Up to...

Danielle said my blog misses me; I am afraid she is right.

So, what have I been up to?

On Wednesday, I passed the one-year mark at my job.  I have now worked at an oil-gas-rock quarry-farm-ranch-who-knows-what-else office for a whole year, and, amazingly, I don't feel like I want to quit.  I considered not taking the job if it was offered to me, but I am so glad I did.

Little-known fact: The best falafel I've ever eaten was purchased from a food cart in Bethlehem.

Amos: But you don't really like falafel.
Me: I know, but it was the best one I've ever had!

Maker of the best falafel in the world!

Bethlehem field...where are the sheep and the angels?!

Glory to God in the highest!

The muffin choices today are buttermilk spice (pretty good; we'll see how they taste after they've been in the freezer for a week :P) and banana chocolate chip (I remembered to add the eggs at the last minute!).

Next up for today...make a last-minute present for Amos, organize/decorate my bullet journal, listen to more of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry and Dumbledore are off to find a horcrux!), eat lunch, and hopefully read some of Lila or The Secret Keepers (a new book by Trenton Lee Stewart!).

Articles and pictures

I read this article by Ann Voskamp and thought that you should, too:
After Steubenville: 25 Things Our Sons need to know about Manhood

On a different topic, this article by John Piper is good, too:

Seven Things to Pray for Your Children

Today is Palm Sunday!  Here are some pictures from Easter, seven years ago, in Jerusalem.  Click the pictures for a better view, especially the picture of the Greek Orthodox procession. :)

Awwwww, a young Jennica and a furry Amos
The Garden Tomb (not the actual place of Jesus' burial and resurrection)

Amos, Colin, and Nate; Brittany, Megan, Jennica, and Ryan
Outside the Garden Tomb

Even though it was Easter, to the Greek Orthodox it was Palm Sunday
Courtyard of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

It was also a Jewish day of blessing
The Western Wall Plaza

God's Smuggler

I've been collecting missions and missionary book titles, and several people have mentioned God's Smuggler as a good one for my list.  God's Smuggler by Brother Andrew and John and Elizabeth Sherrill is a fairly popular book in the Christian world, but I'd never read it.  I figured I would get around to reading it eventually.  Then I saw that it's the free audiobook for February from christianaudio.com!  I've tried audiobooks before but wasn't completely sold on the idea (I like the act of actually reading, plus I can get distracted from the story if I try to do too many things at once).  However, when something free crosses my path, I at least slow down to check it out. ;)  I created an account on christianaudio, downloaded the book to my bright green iPod (a friend gave me one that she no longer uses!), and started listening to the story of a lost young Dutchman who found God and caught a vision of smuggling forbidden Bibles behind the Iron Curtain.  I've been listening to the book while I do the dishes or put things away or work on little projects that don't require much thought.  I'm now about twenty-five minutes from the end! :(  After this experience, I can't wait to see what March's free audiobook will be!

One of my favorite ideas from the book, repeated several times, goes something like this, an exchange between Brother Andrew and his wife Corrie:
Brother Andrew: We don't know where we're going...
Corrie: ...let's go there together.
It sounds like Amos and I! :)

Another idea went something like this:
Indifference to the church is more dangerous than persecution.

You only have sixteen more days to download this book!  When you download it, it is yours to keep; it doesn't expire.  I hope you like God's Smuggler as much as I do! :)  After you've listened to this book, consider reading Secret Believers and Light Force to find out about Brother Andrew's work in the Middle East.

NorCal thus far...

Story Number One.

When I wear one of my Israeli t-shirts or my Ayelet necklace, I frequently get comments from strangers.  Checking in at the Southwest counter in L.A. on Thursday night, one of the attendants started talking to me very excitedly.  "Oh, were you in the Israeli Navy?  What's your Jewish name?  Mine is Rachel.  I'm named after a dead relative because you can't be named after a live one.  When do we get our Jewish names?  At our Bas Mitzvah? I can't remember now!  Did you like it?  I don't care what religion you are, there is just something special about Jerusalem, with the four gates.  The Dome of the Rock...where Jesus walked...symbolism...four major religions [where did she get the fourth religion?]...loved it...special place..."

