End of the Semester and Free Travel

It's Saturday afternoon, and I just finished my second to last day of classes! Things are really winding down here at the Artemis. Before I left for Israel, I was so ready to get home, but now, I'm realizing how much I'm going to miss my fellow HUGgers and this beautiful country of Greece that has become my home the past 2 1/2 months.
Tomorrow, Sunday, we have our last church service in Athens, followed by a Christmas banquet on a garden hotel rooftop.
Monday, Dec. 1st, is our last day of classes. Tuesday we ship all our luggage home. Wednesday and Thursday are when we take our finals, and Friday, everyone leaves! Less than half of the group will fly home on Friday, December 5th, and the rest of us will set out for 'free travel.'
I will be free-traveling with Samantha Covalt and Stephanie Sterry (two girls from my HUG group) and also Samantha's aunt, Janet. We will be travelling by airplane, train, bus, and taxi. Here is our itinerary for free travel, so you can follow along if you want:

Friday, Dec. 5th: Stay in Greece, showing Samantha's aunt around Athens.
Saturday, Dec. 6th: Athens
Sunday, Dec. 7th: Fly from Athens to Rome.
Monday, Dec. 8th: Rome
Tuesday, Dec. 9th: Rome
Wednesday, Dec. 10th: Florence
Thursday, Dec. 11th: Florence
Friday, Dec. 12th: Venice. Sleeper train from Venice to Paris. Go to sleep in Venice - wake up in Paris!
Saturday, Dec. 13th: Paris
Sunday, Dec. 14th: Paris
Monday, Dec. 15th: Paris. Fly home. Arrive in OKC at 8:43 p.m.!

To the Land of Israel... (Part 1)

Psalm 48:12-14 - Walk about Zion, go around her, count her towers, consider well her ramparts, view her citadels, that you may tell of them to the next generation. For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end.

Day 1: Tel Aviv, Caesarea Maritima, Nazareth
We left Greece Sunday morning and arrived in Tel Aviv, Israel, at noon. Our first stop after the airport was ancient town of Caesarea Maritima along the Mediterranean Sea.
Our guide for the first few days was named Yossi. He was in the Israeli military, and also a talented flutist. In the evening, we travelled to Nazareth to see the Church of the Annunciation - the supposed location where the angel told the virgin Mary that she would bear a son named Jesus. Nazareth used to be a very small city with a population of less than 100, but now, it is a big Muslim city. Afterward, we had a worship service at the Nazareth Church of Christ. The pastor there shared his testimony and told us how bad persecution of Christians is in Nazareth. I had no idea.

Day 2: Bethsaida, Sea of Galilee, Capernaum, Mount of Beatitudes

After visiting the nearby ancient Biblical site of Bethsaida, we boarded a boat and sailed on the Sea of Galilee.So many Bible stories occurred on the Sea of Galilee: Jesus called brothers Simon Peter and Andrew to be his disciples while they were fishing on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus walked on water here. Jesus calmed the storm here.

We even got to cast a net out into the sea to try to catch some fish. We didn't catch any though, so we decided to throw our net on the other side, just like Jesus suggested to the disciples in the Bible. Still, no fish, but it was fun anyway.

Touching the Sea of the Galilee

Visited Capernaum, then hiked on Mount Precipice We reached the Mount of the Beatitudes near sunset.

It was a beautiful evening. The boys took turns reading Matthew 5-7, the Sermon on the Mount, that Jesus spoke to the crowds here. Below is a pic of Kristina White and me on that mountain.

Day 3: Dan, Caesarea Philippi, Nimrod's Castle, Jordan River

First, we visited the ancient Biblical sites of Dan and Caesarea Philippi.

Then went to the top of a mountain to Nimrod's Castle. It was named after Nimrod in the Bible(Genesis 10:9 - "Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the LORD"), but in reality, it was just a cool, very complex, ancient castle that we got to explore. One of my favorite parts of this trip was the float trip down the Jordan River. Tasha Sallee, my raft partner, and I skillfully maneuvered our way downstream - so fun!

At the end of the float trip, we had to give up our rafts and paddles, but we didn't want to get out of the water. The boys would gang up on us girls and "baptize" (dunk) us under water.

