"Olive" you

Last week, we picked this whole crate of olives, and yesterday we had the opportunity to make olive oil from them in the biblical gardens outside the Center. 

Olives in their grinder

Once the olives are put in the grinder, we have to push this giant stone around in a circle to press the olives. 

Then we got our hands dirty by packing these baskets with the crushed olives...

and bringing them to the olive press...

where they're pressed until the oil runs down in to the basins.

Just us olive pressers after a hard day's work. 

Tel Aviv'n

Sometimes, life seems too beautiful to possibly be considered any sort of accident.Today was one of those days. After classes this morning, 14 of us made the hour drive to Tel Aviv where we played on the beach, rented bikes, and enjoyed a little excursion away from Jerusalem. 

Footloose

 After classes on Thursday we played soccer with some of the Palestinian kids in our neighborhood- Raghad, Muhammad, and Yesin. 

 Meet Raghad and Muhammad! I'm so glad I got the chance to get to know them throughout the day. 

After soccer, we found ourselves tromping around the Mount of Olives and the Old City with Raghad and Muhammad. But sometimes, 11-year olds make the best guides. They took us to some of their friend's houses and introduced us to their families. And we ran in to this little guy! How cute is he?

We'll start with the Shuk

and then go a bit randomly through the last few days...

The Shuk- an open air market in West Jerusalem. We've been wanting to go here for a while, and finally got to it yesterday.  

Oranges! Don't let the color fool you.  

Israel loves its spices.

Jews worshiping at the Western Wall. Last night we toured the Kotel Tunnel which runs underneath the Western Wall. 

Inside the Kotel Tunnel. Jews worship at the Western Wall because it's the closest they can come to the place where the holiest part of the temple once stood. Some women go to this spot in the Tunnel because it's even closer than the Western Wall. 

A separation wall in a Palestinian neighborhood. We were taken out in the city today by Danny Seidemann- the founder of an NGO that promotes Israeli-Palestinian peace, especially in Jerusalem. During the Second Intifada (the era of suicide bombing in Israel, 2000-2004) these barriers were built to keep suicide bombers from coming into Israeli neighborhoods. 

Volunteering at the Red Crescent Hospital

The nursery

For unto you is born this day...

Bethlehem! 

Today we spent the whole day in the city where Christ was born.

The Herodion- King Herod's Palace in Bethlehem. We started the day off here to contrast two kings- Herod and Christ.  One was born into privilege, one into poverty. One was consumed by greed and spent his whole life taking, and the other lived a life of charity. One was a true King and one was not. 

How is it that we're not sick of pillar pictures by now?

Erin, Lauren and I

The Church of the Nativity

Inside the Church of the Nativity

Shepard's Field. I think we sang every Christmas song ever composed today and many of them we sang here. 

More of Shepard's Field

Cal n' I

Jordan

I've come full circle. 

From evergreens to olive trees. 

From malls to markets.

And now from Jordan to Jordan. 

Upon moving to Jordan, MN, I can recall a vague knowledge of some country in the Middle East called Jordan that I would probably never go to. 

Little did I know. 

This week I got to spend four days there, but since pictures do a much better job of telling stories....

Our first day: The hike to Machaerus, where John the Baptist was imprisoned and eventually beheaded in one of King Herod's palaces

    

Machaerus

 

Day 2: Petra 

The "melting chocolate" rock. Sometimes felt like another planet. 

The treasury at Petra

Camels!

The Monastery at Petra

In case you have ever wondered....

This is what it looks like from the top of the world

Day 3: Ammon, the capital of Jordan 

Devotional at the Jabbok River

The ancient ruins of Jerash

The North Gate of Jerash

Day 4: A theater in Ammon

Me n' Erin

The Jordan River, where Jesus was baptized. Some of the kids in the branch here have actually been baptized in this river, as there is no baptismal font here. Seems like a decent alternative to me.