Tuesday, Jan 27

Wow… I can’t even tell y’all how awesome these past few days have been… I know three days is a long time to go without blogging, but the past two days (not including today) we weren’t in Jerusalem, so it was kind of impossible. To start off Tuesday morning, I woke up really early and couldn’t go back to sleep. So…instead of trying to fall back asleep knowing it wasn’t going to happen, I went onto the roof/balcony of our house that overlooks Jerusalem to just be alone and with God. When I got up there it was pitch black except for the streetlights that were on around the city. Of course, that was also because it was only 5 in the morning. So as I was watching the sun slowly rise over the city, God was speaking to my heart. I haven’t written in a while, and everyone who knows me knows that I love to write, especially poetry. What God was speaking to me wasn’t necessarily poetry, but it was precious to my heart.

“I watch this city as it sleeps in peace

and the sounds of reality slowly arise.

As the birds chirp their good morning symphony

The Lord speaks softly and calls me by name.

‘Julie, my daughter, my beautiful bride,

I move these clouds just as I move your heart.

You are in my home, my love and my land,

Breathe in the air, for it is I that you breathe.

Just as I have given this city rain,

I have given you peace in the depths of your soul.

I love you more than you can even fathom,

So love me in the way I have always loved you.’

The horizon appears slowly as the sun awakes from sleep.

The sky has changed from black,

To a rainbow of blue and orange.

Then an added yellow, purple and bright pink

And the sounds of a new day that has finally come.

I say through morning brisk and the distant church bell’s song,

‘good morning sweet Jerusalem, a new day has come.’”

Anyway, I just felt like I should share that with those who know we the best on this world… Once the day truly got started, we went to the big city of Tel Aviv and I loved that place! It’s the second largest city in Israel and is one of the most populated. It was pretty easy to see why, I felt. It was really modernized and had a cosmopolitan lifestyle, and of course was on the coast of the Mediterranean. We first went to the supposed tomb of Samuel, and then the Simon the Tanner’s house. By that time, it was time for lunch, so we ate schwarma at this little hole-in-the-wall restaurant. It was so yummy!! I can’t remember if I had eaten schwarma before, but I definitely think I liked it more than falafels. =]  Something random to add: when we were walking on the street, we passed by a cave with fruit bats! Weird, right? And then we had walked to a Roman statue in the middle of the city and while looking at the Mediterranean Sea in the distance, there was some random old guy who looked like he tanned for at least 30 minutes a day doing yoga in the middle of the park. He was putting himself in positions no man should ever be in. *shiver* haha! ANYWAY, after eating, we went to Tel Aviv University to visit the Diaspora Museum on the campus. It was about the history of Israel and the scattering of the Jews among the nations. Since we were going to the Arab market after the museum, we were all pretty quick going through all the rooms! Haha! The market was so much fun! I bought some really cute stuff =]  I love experiencing all the aspects of these different cultures…it’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. The market was only a couple blocks away from the Mediterranean Sea, so once everyone who was in my group was done shopping and walking around, we went to the Med. Unfortunately, the part of the sea we were on was all rocks. So we weren’t able to stick our feet in the water, but we stood on the rocks and looked out on the horizon of the beautiful sea. We left not too long after that, which ended up being a good thing because being sick and walking around all day in cold winds without a jacket isn’t a good combination!