Friends,
I am embarrassed by how long it has been since my last update. I have been really negligent. In the coming months I think I will have more time, so I really do intend to put more effort into this journal and share more things that I have learned with you to help you enjoy this experience that I have been able to take part in.
First, let me just do a quick catch up of some highlights in my life the last few weeks. My autumn semester finally finished! Well, sort of. Classes officially finished, at least. I had my exams this week. Hebrew was on Sunday and Israeli Politics & Society was yesterday. I think I did quite well in both, though I am still waiting for my grades. The Hebrew exam was to finish the Bet (#2) level and move to the Gimel (#3) level. I wrote what I thought was an excellent essay (in Hebrew) on the dangers of television in the home. I enjoyed the exam. It’s nice to be finished with classes. I will have February off from classes, though I have to write two final papers for two classes during this time, so that will keep me somewhat busy. In March I have two other things to prepare for as well: a sermon/lecture/message to college students at the extension campus of my alma matter college with whom I first visited Israel and a two-day guiding tour of the Galilee with a family from the US. I need to prepare for each of these things also during this month. So, it will be a busy month, but an enjoyable one. I also hope to start sightseeing more than I have the past few months, provided the weather cooperates. There has been a little rain lately, and temperatures are definitely cooler, but it’s not too bad.
Yesterday, to celebrate the end of exams, I went with two friends to Ramallah, the “capital” of Palestinian West Bank. It was a really nice experience. This was the fourth time I have visited there this trip. It really is an amazing place. I have never been there during a “regular” afternoon/evening, so it was great to see the city so bustling with people and culture. Shops were open, people were running around living their lives. The center of Ramallah is very metropolized, so there are modern malls, modern stores, restaurants, and most everything you would expect from a modern, developing city. This is where the seat of government of the Palestinian Authority sits, so there are lots of police forces that keep crime down, so it is the major destination for foreigners who want to experience Palestinian culture. Everything is so cheap there! There were tons of stores selling knockoff Nike shoes for $25, and food is very inexpensive. The three of us had a really nice time walking around, eating mini-pizzas (cooked on pita bread), and having a milkshake in Stars & Bucks, the Palestinian coffee rip-off of Starbucks. There weren’t a lot of other white faces around, but it was just a good experience, especially since the two American girls I was with had never been into the West Bank before. It was good for them to see both sides of the Arab-Israeli conflict, at least as much as they could from this vibrant metropolis. I intend to return again soon to see more culture and buy some cheap shoes.
Not too much else has happened in my life lately, except one major thing that I’ll share with you personally through email. You can please pray that I’ll use this next month well in getting the work I have to do finished. Classes will resume in early March.
In the news lately, not too many crazy things have happened. There has been an increase in news media chatter lately about striking Iran, so that is a little concerning. I don’t know what will happen, but I think it will be a MAJOR thing when it does. Please pray for wisdom for the leaders and for protection for the Israeli people. This world needs shalom! One noteworthy thing is the following article, wherein Prime Minister Netanyahu gave a speech in which he said, “In such a region, the only thing that ensures our existence, security and prosperity is our strength.” To some degree he is right, but it made me sad to read this. Israel is trusting in their own strength to protect themselves. Is this not the exact same problem we read that Israel struggled with in Bible times? How many times did God have to teach Israel to rely on HIM for protection, not themselves? Think of the story of Gideon, Jehoshaphat (2 Chron 20), and Hezekiah (2 Kgs 18-19). Is Israel acting any differently today than it did all those years ago? I fear not. They are boasting in their own strength, rather than relying on God. Unfortunately, someday God will have to teach them the lesson of trusting in Him alone again by making them lose. I fear for that day, because I know how awful it will be… Please pray for Israel’s peace…
Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or consult the LORD! (Isaiah 31:1)