It was neat to be where Jesus was baptized (Matthew 3:13 - Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.) and where Naman, the leper, dipped 7 times to be healed (2 Kings 5).

Below is a picture of the place we stayed for 3 nights. It's called a "kibbutz," which is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. The kibbutz is a form of communal living that combines socialism and Zionism. It is mainly a tourist place now, but still runs somewhat like a kibbutz. There were several sets of apartments for the guests all over the green estate.

To the Land of Israel... (Part 2)

Day 4: Jordan River, Harod Springs, Qumran, Ein Gedi
In the morning, we stopped at the touristy site of the Jordan River. See the people wearing white robes in the water below? They had to pay to be baptized there... kinda sketchy. Next, we visited Harod Spring, where God decreased Gideon's army size from 32,000 men to 300 men before Gideon could fight the Midianites.
1 Samuel 7:1-2 - Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. The LORD said to Gideon, "You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands..."
1 Samuel 7:5 - So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the LORD told him, "Separate those who lap the water with their tongues like a dog from those who kneel down to drink."
We are imitating how Gideon's men probably drank from this same spring.
We stopped at Qumran, the site where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. All of the books of the Bible (except for Esther and Nehemiah) were found in the caves here. Also, the oldest Hebrew copy of the book of Isaiah was found in its entirety here. Below are the exact caves that contained those texts.

Then, we hiked around En Gedi, ducking under trees, climbing up rocks, and ending up in a waterfall! There were ibexes (mountain goats) and hyraxes (furry, round, squirrel-looking animals) running all around.

En Gedi is where David hid from Saul and also where David spared Saul's life.
1 Samuel 24:1-4 - After Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, "David is in the Desert of En Gedi." So Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel and set out to look for David and his men near the Crags of the Wild Goats. He came to the sheep pens along the way; a cave was there, and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were far back in the cave. The men said, "This is the day the LORD spoke of when he said to you, 'I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.' " Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul's robe...

Day 5: Dead Sea, Mt. Sodom, Masada, Bedouin camp

Early in the morning, before we had to leave for touring, we got up and bathed in the Dead Sea (aka Salt Sea). It didn't feel like I was swimming in water. It felt like I was swimming in thick oil. The sea floor was covered in salt crystals, not sand, and there were occasional icebergs of salt here and there. Matt, Melanie, and I covered ourselves with Dead Sea mud (not found on the sea floor near the beach like you would think). To get the mud, we mooched off of other tourists who had bought some mud earlier and who gave us some extra.

Here we are all floating on our backs in the Dead Sea - arms and legs out of the water. Such a weird feeling. We had to work to keep our feet down underneath us. They just want to float up. And I could float standing straight up without even tredding water. But don't put your face (especially eyes or mouth - I did that) under water because it stings and burns badly!!

After changing into normal clothes, we hiked Mount Sodom nearby. This is the place where, while fleeing from Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot's wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt. The whole mountain is made of salt, which makes sense because it is along the coast of the salty Dead Sea. I fell down while climbing around and scrapped my foot up. A wound on Mt. Sodom.... ouch.

Next, we went to Masada. This mountain really is huge! And we hiked up to the top of it!

Zealot Jews used to live in isolation up on the top of Masada, until the Romans seiged Masada and built a ramp up it. In fear, the Zealot Jews on top committed mass suicide before the Romans reached the top. Crazy!

Relaxing in the grass at an Israel park while our lunch sandwiches are being made.

After the hike up Masada, we were ready to relax. The bus pulled in here for the night - a Bedouin camp. Bedouins are predominantly Muslim, desert-dwelling Arab nomads. It looked like an oasis among the miles of desert that stretched around us. Some Bedouin men helped us onto their camels - two people per camel - and we took a walk around the desert as the sun set - so fun!

Here I am petting our camel, Susanna. Some people did not have good luck with their camels. Matt and Rebecca's camel looked like it was nearing its end. Every other step, it would stumble forward. Rebecca was almost hysterical, afraid for her life. I felt so sorry for it, but all our camels were roped together, and if it fell, it would be a domino effect. Their camel made it - barely. Oh goodness.

