Wanted: Hebrew Translator

It is Wednesday morning and we are at the bus station waiting for our bus that we THINK is taking us to Galilee! We checked out of our hotel and took a taxi to the central bus station in Jerusalem. Our taxi driver only spoke one English word "crazy" which he used to describe all of the other drivers on the road.

We made it safely to the bus station but EVERYTHING is in Hebrew! (Most of the Old City where we were yesterday had all signs in Hebrew, Arabic, and English but I guess they don't get many English-speaking tourists at the bus station) It took us three trips to the ticket office but we think we have tickets to Capernaum. We also had to exchange more dollars to shekels but had trouble finding an exchange place. We went to an Israeli bank and the teller spoke enough English to tell us we needed to look for "Boris." After two trips up and down the street, we found "Boris" who exchanged our dollars to shekels. Here's to hoping Boris is an honest man, because we certainly wouldn't know if he wasn't!

Yesterday afternoon we went to Dome of the Rock. It was BEAUTIFUL! Non-Muslims are not allowed to enter the mosque, but we took lots of pictures from the outside. We also traveled the Via Dolorosa, the 14 stations of the cross that are hidden in the streets of Jerusalem.

It gets UBER hot here in the afternoon, but we are drinking lots of water and it is nice and cool by dinner time. Last night we connected with my friend Adam (from the US) who is studying Hebrew here in Israel. He took us to the City Centre (New Jerusalem) and it was VERY western/American. I have to admit, it was nice to have a few hours of feeling like we were somewhere familiar.

Tonight we will meet up with the rest of our delegation at Hebron Hostel in Jerusalem. We still don't have an itinerary, so I will let you all know what we're doing when we find out. Thanks so much for the emails, blog comments, and facebook posts. I am DEFINITELY feeling your love and prayers! =)

We arrived!

It is Tuesday afternoon and we are in Jerusalem! We arrived safely in Tel Aviv on Monday afternoon and had no trouble getting through customs. We took the shuttle van to our "hotel" in Jerusalem--we are staying at Christ Church Guest House in the Christian Quarter.

The receptionist at the hotel was an American from Maryland so she took us on a private tour of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre yesterday evening. It was so beautiful and very cool to be there without many tourists. She took us to dinner and then we crashed pretty hard--it had been a long day+ of traveling!

Today we are roaming the streets of Jerusalem. We went to the Wailing Wall, Mary's tomb, the Garden of Gethsemane, and the Church of All Nations. This afternoon we plan to visit the Dome of the Rock and Via Dolorosa.

It is an absolute joy to be here! There is a lot of spiritual energy in the air and most of the time we don't talk to each other--we are too busy absorbing the sights, sounds, and smells of the streets!

Tomorrow we are headed to the Sea of Galilee--I will try to post pictures soon!

Much love--
T

Invited to Jerusalem

By now, some of you may be tired of hearing about my upcoming trip to Israel/Palestine. I'm afraid I haven't been a very good friend, sister, or daughter this last week because my mind and body are consumed with preparation!

Nearly 5 months ago, I preached a sermon for Ash Wednesday titled, "Invited to Jerusalem." I talked about how costly, scary, and dangerous it can be to follow Jesus to Jerusalem. My sermon was intended to be a metaphor for the ways we are called to follow Christ, however, tomorrow afternoon I will get on a plane with two others and join a team of 13 in the city of Jerusalem. I am filled with awe, excitement, and terror as I seek to follow Jesus to Jerusalem. Literally.

I remind myself that I am not doing this alone. I couldn't do this alone. I have felt God's presence with me through the many, MANY people who have told me they are praying for me and through the generous hearts who supported my trip financially. Please know I am making a list of names and taking it with me to remind myself that I am deeply connected to and supported by others!

Many people have asked me why I am going on this trip and I have had a hard time articulating a good answer. Let me be clear, I am not a martyr! I have every intention of returning safely to my husband and family! I have lost countless hours of sleep and shed many, many tears because I am afraid for my own safety. But, in those same moments of terror, I am convinced that this is something I want to do. I am convinced that all the anxiety and fear will be worth it because I believe God is stretching me, cracking me open a bit, to create new space for new learnings, love, and blessings.

I am going to Israel/Palestine to learn. I want to learn more about the conflict there--to hear stories from all kinds of people. I want to learn what it is like to live under occupation. I think it will make me a better bible scholar--after all, Jesus lived under occupation! I want to learn how people who suffer in unthinkable ways are able to construct a theology that sustains them. How do you remain grounded in God when all around you is violence and death?

I am also going to Israel/Palestine to be with those who are suffering. I cannot claim it as "solidarity," since our visit is so short. However, it is my hope that for a brief time, I can enter into the suffering of others and be present with them. My friend, Lauren, sent me Henri Nouwen's Compassion for my birthday. He writes, "The word compassion is derived from the Latin words pati and cum, which together mean "to suffer with." Compassion asks us to go where it hurts, to enter into places of pain, to share in brokenness, fear, confusion, and anguish. Compassion requires us to be weak with the weak, vulnerable with the vulnerable, and powerless with the powerless. Compassion means full immersion in the condition of being human...By setting out with Jesus on the road of the cross, we become people in whose lives the compassionate presence of God in this world can manifest itself."

That is my prayer. That God will help me overcome my own fears and anxieties in order to be present with people who are suffering. Amen!

Greta's blog

My friend, Greta, has started an awesome blog where she will be writing about our adventures in Palestine. I've added a link to her blog (see the side panel) but will put it here as well.

4 More Days...

"It's where we go, and what we do when we get there, that tells us who we are."
--Joyce Carol Oates

My First Mountain Biking Adventure

I've had my mountain bike for almost two years but have never taken it off the paved trails. Until yesterday! David took me out to Bear Creek Lake in Morrison and I had my first mountain biking adventure. It was awesome!

Bear Creek Lake is a pretty easy trail and I know David could do it with his eyes closed, but he was so patient with me and made me feel really comfortable. He is a great teacher! At one point, he was running down the hill beside me in case I fell over. It was very sweet. =)

Mom and Justin's visit

My mom and brother arrived Thursday night and spent the weekend with us. My mom has been here a couple of times, but it was my brother's first visit. It was so nice to have both of them here with us!

We went to Boulder and toured the Celestial Seasonings factory. We got to drink LOTS of tea and brought home lots of different flavors to try!

We also made it to a Rockies game on Friday night. We were worried about the game being rained out, but it cleared up in time for the game and we were actually HOT from all the sun. The Rockies won and we got to see fireworks after the game.

Saturday we drove to Dillon for lunch and then went on to Breckenridge. Justin, David, and I wanted to do the alpine slide, but it was raining off and on and the slide wasn't open. We did get to play "Super Putt," however, which was a lot of fun.

Sunday we hung out in Denver and took my mom and Justin to 16th Street after a sushi lunch. It was a great visit and I was super sad to see them go!