A Whole Month!

The other day I got an e-mail from my sister gently chiding for me for not updating my blog in almost a month. I thought to myself, "No way, it can't have been that long!" But sure enough when  went and checked my last post was a recap of my trip to Turkey. I can't believe how fast the time has gone. I will try and update you on the last month with a couple of photos. Now granted, this is by no means comprehensive but rather a snapshot of the highlights from the last month of my time in the Holy Land.

Welcome to the Shpelah. This particular pose is in the Elah valley. Can anyone guess what I'm reinacting? That's right this is a tribute to David slaying Goliath, it took me a couple of practice swings, but I got the technique down pretty good, plus my form was awesome!

One of the more sobering experiences of the trip was our visit to the Holocaust Memorial of Yad Vashem. This particular piece behind me demonstrates the suffering of what was not an exile but an extermination of the Jews. This was one of those sites that harrowed me and forced me to reflect. Here is a poem I wrote while sitting in the Hall of Remembrance:

Paying Remembrance

Of here there is a higher plain where horrors were unfurled

O here one seeks solemnity from an every drifting world

Of here a stillness enter in the harrows up the soul

Of here an ever patient God whose heart yearned to console

Of here the depths of life were lived, the sorrow darkened days

Of here the restless nights been clouded from the suns bright rays

Of here where stones and cement now stand we ponder on the past

Of here we look to brightened futures, hoping it will last

Of here the feelings in my heart make my soul weigh dense

Of here a sacred attitude I pay remembrance. 

One evening we were allowed out into the Old City to see the light festival. While there we happened upon St. Mark's Church (claimed as the first Church in Christianity). Unfortunately when we got there it was locked and closed. This site was believed to be the place of the last supper between Christ and his apostles. Well, we found a nice man who led us to this kind lady Justina. Justina, who was cooking her dinner, lives here at the Church and even though she had spent all day on her feet she came down and spoke to us for an hour, telling us the miracles that she had witnessed. She allowed us down to the upper room (I say down because everything is built on top of the sites that would have existed in the beginning of the first century AD) and we read the verses of the scripture while eating pita to commemorate what took place. 

The most universal language is football! Soccer is something that people from every part of the world understand, appreciate and love. We were able to attend a U-20 UEFA Cup Match between Israel and England. What a night! Israel won 1-0. 

This is Duwayne. He is the black (but really the brown) sheep of the group. This picture was taken on our visit to Neot Kedimum, a biblical reserve that showcases many of the plants and animals found in the Bible. Duwaye was my favorite sheep because he was the smallest and as you can see, the most cuddly!

Well there you have it, a review of my time the Holy Land. We just got back form Jordan, so I'm going to take some time tomorrow and write a detailed blog post about our time there.