Here is the Bedouin tent that our whole group spent the night in! There was a rug hanging up to separate the girls and the boys. It was definitely not like the hotels we were used to, but I felt very adventurous!After arriving and drinking the traditional three cups of coffee that Bedouins always serve to their guests, we had a pita, kabab, and rice feast for dinner. Four of us sat on the ground around a big platter of food and we all dug in! Below (from L to R) are Jessica, me, Diane, and Matt.

Samantha, Stephanie, and I take a break to give each other back massages - ahh!

After dinner, I tried to help Dylan start a campfire in the middle of the Bedouin camp. After we got it roaring, we saw songs and drank hot tea together.

Day 6: Elah Valley, Bethlehem

Our bus pulled off on the side of the highway to let us all off. I had no idea we were in the Valley of Elah, where David killed Goliath!

1 Samuel 17:1-3 - Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war and assembled at Socoh in Judah. They pitched camp at Ephes Dammim, between Socoh and Azekah. Saul and the Israelites assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah and drew up their battle line to meet the Philistines. The Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites another, with the valley between them.

I saw walked around the valley and saw the two hills on either side of it.

Here I am in the wadi (dry riverbed) from which David probably gathered his 5 smooth stones.

I searched for smooth stones of my own, so that I could remember the place.

Next, we drove to Bethlehem, which is in the Palestinian-controlled area. We all had to get off the bus and board a new bus. Our tour guide was not allowed to go with us because he was an Israeli citizen. We were given a Palestinian tour guide on our new bus. This is the sign at the security check point. While in Bethlehem, we visited a cathedral that was built over the supposed site of Jesus' birth. We waited in line for almost two hours in order to touch this shrine - silly.

Exiting Bethlehem and crossing back over into the "safer" zone, we saw lots of graffiti on the walls.

I had my friend Matt Smith take this picture of Jessica and me coming out through the Arab security gate. Bad idea. Right as the camera flashed, an Arab officer yelled, "Hey! No pictures in here!" We were so scared!

To the Land of Israel... (Part 3)

Day 7: Jerusalem
In the morning, we drove to the top of the Mount of Olives to see an overview of the city of Jerusalem below. I was surprised that the Mount of Olives was not a secluded forest area filled with olive trees. Instead, it was a commercialized city with a few olive trees here and there. But it did provide a great view of the Jerusalem.
I thought it was neat to think how this place used to be Jesus' main hangout. He came here to be alone, and other times, to teach His disciples.
Luke 21:37 - "Each day Jesus was teaching at the temple, and each evening he went out to spend the night on the hill called the Mount of Olives"
Luke 22:39 - "Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him."
Below (from L to R) are Ashley Valamides, Samantha Covalt, Jessica Berrens, me, Kristina White, Sarah McSwain, and Janet Fouch.
Here is our whole group listening to our Israeli tour guide, Yossi Weiss. He reminded my a lot of my Grandpa Dykstra.

He walked down the Mount of Olives to the Garden of Gethsemane below. This is where Jesus took his disciples at night, after the Last Supper, right before Judas betrayed Him.

Matthew 26:36 - Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray."

Here I am standing next to an olive tree in Gethsemane.

Matthew 26:39-42 - Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter. "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done."

Below is another picture of Gethsemane, full of olive trees. Our group sang hymns and took communion there. While I was there, something really hit me: 2,000 years ago, Jesus was in this same place, praying to God, in anguish, looking forward at His death. And now, here I was, praying to the same God, but in thanksgiving, looking back at Jesus' death. Wow. I'm so glad He went through with God's plan, even though it caused Him pain.

Making our way from Gethsemane, which was originally outside the city, we visited the Old City of Jerusalem. We sang in St. Anne's Basilica, which had amazing acoustics inside and had the longest reverb I had ever heard. Nearby, we peered down into ancient ruins of the Pool of Bethesda, where Jesus healed an invalid who could not get to the healing pools quick enough:

John 5:2-9 - Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, "Do you want to get well?" "Sir," the invalid replied, "I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me." Then Jesus said to him, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk." At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.

We walked through the winding street of the Via Dolorosa ("the way of the cross"). It is the traditional path that Jesus took from Herod's palace of judgment all the way to the cross. See the sign "Via Dolorosa" above Jessica and me?

