Naim Mehod.

Shalom

Ani Zehaviah.

ata?

Naim Mehod. :)

ani mi Alaska. ma in ata?

tov!

well....uh..Kol tuv! Shalom!

Today I started my first day of real class (not field trip class like yesterday which I still have to talk about that) but class where I sat in the classroom and learned things. My first and only class of the day was Modern Hebrew, and man oh man, am I ever excited for that class! It really is exhilarating learning another language just totally fresh! I mean sure I've taken spanish and learned a bit, but I already understood it, so it totally took the newness of learning something you never knew before! Sure I still can't speak it well, but I blame it on the fact that all we ever did was learn terms...not really how to put them together! Well anywho, my modern Hebrew class is a total immersion class. Our professor speaks no english, unless totally necessary, but for the most part speaks totally in Hebrew. It was strange listening to him speak at first because it was just that experience of "I have NO IDEA what he is saying." But body language definitely helped. It was really fun starting to speak it with my friends and getting my new Hebrew name, Zehaviah. It means gold in Hebrew and apparently I look like a Zehaviah...is that true? I guess I am a golden color or something...ha. Well basically what I wrote up there was what we learned today. You try and figure out what I said....heeheehee.

Now on reflecting on yesterday...

The Old City


Yesterday we entered into the Old City through the Jaffa Gate and were onto our voyage through Jerusalem! After learning a bit of the walls of Jerusalem and the different periods that were represented within them, we headed towards the Citadel, the fortress that was still standing from Herod's reign. From there we could see all of Jerusalem and even valleys and deserts beyond the walls of this city. It's miraculous how small Jerusalem is and yet there is so much in just about every inch of it. There really is a story to be told of every portion of the city of Jerusalem and all of Israel. We spent the day walking around the streets of Jerusalem, going through the markets, looking and singing hymns within churches, speaking of the history that lies within the city, and how our God was connected to it all. We even got to march around the walls of Jerusalem, walking along the border and speaking of the different Quarters we were passing through. There are four different quarters within the walls of Jerusalem: The Muslim Quarter, The Christian Quarter, The Jewish Quarter, and the Armenian Quarter. I believe we passed all of them but only really focused on three of them (the first three). All are very different from each other. It was interesting starting within the Christian Quarter of the Old City, where there were many that were devoted to being at the Holy Sepulchre and praying/touching the stones of these building, as it is the traditional location where Christ was crucified. (The term "Christian" in Israel is always affiliated with the Catholic church). We then moved around (since we couldn't really go through) the Muslim Quarter that was resounding with Arabic prayers being projected throughout the city, as it was afternoon prayer. There is so much culture and really mixture within Jerusalem, each belief trying to get a foot into a location that ties to their spirituality. But it's a great blessing to know that OUR God did walk through that city and did a great work within this land. The Dome of the Rock may seem to dominate the beauty and allure of Jerusalem, but it was the God of Abraham and Isaac and David that truly worked within this land. It was in Jerusalem that Christ broke the reigns of death, and although many believe they have to pray or touch a stone that he may have touched to be fully healed, or that Mohammad rose from that city to talk with God, it is great to know I can find my faith and trust in Christ and Christ alone. Not in a temple or a rock or a church, but within His Son and the work he did and that alone. But was it ever a blessing to walk through His city!

Great is the LORD, and most worthy of praise,
in the city of our God, his holy mountain.
It is beautiful in its loftiness,
the joy of the whole earth.
Like the utmost heights of Zaphon is Mount Zion,
the city of the Great King.
God is in her citadels;
he has shown himself to be her fortress...