Wow - I must say that it is interesting to try to log into this thing, when the instructions are all in Hebrew, but I am glad I managed so I can get down some thoughts. We are staying in Jerusalem, just outside the Old City at Jerusalem University College. It is a beautiful building that was built in 1853. It has a garden with fruit trees and vines, roses, and a pretty yard. The building is just gorgeous, built entirely of stone, with courtyards and flowers. You can go out on the roof and look out over the New City of Jerusalem, and the view is incredible. White homes and buildings dot the rollings hills and sparkle with lights at night. It is hot here, but it is a dry heat, which is bearable if you don't mind feeling like a dead mosquito trapped in Vasaline (at least this is the best analogy I can formulate to describe it). But seriously - it is not bad at all, and we are required to wear skirts covering our shoulders and knees everyday, so it is pretty cool.

I am overwhelmed with things I could write because we do SO much each day - usually twelve hour days, mixtures of lecture in the classroom, and walks around the city of Jerusalem to various significant locations. I'll touch on the important things, most forefront in my mind as there is a line behind me to use this computer. : )

Yesterday we went through Hezekiah's tunnel, a really touristy tunnel set up by King Hezekiah as a way to bring fresh spring water into the city of Jerusalem. The way they carved out these tunnels, and discovered the shafts with such primitive tools is simply amazing. This is a quote from my journal:
"It was black, pitch black - probably the darkest dark I've ever been in. You couldn't see a thing - be it a person or a rock wall right in front of you. Ice water flowed at my feet and ankles. Though I was in a dark place and wasn't sure if danger or a low rock or a turn lie ahead, I was not afraid. I could hear my own voice mixed with others as we sang praise to God, echoing through the tunnel as we walked along. I know that no matter what comes, God is faithful. He cares for his people. I know this. I feel that the Israelites came to know this as well - they saw that when they clung to God, they were inm good hands, and under their own guidance, they fell. That has always been true in my life too. I love seeing and experiencing this place with all my senses."

Last night I was able to spend the night in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre with 11 other students and the Armenian Orthodox priest, Father Sammie (Samuel). We were locked in the church after its closing and were able to talk to Father Sammie and get a tour of the church without the tourists and craziness of the daytime. I saw the tomb where they believe Christ was buried, touched the rock from Golgatha, kneeled at the foot of the cross at the Skull, and smelled the oil and incense on the rock where his body was laid. It is too much for words. I will need to process this for a while to come. I was moved, but at the same time I wonder how Christ wants us to approach these places. Some of the Greek and Armenians and Catholics that come to this church worship and kiss these things. How am I to approach them? After all, the angel told the women that Christ was not in the tomb. It's not about these THINGS, but why these things became imporant, what they remind us of, and about why they are remembered. It was a humbling experience for sure.

After we left the church we decided to walk over to the Western Wall of Temple Mount in the Jewish quarter of the Old City. The girls and I went to the women's side and were able to pray and then walk up to the wall, touch it, and leave prayers on paper in its cracks. You can not walk away from the wall - you must back away. It is such a holy and precious place - facing the Holy of Holies of the old Temple. It was beautiful to watch these women worship. I prayed to Jesus. He probably doesn't get many prayers at the wall. This is at 1 am mind you, and there were still so many people there in the cool and peace of night. BEAUTIFUL.

Okay - well I better go study and finish journaling before tomorrow. We have a busy day ahead of us - Bethlehem, Mt of Olives and then Jericho on Sat, among many other places. Thank you for your love and prayers. We serve a God who is GOOD. He is FAITHFUL to His people. Our help comes from THE Lord, the maker of heaven and earth - I was able to lift my eyes to the same hills the psalmist saw as I read that yesterday. He is God, here and there, always and forever. Amen.