As I was struggling under her deluge of words and enthusiasm, I did manage to bob to the surface and tell her that I had studied in Israel, I was in fact a Christian, I got my nickname from my professor, etc.  I took my boarding pass from the other attendant and headed down the very small terminal to my gate...after I tried to go the wrong way. :P

Story Number Two.

On Friday the little kids and I went to Lincoln to visit Audra and Ethan.  Brenda decided to comment on the fact that I kept driving, so she couldn't write what she wanted to.  I told her that I could drop her off on the sidewalk and she would have a lot of time to draw!  Luke said he would be dropped off, too.

Luke - "If anyone would come up and touch you, I'd say [menacing tone] 'watch out for the big dog.'" (You know where this is going...)

Brenda - "And a big dog comes out and attacks him..."
Luke - "No, the big dog is me!  Ruff ruff ruff!  I'd jump on him and throw him against the car!!"

Brenda - "You'd try to..."
Jennica - [insert comment on being nice to Luke]

Luke - "No, I would.  I have skills."

Seven

I thought I'd explain the pictures on my blog, since I said I was going to do so.  Most of them are self-explanatory, but bear with me. :)

The first picture was taken in London in June 2004.  I was on my way to Zambia, Africa for a mission trip, and my team had an eight-ish hour layover in England.  We took a good chunk of time to tour the city.  This is one of the first things I saw when I came out of the Tube.  Incidentally, England was my first foreign country.  I was seventeen.
The second picture was taken in Jordan in March 2006.  Several friends and I visited Petra, Jordan as part of our travel/study break during our semester in Israel.  I wish we had had more time there.  This is at the end of the Siq, a narrow crack that ends in the stone-carved, rose colored city.  I was nineteen.
The third picture is from my actual mission trip in Zambia in June 2004.  This little girl was standing in the doorway at one of the schools where we conducted our program.  I like this picture because it is so "Africa" and because the little girl is so cute.  This trip to Zambia really opened my eyes to poverty in the world.  I was seventeen.
The fourth picture was taken in Israel in February of 2006.  This was my first time going to Israel and my first time on the Temple Mount.  I've now been to Israel twice and been on the Temple Mount twice.  Israel is the place that sticks with me the most.  It is where I got one of my favorite nicknames (Ayelet, Hebrew for "gazelle").  It's also a place of endless adventure. I love Israel, though recently I've come to see that she is not always right and that Palestinian Christians are hurting because of some of her actions.  Nevertheless, Jerusalem is my favorite place in the world, at least so far.  I was nineteen and twenty-one.
The fifth picture is obviously from Egypt; these are the pyramids at Giza, outside of Cairo.  This was my first stop on my travel/study break in March 2006.  Some of my favorite memories of Egypt include riding rickety, old bikes in Luxor, galloping horses across the desert sands, and eating a stuffed pigeon.  I would love to go back to Egypt some day.  I was nineteen.
Last but not least is a picture from my recent trip to India.  India was just a few months ago, July 2010.  The picture on the background of my blog, behind my posts, is also from India.  India had its challenges, though on the whole it was one great adventure.  I loved the foreign culture and I loved working with PMI.  It was encouraging to see the church actively involved in the community.  These two kids are part of Pathshala, a program designed to help slum kids get ready for school.  Many of these children can be sponsored.  Part of their support is put into a fund, and the fund will be used to pay for these children to go to university when they are older.  This support will hopefully break the hopeless cycle of slum life for these and many more kids.  I was twenty-three.

I've come a long way and gone a long way in the last seven years.  I'm excited to see both where I'll be and where I've been in the next seven.

Dr. Behle hates Easter Sunday

It's true.  Dr. Behle, one of the Bible professors at TMC, one of my bosses for two years as IBEX Secretary, and one of my favorite professors ever, hates Easter Sunday.

