges 19:11 gives us clear indication where Ramah actually lies. So does Nebi Samwil have any significance? It's probably the site of the high place at Gibeon, detailed in 2 Chronicles 1. We also had a clear view of the ancient Road of the Patriarchs. The modern road still follows the same path. The day was finally here: the day when I would go to the Temple Mount and walk in places where Jesus certainly walked. As always, it was still hard to get out of bed and get moving, but once I woke up the excitement set in. Chris MicKinney was leading our trip today, and I was excited to hear his take on New Testament Jerusalem. After the bus ride, we left our stuff by a tree for Mishaela to guard, and headed to security for the Temple Mount. I was expecting something much more like TSA security: removing shoes, emptying backpacks, and the like, but I was pleasantly surprised. We walked through a metal detector, and put our bags through a scanner, and that was it. The Temple Mount was nothing like I expected it. I actually had a bit of culture shock. Muslims were practically everywhere yelling out their prayers. A group of Muslim women followed a group of Jewish men around shouting that Allah was great in Arabic. Chris led us through to a quieter spot and began to teach. We were standing in the places where the altar likely stood during Jesus' time. The Dome of the Rock covered the Holy of Holies, and the Al Aqsa Mosque stood where the Royal Stoa once was. Then, Chris started talking about the theology of the Temple. The Spirit of the Lord descended in a cloud onto the Temple and filled it. In Ezekiel, the Spirit of God left the Temple, went over the Mount of Olives, and ascended into heaven. The Bible doesn't record God's Spirit ever returning to the Temple in the Second Temple Period. Jesus comes to earth, the curtain in the Temple is torn in two, Jesus rises from the dead, and ascends on the Mount of Olives. The next time we see God's Spirit is at Pentecost. God's Spirit then descends on individual believers, making us living stones of God's Temple, and a Royal Priesthood. After taking lots of pictures in front of the Dome of the Rock, we headed to the Davidson Museum, where Benjamin Mazar excavated the side of the Temple after 1967. Rubble from the destruction of the Temple in 70AD was everywhere. We stood on the Siloam Road and saw the crater that Robinson's arch left in the ground when it fell. Looking up at the corner of the wall, Chris told us that this might be the corner where Satan told Jesus to cast Himself off of. It was pretty high up. Herod laid the stones in such a way to give the illusion of the building rising up instead of falling on you. Yesterday was my first Shabbat in Israel! Well, technically it started Friday night. At any rate, it was absolutely wonderful. I wanted to take a moment to talk about Israeli culture and customs a little bit now that I've been here for a week. Shabbat starts on Friday night at sundown. To bring in Shabbat, there is a small ceremony accompanied by a traditional meal. The lady of the house lights two candles, representing the two Sabbath commandments in the Torah. Then, she covers her eyes and recites a blessing in Hebrew. For us IBEX students, one of the girls lit the candles, and Benj helped her repeat the blessing in Hebrew. Next, Benj filled a cup with grape juice (traditionally wine, but we Master's students can't do that) to the brim, representing the abundance that God blessed us with. Each person at the meal takes a small sip from the cup. Then two loaves of special braided bread are passed around. Each person tears off a piece and eats. The two loaves commemorate how God would provide extra mana Friday so that Israel would have enough food on Shabbat. Then we sang the Shabbat song and began the meal. Traditional Jewish people would go to a short service before beginning the meal. Seeing the Old City walls for the first time yesterday was breath taking. I've seen so many pictures of Jerusalem from church and Sunday school, but it was so different in person. Entering through Jaffa Gate, we made our way up to the top of the Petra Hostel. From there, we could see the three towers on the Mount of Olives. The first tower, the Hebrew University tower, sat to the north. The central tower is the Augusta Victoria Hospital, and the southern tower is the Russian Church of the Ascension. Jaffa Gate is next to a massive hold that Kaiser Wilhelm punched through to make a grand entrance into Jerusalem. |
About MeHi! My name is Bethany Cathcart, and I'm a Biblical Counseling major at The Master's University. I'm also pursuing my TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) Certificate. I currently live in Sedona, Arizona. Archives
June 2015
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