Wheaton in the Holy Lands 2010

So I know I haven't left the country yet, but this trip has already begun, and begun to change me, so here I go. This summer I will travel to 4 countries in 40ish days with 50 people, my new family, the "Holy Landers". Before that, however, we have 30 hours of class in 5 days, and I have have the pleasure of taking 4 finals beginning at 8:30am on Saturday. Here is a random smattering of thoughts:

-Straight-up theological lecture from 8:30 to 4:30 is intense.
-Doing handstands with your friends (whom you met yesterday) will help you persevere through said long lecture
-I think I may have been approaching the Bible incorrectly in terms of searching for meaning and application amid a highly contextual and culturally-influenced text, and perhaps drawing from it things that were not meant to be drawn. It isn't about what I get out, but about what the author intended.
-I am learning sign language. There is a boy who is deaf on our trip. I can only imagine how difficult it must be to join a group of strangers who cannot speak your language, while you have no way to even try to understand theirs. He is very brave. He is teaching us signs every night. He is hysterical, and we are all growing closer during these sessions.
-God never turns his face away. The trinity is 3 persons in the Godhead. The Father originates, the Son enacts, and the Spirit empowers. Father and Son are names, and not relations. We should describe God, not define Him.
-Jesus was fully human and fully God at the same time. He was human in mind, body and spirit as all these had to be assumed so all could be redeemed. How do you kill God? He dies voluntarily.
-Job was not on trial in Job. God's policies (which deviated from the retribution principle) were on trial. God's way is good, and we can trust it. From suffering we learn to depend on Him.

Okay, I'll stop now, but that is a glimpse of what is going on in my head. My prayer is that through this trip, I will learn how to better understand the Bible, how to better describe God, and that I will draw closer in relationship to Him. I am so thankful for this opportunity. I'm gonna go do some homework now. God bless.

Before leaving for Argentina I remember talking to my mom and saying how I was really excited to get to know the group of students from Wheaton who will be here. I told her that there was one girl in the group that just kinda rubbed me the wrong way, and I couldn´t put my finger on it, but I thought it was that she intimidated me. Anyway, it just so happened (coincidence - I think not) the other day that the group I was in split apart and I found myself sitting in a coffee shop with this same girl to do homework before we needed to be somewhere in 2 hours. We had planned to study and write some of our papers, but ended up talking for 2 hours over coffee and medialunas. We shared our hopes and fears and stories of things God has done in our lives and lessons we´ve learned through the years. It was amazing. One of those talks where you come away refreshed and envigorated. What a joy to begin a relationship with this sweet girl! Of course it was God who orquestrated this coffee date. I am still learning about the damage that can be done when we form opinions about others and don´t take the time to get to know them and better understand. I almost missed out on getting to know this friend. There are applications for this lesson all over. I went to a Pentecostal church service the other day. And the lady everyone was staring at on the bus because of the ¨strange¨things she was doing. I really want to allow God to change my thoughts, to humble me so that I can look at His people through new eyes that love regardless and yearn to understand.

In other news. I went to Iguazu Falls today. The most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my life. Words can not describe the majesty of God displayed here. We leave in about 2 hours on a 24 hour bus ride back to Buenos Aires. One more week there with my family, and then off to Southern Chile. Half of our group will be traveling with a band to various churches to do projects and give concerts. I am excited about the group thats going and what God will do with this great opportunity!

There is a boy here who asked for my email, and my friend is trying very hard to set us up. She told him that he has 8 days to win my heart since we leave soon. Haha! we will see. . . .

Today I stood in Argentina but could see both Paruguay and Brasil, so now I´ve ¨seen¨ the majority of the South American countries! : )

I really miss my family. They are the best and I can´t wait to see them again.

Love and besos from Argentina!

Greetings from Uruguay! Went to Rosario, Argentina last weekend, we´re in Uruguay now, and next weekend we head to Igyazu (def spelled that wrong) Falls. Yep - we´re really busy. During the week is class and life with families. I love it here. On Wed after class and lunch (I have this new goal to always order things from the menu that I don´t recognize, so I ate a ham sandwich on pumpkin instead of bread!) I went with a couple friends to a really nice coffe shop and had a submarino. It is basically a huge glass of hot milk and cream and then a big bar of chocolate is dropped in like a sub - AMAZING! : )

In other news - my hair is short now. Prepare yourselfs. I like it, but it´s taking some getting used to.