Now, before you are horrified, he had a valid reason.

Dr. Behle in 2007 at Qumran, Israel, where they discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls

Dr. Behle doesn't like Easter Sunday because of all the extra show that is put on for visitors.  He also believes that the Resurrection should be celebrated every Sunday, not just on Easter.  Good point, Dr. Behle!

Dr. Behle then went on to explain that so often the story ends with the Resurrection.  But what about the Ascension?

Jesus rose from the dead, stayed on earth for 4o days giving many convincing proofs, and then ascended to Heaven.  He is sitting there at the right hand of the Father at this exact point in time, interceding for us.  How should our lives be different because of that fact?

After Jesus ascended from Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, two angels appeared beside the apostles.  Basically they said, "Whatcha all lookin' at?  Don't ya'all know that Jesus is coming back some day?"  It was time for the disciples to take what they had learned, to wait (haha) in Jerusalem for God's power, and to tell the world of what Jesus had done for them.

Remember that these men were men.  There were fishermen, a tax collector, a political revolutionary, and a lot of other ordinary things.  The disciples weren't high and mighty, highly educated, super-prepared men.

Rocks on a tomb on the Mount of Olives with Jerusalem in the background

So again, if Jesus is in fact at the right hand of the Father, interceding for us, preparing a place for us, waiting for His time to return, how should that impact our lives today?

Pair these thoughts with the thoughts of this guy, and what excuse do you and I have to live our own lives, to complain, to worry, to get angry, to forget?

None.  We have none.

But so often I do.
Thanks Dr. Behle.  I'm glad they let you preach at church again. ;)

Yearly Tradition

It's my yearly tradition: Time to reference the fact that I was in Jericho, Israel/the West Bank on Valentine's Day 3 years ago now. Here are my other posts from 1 year ago and 2 years ago.
And of course, I have pictures to go with this. :)

The view of Jerusalem from the east from Nebi Samwil. You can tell it is Jerusalem because of the three towers on the horizon. They are located on the Mount of Olives and visible for miles.

Wheat growing in Benjamin

Drawing water out of a cistern at the entrance to Michmash and Geba, where Jonathan and his armor bearer climbed up and killed a lot of Philistines.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, that dirt hill is Jericho. I was very disappointed when I saw it. It is a very small dirt hill. However, God really did bring it down, so that's cool.

When I think about how far I've come, how much I've done, how much I've grown in the last 3 years that passed like a nanosecond, I can't help but be grateful that God doesn't let His children stay stagnant. At times I get down about where I am in life and what is going to happen with my future, but since God was faithful to bring me to my today, He will be faithful to bring me to my future.

Rejoice always,

pray without ceasing,

in everything give thanks;

for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

-I Thessalonians 5:16-18 NKJV

Sorry this article is so long, but I think it really illustrates Israel's position in the recent conflict with Gaza known as Operation Cast Lead. I do not think that Israel is immune from making mistakes simply because Jewish people are God's chosen, but who else puts up with hostility for years on end without serious reaction?


Tragedy is no crime
Unfortunately I could not find the name of this editorial's author, but it came from Jerusalem Post