Although so much of the roads have been rebuilt and reconstructed, the stone road I am standing on here, dates back to the time of Christ!! Next, we visited the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, a huge cathedral built on top of the supposed hill of Golgotha . I thought the church surrounding/protecting the holy site was too ornate; it was difficult for me to even see the ancient site itself. Below, I am touching the stone that Jesus' body was supposedly lain on for preparation for burial after He was crucified on the cross.

Here are remains of the Old City gates of Jerusalem.

Day 8: Jerusalem

I saw this oval-shaped sesame bread everywhere in Israel - vendors were just selling them outside on their carts - so I tried one. Not too bad!

During a snack break, we were all amazed to discover a Dr. Pepper! I haven't seen one since I left the States! Just mainly Fanta, Coke, and Pepsi sold here.

We visited the Western Wall (aka the Wailing Wall). It was the western retaining wall of the old temple and is the only part that remains from the temple of 70 A.D. The Western Wall is separated with a barrier: 1/3 of it is for women only and 2/3 of it is for men only. People there were reading Jewish texts, praying, and crying.

It is customary to write a prayer on a piece of paper, fold it up, and jam it in between the stones of the Western Wall. When the paper falls to the ground, it is collected and placed in jars which are then buried in the Mount of the Olives nearby. Can you see all the little pieces of paper in the crack of the stones behind me? I had a hard time finding a place to put my little prayer.
Here is the view of the Western Wall and the courtyard of people in front of it, and the golden dome of the Dome of the Rock in the left background.

Jessica, me and Stephanie in front of the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount. It is a religious shrine that supposedly marks the place 1) where Abraham brought Isaac to be sacrificed and 2) where the Holy of Holies of the Temple stood. Only Muslims are allowed inside it now. I thought it was neat that it is on the Temple Mount, where God's temple, mentioned in the Old Testament, actually stood a long time ago!

Next, we hiked through Hezekiah's tunnel. King Hezekiah of the Old Testament built this tunnel to connect the inside of the city to a spring outside the city walls, so that water could be brought in during times of seige.

"And the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and all his might, and how he made a pool, and a conduit, and brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?" 2 Kings 20:20

This sign showed how deep the water in the tunnel would get.

Needless to say, it was wet inside the tunnel - up to our knees. I wore a miner's headlight and a skirt, and trudged my way through the dark tunnel beneath the ground. It was so much fun! Below is a picture of Jessica and me emerging from Hezekiah's water tunnel.

Day 9: Jerusalem

First, we visited the Israel museum. I saw a scale model of the city of Jerusalem during the time of 66 A.D. At the museum, we also saw the actual Dead Sea scrolls that were found in 1947 in Israel.

Next we visited the Gordon's Calvary and the Garden Tomb. This is an alternative site of the mount of Golgotha. Golgotha, where Jesus was crucified, means "place of the skull," and this place had a skull-shape carved out of the side of the mountain, so they say it may be ancient Golgotha. Can you see the deep eye sockets?

Next to "Golgotha" was a garden where a tomb was found. It may have been the tomb Jesus was buried in. But the location of the crucifixion and burial doesn't really matter. All that matters is that He did rise again. This tomb had a trench in front of it where a massive stone could have rolled in front of the tomb entrance. The sign on the door (added later, of course), says, "He is not here for He has risen."

We also got to visit the supposed "Upper Room" where the Lord's Supper was first taken and were Jesus predicted his death.

Luke 22:9-12 - "Where do you want us to prepare for it?" the disciples asked. He replied, "As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters, and say to the owner of the house, 'The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?' He will show you a large upper room, all furnished. Make preparations there."

The room probably isn't the exact room, but it was probably in the general area.

We spent the last evening, shopping around Jerusalem for souvenirs. We also celebrated the 51st birthday of our sponsor, Mark Elrod, with ice cream cones for all!

Day 10: Jerusalem to Greece

This morning, we woke up at 2 a.m. to get to the airport for our 7 a.m. flight back home to Greece. We had to leave one girl, Tiffany, in Israel though! As we were all loading the bus early this morning, she realized she didn't have her passport. Because she couldn't find it, she had to stay behind with our tour guide, so she can go to the American Embassy for a new passport and fly to Greece in two more days! Luckily, though, I just found out that she found her passport back at the hotel - wow.

I determined not to take a nap today so that I could finish this blog for you all. I hope you enjoy seeing my Israel travels - I had a great time!