I also rode on a motorcycle the other day, which was pretty fun. I screamed a lot and the whole town of Pacheco, Arg came out of their houses to see what was up.

As I walk home every day from the bus stop, I see this group of 5 black cats in the same spot every day. It´s weird. I don´t know why I´m writing this, but there you go. I decided that rather than be scared by a black cat, I would try to scare THEM instead. It´s kinda comical. : )

Anyway, I´ve been thinking a lot today. I´ve heard the stories of many people during my time here. They are just like the stories of people in the States - stories of loss, broken hearts, abuse, addiction, poverty, hopeless . . . Life isn´t always hot milk and chocolate. This morning I needed to be at the ferry station at 8am to catch the boat to Uruguay. Since I live so far from the city, I needed to leave my house before 6am. I knew it would be pitch black outside, and not entirely safe. A man who lives at Kairos accompanied me the whole way to the boat station. It was so incredibly kind of him to do. He didn´t need to, but did out of the kindness of his heart. He watched out for me and my safety on the crowed train, and as we passed through a rough neighborhood. As we traveled, he told me bits and pieces of his ¨story¨. He has not had an easy life, and has been through so much. Anyway, long story short, I met up with the group and he left. A girl from the Wheaton group began to tell me her opinion of this guy, my friend, based on his rough appearance and her impressions. The words she spoke cut me and brought tears to my eyes. I started to think about how many times we make judgements on others, voice our opinions, think thoughts, without knowing their stories. Who am I to have an opinion on others. My awesome God loves them. I need to just shower them in love as well. And listen. This experience has changed me. Hopefully, you can also take something away from it. . . .

Anyway - my thoughts here are scattered, but maybe you can make some sense of them. I´m sure I´ve said this before, but I am learning not only Spanish, but also about people and culture and life. For every day here, I wish I had 5 to process, but I´m doing the best I can with what I have. I am so blessed to be here and have this experience. It´s not always fun and it isn´t easy, but it is good. I am so blessed with the friends I am making. Real, true friends. It will be terribly hard to leave them. I´m just gonna keep living in each moment - it´s the only way. I love you all and miss you. God bless.

Besitos!

Michelle

I am sitting here with my friend - that´s right - I have legit Argentine friends now!!! : ) It´s pretty cool. I´m getting to know two girls named Kayla and Celeste, and they are gifts from God. It is also so cool to get to know the family that is the community that lives and works here at Kairos. Christian men and women in all different places in life who are incredibly loving and lovable.

Saturday I spent the day with my family and then went to the Argentine soccer game in the huge stadium in Buenos Aires. It was wild. There was so much energy and noise and they WON! Such an incredible experience.

On Sunday I went to my first asado which is like an Argentine barbeque. The meat was cooking on the grill-thing, and it was more meat than I have ever seen at one time in my life. I helped prepare food with the women, we ate, and then out came the guitar and singing and mate. It was so sweet. Then I went to church with Kayla and my family. You all should have seen my face when I chugged my ¨cup¨at communion and realized that it was real wine, and not this grape juice stuff. : )

Classes are good. The transportation to and from school is long, but worth it. It is so fun to go to class, eat new food out for lunch and then spend the rest of the day with friends in the city.

My Spanish is improving A LOT. It isn´t easy and is discouraging at times, but this is so good. I am getting a lot better at understanding, and speaking as well. I am to the point where I don´t always have to think before I speak now, which sounds wierd, but is a very good thing. : )

Yesterday I babysat for the children in my family while the parents went to a class. They had never had anyone other than their grandparents stay with the children before. We had tons of fun. I love these little ones, and it is getting easier to communicate with them. The funny story is that after they had been asleep for 2 hours, and I had been working on homework I decided to shower so I could go to bed. Within minutes of my becoming soaking wet and soapy the little girl started screaming in here sleep, and I went to her, dripping. In retrospect, it is funny . . .