You are a freshman university student on the first day of a philosophy course. Your professor poses this ethical dilemma: A devoutly religious man is shooting at you with an AK-47. He is determined to kill you and your family. Is it moral to shoot back? Before you answer; consider that he is shielded by his pregnant wife and three young children.
Ordinary Israelis know what any undergraduate not suffering from a death-wish intuitively appreciates - namely, that human beings should not intentionally injure other human beings but may sometimes need to resort to violence to keep themselves and others from harm.
We are sensitive to the heartrending loss of innocent life in Gaza during Operation Cast Lead. Arab and foreign press reports claim upwards of 1,300 Palestinians killed, including 300 children and 100 women. It will take Israeli experts time to accurately determine how many of the dead were truly non-combatants. For now, there are huge discrepancies.
Of the 900 enemy dead that Israeli intelligence had reportedly identified by last Thursday, about 250 were said to be non-combatants. The blame for their deaths rests solely with Hamas. Hamas provoked this war, and then fought it from behind Palestinian men, women and children.
Still, for some knee-jerk enemies of Israel like the 78-year-old British MP Gerald Kaufman, even the killing of "militants" is inexcusable. He's implied that Israel's shooting of a Hamas gunman is akin to the Nazis' murder of his grandmother during the Holocaust. We can have no common language with someone whose moral compass is so warped. Kaufman, like the mullahs in Iran, has convinced himself that Israel is exploiting the "continuing guilt from Gentiles" over the Holocaust "as justification for their murder of Palestinians."
That broken record won't play. Presumably, Kaufman means the "gentiles" who control the United Nations. But how sympathetic are they to Israel's right of self-defense? Or perhaps he means the "gentiles" in the international media? How convincing is it to suggest that they side with Israel in their Gaza coverage?
Even Kaufman's notoriety as a "Jewish critic" of Israel has lost its cachet - such critics are hardly a rare species.
And anyway, Kaufman has been siding with the Palestinians since 1988, when he endorsed the first intifada.
The Kaufmans of the world apart, Israel can also do no right in the eyes of those critics who believe that our existence here is an "original sin"; that since there were 600,000 Jews here in 1948 and, arguably, twice that number of Arabs, any partition of Palestine was inherently "theft." We have no claims on the hearts of those who embrace the Arab narrative so utterly.
BUT WE'VE also been let down by those who profess to believe that the Jewish people do have the right to a homeland. Why is it so hard for them to comprehend the nature of the enemy we're facing in Gaza? After all, the theology that motivates Hamas is analogous to the fanaticism that brought down the World Trade Center, exploded London's transport system, and continues to spill innocent blood from Bali to Mumbai.
Israelis are told that no matter the provocation, we are "too quick" to resort to force. As if negotiations with Hamas were an option; as if eight years was too quick.
And if we've acted so "disproportionately" in our brutal march to triumph, how come the enemy is still standing and declaring victory?
To the morally obscene charge that we've committed "genocide" in Gaza - does anyone seriously doubt that were genocide our goal, heaven forbid, there would be 500,000 dead Palestinians, and not 1,000?
What other army drops warning leaflets and makes automated warning calls prior to attacking? Why is it ethical for Hamas to fire from a mosque or over the walls of a UN facility, but unethical for our citizen-soldiers to save themselves by responding with heavy weapons?
The truth is that no Western country faced with a similar set of circumstances - fighting an enemy that principally targets non-combatants while hiding behind its own civilians - would comport itself with higher moral standards than the IDF.
Sophomoric ideals about wartime morality are barely tolerable in Philosophy 101. When mouthed by leaders and pundits who should know better, they reflect intellectual laziness and dishonesty.

Ahava Israel

I'm sure you get tired of looking at my Israel pictures. I admit, sometimes I get tired of them, too...but very rarely. ;) Here are some more pictures of my IBEX semester, 3 years ago this month.

Jezreel Valley, I believe

They have been married for almost 5 months!!! Heather & Austin Surls

Damascus Gate, one of the coolest gates of the Old City

Sunrise over Jerusalem, when a bunch of us spent the night on the roof of Petra Hostel during excavation weekend

Macalister and I. A few of us bought him for Todd, but the fish died. We replaced him with Jeroboam II, who also died. So we gave up and made Todd a book instead. ;)

B and I at the Herodian, where my home pastor, Todd Johnson, and his wife Sharon went in high school...and Todd fell down it. You can't see the Herodian in this picture, but it is big. And very rocky, just like the rest of Israel. (We didn't really get in trouble, we just posed with this IDF guy.)

Hike to the Aijalon Valley. It gets very muddy in the spring!

Crumbling soon...

as in Thursday or Friday:
The Story of the Caf Cookie!!

In a heartbeat...

I'd be in Jeru.

Church of the Holy Sepulchre

A sign for some old newspaper?

