Free Travel!

My last blog post was written partway through free travel, where Joe, Tim and I spent two nights at Tim's uncle's place. After these highly informative and entertaining encounters, we set off to the Sea of Galilee for three days of hiking/camping/backpacking along the eastern coast, from the southern tip to the north. We first picked up the last of our gear from Dave Landis in Nazareth, where we happened to run into Janet and Linford as they were setting off to Ashkelon! It really is a small place.

So we carried our 30-pound packs on our backs for three days, set up camp along beach-like terrain as the sun sank, tended our blisters, ate pita with accessories, and typically got around 11 hours of sleep each night. And oh, the stories! Our third day was by far the most adventurous. Because of the recent rains, the stream crossings were thigh-high and at some points the path simply became the stream. We knew our general direction, thanks to our handy Jesus Trail guidebook, but found ourselves wandering through groves of citrus trees. We picked a few "oranges" for a special snack, which turned out to be lemons. This made the grapefruit we found on the ground taste especially sweet! We walked next to a well-marked minefield through waist-high wildflowers and blazed our way through thick patches of reeds. We were blessed with warm weather and clear skies the entire week. On Thursday we hitchhiked several miles up the road to Yehudia National Park, which had gorgeous waterfalls and colorful wildflowers. This was a great opportunity for me to catch up on relaxation and to realize the beauty of this land. (We also came at the perfect time--most of the year this area is completely brown!) The last two days were spent in Tiberias and in Nazareth. I feel refreshed and ready to tackle our last 5 weeks *gasp!* before returning to the States.

Our group is currently staying in Ecce Homo, a convent in the middle of the Old City. It is great to stand on the balcony and overlook the 1-square-kilometer walled city which is home to 37,000 individuals. So much life, and so much culture.

Well, I tried to upload some photos but this internet isn't cooperating. So use your imagination, and hopefully I can upload some later!

Shalom,
James

An update and a very full brain

Our final question on our exam with Jerusalem University College went something like this: "How has experiencing and learning about the geographical history of the Bible been formational to your faith and theology? How will you explain the importance of seeing this land to people back home?" Answer: Being here changes perspectives drastically. By actually sitting on the hill overlooking where David fought Goliath, or floating in the middle of the Sea of Galilee, or seeing what Jesus saw as he taught from the Temple steps, the Bible comes to life. So much of the Old Testament makes sense now, after putting the stories into their cultural context and getting into the mindset of the people in the story. My mind has been stretched, forcing me to reevaluate the Western lens through which we view the Bible. Come, see, experience, and you too can understand.

The purpose of our Jerusalem University College (JUC) program was to put the Biblical stories into geographical and cultural context. We did this by traveling to Biblical sites all across Israel, learning about the trade routes and political forces of the "Land Between", and evaluating the Biblical stories in the context of where it was written. I have so many new thoughts which are difficult to capture in a short blog post, but believe me when I say these past two weeks have been formational.

I am now at the forefront of a new adventure: free travel! Joe, Tim and I have a rough plan of our week, which involves hiking/camping/backpacking along the eastern coast of the Sea of Galilee and into the Golan Heights. Our plans are subject to change, which is the perfect recipe for fantastic stories!

Take the last 24 hours as an example: after waiting several hours for the bus station to open, we took a bus from Jerusalem to Tim's uncle's house, who has lived in Israel for the past 17 years. I couldn't even begin to describe him and his family in a way that you would understand... he's basically an insane 60-year-old genius who talks constantly and verbosely about tangental subjects ranging from politics and theology to lightswitches and traffic jams. His ex-wife is an Israeli Jew, and we are staying at her house which he built. They have two sons aged 19 and 25: the older is a brilliant self-taught scientist and the younger is currently in the military. My brain is so full of conflicting thoughts--staying with Palestinian and Israeli host families in a several-week period will do that to you.

Let the adventure begin!
-James