Anyway, I´m outta time. God is good. I love this city, and the darling people. Wish i could write more. I have so many stories. Praise God because my left eye started swelling up again (don´t know if you remember when this happened before), and the swelling is gone now! Tomorrow we leave for a weekend trip. On Monday I am going to bake chocolate chip cookies with my family! They are very excited.

I love you all. Hope you are well. Be good. Know that you are loved and in my thoughts and prayers. Goodbye for now . . .

Un Besito,

Michelle

Okay - I´m warning you now that this is gonna be a stream of conciousness post . . .

I am on a computer now, but I don´t know how much time I have, so here we go. I now live with an Argentine family. The father is the director of Kairos so we live in a house behind the center. I brought a couple pictures from home to show them and I was embarassed to show them a picture taken in our dining room cause it is the size of a couple rooms in their house. The house has hot water and I am safe and loved. There are 2 children - Juaqin (don´t know how to spell it) is a 6 year old little boy and beautiful Julieta is 5. They are so sweet and adorable - well behaved and loving. Julieta holds my hand whenever we go anywhere and oh, I just love them. My parents, Ariel and Nancy are incredibly hospitable, loving, and caring. They worry about me while I´m at school during the day, and are just so kind. After dinner, which is anywhere from 9 to 11pm, i stay up and talk with them about everything. They are amazing. I go to class at the Instituto Biblico Buenos Aires in the city Mon-Thurs. We learn Spanish with other Wheaton students and professors. It takes me over an hour by bus to get to school. The transportation system here is incredible. I took 4 different buses just today to go various places in the city. It´s really cheap though. I eat lunch for, like, 2 bucks sometimes. Lots of meat. Coffee. Dulce de Leche and Matte. If you don´t know what these are, look them up - very interesting cultural. The people here are so nice - we have to talk to random people often for assignments, and they are so kind and love to talk. My Spanish is improving a lot, but I still have a long way to go. It is easier to undertand and speak as well. My parents here are very helpful. We have a lot of homework - the afternoons involve exploring the city and we write a lot of papers. This city (the capital) has incredible culture and history. I have a lot to think about. Some people from our group are living with families who have opened up their homes, but have no hot water, little food, 2 rooms for a house, and live in very dangerous neighborhoods. I worry for the girls placed in these neighborhoods. This is life for so many, though. I am so blessed to be where I am now with a hot shower every day, plenty of food and a loving family in a safe neighborhood. The gender issues with this culture are very different from the US. I have had a couple uncomfortable occasions with the men here. I stand out with blonde hair and imperfect Spanish. I hate how some men treat some women and that women in this world ever need to be scared. My family takes care of me, and the boys in our group help and I am safe, so don´t worry, but it is something i need to think about. The city is beautiful, very European, but I am not only learning about Argentina and Spanish, but about life. If you are reading this, you are blessed. More so than MANY people. This is an incredible experience and I am learning so much. On Saturday, I will be going to the huge soccer game between Argentina and Colombia. It´s a big deal. Soccer is a religon here. I am excited. I love you all. Thank you for being in my life. Congrats on getting to the end of this. : ) Till later, me.

I lied.  It is actually freezing.  

We are very busy.  We get coffee at 8am and then there are things (classes, misson work, dance lessons etc) until dinner which can be as late as 11:30.

We eat TONS of meat.  I have probably eaten an entire cow already.  for reals!

We are still at the Kairos mission center and will meet our families next week

I spent part of yesterday in Buenos Aires.  The city is beautiful and there are people EVERYWHERE!  we had to take a train, bus and several subways to get back here.  It's WILD!

Things are so cheap compared to the US.  A dozen roses is maybe a dollar and fifty cents.

I am pretty overwhelmed trying to understand everyone's Spanish and learning so much so quickly.  I LOVE singing worship in Spanish and reading the Bible.   It's hard though to make this transition.  Thankfully, God is close and transcends language.  I love Him.  SO MUCH!  and I love you too.  adios!