Muslim Quarter spices

Satellite dishes and clothing, right in front of the Western Wall and the Dome of the Rock

An Old City street, Jewish Quarter

YMCA building, New City of Jerusalem

Church of the Dormition and the graveyard

This is a shout-out...

to Pastor Todd Johnson of Crossroads Church in NorCal!
Hey Pastor Todd, it was good to meet you officially on Sunday! I really appreciated the message. Amos and I listened to part 1 on the way back to SoCal today. Thanks for answering God's call in your life to be head pastor at Crossroads.
Have a great time in Israel! I am happy for you (not envious, as I was clearly reproved when I listened to Love Revisted, part 1, today ;) ).

My family and I have been going to Crossroads for 6 1/2 years, starting back when it was called Calvary Chapel of Grass Valley. Crossroads is one of the reasons why I love to go home. I don't know many people at my church, partially because we moved churches in the middle of high school and partially because I have been in Southern California for the last four-ish years. However, what I love about Crossroads is the fact that Pastor Todd preaches the Word. He doesn't try to analyze the Bible to find out what exactly our culture needs to hear because he realizes that the culture needs it ALL. That the culture needs a clear presentation of the Bible with neither legalism nor license. That is what will truly change the hearts of people around us.
Thus Pastor Todd really has been given the gift and has cultivated the passion to preach with clarity and conviction. This is not at all to puff him up, but to express my appreciation for his private and public dedication to the Truth. I am excited to go back at Thanksgiving!

Anybody...

have an extra ticket to Israel??? I wanna GOoooooooooo!!!

Phase 2...

of my chosen career is about to begin...the dreaded credential program!!! I think I am being too optimistic in assuming that it will not be too bad or too stressful or too hard...hopefully I am right! :) (Unfortunately my pictures don't want to upload right now! rrrrr...)

The last four years...I remember
-my mom suggesting that I try to do Master's in 3 years instead of 4 because she thought I could do it and Master's is expensive...Well, it turned out that in order to do really well, I could not take more than 15 units a semester, plus there was IBEX, and I didn't want to only spend 3 years with these new friends! I am very blessed that I was able to do everything I did at Master's...

-thinking "Israel. Who wants to go to Israel??? What is there to see?" Then there was the chapel announcement showing the Pool of Siloam and some of Todd's pictures. So I asked my parents if I could go...and the rest is history.

-meeting Katharyn. Who is this giggly homeschool girl with long hair and skirts? And who is this weird, silly guy following us around? Little did we know I would be in their wedding!

-hating Foundations of Science. I now think the idea of the class is very good, but the execution of it was so boring, I wanted to either cry or hit someone after class.

-the fire drills: My poor mom having to go outside with all the college students ("No, Mom, you can't stay in here!") and having to lead Katharyn down the hallway when she failed to wake up completely.

-the explosion freshman year! It shook the windows of my English Comp. class. :D

-meeting new friends and saying goodbye to old ones. As odd as it sounds, both were hard. Hard to say goodbye because I didn't want to acknowledge that both God and I knew that it wasn't good...And hard to meet new friends because I only wanted to keep my old ones after IBEX. But I hadn't said hello, there would have been no Lester, nor Elizabeth, nor Sara, nor Naomi, nor Josh, nor...

-starting my first official job besides babysitting. It was Sunshine Day Care, with an interesting boss. Any way...I went on to work at Togo's, Kohl's, IBEX in Israel, Ikeda's, IBEX in California, Wolf Mountain, housesitting, babysitting, Honors Review. Each one had negatives, and each one had positives. I am thankful for the different opportunities God has given me to gain experience and to make $.

-pulling pranks on people. :D Katharyn and the closet, Margot Chicca and the roses, the IBEX profs and Viola, John Glass and the IBEX letter, Amos and the vacuum...

-Spring Break!!! Home, Egypt and Jordan, NorCal (Paul's, mine, and Lindy's homes), and home.

