We're here!

"You guys... we live here."

That's what I have kept saying about every hour or so. Whether we're walking to the dorms, or hiking up to Kiriat- Jearim, every once in a while it just hits me that I'm actually living and going to school in Israel right now! So crazy!

Our flight was on Saturday, August 25th. We arrived in Israel at about 3 pm on the 26th (yesterday), which was about 5 am in California. I flew from LAX to Philadelphia, which was about 5 hours, and then took a 10 and a half hour flight from Philadelphia to Tel Aviv. One of the professors and both of the IBEX assistants picked us up at the air port, and we headed straight to the Moshav- where we'll be staying until December. The Moshav is a community with many more people than just the IBEX program. There are Israeli nations, many of whom are believers, and several volunteer workers from all over the world. It's a really beautiful area, with a tremendous view! On a clear day, you can even see the Mediterranean Sea in the West. The Moshav is in an area called Yad HaShmonah, which is slightly west of Kiriat- Jearim (which I'll talk about in a minute). There's so much I wish I could describe to you about this place! It's absolutely incredible.

The dorms are... fun. While slightly (well maybe significantly) smaller than the dorms in Master's we're all making due. I have two roommates, Kaitlyn and Kellyann, and there are 4 other girls on our wing. Between the 7 of us, we share one shower and two toilets. The dining hall area is super nice, and I've actually really enjoyed the food so far too! I'm trying to be adventurous and try all the foods, so there's never a dull moment (Dad, are you proud of me? I even took a picture of my dinner tonight!).

So yesterday was all the basic move in and look around stuff.... Today is when it got really interesting! At 8 am we started orientation. The two main professors, Bill and Benj, as well as the two assistants, Natalie and Wendy, explained all the logistics of the Moshav, by leading us all around the grounds. We even played a few games along the way, which was a blast! Then, after lunch, we had our first class. It was the required course that Benj is teaching, and it's called "Land and Bible." We went over the syllabus, and let me just say... I'm totally stoked. We're going to get the know the country of Israel so well! I can't wait!

After class, Bill took us on a little walk to Kiriat- Jearim. This place has a lot of significance in Jewish history. After the Philistines stole the Ark of the Covenant from Israel, and it caused a lot of chaos and disaster in their nation because of it, the Ark was moved to Kiriat-Jearim, and stayed there for probably 100 years! The Ark of the Covenant represented the very presence of God. The Israelites would take it into battle with them, and during a battle against the Philistines,it was stolen and put it in the temple of the Philistine god, Dagon (1 Samuel 5). The Philistines were proudly (and erroneously) declaring that their god was greater than the God of Israel. However, when they came into the temple the next day, the statue of Dagon had fallen down on it's face before the Ark. They stood him up again, but the next day, there he was on the ground again with his head and palms chopped of as well, bowing down before the Ark.  Not only that, but great sickness and distress went through the city, so the Philistines recognized that the calamity was tied to the Ark, and moved it to several different cities. But then, as 1 Samuel 5:11 says,
         "They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines and said, “Send away the ark of     the God of Israel, and let it return to its own place, so that it will not kill us and our people.” For there was a deadly confusion throughout the city; the hand of God was very heavy there."
The ark traveled back to Israel from Beth-Shemesh to Kiriat-Jearim along a ridge. We walked along the ridge where this most likely took place. Pretty incredible!

There's a lot of other history concerning the history of the Ark, and how David eventually moved it to Jerusalem. From the top of Kiriat-Jearim, we could actually see part of Jerusalem (in the picture above, Jerusalem is in the far background), and Bill was able to point out the probable route that David took to bring it there. The events of the Bible happened in real time and real space, and they have real significance in our lives today. That same God who made His power so evident in Israel is the God who chose to save me from my sins, and even allows me to have a personal relationship with Him! What undeserved love!

On top of Kiriat-Jearim (it is a hill, btw... everything here is hills and valleys). there is now a beautiful Catholic Monastery. We went inside it and sang a couple hymns. The sound was absolutely incredible! One of the guys in our group is an excellent vocalist, so he sang Rock of Ages for us as well. I got videos, so maybe I'll post those too! In the area surrounding the hill of Kiriat-Jearim, there is town called Abu Gosh (seen clearly in the picture above), which is inhabited by Israel- friendly Arabs. They are Arabs who sided with Israel when Israel became a nation, and have taken up residence here. It was a really neat town with lots of great places to eat, so we all are hoping to explore there some more. Everything here is so different and so exciting. I definitely feel touristy and out of place, but oh man... it's such a blessing to be here. I absolutely love it. Gosh, there's so much more I could and want to say, but it's 10:45 here and I really need to get some sleep. We're going to Jerusalem tomorrow for the first time, and I am so excited!

Thanks so much for reading! You're a trooper.

Hodu l'Adonai ki tov.

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!