So here's the deal

Today was pretty uneventful. But the events that did happen, I will share!

I woke up late, and after doing very little for a while, decided to go out to the Old City again. My friends Kim and Stacy came along with me, and we just basically walked around the shops for a couple hours. We getting kinda lost, but not before we found two pretty cool sites.

1. The tomb of King David! Well, it's not actually where he's buried, but it commemorates it. They do not actually know where he is buried, but they have a pretty good idea that it's probably somewhere actually inside the Old City (someday soon, I'll explain exactly what Old City means). There was a priest singing the praises of God- from the Torah. It was quite beautiful. I took a moment and said a few prayers myself- prayers of thanksgiving that King David pointed and still points us to Jesus!

2. While we were lost, we stumbled across Oskar Schindler's grave. We weren't able to go in, but it was pretty cool. It made me want to see the movie Schindler's List again and remember what happened!

After wandering around, we came back, and I had a class tonight. It is The History of Ancient Israel, and it is taught by an observant Jew. In fact, it is taught by the same one who teaches the same courses at the top universities here. You could say he "writes the book" on the subject. It was very interesting and challenging. He is sensitive to our Christianity, while not being ashamed to say that he believes the account of Jesus is historically inaccurate. I am excited to learn from him!

That is about all for today. I have a class bright and early tomorrow, and I hope to do a few things before then!

Tour of J-Rusalem

Those are just a few of the pictures I took today. It was a great day! We walked all over Jerusalem, and there are still so many things I gotta see!

The top picture is of a 1st century tomb. It was in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
The second picture is the room above where they think the Last Supper and Pentecost may have happened. Either way, it is similar to what the room would have looked like.
The third picture is of the Dome of the Rock. It is directly on where the Jewish Temple was located. Also, it is a good picture of some of the rest of Jerusalem.
The fourth picture is the Dome of the Rock.

What an amazing, draining, emotional, tiring day!

I sat in that room above where the Last Supper and Pentecost may have been looking at the architecture, and I actually forgot for a moment that I was in Jerusalem. When the Professor said the significance of the place, I was a little emotional (one of many times today when I was nearly overcome with emotion). I was on or near the place when God poured out His spirit, when Christ broke the bread- two events that have had such a profound impact on my life!

I cannot even begin to say how blessed I am to be here. Not only am I in the city where King David ruled thousands of years ago, but I have found several friends who seem really great. It would be lonely being here for nearly 4 months without friends!

I miss you all in America! I hope we get a chance to communicate while I am here! It can be difficult, but it can be done! God bless!

In Jerusalem

Here I am, sitting in the Dining Room at my school in Jerusalem (there is no WiFi in my room). I am currently here because I brought an alarm clock, but no batteries to operate it. So, I am downloading alarm clock software onto my computer so I can wake up in time for orientation at 8 AM tomorrow (1 AM Michigan time).

The plane ride here wasn't bad at all. I met a great girl from New York heading to a place a little less than 2 hours from here, staying for the semester, and we may meet up sometime!

On the way to Jerusalem, it started to sink in a little more. These are places that Jesus walked. I am staying on Mount Zion, where Abraham, Moses, David, Jesus, Mary, and so many more have been. It is surreal.

There are several great people here who I have met. Even a few from Michigan!

I just wanted to give an update before the craziness starts (tomorrow!). I have gotten almost no sleep in the past 50 hours, and I am ready to crash!

By the way, many people I know have told me they're praying for me while I'm here. Thank you so much! Shalom!

Update...

I just thought I would update you (the blog) on what is happening now. It is my last week in the States. It is Monday, and I leave Thursday morning for Israel. I have a ton of cleaning to do, along with everything else I have to do. But these past few weeks and months have been great!

I had my last day of work yesterday. I am actually a little sad that I am not going to be there anymore. It was a great job. I got to just sit around all day long and do whatever I wanted! Now, I have a couple days of packing, cleaning, and hanging out with friends and family before I leave for Israel.

I hope that I can stay in contact with people in the States while I'm in Israel. It's a 7 hour time difference, 10 hours for those of my friends on the west coast! But, I will try to make it a priority to keep contact. These people are my friends, after all :)

Next time I write, God willing, I will be in Israel. God bless!

Two weeks!

Two weeks from tomorrow, I leave for Israel. I am starting to feel all the emotions of leaving. I am a little scared of taking such a big step, of all the changes that are coming my way in the next several months. I am excited for the opportunity, and somewhat in disbelief that it is actually happening.

I think more than anything, I feel disappointment that I am leaving my family and friends behind. I have enjoyed so much living with my brother Bryan, his wife Jen, and their daughter Anna. I love seeing little Anna everyday and babysitting her! I will miss that. I go back home to Lansing quite often to see my parents and my friends there. I will miss them. They have become somewhat of an escape for me- I can just go home and not do anything for a while; just hang out with Josh, Andy and Courtney, my parents, and so many other good friends there. I will miss my Grand Rapids friends. I will miss my one consistent friend since I moved to Grand Rapids, Julia. I will miss all my new friends at The Rossman House of Prayer, who have truly helped make the past few months not just a fun time, but also a time of spiritual growth and re-dedication to God. Because of all these people, and so many more who I text on a regular basis or see once in a while, I am disappointed that right now I am leaving them. I almost wish that I had no friends or family in the area; that would make this whole move a lot easier! But I am thankful that God has placed them in my life!

A month ago, I wrote that I am working on Humility, Gratitude, and Service. Those are still areas of emphasis for me! I have been learning even more than that, however, that dependence on God is the key area I need to work on in my life. It is the area I have the most difficulty in. Whether the issue is money, the future, or the present for that matter, I often find myself not trusting God (usually sub-consciously). The Rossman House of Prayer has, for the past few months, been a place where God has been speaking to me, for whatever reason, and I am very thankful for that. I hope He continues even when I am no longer attending the Rossman House!