-telling myself (and a few others) that "I wasn't going to get married before I graduated." Yep, that proved true! ;)

-discovering Richard Halliburton and his wonderful travel books!! Thanks Megan! :D

-going to Israel not once but twice! That was the best gift of my life so far...I dare anyone to top it. :P

-discovering I did not want to teach elementary students! Oh dear, what do I do now? Junior high and high school, here I come!

I do NOT remember
-even going in to the IBEX Office to pick up an application!

-really meeting Paul. But I do remember the infamous picnic in the dirt!


Through it all God has been faithful to teach me things, even when I plugged my ears or turned my head or closed my eyes...His faithfulness will be there to the end...May I learn from the example of Asa:

"For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars.” - II Chronicles 16:9 NKJV

April 1st, 2008

I need to find a really good joke to play on my IBEX professors...Any ideas?

Fair???

Life's not fair...That's what my mom always says. And that's what I think when I think about going to Israel...
It's not fair. Why do some kids have a lot of money and get to travel the world whenever they want?
It's not fair. God knows how much I wanted (want) to be the IBEX volunteer, so why did He give the opportunity to my friend?
It's not fair. God knows how much I love Israel and traveling, so why am I here in the States?
It's not fair.
Or is it?
Or is it fair that I am about to graduate from college?
Or is it fair that I have been able to go Israel not once but twice?
Or is it fair that I have a major and the training (eventually) that can be used around the world?
Or is it fair that I have the mental and physical capacities to tackle both everyday and unusual circumstances? (Let's not talk about social capacities ;) )
Or is it fair that I have been redeemed from the pit of hell and the snare of the devil?
Or is it fair that I have the vast majority of my immediate and extended family still living?
Is it fair?
Or isn't it fair.

Israel, again

Why do I miss Israel so much? I know most of my friends aren't there...I know that it is just a piece of rocky ground...
I think it is because it is so foreign and yet familiar. I know that I don't know the whole city of Jerusalem. I know it might not be the best idea to travel the country by myself. I know that it could be lonely living in a whole new country where I know fewer than 20 people.
But I love it there. I love the Middle East, including Egypt and Jordan. I love to walk around Jerusalem and know where I am going.
I love being familiar with a foreign place. I guess those are some reasons why I love Israel and miss it like none other...

do-de-do

Today I attended my 5th ibex meeting. I think it went really well. After going over the same info for the 5th time (not to mention how many times I've read that info in proofreading), I did a fairly good job in predicting Dr. Behle's comments: "There is no Starbucks in Israel." "egg smoothies" "I just push buttons till money comes out" "poof!" etc. :)
I will be heading to the Grand Canyon in just 3 weeks! Unfortunately there are no vacancies, otherwise I might invite you...might.
With the sad departure of Lester and the temporary absence of Katharyn, the apartment is pretty quiet...sigh.
I managed to cook popcorn last night without burning it! It was really good, though I wish I had held back a little on the butter and salt.
Hmmm, not much else is new...except that I have a fiancee...according to my teacher. ;)

"This is the Mossad. Bye bye!"

So Israel has one of the best intelligence agencies in the world, called the Mossad. Read about what they just did:
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1203019395821&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

(I am not trying to make to light of a situation in which a human died, by the way.)

Sometimes I miss Israel and the moshav and everything about that rocky little country so much it's not even funny. I think I'm turning into Rachel Israel.

Happy Valentine's Day!

So, it's Valentine's Day, and every single person is expected to write a blog post, right? ;)

Well, here's mine:

What do I think about being single? I'm really not sure. All I know is that if I were to start dating someone tomorrow (which I'm NOT), he would have to put up with a very independent, somewhat rebellious, fairly opinionated girl. I would love to have a boyfriend if God willed it, but I don't know if I'm ready to give up freedom, a whole lot of time, and maybe even life-long dreams. As my best friend said, "your view would probably change if you did have a boyfriend," but I'm pretty happy right now. So don't you come along and mess it up. ;)

Oh, and 2 years ago today, I was at Jericho........