Haiku for Israel

As part of the course I took at St. George's College in Jerusalem the class members had to provide entertainment for the group and staff on the last night we were there. I was part of a small choral ensemble and while I thought that would be enough, I was also moved to share some haiku I wrote about my time in Israel. After the post yesterday, it was suggested by a fellow traveler that I share them here.

Haiku Reflection on Israel

Israel is for Jews
The Holy Land, Jerusalem
All the World's People

Silence please he says
This is holy sacred space
the police sirens scream

Dusty, dirty, hot
the ice cream stand glistens here
Here is the high altar

On the pilgrim trail
searching through all the corners
hearing the call, 'Found!'

The Rocks of Israel

I finally made it to Israel.
(And I'm finally making it around to writing about Israel...)

Despite all the road blocks and the frustrations, it was totally worth it. The trip was amazing to say the least. There is something about visiting a land that you have read about for decades and finally seeing and feeling it. 

The mountains are steeper than I imagined. 

The landscape changes faster than I could have thought possible.

Despite so much tension, people are still people and daily life must go on. 

The group I was with was from across the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and England. I learned just as much from the group of people I was with as from the course director about the land of Israel. I probably could have learned more from the director of the course, however there is only so much information I can retain after eight hours in the hot sun looking at tan stones. And pretty much everything was made of tan stones. Houses, churches, synagogues, graves, walls, mosaics, they were all made of tan stones.

The Dome of the Rock

The Garden of Gethsemane 

Tan and olive. The olive trees looked exactly like I had always been told and I ate a lot of olives. I almost like olives after the trip. 

Not surprisingly, I gathered a lot of rocks from Israel. I also brought back broken pottery and some souvenirs naturally. The rock collection comes from the Jordan River, the Judean wilderness, Masada, Qumran, the Sea of Galilee, and lots of other places that touched my heart in ways I cannot fully describe.

The Church of All Nations

 This trip will enrich my spirituality for years to come. My understanding of the bible has shifted, not dramatically, but enough to be noticeable and enough to change my understanding of humanity.  

I will pray for everyone in Israel and Palestine for the rest of my life.

Summer Bliss

Well, I'm not quite in the throes of summer bliss, but it has been quite the wonderful summer nevertheless.

I also haven't made any more Jewish food. I have gathered some good recipes that I can make, but I haven't managed to make any of them yet. But with the help of some great donors, I have made it past my halfway mark on fundraising! (which you can see: http://www.gofundme.com/to-the-Holy-Land)

I have also been retweeted by Episcopal Cafe which made my day recently.

And I am very grateful for my coach and love, Latro, for helping me run in the heat. We ran a 10K last Sunday, so now I have been in a 5K, 10K, and 15K. I am almost able to say that I have run 365 miles in 365 days (I have 26 miles in 26 days left to go). Latro and his parents have given me running clothes, running shoes, a hat, a belt, and loads of encouragement. Its almost like being sponsored! ;) I never would have been able to start running regularly without Latro and despite its pain and frustration (and the days that I hate it), I am very glad that I have been running. It has been very helpful for my lungs, my thinking, and my prayer life. It has refocused and energized me many days when I have been carrying too much around.

And some days there is certainly plenty to carry around. But, I must go study Greek... γ ι v ω σ κ ε ι ς ;

Shalom!

Grain Free Hamantaschen!

As part of my preparation for my trip to Israel, I am going to be making more gluten, dairy, soy free Jewish food. Today started the food journey off with hamantaschen! 

Hamantaschen is a dessert made for the festival of Purim, which was celebrated in February this year. The festival is a time of celebration, especially commemorating the foiled plot of Haman in the Persian Empire against the Jews during their exile from Israel. Thus, the Hebrew Bible book of Esther is read during the holiday. Despite being a few months behind in my Jewish holiday celebrations, my Hebrew Bible reading class is currently reading and translating the book of Esther, so hamantaschen is particularly appropriate!

The recipe I made was from Edible Harmony. Unfortunately my hamantaschen did not quite turn out as smooth as the pictures. I realized after I started that I used almond meal instead of almond flour. However, they are still delicious and I was able to use my homemade strawberry jam in the middle!

I am also thoroughly enjoying eating the hamantaschen because they look like little tri-cornered hats. If you understand that, try it out. And don't forget to sing My Hat Has Three Corners in German and do the hat dance while you are at it. ;)

Lastly, until I complete my fundraising, I am going to add the donation link to every blog post. 

Have a good day and be wary of those in tri-cornered hats!

Israel Date Update

We have a date!
For the trip to Israel.
Don't get too excited,
its a year away.

But, if anticipation and planning make the trip better, we will have an awesome trip! And it will be one of the best seminary graduation gifts ever. A trip to the Holy Land.

Thankfully, this means that I have time to fundraise, so watch out.
This means, I have time to learn some modern Hebrew, so listen up.
This means, I have time to figure out what and how I am going to eat, so get ready to drool.

We are going to have quite the anticipatory year! Its going to involve nice cards, cool languages, and delicious food.
Shalom!

Jerusalem, Jerusalem! Next year in Jerusalem!

I have big news!
I received a partial scholarship to go study in...
you guessed it!
Jerusalem!
Boy, you are smart! ;)

I recently received word that this gluten, dairy, soy free voyager will be allowed to study at St. George's College in Jerusalem. I will be taking a two week class on the Palestine of Jesus. It basically is a tour of the places in and around Jerusalem where Jesus was in the gospels. I am totally excited about this opportunity to learn about the area and to let the land enliven my experience of the Good News Story. I am also thrilled to be able to expand my knowledge and use of my Hebrew skills. I will have more news about this in the future (ie. more blog posts!), since we are in the beginning stages of planning.

Also, while I have been given a partial scholarship, I am still in need of money to cover the air fare and some travel expenses. If you would like to donate to my journey and education, please visit my fundraising site: Donations! I will be doing some other fundraising as well, and I can almost guarantee postcards.